IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR BREAKING LUMP SUGAR AND OTHER VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SMITH, of Kettering, in the County of Northampton, Agricultural Implement
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Smith, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said William Smith, my exors, adñors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR CUTTING OR BREAKING LUMP SUGAR AND OTHER VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
William Smith, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,

page_text: as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention has reference to certain improvements in apparatus designed
to break or cut up into pieces loaf or lump sugar and other vegetable
substances in an economical and expeditious manner.
In the accompanying Drawing the improved apparatus conducted according
to my Invention is shewn in several views. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the
cutting apparatus, with the frame in which it is mounted in partial section.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken in
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. a, a, is a wooden framing, carrying at its upper part
a table 6, b, which forms the bed for a rectangular frame c of cast iron.
To this frame c which is secured to the table by screws, stationary knifes, or
cutting edges d, d*, are bolted, and it is also furnished with a socket which
forms a guide for the stem e of a moveable double knife f,f. The fixed
knifes d, d, are set at right angles to each other and the knife d* has a
cutting edge projecting laterally from one side thereof (see Fig. 3). The
moveable double knife is shaped to correspond to this position of the knives, and
at the part f* is a cutting edge projecting laterally to correspond to that
on the knife d*. Immediately below this knife d* an opening is made in the
table for the discharge of the sugar (when cut into pieces of suitable size) into
a trough or tunnel g, from whence it falls into a box or other suitable recep-
tacle h. The stem e of the moveable knife is connected by a rod i to a pin j
projecting from a crank arm j* of an axle k, which carries the fly wheel, for
steadying the motion of the machine. To the same crank pin j a treadle m
is hinged to the side framing (as shewn at Fig. 1), is also connected by means
of a rod u and coupling chain. The axle k works in a bearing o bolted to
a cross bar of the framing, and it is further supported by another cross bar at
the back of the machine. When operating with this machine the workman
stands in front of the table, opposite the end of the knife d, and while passing
with his left hand the lump of sugar that is required to be cut up between the
fixed and moveable knives & and f, he at the same time works the treadle m
with his foot and thereby gives rotation to the axle k, and consequently com
municates the vertical reciprocating action to the knife f requisite for severing

page_text: portions of the sugar from the lump. When he has by means of these knives
broken up the sugar into lengths, he places them piece by piece between the
knives f* and d* and continues the action of the treadle. To facilitate the
placing of these pieces so that they shall be cut into portions approaching to
uniformity of size, a ledge or rest p, carried by the frame c, is provided for
supporting the sugar while under the action of the knives, and a stop plate q
stands out from the back of the framing for determining the distance that the
sugar may be thrust beyond the line of the knives. By the descent of the
knife f" upon the sugar placed beneath it the sugar will be cut in two direc-
tions, that is, the piece cut off by the parallel cutting edges will be itself
divided by the lateral cutting edges already mentioned. The pieces will then
fall into the trough or funnel g, and thence into the box below, and the dust
will pass through a screen, with which the trough g is fitted, into the com-
partment g. When it is required to change the length of traverse of the
moveable knife, this may be effected by shifting the crank pinj into another
hole of the connecting rod. In cases where it may be found desirable to
render the machine partially self-feeding I employ an endless apron for car-
rying the sugar up to the second pair of knives. This is shewn in the
detached view, Fig. 4. The apron is supported by two rollers,, to the latter
of which a ratchet wheel s is connected. Into the teeth of this wheel a click t
swinging from the stem e takes it, being borne up against the wheel by means
of a spring, as shewn. At every ascent therefore of the knives the ratchet
wheel will receive an axial motion, and thereby through its roller 7 cause
the apron to travel forward and bring the sugar under the action of the
knives.
From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that the
machinery shewn in the Drawing is capable of modification without departing
from the nature of the Invention. Thus, for example, the capacity of the
machine may be doubled by affixing to the traversing stem a knife of the
form of a cross in plan view, and providing fixed knives corresponding thereto
on the table of the machine. In this case two attendants will be required
for feeding the machine, but the same arrangement for driving the machine
will suffice; or where greater resistance is required to be overcome than is
compatible with the use of a knife mounted on a single stem, then I
propose to fix the knife between two stems, which shall work in fixed
guides, and be connected together beneath the table. It will also be obvious
that other vegetable substances than lump sugar may be cut up by this
machine.
Having now described my Invention of Improvements in Apparatus for

page_text: Cutting or Breaking Lump Sugar and other Vegetable Substances, I wish
it to be understood that I claim under the above in part recited Letters
Patent,―
First, the general arrangement of machinery or apparatus above described,
and shewn in the Drawings.
Secondly, mounting the moving knife or knives of such machinery on a
stem working in a fixed guide or socket, or on a pair of stems similarly
fitted.
Thirdly, communicating the reciprocating motion of a treadle to the move-
able knife or knives of such machinery by means of a jointed connection, of
which a crank pin is the centre of motion. And,
Lastly, I claim the means above described and shewn, whereby the feeding
in of the material to be submitted to the action of the knives of such
machinery is facilitated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, in the. year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
Enrolled the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
Lord One