Improvements in or relating to Apparatus Employed in Reading and Punching Jacquard Cards.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Nov., 1889-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus Employed in Reading
and Punching Jacquard Cards.
I, CHARLES ADAM TOWN of 23 Wimbourne Road, Radford in the Borough of
Nottingham, Designer and Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus employed in reading and punching cards used
on jacquards for lace making, weaving and the like, and it has for its object more
especially improvements in the means for attaching and detaching the wale strings
to the selector needles of the changing frame or punching machine.
In apparatus constructed heretofore the selector needles of the changing frame or
punching machine have been formed with hooks at their ends or string attachment
and the wale strings have each to be selected, taken up by hand and attached thereto :
by this arrangement considerable time is lost as the operation of putting on and
taking off, the wale strings occurs with every pattern to be punched.
In carrying out this invention I form the ends of the selector needles to receive
detachable end pieces which are preferably formed with male or female joints to fit
in or on corresponding joints formed on the selector needles; these detachable end
pieces are preferably carried in holes or cells formed in an additional box the holes in
which correspond to the position of the selector needles; the box slides freely on and is
held in position preferably by two pins secured to the back of the needle box and is
provided at the back by a sley with holes of a reduced size or other convenient
arrangement for preventing the withdrawal of the detachable end pieces from the
box by the waie strings.
The wale strings are permanently attached to the detachable end pieces of the
selector needles, and are (with the wale strings) together with the box in which
they are carried removed to insert lashes by reading in the usual manner for punching
a fresh pattern.
By this arrangement the process of hooking on is entirely done away with. As
soon as the lashes are inserted the strings are removed from the reading frame and
transferred to the changing frame, the box containing the detachable ends is placed on
the two pins and is moved forward until each detachable end piece engages with its
corresponding needle, when it is withdrawn to a sufficient distance to allow the selector
needles to be withdrawn by the wale strings which are changed in the usual manner.
It is obvious that when reading the reader would have to commence reading at
the end of the wale strings which are secured to the end pieces instead of at the
opposite end as heretofore.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1889
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus Employed in Reading
and Punching Jacquard Cards.
I, CHARLES ADAM TOWN of 23 Wimbourne Road, in the Borough of Nottingham,
Designer and Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus employed in reading and punching cards used

page_text: on jacquards for making lace, weaving, and the like, and it has for its object more
especially improvements in the means for attaching the wale strings to the selector
needles of the changing frame or punching machine.
In apparatus constructed heretofore the selector needles of the changing frame, or
punching machine have been formed with hooks at their ends, or string attachments
and the wale strings have each to be selected taken up by hand and attached thereto;
by this arrangement considerable time is lost as the operation of putting on and
taking off the wale strings occurs with every pattern to be punched.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of part of a changing frame showing needle box and
Fig. 2 is a plan, figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detailed views showing different methods of
forming detachable joints the two latter figures of which are in section.
In carrying out this invention I arrange the ends of the selector needles A of the
changing frame or punching machine to engage with detachable end pieces or
supplementary needles B which are preferably formed with male or female joints to
fit in or on corresponding joints formed on the selector needles. The detachable end
pieces or supplementary needles B are carried in holes or cells formed in an
additional box constituted preferably by sleys C and D the holes in which correspond
to the position of the selector needles A. The sley C is provided at the ends with
sleeves which slide freely on and are supported by pins or bars E secured to
the back of the needle_box or other convenient part of the framing and is secured in
position by set screws F. The sley 1) is also provided with sleeves or bosses D¹ at
its ends sliding freely on the sleeves C¹ of the sley C and may be secured at a
suitable distance from the sley C by set screws F¹. At the back of the sleys CD is
a sley G formed with holes of a reduced size which permits the free passage of the
wale strings H but prevents the withdrawal of the end pieces or supplementary
needles B from the sleys CD it is also provided with bosses G₁ sliding on the
sleeves C to which the said bosses may be secured by set screws J. By this arrange-
ment the relative distances between the sleys C D G may be regulated and the
whole removed together with the detachable end pieces or supplementary needles B
to which the wale strings are attached.
