Improvements in or Appertaining to Apparatus for Stamping or Embossing Soap or other Substances
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1097
Complete Specification Left, 20th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1897.
Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1997
Complete Specification Left, 20th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in or Appertaining to Apparatus for Stamping
or Embossing Soap or other Substances."
1
I, ROBERT SAVORY, of 33 Scott Street Warrington, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;―
This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for stamping or
impressing names or devices on soap or other compressible substances.
In carrying the invention into effect, as applied to embossing soap, the apparatus
in one form comprises a framework carrying one or more die boxes and dies. In
the former the tablet of soap is placed, and has a reciprocatory horizontal move-
ment imparted to it by a grooved cam or equivalent mechanism and also its bottom
has a vertical movement, so that the depth of the box varies, it being at its deepest
when the die comes down and stamps the tablet, and shallowest when the impres-
sion is finished and the tablet ready to be removed. The backward movement
of this die box brings the tablet underneath the descending die to be stamped,
and the forward movement removes it away from the die, when it is taken off
the die box by the attendant and placed on an endless band or other conveyor.
The dies or stamps are fixed to the ends of rods which have a vertical reciprocatory
motion imparted to them by a grooved cam or other well known device. In cases
where a pair of dies and die boxes are provided one at each side of the machine,
I prefer that the gearing be so arranged that when a tablet is being embossed at
one side of the machine, the tablet at the other end is being removed and another
placed in the die box, the stamping being done at each end alternately.
In another form of apparatus and the one which I prefer, the invention is made
applicable to cutting up bars of soap into tablets and impressing them. In this
case the die boxes are stationary and the feed automatic.
The bar of soap is
first fed to the machine in any suitable manner and afterwards cut into tablets
by a cutter preferably working horizontally and operated from any convenient
portion of the gearing. After cutting, the tablets are automatically conveyed
to the stamp or die, individually impressed, taken off the die box, and transferred
to an endless band or conveyor which carries them away to the packing room.
This transfer of the tablets is done preferably by a device, which grips each tablet,
transfers it to the die box to be stamped, releases it, again grips it after stamping
and takes it to the conveyor, after which it returns to transfer the next tablet
and so on in succession. This transferring device can be actuated from the main
shaft by any well known mechanical contrivance. I do not however confine myself
to a device which takes hold of the tablets and releases them after transfer, as
instead of that, the tablets may be pushed along or conveyed in other ways. Either
form of apparatus is provided with brushes which have a reciprocating horizontal
movement and are adapted to brush the face of the die or stamp at certain intervals,
such brushes being carried by brackets or otherwise which can be adjusted verti-
cally so as to take up the wear of the brushes. The bottom of the die box may be
made to rise and fall, falling immediately before the tablet is impressed and then

page_text: rising to eject the tablet from the box and enable it to be conveyed away. In
action the attendant has simply to feed the machine with bars of soap, the cutting,
feeding, stamping and delivering being done automatically. The invention as
applied to other articles besides soap will be obvious without further description.
Dated this 19th day of January 1897.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
66 Improvements in or Appertaining to Apparatus for Stamping
or Embossing Soap or other Substances."
I, ROBERT SAVORY of 33 Scott Street, Warrington in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for stamping or
impressing names or devices on soap or other compressible substances.
In carrying the invention into effect, as applied to embossing soap, the apparatus
in one form comprises a framework carrying one or more die boxes and dies. In
the former the tablet of soap is placed, and has a reciprocatory horizontal move-
ment imparted to it by a grooved cam or equivalent mechanism and also its bottom
has a vertical movement, so that the depth of the box varies, it being at its deepest
when the die comes down and stamps the tablet, and shallowest when the impres-
sion is finished and the tablet ready to be removed. The backward movement
of this die box brings the tablet underneath the descending die to be stamped,
and the forward movement removes it away from the die, when it is taken off
the die box by the attendant and placed on an endless band or other conveyor.
The dies or stamps are fixed to the ends of rods which have a vertical reciprocatory
motion imparted to them by a grooved cam or other well known device. In cases
where a pair of dies and dio boxes are provided one at each side of the machine,
I prefer that the gearing be so arranged that when a tablet is being embossed at
one side of the machine, the tablet at the other end is being removed and another
placed in the die box, the stamping being done at each end alternately.
