Improved Method and Machinery or Apparatus for Feeding Sheets of Paper or other Material to Printing, Folding, Calendering, or other Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1895-Accented, 4th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method and Machinery or Apparatus for Feeding Sheets
of Paper or other Material to Printing, Folding, Calendering, or
other Machines.
We, EDGAR ARNOLD PALLISTER, of 23 Brudenell View, Leeds, in the County
of York, Engineer, and THE PALLISTER SYNDICATE LIMITED, of Leeds
aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention has reference to the feeding of sheets of paper or other material
from a pile of such sheets to a printing or folding or calendering or other
machine.
For this purpose the sheets are placed in a pile upon a suitable table; the sheet
that is for the time being the top sheet is separated, as it is called, from that next
below it on the pile, by imparting to the front part of the top sheet a short.
hackward movement, so as to buckle or bend upward the rearward portion of the
sheet; the separated sheets are carried or moved forward to the printing or
other machine by a series of comparatively short successive movements which
when the invention is applied to the feeding of sheets of paper in an automatic
mauner to a printing machine will correspond to successive revolutions or strokes
of the printing machine, the sheets being in fact fed forward a number at a time,
but one more or less in advance of another, so that as to parts of the respective
sheets they overlap or underlap one another in such a way that one sheet will
always be nearer than the rest to the printing or other machine, and that a
comparatively short forward movement will suffice to bring the next sheet to the
machine, and so on, sheet by sheet, thus enabling a printing or other machine to
be kept supplied with paper or other material sheet by sheet by a comparatively
slow feed or carrying motion independent of the length of the individual sheets.
or in other words enabling a larger number of sheets to be fed to a printing or
other machine in a given time than has heretofore been usual with a given speed
of the carrying motion.
In order that the separating operation may not be impeded by the weight of the
separated sheets to which a sheet at the moment being separated is subject, the
arrangement adopted is such that the effective advance of the separated sheets at
each successive feed is represented by the difference between a movement of the
separated sheets in a forward direction and a comparatively short backward
movement thereof, the latter movement being in unison with the backward
movement of the separator.
Machinery or apparatus to operate on the principles above set forth may be
constructed in various forms, as will hereinafter appear; and there will be
hereinafter described the nature of various features constituting improvements in
machinery or apparatus for the purposes mentioned. These include improvements
in and connected with sheet separating mechanism; means for holding down the
rest of the sheets whilst the top sheet is being moved forward; means for
adjusting in an automatic way the height of the table that supports the pile of
sheets so as to compensate for the gradual reduction in the height of the pile as
the withdrawal of sheets therefrom proceeds; feeding mechanism; and other
details.

page_text: The feeding apparatus is constructed with side frames, which in the case of a
printing machine (which will be selected as the machine to which the invention is
applied in the following description of the nature of the invention) are mounted
on the side frames of the printing machine; the first motion shaft of the feeding
apparatus is mounted in bearings formed in or attached to the side frames of the
printing machine, receives rocking motion by means of a connecting rod ant
lever from a continuously and uniformly rotating crank or eccentric of the
machine, and actuates a rocking lever on one side (hereinafter called the right
hand rocking lever) and a second rocking lever on the other side (hereinafter
called the left hand rocking lever). The sheets are separated by separating
rollers and fed to the printing machine by feeding rollers, which receive the sheets
from the separating rollers. The separation of the top sheet is effected by a
backward rotation of the separating rollers; the feeding by short interraittent
feeding motions imparted to the separating rollers and to the feed rollers; the
latter may be effected either by a ratchet or clutch arrangement (with intermediate
gearing or lever connections to the feed rollers) worked by a reciprocating rod
moved uniformly with the printing machine, by intermittent rotating gear
actuated from a uniformly rotating wheel, or by reciprocating rack mechanism.
The first and last of these means are hereafter more particularly indicated as
illustrations of the manner in which this part of the invention may be carried out.
The feed rollers have in some cases a short backward motion in unison with the
backward motion of the separating rollers and a longer forward motion which at
the commencement is accompanied by a forward movement of the separating
rollers whilst resting on the sheet being separated. The effective forward feed of
the feed rollers is the difference between the above mentioned full forward and
backward motion of the feed rollers.
One arrangement for separating the sheets in which the feed rollers have a
backward as well as a forward motion is as follows:-
The upper end of the right hand rocking lever is connected by means of a
connecting link with the upper end of a rocking ratchet lever mounted loosely
upon a stud and carrying at its upper end a ratchet pawl. This pawl engages in
the forward direction with the teeth of a ratchet wheel fastened to a toothed
wheel which gears with a pinion on the shaft or axle of the top feed rollers. The
toothed wheel to which the ratchet wheel is fastened is mounted loosely on the
same stud as the ratchet lever. The pinion on the feed roller shaft
with a
gears
pinion mounted loosely on a stud and to which pinion is attached a mitre or bevel
wheel in gear with another mitre wheel that is fixed on a shaft hereinafter called
the separator driving shaft. Along this shaft there is a keyway in which can
slide the feather of a second bevel wheel, which gears with an equal sized bevel
wheel on the end of a transverse shaft hereinafter called the separator main
shaft. The two bevel wheels just referred to and the corresponding ends of the
separator driving shaft and separator main shaft are all carried by a bracket able
to slide along a shaft (the right hand table shaft) and a bracket at the other side
carries the other end of the separator main shaft. The separating rollers are
mounted on an axle carried in bearings at the free ends of a pair of levers mounted
freely on the separator main shaft as a hinge pin. The separating rollers are
geared to the separator main shaft by means of toothed wheels. The arrangement
is such that a forward motion of the right hand rocking lever will impart a
forward or feeding movement to the feed rollers and also to the separating rollers.
