Improvements in Cutting-out Scissors or Shears, and Apparatus in connection therewith, for Facilitating the Outting-out of Textile Fabrics and other Materials.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 10th Sept., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cutting-out Scissors or Shears, and Apparatus in
connection therewith, for Facilitating the Outting-out of Textile
Fabrics and other Materials.
I, ERNESTA PETERSEN of Kertch, Crimea, in the Russian Empire, Gentlewoman,
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:-
My invention relates firstly to an improved construction of cutting-out scissors
or shears, and secondly to mechanism to be employed in connection therewith for
facilitating the cutting-out of garments and other objects according to a prescribed
pattern.
The scissors or shears are so arranged and mounted on rollers that they are
always maintained in a vertical position, ready for cutting, and that, for the cutting
operation, it is not necessary to hold both limbs of the scissors by the fingers in
the usual manner and to push the same forward for cutting, the forward motion
and the cutting being simultaneously effected by simply exerting a downward
pressure upon the raised handle of the one limb, and then allowing the handle to
be raised again by a spring, which acting at the same time produces a forward
motion of the part of the scissors which rests on the table.
The apparatus employed in combination with these scissors consists, firstly, of a
stem which is secured by a pneumatic device to the fabric to be cut, which device
at the same time secures the fabric to the table, secondly, of a template having the
configuration to a small scale of the pattern to be cut, which is secured in an easily
removeable manner to the said stem; thirdly of a socket revolvable on the said
stem through which slides an arm projecting to any required distance beyond the
template, and connected in any suitable manner to the middle part of the
scissors.
This arm carries a roller or pin, which, by a spring acting on the bar is made to
continually bear against the periphery of the before mentioned template. Thus as
the scissors are made to cut the fabric and at the same time advance, at a certain
distance from the template, the arm to which it is connected in travelling round
upon the central stem, is caused by the roller or pin moving against the edge of the
template, to move outward or inward, according to the configuration of the latter,
and thus causes the scissors, in cutting, to travel along a path the configuration of
which is similar to that of the template.
Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings shew a pair of scissors constructed
according to my above described invention. Figure 1 shews a side elevation with
the scissors in the open position, Figure shews a plan and Figure 3 shews a
side view of the scissors in the closed position; Figures 4 and 4ª shew modifications
of the roller supports.
The scissors consist of the usual two limbs p p p p pivotted together at w, of
which the one limb p carries in a forked extension at the front end a small roller v,
while at the other end it carries a handle p' and also a spring blade g which bears
upon the part på of the other limb, so as to tend to keep the scissors open as shewn
at Figure 1. The end of the part p³ is supported upon a pair of rollers rr which
may either be simply carried on the ends of a crosshead p' formed on the end of p³
as shewn in plan at Figure 4 or such crosshead with the rollers may be mounted as
a swivelling castor as shewn in dotted lines at Figure 4 and in side view at
Figure 44 or the rollers may be carried on a crosshead pivotted to a tail on p³, as
shewn at Figures 1, 2 and 3, the crosshead being formed with an arm s³ carrying a

page_text: .
setting screw, which bears against a graduated quadrant u formed on the end
of p. With this arrangement it will be seen that if the crosshead and wheels be
set at any desired angle to the arm p* by the screws, the scissors in advancing will
move along a path having a greater or less curvature, according to the degree of
inclination of the crosshead relatively to the roller v.
With the above described construction of scissors, it will be found that by merely
depressing the handle p' in closing the scissors, for cutting, and then allowing them
to be opened by the spring 9 again, the scissors will be automatically advanced, as
in closing down, the rollers will remain stationary while the roller v moves forward,
whereas in rising open, the roller will remain stationary while r will move
forward. This action might be still further insured by providing the rollers with
pawls and ratchets which only allow them to turn in the advancing direction.
+
Thus it will be seen that for large cutting-out scissors or shears the above
described construction has the advantages, firstly that the scissors are always in
the position for cutting and do not require to be first lifted for this purpose,
avoiding considerable fatigue to the operator; secondly, the cutting and simul-
taneous advance of the scissors is effected by merely exerting a downward pressure
on the handle p¹, thus avoiding all strain and unpleasant pressure on the fingers;
and thirdly, when the cutting is to be effected in a circular curve, the scissors may
be made to follow that curve automatically by previously adjusting the crosshead s¹
to the required angle, while when the axis of the wheels is parallel to that of
the wheel t, the scissors will advance in a straight line; this might be further
insured by providing a straight groove in the table for the roller o to run in.
With the simpler construction at Figure 4, the rollers being made with a
smooth rounded periphery, they may be easily shifted laterally by a slight lateral
pressure when it is desired to cut in a curved line, and this will be still further
facilitated if the castor arrangement at Figure 44 is employed.
Figures 5 to 11 shew an arrangement of the before described apparatus to be
employed in combination with the above described scissors for cutting out fabrics
according to a pattern or template, Figure 5 shews a side elevation, Figure 6 shews
a plan, Figure 7 shews a vertical section of the pneumatic fixing device for the
fabric and template, Figures 8 and 9 shew enlarged details, and Figures 10 and 11
shew modified constructions of the arm n.
The pneumatic device A, consists of a cup shaped socket, within which is a
caoutchouc diaphragm c, to which is secured a metal disc c' with a screwed stem d,
so that on placing the cup upon the fabric to be cut, which is laid flat upon a
table, and then screwing upward the stem d, by the nut e the diaphragm is drawn
inwards so as to produce a partial vacuum below, causing the cup b to be pressed
by atmospheric pressure down upon the fabric, so as to hold it firmly upon the
table.
The part of the stem d projecting-beyond the neck of the cup carries two screw
nuts e, g, which are made to nip the pattern or template between them; the
template being formed with a slot on one side, so that on slacking the upper nut g,
the template can be easily slid out from between the nuts, and a different one be
substituted. The slot is filled in with a filling piece f' after the template has been
slid in, the piece being held in position, firstly. by lugs overlapping the slot so
as to prevent it from falling through, and also by wings which fit into corre-
sponding notches in the template and thus serve to tie. the sides of the slot together.
The part d' of the stem above the nut is made without a thread and on it is a
rotatable bush h, having a slot through which slides a rod k having a lateral arm
carrying a roller m, which is pressed against the edge of the template f by means of
a spring attached at one end to the rod k, and at the other end to the screw / in
the socket h. The arm carrying the roller m also carries, connected thereto by a
universal joint or other suitable hinge-joint, a rod n, the other end of which is
formed with a hook, which hooks into an eye on a jaw piece o that can be secured
in any desired position on the upper limb p³ of the scissors, by means of a setting
screw as shown more clearly at Figure 9,

