IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOK- BINDING, AND IN MEANS OR Apparatus to bE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Charles Straker, of Farringdon Street,
in the City of London, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOK-
BINDING, AND IN MEANS OR Apparatus to bE EMPLOYED THEREIN.”
و"
BINDING, AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Charles Straker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th May 1874.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES STRAKER, of Farringdon Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Improve-
MENTS IN BOOKBINDING AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN,'
to be as follows:-
"
The Invention relates, firstly, to improvements upon an Invention
which was described in the Provisional Specification of John Harrington,
filed the 9th day of December 1873, No. 4055, and consists in a novel
mode of cutting the back edges of the pile of sheets or leaves to form
the book, so as to enable a better hold of the several leaves or sheets to
be obtained by the cement employed. For this purpose, instead of
cutting the back edges of the sheets or leaves in a straight line, I cut

page_text: them in a corrugated line, or with a number of small teeth having
somewhat the appearance of saw teeth.
I
The Invention relates, secondly, to a novel arrangement of means or
apparatus to be employed when binding books according to the process
described in the aforesaid Provisional Specification. For this purpose
employ a table on which is arranged a clamp or press, and a roller
carried by arms or levers in such manner that the normal position of
the roller is below the level of the table, but after the sheets have been
placed under the clamp or press a treadle or lever is caused by suitable
connections to first bring down the clamp on to the pile of sheets and
then to cause the roller to rise and double or press the sheets over on to
the top of the press or clamp and there hold them until the sheets have
been properly cemented, or if desired this operation may be repeated
previous to the cement being applied, by which means a larger surface
is obtained on which to apply the cement, and therefore a better hold of
the leaves or sheets obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Charles Straker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th November 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM. 2
CHARLES STRAKER, of Farringdon Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty- 2
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Charles Straker, Her special
license that I, the said William Charles Straker, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Charles
Straker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time a
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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man; an Invention for'

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOKBINDING AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Charles Straker, my executors or administrators, 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 calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Charles Straker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention relates, firstly, to improvements upon an Invention
which was described in the Provisional Specification of John Harrington,
filed the 9th day of December, 1873, No. 4055, and consists in a novel
mode of cutting the back edges of the pile of sheets or leaves to form
the book so as to enable a better hold of the several leaves or sheets to
be obtained by the cement employed. For this purpose, instead of
cutting the back edges of the sheets or leaves in a straight line I cut
them in a corrugated line or with a number of small tecth having
somewhat the appearance of saw teeth.
The Invention relates, secondly, to a novel arrangement of means or
apparatus to be employed when binding books according to the process
described in the aforesaid Provisional Specification. For this purpose I
employ a table on which is arranged a clamp or press, and a roller
carried by arms or levers in such manner that the normal position of
the roller is below the level of the table, but after the sheets have been
placed under the clamp or press a treadle or lever is caused by suitable
connections to first bring down the clamp on to the pile of sheets and
then to cause the roller to rise and double or press the sheets over on to
the top of the press or clamp and there hold them until the sheets have
been properly cemented, or if desired this operation may be repeated
previous to the cement being applied, by which means a larger surface
is obtained on which to apply the cement, and therefore a better hold of
the leaves or sheets obtained.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying
Drawings, more fully describe the same.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
At Figure 1 I have shown a portion of a sheet of paper or a pile of
sheets having the back edge or edges thereof cut, according to the first
part of my present Invention, with a number of small teeth having
somewhat the appearance of saw teeth; or such back edges may,
according to my Invention, be cut in a corrugated line. By these
means I secure a more extended surface to receive the cement and
thereby obtain a better hold of the several leaves or sheets. And I
would here remark that in carrying the Invention into effect the pile of
paper to be bound together may consist of single or double leaves, in
which latter case the back edges will be so cut as to leave the double
leaves connected together by a small piece between each of the teeth or
corrugations formed thereon.
Figure 2 is an end view; Figure 3 is a section, and Figure 4 is a plan
of means or apparatus arranged according to the second part of my In-
vention; and Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the operating parts
in the position they would assume when a pile of leaves or sheets is held
in position therein to receive the cement. a is a table which is mounted
on a suitable frame b, such table a is provided with an adjustable fence
or guide c to enable the pile of leaves or sheets to be guided into
position. d is a clamp or press which is carried by rods d' passing
These rods d' are
through and guided by holes formed in the table a.
carried by arms or levers d³ which are mounted upon pins or axes d²,
and are operated as herein-after described to bring the clamp or press d
down on to the pile of leaves or sheets, whilst springs d' act to raise the
clamp or press d off the pile of leaves or sheets into the position shown
in Figures 2 and 3. e is a roller which is carried by arms e¹ keyed or
otherwise firmly fixed on a shaft or axis e³, on which is also keyed or
otherwise firmly fixed an arm or lever es which by means of a rod e* is
connected to a treadle (not shown). This treadle has connected
thereto a spring e³ to raise it to its normal position when not
otherwise acted upon to depress it. On the shaft or axis e³ are formed
or fixed two cams or eccentrics e so placed that cach of them is
immediately over an arm &³, so that in the rotation of the shaft or
axis e² in the direction of the arrow the cams e will act upon the arms
or levers d² to depress them, and consequently force the clamp or press d
down on to the pile of leaves or sheets to hold them in position for the

page_text: roller e to act thereon; such roller e will, in the further rotation of the
shaft or axis e* in the same direction, rise into the position shown in
Figure 5, and thereby turn or bend the pile of leaves or sheets over on
to the top of the clamp or press d, as indicated at f, in which position
the edges of the sheets or leaves at f¹, which are supported by a plate d³
carried by the clamp or press d, will stand each in advance of the other
when the cement can be applied thereto, not only at the extreme edges,
but also to a certain distance between each sheet or leaf.
If desired, after having turned or bent the pile of sheets or leaves over
once as above described, such pile may be removed from the machine
with the back edges in advance of each other and again placed in the
machine so as to repeat the operation, by which means a larger surface
is obtained on which to apply the cement, and therefore a better hold of
the sheets or leaves is obtained. I would here remark that other means
of operating the clamp or press d and the roller e may be adopted
without departing from the nature of my Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode
in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,-
Firstly. The mode, substantially as herein shown and described, of
cutting the back edges of the sheets or leaves to be bound together so as
to obtain a more extended surface to receive the cement.
And, Secondly. I claim the employment of means or apparatus con-
structed in manner substantially as herein shown and described, for the
purpose of evenly arranging the pile of sheets or leaves to be bound
together so that at their back edges the sheets or leaves shall extend a
certain distance in advance of each other and be held in such position
during the application of the cement thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Charles Straker, have here-
unto set.my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four
WILLIAM CHARLES STRAKER. (L.S.)