Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Fabrics and in Means or Apparatus employed therein.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th July, 1891-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Fabrics and in Means
or Apparatus employed therein.
We THE NOTTINGHAM MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED of Station,
Street in the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, and JOHN GROVES
of 4 Burton Street, Loughborough in the County of Leicester, Manager, and
JAMES WHATNALL of 27 School Street Loughborough aforesaid, Mechanic, both
in the employment of the said Nottingham Manufacturing Company Limited do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to the improved manufacture of knitted fabrics, such
as stockings, and in other hosiery, and in means or apparatus employed therein;
and is designed to render the said machinery capable of producing continuously, or
automatically, upon the one and the same machine, without transfer from one
machine to another, the various changes in construction, or arrangement of the
threads, of the fabrics, such as the plain work parts the narrowing in the legs and
heels and in the formation of the feet, narrowings and wideninge in the toes and
gussets.
This is effected by the addition to straight bar machines of substantially.
ordinary construction as regards the parts forming the plain work and the
narrowings or widenings, of pattern surfaces which may be arranged as studs on
a chain passing over supporting wheels actuating a lever which lever operates
parts that throw into and out of operation the reversing tackle or parts which
reverse the motions for narrowing, or widening, as may be required; this pattern
surface acting on the lever also throws into and out of action the filling up instru-
inents for filling up the vacant spaces arising, from the widenings also from this
pattern surface operation is given to similar means of bringing into and out of
operation parts for effecting reversal of the motion for narrowing or widening.
By these means greater facility is afforded for effecting shaping or fashioning
of knitted fabrics and continuously or automatically producing the fashioned
articles as already stated without removal, and articles can be produced without
joins that are now. objectionable, for instance, in a stocking, the join at the toc. is
avoided, thereby avoiding a weak point at that part.
By the addition of a ratchet wheel or wheels or equivalent parts the varieties
of lengths of feet may be effected without interfering with the chains or pattern
surfaces which length varying mechanism may be brought into or taken out of
operation by the same operating part that puts in or takes out of operation the
carrier or carriers or this may be varied.
Doted the 11th dor of Ontakes 1906
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Fabrics and in Means
or Apparatus employed therein.
We THE NOTTINGHAM MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED of Station
Street in the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, and JOHN GROVES
of 4 Burton Street Loughborough in the County of Leicester, Manager, and
JAMES WHATNALL of 27 School Street Loughborough aforesaid, Mechanic, both
in the employment of the said Nottingham Manufacturing Company Limited, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
This invention has reference to the improved manufacture of knitted fabrics,
such as stockings, and other hosiery, and in means or apparatus employed therein;
and is designed to render the said machinery capable of producing continuously,
or automatically, upon the one and the same machine without transfer from one
machine to another, the various changes in construction, or arrangement of the
threads, of the fabrics, such as the plain work parts, the narrowings in the legs
and heels and in the formation of the feet, narrowings and widenings in the toes
and gussets.
This is effected by the addition to straight bar machines of substantially
ordinary construction as regards the parts forming the plain work and the
narrowings or widenings, of pattern surfaces which may be arranged as studs on a
chain passing over supporting wheels actuating a lever which lever operates parts
that throw into and out of operation the reversing tackle or parts which reverse
the motions for narrowing, or widening as may be required; this pattern surface
acting on the lever also throws into and out of action the filling up instruments.
for filling up the vacant spaces arising from the widenings also from this pattern
surface operation is given to similar means for bringing into and out of operation
parts for effecting reversal of the motion for narrowing or widening.
By these means greater facility is afforded for effecting shaping or fashioning
of knitted fabrics and continuously or automatically producing the fashioned
articles as already stated without removal, and articles can be produced without
joins that are now objectionable, for instance, in a stocking, the join at the toe is
avoided, thereby avoiding a weak point at that part.
By the addition of a ratchet wheel or equivalent parts, the various lengths may
be effected by pattern studs without interfering with the chain or pattern surfaces
operating the narrowing and widening surfaces, thereby insuring uniformity of
length of foot and heel, and effecting the same automatically by the chain wheel or
pattern surface being thrown into operation when the foot part is commenced.
The narrowing and widening either one needle or two needles is automatically
produced by a special star wheel operated by the additional ratchet wheel, but this
may be somewhat varied.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of a machine arranged to carry out our
improvements and so much of the left hand end of a straight bar machine or
" cotton
frame as is sufficient to indicate the application of the invention.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1.
"
Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 1-1, Fig. 1, looking towards the right
hand.
Fig. 34 is a rear side view of the rod 78 carrying the stops g³ & go and lever
operated thereby.
Fig. 4 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1 looking towards the right hand.
Fig. 5 is a section on the line 3-3 Fig. 1 looking in the same direction as Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a similar section on the line 4-4 Fig. 1.
Fig. 6A is a detail of the spring pacting upon the lever p².
Fig. 7 is a front elevation of that portion of our improvements as is applied at
the right hand end of the straight bar machine.
Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the parts shewn by Fig. 7 omitting the framing.
Figs. 9-12 are detail views of the wheel and adjacent parts to a larger
scale.
Figs. 13-15 shew the wheel o and operating parts with the clawkers un¹ in
different positions. .
Fig. 16 shews an edge view of the wheel o separately.
Fig. 17 shews by face and edge views the tooth wheel and star wheel ¹
separately.

page_text: Fig. 18 by side and edge views shews one of the studs
separately to a larger scale."
Fig. 19 by plan & edge views shews parts of the chains
position.
on the chain h
with studs h* in
A indicates a portion of the main framing of a straight bar or cotton
machine.
32
a is the main shaft to which motion is communicated from the driving shaft b by
means of gear wheels c c. On the shaft a is mounted the ordinary shogging
cams having surfaces with which engages the bowl e mounted on the arm e
affixed to the short axis f, carried in bracket from the main framing.
The shaft a also carries the cam 9, which operates the bowl g' mounted on the
lever supported in a bracket ³ secured to the main framing.
At its outer end this lever has affixed to it axles on which are mounted
clawkers borne against the ratchet teeth ' of the wheel by spring g³ g²
respectively.
12
9 is a rod reciprocated longitudinally from the drawbolt; said rod carries
stops one of which at each course presses against one end of a lever gl
centred at 2 to a bracket supported from the main framing A, the other end of
the lever at every alternate course comes in contact with the arm 2 and keeps it
pressed outwards thus preventing the clawkers from ricking the wheel h.
This wheel is mounted on an axis ³ carried from the main framing and has
two sets of ratchet teeth and is also suitably formed with grooves and pro-
jections for carrying chains on each of which are fastened studs /°.
The chains also pass around rollers which rollers keep these chains distended
by the action of the spring 48 which draws the bearings of one roller / away from
the wheel, and towards the connection of said spring to the framing A.
The shaft a also has mounted on it the cami which engages with the bowl ¹
carried by the arm supporting the clawker by means of a pin passed through
the hollow axis of that clawker and secured to the arm . This clawker racks the
teeth 2 and is borne to its work by a spring attached to it and to an arm
mounted on the axis 3. This arm carries at its end a pin on which is mounted
a lever one end 7 (Fig. 9.) of which is borne against the chain h by spring and
its other end presses against a pin 10 on the clawker ³ keeping this clawker out
of action except when the lever end is raised by the studs 4 on the chain h³. j is
another cam mounted on the shaft a and engaging with a bowl j' mounted on arm ja
pivoted at ja to frame A. j is a stop serving to adjust the extent of movement of
arm. At its upper end this arm has a clawker mounted on a pin. The
clawker j racks the toothed wheel k frictionally secured to the star wheel & borne
on a pin carried in a bracket from the frame A. The clawker is brought into
operation by a stud 4 on the chain raising the short arm rigidly affixed to a
rodborne in brackets supported on the main framework of the machine. On the
end of the rod is affixed an arm at the upper end of which is jointed one end of
n link the other end of which is jointed to the lower end of a short arm ľ
connected at to a pin carried by the main framing.
The other end of the arm is formed with a projection which in its normal
position keeps the clawker raised out of engagement with the teeth k, but allows it
to fall and rack the same when the rod is rocked, causing the rod 13 to push the
lower end of the arm outwards against the action of the spring (attached to
the arm and to the main framing A). is an adjusting stop attached to the frame.
The star wheel is formed with three successive repetitions of cam surfaces which
in their revolution engage with the roller mounted on a pin borne by an arm *
rigidly affixed to a shaft supported in brackets from the frame A. This shaft
has also rigidly secured to it an arm which at its lower end has pivoted to it a
rod the other end of which is centred on a pin which pin also has centred to
it the lower end of an arm 13 the upper end of the same being centred on a pin
carried by a bracket (15 secured to the slide frame m.
On the pin is also mounted an arm (18 carrying friction rollers (17 (18 at either

page_text: end. nn are clawkers mounted on a short axis 2 carried by lever arm ³ mounted
on a shaft. This arm also carries a bowl which is operated by a cam n
having two surfaces 5 and 6. is a counter balance weight attached to the
arm n³.
When through shogging of the shaft a by the cams d d', the bowl n³ is caused to
run on the surface 6 of the cam the.clawkers n' are accordingly raised and one
of them engages with the pins of projecting from the side of the disc o which is thus
rotated, the direction of rotation being determined by the clawker selected, this
selection depending upon which of the surfaces 7 8 or 9 of the star wheel k¹ the
roller is resting upon.
