IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER AND CARDBOARD CUTTING MACHINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer of Piano Key Pins, &c., for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER AND CARDBOARD CUTTING
MACHINES"
Sealed the 29th September 1853, and dated the 7th April 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th April 1853.
I, WILLIAM MORGAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer of Piano Key Pins, &c., do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER AND CARDBOARD CUTTING
MACHINES" to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in making the cutting knife of paper and
cardboard cutting machines to rotate on its axis by means of straps or
gearing wheels, the table on which the paper or cardboard is secured
being made to traverse horizontally by means of a crank, excentric, or
equivalent contrivance. I also construct such machines with a straight

page_text: knife or cutter of ordinary construction, which is forced through the
paper in the segment of a circle, thereby securing a clean cut, as well
as a mere pressure, being guided by suitable guides, and actuated by
screws, excentrics, or other equivalent contrivance. The knife may be
made to cut either upwards or downwards, and means are adopted of
returning the knife to its place without the necessity of continuous
turning or of reversing the motion. In both arrangements I use gutta
percha strips let into the surface against which the cut is made, in
order to receive the edge of the knife, and preserve it from injury; also
with a steel or iron edge to the fixed part to cut against, as in a pair of
scissors or shears.
A further improvement consists in effecting the cutting by means of a
weight carried between parallel guides, and raised by a cord and pulley
or other means to any sufficient height, from which it is allowed to fall
upon a knife placed in the same guides, or in guides forming a seg-
ment of a circle, or placed at an angle with the bed of the machine, so
as to force the knife through the material to be cut by its descent; or
the knife may be attached to the weight, and carried up with it. The
knife may be straight, curved, or angular, and arranged to return to its
place after each cut, to be ready for the next; and the bed of the
machine may be either horizontal, or so arranged as to occupy a vertical
position whilst the cut is being made.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Morgan, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 7th October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM MORGAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer of Piano Key Pins, &c., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth

page_text: year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Morgan, Her special licence that I,
the said William Morgan, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Morgan, my 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 for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER
AND CARDBOARD CUTTING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Morgan, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the 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 I, the said William Morgan, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention has for its object the arranging the working parts of
paper and cardboard cutting machines in such manner as to secure a
clean smooth cut with comparatively but little exertion of power. And
with this view I construct such machines according to the following
arrangements, that is to say :-First, I make the cutting knife or knives
to rotate on its or their axis or axes, while the table on which the paper
or cardboard is secured is made to traverse horizontally, and thus bring
the paper or cardboard forcibly in contact with the rotating knife or
knives; or I adopt the converse arrangement, and cause the rotating
knife or knives to be traversed horizontally, and brought in contact
with the paper or cardboard, which is then secured on a stationary
table. Second, I employ a straight knife or cutter, and force it through
the paper or cardboard in the segment of a circle, or other suitable

page_text: .
curve, guiding it in this course by a guide or guides, and combining
with it the use of means for returning the knife to its original position
after each cut, and applying an adjustable steel edge to the, fixed part
of the machine for the knife to cut against, as in a pair of scissors or
shears, the knife being made to cut either upwards or downwards, as
may be required. And third, I effect the cutting of the paper or card-
board by means of a weighted knife carried between parallel guides,
and raised to a sufficient height, from which it is allowed to fall, so as
to force the knife through the material by its descent; or I employ a
weight, raised in a similar manner, and allowed to fall upon a knife in
contact with the paper or cardboard, so as to effect the cut by the
descent of the weight.
Figure 1, of the drawings annexed is a side elevation of a machine
constructed according to my first improvement. A, is a rotary knife or
saw,. which is made plain toothed or waved at the periphery, as may be
found most convenient. This knife has its bearings in the lever arms
B, (one only of which is seen in the drawings,) and is driven by a strap
or band from the fly wheel B2, which is mounted on the shaft B', and
is worked by a winch handle in the customary way. C, is the paper
holder, which is made to traverse backwards and forwards on the table,
so as to bring the material to be cut in contact with the knife, by its
connection with the radius lever D, to which it is attached by the straps
F, F. The strap F, is secured at one end to one extremity of the
holder C, as at f, and at the other end to the opposite extremity of the
radius lever D, as at g; and the strap F¹, is in like manner secured
between the other extremities of the holder C, and radius lever D, as
at h, and i. The radius lever D, is mounted on a fixed centre d, and is
driven from a crank D', on the end of the fly wheel shaft B', by means
of a short connecting rod D², one end of which works on the pin of the
crank D, and the other end on a pin D³, which can be fixed.at any
required point in the slot D', in the straight stem of the radius lever
D, so as to give to that lever any desired amount of traverse. E, is a
weight on the extremity of D, to counterbalance the weight of the
holder C, and overcome the friction produced in its motion on the

