IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY
Year: 1884

page_text: 1 JULES BERTON of 5 Rue Muzagran Paris in the Republic of France, Mechanician,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING
MACHINERY to be as follows:-
In machines employed in knitting stockings socks drawers and other knitted
goods whether such machinery bo-constructed according to what are known as
Dutch, Paget, or other systems the main shaft which receives rotary motion from
the shafting of the works is provided with two sets of cams. Theso sets usually
consist of 12 cams but this number is variable sometimes loss and sometimes inore.
Each of these cams gives motion to a lever which has a special duty to perform in
the machine but one set consisting of half the number of cams acting simultaneously
give motion to the levers which govern the mechanism when knitting straight work
during. which time the other cams are disengaged.
When it is desired to knit fashioned work as for example the part of a stocking
or sock, below the calf of the leg the first set is thrown out of gear and the second
set which operates the fashioning mechanism is brought into action.
One of the cams governs in a uniform manner the needle bar and gives a timed
sinking motion thereto then the fashioning points which correspond to the needles
and which are used to produce the narrowing in their turn sink down upon the
beards of the needles in order to take off the loops and carry them to the adjoining
needles and thus diminish the width of the fabric two stitches one on each side.
This operation is the same at every course or wherever it is necessary to fashion
knitting machines which when making straight work aro able to work at a high
speed of say 100 rotations of the cam shaft per minuto can only be driven at half
the speed while narrowing or fashioning because allowance has to be made for the
time necessary to remove and replace the loops of the knitted work by the points
when narrowing.
For this reason nearly all knitting machines are constructed to work at one
uniform speed say of 50 rotations per minute whether the work to be done is
straight or fashioned work.
Now the object of the prosent invention is to give to knitting machines auto-
matically a-speed of 100 rotations of the cain shaft per minute while knitting
straight work. and 50 rotations per minute while producing fashioned work and to
obtain during the high speed of the machine at the moment of indenting the

page_text: thread an automatic decrease of speed which prevents the breakage of the threads
and sinkers and also contributes to the good working of the machine and the
regularity of the knitted work.
My invention consists then 1stly in the means for giving to the several
mechanisms which produce the straight and the fashioned work different speeds,
and 2ndly in obtaining a decreased speed variable in amount at the time of
indenting the thread.
In carrying out the first part of my improvements I dispense with the single
slceve carrying the cams and replace it by two sleeves either mounted on two of
the parallel shafts or in one line on a single shaft each sleeve carrying six or more
cams governing six or more levers. One of these sleeves carries the first set of
cams which are in action when making straight work and the other sleeve carries
the second set of cams which are caused to act on the levers when fashioning
I cause the first set of cams to rotate at about 100 rotations per minute and the
second set at about 50 rotations per minute only, either by combinations of gearing
or by any other well known means of transmitting motion.
This arrangement of two distinct sleeves allows for the proper action of the
accessory mechanism such as the counting and disengaging apparatus as well as for
the reduction in the speed of the machine.
In carrying out the second part of my invention I obtain a slackening of speed
of one of the shafts carrying the cams or of both of them at the moment indenting
the thread either by an excentricity of the two shafts or of the main driving shaft
only, cach terminating in a plate and connected by a connecting rod or an ordinary
sliding bar.
The result of this arrangement is that the driving shaft rotates at a uniform
speed; the shaft or shafts driven therefrom have during a portion of each rotation
a greater and a less speed according to the excentricity of their axes. These means
(which I have employed and which I regard as practicable) leave something more
to be desired as the reduction an acceleration take place only during a quarter of a
rotation of the shaft and consequently it may arise that whatever care may be
taken to regulate the machine the constantly varying reduction of speed has ceased
and the acceleration commenced before the completion of the indenting of the
thread on all the needles. I avoid this defect by making use of another combination
of mechanism which permits me to regulate the duration and the extent of the
reduction of speed. This mechanism consists of two rings cut on the bevel set a
short distance the one from the other and fixed in a frame forming a support to the
driving shaft. This shaft and that carrying the cams of the machine meet at
the right of the frame which is furnished with a bevil pinion placed near the
cam rings.
