Improvements in the Means and Machinery for Punching Jacquard Cards and in the Mode of and Apparatus for Preparing Draught- plates for Use in such Machinery.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 14th Dec., 1888
Improvements in the Means and Machinery for Punching Jacquard
Cards and in the Mode of and Apparatus for Preparing Draught-
plates for Use in such Machinery.
I PIERRE AMBJÖRN COMTE DE SPARRE, of 1, Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the Specification of a former Patent, No. 1344 of 1883 I described the construc-
tion and action of a machine for piercing or punching cards for jacquard looms with
the aid of engraved or etched draught-plates whereby the operation of drawing the
design on ruled paper was dispensed with. In the said Specification I described
certain mechanism or mechanical appliances for controlling or checking the progress
of the work by impressing the design with ink or color upon a sheet of paper, point
for point, corresponding exactly with the piercing of the cards so as to obtain on the
paper a reproduction of the original design. The mechanism or arrangement for
producing this control or check was not satisfactory.
The lowering of the styles for impressing the control or check was effected in that
machine by means of levers pivoted on the framework one end being fixed to the
heavy block carrying the matrix into which the punches passed in order to pierce the
cards, while the other end of the levers was fixed to the relatively very light frame
carrying the style so that when the block carrying the matrix was raised to effect the
punching the other end carrying the styles descended to impress upon the paper the
corresponding marks or check.
A great drawback to this arrangement was that instead of impressing all the move-
ments upon the paper
with equal force there were shocks and irregular movements
caused by the greater or less adherence of the punches the number of which engaged
in the cards continually varied.
In order to overcome this objection I take the power for effecting the impression
directly from the main shaft of the machine instead of from the block that carries the
matrix and I transmit this power to the impressing appliances by wheel gearing
instead of by levers. With this object I mount on the main shaft a worm wheel
which gears with another wheel on one end of a rod the other end of which carries a
bevel wheel; this wheel gears with a wheel on the shaft of an excentric which is

page_text: terminated by a rod having a holder for the frame to which the styles are fixed.
The main shaft has two clutches which draw into the rotary motion two excentrics
which carry the block of the matrix so that the matrix receives an up and down
movement. All shocks and sudden movements are thus avoided.
My present invention further relates to the preparation of the draught-plates for use
in the manner described in my said former Specification and whereby I can produce
draughts or cordings (armures) which it has not hitherto been possible to obtain.
Every draught marked by a designer or draughtsman is, with some exceptions,
purely mathematical being based on one of the four fundamental cordings, viz.:
(1) cloth, (2) Batavia or tweel, (3) serge, (4) satin. For example, a cloth, also
called taffeta, is represented on the ruled paper by filling up, one by one, all the
small squares of the odd numbers on the first horizontal line and all the squares of
the even numbers on the second line, and so on, the odd numbers on the odd hori-
zontal lines and the even numbers on the even horizontal lines. Now I effect this
operation mechanically as follows:-On a table carrying the zinc plate
frame formed of two slides that move on the sides of the table and are connected
place a
together by a cross piece on which a small key-board is mounted; the keys at one
side of this board are marked with odd numbers 1, 3, 5, &c., and those at the other
side with even numbers 2, 4, 6, &c. The keys are mounted on two spindles and
arranged stepwise so that each will be depressed more than the next of the set. The
apparatus advances along two racks the teeth of which are cut in reverse directions so
that hooks or pawls on the key-board take into these teeth according to the direction
in which the work is proceeding so as to hold or to move the apparatus. The distance
between the teeth is the same as that of the keys against which the engraved plate
acts in the punching machine. The key-board carries by means of screws a
sector having a style which can be moved to the right or to the left according to the
lines which it is wished to mark and which are determined by the advance of the
key-board on the racks. The style can be moved along the straight part of the sector
so as to mark a perfectly regular oblique line on the zinc plate placed on the table.
In order to use this machine for drawing or making draughts it is only necessary to
indicate by circumference lines the places where it is wished to have in the fabrics
such or such a fundamental or derived draught or cording and after having fixed
the plate previously covered with the protective coat for the etching or mordanting
upon the table under the sector above mentioned the slide carrying the style is inclined
in such manner that the line to be marked corresponds exactly with the line of points
which it is wished to mark on the plate in order to produce the effect of the draught
which is desired in the space indicated by a circumference line. If therefore it is
wished to produce a cloth in this space the sector is regulated so that the line drawn
by the style is parallel with the diagonal line of the design.
graduated
One commences by drawing a diagonal line, then the key marked 2 is pressed and
the carriage is displaced two points, that is to say, shifts one point, a second line is
drawn and thus alternately, a pressure on the key marked 2 and the drawing of a
line until the place marked is filled up. After having in the same manner filled up
all the other places, varying the inclination and the shifting of the points as may be
necessary for the production of the desired draughts, the plate is taken out and
etched, or mordanted then placed in the punching machine which therefore punches
the cards exactly in accordance with the draughts marked with the aid of the style.
In some cases I employ in the punching machine draught-plates composed of type
as in typographic printing. In this way the same type can be used for an
indefinite variety of compositions and punched jacquard cards can thus be very cheaply
produced.
Dated th: 20
1
л

page_text: Improvements in the Means and Machinery for Punching Jacquard
Cards and in the Mode of and Apparatus for Preparing Draught-
plates for Use in such Machinery.
I, PIERRE AMBJÖRN COMTE DE SPARRE of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France,
Engineer, 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 :-
In the Specification of a former Patent No. 1344 of 1883 I described the con-
struction and action of a machine for piercing or punching cards for jacquard looms
with the aid of engraved or etched draught-plates whereby the operation of drawing
the design on ruled paper was dispensed with. In the said Specification I explained
certain mechanism or mechanical appliances for controlling or checking the progress
of the work by impressing the design with ink or color upon a sheet of paper, point
for point, corresponding exactly with the piercing of the cards so as to obtain on the
paper a reproduction of the original design. The mechanism or arrangement for
producing this control or check was not satisfactory. The lowering of the styles for
impressing the control or check was effected in that machine by means of levers
pivoted on the framework one end being fixed to the heavy block carrying the matrix
into which the punches passed in order to pierce the cards, while the other end of
the levers was fixed to the relatively very light frame carrying the styles so that
when the block carrying the matrix was raised to effect the punching the other end
carrying the styles descended to impress upon the paper the corresponding marks or
check. A great drawback of this arrangement was that instead of impressing all
the movements upon the paper with equal force there were shocks and irregular
movements caused by the greater or less adherence of the punches the number of
which engaged in the cards continually varied.
In order to overcome this objection I take the power for effecting the impression
directly from the main shaft of the machine instead of from the block that carries
the matrix and I transmit this power to the impressing appliances by wheel gearing
instead of by levers. With this object 1 construct or arrange the apparatus as shown
in Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is a front view of the machine, Figure 2 an end view,
Figure 3 a plan of the upper part and Figure 4 a plan of the lower part. On the
main shaft c mount a worm wheel a which gears with another wheel 6 on the end
of a rod d the other end of which carries a bevel wheel f, this wheel gears with a
wheel g on the shaft of an excentric which is terminated by a rod i having a
holder for the frame to which the styles 12 are fixed. The shaft c has two
clutches Pq which draw into the rotary motion two excentrics m m which carry the
block of the matrix so that the matrix receives an up and down movement. All
shocks and sudden movements are thus avoided.
My present invention further relates to the preparation of the draught plates for
use in the manner described in my said former specification, and whereby I can

page_text: produce draughts or cordings (armures) which it has not hitherto been possible to
obtain. Every draught marked by a designer or draughtsman is, with some exceptions,
purely mathematical, being based on one of the four fundamental cordings, viz. :-
(1) cloth, (2) Batavia or tweel, (3) serge, (4) satin. For example a cloth, also called
taffeta, is represented on the ruled paper by filling up, one by one, all the small
squares of the odd numbers on the first horizontal line, and all the squares of the
even numbers on the second line, and so on, the odd numbers on the odd horizontal
lines, and the even numbers on the even horizontal lines.
Now I effect this operation mechanically as follows: On a table o (see Figures 5, 6,
and 7) carrying the zinc plate I place a frame formed of two slides r, r, that move
on the sides of the table, and are connected together by a cross piece, on which a
small key-board s, represented in Figures 8, 9, and 10, is mounted; the keys at one
side a¹ of this board are marked with odd numbers 1, 3, 5 &c., and those at the other
side, all with even numbers, 2, 4, 6 &c. These two groups a¹ and all are mounted on
the spindle t, which has a tooth or pawl in communication with the ratchet bar a, and
they serve to cause the apparatus to travel in the one direction while another similar
set of keys arranged in like groups, b' and 6, and mounted on another spindle t¹
which likewise has a tooth or pawl in communication with another ratchet bar,
serve to cause the apparatus to travel in the other direction. The bars a, r¹, have
their teeth cut in reverse directions. The keys thus mounted on the two spindles t, t¹,
are arranged above steps or gradations, so that each, when depressed, will descend
more than the preceding one of the group or set (see Figure 10). The apparatus
advances owing to the one or the other of the pawls v, and v' fixed respectively on
the spindles t and t¹ taking into the teeth of the corresponding ratchet bar a or x¹
according to the direction in which the work is proceeding, so as to move the
apparatus. The distance between the teeth is the same as that of the keys against
which the engraved plate acts in the punching machine. The keyboard carries, by
means of screws, a graduated sector y, having a style mounted on a slide, which
style serves to draw or mark lines, the distance of which is regulated by the keys a¹
and a, or band 61, according to whether it is wished to mark them from left to
right or the reverse. As the style can be moved along the straight part of the sector,
it marks perfectly regular oblique lines on the zinc plate placed on the table.
·
The keyboard is operated in the following manner: In order to prevent confusion
between the odd and even numbers the keys are separated into the groups a¹, a", b¹, b".
Under each key is a stop (one of the gradations already described) at such a distance
below that by pressing down the key with the finger it descends just the distance
necessary to cause the pawl or fixed on the respective spindles and ¹ to take
the same number of teeth as that indicated on the key. Thus if the different
gradations serve as stops for the keys 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, the style, every time that one
of these keys is depressed is shifted the distance of as many teeth as the number on
the depressed key indicates. And as the distance between the teeth of the ratchet
bar is equal to the distance between the vertical lines on the ruled paper which is
employed for indicating the warp, it follows that the oblique lines traced or marked
by the style represent the oblique lines hitherto marked on the lined paper by means
of small square pins or points. In order to use this machine for drawing or making
draughts it is only necessary to indicate by circumference lines or marks the places
where it is wished to have in the fabrics such or such a fundamental or derived draught
or cording, and after having fixed the plate previously covered with the protective
coat for the etching or mordanting upon the table under the sector above mentioned,
the slide carrying the style is inclined in such manner that the line to be marked
corresponds exactly with the line of points which it is wished to mark on the plate in
order to produce the effect of the draught which is desired in the space indicated by a
circumference line. If, therefore it is wished to produce a cloth in this space, the
sector is regulated so that the oblique line drawn by the style is parallel with the
diagonal line of the design.
One commences by drawing a diagonal line, then the key marked 2 is pressed
and the carriage is displaced 2 points, that is to say, shifts one point, a second

page_text: line is drawn and thus alternately a pressure on the key marked 2 and the drawing of
a line until the place marked is filled up. After having in the same manner filled up
all the other places, varying the inclination and the shifting of the points as may be
necessary for the production of the desired draughts, the plate is taken out and etched
or mordanted then placed in the punching machine which therefore punches the
cards exactly in accordance with the draughts marked with the aid of the style.
Figures 13 and 14 show how the slide frame is fixed on the table o and the
keyboard s on the slide frame.
In some cases I employ in the punching machine draught plates composed of type
as in typographic printing. In this way the same type can be used for an indefinite
variety of compositions and punched jacquard cards can thus be very cheaply produced.
Figures 11 and 12 show samples of draught plates composed or made up of type.
I can employ for the same purpose plates cut in squares like the ruled paper ordinarily
used by designers or draughtsmen.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In machinery for punching jacquard cards the arrangement whereby the power
for effecting the impression of the design upon the controlling or check paper is
obtained directly from the main shaft and transmitted to the impressing appliances
by wheel gearing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1
to 4.
2. The mode of and apparatus for preparing draught plates or pattern plates for
use in jacquard card punching machinery substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to Figures 5 to 10.
3. The manufacture, and employment in jacquard card punching machinery, of
draught plates composed or made up of type as in typographic printing or cut in
squares as set forth.
n
L
41
L1000