Improvements in Printing, Cutting, and Folding Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Loft
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Printing, Cutting, and Folding Machines.
Communication from C. B. COTTRELL & SONS Co., a corporation organized under
the laws of the State of New Jersey, and having its principal office at Jersey
City, New Jersey, and other offices at Stonington, Connecticut, and No. 41,
Park Row, New York City, New York, United States of America.
I, JOHN CORRY FELL, of the Firm of Fell & James, Chartered Patent Agents,
No. 1, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature
of this said invention to be as follows:-
The printing apparatus may be of any ordinary rotary construction and adapted
to print upon both sides of a web of paper from any desired number of forms
so as to produce sheets having either four, eight, twelve, sixteen or thirty-two
pages on each side. The web of paper may be folded longitudinally either once
so as to produce a two-ply web, or twice so as to produce a four-ply web, or it
may not be folded at all prior to its passage to and operation upon by the cutting
and final folding mechanism, to which more particularly, our invention has
relation.
The printed web is led to pass between a pair of cutting cylinders or rotary
cutter carriers and thence to a gripping and folding cylinder containing inter-
nally one or more folding blades which operate to double or fold the paper
transversely and deliver it to one or more delivery apparatuses.
The cutting cylinders or carriers are provided with straight edge knives which
effect a shearing or clean cut transversely of the web and produce a detached
sheet, either unfolded or folded longitudinally one or more times as may be
desired, and according as to whether or not there is any longitudinal folding
mechanism between the printing mechanism and the said cutting cylinders.
This detached sheet or portion descends vertically from the cutting cylinders to
to folding cylinder and is seized by one set of the grippers thereof (if more than
one set are provided) just before the cutters act to sever the sheet or portion
from the web. The detached sheet or portion is then carried around on the
surface of the folding cylinder and when the transverse center of the sheet has
arrived at a line coincident with the bite of a pair of nipping or folding rollers
arranged exteriorly of the cylinder, the internal folding blade within said cylinder
is projected so as to double the sheet or portion between said nipping rollers
and simultaneously the grippers are released and the sheet or product is carried
away between tapes or otherwise to any desired delivery point.
The plate cylinders, the cutting cylinders and the folding cylinders are all
arranged to travel at the same surface speed, so that the web and the detached
sheets or portions all move at a uniform velocity.
The folding cylinder if provided with only one set of grippers and one folding
device is constructed so that its circumference is exactly equal to the length of
a detached sheet or portion. If, however, the said folding cylinder be provided

page_text: with two sets of grippers then the circumference of said cylinder would be
exactly twice the length of the detached sheet or portion; and again if the said
folding cylinder should be provided with three sets of grippers the circumfer-
ence of said cylinder would be exactly three times the length of the detached
sheet or portion, and so on, the circumference of the cylinder being always
exactly once, twice, three times, four times or any number of times the length of
the sheet or detached portion.
Owing to the fact that the printing cylinders, the rotary cutters and the fold-
ing cylinder all travel at the same surface speed and hence that the web and
the detached sheets or portions also travel at the same surface speed, the leading
end of the web, after the cutting off operation, travels in abutting or meeting
contact with the tail end of the detached sheet or portion (or these two portions
travel without appreciable intervening space) and for this reason it is essential
that the circumference of the folding cylinder shall be an equal multiple of
the length of the detached sheet or portion.
On account of the leading end of the web, after passing the rotary cutters,
running in contact with the tail end of the previously detached sheet or portion,
there is great liability of the leading end of the web passing outside of or on
top of the grippers, and hence of failing to be seized thereby, which would,
of course, be detrimental to the action of the machine and for the purpose of
avoiding this liability we have provided a device which we designate a tucker
and which rotates at the same surface speed as the folding cylinder and operates
at the proper moment to cause the leading end of the web positively to pass in
between the grippers and the surface of the cylinder. This tucker may be a
simple rotary arm or finger whose point travels in a circular path slightly nearer
the periphery of the folding cylinder than do the points of the gripper fingers
when open, but we prefer to construct the tucker in cylindrical form and to
cut away or depress one or more portions of its periphery according to the num-
ber of sets of grippers to enable the grippers to open and close. Still the tucker
may be a vibratory or reciprocatory device.
The cutting apparatus comprises two rotary cutter carriers having each one
or more knives or cutting blades set longitudinally of the carriers and at a slight
angle to the axis thereof so that the opposing knives may operate with a shear-
ing action in making the cut while the web of paper is in motion.
The cutter carriers or cylinders are provided each with one or more creasers
according to the number of cross folds to be made. The edges of the creasers
are set parallel with the edges of the knives, which as explained, are arranged
slightly obliquely or spirally of the axes of the carriers or cylinders, and the
axes of the carriers or cylinders are arranged at a slight angle to a plane passing
at right angles to the direction of travel of the web. The creasers are so set
on the cylinders or carriers as to form a crease line exactly in the center of the
margin between adjacent pages and the product is finally folded on this crease
line so as to bring the pages into exact register. Without the crease line the
fold is apt to be made on each side of the center of the margin or on either side
of the center between adjacent pages and hence the printed matter on the several
pages will not exactly register or coincide when the section is doubled or given
its cross fold.
The production of the crease line (or lines according to the number of cross
folds) however insures the transverse folding of the product along the proper
line and the registration of the pages. By cross creasing the product centrally
of the margin the paper is greatly weakened along the line of crease and is more
easily thrust into the bite of the folding rollers than if uncreased. Thus the
said creasing predetermines the line of fold and the product is always doubled
on this line whether or not the edge of the folding blade strikes initially along
the crease line or slight distance forward or backward thereof. In the folding
operation the grippers are so timed that they release the sheet or product at
about the moment the folding blade is projected into contact with the paper and

page_text: hence at this time the paper is free upon the folding cylinder, and being free,
if the edge of the folding blade should not strike coincident with the center of
the margin, or in the crease line, the paper will slip or delay momentarily and
adjust itself or be adjusted so that the folding blade will act to force the creased
or indented portion first into the bite of the folding rollers and thus cause the
doubling or folding to be done on the creased line.
