Improvements in or relating to French or Similarly Constructed Circular Knitting Frames.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 25th Apr.,
1891
COMPLETE SIEVITIGATION,
Improvements in or relating to French or Similarly Constructed
Circular Knitting Frames.
I, CHARLES TERROT, of Cannstatt, Wurttemberg, in the Empire of Germany,
Hosiery Machine Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to French or similarly constructed circular knitting
machines and embodies improvements which have for their object the production of
designs in the fabrics made thereon. The design in what is termed plated knitted
fabric is obtained as is well known by conveying to the needles C of the knitting
frame Fig. 1-two threads A B placed one behind the other.
The sinkers 1 and 2 form two loops of such threads in such a manner that the
rearmost loop B will lie on the right or upper surface of the fabric when finished,
this side of the knitted fabric being turned inwardly.
If therefore the thread B is always allowed to remain behind the thread A. the
colour of B will be prominent throughout the right or front side of the knitted
goods. When it is desired that some of the meshes should be of a different colour
so as to form a design it is necessary to reverse the respective positions of the
threads A and B i.c. B should be placed before instead of behind A on the needles
and then sunk.
This change of position of the thread B in relation to the thread A is in this
improved knitting frame automatically effected by the sinkers of the loop wheel in
accordance with the desired design.
For this purpose the loop-wheel in addition to the piece P arranged as usual
upon its shaft or spindle M and provided with two guiding discs Q and R in the
radial alots of which longitudinally move the sinkers 1 and 2 is provided with two
additional guiding discs S and U-instead of one only-which are connected with
each other and the socket S' of which is loosely passed on the spindle M a screw G
preventing their rotation.
Some of the sinkers 1 are guided by the slot in the edge of the disc S-Figs. 3
and 4 others, 2, are guided by the slot Y in the edge of the disc H.
Each of the sinkers is provided with two looping points 3, 4 and 5, 3,—Figs. 3
and 4-and as they move in the direction 7-Fig. 2-but before they enter the
row of needles C they catch the threads A and B in the following manner.
The sinkers 1-Fig. 3-always catch with their points 3 and 4 the two threads A
and B together and loop them in such a manner that A is situated behind B so that
the meshes resulting have the thread A on the top.
The sinkers 2 alternately with the sinkers 1 in a predetermined order are retained
for a short time by their guide Y against U, Figs. 3 and 5, and before they in
their turn enter the needle-row, say at the point 2-Fig. 2-they grasp with their
notch 5 the foremost thread B-Fig. 3. The guiding edge U at this part between
2 and 1, Fig. 2, is curved as shown at U' Fig. 5, and by this curved portion
instantly moves all the sinkers 2 as they proceed in the direction 7 towards the
interior of the frame or moves them back, by causing them to pass over the needles
so that before they reach the needle-rim they carry the thread B held in 5-
Fig. 3 over the thread A-Fig. 4.
This thread B is now laid upon the needles behind A and thereupon the notch 5
loops the thread B and the point 3 loops the thread A.
The meshes formed by these sinkers 2 therefore carry the thread B at the top
and consequently assume the colour of this thread while the meshes formed by the
sinkers 1 show the colour of the thread A.

page_text: Thus according to the position or distribution of the sinkers it will be found that
on some needles the thread B will be behind A and in others the thread A. behind B
Fig. 6.
As a matter of fact however the thread A-Figs. 3 and 4-in all cases retains
the same position and B only is shifted backwards and forwards the sinkers 1 with
their notch 4 loop B in front of A while the sinkers 2 carry it over A and loop it
behind the latter thread.
The simplest application of this method consists in knitting longitudinally striped
or coloured bands. In this case the knitting frame need only contain one loop
wheel the number of the needles being a multiple of the number of the sinkers.
Any description of designs may however be produced-just as by pressing-by
proportioning the number of sinkers in relation to the number of needles in the
same way as is usually proportioned the number of wheels, in producing press
designs, and in order of succession of the sinkers 1 and 2 will in this case have to
correspond to that of the teeth and notches in the presser wheel.
As however the loop wheels must be of a much larger diameter than the presser
wheels there is more scope for variation in producing designs by this arrangement
than there is in pressing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
cion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A French or similarly constructed circular knitting frame adapted for the pro-
duction of plated designs in knitted fabrics by such an arrangement of the sinkers
of its loop-wheels that they are longitudinally guided by the discs S and U so as
alternately to place either one or the other of the two threads fed to the needles
the one in front of the other or vice versa, upon the said needles and to keep
them in this position substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 11th day of February 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.