Flexible or Elastic Material.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 18th Feb., 1887.
Flexible or Elastic Material.
We, JONAS PARKER, Shoemaker, and MARK LUTHER GUNNING, Machinist, both of
Williamsport, in the county of Lycoming, in the State of Pennsylvania, United States
of America, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for "APPARATUS FOR
CUTTING, AND BEVELLING, OR SCARFING THE EDGES OF FLEXIBLE OR ELASTIC
MATERIAL and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation of two cutters or dies
with central reciprocating die block, especially adapted for certain classes of work,
and for use with machinery for operating the dies. In this instance the faces of the
die block are horizontal or flat, and produce what may be termed a flat cut, or a
simultaneous cut at all points along the edge of the blank. (In subsequent figures
modified forms of die blocks will be shewn.)
Figures 2 and 3, are top and bottom views of the reciprocating die-block shown in
figure 1. Figure 4, is an elevation of the feed side of a machine embodying our
invention. Figure 5, is a view of the reverse side, shewing the entier and die-block.
Figure 6, is an end view looking from the left of figure 4. Figure 7, is a sectional
view of a die-block shewing the adjustable character of its central blocks, whereby
more or less bevel is obtained on the article cut out by the apparatus. Figure 8, is a
detached view of the wire or open feed-table to support the flexible material as it is
fed to the upper cutter. Figure 9, is a sectional view of a modified form of recipro-
cating die-block having a concave or curved face whereby a shear or circle cut from
the ends to the centre of the blank is obtained. Figure 10, is a similar section of a
reciprocating die-block having its upper and lower surfaces inclined from end to end,
whereby a shear cut from end to end of the blank is obtained. Figure 11, is an
elevation of a reciprocating die-block whose edge has a spiral or screw form, so that
the cut is a shear cut which commences and ends at the same point. Figure 12, is an
end view of figure 11, looking in the direction of the arrow figure 11. Figure 13, is
an elevation of a reciprocating die-block having a double spiral or inclined cutting
edge.

page_text: Like letters refer to like paris wherever they occur.
Our invention has for its object the providing of apparatus whereby a bevelled or
scarfed edge may be produced on any form, pattern, or blank, of flexible, clastic or
yielding material, at the time and by the same operation which cuts or strikes out said
blank, and is of especial value in the manufacture of Rubber goods, such as shoes,
boots, &c., in the manufacture of leather goods, as in bevelling the soles of boots and
shoes, or cutting billiard tips; and in many other places in the art where rubber,
leather, pasteboard, or like material is worked.
The common methods of bevelling the edges of elastic and flexible material, are,
either by pressing leather or pasteboard articles in a mold while damp, and allowing
the article to dry, when it would retain its form, which method is not applicable to
the treatment of elastic material, such as rubber, or by hand-work, viz-by first
cutting or striking out the pattern, or blank, by suitable dies or cutters, somewhat
larger than the final size of the article and with a straight edge, then clamping the
article by means of a die of the exact size, and finally bevelling or scarfing the edge
of the article with a sharp knife in the hand of a skilled workman.
These methods are slow, laborious, expensive, and wasteful of material, all of which
we desire to avoid, and to this end our invention consists:-
First, in the combination with a cutter or die, of a bevelled, or recessed, recipro-
cating die-block, having a raised face, whereby the elastic material will be drawn over
the edge of the die and cut on a bevel or with a scarfed edge, said die-block having
inclined faces so as to sever the blank with a scissors-like, or shearing cut, all as will
hereinafter more fully appear..
Second, In combining a reciprocating die-block having its opposite faces bevelled,
or recessed, at its edges, with two fixed dies or cutters, whereby complementary
patterns such as rights and lefts, of soles &c, may be cut and bevelled by one and the
same die-block.
Third. In combining with the mechanism which reciprocates the die-block,
mechanism for causing an alternating feed of the material to be operated on.
And, finally, in details of construction, and specific combinations for effecting the
purposes hereinbefore specified, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.
We will now proceed to describe our devices more specifically so that others skilled
in the art to which it appertains may apply the invention.
In the drawings A, indicates a cutter or die which may be of the desired form or
pattern for the article to be produced, and with the usual bevelled sharpened edge.
B, indicates the die-block which co-acts with the cutter or die A, and whose shape
corresponds to the interior of the cutter or die A, and like the cutter varies with the
form of the article to be produced. This die-block B, has its outer or cutting edge b,
to co-act with the cutter and its raised face e, of the same general form as the pattern,
but of slightly less area, so as to leave a recess or bevel d, over which the flexible
material to be operated on will be drawn or curved so that the cut of the cutter or
die A, shall be oblique or inclined to the surface of the material, and not at right
angles thereto as heretofore.
