Improvements in or connected with the Lacing of Jacquard Cards, and Machinery therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Lacing of Jacquard Cards,
and Machinery therefor.
We WILHELM FRANKLYN DIXON of 19 Percival Street, Longsight in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, and WILLIAM AYRTON of Gorebrook Iron
Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to a novel method of joining Jacquard cards in
series in a lacing machine and to combinations of mechanism for effecting the same.
The individual cards of a series are connected by cords or laces running in pairs
in lines transversely to the separate cards but in the direction of the length of the
series.
One lace of each pair runs across one side of each card while the other lace
runs across the other side of the intervening card. The two laces are interlaced
through the card through suitable lacing holes provided for that purpose.
At the junction of the separate cards the upper and lower laces are caused to
cross each other in such a manner that the under lace of one card becomes the
upper lace of the contiguous card. The crossed laces thus form a flexible joint
connecting the cards together into a series of any desired length.
To enable our said invention to be carried into effect we employ a lacing
machine having two shuttles for each line of laces each lace of the pair being
carried in its own shuttle. Needles or their equivalents in the shape of forks or
hooks are provided for passing the laces through the lace hole from one side of
the card to the other as well as guides and loop openers for opening the loops to
permit the passage of the shuttles through the loops. Tension devices for
regulating the drag of the lace and means for ensuring the proper intermittent
action of the lacing apparatus are provided.
The shuttles are arranged in such a manner and are provided with suitable
devices that their positions with respect to the card can be reversed as each card
is laced in order that the under lace of one card may become the upper lace of
the succeeding one. Corresponding alternate motions or changes of position are
imparted to the auxiliary lacing parts such as the presser foot the needles or their
equivalents the guides and the loop openers.
Appliances are provided for holding the cards and feeding them forward in an
intermittent manner as the lacing proceeds. An automatic stop-motion comes into
action to prevent over running when the lace in one or more of the shuttles is
used up.
Although for facility of description we have herein before referred to lines of
laces composed of pairs of single laces it is to be understood that we may employ
two or more parallel cords in each shuttle which will be dealt with as a single
cord or lace.
In some cases we combine a punching apparatus with the lacing machine for
automatically punching the peg and lace holes in the cards.
Dated this Eleventh day of November 1891
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Lacing of Jacquard Cards,
and Machinery therefor.
We WILHELM FRANKLYN DIXON of 19 Percival Street, Longsight in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, and WILLIAM AYRTON of Gorebrook Iron
Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, 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:—
Our said invention relates to a novel method of joining Jacquard cards in
series in a lacing machine and to combinations of mechanism for effecting the
same which are in part applicable to sewing or lacing machines used for other
purposes.
The individual cards of a series are connected by cords or threads running in
parallel pairs of lines transversely to the separate cards but in the direction of the
length of the series.
Öne lace or thread of each pair runs across one side or end of each card while
the other lace runs across the other side of the intervening cards. The two laces
are interlaced in what are known as lock stitches through suitable lacing holes
formed in the card for that purpose.
At the junction of the separate cards the upper and lower laces are caused to
cross each other in such a manner that the under lace of one card becomes the
upper lace of the contiguous card. The simply crossed laces or threads thus form
a Hexible joint connecting the cards into a series of any desired length.
To enable our said invention to be carried out we employ in a lacing or sewing
machine two shuttles for each line of laces the thread of each pair being carried
in its own shuttle. In lieu of the needles commonly used in sewing machines we
use forks for passing what is for the time being the upper thread through the
lace hole to the underside of the card where by a turn of the fork it is formed
into a loop through which the lower shuttle may pass. The shuttles may be
provided with the usual tension devices for preventing the over running of the
thread.
The shuttles are constructed and arranged in such a manner that at the edge of
the card their respective positions are reversed and the under lace of one card
becomes the upper lace of the succeeding one and vice versa.
Appliances are provided for holding the cards and feeding them forward in an
intermittent manner as the lacing proceeds.
The peg and lace holes in the cards may be punched separately or any of the
well known punching devices may be worked in combination with the machine to
punch the cards as they are fed in.
In order that our said invention may be more clearly understood we will
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which for
convenience of illustration one lace or thread of a pair is represented by a dotted
line and the other by a continuous line.
Fig. I shows graphically in an exaggerated manner the method of lacing we
employ. A B C are respectively end views of cards united in a series.
In the card A the upper thread y is pressed through the lacing holes in loops
which interlock with ascending loops in the under thread x.
Between the cards A & B the threads cross and the thread x becomes the top
thread while the thread y becomes the bottom thread of the card C.
Between the cards B & C the threads again cross and assume the same relative
positions with regard to each other as in the card A.
Fig. II shows the arrangement of the shuttles and shuttle box. The shuttles
we employ are what are commonly known as rotating or revolving shuttles.

page_text: The lower shuttle a travels in a circular path indicated by the arrow in the
shuttle box b.
When forming lock stitches through the lace holes one shuttle a is in the shuttle
box while the other shuttle a¹ is suspended over the card. We preferably con-
struct the shuttles in such a manner that each of them holds two reels or bobbins
in order that two parallel threads may be simultaneously drawn out and used as a
single thread in lacing the cards together. This is however not material to our
said invention and hereinafter we shall for facility of description assume that only
a single thread is being used from each shuttle.
The thread y coming from the upper shuttle a' is passed through the lace hole of
the card by means of a fork c (Fig. V) shown to a larger scale in Figs. III & IIIA.
The fork c performs much the same function as the needle of an ordinary lock
stitch sewing machine and has a reciprocating motion imparted to it in the ordinary
way. For ensuring its accurate working a sleeve or guide c¹ Fig. V. is provided
for the fork c to pass through. As the fork descends it makes a partial rotation
through an angle of 90° as hereinafter described and thus forms a loop through
which the lower shuttle a passes in order to form a lock stitch. This operation is
performed at each hole in the card. When the edge of the card is reached the
positions of the shuttles a a¹ are reversed. To enable this to be accomplished the
back of the shuttle box bis hinged and when the change of shuttles is about to
take place the arm 62 is depressed by a lever acted on by a cam on the main driving
shaft and the hinged part is thrown back. Thereupon by means to be described
the upper shuttle a¹ of Fig. II is lowered into the position a¹ of Fig. IV,
both shuttles then travel in the direction indicated by the arrows so that the
shuttle a comes into the position occupied by the shuttle a' of Fig. IV, when it is
raised and suspended over the card.
The threads are thus crossed between the cards, the next card is then stitched
the shuttles again change places and so on.
Fig. V. shows the shuttles in the reversed position to that shown in Fig. II.
The shuttle transferring box d Fig. VI is hinged freely at d' so that it may readily
accommodate itself to the varying positions it has to assume. The pivot d forms
part of bracket d² secured to a cross rail ³ having an intermittent reciprocating
motion in a vertical direction obtained by cams, cranks or excentrics as will be well
understood without further description.
Fig. VII shows a cross section of the transferring box d and the devices for
operating the same.
At each side of the transferring box are two sliding plates d³ connected at the
top by an oscillating cross bar d in such a manner that as one sliding plate is
pushed upwards the other descends. Sliding in bushes in the transferring box d
are pointed studs d' having lateral projections taking into inclined grooves in the
sliding plates d d³. The points of the studs when in their normal position
project inwards as shown in Fig. XIA and take into holes in the shuttle which is
thus firmly held.
When however the sliding plate d³ is raised and the sliding plate d is depressed
by the point of the plate do coming against a stop e Fig. X the pointed studs d'
are withdrawn, the shuttle is then released in the shuttle box and the two shuttles
can change places. The stop e in Fig. X which releases the shuttle is pivoted at e¹
and on the same axis is a nose fingers on the shuttle driver f (see
Figs. VIII. and X) acting on the nose withdraw the stop e when the change of
shuttles takes place. A spring acting on the cross bar de then depresses the sliding
plate d³ and secures the changed shuttle between the pointed studs so that it may
be removed as the cross rail d³ rises.
For driving the shuttles one side of the shuttle box f Fig. VIII has a projecting
driving block f and rotates in the direction in which the shuttles travel..
Fig. IX shows the shuttle box and the shuttles after the lower shuttle has
passed through the loop in which position it remains until the card is fed so far.

page_text: forward as to allow the fork to pass through the next hole or the edge of the card
is reached when the shuttle makes half a revolution and comes into the position
shown in Fig. II.
Figs. XI & XI show the shuttle transferring box with the pointed holding
studs in their extreme positions in and out. In Fig. XI the shuttle transferring
box is free. In Fig. XIA it is securely held by the studs.
Fig. XV is an elevation and Fig. XII is a plan of a device we employ in con-
nection with the presser foot for preventing the lace from injuring the card during
its passage through the lace hole. Under the sleeve c¹ through which the fork
passes are two guard pins gover which the thread passes and which form a
protection or guard to prevent the lace from cutting the edge of the lace hole when
the lace is pushed through by the fork as shown by dotted lines in Fig. XV.
The pins g are fixed in a sliding block g' to which a transverse motion is imparted
by the rod g³ in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure XII (after the shuttle
has passed through the loop) in order to withdraw the pins from under the lace.
Figs. XIII & XIV illustrate the mechanism we employ for partially rotating
the fork c at each stitch so that the loop may be presented to the shuttle in such a
way that it may enter with ease. Attached to the presser foot or the bar carrying
the same is an upright guide h having a curved cam groove into which takes a
pin secured to the fork c.
C
The cam groove is so formed that as the fork e descends the travel of the pin h¹
in the cam groove turns the fork e through a quarter of a circle.
For feeding forward the cards to suit the various intermittent operations of
stitching and changing the shuttles we employ the mechanism shown in Figs. XVI,
XVIII & XIX. Fig. XVI is an elevation and Fig. XIX is a plan.
The cards are contained in a fixed box or receptacle k¹ from the bottom of
which they are withdrawn by claws sliding on the rod m m.
The claws n moving in the direction of the arrow a' draw the bottom card away
from the pile into the dotted position n Fig. XVI while the claws o moving in a
reverse direction viz. that of the arrows o' take the cards from the dotted position n²
and carry them forward to the sewing machine. The claws are mounted on spring
bars which are depressed as they pass under the cards in a backward direction.
The sliding bars p are attached by links p' to the oscillating bell crank lever p²
and are thereby slid backwards and forwards on the main framing of the machine.
A roller at the lower end of the bell crank lever p³ takes against a stepped cam q
rotating in the direction of the arrow q¹. As the lower arm of p² is raised in the
direction of the arrow p³ the link p' and with it the sliding bars p are pushed in
the direction of the arrows pt. The block carrying the claws o is connected by
links o to the sliding bar p by means of the cross bar o³. These claws o thus
partake of the direct motion of the sliding bar p. Lugs r on the sliding bars
taking against the ends of the levers pivoted at 2 cause the cross bar ³ to which
the rear claws n are secured by links to move in the opposite direction to the
fore claws o.
P
The steps in the cam 9 are so proportioned as to give the required dwells or inter-
mittent passes necessary while the stitches are being formed in the cards.
To ensure the cards remaining absolutely stationary while the stitch is being
made we use a stop motion shown in detail in Fig. XVIII. On the shaft of the
cam १ is secured the stop wheels having pegs or points s' and plain surfaces s².
A
Taking against the stop wheel s is a plunger t provided with a spring t¹.
finger at tat right angles to the plane of the paper takes into notches in the
sliding bar p when the latter is required to be securely held. When the plain
periphery of s is under the plunger the finger t2 is raised clear of the notches and
allows the sliding bar p to travel.
We have only referred to a single set of devices for stitching or lacing the cards
and for reversing the positions of the shuttles. It is however to be understood
that we may use any desired number of such sets working parallel to each other in
order that any desired number of rows of stitches may be dealt with.

page_text: The shuttle, the fork which we use as a substitute for a needle, the presser foot
or other accessories common to rotary shuttle sewing machines are driven in any
of the usual well known ways and the means for driving them form no part of our
said invention.
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. In a sewing machine the use combination and arrangement of two shuttles one
of which is suspended and delivers one thread while the other is operated in the
shuttle box and whose positions may be automatically reversed substantially as
hereinbefore described and set forth.
2. In a machine for lacing Jacquard cards the use combination and arrangement
of two reversible shuttles and a fork for forming lock stitches at the lace holes and
flexible cross joints between two contiguous cards substantially as hereinbefore
described and set forth.
3. In combination with a lacing machine for Jacquard cards the claws, slides and
cam gearing for intermittently feeding forward the cards substantially as
herein before described and shown with reference to Figs. XVI, XVIII and XIX.
4. The combination of lock stitches in the lace holes and crossed threads between
the cards for the purpose of uniting Jacquard cards in series substantially as
herein before described and shown with reference to Fig. 1.
Dated this 12th day of August 1892.
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicants.