IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FOLDING AND DELIVERING PAPER
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Galloway Dawson and Jeremiah Dawson, both
of Otley, in the County of York, Printers' Engineers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FOLDING AND
DELIVERING PAPER."
Sealed the 19th August 1879, and dated the 22nd February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Galloway Dawson
and Jeremiah Dawson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
22nd February 1879.
"
THOMAS GALLOWAY DAWSON and JEREMIAH DAWSON, both of Otley, in the
County of York, Printers' Engineers. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND
APPARATUS FOR FOLDING AND DELIVERING PAPER."
This Invention relates to certain improvements in machines for folding news-
papers, whereby such machines are made capable of working at high rates of speed
in conjunction with webb, rolary, or other kinds of printing machines; on the
ordinary folding machine the sheets are pressed by a reciprolating knife into the
nip of a pair of rollers fixed in a stationary position, and as many folds as are
required to be given to the paper so many knives and pairs of rollers are required.
Our Invention consists in the combination of one or more reciprocating knives
with one rotating cylinder furnished with one or more sets of ordinary grippers
operating on the surface of the cylinder. The knives, in addition to the ordinary
reciprocating motion, have an extra forward motion imparted to them, whereby the
sheets are forced into the grippers on the cylinder.
The double forward motion may be accomplished in the following manuer :-
By means of a crank and lever reciprocating motion is given to a shaft fixed in
suitable position parallel with the cylinder, upon which arms or levers are secured
along its length. These levers carry another shaft parallel to the first one, which
second shaft carries the folding knife and has on its end a lever carrying a bowl,
which works in a cam groove fixed to the side frame of machine; when the knife
is away from the cylinder it is in a position nearly lineable with the centres of the
two shafts; on its return towards the cylinder it remains in the same position until

page_text: it arrives a short distance from the cylinder, where by the rapid action given the
cam grove or cam and bowl it is brought into a position at right angles with the
two shafts, by which movement a quick forward speed of the knife is obtained, and
the sheet thereby forced into the open grippers on the cylinder. The knife now
recedes, while the paper is carried forward by the cylinder and grippers until the
centre of the double sheet is opposite another reciprocating knife, which in the
same manner forces the double sheet into another set of grippers, thus completing
the second fold on the same cylinder, after which it is carried away to the cross
folding apparatus. When sheets of full size are only to be folded once the second
knife can be put out of use, and when sheets of half size are to be folded once the
second knife can be put out of use and the first knife doubled in speed, so that it
can fold both the half sheets in the saine time.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Galloway Dawson and Jeremiah Dawson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd August 1879.
THOMAS GALLOWAY DAWSON and JEREMIAH DAWSON, both of Otley, in the
County of York, Printors' Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND
APPARATUS FOR FOLDING AND DELIVERING PAPER."
This Invention relates to certain improvements in machines for folding news-
papers, whereby such machines are made capable of working at high rates of speed
in conjunction with webb, rotary, or other kinds of printing machines. On the
ordinary folding machine the sheets are pressed by a reciprocating knife into the
nip of a pair of rollers fixed in a stationary position, and as many folds as aro
required to be given to the paper so many knives and pairs of rollers are required.
Our Invention consists in the combination of one or more reciprocating knives
with one rotating cylinder furnished with one or more sets of ordinary grippers
operating on the surface of the cylinder. The knives in addition to the ordinary
reciprocating motion have an extra forward motion imparted to them, whereby the
sheets are forced into the grippers on the cylinder.
