Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1899-Accepted, 12th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
I, IRVING LEE STONE, Manufacturer, of Battle Creek, State of Michigan,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
As is well known, in paper folding machines the sheets are folded by being
fed between a pair of rolls called folding rolls and the sheets may be folded a
number of times by successive pairs of rolls, and are ordinarily carried from
one set of rolls to another by means of endless tapes and are arrested by sheet
stops when above the rolls and then tucked down between the rolls by a
movable tucker" blade.
"
It is sometimes desirable, particularly in newspaper printing machines, to
lessen the number of folds made in the papers, and this change is ordinarily
made by omitting to pass the sheets through one or more sets of folding rolls.
Ordinarily, this change requires a stoppage of the machine and troublesome
manipulation of parts, and the principal object of the present invention is to
avoid this trouble and to enable the change in the number of folds to be made
quickly and instantaneously without stopping the operation of the machine, and
this is accomplished by device whereby the tucker blade, co-operating with a set
of folding rolls, can be thrown into or out of operative position by simply
releasing a spring catch, and providing a set of movable sheet arresting stops
which will be automatically thrown out of or into operative position with and
by the throwing of the tucker blade in or out of operative position.
When the tucker blade is in operative position, the sheet stops will arrest the
sheets over the corresponding pair of folding rolls so that the tucker blade will
push the sheets there-between, so that they will be folded thereby; but when
the tucker, blade is thrown out of operative position, the sheet stops are also
thrown out of operative position and the sheets are then carried by the tapes past
these folding rolls and are delivered with one less fold than they would have
if they had been passed between such rolls.
This invention therefor is an improvement in paper folding machines particu-
larly such as are used in connection with web printing presses, and its object is
to enable the machine to be quickly adjusted while running to fold the sheets
a greater less number of times, as desired; this feature being particularly valuable
when the folder is used on newspaper printing presses, as the pressman can
instantly change the operation of the folder so that it will deliver the sheets
folded either a greater or a less number of times without stopping either the
press or the folder.

page_text: The drawings illustrate a simple and effective mechanism embodying the
invention.
Figure 1 is a detail sectional view, and
Figure 2 is a detail sectional side elevation of part of a paper folding
mechanisin embodying my invention, the parts being shown in full lines, in
position to make a certain number of successive folds in a sheet of paper.
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the parts in position to deliver
the sheets with one less fold.
Figure 4 is a detail.
The mechanism for driving the various rolls and rollers of the machine is
not shown, as such is common and well understood in the art.
1 and 2 designate parts of the side frames of the machine. 44 and 45 are
folding rolls which lie at right-angles to, and are located slightly above, a pair
of rolls 26-27 which are adapted to form the next fold.
The sheets are conducted by endless tapes 29 and 30 from the rolls 44 and 45
to the rolls 26-27, the lower tapes running from roll 45 to and over an end
roller 52, and thence down and around the guide rollers 36 and 50 back to roll 45;
while the upper tapes 29 run from roll 44 parallel with tapes 30 to roller 52,
and over said roller, down under a roller 43, up over a roller 39 and back to
roll 44.
Below the rollers 43 and 52 is a table 31, upon which the folded sheets can
be dropped; and they may be stacked thereon by a vibrater 37, if desired.
Above the rolls 26 and 27 and adapted to co-operate therewith, is a tucker
blade S which is attached to an arm 7 fixed on the rock shaft 5 located to onc
side of the rolls. This rock shaft 5 is provided with an arm 21 to which is
connected one end of a stout spring 12, the other end of which is attached to
the frame, so as to normally rock the shaft, and uphold the blade 8; a stop 23
limiting the downward movement of an arm 21. On shaft 5, or beside arm 7,
is pivoted an oscillating lever 6 which is provided with a curved head 55 having
a notch 56 near one end, which notch is adapted to be engaged by a spring
bolt 9 contained in a keeper 10 on arm 7, said bolt being normally pressed dow
ward by spring 11 against the surface of head 55 ready to engage notch 56 as
shown in Figure 4. The lower end of lever 6 is connected by a rod 19 to a
yoke 18, which is guided by a block 14, loosely mounted on the power shaft 15,
upon which shaft is a tightly mounted race cam 4, the race of which is engaged
by a roller 16 on a wrist pin 17, fixed to yoke 18, as shown in Figure 1, so that
as cam 14 is rotated, lever 6 is oscillated positively in each direction, and there-
upon, so long as bolt 9 is engaged with notch 56, the lever 6 and arm 7 are
locked together and vibrated as one, but when bolt 9 is pulled out of engagement
with notch 56, spring 12, through arm 21, rocks shaft 5 so as to throw arm 7
and tucker blade S into the position shown in dotted lines, 7 and 8, in
Figure 1, in which position the tucker blade 8 becomes; and remains, inoperative
on the sheets until it is again depressed so as to engage bolt 9 with notch 56.
Above the tapes 29 and 30, and rolls 26 and 27, is a rock shaft 47 upon which
are angular stop fingers 49, which, when in their lowermost position (Figure 2)
depend below the adjoining parallel parts of tapes 29 and 30, in position to stop
the sheets brought forward by said tapes, directly over the rollers 26 and 27,
so that the tucker blade S can force the sheets from said tapes into said rolls; '
and after passing through the latter the sheets drop into a collecting box 3 which
may be provided with a stacker as usual.
Upon said rock shaft 47 is an arm 46, which projects above and over the edge
of tucker blade 8, in such position as to be struck and lifted by the latter when
the blade rises to its highest position as indicated in dotted lines 8" Figures 1
and 3; but will not be effected by the blade when the latter is in its operative
position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 by full lines and by dotted lines 7 and 8¹;
consequently, when the tucker blade rises out of operative position, it engages
arm 46 which rocks shaft 47 and lifts the stop fingers 40 out of the way of the

page_text: heet so that the latter pass on over the rolls 26-27 to the second collector or
able 31 having one less fold than before.
The operation of the rolls 44-and-45 is as usual. The sheets, previously
olded, it may be, by the ordinary mechanism, (so well understood as to need
o further description, nor illustration) are brought over the rolls 44 and 45
n the usual manner, and tucked therebetween, so as to be folded thereby, then
arried by tapes 29 and 30 to and over the succeeding fold rolls and delivered
onto the table 31, as in Figure 3, as the tucker blade 8 and stop fingers 49 are
raised out of operative position.
As the lever Goscillates continuously, should the operator desire to make an
additional fold in the sheets, lie simply pulls the arm 7, or blade 8, down until
pin 11 enters notch 56 in head 55; whereupon the tucker blade is operated, as
At the same time, the stop fingers 49
the arm 7 is rigidly locked to the lever G.
are lowered, so as to arrest the sheets (brought forward by tapes 29 and 30), over
the rolls 26 and 27, and remain in this position so long as blade 8 is in its lower
operative position. The sheets are thus tucked by blade 8 between rolls 26
and 27, and given an additional fold thereby, and stacked in box 3.
When the operator desires to reduce the number of folds, he simply pulls
out bolt 9 disengaging it from notch 56, whereupon spring 12 rocks shaft 5,
until arm 21 strikes stop 23, thus raising arm 7 and blade 8 to the highest
position, shown in dotted lines 7" and 8" Figure 1, in which position they are
inoperative; and of course, as the blade rises to this position it engages arm 46,
lifting the latter, thereby rocking shaft 47 and lifting stop fingers 49 out of
operative position also, thus permitting the sheets to pass on to collector 31.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: -
1. In a folding machine, the combination of a tucker blade, and its operative
mechanism, with sheet stops adapted to be lifted automatically out of the way
by the blade when the latter is thrown beyond its working limit, substantially
as described.
2. In a folding machine, the combination of a tucker blade, and means for
throwing the same out of operative position; with the sheet stops automatically
controlled by the position of the tucker blade and adapted to be thrown out of
operation by, and simultaneously with, the tucker blade, when the latter is
thrown out of operative position, substantially as described.
3. In a folding machine, the combination of folding rolls, a tucker blade co-
operating therewith, means for throwing the blade out of operative position,
and-sheet carrying tapes; with the sheet stops automatically controlled by the
position of the tucker blade and adapted to be thrown into or out of operative
position by, and simultaneously with, the tucker blade, when the tucker blade
is thrown into or out of operative position, substantially as described.
4. In a paper folding machine, the combination of two sets or pairs of folding
rolls, and tapes for carrying the sheets from the one set to the other set, positively
vibrating tucker blade co-operating with the second set of rolls, and means for
throwing said tucker blade into inoperative position; with the stop fingers for
arresting the sheets over the second set of rolls and means whereby said stop
fingers are thrown into inoperative position from and by the tucker blade, when
the latter is thrown into inoperative position, substantially as and for the
O purpose described.
5. In a paper folding machine, the combination of the folding rolls, a tucker
blade co-operative with said rolls, mounted by an arm upon a rock shaft, means
for rocking said shaft so as to throw said tucker blade into inoperative position,
an oscillating lever beside said arm, means for continuously oscillating said
5 lever and detachable connections for locking said arm to said lever; with the
stop fingers for arresting the sheets over said rolls, and means whereby said stop

page_text: finger are thrown into inoperative position from and by the tucker blade, when
the latter is thrown into inoperative position, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of June 1899.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents.