Improvements in and applicable to Card-setting Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and applicable to Card-setting Machines.
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the firm of Ashworth
Brothers of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Engineers and ROBERT ASHWORTH at present of 26 Perth Street
Cheetham, Manchester aforesaid Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the setting machinery used in the manufacture of wire
cards and has for its principal objects to improve the action and to increase the
durability and efficiency of parts of the apparatus. To sever the wire we employ a
circular or annular cutter which is so held in its carrier as that it can be turned
partly around at intervals in order to bring a fresh part of its periphery into
action. If the periphery of the cutter be "square" the cutter may be reversed
after a time so as to use both edges. After long continued use a number of cutters
may be threaded upon a spindle and be ground up in a lathe or be otherwise
renovated for re-use. We may use any suitable bed die but prefer to use our
improved cutter in combination with a revoluble cylindrical bed die. To feed and
hold the wire we nip it between the ends of two cylinders or cylindrical dies one of
these being in the form of a sliding spindle. Both the fast and the sliding cylinder
can be turned upon their axes at intervals to bring fresh nipping surfaces into
operation and to facilitate this re-setting we prefer to mark the cylinders with
indicating lines. The feeding dies are mounted and fixed in a carriage which is
mounted to slide toward and from the holding dies the axis of the feeding spindle
continuing to be at right angles to the direction of movement of the wire during
such to and fro movement. The feeding movement is effected by a spring and the
return movement by a cam or there may be a converse action. The nipping
movements of the spindles are preferably effected by means of springs and the
relieving movements by cams. This enables us to readily regulate the nipping
action. The cam which relieves the spindle of the feeding dies acts through a
rocking lever which has a face against which rolls or slides a bowl or projection
connected with the spindle. By preference we mount these cutting feeding and
holding parts and the parts which form the staple in and upon a saddle casting
which can be readily removed from and applied to the rest of the machine. In
ordinary practice spiral springs are employed to re-act against cams which impart
sliding motion to carriages. We mount the said carriages to slide upon hollow
cylinders which enclose the springs. The spring in each case when inserted and
compressed may be kept in place by means of a screw plug which may or may not
be adjustable. In some cases we secure one end of the spring by means of a screw
passed through the hollow cylinder. In the case of the stop motion we arrange for
the feeler or feelers in the ordinary action of the machine to clear a swing lever
which prevents a rod from rising but in the absence of a staple the said rod rises.
The said rod is connected with a prop which keeps a catch out of gear with a
toothed bar so long as the said rod is prevented from rising but when the said rod
rises the said prop retires and the catch engages with the toothed bar and slides it
endwise. The said bar when so slid raises one arm of a lever which is connected
with the parts which knock off the strap guide or which arrest the movements of
the machine.
Dh: 7th day of January 1801

page_text: the lever L which is fixed on the spindle J. The cutter is thus caused to move to
and fro across the mouth of the bed die E through which the wire C is fed as
aforesaid, the rectangular cutting edge of the cutter F shearing the wire at each
forward stroke of the carrier. By slackening the halves of the carrier G aud
turning the cutter F a little round upon its axis H a fresh portion of cutting edge
is presented to the wire C. After the inner edge of the cutter has been utilised to
the fullest extent the cutter F can be taken out of the carrier and reversed thus
presenting the opposite edge of the cutter to the wire. By this means we obtain
prolonged use of a single cutter. A number of cutters which have become blunted
by use can be strung on a mandril and be re-turned or ground or otherwise
renovated for re-use. Instead of making this circular cutter with a square edge as
described we might make it with a chisel edge but in such a case only one edge of
the cutter could be utilised. The aforesaid cutter can be used with the ordinary
bed die but we prefer to use it in combination with our improved revoluable
cylindrical bed die which appears in the drawings and is separately shown in
Figs. 7 and 8. The bed die consists of an inner core N and an outer sleeve E.
The core N is held independently by a punching screw O in the spring block P
and the sleeve E is similarly held in a block P. A channel is formed in the
circumference of the core N through which the wire C passes between the sleeve
and the core.
The sleeve E is of tempered steel and its edge acts in concert with
the vibrating cutter F to sever the wire. To renew the edge of the sleeve E, we
slacken the pinching screw of the block P₁ and slightly turn the sleeve on the
core N thus presenting a fresh portion of the edge. The sleeve E is marked with
parallel lines as shown which serve as indications of position to enable the operator
to judge how far to turn the sleeve round.
To feed and hold the wire C we nip it between the ends of two cylindrical
dies QQ and R R' one cylinder of each die riz. Q and R being capable of sliding
towards and from the fixed dies Q and R¹ the latter being held fast in the dogs D
and S by pinching screws T T. The opposing faces of the nipping dies QQ and
holding dies R R are finished flat and true and the exposed parts of the
cylinders QR are marked with lines as shown these lines serving as indications or
marks when it is judged necessary to turn the cylinders slightly round so as to
present a fresh nipping surface to the wire as for example when the faces become
slightly worn or indented by contact with the wire. The fixed parts Q'R' can
also be similarly turned round the ends being nicked to receive a screw driver as
shown at Fig. 6. Thus we have facilities for renewing the nipping surfaces of the
feeding mechanism from time to time. The parts QR are slid in the dogs D S
by means of cams U U' which act on intermediate tappets V V₁ shown
separately at Fig. 5 which tappets press upon projections W W from the
parts QR and so move these parts outward. Springs X contained in the rear of
the dogs DS press upon the rear of the dies Q R and push them forward so as to
Screw
nip the wire when the said dies are released from the pressure of the cams.
plugs Xprovide adjustable abutments for the rear of the springs. The tappet V
is formed with an extended face as best shown in Fig. 5 to provide for the sliding
motion of the dog D and carriage Y. The latter is carried on rods Z extending
between the cheeks of the head. The cam a slides the carriage Y in the direction
of the arrow Fig. 3 that is away from the holding dies Q Q. The return
movement of the carriage towards the holding dies is effected by the springs b b
which extend between the carriage and the fixed cheek of the head. The forward
or feeding motion of the carriage Y is regulated by an adjustable screw c which
can be set so as to give the exact amount of feed required. The alternate nipping
feeding and sliding motions of the dies Q Q and R R¹ are familiar to those
conversant with this class of machinery and need not be particularised here. The
whole of the parts are contained in and mounted on a head or saddle as shown in the
drawings which head or saddle can be readily removed from and applied to the rest
of the machine,

page_text: Referring now to Sheets 2 and 3 of the drawings, we will first describe our
improved mode of housing the springs which give the forward motion to the
sliding carriage which carries the "crown " and "doubler' for forming and
inserting the staple as is well understood. As the latter parts are unchanged we do
not describe or show them, the drawings generally speaking, dealing only with those
parts to which our present invention refers. The sliding carriage with its housed
springs is clearly shown by the plan view Fig. 10 and the sectional view Fig. 11.
The sides of the carriage care composed of hollow sleeves d d which slide on
hollow tubes e e supported between snugs ff on the travelling saddle y.
Within
the tubes are coiled springs h. Pegs projecting from the carriage sleeves through
slots in the tubes engage with the springs and compress them, when the ordinary
cam moves the carriage backward, the resilience of the springs moving the carriage c
forward when released from the influence of the cam. The adjustable screw plugs i
may be used to set the springs to the required strength." We thus do away
with outside springs and make this portion of the apparatus much more neat and
compact.
"
Our improved stop motion is also illustrated on Sheets 2 and 3. We may here
explain that when the wire dent or staple is inserted and pushed through the
foundation or sheet or fillet the final necessary bend is given to the staple by the
"crookers which are simply hooks which receive the staple arms and are then
lowered so as to bend the staple arms downward over a blade which lies along the
root of the staple. The stop motion is actuated from these "crookers" in such a
manner that if the supply of wire should fail or if the wire is not of the proper
temper or should break or should have a defect or bend in it the "crookers" which
are very sensitive will communicate with other parts so as to stop the machine.
Referring now to the drawings Fig. 12 is a plan of the head carrying the crookers
and levers. Fig. 13 is a vertical section of the head showing the "crooker" levers
just about to bend the staple. Fig. 14 is a similar view showing the position into
which the "crooker" levers are thrown when the bending of the staple is going
on. The head is marked j and is carried on a sole by a U shaped bracket extend-
ing from the travelling saddley and which is clearly seen in Fig. 17 Sheet 3 and
is marked with the letter k. The U shape of this supporting bracket k is owing to
the necessity of clearing the sheet which hangs down towards the foot of the
machine. Returning to Figs. 12 to 14, upon the head ja rocking bracket is
pivotted at m. This bracket is rocked in a downward direction by a vibrating
lever n which appears in Fig. 17 and in an upward direction by the resilience of a
spring which appears in the same fig. The lever n is operated by a cam o on
the shaft K and is pivotted at p to the Ŭ shaped bracket k. The upper tail of the
lever n bears upon an antifriction bowl on the pivotted bracket and thus rocks
it to and fro. The rocking bracket carries the "crooker" levers and "crookers."
The "crooker" levers are pivotted at s to arms secured to the rocking bracket 1.
The range of motion of the "crooker levers is governed by the pins u passing
through curved slots in the "crooker" levers. The outer ends of the "crooker
levers carry the "crookers e which are simply hooks through the eyes of which
the staple arms pass as they are thrust through the foundation. The foundation or
sheet is indicated by the dotted lines w in Figs. 13 and 14 and the staple is
marked r in the same figs. The inner ends of the "crooker" levers rest on the
trip levers or feelers which are pivotted at z to the sides of the rocking bracket l.
The trip levers or feelers y are held up continuously by springs 1 bedded in the
arms as shown in Figs. 13 and 14. The outer inclined tips of the trip levers y
oscillate close to a blade or catch 2 which projects at right angles from a pivotted
pendant arm 3 which appears in Fig. 17 in side elevation and in plan in Fig. 12.
The blade or catch 2 is pivotted to the side of the head j and is therefore apart
from and independent of the motion of the rocking bracket 1. It will be seen that
in Fig. 13 the bracket has been rocked upward by the pull of the spring (see
Fig. 17) so as to bring the eyes of the "crookers" just above the bending blade 4

page_text: "
"
the crookers mean-
so that the staple goes through the eyes of the "crookers
while lying close up to the blade 4. Now passing to Fig. 14 where the "crookers
are in the act of being depressed so as to bend the staple it will be seen that by the
resistance of the staple arms a the "crookers" have been pushed away from the
blade 4 with the result that the inner ends of the trip levers or feelers have been
depressed and the outer ends tipped up so as practically to shorten them sufficiently
to let them clear the blade or catch 2. So long therefore as the staple is there
and in perfect order the action of the machine is uninterrupted. But if it should
happen that the supply of wire has become exhausted or that there should be a bend
or defect in the staple or that even one of the arms of the staple should be short,
broken, bent or defective the crookers" or one of the "crookers v will not meet
the usual resistance and consequently will not depress the feelers or trip levers or
lever with the result that as the next backward oscillation of the rocking
In
bracket the tip of the trip lever or levers y will catch the blade 2 and lift it.
Fig. 17 it will appear that the pendant arm 3 from which the blade 4 projects has
a projecting foot 3' which prevents a wire or strut 5 from rising up. The foot of
this wire is connected to one end of a double lever 6 pivotted at 7 to the
U bracket k. The other end of the double lever 6 has connected to it another
upright wire or strut 8. We so pivot or counter-balance the said double lever and
struts that the heavier end of the lever 6 is at the end connected to the wire 8.
The upper end of the wire 8 supports a pawl 9 which is best shown at Fig. 15
Sheet 2. This pawl is pivotted on the travelling saddle and as the wire 8 is
carried on the bracket k it will be evident that the pawl and wire move together.
The pawl 9 is sustained immediately over a notched bar 10 capable of being slid in
supports 11 carried on the end standards of the machine. At the outer end of the
notched bar 10 there is a gap 12 with inclined sides and in this gap lies an anti-
friction bowl carried on the end of a lever 13 pivotted at 14 and having its other
end connected by a link 15 (see Fig. 16) to a double lever 16 pivotted at 17. The
upper part of the lever 16 engages with a nick in a spindle 18 the said spindle
carrying a belt fork 19 which fork is connected by a spring 20 to the end standard 21
of the machine. When the belt fork and spindle have been drawn out against the
tension of the spring and the spindle 18 locked by placing the lever 16 in the nick,
the fork keeps the driving strap on the fast pulley 22 and keeps the machine in
action. But if any accident or defect should happen to or appear in the staple the
feelers or trip levers y immediately displace the pendant arm 3 and allow the wire
or strut 5 to rise consequently lowering the pawl 9 into a notch in the bar 10.
The bar being thus connected to the travelling saddle is compelled to partake
of its motion and in doing so lifts the end of the lever 13 out of the inclined
gap 12 and therefore turns the double lever 16 sufficiently on its pivot to with-
draw the upper part from the nick in the spindle 18. On this being done the
spring immediately shoots the belt fork back so as to move the belt from the
fast pulley 22 to the loose pulley 23 whereupon the machine immediately stops.
