IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PERFORATING PAPER OR SIMILAR MATERIAL TO BE USED IN AUTOMATIC OR MECHANICAL ORGANS OR HAR- MONIUMS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
and Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PERFORATING PAPER OR SIMILAR
MATERIAL TO BE USED IN AUTOMATIC OR MECHANICAL ORGANS OR HAR-
MONIUMS." A communication from abroad by the Automatic Music Paper
.Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th February 1881.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PER-
FORATING PAPER OR SIMILAR MATERIAL TO BE USED IN AUTOMATIC OR MECHANICAL
ORGANS OR HARMONIUMS." [A communication from abroad by the Automatic
Music Paper Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.]
My Invention relates to mechanism for cutting or perforating the paper or other
material used in automatic organs and the like as music sheets, and it consists in a
certain new combination and arrangement of mechanical elements operating
automatically by which the open spaces in the sheet indicating the musical
notation may be formed after any desired arrangement and to represent any
possible combination of musical sounds.
It is well known that in the automatic organs now before the public the various
melodies to be performed are represented upon long sheets of paper by perforations
or openings cut therein, the several combinations of sounds depending upon the
relative arrangement and individual length of said perforations. As the possible
arrangements are infinite in number, it follows that there is no limit to the number
of musical compositions which can be rendered by any single instrument except the
cost of supplying the music paper. This single item is entitled to serious considera-
tion in view of the fact that at present these music sheets are cut by hand, a fact
which greatly increases their cost. Moreover as their production is a work requiring
a high degree of accuracy and care, it is impossible to avoid slight errors which may
affect the harmonv..

page_text: By the present Invention these objections are wholly overcome, since my machine
will not only cut any given arrangement of note-perforations with mathematical
accuracy, but will also perform the work at a very low cost.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a frame in which the
operative parts are supported. Near the upper and rearward part of this frame is
placed a roll which carries the blank sheet of paper upon which the machine is to
operate. This roll is journalled in the frame, and is arranged to turn easily and
deliver the paper as fast as it is required. At the front of the machine and near
its top are placed two rolls so arranged that their tangent line shall be in about the
same plane with the lower side of the first named roll. The upper one of the said
two rolls is journalled in pivoted bearings by means of which these rolls may be
separated from contact with each other for the purpose of introducing or removing
the paper sheet, the pivoted bearings being connected to the frame by spiral springs
hooked into an eye upon the plates. These springs exert a sufficient pressure upon
the lower roll to insure the uniform and accurate feed of the paper sheet which
passes between them. Motion is imparted to these feeding rolls by means of a
pawl and ratchet movement connected to the main shaft of the machine.
Between the two feeding rolls and the first named roll is placed a guide bed,
having flanged sides, the width of the bed inside the flanges being just equal to the
width of the paper sheet, which in passing from the first named roll to the feed
rolls, moves between the flanges by which all lateral displacement is prevented,
thereby causing the several series of perforations to be cut exactly parallel to each
other and to the edges of the sheet.
Cutting punches are placed behind and near the feed-rolls. They consist each
of a straight rectangular block of metal arranged in a series which is precisely
parallel to the axis of the feed rolls. The distance between the several punches is
equal to the space left between the rows of perforations in the music sheet, and
their number is equal to the number of rows to be cut, and this may be varied if
desirable.
The punches cut upon their upward movement, passing through a continuation,
and then into a die plate placed just above the bed, the paper sheet as it is fed to
the punches passing between the said bed plate and die plate.
Now it is evident that if the entire series of punches should act at each stroke of
the prime motor (the paper sheet being fed between the successive strokes a distance
nearly equal to the thickness of the punches), the result would be merely a sheet
having a series of strips cut therefrom at regular intervals, whereas it is necessary
that some of the cuts shall be very short, while others are of a considerable length,
their relative arrangement being also very irregular. It follows therefore that out
of the whole series of punches certain selected numbers thereof must be called into
operation at any given stroke, the remaining punches being at the same time
inactive, leaving that portion of the paper sheet which lies above them unperforated.
This selecting out of the entire series of the particular punches required to act at a
particular point, and the rejection by the mechanism of the remaining punches
must be automatic and mathematically accurate.
I will now describe the means by which I accomplish this result, that is to say,
the punches are arranged as already stated in a single row or series, and placed
behind and parallel with the feed rolls. Each punch is capable of separate and
independent operation, being in no way connected with the adjacent punches.
When not in operation they rest beneath the die plate, their upper or cutting
extremities being a trifle below the upper surface of the bed, in which position
they are sustained by a tooth formed on each punch which rests on the guide plate.
Directly beneath the punches is placed a series of dogs mounted upon a carrier
frame, to which vertical reciprocation is imparted at each revolution of the main
shaft by means of eccentrics and pitmen.
The carrier frame is guided in its movement by grooves cut in the frame. Each
dog is mounted upon a pivot bearing, and is provided with an arm extending
forward and having at its extremity a pin. Each dog is also provided with a

page_text: spring attached to the carrier frame and pressing upon the rear face of the dog, and
holding it when not otherwise acted upon in a vertical position. When in this
position the dogs are directly beneath and in engagement with the punches.
If the machine is now operated through one half of a revolution of the main
shaft, the carrier will rise and carry the dogs up with it, and driving the whole
series of punches upward at the same moment forming a series of perforations in
the paper sheet corresponding with the whole number of punches..
Upon the front of the machine and directly under the ends of the arms is
placed a roll journalled in plates which are secured to the frame. This roll is
provided with a series of grooves, so formed and arranged that the pins
upon the extremities of the arms may drop into said grooves when the arms are
depressed sufficiently to bring the dogs under and in engagement with the punches.
Over this roll is led a sheet of paper or other suitable material, said sheet passing
from a lower delivering roll placed in standards in front of the machine, and being
taken up after leaving the roll by a receiving roll. This sheet which is called the
"stencil" is provided with a series of perforations exactly corresponding in length
and in their relative positions with the cuttings, which are to be formed in the
paper sheet. It has also a rack cut upon or near its edges to engage with cogs or
teeth upon the roll When the sheet is placed thereon with the teeth engaging
said rack, the several rows or series of perforations will coincide in position with
the grooves of the roll. Now as the stencil sheet is fed forward by the rotation of
the roll the moment when any one or more of the perforations falls beneath, one or
more of the pins in it will permit such pin or pins to drop through and descend
into the grooves in the roll, thereby, depressing the arms and bringing the
corresponding dogs under and in engagement with the punches above said dogs.
The remaining grooves in the roll being covered by the unperforated portions of
the stencil sheet, the pins upon the remaining arms rest thereon, and are thus
prevented from dropping, whereby the dogs actuated by said arms are held out of
engagement with their punches in position. At this moment, the paper sheet and
stencil being both stationary, the carrier rises, and those punches which happen to.
be in engagement with the dogs in the manner described are driven up through
the paper, each punch forming a single cut therein. The carrier frame immediately
descends, drawing all those punches which have been called into operation down
with it by means of a yoke attached to the carrier frame, and passing over a series
of teeth formed upon the backs of the punches. In the same manner the whole or
any number less than the whole series of punches can be made to cut at the same
instant, the selection of those punches which are required to act at any given
point being indicated by the stencil perforations, and effected by the arms and the
dogs. After each stroke of the punches, the paper sheet and stencil must be fed
one step forward in preparation for the successive stroke. Before the stencil moves,
however, all of those pins which happen to register with its perforations must
be lifted out of the grooves in the roll, and out of contact with the stencil to
prevent the pins from catching in the ends of the cut spaces as the feed movement
takes place, and thereby tearing the stencil. For this reason the arms must be
lifted r enough to raise all the pins above the stencil until the feed is accomplished,
when the whole series must be released to allow those pins which register with
perforations after the feed to drop into the grooves in the stencil roll, and thereby
cause their dogs to engage with these punches which are required to act upon the
next stroke. This is effected by means of a yoke mounted upon a yoke carrier.
This yoke passes from the carrier around in front of the whole series of dogs, the
yoke carrier being connected to the frame by a lever pivoted to the lower part of
said frame. This lever is actuated by a cam on a shaft which throws the yoke
carrier backward, causing the yoke to draw all the dogs toward the rear, and raise
the entire series of arms far enough to lift the pins slightly above the stencil. The cam
acts between every stroke of the punches, the arrangement being such that the yoke
is operated and the arms raised an instant before the feed of the stencil begins.
The moment this is completed the camn leaves the lever, which is restored to its

page_text: former position by a spring causing the yoke to release the dogs, when as many of the
pins as may happen after the feed movement to register with perforations to the
stencil will fall into the grooves in the roll, and cause the corresponding dogs to
engage with those punches which are required to cut upon the next stroke. The
remaining pins of the series will rest upon the unperforated portions of the stencil,
and thereby prevent their dogs from engaging with those punches which are to
remain inactive.
It should be noted that the same pin may many times successively be lifted out
of and fall into the same perforation in the stencil, in which case the punch
corresponding will cut at every stroke, forming (as each feed movement is slightly
less than the thickness of the punch) a continuous cut a slot in the paper sheet.
The length of each cut will depend upon the number of successive strokes made by
the same punch, and this will be determined by the length of the perforation in
the stencil. The feed of the paper sheet is either exactly equal to or bears a
certain fixed relation to the movement of the stencil sheet. The paper sheet is fed
by the feed rolls, their motion being derived from the main shaft by a pawl and
ratchet movement connected with the lower roll. This consists of a pitman
attached to a crank on the shaft, which operates a pawl engaged with a ratchet
wheel on the lower roll shaft. The pawl is carried by an arm oscillating on the
same shaft, and said arm is provided with an eye through which the pitman passes,
the end portion of the latter being threaded and provided with nuts (one on each
side of the eye) by which the movement of the arm and consequently the throw of
the pawl can be regulated at pleasure. I can by these devices adjust the rate of
feed with the greatest precision.
A similar combination of devices is used in connection with the roll to feed the
stencil sheet, the great advantage thereof, being that the entire feed movement is
accomplished during the time that the prime motor is performing a short arc of its
circle of revolution. Thus the paper sheet and stencil are stationary during nearly
the whole of each revolution of the main shaft, allowing the other parts of the
mechanism ample time to perform their functions without interfering with the
feed. It is evident also, as already stated, that by these means the feed of both
the stencil and the paper or music sheet can be so adjusted as to be exactly equal,
or to bear a certain 'fixed proportion to each other.
To secure the accurate performance of all these functions it is of the greatest
importance that the stencil sheet shall pass over the stencil roll at a fixed rate of
speed from which there shall be no deviation, excepting as caused by adjustment
of the feed regulating devices. In order to secure this fixed and accurate feed rate
teeth on cogs are formed or placed on each end of the stencil roll to engage with
a rack cut in or near the edges of the stencil sheet.
To insure the uniform engagement of the teeth with the rack, and also for the
purpose of securing the greatest precision in the action of the clogs, it is necessary
to apply some degree of tension to the stencil sheet by which it shall be drawn
smoothly against and snugly up to the stencil roll. This degree of tension moreover
being once fixed must suffer no deviation, and I provide the following simple means
for applying such tension, that is to say :-The stencil is led or drawn from a
delivery roll journaled in a pivoted frame to permit the roll to oscillate. In the
end of said roll is placed a short threaded bearing having a head which rests
against the outer surface of journal supporting plates. By turning this threaded
shaft the end of the roll may be made to hug the plate, and thus any desired
amount of friction can be treated. As the stencil is drawn off this roll the amount
of friction which must be overcome in order to revolve the delivery roll will
determine the tension of the stencil sheet. In order to overcome this friction, as
well as to secure an accurate engagement of the teeth with the rack cut in the
stencil, it is desirable that the receiving roll should exert a certain degree of draft
upon the sheet to prevent the teeth from coming out of the rack, and to hold the
sheet down upon the top of the roll. The receiving roll therefore receives motion
from a pulley upon the main shaft geared by a belt with a pulley upon its own

page_text: shaft. This pulley is placed loosely upon the roll shaft and clamped against a
collar bolted thereto by a nut. By tightening this nut the pulley may be made to
exert a certain degree of draft upon the stencil sheet, but beyond that point it will
slip on its shaft without increasing the tension of the sheet. This result is necessary
because the pulley travels somewhat faster than the stencil is fed. By this friction
brake the draft of the receiving roll can be regulated in proportion to the resistance
of the delivery roll and the tension produced by the stencil roll. It should be so
adjusted that the receiving roll and the stencil roll shall both contribute to overcome
the resistance of the delivery roll. One great advantage of this form of friction
brake is that the tension produced by it is constant in degree, since the pulley is
at each instant slipping from its shaft, and at each instant also exerting the exact
amount of tension on the stencil necessary to overcome the degree of friction
produced by the clamp, and this degree being invariably the same.
I have already stated that the paper sheet is fed by a pawl and ratchet
movement connected with the main shaft. Exactly the same combination of
the elements is employed to impart motion to the roll which feed the stencil
sheet.