:
The creasing is so done that the crease and fold line tends to move away from
the cylinder and therefore when the folding blade strikes the paper in the vicinity
of the crease the crease has a natural tendency to enter the folding rollers first.
We will now describe the construction and operation of a machine wherein
the various mechanisms are constructed and arranged to print on both sides
four copies of a sixteen page product to every revolution of the plate cylinders.
There are two plate cylinders and each has its usual impression cylinder and
each plate cylinder is provided with eight rows of plates running circumferen-
tially of the cylinder, each longitudinal row comprising four plates, thus making
thirty-two plates which completely fill the surface of each cylinder, with the
proper margins between adjacent plates.
Between the printing cylinders and the cutter cylinders or carriers there are
arranged two longitudinal folders of ordinary construction, the first of which
operates to double the printed web lengthwise and the second of which operates
to again double the said web lengthwise, and thus produce a four-ply web pre-
vious to its passing into the bite of the cutter cylinders or carriers.
The cutter cylinders or carriers are provided each with two diametrically
opposite knives and two diametrically opposite creasers, two of the creasers on
one cylinder, or carrier being male and the other two creasers on the other
cylinder or carrier being female. The cutting knives operate upon every second
margin and the creasers upon intermediate margins, so that each detached por-
tion comprises a product consisting of sixteen pages, eight pages on each side
of an intervening creased margin. Four of such products are produced at each
revolution of the plate cylinders.
The folding cylinder is provided with four sets of grippers arranged equi-
distantly about the cylinder and the distance apart of each set of grippers equals
the length of the portion subdivided by the cutters.
Within the folding cylinder are arranged four folding blades so disposed as
to fold the sheets or portions upon said cylinder about midway between adja-
cent sets of grippers.
A
Exteriorly of the folding cylinder and on one side of the center thereof is
arranged a pair of folding rollers and on the opposite side is arranged another
pair of folding rollers which co-operate with the folding blades to make the final
cross folds in the paper, and each pair of folding rollers is provided with carry-
ing tapes by which the folded products are carried to suitable deliveries, there
being preferably two delivery points or places for or associated with each pair
of folding rollers, the folded papers being alternately moved in opposite direc-
tions by a vibratory packer as they are delivered from the said marginal tapes.
Previous to the detachment of each sixteen page product its leading end is
seized by one set of the grippers on the folding cylinder and this seizure by the
grippers is made positive by the action of the adjacent tucker cylinder. Very
soon after the grippers have seized the leading end of the web the cutters
operate and the detached sixteen page product is carried around on the surface.
of the folding cylinder, and as its crease line between adjacent pages (produced'
by the creasers previous to detachment of the section) approaches one set of the
folding rollers a folding blade within the cylinder is actuated and the edge of
said blade is projected outwardly and forces the product in between the bite
of said folding rollers, the blade acting on or near the line of crease. From
said folding rollers the finally folded product is conducted by the tapes to the
delivery point of the machine.
The next succeeding set of grippers seize the leading end of the web before

page_text: the next product is cut off clean by the cutters and this section is carried around
on the surface of the folding cylinder to the other set of folding rollers, and its
co-operating blade acting on the crease line folds the product into the bite of
said folding rollers and the tapes thereof then carry it off to another point of
delivery. The third set of grippers then take the next section of the web before
it is cut off and it is carried around on the folding cylinder to the first set of
folding rollers where another folding blade acts in the same manner to fold the
product into the bite of said rollers; and then the fourth set of grippers take the
next section of the web before it is cut off and carry it around to the second set
of folding rollers and another folding blade folds it into the bite of said rollers
when it is carried off by the tapes as before, the folded products going alter-
nately to opposite sides of the folding cylinder.
Before each section or product is cut off the creasers produce a cross crease
midway between the leading cut end of the web and the line at which the next
succeeding cut is to be made to sever the section.
The tucker acts upon the head of each section positively to direct it into the
path of the closure of the grippers, each set of grippers being opened at the
proper moment to receive the head of each section before it is cut off and to
close immediately before such cutting so as to carry it around to its proper set
of folding rollers.
Between the cutting and creasing cylinders and the folding cylinders are
arranged fixed guides for directing the leading end of the web properly towards
the point at which each set of grippers are about to close and at which the tucker
may operate positively to tuck or push the leading end of the web directly into
the bite of said grippers.
The type cylinders, the web, the detached portions, the folding cylinder, the
cutter and creaser carriers, and the tucker all travel at the same surface speed.
Dated this 14th day of February 1898.
FELL & JAMES,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Printing, Cutting, and Folding Machines.
A communication from abroad by C. B. COTTRELL & SONS Co., a corporation
organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey, and having places of
business at Jersey City, N.J., and Stonington, Conn., United States of
America.
I, JOHN CORRY FELL, of the Firm of Fell & James, of No. 1, Queen Victoria
Street, in the City of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
mature 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:-
My invention relates more particularly to folding machines for use in con-
nection with web-perfecting printing presses, and has for its general object to
improve this class of apparatuses and to provide means whereby rapidly running
webs of paper may be successfully cut into sheets or sections of given size and
either cross-folded singly or cross-folded after the superposing of one sheet upon
another on the surface of a collecting and folding cylinder. My invention has
for a further object to provide a construction of folding machine for webs of
paper in which the grippers or equivalent grasping means of the folding cylinder

page_text: are adapted to seize the leading end of the web before the foremost or head sheet
thereof is detached from the body of the web, and thus avoid the use of tapes
for increasing the speed of the foremost sheet of the web and detaching it from
the body of the web after the operation thereupon of serrated cutters, which do
not entirely cut off the sheet, and for then conducting the detached sheet to the
folding cylinder, as in previous machines. My invention has for a further
object to run the cutting mechanism, the web, and the folding cylinder all at
the same surface speed and my invention has for a further object to provide
means for tucking or directing the head of the sheet or web positively into the
grasp of the grippers on the folding or carrying cylinder.
To these main ends my invention consists in the various features of construc-
tion and combinations of devices and parts all as will be hereinafter more fully
described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a folding apparatus embodying my improvements.
Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section taken on the line of Figure 1
and looking in the direction of the arrow thereat and showing also a section of
the last impression cylinder of a web printing press with which my improved
folding apparatus is combined.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the folding apparatus looking from the right-hand
side of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a partial longitudinal vertical section taken at the dotted line y
of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow thereat; and
Figures 5 to 11 inclusive are diagrammatic views illustrating the mode of
operation of some of the folding apparatus.
In the various views the same parts will be found designated by the same
numeral of reference.
1 represents the last impression cylinder of a web perfecting press and 2 the
printed web emerging therefrom on its way to the folding apparatus, associated
with or forming a part of said press. The plates are so set or arranged upon the
type cylinders of the press as that the column rules run parallel with the axis
of the printing cylinder or are disposed at right angles to the direction of travel
of the web. The printed web is preferably creased transversely, centrally of
the margins that are to be folded, by means of a pair of creasing rollers 3 and 4,
the latter being provided with a longitudinally-arranged creasing blade 5 and
the former with a co-operating slot or groove 6 for the accommodation of said
blade. The creasing rollers are geared together so as to run in unison. From
the creasing rollers the web passes upwardly slightly, under a roller 7 and over
a roller S, then horizontally over a roller 9, and then downwardly vertically
between said roller 9 and a companion roller or series of disks 10. A set of end-
less tapes or bands 11 pass around the under side of the roller 7, over the
rollers 8 and 9, around the roller or disks 10 and upwardly over a tension
roller 12, mounted in a pivoted arm 13 at the top of the framework 14. These
tapes or bands are arranged to travel on top of the web and on the longitudinal
margins thereof, and moving at a slightly greater velocity than the web, serve
to assist in the proper feeding of the same to the cutting, collecting and folding
devices, to be presently described. The rollers 7 and 8 are geared together to
work in unison as are also the feed rollers 9 and 10.
Over the roller 8 is arranged a paste blade 15 mounted on rotatory arms or
carriers 16 attached to a shaft 17. Above the pasting blade is a paste fountain 18
containing a roller 19 that revolves in the fountain and takes paste therefrom in
a manner to supply the paste blade with a sufficient quantity of paste at each
revolution of said blade, the edge of the blade wiping or scraping upon the
periphery of the roller 19 and thereby taking upon itself a portion of the paste
on said roller. The pasting blade delivers the paste thus obtained to the trans-
verse margin of every second sheet of the printed web when said blade meets
J

page_text: the paper as it is traveling over the top of the roller 8. Upon every alternate
sheet thus supplied with a line of paste is superposed a non-pasted sheet, as will
hereinafter appear.
Arranged under the pair of feed rollers 9 and 10 is a guideway for the web,
composed preferably or a vertically-arranged plate 20, extending substantially
entirely across the machine, and a series or verucally-arranged hngers 21, whose
faces are parallel with the face of the plate 20. The guide plate' 20 18 sup-
ported by end brackets 22 which are slotted to permit the plate to be adjusted
slightly towards or from the set of guide fingers 21. The guide fingers 21
are mounted upon a rod 23 extending across the machine and suitably supported
in the frame-work thereof, and said nngers are or may be made to side endwise
on said rod so as to register with the longitudinal margins of the web.
.
Beneath the guideway is a cutting mechanism, consisting primarily of two
obliquely or diagonally, arranged cutting blades 20 and 27. These cutting
or shearing blades may be mounted upon complete cylinders or rolls, but i
prefer to mount them upon skeleton rolls or cylinders, consisting of a series of
disks 28 mounted on shafts or axes 29 revolving in suitable bearings in the
framework, and to arrange said cutters or shearing blades lengthwise of said
shafts but out of parallelism therewith and in such manner, preferably by means
of set screws adjustably clamping the blades in position in said discs, as that' by
the rotation of said shafts said blades are brought into co-operative relation to
gradually cut or sever the web transversely with a clean shearing cut at right
angles to the edges of the web and during the travel of the web. The shafts
of the cutters are geared together to rotate in unison.
Below the cutters is another guideway composed of a series of fingers 30,
having vertical faces, and lateral lugs by which said fingers are mounted on a
cross rod 31, and of a series of vertically-arranged guide strips 32 extending
across the machine with their faces parallel with the faces on the fingers 30.
Formed integral with said guide strips 32 and at an angle thereto is another
series of guide strips 33. Both series of guides 32, 33, are supported upon a
cross rod 34. The faces of said strips 33 are arranged concentric with the
collecting cylinder 35 and form a guide therewith for the paper thereon.
Below the guideway formed by the parts 30 and 32 is a rotary tucker 36 com-
posed preferably of a series of disks 37, mounted on a cross shaft 38 that is
suitably supported in bearings in the framework. Each of said disks is cut
away at one portion, as at 39, and is provided with a tucking nose or projec-
tion 40. While I prefer to construct the rotary tucker of a series of disks or of
skeleton form, it will be understood, of course, that it may be made of a con-
tinuous cylinder or roll, as long as it has the cutaway portion and the tucking
nose or projection. The shaft of the rotary tucker is geared to the rotary collect-
ing or gathering and folding cylinder 35.
