Improvements in Machinery for Automatically Knitting Socks or Stockings with Seamless Heels and Toes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1894
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Automatically Knitting Socks or
Stockings with Seamless Heels and Toes.
I, JOHN GEORGE POWELL, of Twenty-eighth and Parrish Streets, in the City
of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America,
Knitting Mill Proprietor, 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 knitting machines of the kind in which there are two
sets of needles inclined at about right angles to each other operated by cams carried
by cam plates which are moved to and fro over the needle beds.
When the cams
are raised they cease to actuate the needles which then do not knit, but when the
cams are lowered they act upon the needles causing them to effect the knitting
operation.
The thread guide moves with the cam plates along the sets of needles; in
producing tubular work the needles of one bed are operated when the cam plates
move in the one direction, and the needles on the other bed are operated when the
cam plates move in the opposite direction so that courses of stitches are formed
first upon the right hand set of needles and then upon the left hand set.
When it is desired to form a pouch or pocket upon one side of the knitted tube,
such as is required for the heel or toe of a stocking the needles of one bed remain
out of action and the needles of the other bed have courses of stitches formed upon
them during both reciprocations of the cam plates and during this operation needle
after needle is successively moved out of action, first a needle at one end of the set
and then a needle at the other end of the set, so as gradually to narrow the courses
of stitches, the needles thrown out of action, however, retaining their stitches, and when
the desired narrowing has been effected, first a needle at one end and then a needle
at the opposite end of the acting set is brought into action and so on successively so as
to widen the web and by the time the full set of needles is again in action, the cams
which actuate the opposite set of needles are again moved into operative position
and the formation of tubular work by knitting upon the two sets of needles
alternately is resumed.
In this class of machines, vibrating hooks or web holders are usually employed in
connection with each set of needles, these hooks engaging with the top courses of
the knitted web and serving to "knock over" the new stitches and prevent the
web from rising with the needles as the latter are projected. The hooks are
operated by certain cams which travel with the plates carrying the cams which
work the needles. The latter cams are moved into and out of operation by means
of certain slide bars which come into contact with pins as the cam plates reach the
limits of their movement first to the right hand and then to the left hand.
These general features of description apply to machines now known and to which,
broadly, I lay no claim, my invention comprising certain specific details of con-
struction in machines of this class, which details may be said to comprise the
following features:
First, a construction of parts whereby only the web holders used in conjunction
with the needles on the acting side of the machine are operated, the web holders
on the other side being like the needles themselves, inoperative.
"
Second, mechanism whereby the needles upon which is effected the "fashioning
or narrowing and widening of the web are picked out of and then into operative
osition.

page_text: either the needles or retainer to undue wear.
Fifth, a special form of latch guard and turner.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a machine in which my improvements are
embodied.
Fig. 1 is a front view;
Fig. 2 is a plan;
Fig. 3 is an end view (looking in the direction of the arrow a Fig. 1);
Fig. 4 is an end view, looking in the direction of the arrow y Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the needle beds with their needles and web
holders, and the sliding yoke with its cam plates, slides and cams for actuating the
needles and web holders;
Fig. 6 is a view looking at the underside of the yoke and cam plates illustrating
its two sets of cams the one set in position for actuating the needles and web
holders on its side of the bed, and the other set in position not to actuate the other
set of needles and web holders;
.
Fig. 7 is a similar view, showing the positions of the cams reversed, that is to
say, those which were formerly inoperative being operative, and those which were
formerly operative being out of action;
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the means employed for operating the needle
pickers;
Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12, are transverse sections illustrating the method of operating
the needle pickers į
Fig. 13 is a section showing a detail;
Fig. 14 is a section showing a slight modification ;
Fig. 15 illustrates the means employed for moving the cams operating the web
holder into and out of action;
Fig. 16 shows, the sliding cam bar for adjusting the cams so as to draw long
stitches in making a heel or toe pocket; and
Fig. 17 is a side view illustrating the latch guard and turner.
1 and 2 are the inclined needle beds fixed at suitable inclinations on the upper
ends of the side frames which carry bearings for the various longitudinal shafts
of the machine and serve as supports for the fixed portions of the machine in the
usual way.
