IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER BOXES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
PAPER BOXES." -A communication from abroad by the Cleveland
Paper Box Machine Company ("Incorporated"), of Cleveland, Ohio,
United States of America.
Sealed the 4th May 1875, and dated the 18th March 1875.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 18th March 1875, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton Build-
ings, London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER BOXES," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: Cleveland Paper Box Machine Company (Incorporated), of Cleveland,
Ohio, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings forming a
part of this Specification:-
This Invention relates to machines for making paper boxes, and in
which the box is formed from a blank by means of a former and die,
and introduced into a receiver of the shape and size of the boxes for
holding the parts of the box together until the adhesive material to
retain the parts is sufficiently dried, and the said Invention consists in
such a construction, combination, and arrangement of mechanical devices
that after the paper or strawboard or the like is cut into the proper
shape and placed in the machine in quantities, the operation of feeding
the blanks, gumming or gluing them, creasing them, forming or folding
them into the proper shape, and placing the formed boxes into recep-
tacles for holding them until sufficiently dried, are all done automatically,
so that all the attention the machine requires is keeping it supplied with
blanks, which are put into the machine in quantities of two hundred or
more, and seeing that the supply of the adhesive material is maintained.
But the said Invention relates mainly to the mechanism for holding
the boxes while drying, which mechanism consists of a horizontal wheel
provided with a number of openings on the face of it near the periphery;
into said openings are placed and secured metal boxes, the insides of
which are of the same shape and size as the outside of the boxes when
formed. To this horizontal wheel is imparted an intermittent rotary
motion, so that the former with a box upon it may carry the box into
one of the receivers, where it is left when the former is withdrawn; the
wheel then moves so as to bring the next receiver under the former, and
so on until nearly all of the receivers retain a box. The boxes are then
pushed out of the receivers by an extractor which is operated by the
same device that operates the former.
The object of constructing the drying wheel in this manner is to

page_text: it is placed in the receiver, otherwise the plunger in rising would form
a vacuum in the box and draw it out of the receiver.
The paper or strawboard or the like from which the boxes are to be
made are cut by knives to the shape shown in Figure 4, and these
blanks are placed in the holder e fastened to the under side of the
table a² at the central rear part thereof. There is an opening in the
table directly over the holder e sufficiently large to allow the blanks to
pass through; the blanks in the Drawings are represented by red lines.
The holder e has a false bottom e¹, to the centre of which is rivetted the
rod e² which passes through a hole in the centre of the bottom of the
holder e, and one side of it is provided with ratchet teeth into which fits
the sliding pawl e³, said pawl being operated by the vertical rod e¹ fitted
into bearings at the front of the holder e, the lower end of it resting
on one arm of the bell-crank lever e³, the other arm of this bell-crank
lever fits into a hole in the sliding pawl e³, so that when the vertical
rod et is depressed, which is done by the rod e hanging down from the
cross head cs, the sliding pawl e³ is withdrawn from the ratchet teeth
on the rod e², and it is brought in contact with them again by a spring
upon the rod et being released. To the lower end of the rod e² is
fastened a cross bar to which are attached two spiral springs e', e'; the
other ends of these springs are fastened to the table a³, so that their
action is to raise the false bottom e'.
The grippers or fingers f, f, slide in grooves planed in the
upper side
of the table a², and they are moved backward and forward by being
connected to the levers f¹, f¹, by the connecting links f², ƒ³, which are
attached to lugs from the gripper bars passing through slots in the
table, and to the upper ends of the levers f¹, f¹; the lower ends of the
levers f¹, f, are keyed to the shaft f³, and they receive a rocking motion
from the cam f' which communicates motion to them through the
arm f5, also keyed to the shaft ƒ³. The upper jaws of the grippers or
fingers ff, are pressed down on the lower jaws by springs, and they are
opened so as to release the blank when they have drawn it under the
plunger by means of adjustable pins striking tappets fastened to the
other ends of the short shafts, to which the upper jaws are attached,
and spring catches hold the jaws open until they are brought back by
the cams f directly over the front edge of the blank holder c, when
other adjustable pins strike the spring catches and allow the top jaws

