Improvements in Appliances for Cutting the Leaves of Books, Magazines, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Cutting the Leaves of Books,
Magazines, and the like.
I
1, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(which has been communicated to me from abroad by The Abbot Leaf Cutter
Company, of Bryson Building, Los Angelos, California, United States of America)
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 means of severing the uncut edges of the leaves
in books, magazines and the like, and has primarily for its object to operate as a
check upon agents and dealers as to the number of publications returned as unsold
or not read, and at the same time to provide a reader with convenient means of
severing or cutting the uncut edges.
For this purpose a thread, cord, or light wire, is placed within the folds of
the uncut edges so that by pulling it the leaves are severed along the line
of the fold.
The severing appliance may be arranged in various ways, examples of which
are illustrated by the accompanying drawings, all of which are perspective views
shewing a number of leaves of a publication with means of severing the folds
of the leaves.
The preferred manner of carrying out the invention is to place the thread or its
equivalent along the lines where the sheet is to be folded, the thread being thus
led inside the fold in position to sever the sheet along the fold when it is pulled.
The thread is in such position that on pulling it, the first leaves of the folded form
are severed backward from the upper front corner and thence forward again to the
front upper edge of the next leaves of the form. By providing each form with
thread laid as described and tying together the thread which occupies the fold of
the last leaves of one form and that which occupies the fold of the first leaves
of the next form and so throughout the successive forms constituting the magazine
or publication all the uncut edges from the first to the last form are severed by.
simply pulling the end of the thread occupying the fold of the first form and
continuing to pull it until it has been drawn through the folds of all the forins, thus
by one operation severing all of the uncut leaves, as the thread being practically
continuous winding its way through all the forms of the publication. It is obvious
however that only a few of the leaves may thus be severed at, one time the
succeeding leaves being severed as they are reached by the reader.
arrangement is illustrated by Figure 1 where 1 designates a strong thread passed
under the fold of one form of the publication, and 2 indicates the point of tying
together the threads of two successive forms, thus making practically a continuous
thread passing under the folds of all the forms, of which 3, 4, and 5 are shewn, it
being understood that any desired number of forms may be treated in the same
manner. When the threads of two adjoining forms are not tied together
but left disconnected the severing of the folds ceases when the disconnection
takes place.
This
As shewn in Figure 2 the severing thread is laid so as to bring it under the top
folds of two forms each of sixteen pages, the thread after passing from under the

page_text: fold of one form passing under the folds of the other form, and where it passes
from one form to the other forming a bend. The thread end extending in front of
the front pages of the first form may be tied to the end extending in front of the
last pages of the second form, so that by pulling both the front pages of the one
form and the last pages of the other are severed from the front backwards and by
continuing to pull the last pages of the first form and the first pages of the other
are severed from the rear forwards. In this figure 6 designates the cutting
thread, 7 is the point where the thread bends in passing from the one form
to the other, and 8, 9, and 10, 11 designate the uncut edges of the two forms
respectively.
The above examples apply in cases where the front edges are already cut
and the top edges alone have to be severed. If the bottom edges instead of
the top edges remain uncut the thread would be arranged in the bottom folds and
similarly operated.
Figure 3 illustrates one manner of arranging the threads so as to sever both the
front and top edges.
One thread 12 is placed in the front fold having its free ends tied together at 13.
The other thread 14 is laid so as to come under the fold. of the top edges its free
ends being tied together at 15. When the two threads 12 and 14 are laid as
described and the form is folded. to bring its pages in consecutive order, the
thread. 12 loops around 14 at the upper front corner, and when the threal or
wire 12 is pulled so as to sever the front edges it pulls the cord 14 after the front
edges are severed and thus cause the thread 14 to sever the top. When both the
top and bottom edges are already cut, the thread 12 only is required to sever the
front edges. It is immaterial whether the free ends of the thread be tied together
at the front or at the rear as the result is the same in either case and the
point where the ends are tied depends on the manner in which the thread is laid
in position; it may be preferred however to lay the threads so that the ends can
be tied at the front.
Figure shews a continuous thread 16 passing under the top folds of the
several forms constituting the publication. The thread after passing under the
folds. of one form is carried under those of the next form and so on throughout all
the forms employed. All or any number of the edges can be severed by continuing
to pull the thread.
As shewn in Figure 5 the thread 17 is continuous and laid so as to pass under
the folds of both the front and top edges of the several forms so that by pulling
the thread both the top and front edges are severed throughout the whole length
of the thread.
The foregoing examples illustrate how the threads may be arranged so as to
sever the front, the top, or the bottom edges, and indicate how the invention can
be carried into effect in different, ways.
The threads may be laid in position before the leaves of each form are folded,
or may be threaded after the sheets are folded, but are preferably laid before the
sheets are folded and the forms are bound together. But if the threads are
threaded after the folding of the sheets or after placing the several forms in
position or after binding, the appliance is nevertheless within the scope of the
invention.
The threads or wires can be placed in position, either by hand or by mechanical
means, but as the means employed for laying the wires constitute subject
matter for a separate patent these are not here illustrated or described.
It is preferred to secure the threads along the folds close to them, by a
suitable adhesive substance applied to the threads so that they adhere to the
paper in the positions in which they are laid, but this is not absolutely
necessary.
If desired, all the ends of the threads projecting from the several forms
composing the publication may be joined together so that by pulling on all of
them at the same time all of the edges may be severed but it is considered more

page_text: satisfactory to pull the threads for each form independently and when required to
cut the edges.
Envelopes have in some cases been provided with a thread laid along one fold
for the purpose of severing it and so opening one edge of the envelope. But from
this the present invention differs having primarily for its object to provide means
which will enable a publisher to determine whether returned publications have
been used before their return, these means also serving incidentally as a convenient
way in which a reader can cut the leaves of each "form" of the publication so as
to open up pages throughout it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A magazine, book, or other publication composed of a series of leaves made
up into "form" having connected edges, and having each "form" of the
publication provided with a thread or its equivalent laid in the folds of the uncut
leaves in position to sever the uncut leaves, substantially as described.
"
2. A publication provided with a thread or its equivalent lying within the folds
"forms
constituting the uncut edges of each "form" the threads for each two
being united, substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. A publication provided with a thread or its equivalent lying within the folds
constituting the transverse uncut edges of the leaves, and a thread or its equivalent
lying within the folds constituting the longitudinal uncut edges, these two threads
or equivalents being joined so as to act together to cut the longitudinal and
transverse edges of the leaves, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.