In another form of apparatus and the one which I prefer, the invention is mado
applicable to cutting up bars of soap into tablets and impressing them. In this
case the die boxes are stationary and the feed automatic.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section of my apparatus ;
Figure 2 an end view;
Figure 3 a sectional plan on the line a Figure 1:
Figure 4 an underneath plan view of a portion of the mechanism; and
Figures 5 and 6 details thereof.
My apparatus is one wherein the operations of cutting the soap bars, feeding the
tablets so cut from the bars to the soap die; stamping them and conveying them
to the packing table are performed automatically by the one machine and without
hand manipulation beyond the feeding in of the soap bars into a chute as dis-
tinguished from the usual method of cutting up the bars in one machine, and
stamping the tablets in another. It is also a self contained machine, no auxiliary
gear being required to work it beyond a driving belt from the line shaft.
Furthermore, I prefer to make my apparatus in the form of a duplex or twin

page_text: machine, that is to say there are two mechanisms the exact counterparts of each
other, one on the face of one of the side frames and one on the face of the other
side frame, and both arranged in such a manner that power is brought upon the
stamping of the soap in each mechanism in alternation. This arrangement enables
me to stamp one kind of soap by one mechanism, and another kind of soap by,
another mechanism, if so desired, or one kind of soap only may be operated upon
by both the mechanisms. This is the arrangement shown in the drawings, and
as the mechanism on the right and left are precisely similar though alternately
operated, the following description will refer equally to either or both mechanisms,
and similar letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the Figures.
A are the frames of the machine, B the driving shaft, B' fast and loose pulleys
mounted thereon, C a pair of mitre wheels by which a vertical spindle C¹ is
rotated from a second shaft C behind the shaft B but which carries a spur wheel D
gearing with a pinion D on the driving shaft B. E is a shute or channel in which
the bar of soap is placed to be fed into the machine, and E' a stop sliding trans-
versely (or it may be vertically) through the shute, to regulate such feed. This
stop is moved through the channel E at a given time to allow of the bar of soap
being moved along to have a tablet cut off and stamped. A convenient way of
effecting this is as follows:-On the underneath face of the disc which is,
mounted on the vertical spindle C', is a vertical roller F1, Figure 4, which during
rotation of the disc F strikes against the projections G on the bars G¹ pushing
the same aside alternately, thereby imparting a reciprocatory movement to the
bar H which carries stop E. The bars G are pivoted to the framework A at g.
Just previous to the stop being removed clear of the shute, a gripping device or
conveyor I is moved from the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 longitudinally
of the shute into a position just short of the end of the flange e, then made to grip
the end of the soap bar and carry it forward a given distance, this distance being
equivalent to the required length of the tablet. A wire cutter R to be hereinafter
described is then moved across at right angles to the bar of soap and cuts off the
tablet from the end of the bar. The gripper after a short interval of rest to enable
the die to be brushed or cleaned by the brush or cleaner S, conveys the severed tablet
to the die box J to be stamped, releases it so that it will drop into the die box and
retires. The tablet is stamped and the other gripper or conveyor I' now comes for-
ward, seizes the stamped tablet and takes it to a conveyor or endless band J' which
conveys it away to any required destination. These gripping devices I and I
are secured to a horizontal rod O which is caused to move backwards and forwards
at given periods actuated by the cam groove P on the face of the disc F, through
roller F, bell crank lever ?, link 2, crank Q, arm Q', rods Q and brackets q¹.
