Improvements in Indexing Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1897-Accepted, 29th May, 1897
Improvements in Indexing Machines.
A communication by SMITH NIcholas Webb, of Detroit, in the County of
Wayne and State of Michigan, United States of America, Publisher.
J, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, 118, New Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick and
322, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to indexing machines, and has for its object an improved.
machine intended to be employed in indexing books, the contents of which are
arranged in alphabetical order, or under regular beads. The indexing characters.
are printed by this machine on the margins of the pages, each character being
printed on the margin of the page which will be most convenient to the user, and
the margin of a number of pages adjacent to the printed page being nicked or
gouged out, so as to present, when the book is closed, a clear view of the indexing
character, at the bottom of the cavity produced by notching the leaves and the
book can be so grasped by the user, that it can be opened directly at the indexed
page.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation, some parts being broken away.
Figure 2 is a front elevation.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism employed to rotate the printing
cylinder.
In all the figures, some of the parts, that are behind over-lying parts, are indicated
by dotted lines.
For brevity of description, that part of the machine to which is affixed the
adjusting wheel 3* is called the front. That side to which is secured the main
driving wheel is called the left side.
The frame A supports at the proper height a table 3, on the front side of which
is a hanging face 3b, in which are journaled two intermeshing pinions 3° 3d. The
pinion 3 is keyed to the shaft of a screw that turns in fixed bearings 3' 38. Above
the table 3, and arranged to slide over it, hetween the back and front sides, is a
back support 3 and from the back 3ª, a support 3* extends through a slot in the
surface of the table, and is provided with a runner nut 3. The back support 3*,
can thus be adjusted to the desired position across the table. Above the table is a
presser foot 7, supported at the upper ends of links 7 that reach downward to
a tie bar or yoke: the presser plate 7, lies between the slide plates A A of the
main frame and is provided at each end with a neck piece which extends through
an elongated slot in the side pieces. The tie bar 7 also extends through slots in
the side pieces, and reaches from one link 7" to the other. Near the middle of the
tie bar is another link 7ª that reaches to a foot lever 7° pinned to the frame near
its bottom part.
The presser plate is normally lifted by a counter weight 7', hung on a lever 78
that is fulcrumed on a rod 7h and pinned to the cross tie 7: the counter weight
lifts the presser plate to position. The book to be treated, as hereinafter described,

page_text: can be placed on the table with its back against the support 3 and with the front
margins disposed in a plane parallel to the back support.
On a counter shaft 6ª that lies across the frame parallel with the shaft 2 are two
crank wheels 6, 6; and from the wheels extends a pitman 6 to the cutting and
printing cylinder 4. This cutting and printing cylinder, is a rotary frame provided
with projecting racks of knives, and printing arms of type. The knives are in the
form or shape of gouges or half round chisels, indicated at 4° where two racks of
knives are seen, and they are disposed across the frame at graded heights, so as to
cut to a proper depth into the edge of the book. Each gouge is provided with
ats own individual means for regulating and adjusting the depth to which it will be
driven, the means shown can be described as follows:-
Ou
On the shaft 4b, near the ends, but inside the frame A, and inside the sliding
blocks B B, in which the ends of the shaft 4"-are journaled, are two collars 4, to
the rims of which are secured cross bars 4d 4e: 4d indicating cross bars which hold
the printing gouges and 4 indicating cross bars which hold the printing type.
Along the bar 4d, across the machine: is a row of holes extending in a direction
radially from the centre line of the shaft 4°. Each hole is adapted to receive at
its outer end, the shank of a gouge, and at its inner end is threaded to engage an
adjusting serew 4. The shank of the gonge fits snugly into the bore, and is held
by a set screw 48. The inner end of the shank. butts against the end of the
screw 4, and the position of this screw regulates. the depth of the cut.
the bar 4 are the type-arms arranged to reach as far downward as the cut of the
knife, and to print on the face of the leaf just below those that have been gouged.
The shaft 4 is reciprocated vertically by the rotation of the crank wheels 6, and
these are actuated from the main shaft 2 by means of spur gears 2ª 2°. At each
vertical reciprocation of the shaft 4, it receives a rotary movement by means of
meclianism shown in Figures 2 and 3: in the end collar of 4, on the outside are
cut four radial ribs 8. Through one of the sliding blocks projects a pin 8b,
normally held by spring pressure against the end of the printing cylinder, which is
provided with a number of holes b1, b2b3b: the holes are properly disposed with
respect to the pin 8b, so as to allow the pin 8b to engage in one of the holes during
each down stroke of the cylinder, both when cutting and. when printing, and the
pin serves to lock the cylinder in place, against improper revolution. The outer
end of the pin 8b extends to the outside of the main frame and engages a bell
crank-lever 8, fulcrumed on a sleeve of the shaft 4b. One end of the bell crank-
lever 8, engages with the pin 8b, and the other end 8, extending out from the frame A,
engages with the end of a bracket 8°; during the down stroke of the cylinder the
branch 8, of the bell-crank-lever engages the bracket 8°, and the crank 8 is thrown
back from its engagement with the outer end of the pin 8, leaving that pin to be
pressed inward by its spring, while the branchi.8e passes behind and below the
bracket but the engagement between the end 8 of the lever and the bracket,
during, the up stroke, throws the upper end of the lever outward and pulls the piu
out of engagement with the cylinder. This action is properly timed with reference
to the action of the mechanism for rotating the cylinder, which mechanism is
described as follows:
:
On the main frame is pinned a hanger 9; the extreme lower end of the hanger
projects inward. toward the head of the cylinder and is adapted to engage
successively with the ribs 8ª. It engages with each rib on both the down, and up
stroke of the cylinder. On the down stroke of the cylinder the hanger swings
away from the head and produces no actuating effect thereon. On the up-stroke,
the hanger retains its position and causes the cylinder. to revolve on its axis, one
fourth of a revolution. The approach from above, to the extreme lower and inner
corner of the hanger is oblique, so that the hanger does not act to stop the cylinder.
On the up stroke, the lower face of the hanger engages bluntly with the rib, and
the one part not being able to slip on the other, the cylinder is forced to turn on.
its axis. The lower end of the hanger is held inward by the strain of a spring.
Above the cylinder, extending across from one side of the frame to the other, is

page_text: an ink pad 10, loose on posts 10", 10", on each of which there is above the back.
piece of the pad, a spring 10 10%.
The machine shown in the drawings, is intended to gouge and print two alphabets
in the same book, and is arranged to be thrown into gear, that is, the main driving
wheel 1 is brought into driving connection with the cutting and printing cylinder,.
after the book has been placed on the table under the press. After it has been thrown
"into gear" it remains in condition to cut and print until there has been one
complete revolution of the gouging and printing cylinder, and is then thrown
automatically out of gear, and remains out of gear.
On a stud 5" is mounted a gear wheel 5b meshing with the pinion 6° on the
shaft 6: the gear 5 has four times as many teeth as the pinion 6° and is provided.
on one face with a pin 5°.
The gear 2 is carried on a sleeve on the shaft 2 and that end of this sleeve.
which lies toward the driving wheel, is provided with a jaw clutch face, the outer
part 2 of the clutch slides on the shaft 2, to which it is held by a feather key, the
sliding part is reciprocated by means of a lever hung to the bracket a² by a pin
and controlled on the one side by a link 2, hand lever 2 and on the other side by a
link 28 and spring 2h. The links 20 and 28 are mounted between the fulerum piece
of the lever and the point of engagement of the lever and the sliding part of the
clutch, and pull the movable part of the clutch either into engagement with the
fixed part, or throw it out of engagement. The clutch contact is always made by
the attendant, it is broken automatically at every complete revolution of the printing
cylinder. To effect the automatic break, the link 28 is provided with a notch into
which engages the upper end of a swinging hanger 5°; when the two parts of the
clutch are in engagement. The hanger 5° swings on a pin 54 and the lower end
being heavier than the upper end tends to hold the hanger in a perpendicular
Wheneve:
position, or with its upper end bearing against the side of the link 25.
the link has not been lifted far enough to permit the upper end of the hanger t»
drop, into the notch; when the link is shifted to this extent, the hanger engage
in the notch and the link is prevented from being drawn back by the spring, an!
the parts of the clutch are held in contact, and a movement of the driving wheel 1,
actuates the printing cylinder; as the wheels continue to revolve the pin 5, is
finally brought into contact with the hanger and the hanger forced out of the notch:
this allows the spring to shift the link, lever and movable clutch, and immediately
the cutting and printing cylinder will cease to act, although the heavy driving
wheel will continue to revolve for some time, and may even be kept in constant.
revolution.
Care should be taken to make the clutch contact at a time when the pin 5° has
just passed under the end of the hanger.
The presser plate is brought down by the foot-lever 7e and the foot plate end of
this lever is held down by a bell crank hanger latch 7, which is suspended from a
pin on the main frame. A link 17 connects the end of the bell crauk hanger to
a parallel bar 78, and a hand grip is provided near the upper end of the link, so
that the hanger may be actuated to release the foot lever by the hand of the
operator.
The link 7d that rises from the foot lever 7e passes through the tie bar 7b and is
provided above the tie bar with a buffer spring 7* which compensates for any slight
difference there may be in the books to be treated.
This machine is intended to be used when it is desired to index a. large number
of books of the same size and thickness, for example, a large number of directories
or dictionaries, where the number of times the work is to be repeated will warrant
the expenditure of time required to make the primary adjustment of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an indexing machine, the combination of a cylinder provided with gouges

page_text: and printing type, and adapted to both rotate and reciprocate, an ink pad adapted
to contact the printing type, a book supporting table, and back support adjustable
on said book supporting table, a presser plate, means for reciprocating the cylinder,
means adapted to rotate the cylinder during one part of its reciprocation,
substantially as described.
2. In an indexing machine, the combination of a book supporting table, a presser
plate, a cylinder provided with gouges and type arms, means for reciprocating, and
means for revolving the cylinder, a main driving wheel, a clutch connection
between the main driving wheel and the cylinder actuating mechanism, and means
for automatically disconnecting the clutch, substantially as described.
3. In an indexing machine, the combination of a cylinder provided with gouges
and printing type, and adapted to both rotate and reciprocate, an ink pad adapted
to contact the printing type, a book-supporting table, a presser plate, means for
reciprocating the cylinder, and means adapted to rotate the cylinder during one
part of its reciprocation, and a locking pin engaging the cylinder and preventing
its rotation during another part of its reciprocation, substantially as described.
4. In an indexing machine, the combination of a cylinder provided with gouges
and printing type, a main driving wheel and shaft, a crank wheel adapted to
reciprocate the said cylinder, a clutch engagement, immediately connecting the
main driving wheel and the crank wheel means for actuating said clutch to bring
it into engagement, means for holding the clutch in engagement, and means for
automatically disengaging the clutch, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1907
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.