AN IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING FRAMES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Coltman, of High Street, Leicester, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING FRAMES."
Sealed the 31st October 1854, and dated the 27th June 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Coltman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
June 1854.
I, WILLIAM COLTMAN, of High Street, Leicester, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING FRAMES" to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object so to improve hand knitting frames that
the correct sinking and coming forward of the frame may be ensured without
requiring skilled labor; and this Invention consists of dispensing with th
apparatus used and known as caster backs, stays, hanging bits, tumblers, and
thumb plates, and forming a groove or track on either side, into which a roller
or truck on the frame enters, and is thereby guided so as to ensure the correct
sinking and coming forward of the frame, the workman simply having to
move the frame so as to cause it to perform the movements necessary, and this
without requiring judgment.

page_text: 1- 1
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight-hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Coltman, Her special licence, that I, the said William
Coltman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Coltman, my 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 "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING FRAMES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I; the said William Coltman, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 William Coltman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object so to improve hand knitting frames that
the correct sinking and coming forward of the frame may be insured without
requiring skilled labor; and this Invention consists of dispensing with the
apparatus used and known as caster backs, stays, hanging bits, tumblers, and
thumb plates, and forming a groove or track on either side, into which a roller
or truck on the frame enters, and is thereby guided so as to insure the correct
sinking and coming forward of the frame, the workman simply having to move
the frame so as to cause it to perform the movements necessary, and this
without requiring judgment.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, 1 will proceed to
describe the best means I am acquainted with for performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The Drawings represent various views of so much of a knitting frame, full
size, as will enable me to describe the nature and the manner of applying my
present improvements to such frames; and as the nature of the various views
is written thereon, it will not be necessary to repeat the same here.. And I
would state that the improvements are shown applied to a knitting frame.

page_text: together with an improved method of mounting and working the presser, for
which Letters Patent were granted to me on the Twelfth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four; but it is not essential that such should
be the case, my present improvement being capable of application to
knitting frames not having such improved method of. mounting and working
the presser.
The nature and construction of knitting machinery being well understood;
and the names of the principal parts, all of which are in common use,
being written thereon, it will not be necessary for me to enter into a more
minute description thereof; and it will be sufficient to enable a workman
acquainted with such classes of machinery to call his intention to the method
of application and manner of working of the apparatus, by means of which
the frame is correctly guided, so as to ensure the correct sinking, coming.
forward, and going back of the frame, and also the locking and releasing of
the jacks from time to time, without requiring judgment on the part of the
operator. a, a 1, are the guides, one on each side of the machine, and b, b, c, c,
are projections or pins from the, lever arms or hanging checks d, d, of the
frame; or these pins may be of smaller diameter, and have rollers or trucks
thereon, these pins being each capable of motion, as shewn by the red lines
in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings, the springs 6*, b, c, c, serving to
return to and retain them in a suitable position for coming correctly into
action; and m, m, are stops to regulate the distance which the frame moves
forward. The pins b, b, or trucks thereon, move between the surfaces a², a², of
the guides a, a', and whilst between the said surfaces are rigid, serving to guide
the frame correctly during the sinking, coming forward, and rising of the
frame, but upon the descent and going back of the frame, so as to take the
work under the arches of the sinkers, and carry it back from under the beards
of the needles. The pins b, b, go out of action, and move down the surfaces
³, a, and across the faces of the guides a, a', the pins b, b, during such return
movement of the frame, assuming the position shewn by the red dotted lines
in Figure 1. The frame is guided correctly during its return movement by
the pins or projections c, c, which at that time are rigid, and move down and
under the projecting surfaces a, a, of the guides a, a', and by reason of the
movement of which the pins c, c, are capable, they will, during the forward
movement of the frame, be out of action, and pass along the top of the pro-
jecting surfaces a', a', assuming the position shewn by the red lines in Figure 2;
and thus will the frame be correctly guided throughout the whole of its
movement, without requiring the exercise of judgment on the part of the
workman.

page_text: The "locking" of the jacks during the working of the course, and their
release at its completion, so as to admit of their being slur'd, is accomplished
in the following manner-e is the locker bar carried by the lever arms f, f';
g is a spring which acts on the locker bar e, so as to give it constantly a
tendency to press on the jacks, and consequently "lock" them. h is a truck
or roller, moving on an axis which is fixed to the framing of the machine;
f is a lever catch, moving on an axis on the lever arm f, and continually
tending to press against the moveable stop f³, by means of the spring f;
and it will be seen that the locker bar is held up from the jacks while they
are being slur'd by the contact of the friction roller h and the lever catch f³,
but upon sinking the frame they will be separated, and leave the spring 9 at
liberty to act on the locker bar e, so as to "lock" the jacks, the stop f³ and
catch lever fassuming the position indicated by the red lines in Figure 3,
whilst the catch i is passing them.
The jacks will remain locked until the frame rises at the completion of the
course, when the catch lever f", coming in contact with the truck or roller h,
will hold the lever arm f' and locker bar e, so as to raise it from the jacks,
the catch allowing the stop to pass it, as shown by the red lines in Figure 4;
but when it has passed the catch i, it is retained by reason of the stop i',
so that on the sinking of the frame the lever catch f" and truck h may be
immediately separated, and the locking of the jacks take place, and thus
will the locking and releasing of the jacks be ensured without requiring
attention from the operator.
Having thus described' the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
the mode herein described of combining the parts of hand knitting frames or
machinery, to facilitate their being worked by unskilled labour.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Coltman, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Twenty-sixth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
THOMAS WARREN,
High Street, Leicester.
WILLIAM COLTMAN. (L.S.)