US908863A - Card-stamping machine. - Google Patents

Description

Wi W. HODGSON.

CARD STAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APB..15,1907.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

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W. W; HODGSON. CARD STAMPING MACHINE. ArrmoulonnumAPR.15,'1907.

Patented Jam5, 1909.

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WALTER W. HODGSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARD-STAMPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application filed April 15, 1907. Serial No. 368,345.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER W. HoDGsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Card- Stamping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a machine for punching or stamping jac uard cards for use in the weaving of fabrics iaving a plurality of Weft colors, and of intricate patterns, such as tapestries of the Gobelin type, etc., the object of my invention being to so construct the machine that cards for such intricate patterns can be produced with no more expenditure of time and labor and with the exercise'of no higher degree of skill than is now required for the production of cards for the simplest patterns.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, illustrating-in diagrammatic form, the essential elements of a card stamping machine constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a section on the line Or -(t, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view, on a larger scale, of ortions of three cards partially stamped y the machine; Fig. 5 is a View of a plece of design paper having thereon part of a design corresponding with the stamping of the cards shown in Fig. 4, and Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are sectional views on an enlarged scale of parts of the mechanism of the machine.

In the weaving of fabrics of intricate patterns, such, for instance, as tapestries of the Gobelin type, the warp threads and the weft threads are arranged in sets, each set of warp threads usually comprising two or more figuring threads and a binding thread, and each set of weft threads being also composed, usually, of two or more figuring threads and a binding thread, and in order to produce, in the fabric, the weave represented by a single line on the design paper as many cards must be employed in the jacquard machine as there are weft threads in the set, one card being required for each pick of weft.

The cards are usually stamped, one at a time, by direct manipulation of the keys, or other punch controlling devices, by the card stamper, who must, therefore, not only possess an intimate knowledge of the character of the weave for which the cards are intended, but must also exercise the highest degree of care and skill in order to so stamp the cards as to insure the proper disposition of the plurality of warp threads of each set for the successive picks of weft thread. The production of such cards by the present methods is a slow and laborious one, demanding the highest paid class of labor, and, even although the stamping operation is conducted with skill and care, mistakes are frequent and many cards of a pattern often have to be re-stamped after the weaving of the first piece of the fabric has brought to light the mistakes which were made in the original stamping.

The aim of my invention has been to provide a machine for effecting the simultaneous stamping of as many cards as are needed to complete the set required for the production of a single line of the design, the latter being read simply or without qualification by the card stamper, and the simple depression of successive keys, or groups of eys, corresponding to the coloring of the successive spaces or squares in a line of the design, serving to effect, automatically, the proper stamping of all of the cards of the set corresponding to said line of the design. The machine which I employ is of the piano type, having punches 1 for producing a single row of openings in a card at each operation, these punches o erating in conjunction with a stationary ocking head 2, and with reciprocating punching and stripper plates 3 and 4, but 1t has as many rows or sets of punches, disposed in line longitudinally, as there are cards in the set which is to be simultaneously stamped, the cards being laced together or enchained as shown in Fig. 4, before beginning the stamping operation, and each card of a set being fed through the machine simultaneously with the other cards of the set by intermittent step-by-step movements in the direction of the length of the card, each movement to the extent of the distance from center to center of the successive rows of openings to be formed in the card, these movements being continued as the reading of the design rogresses, until, by the time the design has been read from one end of a line to the other, each card of the set will have been stamped from one end to the other of the space intended forsuch purpose. The cards are then fed forward in the direction of the length of the chain to the extent of the number of cards contained in the set which is being stamped, and are also shifted to,

their normal or starting position again, preparatory to a repetition of the stamping operation for the next line of the design, or the next line of the design may be read in a direction the reverse of the first reading, and in stamping the cards for this line of the design they may be fed in a direction the reverse of that of the former set.

In the drawing I have not considered it necessary to illustrate the mechanism for reci rocating the punching and stripping p ates, or for feeding the cards step by step from row to row beneath the punches, or for imparting reciprocating movement to other elements of the machine not receiving movement directly from the keys, as such operating devices form no essential part of my invention and may be similar to devices heretofore employed for the purpose in card stamping machines.

The machine as shown is designed for stamping cards for a fabric having two patterning threads and a binder in each set of weft threads and three patterning threads and a binder in each set of warp threads. With such a combination eight different effects can be produced in the fabric, and each of these effects is represented by proper differentiation of the coloring or shading of the spaces of the design paper. The patterning weft threads, for instance, may be white and black respectively, the figure warp threads gold and red, and the ground warp thread green, the possible effects then being white, where the white weft thread is exposed, represented, say, by a cross-hatched s ace on the design paper black, where the b ack weft thread is exposed, represented, say, by a black space on the design paper; light red, where the red warp thread is car ried over the white weft thread, and dark red where the red warp thread is carried over the black weft thread, these effects being represented respectively by the light and dark vertical line spaces on the design paper; light gold and dark gold where the gold warp thread is carried respectively over the white and black weft threads, these effects being represented res ectively by the light and dark horizontal ine spaces on the design paper; the floating ground warlp thread, repre sented by the light diagona y lined spaces,

and the tied ground warp thread, repre-- sented by the white spaces on the design paper. There are, therefore, three cards in each set, one for each pick of weft, and consequently three sets of reciprocating punches 1, represented respectively at a, b and 0, each set comprising, in the present instance, sixteen punches, and being designed to produce what is termed a sixteen-row card, such a card having sixteen spaces in each row which extends across it from front to rear, and an indefinite number of such rows from end to end, depending upon the width of the pattern. Each of the rows of sixteen spaces thus represents four sets of warp threads, four in a set; for instance, the first four spaces may represent the four red warp threads, the next four spaces may'represent the four gold warp threads, the next four spaces may represent the four ground warp threads, and the last four spaces may represent the four binder warp threads, each row of the card therefore corresponding to four successive spaces of one line of the design, the next row corresponding to the next four successive spaces of said line, and so on throughout the length of the card, the'last row corresponding to the last four successive spaces of the line.

Supposing that the weft threads are introduced in the following order, black, white, and binder, the first or right hand card of the series shown in Fig. 4 will govern the disposition of the warp threads when the black weft thread is being inserted, the intermediate card will govern the disposition of the warp threads when the white weft thread is being inserted, and the third or left hand card of the series will govern the disposition of the warp threads when the binder weft thread is being inserted.

The six stamped rows shown on each of the cards represent the proper stampingof the same for the first six divlsions or twentyfour spaces of the first line of the pattern shown on the design paper Fig. 5, and it will be seen that the stamping of each card is essentially different from that of the others. Reading from right to left on the first row of the design shown in Fig. 5, it will be noted that the first, second, fourth, fifth, seventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-second spaces represent tied ground; the third space represents a black weft; the sixth and twenty-first spaces represent a floating ground; the eighth and eleventh spaces represent light red, or red warp over white weft; the ninth and tenth s aces represent dark red, or red warp over b ack weft; the eighteenth space represents the white weft; the twenty-third space represents light gold, or gold warp over white weft; and the twenty-fourth space re )resents dark gold, or gold warp over black weft. Referring now to the set of three cards shown in Fig. 4, it will be noted that on the insertion of the first or black weft, the red warp is raised in sets 8, 9, 10 and 11; the gold warp is raised in sets 8, 18, 23 and 24; the ground warp is raised in all of the sets except the third, ninth, tenth, twentythird and twenty-fourth, and the binder warp is raised in the third set only, where it ties the black warp on the face. 011 the insertion of the second or white weft the red. warp is raised in sets 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16 and 20 the gold warp is raised in all of keys corresponding to the spaces on the dethe sets except 8, 9, 1O, 11 and 18; the

ground warp is raised in all of the sets except 3, 8, 11, 18, and 23; and the binder warp is raised only in sets 3 and 18, wliiere weft threads appear upon the surface. On the insertion of the third or binder weft all of the red and gold warp threads are down and the ground Warp thread is raised only in sets 6 and 21; while the binder warp is raised in all of the sets except 6 and 21, where it ties the binder weft on the back of the fabric. It is to effect such differential stamping of the set of cards, or more properly the simultaneous stamping of a row on each card of the set, by the simple act of manipulating sign paper representing said row that my invention has been devised.

It will be noted on reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 that each of the punches of each set is normally locked or prevented from rising by means of a locking bolt 5 overlapping the upper end of the punch, the latter, when thus held, perforating the card on the ascent of the punching plate 3. Before the ascent of said punching plate, however, a reciproeating bar 6 acts upon a spring 7 interposed between it and a shoulder or collar 8 at the rear end of the locking bolt 5, and thus tends to withdraw the latter from its locking position unless such. movement is restrained. If all of the locking bolts are thus restrained a complete row of sixteen holes will be formed in each of the cards on each upward movement of the punching plate 3, while if none of the locking bolts are restrained they will all be withdrawn from locking position, the punches will be free to rise on the ascent of the cutting plate and no openings will be formed in any of the cards. Whether any particular space in a row on any card, therefore, is punched or left blank depends upon whether the locking bolt for the punch cor responding to said space is restrained or left free from restraint on the outward movement of the reciprocating bar 6, and this is determined in accordance with the requirements of the pattern in the following manner. Each one of the locking bolts is perforated or otherwise constructed for engagement with any one of a longitudinal series of controllerrods 9 disposed beneath the same, and each set of these controller-rods is, in turn, under the control of any one or more of a series of lateral lifter-bars 10, through which the controller-rods pass, the control of each controller-rod by any desired lifter-bar being effected in any manner which will permit ready assumption or release of such control, a simple method being to provide each controller-rod with as many openings as there are lifter-bars through which it passes, each of these openings being on a level with the top of its corresponding lifter-bar when the parts are at rest, so that by providing the o ening with a projecting pin a: the raising of the controller-rod by the lifter-bar will be insured, or, if the opening is not thus rovided with a pin, the controller-rod wil be free from the lifting action of the bar. It will be understood that the placing of these pins in the controller-rods is effected before the machine begins to stamp the cards, and said pins are placed by some one having knowledge of the proper disposition of the threads in the fabric or pattern for which the cards are to be stamped, so that each lifterbar, when raised by its appropriate key, will only move into action the controllerrods having pins which engage with such lifter bar, and these rods will be those required to effect the desired punching of the three cards corresponding to said key and to the space on the design paper which it represents.

To provide for the setting of the controller rods, after the application of the pins thereto, the bars 10 may have their openings in the form of key-hole slots 25, (Fig. 8) and after the pins x have been properly applied to a red, the latter may be passed through the openings in a vertical set of lifter bars, while the pins are in line with the slots, as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 8, and then may be turned part way around, as shown at the left hand side of Fig. 8, in order to bring the pins into position for engagement with the bars, the lower ends of the controller rods being squared or otherwise shaped and being finally brought into engagement with the bottom guide bar 26, which thus prevents further turning of the rod.

There are in the present instance sixteen controller-rods 9 for each locking bolt, and each of these controller-rods passes through eight lifter-bars 10, so that, assuming each lifterbar to be capable of independent movement, one hundred and twenty-eight different methods of control for each lockingbolt are provided. In order to effect this independent movement, each lifter-bar 10 is connected, by a forked lever 12, to a key 13, forming part of a conveniently located key board, there being, in the present instance, sixteen rows of these keys, each comprising eight keys, the rows of levers being, by preference, on levels corresponding with those of the eight sets of litter bars 10, with which they are connected, but the levers of each row, with their operating keys being disposed with reference to the most convenient manipulation of the latter. Each lifter-bar 10 can, therefore, by the manipulation of its corresponding key, be operated. independently of any other one of the bars, and each bar 10 can, by proper disposition of the pins x on the forty-eight controller-rods 9 passing through it, be caused, when it is lifted, to restrain or permit to remain free from restraint any of the forty-eight locking bolts 5.

Supposing that a punched space on a card causes the corresponding warp thread to be lifted and a blank space causes the corresponding warp thread to be lowered, the lifting of the particular warp thread of a set represented by a particular space on the design paper, by manipulation of a correspondingly shaded key of the key board, will not only cause the lifting of the selected warp thread when the first pick of weft thread is shot in, but will also govern the disposition of said thread when the remaining two picks are shot, and the disposition of the remaining warp threads of the set for all three picks, such disposition of the threads being determined by thesetting of the pins 90 in the controller-rods 9 cooperating with the lifter-bar 10 connected to said key.

As there are, in the showing which I have made, only four warp threads in a set and only eight different dispositions of said warp threads on the face of the fabric, it would appear that thirty-two keys would be sufficient to effect all of the changes required, and this would be true if the back of the fabric could be ignored, or if, on each appearance of a particular one of a set of warp threads on the face of the fabric, the other threads of the set were disposed in a certain order on each of the three picks, but in tapestry fabrics of the character produced by such cards as those with which I am dealing, the back of the fabric is usually subjected to a special treatment, being commonly woven with a twill, and it is for the purpose of thus taking care of the back of the fabric that I quadruple the number of keys and their cooperating parts which would normally seem to be required. By this means I can, in reading one line of the design, use one set of keys, in reading the next line can use a second set of keys; in reading the third line can use a third set of keys; and in reading the fourth line can use a fourth set of keys; and thus can change the treatment of the back, in each of the four lines, thereby producing on the back, if desired, a four-leaf twill, and other designs can be formed by a greater or less multiplication of the primary number of keys and their cooperating parts. It will be understood, also, that the number of keys and cooperating parts will also be increased in cases where the number of warp threads in a set or the num ber of colors in the design is greater than those which I have selected for illustration. In practice I should build the machine with a number of keys sufficient to meet the maximum demand likely to be made upon it, and use a portion only of the keys when cards for simpler designs are to be stamped.

A simple embodiment of my invention is one in which the controller-rods and the series of sets of lifter-bars at different levels are dispensed with, a single set of bars only being used, and each of these bars being provided with a projecting pin for engaging each of the locking bolts 5 which is to be restrained when the bar is elevated, the pins being changeable as to position in order to provide for the setting up of difierent patterns. will also be manifest that the locking-bolts 5 for the punches may normally be out of locking position and may be moved into locking position by the bar 6, except when restrained by the controller bars, this being a simple reversal of the construction which I have shown and hereinbefore described.

In order that the keys, when depressed, may, until the stamping of the card has been completed, be retained in the depressed position Without the necessity of continued pressure upon the same by the fingers of the person operating the machine, I notch the stem of each key as shown at 15, this notch being so disposed that when the key is depressed against the action of its lifting spring 16 and is then pushed forward to a slight ex tent, said notched portions of the stem will engage with a lug 17 on the lower guide 18, and will thus be retained in the depressed position until released by the action of a plate 19, which has a notch for each of the ey stems, and which may be moved either by hand or automatically to effect such release, after the punching of each row of openings in the set of cards has been completed. (See Figs. 6 and 7.)

Reciprocating stripper plates 20 and 21 are used in connection with the controller-rods 9 and punches 1 respectively, for restoring to normal position those rods or punches which have been raised by the lifter-bars 10 or by the cards.

The principle of my invention may be ado ted in machines for stamping but a sing e card at a time, using as many machines as there are weft threads in a set, each machine having its pins 00 arranged with respect to the particular card of the set which it is to produce, or using the same machine for punching first the cards for the first weft, then re-arranging the pins and punching the cards for the second Weft, then again rearranging the pins and punching the cards for the third weft, and so on.

I am aware that revious to my invention the keys for controlling one set of punches of a card stamping machine have been connected by levers to a duplicate set of keys controlling another set of punches, the purpose being to cause the keys thus connected to have an opposite effect, that is to say when a key controlling a punch of one set of punches is depressed so as to lock its punch the key connected thereto by the lever is caused to unlock its punch, while a key not depressed has the opposite effect, but I am not aware that it has heretofore been proposed to stamp simultaneously two or more cards representing different picks of weft,

each card without relation to the other cards which are stamped simultaneously therewith, nor am I aware that a machine of the piano type has ever been made to stamp cards which have been previously laced or enchained so as to be fed forward as a unit during the stamping operation.

I claim 1. A card stamping machine having a plurality of sets of punches, means for controlling the same to stamp, simultaneously, a plurality of separate and inde endent cards, one for each different pick of t e'weft, and means for connecting the cards so that they may be fed as a unit.

2. A card stamping machine having a set of punches for forming a row of openings in a card, a keyboard, intervening mechanism whereby the operation of a single key controls the operation of all of the punches of the set and changeable means whereby this control can be modified at will.

3. A card stamping machine having a plurality of sets of punches, a keyboard, intervenin mechanism whereby the operation of a sing e key controls the operation of all the punches of each set and changeable means whereby this control can be modified at will.

4. A card stamping machine in which a plurality of sets of stamping devices, each adaptedto stamp a card for one pick of the weave, are combined with a keyboard and with intervening mechanism whereby the actuation of a single key controls the operation of a series of punches in each set.

5. A card stamping machine in which a plurality of sets of stamping devices, each adapted to stamp a card for one pick of the weave, are combined with a keyboard, intervenin mechanism whereby the actuation of a sing e key controls the operation of one or more punches in each set, and means whereby the control of the punches of one set is independent of their control in each of the other sets.

6. A card stamping machine having a plurality of sets of punches, locking bolts therefor, means for controlling the operation of said locking bolts, a key, and means whereby said key effects the selection of a series of locking bolts of each set to the exclusion of the others.

7. A card punchin machine, having a plurality of sets of punc es, locking bolts therefor, a set of keys, and changeable means interposed between each key and the locking bolts, whereby the control exercised by said key over the locking bolts appertaining to one set of punches, is independent of the control exercised by the same key over the looking bolts of either of the other sets of punches and can be modified at will.

8. A card punching machine in which are control over the stamping devices from that exercised by a corresponding key of another set.

10. A card stamping machine in which are combined a set of punches, a series of independently movable lifter-bars, and means for causing each lifter-bar to control certain of the punches, independently of the other bars said means being changeable to vary such control.

11. A card stamping machine in which are combined a set of punches, locking bolts therefor, a series of independently movable lifter-bars, and means for causing each of said lifter-bars to control certain of the looking bolts independently of the other bars said means being changeable to vary such control.

12. A card stamping machine in which are combined a set of punches, locking bolts therefor, controller rods for said bolts, lifterbars, each ada ted to actuate a controller rod for each 100 bolt, and means for placing certain controller rods of each lifter-bar under the control of the latter, to the exclusion of the others.

13. A card stampin machine having a set of punches, locking b0 ts therefor, means for moving said bolts into or out of locking position, controller rods for restraining such movement, keys, one for each set of controller rods, and means whereby certain controller rods of a set are selected to restrain the movement of the locking bolts, to the exclusion of the others.

14. A card stampin machine having a set of punches, locking bo ts therefor, means for moving said bolts into or out of locking position, controller rods for restraining such movement, lifter bars for said controller rods, keys for operating said bars, and means whereby certain controller rods of each bar can be laced under control of the same, to the exc usion of the others said means being changeable to vary such control.

15. The combination, in a card stamping machine, of a series of punches, a series of keys for controlling the same, means for retaining said keys in a depressed position, and means independent of said retaining devices for releasing the keys from such restraint.

16. The combination, in a card stamping machine, of a manually operated keyboard,

three or more sets of unches, and means whereby the keys of sai keyboard are caused to control, simultaneously, the punches of all of the sets, to produce, simultaneously, cards for three or more picks of Weft.

17. The combination, in a card stamping machine, of a set of punches, locking bolts therefor, bolt-control ing rods having roj ecting pins, lifter-bars having keyhole s ots,

10 and means for preventing the turning of the controller rods after ad ustment of the same in respect to the lifter-bars.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

WALTER W. HODGSON.

Witnesses:

HAMILTON D. TURNER, KATE A. BEADLE.

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