Year: 1888

page_text: I, DAVID DUNCAN ESSON of 1 South Constitution Street Aberdeen, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is the production of an apparatus for dividing
vegetables, suct or other substances of a like nature into cubes or small blocks of
any desired shape and dimensions.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a cylindrical case, furnished with a hopper,
for the purpose of feeding or supplying the substance to be divided to the die and
cutter. A revolving knife is mounted upon a spindle, which latter is supported upon
a bearing within the case aforesaid so as to rotate freely by means of a handle attached
thereto. A small roller is pivotted within the knife, upon the upper edge of the blade
of the knife which bears upon the inner flange of the cylindrical case, and serves to
keep the edge of said knife against a die formed of a number of square, round or
other shaped holes as may be desired, and the inclined cutting surface of the revolving
knife is so arranged as to pass at a proportional distance from the surface of the die
according to the required thickness of the cubes or small blocks to be cut.
In applying the improved machine according to my invention, I feed the substance
to be divided into the shoot, and the rotation of the handle, spindle and knife causes
said substance to be forced against the perforated die, and partly through it, then,
being divided by the edge of said knife, the back, owing to the inclination of the
ground surface, forces the divided substance through the perforations formed in
the die, where it may be delivered into a suitable receptacle outside the case of
the apparatus in the form of cubes or blocks of any shape or size as may be
desired.
T
11
0011
£ 1000
JAMES STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Cutting, Slicing, or Mincing Machine.
I, DAVID DUNCAN ESSON, of 1, South Constitution Street, in the City and County
cf Aberdeen, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to produce an apparatus capable of dividing vegetables,
suet and other suitable substances into cubes or small blocks or strips or slices of
any desired shape and dimensions.
For this purpose I employ a case or chamber furnished with a hopper by the aid of
which the substance to be divided is fed to the cutting device.
A rotary or reciprocating knife or cutter is arranged within the cutting chamber
and the cutting edge of this knife or cutter is bevelled or inclined on one side
thereof.
In connection with the said knife or cutter I employ a die or grating formed
of a number of sharp edged bars or divisions or wires separating the area thereof into
a number of square, round, oblong or other shaped spaces or holes.
The bevelled side of the cutter is caused to traverse the face of the dio or grating
so that as the substance to be divided is fed to the machine through a hopper the
cutter removes a portion or slice thereof at every traverse and by the action of its
inclined or bevelled edge forces it against and past the bars or divisions of the die or
grating by which it is cut up or divided into square, oblong, round or other shaped
pieces according to the arrangement thereof and it thence passes away, assisted by
the succeeding portion, to the outside of the machine.
And in order that the said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying drawings, more fully to
describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine furnished with a rotary cutter and
constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is an edge view thereof.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.
Figure is a-vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is an enlarged detached face view of the cutter.
Figure 6 is an edge view and Figure 7 is a plan thereof.
Figure 8 is a detached inside view of the rear wall or cover of the machine, and
Figure 9, is a horizontal section thereof.
Figure 10. is a detached outside view of the front wall of the machine and Figure 11
is a plan thereof.
Figure 12. is a side elevation of a modified form of machine furnished with a
reciprocating cutter.

