IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SLATES."
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Wren and John Hopkinson, both of the City
of Manchester, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SLATES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Wren and John
Hopkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 13th December 1866.
We, HENRY WREN and JOHN HOPKINSON, both of the City of Manchester,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SLATES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in the general arrangement and mode of constructing
duplex machines for dressing two slates at the same time, whereby time, labor,
and space are economized.
In performing our Invention we support in a strong cast-iron frame the
axles of the radial cutting knives, the driving shaft by which both the radial
cutting knives are worked, and the stationary knives. The axles of the
radial cutting knives are placed at opposite sides of the machine, and the
יד

page_text: cranks by which they are worked up and down are placed at opposite ends of
the driving shaft, and move the knives alternately so as to give the upward
motion to one knife while the other is descending. By this arrangement the
diagonal stays by which the cutting knives are strengthened are brought
parallel to each other, and a duplex machine is thus kept within the width of
a single machine. The usual guages for determining the sizes of the slates
are attached to each side of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Wren and John Hopkinson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
WREN and JOHN HOPKINSON, both of the City of Manchester, Engineers,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her.
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Henry Wren and John Hopkinson, Her special license that we,
the said Henry Wren and John Hopkinson, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Wren and John Hop-
kinson, our 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 FOR DRESSING SLATES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said
the said Henry Wren and John Hopkinson, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our
or their bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Wren and John Hopkinson,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement (that is to say):-
Our Invention consists in the general arrangement and mode of constructing
duplex machines for dressing slates, whereby time, labor, and space are
economised.
In performing our Invention we support in a strong cast-iron frame the
axles of the radial cutting kuives, the driving shaft by which both the radial
cutting knives are worked, and the stationary knives. The axles of the radial
cutting knives are placed at opposite sides of the machine, and the cranks by
which they are worked up and down are placed at opposite ends of the driving
shaft and move. the, knives alternately so as to give the upward motion to one
knife while the other is descending; by this arrangement the diagonal stays
by which the cutting knives are strengthened are brought parallel to each
other, and a duplex machine is thus kept within the width of a single machine.
The usual guages for determining the sizes of the slates are attached to
each side of the machine.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 a
plan of our improved duplex machine for dressing slates.
a, a, are the strong cast-iron frames connected together by the stays b, b;
c, c, are the axles of the radial cutting kuives d, d, and e is the driving shaft ;
the axles c and the shaft e are supported in bearings in the frames a, a; the
stationary knives f, f, and the guages 9, 9, for determining the sizes of
the slates are made in the usual manner and secured at each side of the
frames a, a; the axles c are placed at opposite sides of the machine, and
the cranks pins h, h, by which the cutting knives are worked are fixed in the
discs i, i, keyed on the driving shaft e, which is provided with fast and loose
pulleys j, j, and with a fly wheel k; the crank pins h, h, are connected to the
cutting knives by the links 1, 1, and they are so placed that the cutting knives
move up and down alternately in order that they may act in succession on the
slates at the opposite sides of the machine. The cutting knives are strengthened
by the diagonal stays m, m, which are connected to the axles c, c, and to the outer
end of the cutting knives, as shewn best in Figure 3, where they are shewn
parallel to each other; by this arrangement a duplex machine is kept within
the width of a single machine and considerable space is thereby economised.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner

page_text: of performing the same, we declare that we claim, the mode of construction
and the general combination and arrangement of the parts forming a duplex
slate dressing machine, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hopkinson, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven.
JOHN HOPKINSON. (L.S.)