IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK, WITH APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING, THE MANUFACTURE
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leon Villette, of Aber Street, West Derby Road,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK, WITH
APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING, THE MANUFACTURE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leon Villette at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the .20th
September 1865.
I, LEON VILLETTE, of Aber Street, West Derby Road, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK,
WITH APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE MANUFACTURE," to be as follows:-
It consists, firstly, in continuous ribbon or band blades, each mounted on
two pullies, from which they receive motion, and are enabled to cut the cork
into various forms or shapes with facility.
Secondly, of two trays moving circularly and intermittently on their axle,
and parallel the one to the other, and between which the feeding part of the
machinery places a square piece or block of cork which is subsequently

page_text: pressed between the trays by a cam which acts on the end of the axle of one
of the trays. The trays put in circular motion cause the square block of cork
which is between them to turn also, and it is rounded by the action of the
ribbon blade which cuts its surface in passing on its centre. And as soon as
the trays as well as the piece of cork have made one turn the cork is trans-
formed from square to round. The trays open, and the cork is pushed from
between them by another piece taking its place between the trays, which
again close, and so the operation is continuously repeated.
Thirdly, of another blade, ferrule-shaped, and also turning circularly on the
end of a hollow axle on which it is adjusted, and a piston which causes a
square piece of cork to pass into the centre of the said ferrule-shaped blade,
and by its action the cork is cylindrically rounded and passes out at the end
of the hollow axle, having passed through its longitudinal centre.
Fourthly, in hoppers or long boxes, which are filled with square pieces of
cork and allow the machine to feed itself by means of a piston for every
blade and hopper which passes alternately under each hopper, taking up a
piece of square cork, which it passes in the direction of the blade to be
transformed from square to round.
...
Fifthly, in the application of a click or counter mounted on the axle which
governs the feeding piston, and mechanically gives the tale or number of the
corks made by the machine, rendering it unnecessary to have the product
counted by a person. This click or counter is composed of five pinions, the
first of which is carried on the axle of the driving pulley of the feeding piston,
and the others on separate axles, and each carrying, besides the pinion, a toothed
wheel, and having at its end an index coming on the face of a dial mounted s
on one of the supports forming bearings for the axles. The first dial indicates
units, the second tens, the third hundreds, and so on, for which purpose the
teeth of the pinions in relation to those of the toothed wheels are, as, one to
ten, that is to say, that each pinion has 10 teeth, and each wheel: 100... The
first pinion being mounted on, the axle of the pulley, and the blades at each
revolution of these in making a cork, it causes the wheel on the next axle to
make of a revolution and mark a unit on its dial, and when this wheel
has made an entire revolution the pinion on its shaft will have caused the
next wheel to mark a unit, and so on to the fifth dial, which indicates tens of
thousands. A similar check may also be used to check the number of blocks 3
rounded by the ferrule-shaped blade. My improved cork-cutting machine
may be used with or without the counter above described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Leon Villette in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEON
VILLETTE, of Aber Street, West Derby Road, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Leon Villette, Her special licence that I, the said Leon Villette, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Leon
Villette, my 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, tise, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel.. Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK, WITH APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING
THE MANUFACTURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Leon Villette, 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 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.
BL
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Leon Villette, 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 accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of
this my Specification, and to the figures and letters of reference, placed
thereon:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in a continuous ribbon or band blade mounted
on two pullies, which give it a rotatory motion, and permit it to cut the cork...
with advantage in various forms.
Secondly, in a cork holder formed of two nipping plates, termed trays in the
Provisional Specification, set in circular and intermittent motion on their axles
and parallelly to each other, and between which the mechanism of the machine
itself places a square piece or block of cork which is afterwards pressed

page_text: '
between the said nipping plates by means of a cam which acts on the end of
one of the plates, which set in circular motion also cause to turn between them
the square block of cork, which is rounded by means of the ribbon blade, which
cuts its surface in passing on its centre when it turns between the two nippers,
and as soon as the said nippers have made one turn, as well as the piece of
cork, which at this moment is transformed from square to 'round, 'the nippers
loosen from the piece of cork, and the said rounded block is driven out of the
nippers-by another square block of cork, which-takes-its-place- between the-
nippers to be rounded in its turn; and so on successively.
