Improvements in Potato Cutters.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date claimed for Patent under Sect. 103 of Act,
being date of first Foreign Application (in 24th May, 1892
United States of America)
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 22nd Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 9th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1993
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 22nd Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 9th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Potato Cutters.
I, LEWIS AUGUSTUS ASPINWALL, formerly of Three Rivers, Michigan, but
now of West Washington Street Jackson, in the County of Jackson, and State of
Michigan, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to separate potatoes into pieces adapted to planting,
and this is done with rapidity and without the risk of the eyes of the potatoes being
bruised or injured in the operation.
I provide a vertically moving plunger that can be raised or lowered with facility,
by hand, and beneath this plunger is a cutter attached to a bed with its cutting
edge upwards, and beneath the cutter is an opening, through the bed, amply large
enough for the passage of the potato and across below the upper cutter are knives
with their cutting edges upwards and with the lower or back edges of the knives
diverging, so as to be further apart than the cutting edges, in order that the pieces
of potato, as forced downwardly upon these knives, may not wedge in between such
knives.
Above the knives, and below the plunger, is a yielding hopper into which the
potato to be cut can be laid by hand, and the lower end of the plunger is slotted
vertically at the places where the knives are applied, so as to form fingers, and the
plunger can be moved up and down without coming in contact with the knives, and
there is a stop upon the plunger at one end to aid in determining the position of
the potato so that it may be properly cut, and one side of the hopper is higher
than the other to facilitate the introduction of the potato, and the sides of the hopper
are geared together by short segments of teeth, and a spring acts to close the lower
portions of the hopper towards each other, hence when the potato is laid into the
hopper its proper position is indicated by the stop, and by forcing the plunger down
the fingers at its lower end carry the potato bodily from the hopper, slitting it
lengthwise and crosswise upon the stationary knives, and the pieces of potato are
carried below the knives, so that they drop upon a shaking screen and slide down
the same and are delivered in a condition ready for planting, and any small pieces
of potato drop through the screen, such screen being made of diamond-shaped bars
with the acute angles upwards and supported by cross bars and side pieces hung at
an inclination.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1892

page_text: Improvements in Potato Cutters.
I, LEWIS AUGUSTUS ASPINWALL, formerly of Three Rivers, Michigan, but now
of West Washington Street, Jackson, in the State of Michigan, United States of
America, Manufacturer, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to separate potatoes into pieces adapted to planting,
and this is done with rapidity and without the risk of the eyes of the potatoes being
bruised or injured in the operation.
I provide a vertically moving plunger that can be raised or lowered with facility
by hand, and beneath this plunger is a cutter attached to a bed with its cutting
edge upwardly, and beneath the cutter is an opening through the bed amply large
enough for the passage of the potato, and across below the upper cutter are
knives with their cutting edges upwardly and with the lower or back edges of the
knives diverging, so as to be further apart than the cutting edges, in order that
the pieces of potato as forced downwardly upon these knives may not wedge in
between such knives.
Above the knives and below the plunger is a yielding hopper into which the
potato to be cut can be laid by hand, and the lower end of the plunger is slotted
vertically at the places where the knives are applied, so as to form fingers, and the
plunger can be moved up and down without coming in contact with the knives, and
there is a stop upon the plunger at one end to aid in determining the position
of the potato so that it may be properly cut, and one side of the hopper is higher
than the other to facilitate the introduction of the potato, and the sides of the
hopper are geared together by short segments or teeth, and a spring acts to close
the lower portions of the hopper towards cach other, hence when the potato is laid
into the hopper its proper position is indicated by the stop, and by forcing the
plunger down the fingers at its lower end carry the potato bodily from the hopper,
slitting it lengthwise and crosswise upon the stationary knives, and the pieces of
potato are carried below the knives, so that they drop upon a shaking screen and slide
down the same and are delivered in a condition ready for planting, and any small
pieces of potato drop through the screen, such screen being made of diamond-shaped
bars with the acute angles upwardly and supported by cross bars and side pieces
hung at an inclination.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a vertical cross section of the machine.
Fig. 2 is an elevation with the bed partly broken open.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan at the line xx, Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a section at the line y y, Fig. 1.
A suitable table M is provided upon legs N or other supports, and above the
table the frame O is provided with the cross piece P and hopper ends Q, all of
which are permanently connected together and to the table or bed, and between
the hopper ends Q are the hopper jaws C and D, pivoted at 2 and 3, respectively,
to the hopper ends, and there are upon the adjacent edges of the hopper jaws gear
segments 8, which connect the jaws together, so that they swing in opposite
directions simultaneously, and there is a spring L connected with an arm upon one
of the jaws, so as to act to move the lower edges of the jaws toward each other,
and such spring L is preferably helical and passed through a hole in the table M to
a bracket arm 9, so as to obtain the desired length of spring for the proper
elasticity. These jaws are made with rounding flanges towards the ends, and the

page_text: jaw C is cut away at 4 at the front upper edge to give the required room for freely
inserting the potato, and the jaws are in their normal position sufficiently near each
other at the bottom edges to guide the potato, whether the same is large or small,
and as the potato is forced downwardly, as hereinafter described, the jaws yield
and open for the discharge of the potato, but they hold the potato centrally in
position because both jaws move with uniformity.
Immediately below the jaws is the central longitudinal knife A with the edge
upwardly, and such knife rests at its ends upon the table M and it passes through
the hopper ends Q and is sustained by them, and it is advantageous to provide
in the end of such knife a hole to facilitate the drawing out of the knife for
sharpening.
In the table or bed M is a central opening, across which are transverse knives B
at suitable distances apart for separating the potato into the required sizes of pieces,
and these transverse knives are received at their ends into slots, and instead of
being placed vertical, as has heretofore sometimes been the case, the central knife
is vertical, or nearly so, and the knives at each side diverge at the backs so as to
occupy nearly radial positions from an imaginary center six or eight inches above
the central knife, the object being to provide spaces between the knives that widen
downwardly, notwithstanding the fact that the knives are thicker at the lower or
back edges than they are at the top or cutting edges. By this means the pieces of
potato as they are cut by the knives fall freely away from the knives, and in the
cutting operation the pieces of potato are not compressed or bruised by being passed
through narrower spaces than the cutting edges.
Upon the cross piece P there are vertical slide ways 10 for the reception of the
plunger E, to which is attached a handle G for raising and lowering the plunger
with facility, and it is advantageous to provide a stop 7 upon the plunger, which,
coming in contact with the frame P, arrests the downward movement of the plunger
at the proper point. The lower end of the plunger is slotted longitudinally and
transversely, so as to form fingers, the slots being in such positions that the
longitudinal knife A passes into the longitudinal slot and the transverse knives
pass into the transverse slots, the fingers passing freely down between the knives.
Below the table M is an inclined screen K, preferably formed of a series of
longitudinal diamond-shaped bars, and the screen is pivoted at 11, and it is hung
by rods 12 to a rocker lever I, and there is a plug H passing loosely through one
of the hopper ends and resting upon one side of the rocker, so that when the.
handle G and plunger E are pressed downwardly the plug H receives a sudden,
blow or concussion and gives to the rocker 1 and screen K a shaking motion to.
facilitate the movement of the cut potatoes down such screen.
The operation of this machine is as follows:
The potato to be cut is placed longitudinally into the hopper, preferably with
the left hand, and it is advantageous to bring the seed end of the potato toward
a downwardly projecting stop 6 upon the plunger E, which stop is in such a position
in relation to the knives B that this seed end of the potato is sliced off. The.
plunger E is now pressed down by the handle G and the potato is forced down-
wardly, the jaws CD yielding and the knife A separating the potato longitudinally
and equally, or nearly so, and the knives B dividing up the halves of the potato.
transversely into sections of the desired size, and these sections fall freely upon the
inclined screen K, and the bars of this screen are at such distances apart that the
pieces of cut potato slide down the same and are delivered into a suitable receptacle,.
and the thin stem and seed end slices of the potato fall through the screen and are
kept separate.
This latter operation is advantageous because the eyes at the seed end of the
potato are usually most numerous and it is desirable not to have them planted.
Hence by this improvement the potatoes are not only cut up into pieces of the
proper size, but the pieces are separated from the thin end slices or clippings.
It will be apparent that as the handle G and plunger E are raised the hopper.
jaws swing toward each other ready for the reception of another potato.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
First. The combination in a potato cutter, of a longitudinal knife having its
cutting edge upwardly with a series of transverse knives crossing below the same
and having their upward cutting edges at the same level and at increasing
inclinations from the center, so that the opening through which the potato sections
pass will be as wide near the backs of the knives as at their edges, a hopper for
guiding the potatoes to the knives, and a vertical plunger passing between the
knives, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination in a potato cutter, of a table, transverse knives
received at their ends into recesses in the table, a longitudinal cutter, hopper jaws
pivoted near their upper edges and having interlocking gear segments, a spring
to press the lower edges of the jaws toward each other, a plunger and handle for
moving the same, and vertical slide ways for supporting the plunger, substantially
as set forth.
Third. The combination with the handle and plunger having a slotted lower end
forming fingers, of vertical slide ways for the plunger, a table and frame for
supporting the same, stationary hopper ends, hopper jaws pivoted between the
stationary ends, a spring to press the lower edges of the jaws toward each other, a
longitudinal knife and transverse knives, and a screen below the table for receiving
the cut potato sections, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The combination in a potato cutter, with the stationary knives, of a
movable plunger slotted at its lower end to form fingers, hopper jaws having
rounded ends and interlocking gear segments, and a spring to press the lower edges
of the jaws toward each other, the upper edge of the front jaw being removed to
facilitate the insertion of the potato, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The combination in a potato cutter, with the stationary knives and movable
plunger, of a yielding hopper into which the potato is passed and a stop for the end
of the potato to determine the position of the same in relation to the stationary
knives, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The combination in a potato cutter, of a hopper, longitudinal and
transverse knives, a plunger slotted at its lower end to form fingers for pressing the
potato against and between the cutting knives, an inclined screen upon which the
potato sections fall, and an agitating device receiving its motion from the plunger
for shaking the screen, substantially as set forth.
Dated thin Oth
A 1902
Dated thin oth
-
day of August 1902.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.