IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY
Year: 1854

page_text: Sealed the 27th June 1854, and dated the 1st May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clarke at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st May 1854. .
I, JOHN CLARKE, of Leicester, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY" to be as follows-
This Invention has for its object improvements in knitting machinery used
in knitting stockings and other fashioned hosiery, and consists of a peculiar
combination of parts, whereby the article of hosiery as it is made may be
gradually narrowed by tickling points, the work being progressively made
narrower by reason of the thread carriers, or such of them for the time being
as are working, to produce the narrower parts passing over a less and less
number of needles. For this purpose, when making a fashioned stocking or
sock, three thread carriers are used, which when all are at work move together,
but only over their respective needles, which for the time being are required to
produce the widths of fabric desired. The thread carriers are tubular, the
outer ends being larger than the inner ends, so that any inequalities of the yarn
or thread will be condensed as the same pass through a thread carrier; and

page_text: each thread carrier is made to come to an edge at its upper and under
surfaces, so that they may pass between the needles when they have laid their
thread or yarn on the needles with which they may for the time being be
working. In making a stocking or other similarly fashioned article, the
middle or central thread carrier only is in use when making the leg, and when
the narrowing commences, the thread carrier is caused by adjustable stops to
pass over a decreasing width of needles, and the outermost loops are by the
action of the tickling points-moved on to other needles (as is well understood)
by the tickling points at the selvages being caused to move towards each other
by means of racks and pinions. When the fabric is to be divided into three
parts for making the heel and the instep, then the three thread carriers come
into action, and they work in such manner that the two outer ones produce the
heel or outermost parts of the fabric, whilst the middle or central thread carrier
produces the instep or central portion of the fabric, for which purpose although
the central thread carrier continues to work with the same width of needles
the two outer thread carriers progressively work over a less and less width of
needles; the work at the outermost selvages being tickled off from time to
time. The three thread carriers move simultaneously, but the two outer ones
are progressively stopped as they move, outwards after performing a shorter
length of movement; to accomplish which the stops of the two outer thread
carriers are progressively brought towards each other, and adjusted correctly
by racks, and pinions, and spring catches, or otherwise, as the narrowing goes
on, so as to cause the outer thread carriers to pass over the reduced width of
needles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st November 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLARKE, of Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of our Lord-One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Clarke, Her special licence that I, the said John Clarke,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Clarke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any

page_text: time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
KNITTING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that. I, the said
John Clarke, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Clarke, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in knitting machinery used
in knitting stockings and other fashioned hosiery, and consists of a peculiar
combination of parts, whereby the article of hosiery as it is made may be
gradually narrowed by tickling points, the work being progressively made
narrower by reason of the thread carriers, or such of them for the time being
as are working, to produce the narrower parts passing over a less and less
number of needles. For this purpose, when making a fashioned stocking or
sock, three thread carriers are used, which when all are at work move together,
but only over their respective needles, which for the time being are required to
produce the widths of fabric desired. The thread carriers are tubular, the
outer ends being larger than the inner ends, so that any inequalities of the
yarn or thread will be condensed as the same pass through a thread carrier;
and each thread carrier is made to come to an edge at its upper and under
surfaces, so that they may pass between the needles when they have laid their
thread or yarn on the needles with which they may for the time being be
working. In making a stocking or other similarly fashioned article, the
middle or central thread carrier only is in use when making the leg, and when
the narrowing commences the thread carrier is caused by adjustable stops to
pass over a decreasing width of needles, and the outermost loops are by the
action of the tickling points moved on to other needles (as is well understood)
by the tickling points at the selvages being caused to move towards each other
by means of racks and pinions. When the fabric is to be divided into three
parts for making the heel and the instep, then the three thread carriers come
into action, and they work in such manner that the two outer ones produce the
heel or outermost parts of this fabric, whilst the middle or central thread

page_text: carrier produces the instep or central portion of the fabric; for which purpose,
although the central thread carrier continues to work with the same width of
needles, the two outer thread carriers progressively work over a less and less
width of needles, the work at the outermost selvages being tickled off from
time to time. The. three thread carriers move simultaneously, but the two
outer ones are progressively stopped as they move outwards after performing a
shorter length of movement; to accomplish which, the stops of the two outer
thread carriers are progréssively brought towards each other, and adjusted
correctly by racks, and pinion, and spring catches, or otherwise, as the
narrowing goes on, so as to cause the outer thread carriers to pass over the
reduced width of needles.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a section, and Figure 2 a front view of part of a knitting
machine having my improvements applied thereto; Figure 3 shows a front
view, and Figure 4 a plan on a smaller scale, of the apparatus for giving
motion to the three thread carriers employed according to my Invention. The
nature and working of knitting machinery being well understood, it will not
be necessary to describe those parts of the machine which do not relate to my
present improvements, as a workman acquainted with this class of machinery
will readily understand the action of the several parts on examining the
Drawings. The three thread carriers a, b, c, are respectively fixed to and
carried by sliding bars a', 6', c', supported by the frame d, which is supported
and moves on axes d', at each end of the machine. The thread carriers are
moved to and fro in the following manner-a², 62, c², are slotted arms fixed to
the bars a, b, c'; and a³, 63, c³, are adjustable pins, capable of being fixed by
thumb screws to any part of the slotted arms a², 62, c; the other ends of the
pins enter into slots formed in the lever arms a, b, c, carried by the pin joint
e. a, b, c, are catches connected by pin joints to the lever arms a, b, c';
these catches drop-from time to time into notched recesses formed on the
sliding bar f, supported on the frame d, the bar-f-being moved to and fro by
cords or chains g, passing over pulleys h to levers or pulleys, as is well under-
stood. The catches a, b, c, have curved projecting ends, and when either of
them come in contact with one of the fixed stops i on the frame d, the catch
will be lifted out of its notch in the sliding bar f, and the thread carriers with
which it is connected will stop, whilst the thread carriers in connection with the
other catch will be moved a further distance, until the catch is lifted from its

page_text: notch in like manner. a is the thread carrier, which is employed to form the
leg and instep of the stocking or other fashioned article; and b, c, are the thread
carriers, which are employed to form the heel at the same time that the instep
is being made, the bars b', c', being disconnected from the lever arms b, c,
whilst the leg of a stocking is being made, by removing the pins 63, c, from the
slots in the levers. The amount of motion given to each thread carrier will
depend on the position of the pins a, b, c, which are to be adjusted from time
to time according to the distance the.thread carriers are required to traverse.
In place of employing slotted levers to regulate the distance the thread carriers
are to traverse, racks and pinion may be employed with suitable stops, so as to
move the two outer thread carriers progressively nearer to each other as the
narrowing goes on, or spring catches or other mechanical contrivance may be
resorted to for accomplishing the same result.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to the
details herein described, nor do I confine myself thereto; but what I claim is,
the combination of apparatus herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clarke, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
JOHN CLARKE. (L.S.)