IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING " MACHINERY
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Sim, of Stewarton, Ayrshire, North
Britain, Scotch Bonnet Manufacturer, and James Anderson, of
Leicester, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING
"
MACHINERY."
Sealed the 13th January 1874, and dated the 18th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Sim and James
Anderson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 18th August 1873.
We, ROBERT STM, of Stewarton, Ayrshire, North Britain, Scotch
Bonnet Manufacturer, and JAMES ANDERSON, of Leicester, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for¨“IMPROVEMENTS IN
KNITTING MACHINERY," to be as follows :—
This Invention is mainly applicable to circular knitting machines, and
has for its object to gradually narrow or widen the article or fabric
during the process of manufacture. This is effected by decreasing or
increasing the number of operating needles by throwing certain of them
in or out of gear. To this end the shafts of the needles and the guides

page_text: •
in which they work are jointed so that while their lower parts remain in
their normal vertical position their upper ends may be made either
to converge
inwards towards the centre, and thereby diminish or
reduce the diameter of the circle, or they may be made to incline
outwards or from the centre, and thus enlarge or increase the diameter
of the circle; or, if it be required to throw some of the needles out of
work, the upper parts of these needles and guides may be thrown back
into a nearly horizontal position.
The vertical motions of the needles to form the loops are effected in the
usual manner by cams.
Supposing the normal or greatest diameter of the circle of needles be
say 14 inches, and there be say 300 needles in the circle, then, if it be
desired to narrow the fabric to say ten inches in diameter, then, every
fifth needle and guide must be removed by taking the loops off of such
selected needles and placing them on the adjoining needles, then
throwing the selected needles and guides back into a horizontal position.
A number of vacancies or spaces in the circle will be thereby produced,
and these spaces are filled up by moving back (in a radial direction) the
operating needles and guides on their centres or joints.
If after three or four rows of loops have been made it be required to
still more narrow the fabric more needles and guides may be thrown out
of work, and this operation may be repeated until not more than 10 or 20
needles remain in work. ⚫
In order to increase the work from the smaller to the larger diameter,
any
suitable number of needles that have been out of work must be
raised up and brought into operation, the number so brought into work
of course depending upon the required increase of size in the article to
be manufactured.
.
The radial motion of the needles and guides to increase or diminish
the diameter of the work is effected by two moveable rings or cylinders,
one placed above the other, and capable (the lower one) of being raised,
(and the upper one) lowered by means of treadles and rods. In the
annular space between these two rings and cylinders work projecting
tuds or pieces formed at the back of the vertical needle guides, the lower
ends of which work in slots or grooves, which will prevent them from
rising except when acted upon by the cams.

page_text: When it is desired to increase the diameter of the circle of needles by
the addition of more needles, the lower cylinder or ring is lifted by its
treadle so as to come against the under side of the projecting pieces on
the needle guides, and thereby force back the upper parts of the guides
and needles out of the vertical position, so as to expand the circle and
give room for the introduction of more needles.
If on the contrary it be desired to decrease the circle of needles,
certain of the latter are selected and withdrawn from the work, thus
leaving a corresponding number of spaces in the circle, as already
mentioned. By bringing down the upper ring or cylinder on to the top
of the projecting pieces of the guides the upper ends of the latter with
their needles will be forced inwards towards the centre, and the circle of
needles will be thereby decreased in diameter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,-
filed by the said Robert Sim and James Anderson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 18th February 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
SIM, of Stewarton, Ayrshire, North Britain, Scotch Bonnet Manufacturer,
and JAMES ANDERSON, of Leicester, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors;
give and grant unto us, the said Robert Sim and James Anderson,
Her special licence that we, the said Robert Sim and James Anderson,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Robert Sim and James Anderson, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Robert Sim
and James Anderson, our executors or administrators, by an instṛu.

page_text: ment in writing under our, or their, or one or their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Sim, on behalf of myself and
of the said James Anderson, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention is mainly applicable to circular knitting machines for
knitting Scotch caps, and has for its object to gradually narrow or
widen the article or fabric during the process of manufacture. This
is effected by decreasing or increasing from time to time the number
of operating needles by throwing certain of them in or out of gear. To
this end the shafts of the needles, and the guides in which they work,
are jointed, so that while their lower parts remain in their normal
vertical position their upper ends may be made either to converge
inwards towards the centre, and thereby diminish or reduce the diameter
of the circle, or they may be made to incline outwards or from the
centre, and thus enlarge or increase the diameter of the circle. Or
if it be required to throw some of the needles out of work the upper
parts of these needles and guides may be thrown back into a nearly
horizontal position.
The vertical motions of the needles to form the loops are effected by.
means of cams, as will be hereafter explained.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1, Sheet I., is an external
elevation of a circular knitting machine, constructed according to our
Invention, and arranged to manufacture the articles known in the trade
as Scotch caps; Fig. 2, Sheet II., is vertical section of the same; and
Fig. 3 is a plan view.
Figure 4 represents one of the needles, and Fig. 4 one of the needle
guides, detached and drawn upon an enlarged scale, and showing the
joints upon which the upper parts move when it is desired to move
such parts radially to or from the centre of the machine in order to
increase or diminish the circle of needles. a, a, are the needles, each of

page_text: which is connected by a joint 1 to the vertical shaft a¹; b; b, are the needle
guides, each of which is connected by a joint 2 to a shaft bª. The heads
of the needles a work through the guide pieces at the top of the
guides, as seen best in Figure 2, and when in their lowest position the
joints of the needle shafts and needle guide shafts will be on the same
level, so that the needles and guides may, when desired, be thrown
out of work and placed in the position indicated by dots in Fig. 2.
The lower part of the shafts of the needle guides 6 is made with a
dovetail notch, whereby it is held in place in the revolving cylinder f,
as shown at Fig. 2. Small spacing plates g, shewn detached at Fig. 4º,
are placed between the needle guides, and together with the ring h,
Fig. 2, which surrounds the circle of needles, hold the latter in their
place. The lower ends of the needle shaft a¹ rest upon the cam
plate i, which is cast inside the fixed cylinder, and as the circle of
needles is carried round the required vertical motion is imparted to the
needles by the cam plate i, as will be well understood.
Now supposing the normal or greatest diameter of the circle of
needles to be say fourteen inches, and there be say three hundred needles
in the circle, and if it be desired to narrow the fabric to say ten inches
) in diameter, then in order to reduce the diameter of the circle of needles
to this extent every fifth needle and guide must be thrown out of work
by first taking the loops off of such selected needles and placing them on
the adjoining needles, then the selected needles and guides must be
thrown back into a horizontal position, as shown by dots in Fig. 2, so
5 as to be out of work. A number of vacancies or spaces in the circle
will be thereby produced, and these spaces are. filled up by moving
back (in a radial direction) the upper parts of the remaining operating
needles and guides by causing them to move on their centres or
joints.
} If after three or four rows of loops have been made it be required to
still more narrow the fabric more needles and guides may be thrown out
of work in the same manner, and this operation may be repeated until
not more than ten or twenty needles remain in work.
In order to increase the work from the smaller to the larger diameter
5 any suitable number of needles that have been out of work must be
raised up from the horizontal position, indicated by dots in Fig. 2, and
brought into operation, the number so brought into work of course

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depending upon the required increase of size in the article to be
manufactured.
The radial motions of the needles and guides to increase or diminish
the diameter of the work is effected by means of two moveable rings c
and d, one placed above the other, and fixed or connected to two
cylinders c¹ and d. The lower ring c is capable of being raised and
the upper one d lowered by means of the levers c² and d², which are
acted upon by treadles and rods, as shewn at Fig. 1. In the annular
space between these two rings c and d work projecting discs or
pieces b*, formed at the back of the vertical needle guides b.
When it is desired to increase the diameter of the circle of needles
by the addition of more needles the lower ring cand cylinder ♂ is
lifted by its lever and treadle so as to come against the under side of
the projecting pieces 6* on the needle guides b, and thereby force
back the upper parts of the guides 6 and needles a out of the vertical 1
position, so as to expand the circle and give room for the introduction
of more needles.
If on the contrary it be desired to decrease the circle of needles
certain of the latter are selected and withdrawn from the work, thus
leaving a corresponding number of spaces in the circle, as already men- 2
tioned. By bringing down the upper ring d and its cylinder d¹ on
to the top of the projecting pieces 6 of the guides 6 the upper ends of
the latter, with their needles, will be forced inwards towards the centre,
and the circle of needles will be thereby decreased in diameter.
At Fig. 5, Sheet I., we have shewn in vertical section a modification 2
of the arrangement and construction of parts shewn at Figures 1, 2,
and 3, the principal difference between the two plans being as to
the mode of working the needles a. Instead of the shafts of the
needles resting upon the edges of a circular cam, as in Fig. 2, they
are connected at their lower ends by means of links ; to the inner end 3
of rocking levers k, k, (see Fig. 5*), which rest on a ring fixed on
the table of the revolving cylinder m. The upper edges of these
rocking levers / bear against the under sides of the cams i, i, fixed on
the under side of the stationary cam plate i*. The shafts of the needles
work in guides formed by bending over the edges of needle guide 3
shafts, as shewn at Fig. 5, and also in the detached view, Fig. 6.
The hooked lower ends of the needle guide shafts are held down in

page_text: place in the revolving cylinder by the ring n, and as the cylinder with
the circle of needles and guides is carried round in the ordinary manner
the levers / are made to rock as they pass under the inequalities of
the cams i, i, and thus impart the required vertical motion to the
needles a, a.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in Knitting
Machinery," and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, we claim as the Invention secured to us by Letters Patent,
as aforesaid, the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts
herein set forth, for varying the diameter of the circle of needles in
circular knitting machines; we claim particularly the adaptation to
this class of machines of the jointed needles a and jointed needle
guides b, as and for the purpose herein set forth, and also the com-
bination therewith of the rising and falling rings c and d for the
purpose of moving the needles and guides in a radial direction, as set
forth
forth
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Sim, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.