1 is the plate carrying the cams which act upon the needles of bed 1, and 2" is
the plate for the came which act upon the needles of bed 2, these plates being
connected by a transverse yoke 3 sliding in guide rods 4 and connected by link 5.
to crank upon disc 7 at the upper end of the vertical shaft 8 at one end of the
machine, so that as said shaft rotates both cam plates are caused to reciprocate
simultaneously across the needle beds 1 and 2.
Each needle has a shank with projecting bit acted upon by the needle cams and
the needles and their shanks are guided in slots formed in the needle beds as
usual, but, in order to prevent the needles from rising or jumping out of the slots,
I provide above each needle bed, a longitudinal bar 9 (Fig. 3) acted upon by
springs 10, which press it down onto the face of the needle bed and needles, this
yielding bar, while it retains the needles, offers less frictional resistance than a
rigid bar would offer and consequently produces less wear of the needles. and of
itself.
As shown the needles upon bed 1 are those intended for fashioning the web, the
needles upon bed 2 being used in connection with those of the bed I in setting up
the work and alternately with them in the formation of tubular fabric; the cams on
plate 1 are therefore somewhat different from those on plate 2", as the latter
operate upon the needles only when the cam plate moves in one direction whereas
the cams of plate 1* operate at certain times upon the needles, when the cam plate
moves in both directions. Each cam plate has a cam slide 12 on which the. needle

page_text: operating cams are mounted. 2 has a central lift cam 13, a top cam 14, a drawing
down cam 15 and a supplementary drawing down cam 16.
1ª has two draw down
cams 15, one on each side of the central lift cam 13. In connection with the cams
of 2 there is a primary lift cam 17 which is secured to a guided slide bar 18; the
cam plate 1 has two primary lift cams 17, one on each side of the central lift
cam, these cams 17 being carried by a sliding bar 19 and being free to move in
either direction by the pressure of the needle bits upon them until they meet the
central cam 13, towards which they direct the needles. Each cam plate can be
adjusted on its yoke by means of an eccentric stud 20 having a graduated dial 21
so as to regulate the length of stitch drawn by each needle by governing the
extent to which the hooks of the needles are drawn down into the slots of the
needle bed. The cam plate 1* has a special cam bar 22 shown detached in Fig. 16,
which, in making the courses of stitches for the heel or toe pocket, is acted upon
so as to depress the carriage to a certain extent and thus insure a longer pull upon
the needles and consequently longer stitches in these courses than in the courses of
stitches which form the tubular web, this construction providing for the use of
heavier yarn in knitting the toe and heel.
In starting to knit a stocking the cams of both cam plates 1* and 2ª are in
position to act upon the needles, but are not fully depressed so as to draw full
stitches, for the yarn is fed to both sets of needles in making the setting up course
and it cannot stand the strain of a full draft by both sets of needles.
As soon as the cam plates have made the first reciprocation so as to complete the
setting up course, the cams of 2 are moved out of action, and to and fro knitting
upon the needles of the bed 1 is proceeded with, the web being first narrowed and
then widened, as before described, in order to form the toe pocket. As soon as this
pocket is completed, the cams of 2ª are thrown into action and courses are then
knit first upon the needles of bed 1 when the yoke 3 moves in the one direction, and
then upon the needles of bed 2 when the yoke moves in the other direction, so as to
produce tubular web for the foot of the stocking.
This continues until the heel is to be formed, whereupon the cams of 2ª are again
moved out of action, and the heel pocket is knitted upon the needles of bed 1, and
after the completion of the heel, the cams of 2 are again brought into action and
the knitting of tubular web for the leg of the stocking is proceeded with.
After the completion of the leg the above series of operations can be repeated.