The double forward motion may be accomplished in the following manner :-
By means of a crank and lever reciprocating motion is given to a shaft fixed in a
suitable position parallel with the cylinder, upon which arms or levers are secured
along its length. These levers carry another shaft parallel to the first one, which
second shaft carries the folding knife, and has on its end a lever carrying a bowl,
which works in a cam groove fixed to each side frame of the machine; when the
knife is away from the cylinder it is in a position nearly lineable with the centres
of the two shafts; on its return towards the cylinder it remains in the saine
position until it arrives a short distance from the cylinder, whereby the rapid
action given by the cam groove or cam and bowl it is brought into a position at
right angles with the two shafts, by which movement a quick forward speed of the
knife is obtained, and the sheet thereby forced into the open grippers on the
cylinder. The knife now recedes while the paper is carried forward by the cylinder
and grippers until the centre of the double sheet is opposite another reciprocating
knife, which in the same manner forces the double sheet into another set of
grippers, thus completing the second fold on the same cylinder, after which it is
carried away to the cross folding apparatus. When sheets of full size are only to
be folded once the second knife can be put out of use, and when sheets of half size
are to be folded once the second knife can be out of use and the first knife doubled
in speed, so that it can fold both the half sheets in the same time.
Such being the nature and object of this our Invention we will now describe the
same more in detail by reference to the accompanying Drawings. In order to
simplify the Drawings we have omitted shewing any of the framework of the
apparatus and most of the gearing that gives motion to the various parts. In all
the Figures similar letters represent similar parts.
Figure 1 represents the longitudinal section through our improved folding
apparatus, and such portions of the printing machine and cross folding apparatus
as are required to elucidate our Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the rotary
cylinder; Figure 3 is an end view of the cross folding portion, and shews the
method we adopt for delivering the folding papers; Figure 4 is a detail of a
segment of the revolving gripper cylinder and the cam groove, and shews the con-
nections between the reciprocating knife and the groove; Figure 5 is a longitudinal
section through our improved folding apparatus, and shews the arrangement of the
tape rollers when folding half sheets. The tapes for conducting the paper after it
leaves the cutting cylinders are shewn in long dotted lines in all the Figures.
The paner is delivered from the type cylinder to the cutting cylinders A, A, in

page_text: the ordinary manner, where it is perforated by the knife A¹; after passing between
the cutting cylinders it is conducted between the revolving tapes B, B, then in the
direction of the arrow between the revolving tapes passing round the rollers C, D,
to the large roller E, where the paper is completely severed from the web; the
sheet thus severed is then conducted in the direction of the arrows 1, 2, 3, and
when the centre of the sheet has got opposite to the grippers F the reciprocating
knife G lifts the paper from off the tapes into the grippers, where it is held, and
thus the first fold is formed. The gripper cylinder rotates in the direction of the
arrow, and by the time the next gripper F¹ is opposite to the shaft H, which carries
the reciprocating knife G¹ the grippers open and the knife forces the double sheet
into the grippers, and thus forms the second fold. Directly the second fold is
formed the grippers J on revolving levers J' are in such a position that they take
hold of the first fold and lifts it clear of the gripper cylinder, the gripper F¹ still
having hold of the second fold until the grippers have passed the pullies K, when the
grippers F and J release the paper, which is then conducted over the strippers L to
between the tapes passing over rollers M, M, in the direction of the arrow 4, and when
the double folded paper arrives at the point N the oscilating switch N' diverts the
course of the paper alternately, say, first between the rollers O, O, over roller 0¹,
between the tapes O, to the stop plate O³; when the folding paper arrives at this
point the oscilating knife P will press the double folded paper between the rollers
P', P', and thus give the paper the first cross fold. When the paper passes between
the last named rollers it slides down the incline P2, over rollers Q, Q, and down the
incline Q to adjustable stop Q, then the oscilating knife R presses the cross
folded paper between the rollers Q, Q; thus the second cross fold is obtained. The
paper then passes between the double tapes R', R', round rollers R2, R3, and R*.
By the time the paper from the top cross folding apparatus already described has
arrived at the stationary switch S another sheet of paper will have passed through
the bottom cross folding apparatus, and will at the same moment arrive at the
switch S, which diverts the course of the papers in the direction of the arrow 5
over roller S¹ on to the stops S, when the flyer S³ delivers the two papers on to
a table or receiving board at the same time.
