Improvements in Straight-bar Knitting Machinery, Applicable Especially for the Manufacture of Cardigan Jackets.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th June, 1890-Accepted, 6th Sept., 1890
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Straight-bar Knitting Machinery, Applicable
Especially for the Manufacture of Cardigan Jackets.
I, JAMES HENRY WOODWARD, of Lee Works, Nottingham, Hosiery Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My improvements have for their object to facilitate the automatic fashioning of
cardigan jackets on bearded needle straight bar knitting machines.
In order to effect this I construct a straight bar knitting machine in which rib
work can be produced, with three pairs of narrowing slides. Each slide in each pair
has fixed to it in each division of the frame a block with two fingers carrying two
sets of narrowing points standing out from it. The points on one finger (a fixed one)
being for working with the frame needles and the points of the other finger (a jointed
one) being for working with the machine needles.
Each pair of slides I arrange to he worked with a soparate pair of narrowing
screws and rocking apparatus so arranged that they can be actuated independently of
or in conjunction with either or both of the other pairs.
All the three pairs of narrowing slides 1 carry from one rocking shaft.
One pair of slides is capable of being slidden end wise to and fro in the ordinary
way through slots in arms which extend from the shaft.
The finger carrying blocks of the second pair of slides are free to slide to and fro
on the two slide bars of the first pair. All those that slide on the one bar are coupled
together by a rod which extends from end to end of the machine and all those that
slide on the other bar are similarly coupled together by another rod.
The finger carrying blocks of the third pair of slides are similarly free to slide on
the first pair of slide bars and are similarly connected by rods extending from end to
end of the machine.
For making a cardigan jacket there are for each division of the machine 12 sets of
narrowing points 6 sets for the frame and 6 for the machine needles and I am by
these means able (when required) to narrow the centre of the back every 2 courses,
narrow the armhole every 6 courses, widen the armhole every 24 courses and at the
same time narrow the front every 12 courses knitted on the machine.
The pattern wheels can be altered to make the narrowings as frequently or seldom
as required.
1
10: 1.... andamba 1000
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Straight-bar Knitting Machinery, Applicable
Especially for the Manufacture of Cardigan Jackets.
I, JAMES HENRY WOODWARD, of Leo Works, Nottingham, Hosiery 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 :-
My improvements have for their object to facilitate the automatic fashioning of
cardigan jackets on bearded needle straight bar knitting machines.
In order to effect this I construct a straight bar knitting machine, in which rib
Each slide in each pair
work can be produced with three pairs of narrowing slides.
has fixed to it in each division of the frame a block with two fingers carrying two
sets of narrowing points standing out from it. The points on one finger (a fixed one)
" 177

page_text: being for working with the frame needles and the points of the other finger (a jointed
one) being for working with the machine needles.
Each pair of slides I arrange to be worked with a separate pair of narrowing screws
and racking apparatus so arranged that they can be actuated. independently of or in
conjunction with either or both of the other pairs.
All the three pairs of narrowing slides I carry from one rocking shaft.
One pair of slides is capable of being slidden endwise to and fro in the ordinary
way through slots in arins which extend from the shaft.
The finger carrying blocks of the second pair of slides are free to slide to and fro
on the two slide bars of the first pair. All those that slide on the one bar are coupled
together by a rod which extends from end to end of the machine, and all those that
slide on the other bar are similarly coupled together by anotlier rod.
The finger carrying blocks of the third pair of slides are similarly free to slide on
the first pair of slide bars, and are similarly connected by rods extending from and to
end of the machine.
For making a cardigan jacket there are for each division of the machine 12 sets of
narrowing points, 6 sets for the frame and 6 for the machine needles and I am by
these means able (when required) to narrow the centre of the back every 2 courses,
narrow the armhole every courses, widen the armhole every 24 courses, and at the
same time narrow the front every 12 courses knitted on the machine.
The pattern wheels can be altered to make the narrowings as frequently or seldom
as required.
The drawings annexed show so much of a straight bar knitting machine with my
improvements applied thereto as is necessary for making them clearly understood.
Figure 1.is an end view partly in section of the machine.
Figure 2 is an edge view of the pattern wheels and the parts immediately working
therewith.
Figure 3 is a front view full size of part of the bars used for carrying and
operating the several sets of points.
Figure 4 is a cross section of the same and
Figure 5 a plan view.
Figure 6 is a cross section through the three fastening slides and
Figure 7 a plan view of these parts.
Figure S is a diagram view shewing how a cardigan jacket may be formed on the
machine.
B (see figures 3 and 4) is a bar to which the blocks S carrying the points Care
fixed. B is a like bar worked from the opposite end of the machine by a corre-
sponding apparatus to that used for working the bar B₁-the points carried by this
bar are not shewn in the drawing. Both bars slide endwise through slots in carrying
arms N, which extend from a rocking shaft U see figure 1 in the ordinary manner
and which is rocked as heretofore to raise and lower the points whenever they aro to
be brought into action as is well understood.
The action of these points and the way in which all of the fingers which carry
machine points can be rocked simultaneously is well understood the rocking of the
fingers is effected by a rod X carried by arms from a rocking shaft X' as is clearly
shewn in figure 4.
Sliding loosely upon the bar B₁ are other blocks S₁ S² carrying other sets of
points CC so that either or both of them can be shifted freely to and fro along the
bar. Each of the blocks carries two sets of points-one set a fixed one being for
working with the frame whilst the other set is carried by a jointed finger and is for
working with the machine needles.
The bar B has its endway movement given to it from the slide A. see figure 1 by
the driver D and the clips E. The slide A. is the ordinary fashioning slide which
can be traversed to and fro for either narrowing or widening by turning in one
direction or the other, a screw, by means of a double lever and ratchet
arrangement R.
The blocks S' which carry the points C¹ can be shifted along the bar B¹ for either