page_text: Figure 13. is a plan thereof. -
Figure 14. is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 12.
Figure 15. is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 13.
some of the parts being removed, and Figure 16. is a part rear elevation of the
machine.
Figure 17. is a detached plan of the cutter.
Figure 18 is a detached plan of the grating or. die drawn to an enlarged
scale.
Figure 19. is a side view and Figure 20. is a transverse section thereof.
In the several figures of the drawings like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference.
Referring to Figures 1. to 11, a. represents the cutting chamber, which is formed of
a front wall a' and a rear wall or cover a².
The rear wall a² is formed with an opening a thorein and provided with a
hopper a communicating with the opening at by the aid of which the substance to be
divided is fed to the machine, and this rear wall a² is removeably connected with the
front wall a' by means of bayonet joints a' or these parts may be otherwise removeably
connected.
Removeably fixed upon and near one end of a shaft 66 supported with capability of
revolution in a long bearing a formed upon the front wall a' is a cutter b. and upon
the outer end of the shaft is removeably fixed a crank handle 67 by the aid of which.
the necessary rotary motion may be imparted to the cutter b.
The inner end of the shaft 6 is screwed to enter the correspondingly threaded
boss of the cutter b. by which means the cutter b. is removeably fixed upon its
shaft 6 or it may be otherwise fixed thereon.
The extreme inner end of the cutter shaft is received into a recess a³ formed
in the rear wall or cover a² and it may be, if desired, formed to take a bearing
therein.
The cutting edge 6 of the cutter. 6 is formed with a bevel or incline 62 on one
side or face thereof and as the thickness of the cutter and the consequent distance of
the cutting edge from the die hereinafter more fully described determines the size in
one direction of the pieces cut from the substance operated upon it must be pro-
portioned according to the result desired to be produced.
In some cases, the cutter b. may be furnished with a recess 63 to receive an
antifriction roller 6, which, in the arrangement shown, and more clearly at
Figures 5, 6 and 7, is held in place by a slotted plate and runs upon the inner
face of the rear wall or cover a² in order to afford additional support to the
cutter b.
If desired, and more especially in large machines, several cutters b. may be formed
upon a single boss b'.
Within an opening in the front wall of the cutting chamber is fixed a die or
grating a formed of a number of sharp edged bars or divisions, or they might be
wires, separating the area thereof into a number of square or they might be round,
oblong or other shaped spaces or holes.
The machine is provided with a screw clamp c. by the aid of which it may be
securely fixed to a table or shelf.
In the modification represented at Figures 12 to 20, the machine is arranged
horizontally instead of vertically and a reciprocating instead of rotary motion
is given to the cutter b. across the die or grating a*. In this arrangement the
hopper a is preferably provided with teeth or projections as and if desired, with
spikes a or other means to prevent the substance being operated upon from
rotating.
The cover a carrying the hopper a is at one end thereof connected to the
cutting table a' by means of hinges ao in order that it may readily be turned back
out of the way, when desired, and it is securely held in its normal position upon the
cutting table a, by means of hinged clamps a².
The necessary reciprocating movements are imparted to the cutter b. by means of

page_text: a lever passing through a slot 68 in a sliding bar 6 fixed to the cutter b. and
mounted at its lower end upon a centre of motion 6ª carried by one of the feet all of
the machine and the sliding bar is supported and guided in its movements by an
extension of the cutting table al which is provided with a slot a¹³ to permit of the
necessary movements of the lever b'.
The cutter b. is preferably connected to its sliding bar 6 by means of a dovetail
joint as shown at Figure 17. in order to facilitate the ready removal thereof for
sharpening or other purposes and instead of forming it with a straight cutting edge
such edge may be angular, as represented by the dotted lines in the same figure,
in order to produce a kind of draw cut in operation, or the said edge may be
rounded or pointed.
The die or grating a* in this example is composed of a number of parallel bars, wires,
or other divisions suitable to divide the substance operated upon into rectangular
strips, oblongs or slices, but any other suitable arrangement of the bars or divisions
may be employed according to the effect desired to be produced.
The feet a of the machine are furnished with holes to receive screws whereby it
may be securely fixed to a table.
The operation of both forms of machine hereinbefore shown and described is as
follows:-
The substance to be operated upon is fed to tho machine through the hopper a³
and motion is given to the cutter b. by means of the crank handle or lever and
the cutter b. is thereby caused to traverse the face of the die or grating a* so that
as the substance is fed to the machine the cutter b. removes a portion or slice
thereof at every traverse and by the action of its inclined or bevelled edge b
forces it against and past the bars or divisions of the die or grating by which it is
cut up or divided into square, oblong, round or other shaped pieces according to the
arrangement thereof and it thence passes away assisted by the succeeding portions
to the outside of the machine where it may fall upon a table or into a receptacle,
as desired.
. I would here remark that I do not confine myself to the precise details of
construction herein before shown and described as it will be evident that such may be
varied without departing from the peculiar character of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what !
claim is
1. The general construction, combination and arrangement of parts constituting a
cutting, slicing or mincing machine, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. A cutting, slicing or mincing machine provided with a cutter, such as b,
formed upon one face with a bevelled or inclined edge, such as 62, held in contact
with and capable of traversing a die or grating, such as a*, formed of a number of
bars or divisions, all in manner substantially as herein shown and described and for
the purpose stated.
Dated this Tenth day of December 1888.
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.