The gripper I is coupled to the gripper I' by a cross bar i, each gripper consisting
of the following parts, reference being had more particularly to Figures 5 and 6,
namely, the two gripping plates K adapted to slide along rods K¹ and to be drawn
together to grip the soap, and to be thrust apart to release it, a lever k or arm
pivoted at to the gripper frame L and links L' pivoted at one end to the arm k
their other ends being coupled to the gripping plates K by means of the pins
which pass through the slots in the frame L. Now if the cross bar i be moved
in one direction or the other the levers or arms of each gripper will each be
simultaneously turned on their pivots and the links L' will either draw the plates K
together or thurst them apart according to the direction in which the cross bar i
is moved. These grippers are operated from a cam groove M, Figure 2, in the
disc m by means of arm M¹ pivoted to the framework at m and adapted to strike.
against the abutment N on the base i. They are provided with screws m¹ which
are adjustable so that they will strike against the abutment at the exact moment
required. At a given time therefore one of the arms M¹ is operated so as to strike
against one side of the abutment N on the coupling bar i thereby causing both
grippers II to grasp the soap simultaneously, that is to say the gripper I to
grasp the tablet which has just been severed from the soap bar and is ready for
delivery to the die box and the gripper I' to grasp the tablet which has just been

page_text: stamped in the die box, and is ready for delivery to the conveyor or endless band J.
Then the cam groove P comes into play and causes the grippers to convey their
soap tablets to their respective destinations, namely, to the die box J and conveyor J¹,
after which the other arm M' strikes against the other side of the abutment N on
the coupling thereby causing both grippers I and I¹ to release their soap tablets
simultaneously, and the grippers eventually return empty to repeat the operation.
Referring now to the soap cutter R, this travels transversely to the
shute and is also actuated by a cam groove in the disc F acting
through rollers carried by levers R¹ pivoted to the frame A at 7°
and reciprocating bars R2 passing through guides r. This cam groove
does not appear on the drawing but it is an ordinary cam
groove of
suitable curvature having a roller carried by the bars R¹. Just previous to the
tablet being conveyed by the gripper I to the stamping dies, a brush or cleaner $
reciprocating in a parallel plane with the cutter, passes between the two dies,
brushing or cleaning the faces of both the top and bottom dies, this brush or
cleaner being actuated by a bar S¹ with forked end and having a roller pivotted
at S2 working in a cam grooves the said bar being guided by the stationary
bracket T and the fork T at the end of the bar sliding in a groove in the boss
of cam s on the vertical shaft C. J is the die box and U U₁ the dies, the top
die U being operated by a roller u working in the cam groove M of the disc m and
the bottom die U₁ by a face cam V. W are rollers carried by levers W₁ and
bearing on the face of the cam V, such levers being pivotted at w and carrying
the bottom die U. Y is a spring tending to depress the bottom die, and to keep
the rollers W against the face of the cam V, the latter being formed with steps Y
and a cut away portion or recess y so that as the cam is rotated, the die U¹ on the
end of the lever W is at one time raised a little above the surface of the die box
to deliver the stamped tablet and at another time level with the surface of the
die box when the brush or cleaner cleans its surface, at another time a little below
it to receive the unstamped tablet, and at another time it drops to its lowest position
in the die box to stamp the tablet into shape.
The mode of action is as follows:-
Assuming that the machine is in motion and that the bar of soap has been fed
into the shute or channel E, and that its end abuts against the stop El, the
grippers II will after a period of rest move towards the chute E, the gripper I
to a position just short of the shoulder c, and the gripper I to a position immediately
over the die box J. The grippers now simultaneously grip the soap, that is to say.
the gripper I grips the end of the soap bar, and the gripper I the tablet which has
been just stamped or embossed in the die box. The stop E' at this moment slides
out of the way. The grippers commence their longitudinal forward movement
carrying their respective loads a predetermined distance, preferably to about the
position shown in Figure 2. The cutter R at this moment slides transversely
cutting off a tablet from the end of the soap bar, the grippers in the meantime
remaining at rest. Almost simultaneously the reciprocating brush or cleaner S
cleans the faces of both the top and bottom dies U U¹, to remove any matter which
may have adhered thereto from the last stamping. The cutter R, and brush or
cleaner S now recede ready for the next operation, while the gripper I carries the
soap tablet a further step forward to the die box, to be stamped into shape, while
the other gripper I carries the stamped tablet to the conveyor J¹. Here the
grippers release their respective loads, one falling on to the bottom die U¹ in the
die box J and the other on to the conveyor J₁ by which it is conveyed away to
the packing table or any desired location. The stop E returns to its first position,
with the end of the soap bar abutting against it, and the grippers II' slide back
a step in their return movement, so that the former shall clear the upper die U
and enable it to come down. The bottom die is at this moment a little below
the surface or face of the die box, as shown at the right hand side of Figure 1,
so as to provide a slight cavity in which the soap tablet will fall, which thus ensures
it being held in proper alignment; during the cleaning of the face of

page_text: the die however, the die is flush with the surface of the die box,
these movements being effected by the cam face V. The dies U U₁ now descend
until the whole of the tablet is stamped between them in the die box J which gives
it its shape and impresses or stamps the name or device thereon, after which the
top and bottom dies ascend. The tablet is raised clear of the die box by reason
of the bottom die rising above the surface of the die box J, this being 'also effected
by the formation of the cam face V. The grippers complete their return move-
ment, I grips the stamped tablet to carry it to the endless band J¹ or other con-
veyor, and I grips the end of the soap bar, as already described to carry it forward
to have another tablet length cut off it and so on continuously until the soap
bar has been used up.
The mechanism operating the bottom die is so arranged that just as the tablet
is about to be removed by the gripper I', the die U¹ which before was raised a little
above the surface of the die box J is now lowered flush with the surface of the die
box leaving the tablet suspended clear of the bottom die U¹, thus preventing any
rubbing of the tablet on the bottom die when it is conveyed away to the conveyor,
which would be liable to entail defacement or mutilation. From the foregoing
description, it will be obvious that the attendant has simply to feed the machine
with the bans of soap, the feeding forward, cutting, stamping and delivery being
done automatically. The cam F and the cam V which are interposed between the
upright frames A act to operate alternately the cutters R, stops E¹, brushes
or cleaners S and bottom die U of the duplicate mechanisms on each face of the
frame, but duplicate cam discs m are provided to work respectively the upper dies U
and striker arms M¹ of each set.
The apparatus is one in which the tablets can be cut off from the bar to varied
or adjustable lengths, and such tablet lengths stamped by the dies. For this
purpose I provide an arrangement for increasing or decreasing the throw of the
gripping devices II, this being effected by varying the position of the pin which
couples the link p¹ to the arm of the bell crank lever p, a slot being provided in
the end of said arm, or a series of holes, so that the distance of the pin from the
axis of the lever can be varied as desired, thereby varying the throw. Further-
more, the top and bottom dies U U₁ and the lining of the die box J can be
removed and replaced by other dies, and by another lining, of different sizes so as
to stamp and produce a tablet of the size required. The distance between J and e
may also be varied as desired, by means of a hand screw gear or otherwise.
The invention as applied to other articles besides soap will be obvious without
further description, and further it is evident that I do not confine myself to the
exact mechanical devices herein described, as these may be modified without de-
parting from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The improvement in soap cutting and stamping machines substantially as
described, whereby an apparatus is provided complete in itself and wherein the
operations of cutting the soap bars, feeding the tablet lengths so cut from the bars
to the soap die, stamping them, and conveying them to the packing table are
performed automatically by the one machine, without hand manipulation beyond
the feeding of the soap bars into the shute, instead of the usual method of cutting
up the bars in one machine and stamping the tablets in a separate one.
2. The improvement in or appertaining to apparatus for stamping soap or like
substances, which consists in providing, in combination with a shute or channel
into which the said bars are fed, a cutting device moving at intervals across the
bar, a die box having means for stamping the tablets cut from said bar, and sliding
grippers one of which is arranged to grip the end of the soap bar, convey it a
given distance, hold it stationary while the sliding cutter cuts off a tablet length
from the bar, and convey the severed tablet length to the die box to be stamped,

page_text: and the other arranged to convey the tablet when stamped to a conveyor or else-
where, substantially as described.
3. The use and employment in soap stamping machines or the like of gripping
or conveying devices, so arranged in pairs that while one of them conveys the soap
tablet to the die box to be stamped, the other conveys the tablet when stamped to
a conveyor or elsewhere.
4. In apparatus for stamping soap or like substances-
(a) the arrangement for enabling the distance that the sliding grippers
or conveyors convey or feed forward the soap bar preparatory to the cutter
cutting off a tablet length from the bar, to be varied by the operator as re-
quired; and
(b) the adjustable dies, and die box with removable linings; whereby the
size and shape of the tablets produced by the machine can be varied as re-
quired, substantially as described.
