Improvements in Perforating Presses.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 12th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar,
1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Perforating Presses.
We, JOHN ARCHIBALD ALLEN and HENRY GEORGE SMITH, trading together
as Knight and Company, of 90 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Local
Government Publishers, and EDWARD LLEWELLIN, of 16 Market Street,
Pontypridd, in the County of Glamorgan, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in perforating presses, more especially
devised for voting purposes, and it has for its object to provide convenient and
simple means whereby the perforating pins can be quickly removed, and their
disposition be varied, so as to enable the character of the perforation to be
altered.
To this end, the pins are as usual, carried at the lower end of a spring
controlled plunger working vertically in a suitable guide or bracket in the well
known way, but the end of the plunger is, according to our invention, formed of
three metal plates which are held together by screws, or other suitable fastenings.
The uppermost of these plates is secured to, or formed upon, the plunger; and the
lowermost of them is perforated to receive the pins and permit their countersunk
heads to lie flush with its surface, or practically so.
The intermediate plate is of greater thickness than the others, and serves, at the
same time, to form a distance piece and to lock or hold the pins securely in the
lowermost plate by abutting upon their heads.
The pins, at their lower free ends, pass through perforations in a tongue-like
piece, between which and the base of the press the voting paper is placed. The
perforations in the tongue serve as guides and steady the pins.
When it is desired to alter the disposition of the perforating pins, it is only
necessary to remove the screws by which the plates forming the end of the plunger
are held together, and to withdraw the intermediate plate or distance piece. This
leaves enough space to permit of lifting the lower plate sufficiently for the pins to
clear the perforations of the tongue or guide. The said lower plate can then be
removed entirely from the press, when the disposition of the pins therein can be
varied as required, after which the plate is replaced, the distance piece and the
screws again inserted, and the press is ready for further use.
Dated.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: We, JOHN ARCHIBALD ALLEN and HENRY GEORGE SMITH, trading together
as Knight and Company, of 90, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Local
Government Publishers, and EDWARD LLEWELLIN, of 16 Market Street,
Pontypridd, in the County of Glamorgan, Accountant, 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, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
This invention relates to improvements in perforating presses, more especially
devised for voting purposes, and it has for its object to provide convenient and
simple means whereby the perforating pins can be quickly removed and their
disposition or design be varied so as to enable the character of the perforation to
be altered, without having to send the press to the maker, as is now the case.
To this end the pins are, as usual, carried at the lower end of a spring
controlled plunger working vertically in a suitable guide or bracket in the well
known way, but the end of the plunger is, according to our invention formed of
three superposed metal plates arranged as hereinafter described, and held together
by screws or other suitable fastenings.
And in order that our invention may be readily understood, we will describe
the same fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a perforating press constructed according to our
invention.
Fig. 2 is a section through the end of the plunger and adjacent portion of the
press, to a larger scale.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views of the plates.
a is the guide or bracket of the press, which is formed in one with, or secured
upon, a suitable base b.
c is the plunger which is controlled by a spring d and
which works vertically in the guide or bracket a, its movements being limited by a
pair of pins e, el, arranged respectively above and below the upper part of the
guide. f, g, and h, are the three superposed plates forming the end of the plunger,
and i are the perforating pins. These three plates are held together by screws j,
and are shown separately in the detail views Figs. 3, 4, and 5. The uppermost
plate is secured to, or formed upon, the plunger c, and the lowermost one his
perforated to receive the pins i, and permit their countersunk heads to lie flush with
its surface, as seen more clearly in Fig. 2.
The intermediate plate g is of greater thickness than the others, and serves, at
the same time, to form a distance piece; and to lock or hold the pins i securely in
the plate h by abutting upon their heads.
The pins, at their lower free ends, pass through perforations k in a tongue like
piece between which, and a plate on the base b of the press, the voting
paper placed. The perforations in the tongue serve as guides and steady
the pins.
Two additional fixed pins l', which take no part in the perforating operation, and
merely act as steadying pins, are secured in the tongue l'and project into holes 1ª
in the lowermost plate (see Figs. 1 and 5).
When it is desired to alter the disposition or design of the perforating pins, it
is only necessary to remove the screws j by which the plates f, g, and h are
held together, and to withdraw the intermediate plate or distance piece 9. This
leaves enough space to permit of lifting the lower plate sufficiently for the pins
to clear the perforations k in the tongue or guide 1. The said lower plate can then

page_text: be removed entirely from the press, and the disposition or design of the pins
therein can be varied as required, after which, the said plate is replaced, the
distance piece g, and the screws j, again inserted, and the press is ready for
further use.
The press is operated by a lever m resting on the upper end of the spring
controlled plunger c. It may, however, be operated by a direct blow on the
head of the spring controlled plunger, for which purpose a knob would be
provided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A perforating press so constructed that the plate carrying the perforating
pins can be withdrawn to enable these pins to be quickly removed and their
disposition or design varied, substantially as described.
2. In a perforating press, as above claimed, providing the end of the plunger
with three superposed plates so arranged that the intermediate one, which is of
greater thickness than the other two, can be taken out to permit the withdrawal
of the plate carrying the perforating pins, substantially as described and shown in
the drawings.
3. Our improved perforating press, substantially as herein before described and
shown with reference to the annexed drawings, whereby the disposition or design
of the perforating pins can be quickly varied without skilled assistance.
Dated this 12th day of February 1895.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.