Improvements in Feeding Apparatus for Printing, Ruling, and Sheet Folding Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb. 1899
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1900
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Feeding Apparatus for Printing, Ruling, and Sheet
Folding Machines.
I, JOSEPH ARTHUR NICHOLS, of 30, Fairmead Road, Upper Holloway, London,
N., Printers Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to improved means and apparatus for use in connection
with ordinary printing, ruling, and sheet folding machines for the purpose of
ensuring that one sheet of paper at a time should be fed to each revolution of the
cylinder of the machine.
My invention has reference to an additional or independent means for checking
the delivery of the sheets of paper from the pile without interfering with the
ordinary feeding systems at present employed for delivering the paper or sheet
on to the feed table or tape roller.
In feeding sheets as at present employed one form of working is to operate
upon the top sheet of the pile of paper by fluffing up or rucking up the corners
of the sheet and causing a foot to descend upon the uncovered corners of the
pile of sheets so as to hold the remaining sheets in position whilst the operating
rollers or wheels are forcing the top sheet forward upon the first part of its
journey until it is delivered to the carrying or tape roller on the feed table. In
the practical working of the systems at present employed for feeding the paper
it is difficult to ensure that only one sheet shall be carried forward from the
piles, and the object of my invention is to provide additional means and apparatus
beyond the ordinary feeding mechanism at present known so that should more
than one sheet be carried forward or partially moved from the pile by the
ordinary feeding systems my severing or independent feeding apparatus will
ensure that but one sheet shall be carried down to the cylinder at a time.
In carrying my invention into effect in one convenient manner, I place between
the front edge of the paper pile and the carrying or tape roller at the top of the
feed table my sheet stripping or severing apparatus, the main spindles or shafts
of which run across the feed table and are carried in one convenient manner in
bearings or brackets mounted on the frame sides of the machine. I arrange a
rubber sleeve or sleeves covered with composition of a "tacky" nature which
passes over a flat bar extending across the table. and level with its surface, and
this sleeve I make to revolve or traverse in an opposite direction to that in which
the paper is moved from the pile thus providing a flat moving surface on to
which the sheet is delivered. The flat bar I carry in the bearings mounted on
the side brackets of the machine frame while I give the motion to the rubber or
composition sleeve by means of two shafts, one passing through the rubber or
composition sleeve whilst the bottom shaft is placed outside and underneath the
sleeve but in contact with it, the upper shaft I drive by gearing or other suitable
means from the end of the shaft, the gearing working into a wheel preferably
on the end of the carrying or tape roller or it may receive its motion from the

page_text: feeding apparatus or from any other convenient portion of the machine to which
it is attached.
Above the flat bar and carried in bearings in the brackets I provide a bar
carrying two or more adjustable moving pressure feet, their extremities being
covered with rubber or other suitable material, while the bar is raised or lowered
by cam or lever action operated from the feeding apparatus or from any other
suitable member of the machine; similarly by like cam driven actions I arrange
for the lowering or raising of the bar which carries the feed wheels which operate
by contact upon the carrying or tape roller of the feed table.
Instead of employing a flat rubber covered bar in connection with my stripping
or severing apparatus I may arrange for the sheets to be delivered on to the rubber
or composition covered shaft, this shaft being caused to rotate in a contrary
direction to that of the moving paper by gearing or by other driving arrangements
operated conveniently from the end of the carrying or tape roller or from the
feed apparatus or other convenient part of the machine. I may sometimes employ
rubber or composition covered ratchet wheels in place of the pressure feet for
pressing upon the surface of the sheet.
The action of my improved stripping or severing apparatus is as follows:-
The ordinary feeding apparatus having moved the top sheet forward from the
pile advances the front edge of the sheet slightly over the tape roller, during
this operation the bar carrying the pressure foot and the bar which carries the
feed wheels are both raised thus allowing the sheet to be freely pushed to the
tape roller.
The bar carrying the pressure feet is then caused to descend by
its cam or lever action and the feet then press the sheet down upon the moving
flat rubber or composition surface. The pressure thus effected imparts no motion
to a single sheet of paper which consequently remains in the same position to
which it was driven by the feeding operation, but if more than one sheet has been
delivered the moving rubber or composition surface acting on the bottom sheet
strips or severs it from the other sheet and carries it in a backward direction,
thus withdrawing the front edge of such sheet out of contact with the tape
roller whilst the top sheet retains its forward position. The pressure feet thus
always prevent a single sheet from being moved backwards while they retain the
top sheet, when more than one sheet has been fed forwards; whilst the moving
rubber or composition surface, when two or more sheets have been fed forward
will carry backwards the superfluous sheets. The back edge of the bottom sheet
is forced backwards and a bar or foot may be arranged to drop upon and hold
its back edge. The bar carrying the pressure feet is then raised thus lifting the
pressure feet off the paper leaving the sheet free to be carried forward by the feed
rollers which operate by contact with the tape rollers. During the whole of this
process the feed rollers have been raised out of contact, but they are lowered to
their contact position at the moment that the pressure feet are raised from contact
with the paper and the sheet is then carried forward to the cylinder of the
machine.
I do not limit the application of my improved independent sheet stripping or
severing feeding apparatus to any particular system of sheet feeding at present
employed or to any special type of machine but I modify the parts and members
of my apparatus to suit the particular type of machine to which it is to be applied
and to suit the particular system of feeding and delivering the sheet, whether from
the top or from the bottom of the pile of sheets which is to be operated upon.
Dalad thi, 041
1000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Feeding Apparatus for Printing, Ruling, and Sheet
Folding Machines.
1, JOSEPH ARTHUR NICHOLS, of 30, Fairmead Road, Upper Holloway, in the
County of Middlesex, Printers Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The present invention relates to improvements in feeding apparatus for printing,
ruling and sheet folding machines."
Several inventions have been offered to the trade as capable of stopping all
the sheets beyond unity which the feeding roller may feed forward from the pile,
some depending upon a gateway adjusted to the thickness of the sheets to be
fed so that only one sheet at a time can pass through it, and others upon a com-
bination of a teeding roller bearing upon the top of the pile to feed the sheets
forward from it and separator rolls revolving in the opposite direction on the
opposite side of the path of the sheet to the tape roller of the machine.
The object of the present invention is to provide improved automatic means capable
of (a) stopping all the sheets beyond unity which the feeding roller may feed for-
ward from ott the pile and send forward along the path above mentioned and (6)
returning them until their front edges are nearly flush with the front side of the
pile. In carrying the invention into effect, there is a flat surface on one side
of the path and adjoining it, and constantly moving parallel with the said path
but in the reverse direction to that of the feed. It is immaterial on which side
of the said path, the said surface is arranged, but it is preferred that it should
be below it. It is part of an endless band moved over a flat bar by a pair of
rotary pressure rollers, the flatness of the said bar giving the surface its desired
flatness, and the continuous motion of the pair of rotary pressure rollers keeping.
a flat surface constantly moving in the necessary direction. On the other side of
the path of the sheet, there is a second flat surface hereinafter called the pressure.
surface, adapted to be alternately moved towards the reversely moving flat surface
to press the sheet or sheets then between them against the said surface whilst the
latter is returning the excess sheets to the pile, and to be moved back again to
allow of the free passage of the single sheet. This pressure surface is directly.
opposite the reversely moving one, but the motion of it to and from the latter,
is by no means to establish a gateway adjusted to the thickness of the sheets,
the more so as the length of that motion has no relation at all to such thickness.
Neither has either of the said flat surfaces any function of feeding the sheets.
forward-the reversely moying surface has only to return excess sheets and the
pressure surface has only to alternately pinch or press the sheet or sheets against
it and to move away.
It is important (a) that the material of the two flat surfaces should be capable.
of retaining (ie., preventing motion in) the sheet in contact with it, and (b)
that the retaining action of the pressure surface should be stronger than the;
returning motion of the reversely moving surface. If only one sheet is taken off
the pile and fed towards the tape roller, it passes above the reversely moving.
surface as far as the tape roller; and when the pressure surface is lowered to touch;
the top side of the sheet, it presses that sheet down on the reversely moving surface,
and prevents the reversely moving surface returning the sheet towards the pile,
because the hold which the pressure surface has upon the sheet is stronger than
the hold which the reversely moving surface has upon it. But if there is more
than one sheet between the two surfaces, say two for example, the reversely.
moving surface takes hold of the lower sheet and returns it towards the pile.
clear of itself, because the presence of the sheet between the pressure surface and
the sheet to be pushed back to the pile, prevents the pressure surface having any

page_text: Tower Sheet.
nus the invention concerns SCII With three surface
holds. They are so called because each one of them is a hold exerted by one
surface upon another surface. The first is present only when there are more
sheets than one fed forward by the feeding roller, and it is, referring to the
example given above, that of the sheet next the pressure surface on the one
next the reversely moving surface. The second is that of the reversely moving
surface on the sheet which it touches, and must be stronger than the first. The
third is that of the pressure surface on the sheet which it touches, and must be
stronger than the first.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of this
specification and read therewith,
Figure is a side elevation of the invention and of the adjacent part of a
cylinder printing machine:
Figure 2, a vertical section on line 2-2 of Figure 3:
Figure 3, a plan of Figure 2;
Figure 4, a transverse vertical section on line 4-4 of Figures 2 and 3:
Figure 5, a side elevation of Figure 2 looking at it from the left hand and
Figure 6, a side elevation also of Figure 2 from the right hand.
