Improvements in Paper Perforating Machines or Check Punches.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in Paper Perforating Machines or Check Punches.
I, JOHN CHARLES LOWDON of Kansas City, in the County of Jackson, and State of
Missouri, one of the United Sates of America, Book-keeper, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates principally to a machine for punching, in checks, figures to
indicate the amount of the check, so as to prevent the alteration of the amount, but
the invention may also be employed for punching paper for other purposes.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine, with part of the base broken out, to
exhibit parts beneath.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the machine.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation with the cover removed and with parts of the base and
slide broken out.
Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section at IV, IV, figure 3.
Figure 5 is a top plan of the machine with the cover removed.
Figure 6 is a top plan of the perforated plate.
Figure 7 is a top plan of the sliding box.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of the grooved guide rolls.
Figure 9 is an end elevation of the grooved guide rolls.
Figure 10 is an elevation of the milled feed rolls.
Figures 11 and 12 are respectively, front and side views of the lower ends of the
punches.
Figure 13 is a vertical section through the die and base plate at line XIII-XIII,
figure 14.
Figure 14 is a top plan of the dies.
Figures 15 and 16 are views illustrating manner of marking amounts on checks.
The base of the machine is marked 1. The die plates are marked 2 and are secured
to the table 3, which is secured to or forms part of the base. The table bas apertures
beneath the figure openings to the dies to allow the pieces of paper, as they are
punched out, to descend into a sliding box 5 beneath. The box 5 is supported at the
front by a wheel 4, which travels on a horizontal longitudinal bar 6, and is supported
at the rear by a bar 7, which passes through ears 8 of the box. The ends of both
these bars are fast to the ends of the base. Directly over each die is a vertical punch 9
having bearing in the longitudinal bar 10, which is fixed to the base. The bar 10 is
made hollow and within the hollow are punch springs 11, of which there is one for
cach punch. The springs act to lift the punches, after they have been depressed, each
punch working singly. Each punch is slotted at the upper end to receive a lever 12,
which is connected to the punch by a pin 13. The rear ends of the levers pass through
mortises in a bar 14, said bearings forming the fulcrums of the levers. These fulcrum
bearings allow the ends of the levers to move endwise in the mortises, so that the
punches will not be cramped in their sockets in the bar 10. The front ends of the
levers-12 work between upright guides 15 forined by slotting the face plate 16.

page_text: 17 is a hand lever fulcrumed upon a standard 18 upon the box 5. The inner end
of the lever 17 is connected to the box by a spring 19, which, by drawing down the
inner end of the lever, lifts the outer end 20, which, in its normal position, is directly
over the outer ends of the line of levers 12, so that as the hand lever is forced down,
it will carry with it that one of the levers 12 which may be beneath it. The upper
ends of the guides 15 are spear pointed, so that they will guide the lever 17 into exact
line with a lever 12, as the hand lever descends: The hand lever has a horn 21 passing
beneath the end of the lever 12, with which it may be in contact, so that as the outer end
of the hand lever ascends, it draws up with it the outer end of the lever 12 and the punch
to which it is attached, if the proper spring of the punch has not proved sufficient to
draw the punch from the die. Such failure may result from the punch becoming
jammed fast in the die, owing to some matter getting between them. Ordinarily, the
springs 11 have sufficient power to lift the punches from the dies and have always
power sufficient to hold the punches in their normal, raised position when they are not
depressed by the hand lever 17. 22 is a knob, by which the lever 17 may be moved
longitudinally over either one of the punch levers, and by which it may be forced
down (and also drawn up, if need should be), 23 is a row of numbers or signs
indicating the number of the punch and die beneath as a guide for the placing of the
hand lever. 24 is a stop limiting the descent of the rear end of the hand lever.
