Improvements relating to the Punching of Jacquard Cards for Lace and other Weaving.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 16th June, 1900-Accepted, 11th Aug., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Punching of Jacquard Cards for Lace
and other Weaving.
I, SAMUEL ARTHUR HICKTON, of Holmpierrepoint, Newmilns, Ayrshire, Jac-
quard Card Puncher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
At present it is usual, in the manufacture of jacquard cards for lace and
other weaving, to first read the pattern on to strings and then place the strings
in the changing frame in order to punch the cards. Under my invention, .
instead of doing this, I first punch the design on a preliminary card by the
ordinary piano punching machine and I then take this preliminary card and
put it on a specially constructed needle frame from which the required number
of repeats of the design can be produced in the usual manner on to the jacquard
card.
In the needle frame the hooked needles are arranged horizontally whilst the
cross needles are arranged vertically and project up to a spring guide plate at
the top of the frame. This guide plate is perforated as usual. The preliminary
card, already properly punched in a piano punching machine, is laid on top of
the guide plate and held in place thereon by suitable gauge knobs or pro-
jections on the guide plate. A hinged or vertically movable lid, which is
perforated to correspond with the perforations of the guide plate, is now brought
down so as to press the preliminary card on to the cross needles thereby shifting
those hooked needles, which are to be drawn back by the gridiron, into place.
The frame is now moved, by eccentric gear, so as to draw back the needles in
the needle box of the punching machine which latter operates in the usual
manner.
The eccentric gear consists of a suitable shaft with two eccentrics thereon
whose straps are connected by rods to the gridiron. The eccentric shaft is
revolved by toothed wheels actuated by a lever handle or crank. Pawls are
provided for locking the eccentric straps in position when necessary.
The lid, when lowered down on to the guide plate, is automatically locked
in position by means of a spring bolt and catches so as to securely hold the
preliminary card and the cross needles in place whilst the draft is being taken.
The lid, instead of being perforated, may have a perforated plate secured to
it. It is also preferably provided with a suitable handle and a lever for dis-
engaging the spring bolt.
The hooked needles, when actuated, by the cross needles of the needle frame,
are pushed on to the knives or bars of the gridiron. They are held in the
normal back position by springs.
The needle frame is carried on four wheels which move on horizontal rails.
The preliminary card is made of cheap material and is utilized instead of
the pattern read in the strings so that, therefore, the necessity for reading in
the strings is obviated. By adopting my invention much time and “hooking
on is saved when producing jacquard cards.
"

page_text: Each hooked, needle may have two strings hooked to it. More strings may
be hooked in place .if so.
desired.
Doton this 1st Joy of December 1899
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow,
Agent.
Improvements relating to the Punching of Jacquard Cards for Lace
and other Weaving..
I, SAMUEL ARTHUR HICKTON, of Holmpierrepoint, Newmilns, Ayrshire, Jac-
quard Card Puncher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
"
At present it is usual, in the manufacture of jacquard cards for lace and
other weaving, to first read the pattern on to strings and then place the strings
in the changing frame in order to punch the cards. This is a tedious operation
and requires considerable skill and ability in its performance. Instead of
doing this I first punch the design on a preliminary card by the ordinary "piano"
punching machine and I then take this preliminary card and put it on a specially
constructed needle frame, which constitutes my invention, and from which the
required number of repeats of the design can be readily produced in the usual
manner on to the jacquard card.
In order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a view representing the complete machine for punching the jacquard
cards with the exception of the punching press.
66
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my improved needle frame.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same.
Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 5 is a sectional plan taken on the line A--B Fig. 2.
Fig. is a section taken on the line E-F Fig. 4.
Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line CD Fig. 2.
Fig. 8 is an enlarged view showing one of the hooked needles and one of the
cross "needles with its spring c.
Referring to the drawings whereon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate the same parts.
