IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PERFORATING THE PATTERN CARDS FOR JACQUARD LOOMS FOR WEAVING LACE, NET, MUSLIN AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Liverpool and London Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster,
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PERFORATING THE PATTERN CARDS FOR
JACQUARD LOOMS FOR WEAVING LACE, NET, MUSLIN AND OTHER FABRICS (&
communication from abroad by Monsieur Jules Tofflin of Caudry (Nord), in the
republic of France) to be as follows:-
The machines for punching the Jacquard cards for looms for weaving lace and
similar fabrics (known in France as "pianos à percer ") are constructed for punching
seven holes in the breadth of the cards. The perforations to be made for each
card are very numerous, and it is easy to realize this since a single card may have
as many as two hundred series of seven holes.
In card punching machines at present in use a matrix or frame is used furnished
itself with seven holes, each receiving a punch or a piston for preventing a hole
being made in the card, but for preventing these punches from rising into the
frame and consequently for forcing them to produce the perforations in cards, small
keys to be operated by the fingers, are placed on the side of the frame and in front
of each of the seven holes. Thus for punching one, two or four holes for example,
one must press upon these keys so as to depress them and produce the perforation
of the cards.
The system forming the object of the present application for Letters Patent
permits of singularly simplifying this operation, which as will be understood
requires pretty long practice.
It consists in fact in abandoning the keys above mentioned and in replacing
them by wheels furnished with suitable projections on their periphery and placed
vertically above the seven holes; one of these holes does not require a wheel, as
will be seen later on. These wheels are divided, like the disc or dial plate to be

page_text: presently described, into thirty-three equal parts; this disc is designed to serve
as a guide for an index finger which puts in motion the six wheels above mentioned,
and it is easy to understand that the projections thus formed on the periphery of
the wheels will perform the office of the keys before mentioned and will oblige the
punches to pass across the card.
One of the great advantages of the improvement just indicated is that of
avoiding the calculations requisite with the muslins, et cetera, at present in use,
according to the holes which it is desired to punch. In this new system in fact,
the various series of projections and hollows formed in the circumference of the
wheels above indicated are arranged so that for punching any number of holes in
a card it suffices to place the index on the number of the dial corresponding to
this number. Thus for example for punching six holes it suffices to place by hand
the index finger over the corresponding point of the dial, whilst for obtaining
six holes with the ordinary apparatus it is necessary to press down six keys.
The numerous errors also produced by the ordinary process are thus avoided,
errors which cause a considerable waste of time to find out and correct. The work
is much more simple and more easy and can be done by any workman; it is also
more expeditious, especially if one compares it with the process of punching cards
by hand, since the apparatus permits of punching several holes at once in a less
time than that required for punching one in other apparatus.
The Jacquard card punching machine to which the apparatus is applied is of
ordinary construction, the invention consisting essentially in the dial and wheels
before mentioned. The dial is divided on its circumference into 33 equal parts
carrying numbers from 0 to 31 and a blank one. Each of these numbers
corresponds to one of the 33 parts of one of the six wheels the periphery of
which is cut into notches or projections, these projections corresponding to the
numbers of the holes to be punched.
If for example it is wished to punch the holes corresponding to the numbers 25,
the portion in action of the six wheels will carry four projections which will
present themselves above the holes opposite the punches or pistons and will
prevent the corresponding pistons from going back. What takes place for one
number will take place for all the others, it is merely the projections on the
peripheries of the wheels which vary.
The apparatus being thus arranged, if it is desired to punch the first hole in
the row of seven in the reciprocating matrix or card-holder, it suffices to turn
the wheels so that the first shall present a projection and the five others depressions
or cut-away portions; if it is desired to punch two holes, the first two wheels
present projections and the four others depressions, and so on.
The shaft on which these six wheels are mounted is at right angles to that
which carries the index finger of the dial, and the two shafts are geared together
by mitre wheels. By this means the six wheels are worked by the index finger,
that is to say that by placing the index finger upon the number 1, the corresponding
portion of the wheels is placed above the holes in the matrix in such a way that
the first punch is pushed by a projection and the five others lodge in depressions,
and as the division of the wheels agrees with that of the dial, there can be no
error.
Thus if it is desired to punch seven holes, the operator puts the index finger
of the dial over the corresponding number and actuates the reciprocating movement,
whilst with the key-board system it is necessary to press with seven fingers upon
seven keys and work the reciprocating movement. This produces a great many
errors, since it is a very different task, owing to the necessity for calculation at
the same time; with M. Tofflin's system however there is no necessity for calculation
and consequently no possibility of error.
: In the same way the cards of "fine bars" and of bobbin looms may be punched
or perforated by transforming in the following manner the reckoner of the said
cards, which presents only black points.

page_text: The reckoners of "fine bars" and of bobbins are composed of a number of bars
corresponding to the height of the band of lace or fabric which it is desired to
weave. This number of bars is divided into series of four bars. To these series
figures are applied in the following manner: the first bar has the figure 1, the
second the figure 2, the third the figure 4, and the fourth the figure 8 All the
other series are similar to this. If in a series of the reckoner the first, third and
fourth bars are black (that is, what is wanted to be perforated), the figures of
these three bars are to be added together, giving the number 13. All that is then
required for punching is to place the index finger over the number 13 on the dial
of the machine. It will be exactly similar if there are 8, 12 or 14 bars to be
punched.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Liverpool and London Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PERFORATING THE PATTERN CARDS FOR JACQUARD
LOOMS FOR WEAVING LACE, NET, MUSLIN AND OTHER FABRICS." (A communication
from abroad by Monsieur Jules Toffin, of Caudry, (Nord) in the Republic of
France) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The machines for punching the Jacquard cards for looms for weaving lace and
similar fabrics (known in France as "pianos à percer") are constructed for punching
seven holes in the breadth of the cards. The perforations to be made for each card
are very numerous, and it is easy to realise this since a single card may have as
many as two hundred series of seven holes.
In card punching machines at present in use, a matrix or frame is used furnished
itself with seven holes, each receiving a punch or a piston for preventing a hole
being made in the card, but for preventing these punches from rising into the
frame, and consequently for forcing them to produce the perforations in cards,
small keys to be operated by the fingers, are placed in the side of the frame and in
front of each of the seven holes. Thus for punching one, two or four holes for
example, one must press upon these keys so as to depress them and produce the
perforation of the cards.
The system forming the object of the present application for Letters Patent
permits of singularly simplifying this operation, which as will be understood
requires pretty long practice.
It consists in fact in abandoning the keys above mentioned and in replacing
them by wheels furnished with suitable projections on their periphery and placed
vertically above the seven holes; one of these holes does not require a wheel, as
will be seen later on. These wheels are divided, like the disc or dial plate to be
presently described, into thirty three equal parts; this disc is designed to serve as a
>

page_text: .guide for an index finger which puts in motion the six wheels above mentioned,
and it is easy to understand that the projections thus formed on the periphery of
the wheels will perform the office of the keys before mentioned and will oblige the
punches to pass across the card.
One of the great advantages of the improvement just indicated is that of
avoiding the calculations requisite with the muslins, etcetera, at present in use,
according to the holes which it is desired to punch. In this new system in fact,
the various series of projections and hollows formed in the circumference of the
wheels above indicated are arranged so that for punching any number of holes in a
card it suffices to place the index on the number of the dial corresponding to this
number. Thus for example for punching six holes it suffices to place by hand the
index finger over the corresponding point of the dial, whilst for obtaining six holes
with the ordinary apparatus it is necessary to press down six keys.
The numerous errors also produced by the ordinary process are thus avoided,
errors which cause a considerable waste of time to find out and correct. The work
is much more simple and more easy and can be done by any workman, it is also
more expeditious, especially if one compares it with the process of punching cards
by hand, since the apparatus permits of punching several holes at once in a less
time than that required for punching one in other apparatus.
Referring to the drawings filed with this specification-Sheet I Figures 1 and 2
represent a machine for piercing the Jacquard cards constructed in accordance with
this invention.
Sheet II shews detail views of the improvements effected in the machine. These
drawings shew a machine having a wheel or dial divided into 33 equal parts, and
numbered 0 to 31 and a blank space.
Each of these numbers corresponds to one of the 33 divisions of one of the
6 wheels A, the edges of which are furnished with projections as shewn in plate II
and which correspond to the numbers of the holes to be pierced.
If it be desired for instance to pierce holes corresponding to the numbers 25, the
portion of the wheels A will bear 4 projections which will correspond to the
holes t designed for the passage of the prickers or punchers D, and which will
prevent the puuches corresponding to the numbers 25 from going back. The result
described for one number is attained in the same manner for all the others, the
notches in wheels A alone being different.
The apparatus being thus arranged, if it is desired to punch the first hole in the
row of seven in the reciprocating machine or card holder, it suffices to turn the
wheels so that the first shall present a projection and the five others depressions or
cut away portions; if it is desired to punch two holes, the first two wheels present
projections and the four others depressions and so on.
The shaft on which these six wheels are mounted is at right angles to that which
carries the index fingers of the dial, and the two shafts are geared together by
mitre wheels. By this means the six wheels are worked by the index finger, that
is to say that by placing the index finger upon the number 1, the corresponding
portion of the wheels is placed above the holes in the matrix in such a way that
the first punch is pushed by a projection and the five others lodge in depressions,
and as the division of the wheels agrees with that of the dial, there can be no
error.
Thus if it is desired to punch seven holes, the operator puts the index finger of
the dial over the corresponding number and actuates the reciprocating movement,
whilst with the key board system it is necessary to press with seven fingers upon
seven keys and work the reciprocating movement. This produces a great many
errors, since it is a very difficult task, owing to the necessity for calculation at the
same time, with the present system however there is no necessity for calculation
and consequently no possibility of error.
In the same way the cards of "fine bars" and of bobbin looms may be punched
or perforated by transforming in the following manner the reckoner of the said
cards, which presents only black points.

page_text: The reckoners of "fine bars" and of bobbins are composed of a number of bars
corresponding to the height of the band of lace or fabric which it is desired to
weave. This number of bars is divided into series of four bars. To these series
figures are applied in the following manner: the first bar has the figure 1, the
second the figure 2, the third the figure 4, and the fourth the figure 8. All the
other series are similar to this. If in a series of the reckoner the first, third and
fourth bars are black (that is, what is wanted to be perforated), the figures of these
three bars are to be added together, giving the number 13. All that is then
required for punching is to place the index finger over the number 13 on the dial
of the machine. It will be exactly similar if there are 8, 12 or 14 bars to be
punched, (see Figure 4 Sheet II which shews the conversion of the pattern into
tigures.)
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
The combination of parts forming the improved machine for piercing the holes
in the pattern cards for Jacquard looms substantially as described and illustrated
in the annexed drawings.