25 is a link or rod pivotted to the hand lever at 26 and having its lower
end pivoted to the plate 27, which is pivoted to the sliding box 5, at 28. The plate 27
carries a pawl 29, whose spring 30 forces it into engagement with the ratchet teeth of
a wheel 31 that is upon a shaft 32. 33 is a spring dog, which engages the ratchet
teeth of the wheel 31, and prevents its retrograde rotation. The construction is such
that each time the outer end of the hand lever ascends, the ratchet wheel is turned the
distance of one footh. There is some lost motion between the lever and the ratchet
wheel, either in the joints of the link or between the pawl and ratchet wheel or both,
so as to allow the punch to leave the die before the ratchet wheel commences to turn
because when the ratchet wheel commences to turn, the paper is fed forward and this
cannot, of course, be done before the punch is withdrawn from it. The shaft 32 of
the ratchet wheel carries a milled feed roll 34, whose top extends above the level of
the table 3. 35 is a longitudinal slot in the table, in which the feed and guide rolls
move, such slot extending nearly the whole length of the table. In line with the feed
roll, and upon a parallel shaft is another roll 30, which carries the paper and is turned
by the friction of the paper upon it. 37 is a clearing plate pivoted to the standard 18,
at 38, and having a spring 39 beneath its rear end, which end extends beyond the
pivots 38. The spring acts to force up the rear end of the plate and thus to force
down the front end of it. The front end of the plate carries two rolis 40 and 41, the
former of which is over the feed roll 34 and the latter of which is over the other
roll 36 these upper rolls press the paper tightly on the rolls beneath them, and cause
it to be fed from right to left in a straight direction beneath the punches by the inter-
mittent rotation of the feed roll. This roll (34) turns sufficiently each time to carry
forward the paper the needed distance from one punch mark to another upon it. It
has been said that the feed roll is milled; the periphery of the pressure roll 40 is also
milled, as are also the guide rolls 36 and 41. To increase the lateral hold of the guide
rolls (36, 41) on the paper and insure its straight movement, these rolls have prefer-
ably a circumferential rib and groove, as seen clearly in figure 9, which make a slight
temporary bend in the paper. The rib is shown at 42 and the groove at 43. 44 is a
handle, by which the front end of the plate 37 may be raised to allow the introduction
of a check or other piece of paper to be punched. The plate is also raised for the
withdrawal of the paper after punching. It has been said that there may be lost
motion between the hand lever 17 and the pivotted plate 27, and in order to carry the
plate up to its highest position, it is connected by a spring 45 to the standard 18.
The plate 37 has an orifice 46 for the passage of the punch and each side of said
orifice are orifices 47 through which the check or other piece of paper may be seen.
48 is the cover, which is hinged to the case 49 and which is held in a closed position
by spring catches 50 at each end, whose ends engage the cover and which may be

page_text: sprung inward to release the cover by pressure on the knobs 51. 52 is a handle on
the cover, by which the machine may be conveniently carried.
In punching a piece of paper, as a check or anything else, it may be desired to
mark in such a manner that the figures cannot be changed; the clearing plate 37 is
raised and the paper slipped beneath, then the plate is allowed to descend, engaging
the paper between the feed rolls 34 and 40 and guide rolls 36 and 41. The hand lever
may then be moved to the first mark at the left hand, indicating dollars (pounds, &c.).
Then the lever is moved over any one of the punches and pushed down, punching the
number out beside the mark before made. In the latter part of the upward movement
of the punch, the paper has been moved so as to bring a fresh part beneath the punch
about to descend. The whole amount of the check is stamped out, closing with the
dollar (or pound) mark to prevent the addition of other numbers. In figures 15
and 16, sums in shillings and in pounds are shown, respectively.
It will be seen that the plate 37 acts as a clearing plate preventing the punch from
carrying up the paper with it.
In order to enable the punches to cut the paper with ease, I bevel their faces, giving
greater prominence to one point or corner, so that the paper shall be perforated first
at this point and from this point the inclined edges shall make a "draw cut" in the
paper. The inclined cutting faces of the punches are shown in figures 11 and 12. It
will be understood that if the face of the punch is parallel with the die plate, so that
all parts of it come in contact with the paper at the same moment, that there will be
a tendency to force the paper down into the die without cutting the paper, whereas in
this case where one point of the cutting face perforates the paper in advance, the
above difficulty is obviated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a paper perforating machine, the sliding box 5 carrying the feed roll, and a
ratchet device, substantially as described, for turning the roll and a hand lever
actuating said ratchet device and constructed to depress, and to raise by a positive
movement, any one of the punches in the manner substantially as set forth.
2. In a paper perforating machine, the combination of a number of punches, each
connected to a lever 12, and a hand lever adapted to be moved over any one of the
punch levers (12) and having a horn taken beneath the lever 12, to enable the positive
upward and downward movement of the punch lever, by the hand lever.
3. In a paper perforating machine, the sliding box 5 having the lower feed and
guide rolls or wheels at its front end, and at its rear end the ratchet operating
mechanism, of the feed roll and a standard to which is fulcrumed the actuating hand
lever 17 adapted to depress and raise the punches and a perforated spring clearing
plate in the front part of which the upper feed or pressure rolls are mounted sub-
stantially as described.
4. In a paper perforating machine, a series of spring punches, a fixed guide rack,
and a hand lever 17 having a lifting horn 21 and fulcrumed to a standard rising.from
sliding box extending beneath the dies and having feed and guide rolls at its front
end, and a spring clearing plate attached to the box and extending over the dies and
having feed or pressure rolls at its front side.
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