page_text: table. G, is a cam, on which the extremities of the lever arms B,
carrying the knife A, or knives, rest, and by means of which these arms
can be raised or lowered, so as to elevate or depress the knife, as may
be required: The operation of this machine will be readily understood
from the foregoing description. Instead of employing a band or strap
to give motion to the knife A, it may be driven by means of cog wheels;
and instead of a winch for driving the fly wheel B, a treadle or other
similar contrivance may be used. And the machine may be further
modified by making the knife A, or knives, travel backwards and
forwards by means of an arrangement such as that described, while
the paper holder and paper or other material to be cut remain sta-
tionary.
Figure 2, is a front elevation, and Figure 3, a vertical section on the
line 1, 2, of Figure 2, of a paper and cardboard cutting machine,
constructed according to my second improvement. A, A, is the general
framework of the machine. C, is the knife or cutter, which is mounted
in the carrier C₁, and receives a radial motion, at the same time that it
is forced downwards to make the cut, by means of the radius rod B,
which is centred at B', in the cross framing, and attached at its other
end to the knife carrier C', by the pin joint B. D, D, are slots at
cach end of the knife carrier, in which slide the projections E, E,
forged on the screws F, F, which are caused to travel downwards and
upwards, and consequently to impart the like motions to the cutter by
means of the bevil wheels G, G, which are tapped as nuts, and are
driven by the bevil wheels G¹, G', which are mounted on the spindle
L, which receives motion from the main shaft I, as will be herein-after
fully explained. These arrangements, it will be seen, have the effect
of giving the knife the combined pressing and radially cutting action
which constitutes the main feature of this part of my Invention. X, is
a regulating steel edge, fixed at one side of the table of the machine for
the knife to cut against, so as to secure a shearing cut at the last sheet.
The manner in which motion is given to the screws F, F, so as to make
the cut, and return the knife to a position for coming again into action,
is as follows-On the spindle I, are fixed two cog wheels H. and K,

page_text: the former of which works into another cog wheel H³, which is fitted
loosely on the spindle L, and has a clutch formed on one side of it; the
latter of these wheels K, works into the intermediate wheel M, which
again works into the cog wheel N, which is also formed with a clutch
attached to it. Between the wheels H³, and N, on the spindle L,
slides a loose clutch O, which is prevented from turning on the spindle
by a feather on the latter working into a groove in the clutch in the
usual way. The clutch O, is moved in either direction, so as to be in
gear with that formed on the wheel H', or that on the wheel N, by
means of a lever P, connected by rods with the knife carrier C¹, and
thus the bevil wheels G, G, are made to rotate alternately in opposite
directions so as to return the knife quickly to its place to be ready for
another cut. The lever P, is weighted so as to keep the clutch O,
constantly in gear with the wheel H¹, except when that lever is acted
on by the knife carrier as before mentioned, and the clutch thrown in
gear with the wheel N, (which had been previously running loose,)
when the motion of the cog wheels G¹, G', and G, G, will be reversed,
and the knife rapidly raised, owing to the proportionate sizes of the
wheels K, and N. I do not, however, confine myself to this arrange-
ment, as any ordinary reversing motion may be used. The length of
stroke of the knife may be regulated by tappets or similar means,
which will act on the lever P, so as to cause it to reverse the clutch at
any required point of the descent of the carrier. Q, is the gauge for
regulating the width of the paper to be cut. R, is the screw by which
the gauge is worked. S, is the follower of the paper holder, by which
the paper or cardboard is held firm during the time the cut is being
made; and T, the hand wheel and screw for giving motion to the
follower, these parts being similar to those of the ordinary machines.
U, is an iron plate, extending from one side to the other of the machine,
and worked up and down in guides in the framing by means of the
screws F, F, to which it is connected by pins working into the grooves
ff, formed at and around the lower extremities of the screws. When
the cutting part of the machine is not required to be in use this plate
can be used for pressing books or paper, which are to be placed between

