IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SOAP INTO BARS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT, to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SOAP INTO
BARS." A communication from abroad by Ross Johnson, of Urbana,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th December 1864.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SOAP
INTO BARS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of machinery whereby a mass
of soap may be cut into bars in an expeditious manner without handling or
moving the mass during the operation.
The machine consists of a rectangular sliding frame mounted on parallel
ways fitted to a platform carriage. In this rectangular frame is fitted a cutter
frame which is provided with two sets of cutting wires arranged,, the one in
vertical and the other in a horizontal plane. Each of these sets of wires is
composed of a series of wires placed equidistant from each other, and
stretching transversely across the machine. The platform carriage is open at

page_text: front and mounted on wheels to allow of its being moved up to the mass of
soap to be cut up, so that the mass is embraced by the open framework of the
carriage. The cutter frame with its wires is intended to receive both a hori-
zontal and a vertical movement, the one to cut the soap into slabs and the other
to complete the cutting by dividing up the slabs into bars. The horizontal
movement is conveniently effected by a pinion mounted on the platform
carriage taking into a rack bar attached to the rectangular "sliding frame.
When this cut is made, the cutting frame will be in a position to give the
vertical cut, which may be effected by raising the frame by any suitable hauling
contrivance or by counterweights, whereby the wires which lie in a horizontal
plane will be caused to sever the slabs into bars.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such, others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, executors, administrators,, 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 " IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SOAP INTO BARS," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to a machine for cutting a large mass of soap into
bars after the moulding frames have been removed from it.
The object of the Invention is to arrange the wires which are used to cut
the soap in planes at right angles to each other within a moveable frame,
that is mounted upon a carriage in such manner that when the machine is
moved up to a mass of soap the latter can be cut through both vertically and
horizontally by two movements of the said frame, as will be herein-after
described.
Another object of the Invention is so to construct the machine that the
entire operation of cutting soap into bars can be conveniently performed
without handling or moving the mass to be cut.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the Invention, I will.
describe its construction and operation.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 shews the machine in side elevation;
Fig. 2 is an end view of the same; and Fig. 3 shews the machine in longi-
tudinal vertical section..
A, Fig. 1, represents a horizontal platform, having two parallel arms A', A!,
projecting from its forward end, which leave a space between them of sufficient
width to admit a mass of soap that is to be cut into bars. This platform is
mounted upon wheels which allow of its being moved up to and from the mass
of soap, and thus obviate the necessity for moving the latter up to the machine..
The carriage supports an upright frame, which is composed of four vertical.
posts B, B, suitably braced together and secured at their lower ends into
longitudinal sills a, a, which latter should be mounted upon longitudinal rails b;
these rails extend from the forward end of the carriage to the rear end, and
serve as guides for the frame B, to keep it in place in its back and forward
movements on the carriage. Within the frame B a rectangular frame C is
arranged so that it will admit of rising and falling vertically, for which
purpose it works in grooves or guides in the vertical posts of the frame B.
This frame C is provided with two rows of wires c, c',, which are arranged in
planes at right angles to each other. The wires c, which are arranged in a
vertical plane, one over the other, are intended for cutting the mass of soap
into horizontal slabs, and for this purpose the frame B is moved along the
carriage A. The wires c', which are arranged in a horizontal plane at the

page_text: base of the frame C, are intended for recutting the soap or to cut up the slabs
into bars, and for this purpose the frame C alone is moved either upward' or
downward. Handles may be applied to the sides of the frame C for moving
it, and to facilitate this movement the frame is suspended by weights and
cords. This arrangement contemplates the movement of the frame by hand,
but it is obvious that it can be moved by mechanical power if it is found
necessary. The ends of the wire cutters are represented in the Drawings as
being secured directly to the vertical sides of the frame C, but in practice the
ends of these wires may be secured to springs in such manner that the wires
will take the form of a bow during the act of cutting the soap. The frame B
together with the frame C, which it supports, is reciprocated by means of a
horizontal rack G, into which gears a spur pinion G', keyed to a horizontal
transverse crank shaft G. The rack G is secured at its forward end to the
centre of a transverse brace of the frame B and extending back. This rack is
supported and guided by a friction wheel G³, carried by one of the blocks H,
which support the crank shaft G³, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
:
In Fig. 2 I have represented by the aid of red, blue, and dotted lines, the
operation of cutting a mass of soap into bars. The dotted lines indicate the
position of the frame C when the mass of soap, which is indicated in red, has
been cut into horizontal slabs, the blue lines indicate the position of the frame
when the soap has been cut into bars. It will be seen that the machine is
moved up to the soap so as to bring the latter within the two bars A', A', of
the platform;
the frames B, C, are then forced forward, after which the frame Ç
is forced upward. If desirable it may be brought over the mass of soap
previously to cutting it, so as to cut the soap at first into vertical slabs and then
horizontally, the result in both operations will be the same. The advantage of
arranging the wire cutters in planes at right angles to each other is, that the
wires are secured in a single frame, and that one set of wires is brought into
a proper position for performing the second cut by the movement of the
frame in performing the first cut.
In arrangements hitherto constructed for cutting soap, the wires are
arranged in independent moveable or fixed frames which require separate
appliances for moving them, and also appliances for moving the soap; by this
Invention it is not necessary to move the mass of soap or adjust it upon the
machine, as the machine itself is adapted for receiving the soap within it in
a proper position to be cut, and after the soap is cut the machine is bodily
moved off, leaving the former standing in its original position.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improved machinery
for cutting soap into bars, and explained the manner of carrying the

page_text: same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim the improved arrangement of machinery above
described, whereby I am enabled-to cut masses of soap into bars while
supported by the blocks on which they are left standing after being moulded.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)