Improvements in Envelope Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Envelope Machines.
I, ROBERT SCHOPP, of 10, Weidenstrasse, Barmen, in the German Empire,
Province of Rhenish Prussia Manufacturer, 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:-
The machine for making envelopes embodying my invention is essentially novel
in the following respects.
One essential feature of my invention is the manner in which I have arranged
the sucking device for taking and delivering an envelope blank to the gripper
which carries it to the creasing box. Differing from known constructions I give
the cylinder of the pump a rocking or oscillating movement round its piston and
attach to said cylinder a pipe ending in a mouthpiece which takes direct the sheet
and delivers it to the gripper. In combination with this characteristic movement
of the cylinder I use a pair of strikers which release the blank in case that they
are stuck together.
A further improvement of my machine consist in the arrangement of the driving
means of the gripper which are so simplified and constructed that the front
part of the machine is open to inspection.
Third my machine is fitted with only one driving pulley which can be instantly
by the same device set in and out of motion first when a finished envelope is not
suitably dropped in the collecting box and second when the up and down travelling
blank supporting plate in going upwards takes an envelope with it and thereby
is withheld in the creasing box and lastly my invention involves an improvement
referring to the creasing box which consists in making the side rails of the box
adjustable so as to allow correction of not correctly folded flaps.
The particular features in which my invention consists will be hereinafter
more fully described and pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine.
Figure 2 is a view seen from left side.
Figure 3 a view seen from right side.
Figure 4 shows partly the backside of the machine.
Figures 5-8 are details of construction.
Figure 9 is a plan of the folding box.
Figure 10 a front elevation of the same partly in section.
The frame-work 1 of the machine of suitable shape to contain the working parts
has bearings for the main shaft 2 on which is loosely stuck the driving pulley 3.
is a clutch which is movable applied to the shaft 2 and imparts motion to the
pulley 3 when being in engagement with its hub 5. 6 is a fly wheel.
The other end of shaft 2 is used to drive the sucking pump the cylinder of
which as stated above has a rocking movement and is constructed in the following
manner:
To the housing 1 of the machine is fastened a frame 7 within which a plate 8

page_text: is horizontal guided by means of vertical posts 9. The plate 8 serves as support
for the blank stack 10.
To the frame are screwed the brackets 11, 11' between which the cylinder 12
of the pump is journalled resting with one end turnable in the bracket 11 and
being held with its other end by means of a pointed screw 13. The cylinder 12
obtains a rocking movement round its piston 14 as follows: An arm 15 cast to
cylinder 12 is connected by means of a bar 16 with a lever 17 which is keyed to
a journal 18. On shaft 2 is arranged a cam 20 which engages a friction
roller 21 fitted to an angle lever 22 and oscillating this lever the other end of
which has connection to the journal 18 by a lever 19 and a bar 23 so that by
this arrangement the cylinder 12 is coerced to oscillate. The piston 14 is moved
to and fro by a crank 24 which oscillates a lever 25, the upper end of which seizes
by means of connecting bars 26 the piston 14.
The air current thus produced in the cylinder 12 acts on the blank stack by
means of a pipe 27 projecting from the cylinder and a mouthpiece 28 which
rests on the stack so that the uppermost blank is sucked and may be carried
away when the cylinder is turned. This operation is illustrated in Figure 8.
The pipe 27 forming part with cylinder 12 moves upwards delivering the blank
to the gripper 29 which takes the blanks and travels with it to the creasing box
after by the corresponding movement of the piston the blank is freed from the
mouth piece 28.
To the shaft 18 are attached adjustable fingers 30 which gently press on the
stack in order to prevent that the stack may be defaced and which in being raised
exert on the blanks a shifting movement so as to free the blanks from each other
in the case that they are stuck together.
The position of the cylinder 12 may be varied with respect to the shape and
size of the end flaps of the envelope which is done by adjusting the screw 13 and the
bracket 11.
In order to feed the blanks to the sucking pump the following means are
provided.
The blank supporting plate 8 has a downward extending rack 31 into which
meshes a pinion 32 which is keyed to a shaft 33. On shaft 2 is provided a cam 40
which moves by a friction roller 40' a lever 39 round a pivot 38. To lever 39
is pivotted a pawl 36 that drives the gear 37 which is situated on the shaft of
the worm 35 meshing into the wheel 34 so that by these means shaft 33 is
intermittently turned and supporting plate 8 is correspondingly raised.
order to turn shaft 32 by hand a hand wheel b is provided and in order to cease
the movement of shaft 32 the hub of wheel 34 engages a clutch 41 which can be
shifted by the lever and bar 42.
The driving mechanism for the gripper 29 is constructed as follows:
In
On the shaft 2 is keyed an excentric 43 which by its bar 44 raises and lowers a
shaft 45 to the end of which is keved a horizontal slotted bar 46 that has
connection by means of a rod 47 with a lever 48 situated on a shaft 49 which thus
is oscillated." To the other end of shaft 49 is fixed a lever 50 which imparts
motion by means of a connecting rod 51 to a quadrant lever 52 that meshes into a
pinion 53 on a journal c. On the same journal is keyed a pinion 54 which meshes
into a rack 55. Said rack being fixed to a slide 56 which is guided on a bevilled
rail 57 causes a reciprocating motion of the slide 56 and of the gripper 29
which is attached on an upwards projecting piece 58 of the slide. The result
which is accomplished by the described arrangement of the driving means for the
gripper is that the front part of the machine is open to inspection.
Now it may happen that a finished envelope by dropping into the collecting
box which is arranged underneath the table of the machine is not properly guided
and prevented from dropping or it may occur that a finished envelope is raised
again by the up and down travelling supporting plate. In these cases the
machine is set out of motion by the same mechanism in the following manner:
To the shaft 49 is pivotally secured an angle lever 59 the upright shank of