Figure is a detail transverse vertical section of a variant reversely moving
surface.
:
All the Figures 2 to 7 are on a scale double that of Figure 1.
1 is a part of the frame of an ordinary cylinder printing machine; 2, the inter-
mediate gear wheel; 3, the main driving shaft of the machine; 4, the impression
cylinder 5, its shaft; G, the table on which is laid the pile 7 of sheets to
be fed to the machine; 8, the feed table between the pile of sheets 7 and the
impression cylinder 4; 9, the endless tapes travelling along the table 8, 10, 11,
the tape rollers about which they are led; 60, the pressure roller co-operating
with the tape roller 10; 12, the rocking frame for feeding the top sheet off the
pile 7 on to the tapes 9 as the latter are travelling over the top of the roller 10;
13 one of the standards that carries the rod 14 upon which the frame 12
rocks, and 15, the sheet feeding roller. The mechanism by which this feeding
roller is actuated is not shewn.
31 is a sprocket fast on the main driving shaft 3; and 32, a chain passed
round it and a sprocket 333 loose on the shaft 34 turning in bearings on the main
frame 1. 35 is a sprocket loose on the same shaft 34. Sprockets 33 and 35 are
formed on one wheel. 36 is a sprocket fast on the shaft 5 of the impression
cylinder 4, and 37 is a chain round the sprockets 39 and 36, the former fast on
the shaft 34. The printing cylinder 2 is driven by the intermediate gear wheel.2
in the usual way. 38 is a sprocket on the shaft of the tape roller 10. 35 is a
sprocket on the shaft 34, and 50 is a driving chain round both to drive the
said tape roller.
16, 16 are a pair of standards fast upon the frame 1. 17 is a flat bar fast upon
a square one 18 which has its ends in bearings 19, 19, vertically moveable in
slots 20 in the standards 16. 21 is a roller turning in bearings 22 likewise moveable
in the same slots 20. 23 is an endless sleeve or band passed round the flat bar 17
and the roller 21. 24, 24 are changeable distance pieces between the bearings 19,
19, and 22, 22, to keep the sleeve or band 23 tight. 25 is a second roller turning
in bearings 26 likewise adjustable in the said slots 20. Its function is to bit the
sleeve 23 between it and its fellow roller 21 to move it continuously over the bar 17.
It is the face or sleeve of this band 23 that is the reversely moving surface above
mentioned. A flat bar 17 is preferred to an edge in order that there may be a
wider surface to take hold of the sheet of paper. 28, 28, are distance pieces
between the bearings 26, 26 and 22, 22. 29, 29 are distance pieces between the
bearings 26, 26 and the bottoms of the slots 20, 20. The desired reverse motion
is communicated to the band 23 as follows. One end of the roller 21 is pro-
longed beyond the respective standard 16 and has a gear wheel 27 fast on it.
This wheel 27 is driven by a spur wheel 30 fast on the shaft of the tape roller 10.
.

page_text: 40, 40, are a pair of pressers carried by a horizontal bar 41 upon which they
are adjustable lengthwise by the screws 42, 42. The bottom ends of these pressers
are covered with pieces 43, 43 of indiarubber or similar material and fogether
constitute the pressure surface above described.
The respective nature of the materials for the pieces 43 and the band 23 or
its equivalent roller 76 (the reversely moving surface), may be the same or differ
to the effect that when the two are pressed with equal pressures towards each other,
a sheet of paper being at the time between them, the pieces 43 shall hold
the sheet which they touch more strongly than, or at least as strongly as, the
reversely moving surface will, or in other words, the last mentioned surface will
slip over the sheet while the pieces 43 will prevent it being moved. The material
of the band 23 is in practice sheet indiarubber. The stronger holding action of
the pieces 43 is due to the fact that they are stationary while the band 23 is
moving continuously in one direction and for that reason liable to stretch, such
stretching reducing its holding power.