Below the rotary tucker and adjacent to the periphery of the collecting
cylinder is a pair of folding rollers 41, provided with carrying tapes 42 for con-
ducting the folded papers from the folding rollers either to another set of fold-
ing rollers or to any suitable delivery mechanism, according to the nature of
the work being done.
The collecting cylinder 35 is proportioned in size to the sizes of the sheets to
be folded; that is to say, the circumference of the collecting cylinder is made
exactly to equal in length the length of a plurality of sheets to be folded; or in
other words, it bears such a relation to the length of the sheets that a plurality
of the sheets will exactly fill or equal the periphery of the cylinder. In the
example shown, the periphery of the cylinder is exactly three times the length
of each sheet to be folded, but this proportion may be varied without departing
from the gist of this part of my invention.
In the machine shown the collecting cylinder is provided with three sets of
grippers 43, 44 and 45 and with three folding blades 46, 47 and 48, arranged
alternately of the sets of grippers. Any suitable cams or actuating devices

page_text: may be employed to properly open and close the grippers and to properly operate
the folding blades.
I shall now describe the mode of operation of the machine and point out more
fully the main distinctive features of my invention and explain the results
accomplished thereby.
As the web of paper leaves the printing machine proper it passes first between
the pair of creasing rollers 3 and 4 and each transverse margin that is to be
folded is creased by said rollers; the web then passes between the rollers 7 and 8
and under the tension of carrying tapes 11 and between the pair of feed rolls 9
and 10, by which and by the said tapes the web is then directed vertically
downward through the first guideway to the cutting mechanism, the disks of
which may also operate to feed the web downwardly to and through the second
guideway to the grippers of the collecting cylinder. Assuming the leading
end of the web to have been properly led down by hand to the collecting cylinder,
when the machine is started the following operations take place.
The leading end of the web is caught by the first set of grippers 43 and begins
to travel with the collecting cylinder. Soon thereafter the cutters operate to
sever the first sheet, which remains on the collecting cylinder until it comes
around again in alignment with the folding rollers 41, when it and subsequently
superposed sheet are together folded into the bite of said rollers. While said
first sheet is traveling around with the collecting cylinder the second set of
grippers 44 grasps the head of the second sheet, which is presently detached
from the web by the cutters, and the said second sheet travels around with the
collecting cylinder until its creased margin comes opposite the bite of the folding
rollers 41, whereupon the folding blade 47 doubles the said single second sheet
into the bite of said rollers. After this initial operation of the machine the
folding blades, as they successively register with the folding rolls, always fold
or double two superposed sheets at a time into the bite of said folding rollers.
At Figure 5 the leading end of the first sheet of the web is shown as having
been caught by the first set of grippers 43.
At Figure this first sheet a is shown as having been detached from the
web, and at Figures 7 and 8 said sheet a is shown as still upon the surface of
the collecting cylinder, while at Figure 9 it will be seen that the said sheet is
being doubled with another sheet into the bite of the folding rollers.
By referring to Figure 6, it will be seen that the second set of grippers 44
have seized the leading end of the second sheet while it is intact with the web,
and this second sheet is shown at Figure 7 as being immediately doubled
into the bite of the folding rollers 41 while the first sheet is still on the collect-
ing cylinder. Before the first sheet a gets around to the place at which the
collecting cylinder receives the web the third set of grippers 45 will have been
opened and will have taken the next or third sheet cof the web, which is
detached as before and remains on the collecting cylinder like the first sheet a
for a full revolution and one-sixth of a revolution of said cylinder. Just before
the first set of grippers 43 reach the receiving point of the collecting cylinder
they are opened and at the proper time they receive the leading end of the next
or fourth sheet a', still integral with the web, and since the first sheet controlled
by the set of grippers 43 is still upon the cylinder, it follows that the said fourth
sheet. will be superposed upon the said first sheet, as shown in Figures 8 and 9,
and as soon as the grippers 43 close they will carry both said sheets around
one-sixth of a revolution or until the margins upon which they are to be folded
register with the bite of the folding rollers 41, when the folding blade 46 will
double said superposed sheets into the bite of said rollers, as represented at
Figure 9. During this superposing operation no sheet is in the grasp of the
grippers 44 but the sheet c is still in the grasp of the grippers 45 on the oppo-
site side of the cylinder.
When the grippers 44 arrive at the receiving point they seize the leading end
of the web again and at the proper time a sheet is detached as before and this

page_text: sheet 6' is carried around upon the surface of the collecting cylinder in the space
between the sets of grippers 44 and 45 and past the folding rollers 41, as shown
at Figures 10, and 11, since at this time and on this section of the cylinder
there is only a single sheet and two superposed sheets must now always be
delivered to the folding rollers.
When the grippers 45 carrying the sheet carrive at the receiving point of
the cylinder they are open and the next sheet c¹ on the web is superposed upon
the sheet c, the grippers closing at the proper time and carrying these two sheets
around together to the folding rollers into whose bite they are doubled by the
folding blade 48, as shown at Figure 11. While this is taking place the grip-
pers 43 take a new sheet a for the blank space existing between the grippers 43
and 44 and this sheet is carried around as illustrated at Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8,
until another sheet a¹ is associated with it and they then are together folded
into the folding rollers, as shown at Figure 9. When the grippers 44 controll-
ing the sheet b₁ again come around to the receiving point they receive another
sheet and then close and carry the two sheets around to the folding rollers into
whose bite they are forced by the folding blade 47.
It will be seen from the foregoing and from the drawings that when the
machine is running regularly each set of grippers acts first to seize a single sheet
and carry it around with the collecting cylinder for one full revolution, when a
second sheet is then superposed upon said first sheet and the grippers are caused
to carry around both said sheets, one on top of the other, for about one-sixth
of a revolution, whereupon the folding blade associated with said set of grippers
then acts to double the two collected sheets into the bite of the folding rollers,
from which the folded product of say eight pages may be conveyed to any suit-
able delivery mechanism, or if the product is to have more than eight pages
it may be carried to another set of folding rollers to be again doubled, and so on.
