Improvements in or relating to Knitting Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 14th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 2nd June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Knitting Machines.
We, LOYAL IVES and FRANK CRAWFORD, both of New Brunswick, in the
County of Middlesex, State of New Jersey, America, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention has reference to stop mechanism for knitting machines and
is constructed so that upon the yarn thread breaking or upon bunches or irregu-
larities occurring therein the motion of the machine will be arrested.
According to this invention the thread after leaving the bobbin passes over
a thread feeler or finger which is held up by the thread as it passes to the
needles but upon the thread breaking or slacking the said finger drops and
acting through intermediate mechanism stops the machine.
The said finger passes through the side of a box or casing supported at the
upper end of a vertical stem or pillar revolving with the knitting machine.
and the turned down opposite end of the said finger is located in a notch or
equivalent in a circular plate rotatably supported on a central spindle in the
floor of the said casing.
The said circular plate has on its under side an eccentric or crank pin entering
a bifurcation in a plate forming part of a horizontal spring controlled slide
fitted with a pin underneath engaging a slotted plate furnished with a tooth or
lug adapted to engage a spring governed detent the tooth of which is in register
with the bifurcated plate so that it can be operated upon by the crank pin on
the circular plate.
Upon the thread breaking, the thread feeler or finger drops and its other or
turned down end thereupon partially rotates the circular plate in contact with
it and the crank pin on said plate releases the detent and allows the slide to
project or move longitudinally out of its casing thereby actuating a vertical
rock shaft to which it is attached and the said shaft actuates the stop and brake
mechanism.
The said vertical rock shaft is furnished with a toc attached by preferably
pin connection to an arm on a short vertical red having a tubular bearing or
bracket screwed to the bed plate.
The said rod is also turnished with a further arm on its lower end in contact
with an arm on a pin or rod depending from the bed plate and the said rod has on
its lower end an arm attached by a link to a pivotted lever which when actuated
by the turning of the rod and arms herein before mentioned depresses one of
two toggle levers forming a toggle joint connected to a spring governed belt
shipper lever and the latter shifts the belt off the driving pulley on to the
oose pulley.
Just immediately prior to the shifting of the belt as described a brake is
applied to the driving pulley

page_text: For this purpose the vertical rod herein before mentioned is provided on its lower
end with a boss and extension to which latter a lever is fulcrummed.
The forward end of this lever is located on the side of the boss of the driving
pulley, but when a thread breaks the end of the said lever, through the rotation
of the rock shaft, vertical rod and attachments moves into the path of a stud
on the boss of the driving pulley and the said stud raises said lever and the
latter presses against an adjustable screw on a lug on a boss loose on the vertical
rod and this acting upon another boss and lug moves on its centre a spring
controlled detent which thereby disengages a spring controlled lever fulcrummed
on an eccentric so that the said lever lowers the brake arm and its shoe on to
the driving pulley to stop the machine.
The thread before passing over the thread feeler or finger hereinbefore men-
tioned passes through the forked end of a pivotted finger bearing against a
spring governed rod, the springs of which are attached to arms in the casing
before mentioned and the said arms are adjustable by means of a screw to regu-
late the tension of the springs. The thread may also pass over a hook on the
said rod.
To arrest the bunches or irregularities in the yarn the latter may be caused
to pass through an eye or perforation in a plate provided with eyes or per-
forations of different sizes for different thicknesses or gauges of yarn.
One or more of the said perforated plates may be employed attached to or
forming one or more arms projecting from a boss connected by a set screw to
the vertical stem or pillar herein before mentioned.
The details of construction may be varied without departing from the
invention.
Dated this 12th day of July 1899.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Knitting Machines.
We, LOYAL IVES and FRANK CRAWFORD, both of New Brunswick, in the
County of Middlesex, State of New Jersey, America, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
-
This invention has reference to stop mechanism for knitting machines and
is constructed so that upon the yarn thread breaking or upon bunches or irregu-
larities occurring therein the motion of the machine will be arrested.
