Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
I LOUIS NAPOLEON DEVON WILLIAMS of 2077 E. Cumberland Street, in the
City and County of Philadelphia State of Pennsylvania one of the United States
of America Knitting Machine Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
nvention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
lescribed and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple machine, of the semi-
automatic, or three-quarter automatic class, for knitting socks or stockings with
seamless heels and toes, the machine employing, for the purpose of moving the
needles successively out of and into action at the opposite ends of the fashioning
set needle, picking devices of a character resembling those set forth in the
me and dated June 12th 1894
Specification of Letters Patent granted to
Number 11,421.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1, is a front view of sufficient of a knitting machine to illustrate my present
invention, the needles being omitted.
Fig. 2, is a plan or top view of the same.
Fig. 3, is a transverse section on the line A B. Fig. 2.
Fig. 4, is a view of one of the cam mechanisms of the machine.
Figs. 5 to 9, inclusive, are views illustrating the various positions of the lifting
picker.
Fig. 10 is a view illustrating a modification of part of the invention; and
Fig. 11, is a view illustrating a modified form of knitting cam.
The fixed bed or table of the machine is represented at 1, and this table has
depending hangers for a series of shafts, 23 and 4, and for a pair of fixed studs 5
and 6. The shaft 2 is the main driving shaft and on the outer end of this shaft is
a sleeve having a fast pulley 7 and a loose pulley 8, this sleeve being adapted to
turn freely on the shaft and having at its inner end a pinion 9 which can be
clutclied to the shaft 2 when desired by means of a clutch sleeve 10, the latter
being operated by a lever 11.
Loosely mounted on the shaft 2 is
clutched to the shaft by means of the
away from the pinion 9.
another pinión 12 which can likewise be
clutch sleeve 10 when the latter is moved
The pinion 9 gears with a spur wheel 13 on the shaft 3 and this spur wheel has
a crank pin 14 which is connected by a rod 15 to one arm of a bell crank lever 16,
the other arm of which has a toothed segment 17 meshing with the pinion 12.
Continuous rotary motion can thus be imparted to the pinion 9 and reciprocating
or back and forth motion to the pinion 12, and like movements can be imparted
to the shaft 2 by moving the clutch sleeve into engagement either with the
pinion 9 or the pinion 12, as desired.
The shaft 2 drives the cam cylinder 18 of the machine by means of the usual
bevel gearing and the said cam cylinder has cams such as shown in Fig. 4 (and
similar to those of the patented machine before referred to) for imparting the
knitting movements to the needles, that is to say, the vertical rising and falling
movements of the needles necessary to cause them to catch the thread and draw
the stitches, the cams being such that the needles can be raised so that their
bits will be out of the path of the cams and the needles therefore be rendered
inonerative

page_text: Certain of the needles, say those throughout about one-half of the needle
cylinder, have longer bits than the others and these needles can, when necessary,
be raised out of action, by lifting a special cam 18 which is constructed so as to
act only upon the long bitted needles, the remaining or shorter bitted needles
continuing in action. This is a well known construction in knitting machines, and
forms no part of my invention, but I have shewn the means whereby the cam for
lifting the long bitted needles is raised and lowered.
These means comprise a stem 19 projecting through a slot in the cam cylinder 18
and having hung to its outer end a lever 21 with projecting pin 22.
When the cam is depressed the lever occupies a horizontal position, but when it
is desired to throw the long bitted needles out of operation the cam is lifted by
means of the stud 19 and the lever is moved to a vertical position beneath the said
stud so as to support the cam in the elevated position as shown in Fig. 3. the pro-
jecting pin 22 serving as a ready means of moving the lever either into position
beneath the stud 19 or out from under the same.
Frictionally mounted on the cam cylinder 18 is a ring.24 which carries the
needle picking devices, these needle devices consisting of a lifter 25 and a
depressor 26.
The lifter consists of an arm or finger projecting from the upper end of a
stem 27 which is suitably guided in a frame 28 secured to the ring 24 and the
depresser consists of a lever hung to the said frame and acted upon by the forked
upper end of a stem 29 which is likewise vertically guided in the frame 28, both
the lifter stem and depresser stem being normally drawn downward by means of a
spring 30 passing round a roller 31 on the frame 28, one end of the said spring
being connected to a pin on the lifter stem 27 and the other end being connected
to a pin on the outer arm of the depressor lever 26.
On the top of the cam cylinder is a cam 31 which has on its inner side the
knitting cams before referred to and mounted upon the cam cylinder below the
ring 24 is a cam 32 which occupies a position so much outwardly beyond the cam
cylinder that it is adapted to act upon the depending depressor stem 29.
Surrounding the upper end of the needle cylinder 33 is a ring 34 intended to
carry the usual radially moving web holders and above the said ring 34 is a guide
ring 35 having an eye for directing the thread to the needles the said ring being
carried by an arm which is pivotted to a bracket 36 on the cam cylinder so that
the ring 35 can be thrown up out of the way when it is desired to remove one
needle cylinder and replace it with another.
The shaft 4 has an upwardly projecting curved arm 37 and another arm 38 with
projecting pin 39 which is adapted to be acted upon by a series of cams 40, 41,
42 and 43 forming part of a cam disc mounted so as to be free to turn on the
stud 6.
Secured to or forming part of this cam disc is a ratchet wheel 44 and a disc 45
with a series of ratchet teeth 46 the teeth of the ratchet wheel 44 being engaged
by a pawl 47 carried by an arm 48 which is hung to a pin on the fixed frame and
moved in one direction by a spring 49 coiled around the hub of the arm and in the
opposite direction by a pin 50 projecting from the bell crank lever 16, the pawl
being held down in engagement with the ratchet by means of a spring 51, and the
backward movement of the arm 48 being limited by contact of the same with a
pin 48 or other suitable stop.
A pawl 52 is adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth of the disc 45 and the said
pawl is secured to or forms part of an eccentric sleeve 53 adapted to an eccentric 54
on the shaft 2. A spring 55 acts upon the arm 37 so as to tend to maintain the
pin 39 of the arm 38 constantly in the path of the operating cams therefor.
A belt shifting fork 56 is carried by a laterally guided rod 57 and is normally
held in the position shown in Fig. 1 so as to direct the driving belt on to the
fast pulley 7, by means of a pair of toggle levers 58 and 59, the lever 58 being
carried by a shaft 60 carried in a fixed bearing on the frame of the machine and
the lever 59 being hung to a collar 61, which is secured to the shipper rod 57 and

page_text: is acted upon by a spring 62 tending to move the said shipper rod so as to shut the
belt from the fast pulley 7 to the loose pulley 8. As long as the toggle levers 58
and 59 are in line with each other, however, the thrust of the spring is resisted
thereby, but as soon as the connecting pin of the toggle levers is lifted, so that the
said levers are not in line with each other, they fail to offer sufficient resistance to
the thrust of the spring and the latter moves the shipper rod so as to shift the belt.
On the shaft 60 is an arm 63 whereby the levers 58 and 59 can be moved by hand
at any time so as to either permit the shifting of the belt from the fast to the loose
pulley or so as to move the belt back from the loose pulley on to the fast pulley
again, and the said shaft 60 also has an arm 64 which provides for the automatic
operation of the levers 58 and 59 so as to permit of the shifting of the belt from
the fast to the loose pulley and the consequent stoppage of the machine.
The machine may be stopped after knitting the desired length of leg for the foot
of the stocking by using for this purpose the ordinary tripper rod actuated by a
weight hung to the knitted web.
To provide for an independent operation of the belt shipper, so as to move the
belt from the fast pulley to the loose pulley, I mount upon the stud 6, a
lever 65, the lower end of which is adapted to act upon the arm 64 while its
upper end is hooked for engagement with a pin 66 projecting from the hub of the
arm 37.
Projecting from the picker ring 34 are two pins 67 and 68 and when the arm 37
is depressed its upper end is brought into the path of these pins and serves by
contact with either of them as a stop for preventing further movement of the picker
ring with the cam cylinder.
When the machine is knitting round and round for the production of tubular
web, the pin 39 rests upon the can 40 hence the arm 37 occupies an elevated position
and offers no obstacle to the free rotation of the picker ring 24, the lifter 25 being
elevated and resting in a notch or recess 31" in the top of the cam 31, as shown in
Fig. 5, so as to travel above the bits of the needles which rest upon the top of the
cam cylinder 18.
The cam disc remains stationary with the parts in this position, owing to the fact
that during the formation of round and round work the pawl 47 bears upon a long
tooth of the ratchet wheel 44 and hence imparts no forward movement thereto.
When the desired length of tubular work has been produced the machine is stopped
automatically by the tripping of the belt shifter by means of the tripper rod acted
on by the weight on the knitted web, as before described. The attendant then
raises the cam for lifting out of action the long bitted needles and moves forward
the ratchet wheel 44 so as to carry the long tooth from under the end of the
pawl 47, as shown in Fig. 3, this same action withdrawing the cam 40 from beneath
the pin 39 and permitting the arm 37 to drop into range of the pins 67 and 68.
The machine is then turned by hand so as to effect the lifting out of action of the
long bitted needles and at the same time the movement of the ring 24 is arrested
by contact of the arm 37 with the pin 67, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the
cam 31 is withdrawn from beneath the lifter 25, and the latter is permitted to drop
on to the top of the cam cylinder so as to be in position to act upon the picker bits
of the needles which remain in action as shewn in Fig. 6.
'
The clutch sleeve 10 is then shifted into engagement with the reciprocating or to
and fro pinion 12 and the machine is started by moving the belt back onto the fast
pulley 7.
The needles remaining in action are those around that half of the machine
from to y in the direction of the arrows Figure 2, and the first reciprocation of
the cam cylinder brings the lifting picker 25 into contact with the bit of the
first active needle at that end of the set represented by the left hand in
The rotation
Figure 2, the cam cylinder moving in the direction of the arrow.
of the picker ring 24 is thereby arrested and the cam 31 passes under the
lifter 25 and raises the same and with it the needle with which it is in
engagement as shown in Figure 7. As soon as the high portion of the cam 31

page_text: 1
passes from under the lifter, the latter is pulled down into the recess 31* of the cam
by the spring 30, as shown in Figure 8, and thus clears the bit of the elevated
needle and permits the picker ring and pickers to continue their rotation with the
cam cylinder. This movement continues for a half turn of the picker ring or until
the pin 68 of the same comes into contact with the arm 37, the lifter being
then adjusted beyond the last needle of the acting set at the right hand side
of the machine, or at the point y of Figure 2. As the movement of the cam
cylinder continues, the cam 31 is completely withdrawn from beneath the lifter 25
and the latter drops as shown in Figure 9, so as to be in position for engagement
with the bit of the acting, needle at the end y of the set when the direction of
rotation of the machine is reversed.
When this operation takes place the lifter comes into engagement with the
bit of the said acting needle at the end y of the set, it is arrested thereby, and
is then lifted by the cam 31 on the reverse motion of the latter so as to raise
the said end needle out of action, the lifter then dropping into the recess 31° of the
cam so as to be slightly below the bit of the raised needle, and then continuing its
travel with the cam until the picker ring completes its half turn and the pin 67 is
again brought into contact with the arm 37, whereupon the lifter is lowered by the
withdrawal of the cam from beneath the same and these operations are repeated, so.
that needle after needle at the opposite ends of the acting set will be raised out of
action and the desired narrowing of the web will be effected.
In lifting the needles out of action the picker acts in advance of the knitting
cams, which are on the inner side of the cam 31, but in picking the needles into
action again the knitting cams should act in advance of the picker, hence after
the desired narrowing has been effected by throwing needles out of action and before
commencing to widen the web by bringing these needles again into action there
should be a change in the relations of the pickers and knitting cams to effect the
change in action just referred to.
The knitting cans and the needle picking mechanism are therefore adjustable,
one in respect to the other, a feature of my invention which, it will be evident, is
not limited to a machine having the specific needle picking mechanism which
I have shown and described, but is applicable as well to other forms of machine.
On the reciprocation of the machine, after the lifting up of the last narrowing
needle at the end y of the set, the arm 37 is lifted by the action of the cam 41
upon the pin 39 so that the pin 67 does not come into contact with the same.
In consequence of this the lifter rides around on the cam 31 until the pin 67 has
passed the arm 37. Before the movement of the machine is reversed, however, the
arm 37 again drops into the path of the pin 67 by reason of the pin 39 having left
the cam 41, hence the said pin 67 now strikes the arm 37 on the side opposite that
which it previously struck and the cam 31 passes on to a position in advance of the
pickers.
This same action brings the cam 32, which was before in such a position that it
never came into range of the depressor stem 29, into such position that it will, by
the reciprocation of the cam-box, act upon the said depressor stem and operate the
depressor 26. The arm 37 is then immediately lifted out of the way of the pin 67
by the action of the cam 42 and the picker ring moves forward with the cam
cylinder until the lifter is arrested by contact with the depressed bit of the first
needle of the acting set at the left hand end of the set. The cam 32 then acts
upon the stem of the depressor 26 so as to cause it to depress the first inactive
needle and on the next reciprocation the same operation takes place at the opposite
end of the acting set, and so on until all of the inactive fashioning needles have
been again brought into action and the heel or toe pocket is completed.
When this has been done the arm 37 is again dropped into action by the fall of
the pin 39 from the cam 42 and remains in the depressed position long enough to
strike the pin 67 of the cam ring and arrest the movement of the latter until the
cam 31 has been moved beneath the lifter 25 so as to raise the same to the position
shown in Figure 5, whereupon the arm 37 is again lifted out of action by the

page_text: cam 43. This cam 43 is higher than either of the cams 40, 41, or 42, and it.
consequently moves the hub of the arm 38 to such an extent that the projecting
pin 66 thereon strikes the lever 65 and operates the belt shifter so as to shift the
belt on to the loose pulley and effect the stoppage of the machine.
The lever 21 is then thrown down so as to permit of the descent of the cam 18"
and of the depression of the needles around othe inactive half of the machine and
the clutch 10 is then thrown into engagement with the pinion 9, and the shaft 2
turned by hand until the cam 43 is withdrawn from beneath the pin 39 in order to
permit the operation of the belt shifter, necessary to shift the belt from the loose
pulley to the fast pulley. During the first part of the rotative movement of the
machine the cam disc is operated by means of the eccentric 54, eccentric sleeve 53,
and pawl 52, the latter acting upon the toothed disc 45 and continuing to move the
same, and the cam disc and the ratchet 44, until the long teeth of the latter, and
of the disc 45 are brought under their respective pawls 47 and 52 whereupon further
movement of the cam disc ceases.
The cam 40 is of considerable extent so as to permit of a number of turns of
the machine for forming a series of circular courses after the completion of the toe,-
the pawl 52 resting upon the long tooth of the disc 45 and stopping the rotation
of the said disc just before the pin 39 reaches the end of the said cam 40.
The lever 16, arm 48 and pawl 47 are in action at the same time as the pawl 52,
but the teeth on the disc 45 are coarser than those of the ratchet 44 and the throw
of the pawl 52 by the eccentric 54 is correspondingly greater than the throw of the
pawl 47, so that the cam disc is actuated more quickly by the disc 45 than by the
ratchet wheel, this operation being desirable only during the formation of the few
continuous courses after the completion of the toe.
While I prefer to use the construction of picker ring, stop pins and stop arm, in
connection with the two picker operating cams described, because it permits of a.
continuous automatic operation of the machine from the starting of the heel or toe
to the finishing of the same, such construction is not absolutely essential to the
broadest embodiment of my invention, and may be changed in machines of the
semi-automatic class in which the operation of the machine is arrested midway in
the formation of the heel or toe, that is to say, when the narrowing operation has.
been completed.
In this case the same cam can be used to operate both the lifter and the depressor,.
opportunity being afforded for adjusting the said cam by hand from one position to
the other, when the machine is stopped after narrowing, and also for giving the
machine several complete turns so as to introduce extra courses into the heel and
instep at the centre of the heel, as set forth in the Patent No. 11,421 before
referred to.
.
In Figure 10, I have shown one instance of such an adjustable cam, the latter
being represented at 70 and being mounted upon an arm 71, hung to the cam
cylinder, and acted upon by a spring 72, and by a cam 73, so that the cam 70 can
be moved into a position beneath the stem 27 of the lifter or into a position beneath
the stem 29 of the depressor. This operation can also be rendered automatic if
desired, by causing the arm 37 to act at the proper times upon a pin 74 projecting
from the cam 73. In this case, of course, the picker operating cam must be
independent of the regular knitting cams.
Knitting cams such as shewn in Figure 11, can be used instead of those shown
in Figure 4, in that class of machines in which the thread guide is movable in
respect of the cam cylinder.
It will also be evident that needle picking devices embodying the salient features.
of my present invention can be used upon a machine having a straight needle bed
and a straight reciprocating cam box, instead of the needle cylinder and circular
cam box which I have shewn in the drawings, hence in some of my claims
cam carrier" to indicate either
I have used the general terms "needle carrier" and "
construction.

page_text: .
-
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
claim is :-
1. A knitting machine in which a needle carrier and its needles, a cam carrier
and provision for operating the latter, are combined with the needle picking devices
comprising two elements namely, a picker carrier frictionally mounted upon the
cam carrier and having a needle lifting picker and a needle depressing picker, and
cam mechanism mounted upon the cam carrier so as to travel therewith, one of the
said elements being adjustable in respect to the other, whereby either the lifter or
depressor can be operated substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A knitting machine in which a needle carrier and its needles, a cam carrier
and provision for operating the latter are combined with needle picking devices
comprising a picker carrier frictionally and adjustably mounted upon the cam
carrier, and having a needle lifting picker and a needle depressing picker and cams
travelling with the cam carrier one for raising the needle lifter, and the other for
lowering the needle depressor, substantially as herein before described.
3. The combination in a knitting machine, of a needle carrier and its needles, a
cam carrier, provision for operating the latter, and knitting cams and needle
picking mechanism, adjustable one in respect to the other, whereby in picking the
needles out of action, the picking mechanism can be caused to act in advance of the
knitting cams while in picking the needles into action, the knitting cams can be
caused to act in advance of the picking mechanism substantially as hereinbefore
described.
4. A knitting machine in which a needle carrier and its needles, a cam carrier,
and provision for operating the latter are combined with a picker carrier frictionally
mounted upon the cam carrier, and having a needle lifting picker and a depressing
picker, a cam structure travelling with the cam carrier, and an adjustable stop
whereby the relations of the picker carrier and cam mechanism may be changed
substantially as herein before described.
5. A knitting machine in which a needle cylinder and its needles, a cam cylinder,
and provision for operating the latter, are combined with a picker ring frictionally
mounted upon the said cam cylinder and having a needle lifting picker and needle
depressing picker, cams on the cylinder for raising the lifter and lowering the
depressor, and a movable stop for arresting the movement of the picker ring with
the cam cylinder substantially as herein before described.
6. A knitting machine in which are combined a needle cylinder and its needles,
a cam cylinder, provision for operating the latter, a picker ring frictionally mounted
upon the said cam cylinder and having a needle lifting picker and a needle
depressing picker, cams on the cam cylinder for raising the lifter and lowering the
depressor, a pair of pins projecting from the picker ring, and a stop movable
into and out of range of said pins substantially as hereinbefore described.
7. A knitting machine in which are combined a needle carrier and its needles, a
cam carrier, a picker carrier frictionally mounted upon the said cam carrier and
having a needle lifting picker and a needle depressing picker, cam mechanism on
the cam carrier for raising the lifter and lowering the depressor, a stop for varying
the relation of the said cam mechanism and pickers, a cam disc, intervening
devices whereby the said cam disc is caused to actuate the said stop, and
provision for operating the cam carrier and cam disc substantially as hereinbefore
described.
8. A knitting machine in which are combined a needle carrier and its needles, a
cam carrier, a picker carrier having a needle lifting picker and a needle depressing
picker, cam mechanism on the cam carrier for raising the said lifter and lowering
the said depressor, a movable stop whereby the relation of the said cam mechanism.
and the pickers can be varied, a belt shifter, a cam disc, devices whereby the said
disc is caused to actuate the said stop, devices whereby one of the cams of the disc.

page_text: is caused to operate the belt shifter, and provision for actuating the cam carrier
and cam disc substantially as hereinbefore described.
9. A knitting machine in which are combined a needle cylinder and its needles,
a cam cylinder, a picker ring frictionally mounted upon said cylinder and having a
needle lifting picker and a needle depressing picker, cam mechanism on the cam
cylinder for raising the said lifter and lowering the said depressor, an adjustable
stop for varying the relation of the said cam mechanism and the pickers, a cam
disc for operating the said stop, rotating and reciprocating devices for the cam
cylinder of the machine, and two sets of ratchet and pawl mechanism for operating
the said cam disc, one of the said mechanisms being operated by the rotating
devices of the machine, and the other being operated by the reciprocating devices
of the machine substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 11th day of December 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX.