Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 18th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
I, MARK SMITH of The "Manchester Guardian" Printing Works, Blackfriars,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Printer's Engineer and Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
--
This invention relates to paper folding machines and its object is to secure greater
accuracy and rapidity of work than is at present generally attained, and to enable
the paper to be delivered if desired, after any fold without passing completely
through the machine to the delivery end.
In a machine constructed according to these improvements each fold is produced
by means of a knife or blade and a gap cylinder in the gap of which a gripper or
grippers is or are arranged. The paper having been placed or having arrived at
the position over the gap of the cylinder and below the knife by which the fold is
to be made, the knife descends and produces the fold which is seized by the grippers.
The gap cylinder instead of rotating intermittently or continuously in one direction
is caused to rotate alternately in opposite directions by means of a toothed quadrant
or otherwise. From the gap cylinder the folded paper is delivered between two
sets of travelling tapes of which the upper set is driven by the cylinder and the
bottom set by a roller geared with the cylinder so that both sets of tapes may move
at the same speed.
The quadrant or other device which is employed to give the motion to the gap
cylinder is so arranged or driven that at each reversal of direction there is a dwell
or period of rest. It is arranged also that during alternate periods of rest, the gap
and grippers shall come under the folding knife, the position of the cylinder during
the other periods of rest will vary according to the size of the paper folded.
Assuming the paper to be once folded and seized by the grippers and that a second
fold is required, the cylinder is rotated as before described. At the half revolution,
the folded paper is delivered between the travelling tapes and the motion of the
cylinder and consequently also of the travelling tapes is continued until the line of
the second fold comes under the second knife, when the motion is arrested and the
second fold is made.
As many of the gap cylinders knives driving devices and travelling tapes are
employed as there are folds to be made, and each succeeding.cylinder is arranged in
the usual manner at right angles to the preceding one.
If it be required to deliver the paper from the machine after any particular fold,
the back roller of the top set of travelling tapes is arranged to be lifted slightly
is held
during the return motion of the cylinder and tapes and the folded paper
upon the table by a spring finger or presser, to prevent its return with the tapes.
When the motion of the tapes is again reversed, the paper is liberated, and the
forward motion of the tapes then delivers the papers to a fly or into a box. It is
preferred to employ a box and flyer for the delivery of the papers and to make the
box with a recessed portion for the reception of the papers. In this recessed
portion there is a vertical slide against which the papers are delivered and which
moves by the pressure of additions to the numbers, the papers being thus held
between the slide and the higher portion of the hox.
To enable the folds to be adjusted for any irregularity in printing or otherwise,
the knife is held adjustably, in a suitable holder.
Dated this 16th day of March A.D. 1893
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
I, MARK SMITH of The "Manchester Guardian" Printing Works, Blackfriars,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Printer's Engineer and Manager, 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 paper folding machines and its object is to ensure
greater accuracy and rapidity of work than is at present generally attained, and to
enable the paper to be delivered, if desired, after any fold without passing
completely through the machine to the delivery end.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, of
which :-
Figure 1 represents a sectional plan, Figure 2 a sectional side elevation, and
Figure 3 à sectional end elevation, of a four folder machine constructed according
to these improvements.
In this machine each fold is produced by means of a knife or blade A and a gap
cylinder B, in the gap of which a gripper or grippers is or are arranged in the
usual manner. As these and other parts are employed in each of the four folding
devices, similar letters of reference are employed to denote them in each case, but
I have for the purpose of clearness added numerals to the letters of reference
indicating the knives in the drawings. Thus A' is the knife of the first folder,
A of the second, A³ of the third, and A' of the fourth.
A slotted table is arranged in the usual manner above each gap cylinder, and
that part of the paper to be folded having been placed, or having arrived, thereon
at the position over the gap of the cyliuder and below the knife in which the fold
is to be made, the knife descends and produces the fold which is then seized by
the grippers. The knife is carried at the end of a curved lever C, the opposite
end of which is fitted with a friction bowl riding upon the cam C' by the rotation
of which the knife is operated. The grippers are operated in the usual manner
by the lever D which is also fitted with a friction bowl riding upon the cam E,
rotating with C¹.
Each gap cylinder, instead of being rotated continuously or intermittently in
one direction, is caused to rotate alternately in opposite directions, by means of a
toothed quadrant B' or otherwise. For this purpose, the toothed quadrant is
geared with a pinion on the gap cylinder shaft, and the quadrant is reciprocated
by any suitable means. The means which I prefer to adopt consist in mounting a
friction bowl G¹ upon one arm of the toothed quadrant, and actuating it by the
almost triangular cam G, upon which the friction bowl rides. This cam rotates
with the cams C and E and their motion is consequently synchronous. I may
however employ equivalent means for reciprocating the gap cylinder at the
appropriate times.
The folded paper is delivered from the gap cylinder between two sets of travelling
tapes H of which the upper set is driven by the cylinder, and the lower set by
rollers or pulleys I, directly driven by preference by the cylinder B and having
the same speed, so that the tapes travel together.
The toothed quadrant or other device which is employed to give the required
motion to the gap cylinder is so arranged and constructed, or is so driven that at
each reversal of the direction of rotation there is a dwell or period of rest.
This
is provided in the construction illustrated, by the peculiar shape of the cam G.
It is arranged also that during alternate periods of rest, the gap and grippers shall
come under the folding knife, the position of the gap cylinder during the other
4

page_text: periods of rest will vary according to the size of the paper folded, and is provided
for by an adjustable screw Z and stop Y hereinafter described.
Assuming the paper to have been once folded and seized by the grippers, of
the first gap cylinder, and that a second fold is required, the gap cylinder is rotated
as before described. As soon as the fold of paper has made a half revolution with
the gap cylinder, it is fully delivered between the two sets of travelling tapes H,
the motion of the cylinder and of the tapes is continued until the line of the second
fold comes under the second knife when the motion of the first cylinder is arrested
and the second fold is made by the second knife and cylinder. The first cylinder
is then returned to its original position and the cycle is repeated.
A
The liberation of the grippers is effected when the gap cylinder has made one
half a revolution or thereabouts by means of the fixed cam F which is carried on
the L-shaped arm L and bored for the passage of the gap cylinder shaft.
friction bowl F¹ connected with the grippers is mounted upon the end of the gap
cylinder and rides upon the fixed cam which is so shaped as to move the friction
bowl outwards and thus open the grippers at the proper time.
As many of the gap cylinders knives driving devices and sets of travelling tapes are
employed as there are folds to be made, and each succeeding cylinder is arranged
in the usual manner at right angles to and below the level of the preceding one.
If it be required to deliver the paper from the machine after any particular
fold, as for example the third, as illustrated by the drawings, Figure 2, the back
roller of the upper set of tapes H belonging to the gap cylinder in which the last
fold was made, is arranged to be lifted slightly during the return motion of the
cylinders and tapes and the folded paper is temporarily held on the table by a
spring finger or presser to prevent its return with the tapes. For this purpose the
back roller J of the top set of tapes is carried in arms K on the common axis Qon
which is also fixed the arm M, carrying the friction bowl N riding in contact with
the cam O shaped to give the motion at the desired time. The spring fingers P
which press upon and hold the folded paper during the return motion of the tapes,
are fixed upon and move with the axis Q and consequently are brought to bear
upon the paper when the top tapes are lifted, as is required. When the forward
motion of the tapes is resumed, the roller J is lowered and the fingers P lifted,
thus re-seizing the folded paper and carrying it forward for delivery by a fly or
otherwise into a suitable box or receptacle as is well understood. Of course the
knife making the following fold is in such a case put out of action.
It is preferred to employ a box and flyer for the delivery of the papers from the
apparatus, and to make the box R, Figure 3, with a recessed portion R' for
the reception of the papers. In this recessed portion there is a vertical slide S
against which the folded papers are delivered and which is displaced by the
pressure of additions to the number in the box, the papers being thus held between
the slide and the higher portion of the box.. The flyer is shewn in dotted lines T,
and may be driven from a crank U on the cam G, through a connecting rod V
and arm W.
To enable the folds to be adjustable for compensating any irregularity in
printing or otherwise, the knife is held adjustably in a suitable holder X.
For the purpose of limiting the motion of the gap cylinder, to suit varying sizes
of paper, I may form a stop Y on the toothed quadrant, which comes into contact
with the end of an adjustable screw Z at the required instant and so arresting the
motion of the quadrant and cylinder.
The machine is driven by the pulley a mounted upon the first motion shaft b on
which the spur pinion 1 is fixed. This spur pinion gears with the spur wheel 2
fixed upon the second motion shaft c on which the cams C¹ G for the first
transverse gap cylinder is fixed. The wheel 2 gears with an equal wheel 3 on
shaft d which carries the cam C₁ of the third gap cylinder. Wheel 3 gears in
turn with an equal wheel 4 on shaft e which carries the cam G for the third gap
cylinder.
The two longitudinal gap cylinders are similarly driven from the shaft f which

page_text: is geared with shaft e by means of bevel wheels 5 and 6. I desire it to be under-
stood that I do not limit myself to the herein before described system of gearing
or method of driving the various parts of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A paper folding machine constructed arranged and operated substantially
as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a paper folding machine, the combination and arrangement with a gap
cylinder grippers and folding knife of two sets of endless tapes, means for actuating
the grippers and knife, and devices for reciprocally rotating the gap cylinder and
endless tape pulleys, substantially as herein before described and as illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
3. In a paper folding machine, the combination and arrangement with a
reciprocally rotating gap cylinder and two sets of tapes moving therewith, of a
spring finger or presser operated to hold the folded paper during the return motion
of the tapes and means for lifting the upper set of tapes, substantially as
herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
4. In a paper folding machine, two sets of tapes moving alternately in opposite
directions in combination with means for lifting the top set of tapes during their
return motion, substantially as herein before described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of December A.D. 1893.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.