IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER FROM A PILE INTO RULING, PRINTING, AND OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM ARCHER, of 204 Rose Street, Edinburgh, in the County of
Midlothian, North Britain, Paper Ruler, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER
FROM A PILE INTO RULING, PRINTING, AND OTHER MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My said Invention has for its object the feeding of sheets of paper from a pile so
that they may be automatically supplied one by one to entering rollers and tapes or
to grippers or other entering appliances of ruling, printing, or other machines; and
the Invention comprises improved arrangements and combinations of parts for
effecting the feeding operation in a satisfactory manner.
In carrying out the Invention an inclined feed board or plate is provided upon
which the pile of paper is placed, the pile when being so placed being manipulated
so that the front of the pile, which is at the higher part of the inclined feed board,
inclines forward, each sheet projecting slightly more forward than the sheet next
below it. The forwardly inclined front of the pile lies upon a fixed guiding surface
of a curved form having a general upward and forward inclination like that of
the front of the pile of paper but with its front and highest part rounded over,
and with a slight concavity a little behind such rounded part. The features thus
described are designed to cause the front of the pile to be presented in a slightly
upward direction and in the best possible manner under two or more feed wheels
or pulleys which are upon a transverse horizontal shaft made to rotate continuously
by manual or other power in any convenient way. The feed wheels or pulleys are
grooved and rubber rings are placed in the grooves so that the wheels may act
frictionally on the upper surface of the top sheet of the pile of paper. Below the
feed wheels there is a transverse convex bar which can turn a little on an axis at
or near its front edge its back edge being borne up by springs which yield when
required. Upon the top of the convex bar curved pieces of rubber are fixed near
the feed wheels but not immediately below them and these pieces of rubber project
up at their front parts a little higher than the bottom surfaces of the feed wheels.
The curved rubber pieces keep back the sheets immediately below the top sheet of the
pile, and owing to their projecting slightly as described they slightly bend the paper
and thereby insure the separation of the top sheet from those below it. The feed
wheels move the top sheet forward so that its front edge enters between rollers and
•

page_text: tapes or grippers of the ruling or other machine to which the feeding apparatus is
connected. The convex bar is adjustable in position below the feed wheels to suit
different kinds or qualities of paper as are also the springs which bear up its after
part.
When it is wished to have short intervals between the fed sheets, parts of the
circumferences of the feed wheels are made smooth by fixing smooth paper on the
rubber, or in any other convenient way.
An important part of the improved apparatus consists of parts whereby a positive
progressive or feed motion is imparted to the feed board to cause it to carry forward
the pile of paper in proportion as the sheets are separated from the top of it. For
this purpose there is a screw spindle which is turned. intermittently by means of a
ratchet wheel and a pawl lever driven in concert with the shaft of the feed wheels.
The stroke of the pawl lever is adjustable to suit the kind of paper which is being
operated upon. The screw spindle acts on a nut which is divided or otherwise
ai ranged so that it can be easily disconnected from the screw spindle in order to be
moved back for a fresh pile; and this nut is connected to the feed board in any
convenient manner so as to move it when the screw spindle is turned.
Dad thin sommet fronth law of M... 1004

page_text: DILCIFICATION.
I, WILLIAM ARCHER, of 204 Rose Street, Edinburgh, in the County of Mid
Lothian, North Britain, Paper Ruler, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER
FROM A PILE INTO RULING, PRINTING, AND OTHER MACHINES
and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
"P
My said Invention has for its object the feeding of sheets of paper from a pile so
that they may be automatically supplied one by one to entering rollers and tapes
or to grippers or other entering appliances of ruling, printing, or other machines,
and my Invention comprises improved arrangements and combinations of parts for
effecting the feeding operation in a satisfactory manner. A machine as made with
my improvements is represented on the accompanying sheet of explanatory
drawings, figure, 1, being a vertical section as at right angles to figure, 2, which is a
back elevation, whilst figure, 3, is a plan of a transverse convex bar over which the
paper passes. The same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like
parts in all the figures.
In carrying out my Invention an inclined feed board or plate, 4, is provided upon
which the pile of paper, 5, is placed, the pile when being so placed being manipulated
so that the front of the pile, which is at the higher part of the inclined feed board,
inclines forward, each sheet projecting slightly more forward than the sheet next
below it. The forwardly inclined front of the pile lies upon a fixed guiding
surface, 6, of a curved form having a general upward and forward inclination like
that of the front of the pile of paper but with its front and highest part rounded
over, and with a slight concavity a little behind such rounded part. The guiding
surface, 6, may be of thin zinc or other sheet metal; but I find a piece of cardboard
to answer well its flexibility being an advantage. The features thus described are
designed to cause the front of the pile, 5, to be presented in a slightly upward
direction and in the best possible manner under two or more feed wheels or
pulleys, 7, which are upon a transverse horizontal shaft, 8, made to rotate con-
tinuously by manuel or other power in any convenient way. The feed wheels or
pulleys, 7, are grooved and rubber rings, 9, are placed in the grooves so that the
wheels may act frictionally on the upper surface of the top sheet of the pile of
paper. Below the feed wheels there is a transverse convex bar, 10, which can turn
a little on an axis at or near its front edge its back edge being borne up by
springs, 11, which yield when required. The convex bar, 10, is made with
trunnions, 12, which are held in bearings in adjustable brackets, 13, at each side of
the machine. Upon the top of the convex bar pieces, 14, of rubber are fixed near
or between the feed wheels but not immediately below them and these pieces, 14,
of rubber project up at their front parts a little higher than the bottom surfaces of
the feed wheels. The rubber pieces, 14, keep back the sheets immediately below
the top sheet of the pile, and owing to their projecting slightly as described they
slightly bend the paper and thereby insure the separation of the top sheet from

page_text: those below it. The feed wheels, 7, move the top sheet forward so that its front
edge enters between rollers, 15, and tapes (or it might be grippers) of the ruling or
other machine to which the feeding apparatus is connected.
The rings, 9, of the feed wheels, 7, are by preference made of the best vulcanised
rubber, and such rubber is rendered more suitable for its purpose by steeping it
for a few hours in paraffin oil before putting it on the wheels. This treatment
without making the rubber at all greasy much improves its frictional action on
the paper and prevents it from hardening in cold weather. When it is wished to
have short intervals between the fed sheets, parts of the circumferences of the
feed wheels are made smooth by fixing smooth paper on the rubber, or in any other
convenient way.
-
An important part of my improved apparatus consists of parts whereby a positive
progressive or feed motion is imparted to the feed board, 4, to cause it to carry
forward the pile, 5, of paper in proportion as the sheets are separated from the top
of it. For this purpose there is a screw spindle, 16, which is turned intermittently
by means of a ratchet wheel, 17, and a pawl lever, 18, driven in concert with the
shaft 8, of the feed wheels, 7. The stroke of the pawl lever, 18, is adjustable to
suit the kind of paper which is being operated upon, the pawl lever being connected
by a link, 19, to a bellcrank, 20, which is connected by a link, 21, to a pin, 22, on
a disk, 23, fixed on the shaft, 8, the pin, 22, being adjustable as are also the
connections of the links, 19, 21, with the bellcrank, 20. The screw spindle, 16,
acts on a half nut, 24, which can be easily disconnected from the screw spindle by
lifting up the board, 4, to which it is fixed in order to be moved back for a fresh
pile. The nut, 24, moves the feed board, 4, when the screw spindle, 16, is turned.
The feed board, 4, is arranged to move smoothly, being borne on small wheels, 25,
which run on rails fixed upon the fixed bed, 26, of the machine; and an adjustable
fence or side piece, 27, is fitted upon the feed board, 4, which fence in combination
with the fixed side, 28, accurately guides the sheets of paper as they move forwards.
The fence, 27, is adjustable to suit different widths of paper, and when adjusted is
fixed by screw bolts, 29, having ramshorn nuts on their upper ends, whilst heads on
their lower ends are held in undercut grooves, 30, in the feed board.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination of parts constituting the improved apparatus for feeding
sheets of paper from a pile into ruling, printing, and other machines, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination of a positive adjustable feed for the pile of paper with the
upward inclination of the feed board and with the rubber-covered feed wheels
acting on the top sheet, the parts being arranged and operating as herein before
described.
3. The application of the spring-borne convex bar with rubber parts slightly
bearing up the paper between the feed wheels as hereinbefore described.
Tata
L 1