IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING BOTTLE & OTHER CORKS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D. Albertson, of the
City and State of New York, United States of America, for the Invention
of "IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING BOTTLE & OTHER CORKS."
-A communication from Albert Albertson, a person residing abroad.
Sealed the 20th January 1860, and dated the 22nd July 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph G. Isham and
Stephen D. Albertson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd July 1859.
We, JOSEPH G. ISHAM and STEPHEN D. ALBERTSON, of the City and State
of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING BOTTLE
& OTHER CORKS," to be as follows:-
Such Invention consists, firstly, in an improved mode or arrangement for
cutting or taking the corners from square pieces of strips of cork; and, secondly,
in carrying and feeding and revolving such corks while being cut and finished
by the knife, by means of pressure upon the periphery of such corks from
rollers or belts, or rollers or their equivalents. The corners are first cut or
taken from square pieces or strips of cork by means of two cylinders, the
inner one being fixed and nearly filling the outer one, and the outer one
revolving about the other, such revolving cylinder being fitted with mouths or
cutting parts of different sizes to produce different sized corks. The inner
surface of such revolving cylinder, or of its mouth, has a saw or rasp like a
roughened surface, which continually acts upon & removes the corners of the
cork strips which are fed into & through the inner cylinder by feed rollers or

page_text: the like. To hold such cork pieces firm while being so subjected to the
action of the revolving cylinder, there are placed upon or attached to the inner
surface of the inside cylinder, strips or holders to clasp or hold the cork strips
and prevent them turning while being acted upon by the knife, such strips or
holders may project more or less to take strips of cork of different sizes, or the
inner cylinder may be made of different thicknesses so as to effect the same
purpose and at the same time continue to nearly fill the revolving cylinder as
described.
The second part of the Invention consists in the mode of feeding, and
holding, and revolving the partially cut corks while being cut and finished by
the knife. This is accomplished by means of an endless belt passing over two
rollers revolving in the same plane, and an adjustable roller placed immediately
over such belt and at a distance from it coresponding to the diameter of the
corks to be cut, such belt and adjustable roller revolve and move in the same
direction so that the motion given to the corks by the belt and by the roller,
these acting on opposite surfaces of the cork, is continually in one direction,
and towards the knife. The belt and roller thus carry along the cork and
rotate it and hold it all at one and the same time; the knife is so set that it
can be adjusted at different distances from the belt to cut different sized corks.
When the cork has been entirely trimmed, the succeeding or next cork presses
it away and discharges it, any equivalent mechanism to the endless belt and
adjustable roller, as a combination of rollers, &c., may be used for the
purposes mentioned,
What is more particularly claimed is the application and use of the holders
within the fixed cylinder for the purpose of holding the cork, and the combina-
tion of such holders with the fixed and revolving cylinders and also the carry-
ing, holding, and revolving the corks while under the action of the finishing
knife by means of a combination of rollers and belts or their equivalents,
acting or pressing upon the periphery of the corks and not upon their ends,
as in other machines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D. Albertson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 20th January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
G. ISHAM and STEPHEN D. ALBERTSON, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, A. D. 1859, in the.
twenty-third year of Her reign. did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors.
give and grant unto us, the said Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D. Albertson:
Her special license that we, the said Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D..
Albertson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,-
the said Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D. Albertson, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 Islands, and Isle of Man,.
an Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING BOTTLE
AND OTHER CORKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D. Albertson, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain tho
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 we, the said Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D.
Albertson, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-.
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings.
accompaning this Specification, that is to say:―
The character and nature of the said Invention has more particular reference,
1st, to a device for holding the corks, and preventing the n from rotating while
under the action of a cylindrical rotary cutter; 2nd, to a device or method of
rotating corks while under the action of a longitudinal or finishing cutter by
friction on their peripheries; 3rd, to a device or plan for regulating the feeding
of the corks to the finishing cutter, so that the corks shall always be presented
to such knife with their sides exactly parallel with its edge, so that the corks
will always be trimmed equally and truly at both ends, and thus waste from
imperfect or untrue cutting be prevented.
Fig. 1 is a top view of a cork-cutting machine embodying these several
features; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of such machine through a, a,
Figure 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through y, y, Figure 1;
Fig. 4 is an end view of the cylinder for holding the corks while being cut by
the cylindrical rotary cutter. A, A, are feed rollers mounted on shafts a. a,
and revolving in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in a horizontal

