Improvements in Knitting Machinery.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 20th Sept., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machinery.
I ARTHUR WRIGHTSON of Second and Norris Streets in the City of Philadelphia
State of Pennsylvania United States of America Manufacturer of Knitting Machines
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:-
The object of this invention is to provide simple mechanism for the purpose of
effecting the automatic throwing in and out of action of certain of the needles of a
knitting machine head in order to narrow or widen the knitted web, for the purpose
of forming a shaped or tapered web or a toe or heel pocket upon a tube.
This object is attained in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to
the accompanying drawings, in which―
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of sufficient of a circular knitting machine to
illustrate the invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the needle cylinder, the needles, their
bits and bit guides.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the cam cylinder, the needle cylinder, its bits and bit
guides being removed therefrom;
Figure 4 is a side view of part of the machine;
Figuro 5 is a longitudinal section of part of the cam cylinder, shewing the needle-
operating cams;
Figure 6 is a view shewing the construction of the bits of the needle jacks;
Figure 7 is a view showing one form of mechanism which may be used for
operating the needle cylinder and cam box; and,
Figures 8 and 9 are views shewing a straight machine embodying the invention.
A is the needle cylinder of the machine, which is adapted to and is free to turn in
a suitable bearing in the fixed frame or table A', the lower part of the needle cylinder,
being provided with a combined and bevel pinion B, for gearing into the devices
whereby the cylinder is rotated when such rotation is required.
The needle cylinder has the usual vertical grooves or ways for the reception of the
needles a and their jacks a', and said jacks have projecting bits for the action of
the cams whereby the needles are raised and lowered to take the thread and form
the stitch.
Surrounding the needle cylinder A is a cam cylinder D, which is mounted so as
to be free to turn back and forth on the fixed frame or table A', and is provided with
a bevel
gear wheel D for engagement with a rack or other equivalent gear, whereby
a vibrating movement can be imparted to the cam cylinder.
In forming a heel or toe pocket upon a knitted tube in a circular knitting machine,
a certain number of needles of the head, usually one half, are thrown out of action,
and the knitted web is produced upon the needles around the other half of the head,
the end needles of the set being successively thrown out of action, so as to gradually
narrow the web which is being produced, and these end neodios being then successively
brought into action again in reverse order after the desired narrowing has been
effected, so as to effect the gradual widening of the web and the uniting of the edges
of the tapering webs thus produced, the two operations having the effect of forming a
bulging portion or pocket upon one side of the knitted tube.
In carrying out this invention, therefore, the needles and their bits are so con-
structe that they may practically be said to be divided into three sets, constructed
as follows:-
The needles around one half of the head, or from the point to the point (upper
half of the cylinder, Figure 2) which needles are not in action during the formation

page_text: of the toe pocket, are provided with the usual short bits, while the needles contained
in the segment from y to y; which are always in action, have extremely long bits, and
the needles in the segments from a toy and from a to y', upon which the narrowing
and widening operation is performed, have bits graded" in length, the bits adjacent to
the line being somewhat longer than the short bits of the needles, and each suc-
cessive bit being somewhat longer than that in advance of it, until the extreme length
of bits is reached at the lines y, y².
When the needles have this graded arrangement of bits, therefore, it will be evident
that the successive dropping out of action, or bringing into action, of the needles in
the sets from to y, and from ¹ to y'. may be effected by a simple radial movement
of the operating cams so as to carry them by successive steps further and further from
the axis of the machine and then returning then by like successive steps towards the
axis of the machine, hence the lifting cams are mounted upon the cam cylinder in
such manner that this radial movement of said cams in the cylinder is permitted.
There are two lifting cams FF, each pivoted to a block d, which has a stem pro-
jecting into a radial groove d' formed in a guide plate G at the bottom of the cam
cylinder, each of these blocks having a transverse opening for the reception of a
pin projecting laterally from a block H, which likewise has a stem projecting into a
radial groove g in the guide plate G.
The stem of the block H, however, projects below the groove g and into a cam
groove in a cam disk located beneath the cam cylinder, and occupying a fixed
vertical position in respect thereto, but free to turn independently thereof, this cam
disk in the present instance being confined between the bottom of the cam cylinder
and the hub of the bevel wheel D' thereon, although it will be evident that other
means of retaining the cam disk in its vertical position may be adopted without
departing from the invention.
The cam groove in the disk I is continuous, and is composed of a succession of
steps, those around one half the disk gradually retreating from the axis of the
machine, while those around the other half of the disk gradually approach the
said axis.
It will be evident, therefore, that if the cam disk [ he rotated independently of
the cam cylinder D by means of a series of short intermittent movements, the suc-
cessive steps of the cam groove h will act to move the cam-carrying block H by a
succession of short movements, towards and from the axis of the machine.
When the machine is working for the production of a continuous knitted tube, the
stud of the cam-carrying block H occupies the innermost step of the cam groove h,
and the cams F F consequently occupy their innermost position and act upon the
bits of all the needles of the cylinder, the latter being rotated and the cam box being
stationary.
When it is desired to form a toc or heel pocket upon the tube, however, the driving
devices for the cylinder are thrown out of action, and the gearing whereby the
vibration of the cam cylinder is effected is thrown into action, so that the cam cylinder
is moved to right and left to an extent sufficient to carry its cans under the bits of
one half of the needles, that is to say, the half from a to y, to y' to ', Figure 2.
The cams F F are pivotted at their inner ends, and when down, as shewn by full
lines in Figure 5, are not of such character as to raise the needles sufficiently to take
the thread. When the face of either of these cams, however, comes into contact with
the bit of the needle at the end of the set, the cam is caused to swing upon its pivot
and assume the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, so that it will raise the
needle to the proper point, one cam acting when the cam cylinder is moved in one
direction, and the other cam acting when said cylinder is moved in the opposite
direction.
On each vibration of the cylinder there is an operation of the cam disk, I, sufficient
to cause radial movement of the cams F F to the extent of the difference in length
between the bits of successive needles, so that the end needles of the acting set are 5
successively rendered inoperative, until the cams reach the extreme limit of their out-
ward movement, the end needles of the set being then successively brought into action

page_text: again as the cams are traversed inwards towards the axis of the machine, the widening
operation being completed when the cams reach the limit of their inward movement
and the vibration of the cam cylinder being then stopped and the rotation of the
needle cylinder resumed for the production of plain tubular work.
The movement of the cam disk I, so as to effect the shifting of the cams F F' is
preferably effected when these cams occupy a position midway of the acting set of
needles.
The ring J carrying the thread guide J' is mounted upon the cam cylinder but is
free to rotate independently thereof to an extent permitted by a segmental slot m and
radial pin m', the desired lost motion of the guide at each end of the vibrating
movement being thus provided for, so that said guide will always occupy its proper
position in respect to the acting set of needles.
The long and graduated bits of the needles are guided between the radial ribs n of
a frame K, carried by the needle cylinder, and in order to lessen the friction upon
the bits the latter are recessed upon opposite sides, as shown in Figure 1, and in
detached view, Figure 6, these recesses, however, being omitted from Fig. 2, in order
to prevent confusion.
In order to effect the intermittent operation of the cam disk I, various means may
be employed. For illustration, however, there is shewn an arm P hung by a pin s to
the cam cylinder and carrying a spring plate P', with a tooth for engaging with
ratchet teeth t¹ formed around the periphery of the disc 1, this arm being held in
normal position by the action of a spring Q upon arms carried by the arm and
being swung forward by contact with a suitable stud or pin such for instance as is
shewn in Figure 1, when the cam cylinder approaches the proper point in its
movement.
In order to lock the cam disc in the intervals between the movements, the said
dise has bolt openings w, and a projection s on the cam cylinder serves as a guide
for a locking bolt w, the head of which is acted upon by a lever T, moved in one
direction by a spring and in the other direction by a trip catch u¹ on the arm P,
the said trip catch acting to lift the bolt before there is any forward movement
of the can disc, and then releasing the same so that it is in position to engage with
the bolt opening in the disc as soon as the movement of the same has been
completed.
Although many different means may be used for driving the needle cylinder and
cam box, Figure 7, shews one form of mechanism for this purpose which will be
briefly described.
The driving shaft I is geared by bevel wheels 2, 3, to an upright shaft 4 having a
spur pinion 5 gearing into the wheel B on the needle cylinder. The hub of the
wheel 2 is loose on the shaft 1 and has clutch teeth for engagement with a clutch 7
splined on the shaft, and having other teeth for engagement with those of a crank
disc 8, also loose on the shaft, the crank piu 9 of this disc being connected by a rod 10
to a crank pin 11 on a bevel wheel 12, the shaft of which is hung to a bracket 13
on the frame A.
This wheel 12 gears into the wheel I on the cam box, and the relative throw of
the crank pins 9 and 11 is such that a complete turn of the pin 9 will impart only
a partial throw to the pin 11, so that a vibrating movement will be imparted to the
wheel 12 and thence to the cam box.
When the clutch sleeve 7 is in gear with the hub of the wheel 2, therefore, move-
ment of rotation will be imparted to the needle cylinder, but when the clutch sleeve
is moved into engagement with the disc 9, vibrating movement will be imparted to
the can box.
Figuro 8 illustrates a front view of a straight knitting machine constructed in
accordance with the invention and intended to produce a shaped or tapered web.
In this case the needle bar and its needles are represented at 15, the bar
carrying the needle lifting cams at 16, another bar carrying the drawing down
cans at 17.

page_text: Both bars are connected by a link 18 to a lever 19 which is vibrated by the rod.20
of an eccentric 21 on the driving shaft 22.
On the bottom of the bar 16 is guided a stepped cam har 23 (Figure 9) which
acts upon a pin projecting from a block H which is guided transversely in a box H¹
on the bar 16 and carries the cams FF, similar to those shown in Figures 1 to 5.
The bar 23 projects beyond the bar 16, and as the latter reaches the end of its
movement in one direction the said bar 23, is acted upon by a pattern chain 24, which
has links of different heights so that the bar is gradually shifted, and its stepped
portion thus caused to move the cam carrying block.
The pattern chain drum has a ratchet 25, acted on by a pawl on an arm 26,
operated by the rod 27, of an eccentric 28, on the shaft 22. By this means the
bar 23 is intermittently moved in one direction to throw out the cams and narrow
the web, and it may be returned by hand after the narrowing is effected, or if it is
to be returned by a like series of intermittent movements, the bar may extend
completely across the machine and the pattern chain 24 may be duplicated at the
opposite end of the machine.
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. The combination of a needle carrier of a knitting machine, having needles with
bits graded in length, with a cam-box having a needle-operating cam movable into
and out of range of the graded bits whereby the needles having such bits may be
rendered active or inactive by the movement of the cam.
2. The combination of the needle carrier, and its needles having bits graded in
length, the cam box having a needle operating cam moveable into and out of range
of the said graded bits, and a stepped cam for effecting such movement.
3. The combination of the needle carrier, and its needles, having bits graded in
length, the cam box having a radially guided cam block, and cams, also radially guided
in the cam box and having a laterally free connection with the said cam block,
substantially as specified.
4. The combination of the needle carrier, having needles with bits graded in
length, the frame secured to the said carrier and having projecting guide ribs or
arms and a ring or bar connecting the outer ends of the same, and a cam box having
cams guided therein so as to be free to move into and out of range of the
graded bits.
5. The combination of the needle carrier, having needles with bits graded in
length, the cam box, the cam block guided therein, needle operating cams carried by
the said block, the cam disc having a stepped groove for acting upon said cam block,
and pawl and ratchet mechanism for effecting the intermittent operation of the said
cam disc.
6. The combination of the needle carrier, having noodles with bits graded in length,
the cam box having cams guided therein so as to be free to move from and towards
the needle carrier, the cam dise for actuating the said cams, pawl and ratchet
mechanism for operating the said disc, a locking bolt for the disc, and means for
actuating the said locking bolt.
7. The combination of the needle carrier having bits graded in length, the
reciprocating cam bar having cams guided therein, so as to be moved into and out of
range of the said graded bits, a stepped cam bar for acting on the said cams, and a
pattern chain or chains for acting upon and adjusting the said stepped cam bar.
Dated this 14th La.. ^ At 1000