These points being properly attended to, the pattern of the cutter or die, and the
die-block, may be varied as before specified to suit the shape desired, and if desired
the cutter and die-block may be used by hand or in any ordinary press as now
commonly practised.
But we prefer the mechanism hereinafter described for operating the devices; and
as the invention is more especially useful in its application to the manufacture of
rubber shoes, and like articles, we have chosen for purposes of illustration, a set of
cutters and die-block adapted to cutting bevel-edged soles of rubber or leather for
shoes, though we do not desire or intend to be limited to that form of die-block and
cutter.
Therefore, in this instance, the cutters A, have the outline of a shoe-sole, and the
die-block B, has the same outline as the interior of the cutter, with the characteristics
before specified and for use with mechanism we prefer to use two cutters and a
single reciprocating die-block arranged between the cutters, as shown in figure 1, of

page_text: the drawings, and operating alternately with each cutter, by which arrangement a
single die-block will suffice, as its opposite faces will be right and left, while only the
cutters, or dies, will have to be made right and left.
The arrangement of the cutters and die-blocks in the machine will hereinafter
appear.
For the support of the operative mechanism any suitable frame of wood, or other
material, may be used, as at C, with uprights D, D, for the band-wheels E, E, and
posts F, for the feed rollers. Journaled in or on the uprights D, D, are two band-wheels
or pulleys, one of which E, may be driven by a belt from any suitable source of power,
while the other E1, by means of a belt, communicates power to a third band-wheel E²,
supported on the frame C, and which operates the feed rollers of the machine.
As the feed is to be synchronous, and equal to the movement of the die-block, these
three band-wheels E, E, E, are preferably of equal diameter.
Secured to a wrist or crank-pin e, which connects the two band-wheels E, E¹, is a
pitman having at its lower end a pivoted cross-head, from the opposite ends of
which two rods, extend down through guide openings in the frame C, and are
secured to the opposite ends of the reciprocating die-block B, herein before described.
The connection between the pitman rod e and the cross-head e², may be made by a
screw rod and nut, or a turn-buckle as at e, so as to adjust the throw or reciprocation
of the rods e, and die-block B, when desired.
Immediately below and in line with the die-block B, one cutter A, (either right or
left according to the arrangement of the die-block B), is secured to the bed of frame C,
while its fellow is secured to the upper part of C, directly above, and in line with, the
die-block, so that one blank (or sole) shall be cut at the termination of the upper
stroke of the reciprocating die-block B, and another at the termination of the down
stroke.
Immediately opposite and in substantially the same planes as the cutters or dies A,
are the feed rollers, two pairs, one pair for each cutter or die-the upper and lower
rollers of which, y, are the driven rollers, and may have their journals in
boxes G, fixed on the posts F, while their shafts are each provided with a bevel
gear h,
:
The other, or inner, rollers ³, which should have yielding bearings to accom-
modate different thicknesses of material, are journaled in sliding boxes G³, G³, backed
by springs ², ³, or if preferred counterweighted in manner well known to the skilled
mechanic.
:
The preferred mechanism for so actuating the feed rollers that the pairs shall feed
alternately, is as follows:-On the band-wheel E, before referred to as driven from
the band-wheel E, which operates the reciprocating die B, is a wrist-pin e, adjustable
in a radial slot, so that the pitman connected with said wrist-pin can have its throw
varied to suit the throw of the pitman rod el, and thus regulate the feed by the
movement of the die-block B. From this wrist or crank pin, a rod extends to
one end of the lever or arm 7, secured to a shafi k, journaled in brackets m, on the
frame C, while the lower end of said lever 1, terminates midway between the fixed
rollers 9: , in a ball which enters a cup on the upper end of a second lever which
lever, is secured to a shaft o, journaled in brackets, on the frame C, opposite the
lower fixed roller. By this construction it will be noted that the two levers 7, and
and their shafts, are vibrated simultaneously in opposite directions.
Journaled loosely on the shafts k, and o. of the levers, and m, are beveled
wheels H, and H, which mesh with the bevel pinions h, h, of the rollers g, gl, and
pivoted on the levers 7, n, are the pawls or dogs 1, n', which engage with the cogs or
ratchet teeth in the peripheries of the bevel pinions H, H, thus forming two sets of
pawl and ratchet mechanism which move the bevel pinions H, H, and consequently
the rollers g, g, alternately, so that the material above and below the reciprocating
die-block, is alternately and successively fed forward over its respective cutter until
the sheets are entirely used up or cut into blanks.
Below the upper die is a wire or open feed table (see figure 8) T, to support the
flexible material as it is fed to the upper cutter or die; and surrounding the lower

page_text: cutter or die is a spring clearing-plate which lifts and frees the sheet after the blank
is cut therefrom.
