A Device or Apparatus for Cutting Out Circular and Elliptical Discs or Patterns.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Device or Apparatus for Cutting Out Circular and Elliptical
Discs or Patterns.
I, FRANCIS PRICE, of 68, High Street, Weston-super-Mare, in the County of
Somerset, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
My invention relates to a new or improved device or apparatus, adjustable or
otherwise, whereby an unskilled person may quickly, easily, cleanly, and accu-
rately cut out circular and elliptical discs or patterns from paper, woven and
other flexible-fabric, glass, celluloid, xylonite, vulcanite, and other equally rigid
material, the advantages to be derived from my said invention being, that the
operator may have a clear view of the picture, printed or other matter, or the
design or material from which the said circle or ellipse is to be cut, so as to be
able to perfectly and accurately centre the same, and that the said material may
be held perfectly rigid and firm by the apparatus while the said pattern or shape
is being cut therefrom, which renders my said invention particularly useful to
photographers, mount-cutters, picture-frame makers and others.
My invention consists of a wood, vulcanite, metal or other plate, in the centre
of which I cut or otherwise provide a circular or elliptical hole of any suitable
diameter or diameters, the said hole being so formed as to be provided with an
annular or other ridge, flange, or projection, which may be made integrally with
the said plate (hereinafter referred to as the matrix) or formed with a metallic
or other peripherical lining for the said hole, and resting edgewise upon the said
flange or its equivalent I place a thin, and may be highly springy or flexible
endless or divided metallic or other band or strip, bent or curved into the shape
of a ring, and arranged to fit closely and freely within, and resting against the
periphery of the said hole, and adapted to be easily rotated circumferentially
therein.
Upon the inner surface of the said ring-like band I fix by any suitable means
a rod or spindle, which may extend for any distance towards the axial centre of
the said ring, or wholly or partly across the same, and upon this I mount a collar
or sleeve adapted to move longitudinally, and be fixed in any desired position
thereon, by any suitable means, which may be by that of a male screw thread
formed upon the said rod or spindle, engaging with a female thread within the
said collar or sleeve, a suitable set screw or its equivalent being provided for
fixing the latter upon the said rod or spindle at any desired distance from the
said axial centre of said band or ring, such distance determining the diameter
or diameters of the disc or pattern to be produced, and for preference, I form
upon the said rod or spindle for the whole or any part of its length, a flat surface,
upon which I provide marks or divisions indicating metrical or other measur-
ment, as a guide for the fixation of the said sleeve or collar to determine the
size of the discs to be produced.
The said sleeve or collar also carries a suitable rotary, knife-edge or other
cutter or cutting tool, or a diamond, according to the nature of the material for

page_text: which the said patterns or discs are to be produced, a suitable handle or hand-
hold being provided by means of which the said band or ring may be caused to
travel around and within the said circular or elliptical hole.
In practice, the material from which the said patterns are to be cut would be
laid upon a cutting board or other plane hard surface, and the said device be laid
and centred thereon, so as to encompass the printed matter or design (if such
exists) to be cut therefrom, and when the position of the knife or other cutting
tool has been arranged the device would be pressed down upon the said material
with one hand, while the other would impart motion to the said band or ring,
and as the latter is thereby led around the circular or elliptical hole in the
matrix, the cutting tool, diamond or the like before nientioned, would cut out
from the material the disc required. By this device a disc of any diameter
(within the limits of the adjustable collar or sleeve) may be cut by the use of
the same matrix but where a number of such discs are to be produced all of a
given or predetermined size, the said rod or spindle, and the collar or sleeve
thereon, may be dispensed with, when the said diamond or other cutting tool
and the before mentioned handle may both be fixed directly to and upon the said
band or ring.
:
I may find it convenient or desirable to arrange a series of rollers or balls,
between the said band and the matrix in order to reduce friction.
T .
1000
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
A Device or Apparatus for Cutting Out Circular and Elliptical
Discs or Patterns.
I, FRANCIS PRICE, of 68, High Street, Weston-super-Mare, in the County of
Somerset, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
My invention relates to a new or improved device or apparatus, adjustable or
otherwise, whereby an unskilled person may quickly, easily, and cleanly cut
out circular and elliptical discs or patterns from paper, cardboard and woven
and other flexible fabric, and glass, celluloid, xylonite, vulcanite and other
equally rigid material, the object and advantages to be derived from my said
invention being, that the operator may have a clear view of the picture, printed
or other matter, or the design or material from which the said circle or ellipse
is to be cut, so that he may be able to perfectly and accurately centre the same,
and that the said material may be held perfectly rigid and firm by the apparatus,
while the said pattern or shape is being cut therefrom, which renders my said
invention particularly useful to photographers, mount-cutters, picture frame
makers and others.
In order that the principle of my said invention and the manner or manners in
which I prefer to carry the same into effect may be clearly understood, I have
hereunto appended a sheet of drawings, of which.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a complete and adjustable apparatus according to my
invention, adapted to cut out circular discs or patterns, while Fig. 2 is a vertical
section of same, taken upon the line A B of Fig. 1.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a plan view of a like apparatus as I prefer to arrange it for cutting
out elliptical discs or patterns, Fig. 4 being a vertical section of same taken
upon the line CD of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the adjusting screw shewn in Fig. 1,
and applicable for use in connection with Fig. 2.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, I carry my invention into effect by
constructing of wood, vulcanite, metal or other material a plate or matrix A,
which may conveniently be of rectangular or square formation in plan as at
Fig. 1, in the centre of which I turn or otherwise produce a circular hole of any
desired diameter, the said hole being so made as to provide an annular flange
or projection B, upon the lower surface of A, or where it may not be convenient
to form this integrally with A, I may provide a metallic or other peripherical
lining C, screwed, pinned, or otherwise fixed to A, and having upon its lower
edge a ridge or flange to provide the equivalent of B as at Fig. 2, the said flange
or projection upon A, or ridge upon being to provide a seating for the lower
edge of a thin, and may be highly springy or flexible endless or divided metallic
or other band, strip or ribbon D, bent or curved to fit closely but easily within
the said hole in A, so that the said ring or the like may be easily caused to travel
around and within the said hole, resting upon the ridge or flange B, and in
order that the said band or the like D may not rise above the level of A during
its travel, I may provide suitable means to obviate this, such for instance as any
number of screws E, the heads of which are of such diameter as to embrace the
upper edge of D, as shewn.
In Figs. 3 and 4 I illustrate the manner in which the apparatus may be
arranged for cutting out elliptical discs or patterns, the plate or matrix A in this
case being preferably also of elliptical formation in plan, although, if desired,
the same may be rectangular as at Fig. 1, the said matrix having in this case
a hole of elliptical formation, and provided with a flange B or a lining C with
such a flange or ridge, the strip or band D in this arrangement being preferably
of thinner material, so as to more readily conform to the larger and smaller
diameters of the elliptical hole in A, when carried there-around, as hereinafter
explained.
Upon the inner surface of the band or strip D, at a point a, I solder or other-
wise fix a rod or spindle F, which, in the case of Fig. 1 may extend for any
distance towards the axial centre of the hole in A, or this may, if desired, reach
to, and be connected with, the opposite side of the band D, but in the case of
Fig. 3 the said rod or spindle would not extend beyond the said centre. Upon
the said rod or spindle FI mount a collar or sleeve G, adapted to move longi-
tudinally, and be fixed in any desired position thereon by any suitable means,
such for instance as by that of a male screw thread formed upon F and adapted
to engage with a female thread in the collar or sleeve G, so that by rotating G
upon F the former may be brought to any position upon the latter, either nearer
to or farther from the centre of A, such distance from the fixed point a deter-
mining the diameter or diameters of the disc or pattern to be cut out or produced,
and in order that this may be accurately determined, I may provide upon the
said rod F, for the whole or any desired portion of its length a flat surface b,
upon which may be engraved or otherwise provided, marks or divisions indicating
metrical or other measurements (as shewn more graphically by the enlarged
view Fig. 5) as a guide for the fixation of the said sleeve or collar G, which may
be retained in the desired position by the means of a set or thumb-screw H pass-
ing through G and biting upon F.
The sleeve or collar G is provided upon its lower surface with means for carry-
ing the cutting medium, which said cutting medium may of course vary
according to the nature of the material J, (lying flat upon a board or table K)
from which the said discs or patterns are to be produced, that is to say, if the
material J be of paper, cardboard, or woven fabric or the like, the said cutting
tool may be that of a knife, or sharp edged rotary wheel or disc, such as c Fig. 2,

page_text: or a diamond such as d, (Fig. 4) if the material be glass. The collar or sleeve G
carries upon its upper surface a suitable handle or hand-hold, such as L in Fig. 2,
or L' in Fig. 4, or any other device by means of which the said collar or sleeve G
and its cutting tool may be caused to traverse the desired circle or ellipse, guided
by the band or strip D following round within the circular or elliptical hole
in A, the cutting tool meanwhile making a like shaped endless incision in the
material J, the latter being kept in position upon the surface K by the means of
pressure upon the matrix A from the other hand of the operator, the said band D
readily conforming to the shape of the larger and smaller diameters of the hole
in A (when this is of elliptical formation as at Fig. 3) and by reason of the
material Joperated upon being conveniently seen by the operator through the
hole in A, he is thereby enabled to centre the apparatus upon the picture, design,
or other matter upon J, and arrange the position of the cutter in relation thereto,
before imparting motion, to the handle, and by this means I am enabled to cut
out discs from the material J of any diameter (or diameters if elliptical) within
the range of the movements of the sleeve or collar G, the largest disc or pattern
being indicated by the dotted circle e, and the smallest by the dotted circle f in
Fig. 1.
In cases where a large number of discs of a predetermined size are to be pro-
duced, the said rod or spindle F may be dispensed with, and the cutting tool-
holder G or G¹ be fixed directly to and upon the band or ribbon D as at Fig. 4.
In either or both of the foregoing devices I may find it desirable, in order to
reduce friction between D and C, to arrange a series of anti-friction balls rollers
or wheels M between them as at Fig. 3, and for this purpose I may find it con-
venient to provide a race for the said balls wheels or rollers in the lining C, as
shewn by g in Fig. 4, or where such lining is not used a like race may be pro-
vided in the material of A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1st. The device or apparatus for cutting out circular or elliptical discs or
patterns from any flat substance, consisting of a band or ribbon of flexible
material, carrying a suitable handle and cutting tool, fixed or in adjustable
connection with the said band or ribbon, and adapted to travel therewith around
the periphery of a circular or elliptical matrix, with or without the use of anti-
friction balls wheels or rollers substantially as herein described and shewn by
the appended drawings.
2nd. In a device or apparatus for cutting out circular or elliptical discs or
patterns from any flat substance, the combination of a matrix such as A, having
in its centre a circular or elliptical hole, providing a ridge or flange B, with or
without a lining C, and with a flexible band D fitting within the said hole, and
adapted to travel around the same and upon the ridge B (with or without inter-
vening balls wheels or rollers M) by the means of a handle such as L or L¹,
mounted upon a collar or the like such as G or G¹ carrying a cutting tool such
as c or d, and in fixed connection with the band or strip D, or adjustably mounted
upon a plane or threaded rod or spindle F, in fixed connection with the band D,
substantially as herein described and shewn by the appended drawings.
1 L 021 of Novambor 1808
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.