The stroke of the right hand rocking lever and ratchet lever and the gearing of
the wheel fastened to the ratchet wheel and the pinion on the top feed roller shaft
are so proportioned that the forward motion of the right hand rocking lever
causes the feed rollers to make somewhat more than a complete rotation.
The comparatively much shorter backward rotation of the feed rollers and of
the separating rollers is obtained by the following mechanism. On the top feed roller
shaft is fixed or keyed a lever hereinafter called the back motion lever which
when the right and rocking lever is at the commencement of the forward stroke

page_text: occupies a downwardly inclined position but with its free end to the rear of a
vertical plane containing the axis of the top feed roller shaft; but along with the
feed rollers this back inotion lever makes inore than a complete rotation during
the forward stroke, so that at the end of the forward and the beginning of the
backward stroke the back motion lever occupies a position approximately the
reverse of that already indicated; and such that a projecting stud of the pawl
hinge will catch the said lever and during the backward stroke of the ratchet
lever will return the backward motion lever to the position first above indicated,
thereby rotating both the separating rollers and the feed rollers in a backward
direction to an extent corresponding to that by which the forward motion exceeded
a complete rotation. The stroke of the ratchet lever is such that in its extreme
backward position it clears the back motion lever and as the angular velocity of
that lever during its forward motion is much greater than that of the ratchet
lever the former noves clear of the latter immediately on the commencement of
the forward motion.
The pile of sheets (say of paper to be printed) is placed on the table and a
back stop is placed close against the back of the pile. The backward rotation of
the separating rollers draws back the top sheet and buckles it up between them
and the back stop, then a lip (which during this time has been raised) is dropped
on to the front part of the sheet next below. The forward rotary movement of
the separating rollers then takes place and pushes the front edge of the separated
sheet over the lip and on to the feed rollers by and between which the sheet is
nipped. The separating rollers are then raised from the top sheet and afterwards
at the proper time dropped on to the sheet next below. An arrangement for this
purpose is as follows:-A shaft (hereinafter called the raising shaft) is carried at
its ends by the bracket already mentioned and another bracket at the opposite side
of the apparatus. On the raising shaft are mounted freely (between side stops)
brackets (conveniently there may be one for each pair of separating rollers).
Each of these brackets carries two levers one (hereinafter called the raising
lever) adapted to engage with a lug on the boss of the corresponding separating
roller levers; the other (hereinafter called the catch lever) carries at its free end
a pivoted catch the smaller end of which bears against a cam keyed on the
separator main shaft. The cam is so shaped and arranged that soon after the
front edge of the sheet is caught by the feed rollers, it pushes back the catch,
the catch lever and the raising lever; and the latter engaging with the lug on the
boss of the separating roller levers raises the free ends of those levers and
consequently also the separating rollers. When the parts are in position for the
backward movement the pivoted catch is pushed aside by the cam without pushing
back the catch lever; when the parts are in position for the latter part of the
forward motion the catch lever is pushed back and the separating roller levers are
raised. A projecting pin on the catch lever prevents the catch being turned about
its axis when caught by the cam towards the latter part of the forward motion.
This arrangement we prefer to the two following.
An arrangement for separating the sheets in which the feed rollers have no
backward motion is as follows:-The upper end of the right hand rocking lever
by means of a lug or block working in a slot-hole at the end of the lever
reciprocates a toothed rack, hereinafter called the forward rack, to which a pin is
attached that fits loosely in the lug or block and which rack serves to give a
forward rotation to the separating rollers by means we will now describe. The
separating roller shaft is geared to the separator main shaft by means of three
tooth wheels and the last mentioned shaft is rotated from the forward rack by
means of a pinion on the end of the said shaft but only in the direction to impart
the forward rotation to the separating rollers. A considerably shorter backward
rotation is imparted to the separating rollers by means of a second rack piniou
gearing with a second reciprocating rack hereinafter called the backward rack
having a considerably shorter stroke than the forward rack. The backward rack
is operated from the first motion shaft by means of a rocking lever. The two

page_text: rack pinions are mounted freely on the separator main shaft and are provided on the
sides facing each other with clutch teeth which gear with corresponding teeth on
the sides of a sliding clutch mounted on or connected to the same shaft with a key
or feather and groove arrangement. The clutch teeth on the pinions and the
corresponding teeth on the opposite sides of the clutch are so formed, that the
clutch teeth of the one pinion will drive and those of the other pinion will be out
of gear when the forward rotation is to be imparted to the separating rollers;
whilst when the rotation is to be backward, the clutch teeth of the pinion that
previously drove will be out of gear and those of the pinion previously out of gear
will drive the clutch and consequently also the separator main shaft. The clutch
is slid towards one or other of the pinions by means of a rocking bar which
engages in a groove formed round the middle of the clutch. This rocking bar is
attached to a shaft parallel to the forward rack and is rocked by means of bevel
gear the side wheel of the latter being rocked from the forward rack by two
pinions one of which has in it a slot of part circular form the arrangement being
such that the one end or other of the slot at the end of the stroke in either
direction will come against a pin attached to the side bevel wheel.
By these
means a forward circumferential motion and a backward circumferential motion
(the former much longer than the latter) are imparted to the separating rollers at
the proper times, the backward motion taking the same time as the forward motion,
and the forward motion advancing the sheet sufficiently far to be caught by the
feed rollers as already stated.
This last arrangement may be modified to give also a backward motion to the
feed rollers as follows:-A clutch with teeth at both its sides is mounted to slide
on a key or feather of the top feed roller shaft and a second pinion is fitted loose
on the outer end of the top feed roller shaft arranged to gear with the backward
rack, and the rocking bar is prolonged to gear with a groove in the clutch so that
the feed rollers have alternate backward and forward motions in unison with the
alternate backward and forward motions of the separating rollers.
In connection with these last two arrangements the mechanism for raising the
separating rollers from the topmost sheet when it is caught by the feeding rollers
and lowering them at the proper moment to commence the separation of the next
sheet is as follows:-A square rod is provided with lugs between which the upper
end of the right hand rocking lever works so as to impart a reciprocating motion
to the rod which is caused to rise and descend during the latter part of its travel
towards the printing or other machine by the front edges of snecks attached to
the rod catching against one of the four corner pins of each of two square tumbler
plates. Or instead of this tumbler plate arrangement there may be an inclined
plane attached to the underside of the rod so that it will slide over the upper end
of a vertical balanced hinged lever when moving in one direction thus raising the
rod but that when the rod is moving in the opposite direction the lever will be
knocked out of the way in order that the rod may pass without rising. A small
lug or projection on the upper side of the boss of the separating roller levers
engages with a pawl on a boss fixed by set screw to the raising shaft. By means of
a lever keyed to the end of the said shaft and carrying at its free end a loose
wheel that rests on the top of the rod the lifting and falling motion of the rod is
made to rock the raising shaft, and by means of a raising arm fixed on the raising
shaft and the lug on the boss of the separating roller levers the motion is transferred
to these levers thereby raising and lowering the separating rollers at the proper
times.
The lip already mentioned for holding down the sheets is raised and lowered
by an arrangement as follows.
There is a front board against which the front side of the pile of paper abuts
and in the centre of this board is fitted a bar hereinafter called the lip bar
which is capable of sliding vertically, and at its upper end carries the lip.
For the purpose of raising the lip from the front edge of the topmost sheet
immediately prior to the commencement of the backward movement of the

page_text: separating rollers, the left hand rocking lever is made to reciprocate a sliding rod
(hereinafter called the tappet rod) at the side of the feeder frame near the bottoni.
The tappet rod carries two tappets which are adjustable in position on the rod by
means of set screws, and which strike against a knuckle lever that is connected to
and so alternately raises and lowers the free end of a weighted lever which is
secured to and rocks a cross shaft that carries an arm or projection which operates
the lip bar, so that the rocking of the shaft raises and lowers the lip at the proper
times. In its forward motion a sheet just previously drawn back rises or rides
over the lip on its way to the feeding rollers.
The separation of a sheet from the rest of the pile may be said to be effected
after the separating rollers have drawn back the front edge of the sheet from
beneath the just raised lip, the dropping back or fall of the lip on to the next sheet
and the forward movement of the front edge of the sheet so as to ride over the
top of the lip. A portion of the travel of the separating rollers brings the sheet
within the grip of the feeding rollers. In one arrangement where racks are
employed the feeding rollers are driven in the forward feeding direction from the
forward rack by means of a pinion which is provided with clutch teeth engaging
with the teeth of the clutch on the feed roller shaft as already mentioned. The
clutch is pushed into gear by a spiral spring which yields when the forward rack
moves in the opposite direction, the clutch teeth of the pinion sliding past the
teeth of the clutch without driving the latter. The above mentioned gearing is so
proportioned that the rate of travel of the sheet in passing through the feed rollers
is the same as that at which the sheet is pushed forward by the separating rollers.
As the feed of the feeding rollers is intermittent and in one direction only, and as
both the forward motion of the separating discs and the feed of the feed rollers
take place at the same rate and during the same interval of time, the separated
sheets are fed forward at an equal distance apart and underlapping each other or,
as it is technically termed, fanned out. The lap may be increased or diminished
at pleasure.
In the arrangement first described, that is, where the separating rollers are
driven through what has been called the separator driving shaft, the top feed roller
as already mentioned is driven forward directly from the toothed wheel attached
to the ratchet wheel, and backward to a much smaller extent by the engagement
of the back motion lever with the projecting stud of the pawl hinge; thus sheets of
paper between the feeding rollers are fed together (in a fanned out manner)
towards the printing (or other) machine in successive feeds alternating with
comparatively short back movements, so that the effective forward feed is the
difference between the above mentioned alternate forward and backward movements.
It will further be understood that the above forward and backward movements
of the feed rollers are respectively made in unison with the forward and backward
movements of the separating discs.
The feed table is carried at its four corners by four vertical screws which are
geared together by means of a cross shaft, longitudinal shafts, and bevel gears.
