IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND TRIMMING PAPER, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Knoeferl, of Bolsover Street, and William Fuller,
of Oxford Street, both in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND TRIMMING PAPER, AND FOR
SIMILAR PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Knoeferl and William
Fuller at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March 1880.
FRANCIS KNOEFERL, of Bolsover Street, and WILLIAM FULLER, of Oxford Street,
both in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING
AND TRIMMING PAPER AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to machinery or apparatus which is chiefly designed for
cutting and trimming paper, although it is also applicable for cutting and trimming
silk, cloth, leather, and similar materials.
Heretofore the machines employed for cutting through a number of superposed
sheets of paper have been furnished with a knife which is caused to descend
vertically or diagonally upon the sheets of paper, and cut through the same by
means of the pressure exerted upon the knife. The "trimming," that is to say,
the cutting off of thin or narrow pieces at the edges, such as at the edges of the
paper forming the leaves of a book, is accomplished by a separate machine or by
hand.
The machines heretofore made for cutting and trimming paper are costly, and
are therefore not within reach of many persons whose business would be facilitated
if they could be furnished with an apparatus at a small cost for effecting the same
objects.
According to our Invention we provide means whereby piles or superposed sheets
of paper or other materials may be cut through, and the edges trimmed in-an-
expeditious manner without the employment of the expensive machinery heretofore
employed, and one machine or apparatus constructed according to our Invention
will effect both the cutting and the trimming.
The said Invention consists chiefly in providing a cutting tool or implement
formed with a number of cutting edges or points, between each one of which there
is an open space. The said tool or implement is designed to be used instead of
the ordinary plain knife or cutter heretofore employed, and is moreover designed to

page_text: operate upon the paper or other material by a to and fro motion similar to the
motion given to an ordinary hand saw in cutting wood.
The said tool or implement is mounted within suitable frame work, and is con-
nected with a cam having a diagonal groove around and within its circumference.
Within this groove there is a stud or pin so connected with the cutting tool that
when the cam rotates the necessary backward and forward movement is imparted
to the said cutting tool or implement.
It is necessary that this tool should also have imparted to it the requisite
downward movement in order that as the sheets of the paper or other material
are cut through by the to and fro motion of the tool the latter shall be brought to
bear gradually upon the whole of the paper or other material in the pile, that is to
say, from the highest sheet to the lowest one. To accomplish this result we provide
another cam whose diameter gradually increases up to a certain point, and this
cam is placed in such connection with the cutting tool or implement that the said
cam will in the operation of the apparatus press down the cutting tool in such a
manner that the whole pile of paper or other material will be operated upon
thereby. The cams are fixed upon suitable spindles in connection with a handle,
by which they are put in motion.
Although we have described the cutting tool as being operated in its to and fro
and downward movements by means of cams, it is obvious that other mechanical
means may be employed for obtaining these motions without departing from the
principle of our Invention, the main feature of which is the cutting tool made with
a number of separate cutting edges, and designed to cut in moving to and fro upon
the paper or other material.
We prefer to make the said cutting tool in one piece of steel, the separate cutters
being formed by cutting out the metal to form the spaces, and then shaping each
of the pieces alternating with the spaces to form separate cutters with sloping or
angular edges to the cutting point, which we make of somewhat rounded form, and
the edges and cutting points are sharpened by any suitable means. In some cases
the said cutting tool may be formed by screwing or otherwise attaching the separate
cutters.to a solid piece of metal.
The said tool or implement may have any desirable number of separate
cutters.
The machine or apparatus, as above described, is applicable, without any adapta.
tion or alteration, for "trimming" or cutting off such narrow portions of the edges
of superposed sheets of paper as cannot be cut off by the ordinary paper cutting
machines, separate apparatus having been heretofore employed for this purpose;
as above explained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Francis Knoeferl and William Fuller in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd September 1880.
FRANCIS KNOEFERL, of Bolsover Street, and WILLIAM FULLER, of Oxford Street,
both in the County of Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING
"
AND TRIMMING PAPER, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Our Invention relates to machinery or apparatus which is chiefly designed for
cutting and trimming paper, but which is also applicable for cutting and trimming
silk, cloth, leather, and similar materials.
Machines heretofore employed for cutting through a number of superposed sheets
of paper or other material have been furnished with a knife which is caused to
descend vertically or diagonally upon the sheets, and cut through the same by
means of the pressure exerted upon the knife. Moreover the "trimming," that is to
say, the cutting off of thin or narrow pieces at the edges, as in trimming the edges
of the leaves of a book, has been accomplished by a separate machine or by hand.
These machines for cutting and trimming paper, however, are costly, and are
therefore not within the reach of many persons whose business would be facilitated
if they could be furnished with an apparatus at a small cost for effecting the same
objects.