Both stencil and paper sheet are fed by devices connected with the main shaft,
but not acting at the same moment, as the feed movement of the stencil precedes
that of the paper sheet by an instant of time.
As the music sheet is drawn from the first named roll it is apt to have a
tremulous vibration, which has a tendency to produce fine wrinkles in its surface.
This is readily overcome by laying a light weight on that part of the sheet which
lies between the flanges, and fastening it to the frame so that the paper may slide
beneath it. A simple bar of wood is sufficient for this purpose.
Instead of the other springs I may use spiral springs connected to the under
side of the arms and to the corner frame; also instead of the dogs being mounted
upon a pivot bearing a support in the carrier frame they may be caused to slide
in grooves cut in said frame, in which case the arms would engage with the stencil
roll upon the side of the roll next to the carrier frame instead of upon the top of
the roll.
Moreover, by merely altering the angle between the arms and dogs their operation
may be partially reversed, the dogs engaging with the punches when the arms rest
upon the stencil sheet, and being disconnected with the punches when the pins drop
into the grooves in the roll. Finally the arms. instead of being lifted by a yoke
may be raised either by a cam shaft placed beneath the arms, or by a stationary
plate placed in front of the said arms in such a position that as the carrier
frame descends the arms shall be lifted by striking the plate, while the arms shall
as they rise merely tilt the plate.
In operating this machine I ordinarily pass from (8) to twelve (12) sheets
between the feet rolls simultaneously, as the machine works better upon a number.
of sheets than upon a single thickness.
When several sheets are fed the number of delivery rolls is. correspondingly
increased, each roll delivering a single sheet. For this purpose the frame may be
extended toward the rear as far as may be necessary in order to give room for the
additional rolls.
The stencil sheet may also be passed between two rolls similar to the feed rolls
instead of being wound off the other. roll, and in like manner may be drawn off
the stencil roll by two similar rolls instead of being wound on the receiving, roll.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Harris Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th August 1881.
r
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PER-
FORATING PAPER OR SIMILAR MATERIAL TO BE USED IN AUTOMATIC OR
MECHANICAL ORGANS OR HARMONIUMS." A communication from abroad by the
Automatic Music Paper Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
This Invention relates to mechanism for automatically cutting or perforating the
paper or other material used in automatic or mechanical musical instruments as
music sheets or tune bands.
It is well known that in the automatic or mechanical musical instruments now
before the public the various melodies to be performed are represented upon long
sheets of paper by perforations or openings cut therein, the several combinations of
sounds depending upon the relative arrangement and individual length of the
said perforations. As the possible arrangements of these perforations are infinite,
it follows that there is no limit to the number of musical compositions which can
be rendered by any single instrument, except the cost of supplying the music
paper. This single item is entitled to serious consideration in view of the fact
that at present these music sheets are cut by hand, a fact which greatly increases
their cost. Moreover as their production is a work requiring a high degree of
accuracy and care, it is impossible to avoid slight errors which may affect the
harmony.
By the present Invention these objections are wholly overcome, since my improved
machine will not only automatically cut any given arrangement of note-perfora-
tions with mathematical accuracy, but will also perform the work at a very low
cost.
My Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved machine, and
Figure 2 is an elevation of the right hand side of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the said machine, and
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the same on the line x, x, Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an end elevation partly in section on the line y, y, Figure 3 and with
the front rolls removed.
Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section of portions of the said machine on the
line 2, 2, Figure 4.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
A, A, indicate the frame of the machine in which the operative parts are
supported. Near the upper and rearward part of this frame is placed a roll B,
which carries the blank sheet of paper upon which the machine is to operate. This
roll is journalled in the frame and is arranged to turn easily and deliver the paper
as fast as it is required. At the front of the machine and near its top are placed
two rolls C, C¹, so arranged that their tangent line shall be in about the same
plane with the lower side of the roll B. The upper roll C is journalled in
pivotted bearings or bearing plates c, c, which permit the two rolls to be separated
from contact with each other for the purpose of introducing or removing the paper
sheet; these pivoted bearing plates c, c, are connected to the frame A, A, by spiral
springs d, d, hooked into an eye upon the said plates. These springs cause the
upper roll to exert sufficient pressure upon the lower roll to ensure the uniform and
accurate feed of the paper sheet D which passes between them. Motion is imparted

page_text: to these feeding rolls by means of pawl-and-ratchet mechanism operated as herein-
after described from the main shaft of the machine, see (Figures 2 and 5).
Between the two rolls C, C¹ and the roll B, is placed a guide bed E (see Figure 4),
having flanged sides e, e; the width of this bed E inside the said flanges is just
equal to the width of the paper sheet D, so that the latter in passing from the
roll B to the feed rolls moves between the said flanges e, e, which prevent any
lateral displacement of the said sheet, thereby causing the several series of perfora-
tions to be cut exactly parallel to each other and to the edges of the said sheet.
The cutting punches are placed behind and near the feed-rolls. One of these
punches consists of a straight rectangular block of metal f (see Figure 4), and the
said punches are arranged in a series which is exactly parallel to the axis of the
feed rolls C, C. The distance between the several punches is equal to the space
left between the rows of perforations in the music sheet, and their number is equal
to the number of rows to be cut; it is evident that the number of the said punches
and the distance between the same may be varied as desired. In the Drawing I
have shown two punches only and the mechanism in connection therewith.
These punches f cut the paper sheet during their upward movement and pass
through a continuation E¹ of the guide bed E, and then into a die plate F placed
just above the bed E', the paper sheet as it is fed to the punches passing between
the said bed plate and die-plate.
It is evident that if the entire series of punches acted at each stroke or revolution
of the prime motor (the paper sheet being fed between the successive strokes a
distance nearly equal to the thickness of the punches) the result would be merely
a sheet having a series of strips cut therefrom at regular intervals, whereas it is
necessary that some of the cuts shall be very short, while others are of considerable
length, their relative arrangement being also very irregular. It follows therefore
that out of the whole series of punches, certain selected members thereof must be
brought into operation at any given stroke, the remaining punches being at the
same time inactive, and leaving that portion of the paper sheet which lies above
them unperforated. This selection out of the entire series of punches of the
particular punches required to act at a certain point, and the rejection by the
mechanism of the remaining punches, must be automatic and mathematically
accurate.
I will now proceed to describe the means whereby I accomplish this result, that
is to say-The punches are arranged as above stated in a single row or series, and
placed behind and parallel with the feed rolls C, C¹. Each punch is capable of
separate and independent operation, being in no way connected with the adjacent
punches. When not in operation the punches rest beneath the die plate F, with
their upper or cutting extremities a little below the upper surface of the bed
plate E¹, in which position they are sustained by a tooth o formed on each punch,
which tooth rests on the guide plate T. Directly beneath the punches is placed a
series of dogs G mounted upon a carrier-frame M, to which vertical reciprocation is
imparted at each revolution of the main shaft O by means of excentrics N, N, and
pitman N¹, N. The carrier-frame is guided in its movements by grooves V, V, cut
in the frame A, A. Each dog is mounted upon a pivot bearing t, and is provided
with an arm H extending forward and having at its extremity a pin m. At the
rear of each dog is a spring P¹ which is attached to the carrier-frame M, and presses
upon the rear face of the dog, and holds it when not otherwise acted upon in a
vertical position. When in this position the dogs G are directly beneath and in
engagement with the punches.
If the main shaft is now turned to the extent of one half of a revolution the
carrier M will be caused to rise, and will carry the dogs G up with it and drive the
whole series of punches upward at the same moment, thereby forming a series of
perforations in the paper sheet D corresponding with the whole number of
punches.
Upon the front of the machine, and directly under the ends of the arms H, is
placed à roll K" journalled in plates 1, 1, which are secured to the frame A. This

page_text: roll is provided with a series of grooves k, k, so formed and arranged that the
pins m upon the extremities of the arms H may drop into them when the arms are
depressed sufficiently to bring the dogs G under and in engagement with the
punches. Over this roll K" which is rotated by the means hereinafter described
is led a sheet L of paper or other suitable material; this sheet passes from a lower
delivering roll K' supported in plates attached to the standards I, I, in front of the
machine, and is taken up after leaving the roll K" by a receiving roll K. This
sheet which is termed the "stencil is provided with a series of perforations
corresponding exactly in length and in their relative positions with the perforations
which are to be formed in the paper sheet D. It has also a rack cut upon or near
its edges to engage with cogs or teeth 12 upon the roll K". When the sheet is
placed on the said roll with the teeth engaging with the said rack, the several
rows or series of perforations in the said sheet will coincide in position with the
grooves k, k, in the roll K". Now as the stencil sheet is fed forward by the
rotation of the roll K, the moment any one or more of the perforations passes
beneath one or more of the pins m, it will permit such pin or pins to drop through and
descend into one or more of the grooves in the roll, and allow the arm or arms H
carrying the said pin or pins to fall, thus bringing the corresponding dogs under and
into engagement with the punches above the said dogs. The remaining grooves in the
roll being covered by the unperforated portions of the stencil sheet, the pins upon the
remaining arms rest thereon, and are thus prevented from dropping, whereby the
dogs actuated by the said arms are held out of engagement with their punches in
the position shewn at G, Figure 4. At this moment the paper sheet and stencil
being both stationary the carrier M rises, and those punches which are in engage-
ment with the dogs are driven up through the paper, each punch forming a single
cut therein. The carrier frame M immediately descends, drawing all those punches
which have been brought into operation down with it by means of a yoke n
attached to the carrier-frame, and passing over the series of teeth o formed upon
the backs of the said punches. In the same manner the whole or any number less
than the whole series of punches can be inade to cut at the same instant, the
selection of those punches which are required to act at any given point being
indicated by the stencil perforations and effected by the arms H and dogs G.
After each stroke of the punches the paper sheet D and stencil L must be fed one
step forward in preparation for the succeeding stroke. Before the stencil moves
however all of those pins m which register with its perforations must be lifted out
of the grooves in the roll and out of contact with the stencil to prevent the said
pins from catching in the ends of the open or cut spaces of the same as the feed
movement takes place, and thereby tearing the stencil. For this reason the
arms H must be lifted far enough to raise all the pins above the stencil until the
feed is accomplished, when the whole series of arms must be released to allow those
pins which register with perforations after the feed movement to drop into the
grooves in the stencil roll, and thereby cause their dogs to engage with those
punches which are required to act during the next stroke. This is effected by
means of a yoke p mounted upon a yoke carrier P, which is connected to the
frame M by a lever Pu pivoted to the lower part of the latter.
This yoke passes
from the said carrier around in front of the whole series of dogs G. The lever P
is actuated by a cam a on the shaft O, which cam throws the yoke carrier backward
and causes the yoke p to draw all the dogs G towards the rear, and raise the entire
series of arms H far enough to lift the pins m slightly above the stencil. The
cam a acts between every stroke of the punches, the arrangement being such that
the yoke p is operated and the arms H raised an instant before the feed of the
stencil takes place. The moment the feed is completed the cam leaves the lever P¹¹
which is restored to its former position by a spring p³, thus causing the yoke to
release the dogs, when as many of the pins m as register after the feed movement
with the perforations in the stencil will fall into the grooves in the roll and cause
the corresponding dogs to engage with those punches which are required to cut the
sheet D on the next stroke. The remaining pins of the series will as above stated

page_text: rest upon the unperforated portions of the stencil, and thereby prevent the dogs
from engaging with those punches which are to remain inactive.
The same pin may be lifted out of and allowed to fall into the same perforation
in the stencil many times in succession, in which case the corresponding punch will
cut at every stroke forming (as each feed movement is slightly less than the
thickness of the punch) a continuous cut or slot in the paper sheet D. The length
of such cut will depend upon the number of successive strokes made by the samė
punch, and this number of strokes will be determined by the length of the
perforation in the stencil. The feed of the paper sheet D is either exactly equal to
or bears a certain fixed relation to the movement of the stencil sheet L. As above
stated, the paper sheet is fed by the rolls C, C¹, which derive their motion from the
main shaft through pawl and ratchet mechanism connected with the lower roll.
This mechanism consists of a pitman a* attached to a crank on the shaft O, and
adapted to operate a pawl 64 engaging with a ratchet wheel on the lower roll shaft.
This pawl is carried by an arm d oscillating on the said roll shaft, and provided
with an eye e¹ through which the pitman passes, the end portion of the latter being
threaded and provided with nuts f*, f*, (one on each side of the eye) by which
the movement of the arm and cousequently the throw of the pawl can be regulated
at pleasure. By the employment of these devices I am enabled to adjust the rate
of feed with the greatest precision.
A similar combination of devices is used in connection with the roll K" to feed
the stencil sheet, the great advantage thereof being that the entire feed movement
is accomplished during the time that the prime motor is performing a short arc of
its circle of revolution. Thus the paper sheet and stencil are stationary during
nearly the whole of each revolution of the main shaft, allowing the other parts of
the mechanism ample time to perform their functions without interfering with the
feed. It will be evident that, as already stated, by these means the feed of both
the stencil and the paper or music sheet can be so adjusted as to be exactly equal
or to bear a certain fixed proportion to each other.
To secure the accurate performance of all these functions it is of the greatest
importance that the stencil sheet shall pass over the stencil roll K" at a fixed rate
of speed, from which there shall be no deviation, excepting that caused by the
adjustment of the feed-regulating devices. In order to secure this fixed and
accurate rate of feed the teeth or cogs are formed or placed on each end of the
stencil roll to engage with the rack ³ cut in or near the edges of the stencil sheet,
as above described. To ensure the uniform engagement of the said cogs with the
rack, and the greatest precision in the action of the dogs G it is necessary to apply
a certain degree of tension to the stencil-sheet, so that it will be drawn smoothly
against and snugly up to the stencil roll. This degree of tension moreover when
once fixed must not vary, and for this purpose I provide the following simple and
effective means for applying such tension, that is to say:-The stencil is led or
drawn from the delivery roll K' journalled in a pivoted frame S', which permits
the said roll to oscillate. In the end of the said roll is placed a short threaded
shaft or journal, having a head which rests against the outer surface of the journal
supporting plates S. By turning this threaded shaft the end of the roll may be
caused to hug the plate, and thus any desired amount of friction can be produced.
As the stencil is drawn off this roll by the revolution of the roll K" the amount of
friction which must be overcome in order to revolve the roll K will determine the
tension of the stencil sheet. In order to overcome this friction, and also ensure an
accurate engagement of the teeth with the rack cut in the stencil it is desirable
that the receiving roll K should exert a certain amount of draught upon the sheet
to prevent the said teeth from tearing, and becoming disengaged from the rack, and
to hold the sheet down upon the top of the roll. The roll K is therefore driven
from a pulley upon the main shaft by means of a belt Ka, which passes around a
pulley L upon the shaft of the said roll. This pulley is placed loosely upon the roll
shaft, and is clamped against a collar * bolted thereto by means of a nut or clamp L*.
By tightening this nut the pulley may be caused to exert a certain amount of

page_text: draught upon the stencil sheet, but beyond that point it will slip on its shaft
without increasing the tension of the sheet. This result is necessary, for the
reason that the pulley L³ travels somewhat faster than the stencil is fed. By this
friction brake the draught of the roll K can be regulated in proportion to the
resistance of the roll K¹, and the tension produced by the roll K". It should be so
adjusted that the roll K, and the roll K shall both contribute to overcome the
resistance of the roll K¹. One great advantage of this form of friction brake is that
the tension produced by it is always the same, since the pulley is at each instant
slipping upon its shaft, and at each instant also exerting the exact amount of
tension on the stencil necessary to overcome the amount of friction produced by
the clamp nut, this amount of friction being invariably the same.
Both the stencil sheet and the paper or music sheet are fed by devices connected
with the main shaft, as above described, but not acting at the same moment, as the
feed movement of the stencil sheet slightly precedes that of the paper sheet.
As the sheet D is drawn from the roll B it is apt to have a tremulous vibration,
which has a tendency to produce fine wrinkles in its surface. This is readily
overcome by laying a light weight on that part of the sheet which lies between the
flanges e, e, and fastening it to the frame A, so that the paper may slide beneath
it; a simple bar of wood is sufficient for this purpose, such a bar being shewn in
position in Figure 4.
Instead of the flat springs P¹ above described I may use spiral springs & connected
to the under side of the arms H, and to the frame M, as shewn in Figure 4, and
instead of the dogs being mounted upon a pivot bearing or support in the carrier-
frame M they may be caused to slide in grooves cut in the said frame, in which
case the arms H would engage with the stencil roll upon the side of the roll next
to the frame M instead of upon the top of the roll.
Moreover by merely altering the angle between the arms H and dogs G their
operation may be partially reversed, the dogs engaging with the punches when the
arms H rest upon the stencil sheet, and being disconnected with the punches when
the pins m drop into the grooves in the roll. Finally the arms H instead of being
lifted by a yoke p may be raised either by a cam shaft placed beneath the said
arms, or by a stationary plate placed in front of the latter in such a position that
as the carrier frame M descends the arms will be lifted by striking the said plate,
while the arms will as they rise merely tilt the plate.
In operating my improved machine I ordinarily pass from eight (8) to twelve (12)
sheets of paper between the feed rolls C, C', simultaneously, as the machine works
better upon a number of sheets than upon a single sheet or thickness of material.
