IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STITCHING BOOKS AND OTHER FABRICS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Garrett Tongue, of the Firm of Tongue
& Birkbeck, Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STITCHING BOOKS AND
OTHER FABRICS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."-A communi-
'cation from abroad by Henry Graham Thompson, of Milford, in
the County of Newhaven, Connecticut, United States of America.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th September 1875.
.I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck,
Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
L'ane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STITCHING BOOKS AND
OTHER FABRICS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," Communicated to me

page_text: hub of the driving pulley transfers the proper motion to the said collar
and the main shaft. The other end of the main shaft carries the toothed
wheel G which gears into another wheel G₁ of the same number of
teeth and attached to the shaft H, to which the cams Hand H* are
fastened.
The motion of the shaft C may be stopped by bringing the projecting
ends f of the pawl f' in contact with the elbow lever I which has its
fulcrum at i in the plate I' on the side of the main frame. The collar F¹
is fastened to and adjusted on the shaft O by the set screw f³. The
cams D, D¹, operate the forked ends J of the lever J', to the front end
of which the table J' is fastened. The said two cams are also pro-
vided at their opposite faces with the cam grooves d, d', for the reception
of the friction rollers k, k¹, at the ends of the levers K, K¹, which are
at their front ends provided with the toothed sectors K³, K³, gearing into
the racks L, L', at the tops of the bolts I, I³, in the sliding head M.
The cam E operates by means of the projection e the levers E¹, and by
means of the depression e¹ the lever E³. The cam H with the facial
groove operates the arm n of the rock shaft N, which transfers the
motion by means of the arm n¹ and the link n² to the sliding head M on
the front end of the frame A. Below the overhanging part of the frame A
a sliding head O' is attached, which receives its motion from a groove h
on the right side of the cam H' by aid of the friction roller p, the
adjustable elbow lever P, and the connecting rod P¹.
h
A feed motion consisting of the grooved propelling or feed pulley Q,
the spring pawl q attached to it, the connecting rod Q³, the slotted rocker
arm Q', and the friction roller q' travelling in the cam groove h', serves
to propel the wire o forward, between the cutters of which one o¹ is
rigidly fastened to the sliding head O, and the other o³ is fastened to
the lower end of the lever O' pivotted to the front end of the sliding
head, to which also the lever Qis pivotted. The wire is guided by a
groove in the arm O² toward the feed pulley Q, which is pivotted at.o³,
and firmly pressed against the said feed pulley by means of the set
screw o' in the lug o³ on the head O, to produce the proper degree of
friction for the propulsion of the wire. The wire is conducted on the
top of the plate O' toward the cutters o¹, o³, and over the sliding die R
at the lower front end of the overhanging frame A. The sliding die R
is encased in the guide R', and operated by a lever R², which receives
its motion through the friction roller 7, and its bearing on the partly
sk

page_text: -
"
inclined side of the cam H. The die R bears at intervals against the
shoulder of the guide R¹ and is provided at the top with a small
step ² for the reception of the wire, which is held down in the said step
by a presser foot S operated by the lever E², and passing longitudinally
through the belt I². A flexible connecting plate S¹ is pivotted to the
head of the presser foot S and the end of the lever E³, so as to permit
_the_horizontal movement of the sliding head M. The foot of the
-bolt-I-is-provided-with-two-vertical-parallel-laps 1, which in descending
bend the wire over the die R. The bolt L' is provided at the foot with
the awls by which the paper is perforated.
.
To provide the necessary room for the descending awls, and also to
permit the wire staple to be moved down and inserted into the paper,
the die R is withdrawn from the shoulder until the said functions are
performed. The die R is pressed forward by a spring toward the
shoulder, and it is retracted by means of an angular projection **
bearing against the flat front end of the lever 'R³. The lever Es is
moved down in front by a spring t in the socket T on the top of the
frame A, which spring bears against an adjusting set screw & and the
movable rod t, the pointed foot of which bears on the lever E³. The
retraction of the table J is effected by the tension spring j fastened to
the said table and to the platform B. The bolt L is provided at the
back with a pin , which when the bolt La descends strikes the leve O'
and causes it to cut off the wire. The ends of the inserted wire staple
project through and below the table J², where they are clinched by
means of the lever U, which are pivotted to the table J*, and pressed up
by the head e³ of the lever E³.
The flexible connection S¹ may be rendered adjustable by fastening it
by means of a slots and set screw S¹ to the end of the link S², the other
end of which is fastened to the lever E with the set screws s²,. which
passes also through the slots 8, and thereby serves as a steady pin for
the_link_and_connecting rod. Before the beginning_of_the_operation-the-
bolts-are-at-the-top-of-their-upward stroke; the sliding head M.
has moved to the extreme left, and the table J* is moved down to its full
allowance. The book is now placed on the table J³, which operation
may be facilitated by an adjustable gauge J', against which the book is
made to bear. The lever I is thrown back and out of connection with
the spring pawl f¹, whereby the main shaft C is set in motion. The
first movement is that of the head M to the right and the upward

