US821529A - Folding mechanism for envelop-machines. - Google Patents

Description

No. 821,529. I I

- B. PAHLITZSGHm FOLDING MBGHANISM FOR BNVELOP MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAYB. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

4 TTOP/VEMS PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

No. 821,529. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

B. PAHLITZSOH.

FOLDING MEGHANISMFOR ENVELOP MACHINES.

APPLICATION-FILED MAY 9, 1903.

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BRUNO PAHLITZSOH, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGJMENTS, TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, A COR- PORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

lc'atented may 22, 1906.

Application filed y 9,1903. Serial llo. 156,473.

I To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BRUNO PAnLrrzsoi-r, a manufacturer, a subject of the King of Saxony, residing at 13 Simeonstrasse, Berlin, Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Folding Mechanism for Envelop-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to machines for folding the flap portions of previously-cut envelop-blanks, and the particu-' lar improvement now sought to be protected has to do more especially with the flap-folders of such machines. 1

One purpose of the invention is to provide a novel and simple construction of flap-folder that can-be easily and quickly adjusted relatively to its companion folders and the baseplate of the machine, whereby to provide for the making of envelops of various sizes.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction of flap-folder that can be readily expanded or contracted widthwise, so as to adapt it to the making of various-sized envelops.

Another and important feature of the invention resides in providing aflap-folder with an auxiliary yieldable pressing element located at the base or hinged end thereof, said element operating slightly in advance of the working face of the folder and constructed to engage, press, and crease the envelopflap along the folding-line just prior to the action of the folder proper, means being provided for causing the auxiliary pressing element to move slightly forward during the downward swinging movement of the flapfolder, whereby to prevent what is known as backdrawing of the envelop -blank, and thus insuring a smooth and perfect fold.

A still further purpose of the invention resides in constructing a flap-folder embodying a fixed and a movable member hinged together, the under or base surface of said movablemember that comes into contact with the base-plate on which the envelop-blank is laid being level with the'under or base surface of the fixed member of the folder, so that these surfaces, as also that of the folding-base, when in the operative position all lie in the same plane. By this means it is possible to employ a folding base-plate of a size correspending to the largest envelop for folding envelops of a considerably smaller size.

To these and other ends the invention resides in the features of construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts here inafter described in detail and then more definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a section 011 the line A B of the flap-folder shown in Fig. l, the said flap being shown in a posi tion at right angles to the base-plate. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line C D of Fig. 4, the movable member of the flap-folder being shown in its operative position. Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 1, the movable m nber of the folder being shown in its operai". e position lying upon the surface of the baseplate. Fig. 4 is a view looking at the under or working face of the movable member of the flap-folder shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a part of the base-frame of an envelop-machine, showing the flap-folders in operative position.

lteferring to the drawings, the referencenumeral 18 designates a part of the frame of an envelop-machine which bounds the opening 19, wherein is situated the usual baseplate 20,upon which the envelop-blanks to be folded are placed. This base-plate 20 is of the ordinary drop type, pivoted at one end and adapted to swing downward to permit the completed envelop to slide tierefrom to a suitable table or like receiver. (Not shown.)

As has been previously stated, the prime object of the present invention is to provide an. envelop-machine with novel flap-folders that are adjustably mounted relatively to each other, so as to adapt the machine to the making of envelops of various sizes, and these flap -folders cooperate with the base-plate 20, whatever may be their position of adjustment, it being understood that the same base plate employed in making large envelops is also used when the flap-folders are adjusted to do small work.

The flap-folders have a hinged connection with the frame 18 around the opening 19 and are mounted to swing toward and from and into and out of contact with the base-plate 20 during the folding operation. folders are substantially alike in construc- As all the fiap.-..

tion, a detailed description of one will sufiice for all.

Each flap-folder as a whole comprises two stationary members f and a movable member e. The stationary members are in the form of hinge-blocks and are adjustably connected at one end to the frame 18 by means of screw-bolts 21, which pass through openings or slots f formed in said end, and in corresponding openings or slots 7, formed in the frame 18, all as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The slots f in the blocks f permit its flap-folder to be moved toward and from the flap-folder situated directly opposite, and the slotsf permit one of the blocks f to be moved nearer to orfarther from its companion block as is necessary when the flapfolder c is adjusted widthwise, as will presently appear. The forward portion of each hinge-block is bifurcated, as atf and is provided with an enlargement in which is formed a transverse opening through which a rockshaft 7 freely passes. The extreme front end of each hinge-block f is formed with an angular extension 9 at the base, the front wall of which curves upward and backward to provide a cam or eccentric face g, for a purpose presently to appear.

The movable member of each flap-folder consists of two substantially triangularshaped plates a and I), each having an upwardly and rearwardly extending wall 6 at its base or rear end, the under face of said wall being curved, as shown, and the said rear end of each plate is rabbeted, as at 6 Figs. 1 and 3, for a purpose presently to appear. Extending outward and downward from each wall a is an eye member 6 which is located between the bifurcated end of the block f and through which the shaft 1 passes, the said plates (1 and I) being each fixed to said shaft by means of a set-screw j, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. By this construction it will be seen that the rear or hinged end of the plates a and I) stand away from the front end of the stationary members f of the folders, leaving a space between the said stationary and movable members, and located in this space between each pair of said members is an auxil- 'iary yieldably-mounted presser element in the form of a block h. These blocks are each attached to one end of a fiat blade-spring 7c, the opposite end of the spring being secured to the upwardly and rearwardly extending wall 6 by means of a screw i. The springs 7c are arched or bowed, as shown, and follow the curved under face of the wall 6, the tendency of the springs being to draw the blocks into contact with the eccentric face g at the end of the stationary member As will be seen by referrin to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the under face 0 each yieldable presserblock h extends slightly in advance of the working face of the folder-plates a and b when said plates are in an upright position, and when they are moved downward through rocking movement of the shaft 1' said blocks continue to move in advance of the working face of the plates at and b, and consequently engage the flaps of the envelop-blank to be folded just prior to the action of the folder. During downward movement of the flapfolders the said yieldable blocks h ride over the said eccentric faces g, and as the folders approach the limit of their downward movement the blocks are pushed slightly forward by the said eccentric faces, and this has a,

tendency to also push the flap of the envelopblank slightly forward, thus preventing backdrawing of the paper and insuring a smooth and perfect fold.

Each flap-holder may consist of the two triangular plates a and I) alone, as when they are used upon small envelops; but for large envelops these plates are separated and extension or filling pieces cl are interposed between them, one, two, or more of such fillingpieces being employed, the number depending of course upon the size of the envelop being made. These filling-pieces extend to a point slightly beyond the shaft 1 and are grooved out, as shown, to partially surround the shaft. A slotted bar m is secured at its opposite ends by screws n to the top face of the plates a and b, and attaching-screws 0 pass through the slots in said bar m and enter the filling-pieces d, whereby they are attached firmly in position and form a part of the flapfolder. It will be apparent that the fiap folders are thus adjustable lengthwise and that their width may be varied without removing the plates a and b from the shaft 1". i/Vhen adjusting the folders widthwise, the attaching-screws 21, which pass through the stationary elements or hinge-blocks f, are moved in the slots f formed in the frame 18, the lower ends of said screws each being in threaded engagement with a block 18 that slides in a grooved way formed in the under side of theframe 18, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings it will be seen that the bottom face of each hinge-block f is on a level with the upper surface of the base-plate 20 and that the working face of the flap-folder is also in the same plane. Hence it will be apparent that the said blocks may be adjusted forward so as to overhang the marginal edge of the baseplate 20, which would be the case when mak ing small envelops, and the same base-plate used for making large envelops may thus be employed when the flap-foldersare adjusted for the making of small envelops.

In addition to the function performed by the angular extension 9 on the hinge-blocks f, as already described, said extensions in themselves serve to prevent backdrawing of the flaps of the envelop-blank during'the folding gin 1 a.

operation. This is due to the fact that the under face of each extension g lies in substantially the same plane as the upper face of the base-plate 20, these faces of the extensions being in contact with the said upper face of the base;plate'during the folding operation, 1 and as they are arranged on all sides of the base-plate the vertical walls of oppositely arranged angular extensions 9 form stops or ters Patent, is

1. In an envelop-machine, the combination with the movable base-plate, of pairs of hinge-blocks arranged at opposite sides of the base-plate and adjustable over the face thereof, a rock-shaft journaled in each pair of hinge-blocks, a flap-folder secured to each shaft and movable into and out of contact with the base-plate, and a yieldable resser element supported from each flap-fol er and located at the base end thereof.

2. In an envelop-machine, the combination with the base-plate, of a flap-folder having its under face movable to and fromthe upper face of the base-plate, means for adjusting the fla -folder toward and from the center of the fiase-plate, a movable presser element carried by the base end of the flapfolder, and means for yieldably supporting said presser element. i

3. In an envelop-machine, the. combination with the base-plate, of a hinge-block having its under side lying in the plane of the base-plate and adjustable over the face thereof, an angular boss on the inner end of the hinge-block, a rock-shaft journaled in said block, a flap-folder secured to said shaft and movable toward and from the base-plate, and a freely-movable presser element supported from the flap-folder and interposed between the base end thereof and the said angular boss.

4. In an envelop-machine, the combination with the baseplate, of a hinge-block hav ing its under face lying in the plane of said plate and adjustable over the face thereof, a rock-shaft journaled in said block, a flapfolder secured to said shaft and movable toward and from the base-plate, and a freelymovable presser element supported from the flap-folder and located at the base end thereof.

5. In an envelop-machine, the combination with' the baseplate, of a rock-shaft located above the plane of said plate and adjustable toward and from the center thereof, a flap-folder secured to said rock-shaft, a freelymovable presser element located at the base end of said flap-folder, and means for supporting said presser element. 1

.6. In an envelop-machine, the combination with the base-plate, of a rock-shaft located above the plane of said plate and adjustable toward and from the center thereof, a flap-folder secured to said rock-shaft and adapted to make facial contact with the upper face of the base-plate, a freely-movable presser element located at the base end of said flap-folder, and yieldable means carried by the flap-folder for supporting said presser element.

7. In a flap-folder for envelop-machines, a fixed member, a movable member hinged thereto, a presser element interposed between the adjacent hinged ends of said members, means for movably supporting the presser element, and means for causing said presser element to move in an arc differen from that of the movable member during the operation of the latter.

8. In a flap-folder for envelop-machines, a fixed member, a movable member hinged thereto, a yieldable presser element interposed between the adjacent hinged ends of said members, means carried by the movable member for supporting the presser element and means for causing said presser element to move in an are different from that of the movable member during operation of the latter.

9. In a flap-folder for envelop-machines, a fixed member having a cam-face at one end, a movable member hinged to said fixed member, a presser element interposed between the adjacent hinged ends of said members, and means for movably supporting the presser element whereby the latter will be free to ride over the said cam-face on the fixed member during the downward movement of the movable member.

10. A flap-folder for envelop-machines comprising a folder member having a yieldable presser element located at the base end thereof, said element having a pressing-face normally situated slightly in advance of the under face of the said folder member.

11. In an envelop-machine, the combination with the movable base-plate, of an adjustahle block having an angular extension at the front end thereof, the under face of said extension lying in surface contact with the upper face of the base-plate when the latter IS in normal position and adjustable thereover, and the vertical wall of said angular extension constituting a stop or abutment for a folded edge of an envelop-blank,

IIO

and a swinging flap-folder movable toward tion with the movable baseplate, of an adjustable block having an angular extension at the front end thereof, the under face of said extension lying in substantially the plane of the upper face of the base-plate when the latter is in normal position and adjustable thereover, and the vertical wall of said angular extension constituting a stop or abutment for a folded edge of an envelopblank, and a swinging flap-folder movable toward and from the base-plate and over the said angular extension.

13. In an envelop-machine, the combination with the movable base-plate, of an adhaving a freely-movable presser element located at the base end thereof and provided with a presserface normally situated slightly in advance of the under face of said folder, means for freely supporting said presser element, and means for causing the element to move bodily in the direction of length of the folder, during downward movement thereof.

15. A flap-folder comprising a folder member having a freely movable presser element located at the base end thereof and proewes vided with a presser-face normally situated slightly in advance of the under face of said folder member, and means for freely supporting said presser element whereby it may have a movement bodily in the direction of length of the folder.

16. A widthwise-adjustable flap-folder for envelop-machines, comprising two end plates, filling-pieces interposed between the adj acent edges of said plates, a bar attached at its oppositelends to said plates, and means for attaching said filling-pieces to the bar.

17. In a flap-folder for envelop-machines,

a pair of hinge-blocks, a folder-plate hinged to each block, a removable filling-piece interposed between the adjacent edges of said plates, and a bar secured to said plates and said filling-piece.

18. In a flap-folder for envelop-machines, a pair of hinge-blocks, a shaft passing freely therethrough, a pair of folder-plates each secured at one end to said shaft, a removable spacer interposed between the adjacent edges of said plates, said spacer being grooved transversely at its rear end and partially embracing ,the said-shaft, and means for removably attaching the spacer to the folder-plates.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BRUNO PAHLITZSCH.

Witnesses WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HASPER.

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