Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
I ALFRED GERLACH trading as August Brehmer of 33 Moor Lane, in the
City of London, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(which has been communicated to me from abroad by Friedrich Rehwoldt of the
Firm of Gebrüder Brehmer, of Leipzig-Plagwitz in the Empire of Germany
Merchant) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in aud by the following statement :-
In all folding machines hitherto in use, the motion given to the folding blades
by which the successive sheets to be folded are inserted or pressed into the space
between the folding rollers, has been obtained by means of cams or eccentrics,
which were independent of each other and were operated from the main shaft
through the medium of mechanism peculiar to each, such as driving belts, toothed
wheel gearing and the like.
One of the objects of this invention is to simplify the arrangement of folding
machines by adopting a construction in which all the folding blades are driven
simultaneously by the same shaft or spindle that operates the first of them, such
shaft or spindle being in its turn operated by a cam.
By such a construction not only the eccentrics required in the old machines for
operating the several folding blades may be dispensed with, but all the other
mechanism hitherto required for driving such eccentrics also becomes unnecessary.
My invention also relates to improved sliding guides for placing the sheets to be
folded in position and to automatic mechanism for operating the saine as hereinafter
described.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings which illustrate by way of example what I consider to be the best
means of carrying out this invention, but I do not limit myself to the precise
details shewn.
Figure is a side elevation of the improved machine with the right side or
wall of the frame removed.
Figure 2 is a plan and Figure 3 is a cross section thereof on the line y
(Figure 1).
Figure 4 illustrates in detail drawn to a larger scale the arrangement of the
operating mechanism for the sliding marks or guides.
Referring to Figures 1. 2 and 3, upon the main shaft 1 is keyed or otherwise
firmly secured a cam 2 adapted to produce the required motion. Along the
periphery of such cam runs a roller 3 situated on the front end of the double arm
or bell-crank lever 4,-pivotted at 5.
To the rear end of this lever
a presser rod
is secured which rod is arranged
to transmit the motion of the lever 4 started by the cam 2, to another lever 8
mounted upon a shaft 7, whereby such shaft 7 receives motion alternately to the
right and left.
Upon this shaft are placed the arms 9 to which the first folding blade 10 is
secured in such a manner that, as the said roller 3 enters the curve of the cam 2,
the folding blade 10 is thereby moved downwards and upwards alternately. As
the said folding blade descends, the sheet to be folded, which is placed upon the
table 11, is pressed in between the rollers 12 operated by chain, driving gear, or
belting. The sheet is therefore folded once for the first time. On being thus
folded, the sheet is conducted by the feeding bands 13 to the horizontal position
shewn at 14, where it meets adjustable guiding studs or projections 15, a fresh
sheet being in the meantime placed in position upon the table 11.

page_text: The reciprocating motion of the lever 8 is transmitted, by the lever 16, and
connecting rod 17, to the lever 18, which is thereby caused to set in operation a
folding blade 19 suspended from it, the sheet 14 being at this moment pressed in
between the rollers 20 by the said folding blade 19 whilst a fresh sheet is being
folded for the first time by the rollers 12.
The sheet which by this time has been folded twice is taken up by the feeding
bands 22 and carried to the position 21, in which position a folding blade 23 forces
it through folding rollers 24 where it accordingly receives its third fold. The
folding blade 23 receives motion from the lever 18 mounted together with the
lever 25, upon the same shaft 26 (Figure 2); a lever 28 (Figure 1) is operated by
the lever 25 and connecting rod 27 and the said lever 28 communicates its motion
to the next lever 30 mounted on the shaft or spindle 29 and having the folding
blade 23 suspended from it. The mechanism for making the fourth and fifth folds
may be similarly arranged. The levers carrying the corresponding folding blades
may if preferred be mounted upon the shaft 7 direct, so that the motion trans-
mitting mechanism herein before described may be dispensed with. The weight of
the folding blades and the corresponding levers causes the can roller 3 to be
constantly pressed into contact with the periphery of the cam 2.
In order to avoid the loss of time which has been incurred hitherto by the use
of pricking needles employed for placing the sheets in the proper position to be
folded according to this invention automatic sliding marks or guides are provided
so that the sheet is adjusted on two or three sides at once and made to take up
precisely the position required for folding it along a given line. While it is being
thus adjusted the operative is at liberty to get a new sheet ready for folding, so
that the operation of the machine is continued and consequently more rapid than
that of similar machines has been hitherto, As the angle pieces or projections
against which the sheets are fed in printing presses may be arranged either
on the right or the left it is therefore necessary that the sliding guides of the
folding machine should also be arranged that their motion may be reversed
and that the left sliding guides can be shifted to the right and those placed on
the right can be shifted to the left. Besides these, similar sliding guides are
provided for adjusting the sheets at the same time in a direction at right angles to
the motion already described.
In order to produce these movements the following arrangement of mechanism
is employed, the details of which are illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying
drawing.
Upon a common axis or pivot 5 there is mounted, side by side with the lever 4,
a lever 32, the front arm of which carries a roller 31, adapted also to travel
along the cam 2 and so arranged that the said lever 32 has already completed
its movement while the lever 4 is still in motion, and the arms 9 carrying the
folding blade are still descending. This movement is transmitted by links 33
and a lever 34 to the shaft 35 extending along the table and carrying the
levers 36 (Figure 4) which either directly or through the medium of lever
mechanism transmit their motion to a bar or fillet 37 adapted to slide in a
groove formed in the table 11, on the left end of which fillet a downwardly
extending bolt 38 is secured so as to protrude through an aperture or slot
provided for its reception in the said table 11. This fillet also carries at its
other end another downwardly pointing bolt or pin 39 which transmits the motion
to a lever 40 pivotted at 41 and in its turn operating a connecting rod or link 42
(Figures 2 and 4) whereby a second fillet 43 and lever 44 are operated.
In a slot provided in each of the two levers 40 and 44 there slides a bolt or
pin 45 also engaging in an aperture made in the table, such bolt or pin 45 being
secured in bars or fillets 46 and 47 respectively in a manner similar to that already
described with reference to the bar 37 and bolt 38. Upon the fillets or bars 37,
43, 46 and 47 which are operated in the manner described, there are arranged the
adjustable projecting pieces or guides 48. A spring causes these guides to resume
their initial position while the lever 36 is performing its return movement.

page_text: When the cam 2 is rotated the transmitting mechanism already described is set
in motion, so as to move the several sliding guides 48 forward, and place the sheet,
which has already been fed against them by the operative, in proper position to be
folded by the mechanism already described.
Slots 49 formed in the projecting pieces serve in the case when stationary or
firmly secured projecting pieces are required and enable such pieces to be screwed
into the table direct, instead of into moveable fillets or bars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. A folding machine, in which the parts adapted to produce the motion of the
folding blades are so arranged that they are all operated by the movement
which operates the first of the said folding blades substantially as described.
2. In folding machines the arrangement of mechanism for shifting or adjusting
sliding guides or projections, the said mechanism being operated by the movement
which operates the folding blades and being so arranged that the movement of the
projections takes place before the movement of the folding blades is completed
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In folding machines the arrangement of levers, and bars or fillets, situated
either beneath or within the table, for the purpose of enabling the projections on
the left to be moved to the right, those on the right to be moved to the left, and
the front projections to be shifted backwards all such movements taking place
simultaneously substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of January 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.