As shewn in Fig. 2 the roller is on the intermediate
surface 8 and the clawker n is in engagement; by rotation of the wheel by the
clawker the roller may be brought onto the surface 7, the roller would then
fall, the shaft / be rocked, the arm 710 rocked to the left hand and the arm will
draw the arm swinging it (and with it the cross arm (1) on its centre 114 and
causing the friction roll to bear against the clawker and take it out of action,
at the same time drawing into operation to rotate the wheel o, the corresponding
clawker connected to it by spring 27. The wheel o is mounted on the slide
worm m operating the slide frame m in the ordinary manner. m² is a spring
secured to the slide frame m catching in notches in the wheel o for squaring it. To
the slide frame is screwed the usual guide m³ for the sliding part m engaging
with the stop m on the heeling carrier bar m in the ordinary manner. To the end
of the sliding piece m is screwed a part m bearing a pin projection on which is
pivoted one end of a rod m the other end of this rod being connected by pin
joint m to a bell crank lever m pivoted to the main framing at me and having
jointed to its other arm a rod the lower end of which is pivoted at m¹³ to one
arm of a bell crank lever m" centred at m¹ to a bracket me carried by the frame
work A. To the other arm of this lever mis pivotally connected at one end
of a rod 18 having formed at its other end a slot in which rides a pin g13
projecting from the side of the clawker g*.
13
6
This clawker is borne to its work by the spring attached to a bracket at the
end of the arm, but ordinarily is kept out of action by the part; when
however the slide m is pulled outwards to release the stop on the carrier bar m
to commence heeling, the rod m is pushed outwards, the rod m2 downwards and
the rod inwards, towards the right hand so that, the pin in the slot m¹ is
allowed to move towards the right under influence of the spring and the
clawker 9 comes into position for racking the teeth so that immediately upon
completion of the exact length of heeling required, the wheel is started auto-
matically and the heeling operation thus concluded. By this means we secure
uniformity of length of heel avoiding puckering or straining when the material is
joined up. To the side of the cam d is affixed a cam 2 on which runs a bowl p
carried by an arm pl mounted on a shaft p². p is a stop affixed to the side of the
cam d in order to regulate the distance the arin pl travels. On the same axis that
carries the bowl is also mounted a clawker having a bracket to which is
screwed one end of a rod the other end of which is pivoted to a link pⓇ connected
to one end of a lever arm p. This arm is centred at 8 to a bracket from the
frame work A and its other end rests upon the links of the chain and is
adapted to be raised by the studs on that chain passing under it. 10 is a spring
and p a stop on a standard p12 for keeping the lever p' in position. 7 is a toothed
wheel mounted on an axis 7 borne by a bracket from the main framing A. and
having frictionally secured to it another wheel with projections q² q³ is a clawker
arm rigidly affixed to the shaft to which is also affixed the arm & carrying bowle
as already described.
When one of the projections on chain * comes under and raises the end p² of
lever the rod is pulled downwards and with it the clawker ³ which is thus
brought into position for operating the tooth wheel when the arm p' is pushed
outwards by the cam engaging with the bowl p.
•
As the wheel q is rotated one of the projections on the wheel q comes over the
Ч

page_text: clawker and presses it downwards rocking the shaft and lifting the bowl e from
the cam d' onto the cam d thus shogging the main shaft a.
At the left hand end of the machine is a pinion wheel racked by clawkers and
operating mechanism similar to the parts at the right hand end, n being the cam
for operating the same. By these means the slide is caused to travel to and fro
upon the worm in guides in the ordinary manner. The shaft a also has.
mounted upon it a cam s having bolted to it another cam s¹ and on these cams runs
the bowl mounted on an axis carried by an arm s mounted on a short axis s
carried by the main frame A. The arms also carries a brackets in which is
screwed one end of a link s the other end of which is jointed at s to a bracket s
which bracket is carried by an arms loosely mounted on the shaft 1. The
bracket also carries a rocking slide so, ou the slide rods of which is carried the
lower end of the link s¹ the upper end of which is connected at 18 to one extremity
of a bar s pivoted at 1 to a base plate s secured to the slider, the other end of
this plates being formed with guide way s7 in which the bar s¹ lies. The shaft
has rigidly connected to it an arm 19 jointed at 10 to a connecting rod 21 the other
end of which rod is connected to a pin carried by an arm (23 the upper end of
this arm being jointed at 4 to a lever arm 25 connected rigidly to the filling up
rod 120
The lower end of the arm 23 is formed with a boss 127 having a groove and a
projecting piece 29 on which rests the pin 120 carried at the end of the arm s³.
When through shogging of the shaft a towards the right hand the bowl s² travels
on the filling up cam s, and the shaft being rocked outwards under action of the
star wheel already described, the arm pulls the rod inwards, the pin 12 now
lies in the groove in the boss 27 and the arm s³ turns downwards about the centre st.
This causes the links to descend rocking the arms about the shaft and moving
the slide s and with it the link 2 downwards turning the lever about the
pivot s and causing its projecting end 18 to catch against the stop m20 on the foot
and leg carrier rod m² so that as the slide moves along in the guide way
carries the carrier rod m2 with it giving the necessary motion to the parts for
keeping on the selvedge. The before described downward and inward movement
of the rod 23 also gives the necessary rocking motion to the rod 12 for filling up.
The various bowls are borne to their respective cam surfaces by springs in the
usual manner.
it
In operation, supposing the narrowing of the toe to have been completed and the
point reached when in the ordinary frames it is necessary to remove the material to
another machine the studs 6 having been arranged at suitable distances apart upon
the chain h, the wheel in its rotation under the influence of the clawker operated
by the cam as described, brings one of the studs under the end of the lever p³
and raising this end through the operation of the intermediate parts as described
shogs the shaft a towards the right hand bringing the cam surface 6 of the cam n°
under the bowl no and thus raising the clawkers n n¹ for engagement with the pins o¹
on the wheel o. Another stud on the chain abreast of the stud 1, having
raised the end of the lever the rod is rocked and the stop pushed from beneath.
1º
the clawker which clawker now racks the toothed wheel and rotates the star
wheel bringing the surface 9 under the bowl (see Fig. 13) the arm 110 is thus
rocked outwards and the clawker n' brought into engagement with the pins o' and
the wheel o rotated, causing the slide to travel on the worm m³ and widen two
needles.
Should it be desired to widen only one needle the clawker n' is formed as shown
in Fig. 14 a tooth at 10 being cut away so that the wheel o is racked only as
required.
In Fig. 2 the apparatus is shewn arranged for narrowing one needle, the bowl (7
being on the surface 8 of the star wheel and the clawker n in operation, the
clawker n' being pushed back. The top tooth n of the clawker n is smaller than
the other teeth and in the position shewn for narrowing one needle misses the
pins o¹.

page_text: When however it is desired to narrow a lead and the bowl / rests on the surface 7
of the star wheel, the arm presses the clawker a closer to the pins o and the
tooth is enabled to rack the wheel o and narrowing of two needles effected
(Fig. 15).
In order that the squaring spring m² may not become "set" the upward motion
given to the clawker n is somewhat greater than that necessary to rack the wheel o
through the distance of one pin so that the spring m² is raised out of the notch in
the wheel o in which it is lying for the time being, until on the clawker a descending,
the over-rack catching upon a pin o, rotates the wheel o back again, so that the
spring m² again lies in its notch and the wheel squared. As shewn in Fig. 1 the
wheel is rotated only every two courses for at each alternate course the bowl
is thrown forward out of action by the army" as described.
course.
When however it is required to vary the length of foot, stops as are arranged
on the chain and one of them coming under the lever end brings into operation
the clawker in manner described and the wheel may thus be racked at each
For commencing the narrowing of the leg the wheel is started by hand,
it is stopped automatically at the end of this narrowing and also at the end of the
widening of the gusset by means of a projection (similar to the projection but of
somewhat greater height) arranged on the chain 45. This stud in the rotation of
the wheel is brought under a projecting arm g screwed to the side of the
clawker go, this clawker is thus taken out of operation and the wheel stopped.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
:-
In the manufacture of knitted fabrics the combination or arrangement of
parts, for effecting the heeling so that the length of heeling may be accurately
determined and effected substantially as set forth.
2: The combination or arrangement and use of parts co-operating with a ratchet
wheel or equivalent device and pattern surfaces so that the variations of lengths of
footing may be effected without interfering with the chain or pattern surface
operating the narrowing and widening parts so as to insure uniformity of length of
parts of the article produced.
3-The combination or arrangement and use of parts for effecting the narrowing
and widening either one or two needles as may be desired automatically substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
4: The manufacturing or producing of knitted fabrics such as stockings and
other hosiery continuously or automatically upon the one and the same machine
without transfer from one machine to another the various changes in structure or
arrangement of threads of the fabrics plain work parts, narrowings in legs or heels,
formation of the feet, narrowings and widenings in the toes and gussets, and such
like, all being continuously effected substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
5: As a new manufacture a stocking or other article of hosiery or other knitted
fabric produced continuously or automatically upon the one and the same machine
without transfer to effect the various changes in construction and arrangement of
the threads of the fabric to produce the plain work parts, narrowings in the legs and
heels, formation of feet narrowings, and widenings in the toes and gussets, and such
like, substantially as set forth.
6:-The general arrangement and combination of parts for the manufacture of
articles of hosiery substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
Dated the 10th day of July 1801
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for Applicants.