Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 28th Sept., 1888
RESERVE C
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN, of The Hawthorns, Newport Road, Stafford in the
county of Stafford, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvements consist in :-
1st. An improved means of adjusting the height of the dial with reference to the
cylinder, during the process of knitting a stocking.
2nd. An improved upthrow cam, whereby some, or all of the Cylinder needles may
be lifted up out of action by simply turning the handle of the machine.
3rd. Adapting to circular Knitting Machines an improved method for driving them
by power, whereby the continuous rotation of a shaft may be instantaneously applied
to the Knitting Machine, and as instantaneously released, and at the same time the
Knitting Machine may be worked by hand in the ordinary way when desired.
4th. Adapting to circular Knitting Machines an improved form of switch, controlled
by a spring, to conduct the tails of the needles above or below the cam guards.
The height of the dial is adjustable by means of a nut on the ribbing spindle, as
shewn and described in my specification No. 4712 of 1886; but I have found that,
during the process of knitting stockings, a quicker and more certain means of
adjustment is required.
This I accomplish by means of forked shaped washers, which I introduce under the
adjustable nut, or withdraw from time to time, as the dial may be required to be
higher or lower. These washers may be of varied thickness to suit the amount of
vertical adjustment required.
While shaping the heels and toes of stockings, it is necessary that certain needles be
raised out of action.
Hitherto, these needles have been lifted up two or three at a time, by the operator,
using for that purpose a screw-driver or thin piece of metal. This is not only a slow
process, but tends to injure the hooks and latches of the needles.

page_text: To obviate this, I place inside the cam shell, an additional upthrow cam, so
constructed and arranged, that, when it is put into action, so many of the needles, as
are not required in fashioning the heel and toe, are lifted high enough to pass out
of action above the path of the knitting cams. This cam may also be used when all
the cylinder needles are required to be lifted out of action, as for casting on a welt for
the top of a stocking.
By a modification of this arrangement I may lift out of action, every other needle
as required, for making a welt to 2 & 1 rib fabric.
Whilst knitting down the legs of stockings it has been found desirable to use power
for driving the machine.
'
My improved power appliance accompanies but does not necessarily form part of
my stocking knitter.
The stocking knitter of usual construction is bolted to a bed plate, which may form
part of, or be attached to a bench or table. This bed plate carries a swinging shaft
having on it a fixed band pulley by which this shaft is driven continuously from
any main line of shafting, preferably under the table, and also a friction pulley
from which motion is transmitted to the knitter. A crank on the swinging shaft is
connected by a rod or otherwise, to a treadle on the floor, in such a manner, that,
when the treadle is depressed by the foot of the operator, the friction pulley on the
swinging shaft is forcibly pressed against, and transmits motion to a friction pulley
on the driving spindle of the knitter.
When the foot is lifted from the treadle the pulley on the swinging shaft is
instantaneously drawn back by a spring or otherwise from contact with the pulley on
the knitter, which may then be operated by hand as usual.
To obviate the difficulty of the cam guards catching & breaking the needles, or ribs
of the cylinder, I cut away the outer ends of both the cam guards about half their
thickness, and to an angle of about 45 degrees. Into the spaces cut away, I fit sliding
pieces or switches in such a manner that if the needle catches on the end of one of
these sliding pieces, it will recede backwards and upwards at an angle of 45 degrees,
until it rises above the path of the needle, and frees itself therefrom allowing the
needle to pass underneath the guard cam and the working cams of the machine. A
spring restores the sliding piece to its normal position as soon as its end is freed from
the needle.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN of The Hawthorns, Newport Road Stafford, in the
county of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My improvements consist in
1st. An improved means of adjusting the height of the dial with reference to the
Cylinder, during the process of knitting a stocking.
2nd. An improved up-throw cam, whereby some or all of the cylinder needles may
be lifted up out of action by simply turning the handle of the machine.
3rd. Adapting to circular Knitting Machines an improved method for driving them
by power, whereby the continuous rotation of a shaft may be instantaneously applied
to the Knitting Machine and as instantaneously released, and at the same time, the
Knitting Machine may be worked by hand, in the ordinare way when desired.
4th. Adapting to circular Knitting Machines, an improved form of switch, controlled
by a spring, to conduct the tails of the needles above or below the cam guards.
In the accompanying Drawings,
Fig. 1 & Fig. 1 refer to the 1st part of the invention.
Figs. 2 & 3
Figs. 5 & 6
Figs. 4 & 44
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2nd part
3rd part
4th part
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In these drawings the same letters refer always to the same parts.
The height of the dial of a Circular Stocking Knitting Machine is adjustable by
means of a nut A on the dial-spindle B as shewn & described in my specification
No. 4712, 1886, but I have found, that, during the process of knitting a stocking, a
quicker & more certain mode of adjustment is required.
To accomplish this, I make fork-shaped washers C which I introduce under the
adjusting nut A, or withdraw from time to time as the dial may be required to be
higher or lower.
These washers C may be of varied thickness to. suit the amount of adjustment
required, one or more such washers may be used at one and the same time.
During the process of knitting the heels & toes of stockings, it is necessary that
certain of the cylinder needles be raised up out of the path of the knitting-cams.
Hitherto such needles have been raised up two or three at a time by the operator, by
means of a screw-driver or thin piece of metal. This process is not only slow, but
tends to injure the hooks & latches of the needles.
I place inside the ordinary cam-shell D of a Knitting Machine, an additional upthrow
cam E. This upthrow cam may be raised & lowered at will & fixed either in its
highest or lowest position by means of the thumb screw F.
When the cam E is placed in its highest position, and a partial turn given to the
handle of the machine, the butts of the cylinder needles, h, will be lifted so as to be
higher than the points G, G, of the guard cams H, H, and will therefore pass above
these guard cams out of the reach of the knitting cams L. L. M.
When the cam E is in its lowest position it lies entirely below the top of the
ledge I on which the butts of the needles lie. All, or some only of the cylinder
needles may be thus lifted according to the amount of movement imparted to the cam-
shell of the machine.

page_text: Whilst knitting down the legs of stockings it has been found desirable to use
power for driving the machine.
I attach the Stocking Knitter Z of ordinary construction to a bed plate Y which
may itself be attached to a bench, or this bed plate Y may form part of a bench or
table. If desired, the bracket which carries the pivot W, may form part of the table 5
plate K of the knitter.
Upon the bed plate Y is carried a bent lever W which turns on the pivot w.
The bent lever W carries a pin k, having on it a band pulley R which is driven
continuously from any main line of shafting as at S, by means of the hand Q.
Attached to this pulley I make a conical pulley P which communicates its own
rotative movement by friction to another conical pulley O, which is fastened to
the ordinary hand lever of the machine. In order to ensure the necessary amount
of friction to drive the machine without slip, I cover the wearing surface of one
or both the pulleys P & O, with leather. In the figure, the shaft N upon which
is mounted the pulley O, is shewn in a position inclined to that of the pink which 1
carries the band pulley R, but this relative position is not essential to my invention,
ás, if these two axes are required to be parallel, then I make the friction
pulleys P & O parallel instead of conical. The end m of the bent lever W is
connected to a treadle n on the floor in such a manner that, when the treadle is
depressed, the pulley P is forcibly pressed against the pulley O, and communicates its 2
motion to the machine.
The treadle when released rises by means of a spring p, (or through the tension of
the driving band) and the pulley P is immediately withdrawn from its contact with
the pulley O. The inachine then stops instantaneously, and can be turned by hand
in the ordinary way without in any way being interfered with by the power
driving appliance.
To obviate the difficulty of the cam guards catching & breaking the needles, or
ribs of the cylinder, I cut away the end of the guard cam H at an angle preferably
of 45 degrees, and in the space thus provided, I fit a sliding end piece of the form'
shewn in the drawing, having a tail i which moves in a slot in the cam shell D, cut 3
at the same angle.
If, in working the Machine the butt of a needle should strike the sliding end
piece ¹, this latter would recede & rise at the same time, thus clearing itself of the
needle butt & allowing this latter to pass below the cam guard.
2
The sliding end piece then falls again by its own weight, or a spring ; may be
introduced to restore the sliding piece into its proper position.
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 claim is
First The use of forked washers for adjusting the height of the dial in relation
to the Cylinder, as described.
Second-The use in Circular Knitting Machines of a supplementary up-throw
cam for the purpose of lifting any required number of needles out of action.
Third-The power driving apparatus as herein described & shown on
Figs. 5 & 6.
Fourth-The use of a Circular Knitting Machine in combination with the
power-driving apparatus, herein described.
Fifth-The use in a Circular Knitting Machine, of a sliding end piece to the guard
cam, for the purpose, and as described.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1888.