Improvements in Machines for Cutting the Corners of Books, Pamphlets, and similar Articles, Applicable also for Cutting or Punching other Articles or Fabrics.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct, 1888
Specification Accepted, 21st Dec., 1888
Q
Improvements in Machines for Cutting the Corners of Books,
Pamphlets, and similar Articles, Applicable also for Cutting
or Punching other Articles or Fabrics.
I REGINALD HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co., Patent Agents of 18 Buck-
ingham Street, Strand W.C. London in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad
by Frank Lewis Montague of New York, State of New York United States of
America, Merchant and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object to provide novel and efficient means for cutting
the corners of books, pamphlets and similar articles, and it consists in the features of
construction and combination of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference
being made to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1, represents a front elevation of a machine embodying this invention.
Figure 2, is a vertical section in the plane aa fig. 1.
Figure 3, is a transverse section in the place y y fig. 1.
Figure 4, is a similar section in the plane - fig. 2.
Figure 5, is a perspective view of a book as cut by the machine.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.
In this drawing the letter A designates a frame, for sustaining the operating parts
of the machine, which frame is provided with a laterally extending portion A', that
can be secured to a suitable bencli or support A².
In the upper portion of this frame are located boxes bb, which form bearings for a
horizontal driving shaft B.
A rotary motion in the direction of arrow 1 (fig. 2) is imparted to said shaft by
means of a tight pulley C located on one end of the same, which pulley is connected
as usual by a belt to a counter shaft not shown in the drawing. A loose pulley C¹ is
provided, upon which the belt can be shifted, when it is desired to discontinue the
motion of the driving shaft B. To allow the machine to be operated by hand, a
square head or part is formed on the opposite end of the driving shaft, which is
received by a suitable socket in an ordinary crank (not shown). At or near the

page_text: centre portion of the driving shaft B is located a fixed cam D which is in position to
engage with a roller stud Di, the shaft of which has bearings in the upper slotted end
of a spindle which I shall hereafter. call the carrier E.
This carrier E is movable in the direction of its length in a suitable box f extending
from the frame A, and it is prevented from turning about its axis by an arm e which
extends laterally therefrom and engages a slot or guide groove e' in the frame A.
The lower end of the carrier E is recessed to receive a piercing or separating device
such as the cutter F which is removably secured thereto by bolts. The lower
portion of the cutter is suitably shaped and rounded as usual to form on the book R
(fig. 5) such a corner as illustrated.
The book receiving table G which is located beneath the cutter F is provided with a
slide H of soft material such as wood or other suitable material which is dovetailed in
the table and therefore removable when desired. The slide H is secured in position
by a setscrew and the table G can be adjusted vertically toward and from the
cutter F, so as to bring the soft slide H to such a level that it will be just touched by
the cutter in the operating stroke of the same.
This adjustment is necessary as the cutter is ground and sharpened from time to
time decreasing its length.
When the end of the slide H under the cutter becomes worn with use, the slide can
be removed and reversed so as to bring its former outer end under the cutter.
To effect the adjustment of the table just explained, the table G is provided with a
pendant portion g, which lies close to a vertical portion of the frame A and contains a
vertical slot g' through which extends a set screw by which the table can be clamped
firmly to the frame.
An adjusting screw engaging an internal thread in a horizontal portion of the
frame, bears against the lower end of the pendant portion of the table G. By the
use of this set screw h¹ the table can be adjusted very accurately with relation to
the cutter F and subsequently fixed in position by the set screw h. Other well known
devices can be used for adjusting the receiving table in place of that just described.
On the upper surface of the table are secured oblique gagepieces I which are
placed to form a right angle with each other but do not meet. These gage pieces
are so arranged with relation to the cutter F that when a book as R is placed flat
on the table G with two of its ends against the said pieces, its corner is brought
directly under and in line with the cutter blade, so that in descending the latter will
cut off a true corner.
•
The cutter carrier E is moved toward the receiving table G by the cam D previously
mentioned but is moved in its return or non working stroke by a retracting device
such as a stout spiral spring J one end of which is attached to the upper portion
of the frame at j, and the other end to a pin or projection extending from the
lower end of the carrier E. The cam D (see fig. 2) is segmental in form and its
contour is so shaped that in the first half of each revolution of the driving shaft B,
it moves the cutter carrier E toward the receiving table G to the full extent of its
stroke immediately after which the carrier is released from the cam and is instantly
moved in a direction away from the table by the action of the spring J. During
the remaining portion of each revolution of the driving shaft B the carrier E is
motionless and the cutter F is held above the receiving table and out of the way
of the operator, so that a new book can be properly placed on the said receiving
table. To hold the book firmly upon the receiving table and to compress the leaves
thereof I make use of a presser foot K. The vertical shank & thereof is guided at one
end in a lug extending laterally from the top of the carrier E, and at its other end in
ι
a lug extending laterally from the lower end of the carrier. A spiral spring L
encompassing a portion of the shank k of the presser foot is confined between the lug l
and a piu or other projection m extending transversely through the shank k. This
spring L consequently connects the shank k of the presser foot with the carrier E.
The foot ¹ secured to the shank is set slightly in advance of the lower end of the
cutter. When the carrier E moves toward the table, the presser foot K is carried
therewith and in a direction parallel thereto since the lug on the carrier acts on the

page_text: pin m through the medium of the spring L. The foot K¹ comes into contact with the
book prior to the cutter E, its motion is thereby arrested and it holds the book firmly
down to the receiving table G. As the cutter F descends in its cutting stroke, the
pressure of the foot K on the book increases since the spring L is compressed more
and more during the said cutting stroke.
The presser foot returns with the cutter carrier in the non working stroke.
To adjust the lead of the presser foot K relatively to the cutter F, a number of
holes n n are formed in the length of the shank k of the presser foot through which
the pin m can be inserted, and since the spring L continually holds said pin in
contact with the lug 1, the normal position of the presser foot varies according to
the position of the pin.
It is evident that the carrier E can be constructed to hold a punch, or cutter
of any variety to adapt the machine for any particular purpose, and therefore the
function of the machine is not restricted to cutting book corners.
The retracting device J may consist of a weight attached to the carrier by a cord or
chain or by a lever such being a well known equivalent of a spring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim, is
1. A machine for cutting book corners combining in its structure a frame A, having
a book table G, provided with gauge pieces I, a vertical carrier spindle, E, having a
cutter F, and guided on the frame, a spindle retracting spring J, and a horizontal
revolving shaft B, journalled on the frame and provided with an attached revolving
segmental cam D, disconnected from the spindle and acting thereupon in one half
revolution of the shaft and leaving and inactive on the spindle in the other half
revolution of the shaft to permit the spindle to remain motionless for a limited time
after it has been retracted by the spring and while the revolution of the shaft and cam
continues substantially as described.
°
2. A machine for cutting book corners, combining in its structure a frame A, having
a book table G a vertical carrier spindle E, guided on the frame and having the roller
stud D, at its upper end and cutter F at its lower end, a spindle retracting spring J,
and a horizontal revolving shaft B, journalled on the frame and having an attached
segmental cam D, disconnected from the spindle and acting upon the roller stud
in one half revolution of the shaft and leaving and inactive on the stud in the other
half revolution of the shaft to permit the spindle to remain motionless for a limited
time, after it has been retracted by the spring and while the revolution of the shaft
and cam continues substantially as described.
3. The combination with the reciprocating cutter carrier, of the presser foot K,
guides for the same formed on the cutter carrier, and an independent spring L
connected with the presser foot and the carrier substantially as shown and described.
4. The combination with a reciprocating carrier, of the presser foot K having a
shank extending parallel with the carrier, guides for the shank projecting from
the carrier, a spiral spring I, encompassing the shank and confined between the
guide and an adjustable pin m, substantially as shown and described.
5. The combination with a vertically adjustable receiving table and gauge pieces 1
secured thereon at right angles to each other of a movable cutter carrier and means
substantially as described for actuating the cutter carrier substantially as shown and
described.