AN IM- PROVED COMBINED KNITTING AND SEWING MACHINE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Pilbeam, of Berners Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IM-
PROVED COMBINED KNITTING AND SEWING MACHINE."
Sealed the 19th January 1872, and dated the 11th August 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Pilbeam at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th August 1871.
I, ALEXANDER PILBEAM, of Berners Street, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED COMBINED KNITTING AND SEWING MACHINE," to be as
follows:-
My said Invention is designed to furnish a machine which combines
within itself thoroughly efficient mechanism both for knitting and sewing
at a cost but little greater than that of an ordinary sewing machine.
Although knitting machines have been used to some extent and their
performance is highly satisfactory, yet the demand for them has hitherto
been limited, for the reason that knitting in families is not so commonly

page_text: practised as to make the possession of a knitting machine at the present.
cost of these machines desirable or advantageous. On the other hand
there is in most households constant occupation for a sewing machine,
and therefore its use is nearly universal; but a machine which by a
simple adjustment of its parts could be adapted to either purpose, so
that without impairing its efficiency as a sewing machine it would
always be ready for its occasional use as a knitting machine, would be
still more generally useful, and I construct such a machine and thereby
accomplish the object of this Invention in the following manner:-
I take a knitting machine of that class which has a single needle
and a reciprocating comb, such as that described in the Specification of
an Invention for which Letters Patent have been obtained bearing date
the 8th day of September, A.D. 1869, No. 2639, and which is commonly
known as the "Hinckley" knitting machine. This machine has the
reciprocating comb arranged to slide to and fro in front of the machine,
and it is operated through a rack by a wheel with projecting fins and
switches. This wheel has a frictional pinion which receives motion
from a grooved driving wheel. The said machine also has an eye-
pointed needle, which has a reciprocating motion across the comb. It
also has a counting or registering wheel or disc. Instead of having
the knitting mechanism arranged as it now is upon this machine I
attach the same by hinges or other suitable connections to the base
or bed in such a manner that it can be swung down in front of the
machine away from the driving wheel. I also remove the counting or
indicating wheel and place it at the back or one end of the machine,
so that it shall not interfere with the desired adjustment of the parts;
or instead of making the knitting mechanism adjustable, as above
described, I support the driving wheel in eccentric bearings, which may
be turned on their axes to move the said wheel into or out of gear with
the pinion. Upon the present bed or base of the said " Hinckley"
machine I cast an extension to support the sewing mechanism, which
may be that of any ordinary sewing machine (either "lock-stitch" or
"chain-stitch") having a horizontal shaft for operating the needle bar.
On the rear end of this shaft I place an adjustable wheel, which is
held by a key or feather, whereby it is caused to turn with the said shaft,
but is allowed to slide endwise on the same. On the driving wheel of
the knitting mechanism above described there is a smaller wheel to
receive a belt or cord for operating the machine. I arrange the
adjustable wheel on the needle bar shaft to slide within the rim of this

page_text: small wheel, and thereby lock the two wheels together so that the
required motion is imparted to the sewing mechanism, and the same is
stopped by simply sliding the adjustable wheel out of the other wheel.
The adjustment of the machine may be readily accomplished by any
person of sufficient intelligence to work an ordinary sewing machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Pilbeam in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PILBEAM, of Berners Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the
year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Pilbeam, Her special licence
that I, the said Alexander Pilbeam, my executors, administrators, and.
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Pilbeam, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
COMBINED KNITTING AND SEWING MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst.
others) that I, the said Alexander Pilbeam, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Pilbeam, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and

