IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BAGS OR WRAPPERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD, WOOD, OB A COMBINATION OF THESE MATERIALS.”
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Nicholls, of Huddersfield, in the County of York,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
MAKING BAGS OR WRAPPERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD, WOOD, OB A
COMBINATION OF THESE MATERIALS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Nicholls at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th July 1880.
JOSEPH NICHOLLS, of Huddersfield, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BAGS OR WRAPPERS OF PAPER, CARD-
BOARD, WOOD, OR A COMBINATION OF THESE MATERIALS."
This Invention relates to machinery for making articles of the above nature,
being principally intended for the manufacture of paper bags and wrappers, or
cases for match boxes, or articles of a similar kind.
In the manufacture of match box cases the following processes are necessary :-
The wood slips or veneers of which they are constructed require to be covered on
one side with paper, upon which may be printed the name of the maker and other
ordinary matter; the slip then requires to be weakened in tho places where the
bending or folding takes place; and lastly, the actual bending of the slip into a
rectangular case and the glueing (or application of other adhesive material) to the
overlapping sides, so as to preserve the said shape. According to my Invention a
series of the slips of wood are placed side by side upon an endless apron or belt, which
feeds them to the first of a series of pairs of squeezing rollers, mounted on an
oblong frame. Under this frame I mount a roll of paper, which paper is printed
upon on one side by means of a type cylinder or printing roller, and passed through
the nipping rollers along with the wood slips which have previously been pasted,
the paper being on the underside of the slips and in contact with the pasted side
thereof, the two substances being thus secured together forming a continuous sheet
of paper and wood slips.
In order to dry the paste and prevent the formation of blisters, the sheet passes
through a series of pairs of nipping rollers warmed by a steam chest or gas jets, so
that the paste is somewhat dry before the succeeding operation, which consists in
Drina 101

page_text: crumpling or creasing the slips by passing them through a pair of fluted rollers,
after which the sheet is divided longitudinally by a series of circular blades mounted
upon a shaft. The slips are fed forwards until they arrive at a recess formed in the
table where a rectangular mandril or die is caused to descend, pressing the slips
down, by which the three sides of the rectangle are formed of each slip simulta-
neously with the descent of the die upon the slips; a knife having an oblique cutting
action severs the paper laterally, thus completing the separation of the slips. The
recess into which the slips are pressed is considerably wider than the die, as if not,
the slips would be broken or cut instead of being only bent. When, however, the
bending process is completed, the recess is reduced to the proper size of two false
sides, which ascend from under the table and press the sides of the case close up to
the die, rubbing being prevented by the intervention of two wings of block tin or
other metal. To complete the case, the inside of one of the ends of the slip is
-covered with glue by a pad or roller, and the two ends then folded over the die
by sheet metal folders, which have both a folding and-oscillatory motion imparted to
them by suitable cains and other mechanism. The die is then lifted out of the
recess and caused to describe a portion of a revolution upon its hinge, whereby the
cases are caused to slip off into a receptacle provided for them. The necessary
intermittent motions required for the operations of the machine are produced by a
series of cams and other well known mechanical motions. For making paper bags,
the machine is similar to the one above described, the sheet of paper being folded
round the die or mandril in a very similar manner, and the edges closed to form
the bottom of the bag by other mechanical folders caused to act in such a manner
as to imitate as nearly as possible the motion of the hands when performing the
same operation. The printing upon bags may be effected by means of a moveable
-type-bed-or-block, placed in the bottom of the recess into which the die descends,
the die in this case acting as the platen of a printing machine.-
The bag is pushed off the mandril by a piston caused to act on the return motion
of the mandril.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Josephi Nicholls in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
January 1881.
JOSEPH NICHOLLS, of Huddersfield, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BAGS OR WRAPPERS of Paper, CARD-
BOARD, WOOD, OR A COMBINATION OF THESE MATERIALS."
This Invention relates to machinery for making articles of the above nature,
being principally intended for the manufacture of paper bags and wrappers or cases
for match boxes, or articles of a similar kind.
