AN IMPROVED HORSE CLIPPING MACHINE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bate, of Wandsworth Road, in the County of
Surrey, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED HORSE CLIPPING MACHINE."
Sealed the 3rd November 1876, and dated the 2nd June 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bate at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd June 1876.
HENRY BATE, of Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey. "AN IMPROVED
HORSE CLIPPING MACHINE."
My Invention has for its object an improved construction of machine or instru-
ment for shortening or clipping the coats of horses and other animals so as to
enable the operation to be performed with greater ease and rapidity of action, and
at the same time secure a smoother surface cut and uniform length of hair than
by the slow and uneaven process requiring skilled labour and attention as at present,
and consists of a comb fitted to a suitable frame upon which one or more rollers
are mounted and caused to revolve freely together through the medium of
multiplying toothed wheel gear or otherwise in connection with cutting blades
arranged concentrically around a seperate axis so that the hair (gathered up by
the comb) shall be clipped off by the revolving cutters whilst the instrument is
being pushed forward by its handle upon the body of the horse, in either case
motion is given to the cutters by the rollers impinging on the body of the horse, or
by a going spring and clockwork or crank handle turned round by the operator or
otherwise.

page_text: enable the operation to be performed with greater ease and rapidity of action, and
at the same time secure a smoother surface cut and uniform length of hair than
by the slow and uneven process requiring skilled labour and attention as at present,
and consists of a comb fitted to a suitable frame upon which one or more rollers
are mounted and caused to revolve freely together through the medium of
multiplying toothed wheels gear or otherwise in connection with cutting blades
arranged concentrically around a separate axis so that the hair (gathered up by
the comb) shall be clipped off by the revolving cutters whilst the instrument is
being pushed forward by its handle upon the body of the horse, in either case
motion is given to the cutters by the rollers impinging on the body of the horse
and clockwork or crank handle turned round by the operator or otherwise.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the same with the aid of the annexed
Drawings.
The vertical action of my improved horse clipping machine is represented by
Figures 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, and 12; the horizontal action is represented by Figures 4,
5, 6, 7, and 8.
I will first describe the perpendicular or vertical action illustrating it by the
Figures and Drawings accompanying this description.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent 3 different aspects of the mode of working the
revolving cutters, the power in this form of the machine being the hand of the
operator on crank handle h.
a, a, a, Figures 1, 2, 3, represent merely the frame or case b, b, b, the handles by
which the instrument is held firmly and pushed forward.
9, g, Figures 1 and 2, the toothed wheel worked directly by the crank handle h.
It will be seen that the teeth of this wheel are placed perpendicularly to the hori
zontal or flat surface of the wheel for the purpose of giving motion to tooth
wheels i, i, to which are affixed the cutting knives d, d, d, d, helically arranged, and
of any suitable number to the rotator f, f. These knives are represented in Figure 2
by the dotted lines on the comb c, c, c, c, but better still at d, d, in Figure 10.
In Figure 1 and 2, c, cl, represent the descending stay to which the comb c is
attached j,j, and k in the three several Figures are simply rollers on which the
instrument rides over the surface of the animal to keep the comb and cutting
portions at proper distance from the skin, and so make it glide easily and uniformly ;
e, e, e, e, on Figures 1, 2, and 3 is the shaft.
It will be seen in these Figures that the revolving cutter will be made to revolve
with multiplying speed proportioned to the relative numbers of the teeth on the
wheels g, g, and i, i.
The perpendicular action is further represented by Figures 9 and 10. Here the
power instead of being obtained from the hand of the operator, as in the method
already described in Figures 1, 2, and 3, is derived from the roller a, a, which is
made to impinge firmly on the horse's back or surface by moderate pressure exerted
(as the instrument is pushed forward by the handle b, b, on the upright R, Figures 9
and 10), which also serves in some measures to guide the instrument.
To increase the resistance and thereby the power the whole surface of this roller
or barrel may be deeply indented.
Firmly attached to the shaft h of this barrel is a tooth wheel g, g, which thus
revolving with it communicates motion to the smaller of the tooth wheels n' on shaft
P. P. P. Figs. 9 and 10, and of course to the larger one n also, being united to the
same shaft, which in turn cause the revolution of cog wheel i and so with it the
shaft e, e, to which the helical knives d, d, d, d, are attached, which revolving
rapidly by the multiplying power thus induced clip off the hair as it is gathered
8 is a knife
up by the comb c, c, c, c; 0, 0, 0, 0, is the frame, and b, b, the handle.
which is firmly fixed by means of screws to the comb plate at the root of teeth in
comb c, c, to meet the rotary cutters as they revolve and clip the hair as it is

page_text: gatherca up by the como. Ine knife 8 13 Iurther 1ustrated, as shewn by b, c, A.
Figures 11 and 12.
It will be seen that Figure 9 is a side elovation and Figure 10 a plan view of the
instrument. K, K, the roller, which may be placed instead in the front of the
instrument, and be of the same length as the instrument's width.
The next Figures I have to describe are 4, 5, 6, which show the horizontal action
of the rotations or circular mode of clipping, Figs. 5 giving a bird's-eye view and
Fig. 4 a side view of the same machine.
a, a, a, represents a case or cover to protect the back portion of the instrument ;
b, the handle; c, c, the comb for gathering up the hair; d, d, is a circular knife
of razor sharpness at the edge or margin which clips the hair (as the instrument is
pushed forward by handle 6 and gathered up by the comb c, c, by dint of its great
sharpness and speed of revolution; i, i, the centre pin and small tooth wheel; the
latter when in action revolves rapidly (and so causes the circular knife to revolve
with it) through the agency of the larger tooth wheel g, which receives its power
from the crank handle h, h, worked by the hand of the operator e, c.
Figure 4 is the fixed plate to which the comb c is attached.
Figure 6, d, d, is the circular knife removed from the other portions of the
instrument.
A modification of the last described is seen in Figure 7. Here instead of the
sharp edge circular knife I employ projecting hook or other shaped cutting tecul e
blades ff from the circumference of the rotating circular disc, which clip the hair
gathered up by the comb pushed forward by the handle b. 1, the handle and crank;
c, c, the comb; e, e, e, the fixed comb plate; fff, projecting cutting teeth; ¿, the
central pivots or pins to w! Ich handle h, h, is attached. The handle is constructed
to move from one centre to the other so as to obtain direct or indirect action. The
former gives greater power; the last may be necessary in certain parts of the
animal where room would not be given for the handle to pass.
It also gives
increased speed. d, d, and g, g, are the revolving disc supplied with cogs to the
disc d, d; the cutting teeth or blades f, f, f, are attached.
Figure 8. Instead of the over-hand action, as shewn in Figure 7, the requisite
revolving motion may be given to the disc by a second horizontal handle a, a,
being pushed forward and backward while the machine is advancing. The shaft
of the handle to be worked in a guide g, g, limiting its lateral movements. Two
springs h, h, may be attached, one each side, or their equivalent, to secure the
circular action.
I would observe that I do not limit myself to the precise detailed particulars
herein given in the mode of carrying out my Invention, which consists in the
circular mode of clipping, whether perpendicular or horizontal, to the fixed plate
and comb. In the latter form the teeth of the comb itself will require to be
sharp only on one side, namely, that which meets the revolving hooked or other
shaped teeth or blades, and in the perpendicular revolving method, as seen in
Figures 9 and 10, a sharp cutting blade is introduced at the postern part of the
teeth of the comb to meet the knives on the rotating cutter a, a, as shewn in
Figures 11 and 12.
This rests on and is firmly fixed by screws to the comb plate, being of the
same length with the cutting edge just extending over the base of the comb's
teeth, where they are attached to the plate. Thus the comb serves merely to gather
up the hair and not for cutting purposes.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention I declare
that what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is-
Firstly. The arrangement of the rotating knives and cutters working both
horizontally and vertically, and particularly the two cog wheels with multiplying
or diminishing speed gear in the horizontal or flat forms of the machine, shewn in

page_text: Figures 4, 5, 7, and 8, (and also as applied to the circular knife and the forward
and backward motive handle for working the crank, shewn in Figure 8.
Secondly. The general arrangement and combination of parts together forming
the new machine or instrument for shortening or clipping the coats of horses and
other animals, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated on the
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bate, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
HENRY BATE. (L.S.)