IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND PANNING BISCUITS
Year: 1885

page_text: We THOMAS VICARS the elder JOHN VICARS, the elder THOMAS VICARS the
younger and JOHN VICARS the younger all of 29 Seel Street Liverpool in the
County Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND PANNING
BISCUITS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Hitherto machines for cutting and panning biscuits have had amongst others
the following disadvantages First the cutting of the biscuits has been irregular
and incomplete or else the carrying web and block have been too rapidly destroyed,
Second the cut biscuits have not all been deposited on the trays or pans on
account of the regular motion of the traveller carrying the trays or pans not
making allowance for the spaces between the said trays or pans consequently some
biscuits were deposited in the spaces between the said trays or pans and had to be
removed by haud and reprepared.
Now the object of our invention is to provide apparatus in which the cutting of
the biscuits shall be uniform and regular the durability of the carrying web and
block increased and the biscuits deposited regularly without loss on the trays or
pans.
Our invention consists first in fitting the block of the cutting mechanism with
spring adjusting apparatus to allow of the said block opposing a regulated and
equal adjustment to the action of the cutters and
Second in giving to the traveller carrying the trays or pans additional adjustible
intermittent motion at intervals to ensure the correct delivery of the biscuits from
the web to the trays or pans.
Fig 1 is an elevation and Fig 2 a plan of the whole apparatus Fig 3 is a
sectional view of the block and adjusting springs and screws Figs 4. 5 and 6 are
detail views of apparatus for giving motion to the traveller carrying the trays or
pans and Fig 7 is a view showing the way the biscuits are deposited on the trays
or pans.
+
1 is the frame work of the apparatus shown broken off where it extends to
dough feeding apparatus of any desired construction.

page_text: 2 Cutters and driving appliances made in any convenient or suitable way,
3 block over which the web 4 carrying the dough to be cut into biscuits passes
The said block which may be and is preferably inlayed with indiarubber is carried
by lugs 5 connected to the frame 1 by adjusting screws 6. 7 springs interposed
between the adjusting screws and the frame or between the adjusting screws and
the nuts for the purpose of allowing the block to have a certain amount of play
when subjected to the action of the cutter.
8. traveller passing around the pulleys 9. 10 on the shafts 11. 12 The shaft 11
carries the ratchet wheel 13 and is actuated with a regular intermittent motion by
the adjustible lever and pawl gear 14. The shaft 12 is carried in the bearings 15
adjusted in the slots 16 by the screws 17 On the shaft 11 is a free ratchet
wheel 18 which is worked by a paul 19 on the lever 14, inversely to the wheel 13
The wheel 19 is geared through the toothed wheels 20. 21. and 22 with the
shaft 11 so as to impart to it rotary motion in the same direction as that imparted
by the ratchet wheel 13 but at an increased speed The teeth on 18 are so
disposed that the pawl 19 comes into action each time the end of a tray or pan
reaches the delivery edges of the web 4 The pulleys 9 which carry the traveller 8
are by preference secured to a sleeve 23 on the shaft 11 and the sleeve and shaft
are united by the spring 24 which prevents any sudden shock such as would jerk
the biscuits out of place from being communicated to the traveller The wheel 21
is carried by links 25 connected to a rod 26 provided with an adjusting screw 27
by which the position of the said wheel may be varied in relation to the
wheels 18. 22 thereby allowing of the action of the ratchet wheels and the position
of the trays or pans on the traveller to be so arranged that the biscuits shall be
correctly deposited on the trays.
The action of the apparatus is as follows-the sheet of dough is carried by the
web 4 above the block 3 where it is cut into biscuits, then forward until the trays
on the traveller 8 are reached The biscuits then pass from the web 4 on to the
trays or pans which travels at a speed equal to that at which the biscuits are
delivered to them until a tray is full The paul 19 and ratchet wheel 18 then act
to give a more rapid motion to the traveller so that when one tray or pan is full
the following tray or pan is brought into position to receive the next row of
biscuits without any being lost.
Fig 8 shows a modification of gear for driving the traveller in which the
adjustment of the wheel 21 is obtained by a rocking lever and thumb screw 28.
Fig 9 is an elevation of apparatus in which the regularly acting paul and
lever 14 receives motion from the rod 29 whilst the intermittently acting pawl
aud lever 19 receive increased motion from the rod 30 in the same direction as the
paul 14.
Fig 10 is an elevation of apparatus in which motion is given to the pawls and
levers 14 and 19 by rods 29, 30, connected to an excentric and crank 31 32 set on
opposite centres so that one paul is in action whilst the other is reversing.
In practice the number of teeth on the ratchet wheel 20 or its equivalent
corresponds to the number of times the length of a tray or pan is contained in the
circumference of the pulley 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First In biscuit cutting machinery a block 3 fitted with springs and adjusting
screws for the purpose set forth.
Second In biscuit cutting and panning machinery imparting to the traveller
. carrying the trays or pans adjustible intermittent and additional motion sub-
stantially as set forth.
Third In take off apparatus for biscuit cutting machinery the means of
adjustment of the motion of the traveller carrying the trays or pans substantially
as set forth.

page_text: Fourth In biscuit cutting and panning machines the combination of the
traveller pulleys and shaft with the connecting spring for the purpose set forth.
Fifth In biscuit cutting and panning machines the combination of double
ratchet gear for giving regular intermittent and accelerated motions to the
traveller carrying the trays or pans.
Sixth In biscuit cutting and panning machinery the combination of adjustible
block 3 and traveller 8.
Seventh Biscuit cutting and panning machinery substantially as herein set
forth.
J. T. KING,
Per J. Johnson, Agent.