AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BORDERING PAPER AND ENVELOPES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Parkins, of Saint John's Wood, in the Parish
of Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BORDERING PAPER AND ENVELOPES."
Sealed the 16th March 1866, and dated the 23rd September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Parkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of. Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd September 1865.
JOSEPH PARKINS, of Saint John's Wood, in the Parish of Marylebone,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BORDERING PAPER AND ENVELOPES," to be
as follows:-
My Invention consists of an apparatus in which by suitable machinery paper
or envelopes can be laid perfectly accurately previously to being bordered with
black or any other colour, as may be desired, so that no portion of the border
will be wider at any one part than at another. On a suitable iron framing of a
width adapted to the size of the paper to be bordered I have a travelling board
or tray, which is gradually moved along the iron frame at stated intervals,
regulated by machinery which determines the width of the border to be given
to the paper. By means of a crank or lever a guide or guage is caused to
be lowered on to the aforesaid board or tray, to which a sheet of the paper to
be bordered is applied, and on the crank or lever being actuated the
guide is raised off the board, which is then gradually moved forwards by a

page_text: rack motion actuated by clockwork, or a falling weight, or otherwise. The
required distance of movement of the board or tray may be regulated by a
pall which falls into the teeth of a wheel, the pall being released from the
teeth of the wheel in the act of raising the guide to admit of the board
passing under it, and falling again into its place by a counterweight or spring
as soon as the wheel has travelled the required distance; the distance of the
teeth apart regulating the length of travel of the board, and consequently the
width of the border. The aforesaid guide is then lowered on to the board,
and another sheet of paper is applied as before, and so on until the board is
full, when it is removed and another applied in the same manner. In the event
of the paper not being cut quite accurately, the guide or guage is fitted with
adjusting screws, and when the paper under the guide becomes thick, and the
edges are thinned off, so as to leave an aperture through which the paper might
be inadvertently pushed, there are two or more sliding guides which fall down
and answer the purpose of the original one. The motion of the board or tray
is facilitated by being placed on rollers. For square cut paper and the fronts
of envelopes I have a right-angled guide, and for the lappets of envelopes the
guide may consist of two adjustable points, against which the envelope may
be placed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Parkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
PARKINS, of Saint John's Wood, in the Parish of Marylebone, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Joseph Parkins, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph
Parkins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Joseph Parkins, 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 Invention for "AN IMPROVED

page_text: APPARATUS FOR BORDERING PAPER AND ENVELOPES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Parkins, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in 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 Joseph Parkins do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement:-
My Invention consists of an apparatus in which by suitable machinery
paper or envelopes can be laid perfectly accurately previously to being
bordered with black or any other colour, as may be desired, so that no
portion of the border will be wider at any one part than at another. On a
suitable iron framing of a width adapted to the size of the paper to be
bordered I have a travelling board or tray, which is gradually moved along
the iron frame at stated intervals, regulated by machinery which determines
the width of the border to be given to the paper. By means of a crank or
lever a guide or guage is caused to be lowered on to the aforesaid board or
tray, to which a sheet of the paper to be bordered is applied, and on the
crank or lever being actuated the guide is raised off the board, which is then
gradually moved forwards by a rack motion actuated by clockwork, or a
falling weight, or otherwise. The required distance of movement of the
board or tray may be regulated by a pall which falls into the teeth of a wheel,
the pall being.released from the teeth of the wheel in the act of raising the
guide to admit of the board passing under it, and falling again into its place
by a counterweight or spring as soon as the wheel has travelled the required
distance; the distance of the teeth apart regulating the length of travel of the
board, and consequently the width of the border. The aforesaid guide is
then lowered on to the board, and another sheet of paper is applied as before,
and so on until the board is full, when it is removed and another applied in
the same manner. In the event of the paper not being cut quite accurately,
the guide or guage is fitted with adjusting screws, and when the paper under
the guide becomes thick, and the edges are thinned off, so as to leave an
aperture through which the paper night be inadvertantly pushed, there are
two or more sliding guides, which fall down and answer the purpose of the
original one. The motion of the board or tray is facilitated by being placed
on rollers. For square cut paper, and the fronts of envelopes, I have 4