Upon a point of the circumference of this shaft is fixed a cylindrical stud serving
as a centro of movement to a boss or sleeve carrying an arm terminating in a
toothed, sector. This sector moves round with the main shaft as it rotates and
engages with the bevil pinion and works the machine with a continuous uniform
rotary motion. Upon the sleeve of the sector is fixed another cylindrical rod or pin
at right angles to the sector arm and furnished with a roller or bowle.
This bowle although carried round by the rotation of the shaft with an uniform
rotary motion follows the sinuosities or cut of the cam formed by the regular but
oblique space between the two rings and causes the sector by reason of the
variation of its path in the cam to describe a series of greater or less rocking
movements.
•
It will be seen that according as this cam is more or less oblique tho reciprocation
of the sector will give the pinion an increase or decrease of speed quite inde-
pendently of the continuous uniform rotation which it would receive without
the cam.
In order to obtain a decrease of speed of a duration exceeding the time necessary
for making a half rotation for example I give to the cam a regularly inclined form
for more than a half of its circumference and the remainder of the cam will be of

page_text: such a form that its continued rotation will give an increase of speed. If on the
contrary the decrease of speed is to be of short duration the regularly inclined
portion of the cam will occupy less than half of its circumference.
The extent of the decrease of speed is regulated by the inclination of the cut of
the cain such decrease being greater as the cut of the cam is more inclined.
The result therefore is that by varying the cut of the cam the increase and
decrease of speed of rotation of the cam shaft can be hastened, retarded or reduced
to nil and more or less prolonged at will. This permits of giving to the cam shaft
a certain predetermined decrease of speed during the indenting of the thread by
the sinkers and corresponding increase of speed during the following movements.
Upon the main shaft is keyed a socket formed with a forked extension carrying
a tappet by which rotary motion is transmitted from the shaft to the sleeve on
which the cams for actuating the various parts for effecting the straight work are
mounted.
The second sleeve which may be set in a line with the first sleve carries all the
excentrics which by their combined action make the narrowed or fashioned portion
of the fabric and which will be of the ordinary construction.
The excentrics forming this second group act together in such a manner that in
making the knitted fabric the number of stitches becomes less and less whence
results the narrowing of the fabric obtained by means of this mechanism which
transfers one or several loops on to the adjoining needles on each side of the
fabric.
It will be seen that this part of the manufacture requires the action of a greater
number of instruments than are required to make straight knitted work. This
necessitates a reduced speed so as to permit of the action of the needles, the formation
of the loops and the transfer of the loops.
To effect this an auxiliary shaft is placed behind the first shaft and carried by
two brackets and to this shaft is given one half, one third, or one fourth speed as
may be convenient by means of a set of suitable gearing.
This shaft is geared with the second sleeve by toothed wheels of equal
diameters.
When fashioned work is to bo produced the arrangement of the cams neces-
sitates the disconnecting of the excentrics only once for every two turns of the
Bleeve.
With this object a pinion of small diameter is mounted on the main shaft and a
wheel of twice the diameter is mounted on a stud axle suitably carried. Beside
the wheel is an excentric the strap of which carries a pawl giving rotary motion
to a ratchet wheel and at the same time to a double wheel which carries a
"Vaucanson" chain This chain is provided with tappets arranged at irregu'ar
distances apart such tappets being placed nearer to each other as the narrowing is
to be repeated in a shorter time. When the tappet raises an arm with a forked
lever the shaft is rocked and the tail end of the driver fixed on the first sleeve
meeting the extremity of the arm the sleeve is pushed towards the right andi shogs
the sleeves on the shaft so that the end of the second sleeve covers the short portion
of the main shaft which was before unoccupied.
At the same time a tappet fixed under the fork rests upon a bell crank lever,
rocks it on its centre and draws over a rod and lever with which one arm is
connected, the other arm which is situated under a pin raises the catch of a slur
pulley so that the cord slips upon the pulley and the indenting of the thread is not
effected.
In order to avoid the separation of the sleeves which might be produced by wear
a strong spring having a wedge shaped projection at its free end takes into one of
two notches of a piece fixed on the first sleeve and holds the said sleeve in one of
two positions until it is moved endwise by the shogging apparatus.
As a further improvement in the disengaging apparatus I employ a small rod the
extremity of which descending at the same time as a cam shaped prong engages
with a segmental flange fixed on the side of the tooth wheel on the stud and thus

page_text: the disengaging is provented from taking place so long as the rod is held up by the
seginental flange.
It may be here remarked that the two sleeves rotate at different speeds although
they slide together end wise upon the main shaft.
A simple arrangement of gearing for driving at unequal speeds the sleeves which
carry respectively the knitting cams and the narrowing cans (which arrangement
however does not effect the retardation at the time of indenting the thread)
consists in mounting all the excentrics upon the same shaft the two sets being on
separate sleeves.
The two series of cams rotate independently being driven by drivers but they are
coupled together by a coupling piece. Rotary motion is imparted by the driving
pulley to the shaft which carries a toothed wheel gearing with a second wheel
keyed upon a secondary shaft turning in a bearing and carrying at its opposite end
another wheel. This wheel gears with a fourth wheel fixed on the last of the
excentrics and serving to drive it as well as all the narrowing cams or excentrics
keyed upon the sleeve at a reduced speed.
The knitting cams are driven by a driver fixed on the shaft as in the preceding
arrangement. This improvement is also applicable to existing knitting machines.
If desired tho sleeves and cams may be mounted upon separate shafts. This
modification gives the same results as those obtained by the first arrangement that
is to say with the retardation at the moment of indenting the thread.
In this arrangement the shaft of the knitting cams receives rotary motion from
a pulley keyed upon an excentrically mounted driving shaft through the inter-
vention of a slur pulley and by means of a crank pin coupling the two pulleys
produces the retardation of the cams at the moment of indenting the thread.
A toothed wheel keyed on the opposite end of the shaft gears with another
wheel of twice the diameter which is fixed on the shaft of the narrowing cains and
will give to that shaft a speed equal to half that of the first shaft.
A disengaging fork will be used to shog the two cam sleeves.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
I JULES BERTON of 5 Rue Mazagran Paris in the Republic of France,
Mechanician do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN KNITTING MACHINERY and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In machines employed in knitting stockings, socks, drawers and other knitted
goods whether such machinery be constructed according to what are known as the.
Dutch or the Paget systems or any other system, the main shaft which receives
rotary motion from the shafting of the factory is provided with two sets of cams.
These sets of cams usually consist of 12 cams but this number is variable, some-
times less and sometimes more. Each of these cams gives motion to a lever,
which has a special duty to perform in the machine, but one set consisting of
half the number of cams acting simultaneously, give motion, to as many levers
which govern the mechanism making what is called in knitting "straight work,"
during which time the other cams are disengaged. When it is desired to knit
fashioned work (uarrower width of work) as for example the part of a stocking
or sock below the calf of the leg the first set of cams is thrown out of gear and
the second set which operates the fashioning mechanism is brought into action.
One of the cams governs in a uniform manner the movement of the needle bar
and gives a timed sinking motion thereto, then the fashioning points which
correspond to the needles and which are used to produce the narrowing, in their
turn sink down upon the beards of the needles in order to take off the loops and
carry them to the adjoining needles and thus diminish the width of the fabric two
stitches one on each side. This operation is the same at every course or wherever
it is necessary to fashion. Knitting machines which when making straight work
are able to work at a high speed of say 100 rotations of the cam shaft per minute
can only be driven at half the speed while narrowing or fashioning because
allowance has to be made for the time necessary to remove and replace the loops of
the knitted work by the points when narrowing.
