Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
'I DANIEL HURLEY, Machinist, of Bennington, in the County of Bennington,
and State of Vermont, United States of America, 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:
My invention relates to certain improvements in circular knitting machines:
wherein two revolving needles cylinder one above the other are employed, and has
for its object to simplify the driving or revolving mechanism of the cylinders to:
produce a more even and steady movement; to effect the ready and compact:
assembling of the parts; to provide a vertical adjustment of the upper cylinder:
with relation to the lower one; to enable the varying of the length of the loop as
may be required in the operation of producing the fabric and to so construct the.:
machine as to enable the finished work to be taken up either above or below the
cylinders, and it consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter
fully described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.
Referring to the drawing;.
Fig. 1. is a side. elevation of a circular. knitting machine embodying my:
improvements....
Fig. 2. is a vertical. section of Fig. 1. on the line a. a. shown in the plan view:
of Fig. 3. with certain portions of the supporting frame and brackets and other:
parts broken away.
Fig. 3. is a plan view of the same with detached portions of the supporting frame:
shown.
.
Fig. 4. is a detached perspective view showing the principle gearing which drives:
the needle cylinders, and a partial dotted outline of the annual gear. rings which:
form a part of the cylinders.
Fig. 5. is a detached perspective view showing more. especially the adjusting
mechanism for the upper needle cylinder.
Fig. 6. represents a vertical section of the old way of arranging the needle:
cylinders and the lines on which the needles cross each other..
Fig. 7. is a plan view of the cam shown in Fig. 6 and:
. Fig. 8. shows a vertical.section of my new arrangement of the needle cylinders:
and the line on which the needles.cross each other.
Like letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in each. figure of the
drawing.
:
A represents the supporting frame which has brackets a, at some distance.
below its upper ends. These brackets may be formed separately and be secured..
to the frame or be cast with the frame, and are preferably recessed on their upper:
side to about one-half their thickness to receive and support an annular bed->
plate B which is bolted or otherwise secured thereto as shown. This bed-plate
is also recessed in its upper surface at 6 for the purpose hereinafter described.
A represents the lower and D.the upper ueedle cylinders which have outwardly.
flaring bodies as they approach each other. The lower cylinder C is seated in a :
recess c of the carrying ring E and is secured thereto at its lower edge by means i
of screws. This ring E has a flange e on its outer and upper edge which enters the:
recess or seat 6 of. the bed-plate B and on the underside of the ring there is an.

page_text: annular gear, F which has in its upper inner side a recess or seat which receives
a pendent flange d located on the inner edge of the ring E and this gear is secured
to the ring by means of screws from beneath, and thus the cylinder C the annular
ring E and the gear F are rigidly united togetlier.
Near the upper end of the frame A there are attached adjustable brackets J
which are recessed on their under side to receive a cap-plate I which is rigidly
connected to the brackets by means of screws k. The inner upper portion of the
cap-plate is recessed at n to receive a flange o ou the outer and upper edge of the
ring H and this ring is held in its seat as against upward displacement, by means
of a button K secured to the top of the cap-plate I and extending over the ring.
On the under side of the ring at its inner edge, there is a downwardly projecting
flange which enters a recess m, in the upper inner edge of an annular gear G
which is secured to the ring by means of screws j, and in a recess g, on the
under side of the annular gear, the upper needle cylinder D is rigidly secured by
means of screws i, and thus the upper needle cylinder D the annular gear G and
the ring H are like the lower cylinder firmly secured together and greatly
simplified in their construction.
The upper and lower cylinders are provided with the ordinary needles h arranged
as usual in grooves in. the cylinders as shown and L represents cams for actuating
the needles on the upper cylinder, which are secured to hanging brackets attached
to the under side of the cap-plate l, and M refers to the cams for actuating the
needles on the lower cylinder, and these cams are secured to brackets N which are
attached to the bed-plate B.
In connection with the needles h, there is used also the ordinary thread or yarn
guide O and sinker wheel P jointly supported by an adjustable bracket p attached
to the bed-plate B and stationary and revolving pressers Q and R, the former
presser being supported upon the bed-plate by a vertically adjustable standard q
and the latter being suspended from the cap-plate I by a vertical adjustable bracket r,
the functions of all of which parts are well brackets by those familiar. with the art,
and as they are common to machines of this class, further explanation of them
herein is deemed unnecessary.
S represents an upright shaft extending from below to above the needle cylinders
and is journaled in a bracket T supported upon and rigidly secured to the
bed-plate B by screws or other well known means. This bracket is provided with
an upper and lower bearing t for the purpose of holding the shaft in an even and
true position relative to the other parts of the operative mechanism. On the upper
end of the shaft there is a spur gears having a bub on its lower side resting upon
the upper bearing of the bracket T and this gear is rigidly secured to the journal
by a screw or by other well known means, and meshes with the annular gear G
and revolves the upper needle cylinder, while a like spur gear s' is attached to the
shaft S below the bed-plate B and meshes with the annular gear F and revolves
the lower needle cylinder. C. The lower spur gear & rests upon the upwardly
projecting hub of the beveled gear U secured to the lower end of the shaft S and
this beveled gear meshes with another like gear u secured to a shaft V which is
held in a bracket v supported upon the frame A. This shaft V is provided with
an ordinary belt wheel outside the frame, or by other means for communicating
power whereby both the upper and lower cylinders C and D are revolved
simultaneously with power applied directly to each from the same vertical shaft
and thus subject less strain upon the gearing and produce more evenly revolving
cylinders than when all the power is applied to one cylinder for a like purpose.
Y,
Brackets J are secured to the frame A near its upper end by means of screws or
bolts Y attached to the bracket and adjusted up or down as desired in the slots
in the supporting frame A, and have beneath them adjusting jack-screws W
arranged in pairs, and seated in screw beads or nuts x, of bolts X which are
screwed into or otherwise rigidly attached to the frame A, and are provided on
their lower ends, beneath the screw-heads with jam nuts w. These jack-screws are
adapted to be screwed up to support the under side. of the bracket J; after it has

page_text: been adjusted, and to be secured in a fixed position by means of the jam nuts which.
are screwed up to the screw heads of bolts X. By means of adjustment it will be
seen that the needle cylinders can be separated or brought nearer together and
evenly adjusted as may be required, in varying the length of the loops in the
operation of producing the fabrics, the supporting brackets of the sinker wheel and
the stationary and revolving pressers being, as previously described, adjustable, to
accommodate them to the adjustment of the needle cylinders.
In Fig. 6 I have represented the old way in which conical neelle cylinders are
arranged, with a space between them, the lower cylinder C being slightly smaller
than the upper one D and in this case having its needle grooves e' at the same
angle with grooves d in the lower outer edge of the upper cylinder, so that the
lower needles traverse both sets of grooves. By this arrangement of the cylinders
the needles working in the grooves above and below, will cross each other on a line
with the upper edge of the space between the cylinders, so that when the loops are
being formed on the needles of the upper cylinder, it becomes necessary that the
needles of the lower cylinder be pushed outward that the loops previously formed
can be cast off, and this is done by means of an adjustable cam C, on a stationary
arm D on the inside of the cylinder, or by some other equivalent device, in most.
cases where conical cylinders adjacent to each other and spring needles have
been used.
In all cases where the cylinders are constructed so that the needles will cross
each other at the upper or lower edge of the space between them, the cam Cis
required to te adjusted near the edge of the cylinder on the opposite side of the
space from where the needles cross, so that the finished work, as it is cast off from.
the needles, can pass within the cylinders between the end of the cam and the point"
where the needles cross and be taken up.
As illustrated in Fig. 6 it is clearly shown that by such a construction the
finished work e will pass into the cylinder above the cam C¹ and be taken up above;
the cylinders though the cylinders may be reversed in another machine, so that the
finished work may pass under the end of the cam C and down through the lower.
cylinder to the take-up below.
It is clearly evident then that machines constructed prior to my invention have
not been so arranged that in any one machine the finished work can pass to the
take-up either above or below the cylinders after passing in between them, as the
circumstances of the case may demand, as when the ceiling is very low in the room
in which the machine is operated and there not being room above the machine, the
finished work can be lowered to a take-up below, or when the ceiling is high in the
room the finished work can pass to a takeup above the cylinders, which is
preferable, as then the work is preserved without soiling and is always in view of
he operator.
The object of my particular construction and arrangement of conical needle
ylinders is to remedy the difficulty heretofore experienced in not being able in
he same machine to adjust the parts so that the finished work can pass to the
ake-up from the interior of the cylinders to either above or below the cylinders,..
nd to this end Fig. 8 represents my improved conical cylinders each of which is of
he same form and size, and the upper one adjusted above the lower one by means
f the bracket J leaving the ordinary space between their adjacent ends. In this
rrangement of parts the needles of each cylinder are confined to their own separate
rooves, and must necessarily cross each other at h' in the centre of the space
etween the cylinders as is clearly indicated in the drawing, and the loops formed
n the needles are cast off by means of the cams and pressers as hereinbefore
escribed and shown in Fig. 1 and the stationary arm D and adjustable cam C
hereon for pushing the needles outward, as shown in Fig. 6 are dispensed with,
eaving the interior space of the cylinder unobstructed to enable the finished work
extend through the center of the cylinder to the take-up above, as indicated in
he section line 6', or to be let down through the lower cylinder to the take-up
elow, as indicated by dotted liues f'.

page_text: In order that the finished work in passing from the needles to the take-up may.
not be injured, the opposing edges of the needle cylinders are rounded on their inner
faces as indicated in Fig. 8 thereby presenting a smooth surface over which the work
may pass as it leaves the needles in being taken up above or below the cylinders.
As shown in Fig. 2 a bracket z is seated within a recess in the carrying ring E
in the lower revolving cylinder and is secured by screws. This bracket is provided'
with a rod Z adjustably secured therein for operating the well known take-up
mechanism above the cylinders. When it is desired to pass the finished work to
the take-up below the cylinders, the bracket z is detached from the ring E
connected with the lower cylinder and is secured to the gear G in the recess of the
upper cylinder D by means of the screws and the rod Z adjusted to the desired
distance below the cylinders and connected to the take-up mechanism as will be
clearly understood from the drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a circular knitting machine, the combination of upper and lower brackets
on the main frame, upper cap-plate and lower annular bed-plate supported by and
secured to said brackets, each of said plates having an annular recess at its inner
periphery, upper and lower supporting rings each provided with a flange fitting
in the recess of its cap or bed-plate whereby the supporting rings are carried by
and revolved within the cap and bed-plates, upper and lower needle cylinders
connected to the supporting ring to revolve therewith, gear rings also connected
to said supporting ring, and suitable gearing to impart uniform movement to both
cylinders, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with stationary brackets on
which the lower needle cylinder is supported, of vertically adjustable brackets to
which the upper needle cylinder is connected, screw heads or nuts secured to
a fixed portion of the frame of the machine, and jack-screws working in said nuts
and engaging the under side of the adjustable brackets, as and for the purpose set
forth.
3. In a circular knitting machine, the combination of vertical standards provided
with slots near their upper ends stationary brackets on said standards below said
slots,
a lower needle cylinder supported by said stationary brackets, adjustable
brackets connected to said standards by suitable devices passing through said
slots an upper needle cylinder supported by said adjustable brackets, screw-heads
or nuts secured to the standards below said slots, and jack-screws working in said
screw-heads or nuts and engaging the undersides of the adjustable brackets
whereby the upper needle cylinder is vertically adjusted, as and for the purpose
set forth.
4. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with two oppositely arranged
conical needle cylinders of the same size and form supported on the main frame,
said cylinders having a space between their opposing edges, and said edges being
rounded on their inner faces, each of said cylinders having formed in its periphery
a series of grooves for the reception of needles, a series of needles supported in
said grooves and crossing each other on a line midway of the space between the
cylinders whereby the finished work may be taken upwardly or downwardly from
the needles, as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with two oppositely arranged
conical needle cylinders of the same size and form, supported on the main frame
having a space between their opposing edges which are rounded on their inuer
faces, a series of needles in grooves in the periphery of said cylinders, the needles
of the respective cylinders crossing each other on a line midway of the space
between the cylinders whereby the finished work may be taken upwardly or
downwardly within the cylinders, of an interchangeable bracket within the

page_text: cylinders adapted to be secured to the upper or lower cylinder for holding a rod
for operating the take-up above or below the cylinders, as and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated this 12th day of November 1896
DANIEL HURLEY.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.