According to our Invention we provide means whereby piles or superposed sheets
of paper or other material may be cut through, and have their edges trimmed in
an expeditious manner without the employment of the expensive machinery
heretofore employed, and one machine or apparatus constructed according to the
said Invention will effect both the cutting and the trimming.
In the accompanying Drawings,-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of our improved cutting and trimming apparatus.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
a represents the bed or table of the apparatus; b, the cutting tool or implement,
and c, the follower, which is lowered by means of a screw d in the ordinary manner
to retain the paper or other material in proper position to be acted upon by the
cutting tool b. The remaining parts are hereinafter described.
In carrying our Invention into practice we employ a cutting tool or implement b
formed with a number of cutting edges, points, or blades 6¹, between which there
are spaces as at 62. The said tool or implement is designed to be used instead of
the ordinary plain knife or cutter heretofore employed, and is moreover designed
to operate upon the paper or other material by a combined to-and-fro and down-
ward motion, which is imparted to the same as follows, that is to say :-
-Upon the
main driving shaft e, to which motion is imparted by a hand wheel e*, or in any
other suitable manner, we arrange a cam f, into the groove of which projects a
stud pin or roller g¹ fixed on the end of the arm g. This arm is pivotted at g*,
and is connected at its other end with the cutting tool b, so that when the cam
rotates the necessary backward and forward or reciprocating movement will be
imparted to the said cutting tool or implement.
În order to impart the requisite downward movement to the said tool during the
reciprocating movement of the same, so that as the sheets of paper or other
material are cut through by the to and fro motion of the said tool the latter-shall
be caused to bear gradually upon and cut through the whole of the paper or other
material in the pile, that is to say, from the highest to the lowest sheet of the pile
or series, we prefer to employ the following mechanism, viz. :-A cam h fixed
upon a shaft i, to which motion is imparted through a worm e¹ on the shaft e
engaging with a worm wheel on the said shaft i. This cam his arranged in
combination with levers j pivotted at j' to supports ; fixed to the frame of the
machine, and the said levers are connected by rods or links k to the cutter bar b³.

page_text: j* is a roller adjustably supported in the levers j, as shewn in Figure 3. The
diameter of the cam h gradually increases from the point 1 to the point 2, as shewn
in Figure 1, and in its revolution it acts upon the levers ; in such a manner as to
lower or draw down the cutting tool b so that the whole pile of paper or other
material will be thereby cut. 1, l, are india-rubber or other suitable springs which
constantly tend to draw the levers j upwards, and press the roller * into contact
with the cam h which acts upon the same. When the cutting points b¹ in their
downward movement approach very near to the surface of the table a, or a wooden
or other flexible strip inserted in the same, the part 2 of the cam will move out of
contact with the roller j*, and permit the springs to draw the same into the
recess 3 of the said cam, and thereby immediately return the levers ; to their
normal position and elevate the cutting tool.
Although we have described the cutting tool as being operated in its to and fro
and downward movements by means of cams, it is obvious that other mechanical
means may be employed for obtaining these motions without departing from the
principle of our Invention, the main feature of which is the cutting-tool made with
a number of separate cutting points or edges, and designed to cut in moving to
and fro through the paper or other material.
We prefer to make the said cutting tool in one piece of steel, the separate blades
or cutters b¹ being formed by cutting out the metal to form the spaces 62, and then
shaping each of the pieces b¹ to form separate blades or cutters with sloping or
angular edges on both sides of their cutting points, which we make somewhat
round, the said edges and cutting points being sharpened by any suitable means.
In some cases, however, the said cutting tool may be formed by screwing or other-
wise attaching separate blades or cutters b¹ to a solid plate or bar of metal, and
the said tool or implement may be provided with any number of blades or cutters
as desired.
The machine or apparatus, as above described, is applicable without any adapta-
tion or alteration for "trimming" or cutting off such narrow portions of the edges
of superposed sheets of paper as cannot be cut off by the ordinary paper cutting
machines, and we thus obviate the necessity for the separate apparatus heretofore
employed for this purpose as above explained.
Having thus fully described our said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we wish it understood that we claim,-
First. A cutting tool or implement provided with a series of points or blades, as
above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Second. In an apparatus for cutting or trimming paper, cloth, leather, or similar
materials, a cutting tool or implement which is provided with a series of points
or blades, and which has a combined reciprocating and vertical movement, as above
set forth and for the purposes specified.
Third. A machine or apparatus for cutting or trimming paper, cloth, leather, or
similar materials, consisting of the parts constructed, combined, and operating as
above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Knoeferl, for myself and on behalf
of the said William Fuller, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
First day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundandd
Witness,
H. H. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
W.C.
FR. KNOEFERL. (L.S.)