Improved Apparatus applicable to Rotary Knitting Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 4th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus applicable to Rotary Knitting Machines.
We WILLIAM HENRY REVIS, AMBROSE BREWIN, and JOSHUA MARRIOTT, Goldsmith
Street Works, Nottingham, Machinists, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows
To the top of each of the slides of an ordinary narrowing screw box of a straight
bar knitting machine we fix a bracket, mounted on which are two axles, each carrying
a toothed wheel. The two toothed wheels are geared together and the teeth of the
intermediate one engage with a similarly toothed rack attached to the end of either of
the rods which carry the narrowing points. One of these racks is attached to the
lower narrowing rod on the left hand end of the machine, and the cther to the upper
narrowing rod on the right hand end, though this arrangement may be reversed. To
the axle carrying the toothed wheel, which acts as the driving wheel to the intermediate
one, are fixed two ratchet wheels, the teeth of the one being cut reversly to those of
the other, so that the revolution of the one communicates an outward motion to the
narrowing-point-bar which it actuates through the toothed wheels and the revolution
of the other communicates an inward motion to the same point bar.
Each ratchet wheel is turned through any required part of a revolution by means
of a pawl connected with a lever which is carried by an axle at the end of the machine
and actuated by a cam on the cam shaft. A pivot mounted on the bracket which is
attached to the slide of the screw box and placed between the pawls, operating the
two ratchet wheels, carries a cam or cams which throw each of the pawls in or out of
action as desired.
This pivot is rotated by a link attached to a lever, which is carried by an axle at the
end of the machine and actuated by a cain on the cam shaft.
To control the action of the pawls operating the ratchet wheels so as to revolve the
latter through any fractional part of a revolution, cams carried by a bar attached to.
the end of the machine are brought into contact with the lever carrying the pawls.
When the intermediate toothed wheel on the left hand screw box operated as
described, revolves to the right the lower narrowing rod is moved inwards and when
it revolves to the left the lower narrowing rod is moved outwards.
Similarly when the intermediate toothed wheel on the right hand screw box revolves
to the left the upper narrowing rod is moved inwards and when it revolves to the
right the upper narrowing rod is moved outwards.
These operations are made to take place immediately after the narrowing points
have left the tops of the sinkers.
By the means described we are able with the necessary number of narrowing points
to make one or more rows of narrowings at any distance from each selvedge and from
each other, and either parallel to or inclined at any desired angle or curve to each
other and to the selvedge.
Dated this Sieth dor of December 1880
H. W. GOUGH, C.E.,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus applicable to Rotary Knitting Machines.
We WILLIAM HENRY REVIS, AMBROSE BREWIN, and JOSHUA MARRIOTT Goldsmith
Street Works Nottingham Machinists, 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:-
In an ordinary rotary knitting machine provided with mechanism for narrowing or
fashioning the fabric each of the bars carrying the narrowing points is moved inwards
or outwards so as to bring the narrowing points over the particular needles, from
which it is desired to transfer the loops, by a bracket projecting from the slide of the
,screw box. The screw is revolved in either direction by means of a clawker engaging
with the teeth of a ratchet wheel fixed to the screw and operated by a cam on the
main cam shaft. By such mechanism only one row of narrowings can be produced.
The object of our invention is by moving the point bars and narrowing points
forwards & backwards at will.to produce two. or more rows of narrowings when
.desired.
Fig. I sheet I is an end elevation of the mechanism of our invention.
Fig. II sheet II is a.front elevation.
To the top of each of the slides A. of the ordinary narrowing screw boxes A. 1. we
fix a bracket or platform B. carrying a sliding bar or rack C. which is free to move in
the direction of the point bars. The side of the bar or rack C. next the point bar
carries a bracket attached to the point bar in the same way as the bracket carried
usually by the slide of the ordinary screw box. The point bar is therefore moved
forwards or backwards in accordance with the movements of the sliding bar or rack C.
The movements of the latter are communicated to it in the following manner. The
side of the rack opposite that which carries the bracket attached to the point bar, is
toothed, the teeth being cut in accordance with the gauge of the machine. Engaging
with the teeth of the rack is a toothed wheel D. mounted upon an axle D. 1. fixed on
the bracket or platform B. The teeth of this wheel are made to engage with the teeth
of a smaller wheel E. also mounted on an axle E. 1. fixed to the platform B.
-
Over the latter wheel and on the same axle are fixed two ratchet wheels F. F. 1, the
teeth of the one being cut reversely from the teeth of the other. The revolution
of the one of these ratchet wheels in one direction therefore communicates through
the toothed wheels and the rack a forward or inward motion to the point bar to which
the rack is attached and the revolution of the other ratchet wheel in the other direction
communicates in the same way a backward or outward motion to the same point bar.
The manner in which the ratchet wheels are turned through part of a revolution is as
follows: To each end of the cross piece of the T ended shaped lever G. is pivoted
a clawker, one of these clawkers G. 1, G. 2, when moved forward by the action of
the lever engages with a tooth of the lower of the two ratchet wheels on the one side
and the other with a tooth of the upper ratchet wheel on the other side. As each of
these clawkers G. 1, G. 2, is allowed to act and is thrown out of action alternately at
each forward motion of the lever G. by means to be hereafter described, only one of
these ratchet wheels is moved by its clawker through a part of a revolution by one
forward movement of the lever and therefore the rack and the point bar are alternately
moved forward and backward by the successive forward movements of the lever,
which are effected as follows:-The elbow of the lever G. is pivoted to an axle G. 3,
supported by 2 brackets G. 4, G. 5, screwed to the platform B whilst the lower end of
the lever G, which is free carries a truck and axle G, 6. This truck is alternately
lowered and raised by the action of a cam H. fixed on a shaft H. 1, carried by
2 brackets attached to the platform B. This shaft is caused to move through a part
of a revolution by means of an arm H. 2, the end of which is inserted in the slotted
end H. 3, of a lever H. 4, actuated by the cam H. 5, on the main cam shaft H. 6.
To move the point bar into position to make a double row of narrowings, the
following movements takes place :

page_text: The cam H. 5, on the main cam shaft raises the lever H. 4, and with it the
arm H. 2, attached to the shaft H. 1, the cam H on the shaft H. 1, depresses the free
end of the lever G and the clawker G, 1, moving forward engages with a tooth of the
upper ratchet wheel F. 1, (the clawker G. 2, engaging with the lower ratchet wheel F
being kept out of action by the means hereafter to be described) which is caused to
turn through part of a revolution and with it both the toothed wheels E. & D. The
rack C, engaged with the latter is thus caused to travel forwards or inwards and to
carry with it the point bar with the narrowing points to the required position for
making the first narrowing, the narrowing machine is then brought into operation in
the usual way to transfer the loops from one set of needles to another.
During the remaining portion of the revolution of the cam H. 5, on the main cam
shaft the lever H. 4, is allowed to fall and bringing with it the arm of the shaft H. 2,
the action of the cam H, is reversed and the free end of the lever G allowed to rise,
thus drawing back the clawkers attached to its upper end. The first narrowing having
thus been made, to bring the point bar into position to make the second narrowing the
same movements of the lever H. 4, cam H, and lever G. are effected and the
clawker G. 1, having been thrown out of action by the means hereafter to be described,
the clawker G. 2, engages with a tooth of the lower ratchet wheel F. and the rack C,
is caused to travel backwards or outwards and thus to move the narrowing points to
the required position for making the second narrowing. These movements
repeated for every double narrowing to be made.
are
The clawkers operating the ratchet wheels are alternately thrown out of action by
means described as follows:-Over the ratchet wheels F. & F. 1, and pivoted to the
axle E. 1, which carries them is a double cam J. (shewn in plan, Fig. III sheet I,)
upon the outer edges of which the clawkers are made to rest by means of forks K.
projecting from their ends. At each partial turn of the narrowing screw and therefore
after each operation of the narrowing machine, the spring wheel L, attached to the
end of the screw L. 1, revolves through the distance between two of the notches L. 2,
on its circumference into which the end of the spring L, 3 fits. On the inner side of
the spring wheel is attached a circular grooved cam M, having a depression and a
projection for every two notches on the circumference of the wheel. At every
alternate movement of the narrowing screw and spring wheel and therefore after
every alternate narrowing operation, one of these projections in the cam M, is brought
into contact with the truck M. 1, fitted into the cam M, on the lower end of the
lever M. 2, which is pivoted to the side of the screw box and the truck M: 1, rests
upon the projection of the cam.
In this way the lever M. 2, the end of which is fitted into the slotted end. of the
rod M. 3, connecting it with the cam J. is caused to move the cam outwards towards
the front of the machine and so place the clawker G. 1 out of action. At the next
partial turn of the spring wheel the truck M. 1 on the lower end of the lever M. 2, is
drawn into one of the depressions of the grooved cam M, the clawker G. 2, is thrown
out of action by the other edge of the cam, and the clawker G. 1, is allowed to come
into action.
When it is desired, after making two parallel rows of narrowings, to reduce the
space between the two rows or, in other words to bring the two lines which these rows
of narrowings form along the fabric towards each other, or to bring them together to
form a point, as is required in the case of the so called French foot narrowings, we
effect the necessary shortening of the throw or movement of the lever G. and of the
clawkers, toothed wheels and rack actuated thereby as follows:-To the front edge of
the platform B. carried by the slide of the narrowing screw we attach a bar or rack N.
free to move through the length of the slots N. 1, N. 2. The rack N. is terminated by a
projection in which a set screw N. 3, is fixed.
When the rack N. is brought forwards towards the machine, the end of the set
screw is brought into contact with the lever G at the end of its backward motion and
reduces the space through which the lever. moves backward by the same distance
through which the rack N. is moved forwards and proportionately reduces the forward
and backward motion of the rack C, and point bar. It follows therefore that when

page_text: the rack N. is moved inwards after every narrowing the two rows of narrowings are
gradually brought together and the lines which they form on the fabric, may, if the
inward motion of the rack is continued uniformly, be brought to a point.
We effect the forward motion of the bar. N. in the manner described as follows:-
To the axle H. 1, is pivoted an L shaped racking lever O, a truck O. 1, in the lower
end of which is fixed in the slotted end of the rod O. 2, carried by the lever O. 3.
The lever O. 3, is pivoted to a bracket O. 4, attached to the bed of the screw box and
is supported at its other end with a spring 0. 5*, from the back of the screw box.
Through a boss P. on the lever is fixed an axle P. 1, bearing a truck P. 2, by means
of which the long end of the lever may be depressed.
The narrowing screw L. 1, carries a multiple cam P. 3, (shewn in detail, Figure 4,
sheet 1) revolving with the screw. When one of the projections on the circumference
of the multiple cam is brought during a partial revolution of the narrowing screw into
contact with the truck P. 2 of the lever O. 3, the end of the latter is depressed and
the rod O. 2, raises the lower end of the racking lever O. To the top of the latter is
fixed a clawker O. 5, which engages with the teeth cut in the bar N.
On the raising of the rod O. 2, the clawker O. 5, pushes the bar forward the distance
of one tooth and the bracket carrying the set screw N. 3, moving through the same
space, limits the backward movement of the lever G.
After this operation and during the same motion of the narrowing screw the truck
of the lever O. 3, falls into one of the depressions of the multiple cam P. 3, (a detailed
view of which is shown in Fig IV sheet 1.) and the lower end of the racking
lever O. is allowed to drop back into its former position, the end of the clawker O. 5,
then resting in the depression of, the second tooth of rack N. The operation just
described is prevented until required by the following means:-
To the under side of the platform B carried by the slide of the narrowing screw is
fixed a bracket carrying an adjustable bolt or bar Q. pressing down upon a boss Q. 1,
on the lever and keeping it in such a position that the projections of the multiple
cam P. 3, in revolving do not touch the truck P. 2, of the lever and do not therefore
actuate the latter. When, however, a sufficient number of parallel narrowings have
been made and when with successive movements of the screw the slide A carrying
the platform B, and the bar Q has been carried inwards towards the machine as far
as desired the bar Q is withdrawn from contact with the boss Q. 1, of the lever O. 3,
(attached by the bracket Q. 5, to the bed of the screw box, which is stationary) which
allows the truck P. 2 of the lever O. 3, to come into contact with the surface of the
multiple cam P. 3, and consequently to be operated by it.
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 toothed racks C. carried on the platforms by the slides of the narrowing
screws and attached to the point bars and communicating their motions to the latter,
substantially as described.
2. The lever G, clawkers or pawls G. 1, G. 2, ratchet wheels F.-F. 1, and toothed
wheels E & D by which the forward and backward motions are given to the toothed
racks and point bars, substantially as described.
3. The double cam J, and lever M. 2, operating it, for throwing the clawkers or
pawls engaging with the ratchet wheels, out of action alternately substantially as
described.
Dated 29th day of August 1890.
W. H. REVIS.
AMBROSE BREWIN.
JOSHUA MARRIOTT.