page_text: frame, being revolved by a cross belt, or in any other convenient manner; Bis
a bench or table on which the square blanks of corks are placed to be fed to the
machine, which bench is adjustable in height by means of a set screw b, so
that it can be adapted to cutters of different diameters; C is a rotary cylindrical
cutter designed and operating to take off the corners of the corks, and thus
make them roundish, running in bearings c, c, and revolved by a pulley d, or
in any other way most convenient; D is a stationary cylinder within the cylin-
drical cutter C, and extending to near its mouth, designed both to hold the
inner ends of the corks, by means of longitudinal projections e, e, e, Fig. 4,
and thus prevent them rotating while their corners are being taken off by the
rotating cutter C, and also to conduct or carry off the corks after they have
been so cut. These parts of the machine are designed to perform the pre-
paratory cutting or roughing of the corks, that is, taking off the corners of the
square blanks or blocks of corks, and preparing them for the complete and
perfect cutting which is accomplished by the machinery and apparatus here-
after described.
As the corks are delivered from the inner end of the cylinder D, they drop
upon and pass between the feed rollers E and F, which are placed at a distance
from each other just about the diameter of the cork being cut, or so that the
cork is a little pressed as it passes between them. These rollers run in
plummer blocks, which are adjustable in height by means as set screws f. f.
so that the distance between such rollers can be regulated according to the
size of the cork to be cut. These rollers both revolve in the same direction
roller E revolving, however, a little faster than
the corks are continually drawn forward and
These rollers also being placed at
as indicated by the arrows, the
the roller F, by which means
under the roller E, and towards the knife.
such a distance from each other as just to allow the cork to pass between
them, but with a slight pressure, and acting on the entire side surfaces of the
corks, cause such corks to pass down between them perfectly true, neither end
faster than the other, and thus render their delivery in the same position to the
knife G absolutely certain; O is a shute board or inclined surface, which
conducts the corks after they have passed through between the rollers E and F
upon the endless band H, which is moved by the rollers J, JJ, which revolve
in the same direction with the rollers and F; such rollers, Lowever, like
the roller F, revolving a little slower than the roller E. While, therefore, the
roller E, and the endless band II both tend to revolve the corks in the same
direction, the faster motion of the roller causes the cork to continually approach
the knife G, and be cut by it. The portion of the band immediately beneath
the roller E rests upon a shelf V, which is adjustable by set screws 9, 9, so as

page_text: to vary its height to accord with the size of corks required, or to set it
obliquely with the cutter when it is desired to produce taper corks; G is the
finishing knife, which, as represented in the Drawing, is a disk rotating upon &
vertical axis. The band rollers J, JJ, and shelf V are mounted in a common
franie K, which is capable of vertical adjustment to adapt the machine to cut
corks of different sizes, and may be retained in any desired position by set
screws h, h, or any other substantially equivalent means; L, L, are stops or rests,
which prevent the longitudinal motion of the corks while under the action of
the polishing knife G. The whole operation is substantially as follows:-
Square blanks or blocks of cork cut to any desired length being placed upon
the bench B are caught between the feed rollers A, A. and carried forward to
the rotary cylindrical cutter C, within which they pass until griped by the
ribs e, e, e, of the stationary cylinder D, and which hold them firmly against
rotation. Successive blanks being fed drive along those before them, until
they are delivered between the rollers E and F. The position of the cylinder D
in respect to the rollers E and F, should be such that the corks when driven
out of the cylinder D, will pass between such rollers without much or any drop,
as this expedites the action of these rollers. The combined action of these
rollers, and of the roller E, and endless band H, rapidly rotates the corks, and
in consequence of the more rapid revolution of the roller E carries them
forward at the same time, thus presenting all parts of their circumference to
the action of the finishing knife G, until being reduced to a suitable size, they
are, by the succeeding corks, carried under the knife, and fall into a spout or
receiver beneath. The cylindrical cutter C may have either a smooth or a
toothed edge, and is detachable from the machine to admit of its being replaced
by cutters of different sizes to correspond with the size of corks required.
The feed rollers A, A, may be adapted to blanks of various sizes, either by any
customary device to carry their proximity, or by the use of a series of rollers of
different sizes adapted to fit loosely on the shafts a, a. The cylindrical
cutter C, and stationary cylinder D, are made of different sizes, or may be
expansive to correspond to the different sizes of corks required, and the
different sizes may be substituted one for the other as required. The bench B
is also adjustable in height, so as to correspond accurately with the cylindrical
cutter C. The application and use of the projections e, e, e, in the inside of
the cylinder D is to gripe the corks by their periphery after they have passed
beyond the control of the feed rollers A, A, so as to hold the corks firm and pre-
vent them rotating while under the action of the cylindrical cutter C, in order
that such cutter may round the corks to the extreme end of the blanks, and
they are found entirely effectual for the purpose. Without some such device,

page_text: the action of the cylindrical cutter would cause the blanks, after they had left
the feed rollers A, A, to rotate, thus interfering with the proper action of such
cutter; this is the case in ordinary cork-cutting machines, which use a cylin-
drical cutter.
It will be observed that the corks, by the action of the roller E and the
endless belt H, are rotated by friction on their peripheries, and that such appa-
ratus by which also the corks are carried to the finishing knife, is continuous
and uniform in its operation, which enables it to operato with great rapidity,
and also with greater certainty, the corks being kept rotating while being cut
by the finishing knife, than can be attained by machines in which reciprocating
motion is employed. In order that the corks may be brought to an accurately
parallel position before they reach the cutting knife G, and may be presented
with their sides exactly parallel to the cutting edge of such knife, so as to
secure an equal cutting at each end of the cork, the arrangement of the
rollers E and F is made use of. The corks, as they are driven through the
fixed cylinder D, fall between these two rollers, which as before stated, revolve
in the same direction, and the space between which is just sufficient to allow
the corks to pass with a slight pressure. The corks cannot therefore pass
through between such rollers, one end in advance of the other, but they are
delivered exactly true, and so carried to the knife, and thus all unequal cutting
prevented. If the corks were delivered directly upon a shute or incline O, thero
would be a liability from the corks being driven endwise from the cylinder D.
that the end first discharged would be in advance of the other, and that the cork
would be carried in such position to the knife, and consequently the corks be
unevenly trimmed. These rollers may be mounted in the adjustable frame K,
or may be directly attached to the main frame of the machine. In the former
case, any variation in the height of the franie K will require to be accom-
panied by a separate adjustment of the roller E, in order to give the latter its
proper position in relation to the cutter. Springs may also be applied above
the plummer blocks f, f, and beneath the shelf V, if desired.
The particular parts of the machine designed for the preparatory cutting
or roughing of the corks, and for the complete cutting or finishing of them,
though capable of a more advantageous use and operation when combined as
above described, may, however, be used as separate machines, whenever moro
convenient, or for any reason desirable.
We do not restrict ourselves to any particular form or position of finishing
knife, as its position may be vertical, horizontal, or oblique, and its motion
continuous or reciprocating, and in form it may be either circular as represented,
or straight, or in the shape of an endless band, either of which will operate

page_text: with good effect in combination with the feed mechanism described. Nor do we
restrict ourselves to the precise arrangement above described of the band H,
rollers J. JJ, and shelf V for rotating the corks by friction on their peripheries,
as it is evident that without varying the principle involved, the rollers J, JJ,
may be placed in such position, or so increased in number as to entirely dispense
with the band II and shelf V. The combination also of the rollers E and F,
for delivering the corks to the band H, exactly true and parallel, may also bo
changed in form, as an endless band, or any arrangement adapted to produco
the same effect may be substituted for them, or used for such purpose.
We are aware that feed rollers, substantially the same with the feed
rollers A, A, have been employed to forward blanks to a rotary cylindrical
cutter, & we are also aware that a stationary cylinder has been applied within,
or in the rear of such cylindrical cutter, to receive the corks when cut, and
conduct them away; but we are not aware that such stationary cylinder has
been adapted to hold the corks, so as to prevent them being rotated by the
action of the cutter after they pass beyond the reach of the feed rollers A, A.
What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st, the stationary cylinder D, e, or any substantially equivalent device, when
adapted and employed to gripe a cork by its periphery, so as to effectually
prevent its rotation, while being cut by a rotary cylindrical cutter.
21, the feed rollers E, J, JJ, with or without the band H, or their equi-
valent arranged and adapted to rotate a cork by friction on its periphery,
while under the action of the finishing knife G.
3d, the use and arrangement of the roller F in combination with the
roller E, or their substantial equivalent, for causing the corks to be delivered
to the feed rollers E, J, JJ, and band H, or their equivalents, so that they shall
be conducted to the finishing knife, with their sides parallel to the cutting
edge of the knife, and thus the unequal or untrue cutting of the corks
prevented.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph G. Isham and Stephen D.
Albertson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourteenth
day of January, A. D. One thousand eight hundred and sixty.