IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING ENVELOPES AND PAPER BAGS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Gathercole, of Bath Terrace, Camberwell
New Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING ENVELOPES AND PAPER BAGS."
Sealed the 26th July 1859, and dated the 27th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Gathercole at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th January 1859.
I, JAMES GATHERCOLE, of Bath Terrace, Camberwell New Road, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING ENVELOPES AND PAPER
BAGS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of machinery whereby
envelope blanks may be gummed, creased, folded into envelopes, and packed;
it is also, applicable with slight and obvious modifications for the making of
paper bags.

page_text: In this machine I employ slides for folding over the flaps of the envelope,
and I mount these between guides in a hollow table that forms the box for
receiving the envelope. Both above and below the slides I provide a plunger,
the upper one to force down the blank into the box, and the lower one to give
the pressure which completes the folding of the envelope after the flaps have
been laid over by the action of the slides. To ensure the proper delivery of
the blanks under the creasing plunger I provide a traversing clip, which will
take the blanks as they are placed in succession between register pins on the
table of the machine, and lay them under the creasing plunger. This clip
consists of a fixed jaw, bolted to or forming part of a travelling socket, and a
moveable jaw hinged thereto. The socket slides upon a fixed guide, and it is
operated by a rock lever that receives its motion from any convenient part of
the mechanism. The hinged jaw is closed by a spring, and forced open by a
finger on the jaw coming in contact with a stop on the table of the machine.
To permit of the machine operating with equal efficiency on different thick-
nesses of paper, the edges which give the crease are made adjustable, four
!plates being applied for that purpose to the top of the creasing box, and fitted
with screws for setting them up to any required extent beyond the edge of the
creasing box to suit the thickness of paper under operation.
The paper being laid upon these plates by the feeding clip, the plunger is
brought down to effect the creasing. Motion is transmitted to this plunger
through an excentric on the main driving shaft, situate at the lower part of
the machine. This excentric works in a sliding frame, to which a cross head
is attached. From this cross head rise two parallel rods, which carry a second
cross head (above the table), and to this is fixed the creasing plunger;
attached to the sliding frame are four slotted plates, in the slots of which work
bowles on the ends of rock levers, which are severally connected at their
upper ends to the slides which fold or turn over the flaps of the envelopes.
The reciprocating motion which causes the ascent and descent of the creasing
plunger will therefore also cause the traverse of the slides. For operating
'the under or pressing plunger a cam on the driving shaft is used, which acting
on a rod that carries the plunger will give a vertical movement to that plunger,
drawing it out of the box at the proper time for discharging the envelope.
The nip for compressing the envelope is given to the plunger by a follower
carried up by the lower cross head. On the face of the plunger is fitted an
exhaust box, which as the plunger is depressed will cause it to draw down
the folded envelope. In assuming its lowest position a hinged portion of
this plunger will be lifted by a stop, and, forming an inclined plane will dis-

page_text: charge the envelope on to an endless travelling cloth. This endless cloth, with
the assistance of an overlying endless band, will thrust the envelope into a
vertical tube set at the side of the machine. At the upper end of this tube
the envelope will be discharged, it being pushed upwards by succeeding
envelopes placed in its rear. The gumming of the blanks will be effected as
heretofore practised.