Thirdly, in another blade also continuous but ferrule shaped, which turns
circularly on the end of a hollow axle 'on which it is adjusted, and a piston
which passes through the centre of the said ferrule blade a square block of
cork, which is there transformed into a cylindrical round, and issues 'at the
extremity of the hollow axle in passing through its longitudinal centre:
Fourthly, in hoppers' or long boxes, in which are placed square blocks, of
cork, and which permit the machine to feed itself by means of a piston for
each-blade and hopper, which piston passes alternately beneath the said hopper;
taking a piece of cork, which it conducts in- the direction of the blade to be
transformed, from square to round.**.**
Fifthly, in the application to the cork cutting machinery of a counter, which
will indicaté mechanically the number of corks made by the inachine:
The niachine illustrated, Figures 1, 2, and 3, Part 1; of the accompanying
Sheet of Drawing; serves principally to operate upon cork 'in' thin sheets' of
various forms, and other similar articles, and to prepare square blocks of cork
to be afterwards 'made round in the machine illustrated in Part 2.
The cutting tool of this machine is a steel band, the two extremities of
which are fitted together by brazing, and which then forms a circle or con-
tinuous blade A (Figures 1, 2, and 3). This blade 'is' afterwards mounted on
two pullies B, B¹ (Figures 1 and 3) which turn on their axles in bearings c, c¹,
(Figures 1 and 3), which are fixed on the vertical framing d (Figure 1) by
means of bolts E. This framing is fixed to the ground. The blade A'is 'set
-in-motion-by-the-two-pullies-B,-B,-on-which-it-turns. The blade is stretched
on these pullies by means of a nut 'e and 'bolt e¹ which passes in the head-d'
of the framing d; the end of this bolt is set in the 'shoulder of the bearing c¹.
There is also around the said pullies a small flange B* and B*, which serves
to keep the blade on their centres; the 'surface of the pullies on which the
blade passes is covered with a band of leather or gutta 'percha, in order to
prevent the sliding of the blade A; tliese pullies B; B', receive rotary motion
from the pulley F (Figures 1 and 3), fixed on the saine axle as BF is a

page_text: loose pulley. F receives motion from any motor by means of the cord or
band
g. The blade A is guided to the centre of the notch or cut i' existing in
the table i, by means of a guide m (Figure 1), which is fixed in the socket L'
of the arm. L adjusted on the framing d, and which rises and lowers at pleasure
in this socket.by the sliding of its rod, which is fixed to it by means of the
press screw n. The screw m¹ serves to adjust two blocks or guide plates m¹
set in m, between which the blade passes, and. which serve to, regulate it to
the centre of the notch in the table i, by means of the press screw, which
acts on one of the blocks or guide plates, as shewn. The table i is fixed. on
the lower arm L" of the framing d by the screws J, J'; there is on this table
a guide S (Figure 2), which approaches or retires at will from the blade A
(which passes in the centre of the table i), by means of a lever V fixed on the
table by a bolt u, and attached by one end to the guide S, so that this latter
may be made to slide in its grooves u, v, on a notch X, which exists beneath
in the table. i, in order to regulate the dimensions of the cork which it is
desired to cut at the blade.A. This guide is fixed at the desired spot by a
large bolt.y, which passes beneath the. table., traversing the notch X and
the guide, and then presses and fixes the guide on i. In cutting the cork,
the dimensions are regulated by means of the guide S, and a sheet of cork T
(Figure 2) is passed in the direction of the plate A mounted on,pullies B, B¹,
and A passing with great speed at 1, cuts the cork into the desired shape. I
have fixed on the table-i, behind the blade A, a conical piece of iron ", which
serves to remove from A the part of the cork T which it cuts, in order to
avoid friction and facilitate the working of the machine...
