IMPROVEMENTS IN ENVELOPES, WRAPPERS, AND COVERS, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS "FOR THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HENRY BURSILL, of Hornsey Road, Middlesex, Engineer, and JOSEPH RADFORD,
of Maida Hill; Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Sixth day of November, in the eleventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said George Henry Bursill and Joseph Radford, our exors, admors,
and assigns, Her especial license, full power; sole privilege and authority,
that we, the said George Henry Bursill and Joseph Radford, our exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as we; the said George Henry Bursill
and Joseph Radford, our exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, in England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENVELOPES, WRAPPERS, AND COVERS, AND
IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS "FOR THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF;" in which
said "Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said George Henry
Bursill and Joseph Rudford, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
George Henry Bursill and Joseph Radford, do hereby declare that the nature
of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are fully described in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings & to the letters & figures marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
:-
Our Invention consists,-
First, of improvements in envelopes, wrappers, and covers.
Secondly, of improvements in machinery and apparatus for the manu-
facture of envelopes, wrappers, and covers.
And in order that our Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
It is well known that the extensive use of envelopes, wrappers, and covers
of modern time has been attended with one serious evil, which is, that letters,
notes, and other documents sent by post under envelopes, wrappers, or covers,
do not get marked and dated by the Post Office authorities, hence there is
often experienced a difficulty in proving legally documents so sent.
Now the object of the first part of our Invention is, so to construct
an envelope, wrapper, or cover, that the stamp used at a post office may mark
the enclosed document, and print thereon such marks as will indicate the date
of posting, or so much thereof as, together with the remainder on the envelope,
will enable the receiver to put in proof such enclosed document. This part of
our Invention may be carried out in two ways, the one allowing of the surface
of the stamping instrument, or the ink thereon, to penetrate to the document
contained in an envelope, wrapper, or cover, and thuse cause the contained
document to be printed by such stamping instrument; the other mode con-
sisting of the use of a suitably-prepared internal surface to an envelope, so as
to print on the contained document when the exterior of the cover or envelope
is struck with a stamping instrument.
Plate 1 shews an external view of an envelope, wrapper, or cover, made
according to the first part of our Invention, the part at a, a, being perforated
in the manner shown, or according to any device, so as to remove a consider-
able portion of the envelope or cover at that part, by which means, when the
instrument for stamping the same is used at a post office, a considerable
portion of the ink impression will be received on to the enclosed document,
sufficient in itself, or when conjoined with the envelope or wrapper, to show
the date of its postage. In place of having several holes, a single hole of a

page_text: that the male and female dies, on being inserted and nicely fitted therein, are
prevented from coming out by reason of their form, and similar holes. made
in the cylindrical gun-metal casings, and filled up from the interior with
indian rubber, are found useful for the discharging our cut envelopes, or any
such portions of paper as may have a tendency to adhere, since, if suffered to
protrude a little way, the indian rubber, by reason of its elasticity, rises imme-
diately after its compression between the rollers, and so serves to discharge
such cut portions of paper. The position of a male punch and female punch
fixed in this way is shewn at F, at x, x, and w, w. The creasing we perform
by sinking a very narrow under-cut groove or grooves upon the surface either
of x, x, or of w, w, as may be most convenient, the direction of such grooves
being made to vary according to the particular part in which such creasing
is desired to be performed, and into such under-cut grooves we introduce slips
of horn or of brass rule made to fit therein, yet leaving a slightly projecting
ridge above the surface of the roller; grooves adapted to receive such pro-
jections are then sunk upon the surface of the gun-metal casing of the
accompanying roller, and we find it advantageous to have the female grooves
made of ample width and filled up with indian rubber. The direction in
which the creasers should be inserted when employed are in part shown by
dotted lines on the gun-metal casing x, x.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be carried into effect, we wish it to be understood that
we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein-before set down, so
long as the peculiar character of our Invention be retained.
But what we claim, as the first part of our Invention, is the so perforating
envelopes, wrappers, and covers, that the impression given at a post office may
penetrate to and mark the contained documents in a manner to enable parties
to prove the time of posting the same.
Secondly, we claim the mode of cutting out envelopes, wrappers, and covers,
by employing rotary cylinders having suitable cutting apparatus applied
thereto, as described.
And we also claim the combining therewith apparatus for perforating,
embossing, and creasing.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Henry Bursill and Joseph
Radford, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Sixth day of
May, One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
GEORGE HENRY (L.S.) BURSILL.
JOSEPH (L.S.) RADFORD.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid George Henry Bursill and Joseph
Radford came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid; and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
Enrolled the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.