In forming the setting up courses, the lift cam 17 at the rear end of 1* raises the
needles of the bed 1, slightly; unless at this time there is a corresponding
downward movement of the opposite needles on the bed 2, the stitches might slip
from said needles of bed 1 as they are raised. This slight extra draft upon the
needles of bed 2 is effected by the supplementary draw down cam 16 provided for
plate 2. The slide bar to which this cam 16 is secured has a pin 23 with V shaped
end which is acted upon by V shaped notches 24 in the slide bar 18 which carries
the primary lift cam 17. In forming the first or setting up course, the cam 16 is
permitted to descend by the entrance of the pin 23 into one of the notches 24 so
that it acts upon the bits of the needles after they leave the draw down cam 15 and
imparts a further draft to them, at all other times the cam 16 is raised so that it
has no effect upon the needles.
The slide 12 of each of the cam plates 1 and 2 has zig-zag slots 12" which
receive lugs 25 projecting from a slide bar 26 so that when bar 26 is moved in the
one direction the cam slide is raised in order to carry its cams out of operative
position, and when bar 26 is moved in the opposite direction the cam slide is
lowered so as to bring its cams into operative position, thus as shown in Fig. 6, the
set of cams of 1 is operative, while the cams of 2" are inoperative; in Fig. 7 the
cams of 2 are in the operative position, and those of 1 are out of operative
position.
The web holders 27 are depressed each by the action of a spring plug 28, and
they are successively raised by movable cams 29 each carried by a slide 30 which
has a cam slot 30° receiving a pin or lug 31ª on a slide bar 31, as shown in Fig. 15.

page_text: When the slide 30 is projected its cam 29 will act upon an arm on the web
holder so as to raise it, but when the slide is retracted, the cam 29 passes behind
the arm without raising the web holder.
The slide bars 26 and 31 are operated in unison, that is to say, when either
bar 26 is moved so as to throw into action the cams controlled by it, the
corresponding bar 31 is moved so as to throw the web holder cam 29 into action,
and both the needle operating cams and the web holder cam are in like manner
thrown out of action simultaneously, so that the rising needles of one bed are never
interfered with by the web holders of the opposite bed.
When the machine is working to produce tubular web, the slide bars 26 which
act upon the cam slides 12 of the two cam plates 1ª and 2ª are acted upon by
pins 32 carried respectively by levers 33, 34, at one end of the machine and by fixed
brackets 35, 36 at the other end, and the slide bars 31 are acted upon by pins 38
also carried by these levers and brackets.
When the yoke 3 reaches the limit of its movement in one direction the
bars 26, 31, are acted upon by the pins 32, 38, carried by the levers 33, 34, and
these bars are thus both moved in the same direction throwing the cams 1ª out of
action, and the cams of 2 into action; when the yoke reaches the limit of its
movement in the opposite direction the slide bars 26, 31 are struck by the
pins 32, 38 of the brackets 35 and 36 which move them back again to their
original position, thus restoring the cams of 1ª to operative position and moving the
cams.of 2 into inoperative position.
In making the first, or setting up course of a stocking, when both sets of needles
are in action and stitches are formed upon both sets of needles, neither set of
needles should be drawn down to its full extent, otherwise too great a strain would
be imparted to the yarn, as before described, hence, just before making this setting
up course the levers 33 and 34 are moved so as to bring short pins 37 into action
upon the ends of the slide bars 26, thus partially lifting the cams of 1" and partially
depressing the cams of 2* so that on the first course both sets of needles are under
control of the cams and are drawn partway down.
In this case, however, neither set of web holders should be operative because the
web holders of one bed being directly opposite the needles of the other bed would
interfere with these needles if they were raised, hence the same movement of the
levers 33 and 34 which brings the short pins 37 into action upon the slide bars 26,
moves out of position the pin 38 of the lever 33 which normally serves to act
upon the slide bar 31 in order to render operative the web holder operating
cams of 2".
After the setting up course is made the fixed pins 32 carried by the brackets 35
and 36 move the slide bars 26 so as to throw the cams of 1* into operative
position and the cams of 2ª into inoperative position and the parts remain in
this position while the toe of the stocking is formed upon the needles of the
bed i, for before the cam plates have completed their first reciprocation in the
formation of the first toe course, the levers 33 and 34 are again moved so as to
carry both of the pins 32 and 37 out of the path of the slide bar 26 and the
pin 38 out of the path of the slide bar 31 of the plate 1º, hence there will be
no operation of the slide bars of either cam plate until the formation of the
toe pocket by narrowing and widening has been completed, the needles and web
holders of the bed 1 only being operative during this time.
