Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
Fig. 3 a plan view.
And Fig. 4 a side view including the driving gear.
The machine consists of a carriage W sliding upon a track of rails and reciprocated
thereon by suitable machinery. It is provided with a seat S affording room for two
operators and with a table T for the folded sheets to be laid upon, as they are taken
from the pile in their numerical order; also with a star-shaped frame which rotates
on a shaft A supported on suitable standards G. From each of the six arms K of
this frame a table or platform is suspended in the manner shown. These platforms
consist of boards C destined to carry the piles of folded sheets each pile formed of
sheets of all the same number so that each succeeding pile contains the sheets of the
next following number; or the sheets in each pile may be classified in their numerical
order.
During the time required by the arms k to complete of a revolution, so as to
present to the operators each time a fresh pile of sheets laid upon one of the boards C
which are suspended from the arms K in a manner similar to what is known as
"Russian swings" the carriage W with the operatives occupying its seat travels
once along the machine.
Supposing, therefore, each of the boards or platforms C, carries a pile of sheets so
that there are in all 12 piles the first being numbered 1 the next 2 and so on to No. 12.
the operatives may then in completing one journey after another and by taking away
a sheet from each pile F collect one sheet of each number, from 1 to 12 and place
them in the proper order upon the table in front of them so that the piles B thus
formed on the table contain sheets which need only to be stitched together to form
books.
proper
order
upon
table T.
During the backward journey of the carriage W sheets are, in the same way taken
off the piles on platforms C and collected in the
To enable this to take place the piles of sheets F on the boards C of the next follow-
ing rotating frame (which, in its turn, completes th of a revolution) must be moved
in the opposite direction so as to present the sheets to the operators on the opposite side,
in the proper order, viz. Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16 &c. to 24. Thus when the backward
stroke is completed the two piles B upon table T will contain a complete series of
cheats from 1 to 01

page_text: To enable the sheets to be taken off the piles F (i.e. from the swinging platforms C)
and placed in the required order upon table T so as to form the piles B it is necessary
for the carriage W to travel three times backwards and forwards during one complete
revolution of the stand K; and the sheets forming the piles F upon the said
platform C must be classified in such order, as to suit,such reciprocating motion i.e. the
numbers must always follow the direction of motion of carriage W for the time
Obeing.
This reciprocating motion is imparted to the carriage which is adapted to run on
rails by means of suitable flanged wheels by a chain L passed over pitch-wheels or
the like R, a bolt Z.which projects downward from the seat Sengaging one of the
links of the said chain and passing through the same.
The chain L receives its motion from an appropriate gear supported in frames or
.standards V and consisting of two wide loose pulleys. H a narrow fast pulley. J. of a
chain or pitch wheel R¹ and of belt shifting gear, M. While the carriage,W is at
rest an uncrossed band is upon one of the loose pulleys H and another crossed band
is upon the other loose pulley. Both these straps receive motion from driving pulley N,
which also sets in operation the worm D whereby, and by means of intermediate straps
and pulleys, the frame K is caused to revolve.
Upon the bar E which is supported in suitable brackets two belt shifting forks O
are mounted one for the uncrossed and the other for the crossed band, as well as a
coupling pin.
"This pin catches into the long slot provided in one arm of a cranked lever Q
movable in the horizontal plane; the position of lever Q always corresponds to that
of a double-armed lever Q₁owing to the action of connecting rod U. "Through the
motion of these levers the bar E and also forks O are shifted; so that when it is
required to move the carriage one of the driving belts (the two acting in opposite
directions) is passed on to the fast pulley J. and the other upon one of the loose
pulleys H while,.so long as the carriage continues at rest, both belts or straps lie: on
the loose pulleys' H 'H.
.
Supposing, now, that the driving shaft N rotates in the direction indicated by the
arrow in figure 1; then, as shown in fig. 3, the crossed belt. passes on to fast pulley J
and carriage W is made to travel from left to right until bolt Z meets the free arm.of
cranked lever Q and shifts the same into its central or medium position. This brings
the bar E with its forks O also in the medium position and causes the crossed strap to
pass from the fast pulley onto the loose, one.
Both straps are thus shifted onto loose pulleys, and the carriage brought to a stand-
still. If, at this moment, one of the operators takes hold of hand lever Y (which is
connected by arms X with rod U connecting the levers) and moves it in such a
manner that the cranked lever Q entirely .completes its stroke the bar E is corre
spondingly shifted, along with its forks O. The..uncrossed strap now passes onto the
fast pulley Jand the carriage W is caused to travel in the opposite direction until
bolt Z engaged with the chain L is brought in contact with lever Q₁and presses upon
::the latter so that the uncrossed strap passes onto. the loose pulley again, while the
crossed one is shifted a distance equal to its width upon its loose pulley.
Both straps are thus again passed onto their respective loose pulleys; and by pulling
hand lever the carriage is set in gear once more, and so forth. Whenever the
carriage completes its movement in either direction it is.reversed by simply actuating
hand lever which is placed within easy reach of the operator. "And the carriage
may by the same means be stopped or its motion reversed after the stoppage if
necessary.
As regards the motion of the star-shaped frame K K and of the boards or
platforms CC depending therefrom, it bears such a relation to the motion of the
carriage (as aforesaid) that, while the swing makes one complete revolution, the
carriage travels thrice backwards and forwards. This motion is imparted to the said
swing or stand by the worm D and the worm wheel D' in gear therewith mounted
upon the shaft A of the star shaped frame.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. A machine comprising one or more rotating frames such as K similar to what
are known as Russian swings and intended to carry piles of sheets, and of a carriage
such as W provided with seats for the attendants and moved backwards and forwards
in such a manner that it completes as many journeys during one revolution of the
frame K as there are platforms C suspended from the arms of the frame substantially
as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The gathering, collecting in piles, and classifying of sheets by means of a
machine comprising platforms such as C each of which carries piles of numbered
sheets so that the operators seated upon a reciprocating carriage may take off the
upper sheets from the piles F presented to them in succession by the said platforms
and place them one upon the other upon a table moving with the carriage sub-
stantially as described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete machine
substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of December 1889
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.