MACHINERY FOR PARING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Mackenzie, of Bayswater, in the
County of Middlesex, Esq, and Alexander Turnbull, of Man-
chester Square, in the County of Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine,
both at present residing in Boston, in the State of Massachusetts,
in the United States of America, for the Invention of "MACHINERY
FOR PARING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES."-A communication.
ealed the 6th February 1854, and dated the 9th December 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Mackenzic
and Alexander Turnbull at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition on the 9th December 1853.
Wo, CHARLES MACKENZIE and ALEXANDER TURNBULL, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "MACHINERY FOR PARING
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES" to be as follows:-
The fruit or vegetable is mounted on a fork, or other suitable
holder, at the end of a spindle, which is caused to revolve by hand or
otherwise.
At the same time, a small cutting blade or knife, mounted upon
another spindle placed at right angles or other suitable angle to the
first spindle, is carried round the fruit or vegetable. The knife is

page_text: capable of approaching or receding from its own spindle, to which it is
drawn by a spring or weight. The knife is mounted on a swivel, and
constructed like a spoke, shave, or plane, or otherwise provided with a
guard, so as to allow it to follow the inequalities of the fruit or vege-
table, without cutting off two thick a paring. When the operation is
completed, the knife is returned by a spring or otherwise to its first
position, and the fruit or vegetable is removed, either by hand or by the
action of the machine. For the purpose of removing the fruit or
vegetable, the spindle which carries it may be provided with a sliding
collar, which is pushed forward by a pin, or cam, or otherwise, so as to
push the fruit or vegetable off the spindle.
The various motions are given by toothed wheels, screws, cams,
levers, springs, or weights, or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Mackenzie and Alexander Turnbull in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
CHARLES MACKENZIE, of Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire, and ALEXANDER TURNBULL, of Manchester Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine, both at present residing in
Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, in the United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Charles Mackenzie and Alexander
Turnbull, Her special licence that we, the said Charles Mackenzie and
Alexander Turnbull, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Charles Mackenzie and Alexander Turn-
bull, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: 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
"MACHINERY POR PARING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES," communicated to us
from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Charles Mackenzie and Alexander Turnbull, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and scal of one
of us, should particularly describe 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 Charles Mackenzie, on behalf of
myself, and the said Alexander Turnbull, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
The Invention relates to the construction of machinery for paring
fruit and vegetables by means of a moveable knife or cutter, as herein-
after described. Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is a front view of one
of our machines for paring fruit and vegetables. A is a spindle or
mandril turning in the bearings a, a, and carrying a set of prongs B, on
which the fruit or vegetable is placed. C is a crank or handle, by
turning which the mandril is caused to revolve with the fruit. D is a
worm or endless screw on the mandril, which gives motion to the
toothed wheel E on the spindle F, which spindle also carries the
toothed wheel G, which drives the toothed segment H on the spindle I.
The arrows show the direction of the motions of the wheels. The
wheel G has some of the teeth removed at two opposite places b, b.
J is a spiral spring wound round the spindle I, to which one end of it
is fixed, while the other end of the spring is fixed to the framing K.
This spring has a constant tendency to turn the spindle I in the oppo-
site direction to the arrow, and to bring it back to the position shown
in the Drawing. L is a rod hinged to the spindle I at c, and capable

page_text: of moving in the slotted arm M, attached to or forming one piece with
the segment H. N is a spring whose constant tendency is to draw the
rod L towards the spindle I. At the end of the rod L is the cutter
holder O, carrying the cutter or knife P. Figure 3 is a section of the
end of the rod L, with the cutter and holder. The cutter holder is
secured to the rod by a screw d, which enters a notch in the rod, so as
to prevent the cutter holder from coming off the rod, but at the same
time to allow it sufficient freedom of motion to admit of its adapting
itself to the varying surface of the fruit or vegetable.
The action of the machine is as follows:-The fruit or vegetable is
stuck on the prongs of the mandril, and the handle C is turned round.
As the fruit revolves, the cutter is carried gradually round from the
side of the fruit which is next to the machine to the opposite side.
-Ono-of-the-blank-spaces.b_on_the_wheel G, then comes opposite to the
segment H, which is then carried back by the-spring-J to its original
position. The pared fruit or vegetable is then taken off the prongs, if
not pushed off by the pressure of the spring N.
Figure 4 is a plan, and Figure 5 is a front view of a machine con-
structed on a similar principle to that herein-before described, with an
additional contrivance for removing the fruit or vegetable after-it-has
been pared. A is the mandril with the prongs B as before. C is the
winch or handle which gives motion to the mandril A, by means of the
three toothed wheels Q, R, S. D is a bevil pinion on the spindle of
the handlo C, which drives the bevil wheel E, on the back of which is
the toothed segment G, which drives the toothed segment H. The
parts I, c, J, L, M, N, O, P, are similar to those similarly marked in
Figures 1, 2, and 3. The segments G and H are shewn in the
separate view, Figure 6. T is a pin on the back of the bevil wheel E,
which comes in contact with a lever U on a spindle V, at the time that
the blank space 6 of the wheel or segment G is opposite to the seg
ment H. The spindle V carries another lever or fork W, which enters
a groove in a cylindrical socket X, which is capable of sliding on the
mandril A. When the socket X thus slides forward, it pushes the
fruit or vegetable off the prongs B. When tho pin T leaves the lever U,
that lover, together with the fork W and socket X, is drawn back by a s

page_text: spring Y, attached to the pin Z, which is screwed or fixed to the
framing K.
The mode of communicating the. required motions to the fruit and
the cutter may be varied at pleasure, and the machines may be driven
by hand, or by steam, or other power.
Having now described the nature of the Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that
we claim the constructing machinery for paring fruit and vegetables by
means of a revolving mandril, which carries the fruit or vegetable in
combination with an adjustable knife or cutter which is carried round
the fruit or vegetable in a direction at right angles, or nearly so, to the
motion of the fruit or vegetable itself, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Mackenzie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
B. F. STELSON,
Winthrop House,
CHARLES MACKENZIE. (L.S.)
Boston, Mass., U.S.