IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTED FABRICS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING THE SAME
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
KNITTED FABRICS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING THE SAME."
A com-
munication from abroad by Charles Henry Landenberger, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 20th April 1877, and dated the 20th February 1877
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February 1877.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTED FABRICS AND IN MACHINERY FOR PRO-
DUCING THE SAME." A communication from abroad by Charles Henry Landen-
berger, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention consists of a tubular fabric, in the production of which the
needles are caused to operate in sets, one thread being used in connection with each
set of needles, the loops formed by each set forming a distinct fabric from, but
united to, the fabrics made by the other sets, so that a knitted tube with patterns
of a more than ordinarily complex character may be produced.
The Invention further consists of mechanism herein-after described for producing
the new fabric.
In carrying out this Invention a hollow cylinder is employed, which is caused to
revolve in suitable bearings, and carries a series of guided latch needles as in
ordinary circular knitting machines. The rotation of the cylinder, however, is not
continuous as usual, but intermittent, each movement being such that the circle of
needles will be moved to the extent of the distance between two adjoining needles.
The needles are provided with the usual bits which rest on pins attached to a ring,
the latter surrounding the bearing of the needle cylinder, and being guided by the
frame of the machine or otherwise. The needles are raised by the pins on this
ring, to which an intermittent vertical movement is imparted by any suitable
mechanism, and the needles may be depressed by another ring connected by rods to
the first-mentioned ring, the ring secondly mentioned acting upon the upper ends
of the bits of the needles.
A series of vertical thread guides, which it is preferred to make tubular,
are
1

page_text: arranged in a circle and have their bearings in a cross bar of the frame, each tube
having a pinion, and the pinions of the whole of the tubes being driven by a
central wheel. There are as many tubes as there are pins on the ring, and each
tube is directly above and in line with one of the said pins. The threads pass
through the tubes and through eyes in the lower ends of the same, and thence to
the fabric which passes through the interior of the cylinder. The number of pins
and tubes will depend upon the subdivision of the needles into sets, for it should be
understood that the needles do not operate as in ordinary knitting machines, but in
Bets, each set of needles operating on a separate thread so as to produce separate
fabrics looped together during the operation of knitting; hence, if there are in all
one hundred needles, and they are intended to operate in sets of five each, there
must be twenty equidistant pins and as many thread guiding tubes.
The machine operates in the following manner-During the upward movement
of the ring first mentioned its pins raise every fifth needle of the whole series, or
one needle of each set of twenty on the cylinder, the upper ends of the elevated
needles passing into the tubes. The tubular thread guides are now turned to the
extent of one revolution, their tireads being thereby wrapped round the needles,
after which the latter descend and add their loops to those of the fabric in the
usual manner. The cylinder is now turned to the extent of the distance between
two adjoining needles, so that on the next upward movement of the ring, twenty
needles, each needle adjoining that first operated on, will be raised, the threads
wrapped around them, and on the descent of the needles their loops will be added
to the fabric.
The fabrics, produced by ordinary circular knitting machines, are restricted as
regards the variety of their patterns, transverse stripes produced by different
colored threads being the prevailing features of all the patterns.
By a machine constructed and operating in the manner herein-before described,
however, a circular fabric with more elaborate patterns may be produced. For
example, let it be assumed as before that there are one hundred needles, twenty
tubes, and twenty pins, and that the colors in the tubes alternate, one tube having a
black thread, and the next tube a white thread, and so on throughout.
If when the needle cylinder has made five of the above-described intermittent
movements in one direction it is caused to make five similar movements in the
opposite direction, and so on, the result will be a circular fabric with alternate black
and white vertical stripes, the courses of loops being straight across the tube of
fabric and parallel with each other. Now the cylinder may be so operated that
several courses of the loops of each light thread may form a continuation of a black
strip, while the loops of dark thread form continuations of light strips. If this
change be continued the pattern will be of a plaid character, and it will be
evident that patterns of a most intricate character can be produced by threads of
many different colors, and by changes in the movement of the cylinder, the loops
of the different strips made by different colored threads being made to change
places as the taste of the operator may suggest.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th August 1877.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTED FABRICS AND IN MACHINERY FOR PRO-
DUCING THE SAME." A communication from abroad by Charles Henry Landen-
berger, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
The said Invention consists of a tubular fabric, in the production of which the
needles are caused to operate in sets, one thread being used in connection with each

page_text: set of needles, the loops formed by each set forming a distinct fabric from, but united
to, the fabrics made by the other sets, so that a knitted tube with patterns of a more
than ordinarily complex character may be produced.
The Invention further consists of mechanism herein-after described, reference
being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a view partly in section of sufficient of
a rotary knitting machine to illustrate the Invention; Figure 2, a sectional plan
taken along the line 1, 2, in Figure 1.
Figure 3, a vertical section of the lower part of the machine.
Figure 4, a vertical section of part of the machine drawn to an enlarged scale in
order to illustrate its operation.
Figure 5, a diagram shewing the formation of the fabric.
And Figures 6 and 7, side and end views respectively of the devices for controlling
the movements of the machine.
A is the base; B, the frame of the machine; and E, a hollow cylinder caused to
revolve in suitable bearings, and carrying a series of guided latch needles a, as in
ordinary circular knitting machines. The rotation of the cylinder, however, is not
continuous as usual, but intermittent, each movement being such that the circle of
needles will be moved to the extent of the distance between two adjoining needles.
The needles are provided with the usual bits e, the lower ends of which are slightly.
above the tops of a series of pins fattached to a ring F, the latter surrounding the
bearing G of the needle cylinder E, and being guided by the frame of the machine
or otherwise. The needles are raised by the pins on this ring, to which an inter-
mittent vertical movement is imparted by any suitable mechanism, an eccentric T,
lever v, and connecting rods w being shown in the Drawing to effect this operation,
and the needles may be depressed by a ring F¹, connected by rods m to the ring F,
the said ring F acting upon the upper ends of the bits c of the needles.
A series of vertical thread guides H which it is preferred to make tubular as
shewn, are arranged in a circle, and have their bearings in a cross bar of the frame,
each tube having a pinion, and the pinions of the whole of the tubes being driven
by a central wheel carried by a vertical shaft, which is driven by means of bevel
gearing from a vertical shaft I at the side of the frame B. There as as many tubes
as there are pins fon the ring F, and each tube is directly above and in line with
one of the said pins. The threads pass through the tubes H and through eyes x at
the lower ends of the same, as shown in Figure 4, and thence to the fabric, which
passes through the interior of the cylinder E. The number of pins F and tubes H
will depend upon the subdivision of the needles into sets, for it should be under-
stood that the needles do not operate as in the ordinary knitting machines, but in
sets, each set of needles operating on a separate thread so as to produce separate
fabrics looped together during the operation of knitting; hence, if there are in all
one hundred needles, and they are intended to operate in sets of five each, there
must be twenty equidistant pins fand as many thread guiding tubes H.
The machine operates in the following manner:-During the upward movement
of the ring F its pins fraise every fifth needle of the whole series, or one needle of
cach set of twenty on the cylinder, the upper ends of the elevated needles passing
into the tubes H, as shown in Figure 4. The tubular thread guides are now turned
to the extent of one revolution, their threads being thereby wrapped round the
needles, after which the latter descend and add their loops to those of the fabric in
the usual manner. The cylinder is now turned to the extent of the distance between
tyvo adjoining needles, so that on the next upward movement of the ring F, twenty
needles, each needle adjoining that first operated on, will be raised, the threads
wrapped round them, and on the descent of the needles, their loops will be added to
the fabric.
The fabrics produced by ordinary circular-knitting machines are restricted as
regards the variety of their patterns, transverse stripes produced by different colored
threads being the prevailing feature of all the patterns.
By a machine, constructed and operating in the manner herein-before described,

page_text: however, a circular fabric with more elaborate patterns may be produced. For
example, let it be assumed, as before, that there are one hundred needles, twenty
tubes, and twenty pins f, and that the colors in the tubes alternate, one tube
having a black thread, and the next tube a white thread, and so on throughout.
If when the needle cylinder has made five of the above described intermittent
movements in one direction, it is caused to make five similar movements in the
opposite direction, and so on, the result will be a circular fabric with alternate
black and white vertical stripes. This will be best observed by reference to the
diagram, Figure 5, where M and N represent two united strips of fabric, one strip
being composed of a single dark thread, and the other strip of a light thread, the
courses of loops being straight across the tube of fabric and parallel with each
other. Now the cylinders may be so operated that several courses of the loops of
the light thread may form a continuation of the strip M, whose loops of dark
thread form continuations of the strip N. If this change be continued, the
pattern will be of a plaid character, and it will be evident that patterns of a most
intricate character can be produced by threads of many different colors and by
changes in the movement of the cylinder, the loops of the different strips made by
different colored threads being caused to change places, as the taste of the operator
may suggest. The plan of forming of knitted fabric of different colors, and
the fabric itself, differ from ordinary modes and ordinary varigated tubes, for
example, in the fabric made by certain known machines, the loops take a diagonal
course, and one thread is used for each needle, whereas, according to this Invention,
the courses of loops are straight across the tube of fabric, and but one thread is used
for each set of needles.
The device, which it is preferred to use in order to govern the movement of the
cylinders E and shaft I, are shewn in Figures 6 and 7, which represent a duplex
arrangement intended to operate two machines placed side by side on the base A.
D is the driving shaft carrying two discs L, the edge of each which is adapted to
the space between teeth on a spur wheel K, and is slotted and bent so as to form a
cam of such a character that each revolution of the disc will impart a movement to
the extent of one tooth in the spur wheel. These spur wheels are carried by shafts
turning in bearings secured to the base A, and having at the front ends bevel wheels
m, each of which is adapted to one or other of two pinions i,., carried by a sleeve
which can slide on but not turn independently of a vertical shaft I, one of these
shafts being arranged to operate the thread-guiding tubes of one machine, and the
other the thread-guiding tubes of the other machine.
The movement of the spur-wheel shafts is always in one direction, consequently
it follows that the direction of the movement of the shafta I, I, will depend upon
which of the pinions i, i, are in gear with the bevel wheels m. This is controlled
by a pattern chain P through the medium of levers J, one for each shaft I; the
long arms of each of these levers having a rod j attached to the sleeve carrying the
pinions i,, so that, as the lever is operated, the said sleeve is elevated or depressed,
and either the upper or lower pinion brought into gear with the wheel m. One of
the shafts I is also caused to impart movement to the cylinders of the two machines
through the medium of a suitable system of spur wheels t. In order to prevent the
movement of the lever J, while the bevel wheel m is being turned, the disc L is
provided with a cam plate p, which, when the spur wheel K is being operated,
confines the ends of a lever R, and causes a roller upon the same to press upon the
top of the lever J, and thus prevent its elevation.
The lever J may be elevated, so as to be free from the control of the pattern chain,
by operating a cam s acting upon the short arm of the lever.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect,
I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. A tubular-knitted fabric composed of a series of united strips, each strip

page_text: composed of one thread knitted into transverse courses of loops, all substantially as
herein-before described.
Second. The combination in a circular-knitting machine of an intermittently
rotating needle-carrying cylinder with thread guides and devices, substantially as
described, whereby the needles are caused to operate in sets, and whereby any
thread guide is caused to co-operate with any or all of the sets of needles, all
substantially as herein-before described.
my
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
Specification set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (LS.)