NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR SHAPING CORES AND BUNGS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Cooke, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gilder, and William Cooke, of Birmingham, afore-
said, Machinist, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY
Sealed the 13th October 1853, and dated tho, 16th April 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Cooke. and
William Cooke at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 16th April 1853.
We, JOSEPH COOKE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gilder, and WILLIAM COOKE, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "NEW OR
IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR SHAPING CORES AND BUNGS" to be as
follows:-
In our machine the cutter consists of a horizontal circular knife
turning on a vertical axis, against which knife the piece of cork to be
cut, and which is held between two centres as in a lathe, is brought
and made slowly to rotate during the action thereon of the said knife.
The lathe head, in which the cork is held during cutting, is capable of

page_text: a sliding motion to and from the cutter, and a train of wheels connects
the axis of the cutter with a camb, which pushes back the lathe head
once at about every nine revolutions of the knife; the return motion of
the lathe head is produced by a spring or weight. During the retiring
of the lathe head one of the centres holding the cork is withdrawn,
and the cut cork falls, and by the further motion of the said lathe head
the centres thereof are brought on each side of the piece of cork next
to be cut, and the centre which was drawn back advancing the said
piece of cork is held between the said centres, and the lathe head
advancing to the cutter brings the piece of cork under its operation.
Our machine is double; that is to say, a lathe head is placed on each
side of the cutter, and the same camb works both; the one advancing
while the other is retiring, The pieces of cork to be cut may be
supplied on an endless band, or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Cooke and William Cooke, in the Great
Seal Patent Office, on the 14th October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM, THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
JOSEPH COOKE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gilder,
and WILLIAM COOKE, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Joseph Cooke and William Cooke,
Her special licence that we, the said Joseph Cooke and William
Cooke, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Joseph Cooke and William Cooke, our executors, admi-
nistrators, 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

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR SHAPING CORKS AND BUNGS," upon the con-
dition (aimongst others) that we, the said Joseph Cooke and William
Cooke, or one of us, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
-seals, or under the hand and seal 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 Joseph Cooke, 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 drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say:
Figure 1, represents our Invention in plan; Figure 2; represents
the same in front elevation; Figure 3, represents the same in side
elevation; and Figure 4, represents a modification of our Invention, as
herein-after described. a, is the main shaft of the machine; the said
shaft carries the fast and loose pullies b, c, by which the said shaft may
be engaged with and disengaged from the driving power at pleasure;
d, is a circular or annular horizontal knife on the shaft a; e, f, are two
spindles, similar to those constituting the ordinary lathe head. These
spindles work in bearings g, h, fixed on a plate which slides in the
dovetail k, on the bed 7, of the machine. Rotatory motion is commu-
nicated from the main shaft a, to the spindle f, by means of the
band m, axis n, and worm o; the thread of the said worm e, engagés
in the teeth of a toothed wheel p, Figure 3. The ends of the spindles
e, f, carry roses, between which the piece of cork to be cut is held, and
the spindle e, is capable of a sliding motion for the purpose of fixing
and disengaging the cork. The said spindle e, is withdrawn by the
handle 4 and the return motion of the said spindle is effected by the
spring 1. The plate I, on which the spindles e, f, are supported, as well
as the axis n, is capable of motion in a vertical plane, whereby it may
be made horizontal or put in an inclined position. This is effected by

page_text: making the said plate 7, turn upon the pins 's, s, and fixing it in the
desired position by the pins t, t.
When it is wished to cut corks or
bungs of a cylindrical figure, the said plate 1, is fixed horizontally;
when it is wished to make the said corks and bungs taper or conical,
the said plate l, is fixed in an inclined position, as represented in Figure 2.
The axis n, may be thrown into and out of gear, with the main shaft a,
by means of the clutch box at u; the said clutch box being operated
upon by the rod v. The exact distance of the lathe head from the
knife is determined by the screw w, (shewn in dotted lines in Figure
1.) The action of the machine is as follows:-The plate which carries
the spindles e, f, and slides in the dovetail k, is first drawn back from
the knife d, the spindle e, is withdrawn by the handle 2, and the piece
of cork to be cut is introduced between the roses on the ends of the
spindles. On loosing the handle q, the cork is grasped between the
roses on the ends of the spindles e, f, and commences a slow rotatory
motion. On sliding the plate carrying the spindles e, f, towards the
circular knife d, the piece of cork is brought under the action of the
said knife, and by the motion of the said knife and rotatory motion of
the piece of cork the said cork is cut either into a cylindrical or taper
form. On withdrawing the plate carrying the spindles e, f, and with-
drawing the spindle e, by means of the arm g, the cork or bung which
has been cut falls, and a second piece of cork is placed between the
roses on the ends of the spindles. Although we have described the
motions by which the cork is placed in the machine and removed
therefrom, as well as the motions by which the said cork is brought
under the operation of the revolving knife and removed therefrom, as
being performed by hand, yet the same may be performed by mechanical
means. The plate on which the lathe head carrying the cork is fixed
may be made to slide backwards and forwards, or to and from the
cutter, by means of a camb connected by a train of wheels with the
main shaft, which said camb is made to perform one revolution at or
about every nine revolutions of the main shaft; and the handle q, by
which the spindle e, is withdrawn on the introduction of the cork into
the lathe head, may be operated upon by mechanical means; but as
the methods by which the suitable motion may be communicated to the

page_text: said lathe head, and to the handle q, are various and well known, and
constitute no part of our Invention, we do not think it necessary to
describe the same. Our machine may be made double, that is to say,
a lathe head may be placed on each side of the circular cutter, one of
the said lathe heads advancing while the other is retiring. The same
camb may work both the said lathe heads. The pieces of cork to be
cut may be supplied on an endless band, where it is thought desirable.
When it is wished to cut corks or bungs having an elliptical instead of
a circular section, we modify our Invention in the manner illustrated in
Figure 4; that is to say, the plate carrying the lathe head is made to
turn upon a joint a, and is pressed upwards by the spring y; a camb =,
of an elliptical section, or having the figure which it is intended to
give the cork, is fixed on the spindle f, Figures 1, and 2, and bears
against the roller 1, on the fixed guide 2, on the rotation of the spindles,
the said spindles are made to rise and fall by the camb, acting on the
stop 2.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be under-
stood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise method of carrying
our Invention into effect, herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing, as the same may be varied without departing
from the nature of our said Invention; but we claim the construction
of machinery for cutting corks and bungs of a cylindrical, conical, or
elliptical figure, as herein described and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawing.
In witness whercof, I, the said Joseph Cooke, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
JOSEPH COOKE. (L.S.)
0 Witness, GEORGE SHAW.
(L.S.)