CERTAIN MACHINES OR MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND PLACING PAPER
Year: 1807

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
DICKINSON, of the Parish of Saint Martin, Ludgate, in the City of London,
Stationer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of June,
in the forty-seventh year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
John Dickinson, my executors, admors, and assigns, His special licence, full
power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said John Dickinson, my
executors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of
years therein expressed, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
MACHINES OR MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND PLACING PAPER;" in which Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Dickinson,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Juvention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months after the date of the said recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same (relation being thereunto had) may and will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
John Dickinson, do hereby particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following description thereof (that is
to say)-

page_text: My Invention consists in a machine which is described in the annexed
Drawing, wherein Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal elevation, Fig. 2 a transverse
section, Fig. 3 a plan, and Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, views of different parts of
it. Each part in the end section, Fig. 2, is on a level with the same part in
the longitudinal elevation, Fig. 1, and the same correspondence is preserved
between the parts in the plan, Fig. 3, and the elevation, Fig. 1; the same
are used in cach Figure for a reference to the various parts. A, A, A, A,
represents the frame, which may be of wood or metal, but if of wood the part
to which the transverse cutting frames are attached should be metal, as incon-
venience might arise. from the warping of wood. B, B, B, B, B, B, are six
reels covered with paper, from which the ends are collected and placed under
the roller C, and upon the endless felt D, which is intended to be moved round
on the rollers E, E; the ends of the paper are then carried between the
cylinders F, F, on which there are pinions, so that if motion is communicated
to either they will move round exactly together. If necessary a motion may be
given from either of the cylinders to the roller C by means of riggers and a band,
and if necessary the endless felt and the paper off each reel may be stretched
out by a process. at present in-use, which consists in drawing it over a board,
on which are fixed strips of woollen cloth placed diagonally with regard to the
course of the paper, and gradually divirging from the centre of the board.
By this part of the apparatus, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 sheets of paper, according to
the number of reels that are suspended, may be placed together for the
purpose of cutting them all through at once, but if the machine be not.
required for cutting more than one sheet of paper at a time, the whole of the
parts described hitherto may be omitted and the machine constructed merely
with two bearings for suspending one reel of paper, or the paper may be led to
it immediately from the machine where it is manufactured. G is a spindle on
which there may be fixed one or more vertical circular grooves, which are
moveable along it, and may be fixed at any given point with a screw, and the
intervals between these and the spaces to the end of the spindle should be
filled up with wooden collars for supporting the paper as it is moved over, so
that when prepared for working it will resemble a roller with grooves cut in
it, the intervals between which will be equal to the breadth of the paper. II
is a spindle, on which there may be fixed one or more vertical circular
knives, which are moveable along it, and may be fixed at any given point by
a screw, and these are intended to run in the grooves on the spindle below, so
that the paper laying upon those grooves is cut though longitudinally. The
spindle G is turned round so as to carry the paper at the same rate that it is
led through the metal cylinders; but the spindle I should be moved with a

page_text: velocity of about two hundred turns in a minute by means of a rigger II,
to which motion may be given either from this or any other machinery where
it may be more convenient. I, I, are two spindles, at each end of which are
two chain wheels J, J, and each spindle has a toothed wheel K, K, each of
which gives motion to the other, so that when they are set in motion they carry
round the four endless chains L, L, L, L. M is a frame with two spindles, on
which are four chain wheels or rollers N, N, for carrying round the endless
chains, and this is moveable upon the frame A, A, so that it may be fixed
according to the length of the chains. Fig. 4 is a transverse view of one side
of this frame. O is a small roller, of which Fig. 5 is a view; it is moveable
along the frame A, A, and wherever it is fixed it brings the lower chain in
contact with the upper; there is one of these on each side of the machine for
cach of the lower chains, and they must always be fixed exactly opposite each
other. The four endless chains L, L, L, L, must all be of equal length, and
so constructed that they will take to pieces. P, P, P, P, P, are metal rods
or bars, which are fixed across from one chain to the other, the two upper
chains having an equal number with the two lower, and they must all be fixed
at equal distances from each other, and the distance must be regulated
according to the size it is intended to cut the paper. The rods and chains
must be so placed that the two upper chains will bring round the rods attached
to them exactly over those attached to the two lower chains; and thus when
the chains are brought into contact by means of the small rollers Q, Q, the
rods, which are all parallel to each other, will be brought into contact also,
and if the end of the paper is laid between them they will carry it forward till
they separate at the small rollers O. The transverse cutting apparatus consists
of two metal bars R, R, which are fixed to the frame A, A, but a little way
apart, so as to form a groove between them. Below these there are two other
metal bars S, S, which are attached together, but move up and down
perpendicularly in the slides T, T; between these also is a narrow groove,
exactly below that between the upper bars and openings for the frame, to
which the knife is attached. The knife V is a plate of steel fixed in the
frame W, which can be moved up and down between the lower bars in such
manner that when they are moved up so as to confine the paper between them
and the two upper bars, the knife can go up still higher and cut through the
paper into the groove between the two upper bars. The groove between the two
upper bars should be about twice the breadth of that between the two lower
bars. The two lower bars and the knife are moved up by means of the
revolution of a spindle X, on each end of which there is a double snail
horn Y, which raises them together during seven eighths of its revolution, and

