Improvements in Machinery for Cutting and Panning Biscuits.
Year: 1898

page_text: TRUVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cutting and Panning Biscuits.
We, JOHN VICARS, the Elder, THOMAS VICARS, and JOHN VICARS, the Younger,
all of 56 Seel Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The objects of this invention are, First, to provide means whereby the deforma-
tion or indenting of the surface of the cutting table by repeated pressure of the
cutters in the same place may be to a very great extent avoided and Second
to provide means whereby a sufficient number of biscuits to fill a pan may be
cut at once, and then placed on a pan without the aid of a feeding band, thus
avoiding any distortion of the biscuits which might occur by the transference of
the cut biscuits from off the web on to the pans.
For the above purposes. First. We make the upper portion of the cutting
table which sustains the pressure of the cutters movable, so that after one or
more strokes of the cutters such upper portion of the table may be moved slightly,
so as to present a different part of the surface to the pressure of the cutters. The
said upper portion of the table may be made in the form of a table or sheet and
caused to reciprocate; or it may be in the form of an endless band which may
have a motion in one direction. Or we may apply a movable sheet or band
between the usual surface of the cutting table and the cutters. Under another
modification we make the whole table, together with its resilient and elevating
appurtenances, movable so that a different part of the surface may be presented
to the cutters after one or more strokes of such cutters. Any convenient gear
such as ratchets and pawls, may be used for giving the desired motion to the
table or to the upper portion thereof or to a band or sheet which may be used
above the table.
Second. We form the cutter head of such a size that sufficient biscuits to fill a
pan may be cut at one stroke, and we provide means whereby the biscuits, when
cut are lifted up from the sheet of dough as the cutter head rises. When the
cutter head and biscuits have risen sufficiently, a pan is placed beneath the cutter
head into which by means of suitable releasing or ejecting devices the biscuits
are deposited. The pan is then removed and the cutters are free to make a fresh
stroke. Suitable carrying chains or bars are used to carry the pans beneath and
away from the cutter head; either moving across the machine or lengthwise with
it. The operating gear will be of any convenient kind suitable for giving the
proper relative motion to the various parts.
1007

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Cutting and Panning Biscuits.
We, JOIN VICARS, the Elder, THOMAS VICARS, and JoHx VICARS, the Younger,
all of 56, Seel Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The objects of this invention are First, To provide means whereby the deforma-
tion or indenting of the surface of the cutting table by repeated pressure of the
cutters in the same place may be to a very great extent avoided, and, Second,
To provide means whereby a sufficient number of biscuits to fill a pan may be
cut at once, and then placed on a pan without the aid of a feeding band, thus
avoiding any distortion of the biscuits which might occur by the transference of
the cut biscuits, from off the web on to the pans.
For the above purposes, First: We make the upper portion of the cutting
table which sustains the pressure of the cutters movable, so that after one or
more strokes of the cutters such upper portion of the table may be moved slightly,
so as to present a different part of the surface to the pressure of the cutters. The
said upper portion of the table may be made in the form of a table or sheet and
caused to reciprocate; or it may be in the form of an endless band which may
have a motion in one direction. Or we may apply. a movable sheet or band
between the usual surface of the cutting table and the cutters. Under another
modification we make the whole table, together with its resilient and elevating
appurtenances movable so that a different part of the surface may be presented
to the cutters after one or more strokes of such cutters. Any convenient gear,
such as ratchet wheels and pawls, may be used for giving the desired motion to the
table or to the upper portion thereof or to a band or sheet which may be used
above the table.
Second. We form the cutter head of such a size that sufficient biscuits to fill a
pan may be cut at one stroke, and we provide means whereby the biscuits, when
cut, are lifted up from the sheet of dough as the cutter head rises. When the
cutter head and biscuits have risen sufficiently, a pan is placed beneath the cutter
head on to which by means of suitable releasing or ejecting devices the biscuits
are deposited. The pan is then removed and the cutters are free to make a fresh
stroke. Suitable carrying chains or bars are used to carry the pans beneath and
away from the cutter head either moving across the machine or lengthwise with
it. The operating gear will be of any convenient kind suitable for giving the
proper relative motion to the various parts.
Fig. 1 on the accompanying drawings is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a part
plan illustrative of one modification of our invention under the first head. a. is
the cutting table arranged and supported on the main frame of the machine. b. in
any usual well known way. The upper portion a¹ of the table is separate from the
lower portion so that such upper portion can be moved to and fro in guides a²
by means of the cam. c. acting on a pin. d. attached to an arm e on the upper
portion of the table a¹ thereby enabling a fresh surface to be presented below
the cutters at each stroke. The cam c is secured to a wheel. f. carried in bearings
on an arm g and motion is given to the wheel and cam by a worm hon a shaft. 7.
The shaft is rotated by gearing in any convenient way but preferably by ratchet
gear. It will be obvious that other means than a cam may be used for giving
motion to the table a¹ if found desirable. The upper portion of the table a¹ may,
in some cases take the form of a sheet of rubber placed above the usual cutting

page_text: table and secured in a frame to which reciprocating motion is given by a cam or
other suitable appliance. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 4 is a plan
illustrative of another modification. a is the usual cutting table, b the main
frame, j is an endless band of rubber or suitable material passing around rollers kk
and over the table a. Motion, preferably intermittent in one direction, is given.
to the band by means of one of the rollers & which is caused to rotate by the
shaft operated by gearing of any desired kind but preferably ratchet gearing.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation and Fig. 6 is a part plan of a further modification under
the first head. Here the usual cutting table, a, instead of being carried on the
main frame b directly is carried on an auxiliary frame m. The frame m is.
provided with rollers a bearing on rails o secured to the main frame or any
other suitable device thereby enabling the whole of the cutting table together
with its supporting springs and adjusting appliances to be moved to and fro by
means of excentrics 2 secured on a shaft q to which shaft motion is communicated
as desired. Any other suitable gear may be used for moving the table.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation, Fig. 8 a transverse sectional view at the line A A on
Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 is a plan of so much of a biscuit cutting machine as is necessary
to illustrate our invention under the second head. Fig. 10 is a detail view of the
appliances for operating the biscuit lifters and ejectors, and Fig. 11 is a detail
view to an enlarged scale of part of the cutter box. 1 is the main frame of the
machine, 2 is the cutter head free to slide in guides 3 and operated by a cam 4
through levers and rods 6 so as to give a quick down and up stroke with a
long period of rest, in the upper position. The cutter head 2 carries by means
of connection 7 the cutter box 8 to which are secured the cutters 9. A sufficient
number of cutters are provided to cut enough biscuits at one stroke to fill a
pan, 10 are the biscuit ejectors carried on rods 11 secured to a plate 12. The
plate 12 and with it the ejectors is free to be moved up and down relatively to
the cutter box by means of the rods and levers and shafts 13 carried on the cutter
head 2. One of the levers 13 is carried on one of the cutter head rods €ª and
such lever 13ª is provided with a pin or roller taking into a slot 14 in a slide 15
to which slide to and fro motion is communicated by a cam 16 on the shaft 16"
operated in any convenient manner. By this means any desired motion can be
given to the ejectors relatively to the cutter box notwithstanding the vertical
motion of the cutter head. 17 is a cover of flexible material secured air tight to
the edges 8 of the cutter box. The cover 17 is secured to the rods 13 as shown
at 13b so that such cover is caused to rise and fall with the plate 12 and ejectors.
When the cover rises a partial vacuum is caused in the cutter box and behind
the ejectors at 10 thereby ensuring the lifting up of the cut biscuits when the
cutter head riscs. When the cover 17 falls the vacuum is destroyed and the
biscuits are free to be deposited on a pan by the ejectors 10. 18 is a sheet of
iron or suitable material to support the flexible cover 17. By this method of
depositing the biscuits all distortion is avoided. The sheet of dough is fed under-
neath the cutters on a band in any usual way it being only necessary under this
invention to move a greater length of dough forward whilst the cutter head is
raised than is the case when only one or two rows of cutters are used as in
ordinary machines. 19 are chains carried on pulleys 20 on shafts 21 carried in
bearings in the frame 1. The chains 19 support pans on which the biscuits are
to be deposited. The pans are placed at intervals on the chains
regulated by the bars 22 attached to the chains, SO that after
each pan is left a space through which the cutters can operate to cut the biscuits
for the next pan. The chains 19 pass across the machine at a higher level than
the sheet of dough. 23 is ratchet gearing and spur wheels for giving motion to
the pulleys, 20, so as to move the pans underneath and away. from the cutters.
at the required times.
The operation is as follows: The cutter head 2 and cutters are caused to descend
by means of the cam 4 levers 5 and rods 66 and cut out biscuits from the sheet
of dough; the cover 17 of the cutter box is then caused to rise by means of the

page_text: cam 16 and rods and levers 13 13ª thus causing a partial vacuum behind the
biscuits which ensures their being lifted. The cutter head 2 now rises carrying
with it the biscuits cut out. The pulleys 20 and chains 19 are then operated so
as to carry a pan underneath the cutters 9. The cover 17 is caused to fall
destroying the vacuum behind the biscuits and allowing of their being deposited
on to the pan by the ejectors. The pulleys 20 and chains. 19 are now again
operated so as to carry the pan with the biscuits away, leaving a blank space
through which the cutters can again descend to cut another lot of biscuits from
the sheet of dough which during the depositing of the biscuits on to the pan has
been fed forward beneath the cutters in readiness.
We do not confine ourselves to the particular arrangements of parts described
nor to the gearing for operating the various parts as it will be obvious that many
modifications and arrangements may be made without departing from the nature
of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
-
First. Making the upper portion of the cutting table of biscuit cutting
machinery movable substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The combination with the cutting table of biscuit cutting machinery
of an endless movable band or a movable sheet of rubber or other suitable
material substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Third. Making the whole of the cutting table and its appurtenances of biscuit
cutting machinery movable substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. Constructing the cutter head of biscuit cutting and panning machinery
with lifting appliances and ejectors operating substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Fifth. In combination with the appliances claimed in the Fourth claim, pan
carrying apparatus operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this Second day of December 1897.
W. B. JOHNSON,
4, Clayton Square, Liverpool, Agent.