CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD MACHINES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, of
4, South St. Finsbury, London, & 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the
Empire of France, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
JACQUARD MACHINES."-A communication from Messieurs C. Vai and
G. Bernardi, of Turin.
Sealed the 1st February 1856, and dated the. 16th August 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Armand le Comte
de Fontaine Moreau at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 16th August 1855.
I, PETER ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, & 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France,
do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN JACQUARD MACHINES" to be as follows, that is to say:-
The Invention communicated to me consists in the following additions to
an ordinary jacquard loom; firstly, of a series of small irou blades, the number
being equal to the needles in the jacquard loom. These blades are united and
kept in position by two horizontal guides, which enter slots made in their upper
and lower ends. Each small blade has on the inner side a small pin or rod,
which passes through a guide and forces forward the needle which is opposite
to it into a small recess at its extremity. Each small blade has also on the

page_text: other side in the middle of its length an angular point, which passes through
a slot in the frame of a box, thus presenting a horizontal series of points,
which, corresponding with each needle as forming one body with the sinall
blades, represents in a single range or line all the needles which in the jacquard
looms now employed are disposed in eight or twelve ranges. This range or
row of points is parallel to the tangent of a cylinder or drum upon which the
design is made. This drum is made of metal or other suitable material, and
occupies the position of the mechanism for giving motion to the cards in
ordinary jacquard machines. It revolves upon axes working in suitable
bearings, its motion being regulated by a ratchet wheel placed at one of its
extremities. Each stroke of the pedal, by a paul working in the ratchet
wheel, causes the drum to..revolve a space, equal to that occupied by one tooth
of the wheel. Each tooth corresponds with a line of holes pierced in the
drum to represent the design, and each line with the holes only occupies about
one twenty-fourth of an inch of the circumference of the drum, and acts the
part of one of the cards, now in use, of two to three inches in length.
Independent of the circular movement, the drum is made to approach and
recede from the angular points of the box, which up to this conducts the cards,
with this difference, that this one is much farther, removed from the needles
than the drum from the points. This movement is effected by a slide and
slotted rod put in action by a pedal, the rod being lengthened or shortened
according to the diameter of the drum. By this same movement the drum
acts on the series of points of the box, and consequently on the needles, in the
same way as the ordinary machines act, directly by means of cards on several
lines of needles; thus each line of holes of the drums corresponds to a stroke
of the pedal, as in the present mode. If the design requires a thousand
strokes (at present 1000. cards), a single- drum would be sufficient.. If a
larger number be required, a number of drums which follow each other may
be employed, or an endless chain is substituted, composed of small metallic
blades pierced according to the design, bound by small- rings, and working on
a grooved drum without holes. In case of an error being committed in the
work, the drum is withdrawn as soon as may be necessary for rectification, by
means of a small cord attached to an anchor lever, which is placed at the, side
of the before-mentioned ratchet wheel. By the same means, under certain
circumstances I can renew in an opposite direction the work already done, and
finish a design with a drum having but half the circumference which would
otherwise be necessary.
Secondly, the apparatus for piercing the drum with holes is composed of
two cast-iron standards, united, by iron bars bolted, or keyed together, and is

page_text: raised on a wooden base fixed by bolts. This machine is put in action by an
iron lever. A wrought-iron cross piece transmits the pressure of the lever to
a cage or frame by means of the two iron blades. The cross piece and cage
work in vertical slots in the framing of the machine. The cage or frame
contains a series of 1000 tempered steel registers, sliding on rods fixed to two
extremities of the sanie cage; it contains also two screws to regulate the
vertical pressure of the registers. These have a slot in front to slide between
the rods; thus, according to the paper design, the registers 1, 2, & 3, &c.)
are pushed forward, corresponding with tho holes to be made on the sheet
metal, which holes are pierced by the respective punches. A cast-iron levér
moves an iron cross piece, provided with a round key piece, which takes the
registers and returns them to their original position. The steel punches are
placed between two cast-iron plates, fixed by set screws to the framing, which
plates regulate the position of the punches of the registers. A small lever,
placed at the side of the punches (one for each series of 40), serves, by means'
of a spring fixed to the plate, to keep the punches always raised. The cross
support, semicircular on the top, is grooved in the interior to allow the exit of
the refuse metal. The same support carries a conical slide band parallel to its
length; this support, called "piece carrier," is fixed by a screw placed directly
in the line of the punches, & serves as a guide for the punches.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 16th February 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I; PETER
ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
and 39; Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,.
the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, Her special license,
that I; the said Péter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Armand le
Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from
others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, 'should and lawfully might make,

