Im- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FOLDING OR PLEATING PAPER FOR PATTERN CARDS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO FOLDING OR PLEATING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Royle, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster. Warehouseman, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FOLDING OR PLEATING PAPER
FOR PATTERN CARDS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO FOLDING OR PLEATING WOVEN
FABRICS."
Sealed the 29th January 1869, and dated the 31st July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Royle
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition. on
the 31st July 1868.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS ROYLE. of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Warehouseman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FOLDING OR PLEATING
PAPER FOR PATTERN CARDS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO FOLDING OB PLEATING WOVEN
FABRICS," to be as follows:--
The machinery or apparatus constituting my Invention consist of two
clamps or jaws to which successive portions of the paper or other material
are delivered, the one clamp or pair of jaws pressing and retaining a
length until the other is supplied with another portion, and the two are
[P

page_text: alternately opened by means of cams. For delivering these portions of
material to the clamps or jaws I propose to employ reciprocating blades
mounted in a frame in which they can slide so as to occupy different
planes. When the material is being delivered one or other of these
blades moves along a fixed incline so as to render the passage to the
jaws or clamps clear, and thus the material is folded or pleated forward
and backward, the successive folds being liberated and permitted to fall
away or be removed.
filed by the said William Thomas Royle in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS ROYLE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Ware-
houseman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred, and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Thomas Royle, Her special
license, that I, the said William Thomas Royle, my executors, adminis-
traters, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said William Thomas Royle,
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 OR APPARATUS FOR FOLDING OR PLEATING PAPER
FOR PATTERN CARDS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO FOLDING AND PLEATING WOVEN FABRICS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Thomas
Royle, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the
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.
same

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I. the said William Thomas Royle, 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 and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
Paper for pattern cards consists. as is well known, of successive
lengths folded forward and backward. and when this has been accom-
plished the backs are added to make the complete card as it is termed.
Now the object of my Invention is to fold the paper into the said form
ready for its being made into the "card," and it is obvious that to
accomplish this the paper must not only be folded backward and forward
but must at the same time be pressed or creased so as to allow it to
retain the said folds. According to the usual method adopted the work-
man spreads any desired length upon a table, and then by hand effects
the successive folds, pressing each one down with a paper knife.
According to my Invention I employ two pairs of jaws or clamps to
which successive portions of the material are delivered. the one pair of
jaws or clamps pressing and retaining a length until the other is
supplied with another portion.
In referring to the accompanying Drawings I shall in the first place
describe the action of those parts of the apparatus which immediately
act upon the material, and subsequently a method by which the said
parts may be caused to perform their movements.
Fig. represents a longitudinal section of the machine: Fig. 2 a top
view, and Fig. 3 a detached view of the operating parts in another
position.
At a, a, is a pair of jaws or clamps. the lower part a being fixed and
the upper part a being moveable upon a centre b, so that by being
turned on the said centre it may be separated from the other part.
At c, c, is another pair of jaws or clamps, the lower part e being as in
the other case stationary. and the upper part (* moveable upon al
centre d. Between these two pairs of jaws or clamps are blades e, j.
mounted in a frame g. to which a reciprocating motion is imparted.
The paper to be folded is wound in a roll and placed upon a creel" h,
the end of the said paper passing between rollers i, and also between the
blades e, f, from whence I will assume it extends to and is held by the
jaws or clamp a, a, as shewn by the blue line. Reciprocating motion
being now imparted to the blade e. it moves against the paper, causes

page_text: it to be unwound from the roll, and conveys it towards the jaws or
clamp c. c, the other blade moving out of its way to allow it to
approach the said jaws or clamp, which being now opened permit the
paper to be placed between them, as seen in the detached view, Fig. 3.
The blade e now begins to retreat, leaving a fold of the paper in the jaws
or clamp c, c, which then closes and confines the said fold between
them. The reciprocating motion of the blades being now reversed the
loose paper is carried forward by the blade to the jaws or clamp a, a,
which being open to receive it grasp another fold, and retain it until the
paper is once more deposited in the jaws or clamp c, c. as before
described, and thus the operation continues, the folded paper falling
down in pleats, as shewn by the blue lines.
Having thus explained the main features of my Invention I will
proceed to describe how the several parts may be caused to perform their
movements:-At k is the main framework of the machine, on each side
of which are bars 1, constituting guides for the reciprocating frames g,
one on each side of the machine before mentioned. These frames are
provided with openings m, m, within which are situate blocks n, 0,
capable of sliding upward and downward therein, and these blocks on
each side of the machine are united by blades e, f, being connected
thereto by brackets p. q. To the frame g is jointed a connecting rod r
forked (but broken off), as shewn in the plan view, Fig. 2, the other
end of the said connecting rod being jointed to a crank pin s on a disc t
mounted upon a shaft u*. The blocks n, o, are provided with rollers u, v,
which as the frame g is caused to perform its reciprocating motion
advance alternately up inclines c, x, fixed to or formed upon the
jaws, a, c, and by these means the blocks n, o, and with them the
blades e, f, may be caused to rise in the frame g, and to fall therein
when either of the rollers u, v, is ascending or descending an incline e, x.
The main shaft of the machine is at y actuated by hand or by power,
as may be desired, and upon one end of this shaft is a pinion z, taking
into a wheel on the axis of the crank disc t, which axis is supported by
brackets 1. The main shaft is also provided with a bevil pinion 2 in
gear with another upon an upright shaft 3, which has another bevil 4
taking into one upon a line shaft 5. On this line shaft there are two
cams 6, 7, acting against the rollers 8, 9, carried by levers 10, 11, which are
fast upon the axes b, d, of the jaws a*, c*. At 12 is a cord or chain
attached to the lever 11 passing over a pulley 13 on the lever 10, and
from thence over a pulley 14 carried by the stationary framework, and

