IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC- TURE OF ENVELOPES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Davidson Nichol, of Edinburgh, Scotland,
Stationer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF ENVELOPES."
Sealed the 25th January 1854, and dated the 25th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Davidson Nichol
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th November 1853.
I, DAVIDSON NICHOL, of Edinburgh, Scotland, Stationer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ENVELOPES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, in the first place, in cutting the exact form of
envelope required direct from a continuous web or separate sheets of
paper, by means of a cutter, the sides of which are so adapted to the
required form that the pieces or shapes designed to be formed into
envelopes may be cut out of or into each other. Any number of such
cutters may be suitably mounted and made to act simultaneously upon
the paper, so as to cut out-the-required forms-separately or in s'ripes of

page_text: various lengths, the sides of which form such portions of the required
forms that they may be perfected by cutting across the stripe at certain
points.
And my Invention consists, in the second place, in combining the
two processes of cutting and folding, so that they may be simultaneously
performed.
This may be accomplished by uniting a given number of suitably
formed cutters in a frame, so as to be capable of acting together upon
the end of a web or sheet of paper laid upon a table, when pressed
down upon the same by means of a piston rod driven in any convenient
manner. An apparatus for stamping and gumming the flaps may be
attached to the cutter and table.
And in order to fold the forms immediately after they have been cut,
there is a folding block or blocks of the size of the body or square of the
envelope connected with a piston rod or rods, which is or are made to
descend through the frame of the cutters, and force the form as cut
through a hole in the cutting table, down upon the surface of an under
table. By this means the flaps or sides of the envelopes are thrown up
against the block, which is then withdrawn, and the flaps or sides of
the envelopes are projected inwards at an angle, by means of points or
flys rotating vertically or horizontally, the required distance, or by other
convenient means.
The folding block is then again brought down upon the envelope to
close down the flaps or sides thereof, which may also be laid down as
required by means of small folders or rollers.
The folding may also be completed without the under table or second
descent of the block, by means of flys rotating in half circles, and rollers
attached to the upper or cutting table.
The folding being completed, the portion of the under table on which
the envelope rests is made to fold down, and the envelope is discharged
from the machine. The said portion of the table is then made to
resume its horizontal position, and the above described operations are
repeated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Davidson Nichol in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
DAVIDSON NICHOL, of Edinburgh; Scotland, Stationer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Davidson Nichol, Her special
license that I, the said Davidson Nichol, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Davidson Nichol, my execu-
tors, 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
THE MANUFACTURE OF ENVELOPES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Davidson Nichol, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of my 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 calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Davidson Nichol, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Envelopes,"
has for its object the economy of material by avoiding waste in the
cutting of the same into forms for envelopes, and also the economy of
time and general manufacture, by combining the two main processes of
cutting and folding.

page_text: And this object is accomplished, in the first place, by cutting the exact
form of envelope required direct from a continuous web, or from separate
sheets of paper, by means of a cutter, the sides of which are so adapted
to the required form, that the pieces or shapes designed to be formed
into envelopes may be cut out of or into each other. Any required
number of such cutters may be suitably mounted and made to 'act
'simultaneously upon the paper so as to cut out the required forms either
'separately, or in strips of various lengths, the sides of which form such
portions of the required forms that they may be perfected by cutting
across the strip at certain points.
By this mode of cutting the sheet of paper becomes divided exactly
into portions capable of. being subsequently formed into envelopes
wherever the cutters or cutters have been made to operate upon it, so
that the paper is cut and converted to greater advantage, by avoiding
the waste (in the ordinary forms designed for envelopes) of intervening
pieces of paper occurring between the several' portions. The form of
the portions thus cut out from the web or sheet of paper, may be varied
by varying the form of the cutter, which may also be variously combined
as may be found most desirable, in order to constitute a set or system
of cutters best adapted for the manufacture of any particular form of
envelopes. But in all such variations the individual cutter, or the set
or system of cutters, is or are formed and constituted upon the same
principle; (viz.), that of being adapted to cut out of the web or sheet
'of paper at each operation, either an entire portion for an envelope or
a part thereof, in such a manner that such entire portion or portions
may be completely cut out by another operation of the cutters upon the
web or sheet of paper in another direction.
The cutter or cutters are intended to be driven by any suitable
mechanism, as will be herein-after described; but I do not confine
myself to the use of the mechanism described.
And my Invention, with the foregoing object in view, consists, in the
second place, in combining the two processes of cutting and folding, so
that they may be simultaneously performed. This may be accomplished
by uniting a given number of suitably formed cutters in a frame, so as to
be capable of acting together upon the end of a web or sheet of paper
laid upon a table, when pressed down upon the same, by means of-a č

