IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PERFORATING OR EMBOSSING
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn, of 169, Fleet Street, in
the City of London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PERFORATING OR EMBOSSING." A
Communication from abroad by La Société Mazzuchelli et Mallard, of Paris,
France.
Sealed the 28th May 1880, and dated the 11th December 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th December 1879.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent.
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PERFORATING
OR EMBOSSING." [A communication from abroad by La Société Mazzuchelli et
Mallard, of Paris, France.]
The various machines which have been introduced for marking or stamping
cheques, bills, stamps, tickets, and other papers or articles by means of perforated
letters, figures, or other characters may be divided into three classes, in so far as
relates to the formation of the characters. In one class there are as many punch
types as there are characters, in another the characters are formed with inovable
punches placed in a common box, and in the third, characters engraved in relief act
on a single box, and operate only those punches which correspond to the reliefs.
All these machines possess several defects, among which may be mentioned the
length of the operation of forming the characters in the case of movable punches,
and the great expense of engraving where the characters are in relief; these
objections are avoided by the improved machine which forms the subject of the
present Invention.
According to this Invention, a single punch box is employed, but quite a new
principle or method is adopted for operating the punches to form a character.
This is effected by means of a block pierced with holes, in which lodge those
punches which should be out of action during the perforating of the character.
When this block is lowered it propels some of the punches by its flat face, while
the other punches lodge in the holes in the block, and thus have no effect
on the paper. There are as many blocks as characters or signs to be marked,
each of them being pierced, as will be understood, with holes, which are the
complement or counterpart of the character to be perforated. These blocks may be
177

page_text: placed separately on a flat support, but it is preferred to ararnge them around the
periphery of a wheel or disc.
Having stated the nature of the Invention, I proceed to describe a machine
constructed in accordance therewith. The machine is composed of a plunger which
drives the punches, and works in a vertical guide fixed to a bed plate. The
plunger is operated by a lever handle, and is fitted with a spring to raise it
automatically after each operation. At the lower part of the plunger guide is a
sort of stirrup or strap, which extends to near the bed plate, and carries the fixed
matrix, between which and the bed plate is sufficient space for the passage of
2 or 3 pieces of paper or thin card. Between the bottom of the plunger and the said
matrix is a guide plate, which can play freely on vertical pins, and has a constant
tendency to be pushed upwards by springs. This plate, as well as the matrix and
the bed plate at this part, are perforated with a certain number of holes, say, for
example, 4 rows of 7 holes each. The punches slide freely in these holes, and are
supported in the guide plate by their heads. The wheel or disc which carries the
perforated blocks is mounted on a horizontal axle. To this wheel is attached a
ratchet wheel, the teeth of which are acted upon by a paul. The wheel or disc can
be turned on its axis by means of a handle in either direction; it acts like the
wheel of a printing telegraph apparatus to successively, present the different
characters to be perforated. An index shews if the wheel is in proper position
with regard to the guide plate.
The machine comprises mechanism for automatically drawing the paper, com-
posed of 2 rollers, between which the paper passes; one of these rollers, which is
the smaller, is carried above the bed plate by a bent arm fixed to one of the arms
of the stirrup. The other or larger roller is mounted on a shaft which extends
below the table, and is provided with a ratchet wheel worked by a paul; this paul
is fitted to the end of a lever receiving an oscillating movement from a rod which
is itself suspended by a pin to the lever handle of the machine. At each operation
of the lever handle the rod is lowered, and the lever oscillates, so that the paul is
caused to act on the ratchet wheel, and move the drawing rollers, and consequently
advance the paper.
The shaft of the lower roller is fitted with a milled button to allow the paper which
is to be perforated to be moved forward by hand. Below the paper a continuous
strip of paper may be made to travel over rollers, so as to receive the same
perforations, and thus to serve as a check to the working of the machine. It is
unnecessary to explain fully the action of the machine; I will only refer to the
play of the blocks with reference to the punches. If there were no character to
be marked the block would have as many holes as there are punches. If the
character is, for example, the figure 2, the corresponding block, will have holes in
number and position to make up the complement of the punches, which should be
put in action to form the figure 2; the other punches will enter the holes in the
block in the descent of the plunger to cause the perforations.
Instead of making perforations it may sometimes be wished to emboss the
characters without piercing the paper. To effect this result, punches with
hemispherical ends are substituted for the flat cutting punches, and the perforated
matrix is replaced by one having small hemispherical cavities.
The blocks may either be fixed to the wheel or disc which carries them or be
independent of it, in which caso they may be attached thereto by dovetails.
In some cases instead of employing a wheel or disc the blocks may grouped in
a rectangular holder which will act above a corresponding guide plate and matrix,
the other parts of the machine being as before.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clayton Mewburn in the Great Scal Patent Office on the
10th June 1880.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PERFORATING
AND EMBOSSING." (A communication from abroad by La Société Mazzuchelli et
Mallard, of Paris, France).
The various machines which have been introduced for marking or stamping cheques,
bills, stamps, tickets, and other papers or articles, by means of perforated letters,
figures, or other characters, may be divided into three classes, in so far as relates to
the formation of the characters. In one class there are as many punch types as
there are characters, in another the characters are formed with movable punches
placed in a common box, and in the third, characters engraved in relief act on a
single box and operate only those punches which correspond to the reliefs. All these
machines possess several defects, among which may be mentioned the length of the
operation of forming the characters in the case of movable punches, and the great
expense of engraving where the characters are in relief; these objections are avoided
by the improved machine which forms the subject of the present Invention.
According to this Invention a single punch box is cinployed, but quite a new
principle or method is adopted for operating the punches to form a character.
This is effected by means of a block pierced with holes in which lodge those punches
which should be out of action during the perforating of the character. When this
block is lowered it propels some of the punches by its flat face while the other
punches lodge in the holes in the block, and thus have no effect on the paper.
There are as many blocks as characters or signs to be marked, each of them being
pierced, as will be understood, with holes which are the complement or counterpart
of the character to be perforated. These blocks may be placed separately on a flat
support, but it is preferred to arrange them, as hereinafter described, around the
periphery of a wheel or disc.
Having stated the nature of the Invention I proceed to describe with the aid of
the annexed Drawings a machine constructed in accordance therewith. Figure 1 is
a front view of the machine; Figure 2 a longitudinal section; Figures 3 and 4 are
separate views of the wheel or disc; Figures 5, 6, and 7, respectively show on a
scale, double size, the plate pierced with 28 holes, the block with the holes in which
the inoperative punches lodge, and the set of operative punches for the figure "2"
for example. The machine is composed of a plunger A, which drives the punches
and works in a vertical guide B fixed by the bracket C to the bed plate D. The
plunger is operated by a lever handle E pivoted at e, and is fitted with a spring F
to raise it automatically after each operation. A plate fattached by screws forms
the spring chamber. The lower part of the plunger guide carries the fixed
matrix H, between which and the bed plate is sufficient space for the passage of
2 or 3 pieces of paper or thin card. Between the bottom a of the plunger and the
said matrix is a guide plate I which can play freely on vertical pins, and has a
constant tendency to be pushed upwards by springs. This plate as well as the
matrix and the bed plate at this part are perforated with a certain number of
holes d, d, say for example, 4 rows of 7 holes each. The punches c, c, slide freely
in these holes, and are supported in the guide plate by their heads. The wheel or
disc M which carries the perforated blocks P is mounted on a horizontal axle O.
This wheel has arranged around its face conical holes o into which the spring
bolt J takes. The wheel or disc can be turned on its axis by means of the button m
in either direction; it acts like the wheel of a printing telegraph apparatus to

page_text: successively present the different characters to be perforated. An index at K shows
if the wheel is in proper position with regard to the guide plate.
The machine comprises mechanism for automatically drawing the paper,
composed of 2 rollers R and S, over which the paper passes. Above the bed plate
is a spring carried by a bent arm z fixed to the matrix H. The paper is held
between the rollers R, S, and the spring j. The rollers R and S are mounted on a
shaft 8, which extends below the bed plate and is provided with a ratchet wheel T
worked by a pault; this paul is fitted to the end of a lever receiving an oscillating
movement from a rod V which itself descends, being pushed down by the lever
handle E, when the latter is sufficiently lowered. The rod V is returned to position
by a spring. At each operation of the lever handle the rod V is lowered, and the
lever oscillates so that the paul t is caused to act on the ratchet wheel T and move
the rollers R, S, and consequently advance the paper.
Below the paper or material to be prepared, a continuous strip of paper may be
made to travel over rollers so as to receive the same perforations, and thus to serve as
a check to the working of the machine. It is unnecessary to explain fully the action
of the machine, I will only refer to the play of the blocks with referenco to the
punches. If there were no character to be marked, the block (see Figure 5) would
have as many holes as there are punches. If the character is, for example, the
figure "2," the corresponding block (see Figure 6) will have holes in number and
position to make up the complement of the punches which should be put in action
(see Figure 7) to form the figure 2; the other punches will enter, the holes in
the block when the plunger descends to cause the perforations.
Instead of making perforations, it may sometimes be wished to emboss the
characters without piercing the paper. To effect this result punches with hemi-
spherical ends are substituted for the flat cutting punches, and the perforated
matrix is replaced by one having small hemispherical cavities (see Figure 8).
The blocks may either be fixed to the wheel or disc which carries them, as seen
in the Drawings, or be independent of it, in which latter case they may be attached
thereto by dovetails.
In some cases instead of employing a wheel or disc, the blocks or charaters may
be grouped in a rectangular holder or piece, such as that represented in Figure 9,
which will act above a corresponding guide plate and matrix, the other parts
of the machine being as before. Either the blocks may be fitted in the holder
Figure 9, or this piece may itself be pierced with the necessary holes.
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 as the "Improvements in
Machines for Perforating or Embossing,"
-
First. The arrangement or combination of parts forming an improved perforating
or embossing machine, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in
the annexed Drawings.
Second. The employment of blocks simply pierced with holes to receive the
punches which should be inoperative while the other or operative punches are
propelled by the flat or non-perforated part of the block so as to effect the
perforating or embossing as hereinbefore described, and on the principle represented
in Figures 5, 6, and 7.
Third. The arranging of the said blocks on one or more wheels or discs and
operating the same, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the
annexed Drawings.
Fourth. The employment, in lieu of the said wheel or wheels, of the rectangular
holder of piece, Figure 9, as and for the purpose described.
Fifth. The arrangement of rollers and parts combined therewith for automatically
drawing the paper or material to be perforated and unwinding a strip of paper or
other material as a check to the working of the machine, as hereinbefore described
and represented in the annexed Drawings..

page_text: Sixth. The employment, in lieu of the cutting purches and perforated matrix
described, of punches with hemispherical ends and a matrix with corresponding
cavities, as represented in Figure 8, and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clayton Mewburn, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and eighty.
J. C. MEWBURN. (L.S.)