IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CARDS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Nuttall, of Heap Bridge, near Bury, in the County
of Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
CARDS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Nuttall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th May 1880.
JAMES NUTTALL, of Heap Bridge, near Bury, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CARDS."
My Invention consists in cutting one or more rows of holes in a card at one
operation, instead of cutting all the holes at one operation, and in the machinery
for effecting the same.
I make use of a main shaft extending across the front of the machine, on which
I place a small cam which regulates the traverse of the pattern cylinder by giving
motion to a lever (similar to a piano machine lever), on which are two stop pieces
which take into pegs or teeth on a wheel keyed on a shaft, on which shaft is also
a spur wheel taking into a rack fixed to the frame supporting the pattern cylinder;
the frame is drawn back to bring the holes in the pattern card under the selecting
needles by a strap passing over a pulley and connected to a weight. When a card
has been cut, the frame is drawn forward by a treadle to bring it in position for
taking hold of another card to be cut, which is done by a pair of nippers attached
to the lower portion of the frame. The selecting head (or framework containing
the selecting needles and punches) is raised and lowered by cams or eccentrics on
the main shaft, and carries the needles and levers and punches up and down; the
cutting plate is stationary, and the punches move. Each selecting needle is con-
nected to one end of an elbow lever, and the other end of the elbow lever passes
through a hole in a key, and when the selecting needle is raised by the blank
portion of the pattern card, the key is drawn back by the elbow lever, and the
corresponding punch does not pass through the card to be punched; when the
selecting needle passes through a hole in the pattern card, the corresponding punch
acts upon the card to be punched as the key is not drawn back.
The pattern card cylinder is turned over by a catch piece or tumbler when all the
holes required have been punched in the card. Another part of my Invention
consists in placing the pattern cards on endless chains with pegs on to carry the
card under the selecting needles; the cards to be punched have holes in their ends
which fit on pegs on endless chains which carry them under the punches. These
endless chains pass over rollers or wheels, and are driven by ratchet wheels with
levers and catches, or other mechanism actuated by the main shaft.
The main shaft may be driven by hand or by other power.

page_text: "
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Nuttall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
November 1880.
JAMES NUTTALL, of Heap Bridge, near Bury, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CARDS."
My Invention consists in cutting one or more rows of holes in a card at one
operation, instead of cutting all the holes at one operation, and in the machinery
for effecting the same.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect, I will describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, reference being
had to the Figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my
improved card cutting machine; and Fig. 3 is a section of the selecting head; x is
the main frame; a is the selecting head carrying two rows of punches b, the two
rows of keys c and d, the L shaped levers e and f (which swing on rods extending
from end to end of the selecting bead), and the selecting needles e¹ and f¹; spiral
springs bear on collars near the top of the punches to ensure them returning to
their places when the selecting head rises; y is a presser plate to steady the pattern
card when the selecting head descends; g is the main shaft working in bearings
cast with or fixed to the frame x, and g¹, g', are two eccentrics on g, which, when
the main shaft revolves, raise and lower the selecting head by the connecting rods ge
connected to the lower ends of the sliding rods a', at the upper ends of which the
selecting head is fixed. h is a cam which actuates the lever ³, one end of which
is connected to and actuates the piano lever i, on which are two stop pieces which
come in contact with pegs on the wheel keyed on the shaft l, on which is also
keyed a spur wheel m taking into a rack fixed to the sliding frame / to regulate
the traverse of the pattern cylinder j, which is fixed on a shaft supported in
bearings on the sliding frame k which slides on the rods ²; to the sliding frame is
connected a weight n by a strap n¹, to draw the pattern card back to bring the
rows of holes in succession under the selecting needles; o¹ is an elbow lever or
tumbler against which one of the pins o comes when the weight n draws back the
frame after a card is cut, and the pattern card cylinder is thus turned over and a
fresh pattern card u is brought forward; there are four pins o on a plate o² fixed
on the cylinder shaft, and when the frame k is drawn forward the elbow lever o¹
swings to allow a pin o to pass without turning the cylinder; wis a steady plate
on which o rests to prevent the cylinder ; from turning when the selecting head is
brought down. Attached to the front of the frame le are two nippers p, similar to
those used on piano card cutting machines, to take hold of the card to be cut. q is
a treadle connected by a strap q' to a pulley on the shaft l. By changing the
pattern cylinder and the wheel cards of different width can be cut. There are
collars on the upper ends of the punches which rest on the plate a², and the lower
ends of the punches also pass through a plate b¹ fixed above the cutting plate b³ ;
the card being cut rests on a stationary cutting plate, in which are holes cor-
responding to the punches.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The operator presses down the piano lever
with his hand and depresses the treadle with his foot, thus drawing forward the
frame carrying the pattern card, the nippers open and a card is placed between
them, the lever and treadle are then released and the weight draws the card and
pattern cylinder into the right position for the first two rows of holes to be cut;
the main shaft is then turned round and the eccentrics bring down the selecting
head; in descending each selecting needle that comes on a blank on the pattern card
raises one end of the L shaped lever to which it is connected, and the other end of
the lever draws back the key through which it passes, and the corresponding punch

page_text: does not perforate the card to be cut; each selecting needle that passes through a
hole in the pattern card does not move the lever to which it is connected, and the
key through which the lever passes remains across the hole in which the upper end
of the corresponding punch slides, and the punch is forced through the card to be
cut;
the action of the cam causes the piano lever to allow one peg to pass, and the
spur wheel thus causes the frame to traverse the distance required for two more
rows of holes to be punched at each revolution of the main shaft. I make holes
near the ends of the pattern cylinder corresponding to the end lacing holes and the
peg holes in the card (as these are filled by the laces and pegs) for the selecting
needles to go through, and I bend or crank the corresponding levers e and f so that
their upper ends may be above the ends of the cylinder instead of above the pattern
card, and the levers that correspond with the middle lace holes are connected by
cross wires with the levers corresponding with the end lace holes so that they may
work together.
In Fig. 3 the selecting head is supposed to be down, and the selecting needle e¹
rests on a blank on the pattern card, consequently one end of the lever e is raised,
and the key c through which the lever e passes is drawn back and the punch rests
on the card to be cut; the selecting needle f' has passed through a hole in the
pattern card, consequently the key d remains above the corresponding punch
which is forced through the card to be cut.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 4 is an elevation, and Fig. 5 a plan of a machine made according
to my Invention to work by power; similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts on both Sheets of Drawings. On the shaft is the peg wheel l¹ on which are
pegs, one peg for each two rows of holes in the card, and at intervals the pegs are
at a greater distance apart to allow for the joining of the cards; & is a ratchet
wheel (having the same number of teeth as there are pegs on ) fixed on the shaft
driven by catches on the levers s¹, actuated by studs 8 on the spur wheelt driven
by a pinion t' on the driving shaft g. On the shaft is a spur wheel 1³, and the
chain pullies which drive the chains 22 passing also over the chain pulleys p³;
these chains carry the cards to be cut which are laced together; j', j, are two chain
pulleys keyed on a shaft j, driven by spur wheels 13 and from the shaft ; the
chain pulleys j,j, drive the chains 3,³, passing over the chain pulleys j³, and
these chains carry the pattern cards which are laced together. is the piano lever
actuated by the cam h and lever h¹ which stops the shaft and the chains while the
cards are being cut. At the ends of the presser plate y I make holes to fit the pegs
on the chains to secure the chains while the selecting needles act upon the pattern
cards; I also use a similar presser plate to hold the chains p² while the cards are
being cut.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention and described the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the
details given, as the same may be varied or modified, nor do I claim cutting all the
rows of holes in a card at one operation, but what I claim is,-
1. Cutting one or two rows of holes in a card by a repeating machine, and the
mechanism for effecting the same, substantially as shewn and described.
2. Operating the selecting needles and the punches by one motion of the selecting
head, and the mechanism for effecting the same, substantially as shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Nuttall, have hereunto set my hand
and soni this First day of November One thousand eight hundred and
JAMES NUTTALL. (L.S.)