The apparatus we have just described is used in combination with a sheet card
setting machine and as we have said the bulk of the sheet requires corresponding
parts such as the U bracket k to clear the sheet. We can however also apply our
invention to card fillet setting machines and Figs. 18, 19 and 20 on Sheet 4
illustrate this application. The arrangements relating to the feeding nipping and
other parts are practically the same as those already described so that we may
here confine ourselves to the parts affecting the stopping mechanism. Fig. 18 is a
front elevation and Fig. 19 a vertical section showing the crooker levers and parts.
The crookers are carried in the "crooker "levers r which are pivotted at sto
holders which are secured to the carrier l. This carrier is practically a part of
the bracket which is vibrated by a cam which does not appear in the drawings.
Springs 1 tend to hold the tips of the crooker "levers continually in one position
and the resistance of the staple inclines the "crooker" levers so that they clear
the toes 2 which are secured to a block 3 which is pivotted in a jaw 24 the said

page_text: jaw being adjustably secured to the arm of a bracket 25 which is bolted to the
side 26 of the machine. A wire 27 extends from the pivotted block 3 and carries
at its outer end an obstruction or weight 28. This weight is held above a space
between two levers 29 and 30. The lever 29 is constantly sliding to and fro under
the combined influence of a cam 31 which pushes it forward and a spring 32 which
pulls it back. The cam does not push the lever 29 quite up to the upright
portion 30× of the lever 30 which latter therefore remains motionless. The
upright portion 30** at the other end engages with a nick in the spindle 33 which
carries a belt fork and is retracted by a spring as in the former instance. The
lever 30 is pulled by a spring 34 in the direction of the arrow so as to keep the
part 30×× in the nick in the spindle. It will now be understood that if a fault or
breakage in the staple should take place the "crookers" meeting no resistance will
not tilt the "crooker" levers the feeler tips t¹ of which will therefore catch on the
toes 2 and depress them turning the block 3 on its pivots and lowering the
weight 28 in front of the reciprocating lever 29. The presence of this weight or
obstruction between the levers causes the lever 29 at its next forward stroke to
drive the lever 30 forward, thereby releasing the spindle 33 which shoots back
shifting the belt fork and stopping the machine.
By the application of the hereinbefore described stopping arrangements to card
setting machines the production of bad or inferior work is prevented and an uniform
quality in the resulting card is obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In card setting machines the employment of an improved cutter for severing
the wire the said cutter consisting of a flat circular plate of steel or other suitable
metal turned or ground so as to present two rectangular cutting edges or one
chisel edge substantially as described and shown.
2. In card setting machines the employment of a flat circular cutter with
rectangular cutting edges or a chisel edge for severing the wire mounted on a
central axis in a carrier consisting of two parts bound together by a pinching
screw or bolt so as to permit of the circular cutter being released and turned on
its axis to present fresh portions of the cutting edge to the wire from time to
time substantially as described and shown.
3. The combination of the herein described circular cutter and bed die as and
for the purposes herein before described and shown.
4. The general arrangement construction and combination of parts comprising
the improved mechanism for feeding and holding the wire in card setting machines
substantially as described and shown.
5. In card setting machines housing the springs which operate the sliding
carriage c in one direction by stowing them in hollow cylinders or tubes upon
which the said carriage is mounted to slide substantially as described and
shown.
6. The general arrangements constructions and combinations of parts comprising
the improved means for stopping card setting machines substantially as described
and shown.
7. In card setting machines the improved stopping means arranged to be
operated from the "crookers" so that on failure or defect of or in the wire staple
or dent the card setting machine will be stopped substantially as described and
shown.
8. In a sheet card setting machine the combination of the said "crooker" levers,
feelers and catch with an upright wire connected to one end of a double lever the
other end of the lever carrying a strut whereby a pawl is upheld from engaging
with a notched bar except at the times when the catch is struck aside by the
feelers, whereupon the strut falls down and the pawl engages with the notched bar

page_text: carries it forward and operates certain parts so as to release a spindle carrying a
belt fork and under the influence of a spring which immediately moves the spindle
and belt fork, thereby shifting the belt and stopping the machine substantially as
described and shown.
Dated this 6th day of November 1891.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.