page_text: which engages the clutch 4 whilst its horizontal shank has connection by means
of a rod 62 to a double armed lever 61 which together with a fellow lever 61*
can turn round pivots 60. Spring 64 are applied to the levers 61. On one
lever 61 presses a nose 63 which is attached to a lever 71, lever 71 has connection
by a rod 70 to a lever 68 which is fixed to a pintle 69 that carries a curved
plate 67 provided with a slot g. 68" is a lever fitted with a plate by the move-
ment of which the dropping envelopes are pushed forwards. In case that the
envelopes properly drop the point 66 of lever 68ª strikes through the slot g of
plate 67, but if an envelope is carried in any way not correctly down, it then
passes the slot g so that the point 66 can not enter said slot but strikes against
the envelope and causes a movement of plate 67 and lever 68. Lever 68 pushes
rod 70 forwards so that lever 71 is turned and the nose 63 withdrawn from lever 61
in consequence of which springs 64 turn levers 61 round their pivots and cause
disengagement of clutch 4.
In Figure 5 is 73 the pusher 73" the supporting plate lever which are connected
by a rod h and driven by an excentric disk K. Said disk is provided with a ring 76
on which rests a roller à of a lever 75; lever 75 is coupled by a bar 78 to an angle
lever 79 which is joint to the nose 63. In Figure 5 is shown the position if an
envelope is raised again by the supporting plate 73* and the latter is pinched in
the creasing box so that both levers 73, 73d do not function whilst the disk K
rotates. In this case the roller i can slip into the cut of the excentric disk the
lever 75 being turned for this purpose by a spring 77 and by means of bar and
angle lever 78, 79 the nose 63 is withdrawn as before and clutch 4 disengaged.
The described mechanism allow to set instantly the machine out of motion so
that no refuse in envelopes can take place which always happens at the machines
of old construction in which a belt is shifted from the fast to the loose pulley,
for it is clear that during this operation the machine makes still some revolutions
which can nothing else produce than refuse.
The creasing mechanism is clearly shown in Figures 9 and 10 and consists of
the rails 80, 81 each of them being adjustable so that a set of blanks which are
incorrectly cut may be correctly folded. The rails extend somewhat conically
from their supporting plate in order to facilitate dropping of the finished ware
and gain a suitable passage for the blank supporting plate 73.
The folding flaps 83 are adjustably mounted on spindles 84 which are secured
in bearings 85. Each folding flap 83 is provided with its own adjustable motion
transmitting mechanism 86 which being of known construction is not shown on
the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1) In a machine for making envelopes the arrangement of a sucking pump
for taking the blanks or sheets from the pile and delivering it to the gripper
having a rocking cylinder 12, adjustable in longitudinal and radial direction said
cylinder being furnished with a pipe 27 ending in a mouth-piece 28 which takes
the sheet and delivers it, and means to oscillate the cylinder round its piston
and to move the piston substantially as shown and described.
2) In a machine for making envelopes the arrangement of a sucking pump
having a rocking cylinder in combination with fingers 30 for the purpose as
described.
3) In a machine for making envelopes the arrangement of a linear reciprocating
gripper said gripper being fixed to a slide 56, having a rack 55 said rack being
driven by gear 52, 53, 54, by means of levers and bars 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51
from the main shaft 2 by an excentric sheave 43 to the strap of which is fixed the
excentric rod 44 substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
4) In a machine for making envelopes the arrangement of a driving pulley 3
being set in and out of motion by a clutch 4 said clutch is governed by an angle

page_text: lever 59 and having connection to coupled double armed levers 61, 61ª a nose 63
holding said levers in closed position when pressing on one of them and springs 64
attached to levers 61 in order to move them and disengage the clutch when the
nose has been withdrawn as shown and described.
5) In a machine for making envelopes the levers 61 with springs 64 having
connection to the clutch 4 and a nose 63 in combination with a friction roller i
attached to a lever 75 which is connected to the nose 63 by a bar 78 and angle
lever 79 for the purpose described and set forth.
6) In a machine for making envelopes the arrangement of a folding box having
adjustable length and transverse rails 80, 81, for the purpose as described.
7) The general construction combination and arrangement of parts substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described in foregoing specification and
illustrated on the accompanying sheets of drawings.