Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Ribbed Stockings and other Ribbed Fabrics, and in Machinery or Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
COME LELE DIEUITICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Ribbed Stockings and
other Ribbed Fabrics, and in Machinery or Apparatus therefor.
We, HENRY LANGDALE and ARTHUR LANGDALE of Clyde Street, Leicester,
Manufacturers' Managers, and THOMAS JONES and JAMES JONES of Brougham
Street, Leicester, 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 :-
This invention has reference to the manufacture of knitted ribbed stockings and
other ribbed fabrics and in machinery or apparatus therefor.
The object of the invention is to produce a knitted ribbed fabric, certain portions
of which, (such for example as the knee of a stocking or elbow of a cardigan jacket)
may be spliced with a thick thread, in such a manner as to retain the natural
elasticity of the fabric.
It is well known amongst those versed in the art of knitting that knitted ribbed
fabrics lose their elasticity and become more rigid in proportion to the thickness of
the splicing thread employed, and for this reason knitted fabrics are almost
invariably spliced with a thread much finer than the main knitting thread.
According to our invention we are enabled to 'splice' or thicken knitted ribbed
fabrics with a thick or coarse gauge splicing thread, without sacrificing the
elasticity of the fabric produced.
Our invention consists in forming of loops of increased length those parts of the
fabric spliced with the thick thread referred to.
For this purpose we provide that both the needles in the machine, (viz. the ribbing
needles) and the needles in the frame (viz. the frame needles) may have an increased
stroke or movement imparted to them during the time splicing with the thick
thread is proceeding.
The effect of this additional movement of the needles will be that correspondingly
longer loops will be formed, thereby counteracting the rigidity in the fabric that
would otherwise have occurred if a thick splicing thread had been fed to the
needles during the knitting of a portion of the fabric while the size of the loop had
remained unaltered.
In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings showing the invention applied to a circular ribbed head,
made by the well known firm of Revis, Brewin & Marriott, Nottingham, and
having their welting apparatus applied thereto.
It should be understood, however, that the invention may be applied to other
classes of knitting machinery.
Figure 1 is an elevation of so much of the circular knitting machine referred to
as is necessary to illustrate the invention.
Figures 2, 3, 4 & 5 are detail views hereinafter referred to.
Figures 6, 7 & 8 are side and front elevations and plan of a portion of the
machine to show the trap lever for trapping the thick splicing thread.
The construction and operation of circular ribbed heads are generally well
understood in the trade so that only such parts thereof will be described and
referred to as is requisite to make the present invention clear.
In carrying out our invention we combine with the usual welting apparatus, (the
construction and operation of which are well known) an approximately shaped
lever, in such a manner that both the draw down cam and the knocking over cam,
in the frame cylinder and rotary head respectively, may be actuated simultaneously
to impart increased stroke or movement to the needles to cause them to form loops

page_text: It is well known that in the formation of the welt at the commencement of each
stocking the frame cylinder cam A is lowered by what is well understood as the
welting tackle, which is operated at the proper time by stops or dogs on an endless
chain. This cam A is connected to a vertical spindle A' and is raised or lowered
therewith.
To carry out our invention we fix to this spindle A¹ by means of a screw B, a
lip B which overlaps the lower end of the approximately L shaped lever C before
referred to. The latter is pivotted at C¹ to a block D¹ on the upper end of a
spindle D which also forms part of the well known splicing tackle.
The upper end of this lever C bears against the usual adjusting screw E' on the
end of the knocking over cam E.
It is obvious that when the spindle A' is lowered by the usual rod A³ to depress the
frame cylinder cam A the lip B bearing on the lower end of the lever C will tilt
the latter so that its upper end is rocked forward, whereupon it pushes inwardly
the knocking over cam E and while the latter and the cam A remain in this position
both the frame and machine needles have an increased downward and inward
movement respectively imparted to them, as is well understood, and larger loops
will be the result.
Upon the lever C being restored to its original position, a spring plate E'
screwed at E³ to the bracket F, (which supports the usual clasp ring) and whose
lower end is in contact with the knocking over cam E, presses the latter back to its
former position, when ordinary knitting will be resumed.
In addition to the stops or dogs on the endless chain before referred to for
putting the welting tackle in operation, we place thereon other stops or dogs, (not
shown in the drawings but thoroughly well understood) for operating such tackle
during the time it is desired to increase the size of the loops and feed thick splicing
thread on to the frame and machine needles, as in the formation of the knee of a
stocking.
In addition to the ordinary splicing gear of the machine we employ an additional
thread trapping lever for trapping and severing the thick splicing thread at such
times as ordinary unthickened fabric is being made.
G, (Figs. 6. 7 and 8) is the trap lever referred to and is pivotted at G¹ to the side
of the ordinary thread layer H.
As the lip B, (Figs. 1. 6. 7 and 8) is lowered to actuate the approximately
Lshaped lever C it simultaneously bears against the bevelled edge of the lower
end G2 of the trap lever G so as to raise its opposite upper end and allow the thick
splicing thread to feed on to the needles together with the main knitting thread.
Upon the spindle A' and lip B being raised to restore the cams A and E to their
normal positions, a spring J brings down the upper end of the trap lever G on to
the thick splicing thread which passes thereunder so that the latter is thereby held
firmly and becomes severed in the usual way.
The spring J is connected to a stud G³ on the side of the trap lever G and to a
hook A fixed to the side of the frame needle cylinder A.
By using the additional trapping lever G we are enabled to splice the knee of a
stocking with a thick thread as before mentioned and also to splice the heel with
the ordinary thin splicing thread in the usual manner.
Although we have referred to the splicing of the knee, yet it is obvious that
other parts of a knitted stocking or other knitted articles may be spliced with a
thick thread in like manner when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manuer the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A machine knitted ribbed fabric one or more portions of which are spliced
with a thick thread and the loops of such spliced portions formed of increased size
substantially as described.
2. A machine knitted ribbed stocking the knee portion of which is spliced with a

page_text: thick thread and formed of loops of increased size substantially as and for the
purpose described.
3. A machine knitted ribbed stocking the knee and heel portions of which are
composed of loops of increased size and spliced with a thick thread substantially as
described.
4. A machine knitted ribbed stocking in which the knee portion is spliced with a
thick thread and the loops thereof formed of increased size and the heel portion
spliced with a thin thread substantially as described.
5. In a knitting machine the combination with the splicing apparatus of
mechanism to simultaneously increase the stroke or movement of both the frame
and machine needles during the operation of splicing substantially as and for the
purpose described.
6. In a circular knitting machine the combination with the welting apparatus of
mechanism to actuate the machine cam simultaneously with the frame cylinder cam
substantially as and for the purpose described.
7. In a circular ribbed knitting machine the combination with the welting
apparatus of a lever such as C constructed and operated substantially as and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of August 1995.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.