It will also be seen that there are three sets of grippers and that every other
set of grippers takes a single sheet clear around with the cylinder and that the
associating, collecting or superposing is performed alternately; otherwise stated,
each set of grippers first carries a single sheet one whole revolution of the
cylinder, then carries two superposed sheets for part of a revolution of the
cylinder, and then releases both sheets and travels the remainder of the revolu-
tion without having any sheet at all. The sheets that lie next to the surface
of the collecting cylinder may be designated as the inner sheets and the super-
posed sheets as the outer sheets. Every inner sheet travels entirely around
with the cylinder and at the completion of one revolution of the latter an outer
sheet is associated with an inner sheet. Every outer sheet travels only one-sixth
of a revolution of the cylinder, for when the associated inner and outer sheets
arrive at the folding rollers 41 they are folded into the bite of said rollers and
are taken away from said cylinder. This leaves the cylinder blank or sheetless
at this locality for the remaining five-sixths of its revolution. The set of grip-
pers immediately following that set of grippers which releases an inner and
outer superposed sheet to the folding rollers always approaches the receiving
point without any sheet, but the grippers of said set on their arrival at said
receiving point always take the next sheet of the web, and as said sheet lies next
to the surface of said cylinder it will be carried around by said grippers for a
full revolution of said cylinder, when said grippers will receive an outer sheet
and will carry the said inner and outer sheets around to the folding rollers as
before explained. There is always an inner sheet in the grasp of the set of
grippers preceding or in advance of the set of grippers which releases an inner
and outer sheet to the folding rollers, and hence when this preceding set of grip-
pers arrives at the receiving point an outer sheet is taken thereby and then the
inner and outer sheets are delivered to the folding rollers in the manner before
described with reference to the other sets of grippers. It will thus be seen
that each set of grippers is at one time without any sheet: next that said set of
grippers have in their grasp one sheet; and finally that they have in their grasp
two sheets and that when such two sheets have been carried around opposite

page_text: to the folding rollers the grippers are opened and the associated folding blade
doubles the said sheets into the bits of said folding rollers. It will also be
seen that in consequence of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the
grippers and folding blades that every second or alternate set of grippers
releases two superposed sheets to said folding rollers.
Referring more particularly to Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 it will be seen that in
Figure 8 the grippers 44 are without any sheet and that the grippers 45 have an
inner sheet in their grasp and that the grippers 43 have an inner sheet and are
taking on an outer sheet; that in Figure 9 the grippers 43 have released the two
sheets to the folding rollers and in consequence must make the remainder of the
revolution without any sheet; that the grippers 45 have one sheet in their grasp
and that the grippers 44 which traveled around without any sheet are now
grasping a sheet; that in Figure 10 the single sheet in the grasp of the grip-
pers 44 is passing by the folding rollers; that the grippers 43 are still without
any sheet, and that the grippers 45 are taking on an outside sheet; and that
in Figure 11 the grippers 45 have released the said two sheets to the folding
rollers, that the grippers 44 still have in their grasp a single sheet which
passed by the folding rollers in the previous figure, and that the grippers 43
are now taking hold of a single or inner sheet. Thus it will be seen that every
second set of grippers releases two sheets to the folding rollers; also that one
section of the cylinder first approaches the receiving point bare or without any
sheet; that the succeeding section approaches such point with a single or inner
sheet; and that the third section comes around to the receiving point sheetless;
but as each of the three sections arrives at the receiving point its controlling
grippers take the free end of the web, (whether such section be bare or have an
inner sheet thereupon) and as every alternate section approaching the receiving
point contains an inner sheet, it follows that an outer sheet will be alternately
superposed upon an inner sheet. And these two sheets. of every alternate section
are delivered to the folding rollers as above described. From the foregoing it
follows also that the folding blades operate only at every second revolution of
the cylinder.
The grippers of each set whether they have a sheet or not are opened before
they arrive at the tucker, preferably at about the point marked o, and are not
closed again until after the leading end of the web has come in between their
points and the cylinder, so that it may be positively grasped. In order that
the inner sheets upon the collecting cylinder may not lose their proper relation-
ship to the latter and to their controlling grippers when the latter have been
opened, a feed roller or series of disks 49 is provided to run in contact with the
sheet at the same surface speed as the cylinder, and hence keep said sheet travel-
ing properly relatively to said cylinder; and for the purpose of holding the
leading end of said sheet properly down upon the surface of said cylinder or in
other words from flapping, the curved guides or arms 33 are provided. In addi-
tion to said guides there are other guides 33* fixed below the under side of the
collecting cylinder.
The tucker disks are arranged in alignment with the gripper fingers and are
cut away as at 39 to accommodate the points of the previously opened grippers
and to enable said grippers to vibrate in the closing operations. The grippers
preferably remain open until their points have arrived about on the horizontal
line of the axis or shaft 38 of the tucker cylinder (or tucker disks) or to about
the position shown at Figure 5; meanwhile the nose or projection 40 of said
cylinder (or of each disk) approaches the surface of the collecting cylinder and
if necessary forces or directs the leading end of a sheet between the points of said
grippers and the surface of said collecting cylinder and holds it there until the
grippers close on said sheet. The tucker also operates positively to break any
connection that may exist between the tail of one sheet and the head of the
next, due to any imperfect action of the cutting mechanism-the tucker work-
ing in opposition to the open grippers acting to disrupt any fibrous or ligamentous

page_text: connection between the sheets and force the leading end of the web against the
surface of the cylinder while the tail of the preceding sheet is held off by the
open grippers. Thus the leading end of each sheet of the web is positively
tucked or held in between the collecting cylinder and the grippers and can never
flap or slide down on top of or on the outer sides of said grippers and thus fail
of seizure thereby, as might readily occur without the use of this tucking device.
