IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES TO ENABLE SHAPED HOSIERY TO BE MADE
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Ford, of Friars' Causeway, Leicester, and
of Humberstone, both in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer of Hosiery,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES TO
ENABLE SHAPED HOSIERY TO BE MADE."
Sealed the 30th May 1879, and dated the 12th December 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William James Ford at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th December 1878.
WILLIAM JAMES FORD, of Friars' Causeway, Leicester, and of Humberstone,
both in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer of Hosiery. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES TO ENABLE SHAPED HOSIERY TO BE MADE."
This Invention has for its object improvements in circular knitting machines to
enable shaped hosiery to be made. For this purpose I combine with an ordinary
circular knitting machine, either adapted to produce plain or tucked ribbed work,
two sets of points which can be brought up to and against some of the needles and
caused to take off the loops of work from them and afterwards place them on to
other needles. There may be four, five, or other number of points in each set,
and the ends of the points are downwards if the needles stand upwards. The two
blocks carrying the two sets of points can be moved towards or away from one
another along a curved course forming part of a circle, which curved course can be
moved towards the circular head which carries the needles and be brought concentric
with it or can be moved back away from the needle head. The curved course is
for this purpose formed upon a slide that can be moved radially towards and away
from the needle head. To move the blocks which carry the points uniformly
towards or away from one another I give motion to them from two other blocks
which can be caused to move towards or away from one another along a straight
course formed upon the radial slide tangentially to the circle of needles.
latter blocks have motion given to them by right and left handed screws upon a
spindle that can be turned by hand or otherwise a regulated distance whenever
[Price 6d1
These

page_text: desired. The radial slide before mentioned carrying the two sets of points is.
mounted at the side of the circle of needles between the point at which work is
knocked off and the point where thread is laid on. When plain unshaped work
is being produced the machine is worked in the ordinary manner; when a widening
or narrowing is to be made, the rotation of the head carrying the needles is arrested
and the head is brought to a fixed position. The radial slide carrying both sets of
points is then moved towards the circle of needles to bring both sets of points
against the needles opposite to them. To insure that they shall come truly against
the needles there is a projection on the radial slide which has to enter a corresponding
recess in the needle head when the slide is moved forwards. When the lower ends
of the points have been brought against the stems of the needles below the beards
the work on these needles is by hand or otherwise pressed downwards to bring the
loops below the beards of the needles and below the ends of the points. The work
is then again allowed to be drawn upwards by the weighted cord or apparatus
usually employed for keeping the work in tension. As the work rises the points
enter the loops of work on the needles, and the loops as they come to the top of the
needles slip off from the needles and remain on the points only. The radial slide is
then drawn or allowed to move back, and it may be in the act of doing so the two
sets of points are moved towards or away from one another a distance or two or
other number of needles. The radial slide is then again moved inwards, the work
is depressed, and so the loops on the points are transferred to the needles against
which the points have been brought. The radial slide is then allowed to move back,
and the production of work on the circle of needles goes on in the ordinary manner
for any desired number of courses until a fresh narrowing or widening is required.
There will thus be formed in the fabric two lines of narrowings or widenings
wherever the article to be made requires to be shaped. These are subsequently to
be sewn together at their edges and the waste piece of fabric intermediate between
them then cut away.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William James Ford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
June 1879.
WILLIAM JAMES FORD, of Friars' Causeway, Leicester, and of Humberstone,
both in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer of Hosiery. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES TO ENABLE SHAPED HOSIERY TO BE MADE."
.
This Invention has for its object improvements in circular knitting machines to
enable shaped hosiery to be made.
For this purpose I combine with an ordinary circular knitting machine either
adapted to produce plain or tucked ribbed work two sets of points which can be
brought up to and against some of the needles and caused to take off the loops of
"work from them and afterwards place them on to other needles.

page_text: There may be four, five, or other number of points in each set, and the ends of
the points are downwards if the needles stand upwards. The two blocks carrying
the two sets of points can be moved uniformly by mechanism towards or away from
one another along a curved course forming part of a circle, and can also be moved
towards or away from the needles.
The two sets of points are mounted at the side of the circle of needles between
the points at which work is knocked off and the point where thread is laid on.
When plain unshaped work is being produced the machine is worked in the ordinary
manner. When a widening or narrowing is to be made, the rotation of the head
carrying the needles is arrested and the head is brought to a fixed position. Both
sets of points are then, by the moving inwards of a radial slide, moved towards the
circle of needles to bring the points against the needles opposite to them. To ensure
that they shall come truly against the needles there is a projection on the radial
slide which has to enter a corresponding recess in the needle head when the slide is
moved forwards. When the lower ends of the points have been brought against
the stems of the needles below the beards the work on these needles is by hand or
otherwise pressed downwards to bring the loops below the beards of the needles and
below the ends of the points. The work is then again allowed to be drawn upwards
by the weighted cord or apparatus usually employed for keeping the work in tension.
As the work rises the points enter the loops of work on the needles, and the loops
as they come to the top of the needles slip off from the needles and remain on the
points only. The radial slide is then drawn or allowed to move back, and it may
be in the act of doing so the two sets of points are moved towards or away
from one another a distance of two or other number of needles. The radial slide is
then again moved inwards, the work is depressed, and so the loops on the points are
transferred to the needles against which the points have been brought; the radial
slide is then allowed to move back and the production of work on the circle of
needles goes on in the ordinary manner for any desired number of courses until a
fresh narrowing or widening is required. There will thus be formed in the fabric
two lines of narrowings or widenings wherever the article to be made requires to
be shaped. These are subsequently to be sewn together at or near their edges, and
the waste piece of fabric intermediate between them then cut away.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe more
fully the manner in which I perform the same.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews a plan view of a circular
knitting machine having mechanism combined with it arranged to act in the manner
above described. Figure 2 is a front view of this mechanism, and Figure 3 is a
vertical section of the same together with part of the needle head.
On
In these Figures A is the circular revolving needle head; B is a circular arc on
the exterior of the needle head and fixed to the frame of the machine; C, C, are
two curved slides which can be slidden towards or away from one another along
the fixed circular arc B. Each slide C is formed with rack teeth upon its outer
edge as shewn. D, D, are two toothed pinions which gear one with the teeth on
one of the slides C and the other with the teeth on the other of these slides.
the axis of each pinion D is a bevil toothed pinion E; F, F, are corresponding bevil
pinions which gear with the bevil pinions E. The pinions F are fast on a spindle G,
and when this spindle is turned they cause the pinions D to revolve in opposite
directions and so cause the slides C, C, to move uniformly towards or away from
one another along the fixed are B.
Each curved slide C has mounted upon it a slide H which can be moved radially
towards or away from the needle head. Each radial slide H carries a set of points I.
To simultaneously move inwards the two slides H, I use another slide K. which can
be moved radially towards or away from the needle head; this slide carries a curved
bar L which passes and fits between projections on the radial slides H. By this
means when the radial slide K is by hand pressed inwards the radial slides H are
both caused to move inwards and bring the points which they carry up to and
against the needles opposite to them. When the loops of work on these needles

page_text: have been transferred on to the points in the manner herein before described, and
the sets of points have been moved away. from one another a distance of two or
other number of needles by turning the spindle G by its handle to the required
extent for effecting the movement required, the. points are again brought up to and
against the needles and the loops of work on the points transferred to the needles
in the manner before explained; the points are then allowed to be moved back away
from the needles by a spring N which tends constantly to press back the slide K.
The amount of movement required to be given to the spindle each time that it is
turned is known by springing out a spring catch from one of the notches on a
disc M on the spindle and turning the spindle until the catch springs into the next
notch.
In order that the slide K may not be moved inwards and the points thereby
brought against the needles except at such time as the needle head is at rest in the
proper position for the narrowing to be effected the slide K carries a projection O.
When the needle head is brought to rest in the proper position for a narrowing to
be made there is a recess P in the needle head opposite the projection O and the
slide K can be pressed inwards and a narrowing made, but if the needle head has
not been stopped in the proper position the slide K cannot be moved inwards and
no narrowing can be made. When the points have been brought against the needles,
and the loops on the needles have been brought below the points and then again
raised to cause the points to enter the loops, it is preferable not to trust to the strain
upon the work to lift the loops which the points have entered above the tops of the
needles. I therefore employ a comb. R to raise them and ensure that the loops which
the points have entered, and which have been slipped past the beards of the needles,
shall be lifted clear of the tops of the needles and so freed from the needles.
This comb can be kept raised until the sets of points have been shifted towards
or away from one another and have again been moved inwards and brought against
the needles; it will then serve as a support to the needles and hold them up to the
points so that when the work is again pressed down the loops on the points shall
without fail be placed on to the needles that the points have been brought against.
In order to be able readily to raise or lower the comb R whenever required, the
comb has descending from it a stem S with a fork T at its lower end. When the
needle head is stopped in the proper position for narrowing, this fork is in such a
position that it embraces the end of a lever U, as shewn at Figure 3; the opposite
extremity of this lever is connected to a treadle so that the attendant by pressing.
his foot on the treadle can then turn the lever and lift the comb.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. Combining with a circular knitting machine two sets of points which can
be brought up to and against the needles of the needle head or moved away from
them, and which can also be moved uniformly by mechanism towards or away from
one another, as herein before described.
:
Second. The combined arrangement of apparatus, substantially as herein before
described and shewn in the Drawings annexed, for enabling narrowings to be produced
in the work made on circular knitting machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said William James Ford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
W. J. FORD). (L.S.)