page_text: turn the levers 10, 11, upon the centres b, d, and to keep the upper
jaws a. e. pressed upward.
The operation of the machine is as follows: According to the
positions of the parts shewn in the Drawings the crank pin s is moving
in the direction of the arrow, and is therefore propelling the frame g.
together with the blades e. f. in the direction of the arrow
During this movement
as also
thereon.
and the blade e is therefore carrying the paper towards the jaws or
clamp c. c. a fold of which is held by the other jaws or clamp a, a*.
The roller u on the block p will now ascend the incline, by which
means the said block will be caused to slide upward in the frame g.
carrying with it the blade f. and thus making way for the blade e to
reach the jaws c. c.
rotation will have been
imparted to the shaft 5 by the wheels 2. 4, above described, and the
cams 6, 7, will therefore be caused to revolve, the former of which will
bring a depressed part 16 opposite the roller 8 on the lever 10, and that
lever being drawn forward by the weight 15 will turn the centre pin d
and open the jaw c*. after which a further travelling of the blade e will
convey the paper into the said jaws or clamp. as seen at Fig. 3, the other
blade being carried out of the way by ascending the incline 1.
seen in Fig. 3. The paper having been thus placed in the jaws c. c*.
the continued rotation of the cam will bring its elevated portion against
the roller on the lever 10. whereby the said lever will be turned back
and the jaw will be closed firmly on the paper.
One fold of the paper
having thus been accomplished and held firmly in the jaws c. c*, the
rotation of the crank s will convey the frame g and blades e, f, in the
opposite direction, by which means the paper will be carried towards
the jaws a. a*, which will be opened by the arrival of a recess in the
cam 7 opposite to the roller on the lever 11. as described in reference
to the other lever 10. the weight 15 acting through the cord or chain 12
for that purpose. and the blade still advancing will place the paper in
the jaws a, a, the roller by moving up the incline carrying the
blade e upward. The cam 7 then closes the jaws a, a, as described in
reference to those at c, c*. and thus successive folds or pleats of paper
are formed, the one pair of jaws holding the paper until it is grasped
by the other pair.
In ardan to produce folds for various sizes of nattern cards the

page_text: ledges 20 formed on the stationary framework, and are provided with
bearings 21, in which the centre pins b, d, of the upper jaws turn.
Beneath the jaws a, c, are brackets 21 provided with nuts situate on
right and left handed screws 22, 23, which are connected together by
bevils 24 and a cross shaft 25. By turning one of these screws the
jaws a, a, c, c*, will be caused to advance towards or to retreact from each
other so as to provide for a smaller or larger fold or pleat between them,
and the cams 6. 7. are moved upon the shaft 5 to occupy a proper
relative position to the rollers on the levers 10. 11. These alterations
render it necessary that the blades e. f. should be caused to travel a
shorter or longer distance, and this is effected by adjusting the crank
pin s in the slot 24. The incline w. r. being formed upon the jaws a, c.
will by moving with them retain their proper position. At 26 are
catches, which may be used to keep the knives up when elevated in
order when desired to suspend their action.
I have in the above description alluded particularly to my Invention
as applied to folding paper for pattern cards. but it may after the same
manner be used for folding or pleating woven fabrics in cases where a
permanent crease is desired or not considered injurious.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is performed, I desire it to be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise construction of the
parts, or to the manner in which they are actuated; but I claim as
secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, and for
the purpose above set forth, the use of jaws or clamps to which
successive folds or pleats of the material are delivered by reciprocating
blades.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Royle, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of Januari,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
WILLIAM THOMAS ROYLE. (L.S.)