Improvements in Straight Bar Knitting Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Feb., 1892-Accepted, 2nd May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Straight Bar Knitting Machines.
I, ALFRED SEMMLER of Kappel near Chemnitz in the Kingdom of Saxony and
German Empire, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to straight bar knitting machines and its object is to
increase the quantity and improve the quality of the product of such machines.
In a machine constructed according to this invention the needles are arranged to
move separately or in pairs in two directions; that is to say, in the direction of
their lengths and at right angles to this direction. For effecting this result the
needles are mounted separately or in pairs upon the ends of vertical rods or
supports arranged to slide through slots or grooves formed in a suitable guide plate
and mounted upon a shaft so as to be capable of limited rocking motions.
Along one side of the improved machine is fixed a rail adapted to carry a sliding
carriage. An extension of this carriage carries a jack or fixed cam by means of
which, when the carriage is moved along the rail, the needles are moved in a
direction at right angles to their lengths. A grooved or channeled plate is also
fixed to the carriage, the vertical rods or supports upon which the needles are
fixed being furnished with projections capable of entering the groove. A suitable
form is given to the groove or channel so that an up and down motion is given to
the needles during the traverse of the carriage and the grooved plate. Another
extension of the carriage carries the thread guide, the guide rod brake, and a plate
or cam by means of which the necessary motion is given to the lifting plates by
which the thread or yarn is introduced to the needles. All the parts of the
machine are thus operated during the travel of the sliding carriage. The carriage
may be operated by means of a reciprocating rod attached to it.
By the employment of these devices no weight is necessary to disengage the
meshes from the needles and the elasticity of the fabric is thus preserved. The
'knocking-off" is effected by the movement of the needles against an inclined edge
of the "knocking-off" comb.
Dated this 1 doof M. AD 1901
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Straight Bar Knitting Machines.
I, ALFRED SEMMLER of Kappel near Chemnitz in the Kingdom of Saxony and
German Empire, Manufacturer, 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 straight bar knitting machines and its object is to
increase the quality and to improve the quantity of the product of such machines.
Various attempts have been made at different times to construct machines with
needles moving separately, but these have all failed on account of the uncertain or
complicated manner in which the pressing was effected, and because of the defective
manner in which the meshes were removed from the needles. In pressing by means
of presser wheels or presser blocks, which are guided over the hooks of the needles
so as to press them down, it is unavoidable that the points of the needles, especially
in finer machines, would always be pressed sideways in the direction in which the

page_text: presser moves, thus ensuring the production of bad work. In circular machines
which work in one direction only, the hooks of the needles can be directed some-
what in the opposite direction so that they may properly catch the needle in the
act of pressing. In flat knitting machines however, this expedient cannot be
resorted to, as the presser is moved alternately to and fro over the needles. To
meet this difficulty separate movable press rods have been used for every separate
needle, which are worked by a separate lock. This arrangement makes the
machine expensive and complicated, and furthermore very uncertain in its action,
since the press rods do not always meet the hooks with certainty. It is also
impossible to use this arrangement in machines producing fine work. Also, whole
press rails were employed, but shortly abandoned, because with these the hooks of
the needles not only had to be pressed (as is proper) during the downward motion,
but the frame had also to be pressed during the upward motion. This not only
put a very undue strain upon the needles but it also caused the frame to produce
rough and uneven goods, as during the lift of the needles the finished meshes are
forced under the hooks which have been pressed together a second time.
All the drawbacks hereinbefore described have been avoided in the machine
constructed according to these improvements, the needles being arranged in such a
way that they can move separately as well as in pairs and not only longitudinally
but also vertically in an easy safe and exact manner.
I will describe my said invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a front view and Figure 2 a section of a part of the improved machine
shewing the new arrangement of the needles a with their guide plates or jacks b,
the knocking off pieces d, and sinkers c. Two needles a are soldered, or are other-
wise secured, to each needle-guide-plate or jack b, as shewn at 3 Figures 1 and 3.
