IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN BOOKBINDING
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Cope, of New North Street, Finsbury,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and James Bradbrook, of
Shrubland Road, Dalston, in the same County, Bookbinder, for
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Cope and James
Bradbrook at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 14th July 1868.
We, JAMES COPE, of New North Street, Finsbury, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and JAMES BRADBROOK, of Shrubland Road,
Dalston, in the same County, Bookbinder, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE
USED IN BOOKBINDING," to be as follows:-
The first part of our Invention of " Improvements in Apparatus used in
Bookbinding" relates to a machine for effecting the operation technically
called "rounding," i.e. forming the book round at the back, a process
hitherto only accomplished by hand labour by a process of hammering.

page_text: The machine consists of a moveable vice in which the books to
be operated upon are securely held by their fore edges. This vice
is capable of being moved either backwards or forwards or of rising
and descending, or moving up and down, or of turning round on a
vertical centre pin so as to suit books of all sizes and thicknesses.
The process of rounding may be effected on one book at a time or
on several books simultaneously. One side of the book or books is
operated upon at a time by the descent of a roller or rubber with
which a given definite pressure regulated by adjustable screws or other
means is given. By thus adjusting the roller all books of the same
size may be made uniform in thickness and appearance. When one
side of the book or books has been rounded by means of the roller,
the vice with the book in it is to be turned round so as to bring
the other side of the book under the action of the roller,
We also
The second part of the Invention consists of an improved method
blocking;" and
of impressing the covers of books technically called "
for this purpose we use a knuckle joint working by a cam, excentric,
or crank as a means of raising the bottom bed so as to give the im-
so hollowed out and constructed
pression. These knuckle joints are
as to hold a supply of oil whereby they will be lubricated.
have adjusting V's for the bed to work in, so that the bed is kept
steady during the impression; and for this purpose the V's are so
tightened that the bed will not descend by its own weight, we there
fore attach a rod by an arm or lever to the knuckle joint so that by
the motion of the press acting on the arin or lever the bed is caused
to descend at the
time.
proper
The third part of the Invention consists of a machine for trimming
the edges of books. This machine is provided with a revolving circular
knife similar to the present trimming machine. The books are placed
on the table of the machine, and this table moves on travelling rails and
Any number of books may be placed
may be of any convenient length.
thereon and carried forward against the circular knife which trims or
cuts the edges. The books are then taken off on the other side by
an attendant who then fills the table again with another lot of books
and reverses the action of the table when the books are carried against
the circular knife as before and are cut. In this machine the books
pass the circular knife once only instead of twice as in the present
trimming machine. The books are thereby cut cleaner and neater

page_text: and unsightly marks are avoided, and moreover the work is done more
quickly than heretofore.
The fourth part of the Invention consists of an apparatus for tooling
or ornamenting the backs of books. It is provided with a roller either
engraved in one piece or made of moveable pieces fitted on a spindle
and changeable at pleasure to suit various patterns and books. This
roller is placed in a machine called a finishing machine which is capable
of giving great pressure either by means of a lever or by cams as in
the backing machine already described. The book with the cover on
is placed in the machine and is held securely by a vice, the engraved
roller is then passed over the back so as to either round it plain, or
make plain blind bands called "jiggering," or the roller may be made
to gild or print letters either plain or gilt as may be desired and
according to the pattern of the roller which is passed over the back
of the book with suitable pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Cope and James Bradbrook in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 14th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COPE, of New North Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, and I, JAMES BRADBROOK, of Shrubland Road, Dalston, in the
same County, Bookbinder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth 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 us, the said James Cope and James Bradbrook, Her
special licence that we, the said James Cope and James Bradbrook,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said James Cope and James Bradbrook, our 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 ex-
pressed, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN BOOKBINDING," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that we, the said James Cope and James Bradbrook, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Cope and James Bradbrook,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
:-
The first part of our Invention of "Improvements in Apparatus to be
used in Bookbinding," relates to a machine for effecting the operation
technically called "rounding" (that is to say), forming the book round
at the back, a process hitherto only accomplished by hand labor by a
process of hammering.
Our improved rounding machine is shewn in Sheets I., II., and III.
of the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of the
machine and Fig. 2 a side elevation.
The machine consists of a moveable vice composed of two jaws a, a¹,
in which the books to be operated upon are securely held by their fore
edges, as shewn at 6 in Fig. 2. The jaws of this vice are secured to a
table d shewn detached in various views in Sheet III., in which Fig. 3
is a front clevation of the table; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same
shewing the moveable jaws of the vice; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal
section of the same. This table is provided on its under side with V's,
and is capable of being moved backwards and forwards on fixed horizontal
guides of corresponding form. A reciprocating motion is communicated
to the table by means of an adjustable crank or excentric pin e, Figures 1
and 2, on the back of the large bevil wheel f, which is connected by the
rod g to a similar pin h on the under side of the table d. All these
parts are shewn by dots in Fig. 2, Sheet II. The large bevil wheel f
is driven by a pinion i on the axle of the large spur wheel indicated by
red lines at at Fig. 2. This wheel j is driven by a pinion / on the
main shaft of the machine. The jaws a, a¹, of the vice are capable of
adjustment on the table d. The jaw a may be moved forward by the

page_text: screw and hand wheel to any desired point, and the other jaw a' is also
capable of motion and is driven forward by the cam or excentric m, which
is actuated by the lever m².
The process of rounding may be effected on one book at a time
or on several books simultaneously. The adjustable jaw a is by means
of the screw and hand wheel brought to a given point according
to the thickness of the book, which is placed in a well d¹, Fig. 5,
in the table, the other jaw a being drawn back to allow the book to
be placed and then secured by forcing it forward by means of the
cam or excentric m and lever m¹. When the book has been properly
secured in the vice the table d is moved forward and the book is brought
under the action of a roller or rubber c, which is capable of being brought
down by the adjusting screw motion c¹ above to any point according to
the size of the book to be operated upon. A given definite pressure
regulated by the adjustable screws c³ or other means is given by this
roller or rubber to the book, which with the table and vice is carried
forward under the rubber first from one side and then from the other.
By adjusting the position of the roller c all books of the same size may
be made uniform in thickness and appearance. When one side of the
book or books has been rounded by means of the roller c the table d with
the vice and the book secured in it is to be moved back again so as to
bring the other side of the book under the action of the roller c, and
thus complete the rounding operation. The vice is provided on each
side with adjustable inclined bars or supports n, n, shewn in section
at Fig. 5, and by dots in Fig. 2. These inclined bars are supported
behind by adjustable supports, whereby the amount of their inclination
may be regulated by means of the thumbscrews n', n', according to the
form of book required.
We would here remark that if preferred the book and its vice may
remain stationary and the roller or rubber c may be mounted in a
moveable frame so that it may be carried or passed over the back of the
book or books instead of the latter being moved to and fro under the
roller or rubber. We would also observe that the book may, if preferred,
be placed on its side and the roller or rubber brought down on to the
back and made to produce precisely the same effect as in the other
machines.
The second part of the Invention consists of an improved method of
impressing the covers of books technically called "blocking." This