As it is desirable at times to increase or decrease the scarf or bevel on the edge of
the blank (or sole) we provide means therefor by constructing the die-block B, as
shown in figure 7, that is to say, with an outer shell S, on which is the cutting edge
the shell being sufficiently thick to form the recess d. Within the shell S, are two
movable face blocks, to form the two raised faces e, and said blocks are connected
by two, or more, screws, each having right and left-hand threads, and an eye
a wrench pin by which the screws, may be turned to cause the simultaneous advance
or recession of the faces c. The shell may be provided with cross-braces a,, between
which the central swells or heads of the screws t, are placed, so as to prevent the
displacement of the movable face-blocks.
for
In figures 9, 10, and 11, some modifications of the die-block B, are shown, all
embodying the same general principle, viz. the shearing cut, though somewhat
different in the manner of applying the principle. In figure 9, a curved or circular
form is given to the raised face e, and the die-block edges b, so as to cause the cut to
commence at the two ends and then advance by a shearing-cut from both ends to the
transverse centre. In figure 10 the die-block and its face-plates e, are inclined from
end to end so that the shear cut is from one end to the other of the blank, along both
sides; while in figure 11, the face of the die-block B, is screw-shaped or has a
spirally-inclined cutting edge b, so that the cut commences at one end of the die
(say the heel) and by a gradually-advancing shear cut moves around the die-block
from point to point until it terminates at the same point of the blank where it
commenced. In these latter forms the die-block B, may be solid or in two sections
connected by screws, the adjusting screws t, embedded therein, and the raised
adjustable faces e, be plates controlled by the screws f, as shown in figures 9, and 10.
In such case there will be no shell proper, but the die-block will have the cutting
edge b, as shewn.
The devices being constructed substantially as specified, will operate as follows:-
power being applied to rotate the band-wheels E, E, and communicated to band-
wheel E, and the piiman e¹, and rod, having been adjusted to cause the die-block
and the feed rollers to move at the proper relative speeds, the flexible material is fed
forward, first one sheet and then the other, alternately, step by step, each over its
respective cutter or die, and each in its turn is forced, by the reciprocating die-block
down on, (or up against), the cutter, the material curving or bending over the raised
face of the die-block B, so as to present an inclined surface to the cutter edge, and
cause the cut to be oblique to the face of the material, so that the blank is severed
from the material with a scarfing cut, as well as by a shearing or scissors cut, and is
delivered from the machine cut to form and with the desired beveled edge, and this
without distortion of the material, or undue strain on either the material or the
machine.
The double spiral shown in figure 14, commences its cuts at two opposite points;
and terminates each cut where the other began.
We are aware that a cutting die, and a plunger having a portion of its face beveled
or bulged outwardly, have heretofore been devised for cutting forms having beveled
edges, and do not herein claim the same, but,
our said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In apparatus for cutting and beveling articles of flexible or elastic material,
the combination with a die or cutter, of a reciprocating die-block having a raised
receding face, and sloping cutting edge, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
2. In apparatus for cutting and beveling articles of flexible, or elastic material: a
die-block having a cutting edge, and a central, adjustable, face-plate, or face-block;
substantially as and for the purposes specified.

page_text: 3. In a machine for cutting blank forms, the combination with an upper and a
lower cutter or die, whose forms are complementary, of a single reciprocating die-
block, whose opposite faces co-act with said cutters or dies, substantially as and for
the purposes specified.
4. In a machine for cutting blank forms, the combination of two cutters or dies,
each having its own pair of feed rollers, an intermediate reciprocating die-block,
which co-acts with both cuiters, and intermediate gearing substantially as specified.
whereby the feed rollers are actuated alternately and successively by the reciprocating
die-block mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
5. In apparatus for cutting blank forms, the combination with two cutiers, of two
sets of feed rollers, one roller of each pair having yielding bearings; an interposed
reciprocating die-block, which co-acts with both cutters; and intermediate mechanism,
substantially as specified, for driving the fixed feed rollers from the mechanismi
which actuates the reciprocating die-block, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
6. In apparatus for cutting blank forms, the combination of two band wheels; a
reciprocating die-block operated therefrom; a third band-wheel driven from one of
the first-named band-wheels; two bevel wheels operated from the third band-wheel
by pawl and ratchet mechanism: two pairs of feed rollers, operated alternately by the
bevel wheels; and two sets of cutters arranged in the planes of the feed rollers:
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
7. In apparatus for cutting blank forms, the combination of the band wheels E, E',
pitman 6 cross-head ², rods, and reciprocating die-block B with the band-
wheel, rod, rock-levers 7, #, having pawls P, bevel pinions H, H', rollers
having bevel pinions L, I', and with two cutters A, A, arranged above and below
the reciprocating die-block B, the whole co-acting, substantially as and for the
purposes specified.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.