IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND WINDING OR ROLLING PAPER
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
66
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND WINDING OR ROLLING
PAPER." A communication from abroad by Ignatz Frank, of the City and
State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 28th December 1878, and dated the 16th September 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th September 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
AND WINDING OR ROLLING PAPER." [A communication from abroad by Ignatz
Frank, of the City and State of New York, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for cutting paper from rolls
into continuous strips of any desired width, and winding the said strips into separate
compact rolls; and its object is to construct a paper-cutting machine in such a
manner that being driven by suitable power it will operate automatically to unwind
the paper from the roll, cut it into strips of the desired width, and rewind the said
strips with great precision into even compact rolls, and so that the edges of the said
strips shall be evenly cut without jagging, and each of the strips shall be of uniform
width throughout its entire length.
For these purposes I employ an oscillating frame having guide rolls and sets of
adjustable cutting knives in connection with an unwinding shaft at one end of the
machine upon which the roll of paper to be cut is placed, and at the other end of
the machine a winding-up shaft upon which the several strips are rewound; also a
fixed supplementary frame having guide and pressure rolls for guiding the paper
and imparting the requisite degree of pressure and tension thereto as it passes
through the machine.

page_text: The cutting knives are carried by laterally adjustable arms secured upon parallel
cross bars attached to the oscillating frame at that end of the machine nearest to
the winding-up shaft and in close proximity to the latter; and the construction and
arrangement of the said knives which I deem most preferable is that of circular
discs with cutting edges set opposite to each other, edge to edge, in pairs, and
revolving upon shafts fixed upon the adjustable arms above mentioned, and each of
the said knives having an independent motion. I also secure to each of said knives
a friction pulley of somewhat smaller diameter than the knife, which revolves with
the latter upon its shaft.
The paper is conducted from the unwinding shaft between the guide and pressure
rolls, and between the revolving knives and friction pulleys to the winding-up shaft,
upon which latter the several strips into which the paper is cut in its passage
through the machine are received and wound into compact and even rolls.
In cutting thin or soft papers. I use in connection with the above a series of
straight knives secured to adjustable fingers set upon a cross bar of the said
oscillating frame, and placed in line with the cutting knives so that each of the cuts
in the paper passes over one of said straight knives in its passage to the winding-up
shaft. And for the purpose of equalizing the tension upon the paper as the diameter
of the roll upon the unwinding shaft gradually diminishes, and the diameters of the
rolls on the winding-up shaft proportionately increase, I employ a tension device on
the latter shaft which regulates the take-up and ensures an equable degree of
tension throughout the process of cutting a roll.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th March 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
AND WINDING OR ROLLING PAPER" A communication from abroad by Ignatz
Frank, of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
The said Invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting paper from
rolls into continuous strips of any desired width (such as are used for telegraph
paper, ribbon paper, and for hat bindings and other purposes), and winding the said
strips into separate compact rolls; and its object is to construct a paper-cutting
machine in such a manner that being driven by suitable power it will operate
automatically to unwind the paper from the roll, cut it into strips of the desired
width, and rewind the said strips with great precision into even compact rolls, and
so that the edges of the said strips shall be evenly cut without jagging, and each of
the strips shall be of uniform width throughout its entire length.
For the purposes I employ an oscillating frame having guide rolls and sets of
adjustable cutting knives in connection with an unwinding shaft at one end of the.
machine, upon which the roll of papers to be cut is placed; and at the other end of
the machine a winding-up shaft, upon which the several strips are rewound; also a
fixed supplementary frame having guide and pressure rolls for guiding the paper.
and imparting the requisite degree of pressure and tension thereto as it passes
through the machine.
The cutting knives are carried by laterally adjustable arms secured upon parallel.
cross bars attached to the oscillating frame at that end of the machine nearest to
the winding-up shaft, and in close proximity to the latter; and the construction and
arrangement of the said knives which I deem most preferable is that of circular.
discs with cutting edges set opposite to each other edge to edge in pairs, and.
revolving upon shafts fixed upon the adjustable arms above mentioned, and each of
said knives having an independent motion. I also secure to each of said knives a
friction pulley of somewhat smaller diameter than the knife, which revolves with.
the latter upon its shaft.