The paper when diverted to the bottom cross folding apparatus by the oscilating
switch N, passes between the rollers T, T, and is conducted by the tapes T¹ round
roller T to the stop Os, when the oscilating knife T³ presses the paper between
the rollers T, T, and thus gives the paper the first cross fold; it then slides down
the incline U, over rollers U₁, U¹, on to stop U, then the oscilating knife U³
presses the paper between the rollers U', and thus gives it the second cross fold; it
is then conducted between the tapes in the direction of arrow 6 to the stationary
switch S, where it meets the paper that has passed through the top cross folding
apparatus, when both papers are conducted to the stops S and delivered on to
the table or receiving board, as before described.
In Figure 2, which represents a plan of the rotating cylinder, shews one set of
grippers F at the top, which are mounted on the shaft F, and are actuated in the
ordinary manner by means of a lever and bowl F secured to the end of the said
shaft. The blades of the reciprocating knives G¹ are mounted on to shaft V, which
passes through one end of levers Q that are mounted on shaft H; on the end of this
shaft is secured pinion wheel G, which gears into toothed quadrant G³, this
quadrant receives an oscilating or reciprocating motion by means of crank G4 that
is rotating at the proper rate of speed, and is connected by rod G" to the lever Go,
which is attached to and forms part of the quadrant G³. At each end of the
shaft V we secure the levers V, V₁, to which are secured the bowls that work in
the cam groove V³ and give the motion required to the knives G₁ to press the
paper into the grippers. The other reciprocating knives are actuated in a similar
manner to that already described.
The detail, Figure 4, represents a segment of the revolving cylinder and grippers,
and the cam groove and connections between the same and the reciprocating knife;
the shaft H, on which a series of levers Q³ are secured, receives a reciprocating

page_text: motion as before described, and when the bowl which runs in the groove V' gets to
the point W in the groove the knife G is brought quickly into such a position that
the paper is pressed under the grippers F, which are actuated in the ordinary
manner, and thus gives the paper a fold.
When the apparatus is required to fold half sheets we fix two cutting knives in
the cutting cylinders A, A; after the paper leaves the said cylinders it is con-
ducted between the tapes B, B, over the roller C, at which point the paper is
severed from the web; the sheet of paper thus severed is then conducted in the
direction of the arrows 1, 2, 3, to the rotating cylinder X, and when the centre of
the sheet is opposite the grippers F the reciprocating knife G will press the paper
under the grippers, as before described; the folded paper is then carried to the top
of the cylinder, where it is released and conveyed to the cross folding apparatus, as
before described. In order to actuate the reciprocating knife so that one knife will
act for both sets of grippers F and F³ we throw the quadrants out of gear and sub-
stitute a wheel W¹, which gears into wheel W' and makes two revolutions for one of.
the gripping cylinder X; the wheel W₁ has a stud fixed in the face, and is connected
by rod Y to a lever fixed on the reciprocating shaft H; thus the knife is actuated
twice, and will fold two half sheets of paper each revolution of the gripping cylinder.
In order to simplify Figure 5 we have not shewn grippers F"¹.
When folding sheets twice on the gripper cylinder the grippers F³ are thrown
out of gear; and when folding half sheets, the grippers F¹, the reciprocating knife G',
and the revolving grippers J are thrown out of gear.
Folding machines can be made on the principle of our Invention, and the sheets
fed separately by hand between the tapes B, B, instead of having the paper fed
continuously from the printing machine, as herein set forth.
What we claim as our Invention is,-
The arrangement and combination of the several mechanical parts for giving one
or more folds to the paper by means of reciprocating knives acting in conjunction
with a rotating cylinder fitted with ordinary grippers, and for guiding and
delivering two folded papers at one operation of the flyer, substantially as herein-
before described, and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Galloway Dawson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Jeremiah Dawson.
Witness,
JOHN WAUGH,
Engineering and Patent Offices,
Bradford,
Yorks.
THO³. G. DAWSON. (L.S.)