page_text: widening or narrowing by a rod P¹ which can be slidden lengthwise through bearings
in the carrying arins N. Each block S has for this purpose a projection J standing
out from it through which the rod Pl passes and collars Y fixed to the rod come on
either side of this projection. The rod P is actuated by a second fashioning slide A'
which is operated by a double lever and ratchet arrangement R¹ see figure 1 the
rod P is actuated from the slide by a driver D' and clips E.
The blocks S which carry the points can be shifted along the bar B for either
widening or narrowing by a rod 12 which can he slidden lengthwise through bearings
on the carrying arins N. The rod P has for this purpose fingers Z extending from
it which at their ends enter into notches in the blocks S², see figure 5. The rod P is
actuated from a third fashioning slide A² by a driver D and clips E' and the slide is
itself actuated by a double lever and ratchet arrangement R2, see figure 1.
:
The double lever and ratchet arrangements used for actuating the three fashioning
slides A A A are worked in the following manner.
Lis the ordinary lever worked from a cam on the main shaft through the truck T
and driving the ratchet tackle R of the main narrowing slide A by the links M.
P is a link through which the lever I drives the lever I and this by the links M
drives the ratchet arrangement R³ for the fashioning slide A².
Lis a bell crank lever worked from a cam on the main shaft through the truck T¹.
This operates the ratchet arrangement Rt for the narrowing slide A through the
links M. The trucks of all the levers are kept upon their respective cams by spiral
springs in the ordinary manner.
The manner in which either fashioning slide is actuated independently of or together
with either or both of the others is as follows:-
The two pawls V of the main fashioning slide are by a "blufting" disc K' put into
or held out of gear with the ratchet wheel which as usual is fixed on the screw by
which the slide is actuated. This blufting" disc can be turned by hand either into
a position to hold both pawls out of engagement with the ratchet wheel in which case
the wheel will remain at rest and no motion will be given to the slide. Or it can be
turned into positions to allow either one or the other of the pawls to engage with the
ratchet and thereby whenever the lever L is raised cause the wheel to be turned
either in one direction or the other according as one or other pawl is allowed to act.
In order to control automatically the movements of the two other fashioning
slides A¹ A two pattern wheels are used-these are both mounted on the same
axis G they can be turned independently one of the other by two pawls W carried by
a rocking lever L-this lever is driven by a cam on the main shaft through the
truck T.
On the pattern wheels QQ are bits F of two different heights removable or
replacable at will.
L'L' are two levers hinged at G and each haying a stopping bit H at one end-the
one on the lever L rests on the bits F of the pattern wheel Q and the one on the
lever L* rests on the bits F of the pattern wheel Q¹.
"
The further end of the lever is connected by a link M³ with a "blufting'
disc K by means of which both or either of the pawls V may be held out of action
according to the height of the bits on the pattern wheel Q.
The lever L is connected by the lever M with the lever L hinged at G' and
connected at the opposite end through the link M with the blufting disc K' by means
of which both or either of the pawls V may be held out of action according to the
height of the bit on the pattern wheel Q.
I is a lever actuated by a cam on the main shaft through the truck T by means of
which the levers L and L are raised through the links M' at the times when the
pattern wheels are being racked by the lever L³ from one bit to another.
When a fashioning is to be made at any place the rocking shaft U brings down the
arms N and so lowers the points into their working positions.
All the points then take loops off their respective needles but only those narrow or
widen which are shifted by the narrowing slides. The others put back their loops
upon the needles from which they took them.

page_text: In place of the "blufting" mechanism used with the main narrowing slide being
operated by hand as above described it might if desired be operated by a pattern
wheel in a similar manner to that described with reference to the two other "blufting"
mechanisms
In the making of a cardigan jacket a piece of work such as shewn at Figure 8 has
to be produced to produce this work the widenings and narrowings A* B* on each
side of the arm holes may be made by the points C-the narrowings at the centre
of the back-that is along the outer edges of the piece may be made by the points C¹
and the narrowing * on either side of the front may be made by the points C.
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 :-
:-
1. A straight bar knitting machine fitted at each end substantially as hereinbefore
described with three separate and independent narrowing slides for controlling the
traverse of three independent sets of narrowing points.
2. The device whereby all the narrowing points are carried from one set of rocking
arms and all are arranged to take loops from the needles those points not required to
fashion the fabric replacing the loops upon the same needles from which they were
taken the other points being moved outwards or inwards as required.
3. A straight bar knitting machine fitted with six sets of separate and independent
narrowing points substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawing
annexed.
Dated this 16th day of Jonna 1900