US120639A - Improvement in paper-folding machines - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

RICHARD R. GUBBINS, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, PATRICK J. FITZGERALD, AND LEWIS H. DEZOUCHE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-FOLDING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,639, dated November 7, 1871.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD R. GUBBnvs, of the city of Troy, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Folding Paper; and I do hereby declare that the following is a description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a section of the same through line No. l, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 isa cross-section through line No. 2, Fig. 3.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of a cam or stop and lever with the folding-knife usually employed, whereby the folding-knife will be operated in a rapid manner to effect an instantaneous creasing of the paper at the point it is to be folded.

That others may fully understand my invention, I will particularly describe it and its mode` of operation.

The several groups of folding-rollers are supported by the frame A, and motion is communicated to them by means of the shafts C C, which are mounted in brackets z z along the side of said frame, and are connected at their ends by bevel-gears y y. The driving-rollers for the several groups of folding-rollers are geared to said shafts by bevel-gears y and yf. The shaft C is actuated by a belt and pulley, not shown in the drawing; and when the motion of said shaft is arrested to make the operation of the apparatus intermittent, the said belt may be thrown out of connection in some well-known Way, or it may simply be permitted to slip. When the apparatus is putin position the frame A is placed so that the folding-knife B is directly in front of the dier of the press, and in such a position relative thereto that the sheet of paper, as it passes down the iiier, will pass in front of said knife. When the iiier deposits the sheet the knife B will be pushed over with it, and will crease the paper for the first fold and drive it down until nipped between the roller b and apron e. The knife and hier rise up together, and the motion of the apron and roller b completes the iirst fold and conveys the paper to the rods f over the second group G.

The sheet of paper is successively folded by means of several groups of folding-rollers placed at right angles to each other. The first of said groups, G, makes the first fold, as above described, and is composed of the rollers a, 11,0, d, and d', with the endless apron c and tapes e. The rollers a and b are not in contact with each other, but are separated to a greater or less distance, and the paper is not folded between them, but is folded by passing between the roller b and the endless apron e. The prime roller c, by means of the endless apron c, transmits motion to the folding-roller b, and through said roller to the conveyer-tapes e, without the interposition of any gearing or other independent means of transmission. The roller d is elevated sufficiently high to pass the paper upon the rods f or similar supports, just above the group G', at right angles to group G, by means of which the paper receives its second fold in a direction transverse to the first fold. In the same manner the paper is conveyed from one group to another until the required number of folds has been made, all the several groups, G, G', G, and G, being` composed of rollers and endless aprons arranged similar to group G, already described. In passing from group Gl to group G" the paper is supported upon rods similar to the rods f.

The said folding-groups G G G G" may be increased or diminished in number, according to the size of the paper to be folded or the number of folds to be given; and if the number of such folding-groups be increased the ad-` ditional groups are to be arranged in position, one with the other, in the manner substantially as the several groups already described, preserving meanwhile the position of the axes of the several rollers in the same plane. Each folding-group is provided with a vibrating folding-knife, B or B. The said folding-knives B or Bl are each provided with arms t t, which connect with their roller-bars a u', having `bearings fv o placed on any suitable part of the frame, above or-below, or elsewhere, as may be required, and are so arranged as to throw toward their folding-groups and strike with their edges between the banded roller and its coacting mate of a group, as between the band on the roller a and its coacting roller b of group G, or band jover the roller g and its coacting roller h of group G, and thus substantially the same with each group; and the knives operating with those groups which have placed beneath them receiving-rods ff,'running at right angles with their rollers, as in the case of group G", must have provided in them notches, so as to pass all such receiving-rods so placed. Each rollerbar u is furnished with a lever, w', which lever is operated by a cam, a', attached to a shaft, C, running in a direction parallel with the knife B', to beoperated by said cams w' and levers w'. Elastic springs Z', Figs. l and 4, connecting with each lever fw' and the frame A, sustain the said folding-knives B' in proper position when not. acted upon by the cams w'. The vibrating folding-knifeJ B, Figs. l, 2, and 3, is operated by y of the press,"(not shown,) and is held in check by the stop-clutch x attached to to the shaft O operating on the lever w attached to the roller-bar u', Figs. l and 3.

It is intended that each cylinder of a printing-press shall have one of these machines properly attached, to receive the paper as it is printed and delivered from its cylinder by the fly, and they are to be placedbeneath the iiies of the said printing-cylinder in the usual space beneath such ies, which space is usually from eight to ten inches in depth. y f

Being thus arranged in its several parts and placed as described, the several parts of this invention operate as follows in the progress of folding the paper operated upon: The paper runs down the tapes in the usual way in front of the fiy of' the press and in front of the folding-knife B. The fly of the press falls in the usual manner and forces paper and knife together between the roller b and endless belt e. At the same time the knife descends, the lever w of the knife B is released from the clutchstop x, and the shafting C is permitted to revolve and give motion to the several parts of the folding machine and cause the several shafts C to revolve once; and while the said shafts C, &c., are making their one revolution the fly of the press returns to its right position and carries with it the folding-knife B. The return of the knife B to its upright position, as in Fig. l, brings the lever w of the said knife in contact with the clutch-stop x, and arrests the motion of all the parts of' the folding-machine.

When the fly of the press throws down a second sheet of paper the several parts of the machine are operated a second time by a similar revolution of the shaft C, and the first sheet of paper is carried along to be operated upon and folded a second time; and in this manner the folding-machine is operated in all its parts; and when the fly of the press has thrown down a number of sheets corresponding with the number of folding-groups in the machine, each folding-group will perform an operation of folding once its paper and pass it to the next succeeding folding-group to be further operated upon, and thus result in the delivery of a paper duly folded at each drop of a new sheet from the fly of the press after all the groups have been once supplied.V

It is to be understood that the folding-niachine is to be geared to r-un at a speed equal to the maximum speed of the press; and its motion is to be permitted and arrested by the stop a: acting on the lever w of the foldingknife B, (which is carried by the usual y of the press,) so as always to make the several parts of the machine to work in unison with the printing-press whether the latter runs slower than its maximum speed or not.

In the operation of the several parts of this machine, as described above, the paper operated upon moves as follows in its progress of being folded for delivery: When the sheet of paper has been thrown by the fly from the press the paper will fall, wide spread, over the first folding-group G in such a manner that its primary folding place will be over the line of contact of the roller b with the endless band e, (around the roller a,) when the folding-knife (operated as described) will thrust the paper at said line of contact down between the said roller b and endless band e, and the paper, by the revolving of the rollers and movement of the band in the said group G, will be drawn in under and between the roller b and its coacting band c to and out from the said roller, and then will be carried along, by the bed of the band e, under the tapes e' and roller d', to be delivered on the receiving-rods ff over the second folding-group G', shown in Figs. l and 2.

When a second sheet is thrown down by the fly the second sheet is operated upon in the manner of the rst sheet, and, at the same time, the first sheet will be operated upon at and by the second group G', which is as follows: The revolving shaft C, turning in the direction indicated by arrows in Fig. 4, operates the cam x', which throws up the lever w' and causes the folding-knife B' to throw down suddenly and thrust the edge of the same against the paper, and drives it down between the roller h and the band j, when it will be drawn down and passed under between the roller h and its coacting band, and carried forward and under the third folding-group G".

When a third sheet is thrown down by the fly the first and second sheets of paper will be passed along to be operated upon in the manner substantially as described by their several folding-groups, the groups G' and G" folding the paper at lines parallel with each other and at right angles to the folding of group G, while the folding-group G"' will fold the paper at right angles with the groups G' G".

It is to be understood that the relative lines of direction of the several rollers in the several groups may be changed so as to give the required direction to the several folds to be made in the paper, and also the number of the said folding-groups may be increased or diminished, according to the required number of folds to be given; but in every case the said foldinggroups are to be kept in the same plane, so that, by working the paper from one group to another, by falling and raising the paper as operated upon, the paper can be folded in the the folding-knife B, substantially as and for the limited depth of space demanded by the presses purpose set forth.

" R. R. GUBBINS.

as made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, Witnesses: is- ALEX. SELKIRK,

The stop x and lever w, in combination with P. J. FITZGERALD.- (117)

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