IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPA-- ratus for CuTTING PAPER
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Caspar Kritch, of Leeds, in the County
of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPA--
ratus for CuTTING PAPER."
Scaled the 3rd August 1875, and dated the 6th February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Caspar Kritch
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th February 1875.
I, WILLIAM CASPAR KRITCH, of Leeds, in the County of York, do.
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN-
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PAPER," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to the form of paper-cutting machine in which
a knife blade is made to descend diagonally upon the paper which is to
be cut, and it has for its objects improved methods of constructing and
arranging the apparatus, especially those parts by which the knife blade-
is supported and actuated.
In order to carry my Invention into operation I take a suitable frame-
anand
horizontal table 11non

page_text: which the several thicknesses. of paper, the edges of which are to be
cut are laid. Above this table the framework is so constructed as to
have formed upon or attached to it one or more guides upon which
works a frame carrying a horizontal knife blade. These guides consist
of two radius links arranged so as to vibrate transversely across the
table. The upper ends of these links are pivotted to the framework,
and the lower ends are jointed to the knife frame. The links are so
arranged that when the knife is at the bottom of its stroke they have
descended to a nearly vertical position, and when it is at the top of its
stroke they are at a considerable angle. (preferably about sixty degrees)
from the vertical line, so that in its descent the knife blades passes
through a curved diagonal path.
Sometimes. instead of suspending links I use guides consisting of
curved or straight slots formed in the knife frame and working upon
friction rollers or projections formed upon or attached to a framework
across the machine, or the slots may be in the framework and the
rollers or projections upon the knife frame. The position of the paper
upon the table under the edge of the knife may be adjusted by means
of a guide piece arranged across the table and moveable along the table.
by a screw worked by a handle from one end of the latter, or by a worm
and wheel, or a rack and pinion. The handle which thus actuates the
guide piece may be attached to a wheel the circumference of which is
graduated, so that the exact position of the paper may be exactly
adjusted, and when adjusted the paper is held in position by a presser
plate forced down by a screw from above.
In order to actuate the knife frame and knife, I arrange a revolving
shaft supported upon suitable bearings at the side of and parallel to the
table, and I form upon this shaft a crank or excentric upon which
works one end of a horizontal connecting rod, the other end of which is
jointed to the further end of the knife frame, and in order to com-
pensate for the wearing away of the edge of the knife blade, I make
the bearings in which the outer end of the connecting rod works
adjustable in the knife frame by means of one or more set screws and
packing pieces, by fitting which behind the bearings the latter can be
adjusted into any required position in the knife frame, and the latter
is thus brought diagonally nearer to or further from the table.
The crank shaft has fitted to it a toothed wheel which is driven by a
pinion fixed upon a short intermediate shaft which revolves in bearings

page_text: carried by the framework of the machine. This intermediate shaft
itself carries a bevilled toothed wheel driven by a bevilled pinion which
is fitted upon a driving shaft which revolves in bearings at right angles
to the machine. I arrange a suitable coupling box and handle so that
the bevilled pinion may be connected to or disconnected from the
driving shaft as required.
The driving shaft is driven from any convenient source of power by
means of gearing or belts and pullies, or in any other convenient way,
and a fly wheel may be added if requisite.
By the arrangements described economy of space and facility of access
to the machine are obtained, and it is simpler in construction and more
durable than in such machines as heretofore constructed and used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Caspar Kritch in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CASPAR KRITCH, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Caspar Kritch,
Her special licence that I, the said William Caspar Kritch, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Caspar Kritch, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OF APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PAPER," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Caspar Kritch,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Caspar Kritch, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to
say) :-
This Invention relates to that form of machine for cutting the edges
of a number of sheets of paper in which a knife blade in made to
descend diagonally upon and through the paper which is to be cut; and
it has for its objects improved methods of constructing and arranging
such apparatus, more especially those parts of it by which the knife
blade is adjusted, supported, and actuated.
For the purpose of carrying my Invention into operation I take a
strong framework of suitable form and size, appropriate to the work
which has to be done, and in the upper part of this framework I arrange
a horizontal table upon which are laid the several sheets of paper which
are to be cut. The parts of the framework above the table are so con-
structed that one or more strong guides are formed upon or attached to
them, the said guides being arranged transversely across the table and
supporting upon and between them a frame which works upon them and
carries a sufficiently strong knife blade. I sometimes make the guides,
above described, consist of two (or more) parallel bars or radius links
arranged so that their lower ends can vibrate transversely across the table
which supports the paper as above described. For this purpose the
upper ends of the links are pivotted to suitable pins or centres in the
transverse frame, whilst their lower ends are jointed to the frame which
-carries the knife. The links are so arranged that when the knife blade
is at the forward and lower end of its stroke they have descended to a
¨nearly vertical position, and when the knife blade is at the back and
-upper
end of its stroke they have reached a position at a considerable
-angle (preferably about sixty degrees) from a vertical line, and thus the
edge of the knife blade is compelled to pass through a curved diagonal
path. The transverse frame is provided with guides, by means of which
the frame carrying the knife blade is made to travel in a direction
'perfectly. straight and at right angles to the table which carries the

page_text: paper, or it may be made to travel in a direction inclined at any required
angle.
Sometimes instead of using suspended links, as above described, for
the purpose of supporting and guiding the knife blade frame I use
guides of sufficiently strong material (preferably. of cast iron) and
having straight or curved slots in them, in which slots fit and work cor-
responding friction rollers or projections fixed to the frame carrying the
knife blade. Or the slots, as described, may themselves be formed in
the body of the frame carrying the knife blade, and the corresponding
friction rollers or projections are formed upon or attached to the trans-
verse framework arranged above the table already described.
method of arrangement is shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
This
In order to adjust the position of the sheets of paper upon the table.
under the knife edge a guide piece is arranged across the table and is
made moveable in the direction of the length of the latter by means of
a screw worked by a handle from its end and passing through a nut
fixed to the guide piece, or by a worm and wheel, or a rack and pinion.
The handle which actuates the guide piece in this manner is attached
to or connected with a wheel, the circumference of which is graduated
so that the exact position of the paper may be adjusted with the greatest
accuracy. When it has been thus adjusted the paper is held in position
by a presser plate forced down upon it by a screw from above.
In order to cause the frame which carries the knife to traverse back-
ward and forward across the paper, as above described, I arrange a shaft
supported in suitable bearings formed upon or attached to the frame-
work of the apparatus, and revolving in a position parallel to the table,
and upon this shaft I fix a crank or excentric upon which works one
end of a strong horizontal adjustable connecting rod, the other end
of which is jointed to the further end of the transverse moveable knife
blade frame.
In order to compensate for the wearing away of the edge of the knife
blade after it has been sharpened I make the bearings in which the
outer end of the connecting rod works as described adjustable in the
frame by means of one or more set screws and packing pieces, by fitting
which behind the bearings the latter can be adjusted into any required
position in the knife frame, which together with the knife blade is
thus brought diagonally nearer to or further from the table which
supports the paper.

page_text: necting rod has fixed upon it a toothed wheel driven by an endless screw:
fixed upon an intermediate shaft which revolves in bearings attached
to the framework of the apparatus, and this intermediate shaft also
carries driving pulleys actuated by belts or straps from any convenient
source of power.
The intermediate shaft may be arranged entirely upon one side of the
machine or it may extend across the machine below the table, and be
arranged so as to carry the endless screw at one end and the driving
pulleys at the other end.
Instead of an endless screw driving a toothed wheel upon the crank
shaft as described, I sometimes use bevilled toothed wheels for the
same purpose, a pinion being fixed to the intermediate driving shaft
and a larger toothed wheel to the crank shaft. I arrange a coupling
box and handle to the bevilled pinion or to the driving pulley, so that
the machine may be set in operation or stopped as required, and I
prefer to make this coupling box in the form of a friction coupling
(constructed in the method well understood and practised) so as to avoid
the risk of fracture to any part of the machine. I prefer to arrange
the connecting rod and crank, or excentric, and the frame carrying the
knife blade so that when the latter is at the lowest end of its stroke the
connecting rod and crank are in a line with it, and the latter is thus
exerting its greatest force.
The accompanying Drawing is in illustration of my Invention.
Figure 1 is an end view (partly in section), and Figure 2, a plan of a
machine constructed according to my Invention.
a is the principal framework of the machine (shewn broken off in
Figure 1); 6 is a horizontal table upon which the paper to be cut is laid,
being held in its place by the presser plate and screw c, d. The transverse
frames e, e¹, are provided with studs, pins, or friction rollers f, ƒ¹, which
fit into the diagonal slots 9, 9', in the moveable transverse frame h to
which the knife blade i is fixed by screws, as shewn, and which works
between and is guided by the transverse frames e, e¹; k is a guide piece
across the table b, the position of which can be regulated by the screw
which is connected to the index wheel m, so that its position can be
exactly adjusted; n is a shaft revolving in the bearings o, o', parallel to

page_text: the machine and having a crank or excentric upon which works one end
of the connecting rod r, the other end of which, s, is jointed to the trans-
verse moveable frame which is provided with set screws and moveable
packing pieces, so that the proper position of the knife may be adjusted
as its edge wears away; t is a toothed worm wheel upon the crank
shaft n, which is driven by the endless screw upon the intermediate
driving shaft to which revolves in bearings x, x¹, and has fitted upon it
the driving pulleys y (which are preferably provided with a friction
clutch box as already described).
By the methods of arrangement and construction described, great
economy of space and facility of access to the machine and of adjust-
ment are obtained, and it is simpler in construction and more durable
than such machines as heretofore constructed and used.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Caspar Kritch, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
WILLIAM CASPAR KRITCH. (L.S.)