page_text: by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :--
My said Invention is designed to furnish a machine in which shall be
combined thoroughly efficient mechanism for both knitting and sewing,
and which may be made at a cost but little greater than that of an
ordinary sewing machine.
In this manner I supply a want that has for a long time existed
of a machine for meeting the occasional requirement in families of
knitted work, which has now to be performed by hand, for although
knitting machines have been used to some extent, and their performance
is highly satisfactory, yet the work of knitting in families is not so
commonly practised as to make the possession of a knitting machine at
the present cost of these machines advantageous. On the other hand
there is in most households constant occupation for a sewing machine,
and therefore its use is nearly universal, but a machine which by a
simple adjustment of its parts could be adapted to either purpose, so
that without impairing its efficiency as a sewing machine, it would
always be ready for its occasional use as a knitting machine would be
much more generally useful, and especially if these advantages are
obtained at a slight cost. I construct such a machine, and accomplish
the object of this Invention in the following manner :—I take a knitting
machine of that class which has a single needle and a reciprocating
comb, such as that described in the Specification of an Invention for
which Letters Patent have been obtained bearing date the 8th day of
September, A.D. 1869, No. 2639, and which is commonly known as
the "Hinckley" knitting machine. In this machine the reciprocating
comb is arranged to slide to and fro in front of the machine, and is
operated through a rack by a peculiarly constructed switch wheel.
This wheel carries on its shaft a frictional pinion, and thereby receives
motion from a grooved driving wheel, The said machine also has an
eye-pointed needle, operating with a reciprocating motion across the
comb. It also has a counting or registering wheel or disc. The frame
or bed of the knitting mechanism is attached by hinges or other suitable
connections to the base or bed of the sewing machine, in such a manner
that the said knitting mechanism can be swung down in front of the
machine away from the driving wheel. The latter is preferably placed
on the shaft of the sewing mechanism. The counting or indicating

page_text: wheel of the knitting machine may be removed from its usual position,
and placed at one end of the machine, so that it shall not interfere with
the desired adjustment of the parts. In some cases instead of making.
the entire knitting mechanism adjustable, as above described, I support
the driving wheel in excentric bearings, which may be turned on their
axes to move the said wheel into or out of gear with the pinion. The
sewing mechanism may be that of any ordinary sewing machine, either.
"lock-stitch" " or "chain-stitch," which has a horizontal shaft for
operating the needle bar. On the driving, wheel there is a smaller
wheel to receive a belt or cord for operating the machine from a treadle
like that of an ordinary sewing machine. The driving wheel is fitted to
turn loosely on its shaft, but is provided with a clutch or other con..
trivance, whereby it may be connected to the shaft or released therefrom,
so that the driving wheel may be made to drive the sewing mechanism,
or may be turned without driving the same as desired. I sometimes use
an adjustable wheel fitted to slide on a key or feather on the shaft, and
arranged to enter within the rim of a small wheel fixed on the driving.
wheel, and thereby lock the two wheels together, so that the required
motion is imparted to the sewing mechanism, the same being stopped by.
simply sliding the adjustable wheel out of the other wheel. The adjust-
ment of the machine may be readily accomplished by any person of
sufficient intelligence to work an ordinary sewing machine, and with
sewing machines which when operated have their wheel and shaft turned
away from the operator the two machines may be worked simultaneously.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a plan of the top of my improved combined sewing and
knitting machine, shewing the knitter out of gear, and turned down
below the base of the machine. Figure 2 is a tranverse section of
the same on the line x, x, Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan of the said
machine shewing the knitter turned up and in gear with the driving
wheel. Figure 4 is a tranverse section on the line y, y, Figure 3.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
a is the bed or base of the sewing mechanism; b, b, are the joints
or hinges which connect it to the bed c of the knitting mechanism;
d is a stand or table with a recess d³, in which the knitting mechanism
is received when turned down as shown in Figure 2. When the
knitting mechanism is turned up it is supported on a board or slab e,

page_text: which is then placed over the recess d³, as shown in Figure 4; fis the
driving wheel which is fitted loosely on the shaft 9 of the sewing
machine; h is the clutch whereby the said wheel is connected to the
shaft. When it is desired to release the said wheel, the part h¹ of
the clutch is withdrawn from the part h²; i is the frictional pinion on
the shaft of the knitting mechanism. When the knitting mechanism
is to be operated this pinion is made to gear with the wheel f, as shown
in Figure 3; j is the belt wheel or pulley whereby the machine is
operated from a suitably arranged treadle.
When the sewing mechanism is arranged like that of the machine
known as the "Willcox and Gibbs" machine, and others of the same
class which have an under shaft extending below the cloth plate, I prefer
to provide for throwing the sewing mechanism into and out of gear
by making the pinion which drives the under shaft to slide into and out
of gear with the wheel on the driving shaft.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and shewn how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice,
I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to any particular con-
struction of either the sewing or knitting mechanism, except that as
herein-before specified the sewing mechanism must have a horizontal
shaft for operating the needle bar, and the knitting machine must
have a sliding comb operating in combination with a single needle, and
I claim, the combination in one machine of sewing mechanism and
knitting mechanism of the class specified in the manner above described,
so that one may be operated and used without the other, or both
may be operated and used together.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Pilbeam, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two
Witness,
W. ROBT. LAKE.
ALEXANDER PILBEAM. (L.S.)