Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM ESTY, Machinist, and LEWIS FLANDERS
BUSIEL, Manufacturer, both of Laconia, New Hampshire, United States of
America.]
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 the manufacture of widened tubular knit fabrics and it
consists in a certain novel arrangement of stitches composing the seam in that portion
of the fabric where the widening takes place, and in a novel method of knitting said
widened tubular fabric.
In the manufacture of this improved widened tubular fabric, an automatic machine
is used, having two sets of needles arranged in rows parallel to each other upon fixed
beds, said beds being so inclined to each other that the needles in either row when
moved endwise by the action of the needle, cams thereon, will cross the plane of
movement of the other set of needles, a two armed yarn carrier constructed and
arranged to feed two yarns to said needles, one to each row of needles, at the same
time means for moving said carrier over said rows of needles and reversing its ends
at each end of the rows of needles, so that the yarn which is fed to one row of
needles when the carrier is moving in one direction, will be delivered to the other
row of needles when it moves in the opposite direction, and a pattern chain for
automatically throwing into and out of action, the needles for forming the widening
86am.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shirt-sleeve, illustrative of this invention and
Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the same showing the form and
arrangement of the stitches which constitute the seam in that part of the fabric where
the widening takes place.
A and B represent portions of the fabric which are knit straight or with a uniform
number of stitches in each course of either section, but with a different number of
stitches in the courses of A, to those in B, and C is a section located between A and B
and in which the widening to give the taper to the fabric takes place.
This tapered tubular fabric may be a stocking, the sleeve of a shirt, the leg of a
pair of drawers, or any other tapered tubular knit fabric, and is knit by commencing
at the small end, and at the proper times widening to increase its diameter and give
the desired taper thereto.
If a shirt sleeve is to be knit, the wrist band D is first knit and then a straight
tubular portion B is knit extending to the line a when the widening begins.
Up to this point the two yarns have each been fed alternately to each set of needles,
said yarns crossing each other at each end of the rows of needles, and each course
knit having the same number of stitches, the number of needles in action being the
same in all the courses.
When the point for beginning the widening is reached, and the yarn carrier is at
the right hand end of the machine, an additional needle at the opposite end of each
row of needles is thrown into action, and the end needle of each row of the needles
previously in action, and next to the. new needle thrown into action, and the third
needle from said new needle are thrown out of action, two courses are knit, the new
needles catching the yarns of the first course, and drawing them to the other side,
but as there are no stitches upon said new needles to draw the new loops through, said
yains are held by the hooks of said needles till said new needles are again advanced
to seize the yarns of the second course, when the latches of the needles are carried
through the loops held by said needles and as the needles again recede, the loops seized
from the second course are drawn through the loops first seized and the latter are
cast off, and when the yarn carrier has again reached the right hand end of the rows
of needles, the needles last thrown into action are again thrown out of action, each
drawing down a loop of yarn below the plane of movement of the yarns as they are
being knit into the fabric, and the two needles upon each side of the seam which were
last thrown out of action, still holding 'the loops of yarn held thereby when thrown
out, are again thrown into action, and the loops b, b, held by said needles are knit
into the next course, two or more courses are now knit upon the original number of
needles, while the new needles with the loops held thereby remain out of action, and
then said new needles are again thrown into action, and the loops c, c, carried thereby
are knit into the next succeeding course.
This operation is repeated as often as it is desired to widen, and is continued until
the point is reached where it is desired to discontinue the widening, when any desired
number of courses are knit upon the needles then in action, without adding to or sub-
tracting therefrom, to complete the straight section A, and then the gusset E is knit
by widening as before.
When completed, the seam of that portion of the fabric where the 'widening is
done, will consist of a series of repetitions of the following features, viz. :-one or more
courses in which the yarns are crossed at the seam, as at d, d, a plurality of loops b, c,
drawn from a lower course, upon each side of the centre of the seam, over said crossed
.yarns or first named courses, to a course above, and knit into said course, one-of said
loops upon each side of the centre of the seam being carried up by a new needle
'being thrown into action as heretofore described, thus increasing 'the number of
stitches in the course and widening the fabric.
The object of forming the portion of the seam where the widening takes place in
the manner herein before described, is to more tightly close up the openings which
would be 'fornied were only one loop upon each side of the seam drawn from a

page_text: course over one or more courses and knit into a succeeding course, and at the
same time to render said seam more elastic than it otherwise would be.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is
First. A widened tubular fabric having the seain, in that portion where the
widening is done, composed of a series of repetitions of one or more courses of
crossed yarns as d, d, and a plurality of loops, upon each side of the centre of said
seam, drawn from a course below, over and above said first mentioned courses,
and knit into a course above at each widening, one of said loops upon each side
of the seam increasing the number of stitches in said course, and widening the
fabric.
Second. The method of knitting a widened tubular fabric, with two yarns on two
distinct sets of needles, which consists in throwing into action a new needle at one
end of each row of needles at the same time that the needle next to said new
needle and the third needle from the said new needle are thrown out of action,
still holding the loop thereon, knitting one or more courses with two yarns fed in
opposite directions, and throwing out of action the last needles thrown in, and at
the same time throwing into action the needles last previously thrown out of action,
knitting the loops carried by said last mentioned needles into a succeeding course,
knitting one or more courses, and then throwing into action the new needles previously
thrown in to seize the yarn and then thrown out again, and knitting the loops carried
by said new needles, into a succeeding course, thus increasing the number of stitches
in the course and widening the fabric, and repeating said operations until the widening
is completed.
Dated thin 10th 1...
1000