Improvements in the Production of Ribbed Knitted Fabrics and in Machinery therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 5th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 11th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Ribbed Knitted Fabrics and
in Machinery therefor.
We, LUKE WOODWARD, Hosiery Machinist, and CHARLES RICHARD WOODWARD,
Mechanic, both of Lee Works, in the Town of Nottingham, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Our invention relates to the production of ribbed knitted fabrics made upon latch
needle frames both circular and straight with vertical stripes or any vertical
rectangular pattern and apparatus therefor.
We employ the ordinary circular rib head or the ordinary straight frame having
latch needles and having two or more feeders.
The machine
The action is strictly analogous for both circular and straight frames.
We describe our invention as applied to the circular machine.
needle bits are of the ordinary kind and the machine needles knit at each feeder
all round the head. The frame needles have bits of 2 different kinds, such as each
to be separately actuated independently of the others by their respective cams.
The frame needles, with these different sets of needle bits are arranged round the
head in sets of each kind according to the width of the stripe required. These
bits are controlled by different cams which are so arranged that at one feeder any
given set of needles rises to press and take the loop while at the next feeder it
passes on without doing either. The reverse is the case with the other set of frame
needles they pass on without taking loop at the first and rise to press at the second.
Each feeder is supplied with its own color of yarn, in the case of vertical stripes
every alternate feeder being alike.
We wish it to be distinctly understood that the above order may be varied by
arranging the machine needles in sets and letting the frame needles knit all round.
The cams are operated, for the production of patterns, by levers from our well
known vertical shaft arrangement.
Dated this 5th day of December 1889
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Ribbed Knitted Fabrics and
in Machinery therefor.
We, LUKE WOODWARD Hosiery Machinist, and CHARLES RICHARD WOODWARD
Mechanic, both of Lee Works, in the Town of Nottingham, 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 for its object improvements in the production of ribbed knitted
fabrics and in machinery therefor.
We
We employ the ordinary circular rib mechanism in which two intersecting rings or
series of needles are employed, a "frame" series and a "machine" series.
The needles travel round past feeders by which yarn of different colors is supplied
to them.
.
The needles of one series knit as they pass each feeder but the needles of the other
series are divided into sets and each set knits only with one color of yarn and does
not knit when passing a feeder supplying yarn of another color. In this way striped
work may be produced; the needles forming each set being arranged side by side to
a width corresponding to that of the stripe desired.

page_text: The needles in the sets are independently actuated by cam pieces and the operation
of the cam pieces is controlled by a pattern surface which determines whether the
needles knit or abstain from knitting.
In this way a variety of patterns may be produced.
In order that our said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section showing a portion of a circular rib head to which our
invention is applied.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
C,
a is a rotating crown on which is hung a series of machine needle bits b which
the crown carries round with it. Each bit is armed with a latch needle; two of these
needles are shown in Figure 1 and they are marked band c¹. These needles form a
complete ring around the crown and they are divided into sets, each set consisting of
as many needles side by side as is required to produce a stripe of the desired width on
the fabric. The bits 6 carry the needles b¹ of one set and the bits c the needles c¹ of
the next set and so on alternately.
There is also another series of needles, the frame needles, these are not shown in
the drawings but at d d are seen guides in which frame needles are carried, they are
slidden up and down vertically and are worked in all respects in the usual manner.
The needle bits 6 are brought forward to enable their needles to knit by coming
into contact with cam pieces e e and they are thrust back when they are not required
to knit by other cam pieces ff against which the projection 6x upon the bit strikes.
The needle bits c are not acted upon by the cam pieces e being notched at c* in order
that they may pass the cam pieces without touching them. The bits c are operated
upon by other cam pieces g g and on these there are upper and lower guiding surfaces
between which the projections exx upon the needle bits center.
On the left side of the Figure 1 the needle is shown advanced whilst the needle
carried by the bit c is held back out of action. The needle b¹ in this position takes
the yarn as it passes the left hand feeder.
с
On the right side of the machine the needle c¹ is shown advanced that it may take
the yarn as it passes the feeder situate (but not shown) to the right of the figure.
The fabric as usual hangs upon the stems of the needles and descends within the
circle of frame needles. When the needles are advanced as at 6¹ on the left side
of the figure and at c¹ on the right side the work passes from the latch of the
needle on to the stem thereof, and when the needle retires after the new loop has
been taken from the feeder the old loop forming part of the fabric passes over the
latch and is cast off.
The two feeders supply yarns of different colors, that on the left side yarn of one
color and this is knitted by the needles 61 and that on the right side yarn of another
color and this is knitted by the needles c¹. The frame needles take the yarn at both
feeders and knit continuously. so that on the frame side of the fabric which is outer-
most whilst the work is in the needles, the colors are blended whilst on the machine
side they are arranged more or less in stripes.
The cam pieces e are thrust forward by inclines at the lower ends of rods h h and
they are withdrawn by means of springs. ii are bent levers connected with the rods h
and also with the cam pieces f so that these cam pieces are moved simultaneously by
the operation of the levers i when it is desired to bring the needles 6' into action or to
carry them out of action.
The levers i are controlled by other levers k and these in turn may be governed by
bits upon a pattern chain so that in place of producing a continuous stripe a change
from one colour to another may be made when desired and a checkered pattern
obtained.
The cam pieces 9 are connected with levers 7 and these are governed in the same
way as the levers i

page_text: More than two feeders may be provided if desired.
It is obvious that in place of arranging the machine needles in sets and operating
the sets independently in the manner described that the frame needles may be so
arranged and operated. Also when desired both the machine needles and the frame
needles may be arranged and worked in sets as herein explained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A circular knitting machine having two series of latch needles a frame series
and a machine series and one of these series divided into sets and provided with
mechanism by which one set can be brought forward and made to knit whilst the
other set is kept back out of action whereby a fabric having on one side a mixture
of colours and on the other side a pattern resulting from the separation and
selection of the colours may be obtained substantially as described.
2. A circular latch needle rib head having. needle bits arranged in sets and
differently shaped so that they may be acted upon by different cam pieces and one
set made to knit whilst the other set is prevented from knitting substantially as
described.
3. A circular latch needle rib head having needle bits arranged in sets and acted
upon by different cam pieces which cam pieces are controlled by a pattern surface
substantially as described.
4. Apparatus substantially as described and represented in the annexed drawings..
5. A tubular knitted fabric made substantially as described and with yarns of
different colours; such fabric having on one side a mixture of colours resulting from
the differently coloured yarns being both brought to the surface and on the other side
a pattern resulting from the separation and selection of the coloured yarns.
Dated this 4th day of September 1890.
L. WOODWARD.
C. R. WOODWARD.