Improvements in Knitting Machine Needles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machine Needles.
I, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of No. 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, and 30, East Parade, Leeds, in the County of York, Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, a communication to me from abroad by the "Excelsior Needle Company,"
a corporation of Torrington, in the State of Connecticut, United States of America,
to be as follows:-
In the construction of knitting machine needles, it is usual to provide
a latch
that is pivotted to the stem of the needle below the hook, and such latch swings up
against the point of the hook as the loop is shed off. The end of the latch is
passed into a mortise or groove cut in the shank of the needle and the pivot pin
that passes through the parts has been rivetted up at its ends; but difficulties
have arisen in consequence of the pivot pins becoming loose and the edges of the
pivot heads cutting the fibres of the yarn.
To overcome this difficulty, the pivot pins have, in some instances, been made
shorter than the thickness of the needle and the metal of the needle rivetted up
or closed in at the ends of the pivot holes to secure the pivot pins in place, but
this has not been found satisfactory, as the pivot pins work loose. In other
instances the ends of the pivot pins have been rivetted up into recesses in the sides
of the needle body, but in this case, any fine fibres that may exist upon the pivot
wire are liable to project and cut the yarn. The present invention, as dis-
tinguished from the devices that have preceded it, consists in rivetting up the
ends of the pivot wires into recesses and then dressing off the ends of such
pivot wires and the immediately adjacent surfaces of the needle, and thereby
forming recesses below the normal surfaces of the needle body and directly at
the ends of the pivot wires, so that the ends of the pivot wire are below the sur-
faces of the needle, body and out of the way of the fibres of the yarn so that such
fibres cannot be cut or injured, if the pivot wire becomes loose and any filaments
or slight projections upon the pivot wire itself are dressed off.
The dressing off of the ends of the pivot wire is accomplished by suitable
rotary tools in line with the pivot wire and at opposite ends thereof, or by the use
of small burrs or milling tools acting at the ends of the pivot wires to form slight
segmental recesses at the places where the ends of the pivot wire are dressed off
and the adjacent surfaces of the needle body recessed.
1
121
1000
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: A communication to me from the EXCELSIOR NEEDLE COMPANY, a Corporation
of Torrington, in the State of Connecticut, United States of America.
I, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of No. 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, and No. 30, East Parade, Leeds, in the County of York, Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed; to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings,
that is to say:
In the, construction of knitting machine needles, it is usual to provide a latch
that is pivoted to the stem of the needle below the hook, and such latch swings up
against the point of the hook as the loop is shed off. The end of the latch is
passed into a mortise or groove cut in the shank of the needle and the pivot pin
that passes through the parts has been riveted up at its ends; but difficulties
have arisen in consequence of the pivot pins becoming loose and the edges of the
pivot heads cutting the fibres of the yarn.
To overcome this difficulty, the pivot pins have, in some instances, been- made
shorter than the thickness of the needle and the metal of the needle riveted up
or closed in at the ends of the pivot holes to secure the pivot pins in place, but
this has not been found satisfactory, as the pivot pins work loose. In other
instances the ends of the pivot pins have been riveted up into recesses in the sides
of the needle body, but in this case, any fine fibres that may exist upon the pivot-
wire are liable to project and cut the yarn. The present invention, as dis-
tinguished from the. devices that have preceded. it, consists in riveting up the
ends of the pivot-wires into recesses and then dressing off the ends of such
pivot-wires and the immediately adjacent surfaces of the needle, and thereby
forming recesses below the normal surfaces of the needle body and directly at
the ends of the pivot wires, so that the ends of the pivot wire are below the sur-
faces of the needle body and out of the way of the fibres of the yarn, so that such'
fibres cannot be cut or injured if the pivot-wire becomes loose and any filaments
or slight projections upon the pivot-wire itself are dressed off.
In carrying out the present improvements, the needle A is made in the usual
manner, with a mortise or slot receiving the eye of the latch B, and the. pivot-
pin C is passed through the holes in the needle and through the eye of the latch,
and such pivot-pin is: rigidly, secured in position, either by riveting up the ends
of such pivot-pin or by screwing the same into the tapped holes of the needle,
and, the ends of such pivot-pins are dressed off, so that they are below the surround-
ing surfaces of the needle. Thereby the edges of the pivot-pin at the ends are
sufficiently below the normal surfaces of the needle to remain out of contact with
the fibres of the yarn, and such' yarn is protected from any projections or rough-
ness that may arise from the pivot-pin becoming loose or in consequence of the
needle being bent or straightened and thereby tending to form burs or roughness
of any character at the ends of the pivot-pin.
The ends of the pivot-pin are preferably dressed. off by revolving tools or
cutters and simultaneously to remove sufficient of the metal immediately adjacent
to the ends of the pivot-pin for leaving the surface of such needle above and
closely adjacent to the edges of the ends of the pivot-pin, so that should there be
or arise any, roughness of such ends, it will be sufficiently below the normal 4

page_text: surfaces of the needle. to be out of contact with the fibres of. the yarn; thus pro-
tecting such fibres of the yarn from injury, and by; these improvements the damage
from the pivot-pin becoming loose is reduced to a minimum.
In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a knitting-needle with the present im-
provement. Fig. 2 is a section, and Fig. 3 a side elevation, representing in
magnified size the pivot of the latch after the same has been riveted up in one
of the well-known forms. Fig. 4 is a section, and Fig. 5 an elevation in a similar
magnified size, of a pivot-pin after the ends of the pivot. and the surrounding
metal have been dressed off or otherwise formed substantially flat and below the
surrounding surfaces of the needle. Fig. 6 is a section, and Fig. 7' an elevation,
illustrating the present improvement when the ends of the pivot are dressed off
or removed by circular cutters, grinders, or mills revolving on axes perpendicular
to the axis of the pivot-pin; and Fig. 8 is a section, and Fig. 9 an elevation, of
a screw-threaded pivot-pin with the ends similarly removed or ground off.
In some instances the countersinks in the needle at the ends of the pivot-holes
are longest in the direction of the length of the needle, as illustrated in Fig. 3
in order that the pivot may not be liable to turn after the ends have been spread
or riveted up in any desired manner, and in some cases the middle portion of
the rivet will be spread or enlarged in consequence of the upsetting of the pivot-
wire by the end pressure in riveting up the head, and in other instances the wire
will not be enlarged in the middle in the act of riveting up the ends of such
pivot-wire, but will remain substantially uniform in diameter, as illustrated in
Fig. 4, and where the pivot-wire is screwed into the tapped or screw-threaded
holes in the needle, as illustrated in Fig. 8, it is advantageous to apply a pressure
at the ends of the pivot-wire, so as to slightly enlarge the screw-threaded pivot-
wire and cause it to bind firmly into the holes in the needle. The central part
of the pivot-wire may also be enlarged by the end pressure. In all instances
the ends of the pivot-wire are finished off by suitable tools and with a revolving
motion, so as to leave the ends of the pivot-wire below the surrounding surfaces
of the needle.
In Figs. 4 and 5 the ends of the pivot-wire are represented as substantially
flat and at the bottom of circular recesses, rotary tools being provided which
revolve substantially in line with the axis of the pivot-wire, so as to dress off or
finish the surface of the metal at the ends of the pivot-wire and leave the same at
a sufficient distance below the surrounding surface of the needle to effectually
prevent injury to the fibres of the yarn should there ever arise or be left a rough-
ness at the edges of the spread heads or ends of the pivot.
In Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9, the ends of the pivot-wire are represented as dressed
off by rotary cutters, grinders, or tools, the axes of which are perpendicular to
the axis of the pivot-wire, such tools being sufficiently wide to dress off or remove
the ends of the pivot-wire to a sufficient distance below the surrounding surfaces
of the needle to effectually prevent injury to the yarn from the edges at the
ends of the pivot-wire, such recesses being substantially segments of cylinders.
By the present improvements the knitting-needles are rendered much more
reliable and durable and the risk of injury to the fibres of the yarn is reduced to
a minimum.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of, the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
is claimed is:-
1. A knitting-machine needle recessed at the ends of the latch-pivot, and the
ends of the pivot-wire dressed off to coincide with the surfaces of the needle at
the bottoms of the recesses, substantially as set forth.
2. A knitting-machine needle having a circular recess at each end of the latch-
pivot and the end of the pivot-wire coinciding with the bottom surfaces of the
recesses, substantially as specified.
3. A knitting-machine needle recessed in its side and at the ends of the latch-

page_text: pivot, and the ends of the pivot-wire spread and coinciding with the bottom
surfaces of the recesses, substantially as specified.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds;
Agents for the Applicant.