page_text: larger size may be used, and covered by fixing lace on the inside, or otherwise
so preparing the same that the ink will penetrate, and more or less mark the
contained document. And in order to ensure the authorities at a post office
marking or stamping a posted envelope or cover and its contents from the
proper place, we recommend that there should be an embossed, printed, or
marked design surrounding or pointing out the place where the printing
instrument is to be employed. In place of making envelopes, wrappers, or
covers so that the ink used at a post office may penetrate and mark a con-
tained document, a portion of the interior of an envelope or cover may be
prepared on the interior with suitable materials in the manner of transfer
paper, or what is called "carbonic paper," used in manifold writers or other-
wise, as is well understood, and so as to give off an impression to the enclosed
document, when struck from without by a stamp at a post office, by which
means not only will the outside be printed with the ink impression, but a
corresponding impression will be produced from the prepared surface of the
envelope or wrapper on to the contained document; and in this case also the
exterior of the envelope, wrapper, or cover should be embossed, printed, or
marked so as to indicate where the post office instrument is to be used. The
position of the perforations and of the transfer preparations may be varied,
avoiding, however, the right-hand upper corner, where it is usual to apply the
Queen's head or postage stamp ; we, however, believe that the position shewn
in Plate 1 is that which will be found most convenient.
We will now describe the second part of our Invention, consisting of
improvements in machinery and apparatus for the manufacture of envelopes,
wrappers, and covers; and inasmuch as it has been usual with the envelope
manufacturers to obtain a supply of lozenge or other shaped pieces of paper
from the mill, which pieces have afterwards to undergo the operations of
cutting to shape, and occasionally of perforating, in addition to which they
have not unfrequently to be embossed, and at some period or other to be
creased, in order to give the proper places for making the foldings, by which
multifarious operations much time is lost. Now, with a view to obtain
dispatch, we have invented the means for performing the whole of these
operations simultaneously when desired; and since the whole of them are
not always required to be performed, our machines have to be modified
accordingly.
Figure 1, Plate 2, is an end elevation of a machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation
of the other end. Fig. 1, Plate 3, is a front elevation, and Fig. 2, Plate 3, a
vertical longitudinal section. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, Plate 4, are portions of
improved apparatus used in connection with the same machine. 'Figure 5 is

page_text: intended to show the envelopes in a particular stage of the manufacture. At
Fig. 6 are shown two envelopes,and two portions of envelopes... L, M, are the
envelopes, and Y, Z, are fragments, the dotted lines serving, to indicate the
places at which the creasers; when employed, should;; as far as..convenient, be
adjusted. Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 are drawn full size; the other Figures are to
scale. The lettering is similar when used in reference to the same parts in all
the respective Figures.. A; A, A, A, Figures 1,and 2, Plates 2 and 3, show a
pair of rollers. keyed to their respective central shafts a, a', supported in
appropriate bearings. The brasses b, b, to the shaft of the upper roller are so
arranged as to admit of the roller being adjusted to any required height. By
the aid of adjusting screws c, c, the iron standards d, d, d', d', are bolted to an
iron table B, B.. Fig. 3, Plate 3; represents a transverse section of the cutting
roller on the line a", a". The rollers are made to revolve by.. aid of a band
from a steam engine or by other suitable power, for the better accomplishment
of which a drum C, C, is keyed to the shaft of, the lower roller, which shaft is
also made to carry a fly wheel E, E, suitably keyed to the same.. D, D, D', D',
are toothed wheels for driving the upper roller. The rollers should be as
nearly as possible of the same diameter, it being of importance that they should
make the same number of revolutions in the same period of time, in order
to preserve as nearly as may be the same relative positions towards each other
of any projections made upon the surface of the one roller with any hollows
to receive such projections sunk.upon the surface of the other, roller, for which
reason the cog wheels should have the same number of teeth, which should be
carefully and regularly cut. s, s, s', s', serve to shew the peripherys of a pair
of rotary steel cutters. x, x, is a cylindrical gun-metal casing affixed by keying
to an iron roller beneath. z, z, are gun-metal rings or casings for sup-
porting the rotary cutters s, s, s', s'. The parts. cut away, or grooves in the
periphery of z, z', ȧre to serve for the introduction of marginal tapes from
any suitable feeding apparatus. t, t, are rings either of lead, tin, or other
suitable material, for the rotary cutters to act upon when shapeing out the
envelopes. w, w, is a cylindrical gun-metal casing, keyed to an iron. roller
beneath. ff. are gun-metal plates to keep the rings.t, t, .in their proper
places. The rings 2, 2, are kept in their places by the plates ff". The
plates ffff, may be screwed up or unscrewed by aid of the iron nuts
m, m, m', m', the male screws to which are cut upon hollow gun-metal rings
0, 0, 0', o', keyed to their. respective roller shafts a, a, a', a.. When the ringst, t,
get worn they may be.replaced by. new ones, for the, ready accomplishment of
which they are made in pieces. The rotary cutters are also made in pieces
to admit of their being taken out with facility in order to sharpen the same.

page_text: A ring of lead 't, t, is shewn separately at Figure 1, Plate 4. g, g, is a channel
to keep it firmly adjusted by aid of a projecting bead upon its accompanying
gun-metal plate. k, k, shews the division into two pieces: q, q, are the.
places for keying, in order to prevent the ring from turning round upon the
iron roller:
:
:
;
At Figure 2, Plate 4, is shown separately a rotary cutter s; s. The division,
into two pieces is shown at k', k. 9'; ', are the key ways, and i, i, i, i, are,
orifices made to fit steady pins to correspond. The paper or other suitable
material on being passed through the rollers for the manufacture of envelopes
would simply be shaped longitudinally (by the cutters described), as shown on
the enlarged scale at Figure 5, Plate 4, so that, in order to form it into
envelopes, the transverse cuttings in the part shown by the dotted lines.
would still have to be performed. In order to strike out the holes marked F
a gun-metal step containing a suitable punch should be sunk in the face of one
of the central cylindrical gun-metal casings x, x, and made to fit therein, and
at an appropriate spot in the gun-metal cylindrical casing of the accompanying.
roller should be introduced a suitable bed, or bolster, and since, by reason of.
the toothed wheels being nicely fitted to act as guides, such punch and bed.
must, upon every occasion, come opposite to each other during the rotation of
the rollers, it follows of course, that, being properly adjusted; they must strike
out such holes, and any additional perforations desired may be made in
a similar way, the pieces cut out .escaping. through the punches. by suitable
orifices into the interior of one of the rollers, which, for that purpose,.
should be made hollow, as shown at A, A; Fig. 2,. Plate 3, where orifices:
y, y, are also shown for emptying the same; but when preferred the
pieces may be discharged from within the punches by other equivalent,
means, as by the aid of india-rubber springs contained within the same.
In order to perform the transverse cuttings l, n, v, h, r,. l, n', v', h, r
1, n, v, h, r, Figure 5, Plate 4, and at one and the same time with,
performing the longitudinal cuttings; so as to shape out the envelope. com-
plètely at one operation, we sink in the face. of the cylindrical gun-metal
casings x, x, and 2, Figures 1 & 3, Plate: 3, under-cut grooves, the direction.
of which is shown by the dotted lines p, p, p, p A portion of the
plate has to be also cut away at the part shown by the dotted lines, and,.
5 having first. taken care to remove the cutter s, s, we introduce into the
under-cut grooves the gun-metal pieces m", m", m"; shown full size at
Figure 4, Plate 4, made to contain within them steel cutters 11, 111; 7", shown
at Figure 3; the steel cutter s, s, Figure 1, Plate 2, is then replaced, and a
gun-metal plug. j inserted against it in order to fill up the space made in ..

page_text: The plate f is then screwed up to keep all firm, for which reason it must be first
turned round a little way so that the part cut away shall not come opposite to
the plug inserted in z. A suitable bed for the cutter to act upon has to be
introduced in w, w, in a groove, the course of which is shown by the dotted
lines, and which bed may be of lead or of tin, secured in like manner to the
step described to contain the cutter, or in order to admit of its being removed
at any time without taking the rollers out of their respective bearings. In the
Drawings shown the rollers are fitted up for the cutting of three envelopes at
each revolution. In place of the rings of lead t, t, we occasionally employ steel
cutters supported by aid of gun-metal rings and plates adapted to act, in
conjunction with the cutters affixed to the upper roller, the part of rotary
shears; for which reason the peripherys of the lower cutters are not suffered to
project beyond the surface of the central gun-metal casing to the roller to
which they belong, and the peripherys of their supporting rings and plates
have to be in part cut away that they may form no impediment to the working
of the upper cutters. We also occasionally substitute rotary steel or gun-
metal punches for the cutters s, 8, s', s', and rotary beds or bolsters of steel
suitably formed to receive the same, in place of the rings of lead shown upon
the lower roller, and which rotary punches, being broader and stronger than
the cutters s, s, s', s', described, admit of the cutting edges being sharpened up
on either side, so that such cutting edges may be made to vary considerably
from each other, which is occasionally an advantage for the shapeing out of
envelopes, though requiring in the first instance greater nicety of workmanship
in making the necessary adjustments.
It remains to describe the means for combining with the operations of
perforating and of cutting the envelopes to shape the processes of embossing
and of creasing. For the purpose of embossing, we sink the requisite dies
in the surface either of x, x, or of w, w, or we otherwise introduce the
dies by the aid of under-cut grooves, and of suitable gun-metal steps, as
in the manner already shown for introducing a cutter, and depending
mainly upon the material of which such dies are required to be made. At
appropriate places in the opposite gun-metal casing we introduce the requisite
beds for embossing, as of lead, or of leather, or of compressed paper, con-
tained in suitable steps, and made to fit compactly therein, the object being
in every case that such beds for embossing should by use assume the
form of a punch to fit the die immediately opposed to it during the
rotation of the rollers. A mode we sometimes employ for fixing the
male and female dies in our cylindrical gun-metal casings to the iron rollers
is to sink a hole in the same, and which hole we enlarge from the interior, so