IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bradley, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,
now residing at Lowell, in the County of Middlesex, and State of Massa-
chusetts, one of the United States of America, Knitter, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Bradley at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th August 1880.
JOHN BRADLEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, now residing at Lowell,
in the County of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, one of the United States
of America, Knitter. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES."
This Invention is more especially adapted to be used in connection with what are
known in the art as "circular knitting machines," or such machines as have their
needles arranged in a circle, and which in the act of knitting are moved in a circle,
in connection with a series of co-operating wheels, the blades or teeth of which
engage with the circular series of needles, and by the simple rotation of said
series of needles and the co-operating wheels all of the operations of knitting are
performed.
The more especial purposes of my improvements are to use two or more yarns of
different colors in knitting the same fabric, and to automatically change said yarns
in such order as may be desired. By the means hereinafter described circumferential
stripes of different colors may be produced in the work, and of such width and in
such order as may be desired by automatically severing one of the yarns at the
finishing of the stripe and uniting the other yarn with the work automatically, so
as to uninterruptedly continue the knitting until a determined number of rounds
or courses are completed, when the other yarn is brought into action, and the yarn
just used is automatically severed. A succession of these operations produces &
series of stripes circumferentially in the work without arresting the operation of
knitting to unite the two yarns by tying.
In the accompanying Drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan of a circular knitting machine with my improvements attached
thereto; Figure 2 is an elevation of one side of the machine; Figure 3 is a longi-
tudinal sectional elevation, the cutting plane being on line x, x, Fig. 1; Figure 4 is
a partial sectional elevation shewing my improvements detached from the needles
and the working wheels, the cutting plane being on line y, y, Figure 1; Figure 5
is a detail illustrating the arrangement of the thread plate, thread-guiding horn,
thread holding spring, and the lower cutter-blade; Figure 6 is an elevation of the
cutter-blades for severing the yarn, and Figure 7 is a vertical section of same on
ID 631

page_text: line Z, Z, Fig. 6; Figures 8 and 9 are respectively a plan and a vertical section of
the thread-plate and thread-guiding horn; and Fig. 10 is an edge view of the
stitch wheel so called.
In the Drawing A is the bed-piece of the machine mounted upon suitable legs,
and upon which the several parts of mechanism are arranged as shown. B is the
circular series of knitting needles, which are of the kind known in the trade as
"spring needles." These are fixed at their lower ends in a circular stock B¹ called
the "head," to which all the needles are firmly attached, their heads projecting
vertically upward therefrom to carry the several stitches being formed. This circle
of needles is rotated about a vertical axis to perform the operations of knitting' by
means of the bevel-gearing shown, either by hand or by power. Around this series
of needles are placed circumferentially several wheels, which I term " working
wheels," the circumferences of which are provided with radial blades or teeth set
in various positions, which work between the several needles and serve to manipulate
the yarns in connection with them, and perform upon the yarn all of the operations
of knitting, some of them operating outside of the series of needles and some of
them within the series, but all of them rotating with the needles.
In the Drawings C represents the "stitch-wheel," so called, by which the yarn is
looped partly around the needles, and is the wheel by which the yarn is first received
in the operation of knitting.
D is the " dividing-wheel," which places the loops of yarn more accurately upon
the bodies of the needles.
E is the presser-wheel, by which the beards of the needles are depressed to allow
the stitches to pass over them, and its circumference therefore is not provided with
teeth or blades like the other wheels.
F is the landing-wheel, by which the stitches are carried outside of the points of
the beards of the needles; G is the knocking-over wheel, by which the work is
discharged from the needles.
These two last named wheels are located within the series of needles, and all the
others are located outside of the needles, but they all revolve with the needles, and
operate upon the yarn and upon the needles to perform the knitting in the order
that they are mentioned above.
The two wheels last mentioned are mounted upon fixed axes borne upon the
brackets Hand I, which are secured to the interior fixed plate J, which plate is fast
upon the interior shaft K, about which the revolving needle-head B¹ revolves. The
lower end of the shaft K is fixed in the bed-piece Å of the machine, and therefore
does not revolve with the needle-head B. The revolutions of the needles and of the
several working wheels co-operating therewith, as before mentioned, perform
continuously the operations of plain knitting, excepting as will be hereinafter
described.
In making the stripes with this machine it is to be remembered that each stripe
is composed only of plain knitting with one yarn only, that the stripes run parallel
with the courses of stitches, and that the width of the stripe depends upon the
number of courses thus knit before changing the color of the yarn, which is done
automatically by the machine. By thus changing the yarns of different colors, and
uniting each yarn at the commencement of each stripe by the automatic action of
the machine, alternate stripes of different colors may be produced according to any
determined pattern, and continued without stopping the machine.
I will now proceed to describe that part of the mechanism which changes and
severs the yarn automatically. The yarns of different colors are mounted upon
the bobbins M and N¹, and are led respectively as shewn in the Drawing, Figs. 1
and 2. The uppermost yarn M¹ is the one that is in action in knitting. The lower
yarn N by its guide N is carried below the stitch-wheel C and down upon the
"thread-plate" Y, so called, so that it will rest upon the lower-knife O (shown
separately in Fig. 6), and in the proper position to sever the yarn when the stripe
is finished. The lower knife or cutter-blade O is fixed to the lower part of the thread-
plate, which in turn is attached to the "star box," so called, which carries the stitch-

page_text: wheel C. The several "star boxes," so called, carry the several working wheels,
as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
In order to explain more clearly the mode of operation of the yarns in changing
them to make stripes of different colors, and to remove the yarn from use when the
stripe is finished, I will endeavour to explain the nature of the operations that are
produced by the machine.
We may premise that the yarn that is in action in knitting is the one that is led
through the yarn-guide M, and marked M', and shown as the upper one, while the
other yarn N', which is led through the yarn guide N, is meantime of necessity the
lower one.
When the yarns of different colors are to be changed this lower yarn N¹, by its
yarn-guide N, is first raised by automatic action to its proper position on the stitch
wheel to be carried into the proper position in the work or knitting, which unites
this yarn to the yarn M' already being knit, so that they both together are knit
into the work being produced, and are securely spliced to the work and also to each
other. The operation of knitting then continues for a few (say, three or four),
stitches, knitting both of the yarns together into the fabric for that number of
stitches. Immediately after this the other yarn-guide M moves downward, which
carries the yarn M' below the blades of the stitch wheel C, and the yarn is carried
down onto the blade O and to the proper position to be severed. The movable
cutter-blade P, which works with the lower cutter-blade O to sever the yarn, is
attached to the lever Q which vibrates upon an axis fixed in the post S, which also
carries the arin for the axes of the vibrating yarn-guides M and N.
The counting wheel T is provided around its periphery with twenty-eight teeth,
and is turned one tooth at each revolution of the needles by means of the vibrating
pawl X, which is vibrated by the face-cam V made fast upon the driving-shaft W
beneath the bed of the machine (see Fig. 3 of the Drawing), and thus the wheel T
is turned one notch at each revolution of the needles.
Upon the upper face of the counting-wheel T is secured a segmental face-cam-
plate R provided with two inclines a, a, and two offsets f, f, arranged at equal
distances from the axis of revolution thereof for actuating the lever Q, and through
it the cutter-blade P in connection with the stationary cutter-blade O to sever the
yarn, the cutter P being raised twice to each revolution of the wheel T by the
action of the inclines a, a, upon the lower end of the rod b, the upper end of which
is connected to the lever Q, said rod riding upon the surface of the cam plate, R till
the offsets pass under the rod, when the tension of the helical spring e moves the
cutter-blade P downward with a smart quick blow to a point a little below the
upper edge of the stationary-blade O, and severs the yarn which rests thereon. The
cam plate R is also provided with an incline a' and an offset f' for actuating
the yarn guide N, and a similar incline a² and offset f* for actuating the yarn
guide M..
When the yarn is in the proper position to be severed it is, by the action of the
yarn-guide and the draft upon the yarn, drawn between the horn d and the small
helical spring g attached to the "thread-plate" Y, shewn more clearly in Figs. 5
and 8, or between the coils of said spring.
This spring retains that part of the severed yarn which is between the cutter-
blade P and the yarn-guide from which it led, until the severed yarn is again
brought into use to begin another stripe, which is done by raising and guiding the
severed yarn onto the stitch-wheel by its appropriate yarn-guide to the proper
height to be knit, when it unites with the other yarn, and with it is carried into
the work, and knit in with it for a few stitches, as has been already described.
The yaru-guides M and N as they lower the yarns bring them within the horn d
on the thread plate Y (Figs. 5 and 8), and precisely over the lower cutter-blade O,
by which and the movable cutter-blade P the yarns are severed. By the continuous
action of the counting-wheel T the face cam R. vibrates the yarn-guides M and N
in both directions, that is, both upward and downward, and each yarn when it is
carried downward is carried onto the lower cutter-blade O, and by the movable

page_text: cutter P is severed, leaving the yarn thus severed held fast by the spring g till it is
required to be again thrown into action.
Those portions of the segmental cam R which actuate the yarn-guides are made
of such circumferential length as may be required to knit the necessary number of
courses to make the stripe of the particular color being used of the desired width,
and the inclines and offsets a¹, f', and a², f, which act respectively upon the rods
j and i to operate the yarn-guides N and M, are so arranged relative to each other
and to the positions of the rods j and i, which act upon opposite arms of their
respective yarn-guides, as to cause one of said yarn guides to be moved upward a
little before the other yarn-guide is moved downward, whereby the yarn not in use
may be united with that being knit and with the fabric before the other yarn is
severed.
It may be observed of the yarns in action, and to be brought into action, that
the yarn that is brought into action in knitting is to be raised and carried to the
knitting position on the stitch-wheel, while the yarn that is to go out of action
and to be severed is carried downward onto the thread-plate and onto the cutter
blade O.
It may also be stated that when two colors only are used to make the stripes
they must be alternately brought into action, and after the joint of the yarn is
made the other yarn is severed, and is held by the spring g on the thread plate till
another stripe of the same color is to be commenced, and so on till the work is done.
The face cam R is cut to such a form as to adapt it to the pattern of work to be
produced, changing the cam with each style of stripe desired.
What I claim is,-
1st. In a circular-knitting machine the combination with a series of barbed
needles, the stitch-wheel, and a pattern mechanism, of two yarn-guides, a cutting
device for severing the yarns, and a device for holding the end of the severed
yarn, both located in rear of the stitch wheel and connecting mechanism between
said pattern mechanism and the yarn guides and cutting devices, substantially as
described.
2nd. The combination with the stitch-wheel support of the cutting-blade O, the
movable cutter-blade P, means for operating said movable cutter-blade, and the
thread-plate Y provided with the retaining spring g and the horn d, as and for
the purpose set forth.
3rd. The thread-plate Y provided with a horn d and spring g to retain the yarn
after it is severed, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bradley, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty, at Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Witnesses,
EDWARD AUGUSTUS HEMMENWAY,
40, State St., Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
NATHAN COBB LOMBARD,
40, State St., Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
JOHN BRADLEY.. (L.S.)