page_text: -
during the remaining eighth part keeps the lower metal bars up high enough
to confine the paper between them and the upper ones, and at the same time
sends the knife through it; when the spindle X has completed its revolution,
the weight of the two lower bars and the knife will cause them to drop down
again immediately, and there are two springs fixed to the frame which carries
the knife to prevent its sticking. Fig. 6 represents a section of the cutting
frame half its real size, with the lower bars raised by the snail horn so as to
touch the upper ones. The snail horn not having completed its revolution, the
knife is not carried up into the upper groove. is a small roller or chain
wheel for drawing the upper chain tight; there must be one to each upper
chain. The chain consists of one internal brass-link and two external steel
links successively, as is represented in Figures 6 and 7, where a, a, are the
steel links, b, b, the brass links, and c, c, the pins that connect them. It
is not necessary that the whole of the chain should take to pieces, and where
it is not, intended to do so the pins may be rivetted on cach side. In that part
which is intended for taking to pieces, the pins must be rivetted into one steel
link, and after being passed thro' the brass links, and the opposite steel link will
be fixed by a small catch d on the other side, as is represented in Fig. 6. Chains
of different construction might be adapted to answer this purpose, but I have
described that which I consider most secure. Fig. 7 is a plan of the end of
the metal rods P, P, P, wherein e, e, are two branch, links which can be
connected to the steel links of the chain in the saine manner that the chain
itself is put together. The number of the metal rods may be varied from
three to six, or more, according to the size the paper is required. The first
movement should be communicated to the lower cylinder F, which turns the
upper cylinder, by the pinions. On the upper cylinder there is a toothed wheel,
No. 1, which turns the spindle G. by another toothed wheel, No. 2, which
turns the toothed wheel No. 3, upon the upper spindle I, and that carries both
spindles round by means of the toothed wheels K, K, and the endless chain
being round the metal rods P, P, P, P, in contact with each other in endless
Euccession, so that when they have carried the paper nearly as far as the
roller O, a movement is given to the spindle X, which cuts thro' the paper and
immediately releases it. The rods just carry it forward so as to clear the
cutting apparatus, and when it has fallen on the pack below, they open at the
rollers O and leave it, the next pair of rods taking hold of it immediately
behind where it has been cut off. f is a table for the paper to drop upon,
which may either be fixed or moveable up and down gradually for the purpose
of receiving the paper. The motion is given (when required) to the spindle X
by means of the fly whe, g, Fig. 8, which runs on the spindle X, and

page_text: which is kept in constant motion at the rate of about two hundred turns per
minute, either from this or any other machinery, where it may be more
convenient, in the following manner :--The fly wheel has affixed to it on the
same centre a hoop or receptacle for a cone h; the spindle X is made square at
the part markel i, and a conej is constructed to traverse upon it, so that when
the cone is thrown into the hoop h, attached to the fly wheel, the spindle X
will be carried round, and when the cone is thrown out again the motion of the
fly wheel will cease to act upon the spindle; therefore the bars P, P, P, P, P,
having a small projection beyond the chain L, L, when these act upon the
inclined plane or latch k, k, they force in the conej which is further driven in
by the action of a steel pin / in the inclined groove m, which same pin in the
course of its revolution will throw it out again also by means of the inclined
groove; therefore when the machine is at work each pair of metal rods p, p,
in succession will act upon the inclined plane k, and produce a revolution of
the spindle X, which will cut through the paper, consequently the size of the
paper will be determined by the distance at which the metal rods are fixed,
and the chains L, L, being made to take to pieces, the intervals between them
can be varied to what length is required, observing that the distance between
each rod must be equal, and then, if placed properly at first, the movement of
the machine will make each pair close upon the paper regularly and divide it
into sheets of exactly the same size.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Dickinson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seven