page_text: part of the Invention is shewn in Sheet IV. Fig. 1ª is an elevation of a
blocking press constructed according to our improvements.
a is the
rising block, on which the book or cover to be operated upon is placed
and is worked by a knuckle joint b which is actuated by a cam, excentric,
or crank through the connecting rod c. When this knuckle joint is
straightened the bottom bed a will be raised as shewn in the Drawing,
so as to give the impression. It will be seen that these knuckle joints
are hollowed out and constructed so as to hold a supply of oil, whereby
they will be lubricated and the oil will be prevented from running out.
The bottom block or bed a works between vertical V guides d, d, seen
best in the sectional plan view Fig. 2, so that the bed or block a is kept
steady during the impression. In order to prevent any jar or unsteadiness
in the working of the bed or block a the vertical V guides are so
tightened by means of tightening screws e, e, that the bed or block a
will not descend by its own weight; we therefore connect the block a
by means of a rod, link, or arm f to the lower part of the knuckle joint,
so that by the motion of the press acting on the link or arm f the bed
or block a will be pulled down or caused to descend at the proper time.
In order to prevent the block a (should it have a tendency to stick in
the guides) from lifting or pulling the lower arm of the knuckle out of
its socket, this lower arm is made with a journal with projecting ends,
as seen in the detached sectional view Fig. 3ª, and over these pro-
jecting ends are fixed the lugs g, g, which will keep the knuckle in its
place.
The third part of the Invention relates to a machine for trimming the
edges of books. In Sheet V. Fig. 1b is a side elevation of the machine,
and Fig. 2b an end view. This machine is provided with a revolving
circular knife a similar to the present trimming machine. The books
are placed on the table 6 of the machine, and this table is provided on
its under side with V edges which travel on rails c, c, which may be of
any convenient length and have V grooves made therein, as shewn at
Fig. 2. Any number of books may be placed on the table b and secured
thereon by means of the screw clamp d. When thus secured they may
be carried forward against the circular knife a, which will trim or cut
the edges. The books when trimmed are taken off on the other side
of the cutter by an attendant, who then places on the table another lot
of books, and when these latter are secured by the clamp d he reverses
the action of the driving gear, and the table will be moved back and
the books thereby carried against the circular knife as before, and be cut

page_text: as before explained. On the under side of the table 6 is a toothed rack e,
into which gears a piuion f on the shaft f¹, on which is also mounted
a toothed wheel g which is driven by a pinion on the shaft of the
circular cutter a. This shaft is actuated by a band from a large pulley i
on the driving shaft k, on which are mounted the fast and loose
pulleys j, j, which are driven by the engine. In this machine the books
pass the circular knife a once only instead of twice, as in the ordinary
trimming machine. The books are therefore cut cleaner and neater, and
unsightly marks are avoided, and moreover the work is done more quickly
than heretofore.
The fourth part of the Invention relates to a machine or apparatus
for tooling or finishing the books by ornamenting their backs, and is
shewn in Sheet VI. of the Drawings, in which Fig. 1° is a side elevation,
and Fig. 2 an end view of the machine. In this machine a roller
either engraved in one piece or by preference made of moveable pieces
fitted on a spindle and changeable at pleasure to suit various patterns
and books. This roller, together with one of the engraved tools or
moveable pieces, is shewn detached in section at Fig. 3°. The engraved
tool is fitted in a dovetailed socket made in the face of the roller or of
the rings of which it is composed, and the roller is mounted in bearings
on a rocking frame m provided with a handle whereby it may be rocked
on its centres of motion m¹, m². The bearings of this roller are adjustable
by means of the screws n, n, so that when placed in the finishing machine
it will be capable of giving great pressure by means of the hand lever
shewn in the Drawing. The book with the cover on is placed in the
machine on its fore edge and is held securely and tightly by the jaws o, o,
of a vice. One of these jaws is capable of adjustment by means of a
screw p, and the other is moved by means of a cam g and hand lever for
opening and closing the vice. When the book is secured therein the
engraved roller is passed over the back so as to either round it plain or
make plain blind bands called "jiggering," or the roller may be made
to gild or print letters either plain or gilt, as may be desired, and the
back of the book will thus be ornamented according to the pattern of
the roller which is passed over it with suitable pressure as above set
forth.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in Apparatus
D

page_text: the same into effect, we claim as the Invention secured to us by Letters
Patent as aforesaid,―
First. The general construction and arrangement of parts herein set
forth or any mere modification thereof for "rounding" or forming the
backs of books.
Second. The mode herein set forth of working and holding the rising
bed or block of a blocking machine or press so as to prevent the bed or
block or its working gear from becoming disarranged and to ensure its
descent to its normal position on the return stroke.
Third. The mode of arranging and working the several parts of the
trimming machine so that the edges of one set of books may be trimmed
at one stroke and the edges of a second set at the return stroke, as herein
set forth.
Fourth. The machine herein set forth or any mere modification thereof
for tooling, ornamenting, or finishing the backs of books as above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Cope and James Bradbrook,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Fourteenth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine.
Witness,
HENRY F. HAILES,
66, Chancery Lane.
JAMES COPE.
(L.S.)
JAMES BRADBROOK. (L.S.)