The paper is conducted from the unwinding shaft between the guide and pressure
rolls, and between the revolving knives and friction pulleys to the winding-up shaft,
upon which latter the several strips into which the paper is cut in its passage
through the machine are received and wound into compact and even rolls.
In cutting thin or soft papers I use in connection with the above a series of straight
knives secured to adjustable fingers set upon a cross bar of the oscillating frame,
and placed in line with the cutting knives, so that each of the cuts in the paper passes
over one of said straight knives in its passage to the winding-up shaft. And for
the purpose of equalizing the tension upon the paper as the diameter of the roll upon
the unwinding shaft gradually diminishes, and the diameters of the rolls on the.
winding-up shaft proportionately increase, I employ a tension device upon the:
latter shaft which regulates the take-up and insures an equable degree of tension
throughout the process of cutting a roll.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer to the
several Figures in the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
In the said Drawing Figure 1 represents a plan view of my improved machine;
Figure 2, a vertical longitudinal section on the line x, x, in Figure 1; and Figures 3,.
4, 5, and 6 are detail views herein-after described and explained.
A represents the supporting frame of my improved machine. To the uppermost
portion of the said frame A is hung an oscillating frame B provided with a number:

page_text: of lateral guide rolls a, over and between which the continuous sheet of paper that
is to be cut into strips and wound up into separate rolls is guided and stretched so
as to be fed with proper tension to the cutting knives. The roll paper to be cut is
secured by means of conical and adjustable collars b upon the unwinding shaft C
that turns in bearings at one end of the frame A, while a revolving driven shaft D
at the other end of the frame A draws the paper through the machine, and all the
strips are wound up thereon.
To fixed cross bars of the oscillating frame, at one side of the fulcrum, are secured,
in sets or pairs, a number of adjustable arms E that carry at their outer ends the
fixed shafts of the cutting knives E. These cutting knives are made of disc form
with sharp edges, and are set in pairs in such position that their edges pass slightly
one beyond the other, so as to give a shear cut to the paper fed through between
them. Adjoining the disc-shaped knives are arranged, on the same shafts, friction
pulleys & of leather, felting, or other material, which form contact with both sides
of the paper that passes through between the said pulleys and knives, so as to cause
the continuous revolving of the knives and a clear shear cut on the paper without
any danger or possibility of the tearing of the paper.
In Figure 5 are shown an elevation and a plan view of a pair of the knives with
their pulleys on an enlarged scale. Any number of sets of these cutting knives
may be arranged at suitable distances on the cross bars of the oscillating frame B,
and adjusted thereon according to the number and widths of the strips into which
the roll is to be cut.
When the machine is prepared for work the clamp screws d' of the knife-
supporting arms E are loosened and the knives adjusted so that the several pairs
slightly overlap each other at one point of their circumference, and so that the
friction pulleys & work with sufficient pressure on the paper to cause the reliable
revolving and cutting of the knives. At the same side of the oscillating frame on
which the knives are arranged is attached, at a suitable angle thereto, a supplementary
frame B' with guide and pressure rolls m, over and between which the paper to be
cut is passed before being acted upon by the knives and other guide and pressure
rolls m¹ over which the strips are finally conducted to the winding-up shaft D. The
lowest of said rolls m¹ bears upon the strips of paper as they are being wound upon
the shaft D, thereby raising that end of the oscillating frame B and the knives as
the rolls increase in diameter, and insuring their being tightly and evenly wound.
As the cutting knives revolve by the friction of the paper drawn through the
machine by the winding-up shaft, their action corresponds always to the speed of
the winding-up shaft, thus avoiding the objectionable features incident to a separate
gear and positive motion. And the close proximity of the cutting knives to the
winding-up shaft, together with the action of the lowest pressure roll of the
supplementary frame insures the strips of paper being tightly wound up in uniform
manner on the shaft D, thereby avoiding the difficulties which were heretofore
experienced by reason of the varying speeds of the different winding-up shafts used
in roll-paper cutting machines.
The tension of the paper drawn through the machine is regulated by a friction
disc and brake arrangement H (a side view of which is shown in Figure 3) of the
unwinding shaft C. A weighted lever spring band or other suitable device may be
used for this purpose.
The unwinding shaft C is made capable of a limited lateral motion by means of
a fulcrumed hand lever C¹ which permits the lateral adjustment of the paper to
the cutting knives by the operator, and thereby the regular cutting and winding
up of the paper without waste.
The greater or less pressure of the oscillating frame on the paper rolls while they
are being wound up on the shaft D is regulated by means of adjustable weights e
applied to either end of the oscillating frame so that the rolls may be wound up
more or less tightly, as may be required for the purpose for which they are intended.
To the oscillating frame B is also attached a fixed cross bar F that extends below
the knives, and is provided with as many adjustable fingers F' as there are sets of

page_text: cutting knives used in the machine. At the ends of these fingers are thin blades which
enter between the strips as they are severed by the knives so as to separate them
and prevent any possibility of their over-lapping each other or getting entangled
with the adjoining rolls. These fingers and blades are mainly useful when thin
or soft paper is being cut, and when stout or stiff papers are being cut may be
omitted.
To provide for any irregularity in the length of the edges of the roll of paper,
one (or both) of the journal boxes y is made adjustable and operated by means of a
screw rod z so that the end of the unwinding shaft may be moved slightly forward
or backward to insure the proper and even tension of both edges of the paper.
During the operation of cutting a roll of paper the diameters of the rolls upon the
winding-up shaft gradually increase, while that of the roll upon the unwinding
shaft correspondingly diminishes, and consequently the speed at which the paper
passes through the machine is gradually accelerated unless some device is employed
for the purpose of regulating the speed.
In some cases it is necessary to make the speed at which the paper travels uniform,.
as for instance, when the cutting machine is attached directly to the paper mill
in which the paper itself is manufactured; and for the purpose of causing the paper
to travel through the machine at uniform speed I employ a device of which the
following is a description, and of which Figure 6 represents a vertical transverse
section-Over the winding-up shaft D I place a hollow shaft or sleeve I, upon
which latter the strips are received and wound. Secured to the end of the sleeve I,
at right angles thereto, is a disc or pulley n which revolves within a case p that is
placed upon the shaft D and kept in position by a screw rod r, the end of which
travels in a groove in the said shaft. A brake block or shoe 8, adjusted by a set
screw t, presses upon the periphery of the disc n. By means of this device the
sleeve I upon which the paper is wound (having an independent motion) is retarded
by the increased tension on the paper, and gradually revolves more slowly in
proportion as the diameters of the rolls thereon increase; and this tension device
being set at a predetermined degree of tension, the same speed of the paper through
the machine is kept up throughout the entire process of passing a roll of paper
through the machine.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I
observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original in the said improve-
ments, and therefore claim as my Invention is,―
Firstly. As an improvement in roll-paper cutting machines, the combination of an
oscillating frame having guide rolls and sets of adjustable cutting knives with an
unwinding shaft at one side of the fulcrum of the said frame, upon which the paper
roll to be cut is secured, and a winding-up shaft at the other side thereof upon which
the several strips into which the paper has been cut in its passage through the
machine are wound.
Secondly. The combination of the oscillating frame having sets of cutting knives,
and a fixed supplementary frame having guide and pressure rolls, with an unwinding
shaft at one end of the machine and a winding-up shaft at the other end of the same,
substantially as specified.
Thirdly. In a roll-paper cutting machine the combination of the oscillating frame
having cross bars with a series of revolving friction pulleys and cutting knives on
fixed shafts secured upon laterally adjustable arms on parallel cross bars attached to
the said frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourthly. The combination of the oscillating frame having adjustable cutting
knives and friction pulleys, and a supplementary frame having guide and pressure
rolls, with a winding-up shaft and an unwinding shaft provided with suitable
tension devices, substantially as specified.
Fifthly. The combination of the oscillating frame, the unwinding shaft, and the
winding-up shaft with the friction device herein-before described for regulating and

page_text: equalizing the speed of the passage of the paper through the machine, substantially
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)