When several sheets are fed at the same time the number of rolls B is corre-
spondingly increased, each roll delivering a single sheet. For this purpose the
frame A, A, may be extended toward the rear as far as may be necessary, in order
to give room for the additional rolls.
The stencil sheet may also be passed between two rolls similar to the feed
rolls C, C', instead of being wound off the roll K, and in like manner may be
drawn off the stencil roll K₁ by two similar rolls instead of being wound on the
roll K.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it
understood that I claim,―
First. In a machine for cutting or perforating paper or similar material to be
employed as music sheets or tune bands in automatic or mechanical musical
instruments, the combination of a series of independent punches or cutters, and a
corresponding series of rocking dogs mounted upon a reciprocating support and
having a reciprocating motion, and adapted to select at each reciprocation those
punches which are required to act and to engage with and drive the said selected
punches through the paper; the proper selection being indicated or controlled by a
stencil or pattern sheet, as above set forth.
Second. The combination in the said machine of a series of punches or cutters

page_text: adapted to operate independently of each other, a corresponding series of rocking
dogs mounted upon a reciprocating support and adapted at each reciprocation to
automatically select, engage with, and operate those punches which are required to
act, a separate pattern sheet or stencil to indicate the proper selection, and
adjustable feeding devices to regulate the motion of the said stencil, as above set
forth.
Third. The combination in the said machine of a series of punches or cutters, a
corresponding series of dogs mounted upon a reciprocating support and having
forwardly-projecting arms provided with pins adapted to engage with and operate
the said punches, a grooved roll for governing the action of the said dogs, and a
pattern or stencil to indicate and determine the time of their relative action, as
above set forth.
Fourth. The combination with the feed-rolls C, C¹, provided with suitable
mechanism for imparting motion thereto of the series of independendent punches f,
the corresponding and distinctly separate series of dogs G, having the arms H, the
reciprocating carrier M, and the stencil L, as above set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Fifth. The combination in the said machine of a series of independent punches,
a series of dogs adapted to engage with and drive one or more of the said punches,
and a reciprocating frame carrying the said dogs, as above set forth.
Sixth. The combination of the arms H, the dogs G, the yoke p, connected to and
operated by the carrier M and the cam-lever Pi, as above set forth and for the
purposes specified.
Seventh. The combination with the series of punches f, the corresponding series
of dogs G, the springs P¹, the arms H, the reciprocating frame M, and the yoke p
of the cam-lever P, the stencil L and the grooved roll K", as above set forth and
for the purposes specified.
Eighth. In the said machine the combination with the stencil roll of a discharge
roll from which the said stencil is taken, a take up roll upon which it is wound, an
adjustable friction device by which the tension of the stencil may be regulated, a
series of teeth upon the stencil roll entering apertures in the stencil to prevent
slipping, and the series of arms H and dogs G, which select and operate the punches
as above set forth.
Ninth. The combination in the said machine of a series of independent punches,
a series of pivoted fingers or dogs independently mounted upon a vertically-
reciprocating frame, and adapted to engage automatically with and to drive the said
punches, a series of arms formed on and projecting from the said dogs over a grooved
roll, a corresponding series of pins projecting from the said arms downward, and a
stencil-sheet passing over the said grooved roll and adapted to support the pins
upon its unperforated surface and thereby hold the dogs out of engagement with
their punches, or to permit the said pins to drop through the perforations into the
grooves of the roll and bring the dogs into engagement with the punches in the
manner above set forth.
Tenth. In the said machine, the combination of a grooved roll to which a fixed
rate of speed is imparted, a stencil or pattern sheet supported on the said roll, a
series of arms which rest on the said stencil and, as it is fed forward, drop through
its perforations into the grooves in the said roll, a corresponding series of dogs
connected with the said arms and mounted upon a vertically reciprocating frame
beneath the punches, a yoke to lift the said arms above the stencil and thereby
disengage all the dogs from the punches during the feed of the sheet, and a cam and
lever to retract the said yoke, as above set forth.
Eleventh. The combination with the stencil-roll K", its ratchet-feed, and the
devices for regulating the same, of the take-up roll K, the pulley L², the friction
clamp L, and the bell-gearing K, as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Twelfth. A machine embodying in its construction the punches, the yoke n,
the dogs G, the arms H, having the pins m, the yoke p, the cam-lever P", the

page_text: carrier M, the grooved stencil-roll K", the rolls K, K', and the stencil-sheet L, all
combined and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harris Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
ΠΕΝΝΥ Π. ΠΑΛΕ (L.S.)