The surface of the collecting cylinder being in length exactly equal to the
* lengths of three sheets, without allowance for the several sets of grippers, the
tail or rear end of each sheet will overlap or lie upon the grippers of the set
immediately behind that set which is in possession of said sheet, and hence
when said rear set of grippers is opened at the receiving point the tail end of the
preceding sheet is slightly elevated or moved away from the plane of rotation
of the collecting cylinder.
:
By proportioning the circumference of the collecting cylinder, to the length of
the sheets so that a plurality, as three, of the sheets will exactly fill or equal
the periphery of the cylinder, without extra space for the grippers, and by run-
ning the web of paper, the cutters and the collecting cylinder at the same surface
speed, I am enabled to provide that each set of grippers shall always have a
sheet in its grasp before it is cut off from the web, which is a desideratum of
the greatest importance.
The grippers, the folding blades and the means for properly operating the
same may be of any given or suitable construction and specifically form no part
of my present invention. The gripper and folding blade operating means illus-
trated are of conventional or familiar construction and hence do not need any
particularly full description. 50 designates the shafts or axes of the several
sets of grippers and 51 the shafts or axes of the several folding blades. Each
shaft 50 is provided at one end with oppositely projecting crank arms 52 and 53,
the latter being furnished with an anti-friction roll 54, which latter at the proper
time is acted upon by a fixed cam 55 to effect the opening and closing of the
grippers attached to said shaft. To the arm 52 is pivotally attached one end of
a rod 56 whose opposite end is supported by the end or head of the collecting
cylinder, and surrounding said rod is a coiled spring 57 that presses said rod in
the direction of the arm 52 and thereby tends to keep the roller 54 against the
face of the cam 55. During the rotation of the collecting cylinder each roller. 54
as it comes around strikes the fixed cam at about the point 55° and as the roller
rides up the cam the shaft 50 is rocked and the grippers are opened. When
the grippers have been fully opened the roller 54 then travels upon a straight
or dwell portion 55b of said cam and the grippers remain open sufficiently 'long to
enable the head of the web to get between the points of the grippers and the
surface of the collecting cylinder, when said grippers then close by reason of
the travel of the roller 54 down on the opposite side 55° of the fixed cam, the
spring 57 rocking the arms 52 and 53 and the shaft 50 and causing the roller 54
to run in contact with said face 55°. The grippers now remain closed until they
again come around to the cam 55, unless they should have in their grasp both
an inner and outer sheet, in which case they are opened by a constantly rotat-
ing release cam 58 mounted on a shaft or axis 59 on which there is also a gear
wheel 60 that is driven by a gear 61 on the shaft or axis of the collecting cylinder.
The rotating cam 58 acts only on every second set of grippers at which time,
as before explained, two superposed sheets are released to the folding rollers.
Each folding blade shaft is provided at one end with two oppositely projecting
arms 62. and 63 provided respectively with rollers 64 and 65 which are acted
upon by a cam slot 66 and by a flying cam 67 mounted on a shaft or axis 68,
supported in the side frame of the machine, the cam being at the inner end of
the shaft and rotating in a plane between the end of the folding cylinder and
the inner side of the side frame of the machine and in position to act alternately
upon the rollers 64 and 65 to direct them into the slot 66 in the circular cam
fixture 69 which is fastened to the inner side of the framework beyond the end

page_text: of the folding cylinder, as seen at Figure 1. The shafts 70 and 71 of the folding
rollers preferably pass through holes in an extension of the cam fixture 69, and
one of said, shafts 70 is preferably journaled in the frame-work, while the other
one 71 is journaled in a pivoted arm or lever 72, provided with a spring 73,
whereby the folding roller carried by this shaft is yieldingly supported so as to
accommodate varying thicknesses of paper passing between the said folding
roller, the hole in the extension of the cam fixture through which the shaft 71 passes
being slightly elongated to permit of this action. The flying cam shaft or axis
makes three revolutions to every one revolution of the folding cylinder and
acts to give each folding blade shaft or axis a half revolution as it passes said
flying cam. Inasmuch as there is a folding blade on one side only of its shaft
or axis it follows that each folding blade must act on the sheets on the folding
cylinder once for every full revolution of the folding blade shaft; or in other
words, each folding blade will act on said sheets once to every two revolutions
of the folding cylinder, and thus the folding blade will be inactive in passing
by the folding rollers at one time, but on the next revolution of the folding
cylinder will act to double two superposed sheets into the bite of the folding
rollers, as such sheets are released by their controlling grippers.
The flying cam shaft is provided at its outer end with a gear 74 which is
driven by a spur gear 75 on the folding cylinder shaft.
I shall now brieйy refer to the gearing in general by which the various parts
of my web folding machine are driven. At one end of the last impression
cylinder of the printing press is a spur gear 76 that meshes with an idler gear 77
which meshes with another idler 78 that meshes with a third idler 79, that in
turn is geared to a toothed wheel 80 on a cross shaft 81, mounted in the frame-
work of the folding machine. Said gear 80 meshes with a spur gear 82 on one
end of the folding cylinder and the said gear 82 meshes with a gear 83, which
gear is fixed at one end of a shaft 84 that extends across the machine to the
opposite side of the frame and terminates within the same. The gear 83 meshes
with a gear 85 on the axis of one of the rotary cutters and the gear 85 meshes
with a similar gear 86 on the axis of the other of the rotary cutters: On the
opposite end of the shaft 84 is a gear 87 that drives an idler 88 which drives
another idler 89 that meshes with a third idler 90 which drives a gear 91 on
one end of the creaser shaft 92, on the opposite end of which shaft is fixed a
gear 93 that meshes with a gear 94 on the companion creaser shaft. The
idler 89 drives a gear 95 which is on one end of the pasting roller 8. On the
opposite end of said pasting roller is another gear 96 that drives a like gear 97
on one end of the tape roller 7. On the shaft 98 having the gears 95 and 96 is
a third gear 99 that meshes with an idler 100, which in turn drives a gear 101
on the shaft 102 of the tape roller 9. On the opposite end of said shaft is a
gear 103 that meshes with a gear 104 on the shaft 105 of the companion tape
roller 10. The pasting roller and paste blade are preferably driven by suitable
gearing from the shaft 84, but I have omitted such gearing for the purpose of
simplifying the drawings.
The tucker cylinder or tucker disks are driven by the gear 82 meshing with
a gear 106 fast on the shaft 38 of the tucker cylinder or disks.
There may be as many plates upon the plate cylinders of the printing press
as may be desired. If there be eight plates on each plate cylinder the folding
apparatus may be provided with a suitable slitting mechanism for dividing the
web longitudinally and centrally so that the various mechanisms above described
may operate simultaneously to detach, collect, and fold side by side the sheets
of said divided sections of the web; but if desired each plate cylinder may be
provided with only four plates and the longitudinal slitter therefore omitted.
The folding apparatus may, if desired, operate so as not to superpose the sheets
but to fold or double every four page paper into the bite of the folding rollers
as it comes into register therewith. To effect this mode of operation it is only
necessary to provide each folding blade shaft or axis- with an additional "folding

page_text: blade diametrically opposite the one shown and described, and to make the grips
per tripping cam 58 stationary so that it will open each set of grippers every time
a gripper is brought into operative relationship with said cam; but whether
the machine be arranged to fold single sheets as last described or to fold only
two superposed sheets at a time, it is essential that the rotary cutters, the web,
and the folding cylinder all travel at the same surface speed; that the peri-
phery of the folding cylinder be proportioned to the length of the sheets as
herein before described, and that the grippers shall in each case grasp the head
of the web before the detachment of the leading sheet therefrom. As far as the.
tucking device or devices are concerned, while they are especially important
and advantageous in connection with the machine or apparatus as herein shown
and described, they may, however, be used with equal or substantial advantage
in other styles or types of folding machines to perform the same or substantially
the same function or functions as they perform in the present machine, and
hence I do not wish to be limited entirely to the use of said tucking device or
devices in machines of the precise construction and mode of operation herein
shown and described.
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. In a folding machine, the combination of any suitable means for feeding
a printed web or paper, means for cutting off sheets from said web, and a folding
cylinder provided with means for seizing the leading end of the web; the organi-
zation being such that the web, the cutting mechanism, and the folding cylinder
all travel at substantially the same surface speed, and such that the cutting
mechanism does not act to detach a sheet until after the leading end of the web
has been seized by the folding cylinder.
2. In a folding machine, the combination of any suitable means for feeding
a printed web of paper, means for cutting off sheets from said web, and a folding
cylinder whose circumference is exactly equal to a plurality of the detached
sheets.
3. In a folding machine, the combination of any suitable means for feeding a
printed web of paper, means for cutting off a sheet from said web, a folding
cylinder whose circumference is exactly equal to a plurality of the detached
sheets, and means on said cylinder for seizing the leading end of each sheet.
4. In a folding machine, the combination of mechanism for detaching sheets
from a printed web, a folding cylinder whose circumference is exactly equal
to a plurality of the detached sheets, and a plurality of sets of grippers on said
cylinder arranged and adapted to seize the leading ends of the sheets before they
are detached from the web.
5. In a folding machine, the combination of rotary cutters traveling at the
same surface speed as the printed web, and a folding cylinder having the same
surface speed as the rotary cutters and the web and provided with a plurality
of sets of grimpers arranged and adapted each to scize the leading end of the
web before the cutters operate to detach the sheet.
G. In a folding machine, the combination of a pair of rotary cutters traveling
at the same surface speed as the printed web, a folding cylinder whose circum-
ference is exactly equal to a plurality of the sheets detached by said cutters and
whose surface speed is the same as that of said cutters and the web, and a plurality
of sets of grippers equidistantly disposed about said cylinder and adapted each
set to seize the leading end of the web before the cutters operate to detach the
sheet to be carried by such set of grippers.
7. In a folding machine, the combination of a pair of rotary cutters traveling
at the same surface speed as the printed web, a folding cylinder whose circumfer-
ence is exactly equal to a plurality of the sheets detached by said cutters and
the web, a plurality of sets of grippers on said cylinder, a plurality of folding

page_text: blades on said cylinder, and means co-operating with said folding blades to take
the sheets away from said cylinder in a doubled or folded condition.
8. In a folding machine, the combination of a pair of rotary cutters, a folding
cylinder whose periphery is exactly equal to a plurality of the sheets detached by
said cutters, the said cylinder, the said cutters and the printed web all traveling
at the same surface speed, a plurality of sets of grippers, a plurality of folding
blades alternating therewith on said cylinder, and a pair of folding rollers co-
operating with said folding blade.
9. In a folding machine, the combination of a pair of rotary cutters, a folding
cylinder traveling at the same surface speed of said cutters and of the web, a
plurality of sets of grippers on said cylinder, each set of which is adapted to seize
the leading end of the web before detachment of the sheet, a plurality of folding
blades on said cylinder alternating with said sets of grippers, and a pair of fold-
ing rollers; the combination and arrangement being such that each set of grip-
pers takes the leading end of the web at the receiving point and before it is
detached by the cutters and such that every alternate set of grippers releases two
superposed sheets to the pair of folding rollers.
10. In a folding machine, the combination of a folding cylinder provided with
three sets of grippers and three folding blades, the periphery of said cylinder
being exactly equal to the length of three sheets to be folded and the surface
speed of said cylinder being exactly equal to that of the web, means for cutting
off from the web three sheets of paper at each revolution by said cylinder, and
means co-operating with said folding blades for taking the sheets away from said
cylinder in a doubled or folded condition.
11. In a folding machine, the combination of rotary cutters traveling at the
same surface speed as the printed web, a folding cylinder provided with three
sets of grippers, and alternately-arranged folding blades, the circumference of
said cylinder being in length exactly equal to the length of three sheets of paper
detached by the rotary cutters and traveling at the same speed as the web, a
pair of folding rollers, means for opening and closing a set of grippers so that
it may take the head of a sheet at the receiving point before it is detached from
the web, means for opening every alternate set of grippers to release two super-
posed sheets to said folding roller, and means for actuating the folding blades
so as to cause them to act alternately and double two superposed sheets into the
bite of said folding rollers when released by their associated grippers.
12. In a folding machine, the combination of means for detaching sheets from
the web, a folding cylinder whose circumference is exactly equal to three of
the sheets detached from the web and travels at the same surface speed as the
web, and three sets of grippers and three folding blades on said cylinder; the
combination and arrangement being such that as each set of grippers arrives
at the receiving point it takes the leading end of the web before detachment of
the sheet and either carries said sheet alone a full revolution of said cylinder to
enable another sheet to be superposed thereupon, or if such sheet be a super-
posed or outside sheet carries the same only a part of the revolution of said
cylinder and then releases the two superposed sheets so that the associated
folding blade may operate to fold or double said sheets and discharge them
from the surface of said cylinder.
13. In a folding machine, the combination of suitable web-cutting mechanism,
a folding cylinder whose periphery is divided into three equal sections, each
section being equal to the length of a sheet cut off from the web three sets of
grippers, one set included in each section, a folding blade for each section, a
pair of folding rollers, means for opening and closing said grippers at the proper
times to take sheets and before their detachment from the body of the web,
supplemental means for opening each alternate set of grippers having two
superposed sheets in their grasp, and means for actuating the proper folding
blade to double said superposed sheets into the bite of said folding rollers.
14. In a folding machine, the combination of a suitable cutting mechanism,
}
i

page_text: a folding cylinder traveling at the same surface speed as the cutting mechanism
and the web of paper, a plurality of sets of grippers and a. plurality of fold-
ing blades on said cylinder, means for opening and closing said grippers, and
a tucking device for directing the leading end of the web into the grasp, of
said grippers when open and before detachment of the sheet from the body
of the web.
15. In a folding machine, the combination of a suitable cutting mechanism,
a folding cylinder whose circumference is exactly equal in length to a plurality
of sheets detached from said web, a plurality of grippers and a plurality of
folding blades on said folding cylinder, and a tucking device for directing the
leading end of the web positively into the grasp of each set of grippers on
said folding cylinder.
16. In a folding machine, the combination of rotary cutters for detaching
sheets from the body of the web, a folding cylinder traveling at the same sur-
face speed as the web and having its periphery proportioned, as described, to
the length of the sheets detached by said cutters, a plurality of sets of grippers
on said cylinder, a tucking device having a cut-away or space to enable the
grippers to close, and provided with a nose or projection for positively direct-
ing the leading end of the web in between the said grippers and the surface of
the folding cylinder.
17. The combination of a cylinder provided with grippers, and a tucker for
directing the leading end of the web into the grasp of said grippers.
18. In a folding machine, the combination of a folding cylinder provided
with grippers and a rotary tucking device adapted to direct the leading end of
the sheet between the grippers and the surface of the cylinder.
19. In a folding machine, the combination of a folding cylinder having grip-
pers, a rotary tucking device having a nose or projection adapted to force the
leading end of the sheet into the space between said grippers when open and
the surface of the folding cylinder.
20. In a folding machine, the combination of a folding cylinder traveling
at the same surface speed as the web, mechanism for detaching sheets from the
web, and a tucking device adapted when the grippers are open to force the
leading end of the web in between the grippers and the surface of the cylinder,
and means for closing said grippers before detachment of the foremost sheet
from the body of the web.
21. In a folding machine, the combination of rotary cutters, a folding cylinder
whose periphery is exactly equal to a plurality of sheets detached by said cut-
ters and whose periphery travels at the same surface speed as the web, a plur-
ality of equidistant sets of grippers on said cylinder, a plurality of folding
blades alternating with said sets of grippers, means for taking away the doubled
or folded sheets from said cylinder when the folding blades are operated, and
a tucking device that pushes the leading end of the web positively into the
space between the grippers and the surface of the cylinder before the closure
of said grippers and before the detachment of the foremost sheet from the body
of the web.
22. In a folding machine, the combination of the rotary cutters, the folding
cylinder having a plurality of sets of grippers and a plurality of folding blades,
a pair of folding rollers, and a series of rotatory disks registering with the
gripper fingers and provided each with means for directing the leading end of
the web in between the open grippers and the surface of the folding cylinder
before detachment of the foremost sheet from the body of the web.
23. In a folding machine, the combination of a folding cylinder having grip-
pers, and a series of tucking disks adapted to force the leading end of a sheet
into the grasp of said grippers.
24. In a folding machine, the combination of a folding cylinder having grip-
pers, and a series of tucking disks each having a cut-away or space for the

page_text: operation of said grippers and also a nose or projection to direct the leading
end of a sheet into the grasp of said grippers.
25. In a folding machine, the combination of a folding cylinder having grip-
pers adapted to receive the leading end of the web, and a tucking device
adapted to act on the head of the web while the grippers are open and posi-
tively to break any fibrous or ligamental connection between the head of said
web and the tail of the preceding sheet, in case said connection should exist,
and to also positively force the leading end of the web into the space between
said grippers and the surface of the cylinder before the closure of said grippers.
Dated this 1st day of December 1898.
FELL & JAMES,
Agents for the Applicant.