page_text: moves in suitable guides on a back plate G, and is provided on its outer
face with a series of perforated studs b, b, ȧrranged on a horizontal line,
and through which the wire d is passed. On this face of the slide D,
near the outer end, are pivotted two cams h, h, pressed inwards by means
of springs i, i, against stops e, e, fastened in the slide. The adjoining
surfaces of the cams h, h, are corrugated or otherwise roughened so as
to take hold of the wire & which is passed between them. The slide E
moves in suitable guides on or close to the face of the slide D, and is
-on-its-inner-face provided with a longitudinal groove x for the passage of
the studs and wire d.
In a recess in the inner face and at the inner end of the slide E are
pivotted two cams h, h, with springs i, i, and stops e¹, e¹, constructed
and arranged in precisely the same manner as those on the slide D.
The slides D and E always move in opposite directions, and when the
feeding device is in motion the slide that moves outward from the shaft
draws by means of its cams the wire forward, the cams on the other
slide which is then moving inward to the shaft opening and allowing
the wire to pass. As soon as the movement of the slides is reversed the
operation of the cams is also reversed, causing the wire to be fed a
certain positve distance for each revolution of the shaft. The extent
of such feed is dependent on the length of stroke of the
other words on the size of the cranks a on the shaft A.
slides, or in
This feeding mechanism is applicable for any machines where a certain
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
--filed-by-the said John Garrett Tongue in the. Great Seal Patent
-Office on the 20th March 1876.
--TO-ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck, Patent Agents
and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the 3
County of Middlesex, send greeting.

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Garrett Tongue, Her
special license that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Garret
Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STITCHING BOOKS AND OTHER
FABRICS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," (a communication to me
from abroad by Henry Graham Thompson, of Milford, in the County of
Newhaven, Connecticut, United States of America,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 John Garrett Tongue, 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 :-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for stitching
books and other fabrics by means of wire inserted at or near the backs
and secured by clinching the ends, the same being improvements upon
machinery for this purpose for which Letters Patent were granted to
G. Haseltine, dated 6th December, 1873, No. 4031.
The following is a description of the nature of these improvements
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, in which,-
Figure 1 is an elevation of the right hand side of a machine arranged
and constructed in accordance with this Invention; Figure 2 is an
end elevation of the left-hand side; Figure 3 is an enlarged front view;
Figure 4 is an end view.

page_text: front ends provided with the toothed sectors K², K³, gearing into the
racks L, L, at the tops of the bolts L³, L³, in the sliding head M. Thè
cam E operates by means of the projection e, the lever E¹, and by means
of the depression e', the lever E³. The cam H³ with the facial groove /
operates the arm n of the rock shaft N, which transfers the motion by
means of the arm n' and the link n² to the sliding head M on the front
end of the frame A. Below the overhanging part of the frame A a
sliding head O is attached, which receives its motion from a groove / on
the right side of the cam H', by aid of the friction roller p, the adjustable
elbow lever P, and the connecting rod P¹.
A. feed motion consisting of the grooved propelling or feed pulley Q,
the spring pawl q attached to it, the connecting rod Q³, the slotted
rocker arm Q*, and the friction roller q' travelling in the cam groove h¹,
serves to propel the wire o forward, between the cutters of which one o¹
is rigidly fastened to the sliding head O, and the other o³ is fastened to
the lower end of the lever O' pivotted to the front end of the sliding
head, to which also the lever Q² is pivotted. The wire is guided by a
groove in the arm O* toward the feed pulley Q, which is pivotted at o³
and firmly pressed against the said feed pulley by means of the set
screw o' in the lug os on the head O to produce the proper degree of
friction for the propulsion of the wire. The wire is conducted on the
top of the plate O³ toward the cutters o¹, of, and over the sliding die R
at the lower front end of the overhanging frame A. The sliding die R
is encased in the guide R³, and operated by a lever R³, which receives
its motion through the friction roller ", and its bearing on the partly
inclined side of the cam H². The die R bears at intervals against the
shoulder of the guide R³, and is provided at the top with a small
step 1 for the reception of the wire, which is held down in the said step
by a presser foot S operated by the lever E³, and passing longitudinally
through the belt L³. A flexible connecting plate S' is pivotted to the
head of the presser foot S and the end of the lever E², so as to permit
the horizontal movement of the sliding head M. The foot of the bolt I*
is provided with two vertical parallel laps 1, which in descending bend
the wire over the die R. The bolt L³ is provided at the foot with the
awls F, by which the paper is perforated.
To provide the necessary room for the descending awls, and also to
permit the wire staples to be moved down and inserted into the paper,
the die R is withdrawn from the shoulder ¹ until the said functions are

