US1072262A - Envelop-sealing machine. - Google Patents

Description

P. R'USZKOWSKI ENVELOP SEALING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED A-PR. 2, 1912.

1,072 2 2, Patented Sept. '2, 1913.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/TNESSES ATTORNEYS F. R'USZKOWSKI. ENVELOP SEALING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

6 SHEETSSHEET 3.

,IIIIIIHTIIHITIT WITNESSES ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cog WASHINGTON. 1) cl P. RUSZKOWSKI.

ENVBLOP SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

r ilZ I/l/ r/l/Z i Z m w W0 J M h m 8 8 w W ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH 60.,WAsHlNuToN. n. c.

F. R USZKOWSKI.

BNVELOP SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS 5, to hold the arms in a vertical plane and FRANK RUSZKOVVSKI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ENVELOP-SEALING MACHINE.

Specification of- Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed April 2, 1912. Serial No. 687,993.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK R szKowsKi, a subject of the Czar of Russia, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Envelop-Sealing Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to devices for moistening the gummed edges of the flaps of envelops and then closing and sealing the same; and it comprises a certain novel and efficient combination of parts by means of which an envelop after being put in the ma chine can be moistened and sealed by the movement of a single lever or handle in one direction, this movement serving to actuate all the intermediate mechanism by means of which the operations of moistening and sealing are performed.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred form of my invention, the same characters of reference indicate the same parts in all the views.

Figure 1 represents a top plan of my sealing machine; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 represents a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same; Fig. 4: represents a similar view, showing the parts in the position which they assume when the flap of the envelop is moistened; and Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the parts in the position they assume when the envelop is sealed.

My machine comprises a frame consisting of a pair of sides or ends 1, a front 2, and a back 3, the front being lower than the back, and the two being connected by an inclined plate 1, which forms a continuous surface to receive the envelops that are to be moistened and closed.

The sides 1 are each provided with central slots 5, and between the sides adjacent these central slots are supporting arms 6, of any approved form, which are provided with projections 7 passing through the slots 5, to-

be engaged by the operating mechanism that will presently be described. The supporting arms 6 are connected by means of a plate 9, which is inclined upward away from the plane of the arms 6, toward the upper edge of the plate 1; and the arms 6 also receive screw bolts having heads thereon indicated at 8, which are attached to the arms 6 below the projections 7, and pass through theslots prevent the arms 6 and the plate 9 from moving, except up and down, when the machine is in use.

The numeral 10 represents a pair of plates, one of which is arranged adjacent the outer face of each of the sides 1, these plates being secured to the projections 7 at their front ends, and each having a pair of vertical slots 11 and 12 at their rear ends, these slots giving passage to securing bolts 13 and 14:, respectively, which hold the plates 10 to the frame, but at the same time permit them to move up and down in the course of operation. Each frame likewise has a diagonal slot 15 formed in its lower forward corner, this slot being arranged about in a level with the lower end of the slot 12, as shown particularly in Fig. 2.

Each of the sides 1 has a slot 16 formed therein and extending in a downward direction from the end adjacent the back 3 toward the front 2. This slot is of zigzag form, changing its direction three times in the course of its length, beginning from either end of the same, and it'serves as a guide for the movements of a trough 17, which is filled with absorbent material, such as sponge, shown at 18. This trough is nor- ,mally inclined to be substantially parallel with the plate 4, and it has a conduit 19 formed along its upper edge to enable the ab. sorbent material 18 to be kept moist at all times, this conduit having a number of apertures therethrough in the side with which the absorbent material cont-acts, and having a nipple 20 at the middle of its length to enable a section of rubber tubing to be connected thereto. This rubber tubing is not shown on the drawings, but it may lead from any source of liquid supply, such as a tank or hydrant, to keep the absorbent material 18 moist at all times.

The numerals 21 represent leaf springs secured to the sides 1 and arranged to cushion the trough 17 by engaging the spindles or projections 22 carried by the trough.

The ends of the trough 17 are closed, and from these ends project the spindles 22 above referred to, and longer spindles 23. The spindles 22 and 23 at each end enter the slots 16, and the spindles 23 pass through these slots and far enough from the plane .of the ends or sides 1 to enable them to be engaged by an operating arm or lever 24:.

there are two, one adjacent each of the ends or sides 1, has an L-shaped slot 25 in its upper end to receive the spindles 23, and is pivotally mounted upon the adjacent side 1 by means of a bolt 26; and 27 represents a headed bolt which passes through the slot 15 and into the lever 24, so as to connect the slotted plates 10 and the levers 24 together.

28 represents operating arms mounted on the outer ends of a shaft 29 secured in bearings carried by the sides 1 adjacent their forward upper corners. To this shaft is also secured an operating handle 30, and the shaft likewise carries projections 31 at its opposite ends, which abut against projections 32 from the sides 1, to limit the return movement of the handle 30. The arms 28 engage the projections 23 and effect the downward movement of the trough 17 the plates 10 and the levers 24 simultaneously.

33 represent vertical slots adjacent the forward edges of the plates 1, and the numeral 34 represents an oblong plate having a. cushion of rubber or other resilient material 35 secured to its lower face, and this plate has upward-extending ears 36 at its opposite ends, which receive bolts 37 arranged one above the other and passing through the slot 33 to connect the oblong plate 34 to the frame and enable it to have vertical movement therein. Normally, the plate 34 will be held in raised position by means of springs 39 secured to studs 38 projecting from the inner faces of the lugs 36 at one end and to studs 41 carried by brackets secured to the inner faces of the sides 1 near their forward edges at the other.

The plate 34 has standards 42 formed upon its upper face, and the top edges of these standards are engaged by arms 43 secured to the shaft 29 in such a. way as to force the standards 42 and the plate 34 downward. As will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings the plate 34 is arranged parallel with the plate 4, so as to engage the envelop firmly over the entire face of the same when the flap is to be pasted shut.

44 is an operating lever, one of which is secured to the outer face of each of the sides 1, and having on its outer end an anti-friction roller 45. The levers 44 are pivotally mounted at their lower ends, as shown at 46, and they are connected by means of links 47 to the lower ends of the levers 24, so that the levers 44 and 24 move in unison.

48 represent cams carried upon the shaft 29 adjacent the inner faces of each side 1 and 49 represent the upper ends of a pair of sliding bars 50. These sliding bars are secured to the inner faces of the sides 1 by means of slots shown at 50, and are provided with screw-threaded apertures to receive bolts which pass through these slots to hold the bars in place, and at the same time to permit them to have longitudinal movement the same as in the case of the slot 33 and the headed bolts 37. At lower ends these bars 50 are pivotally connected to levers 51 pivotally mounted upon spindles 52. These levers 51 form the ends of a rectangular frame carrying rows of studs 53 and 54. The studs 53 are rabbeted at their upper ends, as at 55, and the longer sides of the frame of which the levers 51 form the ends, are indicated at 56 and 57. These longer sides 56 and 57 are in the form of bars, the ends of which are rounded to form journals passing through apertures in the opposite ends of the levers 51.

Normally, the bars 50 are held in their uppermost position by means of springs 58 connected to a stud 60 on the bar 50 at one end, and to a stud 59 on the inner face of the adjacent side 1 at the other. The apertures in the plate 4 through which the studs 53 and 54 pass are shown at 61 and 62, respectively, and the envelop which is to be pasted shut is shown at 63.

The manner of operation of my invention will now be set forth: After put -ing the letter into the envelop 63 the same is laid upon the plate 4 adjacent its upper edge,

the edge to which the gummed flap is attached being turned to the front, and the parts of the machine being in the position shown in Fig. 3. The envelop is pushed down until its forward edge rests against the studs 54 projecting through the holes 62 in the plate 4, and the operating handle 30 being located as shown in Fig. 2. The handle is then grasped by the operator and turned to the rear; that is to say, in a counterclockwise direction. This causes the arms 28 to engage the projections 23, moving the trough 17 forward and downward and moving the plate 9 straight downward. As a result, the edge of the gummed flap is moistened by the plate 9, pressing the gum in contact with the absorbent material 18.

This View of the parts is shown in Fig. 4;

and it will be apparent from the above description that when the arms 28 engage the projections 23, so as to move the trough 17, the levers 24 are moved to cause their upper ends to swing forward, and the bolts 27 by their connection with the plates 10 through ,the inclined slots 15, cause the plates 10 to move downward. These plates are guided in their movement by the bolts 13 and 14, and thus the plate 9 is actuated in such a way as to force the gummed edge of the flap of the envelop against the absorbent material. It will be noted upon reference to Fig.

4, that when the projections 23 have moved 1 into the lower ends of the slots 16, that is to say, when the trough 17, the plate 9 and the levers 24 have reached the end of their movement, the arms 28 pass by the projections 23 and come contact with the antifriction rollers 45. Just before this action takes place, the cams 48 engage the ends 49 of the bars 50, forcing the bars 50 downward and actuating the pivoted levers 51 so as to withdraw the studs 54 from the holes 62, and at the same time project the studs 53 through the holes 61 until the rabbeted ends 55 lie flush with the top of the plate 4. The further movement of the handle operates the arms 28 so as to turn the levers 44 and pull upon the links 47 These links 47 move the levers 24 back to their original position, and these levers 24 push the projections 23 at the opposite ends of the trough 17 back to the u per ends of the slots 16, and at the same time raise the plates 10, to lift the plate 9 until the projections 7 are returned to the top of the slots 5.

The arms 28 ride over the anti-friction rollers 45 as they continue their movement, and before leaving these rollers the arms 43 on the shaft 29 come into position to depress the standards or uprights 42. This moves down the block 34; and it will be understood that as soon as the trough 17 and plate 9 have been returned to their original positions and the studs 54 are withdrawn, the envelop 60 will slide down along the face of the plate 4 until it is stopped by the studs 53. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 5. The cushion 35 carried by the plate 34 comes into contact with the outer face of the gummed flap which has beenmoistened by the absorbent material 18, and pastes it to the envelop, closing and sealing the same. The handle 30 is now pushed away from the operator to its forward position, and the arms 28 in their return movement will clear the rollers 45 and be arrested when the projections 31 come into contact with the stops 32. This return movement of .the shaft 29 will rotate the arms 43 and cams 48, whereupon the springs 39 and 58 will return the plate 34 and the bars 50 to their original position. The return of the bars 50 will withdraw the projections 53 and move the-projections 54 through the plate 4 against the front or lower face of the envelop 63, tilting the upper edge of the same. The envelop will therefore slide off the inclined plate 4 to make room for the next one.

It will be seen that the Zigzag shape of the slot 16 causes the inclination of the trough 17 to be changed when it is being moved forward. The forward edge of the same is first lowered when the projections 22 and 23 strike the first steeper portion or slot, and then the rear edgevis lowered after the projections 22 and 23 pass this steeper portion. The steeper portions adjacent the lower edge of the slot 16 are substantially parallel to the plane of the plate 9, and when the projections 22 and 23 reach the steeper portions at the lower ends of the slot 16, the gummed flap of the envelop will be clamped firmly between the moistening material 18 and the lower face of the plate 9 over its entire extent, making the moistening operation most efficient.

From the above description it will be seen that all the operations of moistening and pasting shut the envelops'are carried out by a single movement of the handle 30, the movement of this handle toward the operator, that is, toward the upper edge of the plate 4, serving both to move forward and return the moistening trough and likewise to lower the plate 34 to paste the envelop shut, and the return movement of the handle to its starting position serving to permit the lifting of the plate 34 and the withdrawal of the forward or lower row of studs to allow the envelop to slip off the plate and make room for the next one.

I wish to have it understood that the above description illustrates simply a preferred embodiment of my invention, and that I do not care to be limited to the details shown and described, except in so far as the same are expressly included in the accompanying claims.

- Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a frame, said frame having slots formed in its ends, a trough containing moistening material mounted in said slots, an inclined plate carried by said frame and mounted to be movable toward the lower ends of said slots, a supporting plate to receive thereon the envelop to be sealed, and means for simultaneously moving said trough and said inclined plate to cause the moistening material carried by the trough to engage the gummed edge of the flap of the envelop and press the same against said inclined plate preparatory to closing the envelop.

2. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a frame having slots formed in its ends, a moistening trough having absorbent material mounted to be movable in said slots, an inclined plate carried by said frame in front of said trough and mounted to be movable toward and from the lower ends of said slots, means for connecting said trough and said plate, a supporting plate beneath said trough and said inclined plate to receive the envelops to be sealed, and means for engaging and moving said trough fro-m one end of said slots to the other, whereby when the trough is moved, the inclined plate will be lowered and the moist absorbent material in the trough'will press the gummed edge of the flap of the envelop against said inclined plate preparatory to closing the same.

3. In a device of the kind described, the

combination of a frame having slots in its ends, a molstemng trough containing absorbent material mounted to be movable in said slots, an inclined plate carried by said moistenedpreparatory to sealing the envelop, and means oined to the means connecting the 1ncl1ned plate and the trough and en- 1 gageable upon the further movement of the means for actuating the trough to return the trough and the inclined plate to their original position.

4. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a frame carrying a supporting plate, a movable plate arranged upon the same and parallel therewith, said lastnamed plate having means connected thereto for holding the same spaced from the supporting plate, and a shaft having operating arms thereon for reciprocating the second-named plate to force the moistened gummed edge of the flap of an envelop to be sealed against the body of the envelop and close the same.

5. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a frame having an inclined plate to receive and support an envelop to be sealed, a rectangular frame mounted be neath said plate, said last-named frame carrying a row of studs along one of its longitudinal edges, the supporting plate having apertures to permit the passage. of said studs, means connected to said rectangular frame for oscillating the same to move the ends of said studs through said apertures to' engage the edge of an envelop, means for moistening the gummed flap of the envelop when said studs are in such position; means for subsequently engaging and pressing down the moistened gummed edge of the flap of said envelop to close the same, and means for operating the means connected to said rectangular frame and the means for pressing down the flap of the envelop.

6. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a frame having an inclined plate to receive and support envelops to be sealed, the said plate having a row of apertures therethrough, a row of studs arranged adjacent said apertures, means for moving said studs to cause the ends to project through said apertures to engage the edge of an envelop and hold the same in position, resilient means for returning said lastnamed means, a plate for forcing down the moistened gummed edge of the flap of said envelop to close the same, and means for operating said means for moving the {studs into engaging position and subsequently actuating the plate for engaging the flap of theenvelop to close the same.

7. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a frame having a supporting plate therein to receive envelops to be seale said plate having two rows of apertures therethrough, means mounted beneath said plate to be projected through one row of said apertures to engage the edge of an envelop, means for engaging and moistening the gummed edge of the flap of said envelop, means for withdrawing the projecting means to release the envelop, means located adjacent the second row of apertures through said plate and connected to said last-named means to be moved to projecting position when the means adjacent the first row of apertures are withdrawn to engage the envelop after the flap of the same has been moistened, and means for subsequently forcing said flap against the body of the envelop to close the same.

8. In a device of the Kind described, the combination of a frame, means for supporting an envelop to be sealed in said frame,

means for holding said envelop in position,

means mounted in said frame and movable to engage the gummed edge of the flap of said envelop to moisten the same, means for returning the moistening means, means for arresting the envelop in position to be closed, and means for subsequently engaging the moistenedflap of said envelo to force the same against the outside of the envelop and seal the said envelop.

9. In a device of the kind described, the combination of an oscillatable frame, an inclined supporting plate having openings therethrough, said frame having means for projecting through said openings, and means for moving the frame to cause part of said projecting means to pass through the plate to arrest the envelop while the gummed flap thereof is being moistened, and then withdrawing the same and moving the remainder of said projecting means through the plate to arrest the said envelop while the moistened gummed flap is moved against the body of the envelop, to seal the same.

10. In a device of the kind described, the combination of an inclined supporting plate having openings therethrough,said openings being spaced from one another, an oscillatable frame having projections to pass through said openings, said inclined plate permitting the envelop to slide from the top edge of the same to the lower edge, means for rocking the frame to cause part of the projecting means to arrest the envelop near the upper part of the plate, means for moistening the gummed flap of said envelop when in such position, the means for rocking the frame serving to withdraw the first named projecting means and move the remainder of said projecting means through the plate to arrest the envelop as it slides down the plate to the lower edge thereof, and means for engaging the said gummed flap when the envelop is in the last-named position, to press the same against the body of the envelo and seal the same.

11. In a device of the kind described, the

combination of means for moistening the gummed flap of an-envelop,a movable member connected to said moistening means, a second movable member connected to the first movable member, and an operating device for moving the moistening means and the movable members, said second movable member being mounted in the path of the operating means to be engaged thereby after the moistening means has been operated, said members and said moistening means being so related that the movement of the second movable member by the operating means, after the latter has moved the moistening means, will return the moistening means and the first member to their original positions.

12. In a device of the kind described, the combination of moistening means, a pivotally-mounted lever connected thereto, a second pivotally-mounted lever connected to the first lever, and an operating arm to engage and move the moistening means, said second lever being located in the path of the operating arm after it leaves the moistening means, said levers and said moistening means being so related to the operating arm that the movement of the second lever when engaged by the operating arm returns the first lever and moistening means to their original positions.

13. In an improvement of the kind described, the combination of moistening means, a pivotally-mounted lever having pin and slot connection with said moistening means, a second pivotally-mounted lever connected to the first lever, and an operating arm to engage and move the moistening means, said second lever being located in the path of the operating arm after it leaves the moistening means, said levers and said moistening means being so related to the operating arm that the movement of the second lever when engaged by the operating arm returns the first lever and moistening means to their original positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK RUSZKOWSKI.

Witnesses:

WVILLIAM F. NICKEL, FnANcIs X. WAZETER.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

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