IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING PAPER BAGS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Crook, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of
Lancaster, Jacquard Card Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING PAPER BAGS."
Sealed the 29th May 1860, and dated the 8th December 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Crook at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th December 1859.
I, THOMAS CROOK, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Jacquard
Card Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING PAPER BAGS," to be
as follows:-
Instead of making the bags by hand I employ a machine in which there are
two drums, each mounted with a quantity of paper of the required width for
forming the sides of the bags when the edges are turned over. The paper from
one drum passes over one of the rollers of a travelling apron, and comes in
contact with a dab or paster revolving at certain measured intervals according
to the desired length of two bags. The paper from the other drum passes to
the top of the first-mentioned paper, and is pressed upon the paste by means
of another roller put in motion by the travelling apron, so that the paste is put
on where the two papers are pasted together. As the joined papers pass on-.

page_text: wards, the upper surface gives motion to two circular pasters adjusted according
to the desired width of the bags, so as to place a continuous layer of paste on
each side at a certain distance from the edges, which latter are then turned
over and pressed down either by hand or by a self-acting movement of the
machine. The two papers pasted together as required, are then drawn forward
and passed over one or more drying cylinders, and afterwards wound upon a
taking-up drum.
The revolving dab or paster is supplied with paste by causing it to come in
contact with a drum revolving in a cistern or trough filled with paste; the two
circular pasters being supplied with paste in a similar manner. A quantity of 1
two sheets of paper are thus pasted together and afterwards dried, and by
cutting midway between the pasted intervals, bags are produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Thomas Crook in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th June 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CROOK, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Jacquard Card Maker,
-send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Crook, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Crook, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Crook, my executors, administrators, and assigns; should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and 'vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING PAPER BAGS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Crook, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calender months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Crook, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
I employ a machine in which there are two drums, one mounted with a
length of paper of the desired width of the bag, and the other with a length of
paper of a wider width, so that its sides can be lapped over the sides of the
first-mentioned
paper.
The wide paper from one drum passes over the end of
a travelling apron and comes in contact with a revolving dab or paster, which
places a layer of paste across the paper at certain measured intervals, according
to the desired length of two bags. The paper from the other drum passes to
the top of the said wider paper, and is pressed upon the paste by means of a
roller put in motion the travelling apron, so that where the paste is put on
the two papers are pasted together at transverse positions.. The two papers
5 are moved onwards by the travelling apron, and the sides of the upper surface
give motion at the same time to two circular pasters, each of which places a
continuous layer of paste at each side, over which the edges of the lower or
wider paper are lapped and pressed by hand or any suitable contrivance, so as
to paste and fasten the sides together. The two papers thus pasted as required,
are then drawn forward and passed over one or more drying cylinders, and
afterwards wound upon a taking-up drum, from which they are taken off, and
by cutting midway between the transverse pasted joinings and also through
the joinings themselves, paper bags are produced.
The revolving dab or paster is supplied with paste by causing it to come in
contact with a drum revolving in a cistern or trough filled with paste. The
two circular pasters being supplied with paste in a similar manner.
When bags are required of greater strength than usual, I paste the sides of
the two papers together, and then cut them across of the required lengths, and
afterwards place over one of the ends a pasted strip, which is lapped and
pressed over to form the bottom of the bags.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures and
letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical
section of my improved machinery or apparatus employed in the manufacture
of paper bags; Fig. 2, a plan of the same; and Fig. 3, an end elevation of
the principal part thereof; Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the revolving dab or.
paster, drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 6, a series of bags as they appear in
their finished state; and Fig 7, an illustration of an arrangement employed
when the bags are intended to be stronger than usual..
A length. or sheet of paper of the desired width of the bags is coiled upon

page_text: the upper drum a, and another length or sheet of paper, wider than the first, is
coiled upon the lower drum b, the difference of width being for the purpose
of allowing the sides of the wide paper to be turned or lapped over the sides
of the other paper. From the lower drum 6 the paper c passes on the cloth of
the travelling apron d over the roller e, where, at certain measured intervals,
it comes in contact with the revolving dab or paster f, so that a layer of paste
shall be placed across at the desired length of two bags. The lower paper c is
carried by the apron under the roller g, where it comes in contact with the
upper length of paper h from the drum a, and the action of the roller presses
the two sheets together and fastens them where pasted; the sheets are then
carried upon the apron over the roller i, where the edges of the upper paper
are covered with paste by the circular pasters k, after which the edges of the
lower paper are by hand or other suitable contrivance turned or lapped over, so
as to paste the edges of the two papers together, which are then carried by the
apron d under the short smoothing apron l, and from thence over the tension
roller m to the drying cylinder n, to which the papers are held by the endless
cloth o, until they are delivered over the roller p to the taking-up drum q; the
speed of the cylinder being regulated so that the papers and paste shall be dry
before they leave the cloth. The length of pasted papers are now uncoiled
from the taking-up drum, and afterwards cut through the transverse joinings
shewn at r, Fig. 6, and also betweem them, as at s, thus forming bags having.
two sides and one end pasted and fastened together.
The revolving dab or paster f, shewn enlarged in Figs. 4 and 5, is formed by
fastening any required number of pins or screws t to a board u, attached to the
frame or board v, fixed to the screw rods w, which pass through the shaft x,
and are held firmly by the nuts y; the screws and nuts are for allowing the
heads of the pins or screws t to be placed at any required distance from the
centre of the said shaft a, which turns in bearings in the framework of
the machine, so that the heads of the pins or screws forming the dab or paster
sball, as it revolves, be equidistant from the end of the travelling apron and
also from the cylinder a', which is covered with paste by its revolving in the
trough 6 containing paste; thus at each revolution of the dab or paster it
touches the roller, takes up a supply of paste, and transmits it transversely
across the paper as it passes over the end of the travelling apron, there being,
when desired, spaces between the screws, so as to leave spaces in the paste for
the discharge of air. The relative speeds of the revolving dab or paster, the
end of the travelling apron, and the paste cylinder a', are determined by the
toothed wheels c' on the roller d, d', on the shaft x, and e' on the paste cylinder.
a'; the pitch lines of which wheels are shewn detached below Fig. 1, and as

page_text: the dab has to place the paste at intervals of the length of two bags, it is
evident that if the travelling apron moves at a certain rate or speed that the
dab must touch the paper oftener when the bags are short than when they are
long, and that the circumference of the toothed wheel d' on the shaft of the
dab must determine the length of two bags.
'
The circular pastersk are simply blocks of wood, which turn by their friction
on the edges of the paper, and each paster at another part of its circumference
is in contact with a cylinder f' in the trough g¹ containing paste, so that as the
pasters revolve they take up paste and transmit it upon each edge of the upper
paper h, so that the edges of the lower paper can be turned over and pressed
by hand, or otherwise, upon the paste, thereby pasting the sides or edges of
the two papers together.
The working parts just described are moved by the travelling apron d, which
has motion imparted to it by means of a cross belt h', connecting the roller ¹
with one of the rollers of the endless cloth o, which is put in motion by the
action of the drying cylinder, the revolution of which is obtained by fixing on
its hollow shaft m¹ the toothed wheel n¹, gearing into the pinion o¹ on the
shaft p', on which is the toothed wheel q', gearing into the pinion 1 on the
driving shaft s', which is operated upon by any moving power.
In the Figures the drying cylinder is of large circumference, in order to
give time for the papers to dry before they are delivered to the taking-up
drum, but if desired, two or more cylinders may be employed of any suitable
diameter.
The taking-up drum q is driven by a chain t¹ passing over a pulley w² on the
shaft of the drum, and also over a pulley v₁ on the shaft p', which chain is kept
in tension by the roller w¹ on the standard a², connected to the weighted.
lever y', which arrangement allows the taking up to proceed with uniformity,
as the chain slips partially over the pulley as the coil increases in diameter.
The aforesaid arrangement is one of the simplest modes of taking up the
papers, but any other suitable method may be employed.
When bags of greater strength than usual are required, I join two lengths
or sheets of paper at the sides only, and pass them over the drying cylinder on
to the taking-up drum, as before described, after which they are cut across the
desired lengths of the bags, and over one of the ends I fold a strip of strong
paper covered with paste by a circular paster, and then allow the bags either
to pass again over the drying cylinder or be dried by suspension in the usual
manner. In Fig. 7, the cut papers joined at the sides are shewn at z¹, and the
pasted strip at a².
Thus by employing two lengths or sheets of paper, one wider than the other,

page_text: and placing a layer of paste on the lower paper, and afterwards pressing the
two papers together, I procure the bottoms of two bags, and then by placing a
continuous layer of paste on the edges of the upper paper, and turning over and
pressing upon them the edges of the lower paper, I form the sides, the sheets
so joined being afterwards dried and then cut transversely to form the bags.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth, but I claim
as my Invention, in the manufacture of paper bags,—
First, the employment of the revolving dab or paster for placing the paste
across the paper.
Secondly, the two circular pasters for laying continuous layers of paste on
the edges of the upper paper.
And, thirdly, the general arrangement of the machinery or apparatus as
and for the purposes herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Crook, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Thomas Crook, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.
THOMAS CROOK. (L.S.)