IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Adams, of the City of Philadelphin, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Weaver for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Joseph Adams at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th January 1883.
JOSEPH ADAMS, of the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania and United
States of America Weaver IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES
My invention relates to knitting machines in general, being applicable either to
the class which employs a circular system of needles, or to the machines which
employ straight rows of needles.
Knitting, as is well known, consists in making a fabric by enchaining a single
thread.
My machine is herein described as applied to machines of the ordinary circular
kind which produce a tubular product.
In these inachines, as is well known, the needles are bearded and fixed in a
vertical position around the periphery of a rotating cylinder.
They have no end wise motion, and the stitch is formed in the following manner.
It being assumed that there has been set up on the needles near their lower
ends a row of loops, the fresh yarn is then delivered or fed through an eye in the
end of a fixed guide or yarn carrier to a loop-wheel suitably located with reference
to the needles, and it is taken and pushed by the notched wings on said loop-wheel
up under the beards of the needles. (a loop-wheel, sometimes known as a knitting
burr, is a wheel having wings arranged radially and diagonally across its face,
which is adapted to operate upon the yarn and the fabric).
The wings of a sinker-wheel then press the yarn in between the needles and
ensure that there shall be a sufficient quantity to form loops of the proper size.
The needle beards are then pressed in by a presser wheel so that their points
enter depressions in the stems, the yarn fed by the loop wheel being thus enclosed
between the beard and the stem; the old loops are then raised by a landing wheel
a short distance above and outside of the points of the beards.

page_text: A stripping or knocking over wheel, or other device, then throws the old loops
entirely over the points of the needles, and the fabric with the newly formed row
of loops is pressed down to the lower ends of the n-edles by a curved cloth-presser.
The abovo is the method of forming a plain tubular fabric in which the web
is identical in weave throughout all parts.
The presser-wheel employed in the above method of knitting is a smoothi-edge
disc horizontally placed and located in such, relation to the beards of the needles us
to press each beard, as the latter revolves into contact with the wheels periphery,
into the depression in its needles stem.
The presser wheels are removable from off the presser bars which support them.
When it is desirable to make what is technically known as " tuck-work," the plain
presser wheels are either removed or withdrawn from action and what are known
as tuck pressers brought into action.
"
Tuck pressers are flat dises of the same diameter as the presser-wheels, or "plain
pressers as the latter are sometimes called, around the periphery of which are
radially disposed notches or indentations of varying depths and so alternately or
otherwise placed each with its neighbor as to leave portions of the periphery
untouched, that is of full diameter, and adapted to encounter the beards of the
needles in a manner similar to that of the plain pressers.
When a tuck presser is applied to the machine its operation upon the beards of
the needles is irregular and dependant upon its peripheral notches so that when a
notch registers in line with a beard, the beard is of course, not depressed, while
whenever a portion of the periphery between the notches encounters a beard it
depresses it and locks in the yarn in the same manner that the plain presser does.
My invention consists in a knitting machine provided with both a tuck presser
and a plain presser, which is both constructed and operated substantially in the
manner hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure. 1. rej resents in longitudinal vertical central section a knitting machine
embodying my improvements
Figure 2. is an enlarged detail similar to figure 1 and especially illustrative of
the pressers and their attachments.
Figure 3. is a top plan view and
Figure 4. a side elevation of a convenient form of presser bar, or support for the
pressers
Figure 5 is a bottom view of the plain presser, and the collar upon which it
rotates
Figures 6 and 7 are top plan views of a portion of the needles and need lo
cylinder, and of the plain and tuck pressers in opposite positions in Figure 6 the
plain presser being in operation, and in Figure 7 the tuck presser.
Figure 8 is a top plan detail of the plain presser-operating camway
Figure 9 is a side elevation of the same, represented as locked to the bed plate
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
In the drawings, A represents a needle cylinder of any preferred construction,
supported upon a stem B and provided with a circular series of needles C, the
beards of which are indicated by the letter D.
The needle cylinder is erected in suitable relation to a bed plate E, which may
be of any desired and usual form.
Affixed to the under surface of the needle cylinder is an annular plate F, adapted
to revolve with the cylinder.
Above the annular plate and between it and the lower edge of the exterior face
plate of the needle cylinder is a cam-way ring G, whose exterior face is bevelled
from above inwardly and downwardly
Resting upon the annular plate and fitting snugly against the ring G is an
annular cam-way, being an annulus of metal whose interior face is beveled

