Improved Apparatus applicable to Straight Bar Knitting Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus applicable to Straight Bar Knitting Machines.
I AARON MELLOR of the Firm of Aaron Mellor and Company of Stanford Street,
Nottingham, Hosiery Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My improved apparatus is applicable to knitting machines provided with paralle!
needle sleys carrying latch needles crossing each other when required while making
ribbed knitted fabrics. To make plain knitted fabrics each row of needles are
alternately raised while the thread carrier is traversed the length of the needles, thus
producing a circular plain knitted fabric of continuous similar width. At one end
of the machine is a driving shaft provided with pulleys and a toothed bevel wheel
gearing into a like wheel on the upper end of a shaft carrying a third wheel at its
lower end, gearing into a wheel on a revolving shaft carrying a cam or cams to
actuate a link or links connected to either or both of two levers rocking on or with
a shaft placed below and parallel to the needle sleys, the outer end of each lever is
grooved or cupped to engage with the lower end of a spring to raise or lower any
needle required in either sley for the purpose of widening or narrowing the fabric.
Each rocking lever is secured to a boss sliding on a keyed shaft placed lengthway of
the machine. The end of either or both links carry an axle pin of sufficient length
to allow of the required widenings or narrowings. The traverse of the boss or bosses
carrying the rocking levers is effected by a worin or worins on or parallel to the shaft
carrying the rocking levers. The worm or worms being operated by two reversely
toothed ratchet wheels inoved by a link or links and a cam or cans on the cam
shaft.
By the employment of apparatus as above described, I am enabled to make
fashioned hose and the arms and legs of other knitted garments.
H. W. GOUGH, C.E.,
Agent.
Improved Apparatus applicable to Straight Bar Knitting Machines.
I AARON MELLOR of the Firm of Aaron Mellor and Company, Stanford Street
Nottingham Hosiery Manufacturers 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 ;-

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 show respectively a left end view and a front view of a straight
bar knitting machine with my improved apparatus applied thereto drawn one quarter
the full size.
Figure 3 shows a full sized view of the left end of the machine above the platform
with two parallel needle sleys, the front sley being shown in section, and a left end
view of two levers and rocking shafts below the platform, the adjusting studs to the
inclines being of the usa il construction are not shown.
Figure 4 shows in plan half the full size the rocking levers and shafts, two reversely
cut worms, and sleeves connected to the rocking levers at the front of the machine
each severally referred to hereafter.
Figure 5 shows in plan a hooked plate to hold a driver clear of a toothed ratchet
wheel hereafter described.
My improved apparatus consists of the following parts. At one end of the machine
is a driving shaft provided with palleys and a toothed bevel wheel I gering into a
like wheel on the upper end of a vertical shaft carrying a third wheel at its lower
end gearing into a wheel 3 secured on the outer end of a revolving shaft 4 "shown
at Figures 1 and 2" carrying two cams 5 one near each standard of the machine,
one can 5 operates a truck bearing lever rocking on an axle at the back of the
machine and connected at its front end to the bottom of a link 6 the upper end being
hinged to an arm 7 carried by a rocking shaft 8 at the right of the centre of the
machine. The cam 5 at the left end operates a truck bearing lever having its front
end connected to the bottom of a link 6 the upper end being hinged to an arm 7
carried by a rocking shaft 9 at the left of the centre of the machine. The shaft 4 also
carries two cains 10 each operating a truck bearing lever rocking on an axle at the
bick of the in chine one lever is connected at its front end to the bottom of a link 11.
the upper end being hinged to an arm 12 carried by a rocking shaft 13 at the right of
the centre of the machine. The cam 10 at the left end operates a truck bearing lever
having its front end connected to the bottom of a link 11 the upper end being
hinged to an arm 12 carried by a rocking shaft 14 at the left of the centre of the
machine. The shafts 8 and 9 are supported at the outer ends by bearings secured to
the standlards and at the centre of the machine by a bra ket bearing 15 bolted to the
un lerside of the platform. The shafts 13 and 11 are supported at the outer en is by
bearings secured to the standards and at the centre of the machine by a bracket
bearing 16 bolted to the underside of the platform this bracket also forms a bearing
for the ends of worm shafts 21 and 22. The foar shifts 8, 9, 13 al 14 are eac'
provided with a key projecting from their lower side on which bosses slide each
carrying a lever 17 having its outer or upper end grooved or cupped as shown at
Figures 3 and 4 to engage with the lower end of one of a series of U shape.l springs 18
to raise any needle required in either sley for widening the fabric.
There are as many of the U shaped springs as there are needles in each sley, each
spring being held as shown at Figure 3 by a narrow sley bar 19 carried by a bracket
at each end secured to it and to the bottom of the usual needle sley between the
brackets the underside of the bottom part of each needle sley is cut away to allow of
the upward movement of the lower arm of the U shaped spring, the upper arm of the
spring slides in the needle sley and beneath the usual strip employed to prevent the
needles dropping out. The whole of the needles in both the front sley and the back
sley to be employed in widening the fabric at either or both edges are pushed down
to the lowest point by the attendant thus placing the U shaped springs 18 as shown
at the right of Figure 3 the needles being then too low to be moved by the usual
inclines. Then each time either of the shafts 8, 9, 13 or 14, are rockel by the
operation of the cams before described the lever 17 will take the position shown by
the dotted lines and force a U shaped spring upwards the turned up end of the upper
arın raising the needle just high enough to be acted upon by the usual incline 20 for
raising the needle high enough to be fed with yarn in the usual way.

page_text: The traverse of the bosses carrying the rockia; levers 17 is effected by two
reverseley cut worms on shafts 21, 22 their outer ends being carried by bearings
secured to the standards and their inner en ls by the upper bearing of the bracket 16.
Each worin shaft outside the standards is provided with a toothe ratchet wheel 23
and a notched wheel 24 provided with a spring 25 to hold the bosses carrying the
levers 17 in position as they are traverse at each revolution of the cam shaft 4 by
a cain 26 lifting a lever 27 rocking on a axle at the back of the machine, the lever
being connected to a driver 28 operating the ratchet wheel.
The handle shown at Figures 1 and 2 inclined towards the back needle sley at the
left end of the machine is the usual one employed when rocked towards the front of
the machine to move the front needle sley one nea:lle to the left to cross the loops
when making a welt for one course the sley being then returned to the right to make
ordinary work in the usual way.
The movements of my improve I apparatus operating in conjunction with a straight
bar knitting machine provided with parallel needle sleys carrying latch needles are as
follows:-
When the yarn carrier has got to nearly the end of its traverse to either selvage the
levers 17 raise the outer needles into position ready to be operated upon by the usual
inclines to make the fabric one needle wider at the next course.
When traversing from right to left a course is made on the needles on the front
sley, and when traversing from left to right a course is made on the needles in the
back sley, or the courses may be reversed according to which set of inclines are put in
operation. When the yarn carrier is at the right end the two levers 17 at the left
end are rocked, and when the carrier is at the left end the two levers at the right end
are rocked when both edges of the fabric are being widened.
When the left edge only of the fabric is being widened the rocking lever 17 at the
left front end is operated to move a needle up in the front sley, then at the next
traverse but one the rocking lever at the left back end is operated to move a needle
up in the back sley such movements being effected by one revolution of the cam
shaft 4. When the fabric is being widened at the right edge the above movements of
the levers 17 are repeated alternately with those at the left edge. Both rocking levers
move alternately but only move up the outer needle in each sley alternately to make
circular work.
After the circular fabric is removed from the machine the portion widened may be
seamed either by hand or machinery in the usual way. When only widening at one
edge of the fabric the driver 28 at the reverse end of the machine may be held clear
of the ratchet wheel 23 by placing the driver within a hooked plate 29 as shown by
the black lines at Figure 5 thus preventing the levers 17 from being traversed.
The front lever and the back lever at each end are traversed together by a crank
shaped plate 30 having its back end secured to a sleeve 31 on the worm shaft, the
plate projects downwards below the sleeve and forms a fork which clips a groove in
the boss carrying the back rocking lever 17 the front end of the plate 30 forms a fork
which clips a groove in the boss carrying the front rocking lever 17 as shown by
dotted lines at Figures 3 and 4.
If either row of needles are kept out of work by the attendant pressing down the
needles below the operating inclines fashioned fabrics may be made with both edges
widened by the above means.
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. In straight bar knitting machines provided with parallel needle sleys carrying
latch needles crossing each other when required while making ribbed knitted fabrics,
the employment of sleys carrying U shaped springs for raising needles at each selvage
in either or both sleys substantially as described for the purpose specified.
2. In straight bar knitting machines as above described the employment of two
extra shafts provided with reversely cut worms each carrying a sleeve to travers

page_text: bosses sliding on keyed shafts each boss carrying a lever 17 for operating U shaped
springs to place needles in position to be acted upon by the usual inclines, said shafts
and levers being rocked and the worm shafts being revolved by levers and links
operated by cams on a cam shaft substantially as described for the purpose specified
and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
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