According to this invention the thread after leaving the bobbin passes over
a thread feeler or finger which is held up by the thread as it passes to the
needles but upon the thread breaking or slacking the said finger drops and
acting through intermediate mechanism stops the machine.
The invention will be fully understood from the following further description
and the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a plan of the thread guides.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line X X of Figure 8 showing the
mechanism within the casing.
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the same parts in another position.
Figure 4 is a plan of the underside of the notched or shouldered lever disc.

page_text: Figure 7 is a transverse section of the thread guide on the line Y Y of
Figure 1.
Figure 8 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of sufficient of a
knitting machine to illustrate our improved stopping mechanism incorporated
therewith.
Figure 9 is a vertical section looking to the left and taken on the line Z Z
of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a perspective view of part of the stopping mechanism.
Figure 11 is a perspective detail of the belt shipper mechanism.
Figure 12 is a detail in elevation of the brake mechanism.
Figure 13 is a detail of the detent.
A represents the finger or thread feeler over which, the thread A³ passes to
the needles of the machine.
So long as the said finger held up by the thread as in Figures 7 and 8 the
machine continues in motion but immediately the thread breaks, slackens or
runs out the finger drops as shown in dotted line in Figure 7 and acting
through intermediate mechanism stops the machine.
The said finger is centred upon an axle A' and its end passes through the
side of a box or casing B supported at the upper end of a vertical stem or
pillar C Figures 1 and 8 carried by an arm C' bolted at C2 to the bed plate C³.
The inner end of the said finger is bent or turned down forming a stud or
pin A2 located in a notch or against a shoulder D or equivalent in or on a
circular plate or lever D Figures 2 and 4 rotatably supported on a central spindle
or fulcrum D2 in the floor of the caid casing.
If only one thread be employed only one finger A and one notch or shoulder D¹
are necessary, in which case the circular plate and notch might be replaced by
a lever or arm having but one shoulder and fulcrummed at 1)².
The said circular plate has on its underside an eccentric or crank pin 13
entering a bifurcated plate or fork forming part of a horizontal slide E
controlled by a spring E² which tends to pull the said slide normally towards
a stop E Figures 2 and 3.
The said slide is fitted on its underside with a pin E engaging a slotted
plate F furnished with a stud, tooth or lug F adapted to engage a catch or
detent G as in Figure 2. The said detent is governed by a spring G¹.
When the said stud, tooth or lug is swung towards the catch or detent G the
said stud rides along the inclined face G2 of the detent and passes into the
locking recess or shoulder G³ in said catch, after which the spring G¹ forces
back the catch to its locking position so as to hold the stud in its recess.
The slotted plate F and slide E are thus held against the action of the
spring E so that the slide rests away from the stop E
Upon the thread breaking or running out, the thread feeler or finger A drops
and the stud A2 on its other end bearing against the side of the notch or
shoulder D partially rotates the circular plate 1) and the crank pin D3 is forced
against the fail of the detent G. and the latter is forced to its releasing position
against the action of the spring G¹ thereby disengaging the stud F1 whereupon
the slotted plate F and slide Ĕ are moved, the latter being brought up to the
stop E3 thereby actuating a vertical rock shart H to which it is attached, and
the said shaft actuales the stop and brake mechanism as hereinafter described.
The slide E is connected by a slotted link H' to the said vertical shaft H,
Figures 2, 3 and 10, and the latter is furnished at its lower end with a toe H2
Figures 8 and 10 attached by a pin connection to an arm J¹ on a short vertical
rod J having a tubular bearing or bracket J2 screwed to the bed plate C³.
The said rod J is also furnished with a further arm Ja on its lower end in
contact with an arm K¹ on a pin or rod K depending from the bed plate,
Figures 8 and 10, and the said rod has on its lower end an arm K³ attached by

page_text: a link K³ to a two arm lever L pivotted to the framing and which when actuated
by the turning of the rod H and arms H2 J1 J K¹ K2 depresses one M of two
toggle levers M M¹ attached to a spring governed belt shipper lever N causing
the latter to shift the belt ( off the driving pulley 01 on to the loose pulley 0³.