page_text: A similar jaw piece o' is fixed by a setting screw upon the lower limb of the
scissors, which piece carries an adjustable screw stem y carrying a swivelling
roller, as shewn at Figure 8, the stem and roller being so adjusted as to support
the limb p with the front roller out of contact with the table. From the above
arrangement it will be seen, that as the scissors are made to advance in cutting as
first above described, they will carry with them the rods n and k and socket h
round the central stem dd, while at the same time the roller m. in running upon
the periphery of the template will cause the rods k and n, and consequently the
scissors to move radially to and from the central stem d according to the
configuration of the template, and thus the scissors in cutting will be made to
describe a configuration which will be a facsimile to an enlarged scale of the
template.
When the periphery of the template has angular or sharply curved parts, into
which the roller m cannot enter perfectly, I place in front of the roller a pin,
introduced into a hole at m' Figure 6, so that the pin then bears against the
periphery of the template.
For cutting out circles or parts of circles, the template can be dispensed with,
the rod & being then fixed by the setting screw in the required position for giving
a circle or arc of the required radius, for which purpose the rod may be formed
with divisions as shewn. The wheels in that case are set to an angular position
corresponding to the circle required.
Figures 10 and 11 shew arrangements for increasing or decreasing the length of
the rod n, according as it may be desired to increase or decrease the size of the
article cut from the template f; in the arrangement at Figure 10 the rod n is made
with a jointed part n', the joint n³ of which can be secured in any angular position,
by forming a slotted projection on the one part through which passes a pinching
screw on the other part, so that the two parts n' n¹ can either be extended in a
straight line, or be made to assume any angle, as shewn.
In the arrangement shewn at Figure 11, the part n³ of the rod which is attached
to the universal joint n³ has a socket into which is fitted adjustably another rod n³
which is connected to the scissors as described; or n² may have connected to it
another part n having another socket to which is fitted the rod no connected to the
scissors, so that by this means any amount of extension of the rod can be
obtained.
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 I
claim is :-
1. Constructing cutting out scissors with a roller such as mounted on the front
lower end of one limb and a pair of rollers such as mounted on the back lower
end of the other limb, the scissors being kept open by a spring so that the scissors
are supported in a vertical position and are made both to cut and to move forward
by the depression of the raised rear end of the first named limb, substantially as
described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings.
2. In scissors or shears such as are referred to in the preceding claim, mounting
the rollers on a cross piece pivotted to the limb of the scissors and so arranged
that the rollers can be set with their axis at any angle to the axis of the front
roller v, so that the scissors can be made to advance either in a straight line or in
any desired curved line, substantially as described.
3. The use in combination with scissors or shears mounted on rollers as referred
to in the preceding claims, of an apparatus for facilitating the cutting-out according
to a pattern or template, consisting of a pneumatic device a cd for securing the
fabric or material to be cut and supporting the pattern or template f, and a rod or
rods n having a sliding connection at one end with the central stem d while at
the other end they are connected to the scissors p, the said rod or rods being
provided with a roller or pin which is kept by a spring in contact with the periphery
of the template, so that as the scissors are made to travel round the template in

page_text: cutting, the rods kn are caused by the joint action of the roller or pin and spring,
in following the periphery of the template, to move radially outward or inward
whereby the scissors in cutting are made to describe a configuration similar to that
of the template, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 6 to 11
of the drawings.
3. In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claim, the use of jam-
nuts eg on the stem d for clamping the template between them the said template
being formed with a slot fitted with a removeable fitting piece f¹ in order to enable
the same to be readily inserted upon and removed from the stem d substantially as
described.
4. In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claims, the use of an
adjustable clamping piece such as o on the upper limb of the scissors, for the
attachment of the rod n or n', and of a second adjustable clamping piece o¹ on the
lower limb of the scissors carrying a swivelling roller for supporting the scissors,
substantially as described.
5. Adapting apparatus such as is referred to in the second claim to the cutting
out of circles or parts of circles by removing the template and fixing the rod k in
any desired position to the socket of the stem d by a setting screw, substantially as
described.
Dated this 10th day of September 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.