IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD MACHINERY
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT' to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson;
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London;
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD
MACHINERY."-A communication from abroad by the Company or
Society J. Casse and Son, of Fives-Lille, France, Manufacturers.
Sealed the 10th October 1872, and dated the 19th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th April 1872.
I, THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
JACQUARD MACHINERY,” to be as follows:
-
The improvements which for some time past have been endeavoured
to be effected in the jacquard mechanism have been directed principally
towards economy in the employment of the cards, and several have
even consisted on the substitution of cardboard by paper; but all the

page_text: proposed systems for the modification of the primitive jacquard have
all proved disadvantageous. Thus by reducing the cards to too great a
thinness great difficulties are encountered in the movements of the
mechanism; and, on the other hand, too narrow collars and rods impede
the progress of the work, and cause too great a wear and tear.
The present Invention is for the object of obviating these incon-
veniences, and it consists, 1st, in a new division of the cards; and,
2ndly, in two special arrangements of the mechanism of the jacquard.
The Division of the Card.-This division permits of the employment
of a very thin card of sufficiently small dimensions and a separation of
the holes, which leaves a relatively great strength to the card. The card
is divided into three compartments, and contains four holes by which it
can be fixed to the cylinder. It is formed with 14 series for its height
and 78 for its length, 28 of which are for the centre compartment and
25 for each of the end compartments, which gives a total of 1,076 acting
boles, deducting 16 holes, the place of which is occupied by the holes for
holding the card to the cylinder; lacing holes eight in number, arranged
two by two on each side of the compartments, are also provided. The
card holes are perforated at a distance of about at about 4 millemetres
(about of an inch) from one another centre from centre. The card of
1,076 holes is in relation to the old division in jacquard mechanism called
machines of 1,000, which it is desired to replace by this new division.
Cards not requiring so great a number of holes are made shorter by
cutting off one of the three compartments of their length. There then
remains a card containing 730 holes, or all or a part of the total length
is left by removing one or two series from the height, and a narrower
card is thus obtained, having the number of holes which it is desired to
obtain, while at the same time preserving the same distance of 4 mille-
metres (or of an inch) from centre to centre of the holes. The division
adopted gives the advantage of constructing jacquard mechanism in the
best condition. The needles and hooks are at a calculated distance,
which allows the use of wires of a sufficient strength, and more com-
pletely separated one from another so as to avoid friction. The separation
of the collars which results from this permits the rods necessary for
the closest weaving to be hooked to them without interfering one with
another. They are thus relieved from the friction which so much
impedes the working in the ordinary apparatus, and the cause of their
rapid wearing out is removed.

page_text: This new division has led to the construction of two arrangements of
mechanism specially suited for it, which are distinguished one from
another in regard to the needles and hooks and the mode of transmission
from the hook to the cylinder,-
.
1st Arrangement.-A hook with a bent end is employed, which rests
upon a bar of the frame in an elastic manner. The needle intended to
push this hook has at the part where it meets the hook a prolonged
bend, and is folded towards its extremity in order to form a resistance
against the elasticity set in a slit called the elasticity box. This hook iş
held in equilibrium between the bars of the frame against which its
flexible branches alturnately support themselves, when the card comes
by the aid of the cylinder upon which it is rolled to bear upon the point,
of the needle, the hooks are all upon the point of leaving the bar of the
frames which has lifted them, but which however still holds them. One
end of the bend in the needle pushes one of the two arms of the hook,
and the latter gives way by bending at the moment when the hook
abandoned by the frame is pushed backward by the pressure of the end
of the bend in the needle upon the shorter arm of the hook. If, on the
contrary, the hook has not been pushed by the needle, which has met an
opening in the card, the elasticity acts in a contrary manner, and repels
the large arm of the hook against the frame, meeting by its beut part
the the arms of the hook, and the latter comes to support itself against
the hook of of the mechanism at the moment'when it begins to operate its
ascending movement, which will bring about in these circumstances the
lifting of the hook. This arrangement avoids the resistance which the
card would meet with if by supporting itself against the needle the latter
should meet directly the hook by its long arm instead of resting upon
the curved and free arm, which yields, thanks to its elasticity, in order
to repel the long. arm when it is detached from the frame. The bent
part of the needle is calculated so as to have the same length as the
separation of the two arms of the hook when it is placed upon the collar
plank, so that in the raising of the hook the rubbing of the two vertical
rods of the hook does not fatigue and exercise uselessly the bent portion
of the needle.
The arrangement of the transmission mechanism for approching and
removing the cylinder is as follows:-At the side of the meclianism a
slide is placed, forming an inclined plane, in which' slides a roller
attached to an upright rod. The latter in raising the frame rises and

page_text: falls vertically; in its double displacement it causes the slide to move
horizontally, which communicates its to-and-fro motion to a rod, and in
consequence to the cylinder, to which this rod is fastened. This arrange-
ment is fitted at each side of the mechanism.
2nd Arrangement.-A hook is employed, also provided with a curved
end, but placed in the opposite position to that of the other system.
The two arms of the hook bear upon the base of the frame. The curved
part of the hook supported upon one base forms a spring, and pushes the
other.arm of the hook against the other base. The needle, which is used
at the same time as this hook, is provided upon its rod with a projection
intended to act upon one of the branches of the hook. When the card
placed upon the cylinder of the mechanism is supported upon the needle
at one of its ends a projection upon it meets the long arm of the hook and
makes it recoil. In this movement the long arm exerts a pressure upon
the other arm, which forms a spring and repels the hook as soon as the
card has let it go; if, on the contrary, the needle meets with a hole in the
card and is therefore not repelled, the short arm bearing upon the frame
and making a spring with its other arm repels this hook against the
frame, which it draws with it in its ascending movements. In the old
jacquard apparatus it happened that when the needle exerted pressure
upon the hook the latter still remained upon the hook of the mechanism,
and it was necessary to produce with the needle a sufficiently strong
pressure against the hook in order to detach it. In this second arrange-
ment of mechanism the grave inconveniences which would have been
caused with the position of the hook employed are obviated. As in the
preceding arrangement the movement of the hook is transmitted to the
cylinder by means of two slides placed on each side of the mechanism
and united to the iron rods sliding in two supports and fixed at their
extremities to the cylinder. In the slide is a roller mounted upon a
vertical rod placed on each side of the mechanism, and serving to raise and
lower the hook of the said mechanism. It should be remarked that the
form of this slide and the trajectory of this roller are not the same as in
the preceding arrangement. When the hook of the mechanism is raised
the roller is found in the slide about the middle of its length. In its
descent it imparts a regular movement to the slide, which causes the
cylinder to approach to the needle plate. At this moment the roller,
continuing its course upon an inclined plane, causes the cylinder to
retake its horizontal movement from left to right, and makes it rest upon

page_text: •
•
the needles of the mechanism which repel the hooks, the movements of
which are free. At the same time that the roller has run its distance,
another roller, fixed upon the upper part of the vertical rod, comes to
place itself before the flat part of a projection formed on the groove in
order to hold the cylinder in the position of pressing upon the needles.
After this time the roller, in commencing its ascending course, leaves
the cylinder immovable, and allows the frame to seize the hooks which
have not been thrown back by the cylinder. This operation performed,
the roller continues its ascending course, pushing the slide from right to
left, and the cylinder, which separates sufficiently from the needle plate,
in order to turn and permit the card to be changed. Behind the needle
plate a frame is placed, upon which springs act, which permit the plate
to recede about one centimetre (ths of an inch), when the cylinder
comes to bear upon it with the card. This action has the effect of
softening the movements and the shock of the cylinder upon the needles.
In the interior of the machine at the upper part a frame is arranged
Each of these bars
having as many bars as there aro series of hooks.
'
comes to bear upon the arms of the series of hooks, so as to recall
those which may remain behind when the hook has removed those
which it ought to take. This book is pushed by the same spring
which serves to cause the advance of the frame and the needle plate,
upon which the pressure of the cylinder is exerted.
: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas James Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas James Smith, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas James Smith, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas James Smith, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigus, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS 5
IN JACQUARD MACHINERY," communicated from abroad by the Company or
Society Casse and Son, of Fives-Lille, France, Manufacturers, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas James Smith, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and 1
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 Thomas James Smith, do hereby 1
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
The improvements which for some time past have been endeavoured 2
to be effected in the jacquard mechanism have been directed principally
towards economy in the employment of the cards, and several have even
cousisted in the substitution of cardboard by paper; but the proposed
systems for the modification of the primitive jacquard have all proved
disadvantageous. Thus by reducing the cards to too great a thinness 25
great difficulties are encountered in the movements of the mechanism;
and, on the other hand, too narrow collars and rods impede the progress
of the work, and cause too great a wear and tear.
The present Invention is with the object of obviating these incon-
veniences, and it consists, first, in a new division of the cards; and, 80
secondly, in two especial arrangements of the mechanism of the jacquard.
I proceed to describe these improvements with reference to the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
The Division of the Card.-This division permits the employment of
a very thin card of sufficiently small dimensions and a separation of the 35
holes, which leaves a relatively great strength to the card. The card,

page_text: shown at Figure 1, is divided into three compartments, and contains four
holes a, a, by which it can be fixed to the cylinder. It is formed with
14 series for its height and 78 for its length, 28 of which are for the
centre compartment and 25 for each of the end compartments, which
gives a total of 1,076 acting holes o, o, deducting 16 holes, the place of
which is occupied by the holes for holding the card to the cylinder;
lacing holes eight in number, arranged two by two on each side of the
compartments, are also provided. The card holes o, o, are perforated
at a distance of about 4%, millemetres (about 1% of an inch) from one
another, centre from centre. The card of 1,076 holes is in relation to
the old division in jacquard machines called machines of 1,000, which it
is desired to replace by this new division. Cards not requiring so great
a number of holes are made shorter by cutting off one of the three com-
partments of. their length. There then remains a card containing 730
holes, or all or a part of the total length is left by removing one or two
series from the height, and a narrower card is thus obtained, having the
number of holes which it is desired to obtain, while at the same time
preserving the same distance of 4%, millemetres (or th of an inch) from
centre to centre of the holes. The division adopted gives the advantage,
of constructing jacquard mechanism in the best conditions. The needles
and hooks are at a calculated distance, which allow the use of wires of
sufficient strength, and more completely separated one from another so
as to avoid friction. The separation of the collars which results from
this permits all the rods necessary for the closest weaving to be hooked
to them without interfering one with another. They are thus relieved
from the friction which so much impedes the working in the ordinary
apparatus, and the cause of their rapid wearing out is removed.
This new division has led to the construction of two arrangements of
mechanism specially suited for it, which are distinguished one from
another in regard to the needles and hooks and the mode of transmission
from the hook to the cylinder,-
First Arrangement.-A hook A with a bent end, see Figure 2, is
employed, which rests upon a bar of the frame in an elastic manner.
The needle B, see Figure 3, intended to push this hook has at the part
where it meets the hook a prolonged bend, and is folded towards its
extremity in order to form a resistance against the elasticity set in a slit
called the elasticity box. This hook A is held in equilibrium between
the bars i and ƒ of the frame, against which its flexible branches c and d

page_text: alternately support themselves. When the card comes by the aid of the
cylinder upon which it is rolled to bear upon the point of the needle,
the hooks are all upon the point of, leaving the bar of the frames which
has lifted them, but which however still holds them. One end g of the
bend in the needle B pushes the arm C of the hook, and the latter gives
way by bending at the moment when the hook A, abandoned by the
frame, is pushed backwards by the pressure of the end of the bend in
the needle upon the shorter arm C of the hook A. If, on the contrary,
the hook A has not been pushed by the needle B, which has met an
opening in the card, the elasticity thien acts in a contrary manner, and
repels the long arm d of the hook against the frame, meeting by its bent
part the arm'd of the hook, and the latter comes to support itself
against the hook of the mechanism at the moment when it commences
its ascending movement, which will bring about in these circumstances
the lifting of the hook A. This arrangement, as will be perceived, i
avoids the resistance which the card would meet with if by supporting
itself against the needle B the latter should meet directly the hook A by
its long arm & instead of resting upon the curved and free arm, which
yields, thanks to its clasticity, in order to repel the long arm when it is.
etached from the frame. The bent part g, h, of the needle B is cal-
culated so as to have the same length as the separation of the two
arms c, d, of the hook when it is placed upon the collar plank, so that
in the raising of the hook the rubbing of the two vertical rods of the
hook A does not fatigue and exercise uselessly the bent portion g, h, of
the needle B.
Another arrangement of needle, which is shewn at Figure 8, can also
be employed. In order to give greater rigidity and strength to each of
the two angles A and B, between which the two branches of the hooks
are enclosed, a bend or projection with a slightly acute angle is formed,
as seen in the Figure at the points A and B. This arrangement gives 8
greater firmness to the needle, which preserves more easily its horizontal
position, and gives greater solidity to the parts A and B intended to
alternately produce their effect upon each of the arms of the hook. The
end of this needle on the side placed behind the mechanism is folded at
the point E, as shown in the Drawing, and forms a curve a the points D 3

page_text: In the mounting of the mechanism the part comprised between C
and D of the needle rests between two bars of the frame placed behind
the mechanism in order to sustain horizontally the ranges of the needle.
The flat portion of this loop C, D, held between these two arms of 'the
frame prevents the needle from turning, and holds the bends or pro-
jections A and B in the position which they should assume in order to
bear against the arms of the needle in their to-and-fro movement.
Through the loop C, D, and perpendicularly behind the horizontal bars
of the frame which supports the needles, is placed a small pin J, K,
which holds the needle, and prevents it separating further than from D
to C, a distance calculated with relation to the play which the pressuro
of the cylinder and of the card causes it to make. The part comprised
between D and E is provided in the interior with an elastic medium or
spring formed into a rather open spiral. The front of this spring comes
against the bend D; the other end is stopped by a plate G, H, perforated
by as many holes as there are needles in the mechanism, and through
which the ends E of the needles protrude a short distance. With this
arrangement, when the needle is repelled by the card, the part of the
bend D exerts pressure upon the spring enclosed between D and the
plate G, H, which is a little in front of the end of the point E. The
spring thus compressed repels the needle towards the cylinder, when the
latter separates and ceases to exert pressure upon it. The bends or pro-
jections A and B can also be replaced by the prolonged loop X, shown
in Figure 9.
The arrangement of the transmission mechanism for approaching and
removing the cylinder is shewn at Figure 4. At the side of the mecha-
nism a slide M is placed, forming an inclined plan, in which slides a
roller P attached to an upright rod Q. The latter in raising the frame
rises and falls vertically; in its double displacement it causes the slide M
to move horizontally, which communicates its to-and-fro motion to a
rod R, and in consequence to the cylinder C, to which this rod is.
fastened. This arrangement is fitted at each side of the mechanism.
Figure 4 also shows the peculiar form preferred for the frame of the
mechanism.
Second Arrangement.-A hook A is employed, as seen at Figure 5,.
also provided with a curved end, but placed in the opposite position to.
that of the other system. The two arms c, d, of the hook A bear upon
the bars of the frame i and j.. The curved part of the hook, supported

page_text: t
upon one bar i, forms a spring, and pushes the other arm d of the hook
against the other bar j. The needle B, shown at Figure 6, which is used
at the same time as this hook, is provided upon its rod with a pro-
jection, intended to act upon one of the branches of the hook. When
the card placed upon the cylinder of the machine is supported upon the
needle B at one of its ends k, a projection upon it meets the long arm d
of the hook A and makes it recoil. In this movement the long arm d
exerts a pressure upon the other arm c, which forms a spring and repels
the hook as soon as the card has let it go; if, on the contrary, the
needle B meets with a hole in the card and is therefore not repelled, the
short arm c, bearing upon the frame i and making a spring with its other
arm d, repels this hook against the frame, which it draws with it in its
ascending movement. In the old jacquard apparatus it happened that
when the needle exerted pressure upon the hook, the latter still remained
upon the look of the mechanism, and it was necessary to produce with
the needle a sufficiently strong pressure against the hook in order to
detach it. In the arrangement of mechanism shown at Figure 7
the grave inconveniences which would have been caused with the
position of the hook employed are obviated. As in the preceding
arrangement the movement of the hook is transmitted to the cylinder
by means of two slides M, M, placed on each side of the mechanism,
and united to the iron rods R, R, sliding in two supports D, D, and fixed
at their extremities to the cylinder C. In the slide M is a roller P,
mounted upon a vertical rod Q placed on each side of the mechanism,
and serving to raise and lower the hook of the said mechanisın. It
should be remarked that the form of this slide and the trajectory of this
roller are not the same as in the preceding arrangement. When the
hook of the mechanism is raised the roller P is found in the slide at u,
about the middle of its length. In its descent it imparts at v a regular
movement to the slide, which causes the cylinder C to approach to the a
needle plate J. At this moment the roller continuing its course leaves
the inclined plane, and descends almost vertically from a to w; the
cylinder C then remains stationary. During this time the hook of the
mechanism having continued its descending course arrives at a point
where it leaves the hooks which rest upon it, the roller then continuing
its course upon an inclined plane causes the cylinder C to retake its
horizontal movement from left to right, and makes it rest upon the
needles of the mechanism which repel the hooks, the movements of
which are then free. At the same time that the roller has run its

page_text: distance from wo to z, another roller p, fixed upon the upper part of the
vertical rod Q, comes to place itself before the flat part m, n, of a pro-
jection N formed on the groove M, in order to hold the cylinder O in the
position of pressing upon the needles. After this time the roller P, in
5 commencing its ascending course from a to to leaves the cylinder O
immovable, and allows the frame of the mechanism to seize the hooks
which have not been thrown back by the cylinder. This operation per-
formed the roller continues its ascending course from y to u, pushing
the slide from right to left and the cylinder, which separates sufficiently
O from the needle plate in order to turn and permit the card to be
changed. Behind the needle plate J a frame k is placed, upon which
springs L, L, act, which permit the plate to recede about one centi-
metre (%ths of an inch), when the cylinder comes to bear upon it with
the card. This action has the effect of softening the movements and the
5 shock of the cylinder upon the needles. In the interior of the machine,
at the upper part, a.frame H is arranged, having as many bars as there
are series of hooks. Each of these bars comes to bear upon the
arms d, d, of a series of hooks, so as to recall those which may remain
behind when the hook has removed those which it ought to take. This
O hook is pushed by the same springs which serve to cause the advance of
the frame and the needle plate upon which the pressure of the cylinder
is exerted.
Instead of putting a single plate, which is removable as explained
above, two plates may be placed before the cylinder in order to receive
the ends of the needles, one fixed, which adjoins the frame of the me-
chanism, and the other movable, which is placed between the fixed plate
and the cylinder carrying the cards; and instead of making these plates
of wood as they have hitherto been, they may be made of metal. The
two plates are employed instead of a single one because that part of the
O mechanism which corresponds to the holes pierced in the cards ought
to be essentially correct, and a single plate producing at each rising of
the mechanism a to-and-fro movement gradually wears out under the
friction, and loses the exactitude which it ought to have. As to the
movable plate which is placed in front of the fixed one, to which
5 reference has just been made, it is supported upon two springs, which
serve to deaden the blow of the cylinder when it approaches the extre-
mities of the needles, and while softening the movement holds the card
while it exerts its pressure upon the points of the needles. Morcover,

page_text: i
when this plate becomes free and is repelled by its springs from in front
of the fixed plates to the ends of the needles, it produces a slight effort
of friction upon the ends of the needles, which facilitates their return
movement.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
First. The new division or subdivision of the cards for jacquard
machinery, substantially as described and shown in Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The arrangement of mechanism, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figures 2, 3, 4, 8, and 9 of the accom-
panying Drawings, for the purposes set forth.
And thirdly. The arrangement of mechanism, substantially as herein-
before described, with reference' to Figures 5, 6, and 7 of the accom-
"panying Drawings, for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two..
]