It is obvious that numerous form of detachable joints may be used for connecting
the selector needles A to the detachable end pieces or supplementary needles B but
the forms I prefer are shown at figs. 3, 4 and 5 which admit of ready attachment and
detachment. In fig. 3 there is shown secured on the end of the selector needle A a
female joint formed by a split tube A' formed with a depression or rack K ; when the
end piece or supplementary needles B provided at one end with a hook or eye for the
attachment of the wale string and at the other with a pointed end enters the tube A¹
the neck K engages with a reduced part L formed near the pointed end of the end
piece or needle B and prevents its withdrawal without again opening the tube A¹ the
strength of which may be suitably regulated.
In fig. 4 a spring M is secured in the tube A¹ to engage in the reduced part L of
the needle B and in fig. 5 two springs M are secured in the tube and may be of such
strength as to hold a plain needle B fast enough to withdraw a selector needle. In
all the above described arrangements the end of each of the selector needles A may
be formed with a male joint to enter a female joint formed in the end of the detachable
end piece or supplementary needle B.
In figs. 4 and 5 the tubes A¹ are not split as is that shown in fig. 3.
The wale strings H are permanently attached to the detachable end pieces or
supplementary needles B, the whole of which, together with the box formed by
sleys CD and G in which they are carried, are removed with the wale strings to
insert lashes by reading in the usual manner.
By this arrangement the process of hooking on is entirely done away with. As
soon as the lashes are inserted the strings are removed from the reading frame and
transferred to the changing frame or punching machine, the box containing the
detachable end pieces or supplementary needles B is placed on the pins E and the

page_text: sley G moved forward so as to project the needles B. The selector needles A are
then pushed back and each one engages with its detachable end piece or supple-
mentary needle; the sley G is then withdrawn to a sufficient distance to allow the
needles B together with the selector A to be withdrawn by those wale strings which
are pressed off in the usual manner.
To disengage the detachable end pieces or supplementary needles B from the
selector needles A when the pattern is punched the sley C is moved forward until the
ends A¹ of the selector needles A abut against it when the needles B may be with-
drawn by pulling the wale strings H.
In a modification the selector needles may be formed at the end with an upward
projection, catch, or eye, to engage with a downward projection or catch on the
detachable end pieces or supplementary needles, and to prevent them from turning
they may be formed flat oval or other convenient form in section, the holes in
the boxes or sleys being formed with corresponding shaped holes or cells for them
to slide in.
The ends of each longitudinal row of selector needles may project beyond the ends
of the row above, and the ends of the detachable end pieces or supplementary needles
may be formed so as to project in the reverse manner so that the box in which they
are contained may be placed in position from above, and the end of each supple-
mentary needle would descend on the end of and engage with its corresponding
selector needle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is;-
1. In apparatus such as described the employment of detachable end pieces or
supplementary needles such as B which engage with the selector needles.
2. In apparatus such as described the carrying of detachable end pieces or supple-
mentary needles such as B which engage with the selector needles A in a box such as
is formed by sleys C and D substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus such as described the combination and arrangement of parts
forming a box for the detachable end pieces or supplementary needles B consisting
of a sley such as provided with sleeves C sliding on the pins or bars E and
sleys such as D and G provided with bosses D' and G₁ sliding and adjustable on
the sleeves (substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. The method of connecting the wale strings to the selector needles of a changing
frame or punching machine by means of end pieces or supplementary needles to
which the wale strings are attached and which engage with the selector needles.
5. In the process of reading the employment of wale strings which are attached to
detachable end pieces or supplementary needles such as B which engage with the
selector needles of a changing frame or punching machine substantially as herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In the process of reading the employment of wale strings which are attached
to detachable end pieces or supplementary needles such as B carried in a box which
is removable and facilitates their engagement with the selector needles of a changing
frame or punching machine, substantially as herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1889.
CHARLES ADAM TOWN.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.