NEW AND USEFUL MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CLOTH AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Dusautoy, of Boulevart des Italiens, Paris,
in the Empire of France, and of 46, Regent Street, Middlesex, for the
Invention of "NEW AND USEFUL MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CLOTH AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 15th April 1856, and dated the 80th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Dusautoy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
November 1855.
I, AUGUSTE DUSAUTOY, of Boulevart des Italiens, Paris, in the Empire of
France, and of 46, Regent Street, Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "NEW AND USEFUL MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CLOTH
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of various mechanical combinations, by which
improved machinery is produced for cutting fabrics for garments or similar
articles.
The main feature of this machinery is a thin cutting blade, that may be
stretched as required in order to produce the necessary rigidity for cutting.
The tension of the cutting blade and the motion given to it may be pro-
duced in various ways; but I will first describe the one that I think
preferable for most practical purposes.

page_text: In this arrangement, two pulleys are mounted on parallel shafts in a suitable
frame, and one of the shafts turns in bearings that can be shifted so that the
pulleys may be set at various distances from each other; also one of the shafts
carries a fast and loose pulley, or any other suitable contrivance for driving.
Between the said two pulleys I fix at a suitable height against the frame of
the machine a table for carrying the fabric or other similar article to be cut.
A thin flexible endless steel blade passes like a strap or belt over the two
pulleys above mentioned, and one of the shafts being made to rotate by any
suitable means, the steel blade will be found to describe a continuous rectilinear
motion thro' the table, the same being furnished with a suitable slot for that
purpose. Thus it will be seen that by pushing a certain number of layers of
fabric or other substance requiring to be cut against the sharp edge of tho
endless blade, the said layers will be cut according to any line desired.
Thero are also various other arrangements for stretching the blade and
imparting to it a reciprocating motion instead of the continuous roctilinear
motion above described. One of these arrangements consists in connecting
a short blade by links to and between the ends of two powerful flat springs,
that may be adjusted by screws, so as to give the necessary tension to the said
blade. The blade is set in motion by an excentric upon a turning shaft,
the abovesaid springs being mounted at their opposite ends upon pivots so as
to allow of the reciprocating motion. Another of the said arrangements
consists in using, instead of the flat springs last mentioned, a pair of cylinders,
that are closed at the rod end, and pistons, to the rods of which the blade is
connected; in this case air or other elastic fluid is forced into the said
cylinders, so as to tend to drive the pistons in opposite directions, thereby
stretching the blade. The compressed air spaces in the two cylinders com-
municating with each other by means of a pipe, a reciprocating motion may
be imparted to the pistons, and thereby to the blade, by means of an
excentric and connecting rod, as above. A third of these arrangements con-
sists in connecting a short blado to sliding pieces that slide in suitable slides;
beyond the said slides the sliding pieces are attached to a strap or belt that
passes over three sectorial pulleys arranged in a triangle, and one of the said
sectorial pulleys receiving an oscillating motion by means of a crank and
connecting rod, it will be seen that a reciprocating rectilinear motion is
imparted to the blade.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Dusautoy in the Great Seal Patent Office on tho
16th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
DUSAUTOY, of Boulevart des 'Italiens, Paris, in the Empire of France, and of
46, Regent Street, Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 30th day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Augusto Dusautoy. Her special licence that I, the said Augusto
Dusautoy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Auguste Dusautoy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "NEW AND USEFUL
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CLOTH AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Auguste Dusautoy, my executors or adininis-
trators, 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 performed, 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 Auguste Dusautoy, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention consists of divers mechanical combinations by which an
improved machinery is produced for cutting fabrics for garments or similar
articles. The main feature of this machinery is a thin cutting blade, that may
bo stretched as required in order to produce the necessary rigidity for cutting.
The tension of the cutting blade and the motion given to it may be produced
in various ways; but I will first describe the one that I think is preferable for
most practical purposes.
In this arrangement, two pulleys are mounted on parallel shafts in a suitable
frame, and one of the shafts turns in moveable bearings, so that the pulleys
may be set at various distances from each other for stretching the blade; also

page_text: one of the shafts carries a fast and loose pulley or any other suitable con-
trivance for driving. Between two said pulleys I fix at a suitable height
against the frame of the machine a table for carrying the fabric or other
similar article to be cut. A thin flexible endless steel blade passes like a strap
or belt over the two pulleys above said, and one of the shafts being made to
rotate by any suitable means, the steel blade will be found to describe a con-
tinuous rectilinear motion through the table, the same being furnished with a
suitable slot for that purpose. Thus it will be seen that by pushing a certain
number of layers of fabric against the sharp edge of the endless blade, said
layers will be cut across according to any line desired.
There are also various other arrangements for stretching the blade and
imparting to it a reciprocating motion instead of the continuous rectilinear
motion, above described. One of these arrangements consists in connecting a
short blade by links to and between the ends of two powerful flat springs, that
may be adjusted by screws, so as to give the necessary tension to said blade.
The blade is set in motion by an eccentric upon a turning shaft, the above-
said springs being mounted at their opposito ends upon pivots, so as to allow
the reciprocating motion. Another of said arrangements consists in using,
instead of the flat springs, last mentioned, a pair of closed cylinders and pistons,
to the rods of which the blade is connected; in this case air or other elastic
fluid is forced into said cylinders, so as to tend to drive the pistons in opposite
directions, thereby stretching the blade. The compressed air spaces in the two
cylinders communicating with each other by means of a pipe, a reciprocating
motion may be imparted to the pistons, and thereby to the blade, by means of
an excentric and connecting rod, as above. A third of these arrangements
consists in connecting a short blade to sliding pieces that slide in suitable
slides; beyond said slides the sliding pieces are attached to a strap or belt,
that passes over three sectorial pulleys arranged in a triangle; and one of
said sectorial pulleys receiving an oscillating motion by means of a crank and
connecting rod, it will be seen that a reciprocating rectilinear motion is
imparted to the blade.
Having thus briefly set forth the nature of this Invention, I will now at
once describe the manner in which the same may be best applied, and for this
purpose I have on the 1st Sheet of the annexed Drawings shewn the machine
that I prefer using for best attaining the object of this Invention.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of said machine; Fig. 2 is a back clevation;
and Fig. 8, an under plan of the same.
A, A, frame sides, carrying two pulleys or sheaves B, C. The shaft of one
of these pulleys, the under one C, for instance, has moveable bearings or

page_text: steps that slide in slots in the frame sides, and can be fixed in any position
required, either by means of a screw and nut that are acted upon by elastic
.washers, as shewn in the Drawing, or any other suitable means.
On one
of the shafts there is a crank or a fast and loose drum, Fig. 2, for driving
by a strap, or any other suitable driving may be used.. Between said two
sheaves B, C, a table D is fixed at a suitable height against the frame A,
and the cloth or other article to be cut is laid on this table. Round said
two pulleys a thin endless and cutting blade E of steel is wrapt in the
manner of a belt, and the proper tension is given to this steel belt by
means of the moveable bearings and adjusting screw above alluded to; and
thus the driving pulley of the machine being set in motion, it will be easy
to see that the blade E describes a continuous rectilinear motion through
the table D, the latter having an opening for the purpose of allowing the
passage of the blade. Thus, any bundle or layer of cloth or other suitable
substance being laid upon the table and gently pushed against the blade
edge, the cloth, &c. will be cut through; and the steel blade being very
narrow, the cutting line may have any shape given to it by suitably directing
the cloth, &c. to be cut. For the better working of the machine, it is preferable
to surround the opening in the table through which the blade passes with a
metallic plate, which can be placed in different positions, so that when it is
deemed useful, the narrow slot in the plate may be brought a little out of the
perpendicular along which the blade moves in such manner as to cause the
latter to slide on the slot side, and derive additional rigidity from this contact,
and also to prevent the substanco cut from entering the slot, which is an object
in the case of soft substances. When the blado after some use has lost its
sharpness, it is easy to obtain again a sharp edge, by setting the machine in
motion and applying oil stones or other grinding materials on each side of
the blade.
It may hero be necessary to observe, that the motion of the blade through
the table and the fabric to be cut should always be downwards, as shewn by
the arrows, so that the table acts as a support to the cloth; however, if it be
desired to set the blade in motion in the opposite direction, the fabric or sub-
stance must be held together and against the table by a skeleton frame or
holder, by means of wedges, screw clamps, or bolts, according to the kind
of work.
Sheet 2 of the annexed Drawings represents different cloth-cutting machines,
in which the blade has a reciprocating motion, and is stretched by various
means, thereby differing from the arrangements herein-before described.
- Fig. 4 is an elevation of a cloth-cutting machine; in which, A is the framo

page_text: against which the table or platform D is fixed; F, F, are two springs, which
by means of two linked rods G, G', draw the blade E in opposite directions,
and thus stretch it; the action of the springs is regulated by set screws II, II'.
To the end of one of the springs is connected a rod J, which is acted upon by
an excentric J, and thus, the excentric being turned, the blade will be seen to
receive a reciprocating motion, without losing its tension, on account of tho
contrary action of the springs.
The machine represented by Fig. 5 differs from the one shewn at Fig. 4
only by two cylinders K, K', acting instead of the springs F, F. Theso
cylinders are open at their outer ends; there is a piston in each of the o
cylinders, and the blade E is jointed to the piston rods, which enter the cylin-
ders through proper stuffing boxes, as usual. The spaces on the rod side in
the two cylinders K, K', communicate with each other by means of a pipo I,
and the proper pressure is kept up in the said spaces by means of a forco pump,
to which the pipe m is connected, as shewn in the Drawing. Thus, the j
of the air or gas, &c. forced against the pistons acting in opposite directions,
the blade can bo stretched to any extent required. A rod is connected to th
under surface of the lower piston, and the piston is thus acted upon by an
excentric, which imparts to it, and thereby to the blado E, a reciprocating
motion, which is used for cutting up, as above described. The small force
pump may also be driven by the same excentric for keeping up the pressuro in
the tube L.
pressure
In the machine shewn at Fig. 6, Sheet 2, the tension is obtained by means
of three sectors N, O, O', In this machine, the sector N being set in motion
by a crank J and connecting rod I, this motion is communicated to the sectors
0, 0', by means of straps or other suitable connexions, and between tho
sectors 0,0', said strap is fastened to two square guide picces, to which the
blade E is jointed. Said guide picces slide in suitable guides; the sector O'
turns in moveable bearings, that are acted upon by a flat spring, shewn on tho
Drawing, so as to maintain the blade at the proper tension.
It will be obvious that in the three machines last described it is indispen-
sable to use a holding frame for holding the cloth, &c. tight whilst the blade
performs its reciprocating motion. It may also be hero observed that instead
of using the cutting blade, as herein-before described with referenco to the
various machines, the blade may also have its edge finely serrated, so as to
resemble the belt saws now in use for cutting hard substances.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details above shewn

page_text: and described, which may be varied without departing from the principle of
this Invention; but what I claim as novel, and therefore being secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the use and application of an endless cutting blade or edge, or its
equivalent, to cutting up cloth, woven fabrics, and similar soft substances,
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, & 8 of the annexed
Drawings (Sheet 1), said cutting blade having a continuous motion in one
direction, and strained over any suitable number of pulleys.
Second, the modes of stretching and communicating motion to a cutting
blade or edge, as described with reference to Figs. 4, 5, & 6, (Sheet 2,)
respectively, for the purpose of cutting up cloth, woven fabrics, and similar
substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Dusautoy, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.