Improvements in and connected with Locks for "Lamb's Knitting-machines."
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Locks for "Lamb's
Knitting-machines."
I, HERMANN DONNER, of Chemnitz, in the Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire,
Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in locks of Lamb's knitting machines
for manufacturing plain seamless socks and stockings with heels being formed by
increasing and decreasing the number of the working needles and has for its object
the combination of a lock as illustrated in Figure 9 of the accompanying drawing
for such a machine with a divided needle raising-cam for the purpose of knitting
as well the tubular as the flat parts of the fabric in swinging movement of the
handle of the machine instead of turning it full revolutions to facilitate operating
the machine and to work it with higher speed.
Both, the lock shown in Figure 9 and common locks with divided centre cams of
the Lamb knitting-machine are known, but there has never been used or proposed
a lock for foresaid class of Lamb's knitting machines in combination with a divided
needle raising or centre-cam.
In the accompanying drawing my invention is illustrated in Figures 1-9, in
which figures similar letters denote similar parts, and of which:
Figure 1 shows a front view of the combined lock.
Figures 2-5 show in a general view the different directions or paths in which
the needles operate.
Figure 6 shows the combined lock in section through line
Figure 7 shows a section through line y-y of Figure 1.
Figure 8 is an end-view of the combined lock.
of Figure 1.
Figure 9 shows the lock which has been hitherto used, the action of which is
hereinafter described, this being necessary to explain the action of the combined
lock.
The difference between the known lock for knitting the heel by increasing and
decreasing the needles Figure 9, and the lock illustrated in Figures 1-8, consists
in the centre came of the lock being altered in such a manner, that it consists of
the rigid part and of parts e¹ and e² which are arranged to swing round a
pivot e the latter being under the influence of a spring e so that the parts e¹
and e² may be turned in or out of the plane of the lock-plate f, Figure 7.
The raising and lowering of the movable parts el e² can be automatically effected
by the needles, or this may be effected by bars actuated by hand. These bars
acting upon pivots e e7 of the parts e¹ and are fastened to the lock-plate f.
At first I will explain the action of the lock Figure 9, for the purpose of making
clear the action of the combined lock shown in Figures 1-8. The lock Figure 9
operates in the following manner:
The needles are arranged on the line I, they strike against the shanks n of the
solid needle raising came of the lock, are lifted and then they sink again in
consequence of being driven by the sinker-cams and d of the lock. This is the

page_text: action, if flat knitting-ware is knitted, but as soon as the operation of narrowing
begins, that means-decreasing the working needles for forming a heel, a number of
needles which hold meshes, are brought upwards in the position needle-line II
and the knitting-ware itself holds the needles firmly by friction in this position.
To prevent the possibility of an accidental- lowering of these needles, a rail a is
arranged in such a manner, that if the slide performs its to-and-fro movement
the feet of the raised needles remain between the rail a and the rail 1.
If the widening of the knitting ware or the increasing of the mesh holding
needles for finishing the form of a heel shall take place, the needles are pressed
down by hand one after the other to the rail b (needle line III) and if the lock
passes from the left to the right, the feet of the needles come in contact with the
righthand spring cam cel, they press with their feet towards the inclined part
of c, make e sink into the lock plate f and thus pass this spring-cam without being
lewered or raised; they now come in the interior of the lock, come in connection
or contact with the lefthand spring cam cel and this spring-cam presenting to the
feet of the needles the straight and not the inclined part as the spring cam first
passed makes in connection with the common sinker camr d the needles sink down
into the position of line I. The same action takes place in an opposite direction
of the lock's movement.
The above described action of the lock shown in Figure 9 is already known. The
action of the improved lock shown in Figures 1-8 is entirely the same as the
arrangement of the parts dd of the rails al and bb and of the spring cams cel
is employed.
:
Figure 2 illustrates the path of the needles, when flat knitting-ware is to be
produced. Figures 3-5 show the needle-positions which the needles assume when
the operation of narrowing or widening of plain knitting-ware for forming a heel
shall take place, as stated with reference to the lock shown in Figure 9.
The swinging parts e¹ and e² of the new needle-raiser are so arranged, that they
allow the feet of the needles to pass underneath the said movable parts el e² without
coming into action and by this arrangement the result of knitting tubular plain web
as stated in the preamble of the specification is attained. If the needles of one
needle-bed of the machine, for instance the front bed, shall pass underneath the
movable parts el e², whilst the lock is moved from the left to the right the needle-
raiser-part e, Figure 1, of the front lock at the right and on the opposite lock
at the lefthand-side must be lifted, which may be attained by shifting the right-
hand bar e (Figure 1) this bar with its inclined front part comes thereby under
the pivote of the movable part e', whereby the latter is raised. The path for the
needles is then free and whilst the lock is moved from the left to the right the
feet of the needles will automatically lift the opposite movable part e, which is
under the influence of the spring e, and thus the needles will pass the lock without
having come into action. The needles of the opposite needle-bed are raised by
the needle-raiser part of the opposite lock and pushed down by the sinkers cc¹
and d at the right seen from behind, so that at this stroke of the locks from the left
to the right the needles of the back needle-bed of the machine have been in action
and those of the front bed have rested idle. By moving the locks from the right
to the left the contrary action takes place, that means, the needles of the back-bed
rest idle, and those of the front bed come into action, so that in repetition of this
process tubular plain fabric is produced.
In Figure 9 the interior part or needle raising cam of the lock is represented by
the letter e, this said part being hereinafter in the claims also characterized or
described by the said term "needle raising cam."
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. In a lock for Lamb's knitting machines, the combination of a needle raising
cam (e) consisting of various parts, for the purpose of automatically operating the

page_text: needles at each stroke or at every second stroke, with the guiding rails (a and b)
the rail (7) and the spring cams (cc) for the purpose and substantially as described.
2. In a lock for Lamb's knitting machines, the combination of a needle-raising
cam consisting of a rigid part (e³) and of movable parts (el and e²) for the purpose
of automatically operating the needles at each stroke or at every second stroke
with the guiding rails (a and b) the rail (l) and the spring-cams (cc¹), for the
purpose and substantially as described.
3. In a lock for Lamb's knitting machines, the combination of a needle raising
cam consisting of a rigid part (e³), movable parts (el and e²) the latter being adapted
to swing round the pivot (e), spring (5) holding the parts (el e2) in the plane of the
lock and bars (e6e6) arranged to raise the said parts (el e²), for the purpose of auto-
matically operating the needles at each stroke or at every second stroke and with
rails (a and b) the rail (l), and the spring cams (cc) for the purpose and sub-
stantially as described.
P
בד
1000
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.