IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING STRIPS OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIAL PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO CUTTING BRASS RULE FOR USE IN PRINTING
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Meadows, of Red Lion Court, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR CUTTING STRIPS OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIAL PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE
TO CUTTING BRASS RULE FOR USE IN PRINTING."
Scaled the 28th May 1869, and dated the 9th December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Meadows at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th December 1868.
I, FRANCIS MEADOWS, of Red Lion Court, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR CUTTING STRIPS OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIAL, PARTICULARLY
APPLICABLE TO CUTTING 'BRASS RULE,' FOR USE IN PRINTING," to be as
follows:-
In machines constructed according to my Invention, the knife or
cutter is fitted in a carrier free to be moved up and down in vertical

page_text: guides. A link operated by a lever handle bears upon an incline on the
carrier. The carrier carries a platen or presser fitted in a vertical guide
thercin, and a strong spring on the. carrier presses on the platen.. The
action is as follows:-The strip. of brass or other material being passed
along the feed table under the knife to a distance regulated by a gauge,
the lever handle is moved forward, whereby the. link by moving up the
incline on the carrier causes the carrier with the knife and platen to
descend, when the platen comes upon the strip of brass on the feed.
table it holds the strip securely, while the knife and carrier continue to
descend until the knife has cut through the strip. During the latter
part of the downward movement of the knife the platen remains station-.
ary, and compresses the spring on the carrier. The carrier in its down.
ward movement acts upon a spring which returns the carrier knife and
platen to their normal position after each action of the knife, or other.
means may be adopted for effecting the return movement,, In cutting
"brass rule" with my machine the bevel is not destroyed, so that the
usual dressing of the cut pieces is unnecessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Meadows in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
MEADOWS, of Red Lion Court, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date. the Ninth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Meadows, Her special
licence that I, the said Francis Meadows, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Meadows, my exe-
cutors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: MACHINES FOR CUTTING STRIPS OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIAL, PARTICULARLY
APPLICABLE TO CUTTING BRASS RULE' FOR USE IN PRINTING," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Meadows, my execu
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and scals, 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 Francis Meadows, 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 acconipany-
ing Drawings, that is to say :-
In machines constructed according to my Invention the knife or
tutter is fitted in a carrier free to be moved up and down in vertical
guides. A link operated by a lever handle bears upon an incline on
the carrier. The carrier carries a platen or presser fitted in a vertical
guide therein, and a strong spring on the carrier presses on the
platen.
The accompanying Drawings represent à machine constructed accord-
ing to my Invention.
Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2 a back elevation, and Figure 3 an
elevation of the right-hand end of the machine.
a is the bed plate, and 6 the frame of the machine; c is the feed table;
d, d, are vertical dovetail guides screwed to the frame b; e is a carrier
working in the guides d, and carrying the knife or cutters, which is
fixed therein by screws g; h is a platen or presser, which works in a
vertical guide i screwed to the carrier e; j is a spring also screwed to
the carrier, and pressing upon the top of the platen; a pink on the
platen prevents the spring j forcing the platen out of its guide i; is a
spring acting against the lower end of the carrier e; m is a cross piece
screwed to the carrier, and formed with an incline at 2, upon which a
link o bears; this link is centred at p and is connected by a connecting
piece q to a lever handle r, which is centred at 8, (in Figure 1 this
handle is shown broken off); t is the screw which attaches the picce q

page_text: to the lever handle; u is a continuation of the feed table c to catch the
portions of the brass rule which fall from the knife; is a bracket to
limit the movement of the lever handle; w is a gauge not shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, but shown in Figures 4 and 5; it is screwed to the
carrier e, x is another gauge to be employed when longer lengths of brass
rule are to be cut, the gauge zo being in that case removed; y is a gauge
on the table c, for use if required.
The action of the machine is as follows:-The strip of brass or
other material being passed along the feed table c under the knife f
to a distance regulated by the gauge w or by the gauge x, the lever
handle is moved forward, whereby the link o, by moving up the
incline n on the carrier e, causes the carrier with the knife f and
platen to descend when the platen h comes upon the strip of brass on
the feed table c, it holds the strip securely, while the carrier e and
knife f continue to descend until the knife has cut through the strip.
During the latter part of the downward movement of the knife the
platen h remains stationary and compresses the spring; on the carrier.
The carrier e in its downward movement acts upon the spring below it
which spring returns the carrier knife and platen to their normal
position after each action of the knife, or other means may be adopted
for effecting the return movement. In cutting "brass rule" with my
machine the bevil is not destroyed, so that the usual dressing of the cut
pieces is unnecessary.
26
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my
*Improvements in Machines for Cutting Strips of Metal or other
Material particularly applicable to Cutting Brass Rule' for use in
Printing,"
First. The employment of a knife or cutter which has an up-and-down
movement in vertical guides imparted to it substantially as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The employment of a platen or presser which is brought down
upon the strip to be cut, so as to hold it securely while the cut is
effected substantially as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawings.
Third. The general arrangement or combination of parts of machines

page_text: herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Drawings
for cutting strips of metal or other material.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Meadows, have hercunto
set my hand and scal, this Ninth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
FRANCIS MEADOWS. (L.S.)
Witness,
J. C. MEWBURN,
Patent Agent,
172, Fleet Street, London.