Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
We, CHARLES WALLACE HARRISON, of Plymouth Villa, 242, Plymouth Grove,
Chorlton-on-Medlock, Secretary and Mechanical Patentee, and The HARRISON
PATENT KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY, LIMITED, of 48, Upper Brook Street,
Knitting Machine Manufacturers, both in Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
<
Our invention relates to improvements in knitting machines of the rectalinear
type known as the Harrison or "Lamb" knitting machines, and which may
employ either latch or spring bearded needles.
The object of our invention is to facilitate the manipulation and cheapen the
construction of the machine. For the purpose of decreasing the cost of con-
struction and dispensing with some of the present parts of knitting machines,
specially the bars upon which the yarn carriers or guides slide, the ordinary yarn
carrier or guide sliding on said bar, and the yarn carrier or guide which swings
or swivels by means of frictional action, we construct a yarn carrier or guide which
does not require a bar to slide upon or frictional action to reverse its
position in order to feed the yarn into the hooks of the descending needles. We
obtain this
elongated slot
guide or
yarn
but
or
result by
a
or
an
yarn guide
We
equivalent.
are
carrier
aware
constructed
that
an
with
the ordinary
carrier may at times have the hole therein slightly
this is caused by some
mechanical
fault;
is
oval,
the hole
intended to be round, but in polishing or finishing it has become somewhat oval.
Plating or backing yarn guides or carriers also have an elongated slot, but these
do not accomplish the purpose and object of our invention. The elongated slot
in this our invention is preferably of such a length as to extend to the point or
position where the descending needles require feeding with yarn in whichever
direction the carriage or cams may be travelling; this yarn guide or carrier is
fixed preferably in a stationary position to the carriage, cam box, bridge of the
carriage, knife latch openers, brush latch openers or other suitable position. The
action of the yarn when the machine is at work is to pass and remain at that end
of the elongated slot or other equivalent nearest the descending needles, and
when the traverse of the carriage or cam box is reversed, which is the case after
each row of knitting, the yarn dwells until the opposite end of the elongated slot
comes into contact therewith, where it will be nearest to and in position to be
We make this yarn
fed or directed into the hooks of the descending needles.
guide or carrier in iron, steel, pot, glass, or any suitable material. In combina-
tion with the aforesaid yarn guide or carrier, we employ centre cams which are
constructed to elevate or raise the needles and keep the measurement of the
elongated slot or equivalent in the yarn guide or carrier as short as possible; at
the upper end of the centre cam or cams we place a cam with a central peak, and
at either side of said cam is a parallel or sloping shoulder; immediately above
and higher up on the cam plate we fix another cam with an inverted central peak

page_text: and parallel or sloping shoulders at both sides; between the edges of these came
a space is left, forming a groove just wide enough to permit the passage of the
heels or butts of the needles; we make each of these cams either in one or more
pieces, or the lower cam may form the central peak alone and still lower ordinary
needle elevating or raising cam or cams may form the parallel or sloping shoulders;
the action of the needles is to travel up the "still lower" ordinary cam or cams
until their heels or butts reach the parallel or sloping shoulder, where they pause
until they come into contact with the centre peak which quickly raises them
to the requisite height, when the stitch or loops will be below the latches of the
needles, and are caused to descend immediately by the inverted peak of the upper
or highest cam until their heels or butts rest upon the parallel or sloping shoulder
where they remain until they come into contact with the ordinary stitch-forming
wing or side cams which cause the needles to further descend and the stitch
thereby formed. The central peaked and upper or highest inverted peaked cam
permits of the shortest elongated slot or equivalent to be used, for when the needle
is drawn down to the parallel or sloping ledge, the latch of the needle is drawn
below under the feeding yarn, which must afterwards be necessarily caught by
the needle hooks. In combination with the yarn guide or carrier with elongated
slot herein before mentioned, the exterior of the said yarn guide or carrier can be
formed with bevelled or V shaped sides to retain the latches of the needles open
until the said latches are safely passed below the feeding yarn; such will dispense
with the necessity of using needle latch openers or needle latch opening brushes.
In the ordinary and general practice of knitting machine construction a part
of the carriage, usually the lower edge, slides in parallel bearing bars; in lieu
of this, we make the cam plate broader than customary and arrange either the
lower or top edge or both to slide in the parallel bearings and secure the saddle
or carriage to the cam plates in any suitable manner. We dispense with the usual
needle gibs or bars which fit into the needle bed, and in lieu thereof we fix a
parallel bar preferably at the top edge of the needle bed and said bar may be
fastened to the end casting of the machine, the needle bed terminating at the
bar; a well or hollow recess is formed under the said bar and between the drop-
ping jacks, which permits the needles to be removed from the needle bed without
removing the bar; the needles pass under the bar which prevents them rising
out of their grooves or slots when in work.
In place of the usual needle springs, we retain the needles in their active and
inactive positions by means of a parallel bar located at the lower edge of the
needle bed; the upper edge of said parallel bar is preferably made to stand
higher than the bottom of the needle grooves in the bed; the lower tail or butt
end of the needle when in action will rest against the upper edge of the aforesaid
parallel bar and be prevented falling or sliding down the needle groove into
an inactive position. When desiring to pull the needles down into an inactive
position, sufficient energy is employed to force their lower tail or butt ends on
to the top edge of the parallel bar, or at their lower tail or butt ends the needles
may be shaped with a recess to fit over the top edge of the parallel bar and are
thus retained in an inactive position until required to be forced or sprung into
a working or active position. In order to remove all possible strain off the yarn
when knitting, we attach preferably to the bobbin stand a vertical rod the top
end being formed to act upon the yarn take-ups or tension springs which are
situated on the top of the bobbin stand; the lower end of the vertical rod is con-
nected to or rests on one end of a fulcrumed lever which at the opposite end is
joined to a frame or bar placed parallel with the needle bed at its lower edge,
under the carriage or cam plate and immediately under a moveable cam fixed
in or on the carriage or cam plate; said cam has bevelled or rounded sides and
up and down action; when the cam is up it recedes into a recess in the carriage
or cam plate and has a stud or pin passing through to the upper side of carriage,
where it is connected with the usual lever to sustain the cam in a raised position.
When required to be inactive, the cam is caused to descend by a spiral or other

page_text: In
preferred form of spring fitted in a convenient position, as between the cam
plate and underside of the carriage. The under surface of the cam travels with
the cam carriage and upon the tails, heels or butts of the needles out of action
and when arriving opposite the needles in action, the cam falls and presses upon
the edge of the frame or bar that is joined to the fulcrumed lever, causing the
vertical rod to rise and its top end to depress the yarn take-up or tension
spring and relieve the yarn from strain while the active needles are knitting.
Immediately the cam returns into contact with the inactive needles it is caused to
rise by its bevelled or rounded sides striking the tail, heel or butt of the needle,
taking the pressure off the frame or bar when the vertical rod falls and releasing
the yarn take-ups or tension springs so as to perform their work of taking up the
slack yarn at each end or edge of the fabric being knitted. We fasten the machine
on to suitable brackets fixed to the table or bench, the ends of said brackets on
which the machine is secured being slotted. We pass thumb screws or equiva-
lents through these slots and screw them into the end castings of the machine,
which when tightened, securely hold the machine in its place and when loosened
permit the machine to be drawn off the brackets with the thumb screws, bolts or
equivalents being entirely removed. In lieu of thumb screws or bolts, we may
fit into the end castings of the machine studs or pins with screwed ends which
would pass through the brackets and be secured by wing or thumb nuts.
order to produce plain knitting with one side or edge open, as is necessary in
the manufacture of plain drawers and other similar garments, the leg is knitted
tubular until the body is reached, when the action of the machine is changed
to knit one side or edge open for uniting to the second leg or half of the drawers.
In machines using cams dispensing with stops as described in the Specification
of the Patent granted to William Harrison and Charles Wallace Harrison,
numbered 13552 of 1895, we obtain this result by raising and lowering the centre
cams at regular alternating intervals; we fit preferably on both sides of the
carriage or cam plates between the two studs or pins connected with the centre
cams underneath, a disc on each side of the machine upon which are inclined
elevations set at regular intervals apart and on the edge of the discs are formed
ratchet teeth and on the studs or pins projections which engage with the inclined
elevations on the discs; the discs are caused to move round when the carriage is
at either end of the machine by suitable pawls preferably fixed to the bearing
bars wherein the carriage or cam plates slide, engaging the ratchet teeth of the
discs causing the inclined elevations thereon to engage the projections on the
studs or pins connected with the centre cams, and said cams to rise into a recess
in the cam plate or carriage, thereby removing them from contact with the heels
or butts of the needles on one side of the machine and on the opposite the pro-
jections on the studs or pins to slip off the inclined elevations on the disc, causing
the centre cams to lower into position and to act upon the heels or butts of the
needles, therefore as the carriage or cams are traversed backwards and forwards
the needles at each side of the machine will alternately work two rows of knitting
and rest two rows. In a modification we fit preferably on both sides of the
carriage a sliding bar with inclines to engage with the studs or pins connected
with the centre cams; the bars are caused to slide and raise and lower the central
cams by revolving discs or plates having notches or indentures round their edges
against which the ends of the sliding bars or studs or projections fixed thereon
rest; these are kept in contact with the edge of the disc or plate by a spring or
springs secured to the sliding bars and some suitable part of the carriage, the
discs are caused to revolve by a pawl and ratchet in the manner as herein before
described or other suitable means; as the discs revolve the sliding bars are caused
to slide receding from the discs and approaching it by means of the springs
alternately raising and lowering the centre cams. In order to dispense with the
aid of springs to draw the sliding bars towards the discs as explained in the last
mentioned method, the discs or plates may be provided with a groove into which
is connected one end of the sliding bars, and as the disc or plate is revolved the

page_text: sliding bars will be caused to recede and approach the said disc or plate by the
grooves which are formed to give the required movement. We make the cams
at either side of the machine moveable in a parallel line with the needle bed by
means of slotted holes through the carriage or saddle through which screws, bolts
or other suitable fastenings connect the cam plate permitting the plate containing
the cams to be moved to the right or left and to be secured in the set or adjusted
position by means of the said fastenings, or the slots for adjusting the cam plate
can be in the plate itself and secured after adjustment by screws or bolts entering
the carriage; or the cam plate may be moved by adjusting or set screws attached
to one or both ends of the carriage; such adjustment is advisable when needle
beds of various gauges are used in one machine and for general purposes of
adjustment.
Dated this 15th day of January 1898.
We, CHARLES WALLACE HARRISON, of Plymouth Villa, 242, Plymouth Grove,
Chorlton-on-Medlock, Secretary and Mechanical Patentee, and The HARRISON
PATENT KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY, LIMITED, of 48, Upper Brook Street,
Knitting Machine Manufacturers, both in Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
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 relates to improvements in rectilinear knitting machines in
which latch or spring bearded needles are employed. The object of the invention
is to provide an improved knitting machine by simplifying the construction,
thereby reducing the cost of the machine and facilitating production by, first,
enabling the yarn to be fed into the hooks of the descending needles without the
yarn carrier with guide requiring to slide upon a bar, or to swivel or to oscillate
on the carriage: second, to provide a yarn guide that will work either with or
without needle latch openers or needle latch opening brushes: third, enabling
the needles to be renewed from the needle bed without displacing the bar that
prevents said needles rising out of the grooves or slots when in work; fourth,
dispensing with the use of needle springs, and substituting therefor a horizontal
bar for retaining the needles in their active and inactive positions: fifth the
mechanism for changing from plain tubular knitting to open side knitting or
from open side knitting to plain tubular knitting: sixth, enabling the machine
to be fixed to any table or bench by a combination of slotted brackets and thumb
screws or their equivalents secured to the end castings of the machine, so that the
machine may be withdrawn from the brackets without removing the screws by
which the machine is secured to the brackets. We attain the object set forth by
the mechanism hereinafter described and aš illustrated in the accom-
which
of drawings in
similar letters refer
panying four
similar parts: Fig. 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 an end view of our
Fig. 3 is
improved knitting machine:
a side view Fig. 4 is a
sectional end view, and the remaining figures are details drawn to an enlarged
sheets
to

page_text: cale explanatory of the aforesaid drawings of the machine, and are as follows:
Figs. 5 to 7 are respectively side view, longitudinal section and plan of our im-
proved yarn carrier or guide: Fig. 5' shows a yarn guide that is equivalent to
he above, constructed of wire bent to the required form so as to produce a slot
or elongation therein; Figs. 8 and 9 show an alternative position for fixing yarn
guide: Fig. 10 is an end view of cam carriage with revolving discs attached for
raising and lowering the centre cams: Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively plan and
front views of the same but for clearer illustration are not shown at an angle.
In combination with a rectilinear knitting machine, we construct a yarn guide
such as g or other preferred form with an elongated slot j which enables the
yarn to be fed into the hooks of the descending needles without said yarn guide
requiring a bar to slide upon or to pause by frictional action before it reverses its
position as is usual in machines of ordinary construction: the aforesaid slot j is
formed of sufficient length to extend to the point or position where the descend-
ing needles require feeding with yarn after the carriage is stopped before revers-
ing the direction that the cam carriage may be travelling, the open elongation
in the yarn guide giving the yarn the necessary pause: the yarn guide is immove-
ably fixed either to the bridge of the carriage as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 or to the
knife latch openers, or to the brush latch openers, or in other suitable positious
as instanced in Figs. 8 and 9. The action of the yarn when the machine is at
work is to remain at that end of the elongate: slot that is nearest to the descend-
ing needles. When the traverse of the carriage is reversed after each row of
knitting and upon the approach of the yarn guide to the needles in action, the
yarn remains stationary until the opposite end of the slot comes into contact
therewith where the yarn will be nearest to, and in position to be fed or directed
into the hooks of the descending needles. In the accompanying drawings our
improved yarn guide 9 herein before described is shown attached by means of.
set screws e: the exterior lower portion g' is bevelled or finished to a shape as
shown in Figs. 5 to 7 so as to retain the latches of the needles open until said
latches are safely passed below the feeding yarn, by these means rendering the
employment of needle latch openers or needle latch opening brushes optional..
We do not confine ourselves to the precise shape of yarn guide that is shown on
the drawings: a skeleton yarn guide as shown in Fig. 5, formed of wire and
bent so as to produce therein an open slot or elongation as j, or metallic or other
slips built up or connected together to produce an equivalent of the yarn guide as
illustrated fixed to any preferred part of the cam carriage so as to be immoveable
thereon may be employed. We dispense with the usual needle gibs or bars which
fit into the needle bed for preventing the needles rising out of their grooves or
slots when in work and fit a bar q to effect the same purpose: the ends of said
bar are secured to the end castings of the machine, and a recess Fig. 4 is
thereby formed under the bar g and between the dropping jacks y, the needles
passing under said bar. The upper edge of the needle bed r terminates at or
near the aforesaid bar g and any of the needles may be taken out of the needle bed.
or replaced without removing said bar. We avoid the use of needle springs,
and retain the needles in their active or inactive positions by, means of a hori-
zontal bar as s fitted to the lower edge of the needle bed: the upper edge of said
bar is preferably rounded and projects above the bottom of the needle grooves r¹
in the needle bed r.
The tails or butt ends of the needles when in action will rest against the inner
edge of the aforesaid bars and be prevented from falling or sliding down the
needle grooves into an inactive position. When requiring to place the needles
in an inactive position, the tail or extended ends of said needles are sprung over
the rounded upper edge of the aforesaid bars and are thereby retained in an
inactive position until required to be replaced in a working or active position:
5 the tail or extended ends of the needles may if preferred be shaped with a loop
to fit on to the rounded upper edge of the bar s. In order to change the action of
the machine from plain knitting to open side knitting, we fit on each of the cam

page_text: carriages 6, 6' and between the two studs or pins c and c¹ that are connected
with the centre cams underneath said cam carriages a disc as d that may be
revolved, and upon which inclined elevations are formed at regular intervals
apart as d¹. We fit projections von the studs or pins c, c', said projections rest-
ing on the inclined elevations or in the depressions on the discs. We form teeth
or projections on the edges of said discs or flanges as d³ on the underside thereof
that engage with a catch or pawl m fitted preferably to one end of the bearing
bars k; the discs are caused to move round when the can carriage passes the
end of the machine by the catch m engaging with the ratchet teeth or ribs d
that are formed on the edge or on the underside of the discs but is inoperative
when the cam carriage is returning the discs being revolved cause the inclined
elevations on said discs to raise the studs or pins c or c¹ connected with the centre
cams by which said cams are raised into a recess in the cam plate and are removed
from contact with the heels of the needles on one side of the machine and on the
opposite side of the machine the projections on the studs c or c¹ are caused to
slip off the aforesaid inclined elevations on the disc and thereby lower the centre
cams into position so as to act upon the heels of the needles: by these means as
the cam carriages are traversed backwards and forwards the needles at each side
of the machine will alternately work two rows of knitting and rest two rows.
We
fix a knitting machine such as hereinbefore described, or other rectilinear knitting
machine to a table or bench by means of brackets as x in each of which a slot
is formed; said brackets are screwed or otherwise permanently attached to a
table or a bench: thumb screws u or equivalents that are screwed into the under-
side of the end castings of the machine are passed through the aforesaid slots,
which when tightened hold the machine fixed securely in its place, and when
loosened permit the machine to be withdrawn from the brackets without removing
said thumb screws.
In the Provisional Specification that accompanied this application we also
described an arrangement of centre cams, an arrangement of cam plates and
parallel bars and means for reducing the strain on the yarn when knitting. We
are advised that it is doubtful if these may be considered new or novel; we have
not therefore further described them and do not claim in respect of the parts
herein last named, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this our
said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
1st. In a rectilinear knitting machine in combination with the cam carriages,
a yarn guide as g that is formed with an elongated slot j and immoveably fixed
either to the bridge connecting the cam carriages as Figs. 1 to 4, or to the knife
latch openers, or to the brush latch openers, or in other preferred manner as
instanced by Figs. 8 and 9 thereby dispensing with either the ordinary sliding,
swinging or oscillating movement of the yarn guide substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described.
2nd. In a rectilinear knitting machine in combination with the cam carriages
a yarn guide as g that is formed with an elongated slot as j, exterior lower
edges g bevelled in the manner shown on the drawings, and immoveably fixéd
to any preferred part of the cam carriage, substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described.
3rd. In rectilinear knitting machines, in combination with the cam carriages,
a yarn guide that is formed either from a solid piece of metal as in Figs. 5 to 7
or of a skeleton construction obtained by bending wire as Fig. 5ª so as to pro-
duce a yarn guide in which an elongated opening or slot as j is formed, and
immoveably fixed to any preferred portion of the cam carriages, for the purpose
and in the manner substantially as herein before described.
4th. In rectilinear knitting machines, for preventing the needles rising out of
their grooves or slots when in work, the substitution of a horizontal bar as q for

page_text: the ordinary needle gib that fits into the needle bed which is thereby dispensed
with, said bar being fixed to the end castings of the machine by which a space
is left under the bar in which to place the needles, in the manner and for the
purpose substantially as herein before described.
5th. In rectilinear knitting machines in combination with the needle bed, a
horizontal bar ass for retaining the needles in an active position and for placing
the needles in an inactive position thereby avoiding the necessity of employing
needle springs, substantially as herein before described.
6th. In rectilinear knitting machines in combination with the centre cams,
discs as d that are formed with elevations and depressions thereon for actuating
the cam studs, and raising or lowering the centre cams, and a pawl or ratchet
for actuating said discs by which the action of the machine is changed from
plain knitting to open side knitting substantally as hereinbefore described.
7th. In rectilinear knitting machines, the manner of fixing said machines to
any table, bench, or the like, by the combination of slotted brackets as x and
thumb screws or equivalents, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as
herein before described.
1
8th. A rectilinear knitting machine that is constructed substantially as herein
before described.
D1
L
Avement 1000
THOMAS PRESCOTT,
53, Arcade Chambers, St. Mary's Gate, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicants.