Improved Apparatus applicable to Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug.. 1895-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus applicable to Circular Knitting Machines.
We WILLIAM SAMUEL WARD, Factory Manager, and HERBERT FRANCIS
LANCASHIRE, Manager, both in the employment of J. B. Lewis and Sons,
Limited, Stanford Street, Nottingham, Hosiery Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
Our improved apparatus is applicable to the Aiken machine, and other circular
machines for making seamless knitted fabrics, consists in employing an additional
thread carrier and set of inclines, thus converting the machine into a two feeder
machine, and in arranging two needles one on each side the head to enable them to
be raised or lowered when required by additional inclines operated by the usual
narrowing wheel. The two needles being raised when splicing or inserting a
different coloured thread, when the needles are lowered by the inclines they are in
the usual position for making the heels and toes of hose or half hose.
The upper and lower needle cam races have their operating clawkers held clear
of their ratchet teeth by two incline faced rods which slide vertically while the
cam races are operated by two bolts sliding in bearings carried by a lever rocking
horizontally on an axle beneath the centre of the machine head.
The lever being moved by links and truck bearing levers operated by cams on
the cam wheel.
The additional movement of the cam races lowers the needles to prevent them
taking the threads from the thread carriers beyond the needles required when the
machine head is reciprocated while splicing or inserting different coloured threads,
thus operating on one side of the machine head in the same way as the usual
switches or inclines on the other side.
We may operate the rocking lever by means of toothed gearing. The rocking
lever also carries two brackets for operating the usual switches or inclines at the
times required.
By employing the above described apparatus when the machine head is
reciprocated, one thread carrier supplies the thread to make one side of the
circular fabric and the other thread carrier supplies the thread to make the other
side of the fabric.
The thread carriers supplying their threads to the two arranged needles knit the
two sides of the fabric together.
Dated this Eighth day of February 1895
Improved Apparatus applicable to Circular Knitting Machines.
We WILLIAM SAMUEL WARD, Factory Manager, and HERBERT FRANCIS
LANCASHIRE, Manager, both in the employment of J. B. Lewis and Sons
Limited, Stanford Street, Nottingham, Hosiery Manufacturers, do hereby declare
[Price 8d.]

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan of our improved apparatus as applied to a circular
knitting machine known as the Aiken machine, Number 10025, August 25th 1885.
Figure 2 shows a left end view of the same, sufficient of the machine being
shown to illustrate our invention.
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show enlarged views of separate portions of the
apparatus each severally referred to hereafter, and the corresponding parts are
indicated by the same numbers where necessary.
Our improved apparatus applicable to the Aiken machine for making seamless
knitted fabrics consists in employing an additional thread carrier or yarn guide R
and levers K, K1, K2, shown at Figure 1 for operating duplicates of the cam
plates and cam slides shown at Figures 16, 17, 18 and 19 of Aiken's Complete
Specification, thus converting the machine into a two feeder machine. And in
arranging a needle on each side the head to enable them to be raised or lowered
when required by additional inclines 1, 1, shown at Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8.
The needles c² one on each side the head have their tails held in needle shifters e
made longer than usual and broader at the bottom from which studs project and
extend into the grooves of the inclines 1 secured on the ends of a semicircular
plate 2 which slides upon a bearing plate 3 secured to the underside of the flange 4
of one of the standards of the machine shown at Figures 6 and 7. An inner side
view of the incline 1 on the ends of the plate 3 is shown at Figure 8.
The sliding of the inclines is as follows:-A bracket provided with a stud 5 is
secured to the centre of plate 2 the stud enters a slot in the flanged upper end of
a lever 6 rocking upon an axle projecting from a cross bar 7 secured to the
standard, an axle carrying a truck 8 shown at Figures 1, 2 and 5 projects from
the lower end of the lever 6 the truck being held by a spring 9 hooked to the
lever and to a bar secured to the standard to a cam ring 10 attached to and
operated by the usual narrowing wheel m.
The two needles c² being raised when splicing or inserting a different coloured
thread by the upper portion of the grooves of the additional inclines 1, 1 when the
needles are lowered by the lower part of the grooves they are in the usual position
as shown at Figure 7 for making the heels and toes of hose or half hose, the
inclines c in the top plate c¹ shown at Figure 6 of Aiken's Specification miss the
needles and do not project them inwards to be in position to take the threads.
The upper and lower needle cam races have their operating clawkers or
pawls 3,, shown at Figure 9 of Aiken's Specification held clear of their ratchet
teeth by two incline faced rods 11 while the cam races are operated by two
bolts 17 hereafter described. The rods 11 are carried by and slide vertically with
a bar 12 in a bearing 3 secured to a two armed bracket 14 bolted to the top 4 of
the standard, the bar 12 has two notches on one side shown at Figure 2 in which the
upper end of a flat spring 15 engages, when in the top notch the rods 11 hold
the pawls clear of the ratchet teeth as shown in an enlarged side view at Figure 3
and in plan at Figure 4, when the spring is in the bottom notch the bar 12 having
been lifted by a hand pin 16 on the reverse side, the rods and bar will be in the
raised position shown by the dotted lines leaving the pawls free to engage with
the ratchet teeth.
The bolts 17 slide in bearings bolted to the outer flanges of a double cranked
three armed lever 18 rocking horizontally on an axle beneath the centre of the
machine head, the axle being secured in a bracket 19 bolted to the inside of the
standard. The three armed lever being moved by a link 20, engaging with a stud
secured in the short arm of the lever 18 the outer end of the link rocks on all
axle secured near the upper end of a lever 21 sliding in the slot of an arm 22
bolted to the top of a bracket holding the axle of a toothed wheel 25*.

page_text: The lower end of the lever 21 rocks on an axle projecting from an arm 23
bolted to the standard, below the link 20 the outer side the lever 21 carries an
axle for a truck 24, operated by a grooved cam 25 secured to and revolving with
the toothed wheel 25 gearing with a like wheel 25 driven by the usual pinion B',
shown at Figure 1.
The rocking lever 18 also carries two brackets 26 each provided with two
studs 27 which alternately strike the arms 28 which project from the usual
switches above the segmental slides 64 at the times required.
The additional movement of the cam slides lowers the needles to prevent them
taking the threads from the thread carriers beyond the needles required, when the
machine head is reciprocated while splicing or inserting different coloured yarn,
thus operating on one side of the machine head in the same way as the usual
switches or inclines on the other side.
By employing the above described apparatus when the machine head is
reciprocated, one thread carrier supplies the yarn to make one side of the circular
fabric, and the other carrier supplies the yarn to make the other side of the fabric.
The carriers supplying their yarn to the two arranged needles & knit the two
sides of the fabric together.
The movements of our improved apparatus in combination with a circular
knitting machine are as follows:-
When making hose or half hose from the top to the commencement of the
splicing the machine head revolves in the usual way, only one yarn guide being
employed. The machine is then set to make reciprocating motions in the usual
way, and the additional yarn guide is supplied with yarn, the additional cam
corresponding to the one moved by the lever K is put in work, the link 20 is made
to engage with the stud in the lever 18 as shown at Figure 1.
The bolts 17 are made to engage with the upper and lower segments, and the
inclined rods 11 are lowered to hold the pawls clear of the ratchet teeth of the
segments.
The apparatus is then in position to make the two halves of the circular fabric
down to the heel. The machine is then stopped and the yarn removed from the
additional guide, and the cam moved by the added lever K is thrown out of work,
the link 20 is removed from the stud in the lever 18, the bolts 17 are disconnected
from the segments, the inclined rods 11 are lifted up to allow the pawls to engage
with the ratchets of the segments.
The narrowing wheel m carrying the cam 10 is theu moved by hand in the usual
way causing the lever 6 to move the cam plate 2 to enable the inclines of the
cams 1 to lower the needles operated by the lengthened posts e when narrowing and
widening while making the heel.
The extra yarn guide is supplied again with yarn and the cam moved by the
lever K is put into work, the link 20 is reconnected to the lever 6, the inclined
rods 11 are lowered to hold the pawls clear of the segments, the bolts 17 are again
connected with the segments, the reciprocating movements being repeated until the
toe is reached. The like alterations are then made as are made to produce the
heel, the movements of the machine head being repeated until the hose or half hose
is finished.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The construction and employment in circular knitting machines of an additional
set of cam plates and cam slides, being duplicates of those shown at Figures 16,
17, 18 and 19 of Aiken's Complete Specification substantially as described for the
purpose specified.
2. The construction and employment in circular knitting machines of two arranged
needles, two lengthened needle shifters e, two inclines 1 cn a plate 2 moved by a
lever 6, carrying a truck 8 operated by a cam ring 10 substantially as described.

page_text: 3. The construction and employment in circular knitting machines of two inclined
faced rods 11 to hold pawis 3, t clear of the ratchet teeth of the segment slides
when required substantially as described.
4. The construction and employment in circular knitting machines of two bolts 17,
a double cranked three armed lever 18, link 20, and lever 21 carrying a truck 24
operated by a cam 25 revolving with a toothed wheel 25 gearing with a toothed
wheel 25 driven by the usual pinion B₁ substantially as described for the purposes
specified and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
5. The construction and employment of apparatus above describe operating in
combination with a circular knitting machine for inserting a splicing thread or a
different coloured thread in the leg or foot bottom of seamless tubular fabrics by
employing an arranged needle on each side of the head of the machine to knit the
two sides of the fabric together during the manufacture substantially as described
and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Dated this Fifteenth day of August 1895.
II. W. GOUGH, C.E.,
Agent.