Year: 1887

page_text: We, PAUL GAUCHOT, of 103, quai de Salmy, Paris, Republic of France, Engineer,
and the Firm GRIMAUD & CHARTIER, of 54, rue de Lanery, Paris, Republic of France,
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus whereby cards are taken successively from boxes
each containing a number of those of the same kind, and are piled together so as to
make up a complete pack. For example, for an ordinary pack there are 52 boxes
arranged side by side; for a pack suited for another game such as piquet there are
32 boxes; but, whatever be the number of cards constituting a pack the mechanism is
substantially the same, being arranged to provide against certain difficulties such as
the following-in taking one card from a box, the card next to it may tend to
accompany it; the sucker by which a card is removed may fail to hold it; a box
may be emptied while the machine goes on, and thus a card may be missing.
Moreover, the successive cards being received on a travelling web, provision has to be
made for introducing under each pack a wrapper so that as the successive packs reach
the delivery end of the machine, they can be readily and rapidly enveloped in these
wrappers. We will describe the construction of the machine referring to the accom-
panying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front view, partly in section, drawn on two sheets to shew the full
length of the machine.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section on A B Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 is a view of the left end of the machine.
Fig. 3 is a plan, drawn like Fig. 1 on two sheets to show the full length.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section on CD Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section on EF Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is an elevation of the right end of the machine.
Fig. 7 is a part plan of the left end.
Fig. 8 is a part longitudinal section of the same.
Fig. 9 is a part elevation and longitudinal section at the right end of the machine.
Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive are drawn to an enlarged scale.

page_text: Each of the boxes which are charged with cards has a bottom plate a inclined at
about 45° to the horizon, and two sides a a² carried respectively on two bars band.
The left sides a' of the boxes are stationary, but the right sides a² have a to and fro
motion. All the left sides a¹ however may be moved laterally by a thumb screw a
(Fig. 8) to adjust the width of the boxes to that of the cards as determined by a
gauge a. The right sides a² are fixed to the bottom plates a and are shaped in front
so as to form two beaks or grippers a³ (Fig. 6) which are faced with caoutchouc.
These beaks press the cards againt the opposite side of the box so as to hold back the
greater part of them and prevent them from pressing against the sucker when it
removes the foremost card, at which time only a few of the front cards are free to bear
against it.
Each sucker has a mouth c (Fig. 5) which is always in communication by a flexible
tube c¹ with a vertical cylinder d fitted with a frictionless piston d¹; a lever d², worked
from the main shaft f, raises the piston to the top of the cylinder and then lets it
descend thus causing a partial vacuum that may be regulated by weights put on the
piston rod. Each sucker is carried by a link cand by an arm 2 of a rocking shaft c³,
from which it receives such a movement that after being applied to the lowest card in
the box it lifts it out almost vertically (see Fig. 6) and then moves it over and turns
it down on an incline g (see Figure 4). At this moment a valve e being opened by
its tail meeting a roller c, the vacuum in the sucker is destroyed and the card being
released slides down the incline y to the pack that is being formed. When the sucker
lays hold of the card, the stop k which keeps the cards in at front, rises a little tending
to detach the card from the sucker, but it yields by bending and remains adhering to
the sucker while the cards behind it thus become detached from it. The force applied
in effecting this detachment is very small because, owing to the grips a holding back
most of the cards in the box, there are only very few cards bearing against the front
card. The stop k, after having effected the detachment, descends again to allow the
sucked card to pass as it is carried over to the incline g and then ascends pushing back
the few cards in front, which being reduced in number by the removal of the front card
do not quite reach the body of cards in the box behind them. At this moment the
side a of the box moves a little away from a releasing the cards in the box from
the lateral pressure and so permitting them to advance to those in front, whereupon
the body of cards is again gripped, a few being still left free in front resting against
the stop k.
The number thus left free in front is consequently always nearly the
same ready for a succeeding action of the sucker.
The stops for all the boxes are mounted on a bar which is moved by a cam.
Each stop consists of a fork placed between two contiguous boxes and having at about
half the height of a card branches with projections em which press laterally against
the cards. In the middle of each box there is on the bar a hook " which projects
under the free cards and supports them. Thus at the moment when a card is sucked,
it is supported at three points, one on each side and one below, constituting angles of
a triangle in the middle of which the sucker is applied, so that it acts under the best
conditions and ensures adhesion of the card even when it is not quite flat.
In
The lateral grip of the body of cards takes place in all the boxes simultaneously by
the movement of the slide bar which is worked as will be hereafter described.
order that it may be regular in all the boxes, the right side of each box can be adjusted
to correct gauge on the bar and secured by a nut.
When the machine is in operation, as many cards as there are boxes are deposited at
each action of the suckers on the packs which are in course of formation, which are
carried, one facing each box on the table below the inclines g. The first pack at the
entering end of the machine has only one card, the second pack two, and so on, and
therefore, to complete the packs, each has to travel step by step the whole length of
the table stopping exactly in front of each box while a card is delivered to it from
the sucker. This forward movement is given to the packs by the vertical blades or
rakes, which have a double motion, first, an oscillation around the axis whereby
they ascend above the table behind the packs to be advanced and descend again after
they have advanced them, and secondly, a horizontal reciprocation whereby they

page_text: move longitudinally with the axis 2 pushing on the packs the required distance, and
return ready to push on the succeeding packs. The last pack, which, having received
cards from all the boxes, is complete, is pushed by the rake behind it on to a shelf i
which by an oscillating movement around its front end comes into line with the
table, and then descends to a horizontal position, whereupon the pack carried by it
is pushed by a small reciprocating carriage on to a horizontal endless band m which
(see Fig. 1) moves at right angles to the machine and carries the successive packs to
the operators who have to pack them up in wrappers. Before receiving a pack the
band has received the sheet of paper that is to cover the pack, which is thus delivered
along with its envelope ready to be packed up by the operators who arrange themselves
along the course of the travelling band.
In what precedes it has been assumed that the machine is in regular and full
operation; it must however be noted that on starting, it is only the first box that has
to deliver a card, the others must not deliver until the successive packs already
partially made up reach them. At the first action therefore, only the first box delivers,
at the second action, the first and second boxes deliver, at the third action the first,
second and third boxes deliver and so on successively until all the boxes are at
The successive starting of the box deliveries is effected in the following
work.
manner.
As the sucking action is in each case produced by the descent of a piston ¹, in
order to prevent the suction from taking place, it is only necessary to apply a stop to
the piston rod. To effect this, a shaft above the piston levers d has fixed on it
sectors one for each lever. While one of these sectors bears on the end of a
lever as shewn in Fig. 5, the piston d¹ belonging to this lever cannot descend to
effect suction. The shaft revolving slowly, step by step, has the sectors; fixed on
it in such order that as the shaft turns, one lever after another is liberated, until all
are free, whereupon the shaft is stopped as will hereafter be described. Although the
suction is thus prevented until the proper time for each successive box, the movement
of all the suckers goes on regularly but without effect in removing cards until there is
suction. The shaft having made half a revolution to liberate the sucker pistons
successively, is again caused to revolve when the machine has to be stopped, and its
sectors then stop the suction pistons in succession from that for the first box onwards.
The shaft is turned by a ratchet moved by a pawl which can be engaged during the
starting and stopping of the machine, but remains disengaged while the machine is in
full work. As a machine made for delivering 52 cards for each pack may have to
be used for a less number such as 36, it is only necessary so to set the shaft that a
number of the sectors, in this particular case 16 of them, at the left end of the machine
shall keep their sucker levers stopped.
The various movements for effecting the operations above described are produced by
gearing arranged as follows:
The main shaft is caused to revolve when a friction cone clutch is pressed
against a pulley (see Fig. 8) which is free on the shaft and is driven by a band.
The cone clutch can slide longitudinally on the shaft which must turn with it. It
is urged towards the right by a spring or springs in a cavity f¹ of its boss, these springs
butting against the flange of a boss keyed on the shaft, and thus, if the clutch
were free, the shaft would always be driven; but normally, the clutch is held back
out of engagement with by a ring f³ connecting two parts of a transverse shaft f*
and having bosses a little above the centre of the shaft which act on a collar 10 on
the boss of the clutch. On the shaft is fixed the clutch lever f, on moving which
to the right the shaft is partly turned and the bosses leave the clutch free
to be urged by the springs in fl into engagement with the driving pulley
At the same time, as shewn in Fig. 1 a catch in form of a bell crank n urged
by a spring n engages behind the clutch lever f' and prevents it from moving
back, so that unclutching cannot be effected by this lever, but is effected, as will
hereafter be described, only when the parts are in a certain position. It may be
done by hand if required, or it may take place automatically when any
of the boxes are empty or when a sucker fails to act. In all such cases the

page_text: machine must stop dead, and therefore the clutch f¹ has a cone on the other side
which enters a coned brake f
The levers which raise the pistons d' are loose on the shaft d³, and are raised at
the proper times by arms de fixed on the shaft d, which are caused to oscillate by a
cam on the shaft acting on a roller d³ on an arm of the shaft d. As the piston
levers are thus only raised being left free to fall, any of them can be held up by the
sectors as already described.
The shafte which moves the sucker is worked as shewn in Fig. 6 by its arm c' which
is connected by a link to a crank on a wheel c at the right end of the main shaft ƒ.
This wheel is toothed and gears with a wheel on a shaft p for driving the mechanisin
that feeds the wrappers of the packs.
The stops are fixed to a bar ¹ carried by arms ² of a shaft k³ which is rocked by
a cam acting on a roller mounted on its armi kt.
The small reciprocating movement of the sides a² of the boxes is imparted to the
bar which carries these sides in the following way. The bar b¹ is jointed to a small
cross lever a that oscillates on a pivot a³ on a small column a at the left end of the
machine (see Figs. 1, 4, 8). At the inner and lower end of the lever a² a roller a¹º on
it is engaged between the oblique sides of a cam groove a at the end of an arm a
which is fixed on the rock shaft 3 that works the stops k. As a oscillates in a
vertical plane, its oblique sides acting on the roller at give the required movements
to a' and so to b' and the box sides a carried by b¹.
12
The rakes by which the packs are step by step advanced, receive their up and
down rotary movement from the rocking shaft 2 an arm 3 of which (see Fig. 1) has
a roller resting across a roller carried in the fork of a lever 5 which is worked
by a cam h In order to distribute the action throughout the length of the machine,
several of these connections are arranged at different parts; three are shewn in the
drawings. The longitudinal movement of the rakesh is produced by a vertical forked
arm (Figs. 1, 5) on one end of a horizontal transverse shaft hs which at its other
end has an arm carrying a roller acted on by a cam . As previously stated, the
rakes rise through the slits of the table then advance pushing the packs onwards,
and in order to ensure the advance of all the cards of each pack a small projecting
nose " at the lower edge of each rake slides along a groove in the table h. During
this advancing movement the roller ³ runs longitudinally along the roller *. The
rakes then descend again, and return to their former position.
The sectors which successively release or stop the suction pistons receive their
step by step motion from a pawl acting on a ratchet wheel 6 for every tooth of
which one of the sectors disengages or engages its lever d². The pawl j* is pivotted
on one arm of a bent lever j³ carrying on its other arm a roller bearing on a cam jon
the main shaft f.
At two opposite parts of the circumference of the ratchet wheel a tooth is
omitted so that when these parts present themselves to the pawl it is ineffective, and
consequently after the wheel has turned so far as to bring all the sectors successively
into action, it remains at rest during the working of the machine. An index with two
points which is set in a suitable position on the ratchet wheel by setting screws j
entering holes in the wheel, determines the beginning of the effective action of the
pawl; by turning the index and with it the wheel until the point of the index meets
the non-return pawl, a tooth of the wheel is presented to the working pawl which
then continues to turn the wheel step by step. The pawl is carried by a vertical
lever or roller which bears against a cam on the main shaft f. When the machine
is stopped, the pawl j is raised, so that the wheel is free to be turned by the index
several teeth to bring the right tooth for starting to the working pawl. At first
starting, the working pawl faces the blank space of the wheel and all the suction
pistons are held up, a few turns of the machine are made to shake and loosen the
cards, then the machine is stopped and the pawl is raised, the index and wheel turned
a little to bring the first required tooth up to the working pawl, and thereupon the
machine is started and goes on until all the suction pistons are brought successively
into action. When this occurs, the pawl is in the second blank space of the wheel

page_text: and is therefore ineffective; the machine then goes on with all the suction pistons in
operation. When it is desired to complete a set of packs without beginning fresh
packs, the machine is stopped, the index is moved up to the pawl which is then a
little raised and thus the working pawl becomes again engaged with a tooth of the
wheel the machine is started again, and the suction pistons become successively
stopped by the sectors j' until all are at rest. By means of the index it is possible to
vary the number of cards in each pack. If, for instance, it is desired to make packs
of 36 cards, instead of 52, the index is fixed on the wheel in such a position that
when it is brought up to the pawl 16 of its teeth have passed the working pawl j*,
and consequently the action of the suction pistons begins with the 17th all beyond it
being successively liberated so that then suckers act on the cards of the 36 remaining
boxes. As however the machine stops if a sucker fails to act, and as in the case under
consideration there are no cards to be sucked in the first 16 boxes, the machine would
stop after the first action if the first 16 pistons were free to descend. To provide against
this, the descent of these 16 pistons is prevented by small sectors P (Fig. 4) fixed on
a spindle which is worked by a hand lever 12. By fixing these sectors at various
angles in helical order on the spindle, any desired number of the pistons & may be
held up by these sectors being brought under the levers d. Thus in the example
cited, the spindle I would be turned so far as to bring 16 of the sectors under these
respective levers d².