The left hand rocking lever reciprocates through a connecting rod a ratchet lever
that carries a pawl which engages with a ratchet wheel on the before mentioned
cross shaft and thereby actuates the vertical screws on which fit nuts attached to
the corners of the feed table. In order however that the rise of the feed table
may be automatically adjusted according to the thickness of the single sheets of
which the pile is composed there is formed towards the upper end of the lip lar a
sneck or projection which engages with a corresponding arın or projection on a
short cross shaft on which shaft outside the frame of the feeder there is an arın
connected by a link to an intermediate point on a lever whose free end is attached
to a vertical rod the upper end of which is formed as a curved nose piece. As on
drawing back to separate the topmost unseparated sheet the lip bar drops to the
extent of the thickness of a sheet below the position at which it was previously
supported by such sheet, this allows a slight drop by the arm on the short cross
shaft and a correspondingly increased drop of the nose piece, which is thus lowered

page_text: sufficiently to prevent the pawl of the ratchet lever by means of a projecting pin
attaclied to the pawl riding too long on the nose piece and consequently out of
contact with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. As is obvious the greater the
thickness of the individual sheets of which the pile is composed, the greater
will be the movement of the vertical rod and nose piece, so that the pawl of
the ratchet may then be allowed to feed two or more teeth instead of one.
If
on the other hand the pile be exhausted so that there occurs no drop of the lip
bar corresponding to the thickness of a sheet the nose piece will not descend
sufficiently to allow the pawl to engage with the teeth of the ratchet wheel
and consequently no further rise of the table will take place. By means of a
suitable handle the table can be rapidly lowered in order to receive a fresh pile of
sheets, and afterwards raised to meet the separating rollers prior to or on setting
the machine in motion.
=
A handle pinions and racks are so arranged as to enable the separating mechanism
to be moved by hand to the proper position over the pile, and by means of a set
screw the mechanism can be locked in position.
Dated this 7th day of June 1894.
Improved Method and Machinery or Apparatus for Feeding Sheets
of Paper or other Material to Printing, Folding, Calendering, or
other Machines.
We EDGAR ARNOLD PALLISTER of 23 Brudenell View Leeds in the County
of York Engineer and THE PALLISTER SYNDICATE LIMITED Park Row Leeds
in the County of York 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 object of this invention is to feed to printing and other like machines
hereinafter for the sake of brevity referred to as printing machines sheets of paper
or other material from a pile singly sheet by sheet.
This invention comprises:
1st. Means for separating each sheet from the rest of the pile.
2nd. An improved method or manner of carrying the sheets thus separated
forward to the printing machine which is effected by a series of short intermittent
feeds of the feeding rollers corresponding to successive revolutions of the printing
machine in such a manner that each sheet receives a series of successive inter-
mittent feeds whilst passing through the feeding rollers a succeeding sheet being
taken up in an underlapping manner by the feeding rollers and a former sheet
being delivered from the feeding rollers at each feed whereby the speed of the
carrying motion is considerably reduced and may be made quite independant of
the length of the sheets, or given a maximum for such speed whereby the number
of sheets fed forward in a given time may be considerably increased, limited in
fact only by the speed (number of revolutions) at which the printing machine can
be run.
The means for carrying out this method of short intermittent feeds of the sheets
consisting in imparting short intermediate feeding motions to the feed rollers,
which may be effected either by a ratchet or clutch arrangement (with inter-
mediate gearing or lever connections to the feed rollers) worked by a reciprocating

page_text: And in order that our invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed may be more readily and clearly understood reference will at once be
had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and marks thereon
in which;
Fig. 1 is a side elevation Fig. 2 is a half plan and Fig. 3 a half cross section of
a feed apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention (and comprising the
improvements referred to under heading 3rd).
Figs. 4 and 5 are plans and Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are side elevations of the
separating roller mechanism corresponding to the arrangement of apparatus shewn
in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Fig. 10 is a plan, Fig. 11 a back elevation looking towards the printing machine,
Fig. 12 a right hand side elevation ie. on the right hand as viewed in Fig. 11
and Fig. 13 a left hand side elevation of a feed apparatus constructed according to
our invention comprising the above referred to reciprocating rack mechanism but
without the arrangement referred to under the heading 3. By means of arrange-
ments hereinafter referred to the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12
may also be employed so as to include the improvements referred to under
heading 3rd.
The left hand side elevation Fig. 13 corresponds also to the right hand side
elevation Fig. 1. Figs. 14 and 15 are respectively side elevation and plan of the
separating disc mechanism corresponding to the arrangement of apparatus shewn in
Figs. 10, 11 and 12.
Fig. 16 is a centre vertical section of the front board shewing the lip bar and
connections hereinafter referred to, and Fig. 17 is an elevation of the forward side
of the lip bar.
Figs. 18, 19 and 20 are views of details hereinafter referred to.
a indicates the side frames of the printing machine, on which are mounted the
side frames of the feeding apparatus. e is the first motion shaft of the feeding
apparatus, receiving its motion by means of the connecting rod d and lever e from
a continuously uniformly rotating crank or eccentric of the printing machine.
The shaft e is mounted in bearings formed in or attached to the side frames a of
the printing machine and actuates a rocking lever (on the right hand side and a
second rocking lever g on the left hand side.

page_text: The comparitively much shorter rotation backward of the feed rollers and of the
separating dises is obtained by the following mechanism. On the axle of the top
feed roller is fixed or keyed a lever 43 which when the lever fis at the commence
ment of the forward stroke occupies the position shewn by the full lines in Fig. 1
but which along with the feed rollers makes more than a complete revolution
during the forward stroke, so that at the end of the forward and the beginning of
the back stroke the lever 43 occupies the position shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 1.
It will be evident that owing to the projecting stud 44 of the pawl hinge in this
position catching the lever 43, the back stroke of the lever
brings back the
lever 43 to the starting position, thereby rotating the feed rollers and the separating
discs in a backward direction by an amount which equals the excess of the
forward motion over a complete revolution. The stroke of the lever / is sufficiently
great, that at the back end of the stroke it is quite clear off the lever 43 and
as the angular velocity during the forward motion of the lever 43 is much greater
than that of the lever h, the former moves clear off the latter immediately on the
commencement of the forward motion.
PILE. Figs. 10 to 13.
The upper end of the lever by means of a lug or block working in a slot hole
at the end of the lever reciprocates a toothed rack to which the pin i¹ is attached.
This rack serves to give a forward rotation to the separating discs j by means of
the following mechanism. The axle k is geared to the cross shaft m by means of
the three toothed wheels n, and the shaft in is rotated from the reciprocating rack h
by means of the pinion o on the end of the cross shaft m, but only in the direction
to impart the forward rotation to the separating rubbers j.
IS
The
A considerably shorter backward rotation is imparted to the separating discs j
(only) by means of a second rack pinion p gearing with a second reciprocating
The rack Я
rack having a considerably shorter stroke than the rack .
operated from the first motion shaft by means of the rocking lever ».
The two pinions o and p are mounted loose on the cross shaft m and are provided
on the sides facing each other with clutch teeth which gear with corresponding
teeth on the sides of a sliding clutch s mounted on or connected to the cross shaft m
with a key or feather and groove arrangement. The clutch teeth on the pinions
and the corresponding teeth on the opposite sides of the clutch are so formed, that
the clutch teeth of the pinion o will drive, and those of the pinion p will slip when
the forward rotation is to be imparted to the separating discs j; whilst when the
rotation is to be backward, the clutch teeth of the pinion o will slip and those of
the pinion will drive the clutch s, and consequently also the shaft m.
clutch is slid towards one or other of the pinions p and o by means of the
rocking bar t, which engages in a groove formed round the middle of the clutch s.
This rocking bar t is attached to a shaft u parallel to the rack and is rocked by
means of the bevel gear r, the side wheel of the latter being rocked from the
rack h by the pinions 20 and 21 the latter having a circular slot (see Fig. 19) the
ends of the slot at the end of the stroke in each direction catching against a pin
attached to the side bevel wheel r. By means of the above mechanism a forward
circumferential motion and a backward circumferential motion (the former much
longer than the latter) are imparted to the separating discs at the proper times, the
backward motion taking the same time as the forward motion and the forward
motion advancing the sheet sufficiently far to be caught by the feed rollers z.
instead of the arrangement shewn in Figs. 18 and 19 the clutch 21 (which slides on
a key or feather of the top feed roller shaft 22) is made with teeth on both sides
(like the clutch s Fig. 10) and a second pinion (like the pinion p Fig. 10) is fitted
B
If

page_text: loose on the outer end of the shaft 22 arranged to gear with the rack q and the
rocking bar t prolonged to gear with a groove on the sliding clutch 21, then
the feed rollers will have alternate backward and forward motions in unison with
the alternate backward and forward motions of the separating discs whereby the
improvements referred to under heading 3 are included also in the apparatus
illustrated in Figs. 10, 11 and 12. We prefer however the arrangement illustrated
in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 as being simpler.
The following mechanism serves to raise the separating discs j from the topmost
sheet when caught by the feeding rollers and to lower the discs at the proper
moment to commence the separation of the next sheet. By means of the lugs y
Fig. 12 attached to the square rod-2-ig. 11 and between which lugs the upper end
of the rocking lever fits a reciprocating motion is imparted to the rod z from the
lever f. The rod z is caused to rise and lower during the latter part of its forward
motion (ie. towards the printing machine) by the front edge of the sneck 1
(attached to the rod 2) catching against one of the four corner pins 2 of the square
tumbler plate 3. One tumbler only is shewn in the drawing, a second tumbler is
fitted near the opposite end of the rod to obtain a parallel lift of the rod . Instead
of this tumbler plate arrangement I may employ an inclined plane attached to
the underside of the rod z, which slides over the upper end of a vertical balanced
hinged lever, when moving in one direction thus raising the rod whilst when
moving in the opposite direction the square side of the inclined plane knocks back
the lever out of the way, so that the rod passes without rising. A small lug or
projection 4 (Figs. 14 and 15) on the upper side of the main boss of the hinged
levers engages with the pawl 5 on a boss 6 fixed by set screw to the parallel
shaft 7. By means of a lever 8 Fig. 10 and 11 keyed to the end of the shaft 7
and carrying a loose wheel 9 at its free end (said wheel 9 resting on the top of
rod 2) the lifting and falling motion of the rod z rocks the shaft 7, and by means of
the pawl 5 and lug 4 the motion is transferred to the hinged levers 7 carrying the
dises raising and lowering these at the proper times.