"
a is the improved needle frame or box which is carried on wheels s, s¹, s², s³,
running on rails t, t¹, supported by the standards 12. is a stay connecting the
standards together. The lines represent the "hooked" needles and the lines c
the cross "needles. is a perforated guide plate for the needles c and which
is supported on spiral springs fitted round the rods which latter are secured
at their upper ends to the guide plate and at their lower ends work through
holes in the bottom of the frame. is a movable gridiron provided with
a number of horizontal knives h¹. are the strings connecting the needles b
in use with the needles of the ordinary "Toone" repeating box 62 (Toone's
Patent No. 634 of 1881). 63 are the strings connecting the needles of the
repeating box with the needles of the ordinary receiver" 11. (Toone's Patent
No. 634 '81) are the strings not in use connected to the weight b".
ordinary supporting frames.
"
"
"
, y, are
In carrying out my invention I make the frame a of wood bars a¹ strongly

page_text: "
"
secured together and provided with a table a² at the top, on which the pre-
liminary cards can be faid, and with a rest or back board a for the table. The
frame is provided with a perforated guide board at at the back. A perforated
metal guide and stop plate for the hooked needles is fitted in the frame in
the position shewn at Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The perforations in this guide and
stop plate correspond with the number of hooked needles used in the frame.
The hooked needles are arranged horizontally in the frame and pass through
the eyes of the cross needles which latter are arranged vertically in the
frame. The doubled ends of the needles b pass through the holes of the guide
and stop plate and their bent extremities 66 rest against the front side of the
guide and stop plate. The holes in the guide and stop plate are elongated in
order to prevent the needles turning round. The hooked front ends bi of the
needles brest above the knives of the "gridiron
" h. The strings b¹ are
secured to the ends of the hooked needles in the usual manner. As will be
seen the strings pass through the guide board at and are connected to the needles
of the Toone" repeating box b².
The cross needles (see also Fig. 8) are arranged as shown at Figs. 2, 5, 6
and 7 and at their upper ends project through holes in a guide c¹, secured
rigidly to the frame, and also through the holes of the movable guide plate d
fitted above the guide c¹. The spiral springs at their lower ends rest on the
bars a of the frame and at their upper ends press against pins a8 (Fig. 7)
passed through the upper ends of the rods 2 thereby forcing the guide plate
upwards. The guide plate d has two knobs or projections e on it the purpose
of which will be hereinafter described. The lower bent ends of the cross
needles have cross bars 2 passed through them (see Figs. 6 and 8) and also
have spiral springs fitted round them. The cross bars are fitted in a spring
box secured to the underside of the frame. In Fig. 7 the cross bars, have
been left out for the sake of clearness. The springs at their lower ends
bear on the cross bars and at their upper ends against the bulges 8 of the
needles.
Hinged to the top of the needle frame at f2 is a lid f which is perforated at
its underside, at f¹, so as to correspond exactly with the perforations g of the
guide plate d. If desired instead of perforating the lid, a perforated plate
may be fixed in the underside of the lid. This lid can be opened up into the
position shown at Figs. 6 and 7 (and held in this position by the spring arm f
secured to the side of the frame) or be shut down on top of the needle frame.
p is the handle for manipulating the lid f.
The "gridiron" is moved to the left hand, Figs. 2 and 6, by eccentric gear
consisting of a shaft ; carried in bearing brackets j attached to the front of
the needle frame and having, at each end, eccentrics i whose straps i are con-
nected by rods and pivots w to the slides of the " gridiron" h. The slides
pass through holes in the pivots which latter are fixed to the slides by pinching
screws. These slides work in holes in the guide blocks 1, 3, of the needle
frame. The slides, as shown, are screwed at their ends and secured to the “grid-
iron"
by the nuts. The "gridiron" is of a rectangular shape and provided
with cross stays h As will be seen the knives are fitted at intervals across
the "gridiron and between the sets of needles b.
"
The eccentric shaft is turned by means of the toothed wheel 7 keyed on its
end and which engages with a toothed wheel mounted on a stud fixed to
the frame. This wheel is provided with a crank handle m. Pawls nn, at
one side of the machine, are provided for locking the eccentric strap in position
when necessary. The eccentric strap has a nick in it and the pawl n' can
catch in the nick when the eccentric is in the inner position and the pawl n
when the eccentric is in the outer position.
° is a guide for the lid f. u is a cross stay are links each pivotted to
the frame a at one end, at 2, and provided at its other end, with a catch ³
which rests upon and holds against a bar u secured to slide bars (one at each

page_text: side of the machine) which latter are connected by rods to the receiver.
Each bar works in guides 26 and runs on rollers 7. The parts 23, 14, are
arranged at each side of the machine. 18 is a retracting spring for the bar .
With this invention the preliminary card, already properly punched in a
piano punching machine, is laid on top of the spring guide plate d and held
in the proper place thereon by the guide knobs or projections e which latter
enter holes made for the purpose in the preliminary card. The spring arm f³
being pulled aside by hand the hinged lid f is then brought down into the
horizontal position so as to press the preliminary card on to the top of the pro-
jection cross needles and to force those needles down which do not correspond
with the perforations in the preliminary card. These needles being forced down
act upon their corresponding hooked needles b and cause the ends 67 of these
needles to lock on to the knives of the "gridiron" h. The lid is locked in
the down position by means of the locking catch o which will be hereafter
described. The attendant now seizes the crank handle m and, through the
gear 7., turns the shaft ; half a revolution thereby turning the eccentrics from
their inner to their outer positions and consequently pulling along, by means of
the eccentric straps rods k pivots and slides v. the gridiron" with the
needles locked thereon. The eccentrics are locked in their outer positions by
the action of the nawl n. This backward movement of the "gridiron" draws
back the needles in the repeating box 62 and receiver u which latter is con-
structed as usual and operates in the usual manner.
<
The pawl n is now lifted up by hand so as to disengage the eccentrics and
the crank handle m turned to the original position ready for a second operation.
The lid is now opened, after first disengaging the catch o, and a new preliminary
card fitted on the guide plate & when the operations already described are
repeated.
The pawn catching in the nick locks the eccentrics when in their. outer
position whilst the pawl n also catching in the nick, locks the eccentrics when
in their inner position. The pawl n is pivotted upon the stud whilst the
pawl n is bolted to the pawl n. The pawls are disengaged simply by lifting
them up by hand.
The locking catch consists of a sliding bolt having catches o¹, o¹, and held
in place on the bar a of the frame by slot and pin connections 02. 03 is a spiral
spring which is attached to the frame and to the bolt and retracts it after each
lateral movement. The lid has projections of which, when the lid is closed,
strike against the inclined faces of the catches o¹, o¹, and force the bolt to the
right hand side against the action of the spring. When the lid is closed down
the spring acting on the bolt causes the catches o¹ to grip on the projections of
and thereby securely lock the lid in place. When it is desired to open the lid
the attendant seizes the lever-handle g of the bolt and forces it towards the
right, against the action of the spring, and thereby disengages the projections
of the lid.
The preliminary card is made of cheap material and is utilized instead of the
pattern read in the strings so that, therefore the necessity for reading in the
strings is obviated.
Each hooked needle may have two strings hooked to it.
hooked in place if so desired.
More strings may be
If desired instead of having a hinged lid f a lid or board capable of moving
vertically on guides secured to the frame can be adopted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is :--
1. In apparatus for punching jacquard cards for lace or other weaving a
needle frame having its parts constructed, arranged, and operating substantially
as herein before described with reference to the drawings annexed.

page_text: 2. In apparatus for punching jacquard cards a needle frame having the hooked
needles arranged horizontally and the cross needles arranged vertically the said
cross needles projecting up through a guide plate or equivalent upon which a
preliminary card is placed and forced downwards by the action of a lid or equiva-
lent, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
101
e 30
1000
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow,
Agent.