IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER OR OTHER FABRIC OR MATERIAL
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Davies, of High Park Road, Smethwick,
near Birmingham, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER OR OTHER FABRIC OR
MATERIAL."
Sealed the 19th November 1867, and dated the 21st May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st May 1867.
I, JOSEPH DAVIES, of High Park Road, Smethwick, near Birmingham,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER OR OTHER FABRIC
OR MATERIAL," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in certain improved combinations and arrangements
of machinery for folding sheets of paper successively two or more times, and
my improvements may be applied to newspapers or to bookbinding or other
purposes.
My improved machinery consists of a table with grooves for the grippers.
and guide points to work in; the points are set to correspond with the holes.
pierced or marked in the sheets to be folded. Grippers carry the sheet
forward until the centre comes under the folding blade, which in descending
presses the fold between two rollers; these rollers carry the folded sheet into

page_text: position for being acted upon by a second folding blade acting at right angles
or parallel to the first; this second blade presents the centre of the folded
sheet to a second pair of rollers, which carry the now twice-folded sheet
into position for being acted upon by a third folding blade which delivers the
now three-times folded sheet to a third pair of rollers, and these rollers carry
the folded sheet to the last or fourth folding blade, which again delivers the
now four-folded sheet to a fourth pair of rollers, by which the operation is
completed, and the four-times folded sheets are delivered into a suitable
receptacle ready for bookbinders' use or any other purpose.
The grippers are worked to and fro by a lever and pulley actuated by a
cam or other equivalent on the main shaft. The folding blades are all actuated
by cams or tappets on the driving shaft acting on suitable levers, and the
folding rollers are all driven by bands, pulleys, or wheels from the driving
shafts. The sheets when being folded are guided by boards or tapes, and to
increase the correctness of the folding small india-rubber rollers are used to
press on the folded sheets and to take them to the stops when issuing from the
pressing rollers.
I wish to observe that although I have described my improved machinery
as adapted to fold the sheets four times it is evident that by disengaging and
reversing some of the parts the sheets may be only folded one, two, or three
times either way, and that by the addition of other similar parts the sheet may
be folded more than four times.
The object and effect of my improvements is to economise time in folding,
and to perform the operation more accurately than heretofore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPHI
DAVIES, of High Park Road, Smethwick, near Birmingham, Mechanical
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Davies, Her special license that I, the said Joseph Davies,
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph

page_text: Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR FOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER AND OTHER FABRIC OR MATERIAL," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Davies, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Davies, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
The nature of my Invention consists in certain improved combinations and
arrangements of machinery for folding sheets of paper successively two or
more times, and it may be applied to newspapers, bookbinding work, or for
other purposes.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying three
Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved folding
machine suitable for bookbinders' work; Figure 2 is an end view of the
same.
On Sheet 2, Figure 3 is an end elevation on the line Y, Y, of Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 is a plan of the table.
On Sheet 3, Figure 5 is a plan of the machine with the tables removed;
Figure 6 is a part section showing the middle standard and the table B', also
the form of its guides B2; Figure 7 is a part section showing an elevation of
the table C, with its guides C3, stops C³, and roller C'; Figure 8 shows the
position of the table C and form of its guides C in relation to the rollers B;
Figure 9 is a plan of the drawer D¹ detached from the machine and con-
taining the rollers D; Figure 10 is a section of the same on the line X, X,
and Figure 11 is a side view of the drawer D'; G, G, represents a wood
frame on which the machine is fixed; F, F, exhibits the framework of the
machine on which are two tables A¹ and A'; A¹ is the feeding table and A

page_text: the gripper table; the feed table A¹ is provided with a groove or grating A³,
through which projects two moveable points A' receiving suitable motion from
the lever A".
The operator places the sheet to be folded, which sheet has previously been
marked or pierced with holes corresponding to the points A', on the said
points; the grippers then advance, take hold of the sheet, the two points A
are withdrawn, and the sheet is brought by the grippers to the proper
distance so that the centre of the sheet, shall be immediately under the
knife A, K. The grippers on arriving at the end of their stroke release the
sheet by coming in contact with stops A°; the knife A, K, then descends,
taking the sheet with it to the centre of rollers A, admitting the sheet between
them; the knife then returns and dwells until the next sheet is ready. The
rollers A in revolving take the sheet through and allow it to fall upon the
stops B of the table B¹; the knife B, K, then advances and takes the sheet
to the centre of the rollers B, and returns and dwells until the next sheet falls
upon the stops B³. The rollers B revolve in the bearings C", in Figure 7,
and pass the sheet through to the table C¹, the sheet then being folded the
second time the horizontal knife C, K, then advances and takes the sheet to
the centre of the rollers C, C; the knife returns and dwells for the next
sheet. The sheet is taken through the rollers C on to the next table D; the
knife D, K, tben descends, taking the sheet to the centre of the rollers D,
returns and dwells until the next sheet is brought forward. The sheet in
passing between the rollers D is folded the fourth time, and is then guided into
a basket or other receptacle. From the rollers A, B, C, or D, or after it has
been folded once, twice, thrice, or four times, the sheet may be guided by
boards or tapes, or let fall into a basket or otherwise, according to the number
of folds required. The rollers D are so fitted and arranged with the knife
D, K, slides D³ and D', levers D and D', and spring and rod D in the drawer
or frame D', that the whole can be withdrawn and reversed or turned upside
down, and after such alteration is made the sheet is forced by the knife D, K,
upwards to the centre of the rollers D, and consequently the sheet would then
be folded in the contrary way.
The rollers C, table C', guides C2, stops C³, rod C³, lever C, and its
spring are also arranged so that they may be placed on either side of the
rollers B, as shewn by the bearings and grooves C³, see Figures 2 and 7; to
effect this the knife C, K, with its slide levers and other parts are withdrawn
and put into the corresponding bearings and grooves C, see Figures 2 and 7,
on the opposite side of the machine. The drawer or frame D' and the slide
of the knife C, K, are of the same dimensions, so that they may fit in either

page_text: grooves C³ or C³, see Figure 2. To effect the folding of sheets of any
number of pages it is only necessary to place the rollers in the manner
described, or in any position required, as they are adapted for being changed.
The machine shewn in the present Drawings is arranged to fold a sheet of
thirty-two pages. To ensure the correctness of the folding by this machine
small india-rubber surface rollers B, C, see Figures 2, 6, and 7, and Dº, in
Figure 9, are used which are caused to revolve in a direction towards the
stops B³, C3, in Figures 2, 3, 6, and 7, and D in Figure 9; the india-rubber
rollers are pressed slightly upon the sheet as it leaves the folding rollers;
thus through their instrumentality the sheet is brought definitely to the stops
and released at each operation; tapes or grippers may be used to effect the
same object. The guides B³, C³, in Figures 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8, and D", in
Figure 10, are so fixed to the proper distances from the tables B, C¹, and D',
that they prevent the creasing of the sheet in folding. Motion is transmitted
from the cam As on the main shaft A, A, through the cross bar A° and slide
rods A to the knife A, K; from the cam B³ through the lever B to the
knife B, K. From the cam C through the lever C and rod C to the
knife C, K, and from the cam Ds through the lever D, rod D, lever
and joint D', to the knife D, K. The levers C and D are kept in contact
with the cams C and D by an elastic band or strap working on the surface
of the cam and loose pulley at the end of levers C and D7, see Figures 1
and 2. Motion is given to the shaft H by hand, or steam, or other power,
and is transmitted by the pinion I and wheel J to the main shaft A, A. The
shaft B, B, is driven by the bevel wheels c, c, so that the shaft B, B, is
parallel to the rollers A and D; the shaft B, B, has pulleys on each end to
drive the rollers, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2; h, h, are the fast and loose
pulleys on the shaft H; b, the pulley for driving the rollers B and C through
the shaft H, H, to the rollers B by bevel wheels d, d. An eccentric is also
fixed on the end of the shaft B, B, which gives motion through a rod, lever,
and spindle to break levers which work in bearings in stops A", through which
passes the spindle which carries the break levers; these levers are to prévent
the sheet from floating along the table after it is relieved from the grippers.
The grippers are actuated by the lever B°, in which is a long slot and a double
clip m, which is secured by screws; the double clip holds firmly the ends of a
band or cord m¹ coiled round the pulley m² and passed under the pulley mus
for giving motion through the shaft m³ to two pulleys m', to each of which is
fastened a cord, chain, or rod m³ passing parallel to the machine or from the
feeding to the finishing end over the pulleys m®. At the end of each end of
the cords me an india-rubber cord or spring is tied or fastened and secured to

page_text: the standard F at m' or otherwise; the use of these springs is to bring the
gripper slide to the stop A, and the gripper slide is firmly secured by the
clips A to the cord m³. The grippers are opened by coming in contact with
the stops As, and closed by coming in contact with the stops A"; these stops
are moveable to suit any length of stroke the grippers may be required to
travel.
The rollers may be of wood or any other suitable material. Any desired
pressure can be given to the rollers by means of the springs Z, as shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 5, so that in many cases the folding machine will turn out
its work sufficiently pressed; pinions may be applied to the end of the rollers
to avoid slips. The edges of the knives are made thin and milled to prevent
slipping on the sheet; A¹² are lock or safety springs to keep the grippers
opened or closed; the grippers may be actuated by levers attached to the
table or by wheels and racks, or kept open or closed by friction. The springs
or elastic band connected to the levers C and D are to keep the steel rollers e,
see Figure 1, in close contact with the cams C and D³; these cams are
secured to the shaft A, A, by set screws, thereby rendering them casy of
adjustment and corresponding to the action of the levers. The lever A1, see
Figure 3, which actuates the points A* receives its motion through the rod A¹³
from the lever B. The long screw C, in Figure 7, is to adjust and hold the
stop C³ in its proper place to receive the sheet on leaving the rollers B. The
grooves in the table A2 are to guide the gripper slide and to allow the grippers
to remain open on the returning stroke.
From the foregoing description it will be evident that my improved
machine possesses many advantages, among which may be enumerated,-
First, the means of having the rollers placed parallel to the feeding table
or at right angles thereto, and either vertically or horizontally.
Secondly, the means of feeding the machine by adjustable points and
grippers or tapes.
Thirdly, using stops and rollers or tapes to ensure the definite position of
the sheet after each fold has been made.
Fourthly, pressing the sheet at the same time that it is being folded so
that it may be ready for use, thereby in many cases dispensing with the use of
the hydrostatic press or the rolling.
And, fifthly, the great quantity and variety of work capable of being
produced.
This machine is also adapted to fold newspaper work direct from the
printing machine.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner

page_text: of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to
limit myself to the details given, as the same may be varied; I would also
remark that the number of tables and rollers, with the parts acting in com-
bination therewith, can be varied according to the number of times that the
sheet may require to be folded; and I claim the general combination and
arrangement of the machinery shewn and described for folding paper and other
fabric or material, and particularly the apparatus for stopping the sheets when
folded and the elastic rollers for pressing on the sheets.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Davies, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven.
JOSEPH DAVIES. (L.S.)