IMPROVED COUNTING APPARATUS, APPLICABLE FOR COUNTING ENVELOPES, CARDS, PRINTED PAPERS, OR OTHER ARTICLES THAT REQUIRE TO BE PUT UP IN PACKETS OR PARCELS CONTAINING FIXED NUMBERS
Year: 1857

page_text: (This Invention received Provisional Protection, but notice to proceed with the
application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
May 1857.-A communication.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED COUNTING APPARATUS, APPLICABLE
FOR COUNTING ENVELOPES, CARDS, PRINTED PAPERS, OR OTHER ARTICLES THAT
REQUIRE TO BE PUT UP IN PACKETS OR PARCELS CONTAINING FIXED NUMBERS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention of improved counting apparatus, applicable for counting
envelopes, cards, printed papers, and other articles that require to be put up
in packets or parcels containing fixed numbers, is applicable to any kind of
machinery whereby articles are delivered continuously to the amount of
several hundreds per hour or day, and require to be counted and put up in
parcels containing determined numbers for the convenience of trade or
commerce.
In order to count the articles as they are delivered from the machine, say
an envelope machine, the envelopes are delivered complete on to a plate or
table, mounted horizontally on an upright shaft contained in a rectangular or
other conveniently shaped box or receptacle, which is placed on a horizontal
rotating table or plate below.

page_text: From some convenient part of the operative parts of the envelope-making
machine motion is communicated to a toothed wheel or wheels, which are
caused to move forward one tooth: for every envelope that is delivered into
the receptacle, and the teeth of these wheels are so arranged, that at, say, every
twenty-fifth envelope, they will act upon trip levers, which will, when released,
allow the receptacle to rotate on its axis one quarter of a revolution, so that
every quarter of a hundred of envelopes will be placed at right angles to the
quarter of a hundred immediately preceding. When, therefore, the receptacle
has made one entire revolution one hundred envelopes will have been
delivered, and so on for any larger number, the entire quantity being divided
into quarters of a hundred. As the pile of envelopes increases in height on
the table or plate on which they are deposited, provision must be made for the
descent of the plate in the box. This is effected by cutting a screw on the
vertical shaft that carries the said plate and passing it through a female
screw, or against a pin or stud that takes into the thread of the screw; it will,
therefore, be understood that as the vertical screw rotates with the receptacle
the receiving plate or table will be lowered from time to time until the
receptacle is filled. It will of course be evident, that, if desired, an indicator
and dial may be combined with the apparatus, to denote the gross number of
articles that have passed through the machine. For some purposes I find it
convenient to adapt a bell or audible signal to the apparatus, and cause the
same to strike when any given number, say, 1,000 or 10,000, have passed
through, and if desired a stopping apparatus may be added for the purpose
of arresting the motions of the envelope or other machine, in order to enable
the attendant to remove the packets or parcels from the receptacle and
replace the latter when empty.
It will be of course understood that the apparatus may be so arranged by
modifying the counting wheels as to divide the articles into packets or parcels
containing any number, say, for instance, into grosses, half grosses, or any other
number that may be desired.