page_text: use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD MACHINES," communicated to me from Messieurs
C. Vai and G. Bernardi, of Turin, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
The Invention consists, first, in the employment of small iron blades in con-
nection with a metal cylinder or drum pierced with holes to form the design,
as a substitute for the cards of ordinary jacquard looms.
Secondly, in the construction and arrangement of apparatus for piercing thin
sheet metal to form the design on the cylinder or drum.
Figure 1 is a side view of the loom; Figure 2, a front view, with the box C
in partial section; Figure 3, elevation and end views of the blades and frame;
Figure 4, side view of the drum or cylinder; Figures 5, plan and elevation of
the box C; Figures 6 & 7, side and front views of the punching or piercing
apparatus.
b
A series of small iron blades a, Figure 3, are placed in the box C, Figures 1
and 2, their number being equal to the needles in the jacquard loom. These
blades are united and kept in position by two rods or pins b, which enter
slots C, made in their upper and lower ends. These rods serve to push forward
the needle opposite to them into a small recess at its extremity. The angular
points 6 pass through a slot in the box C, thus presenting a horizontal series
of points, which represent in a single line all the needles which in the jacquard
loom now employed are disposed in eight or twelve rows. The above row of
points is parallel to the tangent of a cylinder or drum B, composed of thin
sheet metal, upon which the design is made by piercing small holes in it, as.
represented in detail, Figure 4. This drum occupies the position of the
mechanism for giving motion to the cards in ordinary jacquard looms. It
revolves upon an axis working in suitable bearings, its motion being regulated

page_text: by a ratchet wheel B' placed at one end.
Each stroke of the pedal F, by a
paul working in the ratchet wheel, causes the drum to revolve a space equal
to that occupied by one tooth of the wheel. Each tooth corresponds with a
line of holes pierced in the drum to represent the design, and each line of holes
only occupies about one-tenth part of an inch of the circumference of the drum,
and acts the part of one of the cards now in use of about two and a half to
four inches in length. Independently of the circular movement, the drum is
made to approach and recede from the angular points 6 of the box C (shewn
in detail, Figure 5), which up to this conducts the cards, with this difference,
that the latter are much farther removed from the needles than the drum from
the points. This movement is effected by the pedal F, attached to a slide H',
and a slotted rod J, fixed to the standards A, the rod being lengthened or
shortened according to the diameter of the drum. By this movement the drum
acts on the series of points of the box, and consequently on the needles, in the
same way as the ordinary machines act, directly by means of cards on several
lines of needles. Thus each line of holes of the drum corresponds to a stroke
of the pedal, as in the present mode with cards. If the design requires a
thousand strokes (at present one thousand cards), a single drum may be
sufficient. If a larger number are requisite, a number of drums may be employed
which follow each other, or an endless chain is substituted, composed of small
metallic blades pierced according to the design, bound by small rings, and
working on a grooved druni without holes. In case of an error being com-
mitted in the work, the drum is withdrawn on the frame f, as much as may be
necessary for rectification, by means of a small cord e, attached to the paul l,
which is placed by the side of the before-mentioned ratchet wheel B'. By the
same means, under certain circumstances I can renew in an opposite direction
the work already done, and finish a design with a drum having but half the cir-
cumference which would otherwise be necessary. The apparatus for piercing
the thin sheet metal forming the drum with holes is provided with two cast-
iron standards A, A, Figures 6 and 7, united by iron bars K, bolted or keyed
together, and is raised on a wooden base fixed by bolts S. This machine is
put into action by iron levers G and B provided with handles. A wrought-
iron cross bar C transmits the pressure of the lever B to a guide frame D by
means of the two iron connecting links V, V. The cross piece and guide
frame work in vertical slots X in the standards A, A, of the machine. The
guide frame contains a series of one thousand tempered steel registers L,
sliding on two rods T, T, fixed to two extremities of the same frame. It
to regulate the vertical pressure of the
registers L; these have a slot T' in front to slide between the rods. Thus,
contains also two screws 1 and

page_text: according to the paper design the registers are pushed forward, corresponding
with the holes to be made in the sheet metal, which holes' are pierced by the
respective punches H'. The cast-iron lever I is furnished with brackets, in
which are fixed by a pin the round key piece N. By means of the lever G
and connecting piece M.keyed to the levers G and I, the registers L are
returned to their original position. The steel punches H¹ are placed between
two cast-iron plates E, fixed by set screws O to the standards, A. Two screws
3.and 4 serve to keep the punches perpendicular to the registers L: The
punches descend about half an inch, and enter a band, in which are formed
the same number of holes, thus producing the design: by rows of holes: A
small lever T, placed at the side of the punches (one for each series of
forty), serves, by means of a spring a fixed to the plate, to keep the punches.
always raised. The cross support R is semicircular on the top, and grooved
in the interior to allow the exit of the refuse metal. The same support
carries a conical slide band R'; this, support, called "piece carrier," is fixed by.
a screw placed directly in the, line of, and serves as a guide for, the punches.)
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what-manner
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein laid down; but what I claim is, in
First, the employment of small; iron: blades in connection with..a metal
cylinder or drum pierced with holes to form the design, as a substitute for the
cards of ordinary jacquard looms, as herein-before described, and shewn in
the annexed Drawings..
Secondly, the construction and arrangement of apparatus.for piercing thin
sheet metal to form the design on the cylinder or drum, as before described,
and illustrated in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-six.
L' DE FONTAINE MOREAU. (L.S.).
L' DE FONTAINE MOREAU. (L.S.).
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