Improvements in the Application of Steam or other Mechanical Motive Power to Knitting Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1887.
Complete Left, 18th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 28th June, 1887.
Improvements in the Application of Steam or other Mechanical
Motive Power to Knitting Machines.
EMANUEL SHEPHERD, FRED ROTHWELL, JAMES EDWARD HOUGH and TOM
ROTHWELL, all of Oldham Sewing Machine Works, Oldham in the County of
Lancaster, Sewing and Knitting Machine Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:
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This invention is for application principally to Circular Knitting Machines, with or
without ribbing appliances, and its object is to produce, as nearly as possible the
instantaneous connexion and disconnexion of the machine from the motive power, and
to secure the perfect control of the operator over the machine, so that it may be
worked either by hand or by power at the will of the operator. Upon the shaft or
shaft bearing of the knitting machine a pulley having a prepared peripheral surface is
caused to revolve, by preference, we use an internal peripheral surface. Hinged to
the driving shaft of the Machine or to a fixture upon it, is a lever of greater length
from its hinged point to its outer extremity, than is the distance between its hinged
point and the nearest point of the internal peripheral surface, it can therefore come
into contact with the peripheral surface of the pulley before reaching the intersecting
point of the radial line passing from the centre of the pulley through the pivot of the
lever, a spring is employed to ensure this contact when desired and the motion of the
pulley causes it and the shaft to which it is attached, to revolve in the same direction,
and with the pulley in its revolutions.
Fixed to the shaft or to a fixture upon it is a wedge, lever, screw or other suitable
device communicating at one of its extremities with the hinged lever, its other
extremity being within the reach of the operator. We prefer to use a slide with a
wedge shaped termination to be pressed by the operator against the lever in such a

page_text: manner as to remove it from contact with the peripheral surface of the pulley, when
it ceases to revolve with the pulley and the machine stops. The withdrawal of the
wedge subjects the lever to the action of the spring which instantly forces it up to
the peripheral surface of the revolving pulley, and sets the machine in motion.
A modification of this invention may be effected by means of two flat friction discs
fixed, one to the shaft of the machine and the other to the revolving pulley, the
machine being started or stopped by bringing the two discs into or withdrawing them
from contact with each other.
Or, by means of two friction pullies or gear wheels, one attached to the shaft of
the machine and the other revolving in such a manner as to be brought into or
withdrawn from contact with the one attached to the machine at pleasure, by means of
screws, levers or other mechanical devices, thus imparting motion to the machine as
desired.
D
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Improvements in the Application of Steam or other Mechanical
Motive Power to Knitting Machines.
We EMANUEL SHEPHERD FRED ROTHWELL JAMES EDWARD HOUGH and Toм
ROTHWELL all of Oldham Sewing Machine Works Oldham in the County of Lancaster
Sewing and Knitting Machine Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF STEAM OR OTHER MECHANICAL
MOTIVE POWER TO KNITTING MACHINES and in what manner the same is be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention is for application to Knitting Machines and its object is to produce
as nearly instantaneous as possible the connexion and disconnexion of the machine
from the motive power and to secure the perfect control of the machine by the
operator, so that it may be worked either by hand or by nower and will be clearly
understood by the following description thereof reference being had to the sheet of
drawings with the figures and letters of reference thereon, herewith accompanying.
The invention may be applied either to flat or straight bed machines, or, as in the case
illustrated to circular bed machines.

page_text: A
Figure 1. represents a front view of a driving pulley which is caused to revolve upon
the driving shaft of a knitting machine, and, a lever and sliding wedge which form the
patented portion of this illustration. Figure 2. is a sectional view of the same.
represents the pulley which is, by preference, forined with an internal peripheral
bearing. B shows the driving shaft of the machine to which is secured the handle
bar C and the bush B' is also secured to the shaft by a pin screw or other convenient
method and upon which, when released by a lever E as hereinafter shown, the pulley A
revolves freely.
It will therefore be seen that the handle bar C the shaft B and the
bush B form integral portions of each other revolving with each other and form
together the driving shaft of the machine. D shows the bracket, or hub, or that
part of the machine which forms the bearing of the driving shaft and by preference,
wo make the portion of the shaft B' so that it bears on the external periphery of the
shaft hub or bracket D. Hinged to the shaft at any suitable point and forming the
connecting link between the pulley and the machine shaft is a lever E. in such manner
that its external extremity will come into contact with the internal surface of the
periphery of the pulley before reaching the intersecting point of the radial line
(shown) from the centre of the pulley or shaft, through the centre of the pin H
(figure 1) upon which the lever E is hinged.
The revolution of the pulley in the direction indicated by the arrow (figure 1)
impels the external extremity of the lever E forward towards the intersecting point of
the radial line shown. As the extremity of the lever E working on its pivot H would
describe, if permitted, a circle intersecting the circle of the internal periphery of the
pulley (shown by the dotted line J figure 1) it arrives at a point where it is firmly
wedged between the internal peripheral surface of the pulley and its own pivot H the
result being that it is carried round by the pulley taking with it the shaft to which it
is hinged and imparting motion to the machine. Having described the action of the
lever Ein imparting motion to the machine, we now proceed to show how the machine
and the pulley are disconnected and the machine stopped.
In a hole bored up the centre of the shaft B is placed the sliding bar G having at
its inner termination a taper or wedge shaped end and at its outer extremity a knob
or handle. Immediately behind the knob the sliding bar is, for a short portion of its
.length reduced in diameter or "shouldered down" and upon this reduced part a plate
is placed and secured to the end of the shaft in such a manner as to form a stop and to
determine the length of traverse allowed to the slide bar G.
The lever E is lengthened from its pivot or fulcrum so as to bring its inner
extremity opposite to a hole in the shaft which is made to intersect at right angles
the hole in which the slide bar G is placed, and through which the pin E¹ forms a
connexion between the taper or wedge shaped end of the slide bar G and the free end
of the lever E.
1
When the slide bar G is pressed inward the pressure of its taper or wedge shaped
end forcing the pin up the inclined plane of the wedge presses the pin E outward
and against the inner termination of the lever which acting on its pivot or fulcrum H
frees its outer extremity from contact with the internal peripheral surface of
the revolving pulley thus stopping the machine by disengaging the shaft from the
pulley, which still continues its revolutions.
The withdrawal of the bar G and consequent release of the pin E' and the free end
of the lever E permits the action of the spring F which presses the outer extremity of
the lever E into contact with the internal periphery of the revolving pulley and starts
the machine instantly.
The pin E may be attached to or be a solid portion of the lever E but we prefer to
make it loose as described.
a
Figure 3. Shows another method for instantaneously starting and stopping
knitting machine. By means of two flat friction discs or surfaces the one attached to
or forming a portion of the pulley A the other B. allowed to slide laterally upon the
shaft D. Upon the shaft D or a boss provided upon it are hinged two levers C their
pivots or hinges forming their fulcrums a heel or butt is formed upon each of them
which comes into contact with the friction plate or disc B. A slide bar E is provided

page_text: in the end of the shaft having its length of traverse determined in like manner as
described by G Figures 1 and 2 or in any other suitable manner, and the ends of the
levers Care brought into contact, with a suitably shaped projection upon it in such
manner that when the slide bar E is pressed inward the heels or butts of the levers C
press the friction disc or plate B into contact with the friction surface upon the
pulley A and thus imparts motion to the friction plate B and consequently to the
shaft D.
The reverse action of the slide bar E releases the levers C and the friction plate B
which may be provided with a spring to secure its immediate disconnexion from the
friction on the pulley thus stopping the motion of the shaft and the machine to which
it is attached. A dise of leather or other suitable material may be introduced between
the two friction plates A and B.
A modification of our invention as shown, Figures 1 and 2 may be made by causing
a lever to have a gripping surface on the outer periphery of the driving pulley or by
making the pivot fulcrum or centre of the lever moveable, the same object may be
attained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is,―
1. A connecting link between a pulley and a knitting sewing or other like machine
the arc of which would intersect the peripheral line of the pulley in the direction of
motion, for the purpose of driving the machine by mechanical motive power
substantially as described and illustrated.
2. The method of connecting and disconnecting the machine from the motive
power by means of wedges slides or levers substantially as described.
3. The application of flat friction plates to knitting machines for the purpose of
connexion to and disconnexion from motivo power substantially as described and
illustrated.
4. A moveable lever one end of which is in the direction of the centre of the
pulley the other end having a gripping surface at the periphery of the pulley
substantially as described.
Dated this Seventeenth day of May 1887