Improvements in or relating to Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Circular Knitting Machines.
We, JAMES HEARTH, WALTER HEARTH, and WILLIAM HENRY WILLIS trading as
James Hearth & Co., of 124 Church Gate, Leicester, Hosiery Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to circular reversible knitting machines and the object
is to effect such improvements in their construction as will enable multiple loops or
what are technically termed "tuck" fabrics to be produced thereon.
In order to produce tuck fabrics it is essential that two or more loops be
allowed to accumulate upon the needles before they are knocked over and formed into
stitches..
For this purpose we prefer to employ mechanism which, acting in conjunction with
the knocking over cam, will render the latter periodically inoperative so that at certain
courses, predetermined according to the construction of the mechanism, the loops.
are not formed into stitches but retained upon the needles until the knocking over cam
again comes into operation.
According to our invention we accomplish the result named by the employment of
the following mechanism.
We mount on a square at the upper end of the ribbing arm a small horizontal
toothed wheel or pinion movably clamped between plates at the upper end of a
vertically adjustable slotted plate provided with a peg or stud by which the pinion is
moved up and down.
The horizontal pinion when in its operative position engages the teeth on a vertically
fixed crown wheel fulcrumed to the boss in the upper end of the ribbing arm.
On the opposite side of the crown wheel there is fixed a projecting rim or cam plate
which actuates a vertical stud passing through the ribbing dial and into preferably the
knocking over cam.
The cam plate is formed with inclined ends so as to more readily engage the vertical
stud in the knocking over cam.
When the cam plate and vertical stud are in contact, the knocking over cam is
forced outwards into its inoperative position and while they continue in contact the
needles do not retreat into the ribbing dial sufficiently far to enable the loops to clear
the needle-latches, but immediately the stud passes out of contact with the cam plate
the knocking over cam instantly returns, under the influence of a spring to its
operative position and the needles clear their loops as before.
The size of the cam-plate is determined according to the number of courses it
is desired to tuck or in which the needles are allowed to accumulate the loops before
forming stitches.
Dated this 8th day of February 1890.
1
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Circular Knitting Machines.
We, JAMES HEARTH, WALTER HEARTH, and WILLIAM HENRY WILLIS, trading as
James Hearth and Co. of 124 Church Gate, Leicester, Hosiery Manufacturers, 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 has reference to circular reversible knitting machines, and the object

page_text: is to effect such improvements in their construction, as will enable "multiple loop" or
what are technically termed "tuck" fabrics to be produced thereon.
In order to produce "tuck" fabrics it is essential that two or more loops be allowed
to accumulate upon the needles before they are knocked over and formed into
stitches.
For this purpose we prefer to employ mechanism which acting in conjunction with
one of the ribbing cams, will render such cam periodically inoperative so that at
certain courses, predetermined according to the construction of the mechanism, the
loops are not formed into stitches but retained upon the needles until the cam again
comes into operation.
The invention will be more fully understood from the following description in
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure. 1 shews a side elevation of the mechanism constituting our invention, and
of so much of a "Griswold" or circular reversible knitting machine as is necessary to
illustrate the application of our invention thereto, and
Figure 2 is a front elevation.
Figure 3 is a side view of part of the mechanism taken at the opposite side to the
view shewn in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan of the top and Figure 5 a plan of the underside of the ribbing
cam plate.
A is the radially grooved dial carrying the ribbing needles and B is the ribbing
spindle to which it is fixed. C is a small horizontal pinion fitted on a square B¹ at the
upper end of the ribbing spindle B.
When tuck work is being produced, this pinion engages the teeth of a vertical
crown wheel D the boss D₁ of which fits loosely on a spindle E, and the two are
secured thereon by means of the collar E¹ and nuts E2. The spindle E is formed
with a plate E³ connected to the sleeve F" of the ribbing arm F by screws F² or other
suitable means.
On the opposite side of the crown wheel D there is fixed by screws G¹ a projecting
rim or cam-plate G which, when the crown wheel is in motion, comes into contact
with and actuates a vertical pin or stud H on the upper surface of a plate H, shewn
most clearly in Figure 4.
This plate H is connected to preferably the out-throw cam J by a square ended
screw J¹ or equivalent, passing through the usual ribbing cam-plate K, as indicated
in Figures 4 and 5.
When the machine is in motion, the crown wheel continually revolves with the
sleeve F of the ribbing arm F, to which it is connected, but it also revolves
simultaneously upon its own axis E, when it is in gear with the pinion C.
When the crown wheel is in motion and the cam-plate G and pin H¹ come into
contact, the said pin is pushed forward so that the plate H assumes the position
indicated in Figure 4, and the out-throw cam J the position shewn in Figure 5.
When the out-throw cani J is in this position, the ribbing needles are not projected
sufficiently far outwardly to enable them to clear their loops, the latter are consequently
retained on the latches until the cam G and pin H₁ pass out of contact, when
the plate H, under the influence of the spring H2, and the out-throw cam Jassume
their normal positions as indicated by the dotted lines in Figures 4 and 5 respectively,
and the accumulated loops are cleared and formed into stitches.
The spiral spring H2 is connected at its other end to a narrow plate K' rigidly
secured to the cam-plate K by screws K2 and the movement of the plate H is restricted
by the pin L.
When ordinary knitting is to be resumed the pinion () and crown wheel D are
placed out of engagement by raising the pinion C on the square end B¹ of the
spindle B as shewn in Figure 3.
To enable the pinion C to be raised, the boss C¹, with which it is integrally formed,
is cut partly away to receive the forked upper end of the vertical lever M, slotted
at M₁ in the direction of its length, to allow it to be moved up and down on the screw
bolt N passing into the sleeve Fr of the ribbing arm F,

page_text: The pinion and lever are raised by the projecting pin M2 fixed in the side of the
lever M and the accidental movement of the latter is prevented by the spring-plate O
pressing on the side thereof.
The extent of the cam-plate G in a circular direction determines the number of
loops to be accumulated on the needles prior to them clearing and forming same into
stitches.
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. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination of a pinion such as C,
crown wheel such as D and cam-plate such as G substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination of a crown wheel such
as D cam-plate such as G and spring-controlled plate such as H and pin such as H¹
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a circular reversible knitting machine the employment of a crown wheel D
and cam G for periodically varying the position of one of the ribbing cams
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the pinion C
of a forked lever such as M for moving the pinion out of engagement with the
crown wheel D substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
5. In a circular reversible knitting machine the complete mechanism consisting
of a forked lever M, pinion C, crown wheel D, cam-plate G and spring-controlled
plate H, substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
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JAMES HEARTH.
WALTER HEARTH.
WILLIAM HENRY WILLIS.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicants.