An Improved Chopper for Confectionery.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Chopper for Confectionery.
I, HARRY COOPER, of 38 John Street, Pentre, Rhondda Valley, South Wales,
Confectioner and Sugar Boiler, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object an improved chopper for confectionery and is
more applicable to that class of confectionery commonly known as "rock" which
is made in long sticks and is chopped in small lumps and whereby greater facility
is obtained for so doing and chops the lumps very accurately and into equal
lengths.
This invention consists of a frame which may be made of either metal or any
suitable material & at the top portion of the frame I mount a spindle which I call
a main shaft and upon which I mount a large cog wheel. This cog wheel works a
smaller cog wheel which is mounted upon a crank. Upon the crank the knife for
chopping the confectionery is mounted. Upon the main shaft but outside the
frame I mount a small cog wheel which gears into a larger one mounted upon
another shaft lower in the frame and upon this shaft I fix a hollow india rubber
roller and below this I mount another rubber roll for the purpose hereinafter
explained, the two india rubber rollers being geared together by cog wheels upon
the other side of the machine. In front of these india rubber rollers I place a
square bar upon which the knife descends for chopping the stick of rock, or
sweetmeat.
The action is as follows:-The stick of rock is fed in between the rubber rolls
which being hollow just sufficiently grips it to steady it but not to retard it and
the large cog wheel upon the top roller working into the small one upon the main
shaft regulates the speed of the stick passing through the rollers whilst the large
cog wheel upon the main shaft within the frame and which gears into the small cog
upon the crank carrying the knife so regulates the fall of the knife that when the
right proportion of the stick projects beyond the rubber rolls upon the square bar
that it cuts off the exact portion requisite.
A spring is attached to the knife so that when the knife is descending the spring
is compressed and so gives a jerk to the knife on its downward stroke.
The connecting piece between the knife and the crank is made in two pieces the
bottom piece lying in a groove formed in the top piece for the purpose of adjusting
the distance the knife is to fall, so that any sized sticks can be cut, or instead of
the india rubber rollers being geared together I may mount the bottom roller ipa
groove so as to be able to move it nearer or farther from the top roller and so
adjust the relative position for different sized sticks of sweetmeat and in this case
the bottom roller would revolve by friction only.
It will be noticed that the sticks can be rapidly cut into any required sized flumps
and the machine may be operated by hand by means of a handle fixed upon the
main shaft or any mechanical power to suit the requirements of the user.
Dated this 8th day of November 1894.

page_text: An Improved Chopper for Confectionery.
I HARRY COOPER of 38 John Street Pentre Rhondda Valley South Wales
Confectioner and Sugar Boiler do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention has for its object an improved chopper for confectionary and is
more applicable to that class of confectionary commonly known as rock which is
made in long sticks and is chopped into small lumps and whereby greater facility
is obtained for so doing and chops the lumps very accurately and into equal
lengths.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practise I have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings upon which I have
fully illustrated the nature of my said improvement and the mode of carrying the
same into effect.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of my machines.
Figure 2 is a section.
Fig. 3 is elevation of one side.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the other side.
Figure 5 is a similar elevation to Fig. 4 but with the toothed wheels removed.
Figure 6 is a sectional plan on line 1-2.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide the frame A which may be made
of either metal or any suitable material and at the top portion of the frame I
mount a cross spindle B, upon which I mount the cog wheel 61 which gears with
the smaller toothed wheel c which is mounted upon the crank shaft c the crank c²
of which actuates the knife D for chopping the confectionary. The toothed
wheel 62 upon the main shaft gears through the intermediate wheel c³ with the
larger one which is mounted upon the end of the bearing of one of a pair of
bollow india rubber rolls E and E¹ which may be geared together by toothed wheels
provided upon the other side of the machine. In front of the india rubber rolls
1 place a square bar F upon which the knife D descends for chopping the sticks
of sweetmeat T. The action is as follows the sweetmeat T to be cut is fed in
between the india rubber rolls E and E¹ which being hollow just sufficiently steady
it but do not retard it and the toothed wheel 2 upon the top roller gearing with
the small one 3 upon the main shaft regulates by means of the intermediate
wheel the speed of the stick passing through the rolls whilst the tooth wheel b¹
upon the main shaft which is connected with the crank carrying the knife so
regulates the fall of the knife that when the right proportion of the stick projects
beyond the rubber rclls upon the square bar it cuts of the exact portion required.
A spring may be attached to the knife so that when the knife is descending the
spring is compressed and so gives a jerk to the knife on its downward stroke. The
connecting link H between the knife D and the crank ( may be made in two
pieces the bottom pieces lying in a groove formed in the top pieces for the purpose
of adjusting the distance the knife is to fall so that any sized sticks can be cut
or the knife D may be provided with the slots d' and d2 by which it may be
adjusted on the support to which it is fixed by the pins d³ and d or instead of the
india rubber rolls being geared together I may mount the bottom roller E in a
gr. or on brackets e and e' so as to be able to move it nearer or further from
the top roller and thus adjust the relative position for different sized sticks of
sweetmeat and in which case the bottom roller E would revolve by friction_only
as shewn the nuts e and e being provided for securing the chopping bar F and
bottom roll in position. It will thus be seen that the sticks can be rapidly cut
into any required sized lumps and the machine may be operated by hand by means

page_text: of the handle K which is fixed upon the main shaft B or by any mechanical
power to suit the requirements of the case the wheel e is made interchangable
for different sizes by which means the speed may be adjusted.
The toothed wheel e³ is mounted upon the pendulum lever W which is pivoted
by the collar w' upon the main shaft B as shewn by Figure 5 and is provided
with any suitable locking arrangement w at the bottom by which the various sized
interchangable wheels may be brought and locked in gear with the wheels b³
and e² and to make up for the altered position of the wheel e by the altered
position of the rolls. The position of my feed plate or tray S is also adjustable
by suitable pins or slots s¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
improvements and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is
1st. The improved chopping machine for sweetmeat confectionary substantially
as & for the purpose herein set forth and shewn.
2nd. In an improved sweetmeat chopping machine the hollow india rubber
feed rolls E and E' substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and shewn.
3rd. An improved sweetmeat chopping in which the various parts are made
adjustable substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and shewn.
Dated this 9th day of August 1895.
HARRY COOPER.