IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR KNITTING HEALDS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Astley, Reed and Heald Manufacturer, and Francis
Davies, Engineer, both of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR KNITTING HEALDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Astley and Francis
Davies at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th March
1876.
JOHN ASTLEY, Reed and Heald Manufacturer, and FRANCIS DAVIES, Engineer,
both of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR KNITTING HEALDS."
This Invention relates to improvements in heald knitting machines, so as to
render such machines self-acting when spaced healds are being woven.
When knitting spaced healds, that is to say, healds having " eyes" and spaces or
blanks intermittently on machines as heretofore constructed, the attendant, when a
determined number of "eyes" or loops had been knit, would place the loop thread
under a guard or otherwise place it out of reach of the eye or loop hook, and so the
formation of an "eye" or loop would be prevented, and when this had been
repeated until a sufficient blank was made the attendant on the machine would
remove the loop thread from the guard, bringing into position for the loop hook to
seize it and form an "eye" or loop or loops. When a sufficient number of eyes
were formed the thread forming these would again be removed for formation of
another blank. This requires constant supervision and correct counting on the part
of the attendant.
In the construction of machines for purpose of knitting such healds we employ a
lever or levers, by preference pendant, and free to swing on a pin in the upper end
thereof. The lower extremity of the lever or levers is connected with a tappet,
which directly or through intervening lever connections operates the eye or loop
hook above referred to. By means of an endless chain of lags and pins, or a pattern
barrel and pattern pins, the levers and tappet are acted upon intermittently,
according to the arrangement of the pattern pins and blanks in the chain and

page_text: barrel, and so the levers, tappet, and "
give self-actingly the number of " eyes
cach series of loops as desired.
"
сус
"
or loop hook will be operated so as to
or loops and the required spaces between
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Astley and Francis Davies in. the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th September 1876.
JOHN ASTLEY, Reed and Heald Manufacturer, and FRANCIS DAVIES, Engineer,
both of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR KNITTING HEALDS."
This Invention relates to improvements in heald knitting machines, so as to
render such machines self-acting when "spaced healds" are being woven.
<
Formerly when knitting spaced healds, that is to say, healds having " eyes" and
spaces or blanks intermittently on machines as heretofore constructed the attendant
when a determined number of "eyes" or loops had been knit would place the loop
thread under a guard, or otherwise place it out of reach of the eye or loop hook, and
so the formation of an eye or loop would be prevented, and when this had been
repeated until a sufficient blank or space was made the attendant on the machine
would remove the loop thread from the guard, bringing it into position for the loop
hook to seize it and form an "eye" or loop. When a sufficient number of eyes
were formed the thread forming these would again be removed for formation of
another blank or space. This required constant supervision, and correct counting
on the part of the attendant.
In the construction of machines for the purpose of knitting such healds we
employ a lever, by preference pendant, and free to swing on a pin in the upper end
thereof. The lower end of the lever (or levers) is connected with a tappet, which
directly or through intervening lever connections operates upon the "eye" or loop
hook above referred to. By means of an endless chain of lags and pins, on a pattern
barrel and pattern pins, or an equivalent of the same, the levers and tappet are acted
upon intermittently, according to the arrangement of pattern pins and blanks in the
chain and barrel, and so the lovers, tappets, and "eye" or loop hook will be operated
on so as to give automatically the number of "eyes" or loops, and the required
spaces between each series of loops, as desired.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention, we will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof :-
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a ground plan of the
improved apparatus which we propose to attach to a heald knitting machine for the
purpose of knitting space healds.
a, a, is part of the main framing of the machine; and b, b, is a supplementary
framing attached thereto, and carrying our improved apparatus; c, c, is the pendent
lever above referred to, hung from a pin d, d, above, and connected at its lower end
with a tappet c, which cither directly or through intervening lever connections
operates upon the eye or loop hook intermittently, so as to cause the machine
automatically to cease forming eyes or loops for the required space, and then to form
the required number of eyes or loops, and so on alternately.
The intermittent motion is imparted to this lever c, c, by the following means:-
ff, is a chain of lags passing over a barrel g, y, to which a reciprocating motion is
imparted by means of the excentrich, h, connecting rod i, i, bell-crank lever k, k,
and links,, the latter of which embrace the axis of the barrel g, g, and as the

page_text: excentric revolves carry the barrel backwards and forwards in horizontal slots in
the frame b, b. On the axis of the barrel g, g, is keyed a ratchet wheel m, m, and
a pawl n, n, held down by a spring, and fixed to a bracket o, o, acts upon this
ratchet wheel, and causes the barrel to turn one tenth of a revolution at each stroko,
thus presenting a different lag of the chain ff, at each movement of the pendent p, p,
keyed on the end of a short shaft q, q. To the centre of this shaft is keyed or fixed
a short lever r, r, which is connected to the pendent lever c, c, before mentioned,
by a link 8, 8. The arrangement is such that whenever a blank lag is presented to
the pendent p, p, the to-and-fro movement of the barrel g, g, has no effect upon
the said pendent, and consequently no motion is imparted to the pendent lever c, c,
and the heald knitting macliine forms the eye or loop in the ordinary manner, but
whenever a lag with a peg f* is presented it causes thic pendent p, p, to oscillate,
and this imparting a corresponding movement to the pendent lever c, c, causes it to
move the tappet c*, which acts upon the eye or loop hook out of the way, and pre-
vents it from forming the eye or loop of the healds, and hence a "space" is produced.
The order in which the pegs are arranged on the lags of the chain will of courso
depend upon the kind of spaced heald required.
It will be understood that any form of pattern chain or pattern barrel will
produce the same effect.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention, the application
to heald knitting machines of a pattern chain, pattern barrel, or other equivalent
device for the purpose of throwing the tappet which acts on the eye or loop hook
into or out of the working position at intervals for the purpose of knitting spaced
hicalds automatically, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, wc, the said John Astley and Francis Davies, havo here-
unto set our hands and scals, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
JOHN ASTLEY.
(L.S.)
FRANCIS DAVIES. (L.S.)