An Improved Machine for making Boxes of Paper and Cardboard.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898
An Improved Machine for making Boxes of Paper and Cardboard.
I, PAUL AUGUSTE-GODCHAUX, of 10, Rue de la Douane, Paris, in the Republic of
France, 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 :-
The present invention has for its object to enable the form of a parallelopipedon
box to be given by mechanical means to a sheet of paper or cardboard cut out and
traced previously by a process which is also mechanical.
My invention is shown in detail in the accompanying drawings, in which―
Figures 1 and 14 are left and right hand portions respectively of a central longi-
tudinal section of the whole apparatus;
Figures 2 and 2 are left and right hand portions respectively of a plan view of the
whole;
Figures 3 and 3 are left and right hand portions respectively of a longitudinal
elevation taken in front of Figure 2 and showing more particularly the means for
transmitting the movement to the various parts of the apparatus ;
Figures 4 and 4 are left and right hand portions respectively of a partial longitu-
dinal elevation taken from the rear of Figure 2 and showing more particularly the
means for transmitting movement to the gum distributing cylinders;
Figure 5 is a transverse sectional elevation showing in detail the gumming
apparatus ;
Figures 6 and 7 are representations of details;
Figures 8-13 are plan views of the successive phases through which the sheet of
paper gradually passes as it automatically advances in the machine;
Figure 14 is a view in perspective of a sheet of paper converted into a box on
emerging from the machine by a simple operation of unfolding.
One of the characteristics of iny machine is that the transformations which the
sheet of paper undergoes are effected during a continuous movement forward, the
sheet being kept constantly moving from its entrance into the machine up to its
exit, and it is mainly the moving and drawing parts which effect the necessary
foldings and gummings. The sheet of paper does not undergo a period of stoppage
at any point of the machine, and the compulsory folding is simply effected by a
preliminary tracing or scoring of bends on the sheet which ensures a suitable folding
at the desired points without the intervention of parts for folding and bending down
the fold properly so called. In fact instead of such parts which are utilized in all
similar machines, such as envelope making machines, I only employ pushers. The
sheet guided between two plates presents successively to the said pushers the parts
of its surface which must be folded, and the folding is operated necessarily in
consequence of the passage of the sheet under fixed guide plates and guide rollers or
movable gumming rollers which serve at the same time to produce the forward move-
ment or advancing of the sheet.
The sheet of paper or cardboard is cut out and traced or scored previously as shown
in plan view in Figure 8. It comprises a central octagonal part a bordered by four

page_text: scores or bends e e¹ inclined at 45° and two vertical scores or bends ff¹. (By scores
I mean lines traced by mechanical means on the sheet and which form edges of slight
resistance or depressions to enable a folding to be formed by exerting a slight pressure
on one of the surfaces of the paper which is bordered by this line). The scores or
bends e border two trapezoidal front pieces c on the one side, and the scores or
bends e border two similar rear pieces c¹ on the other side. The vertical scores ffl
border respectively the two rectangular central side pieces b 6'. In order to allow of
the description being better understood, I have in Figure 8 hatched with vertical
lines the parts a of the sheet and with horizontal lines the parts b b¹ and with
inclined lines the pieces c c¹.
The sheet thus traced and scored is placed in the position indicated by the heavy
black line in Figure 1 on a fixed plate A limited to a width suited to the width of the
sheet by two ridges or ribs A¹ of the frame. In the centre this plate is slotted at A¹¹
in order to permit of the passage and movement of two connected conveyers or
feeders B fixed on a common plate B'. This latter and the feeders which it carries
have an alternating movement which allows of their bringing the first sheet under
the guiding and drawing rollers C C¹, Figures 1 and 2, and then to move backwards
in order to take and bring up a second sheet and so on in succession. This movement
is obtained by means of a cam 7 keyed on a shaft 71, Figures 1, 2 and 3. This cam
bears on a roller 8 fixed on a lever 9 and thus actuates said lever which is guided in
its movements by a fork 91, the two arms of which embrace the shaft 71. The
lever 9 operates in its turn a set of levers 10, 11 and 12, the latter being pivoted on
the plate B. A re-coil spring 13 fixed to one end of an arm 13¹ keyed on the same
spindle p¹ as the lever 10, and attached by its other end to the frame of the machine
at 13 returns the conveyors B backwards after each revolution of the cam 7. A
continuous rotary movement is transmitted to the shaft 7' of the cam 7 by a train of
gearing which is shown in plan view in Figure 2 and in lateral elevation in Figure 3
and which itself receives motion transmitted by a belt T on a driving pulley T¹,
Figure 2.
