Improvements in Paper-folding Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper-folding Machines.
I, JOSEPH THOMAS PRICE, of Wild Court, Great Queen Street, London, W.C.
Wholesale and Manufacturing Stationer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
"section"
This invention relates to paper-folding machines, commonly known as
folding machines, and particularly to the receiving box in which single sheets or
several sheets together (technically called "sections") after being once folded and
pressed are delivered by the pressing rollers; and the improvement has for its object
to ensure the folded sheets or "sections" being delivered in good order and kept
pressed together in convenient form for removal.
The machine comprises the usual slotted table, and treadle-operated vibrating
knife by which the sheets are folded and forced through the slot, gripping rollers
beneath, endless tapes running thereon, and on a second pair of rollers so arranged
as to convey the folded sheet or section to the pressing rollers by which they
are pressed and delivered to the receiving box, these rollers being geared together
and revolving continuously.
"
The receiving box is situated in front of the pressing rollers and is partly open
on top on the side next the latter.
The box or the bottom thereof is movable in the vertical direction and forced
upwards by springs or counterweights, in order to press the pile of superposed
sheets or "sections" contained in the box against a fixed abutment above, so as to
keep them compactly in place.
"
The box or the movable bottom thereof is moved downwards intermittently by
the treadle that operates the folding-knife or by a lever or other device actuated
by the machine itself, the motion being so timed that the downward motion takes
place in order to admit a "section "at, or just after, the moment when the "section
has been brought by the pressing rollers into position to pass beneath the abutment
to its place on top of the pile already contained in the box which it is then caused
to do accordingly by the continued revolution of the pressing rollers, the box
immediately rising again, pressing the "section" last added against the abutment
until the next one is received.
The box is provided with a door at front at which the pile of "sections" may be
removed without disturbing their arrangement when the box is full.
Dated this 9th day of May 1821
J. T. PRICE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper-folding Machines.
I, JOSEPH THOMAS PRICE of Wild Court, Great Queen Street, London, W.C.
Wholesale and Manufacturing Stationer, 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 :-
"section
"
This invention relates to paper-folding machines commonly known as
folding machines and particularly to the receiving box in which single sheets or
FD 037

page_text: several sheets together (technically called "sections") after being once folded and
pressed are delivered by the pressing rollers; and the improvement has for its
object to ensure the folded sheets or "sections" being delivered in good order and
kept pressed together in convenient form for removal.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a front view of the machine, the door of the receiving box being
removed and
Figure 2 is a vertical cross section.
The same letters of reference denote like parts in both figures.
""
The machine comprises the usual slotted table a and treadle-operated vibrating
knife b by which the sheets are folded and forced through the slot c in the table,
gripping rollers d beneath, endless tapes e running thereon and on a second pair of
rollers so arranged as to convey the folded sheet or " section to the pressing
rollers g by which they are pressed and delivered to the receiving box / these rollers
being geared together and revolving continuously. So far the folding mechanism
is the same as usual and constitutes no part of my invention.
The receiving box h is situated in front of the pressing rollers 9 and has an
aperture at g which is presented towards the pressing rollers g so that the sheet or
"section" entering thercat will pass above the sheets already contained in the box.
Within the box is fitted a false bottom or follower i movable in the vertical direction
and forced upwards by springs or counterweights ; in order to press the pile of
superposed sheets or "sections" contained in the box up against a fixed abutment k,
formed in this instance by the top of the box h, so as to keep them compactly in
place. The follower is moved downwards intermittently either by the treadle !
that operates the folding-knife bor, as shewn in the drawings, by levers n actuated
by the machine as hereafter described, the motion being, in the former case, so
timed that the downward motion of the follower i takes place in order to admit a
folded sheet or "section at or just after the moment when the folded sheet or
"section" has been brought by the pressing rollers g against the inclined guide k¹
and has been thereby deflected into position to enter the aperture 1 and pass
beneath the abutment k to its place on top of the pile already contained in the box h.
This it is then caused to do accordingly by the continued revolution of the pressing
rollers the follower i immediately rising again and pressing the folded sheet or
"section" last added against the abutment until the next one is received. As
the height to which the follower rises is less, by the thickness of the "section" last
introduced, than the distance which it was previously drawn down, it follows that
the follower gradually descends in the box as the height of the pile therein increases,
this descending motion being provided for in its operating mechanism as follows-
The follower being normally kept raised by counterweights, is depressed inter-
mittently by cams m acting on levers n having pawls o at their free ends engaging
with vertically-guided racks p to which the follower is fixed. The levers n are kept
raised against the cams m by springs n² and as the pile of paper on the follower
increases, the height to which the latter will be brought by the counterweights
decreases and as this continues the pawls o will engage the next higher tooth of the
racks p. To ensure this, each pawl has a tail piece of which strikes a fixed cam o²
when it reaches its highest point. The box is provided with a door h¹ at front at
which the pile of folded sheets or "sections" may be removed without disturbing
their arrangement when the box is full.
It will be evident that instead of the box being stationary and the follower i
movable therein, the latter may be formed by the bottom of the box h provided
that the whole box is fitted to be moved up and down in the manner above described
in respect of the follower, except that in this case the abutment k will not be a part
of the box but will be a separate fixture, and that the box must be entirely open on
the side next the pressing rollers to permit of the bottom rising to the abutment k
when the box is empty.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
"
In a "section" folding machine, the combination, with the "section folding
66 section
mechanism, of a receiving box adapted to receive the folded sheet or
from the pressing rollers and which is fitted with a follower (or is itself) adapted to
be moved up and down with a gradually progressive descending motion, and of
mechanism for operating such follower (or box) as described so as in combination
with a fixed guide and abutment at top to receive, press, and hold each sheet or
"section" as it is received in the box, substantially as specified.
Dated this 9th day of February 1899
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
J. T. PRICE,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.