provements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: ի.
TRUVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
20
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I, WILLIAMS. OSTRANDER of' No. 188, Division Street, Amsterdam, N.Y.,
U.S.A., Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
'
i
The object of this invention is to provide means for operating the belt shifters
to stop, knitting machines when too great a strain is put upon the twine or wool, or
when it breaks.
By this invention, a lever is pivoted to the frame of the machine, and has
a perforation through its longer arm, near the extremity, for the twine to pass
through. The shorter arm of this-lever rests beneath the longer arm of a weighted
lever or trigger also pivoted to the framework. This trigger is connected to a
vertical pin capable of reciprocating through the horizontal framework and
resting in contact with the outer end of an arm attached to a vertically pivoted
rod fitted with a torsion-spring. This vertical rod has an arm which rests in
contact with a pin on a lever which engages a notch in a push-pin capable of
reciprocating vertically in the framework and fitted with a spring around it and
normally in compression. This pusli-pin rests in contact with the belt-shifting
levers.
"
When undue strain is applied to the twine, or if it break, the lever, through
which it passes, is moved in one or the other direction, and the trigger being
thereby operated the vertical rod connected thereto is raised, the arm on the
vertically-pivoted rod is released, and its torsional spring. rotates the vertical rod
so that its arm disengages the lever from the notch of the push-pin and the spring
thereon: forces it on to the belt-operating levers to operate them and stop the
machine...
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM S. OSTRANDER, of No. 188, Division Street, Amsterdam, N.Y.,
U.SA, 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:-
-
1
This invention relates to certain-new-and useful improvements in apparatus for

page_text: operating belt shifters for stopping knitting machines when a thread breaks or
becomes tangled or caught, and while it is designed primarily for use with knitting
machines of a circular class it may, with some modifications, be used for operating
belt-shifters for stopping other kinds of fabric knitting machines by breaking
of the thread or by snarling or catching of same so as to increase the tension of
the thread.
My invention has for its object, to provide a simple and efficient means for
holding the thread running from the bobbins to the needles under suitable
tension, and causing either a breakage of a thread or an excess of tension, as
may result from a snarling or catching of a thread, 'to set into motion a simple
means quickly applied and automatically causing a release of an arm which is
held latched under tension and calculated to operate a suitable adjunct of a
belt shifter the latter may be provided with for operating said belt shifter the
moment such release is effected.
This invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with
the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in
which;-
-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying improvements by
which my invention may be carried into practice and illustrating one preferred
form and arrangement of levers which may be employed!
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, taken at line 1 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view
of a thread guide plate which may be employed.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus, and illustrating another form and
arrangement of levers which may be employed for carrying my invention into
effect. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same, taken at line 2 in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is
a side view taken at line 3 in Fig. 5.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
In carrying my invention into practice I employ, preferably, that form of
apparatus illustrated and provided with either of the forms of thread tension levers
shewn, which I at present consider preferable forms, yet parts thereof may be
varied within certain limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.
I first provide a post-form pivot A, suitably supported, and having with it a
tension spring a, held by one of its ends with the body of said spring and by its
opposite end with a suitable stationary piece, as a¹, and rigidly secure with said
pivot, an arm B, calculated to automatically disengage the usual pushing bar
employed, or its equivalent, for imparting motion to the lever operating the belt
shifter or an adjunct of the same. I also provide with said pivot a latching
arm C, calculated to engage with a suitable latch keeper c and be held by the
same under tension from spring a until said keeper is tripped. This latch keeper c
is automatically controlled by a gravity trigger D, comprising a circular form
head d and an arm &, suitably connected with pivot piece e to which the said
latchkeeper is secured. A movalle weight D₁ on an extension of said arm d¹
operates as a counterbalance by which to regulate the tension of the thread at
which it may be broken, and it may be set at will for adapting said trigger to
operate the latch keeper at pressure corresponding with the tension at which the
thread breaks. This trigger and latch are preferably pivoted to a suitable bed
plate through the means of posts e e secured to the same. I also provide two sets
of tension levers for operating said trigger and causing it to release the latch
keeper e from engagement with latching arm C. These tension levers are employed
respectively in numbers corresponding with the numbers of threads used with the
machine for producing the fabric. These tension levers may be of any suitable
form of construction and arrangement by which those of one set may automatic-
ally operate the said trigger when a thread breaks when those of the other set
may be automatically operated by an excess of tension of the thread for similarly
operating the said trigger. F is one of my preferred forms of thread tension
levers which is shewn (in Fig. 1) to stand a little out of a vertical position with
its thread receiving end loop to be in situation between upper and lower thread

page_text: guiding eyes h, h', while its lower end is so pivoted that the short arm thereof is
lighter than its opposite or long arm and is held from contact with the trigger D
only when the thread T, under tension, draws the heavier and longer arm l'
forward to position of full lines in Fig. 1. These levers (marked Fin Fig. 1)
though shewn to be about vertical when holding the thread at tension and
unbroken, may be arranged about horizontal as shewn by levers 1 in Figs. 4,5
and 6, with its short arm f' lighter than the long arm and the thread under
tension below the outer end portion of said long arm, as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6.
These levers For F', I term "gravity tension" leyers as their heavier arms ff"
hold with the thread under tension until the thread breaks when the weight of
the said arm operates the trigger D. The levers of the other set which I term
the "draft" tension-levers are shewn to be in the form of levers G, Figs. 1 and 2,
and of Gin Figs. 4, 5, and 6, and in both of which forms the inner arm beneath
the trigger D is heavier than the outer arm and may have its weight overcome by
the excess of the tension (from any accidental cause whatever) on the lighter arm,
when the heavier arm will be automatically raised by such excessive tension and
cause the trigger D to operate the latch-keeper.
With the form of lever G, Figs. 1 and 2, thread T is passed downwardly and
outwardly from guide-eye h, located on a plane above the plane of the outer
end of said lever G, to and through an eye or loop g formed with the outer end
of the lighter arm g², and thence in direction downward and relatively inwardly to
the needle, (not shewn) so that the lines of direction of thread T between the
guide-eye and the needle will, when under tension, form an obtuse angle with
its lines intersecting in loop 9. In this case an excessive tension on thread T
by its pull in a downward direction will force the outer arm gl of
lever G downward from position of full lines in Fig. to that
indicated by dotted lines in the same figure and thereby elevate the heavy end g
of said lever and effect a tripping of trigger G as indicated by dotted lines in
Fig. 1, when the latch-keeper e will be carried out from engagement with the
latching arm C, and the latter, under the impulse of the torsion spring a will
be quickly moved from position shewn by full lines in Fig. 2 to that indicated
by dotted lines in the same figure, while with the form of lever G¹ the thread is
passed from a guide-eye h³ to and over the outer end portion of the lighter
arm G and thence beneath the heavier arm of the gravity tension-lever F
and then to the guide eye h4 and through it to the needle.
These several levers of each set, when made in the form of levers F and G, may
be supported from any suitable bed plate I by means of pivot posts secured to
said bed plate by means of holes and suitable screw threads, in number
corresponding with the number of said levers to be employed, while, when they
are in the form of levers F and G¹ they may be pivoted with suitable arms I!,
carrying each a guide eye and secured to said plate by screws S passing through
holes provided in said plate, as shown in Fig. 5. This plate I may be secured
on a central shaft or post J by any suitable means, yet preferably in an adjustable
manner by a sleeve and set-screw j, as shewn and is set apart about 20 inches
more or less above the top plate of the machine from which post J is supported,
while the lowermost plate H is about the same distance from the bed plate I;
but in some cases these distances may be varied.
An elastic pushing pin L, provided with a notch 7, (indicated by dotted lines in
Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5) is provided for imparting motion to lever M made preferably
in the form of a bell-crank lever for moving the belt shifting device (not shewn)
which device is so well known that a description thereof is unnecessary. This
pushing pin, when released, is actuated by spring N pressing said pin against the
end of one arm of said lever M, thereby automatically operating the same in the
proper direction for moving tlie belt shifting device so as to shift the belt from the
fast pulley driving the machine to the. loose one in the usual manner, which
requires no particular description. This pushing-pin L may be supported against
the pressure of spring N by the arm B, holding with noteli as shewn in Figs. 4

page_text: and 5 or said pin may be supported by a pivoted bar as mn with pin nagainst which
the arm B may strike to move said bar out of notch when the spring N moves
said pin against lever M, operating the belt 'shifting device.
1
The operation of this apparatus will be readily understood, and is as follows
before the machine is started, the several threads T will each be run from ita
bobbin (uot shewn) to the needles (also not shewn) with each thread in contact
and holding with a tension lever of each set so that each of said levers may be
caused to automatically operate the gravity trigger Dand thereby successively
bring into operation the several devices which automatically give motion to the
parts between the said gravity triggers and the lever operating the belt shifting
device.
*
When the thread tension levers are of the form and arrangement shewn in
Fig. 1, a breakage of a thread T, as indicated by dotted lines in яaid Fig. 1,
allows lever to fall from position of full lines to that of broken dotted lines
and automatically cause the gravity trigger D to operate the latchkeeper as before
described; but should the thread remain unbroken and become snarled or so held
as not to freely move from the bobbin to the needle the excessive tension of the
thread on the tension lever G, Fig. 1 operates to automatically move said lever
from position of full lines to that of broken and dotted lines, Fig. 1. and thereby
operate said gravity trigger G. When the tension levers are of the form and a
arrangement shewn in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the thread T, passing from a guide 'eye h
and through eye and thence over lover G and beneath lever 1"; and thence
through a guide eye h to the needle (not shewn) operates substantially in the
same manner with said levers and Gas when operating with levers and G,
and so that a breakage of a thread 1 operates to allow the said lever to
automatically cause the gravity trigger 1) to rise, while an excessive tension of the
thread causes lever G to automatically operate the same, trigger in the samo
direction. In all cases when'said trigger D is raised the latcli keeper, will be
moved to the position of dotted lines, as indicated in Fig. 1, and through the
latch keeper c unlatch arm C; when the torsion spring a will automatically turn
post A and cause it to carry the arm B in a proper direction for releasing the
pushing pin L by suddenly moving away from it the device m in Fig. 5, provided
to engage with the notch in said pushing pin, Fig. 5, or by striking pin a,
provided with a pivoted bar, as m, disengage said bar from said notch 7, in the
pushing pin L, when the actuating spring N automatically causes said pin to
operate the lever M, provided to move the belt shifter (not shewn) so that the
latter may effect a shifting of the belt (or clutch) and thereby
effect a stoppage of the machine. After the thread, if broken, has
been tied, or tlie excessive tension or cause of excessive tension of the thread has
been removed, the belt shifter (not shown) will be moved back to its normal position
and the pushing pin L will be raised and latched in place, when the latching
arm C will be latched in place by keeper, when all' parts will be in position and
ready for automatic operation as soon as a thread is broken or caught from moving
freely froin the bobbin to the needle.
My above described improvements may readily be applied to knitting machines
now in use, as well as being built with them, for operation either at the time of
the breakage of a thread or at the time of the occurance of an excessive tension of
the thread, which, if continued, might result in the breakage of the sanie, so that
in either case immediate stoppage of the machine may be effected, and that an
attendant may at once remove the cause of the stoppage whatever it may be, and
thereby give to the thread its proper condition for continuing its run to the needle
of the machine.
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:-

page_text: the pivoted post A, a torsion spring a for revolving said post in one direction,
arm B carried by said post, of arm C also carried by said post, a latch keeper e for
temporarily holding said arm C to position moved to, and a pivoted trigger con-
nected with said latch keeper and adapted to retain it in engagement with said
arm C, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
(2) The combination with the pushing pin L provided with notch 7, pivoted
post A, torsion spring a, arm B carried by said post, and adapted to engage with
notch in said post, of latching arın C also secured to said post and adapted to
hold the latter against the torsion of spring a, keeper c, pivoted trigger D, a lever
provided with a weighted arm which is arranged below the long arm of said
trigger D and a lighter arm adapted to receive the pressure of the thread running
to the needles and yield downwardly under excessive tension of the thread conse
quent on the pull of the needles thereon, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
(3) The combination with pivoted post A, pushing pin L provided with notch !,
torsion spring a, and arm B carried by said post, for operation with said notch of
said pushing pin, of a latching arm C also secured to said post and adapted to
hold it against the torsion of spring a, lateh-keeper c, trigger-D, a lever having its
light arm beneath said trigger and its heavier arm projecting outwardly and
adapted to be held, from dropping, by the upward pull' of the thread beneath the
heavier arm of the lever, while the thread remains unbroken and is being pulled
on by the needles, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
(4) The combination with a weighted trigger, adapted to operate a latch-keeper,
of a lever provided with a long heavy arin adapted be be held in an elevated
position by the thread, and a short light arm arranged beneath the trigger and
adapted to operate the latter when the thread held by the heavy arm is broken,
and a second lever having a light arm adapted to hold the thread and receive its
pressure, and a heavy arm arranged beneath the said trigger and operating the
same when the thread becomes snarled substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
(5) The combination with the trigger having an adjustable weight and a latch-
keeper carried by said trigger, of the two thread holiling levers as described which
are each adapted to trip the said trigger and have each its inwardly extended
arm arranged beneath the head end of said trigger, and each having its outwardly
extended arın adapted to hold the thread and receive the pressure from the pull
of the same while it is being drawn to the needles, one of said levers having its
inwardly extended arm heavier than its outer arm and held from contact with the
head end of said trigger by the draught of the thread on its outer arm until the
thread breaks and the other lever having its inwardly extended arm held out of
contact with said head of said trigger by its own weight until a snarl of the
thread, at a point between the bobbin and the needles, imposing a strong pull
on the outer arm of the lever and thereby overcomes the weight of the inner arm,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Doted this, 26th day of March 1898