IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER BAGS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough
Park, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER BAGS AND
OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 29th September 1858.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER BAGS AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the methods of forming bags and tubes from
a roll of paper, whereby the whole operation is rendered automatic, and a
considerable saving of materials effected.
The paper is placed on a roll at one end of the machine, and by suitable
rollers and guides is drawn around a former, in such a manner as to give it
the form of a flattened tube, the edges of the paper being brought together
in such relations that other guides and rollers, constituting the seaming
apparatus, turn one edge over the other. As the paper is drawn forward, a
pasting roller applies the paste to the edges of the paper, which, when lapped
one over the other by the seaming apparatus just alluded to, adhere together

page_text: and close the side of the tube. From the tube forming apparatus just
described, the paper tube is passed forward by feed rollers, which deliver it to
the bottoming apparatus, the required length of tube for each bag being at
intervals cut off by a knife or cutter suitably arranged for the purpose. The
edge of this knife or cutter is serrated, and it is important that it should be so
operated as to cut the flattened paper tubes diagonally, that is, one side shorter
than the other, so that the longer side may be lapped over the shorter one, to
form the bottom, and also for the convenience of opening the bag for use at
the top. The bottoming apparatus takes the cut tubes delivered to it by the
feed rollers as aforesaid, applies the paste, and turns the longer over the
shorter edge, thus closing the bottom, and completing the formation of the bag.
The bags are then received in succession by leading lines, by which they are
conveyed to a steam cylinder to be dried and thence delivered by an apron to
the packer. In making tubes or fill slips, the bottoming apparatus is
dispensed with; and the tubes are severed after leaving the drying cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence that I, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER BAGS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," a communi-
cation, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in

page_text: writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
Heretofore paper bags and other similar articles of the description herein
considered, it is believed have not been manufactured by complete automatic
machinery; these improvements relate to drawing a continuous sheet of
paper (from a roll) around a rigid bar or former, pasting one edge of the
paper, and pressing the other edge upon the pasted edge, so as to form a
partially flattened tube. The said former is made of sufficient thickness to
receive the bearings of a feeding roll, which is placed within an opening in the
bar or former near the point where the formation of the tube is completed, and so
that pressure enough may be applied to the said feeding roll, without deflecting
the bar or former. The pressure is applied to said roll by means of bolts and
screws situated in a supporting bar, firmly attached to said frame, and
confined to the frame of the machine by said bolts and screws, in such a
manner as to secure the required pressure upon said feed roll; the said bar or
former is also provided with expanding strips (see Figure 15), so that bags
or tubes of various widths may be made by simply adjusting said strips.
Another feed roll working in connection with the one before mentioned draws
the paper from a roll with an intermittent variable motion, it being brought into
a tubular form by contact with the bar or former and guides. In making the
paper bags from the tube thus formed, the machine is provided with a shear
blade having a serrated edge, which cuts off the tube at an angle of about 45°°
with its length, and in such a manner that there will be at each end a projection
from the side of the tube of sufficient length, so that when the projection
of one side of the tube is folded down upon the other (paste being applied),
the formation of the bag is complete, leaving the projection at the other end
for the convenience of opening for use. The bottoming apparatus receives the
tube, and holds it while being cut off, applies the paste, folds the bottom, and
delivers the bags upon endless lines, which convey it to a revolving steam-heated
hollow cylinder, with which the bags are kept in contact by means of an
endless belt or apron, which, after they leave the cylinder, conveys them to a
packing box.

