US1460273A - Folding machine - Google Patents

Description

June 26, 1923.

M. O. REHFUSS FOLDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 5 1918 5 Sheets-Sheet l June 26, 1923. 1.460.273

M. '0. IREHFUSS FOLDING MACHINE Filed Sent. 5. 1918 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 26, 1923.

M. O* REHFUSS FOLDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 5. 1918 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jun@ 26, H923.

1.460.273 M. o. REHFUss FOLDING MACHINE Filed Sent. 5. 1918 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 M. O. REHFUSS FOLDING MACHINE `lune 26, 1923. AZYSQ Filed Sent. 5. 1918 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 26, 1923.

I UNITED STATES PATENT oi-fFICIE..l .I

MARTIN o. nEPIPUss, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoE ro JorIN WANA- MAKER PHILADELPHIA, or' PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDING MACHINE.

\ Application led September 5, 1918. Serial No. 252,747.

To all 'wiz/0m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, MARTIN O. REHrUss,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented Folding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

One object of this invention is to provide a convenient form of machine which may be of portable size, for twice folding one or a number of superposed sheets of paper such as bills, preparatory to their insertion in envelopes for mailing ;-the construction being simple and substantial, as well as inexpensive to manufacture and operate. j

I further desire to provide a novel form of folding `machine capable of being put in operation at will, which in addition :to possessing the above noted characteristics, shall include a novel combination of sheetholder and primary folding blade together with simple and efficient mechanism for actuating the latter.

It is also desired `to provide a simple and compact mechanism for actuating two blades operative in planes at right angles to each other to cause them to successively act on one or a number of sheets to force these between folding rolls and thereafter place thek folded sheets parallel with each other 1n a receiving trough.

These objects and other advantageous endsrl attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 isa front elevation of a folding machine constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2, Fig; 1;

Fig. 3 is `a sectional plan of the machine;

F ig. 4 is a rear elevation of the machine;

Fig. 5 isa perspective View 0f one ofthe folding blades and its associ-ated actuating lever; Land i I Figs. 6 to y9 linclusive are diagrammatic perspective views, illustrating the operation of my machine.

In the above drawings, 1 represents a base on which is mounted a casing 2 usually of metal and open at the back, its front 3 having a-transversely extending slot or open ing 4 whose upper and lower edges are curved slightly inward. Extending into the casing from the back is a tray or trough 5 supported horizontally by brackets 6 a short distance above the 'base 1.

l/Vithin the casing, immediately yto Athe rear of the slot 4, are a pair of nip or folding rolls? and 8 carried onspindles 9 and 10 supported in suitable bearings mounted on the sides of thecasing and having respectively fixed to them coacting gear wheels l1 and 12. The latter of these meshes with a larger gear wheel 13 loose on a third shaft 14 also extending across the casing yandhaving fixed to it a cam 16. A normally open clutch 15 makes possible the driving of said shaft 14 and cam 16.

1 :Immediately to the rearl of the roll 7 are two other yfolding rolls 17 Vand 18 respectivelyfixed to shafts 19 and 2O to which are also .fixed a pair of coacting gears 21 and 22. Both of these with the gear 11 are driven from an intermediate gear 23 mounted on .a shaft 24 which extends outside of the casing and is actuated from any suitable source of power such as yan electric motor. It will be noted that the upper roll 8 and the rearmost roll 18 are carried in slidable bearings mounted in guides `25 and V26 pressed` toward their cooperating rolls 7 and 17 bysprings 27and 28 respectively.

For supporting one orl any number of sheets to befolded, ready for delivery to the primary folding rollsf and 8, I provide a holder consisting of a pair of vertical guides 29 with a bottom plate 30 mounted on the `outer face of the front 3 of thecasing and so arrange said guides that they extend over the opposite ends of the slot 4 both above and below it. In the casing, on one of `the sides thereof, l provide a horizontal guideway 31 for a reciprocable bar 32, .one of whose ends projects through and beyond vthe front 3 and carries a folding blade `33 of substantially wedge-Shaped section which extends substantially parallel tothe slot 4 and is capable of moving into the same through suitable openings inlthe guides 129 and in the front 3;-fthe line of contact of the two rolls 7 and 8 lying subcable bar 35 carrying a second folding blade 36 which operates in a vertical plane including the line of contact of the second ,pa-i1' 0f folding .rolls l? and 18.

For actuating the bar 32 I provide a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on a rod 39 and having one of its arms 38 forked to engage a nin 40 projecting laterally from the bar 32, while its second arm 41 has a lateral projection such as a pin or roller operative within the groove of the cam 16. Also op-` erative within this groove is a second roller or pin projecting from the bar 35 whose lower end is connected through a link 42 with an arm 43 fixed to a shaft 44 extending transversely acrossthe lower part of the casing and journaled in bearings carried by the sides thereof. This shaft carries a pair of upwardly proiecting arms 45 extending through and operative in slots formed yin the bottom of the `trough 5 and connected by a blade 46 closely fitting in said trough so as to serve as a feeder or pusher whenv said vshaft 44'is oscillated.

-The rod 39 loosely carries a second bell cranklever having one arm 47 pivoted to an arm of second lever which projects through a vertical slot in the front 3 of the casing.l Asecond arm 48 of the bell crank lever is operatively associated with a clutch 15 on the shaft 14 whereby when the projecting end of the lever 60 is pressed down, the cam 16 is operatively coupled to said shaft. A spring 49 normally holds the projecting end of the lever 60 in a lowered position and maintains the clutch 15 in such condition thatv power is not transmitted to the cam 16. 1f however,the arm 47'be pressed downwardly against the action of the spring 49, the clutch is `operated to connect said cam withth'e shaft 14 and if said `arm 47 be released, vthe clutch automatically operates to disconnect said cam' land shaft after the former has made one revolution.

z-Under conditions of use the shaft 24 is 'continuously vdriven and with it the two vpairs kof folding rolls-and the shaft 14. A number of superposed bills to be folded may beplaced upright within the guides 29 so as to be supported by the bottom 30 parallel with and vimmediately adjacent the front 3 of the casing and if the clutch operating arm 47 be pushed down, the cam 16 is turned in 'l the `direction''ofthei arrow, FigrQ. As a result-fit at once acts on the arms 41 and 38 toamove the lbar'32 and folding blade' 33 i11- wardly,V causing this latter to" engage the package' of bills or other sheets ae at about their middle line, as indicated in Fig. 7, and force them toward the primary folding rolls that shortly after the once-.fold bills have been moved to the position indicated in Fig. 8, the bar 35 with the second folding blade 36 is moved down so that it engages the bills in what is now substantially their middle line and forces them between the secondary folding rolls 17 and 18, as indicated in Fig. 9. T his downward movement of the bar v35, through thelink42 and arm 43', moves the pusher plate 46 toward the front of the casing, so that the twice folded package of bills is delivered into the trough to the rear of said plate, whereupon the rising of the bar 35 yin its guideway 34 under the action of the cam 16, returns the pusher plate to the po- 'sition shown in Fig. 2 and pushes the package offolded vbills toward the rear of the trough 5. Owing to the automatic action of the clutch 15, the camv 16 is now operatively disconnected from the shaft 14 so that i the folding blades remain at rest and a second package of bills or sheets to be folded may .now be placed in the guide 29, after which-the downward movement of the controlling arm 47 causes the machine to operate through a second cycle similar to that above described.

From the above description it willv be noted that my machine will quickly and neatly fold successive packages or bodies of superposedy sheets along two parallel lines and thereafter place them in the 'trough ready for removal by hand.

I. claim: i y j The combination in a folding machine of a casing having in its front wall a transverse slot; a substantially vertical'guideway on the front wall of the casing for supporting a sheet so that it extends across said slot; 'a' folding blade movable through'the plane of the guideway into the slot; a pair of folding rolls mounted in the casing one above the other in position to receive a sheet forced through the slot bythe blade; a second pair of folding rolls parallel with the first rolls; a second folding blade movable across the planel of movement of a sheet folded by the first rolls; and means for actuating the rolls and the blades. i

whereof I afiix my signature.

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