Patent GB-190320390-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Knitting Machines
Inventor: PARKINSON EDWARD
Filed: 1903-09-22
Granted: 1904-01-07
Abstract: 20,390. Parkinson, E. Sept. 22. Straight-bar knitting- machines.-Relates to thread-guides, latchguards, and cams, and to means for actuating the same. Short and long needles are used alternately or in other order. The needle-bed carrying the needles is moved in or out by the pivoted lever 5 connected to the arm 4, Fig. 1. The cam-plate 9 is reciprocated by a crank 13 and a connecting-rod 11, and carries on its: underside the cams 14, 15, each of which is a combined rising and stitch cam. The' cam 14 operates the short needles and the cam 15 the long needles. The cams have pivoted switches 18, 19, 20, 21, by altering the positions of which various combinations of tuck and full stitches are introduced in the fabric ; if the stitch cams are to make tuck stitches only, the switches are not required. The parts j, k of the cam 14, 15 can be moved in or out causing the needles to make a tuck or full stitch at this point. The switches are fixed on stems 22 which project through the cam plate and on their upper ends carry the arms 23, 24, which are engaged by the stops 25, 26 on the sliding rods 27, 28. When the switches are released, they are brought to their normal position by springs coiled round the pivots 22. The reciprocating front and rear thread-carriers 30, 31 have each a head 32, Figs. 1 and 3, with a hole through which thread passes, carried on the springy plate 33. This is screwed on a plate 36 fastened to carriages sliding with friction on the bars 38 or 40. The traverse of both carriers is adjustable bv stops. The plate 36 in the front carrier can be lifted out and replaced by another plate carrying a different coloured thread. If the front and rear carriers have threads of different colours, then double courses of each colour would be laid alternately, under ordinary conditions. If alternate singlecoloured courses are required, the rear-carrier is pushed to the end of its traverse by the stop 41 or 42 on the rod 40, until the stop 47 or 48 on the end of the spring 45 or 46 drops in the notch 44 in its slide. This holds the near carrier until it is passed on the return stroke by the front carrier, when the cam 49 or 50 lifts the stop away from the notch ; the carrier then traverses, until caught by a stop as before. In this way the front is always in advance of the rear carrier, and alternate single-coloured courses are laid. After the needles have advanced and the latches are turned back, as the needles are drawn back the latches are picked up so as not to catch in the fabric by a plate 55, Figs. 21 and 22, which reciprocates with the cam-plate 9, but the latches are prevented from closing until the thread is laid by the controllers 57, 58, Fig. 1, the thread passing from the carriers down under the controllers and over the needle-hooks. The springs 45 may be depressed so as not to catch in the notch 44 by moving a sliding piece forward ; this advances a bolt along the slotted spring and depresses it. The spring plates 33 of the carriers yield and prevent breakage should the carriers accidentally strike each other in passing. The stems of the short needles are extended beyond their "bits" so as to go under a transverse bar which holds all the needles. The work is kept in position against the outward thrust of the needles by hanging over the wires 64, Figs. 1 and 20, held in the arms 65 and controlled by the springs 66.