Improvements in Paper Adjusting Devices for Printing Machines and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper Adjusting Devices for Printing Machines
and the like.
A communication from abroad by THOMAS A. BRIGGS, of Arlington, in the State
of Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist.
I, JOHN MAGRATH KELLY of 1 Charlotte Street, Bedford Square in the County
of Middlesex, Merchant, 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 :-
This invention is designed to be applied to the paper feed table of either a
printing machine, or paper folding machine or other analogous machine requiring
the sheets of paper to be accurately adjusted in their position preparatory to enter
the aforesaid machine.
And the object of this invention is to accomplish the aforesaid adjustment of the
sheets of paper automatically and in a reliable manner.
And to that end the invention consists in the novel construction and combination
of mechanisms hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.
In the annexed drawing
Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the invention applied to the paper feeding
machine of a printing machine,
Figure 2 is a side elevation of that portion of the machine to which the invention
is applied.
Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan of an automatic paper gauging or registering
device embodying the invention,
Figure 4 is a further enlarged transverse section on line -, in Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse section on line y-y, Figure 3.
Figure 6 is an enlarged longitudinal section on line -z, Figure 3.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate different modes of affording a limited lost motion to the
pitman which transmits motion to the automatic paper gauging or paper registering
devices,
Figures 9 and 10 are respectively plan and edge views of a modification of the
paper gauging devices,
Figure 11 is an enlarged vertical transverse section on line 0-0, Figure 9, and
Figure 12 is a plan view of a further modification of the paper gauging devices.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the table upon which the sheets of paper are fed either to the
impression cylinder B of a printing machine as shown, or to any other machine
requiring the sheets of paper to be properly adjusted in their position preparatory
to receiving the same.
Adjacent to the delivery end of said table is placed the improved paper-
adjuster which is movable diagonally in relation to the line of feed of the paper
and carries the paper so as to bring the front edge and the advancing side edge
thereof against the gauges a and a' and thereby cause said paper to be brought
into its requisite position in relation to the printing machine or other machine
designed to operate on said paper. Said paper adjuster consists essentially of
horizontal oscillatory two-armed levers cc disposed respectively at opposite sides
of the paper-feeding path and preferably pivoted to opposite ends of a flat thin
bar B which extends across the top of the table A and is firmly secured thereto
by screws g g passing through the bar and into the table. The longitudinal
edges of said bar are bevelled to obviate obstructions to the passages of the
paper and of the gripper arms E E which carry the paper to the delivery end
of the table. Each of the levers c has one of its arms extending forward and to

page_text: the free ends of said arms of the levers is connected a tie d, preferably of the
form of a bar extending across the feed-table and pivoted at opposite ends to
the aforesaid lever-arms. To said tie is attached a paper-receiving and carrying
device by which the paper is brought in contact with the gauges which adjust
the paper to the requisite position.
For simplicity of construction it is preferred to form the said paper receiving
and carrying devices as follows:-To the bar d is attached suitable clamps h
to which is connected the side edges of the front portion of a sheet e of paper
or other analogous material. These clamps it is preferred to form of spring
metal plates mounted on the bar d and formed intermediate of their lengths with
lips h which embrace opposite edges of the bar and thus confine the plates
laterally on the bar. The two end-portions of each of said plates are provided
with downwardly projecting lugs which register with and enter two of a
series of sockets ii formed in the bar and distributed equidistantly apart over
the length thereof. The side edges of the leaf e are inserted under the inner
end-portions of the plates h h and are thereby clamped upon the bar d. The
lugs passing through the leaf e serves to firmly hold the same.
described clamps can be adjusted in their position to accommodate leaves e of
different widths according to the width of paper to be fed to the printing machine
or other machine. Said adjustment is readily effected by prying up the inner
ends of the plates sufficiently to release the lugs thereat from the
sockets in the bar d. The lugs on the opposite or outer ends of the plates
are short and bevelled to allow them to slip out of the sockets i i when end
pressure is applied to said plates.
The
In this manner the plates can be shifted longitudinally on the bar d to bring
said plates in proper position to clamp the leaf e.
When the stationary bar B1 is employed there is attached thereto the gauge a
which is also rendered adjustable longitudinally on said bar for the purpose aforesaid
by providing said bar with a series of screw-threaded eyes B" for the reception of
the attaching screw B which passes through a slot j in the base of the gauge a as
shown in Figure 3 of the drawing.
The invention is not however limited specifically to the aforesaid construction of
the paper adjuster inasmuch as it is susceptible of modifications of its details, as for
instance the substitution for the leaf e of thin fingers e¹ el of either metal or wood
or other suitable material firmly secured to the bar d as shown in Figure 12. Or in
lieu of the stiff bar d a stout cord or wire may be employed as shown in Figures 9
and 10 in which case the leaf e has to be attached thereto by the front end of the
leaf being folded around said cord or wire and lapped onto the opposite side of the
leaf and pasted or otherwise fastened thereon. When the said cord or wire is
employed the same is held at the requisite tension by means of suitable springs con-
nected to the levers cc. One form of said spring and its connection with the lever c
is illustrated in Figure 11 in which k denotes a sleeve passing through the table A
and fastened thereto. The lever c is provided with a hub c by which it is pivoted
in the upper end of the sleeve. A shank c¹ extends from the said hub down
through the sleeve and has secured to its lower protruding end a collar or nut n by
which the hub is retained in the sleeve. A spiral spring surrounds the stem c
and is fastened at opposite ends to the hub and to a shoulder k' in the sleeve k.
C
to
The gauges a' a' which engage the front or advancing edge of the paper in process
of being fed, are intermittently lifted out of the path of the paper to allow
pass to the printing machine after said paper has been adjusted in its position.
Said movement of the gauges may be effected in any suitable and well known
manner.
An exemplification of the same is shown in Figure 2, and consists of a cam m
attached to one of the shafts of the printing machine, a crank o on the shaft
operating gauges a¹ a¹, and a pitman o transmitting motion from said cam to the 5
crank o. The described paper adjuster it is preferred to operate automatically by
means of a rock-shaft C actuated by the rock-arms I which, by means of the

page_text: pitman L, is connected with the transverse shaft p to which the grippers E are
attached, which grippers carry the paper from the receiving end to the delivery
end of the table A. It is also preferred to employ the same rock-shaft C to which
are connected the fingers f which transmit the sheets of paper from the pile to
the feed table.
To said rock-shaft is attached a crank arm D, the free end of which is con-
nected with the laterally extended arm of one of the levers c by a pitman Pas
shown in Figure 1.
In order to allow the described paper adjuster to remain dormant during a
sufficient period to allow the adjusted paper to be caught by the usual and well
known grippers of the impression cylinder B (not necessary to be here shown)
limited lost motion is allowed to the pitman P: This lost motion may be obtained
in various ways, two of which are illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 of the annexed
drawing. In Figure 7 the lost motion is obtained by a longitudinal slots in the
end of the pitman through which slot the coupling pin s passes and thus has a
longitudinal play on the pitman.
In Figure 8 the lost motion is obtained by mounting the crank-arm D loosely
on the rock shaft C and providing the latter with a transverse groove into
which enters a spring-actuated bolt t¹ seated in a longitudinal channel in the
crank-arm.
A pin " projects from the side of the bolt and through a longitudinal slot in the
side of the crank-arm to allow the bolt to be withdrawn from the groove t when
desired to detach the crank-arm from the rock-shaft.
The groove t allows a limited oscillatory play on the rock-shaft to produce the
desired lost motion of the pitman. The detachable connection of the crank-arm D
to the rock-shaft is preferred over the rigid attachment of the rock-arm shown in
Figure 7, inasmuch as the detachable crank-arm can be attached to either end of
the rock-shaft to operate the levers c c toward either side of the feed-table as may
be desired.
In order to allow the pitman P to be accommodated to the distance between
the crank-arm D and levers c c said pitman is made adjustable in length in any
suitable manner.
It is preferred, however, to form the said pitman of thin rods
lapping over each other and the end of each lapping portion having affixed to it a
clamp u embracing the companion rod and provided with a screw u' by which to
tighten the clamp on the latter rod as shown in Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed (as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent) I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In combination with a paper-feed table and gauges on said table, oscillatory
levers at opposite sides of the paper-feeding path, a paper carrier moved by said
levers diagonally in relation to the line of feed of the paper and carrying the
paper to the gauges in the process of feeding the same to the printing machine as
set forth.
2. In combination with a paper feed table and gauges on said table, oscillatory
levers at opposite sides of the paper-feeding path, a paper carrier moved by said
levers diagonally in relation to the line of feed of the paper, a rock-arm, and a
pitman transmitting motion from said rock-arm to the aforesaid levers as set forth.
3. In combination with the paper feed-table and gauges on said table, oscillatory
levers at opposite sides of the paper feeding path, a tie extending across the table
and connected at opposite ends to the aforesaid levers, and a paper receiving and
carrying device connected to said tie and extending rearward therefrom as set
forth.
4. In combination with the paper-feed table and gauges on said table, oscillatory
levers at opposite sides of the paper feeding path, a bar extending across the table
and connected to said levers, clamps on said bar, and a leaf secured to said clamps
and extending rearward therefrom to receive and carry to the aforesaid gauges

page_text: the
paper in process of being fed to the printing machine, substantially as set forth
and shown.
5. In combination with the paper-feed table, and gauges on said table, oscillatory
levers at opposite sides of the paper feeding path, a bar extending across the table
and connected to said levers and provided with a series of sockets distributed
lengthwise thereof and equi-listantly apart and spring plates mounted on said bar
and formed intermediate of their length with lips embracing opposite edges of the
bar, and provided at opposite, ends with lugs registering with the sockets in said
bar, and a leaf of paper or analogous material clamped between the bar and inner
ends of the spring plates, substantially as described and shown.
6. In combination with the feed-table, a stationary bar extending across said
table, a paper aligning gauge connected to said bar, oscillatory levers pivoted to
the ends of the bar, a bar extended across the table and connected to the levers,
clamps connected to the latter bar, and a paper receiving and carrying sheet
connected to said clamps and extending rearward therefrom, substantially as
described and shown.
7. In combination with the feed-table, a bar extending across said table and
rigidly secured thereto, a paper-aligning gauge mounted on said bar adjustably
longitudinally thereof, levers pivoted to the ends of said bar, a bar extending
across the table and connected to said levers, clamps connected to the latter bar
adjustably lengthwise thereof, and a paper receiving and carrying leaf connected
to said clamps and extending rearward therefrom, substantially as described and
shown.
8. In combination with the feed table A, gauges a and a reciprocating grippers b,
rock-shaft and paper feeding lingers ff attached to said shaft, the levers c, tie d,
paper-receiving and carrying sheet e attached to and extending rearward from said
tie, the arm D attached to said rock-shaft, and the pitman P connecting said arm
with one of the levers c and having a limited lost motion, substantially as described
and shown.
9. In combination with the gauges a a', oscillatory crank-arm D, levers ce aud
paper receiving and carrying devices de operated by said levers, the pitman P
made adjustable in length to accommodate it to the distance between the said
crank-arm and levers as set forth.
Dated the 13th day of December 1892.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, for the Applicant.