page_text: piston rod driven as herein-after described, or in any other convenient
manner. An apparatus for stamping and gumming the flaps may be
attached to the cutter and table. And in order to fold the forms
immediately after they have been cut, there is a folding block or blocks
(of the size of the body or square of the envelope) connected with a
piston rod or rods, which is or are made to descend through the frame
of the cutters and force the form as cut through a hole or space in the
cutting table, down upon the surface of an under table. By this means
the flaps or sides of the envelope are thrown up against the block,
which is then withdrawn, and the flaps or sides of the envelope are
projected inwards at an angle, by means of points or flys rotating
vertically or horizontally the required distance, or by other convenient
means. The folding block is then again brought down upon the
envelope to close down the flaps or sides thereof, which may also be laid
down as required, by means of, small folders or rollers. The folding
may also be completed without the under table or second descent of the
block, by means of flys rotating in half circles, and rollers attached to
the upper or cutting table. The folding being completed, the portion.
of the under table on which the envelope rests is made to fold down,
and the envelope is discharged from the machine. The said portion of
the table is then made to resume its horizontal position, and the above
described operations are repeated.
In order, however, that my Invention may be fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe more particularly,
by the aid of the accompanying Drawings, the mode of operation of the
cutter or cutters, and an arrangement of mechanism, by the agency of
which the combined processes of cutting and folding may be carried on.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, represent different modes of constituting the
cutter or cutters, all being intended to cut out portions suitable for.
envelopes of the same form.
In these Figures, plans or outlines of the portions are shewn as they
would appear when cut out. i
A great variety of shapes and sizes may be given to envelopes by this
principle, simply by using cutters with suitably formed cutting edges,.
but the shape represented is similar to one in common use.

page_text: Fig. 1, exhibits the form of the cutting edge of a knife or die, the
internal cut A, of which separates from the web or sheet a portion
suitable for a complete envelope, while the external cut B, B, B, B,
forms sections or outer lines of other envelopes, which may be cut out
without intervening waste, by repeating the operation with the same
cutter. Fig. 2, exhibits a series of three of the same knives or dies
combined to form one cutter or set of cutters. This cutter, when brought
down in a diagonal direction upon the end of a web or webs of paper,
will at once cut out as many portions for envelopes as there are knives
or dies in the set (that is to say, three in this instance), leaving upon
the sheet or web of paper, outside the portions so cut, lines or cuts
forming the sections or boundary lines of other similar portions. Then,
by again introducing the sheet of paper so that the points of the cutter
shall fall upon corresponding points of the paper, as indicated by the
results of the former operation, the portions C, outside the cutting
edges of these knives or dies will be cut off perfectly formed, except at
the side D, when they will have to be completed by another cut with a
section of the knife from E, to F, the portions enclosed within the said
cutting edges being made perfect at the first operation. This operation
may be repeated until the web or webs are cut up, the intervening
waste of paper being confined to the small pieces cut off at the corners
when required, and as is represented by dotted lines in the Figures.
Fig. 3, shews a further combination of the same knife or die which
may be extended or modified at pleasure, and by means of which a web
or webs, or sheet or sheets of paper, may he cut up without intervening
waste, excepting in cases when it may be desired to round off the
corners, as indicated by the dotted lines, for which purpose the knife
must be formed as marked by the dotted lines, or the corners may be
subsequently cut off.
Fig. 4, represents a section of a similar knife from H, to I, by
working which singly, paper may be cut into strips of the required
breadth, as from H, to K, and the portions suitable for envelopes com-
pleted by cutting the strips across with the same knife in the direction
represented by the dotted lines L.
At Fig. 2, is also represented another form of sectional knife, which

page_text: may be seen by referring to the line E, F, following the course indicated
by the letters m, m, m. By means of this knife or cutter paper may
be cut into strips of the required breadth, which stripes may be subse-
quently divided into suitable portions for envelopes, by means of another
sectional knife in the form of the line from E, to F, following the course
marked 0, 0, 0, or the operation may be reversed, the first cutting being
effected by one or other of such knives.
When it is required to cut the webs of paper into sheets for the
purpose of more highly finishing them, or for any other purpose, before
dividing them into portions for envelopes, that may be done by means
of a knife in the form of the outer edge P, P, of Fig. 3; or the web
may be cut across diagonally into sheets of any required breadth, by
means of the sectional knife represented in Fig. 4, from H, to I, or
by means of either of the sectional knives represented in Fig. 2, by
the line m, m, m, or by that marked o, o, o, which sheets may be sub-
sequently cut up by a suitable adaptation and application of any of the
dies, knives, or cutters herein-before mentioned. These dies, knives,
or cutters, however combined, may be suitably mounted, and driven
in connection with various kinds of machinery.
I proceed now to describe more particularly the second part of my
Invention. Fig. 5, is an end elevation; Fig. 6, is a vertical section;
and Fig. 7, a plan or horizontal view of a machine suitable for effecting
the combined processes of cutting and folding, and with which may be
combined the gumming and stamping process as herein-after described.
The machine is mounted upon a strong framing G, in the upper part
of which is mounted a driving shaft A. On this shaft are four excen-
trics R, by the revolution of which the frame of the cutter F, is worked
up and down through guides, as shewn, and made to operate upon the
web or webs, or sheet or sheets of paper, suitably placed under it. In
the plan view Fig. 7, the direction in which the paper may be fed into
the machine is shewn.
The cutter F, will be adapted in the form of its cutting edges to suit
the particular kind of envelope required. H, and I, are two crank shafts
connected together by means of cranks and connecting rods at their
outer ends, driven by a pulley at one end. To each of these shafts are

page_text: connected seven piston rods with folding blocks, frames, or pistons, at
their ends, the size of the body or square of the envelope cut out, which
pistons by the connection shewn will be worked up and down by the
revolution of the crank shafts H, and I. These blocks or frames are, by
the descent of the piston rods on each revolution of the shafts H, and I,
made to force the portions of paper (which have been cut out), each
through its respective aperture in the cutting table, of the size of the
body or square of the envelope, down into a box or frame K (see Fig. 6)
to the level M upon the surface of an under table, a small frame being
attached thereto in order to retain the envelope at this level. By this
means the blocks or frames with their envelope forms are brought in
contact with four folders on either side of each block or frame, the
folders being placed at an angle, as shewn in the Drawing, Figs. 8
and 9; Fig. 10, being a plan view of the same. The folders are placed
at an angle in order that the envelope may be turned inwards. The
folders U, V, W, and X, are hung from centres, with a weight on each,
adjusted to such a position by means of a screw as to enable it to fold
back the envelope on the under side where it comes in contact there-
with. There are a series of wheels or rollers fixed on a centre with a
joint, and also with a small spring to keep the rollers or wheels even on
the paper. Two of the rollers U, V, at the end of the cylinder box L,
are of the same length from their centre, and the folder W, on the side,
should be about one sixteenth of an inch longer, so as to give the others
time to get into their proper position, and the folder X, on the opposite
side, should be about one eighth of an inch shorter, in order that it
may do its part in the folding at the proper time, or the same operation
may be effected by wheels of different diameters. These parts require
to be suitably adapted to each other, in order to produce the requisite
effect of folding those parts which are to form the flaps of the envelope,
and these will be varied according to the size of the envelope. By the
descent of the folding blocks as described, the flaps of the envelopes arė
driven back into a vertical position by the folders. The blocks are then
drawn upwards, leaving the envelopes at the level M, when the weights
of the folders cause their wheels to move forward and turn the flaps of
the envelopes inwards. Then by a second descent of the blocks without

page_text: envelopes the folders are driven back into their original position, and
the blocks are made to press upon and close the turned in flaps of the
envelopes contained in the box or frame K. After the above described
operations are completed, the under parts of the table at M, are made
to open and discharge the envelopes. This is done by means of weigh
bars L, to each of which two doors or openings are attached. Seven
of these weigh bars with their doors or openings are placed along the
machine, connected together by means of a connecting rod 2, which is
connected by a lever to the driving gear. Through this connection of
parts the said opening and discharge of completed envelopes is made to
take place immediately after the second descent of the piston rods.
B, C, D, and E, are four shafts connected together by cranks at their
outer ends in such a manner that they may give motion simultaneously
to the piston rods T, T, through their excentrics. These piston rods
work through guides in the cutter frame, and also in the side standards
J, and are connected to dies which are made to stamp the several
envelopes as required by their descent with the piston rods.
There are also fixed on the cutter frame twenty-eight sponge boxes
or syphons, with small pipes running down to the level of the cutting
edge of the large cutter F, so that at each stroke thereof the pipes are
brought in contact with the end of the envelope requiring to be gummed.
Each of these boxes should be furnished with a pipe or tube passing
down through it, such pipe or tube being filled with cotton wick and
having the under side of the pipe oblong. By means of the machinery
above described, the combined processes of cutting and folding may be
effected together with the stamping and gumming. But it is to be
here observed that the stamping and gumming processes would be per-
formed simultaneously with the cutting, or before the folding process
described above.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I
do not mean or intend to confine myself to the precise forms of the
parts shewn and described, either as respects the instruments employed
for operating upon the paper or the machinery by which they are
actuated. I would also remark that I do not claim as of my Invention,

page_text: secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, any of
the instruments or the machinery herein-before described, otherwise
than as used for the purposes above described; but what I do claim as
of my Invention is,-First, the cutting of webs or sheets of paper, so
as to avoid waste, in the manner described. And secondly, the com-
bination of the two processes of cutting and folding as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Davidson Nichol, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
JAMES NICHOL,
Witness.
DAVIDSON NICHOL. (L.S.)