In the manufacture of match box cases the following processes are necessary :-
The wood slips or vencers of which they are constructed require to be covered on
one side with paper, upon which may be printed the name of the maker and other
ordinary matter; the slip then requires to be weakened in the places whero the
bending or folding takes place; and lastly, the actual bending of the slip into a
rectangular case and the glueing (or application of other adhesive material) to the
overlapping sides so as to preserve the said shape.
According to my Invention a series of the slips of wood are placed side by sido
upon an endless apron or belt which feeds them to the first of a series of pairs of
squeezing rollers mounted on an oblong frame. Under this frame I mount a roll
of paper, which paper is printed upon on one side by means of a type cylinder or
printing roller, and passed through the nipping. rollers along with the wood slips
which have previously been pasted, the paper being on the underside of tho
slips and in contact with the pasted side thereof, the two substances being thus
secured together formning a continuous sheet of paper and wood slips. In order to
dry the paste and prevent the formation of blisters the sheet passes through a series
of pairs of nipping rollers warmed by steam pipes or gas jets, so that the paste is
somewhat dry before the succeeding operation, in which the sheet is divided
longitudinally by a series of circular blades mounted upon a shaft.
The slips are
fed forwards until they arrive at a recess formed in the table where a rectangular.
mandril or die is caused to descend, pressing the slips down, by which the threo
sides of the rectangle are formed of cach slip. Simultaneously with the descent of
the dio upon the slips, a knife, having an oblique cutting action, severs the paper
laterally, thus completing the separation of the slips. The recess into which the
slips are pressed is considerably wider than the die, as if not the slips would be
broken or cut instead of being only bent. When however the bending process is
completed the recess is reduced to the proper size by two moveable sides which
press the sides of the case close up to the die. To completo the case the inside of
one of the ends of the slip is covered with glue by a pad or roller, and the two
ends then folded over the die by sheet metal folders, which have both a folding and
oscillatory motion imparted to them by suitable cams and other mechanism. One
side of the case is also glued and covered with sand.
The die is then lifted out of
the recess and the cases swept off by a doffer or stripper. The necessary inter-
mittent motions required for the operation of the machine are produced by a series
of cams and other well known mechanical motions.
In order that my Invention may be more fully understood I herein give reference
to the accompanying Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view of the machine for making cases or wrappers for
match boxes; Fig. 2 is a plan view of same; Fig. 3, an end elevation; Fig. 4, a
longitudinal section of machine as seen from the opposite side to Fig. 1; Figs. 5 to
24 are details shewing portions of the machine as they appear when detached, or
at various stages of their operation.
. Upon the framework of the machine are mounted a series of pairs of squeezing

page_text: rollers numbered 1 to 11. These rollers extend across the bed of the machine,
which may be of any width, the one herein shewn being calculated to make ten
cases at each complete operation. The strips or veneers of which the cases are to
be formed are first cut to the required size and piled up endwise on the feeding
tablo A. The table is divided into 10 compartments by partitions B. The strips
are fed to the first pair of rollers, thence to the second, the lower one of which pair
revolves in contact with a glue or paste roller C and is thus kept covered with
adhesive material, which it imparts to the underside of the wooden strips. D is a
continuous roll of paper which passes around the printing cylinder E and under
the typo roller F, whereby it is printed upon, and then passes round carrying
rollers to the thin pair of nipping rollers, through which it passes along with the
slips which are now glued to the sheet of paper and are carried forward through
the remaining pair of rollers over a series of steam pipes G which dry the glue or
paste. At the tenth pair of rollers the sheet of paper is divided longitudinally
between the strips by means of a series of circular knives-a, and after passing
through the last pair of rollers the strips come under the action of the shaping
apparatus. The shaping apparatus consists of a core or mandril for shaping
the cases internally, and a mould having moveable sides for shaping the case
externally. F is the core or mandrill which is hinged upon a shaft 12, and J, J',