The same movement of the levers 33 which carried the pins 32 and 37 out
of action, however, brought into position for acting upon the slide bar 22 a
pin 40 carried by a bracket on the lever 34 and this slide bar was therefore
moved so that its cam acted upon the eccentric 20 to draw down the cam plate 1*
and thus serve to cause the cams on that plate to impart extra draft to the needles
during the formation of the toe.
After the completion of the toe the slide bar 22 is moved in the opposite direction
by a pin 41 which is carried by an arm 42 hung to a stud 43 in line with the
stud 43 which carries the lever 34, this pin bearing such relation to the pin 40

page_text: that the movement of the lever 34 which brings said pin 40 into operative position
carries the pin 41 out of operative position and vice versa.
The cam plate 1* when free from the influence of the cam bar 22, is held up to its
normal position by the action of a spring 72.
The supplementary draw down cam 16 of 2" was brought into action prior to
making the setting up course by the action of a pin 44 carried by a projecting lug
on the lever 33, this pin acting upon the slide bar 18 so as to depress the bar which
carries the cam 16; as soon as the cam plate reaches the end of its stroke after
making the setting up course, the slide bar 18 is acted upon by another pin 45
carried by an arm 46 which is connected by a link 46* to the arm 42 the bar 18
being thus moved so as to bring the primary lifting cam 17 directly under a
recess 39 in the bottom of the central lifting cam 13 of the cam plate 2" so that on
the first backward course after the formation of the setting up course, the inactive
needles on bed 2 will, as their bits pass under the cam 13, be slightly raised so as
to relieve the tension upon their stitches and thus permit full stitches to be drawn
by the active needles of bed 1 in forming the first toe course, without causing any
injurious strain upon the yarn.
The slide bars are locked in their various positions by suitable spring pins
engaging with notches in the bars in order to prevent their accidental displacement.
The levers 33 and 34 are connected by a link 47 and the various movements are
imparted to the lever 34 and from it to the other levers by means of a pattern
chain 48 carried by a chain wheel 49 which is free to turn upon the end of the main
shaft 50, this wheel being operated by a step by step movement by means of
ordinary pawl and ratchet mechanism actuated by the shaft 50.
Links of the chain 48 act upon an arm 51 pivotted on the framing and this arm
acts upon an arm 53 of the lever 34. That portion of the chain 48 which acts upon
the arm 51 has links of two different heights so as to impart to the lever 34 and to
the other levers connected therewith the movements necessary to carry their pins
into and out of operative position.
In fashioning the web upon the needles of bed 1 a certain number of needles at
each end of the set must, as before stated, be successively thrown out of action and
then successively brought into action again. This operation is effected in the
following manner:
Each of the fashioning needles, that is to say, the needles which are thus to be
thrown out of and into action has a special bit 55 projecting down through a slot
in the needle bed for the action of a picking arm 56 or 57, both of which arms are
pivotted at their lower ends by a pin 58 to a sliding carrier 59. There are two of
these carriers the arms 56 and 57 for acting upon the fashioning needles at one end
of the set being mounted upon one carrier and the arms for acting upon the needles
at the opposite end of the set being mounted upon the other carrier.
Each of the carriers 59 is mounted upon a feed screw 60 (Fig. 8) on a shaft 61,
the thread of one screw 60 being right handed and that of the other left handed so
that when the shaft 61 is turned in one direction the carriers 59 are caused to move
towards each other, and when it is turned in the opposite direction, the carriers are
moved away from each other.
Each of the feed screws 60 is engaged by a nut 62 on its carrier 59 and is
grooved for the reception of a key 63 which overlaps the hub of the carrier so
that it is compelled to travel longitudinally with the carrier while at the same time
it is caused to rotate with the feed screw, and each key 63 has a projecting toe 64-
which is adapted to act upon the arms 56 and 57 in the manner described hereafter.
As the shaft 61 and its feed screw are rotated in one direction, the carriers 59 are
caused to approach each other and the picking arms 56 are operated, while on the
reverse movement of the shaft 61 and feed screw 60 the carriers 59 are caused to
move away from each other and the picking arms 57 are operated.
The swinging of the arm 56 by the toe 64 causes the needle whose bit is in line
with the upper end of said arm at the time of such movement, to move upward out
of the path of the knitting cams, and in like manner the swinging movement of

page_text: the arm 57 under the action of the toe 64 causes a downward movement of the
needle whose bit is acted upon so as to bring that needle again under the control of
the knitting cams.
In order that the picking cams 56 only shall be actuated when the carriers 59
move towards each other and the picking arms 57 only when the carriers 59 move
away from each other I provide each picking arm with a lug 65 rigid against
pressure in one direction but yielding to pressure in the opposite direction. The
lug 65 is pivotted to each arın 56 and 57 at its outer end and normally rests upon a
pin 66 on the arm.
When the feed screw 60 turns in the direction of the arrow Figs. 11 and 12, the
arm 56 only is moved the lug 65 of that arm being rigid against pressure of 64 in
this direction, whilst the lug 65 of the arm 57 is free to rise against such pressure.
When the feed screw is turned in the opposite direction, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10,
the arm 57 only is operated, whilst the lug of the arm 56 is free to yield.
After each movement of either arm due to the action of the toe 64 the arm is
restored to its normal position by means of a spring 67 which spring also serves to
hold the lug 65.in normal position the lower end of the spring being connected to
a pin 68 projecting from the pivot pin 69 of the lug, as shown in Fig. 13.
Various modifications in the mode of constructing and supporting the lug 65
'may, however, be adopted, for instance a sliding lug 70 under the influence of a
spring 71 as shown in Fig. 14, may be used in place of a pivotted lug, although
the latter is preferred.
One face of such lug 70 is so bevelled that it yields under the action of the
toe 64 more freely than the arm 56 or 57 can yield, but the other face is such that
it does not yield more readily than the arm.
:
The rotation of the shaft 61 at the proper times and in the proper directions is
-effected by suitable clutch mechanism the operation of which is controlled by the
pattern chain 48 in the following manner:
The shaft 8 which carries the crank 7 for operating the yoke 3 is driven by bevel
wheels 74 and 75 from the main driving shaft 50, which is driven by bevel gear
from the primary shaft 73.
Loose upon the shaft 8 are a pair of bevel pinions 76 and 77 gearing with a
bevel wheel 78 upon the end of the shaft 61 and either of the bevel pinions 76
or 77 can be caused to engage with the shaft 8 by a clutch 79 engaged by an arm 80
carried by a rock shaft 81 which extends across the machine and has at its opposite
end an arm 82 engaged by an arm 83 having a lug acted upon by certain links of the
.chain 48.
There are three sets of these links; when the lug of the arm 83 is resting upon
the lowest links the clutch arm 80 is lifted by springs 84 engaging the clutch 79
with the pinion 76 and thus causing it to impart moveinent in one direction to the
bevel wheel 76 and its shaft 61.
When the lug of the arm 83, however, is resting upon the highest link of the
chain 48 the clutch 79 is drawn down into engagement with the pinion 77 the
bevel wheel 78 and shaft 61 being thus caused to rotate in the reverse direction.
When the lug of the arm 83 is resting upon the links of intermediate height on
the chain 48 the clutch 79 is midway between the pinions 76 and 77 and no move-
ment is imparted to the shaft 61.
In connection with the machine I employ two independent thread guides, one
intended to be used when tubular web is being made and the other when the heel
or toe portion of a stocking is being knitted, each guide being supplied with its
own thread or threads and oue guide being thrown into action when the other is
thrown out of action.
I
The guides are carried by slides 85 and 86, 85 being upon a guide bar 87 and 86
upon a guide bar 88; the slide 85 can be clutched to the yoke 3 by means of a
lever 89 having a pin 90 for engaging with the slide, and the slide 86 can be
-clutched to the yoke by means of a lever 91 hung to the same shaft 92 as the
lever 89 and having a pin 93 for engaging with the slide 86. The lever 89 has

page_text: also a pin 94 which is adapted to be actuated by a slotted arm 95 hung to a:
bracket on the fixed frame and having a slot 96 engaged by a pin at the upper:
end of a lever 97 the lower end of which is acted upon by suitable side lugs upon
the pattern chain 48.
As shown in Fig. 1 and 2 the guide carried by the slide 85 is in action, being:
engaged by the pin 90 of the lever 89. When it is desired to put the guide:
carried by the slide 86 in action 'the slotted arm 95 is lowered by the action of the
pattern chain 48 on the lever 97, so that when the yoke approaches the limit of its:
movement to the left as shown in Fig. 1, the pin 94 of the lever 89 engages with.
the flaring end of the slot of the arm 95 and is depressed thereby lifting the
pin 90 out of engagement with the slide 85 and depressing the outer end of the
arm 91 so as to bring its pin 93 into engagement with the slide 86. In order to.
change back again, it is simply necessary to lift the slotted arm 95 so as to effect a
reversal of the operation.
In order to insure the opening of the latches of each set of needles as the
needles rise, and also to prevent the closing of the latches by their springing up as.
the stitches slip from them, I employ as a latch turner a thin plate 96 which can
be subjected to tension and thus, while thin enough to properly engage with and
turn back the latches of the needles can yet be stretched so tightly as to be-
perfectly rigid and present a perfectly true edge beneath which the hooks of the
rising needles can pass. In order to impart tension to the plate it is connected.
either at one or both ends, preferably at both ends, as shown in Fig. 17, to a
block 97 which is acted upon by two screws 98 and 99. The screw 98 passes.
through a slot in a lug 100 on the fixed bed and has a head bearing against the
lug its threaded portion being screwed into the block 97. The set screw 99 is.
screwed through the lug 160 and bears against the block 99. By means of these.
screws 98 and 99, the block 97 can be adjusted so as to impart any desired tension.
to the plate 96, the screws locking each other against accidental loosening of the
plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In a knitting machine having opposite straight needle beds with sliding
needles and vibrating web holders, reciprocated cam plates having needle actuating
cams carried by movable slides acted upon by slide bars so that the cams of one
cam plate may be thrown into action as the others are thrown out of action, the
combination of these parts with web holder actuating cams also carried by slides.
and actuated by slide bars in such manner than when the needle actuating cams of
either cam plate are thrown into or out of action, the web holder actuating cams.
of said cam plate will likewise be thrown into or out of action, substantially as
described.
2. For picking the needles into and out of action, a shaft having right and left.
hand screws each operating a picker carrier having two picker arms, one for
moving the needles in each direction each arm having a lug rigid against pressure
in one direction, but yielding to pressure in the other direction, when acted on by a
toe on the rotating shaft, substantially as described.
3. The combination of the springs 67 with the picker arms and lugs substantially
as described with reference to Fig. 13.
4. The combination of the lift cam and draw down cam on the cam plate 2ª,
with the supplementary draw down cam 16 and the slide bar for actuating it so
that the cam 16 can be put into action during the formation of the setting up
course, substantially as described.
5. The recess 39 of the central cam 13, in combination with the primary lift
cam and mechanism for moving the slide bar carrying the lift cam so that it is
moved under the recess 39 raising the inoperative needles and relieving the
:

page_text: stitches thereon when the opposite needles are in action forming the first course
after setting up, substantially as described.
6. In combination with the movable cam plate 1ª a spring holding up the plate
and a cam bar for depressing it so that longer stitches are drawn in making the
heel and toe than in making the tubular foot and leg of the stocking, substantially
as described.
7. In combination with each needle bed, the spring bar 9 extending across it to
prevent the needles from rising out of the slots, substantially as described.
8. The latch turners and guards consisting of thin plates 96 kept under tension
by screws, substantially as described.
.
Dated this 16th day of December 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.