IMPROVE- MENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, THOMAS COLTMAN, of 115, Humberstone Road, Leicester, in the county of
Leicester, Machinist, do bereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
Each machine consists of the following parts namoly, a circular head, revolved
by toothed bevel wheels in the usual way, the head carries a compound circular
sley, having either a vertical or a conical surface with radiating slots on the upper
and lower surface, in the slots on the upper surface needle bits carrying latch
needles slide, the sliding of the bits and needles is effected by suitably shaped
inclines capable of adjustment, which are secured to a ring lying above the aley
aud provided with a thread guide, in the slots on the underside of the sley sinker
bits slide, or the sinker bits may be arranged to slide in slots in the upper surface
of a second sley ring placed below the circular sley first mentioned, in either case,
there is only one circle of needles and one circle of sinkers. By such arrangement
of parts where the fabric is required to be fashioned or narrowed, upon taking one
or more needle bits and needles out of the circle and lowering the next two adjacent
sinker bits, after transferring the loop or loops from the displaced needle or needles
to the next adjacent needles, the two next adjacent needles to the one removed
will be prevented from drawing a larger loop than is required to produce perfect
work.
The above described parts provide for the work produced to pass either upwards
or downwards.
By such means I am enabled to make full fashioned circuler looned fabrics.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, THOMAS COLTMAN, of 115, Humberstone Road, Leicester, in the county of
Leicester, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES," and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: -
"DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS."
Figure 1 shows a plan of a sufficient portion of a circular knitting machine, to
illustrate my invention.
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Figure 2, shows a vertical sectional view.
Figure 3, shows a separate plan of the bed plate of the machine.
Figure 4, shows an edge view of the bed plate, and
:
Figures 5 to 9, show separate parts of the machine, severally referred to.
hereafter.
:
Each machine consists of the following parts, namely, a circular bed plate A,
capable of being clamped to a bench by screws, passed through two brackets A¹,
projecting from the lower side, the bed has a circular recess turned true to receive
a ring B toothed on its underside, these teeth gear into the teeth of a bevel wheel B',
shown by dotted lines at Figure 1, the bevel wheel is secured on a short shaft
revolving in a bearing projecting downwards from one side of the bed plate, the
outer end of the shaft is provided with a grooved wheel B³, which may be driven,
by the attendant, or by a belt from a main shaft, the underside of the bearing
carries an axle pin on which a hand lever B³ rocks horizontally, the lever is pro-
vided with a stud, which takes into the underside of a groove in the boss of a
driving disk B', which slides upon a key on the short shaft before-named, the disk
has a projecting stud, which engages with one of the arms of the grooved wheel B
causing the bevel wheel B' to revolve, when the hand lever is moved to the right.
The bed plate has three arms, which project towards the centre, through the arms
screws are passed, and screwed into arms above them, which project from the
inner circumference of a conical circular sley C, in the upper surface of which
radiating slots are-cut, in each of which a sinker bit C¹ is placed, the upper end of
each bit, touches the outer circumference of a brass or other metal ring D, secured
to the inner top edge of the conical sley C, the inner upper edge of the circle of
sinker bits, above the ring D form loops of the yarn fed to latch needles, as the
needles are successively lowered by either of two cams hereafter referred to.
Above the sley C is a second conical circular aley E having radiating slots cut
in the upper surface, the upper sley is secured in position on the lower sley by
three or more screws E', the underside of the upper sley is grooved to receive an
elastic india-rubber ring E, which pressing upon the sinker bits holds them in
position. In each of the slots, in the upper sley, latch needles E³ slide, the head
of each needle lies between the upper ends of two of the sinker bits in the conical
sley C, the sliding being effected by suitably shaped cams or inclines capable of
adjustment on the under surface of a conical cam ring F which has three feet
projecting downwards, each secured to the upper surface of the toothed ring B
before named, the cam ring is held just clear of the needle sley, and revolves with
•

page_text: the ring B. An outer view of portion of the cam ring F laid out flat is shown at
Figure 5, and an outside view at Figure 6, in both Figures, the cams are shown'
in the relative position they occupy, when the cam ring is being revolved to the
right, at, which time, the cam F¹, is the cam which raises the latch needles E into
the position shown at the right of Figure 2, to receive the yarn fed to them, the
cam F is the cam which raises the latch - needles, when the cam ring is being
revolved to the left, the central cam F3 is the cam which depresses the needles to
form loops of the yarn, if the cam ring is revolved either way, this cam carries a
square stud which slides in a slot in the cam ring, a thumb screw passed through
an indicating finger F, takes into the stud and enables the attendant to adjust,
and securely clamp the cam F³, by the index to the right to the greatest nicety,
so as to draw any length of loop required. The cams F, F, each carry a stud,
which projects through a slot in the can ring F, either cam being raised to the
position shown at the right of Figure 1 by an incline plate G, a top side view of
this plate is shown at Figure 7. Above the incline plate is a yarn guide H, shown
at Figures 1 and 2, the yarn guide is carried by and is capable of adjustment on
the underside of an arm H, which with the incline plate G are attached to a
dividing block I, secured to the top of the revolving toothed ring B, the arm H¹
has its upper end continued over and turned down under the lower side of the
latch needles, when at their highest position, and terminates in a thin plate, which
pushes down the web so as to clear the latches of the needles, as they are raised by
either of the cams F' or F. Outside the bottom of the conical circular sley C is
a flanged ring C³, which lies above the ring B, the outer lower flange of the ring C
is partly cut away as shown in plan at Figure 1, to allow of the traverse of the
driving block I to the right or left, when the ring B, is turned to the right, the
block presses upon the flange of the ring C at the part marked B³, and when
the ring B is turned to the left, the block presses upon the part inarked B. The
distance between the two parts, being only of such length, that the centre of
the incline plate stands exactly under the stud, projecting from either the cam F,
or F according as it is turned to the right or left. The sinker bits C I connect
in pairs on a block at their lower end, from which a stud projects on each side, on
each of which a bit is secured, shown severally in side view, and a front view at
Figures 8 and 9; by means of the block, the attendant is enabled to lift up the
lower ends of each pair of sinker bits, so as to clear the shoulder upon which they
are shown to rest in Figure 1, and draw them down until they rest on the shoulder
below, as shown by the dotted lines, while in such lower position, their upper
ends are quite clear of the yarn, when the adjacent needles have been lowered to
form loops.
Having thus severally described the separate parts of my improved circular
knitting machine, I will describe the operation of the latch needles and sinker
bits, when a fashioning or narrowing is required to be made.
After making the length of fabric required before commencing the fashioned or
narrowed part, upon taking one or more needles out of the circle, and lowering the
next two adjacent sinker bits, after having transferred the loops from the displaced
needle or needles, to the next adjacent needles, and the cam ring F being caused to
revolve either way, the yarn is stretched across the space or spaces previously
occupied by the displaced needle or needles, and the next adjacent needles to the
one removed will thus be prevented from drawing a larger loop than is required
to produce perfect work. Such operations being repeated, the fabric may be
fashioned or narrowed down, until only half the number of needles commenced
with in the circle remain.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner, the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The construction and employment in a circular knitting machine, of an
additional conical circular sley C, having radiating slots cut in its upper surface
which inkor hita alide

page_text: 2. The construction and employment of sinker bits C, in the slots of a conical
circular sley, for drawing the loops upon the top of the leaves, between the needles,
substantially as described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
3. The employment of movable sinker bits C, which can be lowered, when a
needle is removed to stop them from drawing more yarn than is required to make
the whole of the work, the same guage.
4. The general arrangement and construction of circular knitting machines,
substantially as described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
Dated this seventeenth day of Fehmi 100