For this reason nearly all knitting machines are constructed to work at one
uniform speed say of 50 rotations per minute whether the work to be done is
straight or fashioned work.
Now the object of the present invention is to give to knitting machines
automatically a speed of 100 rotations of the cain shaft per minute while knitting
straight work and 50 rotations per minute while producing fashioned work and to
obtain while the machine is running at high speed during the indenting of the
thread, an automatic decrease of speed which prevents the breakage of the throads
and sinkers and contributes to the good working of the machine as well as to the
regularity of the knitted work.
My invention consists then 1stly in giving to the several mechanisms which
produce the straight and the fashioned work, different speeds and 2ndly in
obtaining a decreased speed variable in amount during the indenting of the
thread.
In carrying out the first part of my improvements I dispense with the single
sleeve carrying the cams and replace it by two sleeves mounted either on two

page_text: parallel shafts or end to end on a single shaft cach sleeve carrying 6 or more cams
governing six or more levers. One of these sleeves carries the first set of cams and
acts with its levers when making straight work and the other sleeve carries the
second set of cams and their levers and acts when fashioning. I cause the first set
of cams to rotate at about 100 rotations per minute and the second set at about
50 rotations per minute only either by combinations of gearing or by any other
well known means of transmitting motion.
This arrangement of two distinct sleeves allows for the proper action of the
accessory mechanism such as the counting and disengaging apparatus as well as for
the reduction in the speed of the machine.
In carrying out the second part of my invention I effect a slackening of speed of
one of the shafts carring the cams or of both of them during the indenting of the
thread either by an excentricity of the two sleeve shafts or of the main driving
shaft only each terminating in a plate and connected by a connecting rod or an
ordinary sliding bar.
The result of this arrangement is that the driving shaft rotating at an uniform
speed, the sleeve shaft or shafts driven therefrom, have during a portion of each
rotation a greater or a less speed according to the excentricity of their axes. These
means although practicablo, leave something more to. be desired as the reduction
and acceleration take place only during a quarter of a rotation of the shaft and
consequently it may arise that whatever care is taken to regulate the machine the
constantly varying reduction of speed has censed and the acceleration commenced
before the completion of the indenting of the thread on all the needles, this defect
is avoided by making use of another combination of mechanism which permits of
regulating the duration and the amount of the reduction of speed. This mechanism
consists of two rings cut on the bevel set a short distance the one from the other
and fixed in a frame forming a support to the driving shaft.
This shaft and that
carrying the cams of the machine meet at the right of the frame and the latter is
furnished with a bevil pinion placed near the cam rings
Upon a point of the circumference of this shaft is fixed a cylindrical stud serving
as the centre of movement to a boss or sleeve carrying an arm terminating in a
toothed sector. This sector moves round with the main shaft as it rotates and
engages with the bevil pinion and works the machine with a continuous uniform
rotary motion. Upon the sleeve of the sector is fixed a cylindrical rod or pin at
right angles to the sector arm and furnished with a roller or bowl.
This bowl although carried round by the rotation of the shaft with an uniform
rotary motion follows the sinuosities or cut of the cam formed by the regular but
oblique space between the two rings and causes the sector by reason of the variation
of its path in the cam to describe a series of great or less rocking movements.
It will be seen that according as this cam is more or less oblique the recipro-
cation of the sector will give the pinion an increase or decrease of speed quite
independently of the continuous uniform rotary motion which would exist if there
were no cam.
In order to obtain a decrease of speed of a duration exceeding the time necessary
for making a half rotation, for example, the cam is formed with a regularly
inclined portion for more than a half of its circumference while the remainder of
the can is of such a form that its continued rotation will give an increase of speed.
If on the contrary the decrease of speed is to be of short duration tho régularly
inclined portion of the cam will occupy less than half of its circumference.
The extent of the decrease of speed is regulated by the inclination of the cut
of the cain such decrease being greater as the cut of the cain is more inclined.