The Part 2 of the annexed Sheet of Drawing, Figures 1 to 5, illustrates
a machine arranged to transform square pieces of cork into round ones.
Figure 1 is a side view of part of the said machine mounted on its framing A;
Figure 2 represents the entire machine seen from its upper part; Figure S
represents the ferrule-shaped blade R mounted on the end of the hollow axle
with the tube V within the said axle; Figure 4 shews the hopper or box ¹
containing square blocks of cork; and Figure 5 is a side view of the piston m,
in the hollow part of which is seen the end of the axle of the wheels H, H
and C, which turns in its centre.
The machine is composed of a continuous steel blade C, similar to that A
in Part 1, and similarly mounted on two pullies B, B', (Figures 1 and 2),
which communicate.to it the rotary motion which B receives from the pulley
Cu mounted on the same axle and driven by the band d, which is set in
motion by any motor. The pullies B and C turn on their axle in bearings
E, E', which are fixed on the framing A by bolts e, e'. The pulley B com-

page_text: municates the movement to B' by means of the ribbon blade C, which it also
carries, and it turns, like B, in bearings E and F, fixed on the framing A
by means of bolts ell, el. The stretching of the blade C on the pullies is
effected by means of a screw a fixed on the framing A, and attached by its
ends to the bearing E' by a piece a" which turns in its shoulder and permits
à regular tension. The pinion C set on the axle C" communicates retary.
motion to the toothed wheel C by means of the pinions fand f, which are
set on an iron axle which turns in the bearings C, C; the wheel C turns
on its axle in the bearings g, g', fixed on the framing A by means of screws;
the cam G set on the axle C gives a rotary and intermittent movement to
the toothed wheel C, and to those H, H', which are mounted on the same
axle as C in bearings g, 9, and g, and transmit to the two nipping plates
h, h, the same movement by means of small pinions HH mounted on
the same axles as the nippers h, h; these latter turn in the bearings g"; 9,
g, and g, and on point in a socket. I fixed' on the support I' and a socket I"
fixed at the end of the bent rod K, the latter socket carrying a collar I set in a'
fillet L on the end of the axle of h' in order to permit the spring L to loosen h
from the block of cork i when it is rounded. G is a false-pinion, the working
part of which has but a little more developement than the pinions-H" and H
so that at each revolution of the toothed wheel C"; the pinion G being on the
same axle, causes C and the toothed wheels H, H', to make about one-fifth of:
a turn, and H; H, as well as the nippers h, h', to make one turn; C-stops
when the false part G* of the pinion G comes towards it; and resumes its
journey when the working toothed part of G comes in contact with it, and
thus gives the same rotary and intermittent movement to h, h', between which
the block of cork i turns in order to be cut by the blade.C; which passes
above h, h and i. The cam G is fixed by the side of that G, and turns on
the same axle; it serves to make the rod K slide in its bearings g, gg
by pressing on its extremity K*, and causes the nipping plate h' to advance at
each revolution towards the nipping plate h by bearing on the point which is
in the socket 1", so that the block i placed between 'h, h', finds itself' pressed
between them by means of the rod K, and so turns between them under the
cutting edge of the blade C, which passes on the longitudinal centre of i and
transforms it from square into round. As soon as h, k, have made this revo-
lution, the block i being rounded, the movement of h and h¹ ceases, when the
párt G of the false' pinion G comes towards the toothed wheel C", and at
the same instant K loosens the nipper h¹ from the block i, being brought back
on the part G of the cam G* by means of the spring L, and so on succes-..
sively at each révolution of the wheel C. Those parts of h, h, which press

page_text: on the block i have a ribbed or roughened surface to prevent the sliding of i
when it turns between them; h and h¹ are set by screws on the end of their
axles, so that they may be changed and diameters used suited to the diameter
of the 'block i which is to be turned, between them. The cam G is fixed by
a bolt e on the toothed wheel C", and at each revolution touches the end of
the rod K which slides in its support K" which is fixed on the framing A,
so that K' communicates the alternate motion to the balance beam 7, to which'
it is attached. The balance beam is mounted in a cap which is fixed by
means of a nut on its support K¹¹ which is fixed on the framing A. 7 gives
the alternate motion by means of the spring L' to the piston m, to which its end
is attached, and causes it to move in, its slide g* and pass at each revolution
into the space n beneath the hopper n which contains the stock of blocks i, so
that m takes a block i on its flat lower part m each time it passes' and con-
ducts it between the nipping plates h, h', 'where it is rounded by the blade-C,'
and at each successive revolution the block i, brought by. the piston m, drives'
out of h, h', the rounded block, causes it to fall into a box or sack beneath
the table or framing A, and takes its place between h, 'h', to be rounded in
its turn. At the instant that the square block i arrives between hand h
the end of the beaúil passes under the ends of the levers. m¹ and m
which are set on supports and i, so that the ends mv, m* of the
said levers rest on the moveable table m" which is mounted on springs'
in the rods i and i, and press on the block.i to keep it with the piston m
between the nippers h, h¹, while waiting until the block becomes pressed
between them, and when h¹ presses on the said block i the piston m retires,
as well as the moveable table m", which finds itself re-lifted by means of the
springs which envelope the rods g and g, in which it is set. The levers being
also depressed at the same time as the piston' m is retired by means of the beam l
the feeding of the hopper n takes place by passing over it vertically the long
box n', which is charged with the square blocks i. n¹ is posed upon n by'
means of two rods n" and let into the mortises n, n, of the hopper n
containing the stock which is to feed the machine, and the blocks contained in
the box n' are permitted to descend into n by pulling a small bolt n which
closes the moveable bottom of the said box, and on the removal of which the'
stock falls into n; and so on successively. The pullies o, o¹, have deep and
straight grooves, in which passes the back of the blade C, and serve to guide
it in its journey on to the centre of the nipping plates h; h¹. These pullies
are fixed on supports o; by means of nuts o", 'o"; o¹¹ is a' double counterplate
fixed on the support by screws, which pass' in its grooves o, o, and serve
to regulate the said counterplate on the blade C. This counterplate serves to

page_text: .
support and prevent any flexion of C when cutting the cork: When it is
desired to alter the length of the blocks i which are to be turned, the nipping
plate his moved further from or nearer to that hand the toothed wheels
H,, by unscrewing the screws of the bearings 91, 91, and 9, and those of
the support I, they are then made to slide in the slides H, H, H, H,
on which they are fixed, and the screws are re-tightened. The blade C is
continuously sharpened by means of a. . sharpening instrument J. fixed by
screws J, J", in a cap at the extremity of the balance lever J. This
balance lever receives the alternate motion-by-means-of-a-cam J., which is
mounted on the axle of the pinions C, C, and by means of the spring L'.
This balance-lever pivots in a cap.J screwed on to the framing A;. the blade, C
being mounted on the pullies B, B', of equal height, corks or cylindrically
round blocks are obtained; but when it is desired to obtain them conical, it is
only necessary to raise or lower one or other of the pullies B,,B', on which the
blade C is carried, and a cone is obtained more or less conical according to the
inclination given to the blade. The raising of one of the said pullies is effected
by means, of a wedge placed under the bearing in which it is mounted. The
pinion is set on the same axle as the pullies. B and C, and bevel pinion C
and gives rotary motion to the toothed wheels and, which turn on
their axle in the bearings T, T, and communicate the same movement to
that mounted, on its axle in the bearings R¹, R*. On the axle of this
latter is fixed a large cam-, which sets in alternate motion the piston ml by
means of the rod K and balance beam 7", to which it is joined by a cap.