Each guide plate has a projection 1 (Figures 1 and 2) entering the groove of the
cam so that by sliding this cam sideways, the guide plates and the needles a are
moved up and down, (Figure 1), being lifted to receive the new loops s (Figure 4),
and lowered to knock off the stitches already made (Figure 7), and form the
new ones s¹,
Figure 3 is a plan of the needles a, presser e, and sinkers c, with the slides h
and by means of which the needles and sinkers are moved horizontally. A sliding
plate h (Figures 2 and 3), furnished with two cams, 5 and 6, is drawn sideways
along the needle row and presses the needle-plates or jacks 6 and the needles a
against the presser e. (that is the front edge of the lower sinker guide plate c').
The part between two sinkers c forms the presser piece for a needle hook, which is
closed by contact with the presser piece. Cams ff (Figures 2 and 3), on a suitable
sliding plate, are formed by a groove C which engages with the projections 2 of the
sinkers so that when the plate is drawn sideways across the sinker row the
sinkers are pushed forward and backward to form the loops s (Figure 3), upon
the needles a. The different parts operate in the following manner to form a new
row of stitches. The needles a stand in the position indicated by Figure 4, and
the already knitted fabric w is locked in by the edges of the sinkers c. If now the
cams gf and h (Figures 1 and 3), are drawn to the right, as the arrows shew, the
first part 8 of the cam fpushes the sinkers c forward to make the loops s (Figures 3
and 5). The needles a are then drawn down by the cam g (Figure 1), and, as soon
as the point of the hook of a needle has reached a point between the new loops
and the fabric w, the needle is pressed against the presser e by the cam 5 of h
(Figure 3), thus closing the hook. The needle is then drawn further down to
cause the closed hook to enter the old loop already on the needle (Figure 6). The
sinkers c are now withdrawn by the part 7 of ƒ (Figure 3).
$
The needle a moving away from the presser e, owing to the further movement of
the plate h, and sinking down under the edge of knocking off piece d (Figure 7),
disengages itself from the old stitch, which is knocked off, and hangs in the new
loops s, which is thus passed through the old stitch and forms the new stitch s
If the needle a (or a pair of needles fastened to b) were raised from the position
indicated in Figure 7, they would probably encounter the old stitch; this is avoided

page_text: by the cam 6 of the slide
(Figure 3), moving the needle along the inclined edge d'
of the knocking off piece d (Figure 8), thus removing the finished fabric from
directly above the needle and insuring that the latter in its upward travel is free of
the previously formed loop. Figure 9 illustrates the needle after being again raised
to its highest position ready for the formation of another stitch. This arrangement
dispenses with the heavy weight hitherto necessary to remove the finished fabric
from the vertical path of the needle and thus allows the fabric to retain all its
elasticity. My machine requires no weight for this purpose but only such a light
weight as will enable the fabric w to be rolled upon the roller A, Figure 10. A
smoother fabric is also obtained, as any roughnesses or defects are laid back by the
meshes striking against the edge d¹.
During the working of the machine there are never more than a limited number
of single needles and plates in use and because of this fact and of the advantages
already described, it follows that the improved machine will produce not only a
large quantity but also a good quality of work.
Figures 10 and 11 illustrate one form of the construction of the machine
according to this invention.
g
On the frame B there is fixed the guide rail upon which the carriage C moves.
The arm of the carriage carries the jack for moving the needles a against the
presser e and the contact knocking off piece d. The cam plate by means of which
the needles are moved in their longitudinal direction is fixed upon the extension D
of the bracket i¹. On the extension E of the carriage C are also fixed the cams f
for the sinkers c and the brake F for the guide rods G together with the thread
guide H.
The machine may be driven as usual by means of a crank or excentric and lever
upon the rod n which being connected with the stud m, moves the carriage C
to and fro, and consequently also the parts hg and together with the thread
guide H, along the needles and sinkers. A complete row of meshes is therefore
formed by a stroke of the slide C. The guides for the needle guide plates b are
mounted by means of the rails and bearing J upon the shaft K on the frame B,
and can turn upon the shaft. The catch L which can turn on its pivot on the
rail 63, is intended to determine its position relatively to the sinkers c by means of
the bolt M with which it engages.
The finished fabric is rolled upon the roller A. in the usual manner.
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 I
claim is :-
1. In a straight bar knitting machine, the construction and arrangement of the
needles arranged singly or in pairs on vertically moving jacks working in a guide
plate and mounted so as to be capable of a limited horizontal motion, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. A straight bar knitting machine, constructed and arranged substantially as and
for the purpose herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this lot do of Rohmaux An
1900
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.