page_text: These improvements will be better understood by reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a side elevation;
Figures 3 and 4 are sections in detail of the mechanism for operating the
feed rolls; Figures 5 and 6 are sections in detail of guiding apparatus;
Figures 7, 8, and 9 sections, in detail, of mechanism for forming the bottom
of bags; Figures 10 and 11 show a portion of tube with the ends cut off,
as required to make bags; Figure 12 shows a complete bag; Figure 13,
an end elevation of the tube former, also the bar and slides supporting
the tube when it is severed; Figure 14, a central longitudinal section through
a portion of the tube former; Figure 15, a plan of a portion of the. tube
former, showing the expanding strips, etc.; Figure 16 shows a cross section
of the tube former on the line A, B, and the feed rolls looking towards the
left; Figure 17, a cross section of the tube former on the line C, D, and a
bar suitably constructed for keeping the edges of the paper in a proper relation
for receiving paste from the paste wheel, herewith partly shown, in connection
with the press roll, and showing the paper in contact with said parts (looking
towards the left.)
a, a, a, represents the frame of the machine, upon which are placed the
operative parts employed in the formation of paper bags; c, the main driving
shaft; b, the driving pulley keyed to the main shaft; 63, the feed shaft driven
by the main shaft by means of gearing, which will be hereafter described;
p, p, a plate or frame upon which the bottoming apparatus is placed, and
which is provided with clamp bolts to confine the bottoming apparatus to the
frame a, a, a, in such positions as may be required to make bags of different
lengths; e, e, represents the steam drying cylinder y³, y³, y³, the frame for
supporting the steam drying cylinder and the rolls a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a,
which give proper direction to the endless belt s; c, c, a hollow shaft, which
forms the axle of the steam drying cylinder; the steam cylinder is supplied
with steam by means of the pipes e; e, which enter the hollow shaft c, c, and
are supplied with stuffers in the ordinary way; b, b, b, b, friction rolls upon
which the shaft c, c, revolves; d, the driving pulley for the steam cylinder,
which may be connected to the motive power by a belt independent of the driving
pulley 6; 3, 3, shows the frame for supporting a roll of paper ³, one end of
the former g³, and a guide roll ; the paper is placed on the spindle ³, and
drawn from thence over the guide rolls and the curved former g³; the edges
of the paper are gradually bent under the former by means of the stationary
guides,, and the curvature of the former; the former should be curved
enough, so that there will be the same strain upon the centre of the strips of
paper as upon the edges; near the point where the former assumes a hori-

page_text: zontal plane the paper comes in contact with a guiding apparatus, the office of
which is to keep the paper in its proper course, which may be described as
follows:-³, d³, parallel rolls covered with india-rubber; as, a frame (which.
encircles the former) in which the rolls c³, d³, are mounted; h³, a shaft, upon
which the frame as may turn; 3, a stand for supporting the said shaft; y³, y²,
a balance lever supported by the fulcrum n³; x², x², ratchet bars connected to
the frame by means of the pins v', upon which they are free to move; w³, w³,.
cords connecting the balance lever y³, y, with the ratchet bars a³, x²; e³, a:
rock shaft having its bearings in the stands u². w², w², palls; ³, an arm for
giving motion to the rock shaft e³.
The operation of this guiding apparatus is as follows:-The centre of the
continuous sheet of paper as it is drawn forward passes between the rolls c³, d³,
and the edges pass near the balance lever y², y³, on either side of its fulcrum;
in case the paper deviates from its true course, one of the edges will depress
the balanco lever y², y², on one side of its fulcrum, and bring the angular teeth
of one of the ratchet bars a, a, in contact with one of the palls, which have a
reciprocating motion by means of an excentric u, a wire connecting rod t,..
and the arm, the result of which is to turn the frame containing the rolls
c, d³, from their true position, which is in a plane at right angles to the
former g2, 92, 92, and thereby guide the paper back to its true course. The
paper passes from thence under a bar of wood p², the office of which is to keep.
the paper in near contact with the former g³, g², g², next one edge of the paper,.
indicated by a, is brought in close contact with the under side of the former
9, 9, 9, preparatory to passing between the paste wheel h2 and the press
roll; the paste wheel he has cavities in its periphery for receiving paste, and
revolves in the disk m² containing paste; the scraper & is for removing any
excess of paste from the paste wheel h; the periphery of the paste wheel is
made to move the same speed as the paper by means of the endless cord y' and
the grooved pullies a, b; the other edge of the paper indicated by c³ passes
through a slit in the bar n³ (see Figure 17), and by the side of the paste
wheel h², and is brought in contact with the pasted edge by means of the
bar f, thereby forming the lap, and completing the formation of the tube.
The mechanism for operating the feed rolls may be described as follows:-
The main driving shaft c (see Figures 1, 3, and 4, Figure 3 and 4 showing
elevations of the mechanism and portions of the frame a, a,) has a crank o³.
fastened to one of its ends, the same being made to carry upon its wrist g³ a
cog wheel p; the said cog wheel does not turn upon the wrist 9%, being.
firmly fastened to the crank, and in such relation to the shaft c that a pro-
longation of its axis would intersect the pitch circle of said cog wheel. This,

page_text: cog wheel p³ is kept in contact with the train of cog wheels w³, ³, x³, by
means of a link u³, in one end of which the crank wrist is free to turn;
the other end is attached to the pin ³, ³, upon which the cog wheel w³ turns.
The pin v, v³, and links t³, t, form a swing frame, which is free to oscillate upon
the stud ³, as required to keep the cog wheel w³ in proper contact with the
cog wheels ; the cog wheel in contact with a drives the feed shaft
and rolls. The stud should be placed in such relation to the main driving
shaft c, as that there shall be but little space between the cogs of the wheels
p',, when p³ passes ³ in its revolution, and the diameter of the cog wheel
w³ should bear the proportion to each of the cog wheels p³, ³, as two and one-
fourth to one. By a mechanism thus organized the feeding rolls c², e², remain
at rest during about one-fourth of the revolution of the main shaft, and then
move with an accelerating motion for about three-eighths of the revolution of
main shaft and a retarding motion during the remaining three-eighths, thus
overcoming the inertia of the roll of paper ³, and arresting its momentum
gradually, so as not to tear the paper or draw off an excess, which gives power
to run the machine at the highest attainable speed, and give time for the tube
to be cut off. Any required length of tube for making bags of different sizes
will be delivered by the feed rolls c³, e², by placing change wheels of different
diameters on the shaft 62 in place of ; the stud may be moved towards
and from the shaft 62, as the case may require, by means of a slot in one of
the stands a², to which it is fastened by the nut h³. The mechanism for
cutting off portions of tube for making bags may be thus described :-8 is the
serrated blade; t, the swing frame to which the said blade is attached; u, u,
cams, and es, e, cam rolls by which motion is given to said blade; f, a shaft,
having its bearings in the frame a, a, a, upon which the said swing frame
moves; d³, a bar; c, c, slides fastened to the bar d³, the operation of which
is as follows:-During one-fourth of the revolution of main shaft, and while the
feed rolls c³, c³ are at rest, the serrated blade passes down by the front end of
the former g³, g³, 92, and bar d³, and slides c, c, which support the tube as it
is cut off by the said blade; the shaft f" must be in such a position with
relation to the former g², g³, g³, that the paper tube may be so cut off as to
leave sufficient projection for the bottom lap of the bag.
The mechanism by which the bottom of the bag is formed may be thus
described (see Figures 7, 8, and 9):-p represents an iron plate, to which
the said mechanism is attached, and by which it is supported; v, clamp bolts
by which said plate is confined to the frame a, a, a, in such positions as may
be required to make bags of different lengths; 1, 1, stands on each end of the
plate p; 9, a cam shaft to give motion to the various parts; r³, a shaft

page_text: having its bearings in stands 1, 1; m, m, arms keyed to the shaft r; p, p, o, n,
rolls having their bearings in the arms m, m, said rolls being connected by
trains of cog wheels to the main shaft c; t, g, screws and springs for applying
pressure to the rolls p, p, o, n; 66, a plate extending to each arm m, m; a, an
arm attached to the shaft us, and provided with an elastic pad w, and
operated by arm y, cam roll n', and cam ; r, r, sheet iron plates extending
to the stands 1, 1; n³, a pasting blade having curved arms attached to
each end m³, m; a, a shaft upon which the said pasting blade moves by
means of the arm f, cam roll o', and cam m; r, a dish for containing paste;
v, w, rolls running in contact with each other by means of the pullies p, q,
and the endless cord 1, ; the rolls v, w, are covered with india-rubber or some
elastic substance; the roll v revolves in adjustable bearings attached to the
stands 1, 1; the roll w has its bearings in the end of symmetrical arms i³, 1,
which, with the girt jo, form a swing frame, which is free to move around
or upon the shaft ; k³, a weight attached to the said swing frame for
keeping the roll w in its proper position. The operation of this mechanism
in forming the bag is as follows:-The feed rolls cs, es, project a sufficient
portion of tube for a bag beyond the point, when it is cut off said portion of
tube is received between the plates r, r, which flatten the same; after
passing the plates r, r, a sufficient distance, the movement of the feed roll
ceases, when the arm a descends, bringing the elastic pad us upon the tube
with sufficient force to hold it in contact with the paste blade no, that it may
be kept in proper position while being cut off, and receive paste from the
paste blade n, which has slight grooves running throughout its length, and
which are filled with paste.
Figure 7 shows the position of paste blade n³ and arm a ready to grasp
the tube at the instant the feed rolls c³, e³, cease to move. The instant the
tube is severed, the arms m, m, (containing the roll n) have an oscillating
movement downward, bringing the roll n in contact with that part of the
tube projecting by the edge of paste blade n³, and folding it down by the
said edge, as seen in Figure 8. When the mechanism has assumed the
position in Figure 8, the pad w' is released from contact with said tube, and
the formation of the bag is completed by the continued downward movement
of the roll n, and the continued contact of the blade no with the said roll; said
blade finally inserts the completely folded bag between the rolls n, o, which
pass the same over the plate 66, and insert it between the pair of rolls p, p;
said rolls deliver the bag upon the endless cords j, j, which pass around the
lower roll of the pair p, p, receiving motion therefrom to convey the bags to
the drying cylinder e³, and insert the same between the cylinder and the

page_text: endless belt or apron s*; after the blade n³ has inserted a bag between the
rolls o, n, it is immediately carried down between the rolls v, w, into the paste
contained in the dish r', receives a fresh supply, and returns, passing between
the rolls v, w, the office of which is to remove any excess of paste, and to
crush lumps that might adhere to the blade (the proper adjustment of the
roll with relation to distance from the shaft a guages the required supply
of paste). After the blade no has passed the rolls v, tv, the mechanism assumes
the position indicated in Figure 7, ready for the formation of another bag. It
will be obvious that in moving the said mechanism as required for making
bags of various lengths, that the position of the stud i, upon which the gear e
revolves, must also change positions, so that the train of cog wheels d, e, f, i,
and k, may be kept in connection; the stud 2 is therefore situated in a slot in
the frame a, a, a, concentric with the main shaft. After the bags are inserted
between the drying cylinder and endless bolt before alluded to, they pass
around the said cylinder to the plate f*, one edge of which is kept in contact
with the said cylinder by means of the shaft k and weighted arm g', the office
of said plate being to remove the bags from the cylinder, should they chance
to adhere to the cylinder; the bags pass from thence upon the endless apron s
to the packing box g³, where a person is stationed whose office is to tie up
the
bags in convenient parcels for the market. In making "tubular file slips" or
tubes for filing papers according to this Invention, the feed rolls, serrated
shear blade, and bottoming mechanism are dispensed with. The tube is formed
by the same mechanism used in making bags, and then passes directly around
the drying cylinder, which, in connection with a pressure roll, draws the tube
forward; after passing nearly around the said cylinder, it passes down an
inclined plane over a stationary blade, which in connection with a constantly
revolving blade cuts off the said tube into the required lengths, which drop
into an inclined box arranged for the purpose. This will be more clearly
understood by reference to Figure 18, which is a side elevation, showing that
part of the machine which differs from the bag machine before described.
a, a, represents the frame supporting the drying cylinder f, upon the
shaft b friction rolls d', d. c is a pulley with sufficient width of face to
receive two belts; t', the tube former, supported and fastened to the rear end
of the frame a", a; j', a revolving blade shaft; p', the revolving blade attached
to a pair of arms n'; o, a stationary blade; 7, pulley for driving the shaft 7 by
means of the belt ; g' and h, a pair of rolls having bearings in a
pair of
stands e. The operation of this machine is as follows:-The tube having
been completed upon the tube former t' by the same mechanism as used in
forming the tube upon the bag machine, passes directly around the drying

page_text: cylinder f to the roll g', which comes in contact with the drying cylinder with
sufficient pressure to draw the tube forward, thence it passes between the
rolls g, h, down the inclined plane 7, passing the stationary blade 07, during
a revolution of the shaft, the required distance, when it is cut off and drops
into the inclined packing box 87. When it is desirable to make tubes of
different lengths upon the same machine, a train of cog wheels may be
substituted for the belt l', and change wheels used upon either shaft to vary
the speed of the revolving blade with relation to the speed of the drying
cylinder.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details; but
what I claim is the combination herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this 28th day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
H. P. M. DESPARD,
New Court.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)