Iм- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SHEETS OF PAPER OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES FROM A PILE, AND FEEDING OR MOVING THEM INTO OR THROUGH PRINTING, FOLDING, RULING, EMBOSSING, ENVELOPE MAKING, AND SIMILAR MACHINES, AND FOR RULING OR STAINING SUCH SUBSTANCES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cumming, of Number Two Hundred &
Ninety-six, Leith Walk, Edinburgh, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SHEETS OF PAPER OR OTHER
SIMILAR SUBSTANCES FROM A PILE, AND FEEDING OR MOVING THEM INTO OR
THROUGH PRINTING, FOLDING, RULING, EMBOSSING, ENVELOPE MAKING, AND
SIMILAR MACHINES, AND FOR RULING OR STAINING SUCH SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cumming at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th July 1873.
OTHER
I, JOHN CUMMING, of Number Two Hundred and Ninety-six, Leith
Walk, Edinburgh, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SHEETS OF PAPER OR
SIMILAR SUBSTANCES FROM A PILE, AND FEEDING OR MOVING THEM INTO OR THROUGH
PRINTING, FOLDING, RULING, EMBOSSING, ENVELOPE MAKING, AND SIMILAR MACHINES,
AND FOR RULING OR STAINING SUCH SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the ruling and separating of sheets
of paper or other similar substances from a pile in a certain and rapid

page_text: manner, and the feeding or moving of the separated sheets into or
through printing, folding, ruling, embossing, envelope making, and
similar machines, and is an improvement upon the Invention described
in my Provisional Specification, Number 267, dated Twenty-third
January, Eighteen hundred and seventy-three.
I now proceed to describe only such parts as are different from those
described in my said Provisional Protection.
Instead of a series of holding back fingers applied to the front edges
of the pile of paper I use side holders or grippers made of any suitable
material, but I prefer metal, which lie on the paper with little more
than their own weight, but regulated according to circumstances, & so
shaped that when the sheet of paper is drawn out from under them and
is moved forward again it is not caught by them, but is lifted and passed
over them. To facilitate this I prefer to have a hollow on the board or
other rest for the paper immediately below the holders or grippers so
that their weight makes a slight indentation or hollow on the pile of
paper.
I also use, instead of the separators described in the said Specification,
separators, of an entirely different formation and actuated in a different
way. These separators are made to bear upon the surface of the paper
by means of a framework or other hold so situated and carried that when
the separators touch the sheet for the purpose of pulling it back the
action is entirely and constantly parallel with the paper, and the
separators do not leave the paper until they have again pushed forward
the sheet above the side holders and on to the bands or feeding rollers
which then carry it forward. The object that I have in using these is
to retain the paper in a flat position without being bent up in front, as I
find that when the sheet is so bent it tends to make the immediately
succeeding sheet follow before the first is run off. The framework which
carries the separators is carried on and worked by a rod worked by a
crank to which a reciprocating backward and forward motion is given
by a cam wheel with or without a guiding rod fixed in any convenient
position. The arms attaching the framework to the rod are made on
the principle of a socket so as to give the power of lengthening or
shortening them at pleasure with the use of punching screws. The
framework is fixed to these arms by a moveable joint and segmental
arms in order that the framework may move in such a manner as to
keep the separators constantly parallel with the paper.

page_text: The separators may be formed of rubber, which by preference is free
from sulphur, and is formed with a cellular, grooved, or otherwise
indented surface so as better to catch the paper. They may also be
made in the form of suckers to be operated upon by air supplied by
pumps and regulated by a cam wheel for the purpose of lifting the sheet
and carrying it forward by suction, the paper being dropped by the
action of the cam cutting off the current.
When the paper is to be carried forward by a revolving feeder such as
described in the former Provisional Specification I use a curved brass or
metal mouth piece having also perpendicular faces introduced so as to
lift the first sheet, but to catch and stop the second sheet.
After passing through the feed rollers, and in order that the sheets
may immediately enter their proper position on the machine before
coming under the operation of the printing or ruling or stamping
instruments, I apply a roller lying across the feeding blanket or tapes at
an angle and having one end close down on the blanket or tapes and the
other end slightly raised or lifted. This has the effect of throwing the
sheets away from the raised end towards the depressed end of this roller,
and as the depressed end is close to the guiding edge of the machine the
sheet is by the action of this roller pressed up against the guiding side
of the machine, and so carried in correct position to the printing, ruling,
or stamping machine. This roller is made to revolve by the blanket or
paper, and the same result may be obtained by a roller in the form of a
cone.
In the case of the continuously revolving separators the side holders
or grippers are not used, but the pile is confined in its proper place by
wedges or blocks of wood fixed upon the feeding board at the required
distance in the ordinary way.
The pen frame I use is provided with a groove running along the
frame divided into compartments, allowing different colors to be used at
same time, or not, as may be wished. Over the grooves and pens is
placed soft wool to lead the color to the
pens.
The framing may be so constructed as to secure the elevation or
depression of the color compartments in order to supply more or less
color as required. By this means one constant flow of color is main-
tained. This pen frame is placed within a revolving drum with openings,
and is supported on a rod running through centre of the drum and made

page_text: to rest on the sheet while the openings of the drum are under it. When
the closed parts of the drum come under the pen frame it is lifted by
stops placed on drum as may be wanted. This allows the ruling to be
made on the unprotected parts of the sheet only. This process is also
applicable to paper staining, brushes being used instead of the pens.
When the paper is ruled and dried it is turned to the finished board
by a revolving spindle with flexible blades.
SPECIFICATION. filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said John
Cumming in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd February
1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CUMMING, of Number Two Hundred and Ninety-six, Leith Walk, Edin-
burgh, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Cumming, Her special licence
that I, the said John Cumming, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Cumming, 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 SEPARATING SHEETS OF PAPER OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES FROM
A PILE, AND FEEDING OR MOVING THEM INTO OR THROUGH PRINTING, FOLDING,
RULING, EMBOSSING, ENVELOPE MAKING, AND SIMILAR MACHINES, AND FOR RULING
OR STAINING SUCH SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Cumming, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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

page_text: 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 Cumming, 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
following statement :—
This Invention has for its object the ruling or staining and separating
of sheets of paper or other similar substances from a pile in a certain
and rapid manner, and the feeding or moving of the separated sheets
into or through printing, folding, ruling, staining, embossing, envelope
making, and similar machines, and is an improvement upon the
Invention described in my Provisional Specification, Number Two
hundred and sixty-seven, dated Twenty-third January, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.
I now proceed to describe only such parts as are different from those
described in my said Provisional Specification.
In explanation of my Invention I refer to the annexed two Sheets of
Drawings, and to the following description of them :-
On Sheet I., Figure 1., is a side elevation of the parallel feed;
Figure 2., is a plan view of the same.
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. are details of different parts of the
machine, and I have to explain that the letters upon the different Figures
refer throughout to the same parts.
Instead of a series of holding back fingers applied to the front edges
of the pile of paper I use side holders or grippers A, A, made of any
suitable material, but I prefer metal, which are attached to the sides
and lie on the paper with little more than their own weight, but
regulated according to circumstances, and so shaped that when the sheet
of paper is drawn out from under them and is moved forward again it is
not caught by them, but is lifted and passed over them. To facilitate
this I prefer to have a slight hollow on the board or other rest for the
paper immediately below the holders or grippers, so that their weight
makes a slight indentation or hollow on the pile of paper.
'
I also use instead of the separators described in the said Provisional
5 Specification separators of an entirely different formation, and actuated

page_text: in a different way. These separators B, B, are made to bear upon the
surface of the paper by means of a framework or pad bar C or other
holder, so situated and carried that when the separators which are
attached to the under side of C touch the sheet for the purpose of
pulling it back the action is entirely and constantly parallel with the
paper, and the separators do not leave the paper until they have again
pushed forward the sheet above the side holders and on to the bands or
feeding rollers, which then carry it forward. The object that I have in
using these is to retain the paper in a flat position, without being bent
up in front, as I find that when the sheet is so bent it tends to make
the immediately succeeding sheet follow before the first is run off. The
framework or pad bar which carries the separators is placed in an upright
hold D, slotted so as to allow the pad bar C to rise or fall, according to
the height of the paper. D is worked by a series of cranks and
rods E, E, to which a reciprocating backward and forward motion is
given by a cam wheel F fixed in any convenient position. The rods or
cranks attaching the framework to the wheel may be made on the
principle, of a socket, so as to give the power of lengthening or
shortening them at pleasure with the use of punching screws, and thus
of varying at pleasure the length of stroke. The framework may also
be fixed to these arms by a moveable joint and segmental arms, or left
loose in the slot in order that the pad bar may move in such a manner as
to keep the separators constantly parallel with the paper.
The separators B, B, may be formed of rubber, which, by preference,
is free from sulphur, and is formed with a cellular, grooved, or otherwise
indented surface, so as better to catch the paper. They may also be
made in the form of suckers, to be operated upon by air supplied by
pumps, and regulated by a cam wheel for the purpose of lifting the
sheet and carrying it forward by suction, the paper being dropped by
the action of the cam cutting off the current of air. G are drags put
upon the paper to prevent it being carried forward too rapidly.
Figure 3 gives the details of the paper table, which is made to swing
upon a pivot H, and is balanced by a weight J. This keeps the paper
always up to the separators B.
Figures 4 and 5 give the details of the guide for giving the peculiar
motion of the pad bar C. Figure 4 shews the pad bar coming forward
and haing lifted from the
An
Th
T
1
11

page_text: apply a roller R lying across the feeding blanket or tapes at an angle,
and having one end close down on the blanket or tapes, and the other
end slightly raised or lifted. This has the effect of throwing the sheets
away from the raised end towards the depressed end of the roller, and
as the depressed end is close to the guiding edge of the machine the
sheet is by the action of this roller pressed up against the guiding side
of the machine, and so carried in correct position to the printing, ruling,
staining, or stamping machine. This roller is made to revolve by the
blanket or paper.
In the case of the continuously revolving separators the side holders 1
or grippers A, A, are not used, but the pile is confined in its proper
place by a wedge or block of wood T fixed upon the feeding board
at the required distance in the ordinary way, and regulated by a
screw S.
"
The pen frame I use is provided with a groove running along the 1
frame, divided into compartments, allowing different inks or colours to
be used at same time or not, as may be wished. Over the grooves and
pens is placed soft wool to lead the colour or ink to the pens.
The framing may be so constructed as to secure the elevation or
depression of the colour compartments in order to supply more or less 2
colour or ink, as required. By this means, one constant flow of colour
or ink is maintained. This pen frame is placed within a revolving drum
or band with openings, and is supported on a rod running through
centre of the drum, and made to rest on the sheet while the openings
of the drum are under it. When the closed parts of the drum come 2
under the pen frame the pens or brushes are lifted by stops placed on
the drum, as may be wanted. This allows the ruling to be made on the
unprotected parts of the sheet only.
When the paper is ruled or stained and dried it is turned to the
finished board by a revolving spindle V with flexible blades.
This process is also applicable to paper staining, brushes being used
instead of the pens.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I may observe in conclusion that I do not confine or 3
restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had

page_text: occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom, and many parts may be dispensed with without deviating
from the principles or main features of the Invention; but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
First. The general arrangement and construction of the appliances,
machinery, and apparatus as herein-before described, for the purposes
also herein-before described, or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The system or mode of separating sheets of paper from a pile,
as herein-before described, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cumming, have hereunto
set my hand & seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred & seventy-
four.