IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING KNIT OR LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Goodman, of 3, Canning Place, Leicester,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING KNIT
OR LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 18th April 1856, and dated the 2nd February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Goodman at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd February 1856.
I, WILLIAM-GOODMAN, of 3, Canning Place, Leicester, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING
KNIT OR LOOPED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object a peculiar combination of mechanical parts
used for producing knit or looped fabrics. For this purpose the needles are
made suitable for producing work at each of their ends, which, however, is not
new, and is not separately claimed. The form of needle preferred is that which
at one end has an ordinary beard, and at the other end a hook and tongue.
These needles are placed in a suitable needle bar, so that they may be moved
from and to the back of the knitting frame, and be held correctly and securely by
means of bars moving on axes at their ends, such bars on one side or surface
being of a greater radius than in other directions. The thread carrier is
arranged capable of laying its thread for any number of frame courses, or for

page_text: any number of turned or machine courses, and the needles are worked or
moved accordingly, and there is a top machine combined with the other
mechanism, so that the work may be shifted by points off and on the frame
or beard ends of the needles to produce fancy work. By these means any
number of plain or fancy courses may be produced on the frame or beard
ends of the needles, and then one or more courses of the turned or machine
courses. And in order to facilitate changes of the points of the top machine,
the points are made with tails, and move on axes, so that they are all
independent, and their tail ends are acted on by a bar with ribs thereon, and
according to the pattern of work to be produced, portions of each of the ribs
are cut away, so as not to touch the tail of any one or more of the points, and
thus, according as one or other of the ribs of the holding bar is for the time
being in action, so will be the pattern of work produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Goodman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd August 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GOODMAN, of 3, Canning Place, Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Goodman, Her special licence that I, the said William
Goodman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Goodman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING KNIT OR LOOPED FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Goodman, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Goodman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object a peculiar combination of mechanical parts
used for producing knit or looped fabrics. For this purpose the needles are
made suitable for producing work at each of their ends, which, however, is
not new, and is not separately claimed. The form of needle preferred is that
which at one end has an ordinary beard, and at the other end a hook and
tongue. These needles are placed in a suitable needle bar, so that they may
bė moved from and to the back of the knitting frame, and be held correctly
aud securely by means of bars moving on axes at their ends, such bars on one
side or surface being of a greater radius than in other directions. The thread.
carrier is arranged capable of laying its thread for any number of frame
courses or for any number of turned or machine courses, and the needles are
worked or moved accordingly, and there is a top machine 'combined with the
other mechanism, so that the work may be shifted by points off and on
the frame or beard ends of the needles to produce fancy work. By these
means any number of plain or fancy courses may be produced on the frame or
beard ends of the needles, and then one or more courses of the turned or
machine courses.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of part of a knitting frame, having my
improvements applied thereto, the parts being shewn in the position they
would assume when a row of loops or a frame course is about to be made on
the needles, which are for the time held securely in the frame needle bar.
Figure 2 shews a transverse section of some of the working parts of the
same knitting frame when the needles have been transferred from the frame
needle bar to the machine needle bar, and the parts are in a suitable position
for having a row of loops formed on the opposite ends of the needles to that
shewn at Figure 1. As the arrangement and working of this knitting frame,
when the needles are held in the frame needle bar, is precisely the same as it
would be in an ordinary knitting frame, where single ended needles fixed in
leads are employed. It will not be necessary to enter into a minute de-
scription thereof, except so far as relates to my present improvements, as a
workman acquainted with this class of machinery, on examining the Drawings,

page_text: will readily understand the nature of my improvements, aided by the following
description of the mode of holding the double ended..needles in the frame
needle bar whilst one or more courses are worked at one end of needles;
then transferring the needles to the machine needle. bar, where they are held
whilst one or more courses.are worked at the opposite.ends.of.the needles..
a²
a is the frame needle bar, which is supported and fixed to the framing .at
each end of the machine; a', a', are plates or combs.fixed to the needle bar: a,
in which the double ended needles b,.b, rest, and are held securely by the
locking or holding bar a², which moves on axes at each end, and. is causédito
press one edge upon the upper surface..of the needles by the lever arm
being pushed by the workman towards the back of the machine, where.it is
retained by the spring catch a*, and the needles will thus be held.securely.
whilst any desired number of frame courses are worked. When turned.or
machine courses are required to be made, the needles 6, areitransferred to. the.
machine needle bar in the following manner, to have any desired number of
turned courses produced at the opposite ends of the needles: -c is the
machine needle.bar, which has rollers on axes at each end; and is supported.
by brackets d fixed to the end framing of the machine. The machine needle
bar is capable of being moved to and fro in slots formed in the brackets d,
and the machine needle bar may be moved out of the way above the head.of
the workman, and a "top machine," with ticklers or shifters, may, when
desired, be moved down in front of the needles in the frame-needle bar, as
shown at Figure 8, to shift the loops from needle to needle, as is well under-
stood and practised in ordinary knitting frames. The machine needle bar c
is constructed with combs or notched plates c', and has a holding or locking
bar combined therewith, which moves on axes at each end, as described in
reference to the needle bar á, to hold the needles firmly in the combes c-of the
machine needle bar c whilst any desired number of turned or machine courses
are worked. The sinkers e are 'correctly spaced by combes or other-suitable
spacing instruments e¹ in leads fixed on the hand bár e³, so as to ensure the
correct movement of the needles between them when being transferred from
one bar to the other. The machine needle bar'c, when about to receive the
needles from the frame needle bar is moved towards the sinkers, as shown
at Figure 9, the locking or holding bar being free, and in the position
shewn in Figure 1, until the ends of the needles come against the bar c fixed
to the needle bar c, the workman then pulls forward the lever arm c, fixed on
the axis of the locking or holding bar c, which causes the edge of that bar
to press tightly on the upper surface of the needles, he then releases-the lever
arm a from its spring catch, and pulls it forward to release the locking or

page_text: holding bar a from pressing on the needles, and the machine needle bar.c
may then be moved outwards, with the needles securely held therein, into the
position shown at Figure 2, ready to have a row of loops formed thereon.
The workman, at the time he draws out the machine needle bar, moves
forward the sinker frame, which rests at that time against stops or projections
cfixed on the under side of the needle bar c, by which movement the work
will be moved evenly on the stems of the needles, and be placed correctly for
the working of the next or turned course.
Figures 3 and 4 shew the position of the parts at the time of pressing and
knocking over the work, being knocked over the heads of the needles 'by the
bar f, which is taken hold of by the workman and moved towards the frame
just below the needles, so as to knock the work over. The bar is supported
by arms fmoving on pin joints on the arms of the sinker frame, and the
bar fis capable of moving up and down in slots formed in the arms f. The
correct position of the needles in the machine needle bar c, when the pressing
takes place, is insured by projections on the arms c, fixed on each end of the
machine needle bar c, coming in contact (as the machine needle bar is drawn
out to take the new loops) with fixed stops on the end framing of the machine.
a, c, are spring clips fixed to the needle bars, the ends of which press on the
upper surface of the holding or locking bars to retain them firmly in position;
c is a spring catch fixed on the needle bar c, the upper end of which has a
tooth or projection formed thereon, which enters into a recess cut in the boss
cs on the axis of the locking or holding bar c², to aid in securing the needles
firmly in the needle bar c. The double ended needles, shewn in the arrange-
ment of parts just described, is formed with an ordinary beard at each end,
but other descriptions of double ended needles may be employed. And at
Figures 5, 6, and 7 I have shewn a double ended needle with a beard at one
end, and at the other end a hook and tongue, in which arrangement the work
does not require the use of a presser when turned work is being made at
that end of the needles when in the machine needle bar, and the bar f is also
dispensed with as the work falls over the heads of the needles when the
machine needle bar c is tilted into the position shewn at Figure 7, the weights
on the work acting to draw or knock it over.
Figures 10 & 11 show separate views of the machine needle bar, the nature
of each of the views being written thereon.
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
any of the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details herein
described, so long as the peculiarity of my Invention be retained; but what

page_text: I claim is the mode of combining hand-knitting frames in such manner that
double ended needles may be employed therein, and a top machine used in
combination therewith, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Goodman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
WILLIAM GOODMAN. (L.S.)