The result therefore is that by varying the cut of the can the increase and
decrease of speed of rotation of the cam shaft can bo hastened retarded reduced to
nil or more or less prolonged at will. This permits of giving to the cam shaft a
certain predetermined decrease of speed during the indenting of the thread by
the sinkers and a corresponding increase of speed during the following movements.

page_text: them they are shewn in the accompanying drawings as applied to a Dutch or
improved "Paget" machine.
Fig 1 is an elevation of the back of the machine shewing the arrangement of the
cains and the mechanism of the sleeves and that for producing the reduction of
speed.
Fig: 2 is a plan view of the speed varying mechanism.
Figs 3 and 4 are sections of the same on the lines 1. 2 and 3. 4 respectively of
Fig 2.
Fig 5 is an end view of the machine the speed varying mechanism being.
removed.
Fig 6 is a section of the machine taken on the line x x of Fig: 1.
Fig 7 shows the counting apparatus.
Fig 8 is a perspective view of the coupling piece which connects the two sleove
shafts.
Fig 9 is a face view of one of the gear wheels carrying a segmental projection.
Fig 10 is a modification shewing an arrangement of mechanism for reducing the
speed during the operation of narrowing.
Fig 11 shows an arrangement for reducing the speed by means of an excentrically
mounted driving shaft with crank pin connection.
In the different figures the samo letters represent corresponding parts.
In Fig: 1 which shews more particularly the improvements A is the base plate
or bed and A' A' the vertical side standards which carry all the parts of the
mechanism. The shaft C of the machine receives its rotary motion from the
shafting of the factory either direct or through the varying speed gear It turns
in bearings c c and carries two sleeves L D on which aro mounted all the wipers
or cams that give motion to the working parts of the machine viz the needle bar,
sinker bar, presser har, narrowing apparatus and disengaging or uncoupling gear.
Upon the main shaft C is keyed a socket c formed with a forked extension c¹
which through a tappet c³ transmits rotary motion from the shaft C to the sleeve L.
The first sleeve L made either in a single piece or of as many pieces as there are
cams and secured together gives motion to the mechanisin which produces straight
work. The cam operates the lever having its fulcrum at 6 and raises the bar which
operates the sinkers C'. The cam rocks the shaft 8 which operates the bar of
the forming sinkers. The cam acts on the lever and shaft 5 which operate the
presser bar and the fashioning points.
The cam rocks the shaft 9 which operates the conductor. The cam l³ operates
the lover which gives motion to the shaft 7 of the needle bar.
All these cams act simultaneously and for knitting straight work the form the
first group.
The second sleeve D which is set in a line with the first sleeve L and may be
made either in one or in several pieces and carries all the cums which by their
combined action make the narrowed or fashioned portion of the fabric.
The cam d' operates the lever fixed on the shaft of the narrowing press which
causes the narrowing points to take off the loops from the beards of the needles.
The cam gives a rocking motion to the lever fixed on the shaft 6 of the bar
which projects the sinkers.
The cam acts on the shaft 7 which gives motion to the needle bar while d'
operates the lever of the shaft 5 of the presser bar which completes the looping
operation.
The cam d operates the lever of the narrowing shaft 10 and ɖª the lever of the
shaft of the narrowing mechanism.
These six cams forming the second group act together in such a manner that in
making the knitted fabric the number of stitches becomes less and less, whence
results, the narrowing of the fabric obtained by means of this inechanism which
transfers one or several loops onto the adjoining needles on each side of the fabric.

page_text: It will be seen that this portion of the manufacture requires the action of a
greater number of parts than are required to make straight knitted work. This
necessitates a reduced speed so as to permit of the action of the needles, the
formation of the loops, and the transfer of the loops.
This speed will be about fifty rotations per minute whilst during the action of
the first group of cams when there is no transfer of loops the speed may be a
hundred rotations per minute. The two groups of cams being mounted on two
distinct sleeve shafts it will be easy, if the action of the mechanism for producing
straight work is regulated to make a hundred turns per minute, to place an
auxiliary shaft E behind the first shaft carried by two brackets E¹ E³ and to give
to this shaft by means of the two toothed wheels e e¹ one half, one third or one
fourth speed as may be convenient.
As shown on the drawings (Figs 1, 2 and 5) these toothed wheels e e¹ are in the
proportion of 1 to 2 so that the shaft E will inake only fifty rotations per minute
then by gearing together the sleeves D and E by toothed wheels D and E of
equal diameters, the cums ď ď ď will make only filty revolutions per minute.
In Fig 1 the machine is shewn as making straight work the levers being acted
upon by the cams l'11³ while those of the cams d³ d³ d³ are out of gear.
When fashioned work is to be produced the arrangement of the cams necessitates
the disconnecting of the cams only once for every two turns of the sleeve and it is
to this effect that a pinion of small diameter c³ is mounted on the shaft C, and on a
stud B a wheel c' of twice the diameter, by the side of which is an excentric c³, the
strap of which carries a pawl giving rotary motion to a rachet wheel F, and at the
same time to a double wheel 1, which carries a "Vaucanson chain" f. This
chain is provided with tappets f arranged at irregular distances apart, the tappets
being placed nearer together as the narrowing has to be effected in a shorter time.
When the tappet f³ shown in Fig raises the arm fit rocks the shaft G and
lowers the forked arm G' which is fixed on the shaft and the end c³ of the tappet
which is fixed on the sleeve L coming into contact with the arm g is pushed
towards the right and slogs the sleeves L and D on the shaft C so that the end of
the sleeve D covers that portion c³ of the shaft C which was before uncovered.
During this movement the cams l¹³ ³ are shogged away from their levers while
on the contrary the cams daro brouglit over their levers ready to effect the
fashioning At the same time the tappet g fixed under the fork presses upon one
arm of the bell crank lever g³ rocks it on its centre g³ while the other arm of the
lever g³ draws the rod g' and the lever G². The opposite end g³ of this lever acts
on the under side of the pin which raises the catch.of the slur pulley H so that
the tappets f of the chain do not act and the indenting of the thread is not
effected.
As rotary motion is given to the sleeves L and D (which are loose upon their
shaft C) only by the driver c² and to avoid the separation of these sleeves which
might be produced by wear, a strong spring catch c³ takes into one of two notches
of a piece c fixed on the sleeve L in such a manner that a considerable effort will
be required to separate them.
As a further improvement in the disengaging arrangement by which the dis.
engagement can be effected only when the fashioning cams have completed their
revolution, a small rod 7' is lowered at the same time as the fork piece y and its
extremity engages with a segmental flange g' fixed on the side of the tooth whical c
(Figs 1 and 9) and thus the disengaging is prevented from taking place so long as
the rod is he'd up by the segmental flange. It may be here remarked that the two
sleeves L and D rotate at different seeds although they can slide together upon
the shaft C. To provide for this, the sleeve D is provided at its left end with a
grooved in which enters a coupling piece D2 (Figs 1 and 8) having an extension d
which is screwed onto the sleeve L'so that the two sleeves although connected
together horizontally can rotate independently of each other.
The shaft C carries at its extremity a bevil wheel C₁ which receives rolary
motion from the varying speed apparatus situated on the driving shaft M through

page_text: the intervention of a toothed sector M². The shaft M turns in bearings m² m²
carried by a bracket m³ from the framing A¹.
m is the driving pulley which receives rotary motion from the shafting of the
workshop and m² is the fly wheel. Surrounding the driving shaft is a hub or
boss N secured to the bearing m³ and carrying four arms n n Within the arms
are fixed the two rings o o¹ having one edge cut obliquely and arranged at such n
distance apart as to form a cam groove between them. These rings are secured by
screws n' n². The screw n passes through a slot and serves by means of the
adjusting Brews n³ to regulate the ring o' as it wears away.
