Improvements in the Knitting of Seamless Stockings, Socks, Leggings, Gloves, and such like Articles, and in the Mechanism therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 7th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 7th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Knitting of Seamless Stockings, Socks, Leggings,
Gloves, and such like Articles, and in the Mechanism therefor.
I, GAVIN HADDEN, of the firm of Alexander Hadden & Sons, Manufacturers,
of the City and County of Aberdeen, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the knitting of
seamless stockings, socks, leggings, gloves, and such like articles of hosiery, in
reversible cylindrical or circular knitting machines, which will knit two or more
yarns and rows of knitting at a time, either of the same or different coloured yarns,
and so produce narrow stripes of the different coloured or other yarns without
requiring to knot the yarn for each fresh stripe of the different yarns as heretofore,
and has special reference to the application of new or improved mechanism or
appliances to the said knitting mechanism so as to effect this new mode of knitting
hosiery.
According to my improvements I use in a reversible circular knitting machine
two or more feeders, one for each yarn, that is, the feeders are placed at different
segmental positions corresponding to the different positions of the cams which raise
and lower the needles, and which rotate and carry the feeders round the stationary
cylinder inside carrying the needles in their vertical guides, all otherwise sub-
stantially as the present single raising and lowering cams are turned in these
circular knitting machines to raise and lower the knitting needles. Underneath
each feeder an extra raising and lowering arrangement of cams is fitted within the
rotating cam ring for each feeder and extra yarn added; that is, the requisite up
movement to clear the loops on the latches of the needles is given by a new extra
intermediate inverted V shaped raising and lowering cam for each new feeder and
yarn applied, and an extra down and up lowering and raising duplex fixed cam for
giving the knitting movement is fitted to the ring inside between the moving
upthrow cams for taking down and raising the needles after each yarn has been laid
on to these by the feeder in succession to knit the two or more rows simultaneously
as the cam ring is rotated. In some cases, as for the heels and toes of stockings
and socks, by these improvements I can and do give a novel striped effect by
bringing up the two rows of yarns at once, and a new parti-coloured effect with
different coloured yarns at these parts where this change is made.
Dated this 11th dox of A nul 1900
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Knitting of Seamless Stockings, Socks, Leggings,
Gloves, and such like Articles, and in the Mechanism therefor.
I, GAVIN HADDEN, of the firm of Alexander Hadden & Sons, Manufacturers, of
the City and County of Aberdeen, do hereby declare the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying sheet of drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say :-
My invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the knitting of
seamless stockings, socks, leggings, gloves, and such like articles of hosiery, in the

page_text: ordinary reversible cylindrical or circular knitting machines, which by the new
improvements will knit two or more yarns and rows of knitting at a time, either of
the same or of different coloured yarns, and so produce narrow stripes of the different
coloured or other yarns over and following each other at each revolution without
requiring to knot the yarn for each fresh stripe of the different yarns as heretofore,
and has special reference to the application of new or improved mechanism or
appliances to the said knitting mechanism so as to effect this new mode of knitting
hosiery.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown. Figure 1 is an
elevation of an ordinary reversible circular knitting machine having two feeders
and two raising and lowering cams fitted thereto illustrative of and in accordance
with my improvements. Figure 2 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 1. And
Figure 3 is a transverse section looking at the inside face of the cam ring D shewing
the new cams for raising and lowering the needles in the needle cylinder E shown
in Figures 1 and 2.
2
Referring to these drawings:-A is the plate bolted to the bench for carrying
the whole knitting machine, A¹ is the basement plate of the knitting machine bolted
at A to the bench plate A. and turned out with an annular bearing at A² to receive
the revolving driving basement ring plate B of the outer cam ring D, mounted
loose over it, and carrying the standards F,, of the yarn feeders F,/, concentrically
round the needle cylinder E bolted to the hollow eye A³ of the basement plate A
down through which the work passes, as indicated by the dotted line at A¹ as it is
knitted. This basement ring B has a horizontal spur wheel C, formed or mounted on
it, gearing into the bevel wheel C, mounted on the inner end of a driving spindle C²
carried in a pendent bearing bracket C" bolted at A"" to a snug under one side of the
hed plate A, this spindle being driven by a band and fast and loose pulley C³ C
or by the crank handle C A shifting belt fork is mounted on a spring sliding
bar C, carried in bearing brackets A on the bed plate A', and actuated by a bell
crank lever C to put the belt and machine into action, against the power of the
spring forked bar C₁. The outer cam ring D is as usual mounted loose by its lower
flange at D', on the top of its driving plate B, which as turned in either direction by
its wheels C, C³, by a wedge block D¹¹ comes in contact with the driving stops D
and turns the cam ring D, and which before coming in contact with the stop D" by
a wedge action raises one or other of the lateral pins D2, and its ordinary double
angular end cam D³, on the inside of the cam ring D, which raises each latch
needle e as it comes round to receive the yarn y, from the yarn feeder F, and which
leads the needles e by their heels down into the groove d to draw down the fresh
loop put on to the hook for the new course of knitting through the loop of the
former knitted course, which is thrown off by the hook latch part e as the needle
reaches the lower end of the groove d and the hook descends below the upper edge
of the needle cylinder E and ascends the groove d¹ formed by the lower and upper
cams D', D', where as heretofore the needles would have been delivered on to a
parallel ring De from the one raising cam D³ to the other, until the cam D² came
round again.
According to my improvements I use in this reversible circular knitting machine
two or more feeders F, f, one for each yarn Y, y carried by standards F¹¹ secured
at Ff to the bed driving ring B, which actuates the cam ring D above it. The
one yarn Y, is taken from a reeled bobbin Y carried on a stationary spindle on the
bench and led up through guide eyes at Y" on the horizontal bracket Y2 carried
on the top of a standard Y³ from the table and led over a tension hook lever Y*,
down to the feeder F. The second yarn is taken from a bobbin y¹ carried on a
spindle and bracket on the lower part of the standard f¹, of the feeder f, this yarn
being led up and down through guide eyes y² in the standard f1 through and over
the usual tension cap and hook lever f³,f. The feeders F, f, are secured to the

page_text: bed driving ring B at different segmental positions, as say, one fourth of a
revolution apart as seen in Figure 2, corresponding to the different positions of the
inner old and new cams D D and D* D* in the ring D, which raise and lower
the needles e and which bed driving ring B rotates and carries these and the
feeders F, f, round the stationary cylinder E inside carrying the needles e e¹ in
their vertical slotted guides all otherwise substantially as the usual single feeders F
and single raising and lowering sets of cams D', D', are turned in these circular
knitting machines to raise and lower the knitting needles, for laying and knitting
one row of stitching at each revolution of the driving ring B and cam ring D, as
shown in section in Figure 4, in contradistinction to the new arrangement of cams
shown in Figure 3. By my improvements underneath each extra feeder as f, an
extra or duplication of the arrangement of the raising and lowering cams D**, D³×,
as seen to the right in Figure 3, and dotted in to the left in Figure 1 is fitted
within the rotating cam ring D for each extra feeder and extra yarn y added.
That is, the requisite up movement to clear the loops on the latches of the needles e
is given by a new extra intermediate inverted ✓ shaped raising and lowering
cam D³× for each new feeder f and yarn y applied; and an extra down and up
lowering and raising duplex fixed cam Dox and grooves d² d between them for
giving the knitting movement, is secured to the ring D inside between the moving
upthrow cams D3 D for taking down and raising the needles e after each yarn Y
has been laid on to these by the feeders F, f, in succession to knit the two rows
simultaneously as these and the cam ring D are rotated. The intermediate fixed
cam D³× is introduced between the cams D* D³ and D** D5x to raise the needles e
to receive the fresh loops as the second feeder fand new cams D¹× D³× Figure 3,
come round to simultaneously form the second course of loops by the feeder fat
the same time as forming the first row of loops by the feeder F at each revolution
of the cam ring D and feeders. Although only one extra feeder has been shown
in the circumference of its ring B, and one set of corresponding extra cams in the
cam ring D, it is to be understood that two or more extra feeders and their cams
may be fitted and arranged on their rings, and so knit two or more extra courses
during one revolution of these rings round the needle cylinder E.
y
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 :-
First. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of a
reversible circular knitting machine having two or more rotating feeders, one for
each yarn, with needle raising and lowering cams for each feeder and their
actuating mechanism for the simultaneous knitting of two or more courses of
seamless stockings, socks, leggings, gloves, and such like articles, substantially as
herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Second. In a reversible circular knitting machine, the fitting and use of two or
more rotating feeders, one for each yarn, with raising and lowering cams within the
rotating cam ring for each feeder for the simultaneous knitting of two or more
courses of seamless stockings, socks, leggings, gloves, and such like articles,
substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
D1
T
1001
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.