Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Inserting Papers into the Folds of Textile Piece Goods.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 16th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Inserting Papers
into the Folds of Textile Piece Goods.
We, JOSEPH HACKING RILEY, Engineer, and EDMUND O'CONNOR, Book-
keeper, both of the Elton Iron Works, Bury, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto when textile piece goods have to be pressed by hydraulic pressure in
the finishing processes they have, prior to this treatment, been folded by hand or
by suitable apparatus and the papers which have to be employed between the folds
have been inserted by hand by the pressman. The object of our invention is to
avoid the delay inseparable from the use of hand labour in papering, and to enable
the operation to be conducted at a less cost.
According to our invention as each fold of the cloth is made we cause to be
automatically inserted therein a layer of paper, by means of suitably constructed
apparatus.
In this apparatus there are arranged three rising and falling tables in line, upon
the centre one of which the cloth is folded. On each of the outer tables there is
arranged a pile of the papers, from the top of which, at each fold, a single paper
is removed and inserted upon the fold last made. Thus, if the last previous fold
of the cloth be taken to the left, a paper is withdrawn from the right table and
laid upon it. The next fold of the cloth is taken to the right, and is followed
by a paper from the left. This cycle of motions is repeated until the operation is
completed.
It is obvious that as the pile of cloth increases in thickness, the relative levels of
the folded cloth and of the upper papers will be materially changed, and this
change will be further increased by the removal of the papers. To provide for
this, we may arrange for the gradual descent of the middle table and the ascent
of the outer tables, so that the top paper of each pile on the outer tables shall
always be on the same horizontal plane as the last fold made in the cloth on the
middle table.
It is not imperative however that all the tables should be made to rise and fall,
since the relative levels of the upper surfaces of the piles of paper and of the
folded cloth might be maintained either by causing the middle table to fall between
two fixed outer tables, or the two outer tables to rise on each side of the middle
table. With either of these arrangements however the level above the floor at
which the papers are inserted gradually changes and complications in the apparatus
are necessary to provide the required adjustments.
Various means, at present well known, may be employed for transferring the
papers from the piles to the folds of the cloth, such for example as the pneumatic
fingers employed in some kinds of printing machinery, or slides or levers which
push the top sheet over a gauge plate the upper edge of which is about level at all
times with the second sheet from the top.
If it be required to heat the tables or either of them they may be made hollow
for the admission of steam, or they may be otherwise conveniently heated.
Dated this 13th day of January A.D. 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Inserting Papers
into the Folds of Textile Piece Goods.
We, JOSEPH HACKING RILEY, Engineer, and EDMUND O'CONNOR, Book-
keeper, both of the Elton Iron Works, Bury, in the County of Lancaster, 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:—
Hitherto when textile piece goods have had to be pressed by hydraulic pressure
in the finishing processes they have prior to this treatment, been folded by hand or
by suitable apparatus and the papers which have to be employed between the folds
have been inserted by hand by the pressman. The object of our invention is to
avoid the delay inseparable from the use of hand labour in papering, and to enable
the operation to be conducted at a less cost.
According to our invention, as each fold of the cloth is made, we cause to be
automatically inserted therein a layer of paper by means of suitably constructed
apparatus.
In this apparatus there are arranged three rising and falling tables in line, upon
the centre one of which the cloth is folded. On each of the outer tables there is
arranged a pile of papers from the top of which, at each fold, a single paper is
removed and inserted upon the fold last made. Thus, if the last previous fold be
taken to the left, a paper is withdrawn from the right table and laid upon it. The
next fold of the cloth is taken to the right and is followed by a paper from the left.
This cycle of motions is repeated until the operation is completed.
It is obvious that as the pile of cloth increases in thickness, the relative levels
of the folded cloth and of the upper papers will be materially changed and this
change will be further increased by the removal of the papers. To provide for
this, we may arrange for the gradual descent of the middle table and the ascent
of the outer tables, so that the top paper of each pile on the outer tables shall
always be on the same horizontal plane as the last fold of cloth on the middle
table.
It is not imperative however that all the tables should be made to rise and fall,
since the relative levels of the upper surfaces of the piles of paper and of the folded
cloth might be maintained either by causing the middle table to fall between two
fixed outer tables, or the two outer tables to rise on each side of the fixed middle
table. With either of these arrangements the level above the floor at which the
papers are inserted gradually changes and complications in the apparatus are
necessary to provide the required adjustments.
Various means, at present well known, may be employed for transferring the
sheets of papers from their piles to the folds of cloth, such for example as the
pneumatic fingers employed in some kinds of printing machinery, or slides or levers
which push the top sheet over a gauge plate the upper edge of which is about level
at all times with the second sheet reckoning from the top.
If it be required to heat the tables or either of them, they may be made hollow
for the admission of steam, or they may be otherwise conveniently heated.
The accompanying drawings which are hereinafter referred to, illustrate an
apparatus constructed for the purposes of our invention.
In each of the figures similar letters of reference are employed to denote similar
parts.
Figure 1 is a partial plan.
Figure 2 a partial side elevation.
Figure 3 is an end view of the clutch motion.

page_text: Figure 6 is a partial sectional elevation of the devices for transferring the papers
to the folds of cloth.
Figure 7 is a plan of Figure 6.
The apparatus for supplying the cloth to the folding and papering devices is
shewn to the left of Figures 1 and 2, and to the right and in the upper part of
Figure 4, and may be of the usual or any convenient construction. A A are the
feeding rollers, B the travelling band, C the tension roller carried on a lever D
counterweighted at d and fulcrumed below the arm E. The arrangement of the
counterweighted lever is duplicated, the tension roller being mounted at each end
on a separate lever.
G is the first motion shaft driven by the pulley g. On this shaft there is
mounted a spur pinion H gearing with the spur wheel h which drives the feeding
rollers A A, and the wheel I which actuates the rising and falling tables and the
devices for holding the successive folds of cloth as they are made.
On the wheel I there is fixed an adjustable crank pin i, on which there are
mounted the two connecting rods J j, the opposite ends of which are adjustably
secured in the slotted arms K K'. The similar connecting rod is adjustably
secured in the slotted arm K and its opposite end in the similar slotted arm K.
Hence similar motion is imparted to each of the slotted arms K K' and K' and the
amount of angular displacement of each arm may be regulated by altering the
position at which the connection with the connecting rods is made. The slotted
arms are respectively freely mounted upon the shafts L L' L' upon which are
fixed the ratchet wheels 1. The slotted arms carry the pawls kk¹k which
engage with the teeth of their respective ratchet wheels. Motion imparted to the
slotted arms from the wheel I is thus transmitted to the shafts L L' L' which are
thereby intermittently rotated. On the inner ends of the shafts L L' L' there are
mounted the bevel pinions M M₁ M" which gear with the bevel wheels m m³ m²,
the eyes of which form nuts for the screwed spindles N N¹ N' Figure 5. If all the
bevel pinions are geared with their wheels on the same side of the machine as
indicated by Figure 1, then the centre screwed spindle N' must have a left hand
thread if the others have right hand, or the reverse.
The screwed spindles N N N carry at their upper ends the tables 0 0¹ 0' of
which O and O' are the paper tables and O¹ the table on which the cloth is folded
and papered.
It will be seen that as the centre table O' is caused to descend as the layers of
cloth are accumulated upon it, the outer tables on which the piles of paper are laid
are caused to ascend at such a rate as to keep the top of each pile about level with
the top of the piled layers of papered cloth.
As already stated, this arrangement may be modified by arranging the two
outer paper carrying tables to be fixed, and the centre cloth table to descend at
such a rate that its top layer is always about level with the top layers of paper, but
we prefer the more simple and certain method of construction illustrated by the
drawings.
The spur wheel h carries a crank pin h¹ on which is mounted an adjustable
connecting rod P which is secured to the crank pin by a strap and cotter. The
adjustment may be secured as shewn by Figures 2 and 3, where the crank pin is
fixed in a sliding block arranged in a groove radial to the wheel h, and the position
of the block relatively to the centre of the wheel is determined by rotating the
screw h³. Any other arrangement of variable crank may be employed. The
connecting rod P is also preferred to be adjustable by being divided into two parts
which overlap each other and have longitudinal slots formed in the overlapping
parts. These are connected together by screw bolts in the usual manner. There
are two of the connecting rods one on each side of the machine driven by similar
wheels with their crank pins co-axial and equidistant from the centres of their
wheels. The connecting rods are pinned at their outer ends to the reciprocating
bars p to which are secured the pins R R' which actuate the paper feed, and the
pins $ which actuate the folding device. Instead of driving both the cloth folding

page_text: and paper feed motions from the same wheel and crank pin, they may be driven
from separate wheels which however must be positively geared together to secure
synchronous motion. This arrangement permits independent adjustment for each
motion. The pins R R₁ are duplicated and reciprocate the sliding blocks r
which travel in slides on either side of the machine, formed in the side framing.
The pins are extended through the blocks and have each cast or fixed upon them a
bracket in which is fulcrumed the bent lever T or T¹ which at its angle carries
a friction bowl t or t¹ and at its opposite end is secured to the transverse bar t³,
below which are fixed feet T" shod with felt, soft indiarubber, or like material.
These feet are employed to feed the sheets of paper into the folds of cloth by
frictional contact. The feet T to the left of Figures and 6 are just commencing
their stroke towards the folded cloth and will push the top sheet of paper into the
fold just commencing to be formed. When the top sheet of paper has been pushed
fully into the fold of cloth as shewn to the right of the figures, the feet commence
their return journey, and to prevent them pulling the sheet back again the device U
is employed. This consists of a hinged plate which points towards the centre line
of the machine and normally folds over the path of the friction bowl or t¹. In
the stroke towards the centre of the machine, when feeding the paper, the friction
bowl passes under the hinged plate but in its backward stroke, it must travel up
the hinged plate, and along the bar U₁ from the end of which it drops into the
original position. Consequently upon the raising of the friction bowls upon the
rails or bars U¹ the feet T will be lifted on the return stroke free from the papers,
as indicated by the dotted lines.
The pins S carry the wipers S¹ on each side of the machine, and the blocks s,
also on each side of the machine. To these blocks are fastened the converging
plates between which the cloth passes, and by the reciprocation of which the
folds are made. A little within each end of the stroke of the wipers are fixed the
pins with which the wipers come into contact at the end of each stroke. One of
the converging plates of the cloth guide nearer to the paper on that side,
consequently becomes tilted up so as to allow the more ready insertion of the
paper. As soon as the cloth guide has travelled so far that the wiper has come
out of contact with the pin, the guide resumes the normal position indicated by the
dotted lines Figure 5.
On the wheel I already described, there is fixed the additional pin which
comes into contact with the levers V V₁ producing oscillatory motion in them.
These levers are in duplicate, that is to say there is a pair on each side of the
machine, and the motion of the pairs is rendered synchronous by fixing them on the
transverse shafts vv. The ends of the levers carry pins to which adjustable cords
are connected. These cords W W' travel over suitable guide pulleys and are secured
at their other ends to the flat horizontal swinging arms at ww. The motion of
the arms w w¹ is such that at the moment a fold in the cloth has to be made, the
swinging arm on that side moves round until its front edge is in line with the
coming fold which is then made over it, the paper having already been inserted.
The cloth guide then returns to the other side of the machine, a sheet of paper is
inserted and the second swinging arm is brought into position as described for the
first, and another fold is made. The cloth folder then returns to the first position,
but just before reaching it, the first inserted swinging arm is pulled out by its lever
and cord until clear of the cloth, when its lever is liberated and the arm is pulled
back over the layer of cloth just arranged and the sheet of paper just inserted over
it, into position for another fold to be made over its edge. The swinging arms are
removed from the cloth by the levers V V' and their cords, and are re-inserted by
springs such as the indiarubber bands w³.
For the purpose of independently raising or lowering the tables the hand chain
wheels 1, 2, 3, are mounted on studs carried in bearings on the brackets 4, 5.
These wheels are geared by pitch chains with the similar wheels 6, 7, 8, on the
shafts L LL. If then the three pawls k k¹ k* be lifted, either of the tables may
be raised or lowered by turning the appropriate chain wheel 1, 2, or 3 by its

page_text: handle a.
On the shafts L and L' supplementary chain wheels 9 and 10 are
mounted, the wheel 9 being fixed and 10 being free, and are geared together by a
suitable pitch chain. The loose wheel 10 can be caused to rotate with its shaft or
remain free, by actuating the clutch 11, shewn in the partial end elevation Figure 3.
If therefore the clutch be caused to engage with the wheel 10, both of the paper
tables will be equally raised or lowered by rotating one of the handles of the chain
wheel 1 or 3, but if it be disengaged, either table may be independently raised or
lowered by its separate gearing.
To prevent the removal of more than one sheet at a time from the piles of paper,
there is arranged in front of each pile, between it and the cloth table, a gauge
plate Y, the upper edge of which is at exactly such a height that only one sheet of
paper can pass over it, that is to say the top edge of the gauge is just the thickness
of one sheet of paper below the level of the top of the pile.
It will be observed that in estimating the top surface of the
allowance must be made for the thickness of the swinging arms.
the effective level is taken above, these bars.
layers of cloth,
That is to say,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. Apparatus for inserting sheets of paper into the folds of textile piece goods,
constructed arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and as
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for inserting sheets of paper into the folds of textile piece goods,
the combination and arrangement of three tables on the centre one of which the
cloth is folded and on the outer ones of which the piles of papers are arranged, in
combination with devices for maintaining the levels of the folded cloth and of the
piles of paper, and of devices for folding the cloth and for feeding the papers into
the folds, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
3. The method of inserting sheets of paper between the successive layers of
folded textile piece goods, which consists in folding the cloth on a central table
between two piles of sheets of paper respectively carried on tables on opposite sides
of the centre table, and feeding the papers into successive folds by reciprocating
feeders over a gauge plate, substantially as and by the means hereinbefore described
and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of November A.D. 1893.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicants.