Improvements in Knitting Machinery.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machinery.
I, SAMUEL LOWE of 24 Bath Terrace, Robin Hood Street, Nottingham in
the County of Nottingham, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The chief object of this invention is to quicken the speed of working in what is
known as the "Cotton" knitting machine." It has been the practice, in producing
vertical striped work, to use three or more thread carriers for one division, but as
these thread carriers were followed by one slur cock only, the speed of thread
laying and indenting equalled only that where one thread carrier is used.
I now propose, in knitting plain work, to use, in each division, two or more
thread carriers, followed each by a slur cock, and to give them each a limited
range of action, as in striping machines. I am thus enabled to reduce the time
required for indenting the thread.
The slur cocks will now follow their respective thread carriers simultaneously,
and take up the proper starting position to the right or left of the thread carriers,
ready to recommence an advance or return movement. The slur cocks, as hitherto
constructed, were fixed to their respective slur boxes, and were stopped in their
traverse outside the divisions; they would not, therefore, be in a position to
obstruct the succeeding knitting operations. In the case, however, of having slur
cocks which rest in front of the division needle beards, it is necessary that they
shall be drawn back clear of the jack sinkers, when the dividing has taken place,
to allow of the catch bar withdrawing the sinkers.
For this purpose, I mount the slur cocks on their boxes so that they are free to
receive a forward and backward movement, using springs to thrust them forward
or into their acting position, and a cam movement, or its equivalent, for drawing
them back out of their acting position.
The mode of joining the work may be that which is now used in working vertical
striped work, but I prefer to effect the joining by modifying the form and action
of the sinkers adjacent to the joining needle or needles, or at the line or lines of the
joining, the object being to render the joining less apparent than in the vertical
striped work.
For this purpose I modify the form of the two sinkers between which the joining
needle works. On the right hand of this needle is a jack sinker, the under edge of
the neb of which I cut away at an incline, to enable it, when thrust forward, to
ride over the thread presented to it. On the left hand of the needle is a lead
sinker, which I cut away on the upper edge, at an incline, so that it may lift up
the thread presented to it, and pass under it. When using two thread carriers in
one division, I arrange the stops of the left hand thread carrier (No. 1) so as to
limit its course, and supply only the left hand half of the division of needles,
including the joining needle, with thread. The right-hand thread carrier (No. 2),
which is intended to lay the thread on all the needles from the right hand selvage
up to the joining needle, I stop just beyond the joining needle. The cut of the
lead sinker on the left hand of the joining needle, provides for its moving forward
at the "dividing" time, and lifting up the thread of No. 2 carrier, and advancing
underneath it, thus preventing the joining needle from being double-threaded.
But at the second advance of the sinkers, after the knocking over, the needles
being in a more forward position, the thread from No. 2 carrier will lie at a
different angle, and be caught by the lead sinker, and held a little in advance of
the joining needle, so that as the needles rise, the back of the joining needle will
be presented to the thread. When the return traverse of the thread carriers is

page_text: made, and the jack sinkers are advanced by the slur cock, the undercut jack sinker
on the right hand of the joining needle, will ride over the thread of No. 2 carrier,
and press it down, thus preventing it from getting under the needle beard, but
adding it to the loop of the fabric already on the needle stem.
At the knitting of this course, both loops on the stem of the joining needle will
be simultaneously "knocked over" and knitted, and thus the two parts of the
knitted work on the division will be locked together.
Dated this 19th dox of January 1891
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machinery.
I, SAMUEL LOWE of 24 Bath Terrace, Robin Hood Street, Nottingham in
the County of Nottingham, Machinist, 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 :-
The chief object of this invention is to quicken the speed of working in what is
known as the "Cotton" knitting machine.
It has been the practice, in producing a certain class of work, to use three or
more thread carriers for one division, but as these thread carriers were followed by
one slur cock only, the speed of thread laying and indenting equalled only that
where one thread carrier is used.
I now propose, in knitting plain work, to use in each division two or more thread
carriers, followed each by a slur cock, and to give them each a limited range of
action, as in striping machines. I am thus enabled to reduce the time required for
indenting the thread.
The slur cocks will now follow their respective thread carriers simultaneously,
and take up the proper starting position, to the right or left of the thread carriers,
ready to recommence an advance or return movement. The slur cocks, as hitherto
constructed, were fixed to their respective slur boxes, and were stopped in their
traverse outside the divisions; they would not, therefore, be in a position to obstruct
the immediately succeeding knitting operations. In the case, however, of having
slur cocks which are arrested in front of the division needle beards, it is necessary
that they shall be drawn back clear of the jack sinkers, when the dividing has
taken place, to allow of the catch bar withdrawing the sinkers.
For this purpose, I so mount the slur cocks on their boxes, that they may be
free to receive a forward and backward movement, using springs to thrust them
forward, or into their acting position, and a cam movement or its equivalent to
draw them back out of their acting position.
The mode of joining the work may be best effected by modifying the form and
action of the sinkers adjacent to the needle or needles, at the line of the joining, the
object being to prevent the joining being apparent.
The form of the jack sinker intermediate of the two joining needles, I modify by
cutting away the under edge of its neb, at an incline, to enable it, when thrust
forward, to ride over the thread presented to it, and the adjacent dividing sinkers,
on the opposite sides of the joining needles, I cut away on their upper edge at an
incline, so that they may lift up the thread presented to them, and pass under-
neath it.
The object of these modifications in the forms of the sinkers will be hereafter
fully explained.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shewn so much of a "Cotton" knitting
machine with my improvements applied thereto, as will serve to explain the nature
and operation of the invention.
Fig. 1 is a partial transverse section shewing the knitting instruments and the
novel means for moving the jack sinkers.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same parts, and Fig. 3 is a plan view, on a smaller
scale, embracing a more extended portion of the machine.
Figs. 4 shew the form of the jack and dividing sinkers at the middle of the
division, and
Figs. 5 to 10 are diagrams illustrating one mode of joining up the work.
In describing my invention I will assume that a "division" is fitted with two
slur cocks only, but it must be understood that I do not limit myself to two, as my
object is, by dividing up the operation of indenting the thread in a division, to
quicken the production of the work in the machine.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, a are the ordinary bearded needles; b are the jack
sinkers; and c the dividing sinkers; d is the catch bar, by which the sinkers are
advanced to, and withdrawn from the needles; e is a slur box, two of which are
shewn in Fig. 3 as provided for one division. The slur boxes of all the divisions
are connected together as usual, so that they may move simultaneously on the slur
bar f, their motion being transmitted in the ordinary manner from the cam shaft.
el is a slur cock, which is free to slide forward and backward in the slur box, it
being pressed forward by a forked spring e, which embraces its stem, and is itself
made fast to the connecting bar of the slur box.
This slur cock is made adjustable by means of a nut e³ screwed on its stem, and
carrying a toothed disc, into which takes a spring stop on the slur cock stem, to
secure the slur cock in a properly advanced position from the box. g', Fig. 3,
are the two thread carriers or layers of the division, which, acting in advance of
their respective slur boxes, necessitate the introduction into the machine of a new
instrument, one for each division, for adjusting the position of certain displaced
jack sinkers in the middle of the division. The new instrument consists of a
broad-ended arm, termed a "push back," which is carried by the catch bar d,
and is free to slide and rock thereon.
The push-back is made fast to a round rod, which extends nearly the whole
length of the catch bar, and is supported in bearings bolted to the catch bar.
Fig. 3, represent two friction boxes with which the rod ¹ is fitted, and from which
the rod receives an endway motion alternately in opposite directions. These
friction boxes carry a hooked rear extension, which underlies the catch bar, and
forms a stop to prevent the rocking of the friction box when the rod ¹ is rocked.
A stud on the back of the friction box, standing out above the plane of motion
of the slur box, is caught by a stand pin e on the slur box, and thus the traverse
motion of the slur box imparts an endway motion to the rod h¹ carrying the push
back. Two slur boxes, it will be seen, are fitted with a stand pin, and thus,
whether the slur boxes are moved to the right or to the left, a corresponding
lateral motion will be imparted to the push back h. The object of this movement
of the push backs will be understood when the action of the machine is described.
To bring the push backs into action upon the jack sinkers, they are required to be
depressed to the dotted position of Fig. 1. This is effected by imparting a rocking
motion to the rod which carries them. At one end of this rod h', is a pair of short
radial arms, which serve to carry a coupling pin *, provided for the reception of a
link . This link is attached, at its lower end, to a lever (not shown in the
drawings) fitted with a bowl that bears upon a peripherical cam on the cam shaft.
As, therefore, the bowl, by gravity, follows the excentricities of the cam, it will,
through the link rod h, rock the sliding rod h', and bring down the push backs.
into action.
The endway motion of the rod h' is limited by stops fitted at the opposite ends
of the catch bar.
Having now explained the construction of the parts required to carry out the
object of my invention, I will proceed to describe the general action of the machine,
and I will then explain how the two threads used in one "division"
into one fabric.
are united
The position of the parts for laying and receiving the thread is shewn at Figures 1
& 2, the needles a being raised, the sinkers drawn back, and the one thread layer

page_text: "
"
shewn in Figure 2 being in its starting position, near the middle of the "division."
In moving from left to right, the thread layer g is followed by its slur cock el,
which brings into action the jack sinkers of the right hand half of the "division;
at the same time the slur cock el* (see Fig. 3) of the thread layer 9', starting from
the edge of the "division," follows its thread layer, putting into action the jack
sinkers of the left hand half of the "division."
It is by this means that a material economy of time is effected in the action of
indenting the thread for each course of work. This simultaneous traverse of the
slur cocks of the one "division," as indicated at Fig. 3, brings the one (e¹) which
started from the middle of the "division" to the right hand side of the "division,"
and the other (*) which started from the outside of the division, to the middle.
The catch bar now comes into action, presses forward the sinkers, as usual, to effect
the dividing of the loops; it then retires, the sinkers causing the jacks that are
opposite the slur cock (el) at the middle of the division to move back that slur
cock against the pressure of its spring 2. On the rising, however, of the catch bar,
those jacks which just acted upon the slur cock, will be thrust forward by the slur
cock, through the recoil of the spring e; and, in addition to these, a certain
number of adjacent jack sinkers will be pressed forward out of their back or normal
position, by reason of the traverse of the slur cock past them, to commence its
action in the wake of the thread layer. It is to restore these displaced jack
sinkers to their normal position, that the push-back is provided. While the
thread layers are making their return movement for a second course of knitting,
the push-back will be brought down by the action of the lever connected with the
link, & pressing upon the advanced jack sinkers, will thrust them back into their
normal position, ready to receive the thread from the advancing thread layer.
When this is effected, the push back will rise clear of the sinkers, its rod being
again rocked by the action of the cam, which causes the overlying lever connected
with the link ³ to rock the rod in its bearings.
The mode described for coupling the link to the rod ¹, is for the purpose of
allowing that rod to move endwise, without affecting the link, and thus to shift
the push back to the right or left, corresponding with the direction of traverse of
the slur box, so that the push back may act on either side of the central line of the
division. While these various movements are going on, it will be understood
that the needle bar will receive its usual movements for knitting the divided loops
into the work.
The sinkers will then advance to hold down the knitted work while the needles
are rising to their highest position, to receive the threads for another course.
Fig. 4 represent in side view, at b, the jack sinker used at the middle of the
division, and at c the dividing sinkers placed at either side thereof, for facilitating
the joining up of the work as it is knitted.
The construction and action of the machine being thus far understood, it only
remains to explain how the two threads laid in the one division are tied together
to produce an even piece of work. This may be done in various ways, but I will
describe (with reference to the diagrams Figs. 5 to 10) the method which I prefer
for obtaining an even joining, two courses being shown, and two joining needles
knitting single loops in the usual way.
The diagrams shew in plan view, on an enlarged scale, 12 needles, numbered
from 1 to 12, illustrating a "division," with knitted work upon them, the jack and
dividing sinkers, and the two thread carriers for the one division being also
represented.
Fig. 5 shews the indenting of the two threads simultaneously laid by a traverse
of the two thread carriers g g¹ from the right to the left hand, and also the
manner in which the threads are laid in front of the two joining needles numbered 6
and 7.
Fig. 6 shews the same threads divided by the dividing sinkers.
Fig. 7 shews the position of the parts for lapping the thread of the carrier g
on to the left hand ioining needle 6.

page_text: Fig. 8 shews the indented threads laid by a traverse of the carriers g g' from
left to right, and the manner of laying the thread over the joining needles 6
and 7.
Fig. 9 shews the indented thread "divided" by the dividing sinkers.
Fig. 10 shews the knitted second course of work, and the completion of the
joining of the fabric.
When the thread carriers have laid their threads, as shown at Fig. 5, they are
stopped, the carrier 9 by a fixed stop carried from the slur bar, and the carrier g¹
by a stop on the narrowing slide (not shewn in the drawings).
On the reverse motion of the carriers, the carrier 9 will be stopped by a stop on
the narrowing slide, and the carrier g¹ by a fixed stop on the slur bar.
It will be seen, on reference to Fig. 5, that the threads of both thread carriers
are laid across the stem of the needle 7, and that a loop of knitted work is on the
stem of that needle. It is intended to knit the loop of work with one only of these
threads, and to throw the other over the head of the needle with the loop of work.
This will put the thread of the carrier g' at the back of the fabric, and avoid any
increase in the thickness of the loops of knitted work.
To attain this object, I use a jacksinker between the joining needles 6 and 7, of
the form shown at ↳, Fig. 4, which (when thrust forward) rides over the thread of
the carrier g', presses it down, and prevents it getting under the needle beard,
thereby adding it to the previous loop already on the stem of the needle 7.
The dividing sinkers are next advanced by the catch bar, to divide the loops, as
shewn at Fig. 6. The cut of the dividing sinkers immediately adjacent to the
joining needles 6 and 7, is modified as shewn at c, Fig. 4. The effect of this is,
that when the sinkers at the left of the needle 6 advances, it will pass under the
thread laid by the carrier g, lift it up, and hold it from passing under the beard of
the joining needle 6. The needles then sinking to the presser, will, when pressed,
move back. At the same time, the sinkers, being drawn back by the catch bar,
the needles will slide the new loops off the sinker nebs onto the knocking over bits,
and complete the knitting of this course.
During the knocking over of this course, the two threads in front of the stem of
the joining needle 7, will also be simultaneously knocked over, and the previous
loop of the fabric on the needle 7 is knitted with the divided thread loop of the
carrier 9, the thread of the carrier g¹ being thrown to the back of the fabric, and
interlaced with the thread of the carrier g, thus completing one course, as shewn
at Fig. 7.
All the sinkers will now advance to hold down the work, and the needles being
in their lowest position, will move forward to carry the work under the sinkers, and
the thread from the carrier g now lying at a different angle between the needles,
will be caught by the dividing sinker at the side of the needle 6, so that as the
needles rise, the back of the joining needle 6 will be presented to the thread of the
carrier g, as will be seen in Fig. 7.
The return traverse, to the right, of the thread carriers now takes place. The
slur cock following the thread layer g, will, at starting, thrust forward or displace
some inch and a half of jack sinkers on the left hand side of the joining needle 6,
before the indenting of the thread now being laid is commenced.
It is while this traverse is being made, that the push back h will be operated,
as above explained, to restore the displaced jack sinkers to their normal position.
The indented thread for the next course of work shewn at Fig. 8.
During this indenting, the jack sinker between the joining needles will press down
the thread which the carrier g, in moving to the right, has laid over the needle 6,
and will add it to the previous loop of the work. The indented thread is next
divided by the advance of the dividing sinkers, as shewn in Fig. 9, and the dividing
sinker adjacent to the needle 7 advancing under the thread of the carrier g', will
prevent that thread from getting under the beard of the needle 7.
When this course is knocked over, and all the sinkers are again advanced to hold
the work down, the dividing sinker on the right hand of the joining needle 7 will

page_text: catch the thread of the carrier g', and hold it in a forward position, so that the
back of the needle 7 will be presented to it as the needles rise, and, at the
succeeding traverse, the thread of the carrier g' will be lapped round that needle,
as shewn in Fig. 10.
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 application to the Cotton knitting machine, of two or more slur cocks in
one and the same "division," for indenting the threads of two or more thread
layers of such "division" simultaneously, as and for the purpose above set forth.
2. The arrangement of mechanism above described with reference to Figs. 1,
and 3, of the drawings, for quickening the speed of production in each "division"
of the Cotton knitting machine.
Dated this 19th day of October 1891.
2,
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.