are two moveable sides working upon centres 13. To the side J is hinged a
wing K, and L is a narrow table or plate capable of sliding to and fro. When in a
state of rest the parts forming the mould are disposed, as shewn in Fig. 12, the
parts K and L being in a horizontal plane and forming a sort of table, which is
extended by means of a leaf M hinged upon a shaft 41. In Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
and 11, Sheet 5, I have shewn the shaping apparatus, partly in section, at every
stage of its operation. I will now describe the process of forming the cases,
omitting for the present any description of the mechanism for operating the various
parts. The strips are fed by the rollers until the centre of the strip is over tho
opening between the sides J and J'. As soon as the forward motion is suspended,
the ends of the strips are covdred with glue by means of a pad N (Fig. 5). A knife
O then descends and severs the paper across the whole width, thus rendering each
strip separate from the others, Fig. 6. The descent of the knife is accompanied by
that of the core or mandril H, which forces the strips into tho mould, as shewn in
Fig. 7. Simultaneously with the descent of the mandril a glue pad P rises and
forms the bottom of the mould, at the same time covering the portion of the strip
with glue, as shewn in Fig. 8. The sliding plate L now advances and doubles or
folds one end of the strip over the top side of the mandril, as shewn in Fig. 9, and
as this recedes the sides J, J, close upon the mandril, pressing the strips against
the same, and the wing K doubles over the glued end of the strip and presses it
upon the end previously doubled over by the slide L, and thus completes the
formation of the case, as shewn in Fig. 10. During the latter part of the operation
the glue pad P has been removed and its place taken by a box Q containing sand, a
portion of which adheres to the glued side for the purpose of "striking" the
matches upon (see Fig. 11). The mandril is now raised and the cases removed or
swept off by a stripper R.
I will now proceed to describe the mechanism for producing the various motions
above described.
The shaft numbered 15 is the first motion shaft carrying fast and loose pullies 16
and 17. At the end of this shaft is pinion 18, which gears with a spur wheel 19 on the
shaft 20. On the shaft 20 is also a double segment 21 gearing with toothed wheel 22,
carried by stud 23, the wheel 22 acting as an intermediate for imparting inter-
mittent motion to the wheel 24 mounted on shaft 25, which carries a series of bevil
wheels 26 gearing with other bevil wheels 27 mounted upon the axes of the lower
set of squeezing rollers. The pairs of squeezing rollers are connected by toothed
wheels 28. The paste roller C is caused to revolve by means of a toothed wheel 29
gearing with the wheel on the lower of the second pair of nipping rollers. The
shaft 20 carries a series of cams 30 to 37. This series of cains operate upon levers

page_text: mounted on the shaft 38, and through the agency of these cams and levers most of
the operations connected with the manufacture aro performed. The glueing pad N
is rectangular, and extends across the machine. It is mounted upon an axis and
carried by two arms 40 attached to a shaft 41. On this shaft is a pinion 42 which
is secured to the frame so as to remain stationary when the shaft revolves. On tho
axis of the pad is also a pinion 43, and the pinions 42 and 43 gear with a toothed
segment 44. On the shaft 41 is a pulley 45, over which passes a belt, one end of
which is secured to a spiral spring, and the other to the lever 34. As the lever is
operated by the cam 34 the shaft 41 is caused to perform rather less than half a
revolution, bringing the pad on to the onds of strips, the gearing 42, 43, and 44
keeping the glued face of the pad underneath through the whole of the motion.
The spring serves to effect the return movement of the pad. The cam, lover, spring,
and pulley are shewn in detail, Fig. 15. The knife O is mounted loosely upon a
scrowed portion of shaft 12, and is operated by cam 31, lever and balance weight,
as shewn in detail in Fig. 18. By means of nuts the knife can be adjusted laterally
when required. The mandril is mounted on shaft 12, and is operated by cam 36
and lever 36 with balance weight to effect the return or upward movement. The
mandril is fast on the shaft. The glued pad P, mounted on shaft 46, is operated by
cam 30 in a similar manner to the pad N, and therefore need not be specially
described. A detail of cam 30 and its lever is shewn in Fig. 17. The
sliding plate L is moved to and fro by fingers 47, attached to shaft 48,
on which is a pulley 49, to which oscillatory motion is given by cam
lever and spiral spring, all numbered 32, and shown in detail in Fig. 13.
The sides J, J, are operated simultaneously by cams 50 and 51 mounted on
shaft 52. Oscillatory motion is given to this shaft by cam, lever, pulley, and spring,
numbered 34 (see Fig. 14). As the shaft oscillates ticam 50 closes the sido J by
acting directly upon it, the cam 51 at the same time depressing one end of the
bell crank lever 53, which works upon fulcrum 54, and forcing the other end
against the side J' so as to close it. The motion of the shaft 52 also operates the
wing K by means of fingers 55 having pins at the end which enter slotted guides 56,
and also carry a rectangular bar S. As the shaft oscillates the wing is turned
over and the bar deposited thereon so as to keep it flat throughout its whole
length, as seen in Fig. 11. When at rest the bar $ is underneath the leaf M, but
a cam 57 raises the leaf out of the way thereof. The stripper R is a metal sheath
fitting close around the mandril. It is attached to a jointed rod or lever 58 which
works on a stud or fulcrum 59. By means of cam 37, lever 37ª, and connecting
rod 37b, the stripper is caused to travel along the mandril and strip off the cases,
the spiral spring 60 causing the parts to return to their original position. The
sand box is operated by cam 35, see detail Fig. 19, in the same manner as tho.
glue pads before described. It is carried by the standards d, which also carry a
box e having perforations at the bottom or flat portion. This box contains a
supply of sand, and at each motion of the sand box the filler e is turned partially
round so that the sand inside is disturbed and the perforations cleared in order to
allow a quantity of sand to fall into the box at each operation. The sand box and
filler are connected by toothed wheels f. The lower glue pad and roller, together
with the sand box and filler, are carried upon a platform g which is capable of
sliding upon rails h, so that they may be drawn from under the machine without
trouble or loss of time whenever required. At each side of the machine, at the
feeding end, are two rods 61, 62. A series of rollers 63 attached to a carriage 04
are employed for feeding or pushing the strips forward to a pair of separating
fingers 65 and 66, the foremost of which pushes a single strip, whilst the latter
holds the next in succession so as to prevent more than one strip being pushed
forward at once in each compartment. This feeding apparatus is worked by the
attendant, the two sets of fingers being connected in the forward motions by a
projection on wheel 72, which comes in contact with the end of the shaft 71; and
when the fingers 65 are pulled back a hook 67 on the end of shaft 68 catches on a
pin 69 on the lever 70, which is attached to the shaft 71, so that both sets of

page_text: fingers may be drawn back together, and by turning the handle 72 the fingers
may be raised so as to clear the strips. Figs. 20 to 2+ are details of the fingers
and parts connected therewith. The strips may be either creased or weakened in
those parts which are afterwards to be bent before being fed to the machine, or
they may be creased by passing through a pair of rollers suitably fluted after being
pasted to the paper.
For making paper bags the machine is similar to the one above described, the
sheet of paper being folded round the die or mandril in a very similar manner,
and the edges closed to form the bottom of the bag by other mechanical folders
caused to act in such a manner as to imitate as nearly as possible the motion of the
hands when performing the same operation. The printing upon bags may be
effected by means of a moveable type bed or block placed under the recess, into
which the die descends, the die in this case acting as the platen of a printing
machine. The bag is pushed off the mandrill by a piston caused to act on the
return motion of the mandrill.
On Sheets 6 and 7 of the Drawings I have my machine adapted for the manu-
facture of paper bags. Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan view, and Fig. 3 an
end clevation; Fig. 4 is section of Fig. 3; Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are details.
The machine is adapted for the manufacture of either squaro or satchel shaped
bags. For square bags I employ a hollow mandril A which fits into a die or
mould B. The paper is drawn over the mould by a series of nippers a mounted
on a shaft b which travel on guides c. The nippers are opened by spring and
closed by eccentrics or cains c¹, the shaft on which these are mounted being partially
turned at the end of each travelling movement by a flattened projection on the
..end thereof coming in contact with stop pieces d (see detail, Fig. 10). The nippers
aro actuated by cam C and connecting rods-and--levers. D. After drawing the
paper over the mould they return at once to be ready for the next feed. As soon
as the paper is deposited on the mould table two presser bars e descend and hold
it in its place, whilst at the same time a paste pad E pastes the end of the paper,
the outer edge intended to form the bottom of the bag having been pasted by
passing under the paste roller F. The knife G then descends and cuts the paper,
and the mandril A presses it into the mould, the presser bars e holding the paper
tight or stretched during this operation, By means of the wings f the ends of the
paper are folded over the top of the mandril. So far the operations have been the
same as thoso described in the case making machine, and the mechanism for
producing the motions is very similar, as will be seen on comparing the
Drawings.
In order to form the bottom of the bag, extra folders are required at each side
of the mould. These are shewn in Figs. 5 and 6, which are side elevation and
plan of the folding apparatus. To the wings f are hinged smaller wings g, and to
the bottom of the mould is hinged a wing h, whilst to the sides of the mould aro
hinged wings K and K'. The side wings are first closed over the end of the
mandrill by means of the forked rod J, on the ends of which are pins working in
slotted guides m, the guide being so constructed that the wing K shall close
slightly in advance of the other, in order that one edge of the paper may get properly
under the other. The top and bottom wings are then closed, the top wing closing
slightly in advance as described, for the side wings. The slide wings are closed by
a cam K acting upon lever L to which is attached the rod J, and they are opened
by spring M, the top and bottom wings being closed by the cam N, acting on the
series of levers and rods N' to N', and the opening motion is effected by springs
N8 and N°. The wing g is provided with a short finger n, which acts upon the
wing g¹ in the closing motion only, for which reason the separate spring N° is
required to open the same. When the bags aro finished they are pushed off the
mandril by a piston O operated by cam P and levers and rods P¹ to P.
In the manufacture of satchel bags I require a shallow mould B, as shewn in
Fig 7, and a double mandril A. In addition to the wings f I employ sliding
plates f¹ for tucking in the paper between the two mandrils. The bottom is formed

page_text: by means of a single folder 2, which doubles over the paper on to the top of the
mandril, as shewn in dotted lines in Fig 8.
For satchel bags, the paper requires to be cut to the shape shewn in Fig. 9, with
a lip for forming the bottom, a similar portion S being cut away from one of top
edges to facilitato opening. To obtain this shape with economy, I cut the paper
from a continuous sheet by means of a suitably shaped knife S (shown in Fig. 3),
so that the portion cut out of one sheet forms the lip of the succeeding one. The
sheet has then to be turned round upon the table to the position shewn by the
dotted lines T, and this may be done by a gripper U worked by lever V connected
with some suitable moving part of the machine, after which the paper is taken hold
of by the nippers a and drawn forward. In Fig. 1, Sheet I have shown a type
table W underneath the mould, the bottom of which may be partly cut away
when it is desirable to print upon the bags. The table is raised and lowered
by cam Wand lever and rod W, the inking being effected in the usual manner.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and shewn by Drawings
in what manner the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details of construction or arrangement as herein shewn and described, as the same
may be varied, neither do I claim the whole of the parts or any particular method
of operating the same, but what I claim as my Invention, and consider to bo
new is,-
Firstly. The employment of a mould having expanding sides J and J¹, as horein
shewn and described.
Secondly. The employment of a glue pad P and sand box Q, in manner and for
the purpose herein shewn and described.
Thirdly. The employment of the stripper R for stripping the cases off the
mandril.
Fourthly. The employment of a continuous sheet of paper for securing the strips
of wood to as they are fed to the shaping apparatus.
Fifthly. The employment of knives a and O, for effecting the separation of
the slips.
Sixthly. The employment of the piston O for pushing the bags off the mandril
in bag making machines.
Seventhly. The employment of the printing table W with moveable type in
combination with paper bag machines, as shewn and described.
Eighthly. The employment of double mandril A and tucking slides in the
manufacture of satchel bags.
Ninthly. The employment of the peculiarly shaped folder p for closing the
bottoms of satchel bags.
In witness whereof, I, the said, Joseph Nicholls, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.
Witness,
J. W. TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax.
JOSEPH NICHOLLS. (L.S.)