The balance beam pivots in its cap 1, fixed by a nut R on the support t,
and receives motion from K, on the end of which the cam acts in turning
on its axle. This rod K, as well as the piston m', slides in the bearings
Tu, TT, T, and the end of K is brought back at each revolution on
by means of the spring . K is divided into two parts joined
by a nut K, having at its end a collar K, which is set, and turns-in a
groove of the rod K, which permits the lengthening or shortening of
the journey, of the piston m², by nearing or further separating the two ends of
the said, rod from each other, and also in advancing or retiring the cap
which slides in the support t., The journey of the balance beam.7 is similarly
adjusted by causing it to slide on its cap in the support K. The piston m¹
in its alternate movement passes like that m beneath a hopper n containing
a stock of square blocks of cork i*, and fed like n by vertical boxes, similar
to n', and at each revolution of the piston m¹ in passing beneath its hopper n,
takes, a square block of cork i* causes, it to pass in the guide, and
conducts it in the direction of the blade R, in the centre of which it passes to
the
cam
даву
2

page_text: be rounded. This blade R is in form of a ferrule, it is fitted at the bottom of
the bollow axle (Figures 2 and 3), where it turns circularly like the said
shäft; this shaft is set in motion by means of the pulley C", and thus at each
revolution of the piston m¹ it causes' a''square block of cork to pass to the
centre of the continuous ferrule-shaped blade R, which transforms it from ǎ
square to a cylindrical 'round. This round block then passes from the ferrule
into the tube V, which is "fixed in 'the centre of the hollow axle on which the
ferrule turns, and fixed on its' support V. The tube V is contracted and
afterwards opened at the end, which is within the hollow axle, in order to
facilitate the admittance of the cork within it, and when the said cork enters
the said tube it finds itself pressed at the 'narrowest part, which permits its
being held in the centre of the blade, and prevents its turning when its
surface is being cut on issuing from the guide t". The narrowed part of the
tube V is slit into several parts, and acts as a spring on the cork'; this also
permits its opening more or less, in order to receive different diameters. ""The
blocks of cork i*, when rounded by the blade R, pass successively in the.
tube V, which is parallel to the blade, the one pushing the other until they
issue at the end of the tube V, and fall into a box or sack 'placed near the
machine for this purpose. The guide -t is in moveable parts, which retire
from or approach the centre, according to the diameter of the block of cork
which is to be rounded, and are fixed by screws s¹ set in their slides s.
The improved apparatus for registering the manufacture is composed of five
pinions, the first of which is carried on the axle of the driving pulley of the
feeding piston, and the others on separate axles, each carrying, besides the
pinion, a toothed wheel, and having at its end an index coming on the face of
a dial mounted on one of the supports formning bearings for the axles. The
first dial indicates units, the second tens, the third hundreds, and so on, for
which purpose the teeth of the pinions, in relation to those of the toothed
wheels, are as one to ten, that is to say, that each pinion has ten teeth, and
cach wheel one hundred. The first pinion being mounted on the axle of the
pulley, and the blades at each revolution of these in making a cork, it causes
the wheel on the next axle to make of a revolution and mark a.unit on its
dial, and when this wheel has made an entire revolution the pinion on its shaft
will have caused the next wheel to mark a unit, and so on to the fifth dial,
which indicates tens of thousands. A similar check may also be used to check
the number of blocks rounded by the ferrule-shaped blade.
The improved registering apparatus above described may be placed in
connection or thrown out of gear with the cork cutting machinery, as may
be desired.

page_text: I would here observe, firstly, that the pullies B and B', on which the ribbon
blade C works, should be constructed of greater proportions than those shewn
in the accompanying Drawing, and that I do not bind myself absolutely to
any precise proportions in relation to the various other parts of machinery
illustrated on the Drawing.
Secondly, that I do not necessarily work the blades C and R simultaneously,
but that I reserve to myself the right of working the ribbon blade C (Figures 1
and 2, Part 2), without the ferrule blade-R,-and-in-like-manner to work the
blade R without the blade C by removing the blade C from off the pulley B,
in order to use the blade R alone, and by throwing the conical_pinion f out-of
gear with that C which turns on the axle of the ferrule R, in order to use
the blade C alone.
Thirdly, that I reserve to myself the right of pushing the square blocks of
cork by the guide t", to conduct them to the ferrule R by a workman using
a hand piston similar to that m¹ when it may not be advisable to effect this
operation mechanically.
:
In witness whereof, I, the said Leon Villette, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
L. VILLETTE. (L.S.)