page_text: to be closed by their springs, thereby catching the edge of the blank
between the jaws, the blank being lifted out of the holder e by the
gummers to the height of the upper surface of the table a³. The
gummers or pickers g, g, are shaped to correspond to the parts of
the blank it is desired to apply the adhesive material to, and they are
fastened to rods which fit into a slot in a projection from the cross
head c. The object of the slot is to allow the gummers or pickers g, g,
to be adjusted to different sized blanks. The adhesive material is applied
to the gummers or pickers g, g, by the gum rollers g¹, g¹, whose shaft
works in lugs projecting upward from the carrier g²; said carrier slides
in the frames g³, g³, which support the box 9' in which the adhesive
material is put. The carrier g² is moved by the cam ³ (which is
securely keyed to the main shaft near the inside of the frame a)
operating the lever of the first order g, which oscillates on a stud
projecting from the frame a, the lower end of the lever 98 being pro-
vided with a roller fitting into the groove of the cam g³, and the upper
end working between two lugs hanging down from the carrier g². The
gum rollers g¹, g¹, have a periphery equal to or more than the length
of the gummers g, g, and they are held in contact with the roller g*
which is in the box g, reaching nearly to the bottom of the same, so
that it is always in the adhesive material, and to the roller g' is imparted
a rotary motion by means of the endless belt s running in a grooved
pulley on the shaft over the guide pulleys 9º, and on the hub of the
came which is also grooved. The roller g' imparts motion to the gum
rollers g¹, g¹, by means of gear wheels, there being an intermediate wheel
between the shafts causing the surfaces of the rollers in contact to turn
in opposite directions, so that the gum rollers g', g', take all the adhesive
material from the roller g'. The thickness or quantity of the adhesive
material taken up by the roller is regulated by the scraper 1. The
box gt has a hollow bottom for the purpose of admitting steam or other
heating agent by the pipes g and g when the adhesive material
requires heat to keep it in a liquid state. When the gum rollers g', g³,
leave the roller g³ the gear wheel on their shaft comes in contact with
the rack which is beneath the wheel, so that the rollers g¹, g¹, revolve
5 in an opposite direction to their travel in passing under the gummers
9, g, thereby more effectually leaving the adhesive material on the
gummers. In passing back under the gummers to the roller g' again
they would partly remove the adhesive material already applied to the
gummers. To obviațe this difficulty the gummers 9, 9, are raised about

page_text: one-eighth of an inch by the cams c and c¹ when the gum rollers `g', g',
begin their backward motion.
The creaser is for the purpose of creasing the blanks, so that the
lid and flaps of the box will readily fold; these creases are represented
in Figures 4 and 5 by the dotted lines, . The full black lincs ¹, ¹,
Figure 4, are cuts through the paper; they are either cut before the
blanks are put into the machine, or knives are placed on the creaser
carrier, and the cuts are made at the same time as the creasing. The
creaser carrier consists of a frame provided with journals which work
in bearings in the table a² at h². To this frame is pivotted the upper
end of the rod ³, which passes through a hole in the table, and it is
cranked so as to pass around the girder a³; the lower end of it is forked,
and embraces the main shaft b, and said rod ³ is actuated by the cam ',
which is keyed securely to the main shaft b near the inside of the side
frame a¹.
The plunger or former d in descending forces the blank between the
dies d¹ (which are let into the table a², the space between the dies being
equal to the thickness of the plunger, and twice the thickness of the
blank), and folds up the back and front of the box from the bottom
against the former d. The instant this is done the flappers d², d², arc
brought down suddenly against the front of the box, and they are so
shaped as to fold the inside side pieces 22, 22, Figure 4, around the corners
of and against the plunger d; these flappers d³, d, are fastened to a small
shaft d³, which fits into a bearing on the front frame g³ and into a
standard d', whose base is fastened to the table a³. Motion is communi-
cated to the shaft d³ from the main shaft b through the cam d³ (which
is fastened to the cam g³) raising the bent rod d, the lower end of which
embraces the main shaft b, so as to keep it steady; and the upper end
of it is connected to a bell-crank lever d', which is pivoted to the
frame. The other arm of the bell-crank lever d' is connected to a
crank on the shaft d by the rod d³.
The flappers d, d, fall down by their own weight and the weight of
the rod d³, or are assisted by a spring if necessary, the cam ď³ being so
shaped as to allow the roller on the rod d to pass over a sharp
corner.
The plunger or former d, in continuing its motion downwards after

page_text: the blank in contact with two pieces projecting from the folders do, do,
shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1, thereby folding them up against the
inner side pieces,, the outer side pieces, upon which the
adhesive material is put, are folded against the inner side pieces z³, ³,
and the lips 3,, by the folders do, do, and are pressed against them
by the plunger or former d passing between the rollers do, do, and
from these rollers the box is forced down into one of the receivers i, i,
where it is left to dry when the plunger is withdrawn.
The receivers i, i, are opened at their lower ends, and the girder a³
forms the bottoms of them as they come under the plunger or former d;
they are made of metal, and are provided with flanges by which they
are secured to the horizontal wheel , said wheel being made with
openings for the receivers i, i, to lie in. The horizontal wheel is
keyed to the vertical shaft 2, one bearing in which it works being at
the front part of the table a², and the other bearing in the girder a';
it rests on the set screw ³, which forms a step for it. To the shaft 2 is
communicated an intermittent rotary motion from the main shaft b by
means of a partial screw ', which is secured to the centre of the shaft
working into a wheel secured to and near the lower end of the
shaft 2.
The receivers i, i, are made detachable from the wheel , so that they
may be readily removed therefrom, and another set of receivers placed
thercon when it is required to adjust the machine to make different sized
boxes.
The extractor is fastened by means of the rod 1, to an arm projecting
from the front of the girder c³, and it passes through a hole in the
table a directly over the fourth receiver from the one which is under
the plunger. It is actuated by the cams c¹, c', in the same manner as
the plunger d and the gummers g, g, as they are all secured to the
girder c, and it pushes a completed box out of one of the receivers
while the plunger is putting a box just formed into an empty receiver.
All the cams are so made and adjusted in relation to one another that
upon motion being imparted to the main shaft by the pulley / the
gumming, feeding, creasing, forming, and putting the boxes into the
receivers, and the extracting them therefrom, shall take place har-
moniously, that is as follows:-The machine being started when in the
position shewn in the accompanying Drawings, and in the direction.

page_text: indicated by the arrows, with a blank just placed under the plunger or
former by the feeding device, the creaser is released and falls on and
creases the paper blank, as already described. It is lifted clear of the
blank by the time the plunger touches the blank; the feeding fingers
then opening leave the blank to be controlled by the plunger alone, and
as soon as the plunger forces the blank between the dies sufficiently to
fold up the back and front of the box the flappers fall down against the
front of the box and fold the inside side pieces against the sides of the
plunger, the box being carried further down through the dies by the
plunger. The lips coming in contact with two projections from the
formers are pressed up against the inside side pieces, and the folding is
completed by the outside side pieces being folded and pressed against
the inside side pieces by the folders and rollers. When the plunger has
moved this distance the flappers move up out of the way, and the feeding
fingers begin to move back for another blank. The receiving wheel will
be stopped and held securely by its actuating mechanism with one of its
receivers directly under the plunger, and the plunger in concluding its
downward motion forces the box into the receiver and presses the bottom
of the box on the stationary bottom of the moveable receivers. At the
same time the plunger reaches its lowest point the extractor will have
pushed a box out of the receiver, which is directly under it (supposing
such receiver between the plunger and the extractor in the direction of
their travel to hold a completed box), and the machine completes a box
and delivers one at the same moment and for every revolution of the
main shaft.
The gummers come in contact with the top blank of the pile of
blanks when the plunger reaches its lowest position, and the rod which
moves the sliding pawl for holding the false bottom of the blank holder
down will also have performed its office, so that as the gummers com-
mence to move up the pile of blanks will be raised by the springs until
the sliding pawl is released by the rod, when it immediately catches into
the ratchet tooth in which it formerly was or into the next one, thus
preventing the raising of the blanks by the springs higher than the
distance between the ratchet teeth. The top blank adhering to the
gummers will rise with them to a level with the top of the bed or table;
the gummers then rest a sufficient length of time to allow the feeding
fingers to conclude their motion, which they do by their lower jaws
passing under the edge of the blank, and their upper jaws are

page_text: released so as to be pressed down on the blank by their springs, thereby
gripping it securely. The fingers in this position rest sufficiently long
to allow the gummers to rise. The blank is kept from rising any higher
by strips of metal, which are fastened to the top of the table. The
fingers then carry the blank under the plunger, which is now within
one-eighth of an inch of its highest position, remaining so as to allow
the gum rollers time to carry the adhesive material from the gum box
to the gummers; then the gummers with the plunger will rise to their
highest position, and the gum rollers will pass back out of the way to
the gum box for a fresh supply of the adhesive material. The main
shaft of the machine has then completed a full revolution, and the
operations of the various devices are repeated until all the blanks are
removed from the blank holder, the machine thus going through all its
motions automatically, and all the attention it requires is the filling up
of the blank holder when empty and seeing that the supply of the
adhesive material is maintained.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. In combination with a stationary mould or die and former for
forming the box, the box receiver, to take the boxes from the former
and carry them forward to dry, constructed and operated in the manner
and for the purpose described.
Second. The combination with a fixed mould or die and former for
forming the boxes, and a disc receiver for receiving the boxes from the
former of a discharging bar to remove the boxes from the receiver when
dried, constructed and operating as described.
Third. The discharging plunger, so constructed with the former and
cross head, that while a box is formed and introduced into the receiving
disc a completed box shall be discharged from the receiver, as herein
described.
Fourth. The combination with the receiving disc of detachable
receivers, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose
specified.
Fifth. The combination of the receiving disc with the former and
feeding jaws, constructed and operating as described.

page_text: Sixth. The former, feeding jaws, creaser, and gummers, in combination
with the receiving disc, as and for the purposes herein described.
Seventh. In combination with the blank holder constructed so as to
raise the blanks as they are removed one by one by the gum pickers g, 9,
the feeding jaws f, f, to take the top blank from the gum pickers, as
herein specified.
Eighth. The combination of the rod with the sliding pawl and rack,
so constructed and operating as to allow the pile of blanks to be raised
by springs or weights within reach of the gum pickers as they descend,
as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Ninth. The combination of the blank holder, gum pickers, feeding
jaws, former, receiving boxes, and extractor, all so constructed and
operating as to form perfect boxes from a pile of blanks automatically,
as herein set forth.
Tenth. The flappers constructed and operating in combination with
the plunger and stationary die or mould, as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
HY. JA. NOONE.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)