Improvements in Knitting Machines Applicable for all kinds of Knitted Fabrics.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1886
Complete Left, 14th June, 1887..
Complete Accepted, 14th Oct., 1887
Improvements in Knitting Machines Applicable for all kinds of
Knitted Fabrics.
JOHN HARRIS COOPER of Evington Hall in the County of Leicester and Friars
Causeway Leicester Manufacturer and WILLIAM JAMES FORD of Humberston in the
County of Leicester Hosier do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
A new or Improved method of manufacturing or knitting of socks and other similar
articles, and apparatues for effecting the same, whereby we cause an additional thread
to be worked in at any part of the article, the said thread to be used for strengthining
or other purposes. The thread that is not worked in by the Needles hangs loosley
inside, and can be removed. The object of our Invention is to lay on the Needles a
continuous thread (in addition to the knitting thread) worked in or thrown out at the
required positions, by the action of the thred being laid under part and within the
latches of the other part of the needles.
This invention has for its object to improve that class of knitting-machines with one
or two sets of needles.
Used for making plain or ribbed work.
With stationary or movable needle cylinders.
We can make a variety of fancy-work or thicken and strengthen the fabric when
and where required.
We fix to the guide of a circular knitting machine a slotted thread guide, which is
held by a screw fastened through the ordinary guide. The slot is to allow of lowering
or raiseing the Guide to the proper height; by this means we raise or lower the
thickening threads, and regulate the position of the thread so that it lays across
the latch of the short Butted Needle and under the short latch of the deep Butted
Needle.
The thickening thread passes through the slotted guide in advance of the ordinary
knitting thread.
To a portion of the needles we have a deeper butt, this butt is used for raiseing and
lowering the needle by the action of the knitting cams.

page_text: The latch or tumbler of this needle is shorter than the one on the ordinary knitting
needle.
By this arrangement the thickening thread is laid under the latch of the deep butted
needle, and knitted in by the ordinary needle.
The needles may be arranged to any width required to form narrow or broad thickened
parts of the fabric.
The bobbin for thickening may be carried at the side in the usual manner or may
be carried from the centre, as shewn in a patent granted to us No. 1788/1884.
The same results may be obtained by useing a rocking lever, with a hole in advance
of the ordinary thread guide, this lever would raise and lower the thickening thread
above or below the latches of the needles: This lever may be acted upon by suitable
stops fixed in various positions on the bed of the machine, according to the width
required.
We prefer to use the first arrangement.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines Applicable for all kinds of
Knitted Fabrics.
We JOHN HARRIS COOPER of Evington Hall in the County of Leicester and Friars
Causeway Leicester Hosiery Manufacturer and WILLIAM JAMES FORD of Humberstone
in the County of Leicester Hosier 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 has for its object to Improve that class of Knitting Machines with
stationary or moveable cylinder.
According to this Invention we construct circular knitting machines in such manner
that splicing threads can be laid together with the other threads on to any number of
needles, at the time when a tubular piece of work is being produced by a continuous
revolving movement or when a reciprocating to and fro movement is used to form Flat
Fabric.
In this way we are enabled to form a sock or stocking upon a circular knitting
machine with the work thickened at the knee or just above the heel and through the
foot bottom without breakage of the splicing thread.
When we require to thicken the knee we use deep butt needles at the back or heel
side of the machine, and place them in the front to thicken the heel of the stocking
the thread that is not knitted in is cut off by hand after the article comes from the
machine.
We give the requsite up and down movement to the needles in the well known
manner. In the thread guide we place a slotted hole for the thickening thread to pass
through which thread is in advance of the ordinary knitting thread and by the
arrangement of the two different action needles the thickening thread is knitted in
with the ordinary thread. We arrange half of each kind of needles in the circle. of
the machine for heel thickening. The same for the knee, the thread is placed under.
the latches of the other half and does not get knitted in the loops but passes away
with the work produced in straight threads.
Fig. 1 we have shewn an ordinary knitting machine which is adapted to make
socks or stockings, well known as Hand knitted.
Fig. 2 shews the action of the cams in raising the needles by the action of the
butts and the position of the thickening thread to the needles. As the needles
descend the inclines the thread is caught in the hook of needle C and not by D.
The splicing bobbin is shewn in fig. 1 in the centre of the machine as shewn in
No. 1788, 1884 Cooper and Ford we can carry it at the side of the machine.
A is the knitting thread guide.
B is the ordinary knitting guide.
Cis the short butt needle

page_text: E is the upthrow cams that raise the needle.
B1 is the knitting thread.
A1 is the thickening thread.
It will be seen that A 1 rolls over needle D and is knitted in needle C-these needles
may be arranged in any width.
Having now particulary described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
First. The construction of circular knitting machine as described so that a thickening
thread may in such manner be laid in.
Second. The position of thickening guide to the knitting guide.
Third. The combination of the two needles at work in the same machine.
JOHN HARRIS COOPER.
WILLIAM JAMES FORD.
JOHN HARRIS COOPER.
WILLIAM JAMES FORD.