page_text: .
performed. The die R is pressed forward by a spring toward the
shoulder r¹, and it is retracted by means of an angular projection 7
bearing against the flat front end of the lever R². The lever E is
moved down in front by a spring t in the socket T on the top of the
frame A, which spring bears against an adjusting set screw and the
movable rod t', the pointed foot of which bears on the lever E³. The
retraction of the table J' is effected by the tension spring j fastened to
_the_said.table,_and_to_the_platform B. The bolt L is provided at the
back with a pin 1ª, which when the bolt L³ descends strikes the lever O¹
and causes it to cut off the wire. The ends of the inserted wire staple
project through and below the table J³, where they are clinched by
means of the levers U, which are pivotted to the table J', and pressed
up by the head e² of the lever E¹.
The flexible connection S¹ may be rendered adjustable by fastening it
by means of a slots and set screw s¹ to the end of the link S³, the
other end of which is fastened to the lever E with the set screws &²,
which passes also through the slots & and thereby serves as a steady pin
for the link and connecting rod. Before the beginning of the operation
the bolts L³, L³, are at the top of their upward stroke, the sliding head
M has moved to the extreme left, and the table J' is moved down to its
full allowance. The book is now placed on the table J*, which operation
may be facilitated by an adjustable gauge J³, against which the book is
made to bear. The lever I is thrown back and out of connection with
the spring pawl f¹, whereby the main shaft C is set in motion. The
first movement is that of the head M to the right and the upward
movement of the table J' by which the book is firmly clamped to the
casing R. The bolt L³ descends now and forces the awl A through the
book while ascending, the die is moved against the shoulder r¹, and
after the up stroke of the bolt L³ is finished the sliding head M is
moved to the left and the head-O-advances with the wire o, thereby
_ placing it on the step 73 of the die R, to which it is firmly held by the
descending-presser-foot:S:-The-head O is moved back now and the bolt
La descends, thereby causing by means of the pin the lever O to cut
the wire off, which is immediately afterwards bent by the laps / over the
die R. The shape of the wire staple being finished the die R is moved
to the right, permitting the now still lower descending presser foot S to
push the staple down between the shoulder and the die R into the
perforations of the book, where it is held until the clinching levers U

page_text: have finished their work. The bolt L³ now moves up and down, the
table J tilts down, relieving the book.
For the stitching of books of various thicknesses the lever J¹ has an
adjustable fulcrum plate J*, which may be set lower or higher on the
frame A to which it is fastened. Excepting the bolts L³, L³, all other
movable parts may have strokes adjustable either in the described or in
any other mode to suit the different lengths of the staples.
The wire which it is found most advantageous to use for stitching
books with this machine is the flat wire shown in Figure 9*.
Another part of this Invention relates to the construction relates to
the construction and arrangement of feeding mechanism or apparatus
for feeding wire for book sewing or other machines.
In order to enable others skilled in the art to which this part of the
Invention appertains to make and use the same, its construction and
operation will now be described, reference being made to Figures 14,
15, and 16 of the annexed Drawings, in which Figure 14 is a side
elevation of this improved wire feeding mechanism; Figure 15 is a
plan view of the same, and Figure 16 is a detached view, showing the
adjoining sides of the two slides used therein..
A represents the main shaft of the feeding mechanism provided with
two cranks a, a, set in diametrically opposite directions, and on said
cranks are placed respectively the two pitmen B and O for operating the
slides D and E respectively to which to which they are connected. The
slide D moves in suitable guides on a back plate G, and is provided on its
outer face with a series of perforated studs b, b, arranged on a horizontal
line, and through which the wired is passed. On this face of the slide D,
near the outer end, are pivotted two cams h, h, pressed inward by means
of springs i, i, against stops e, e, fastened in the slide.
The adjoining
surfaces of the cams h, h, are corrugated or otherwise roughened so as to
take hold of the wire d which is passed between them. The slide E
moves in suitable guides on or close to the face of the slide D, and is on
its inner face provided with a longitudinal groove x for the passage.of
the studs and wire d.
In a recess in the inner face and at the inner end of the slide E are
pivotted two cams h, h, with springs i, i, and stops e', e¹, constructed
and arranged in precisely the same manner as those on the slide D.

page_text: The slides D and E always move in opposite directions, and when the
feeding device is in motion the slide that moves outward from the shaft
draws by means of its cam the wire forward, the cams on the other side,
which is then moving inward to the shaft, opening and allowing the wire
to pass. As soon as the movement of the slides is reversed the operation
of the cams is also reversed, causing the wire to be fed a certain positive
distance for each revolution of the shaft. The extent of such feed is
dependent-on-the-length of stroke of the slides, or in other words on the
size of the cranks a on the shaft A.
This feeding mechanism is applicable for any, machines where a
certain positive feed motion is desired.
Having thus described the nature of these improvements, and the
manner of performing or carrying the same into practice, what I claim
under the above in part recited Letters Patent is,-.
First. The improved combination and arrangement of the perforating
mechanism, the staple inserting and clinching mechanism, and the
clamping mechanism, constructed and operated substantially as and for
the purpose herein set forth and shown in the Drawings annexed.
Second. The improved combination and arrangement of two slotted
supporting plates, the upper surface of the table and the lower surface
of the overhanging arm, the slots being opposite each other in order
that the puncturing awls and staple driver may both act through one of
the slots, and that the protruding points of the awls and of the staples
may enter the other slot through which the clinchers may act, all sub-
stantially as above described and shown in the Drawings annexed.
Third. The improved combination and arrangement of the puncturing
awls, the staple driver, and the clinchers, with the two settled sup-
porting-plates,-the-upper surface of the table, and the under surface of
the overhanging arm, as described-so-that the awls-shall operate through
the slot in one of the supporting plates, and their protruding points shall
enter-the-slot-in-the-other supporting plate, and-so-that-the-staple-drivers-
and clinchers shall operate one through the slot in one of the sup-
porting plates, and the other through the slot in the other supporting
plate, substantially as herein-before described and shown in the Drawings
annexed.
Fourth. The shaping mechanism in combination with the cut-off
substantially as set forth

page_text: Fourteenth. The improved combination of the feed slide O, the former
bed having a wire channel across its face and in line with the wire
channel in the feed slide and the former 1, substantially as described and
represented in the Drawings annexed.
Fifteenth. The improved arrangement and construction of the
clincher U, having a working surface at an angle with the surface of
the material, and which moves on an axis toward the surface of the
material in order to clinch the staple leg, as herein described-and-repre--
sented in the Drawings annexed.
Sixteenth. The improved arrangement and combination of the table J*,
the clincher lever E¹ and the clincher U, so that the acting surface of
the clincher shall be moved axially by the action of the lever toward
the plane of the table, substantially as described and shown in the
Drawings annexed..
Seventeenth. The improved arrangement and combination of the feed
slide O, rod P¹, and lever P, with the feed wheel Q, rod Q³, and lever Q,
substantially as described and represented in the Drawings annexed.
Eighteenth. The improved arrangement and combination with the
slide D of two spring cams or jaws h, arranged as herein specified for
holding the wire during the forward feed movement and releasing
the same on the back movement, substantially as herein described and
shown in the Drawings annexed.
Nineteenth. The improved arrangement and combination with the
slide E of two spring cams or jaws h, arranged as herein specified, for
holding the wire during the forward feed movement and releasing the
same on back movement, substantially in the manner herein described
and shown in the Drawings annexed.
Twentieth. The improved arrangement and combination of two
reciprocating slides D and E operating in opposite directions, and pro-
vided_upon_their_adjoining faces with spring cams or jaws, arranged
substantially as-and-for-the-purposes-herein specified and represented in
the Drawings annexed.
Twenty-first. The improved arrangement and combination of the
crank shaft A, pitmen B, C, and slide D, with perforated studs b, cams h,
and springs i, and the grooved slide E, with cams h, and springs i², all
substantially and for the purposes herein set forth and shown in the
Drawings annexed.

page_text: Lastly. I claim the improved arrangement, combination, and con-
struction of machinery for stitching books and other fabrics, arranged to
act substantially in the manner as and for the purposes herein-before
described and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garrett Tongue, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.
0 Witness,
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE. (L.S.)
CHAS. W. OSMAN,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
London, W.O.