Just immediately prior to the shifting of the belt as described a brake is
applied to the driving pulley.
For this purpose the vertical rod J is provided on its lower end with a boss J*
and extension J5 to which latter a lever P is fulcrummed.
་་
The forward end of this lever is located at the side of the boss 03 of the driv-
ing pulley O', but when a thread breaks the end of the said lever P, through
the rotation of the rock shaft H, vertical rod J and attachments; moves into the
path of a stud 0 on the boss of the driving pulley and the said stud raises the
said lever P and the latter presses against an adjustable screw R carried on a
lug or boss Jo loose on the vertical rod J and this acting upon another lug S¹
and boss S on the rod J moves on its centre a spring governed detent T
Figures 12 and 13 which thereby disengages a spring controlled lever U ful-
crummed on an eccentric UI connected to the framing so that the said lever
lowers the brake arm V and its shoe VI on to the driving pulley O' to arrest
the motion of the machine.
The thread before passing over the thread feeler or finger A passes through
the forked end of a pivotted finger W bearing against a spring governed rod W
the springs W2 of which are attached to arms W3 in the casing B, the said
arms being adjustable by means of a screw W to regulate the tension of the
springs.
The thread may also pass over a hook W on the said rod.
In the event of a bunch or irregularity occuring in the yarn it will catch in
the fork of the finger W and the strain or tension on the yarn will move the
said finger on its pivot to the position shown in Figure 5 and cause the curved
arm on its opposite end to rock the rod W whereupon the hook W on the said
rod will move into the position shown in dotted line in Figure 7 so that the
thread will slip off it and out of the open end of the finger A whereupon the
latter drops to the position shown in dotted line and brings the machine to rest
as herein before described.
Having now particularly 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:
1. In a knitting machine the combination of one or more thread feelers or
fingers, combined belt shifter and brake mechanism and means interposed
between the latter and the said feelers or fingers to stop the machine upon the
breaking or running out of the thread.
2. In a knitting machine the combination of one or more thread feelers, a
slide, means between it and the said feelers to actuate the said slide, belt
shifter and brake mechanism and means interposed between the latter and the
slide to arrest the motion of the machine upon the breaking or exhaustion of the
thread.
3. In a knitting machine the combination of one or more thread feelers, a
slide, means for actuating the latter. a rock shaft and connections between it
and the said slide, belt shifter and brake mechanism and connections between
the latter and the said slide to stop the machine upon the breaking or exhaustion
of the thread.
4. In a knitting machine the combination of one or more thread feelers, a
slide, levers and detent for controlling the latter, a rock shaft and connections
between it and the said slide and means interposed between the said rock shaft
and belt shifter and brake mechanism to operate latter and stop the machine
upon the breaking or exhaustion of the thread.
5. In a knitting machine the combination of one or more thread feelers,

page_text: operative mechanism therefor substantially as shown in Figures 2 and 3, belt
shifter and brake mechanism and means interposed between the latter and the
said operative mechanism for the purpose described.
6. In a knitting machine the combination of one or more thread feelers,
operative mechanism therefor substantially, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, belt
shifter and brake mechanism and means substantially as shown in Figures 8
to 13 for operating the latter for the purpose described.
7. In a knitting machine the combination with brake mechanism, a belt
shifter and a detent for said shifter, of a spring actuated releasing slide or
actuator E, intermediate devices operatively connecting the detent with the
slide or actuator, a locking arm or lever F, connected to said slide, a catch or
detent for said locking-arm, a releasing disc or lever D), made to act on said
catch, and a finger A for actuating said dise or lever substantially as described.
8. In a knitting machine the combination, with the spring pressed slide or
actuator E, of a slide locking lever F, a spring pressed catch or detent & for
holding the lever to lock the slide, the releasing fingers A. and devices inter-
mediate the catch or detent and the fingers for causing the latter to actuate the
catch or detent and release the locking lever, substantially as described.
9. The improved stop motion for knitting machines consisting of the parts
constructed, arranged and operating substantially in the manner described and
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of April 1900.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicants.