Improvements in Circular and other Latch Needle Knitting Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 9th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 5th Oct., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular and other Latch Needle Knitting
Machines.
We JOSEPH JOHN LISH Engineer of 27 Dover Street, London, W., and HENRY IGEL,
Engineer, of 40 Greenesfield Terrace Gateshead in the County of Durham, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to circular and other latch needle knitting machines and
improvements therein and has for its object to enable such machines to make ribbed
or plain fashioned or shapeable hosiery goods, such as stockings, pants, and--sleeves,
and also to simplify and strengthen the construction of such machines.
We effect our object in the following way, mainly applying our improvements to
circular knitting machines (though portions of our invention may be applied to other
forms of knitting machines).
The body of each machine is fixed to a table or other support; to the body is
secured the grooved needle cylinder which carries, as we prefer, the arrangement or
device forming the cheif part of our invention, that is to say the moveable or remove-
able narrowing jacks or leaves, inserted in a plate or otherwise arranged according to
the modifications and for the purpose specified and described herein; by the aid of
these jacks or leaves, we are enabled to remove one half or a lesser number of the
needles from the cylinder, by removing with each needle the jacks or leaves between
which such needle worked and thus lessen the diameter of the knitted fabric without
altering the gauge of the web.
Round the needle cylinder is a ring which carries the cams or inclines for operating
the needles; this ring is called the cam-shell or cam-cylinder and is set in motion by
a horizontal reversing ring, sometimes called driving ring. The motion to this ring
is preferably communicated by a band, belt, or strap, which passes over pullies and a
vertical driving wheel, driven by hand or power in the usual way; or the motion may
be communicated by cogs as is usual, but we prefer the former method so as to make
the machine silent.
The yarn carrier (or guide) with the arrangement for adjusting the knife, and the
way of threading it, consists of a bracket which carries on its inner edge close to the
ncedles a vertical plate which has a slot through the middle for the yarn to be passed;
on the bracket is also fixed one end of a steel or other hard metal wire bent at a
suitable angle so as to cross horizontally at a certain distance the slot in the
vertical plate.

page_text: The knife is threaded by placing the yarn in the vertical slot and under the bent
wire. The yarn is guided from bobbins which stand on the table as now in use.
Next to the above mentioned carrier is also secured an arm (hereafter called the
ribbing arm) for the support of the ribbing dial. This arm is fixed on, in, or near to
the carrier, and thus will revolve simultaneously with the same when the machine is
in work. The ribbing arm and carrier are by this means on the same side of the
machine, and so ensure access to a larger portion of the needles.
The dial cams consist of an out-throw can and depressing or stitch cam having as
new features the out-throw and part of depressing cam fixtures.
On the rear of the out-throw cam is a groove or passage which is closed at one end
by a sliding guide cam during the time the needles are doing work. This sliding
guide cam can be moved at will by an eccentric from the outside so as to open or close
the groove or passage on the rear of the out-throw cam, and in front of the sliding
guide cam is a down-throw cam which slides in conjunction with it and has for its
object to lead the needle butts into the groove or passage aforesaid when they are
thrown out of action. The stitch cam has only part of it sliding or moveable to form
the length of stitch.
Our adjusting device consists of the fixed lug on underside of dial which is
prolonged down the inside of cylinder and terminates, as we prefer with a roller or
wheel coming in contact with a roller fixed on a slide secured to the base plate of the
machine, or otherwise, which slide can be moved to and fro as required for adjusting
the needles radially, by means of a screw and nut, or thumbscrew and slots or any
suitable means such as levers, cranks, or eccentrics.
Most circular knitting machines hitherto constructed can produce plain cylindrical
stockings, that is to say plain webbed stockings of the same unvarying width from
the knee to the heel, but cannot fashion or shape them to fit the calf of the leg.
In order to adapt the circular knitting machines to fashion or shape tubular fabrics
by varying the diameter of the knitted fabric, which only can be done by lessening
the number of the loops round its periphery or circumference we make use of
removeable or moveable jacks or leaves over which the stitch is drawn, and these
jacks or leaves can be made of round, flat, angular, or any kind of suitable metallic
wire, plates, or leaves bent, pressed, punched, and made to any suitable shape, and
made either to be removed entirely from the machine or to be temporarily moved from
their position during the narrowing process.
Such jacks or leaves may be fixed in the inside of circular, conical, cylindrical, or
flat knitters, or on the outside of such in the most convenient way, and we give a few
of what we consider the most practicable ways of doing this.
We can fix against the inside of a circular or other knitting machine a narrow
plate or cylinder with one half or as many grooves as there are posts or ribs in the
cylinder or needle bed of the machine used; this plate can be fixed above, below, or
on a level with the top of the needle bed or cylinder and immediately behind the wall
of the original or usual posts or ribs, so that the grooves of this plate are accurately
behind or opposite each of these posts or ribs if there are as many grooves as posts or
ribs, and they may be between the posts or ribs if there are only one half as many
grooves used in the plate. In each one or in each couple of these grooves are intro-
duced one jack, or two jacks combined into one, so as to stand above and to radiate
to the outside of the cylinder, or to stick out parallel in flat machines, perpendicularly,
or at an angle to the surface of the circular or flat needle bed, and immediately above
at a certain distance from the usual posts or ribs of such machines. Such jacks
may be shaped as most convenient to enable them to be easily removed entirely or
moved temporarily during the narrowing process, and they can be removed or moved
seperately or in pairs. They can also be fixed into a plate with plain or threaded
holes perpendicularly or at an angle to the needle bed in which they can be moved as
required, or out of which they can be entirely removed, or they can be hooked on, or
pushed into square or other shaped slots. They also can be fixed outside on a conical
or flat ring or plate provided with spaces, grooves, slots, or holes for to receive the
extremities of such jacks, or leaves, such plates can be fixed above, below, or on a

page_text: level with the cylinder or needle bed. The jacks or leaves can be removed entirely or
drawn temporarily from their position during the narrowing process; they can be
hinged or made to spring or slide to and fro as required; they can be fixed inside on
a conical, or vertical dial, disk, plate, or cylinder, round the inner margin of cylinder
and kept from rotating, in a similar manner to the ribbing attachments of the present
knitting machines; such disks, plates, or cylinders, have sloted out one half, or as
many slots as posts or ribs in the needle bed or cylinder, and in these slots are hinged
or inserted jacks or leaves, operated by cams which keep them outwards above the
cylinder posts or ribs during the time that the stitch is drawn over them, and after-
wards they are freed or pressed inwards by which they free themselves of the loops
which were drawn upon them.
We will now describe the way in which we fashion or shape our circular goods; to
narrow the web when we come to the calf of the leg, we take entirely out, or put out
of action one or more needles at a time, transferring their loops to the next adjacent
needles, and remove or draw from their places the jack or leaf on the right and left
side of the space from which the needle has been removed or put out of action; thus
the two next adjacent needles will draw their loops over the fixed cylinder posts or
ribs on one side and over jacks or leaves on the other side, and the length of yarn
drawn by the needles over the ordinary cylinder posts or ribs and across the space
where the needle was removed from will be equivalent to the length of the stitch
drawn by any two needles doing work side by side in adjacent grooves, and drawing
their loops over jacks or leaves, and so making the same size of mesh throughout
although the diameter is reduced.
Our improved machines will be fitted with up-throw cams which can be made so
that each of them can drop in or out of action moving on a pivot from the outside, or
be made to slide like a piston in and out when acted upon by a cam fixed on the
driving ring, which are so placed in conjunction with the other cams, that the needles
during all the time have their butts covered and kept against the cylinder, our up-
throw cams are so constructed as to present the same width of surface (over which
the needle butts travel whilst doing work) as the resting ledge of cam shell.
Our stitch cam is so arranged that it cannot wriggle about having all the corners
secured or supported, and the length of stitch is regulated by a stitch indicator or
pointer of a new type, which is pivoted at the lower extremity and stands vertically on
the outside of the cam shell, having a horizontal slot through which the screw from
the stitch cam passes; the loose end of the pointer can be moved to the right or left
by which the screw or pin which supports the cam will be raised or lowered and then
fastened by the wing-nut.
To keep the web down during the time the needles rise we use one or more toothed
wheels or a plate rotating on the outside and in some cases in the inside of the needle
cylinder; the plate or wheels, which run close to the needles, are secured by suitable
means to an arm supported by the carrier post.
To adjust the ribbing dial, which is supported by an arm we have a screw for
lowering or raising the dial as required.
In making ribbed goods the jacks or leaves are all in and have not to be removed
or withdrawn during the whole operation.
We arrange for the work produced being passed either upwards or downwards.
By means of the herein described parts or devices we are enabled to produce either
plain or ribbed, fashioned looped fabrics.
Dated this Nath day of Navambon 1007

page_text: Improvements in Circular and other Latch Needle Knitting
Machines.
We JOSEPH JOHN LISH Engineer of 27 Dover Street London W. and HENRY IGEL
Engineer of 40 Greenesfield Terrace Gateshead in the County of Durham 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:
Our invention relates to circular and other latch needle knitting machines and;
improvements therein, and has for its object to enable such machines to make ribbed
or plain fashioned or shapeable hosiery goods, such as stockings, pants and sleeves and
also to simplify and strengthen the construction of such machines.
We effect our object in the following way mainly applying our improvements to
circular knitting machines (though portions of our invention may be applied to other
forms of knitting machines) that is the jacks and cams can be used in flat
knitters also.
On the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a left hand sectional elevation showing
the adjusting device. Figure 2. is a right hand sectional elevation. Figure 3 is a
wire jack. Figure 4. is a plan. Figure 5. is an underside view of the dial cams.
Figure 6. shows the stitch indicator. Figure 7. shows a few modifications of jacks or
leaves. Figure 8. is a developement of cams.
The body (Figure 1. A.) of each machine is fixed to a table or other support by
means of the bracket B and winged bolt T; to the body is secured the grooved needle
cylinder (Figure I. C.) which carries as we prefer, the arrangement or device forming
the chief part of our invention, that is to say the moveable or removeable narrowing
jacks (Figure 1. J.) or leaves inserted in a plate (Figure 1. W.) or otherwise arranged
according to the modifications and for the purpose specified and described herein; by
the aid of these jacks or leaves, we are enabled to remove one half or a lesser number
of the needles from the cylinder by removing with each needle the jacks or leaves
between which such needle worked and thus lessen the diameter of the knitted fabric
without altering the gauge of the web.
Round the needle cylinder (Figure 1. C.) is a ring (Figure 1. D.) which carries the
cams or inclines for operating the needles; this ring is called the cam-shell or cam-
cylinder and is set in motion by a horizontal reversing ring (Figure I. G.) sometimes
called the driving ring held down by three washers X in the usual way. The notion
to this ring is preferably communicated by a band (Figure I. U.) belt, or strap which
passes over pullies and a vertical driving wheel (Figure 2. V.) driven by hand or
power in the usual way, or motion may be communicated by cogs as is usual, but we
prefer the former method so as to make the machine silent. The yarn carrier (or
guide Figure 2. H) with the arrangement for adjusting the knife or Latch opener and
the way of threading it consists of a bracket (Figure 2. I.) which carries on its
inner edge close to the needles a vertical plate (Figure 2. i) which has a slot through
the middle for the yarn to be passed; on the bracket is also fixed one end of a steel

page_text: (or other) hard metal wire (Figure 2 K.) bent at a suitable angle so as to cross
horizontally at a certain distance the slot in the vertical plate (Figure 2. ).
The knife is threaded by placing the yarn in the vertical slot and under the
bent wire.
The yarn is guided from bobbins which stand on the table as now in use over the
post N which carries a crosspiece.
Next to the above mentioned carrier is also secured an arm (Figure 2. E) (hereafter
called the ribbing arm) for the support of the ribbing dial (Figure 2. F) by means of
a bolt & nut No. 13. This arm is fixed on, in, or near to the carrier Figure 2. H.)
and thus will revolve simultaneously with the same when the machine is in work. The
ribbing arm and carrier are by this means on the same side of the machine and so
ensure access to a larger portion of the needles.
The dial cams (Figure 5) consist of a cam plate No. 1 carrying an out-throw cam
(Figure 5 No. 3) and depressing or stitch cam (Figure 5 No. 4) having as new
features the out-throw and part of depressing cam fixtures. On the rear of
the out-throw cam is a groove or passage (Figure 5. X.) which is closed at one end
by a sliding guide cam (Figure 5. No. 2) during the time the needles are doing work.
This sliding guide cain can be moved at will by an eccentric (Figure 4 No. 6)
from the outside so as to open or close the groove or passage on the rear of the out-
throw cam and in front of the sliding guide cam is a down throw cam (Figure 5
No. 15.) which slides in conjunction with it and has for its object to lead the needle
butts into the groove or passage aforesaid when they are thrown out of action. The
stitch cam has only part (Figure 5 No. 5) of it sliding or moveable to form the length
of stitch. No. 14 is a cam for bringing the needles to their normal position after
forming the stitch.
Our adjusting device (Figure 1) consists of the fixed lug (Figure 1. O.) on underside
of dial which is prolonged down the inside of cylinder (Figure 1. () and terminates,
as we prefer with a roller or wheel (Figure 1. R') coming in contact with a roller
(Figure 1. R) fixed on a slide (Figure 1. P) secured to the base plate of the machine
or otherwise, which slide can be moved to and fro as required for adjusting the needles
radially, by means of a screw and nut, or thumb screw (Figure 1. S) and slots or any
suitable means such as levers, cranks, or eccentrics.
Most circular knitting machines hitherto constructed can produce plain cylindrical
stockings that is to say plain webbed stockings of the same unvarying width from the
knee to the heel but cannot fashion or shape them to fit the calf of the leg.
In order to adapt the circular knitting machines to fashion or shape tubular fabrics
by varying the diameter of the knitted fabric which only can be done by lessening
the number of the loops round its periphery or circumference we make use of
removeable or moveable jacks or leaves over which the stitch is drawn and these jacks
or leaves can be made of round, flat, angular, or any kind of suitable metallic wire,
plates, or leaves bent, pressed, punched, and made to any suitable shape and made
either to be removed entirely from the machine or to be temporarily moved from their
position during the narrowing process.
Such jacks or leaves may be fixed in the inside of circular, conical, cylindrical, or
flat knitters, or on the outside of such in the most convenient way, and we give a few
of what we consider the most practicable ways of doing this.
We can fix against the inside of a circular or other knitting machine a narrow plate
or cylinder (Figure 1. W) with one half or as many grooves as there are posts or ribs
in the cylinder, or needle bed of the machine used; this plate can be fixed above,
below, or on a level with the top of the needle bed or cylinder and immediately behind
the wall of the original or usual posts or ribs, so that the grooves of this plate are
accurately behind or opposite each of these posts or ribs if there are as many grooves
as posts or ribs and they may be hetween the posts or ribs if there are only one half
as many grooves used in the plate.
In each one, or in each couple of these grooves are introduced one jack, or two
jacks combined into one, so as to stand above and to radiate to the outside of the
cylinder, or to stick out parallel in flat or circular machines perpendicularly or at an

page_text: angle to the surface of the circular or flat needle bed, and immediately above at a
certain distance from the usual posts or ribs of such machines as shown on the
drawings Figure 7 II. such jacks may be shaped as most convenient to enable them
to be easily removed entirely or noved temporalily during the narrowing process, and
they can be moved or removed seperately or in pairs. They can also be fixed into a
plate with plain or threaded holes perpendicularly or at an angle to the needle bed in
which they can be moved as required or out of which they can be entirely
removed (Figure 7 II) or they can be hooked on or pushed into square or
other shaped slots or holes, they can also be fixed outside on a conical or flat ring or
plate (Figure 7 I) provided with spaces, grooves, slots, or holes for to receive the
extremitics of such jacks or leaves, such plates can be fixed above, below, or on a level
with the cylinder or needle bed. The jacks or leaves can be removed entirely or
drawn temporarily from their position during the narrowing process; they can be
hinged (Figure 7 III) or made to spring or slide to and fro as required; they can be
fixed inside (Figure 7 IV) on a conical or vertical dial, disk, plate or cylinder, round
the inner margin of cylinder and kept from rotating in a similar manner to the
ribbing attachments of the present knitting machines; such disks, plates, or cylinders
have slotted out one half, or as many slots as posts or ribs in the needle bed or
cylinder, and in these slots are hinged or inserted jacks or leaves operated by cams
which keep them outwards above the cylinder posts or ribs during the time that the
stitch is drawn over them, and afterwards they are freed or pressed inwards by which
they free themselves of the loops which were drawn upon them.
We will now describe the way in which we fashion or shape our circular goods; to
narrow the web when we come to the calf of the leg we remove or open the clasp
ring and take entirely out, or put out of action one or more needles at a time,
transferring their loops to the next adjacent needles, and remove or draw from their
places, the jack or leaf on the right and left side of the space from which the needle
has beer removed or put out of action; thus the two next adjacent needles will draw
their loops over the fixed cylinder posts or ribs on one side and over jacks or leaves
on the other side and the length of the yarn drawn by the needles over the ordinary
cylinder posts or ribs and across the space where the needle was removed from, will
be equivalent to the length of the stitch drawn by any two needles doing work
side by side in adjacent grooves and drawing their loops over jacks or leaves,
and so making the same size of mesh throughout although the diameter is
reduced.
Our improved machines will be fitted with up-throw cams (Figure 8 No. 8) which
can be made so that each of them can drop in or out of action moving on a pivot
from the outside, or be made to slide like a piston in and out in a slot No. 12 Fig. 8
when acted upon the pins No. 9 by a cam fixed on the driving ring, which are so
placed in conjunction with the other cams that the needles during all the time have
their butts covered and kept against the cylinder, the up-throw cams (Figure 8
No. 8) are so constructed as to present the same width of surface (over which
the needle butts travel whilst doing work) as the resting ledge No. 11 of the cam
shell (Figure 8. D.).
Our stitch cam No. 10 is so arranged that it cannot wriggle about having all the
corners secured or supported, and the length of stitch is regulated by a stitch indicator
or pointer (Figure 6) of a new type which is pivoted at the lower extremity and
stands vertically on the outside of the cam shell, having a horizontal slot through
which the screw (Figure 6 No. 7) from the stitch cam (Figure 8 No. 10) passes; the
loose end of the pointer can be moved to the right or left by which the screw or pin
(Figure 6 No. 7) which supports the cam (Figure 8 No. 10) will be raised or lowered
and then fastened by the wing nut.
To keep the web down during the time the needles rise we use one or more toothed
wheels or a plate rotating on the outside and in some cases in the inside of the needle
cylinder the plate or wheels which run close to the needles are secured by suitable
means to an arm supported by the carrier post.

page_text: To adjust the ribbing dial, which is supported by an arm we have a screw L for
lowering or raising the dial as required. "M" is a pin for engaging or disengaging
the dial cams with the arm E.
In making ribbed goods the jacks or leaves are all in and have not to be removed
or withdrawn during the whole of the operation.
We arrange for the work produced being passed either upwards or downwards.
By means of the herein described parts or devices we are enabled to produce either
plain or ribbed, fashioned looped fabrics.
Having thus described the nature of our invention and the manner of performing
the same we would have it understood that we claim as our improvements in circular
and other latch needle knitting machines.
First Moveable or removeable narrowing jacks or leaves as shown and described
or any modification thereof for the purpose specified manipulated from the outside and
above the level of the needle butts."
Second The cylinder and dial cams as shown and described.
Third The ribbing arm fixed on, in, or near to the post of carrier in cylindrical
knitting machines.
Fourth The ribbing dial adjusting device as shown and described.
Fifth A circular latch needle knitting machine constructed with all or any of the
improvements shown or described.
Dated this Ninth day of August One thousand eight hundred and eighty eight.