Improvements in Knitting Machines Chiefly Applicable to Machines known as Cottons" for Making Plain or Ribbed Fabrics.
Year: 1886

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines Chiefly Applicable to Machines
known as Cottons" for Making Plain or Ribbed Fabrics.
"
I, JOHN WILLIAM KIDDIER, of the Hosiery Machine Building Company, Wilford
Road, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Machinist 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 :-
Heretofore when making striped hose to which plain spliced heels were required the
insteps would be left out and in order to obtain a plain spliced heel with a striped
instep such instep had to be made or formed on another machine.
Now my Invention has for its object to modify the well known "Cotton" knitting
machine so as to provide for the striping of fashioned hose through the instep and, at
the same time to make or form plain spliced heels on the same machine that makes the
leg part of such hose..
With this object in view I employ similar carriers to those used in an ordinary
splicing and striping machine which are well known to the trade, but I employ an
additional one for working through the instep, thus making five carriers in all. I also
employ new stops for arresting the said carriers in their required positions.
And in order that my Invention may be particularly described and ascertained I
will now proceed to describe the Drawings hereto annexed which principally illustrate
the various parts of a "Cotton" knitting machine to which my improvements refer.

page_text: mencing to form the instep and heel.
Fig. 3. is an end elevation of carrier bars and thread carriers.
Fig. 4. is top part of bracket containing striping carrier stops.
Fig. 5. shows part of lifting arrangement for relieving or holding the carriers while
striping.
Fig. 6. is a side elevation of movable box slide (Q).
Fig. 7. is a side elevation of movable box slide (S).
Fig. 8. is front end elevation of same, and
Fig. 9. is an end elevation of the projection (0) on carrier bar (E).
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is tube carrier No. 1. B striping carrier No. 1. C tube carrier No. 2. D striping
carrier No. 2. and E tube carrier No. 3.
F is a lever provided with an eye which moves on axle G; the movable box H is
provided with a catch I for holding striping carrier bar (No. 1 striping carrier): J is
a friction spring to keep the box H in position.
The lever is coupled to the rod K by means of the link L: the rod K has con-
nected to it another link M which communicates motion from the usual striping
wheel (see Fig. 5). A sliding catch N is made movable on the rod K for the purpose
of engaging or disengaging with the carrier bar E (No. 3 tube carrier); O is a catch
on carrier bar E. The rod K is free to move on the pin P.
Qis a movable box slide for holding carrier bar A (No. 1 tube carrier) by means of
the catch engaging with the projection (e) on lug A which is fixed to carrier bar A;
this catch is in operation during the striping of the leg part of the hose: the slide Q
is free to move vertically on the T piece R, the said vertical motion is obtained from
the usual stripe wheel through the link n (Fig. 6).
S is a box slide movable on the lever B₁ which lever is free to move on the axle T:
the said slide is provided with two projections or catches for the purpose hereinafter
. described.
U is a box slide for holding out the rod E (No. 3 tube carrier) when not required
to be in operation by the stem V being slid into the recess W.
✗ is an instep stop bracket shown part in section so as to show the stops for the
carrier bar D (No. 2 striping carrier): the stop a is not required when making striped
goods and is therefore arranged so as to liftjabove the bar D when striping (see Fig. 4.):
the stop 6 is for arresting the bar D when it has travelled the width or to the selvage
of the instep.
The instep stop c can be moved vertically; when forming the leg part of the hose
this stop is lifted up, and, when commencing to form the instep into the position shown
in Fig. 1.
The instep stop d for the bar c (No. 2 tube carrier) is capable of adjustment length-
wise by means of its thread and nuts.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood I will now proceed
to describe the manner of moving and working the various stops in order to produce
a piece of hose with a striped instep and plain spliced heel.
When forming the leg part of the hose No. 1 tube carrier (A) and No. 1 striping
carrier (B) are employed each having a different colored thread, say a black and a
white; and in place of the latch lever usually employed for alternately holding the
carriers I employ the lever F which carries the slide H provided with a projection I
for the purpose of arresting No. 1 striping carrier (B).
The carrier bar A (No. 1 tube carrier) is provided with a catch A¹ with which is
formed a projecting lug (e) (see Fig. 1): the instep stop (e) shown in the Drawing
as arresting the carrier bar A is lifted up before commencing to form the leg to permit
the bar to move past it to the stop H' which is moved in position. The projection (f)
on the sliding catch Q is put in position to engage with the lug (e) of the
catch A¹.
The said sliding catch Q is free to move vertically on the T piece R (Fig. 1.)
which is fixed to the worm box, such vertical motion being required when changing

page_text: carriers in striping, the said vertical motion is obtained from the ordinary stripe
wheel appliance.
The above described carriers and stops continue in operation until it is required
to form the heel and instep: the machine and carriers are then put in the position
shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by the following means:-
The sliding catch (f) is withdrawn, which releases carrier bar A (No. 1 tube
carrier) the said bar is then moved into its required position (figs. 1 and 2) and
the sliding stop (c) is lowered to arrest it.
The carrier bar D (No. 2 striping carrier) which has remained out of operation
is now moved into position shown in figs. 1 and 2.
The carrier bar C (No. 2 tube carrier) is also brought to position shown in
Figs. 1 and 2; the usual stops being used for regulating the length of traverse.
The sliding catch S is now put in position to engage with the recess (k) in
carrier bar D, and the edge (g) of the lug A' of carrier bar A. The projecting
catches and m alternately engage in their respective positions as may be required
for the striping the said sliding catch S is provided with a lever B¹ (fig. 7)
the end of which is movable on the pin T. The swing motion is obtained from
the stripe wheel through the link (p) Fig. 7. The catch S can be moved laterally
on the pin T when it is required to alter the width of instep.
The carrier bar E (No. 3 tube carrier) is released by withdrawing the slide V
from the recess of W the bar is then put in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2
which is the same as striping carrier B (No. 1 striping_carrier).
These two
carriers are employed for forming the right side of heel. The sliding catch N is
moved into position to engage with the lug 0 on carrier bar E. When the said
catch is engaged with the lug O it enables it to alterately move or to stand at
the same time as the carrier bar A (No. 1 tube carrier).
It will thus be seen that I virtually stripe this half of the heel, but, I break off
the coloured threads carried by the carrier bar B (striping carrier No. 1) and tie
threads to the ends thereof of the same thickness and colour as the ones carried by
the carrier bar E (No. 3 tube carrier) and of course while E (No. 3 tube carrier)
remains stationary, the bar B (No. 1 striping carrier) which now carries similar
threads to the tube carrier E is making its course and vice versâ thereby producing
a plain fabric.
After the carriers have been placed as aforementioned and before starting the
machine to work first course I insert a fashioning or narrowing by racking in
the narrowing points to the position of the split or at the side on which the carriers
are changed, thereby leaving the space of a lead to avoid the heel and instep
threads interlaping.
The machine is now put in motion and, at the same time that the instep is being
made and striped, the heels are being formed and fashioned. When the heels are
finished the tube carriers C and E (Nos. 2 and 3) and striping carrier D (No. 2)
are taken out of operation and held out by stops in the usual way.
At the finish of the heel I withdraw sliding stop S and release the bars A and D)
which they have held and as hereinbefore described.
The striping carrier D (No. 2) and the tube carriers C and E (Nos. 2 and 3)
are then moved out of action and held by stops in the usual way.
The worm
boxes are then racked in to the selvage of the instep, thereby utilising the striping
carrier B (No. 1) to complete the striping of the instep in conjunction with tube
carrier A (No. 1 tube carrier), it being understood that the coloured thread must again
be replaced in the striping carrier B (No. 1 striping carrier). The machine is again
put into motion and the remaining portion of the instep is fashioned and completed as
required.
It will thus be seen from the foregoing that I am enabled to produce a striped instep
at the same time and on the same machine that forms a plain spliced heel which has
not heretofore been accomplished.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
+
The use and combination of the sliding stops (S) (Q) (N) and (H) for arresting or
relieving their respective carrier bars during the process of striping the instep on the
same machine and at the same time as making plain spliced heels all substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 7th day of Decemb^- 1000