page_text: it and the lower plate W, of the frame, as in an ordinary standing
press, instead of the screws and wheel gearing employed for giving
the cutting motion to the knife, and pressure to the standing press
beneath. I also adopt the use of a hydrostatic press, having two
pumps of different sizes, the larger one to return the knife after the cut,
and the smaller one to force the knife through the paper or cardboard;
and I arrange the several parts so as to cut upwards or downwards, as
may be most convenient; and in some cases I dispense with the use of
the radius rod to the knife carrier, and employ a knife with a slanting
edge cutting against a fixed guide.
Figure 4, is a side elevation; and Figure 5, a sectional elevation on
the line 3, 4, of Figure 4, of part of a machine, which is a modification
of that just described, and differing only from it in the means employed
for actuating the cutting knife. In this case, I make use of cog wheels
A1, A, which are mounted on shafts A, and driven by the endless
screws B, B, on the main shaft I. On the shafts A2, are formed cranks
D, D; to which are connected the extremities of the rods F, F, which
communicate with the knife. E, E, are spring clutches attached to the
sides of the cog wheels A', A'; and which, when in contact with the
cranks D, D, serve to carry the cranks round, and consequently draw
down the knife. C¹, C', are weights attached to the ends of cords
C2, C3, which pass round the pulleys C³, C³, and are connected at their
other ends to the knife for the purpose of returning it to its place after
the cut. These weights come into operation as soon as the cranks
D, D, have passed the lower centre, when the spring clutches E, E,
which had till then been in action, cease to drive the cranks, which are
drawn upwards by the weights, and the next clutches in succession then
act on the cranks in the same manner as before. By this arrangement
there is a saving of the time that would be required for working the
cog wheels round an entire revolution. The clutches may be increased
or diminished in number if necessary, but I have found three to be a
convenient number.
•
Figure 6, is a front elevation of a machine for cutting paper and
cardboard, constructed according to my third improvement, and acting

page_text: by percussion. A, is the knife, which may be of the form shewn, or
straight, or curved, if preferred. It is attached to the weight B, which
slides between the parallel guides C, C, attached to the side pieces of
the framework of the machine. The weight and knife are raised by the
cord D, which passes over the pulley E, in the upper part of the
machine, and being then allowed to fall, the cut is effected by the force
of the blow thus produced. The paper or cardboard is laid on the bed
of the machine, and held down by a screw press, as in the ordinary
machines. Instead of having the knife attached to the weight, the knife
may be made to slide in guides just over the paper or cardboard to be
cut, and the weight alone be raised and allowed to fall on the knife,
when in its proper position, by which means the same effect will be
produced.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim
in respect thereof is,―
First, the paper and cardboard cutting machine, represented in
Figure 1, of the drawings annexed, and before described, in so far as
regards the employment therein of the rotating cutter or cutters in
combination with the arrangements whereby the paper holder is caused
to traverse backwards and forwards, so as to bring the paper or card-
board in contact with the rotating cutter or cutters, or the rotating
cutter or cutters in contact with the paper or cardboard, when the holder
containing the same is stationary, as before described:
Second, the paper and cardboard cutting machine, represented in
Figures 2, and 3, and the modification of the same represented in
Figures 4, and 5, of the drawings annexed and before described, in so
far as regards the arrangements whereby the knife is caused to receive
a radial motion whilst in the act of cutting; the means whereby the
knife is actuated whilst cutting, and returned to its place after the cut;
and the use of a fixed iron or steel edge for the knife to cut past all, as
before described: And,
Third, the employment in paper and cardboard cutting machines
of a weighted knife raised and allowed. to fall upon the paper or

page_text: cardboard to be cut, or of a weight similarly raised and allowed to
fall upon the knife when in contact with the paper or cardboard to
be cut, as represented in Figure 6, of the drawings annexed, and
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
WILLIAM MORGAN. (L.S.)
WILLIAM MORGAN. (L.s.)