The rollers C C¹ by which the sheet fed in is drawn forward are actuated by
gearings 14 and 14¹ keyed on the respective axes as shown clearly in Figures 2 and 3.
It may be remarked that the sheet is guided along all the length of the machine
between two plates which are slotted or apertured at suitable points for the passage
of the apparatus for drawing forward, gumming and bending the sheet.
The sheet on emerging from the drawing rollers C C¹ advances in such a way that
its two side flaps c are each subjected to the action of one of the pushers D inclined
at 45° like the scores e. These pushers have an alternate rising and descending
movement, the latter taking place at the precise moment of the passage of the sheet
and operating the first part of the folding of the flaps c along the scores, e. The
sheet then comes to the station 2, Figure 1. The flaps or wings folded up vertically
by the pushers encounter fixed stops E, which at this point supplement the horizontal
guide plates. These stops complete the folding of the flaps c which are folded down
horizontally on the lower surface of the body a of the sheet so as to give to this latter
the appearance shown in Figure 9.
Figure 6 shows in sectional elevation on the line x-y of Figure 2 a detail of the
movement of the pushers D. These latter are represented at the top of their course,
that is to say in their normal position of repose. They are fixed to a crossbar D¹
carried by a rod j sliding in a fixed bar l. Around the rod j spiral springs are coiled.
The crossbar Di has also a rod 15 sliding in the bar . A finger 16 pivoted on an
axis 17 normal to the longitudinal axis of the machine bears on the said rod 15.
One of the two fingers 16 which bears on the rod 15 of the connected pushers has
an arm 161 having at its end a roller d'. This roller d¹ receives an alternating
movement by means of a cam d, Figures 1 and 2, keyed on the shaft 17¹. This
latter, like the shaft 17 and like the shafts of the various drawing apparatuses is
normal to the longitudinal axis of the machine. It receives its movement by means
of a pinion 19, Figures 2 and 3, which forms part of the train of gearing operated by
the driving shaft 52.

page_text: The folding of the flaps calong the scorings e is ensured in a more perfect manner
by guiding devices F¹ which receive from arms F (Figure 5) an alternating recipro-
cating motion which is given them by means of a cam H actuating a roller h and
keyed on the spindle 71. It may be noted that the pushers D are bevelled, the sharp
edge first touching the sheet and the latter may advance in proportion as the pusher
descends. The sheet in advancing presents the tongue or rectangular central flap b
to the gumming apparatus (Figures 1, 2 and 5). The sheet is guided in its passage
by drawing rollers 18 and 18¹ keyed all three on the shaft 17. The side rollers 18¹
guide and draw the body a of the sheet whilst the centre roller 18 draws the flap b.
This roller is grooved as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The grooves correspond to those
of the roller G which serves to deposit the gum on the lower surface of the flap b.
Opposite the grooves of the roller 18 the roller G has projecting rings which are
formed with teeth. The periphery of each tooth of these rings receives gum by
contact with an india-rubber roller 21 which is itself fed or coated by means of a
roller 22 which latter takes up gum by revolving in a vessel 23 arranged for this
purpose. The gum taken up on the teeth g of the rings is deposited on the flap b.
A simple examination of the drawings will show how under these conditions the
gumming apparatus serves both for gumming and drawing forward the sheet. The
roller 22 receives its movement by means of any suitable transmission gear, such for
instance as a little grooved pulley 221, Figure 4A, connected by a belt with a pulley 24
mounted on the shaft of one of the drawing rollers K.
The gummed flap, in advancing, presents itself under pushers I having a recipro-
cating motion and passing into slots or apertures in the guide plates. These pushers,
which bend down the flap b in such a way as to cause it to turn 90° on its scoring f
are operated in the same manner as the pushers D by fingers 1611 bearing on rods 15¹
and mounted on a spindle to which movement is imparted by means of a lever 16111
bearing a roller de subject to the action of a cam d³, Figures 1, 2 and 7.
The flap b
coated with gum and pressed down vertically, encounters in advancing a stop J,
Figures 1 and 2, which forces it to fold down on the flaps c already folded down.
This folding down always takes place along the scoring f.
The sheet then assumes the form shown in Figure 10, and one half of the opera-
tions of the machine are thus completed. The phases of manufacture which have
just been described contain all the principal novelties of this invention. It is need-
less to say that the second half of the box is absolutely symmetrical with the first and
may if necessary be formed or shaped by the sheet being reversed and returned by
any suitable mechanical means again to the feed end of the machine and be passed
through same in order to subject parts c' and b¹ to a similar treatment the completed
part of the box being simply drawn through.
In order to facilitate the manufacture and increase the production of the machine
however, I prefer to complete the box by means of a fresh set of drawing, pushing
and folding apparatuses identical with those which I have just described and arranged
as an example as shown in the accompanying drawings. In this example the raising
and folding successively of the flaps c 6' is operated thoroughly. For this object the
sheet emerging from the stop J is seized between rollers K K' which ensure the
adhesion of the flap b on the flaps c. On these rollers are arranged belts L which
convey between them the sheet in such a way as to cause it to make a complete turn
or reverse and to bring it from station 3 to station 4 against stops M in the position
shown in Figure 11. These stops M are mounted on a slide N to which a recipro-
cating motion is imparted by arms 26 penetrating into a groove or slot in the said
slide and operated by a cam 27, Figures 2 and 4, similar to the cam 7 aforesaid and
keyed on the shaft 28' of the cylinder 28 similar to the cylinder 18 before described.
In a word the slide N provided with its stops M has identically the same functions as
the drawing arrangement B B¹ at the left hand end of the machine hereinbefore
described.
The sheet in its advancement is maintained or guided until it arrives between the
rollers P P (similar to the rollers C O') by means of fingers 29 forming supports and
themselves held up by a spring 30, Figure 14. The sheet then passes successively

page_text: under pushers 31 which raise the angle pieces c¹ which the stop 32 then forces or
folds down on to the body a along the scorings e. The sheet then reaches the
station 5 in the form shown in Figure 12. It then passes into a gumming and
drawing arrangement G¹, 28. The roller G¹ deposits gum on the flap b¹ which it
draws forward. The pushers 38 acting from beneath raise the central lateral flap b¹
and a stop 37 then forces or folds same down on its scoring fl onto the flap c¹ already
folded down. The sheet which has then the appearance of Figure 13 passes finally
between rollers 39 and 39¹ (station 6) which simply ensures the sticking or adhesion
of the flap b¹ onto the flap c¹. The box thus completed is drawn out by a drawing
device 40 to the piling device. These drawing devices are operated by an arm 41,
Figures 1A and 34, connected to an eccentric 43 which imparts to it a rectilinear
alternating movement. The piling device may be arranged on any suitable system,
but I prefer to employ the arrangement shown in detail in Figures 1, 2 and 4.
A plate U having the external shape of the finished box is mounted on two arms
or cheeks u guided on a shaft 52 and connected by a crossbar 53. This crossbar
receives an alternating rising and descending movement by means of a cam 51
mounted on a shaft 52. The boxes are drawn forward one by one on to the plate U.
In order to support the pile of boxes while the plate U receives a fresh box a system
of pallets or fingers S S¹ penetrating into corresponding notches in the plate U
receives an alternating horizontal movement, the pallets or fingers S S¹ moving apart
in order to allow the plate U to be charged with a fresh box and for receiving the pile of
boxes whilst the plate U descends. The separation of the pallets is produced by
cams 48 keyed on the shaft. 52, Figures 1 and 4, acting on the rollers 50° of levers 49
and the return or movement together of the pallets or fingers is obtained by means
of recoil springs 45 attached to one end of the frame of the machine and by the other
end to arms 45¹ connected with the series of levers 49 which draw forward the
said pallets. The pile of boxes is guided between two vertical uprights 54 of suitable
section.
The
As the piling is effected by the lower part the pile may be weighted with a cast
metal plate which completes the adhesion of the gum during the piling.
scorings gi and traced on the sheet Figure 1 simply serve to facilitate the
transformation by a simple opening of the completed and folded or collapsed box
into an open box as shown in perspective in Figure 14.
It is needless to state that the sheet of paper need not have the form shown in
Figure 8, the proportions of the various parts of the sheet may also vary. Thus the
same machine may serve for the manufacture of box lids which are in fact only boxes
of small height intended to cover the boxes properly so called. The same essential
novel features may be applied to the manufacture of match boxes or the like.
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
A machine for making boxes of paper and cardboard substantially as herein before
described and shown in the accompanying drawings, the essential characteristic being
the mode of folding and gumming the various parts of the sheet of paper or the like
(which has been previously traced and scored) the folding being effected without the
use of folding and bending appliances proper by the sheet being passed under pushers
which force the raised or bent down flaps to fold along their scorings and to then
engage between guide plates or drawing rollers, the gumming being effected during
the movement of the sheet between a guide roller and a gumming roller which both
serve to draw the sheet forward.