The bar 41 is carried by blocks 44, 44, fitting in the slots 20, 20, in the
standards 16, 16, and in which they can slide vertically in either direction. 45, 45,
are stops to adjust the degree of pressure which the pressure surface 43 exerts
upon the reversely moving surface, sleeve or belt 23. They consist of studs
screwed into the bearings 19, 19 from which they stand up vertically. They
are held in their adjusted positions by lock nuts 46 46. The pressure surface 43
is moved towards the belt 23 by spiral springs 47, 47 surrounding pins 48, 48,
screwed into the blocks 44, 44, and passed upwards through holes in the cap
plate 49, the said springs being compressed between the said cap plate 49 and
the respective block 44.
51 is a cam groove in the face of the sprocket 39 and disc 52 both fast on the
shaft 34. 53, 53 are rods on either side of the machine frame 1 and working
in guides 54 fast thereto. The bottom end of each rod 53 carries a lateral stud 55
which engages in the respective cam groove 51. The top end of each rod 53
terminates in a crutch 56 in which rests the respective end of the horizontal
rod 41 above described.
60 is the pressure roller over the tape roller 10. It turns in bearings 61 capable
of moving up and down vertical slots 62 in the standards 16. 63 is a vertical
stop fast in and standing up from each bearing 64 of the tape roller 10, the object
of these stops being to adjust the degree of pressure which the roller 60 may
exert upon the tape roller 10. These stops 63 are adjustable vertically by means
of their being screwed into the bearings (4 above mentioned. Each one is locked
in its adjusted position by a lock nut 65. But these stops may be dispensed
with.
The pressure roller 60 is moved towards the tape roller 10 by spiral springs 66, 66
surrounding pins 67, 67 screwed into the bearings 61, 61 and standing up through
the cap plate 49, the springs 66, 66 being compressed between the said cap
plate 49 and the respective bearing 61.
70 is a rod on each side of the machine frame 1 and working in a guide 71
fast thereto. The bottom end of each rod 70 carries a lateral stud 72 which
engages in the respective cam groove in the face of the sprocket 39 and
dise 52. The top end of each rod 70 terminates in a crutch 74 in which rests
the respective end 75 of the pressure roller 60 which ends project beyond the
bearings 61 for that purpose..
The variant reversely moving surface illustrated in Figure 7, consists of a
roller 76 covered with the same material as the sleeves or band 23. It turns in
the bearings 77, 77 illustrated in Figure 7, and is of a sufficient diameter to
reach up to within the same distance of the pressure surface 43 as does the
surface 23. This roller 76 carries the spur wheel 27 as does the roller 21. The
bars 17 and 18, their bearing blocks 19, 19, the roller 25 and its bearings 26, 26,
are dispensed with as will be clear from a comparison of Figures 4 and 7.
The invention described above acts as follows. It has been already explained

page_text: that the sheet feeding roller 15, the mechanism by which it is actuated, and the
way in which it works, are as heretofore, but as that way has something to do
with the way in which the present invention acts, it is deemed advisable to give
a short description of it. The frame 12 is rocked on its pivot 14 once in each
of the directions indicated by the double headed arrow in Figure 1 for each sheet
fed from the pile 7. The position illustrated in Figure 1 is the one which the
feeding rolled 15 occupies at the commencement of the feeding stroke, viz., down
upon the top sheet and ready to move towards the tape cylinder, i.e., looking at
Figure 1, to the right hand. The roller 15 moves to the edge of the pile 7,
keeping down upon the top sheet thereof during the whole of that motion. When
it has got as far as that edge, it is raised off the pile 7, and the frame 12 returned
to the position from which it started. As soon as it reaches that position-the
one illustrated in Figure 1-the roller 15 is dropped upon the pile again ready
to feed forward the next sheet. The feeding motion of the feeding roller 15
suffices to move the leading edge of the top sheet of paper past the tape roller 10
leaving it in the position shewn in Figure 4. During that feeding motion, the
pressure surface 43 and pressure roller 60 are held off the reversely, moving
surface 23 and tape roller 10 respectively by the respective cams 39 and 52, so
that there is a clear way for the top sheet to be fed from the position illustrated
in Figure into the one illustrated in Figure 4. The cam grooves 51 then let
the pressure surface 43 down towards the surface 23, pinching the sheet between
them. The pressure then exerted by the surface 43 is the same as the
pressure exerted by the surface, but the holding power of the
pressure surface 43,is greater than the moving power of the reversely moving
surface 23 resulting in holding any single sheet in the position to which it has
been carried by the feeding roller 15; and the surface 23 slips over the sheet
without moving it backward. But if the feeding roller 15 sends forward more
than one sheet, say two, the invention deals with them in the following way.
soon as the surface 43 is down on the sheets, the surface 23 takes hold of the
bottom face of the sheet next it and moves that sheet back towards the pile 7
until the front edge of it is to the rear of the said surface 23 and nearly flush
with the front edge of the pile; and it can do that because it has a stronger
hold upon the bottom face thereof than the bottom face of the sheet above it las
upon the top face of it. This returning is effected in a very short time, and
leaves the remaining sheet in the position described. The cam-groove 73 then
let the pressure roller 60 down upon the said sheet and the latter is at once fed
on to the tapes 9 travelling down the table S.
As
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The hereinbefore described combination of a flat non-feeding pressure surface
on one side of the path of the sheet or sheets being fed from the pile forwards
and a flat surface on the other side thereof opposite to the said non-feeding
pressure surface, and regularly moving in the reverse direction to that of the
feed, the material of the said flat pressure surface adapted to exert a stronger
hold on the sheet which it touches than is the reversely moving flat surface and
the material of the latter adapted to exert a stronger hold on the sheet which it
touches than does the sheet nearer to the said pressure surface on the said sheet.
2. The hereinbefore described combination of a flat non-feeding pressure surface
on one side of the path of the sheet or sheets being fed from the pile forwards;
a flat non-feeding surface on the other side thereof, opposite to the said non-
feeding pressure surface, and regularly moving in the reverse direction to that
of the feed, the material of the said pressure surface adapted to exert a stronger
hold upon the sheet which it touches than is the said regularly moving surface
and the material of the latter adapted to exert a stronger hold on the sheet which
it touches than does the sheet nearer to the said pressure surface on the said
sheet; and means for so actuating the regularly moving surface.

page_text: 3. The herein before described combination of a flat non-feeding pressure surface
on one side of the sheet or sheets being fed from the pile of sheets forwards;
means for feeding the sheets from the said pile to the tape roller: a flat non-
feeding surface on the other side of the sheet or sheets opposite to the said non-
feeding pressure surface and regularly moving in the reverse direction thereto, the
material of the said pressure surface adapted to exert a stronger hold on the sheet
which it touches than is the constantly moving surface and the material of the
latter adapted to exert a stronger hold on the sheet which it touches than does the
sheet nearer the said pressure surface upon the said sheet; and means for so
actuating the regularly moving surface.
4. The hereinbefore described combination of a flat non-feeding pressure surface
on one side of the path of a sheet or sheets being fed from the pile of sheets for-
wards a flat non-feeding surface on the other side thereof opposite to the said non-
feeding pressure surface and regularly moving in the reverse direction to that of
the feed, the material of the said flat pressure surface adapted to exert a stronger
hold on the sheet which it touches than is the regularly moving flat surface and
the material of the latter adapted to exert a stronger hold on the sheet which it
touches than does the sheet nearer to the said flat pressure surface upon the said
sheet means for moving the said flat pressure surface alternately towards the
reversely moving surface and away from it and means for actuating the said
reversely moving surface.
5. The hereinbefore described combination of a flat non-feeding pressure surface
on one side of the path of a sheet or sheets being fed from the pile forwards,
a flat non-feeding surface on the other side thereof opposite to the said non-
feeding pressure surface and regularly moving in the reverse direction to the
said sheet or sheets, the material of the said pressure surface adapted to exert a
stronger hold on the sheet which it touches than is the regularly moving surface
and the material of the latter adapted to exert a stronger hold on the sheet which
it touches than does the sheet nearer to the said pressure surface upon the said
sheet; a tape roller: a pressure roller to co-operate with the said tape roller:
means for actuating the said reversely moving surface; means for moving the
pressure surface alternately towards the reversely moving surface and away from
it and means for alternately moving the pressure roller towards and away from
the said tape roller.
6. The herein before described combination of a flat pressure surface on one side
of the path of a sheet or sheets being fed from the pile forwards; an endless
non-feeding band on the other side thereof and parallel with the said surface and
opposite to it; a bar parallel with the said pressure surface and held within the
said band a pair of rollers gripping the said band between them to traverse
it over the flat bar; means for moving the said pressure surface alternately towards
and away from the said band: and means for causing the pair of rollers to traverse
the endless band over the said bar in a direction the reverse of that in which the
sheet or sheets pass from the pile to the tape roller.
7. The herein before described combination of a flat pressure surface on one side
of the path of a sheet or sheets being fed from the pile forwards; a non-feeding
roller on the other side thereof and parallel with the said surface and opposite
to it means for moving the pressure surface alternately towards and away from
the said roller and means for rotating the latter in a direction the reverse of that
in which the sheet or sheets pass from the pile to the tape roller.
Dated this 8th dor of Navamber 1800
CHAS. S. WOODROFFE,
Chartered Patent Agent.