page_text: right-angled guide, and for the lappets of envelopes. the guide may consist of
two adjustable points, against which the envelope may be placed.
Having thus far explained the nature and object of my said Invention, I
shall now proceed to describe it more particularly, and shall by the explanative
Drawings hereto set forward the practical application of the Invention, and.
the means I adopt for carrying it into operation. In the following ex-
planation of the various Figures like letters and figures of reference denote
similar parts.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the machine, shewing the clockwork,
whereby the motion of the board is regulated. As before stated, this motion
may be accomplished by means of a falling weight, but for convenience I
prefer the arrangement here shewn. Fig. 2 is a plan of the machine with
the top board removed. I prefer to have one board which remains on the
machine, and which need not be removed, and to have another which lies on
the top of the first, and on which the paper or envelopes are placed. This
one on being completed can be removed without disturbing the paper or
stopping the operation. The first board is donoted by C, and the top one
by D; they are seen in Figs. 1, 3, 4; Fig. 3 is a top plan with D in its
place. They are clamped together by any common or suitable hook or
fastening, as shown at E. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the machine as in
operation.
Throughout the Figures A, A, &c. denote the side frames of the machine.
These I prefer to make of iron, but other materials will serve equally well.
They are farnished with broad feet to support the whole machine, and are
.constructed so as to admit of the machine being bolted or otherwise secured
to the floor; they are marked F, F, in the Drawings; B, B, &c. are cross
stays for supporting the frames A, A, &c.; there is nothing peculiar in their
construction. The travelling board C has been already partially referred to.
It is furnished with a long rack G, G, Figs. 1 and 8, throughout its length
on the under surface. The use of this rack will be hereafter explained. In
the side frames slots are taken out at intervals, in which are inserted small
rollers marked H, H, &c., on which the board C, C, glides; I is a small tray
attached to the side frame for carrying the paper to be bordered; it is for
convenience mounted on hinges K, K, so as to fold down out of the
way. The
clockwork that actuates the machine is kept in a box or casing L, L, to pre-
serve it from dust, and for other reasons. It is supported by stays or short
stout bars marked M, M; the details of this clockwork requires no particular
explanation; N is the box containing the main spring, and on it is coiled the
chain O; P is the fusee; R, S, T, V, X, X, Y, W, Z; are intermediate

page_text: multiplying wheels; a, Fig. 2, is the ordinary fly. By reason of the main
spring acting through the intermediate gearing the ratchet wheel b has a
tendency to revolve. This is prevented by the detent c, which works in the
teeth of the ratchet wheel b. Its position in the teeth of the ratchet wheel
is maintained by making the hinder end of it weighted, as shewn, or by a
small spring & pressing against it, Figs. 1 and 4.. To suit various sizes of
borders I have a change of ratchet wheels to replace the ratchet wheel b
shewn in the Drawing, on which any number of teeth may be cut to suit the
width of the border to be given to the paper; e is the handle by which the
machine is set in motion. The operation is as follows:-The handle e being
depressed, the levers f,f, raise the bars r, g, through the two side supports h, h.
This action releases the detent c from the ratchet wheel 6 by the stud i, which
coming against the end of the detent forces it out of the tooth in which it
rested. On passing it the detent at once falls into the next tooth in the
ratchet wheel as it revolves. The cross bar g being raised, the board C is
urged upwards by the toothed wheel k working in the ratchet G, G, which is
also set in motion by the clockwork. The distance of its travel regulates the
width of the border given to the paper or envelopes. This is accomplished
by the change of wheels to replace b, as already mentioned. The lever e is
raised, the bar g comes down on to the board C or D, and it is so shaped in
the middle part of it that the paper can be at once placed up against it as it
is cut into a rectangular form, or furnished with a rectangular bar 1, 1, so
shaped as to allow of a rectangular piece of paper being placed against it.
To prevent the possibility of the paper passing under it, and a wider border
being thereby given to the paper than was intended, I have two little loosely
sliding pieces m, m, which fall down, and necessarily press against the bottom
board D or C. The cross bar g is made so as to be removeable from the two
side supports h, h, and one of any other shape may be substituted. In Fig. 1*.
I have shewn plan and elevation of the cross bar I use for black bordering
envelopes; this consists of a cross bar g, as before, with two small slots, in
which are inserted two pins n, n, which form guides for the adjustment of the
envelope; these pins can be removed farther from or nearer to each other,
according to the size of the envelope. Should the paper to be bordered not
be cut quite square, I have a small set screw o, by screwing which the spring p
may be thrust out till the two edges of the paper coincide with the edges of
the rectangular frame of the cross bar g. u, u, &c., Fig. 3., show sheets of
paper properly laid by my machine preparatory to being bordered with ink or
other colouring matter.
I have now fully described my Invention, and also illustrated the manner

page_text: in which I purpose carrying it out, but I would remark that there are many
details of construction and many points of dimensions and proportions which
may be considerably varied without departing from the principle of my Inven-
tion; I do not confine myself to the motive power whereby the longitudinal
motion of the board D is secured, as this may be done by any regular motion,
as the falling of a weight, which I have already mentioned. The apparatus
might be very conveniently driven by steam power if desired. These points
are not, however, essential to my Invention, nor do they form any part of the
actual Invention; what I claim as my Invention to be protected by Her
Majesty's Letters Patent is, the mechanical arrangement herein-before set
forward and illustrated in this my Specification for bordering paper and
envelopes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Parkins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
CHARLES STUART BAKER,
71, Fleet Street.
JOSEPH PARKINS. (L.s.)