5. In apparatus for cutting and stamping soap wherein there is a shute or
channel in which the soap bar is fed, means for intermittently feeding in the soap
bar and a cutting device for cutting tablet lengths off the bar; a transverse or vertical
sliding abutment acting to form a stop for the soap bar when fed into the machine
but sliding out of the way clear of the soap bar. at the moment when the latter is
fed forward to undergo the cutting operation.
6. In apparatus for cutting and stamping soap, a die box for receiving the tablet
cut off from the soap bar, top and bottom dies arranged to stamp the tablet into
shape and to emboss it in the manner desired, and a reciprocating brush or cleaner
acting to clean the faces of the dies in the interval between the delivery of the
stamped tablet and the insertion of an unstamped one, whereby the dies are kept
clean and free from any accumulation of soapy matter which is liable to adhere
thereto, substantially as described.
7. In apparatus for cutting and stamping soap, a die box for receiving the tablets
cut off from the soap bars, a top die adapted to rise sufficiently high above the die
box to enable the soap tablets to be inserted therein, and then descend to shape
and emboss the tablet, and a bottom die adapted at one time in the course of the
operation to rise a little above the die box in order to deliver the stamped tablet
to grippers or other mechanism above, and then descend leaving the tablet sus-
pended above and clear of the die box, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
8. In apparatus for cutting and stamping soap, wherein there is a die box for
receiving the tablets cut off from the soap bar, a top die adapted to rise a sufficient
height above the die box to enable a soap tablet to be inserted therein, and then
descend to shape and emboss the tablet, a movable bottom die, and a cam so
arranged that at one time in the course of the operation it will raise the bottom die
a little above the surface of the die box to deliver the stamped tablet, at another
time move it so that it shall be level with the surface of the die box to enable it
together with the top of the die box to be brushed or cleaned, at another time lower
it a little below the surface to receive the unstamped tablet, and at another time
to lower it into the die box to stamp the tablet into shape, substantially as
described.
9. In apparatus for cutting and stamping soap, in which there are two cutting
and stamping mechanisms the exact counterparts of each other on a single frame-
work, and wherein power is applied to the cutting and stamping of the soap in
each mechanism alternately, whereby one kind of soap can be stamped or operated
upon, by one of the mechanisms, and another kind of soap be stamped or operated
upon by the other mechanism in the one machine, or the same kind of soap may be
stamped or operated upon by both mechanisms.
10. In apparatus for cutting and stamping soap in which there are two cutting
and stamping mechanisms the exact counterparts of each other on a single frame-
work, and wherein power is applied to the cutting and stamping of the soap in
each mechanism alternately, arranging the cams or other actuating devices which

page_text: impart motion to the parts of the cutting and stamping mechanisms, or some of
them, intermediate between said two mechanisms in such a manner that a single
set of such cams or actuating devices will act to operate both mechanisms alter-
nately.
11. The gripping devices I and I¹ having an intermittent reciprocating move-
ment, and acting at each stroke substantially as described to feed forward the
soap bar to the cutter, feed the tablet severed from the bar by the cutter to the dies,
and finally deliver the stamped tablet from the dies to the conveyor or elsewhere.
12. In apparatus for cutting and stamping soap, having gripping devices with an
intermittent reciprocating movement, the arrangement for operating said gripping
devices in such a manner, that while one of them grips the soap bar and carries it
forward to the soap cutter, and then delivers the tablet cut off from the bar by the
cutter to the dies, the other simultaneously grips the soap tablet which had by
a previous stroke of the machine been stamped and embossed in the die box, and
feeds it to the delivery and so on consecutively substantially as described.
13. The general combined arrangement and construction of the actuating devices
which impart motion to the mechanisms for feeding the soap bars, cutting them
into tablets, stamping them and conveying them to and from the dies, substantially
as described.
14. The apparatus for cutting and stamping soap taken as a whole substantially
as set forth
Dated this 19th day of October 1897.
WM P THOMPSON & Co
Patent Agents of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.