page_text: oppositely and correspondingly to the bevel of the ring G, so that the cam-way
when in place upon the annular plate cannot be lifted therefrom.
The periphery of the cam-way is of varying contour as indicated in figure 8,
having segmental portions of different radius According to the shape of the
cam way will be the throw of the presser lever as hereinafter set forth.
I is the pin which when in the position represented in Figures 1 and 2 passes
through a hole "a" in the cam-way and into a hole 6 in the annular plate adapted
to receive it.
When this pin is placed in the above manner the caniway is locked to the.
annular plate and revolves fixedly with said plate and the needle cylinder.
J is a fixed stop upon the bed plate exterior to the cam-way, but so close thereto
that the can way in its revolution barely clears it
If the pin I be removed from its vertical scat in the holes a and b as shown
in Figures 1 and 2, and introduced horizontally into a horizontal hole c forine in
the side of the cam-way as in Figure 8 (or in dotted lines in Figure 1) it will
encounter the fixed stop upon the bed plate and while in such position will
prevent the revolution of the cam-way with the needle cylinder and will hold
the cam way fixed so that the annular plato will slide beneath it.
Any number of holes may be formed horizontally in the side of the cam way, so
that the cam way may be locked in any desired position with respect to the
bed plate.
K is a standard affixed to the bed plate of the machine, from which is erected
any suitable adjustable housing or or fitting L to which is connected the presser-
bar M, which projects horizontally towards and radially with respect to the needle
cylinder.
N is a stem vertically erected from the forward extremity of the presser bar,
upon which is supported the tuck presser O, which is fitted to closely encircle said.
stem and revolve fixedly with respect thereto, and without any lateral play.
Surrounding the stem and resting direct upon the upper surface of the presser-
bar is a sliding collar P, the periphery of which is circular and which is centrally.
provided with an elliptic slot Q.
Around the collar is fitted a plain presser or presser-wheel strictly as such, which
is free to revolve around said collar, and upon the upper face of the presser-bar
upon which it rests.
The tuck-presser rests and revolves upon the plain presser, as will be readily
understood by reference to the drawings.
From the above relationship of parts it will be obvious that while the tuck-
presser is incapable of lateral movement and must revolve fixedly with reference to.
the stem, the plain presser while compelled to revolve around the periphery of the
collar as an axis, is yet capable of lateral movement upon the movement of the
collar which through the medium of the elliptic slot in the centre thereof is enabled.
to move with respect to the stem.
I place the collar in such relation to the stem that the major axis of its elliptic.
slot is radial to the needle cylinder, in which position, as is evident the only
motion of the collar is to or from the needle cylinder in the direction of a projecting
radius thereof.
S is a lever pivoted at or near its centre to a projecting arm T of the standard K
equipped as to its lower extremity with a friction roller U (which in the set of
the machine should come in line with the exterior face of the cam-way, and which,.
if desired is made adjustable.by a set screw, as represented, in order to enable
with precision such setting in line) and at its upper extremity bifurcated into two
prongs V which respectively pass through a longitudinal slot W in the presser bar
and enter seats X in the under face of the collar.
Y is a spiral spring connected with the lever above its fulcrum and also con-
nected with the fixed stock of the presser bar or other portion of the standard or
its fitting

page_text: In connection with the pressers are of course employed the loop, sinker and
stripper wheels usual in these machines
In the drawings they have for clearness of illustration been omitted.
A series of these combined tuck and plain pressers and attachments corresponding
in number to the number of the loop wheels may be employed.
Such being a convenient construction of an apparatus embodying my invention
its operation is as follows:
In the set of the machine the lever is designed to be perpendicular or nearly so,
and to have its friction roller so set with respect to the cam-way as to be operated
upon by the latter to occasion the oscillation of the lever
The presser bar and tuck presser aro so set that the latter is always in engage-
ment with the beards of the needles, in the ordinary set and operation of the
machine.
When it is desired that the tuck presser shall alone operate, the cam way is
pinned to the bed-plate in such position that the friction roller rests in the
depressed surface thereof, in which position the spiral draws the upper extremity
of the lever and the plain presser away from the beards of the needles.
When it is desired to throw the tuck presser partially out of operation and the
plain presser into operation so as to do plain and tuck work, the cam-way is pinned
to the annular plate and caused thereby to revolve with the needle cylinder so that
it operates upon the friction roller to occasion the oscillation of the lever and the
consequent movement of the plain presser into and out of engagement with the
beards.
By a regulation of the contour of the operative face of the cam-way and of the
position of the notches in the tuck presser and of the set of the latter with respect
to the set of the cam-way, the apparatus may be caused to do altogether tuck work
or altogether plain work.
When desired to hold the plain presser constantly in operation against the
beards, the cam-way may be locked to the bedplate so that its larger diameter or
face is in contact with the friction roller and is in the opposite position to that
represented in Figure 8.
I have represented in the drawings various adjusting devices whereby the set of
the presser bar may be either vertically or horizontally adjusted, whereby the set
of the friction roller may be controlled, and the various operative parts of the
device adjusted at will.
Other devices than the pin and stud may be employed to lock the cam-way to
the needle cylinder or hold it fixed and out of the control of the revolution of the
latter.
I simply represent the above devices as convenient for the purpose.
I regard the collar with the elliptic bore and the forked lever locked therewith
as well adapted in connection with the cam-way to effectuate the movement of the
plain presser, but mechanics will readily understand that equivalent devices or
kindred contrivances modified as to the mechanical structure can be substituted
therefor
Having thus described my invention, I claim :-
1. In a knitting machine the following instrumentalities in combination :-
First, a needle cylinder provided with a series of vertically placed bearded needles,
and mechanism for revolving said cylinder; Second a tuck presser situated in such
relation to said cylinder as to be always in mesh with the beards on the needles ;—
Third a plain presser placed concentrically with the tuck presser but adapted to be
moved toward and from the needles in a direction radial to their cylinder; Fourth
a lever connected with the plain presser; and Fifth, a cam way upon the needle
cylinder adapted to encounter the lever and occasion the throw both of said lever
and, with it, of the plain presser ;-substantially as described.
2. In combination with the presser bar provided with a fixed stem a tuck
presser revolving fixedly upon said fixed stem; a collar having an elliptic slot

page_text: and placed upon said stem, a plain presser revolving around the collar, a lever
engaged as to its upper extremity with the collar and in line as to its lower
extremity with a cam way, a cam way upon a needle cylinder, and a needle
cylinder, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the needle cylinder, a cam way, and means for locking
the cam way to said needle cylinder, substantially as set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said Joseph Adams have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twenty-sixth day of December, 1882.