IMPROVE- MENTS IN JACQUARD MACHINES, AND IN THE PATTERN CARDS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jean Baptiste Andre Quiquandon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd March 1862.
I, JEAN BAPTISTE ANDRE QUIQUANDON, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN JACQUARD MACHINES, AND IN THE PATTERN CARDS TO BE EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved mode or method of working the
pattern cards in jacquard machines, and to a peculiar construction of pattern
card, which improved card I call the "composteur Quiquandon," and by the
use of which one set of cards may be made to serve for any number of diffe-
rent designs by suitably adjusting or modifying the same to suit the particular
design or pattern to be produced.
According to this Invention the series of pattern cards in lieu of being
connected together in the form of an endless web or chain as heretofore, and
consequently occupying a considerable amount of unnecessary space, are used
separate and detached from each other, one card being placed immediately
behind another in a suitable support or holder in front of the needles. The
front card after having acted upon the ends of the needles is made to descend,
and is deposited by a traversing carriage or other convenient arrangement of
self-acting mechanism in the rear of the other cards, whilst the second card

page_text: comes into operation, and is in its turn lowered and placed behind the first,
and so on throughout the series.
This arrangement offers the advantage of considerable reduction in the
space necessary for containing and working the cards, and is applicable to
ordinary cards as well as to those of my peculiar construction.
The improved card herein-before referred to as the "composteur Quiquan-
don "consists of a metal plate perforated with as many holes as there are needles
in the machine, and having its edges turned over so as to form a convenient
receptacle for two other plates which are slid into it, one behind or over the
other, the card being thus composed of three plates. Both the moveablo
plates are perforated with holes corresponding exactly in number and position
with those in the first plate or holder, but the holes in the second or middle
plate are of slightly larger diameter than those of the two outer plates, so that
a rim or shoulder will be formed round the lioles in the middle plate by the
edges of the smaller holes in the two outer plates, which rims serve to retain
in their places small discs or stopper plates inserted into those holes of the
middle plate which are not intended to act upon the jacquard needles. In
inserting these filling pieces, the hinder plate is first slid out, and the pieces
are then pressed into certain of the holes, and removed from others according
to the pattern required, when the hinder plate is pushed back again into its
place, so as effectually to retain the filling pieces in their holes. In lieu of
having three plates as above described, one plate only need be employed,
the holes therein being made larger on one side so as to receive the filling
pieces, and form supports thereto.
Although metal is referred to as the material from which these cards are
manufactured, other hard and durable substances may be employed, such as
hard india-rubber, wood, or strong cardboard.