IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING THE CARDS OF JACQUARD MECHANISM
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st October 1872.-A communication from abroad by
Eugène Vincenzi, Joseph Gaillard, senior, Joseph Gaillard, junior,
and Edward Gaillard, all of Paris, France.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Ohancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING THE CARDS OF
JACQUARD MECHANISM," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved apparatus for repeating the
patterns on the cards of jacquard mechanism. In order to reproduce
several times on a card at one operation a pattern which has been once
read in on the simple, the perforating punches are operated by a
jacquard mechanism, and act in a similar manner to the weights in a
draw loom. By this means the several punches may be connected to
the same hook of the jacquard, and the whole arranged to produce the
repetition desired.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, which
show the principal part of the perforating or punching apparatus, the
remainder differing but little from other apparatus of the kind.

page_text: In Figure 1 A represents the jacquard mechanism which is disposed
at the front of and above the perforating apparatus. In this mechanism,
as will be seen in Figure 2, the hooks a, a', and the bars b, b, of claw M
are turned towards the hooked ends of the needles c, c¹. B, lifting cords
of the punches attached to the links ", r, of hooks a, and so arranged as
to repeat the pattern once, that is to say, there are two to each hook.
O perforated guide for cords B to keep them parallel and prevent their
crossing one another near the punches; D, framing of the punches used
for piercing the cards; E, cords attached at their upper ends to the
hooked ends of the jacquard needles, and weighted at their lower ends F,
so as to overcome and compress the springs d, d', seen in Figure 2, in
order to draw back the needles, and bring the hooks a against bars 6 of
claw M; G, cords connected at 9 to cords E, and serving to raise
weights, and release springs d; H, punching press operated from
shaft I; L, simple; M, claw; and N, jacquard cylinder.
The whole being arranged as described the following is the action of
the perforating apparatus:-On pulling cord e of simple L, weight fis
raised and cord E becomes slack, the spring d' of jacquard A (Figure 2)
then acts on needle c' and pushes back hook a¹ from bar b of claw M.
At this moment by imparting an upward movement to claw M, hook a
which is over the bar 6 will be raised and carry with it all the punches
corresponding to the cords attached to link r, while hook a' will remain
in position, and the punches connected therewith will not be raised, and
will be those used for perforating the card with a pattern repeated as
many times as there are punch lifting cords attached to each book, the
pattern having been but once read in.
In arranging the cords to suit the number of repeats desired, it is
necessary to disconnect them from the cords r of the jacquard cach time,
and to facilitate this operation the following arrangement is employed.
A small thimbles, Figure 3, is passed over the cord through the loop t
of which are passed the lifting cords B of the punches, and the thimble
8 (which is bored conically) is then slid down so as to firmly hold the
cords B as shown in Figure 4. This method of securing the cords is
very expeditious and certain in its action, and also enables the cords to
be changed by simply raising the thimble & to set them at liberty.
I would here remark that the jacquard arranged in connection with
the perforating apparatus may be used both for the purpose herein

page_text: described and for re-cutting; also by placing cards on the cylinder N,
and making the latter abut against plate n at the moment the cords of
simple L are pulled, the needles of the jacquard will be pressed forward
by their springs d, the needles c¹ entering holes in the card corre-
sponding therewith, while the rest of the needles' c meeting the un-
perforated card will be retained in position as if the cords had not been
pulled.
In order to adapt this mechanism to re-cutting cards the cords of the
punches should cach be first connected to its corresponding hook. The
weights F are then raised by bringing plate o up to frame p so as to
slacken the cords E which separates hooks a¹ from the bar of the claw.
In this manner it will be readily understood that the card to be recut on
being presented to the needles will force back, those opposite the un-
perforated parts, and thus bring the hooks a against the bars of the claw.
The needles opposite the perforations will enter therein, and their hooks
a will not engage with the bar of the claw. Thus all the hooks resting
on the bars of the claw will raise their corresponding punches, which
consequently will not perforate the cards to be pierced, but the other
hooks which are not engaged with the claw remain down, and their
corresponding punches will perforate the said card.