The shaft M is enlarged at about the middle of its length to carry a stud pin m
on which rocks the boss of a toothed sector M³ gearing with the bevel wheel C¹
On the shaft M is fixed another stud pin P carrying at its end a bowle p which
runs in the cam groove of formed by the two rings.
It will bo readily understood that when the bowle ? is moved aside by the cam
groove it rocks the toothed sector in one direction or the other and thus turns the
bevil wheel C fixed on the main shaft either in a direction opposite to that of the
rotation of this shaft and thus retard its movement or in the same direction in
which case the rotation will be accelerated. A considerablo retarding action will
be obtained, by use of a cam, set very obliquely and the timing of this retardation
will be governed by the form given to the cam groove.
In order to render the movement more easy the end c² of the shaft C turns in a
hole formed in the end of the driving shaft M.
A simple arrangement of gearing.for driving at unequal speeds, the sleeves
which carry respectively the knitting cams and the narrowing cams (which
arrangement however does not effect the retardation during the indenting of the
thread) is shown at Fig 10 All the cams are mounted upon the same shaft r the
knitting cams 8 a being keyed upon or cast with a sleeve which turns loose upon
the shaft and the narrowing cams t t being also fixed on a sleeve loose upon the
shaft.
The two series of cams are coupled together by a coupling piece u shewn at
Fig 8.
Rotary motion is imparted by the driving pulley R to the cam shaft r which
shaft carries also a toothed wheel gearing with a second wheel v² placed above
and keyed upon a secondary shaft V turning in a bearing and carrying at its
opposite end another wheel v². This wheel gears with a fourth wheel ³ fixed to
the last of the cams t and serving to drive it as well as all the narrowing cams
keyed upon the same sleeve at a reduced speed.
The knitting cams are driven by the driver fixed on the shaft ras in the
preceeding arrangement.
Fig 11 shews an arrangement of cam sleeves mounted upon two separate shafts
which gives the same results as those obtained by the arrangement shewn in Fig 1
that is to say a speed of a hundred rotations per minute for the knitting cams and
of fifty rotations per minute for the narrowing cams with a slowing down during
the indenting of the thread.'
In this figure the shaft x of the knitting cams 88 receives rotary motion from
the pulley X keyed upon an excentrically mounted driving shaft X¹ through the
intervention of tho slur pulley and. by means of a connecting rod a coupling
together the two pulleys and producing the slowing down of the cams during the
indenting of the thread.
The toothed wheel keyed on the opposite end of the shaft gears with another
wheel y of twice the diameter which is fixed on the shaft y' of the narrowing cams
and gives to that shaft a speed equal to half that of the first shaft.
A disengaging fork Y will at the same time shog the two cam sleeves.
It will be seen that as the driving pulley X carries the retarding arrangement x¹
the motion of both the shafts x and y will be retarded whilst in the arrangement
shewn at Fig 1 the rotation of the knitting shaft only is retarded during the
indenting of the thread.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1stly Grouping the cams of hosiery knitting machines into two separate sets
either on two parallel shafts or upon one shaft, one of the sets comprising the
knitting cams, the other the fashioning cans each cam acting upon a special lever.
2ndly The arrangement of mechanism for driving the two sets of cams (whether
mounted upon two shafts or upon a single shaft) at different speeds the two sets
rotating independently of each other but coupled together for effecting the un-
coupling of one or the other of the sets, the object being to knit one hundred courses
per minute in the straight work and fifty courses in the fashioned work or any
other number of courses, the speed of the fashioning being always half that of the
straight knitting.
3rdly Retarding the motion of hosiery knitting machines during the indenting of
the thread by the means above described.
4thly The means employed for coupling a driving shaft mounted excentrically to
the cam shaft by a connecting rod connecting two discs mounted the one on the
cam shaft and the other on the driving shaft in order to diminish the speed during
the indenting of the thread.
5thly The means employed for connecting the driving shaft to the cam shaft of
knitting machines by a system of gearing the rotation of which is so varied by a
cam as to obtain an accelerated notion in one part of the rotation of the shaft and
a slow motion at another part of the rotation.
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