When it is not requisite or desirable to have the backward motion of the sheets
between the feeding rollers, as referred to under 3, the connection between the
shaft and the pinion 22 and lever 43 is made by means of a clutch connection,
which drives the shaft only in the feeding forward direction, and slips when the
movement of the pinion 22 and lever 43 would drive it in the backward direction.
This arrangement is shewn in Fig. 21 in which 51 is the clutch keyed to the shaft,
a corresponding clutch being fixed on the pin 22.
The following mechanism for raising and lowering the finger or lip 12 at
the proper times is common to both arrangements of apparatus shewn in the
drawings.
The front edge of the pile of paper abuts against a front board 10 (Figs. 10, 11
and 16) in the centre of which is fitted the lip bar 11 capable of sliding vertically.
The upper end of the bar 11 is provided with a very thin or shape edged cross
piece 12 hereinafter termed the lip. This lip 12 is raised from the front edge of
the topmost sheet immediately on the commencement of the backward movement of
the separating discs j by the following mechanism. The left hand rocking lever y
Figs. 11 and 13 reciprocates a sliding rod 13 on the left side of the feeder frame
near the bottom. The sliding rod 13 carries two tappet studs 14, which arc
adjustable in position on the rod by means of set screws. The tappet studs 14
striking against the knuckle lever 15 alternately raise and lower the lever 16,
which is secured to the end of the cross shaft 17 and thereby rock the latter. This
shaft 17 extends across slightly past the centre line of the feeder and carries
a single tooth or projection 18 which fits or engages in the recess 19 (see Figs. 16
and 17) formed in a projection on the back of the lip bar 11, so that the rocking
of the shaft 17 raises and lowers at the proper times the lip bar 11.
the forward motion the sheet (just previously drawn back) rises or rides over
the lip 12 as the sheet passes to the feeding rollers & Fig. 20.
In

page_text: 2. MEANS FOR CARRYING FORWARD THE SEPARATED SHEETS TO THE
PRINTING MACHINE.
The separation of a sheet from the rest of the pile may be said to be effected
after the separating discs have drawn back the front edge of the sheet from
beneath the just raised lip 12, the dropping back or fall of the lip on to the next
sheet and the forward movement of the front edge of the sheet so as to ride over
the top of the lip 12 have taken place. A portion of the travel of the separating
discs brings the sheet within the grip of the feeding rollers z.
In the arrangement shewn in Figs. 1 to 3 the top feed roller as already
mentioned is driven direct from the toothed wheel r in the forward direction and in
a much shorter backward motion by the engagement of the lever 43 with a
projecting pawl stud 44. The sheets of paper between the feeding rollers a are
thus fed together (in a fanned out manner) towards the printing machine in
successive intermittent or alternated feeds, alternated with comparitively short
back movements, so that the effective forward feed is the difference between the
It will further
above mentioned alternate forward and backward movements.
be evident that the above forward and backward movements of the feed rollers
are respectively made in unison with the forward and backward movements of the
separating discs.
In the arrangement shewn in Figs. 10 to 12, the feeding rollers are driven in the
forward feeding direction from the rack 4 by means of pinion 20, which is provided
with clutch teeth engaging with the teeth 21 on the shaft 22 of the feeding
rollers, Fig. 18. The clutch is pushed into gear by the spiral spring 23, which
yields when the rack 4 moves in the opposite direction, the clutch teeth of the
pinion 20 sliding past the teeth of the clutch 21 without driving the latter. The
above mentioned gearing is so proportioned, that the rate of travel of the sheet in
passing through the feed rollers is the same as that at which the sheet is pushed
forwards by the separating discs. It will be further evident that the feed of the
feeding rollers is intermittent and in one direction only, and that as both the
forward motion of the separating discs and the feed of the feed rollers take place
at the same rate and during the same interval of time, the separated sheets are fed
forward at an equal distance apart, and underlap each other, techuically termed
"fanned out." The lap may be increased or diminished at pleasure.
MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RAISING THE FEED TABLE.
The feed table 24 (Figs. 10 and 11) is carried at the four corners by four vertical
screws 25 which are geared together by means of the cross shaft 26, longitudinal
shafts 27, and bevel gears 28. The left hand rocking lever g Fig. 13 reciprocates
The pawl 31 of
the ratchet lever 29 by means of the inclined connecting rod 30.
the ratchet lever 29 engages with the ratchet wheel 32 at the end of the cross
shaft 26, and thereby actuates the vertical screws 25, which fit in nuts attached to
the corners of the feed table. In order however that the rise of the feed table may
be automatically adjusted to suit the thickness of the single sheets of which the
pile is composed, we provide the following mechanism. Towards the upper end of
the vertical lip bar 11, Fig. 16 is formed a sneck or projection 33, which engages
with a corresponding tooth or projection 34 on the short cross shaft 36. On the
end of this cross shaft outside the frame of the feeder is mounted a lever 37,
Fig. 13, the free end of which is connected by a short link 38 to an intermediate
point on a hinged lever 39. To the free end of this lever 39 is attached a
Lamad a curved pose niece. As on
The feed table 24 (Figs. 10 and 11) is carried at the four corners by four vertical
screws 25 which are geared together by means of the cross shaft 26, longitudinal
shafts 27, and bevel gears 28. The left hand rocking lever g Fig. 13 reciprocates
the ratchet lever 29 by means of the inclined connecting rod 30. The pawl 31 of
the ratchet lever 29 engages with the ratchet wheel 32 at the end of the cross
shaft 26, and thereby actuates the vertical screws 25, which fit in nuts attached to
the corners of the feed table. In order however that the rise of the feed table may
be automatically adjusted to suit the thickness of the single sheets of which the
pile is composed, we provide the following mechanism. Towards the upper end of
the vertical lip bar 11, Fig. 16 is formed a sneck or projection 33, which engages
with a corresponding tooth or projection 34 on the short cross shaft 36. On the
end of this cross shaft outside the frame of the feeder is mounted a lever 37,
Fig. 13, the free end of which is connected by a short link 38 to an intermediate
point on a hinged lever 39. To the free end of this lever 39 is attached a
As on
vertical rod 40, the upper end of which formed as a auwvod nasa niece.
drawing back to separate the topmost (unseparated) sheet, the lip bar 11 drops by
the thickness of a sheet of paper below the position at which it was previously

page_text: further rise of the table takes place. By means of the handle 51, the table 24 can
be rapidly lowered in order to place a fresh pile thereon, and afterwards raised
to meet the separating discs-prior to or on setting the machine in motion.
The handle 52, pinions 53, and rack 54 enable the separating mechanism to be
moved by hand to the proper position over the pile, and by means of the set screw 55
to lock them in this position.
MODUS OPERANDI.
The pile of paper is placed in position on the feed table 24, with the front edge
placed close against the breast board 10: By means of the handle 57 the screws 25
are rotated to raise the table 24 so as to bring the topmost sheet against the
underside of the lip 12 and the back stop 56 is moved up close against the back of
the pile. The sliding brackets 50 with the separating discs j and connections, are
then moved back by rotating the handle 52, so as to bring the separating discs j
into position near or towards the back part of the pile.
Commencing with the topmost sheet the following is the cycle of operations of
the various parts of the feeding apparatus, in describing which the word stroke is
to be understood as referring to the motion in one direction only, that towards the
impression cylinder being designated the "forward" stroke; and that away from
the impression cylinder, the "backward" stroke; one revolution of the printing
machine comprising both a forward and a backward stroke. Starting with the
levers and h in the positions shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the back stroke of
the levers rotates the separating discs j in a backward direction, drawing back the
front edge of the topmost sheet from beneath the raised lip 12, and buckles or
bends up the back part of the said sheet between the discs ; and the back stop 56.
i
The lip 12 lowers at the end of the back stroke on to the front edge of the second
sheet, when the forward stroke of the levers and commences, the separating
discs resting on the top sheet (see Fig. 9) and the feeding rollers are moved
forward simultaneously. For the sake of clearness the motion of the separating
discs and the feed rollers in the sense to move forward the sheets towards the
printing is designated as a forward motion. This forward movement of the
separating disces straightens out the back bent portion of the sheet, and moves
the front edge of the sheet over the lowered lip up to until well gripped by the
feeding rollers. At the latter part of the forward motion the discs are raised
from the sheet (see Fig. 6) and the upward feed of the table 24 takes place; and
at the end of the forward motion the lip 12 is again raised and the separating
discs j again lowered (see Fig. 7). The separated sheet in the meantime has now
advanced from the front edge of the board 10 by a feed equivalent to a complete
revolution of the feed rollers.
The backward stroke then commences and the separated sheet is moved back
simultaneously and to the same extent as the motion back of the front edge of the
second sheet, which moving back is the first operation is separating the second (or
following) sheet. The rest of the operations are as previously described. It will
be evident that after a certain number of strokes, the feed rollers will have
several sheets between them, the number of which remains constant till the pile is
nearly exhausted and which number depends on the length of the individual sheets

page_text: and the amount of lap. Also that the whole of such number of sheets are moved
not only forward but also backward in unison with the back movement of the
separating discs when the feeding rollers have such a back motion as referred to
under 3. The underlapping or "fanned out arrangement of the sheets between
the feed rollers is shewn in Fig. 20.
"
The above description refers mainly to the arrangement of apparatus illustrated
in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The following description applies to the arrangement
illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12.
For the sake of clearness, it is here premised that the racks h and g and the
square rod at any time are all moving in the same direction and that the strokes
of the rack and the rod z are equal, and considerably greater than the stroke of
the rack q.
Commencing with the last portion of the forward stroke of the racks and q
and of the rod, the sneck o on the rod z finishes the overturning of the square
tumbler and allows the rod z to drop, and lowers the separating discs jon to the
topmost sheet. At the same time the rocking bar throws over the clutch into
gear with the pinion o and shaft m, and the lip bar 11 with the lip 12 are raised by
the last portion of the forward movement of the lever g, through the tappet rod 13,
levers 15 and 16, and cross shaft 17.
Racks and and rod z commence the backward stroke. The feed roller
pinion 20 (Fig. 18) slips over the clutch teeth, throwing the feed rollers & idle,
and they remain idle during the whole of the backward stroke. The clutch s
engaging with the pinion p, the (short stroke) rack 7 rotates the separating discs j
in a backward direction, which draw back the front edge of the topmost sheet from
beneath the lip 12 and buckle up the back part of the sheet between the discs and
the back stop. During the last portion of the backward stroke the rack / by
means of the rocking bar t disengages the clutch s from the pinion p and throws
the clutch into gear with the pinion o. The last portion of the backward move-
ment of the lever g (and tappet rod 13) occurring at the same time lowers the
lip 12 on to the front edge of the second sheet, the top sheet being drawn back clear.
The lip 12 is now lower by the thickness of a sheet than when resting on the -
topmost sheet and the vertical rod 41 is thereby correspondingly lower; its position
determining the earlier or later engagement of the pawl 31 with the ratchet
wheel 32 and consequently the amount of rise of the feed table 24 on the next
forward movement of the lever g (rod 30 and ratchet-lever 29).
Racks handy and rod z commence the "forward" stroke, the separating discs j
being still in contact with the topmost sheet. The rack sets in motion the
feeding rollers and by means of the pinion o rotates the separating discs j in the
forward direction pushing the front edge of the topmost sheet over the lip 12 up
to the feeding rollers. When this sheet is so far advanced as to be.well within
the feeding rollers, the eneck 1 on the rod z catches against one of the pins 2 on
the square tumbler 3, and rotates the latter so that this rod z, wheel 9, lever 8, are
raised and consequently also the separating dises j from contact with the paper.
During this forward stroke of the racks, the forward movement of the lever g takes
place and actuates the ratchet wheel 32 and bevel gears 28 and screws 25 raising
or feeding up the table 24.
2
The first cycle of operations is now complete and the next cycle operates in like
manner on the second sheet and also during the forward stroke carries the topmost
sheet (still between the feeding rollers) further forwards towards the impression
cylinder.
The third cycle of operations then acts upon the third sheet in a similar manner,
and also during the forward stroke carries forward both the second and the first or
topmost sheet (presuming that the sheets are not unusually short) still nearer to
the impression cylinder.
It will thus be evident that after the first sheet has been separated and carried
partly forward by the feed rollers, the succeeding sheets follow at distances apart
equal to each travel of the feed rollers, and consequently the sheets are fed forward

page_text: in an underlapping manner. The number of sheets being fed at a time between
the feed rollers is greater or less according to the shorter or longer single (inter-
mittent) feeds or travels of the feeding rollers, and also according to the greater or
Icss length of the sheets.
It will also be evident that several succeeding forward strokes are required to
bring each sheet from the feed rollers, full up to the grippers of the printing
machine, and that when any sheet is at the gripper fence, the front edge of the
next sheet is only a comparatively short distance behind, dependent on-bit less-
than the single (intermittent) feed or travel of the feed rollers.
These conditions distinguish our present feed apparatus from all others hitherto
proposed or in use, in which each sheet is usually separated, or separated and fed,
full up to the feed rollers in one stroke or half revolution of the printing machine,
and in the next stroke or half revolution of the printing machine is fed full up to
the printing machine and quite clear off the next succeeding sheet. The speed of
the carrying motion (i.e. of the feed rollers) is therefore determined by and
dependent on the length of the longest sheet to be fed by the apparatus; whereas
in our present apparatus, the considerations and conditions above mentioned permit
of the speed of the carrying motion being considerably reduced, or given a
maximum for such speed they permit of the number of sheets fed in a given time
being very considerably increased, limited in fact only by the speed at which the
printing machine can be run.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The mode or manner of carrying the sheets forward to the printing machine
by a series of short successive intermittent feeds of the feeding rollers corre-
sponding to successive revolutions of the printing machine in such a manner that
each sheet receives a series of short intermittent successive feeds whilst passing
through the feeding rollers, a succeeding sheet being taken up in an underlapping
manner by the feeding rollers and a former sheet being delivered from the feeding
rollers at each feed movement, whereby the speed of the carrying motion beyond
the feed rollers and also of the feed rollers may be considerably reduced and may
be made quite independant of the length of the sheets, or given a maximum for
such speeds whereby the number of sheets fed forward in a given time may be
considerably increased.
2. The method of feeding forward the separated sheets by a series of short
successive intermittent feeds in an underlapping manner, such feeds being the
difference between a motion of the separated sheets in a forward direction and a
comparitively short backward motion of the same, the latter motion being made in
unison with the backward motion of the separating rollers, with the object of
neutralizing the deranging influence on the separating operation of the weight of
the separated sheets resting on the sheet at the moment being separated.
3. The method of separating sheets by means of a backward motion drawing the
front edge of cach sheet from beneath a raised lip and arranged to occupy the time
of one balf revolution or thereabouts of the machine followed by a feed or forward
motion pushing the sheet over the lowered lip up to the feed rollers and afterwards
in combination with or by these moving the sheet, only a portion of its length and
not completely past the feed rollers and arranged to occupy the time of the other
half revolution or thereabouts of the machine, whereby a very slow movement of
the drawing back of the sheet is obtained, which enables the separating discs
to act more effectively and with less liability of deranging the lower sheets of
the pile.
4. The mechanism for imparting a backward and forward motion (as referred to
in the preceding claim) to the separating discs substantially as herein set forth and
illustrated in Figs. 1 to 9.
.5. The mechanism for imparting a backward and forward motion (as referred to