The automatic stopping of the machine when a box is emptied of cards or when a
sucker fails to act is effected in the following manner. On the front of the machine is
a small carriage n (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) which is moved longitudinally first to the left,
then stops, again to the left, and then back to the right, by a horizontal arm n¹ of a
vertical rocking shaft n at the lower end of which an arm ³ carries a roller bearing
on a cam on the shaft f. In the carriage n are fitted a number of sliding bolts n
having opposite bevils at their ends, and on the front of the machine is a sliding bar n
having on its upper edge as many horizontal rollers nº and as many stops n as there
are bolts in the carriage. If the machine is properly working, the bolts n* move to
and fro with the carriage without being caused to project in such a way as to move the
bar n. But if there be no card for one of the suckers to take, or if a sucker fails to
act, the piston of that sucker, instead of descending only a little producing sufficient
exhaustion to support it, will descend rapidly to the lower end of its cylinder and thus
a roller on a rodd attached to the piston rod (see Fig. 4) will be brought down to
the level of the bolts n*. As these bolts are longer than the distance between the two
rollers n and d, that particular bolt which happens to be immediately to the right of
the roller which has descended, will meet this roller with its bevelled end as the
carriage n moves first to the left and will thus be caused to slide towards the front of
the machine, and engage with one of the stops n" on the bar n³; when the carriage n
makes its second movement to the left the bar n³, which runs on rollers, is moved with
it and by this movement it releases the catch n previously described. Thereupon the
clutch lever which was held by the catch n is released, and then a spring nº
(Fig. 1) which is more powerful than the clutch spring in pushes the lever so as
not only to unclutch from the driving pulley 2 but also to clutch it with the
brake thus immediately stopping the machine which is necessary in order to prevent
formation of imperfect packs. The machine is stopped always at the same part of its
cycle of movement, when the carriage n has made its stroke to the left. When it is
desired to stop by hand, one of the bolts n*, some of which are provided with knobs
for the purpose, is pushed out, and this causes stoppage in the same way, everything
at the moment of stopping being in the condition suitable for setting the index of the
ratchet and recommencing. The bolt n that had been pushed out, is pushed back
again by its outer bevelled end meeting one of the rollers n on the stroke of n to the
right. The attendant by observing the particular bolt which has caused stoppage, can
ascertain where the defect occurred.
The mechanism for discharge of the complete packs, shewn more particularly is
Figs. 1, 1, 3, 6 and 9 is of the following description. As already described a forked
shelf fixed to a C shaped arm pivotted at rises at the proper times to form an

page_text: extension of the table h, and the completed pack is pushed by the last of the rakes
on to i and against an adjustable spring stop. The shelf then descends to the level
of the travelling web m, and the pack is then pushed on to a wrapper previously
placed on the web as will be presently explained, by a small carriage caused to slide
in guides by a cam i7, acting on a roller on an arm of a rocking shaft from
which two arms 10 extend upwards forming a fork connected by a pin to the
carriage. The up and down motion of the shelf i is given by a lever arm 8 worked
by a cam.
On a rocking shaft 10 are fixed two curved arms ", one on each side, and a tubular
arm having at its lower end a bracket on which is pivotted another arm. This
arm has a toothed sector 15 engaging with a scrow within the arm". By turning
this screw the angle of 1 to can be varied, and consequently the cam ¹³ which
acts on a roller carried by 1 can be made to act sooner or later to move the shaft 20
and the curved arm. This adjustment is necessary to suit wrappers of different
sizes. A pile of wrappers being placed on the table p, one of them is fed between a
lower roller p2 and an upper oscillatory roller mounted on the curved arms, the
lower roller p is driven rapidly by gearing ppp from the shaft on which is a
wheel gearing with a wheel e on the main shaft f. The wrapper fed by the
rollers pp reaches an inclined part m² of the travelling web m which part passes
over two guide rollers pop driven by gearing from a wheel p' itself driven from a
pinion p on the shaft p.
11
The wrapper is held on the web by rollers p¹ and pl³ and by the frames carrying
them the one pressing on the left and the other on the right edge of the wrapper,
leaving room between for the pack of cards to pass. The curved arms have
attached to them rods p which rise with them above the roller p² and form stops
against which the wrapper is fed by hand, its position in register being thus
determined.
Apparatus such as has been described may obviously be applied to form packs not
only of playing cards but of cards used for other purposes. As there may be any
number of boxes, each pack may contain any number of the cards.
Dated this 19th day of October 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Apparatus for Making up Packs of Cards.
We, PAUL GAUCHOT, of 103 quai de Salmy, Paris, Republic of France, Engineer,
and the Firm GRIMAUD & CHARTIER, of 54 rue de Lancry Paris, Republic of France,
Manufacturers, 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:-
This invention relates to apparatns whereby cards are taken successively from boxes
each containing a number of those of the same kind, and are piled together so as to
make up a complete pack. For example, for an ordinary pack there are 52 boxes
arranged side by side; for a pack suited for another game such as piquet there are
32 boxes; but whatever be the number of cards constituting a pack the mechanism
is substantially the same, being arranged to provide against certain difficulties such as
the following in taking one card from a box, the card next to it may tend to
accompany it the sucker by which a card is removed may fail to hold it ;--a box
may be emptied while the machine goes on, and thus a card may be missing.
