Improvements in Tables for Bookbinding Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ANGUS GEORGE MACKAY, of 426 Quincy
Street, Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of America,
Merchant.]
Improvements in Tables for Bookbinding Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention relates to tables employed in connection with book binding
machines, chiefly of that class which bind the book with wire staples driven
through the block of leaves to be bound, said tables supporting the block of
leaves during the process of binding the same into book form. Such tables are
formed of inetal and have heretofore been made of the form of a rigid saddle of
inverted V-shape in cross section.
In practice it has been found that in some instances a flat horizontal table would
be more convenient or more desirable than the aforesaid saddle.
The object of this invention is to provide a book-supporting table which shall be
readily convertible from the saddle-shape to a flat horizontal table.
The invention consists essentially of a table composed of two separate leaves
arranged side by side and adapted to be adjusted in definite planes over a suitable
support by means of rigid arms extending from the underside of the leaves and
toward the support which are provided with segmental guides having for a common
centre the point of juncture of the leaves, and bearings which support said guides,
all as hereinafter more fully described.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is an end view of a book supporting table embodying my invention and
showing the leaves folded into the shape of a saddle table,
Figure 2 is a front view of the same,
Figure 3 is an end view of the leaves of the table showing the leaves straightened
out to form a flat table.
Figure is a top plan view of one of the brackets of the stationary support of
the table.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
A denotes the main support of the table, which support may be of any suitable
shape according to the style of the machine to which it is to be applied. In this
case it has mounted on it the yoke B to the ends of which are rigidly affixed the
brackets A'A'. Each of these brackets has projecting from opposite sides thereof
two sets of bearings a a and a' a' which are arranged in arcs of circles having their
centres equidistantly above and in vertical lines passing central between the two
sets of bearings.
CC represent the two separate leaves of which the table proper is composed.
These leaves are arranged side by side and their meeting edges are bevelled from
the top downward and outward to allow said edges to be maintained in constant
contiguity to each other during the adjustment of the leaves to different planes as
hereinafter described.
The centres of the before described arcs are at the points of juncture of the leaves

page_text: These leaves are mounted at or near each end upon the support by means of rigid
pendent arms D D provided with suitable segmental guides, preferably of the form
of slots which are in line with the arc in which the bearings a a a' a' are
disposed. The two guides of the two leaves have thus likewise for a common
centre the point of juncture of the leaves, and they ride upon the said bearings
which extend into the slots b b.
The leaves C C are thus permitted to slide on the bearings a a a' a' which in
conjunction with the segmental slots bb of the supporting arms D D maintain the
leaves constantly in juxtaposition during the adjustment of the leaves from the
horizontal position shown by full lines in Figure 3 of the drawing to the inclined
position represented by full lines in Figure 1 of the drawing.
The leaves may be elevated or depressed by the hands of the operator applied
directly to the leaves, and may he retained in their adjusted position by means of
nuts n applied to serew threaded ends of the bearings a and clamping the arms DD
on the support or bracket A as indicated in dotted lines on one of the arms D in
Figure 3 of the drawing. I prefer to adjust both leaves simultaneously and for
this purpose I mount a horizontal shaft din suitable bearings on the brackets A'A'
and fasten to said shaft the two sets of levers 11 arranged at opposite sides of the
brackets. These levers are connected by knuckle joints ce to levers which
are pivoted to the leaves near the outer edges thereof. By means of a crank e
fastened to the shaft the latter can be rocked in its bearings, and this motion
causes the levers to either draw the outer edges of the leaves C C down into
the inclined position shown in Figure 1 or up into the horizontal position shown in
Figure 3, as may be desired.
When in the latter position the knuckle joints c c lock the levers sufficiently to
retain the leaves in their horizontal position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with a support, of a table composed of two leaves arranged
side by side and swinging from a centre located at the junction of said leaves so
that both leaves can be folded to form a saddle table or to be straightened out to
form a flat table, substantially as set forth.
2. The within described adjustable table consisting of a main support for the
table, arms slidably connected to said support and movable in an arc of a circle
having its centre over the support, two table leaves attached to said arms and
carried thereby side by side and in constant proximity to each other and means to
adjust them in different planes, as set forth.
3. In combination with the support A, the bearings a a and a' al arranged in an
are having its centre above and in a vertical line passing central between the
bearings, the leaves CC having arms D D provided with segmental slots b b in
line with the aforesaid arc and adapted to ride on the aforesaid bearings, whereby
the leaves are adapted to be placed in different planes and means to hold them in
their adjusted position, as set forth.
4. In combination with the support A the bearings a a and al al arranged in an
arc having its centre above and in a vertical line passing central between the
bearings, the leaves C C having rigid pendent arms D D provided with segmental
slots in line with the aforesaid are and riding on the aforesaid bearings, aud
adjusting levers pivotally connecting the leaves to the support as set forth.
5. In combination with the support A, the bearings a a and a' a', the leaves CC
disposed side by side and having their inner edges contiguous and mounted on the
support by segmental guides having a common centre at the point of juncture of
the leaves, the levers 7 pivoted in common to the aforesaid support, and the
levers connected to the levers by knuckle joints ec and pivoted to the
leaves as set forth.
6. The combination of the yoke B, the brackets A' A' fixed to opposite ends of

page_text: said yoke, two sets of bearings a a and a' a' projecting from opposite sides of each
bracket and arranged in arcs having their centres equidistantly above and in
vertical lines passing central between the sets of bearings, the leaves C C having
rigid pendent arms D D at opposite sides of each bracket and provided with
segmental slots bb in line with the aforesaid arcs and riding on the aforesaid
bearings, the horizontal shaft d pivoted to the brackets, the levers ll fastened to
said shaft, the levers connected to the levers 1 by knuckle joints c c and
pivoted to the leaves and the crank e attached to the aforesaid shaft, all combined
to operate substantially as set forth.
Dated this 7th day of January 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.