;-
Moreover, the successive cards being received on a travelling web, provision has to
be made for introducing under each pack a wrapper so that as the successive packs
reach the delivery end of the machine, they can be readily and rapidly enveloped in
these wrappers.
We will describe the construction of the machine referring to the drawings accom-
panying our Provisional Specification.
Fig. 1 is a front view partly in section,-drawn on two sheets to show the full length
of the machine.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section on A B Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 is a view of the left end of the machine.
Fig. 3 is a plan, drawn like Fig. 1 on two sheets to show the full length.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section on CD Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section on E F Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is an elevation of the right end of the machine.
Fig. 7 is a part plan of the left end.
Fig. 8 is a part longitudinal section of the same.
Fig. 9 is a part elevation and longitudinal section at the right end of the machine.
Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive are drawn to an enlarged scale.
Each of the boxes which are charged with cards has a bottom plate a inclined at about
45° to the horizon, and two sides a a² carried respectively on two bars band '.
The left sides a¹ of the boxes are stationary but the right sides a² have a to and
fro motion.

page_text: All the left sides a¹ however may be moved laterally by a thumb screw a
(Fig. 8) to adjust the width of the boxes to that of the cards as determined by a
gauge a¹.
The right sides a² are fixed to the bottom plates a and are shaped in front so as
to form two beaks or grippers a³ (Fig. 6) which are faced with caoutchouc. These
beaks press the cards against the opposite side of the box so as to hold back the
greater part of them and prevent them from pressing against the sucker when it
removes the foremost card, at which time only a few of the front cards are free to
bear against it.
Each sucker has a mouth c (Fig. 5) which is always in communication by a flexible
tube c¹ with a vertical cylinder d fitted with a frictionless piston d'; a lever d
worked from the main shaft fraises the piston to the top of the cylinder and then lets
it descend thus causing a partial vacuum that may be regulated by weights put on the
piston rod. Each sucker is carried by a link c and by an arm of a rocking
shaft from which it receives such a movement that after being applied to the
lowest card in the box it lifts it out almost vertically (see Fig. 6) and then moves it
over and turns it down on an incline 9 (see Fig. 4). At this moment a valve c³ being
opened by its tail meeting a roller c" the vacuum in the sucker is destroyed and the
card being released slides down the incline g to the pack that is being formed. When
the sucker lays hold of the card, the stop which keeps the cards in at front, rises a
little tending to detach the card from the sucker, but it yields by bending and remains
adhering to the sucker while the cards behind it thus become detached from it.
g
The force applied in effecting this detachment is very small because owing to the
grips a holding back most of the cards in the box, there are only very few cards
bearing against the front card. The stop after having effected the detachment,
descends again to allow the sucked card to pass as it is carried over to the incline g
and then ascends pushing back the few cards in front, which being reduced in
number by the removal of the front card do not quite reach the body of cards in the box
behind them. At this moment the side a² of the box moves a little away from a¹
releasing the cards in the box from the lateral pressure and so permitting them to
advance to those in front, whereupon the body of cards is again gripped, a few being
still left free in front resting against the stop . The number thus left free in
front is consequently always nearly the same ready for a succeeding action of the
sucker.
The stops for all the boxes are mounted on a bar
cam. Each stop consists of a fork placed between two contiguous boxes and having
at about half the height of a card branches with projections
against the cards.
which is moved by a
which press laterally
In the middle of each box there is on the bar a hook which projects under
the free cards and supports them. Thus, at the moment when a card is sucked, it
is supported at three points, one on each side and one below, constituting angles
of a trianglo in the middle of which the sucker is applied, so that it acts under
the best conditions and ensures adhesion of the card even when it is not quite
flat.
The lateral grip of the body of cards takes place in all the boxes simultaneously
by the movement of the slide bar which is worked as will be hereafter described.
In order that it may be regular in all the boxes, the right side of each box can be
adjusted to correct gauge on the bar and secured by a nut.
When the machine is in operation, as many cards as there are boxes are deposited
at each action of the suckers on the packs which are in course of formation, which
are carried, one facing each box on the table h below the inclines g. The first pack
at the entering end of the machine has only one card, the second pack two, and so
on, and therefore, to complete the packs, each has to travel step by step the whole
length of the table & stopping exactly in front of each box while a card is delivered
to it from the sucker. This forward movement is given to the packs by the vertical
blades or rakes which have a double motion, first, an oscillation around the axis h³

page_text: whereby they ascend above the table behind the packs to be advanced and descend
again after they have advanced them, and secondly, a horizontal reciprocation
whereby they move longitudinally with the axis pushing on the packs the required
distance, and return ready to push on the succeeding packs. The last pack, which,
having received cards from all the boxes, is complete, is pushed by the rake behind
it on to a shelf which by an oscillating movement around its front end comes into
line with the table h, and then descends to a horizontal position, whereupon the pack
carried by it is pushed by a small reciprocating carriage on to a horizontal endless
band m which (see Fig. 1b) moves at right angles to the machine and carries the
successive packs to the operators who have to pack them up in wrappers. Before
receiving a pack the band has received the sheet of paper that is to cover the pack,
which is thus delivered along with its envelope ready to be packed up by tho
operators who arrange themselves along the course of the travelling band.
In what precedes it has been assumed that the machine is in regular and full
operation; it must however be noted that on starting, it is only the first box that has
to deliver a card the others must not deliver until the successive packs already
partially made up reach them.
At the first action therefore, only the first box delivers, at the second action, the
first and second boxes deliver, at the third action, the first, second and third boxes
deliver and so on successively until all the boxes are at work. The successive starting
of the box deliveries is effected in the following manner.
As the sucking action is in each case produced by the descent of a piston d¹, in
order to prevent the suction from taking place it is only necessary to apply a stop to
the piston rod. To effect this, a shaft j above the piston levers d² has fixed on it
sectors one for each lever. While one of these sectors bears on the end of a lever
as shewn in Fig. 5 the piston d belonging to this lever cannot descend to effect
suction. The shaft j revolving slowly, step by step, has the sectors j¹ fixed on it in
such order that as the shaft turns, one lever after another is liberated until all are free,
whereupon the shaft is stopped as will hereafter be described.
Although the suction is thus prevented until the proper time for each successive
box, the movement of all the suckers goes on regularly but without effect in removing
cards until there is suction. The shaft having made half a revolution to liberate the
sucker pistons, successively is again caused to revolve when the machine has to be
stopped, and its sectors then stop the suction pistons in succession from that for the
first box onwards. The shaftj is turned by a ratchet moved by a pawl which can be
engaged during the starting and stopping of the machine, but remains disengaged
while the machine is in full work. As a machine made for delivering 52 cards for
cach pack may have to be used for a less number such as 36, it is only necessary so to
set the shaft that a number of the sectors, in this particular case 16 of them, at the
left end of the machine shall keep their sucker levers d² stopped.
The various movements for effecting the operations above described are produced by
gearing arranged as follows:
The main shaft f is caused to revolve when a friction cone clutch is pressed
against a pulley 2 (see Fig. 8) which is free on the shaft and is driven by a band.
The cone clutch can slide longitudinally on the shaft which must turn with it. It
is urged towards the right by a spring or springs in a cavity f" of its boss, these
springs butting against the flange of a boss keyed on the shaft, and thus, if the
clutch were free, the shaft would always be driven; but normally, the clutch is held
back out of engagement with by a ring 3 connecting two parts of a transverse
shaft and having bosses a little above the centre of the shaft which act on a
collar f10 on the boss of the clutch. On the shaft f is fixed the clutch lever, on
moving which to the right the shaft fe is partly turned and the bosses f leave the
clutch free to be urged by the springs in into engagement with the driving pulley
At the same time, as shown in Fig. 1 a catch in form of a bell crank ne urged by
a spring n engages behind the clutch lever f and prevents it from moving back, so
that unclutching cannot be effected by this lever, but is effected, as will hereafter be
described, only when the parts are in a certain position. It may be done by hand if
.
B

page_text: required, or it may take place automatically when any of the boxes are empty or when
a sucker fails to act. In all such cases the machine must stop dead, and therefore the
clutch has a cone on the other side which enters a coned brake f³.
The levers which raise the pistons d' are loose on the shaft d and are raised at
the proper times by arms de fixed on the shaft which are caused to oscillate by a
cam on the shaft facting on a roller d³ on an arm of the shaft d³. As the piston
levers are thus only raised being left free to fall any of them can be held up by the
sectors as already described.
The shaft which moves the sucker is worked as shewn in Fig. 6 by its arm c
which is connected by a link to a crank on a wheel at the right end of the
main shaft. This wheel is toothed and gears with a wheel on a shaft p" for driving
the mechanism that feeds the wrappers for the packs.
The stops are fixed to a bar carried by arms 2 of a shaft 3 which is rocked by
a cam acting on a roller mounted on its arm *.
The small reciprocating movement of the sides a² of the boxes is imparted to the
bar which carries these sides in the following way. The bar bis jointed to a small
cross lever a that oscillates on a pivot a³ on a small column a' at the left end of the
machine (see Figs. 1, 4, 8).
At the inner and lower end of the lever a' a roller a¹0 on it is engaged between the
oblique sides of a cam groove a" at the end of an arm a¹² which is fixed on the rock ?
shaft that works the stops k. As a¹¹ oscillates in a vertical plane, its oblique sides
acting on the roller a¹ give the required movements to a' and so to b¹ and the box
sides a² carried by b¹.
The rakes by which the packs are step by step advanced, receive their up and
down rotary movement from the rocking shaft 2 an arm h³ of which (see Fig. 1) has 2
a roller resting across a roller * carried in the fork of a lever ³ which is worked by a
cam. In order to distribute the action throughout the length of the machine,
several of these connections are arranged at different parts; three are shewn in the
drawings. The longitudinal movement of the rakes / is produced by a vertical forked
arm (Figs. 1, 5) on one end of a horizontal transverse shaft 8 which at its other
end has an arm carrying a roller acted on by a cam he. As previously stated the
rakes rise through the slits of the table then advance pushing the packs onwards
and in order to ensure the advance of all the cards of each pack a small projecting
nose at the lower edge of each rake slides along a groove in the table h. During
this advancing movement the roller ³ runs longitudinally along the roller /*.
rakes then descend again, and return to their former position.
The
The sectors which successively release or stop the suction pistons receive their
step by step motion from a pawl acting on a ratchet wheel for every tooth of
which one of the sectors disengages or engages its lever d². The pawl j* is pivotted
on one arm of a bent lever 3 carrying on its other arm a roller bearing on a cam
on the main shaft f.
At two opposite parts of the circumference of the ratchet wheel ja a tooth is omitted
so that when these parts present themselves to the pawl it is ineffective, and
consequently after the wheel has turned so far as to bring all the sectors successively
into action it remains at rest during the working of the machine. An index with two
points which is set in a suitable position on the ratchet wheel j by setting screws 18
entering holes in the wheel, determines the beginning of the effective action of the
pawl; by turning the index and with it the wheel until the point of the index meets
the non-return pawl a tooth of the wheel is presented to the working pawl which
then continues to turn the wheel step by step. The pawl is carried by a vertical
lever or roller 10 which bears against a cam j" on the main shaft f. When the
machine is stopped, the pawl is raised so that the wheel is free to be turned by the
index several teeth to bring the right tooth for starting to the working pawl. At
first starting, the working pawl faces the blank space of the wheel and all the
suction pistons are held up, a few turns of the machine are made to shake and loosen
the cards, then the machine is stopped, and the pawl is raised, the index and wheel
turned a little to bring the first required tooth up to the working pawl, and thereupon

page_text: the machine is started and goes on until all the suction pistons are brought
successively into action. When this occurs the pawl is in the second blank space of
the wheel and is therefore ineffective; the machine then goes on with all the suction
pistons in operation. When it is desired to complete a set of packs without beginning
fresh packs, the machine is stopped, the index is moved up to the pawl which is
then a little raised and thus the working pawl becomes again engaged with a tooth
of the wheel ; the machine is started again, and the suction pistons become
successively stopped by the sectors ¹ until all are at rest. By means of the index it
is possible to vary the number of cards in each pack. If, for instance, it is desired to
make packs of 36 cards, instead of 52, the index is fixed on the wheel in such a
position that when it is brought up to the pawl j 16 of its teeth have passed the
working pawl and consequently the action of the suction pistons begins with the
17th all beyond it being successively liberated so that their suckers act on the cards
of the 36 remaining boxes. As however the machine stops if a sucker fails to act,
and as in the case under consideration there are no cards to be sucked in the first
16 boxes the machine would stop after the first action if the first 16 pistons were
free to descend.
To provide against this, the descent of these 16 pistons is prevented by small
sectors (Fig. 4) fixed on a spindle which is worked by a hand lever . By fixing
these sectors at various angles in helical order on the spindle, any desired number of
the pistons d may be held up by these sectors l' being brought under the levers d².
Thus in the example cited the spindle I would be turned so far as to bring 16 of the
sectors under these respective levers d².
The automatic stopping of the machine when a box is emptied of cards or when a
sucker fails to act is effected in the following manner. On the front of the machine
is a small carriage n (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) which is moved longitudinally first to the left,
then stops, again to the left, and then back to the right, by a horizontal arm of a
vertical rocking shaft at the lower end of which an arm ³ carries a roller bearing
ou a cam non the shaft f.
In the carriage are fitted a number of sliding bolts nª having opposite bevils at
their ends, and on the front of the machine is a sliding bar no having on its upper
edge as many horizontal rollers nº and as many stops n" as there are bolts in the
carriage. If the machine is properly working the bolts a move to and fro with the
carriage without being caused to project in such a way as to move the bar n³. But
if there be no card for one of the suckers to take, or if a sucker fails to act, the
piston of that sucker, instead of descending only a little producing sufficient
exhaustion to support it, will descend rapidly to the lower end of its cylinder and thus
a roller d' on a rod attached to the piston rod (see Fig. 4) will be brought down to
the level of the bolts n. As these bolts are longer than the distance between the two
rollers n" and d that particular bolt which happens to be immediately to the right of
the roller which has descended, will meet this roller with its bevelled end as the
carriage a moves first to the left and will thus be caused to slide towards the front of
the machine, and engage with one of the stops n" on the bar n³; when the carriage
makes its second movement to the left the bar n which runs on rollers is moved with
it and by this movement it releases the catch previously described. Thereupon
the clutch lever 7 which was held by the catch n is released, and then a spring n
(Fig. 1) which is more powerful than the clutch spring in fi pushes the lever f
so as not only to unclutch from the driving pulley but also to clutch it with the
brake thus immediately stopping the machine which is necessary in order to
prevent formation of imperfect packs. The machine is stopped always at the same
part of its cycle of movement when the carriage » has made its stroke to the left.
When it is desired to stop by hand, one of the bolts n*, some of which are provided
with knobs for the purpose, is pushed out, and this causes stoppage in the same way,
everything at the moment of stopping being in the condition suitable for setting the
index of the ratchet and recommencing. The bolt n that had been pushed out, is
pushed back again by its outer bevilled end meeting one of the rollers nº on the

page_text: stroke of n to the right. The attendant by observing the particular bolt which has
caused stoppage, can ascertain where the defect occurred.
The mechanism for discharge of the complete packs, shewn more particularly in
Figs. 1, 1¹¹³, 3, 6 and 9 is of the following description. As already described a forked
shelf i fixed to a C shaped arm pivotted at rises at the proper times to form an
extension of the table and the completed pack is pushed by the last of the rakes
on to and against an adjustable spring stop 2. The shelf then descends to the
level of the travelling web m, and the pack is then pushed on to a wrapper previously
placed on the web as will be presently explained, by a small carriage caused to
slide in guides by a cam i, acting on a roller on an arm of a rocking shaft from
which two arms extend upwards forming a fork connected by a pin to the
carriage ³. The up and down motion of the shaft is given by a lever arm ¿ª
worked by a cam.
On a rocking shaft 210 are fixed two curved arms one on each side, and a tubular
arm having at its lower end a bracket on which is pivotted another arm 2.
This arm has a toothed sector 16 engaging with a screw within the arm. By
turning this screw the angle of 12 to can be varied, and consequently the cam 1³
which acts on a roller carried by can be made to act sooner or later to move the
shaft 10 and the curved arm . This adjustment is necessary to suit wrappers of
different sizes. A pile of wrappers being placed on the table p, one of them is fed
between a lower roller p² and an upper oscillatory roller pl mounted on the curved
arms, the lower roller p² is driven rapidly by gearing p³ ³ p³ from the shaft p¹ on
which is a wheel p¹ gearing with a wheel c on the main shaft f. The wrapper fed by
the rollers pl preaches an inclined part m¹ of the travelling web m which part passes
over two guide rollers p10 11 driven by gearing from a wheel p' itself driven from a
pinion p on the shaft p".
The wrapper is held on the web by rollers p¹² and p¹³ and by the frames carrying
them the one pressing on the left and the other on the right edge of the wrapper,
leaving room between for the pack of cards to pass. The curved arms have attached
to them rods pl which rise with them above the roller 12 and form stops against
which the wrapper is fed by hand, its position in register being thus determined.
Apparatus such as has been described may obviously be applied to form packs not
only of playing cards, but of cards used for other purposes. As there may be any
number of boxes, each pack may contain any number of the cards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is
1. As a whole combination the apparatus or machine for making up packs of cards,
wherein a set of boxes, containing each a number of cards of the same pattern, are
arranged in line; from each box in succession a single card is by means of a sucker
withdrawn and deposited on those previously deposited, partial packs of which are
advanced step by step along the range of boxes until finally the completed pack is
delivered at the end of the range, to be wrapped up, substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings. And as subordinate combinations in this
apparatus, we claim :-
2. The boxes for holding the cards to be packed each made with an inclined
bottom, with a side adjustable to suit width of card, and a side moveable to and fro
and provided with grippers to hold the cards, in combination with the appliances for
giving to and fro movement to the moveable sides of all the boxes simultaneously, and
with the moveable stops for the front cards, substantially as herein described.
3. The suckers for withdrawing the cards from the boxes in combination with the
cams, rods, and levers for working them, and the cylinders, loaded pistons, and valves
whereby the vacuum is produced and governed, substantially as described.
4. The table which receives the cards from the suckers in combination with
the rakes by which the partial packs are advanced step by step substantially as
described.

page_text: 5. The appliances for delivery of the completed packs, substantially as described.
6. The sectors and levers for. holding up the vacuum pistons, in combination
with the appliances for determining the number of active suckers, substantially as
described.
7. The apparatus whereby paper wrappers are successively presented at the end of
the machine to receive completed packs, substantially as described.
8. The clutch apparatus for starting the machine and in combination therewith the
appliances for stopping the machine either by hand or automatically when a card fails
to be delivered from a box, substantially as described.
.
"
יד
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.