IMPROVEMENTS IN LATCH-NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN WILLIAM WATTS, of Countesthorpe, in the county of Leicester, do hereby
declare the nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN LATCH-NEEDLE KNITTING
MACHINES, to be as follows:-
My invention relates to circular and other latch needle knitting machines and
has for its object to enable such machines to make "fashioned or shapeable hosiery
goods; such as stockings, sleeves, and pants.
Plain circular knitting machines hitherto. constructed produce cylindrical
stockings, that is to say stockings of constant width from the knee to the ankle.
In order to adapt the circular knitting machine for varying diameters, I fix outside
and nearly at the top of the vertical needle cylinder a conical or flat ring or dial
plate having as many needle grooves cut into the upper surface, as there are needle
grooves in the vertical needle cylinder. The said grooves radiate from the centre
of the flat dial or from the apex of the cone, and are placed in alternation with
the grooves of the vertical needle cylinder (one radial groove between any two
vertical grooves).
They are situated at such a level that when a latch needle is pushed into each
of the radial grooves, towards the centre of the cylinder, such needle will be
situated immediately over the vertical guide posts between the needles of the
vertical needle cylinder.
In the case of flat web knitting machines these additional or intermediate needles
are placed parallel to each other, (instead of radial) and guided in parallel grooves
of a rectangular plate situated in front of the vertical needles.
A periodical to and fro motion similar to that of the vertical needles is
imparted to the intermediate or horizontal, needles by means of cams or curved
guides.
The mode of operation in the case of a circular frame, having all its vertical
needles in their respective grooves of the needle cylinder, is as follows:
If I wish to vary the width of the fabric, I put as many needles into the
circular needle disc (or dial) as are required for producing the maximum width of
fabric (the number of intermediate needles put into the grooves in any particular
case may be less than the total number of grooves and is in proportion to the
width of fabric to be produced), for instance twenty. I then work as much of the

page_text: wide or cylindrical part of the fabric as may be desired, and then I commence
the narrowing process by withdrawing and removing the intermediate needles
(which have their latch turned towards the axis of the cylinder and have taken
part in the knitting process) one after the other out of their grooves and hanging
their loop onto the nearest vertical needle, and continue this process at certain
intervals of work until the narrowest part of the fabric is reached (at which time
all intermediate needles will have been removed). The removal of the intermediate
latch needles may alternately take place at the right and at the left end of the row
of intermediate needles, for instance first N° 1, then N° 20, then N° 2 then N° 19
and so on, but another order of removal may be followed. The ring or dial
carrying the intermediate needles is fixed in case of knitting machines with fixed
vertical needle cylinder; and is made movable in case of knitting machines with
movable vertical needle cylinder, and it is preferably made adjustable in height by
means of inclined surfaces.

page_text: I, JOHN WILLIAM WATTS, of Countesthorpe in the county of Leicester, do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LATCH-NEEDLE
KNITTING MACHINES," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to circular and other latch needle knitting machines and
has for its object to enable such machines to make "fashioned' or shapeable
hosiery-goods, such as stockings, sleeves, pants &c.
Circular knitting machines hitherto constructed produce cylindrical fabric, that
is to say stockings, pants, shirts, sleeves &c of a constant width from one end to the
other. In order to adapt the circular knitting machine to make fabric of varying
diameters I fix outside and nearly at the top of the vertical needle cylinder a
truncated cone or a flat ring or dial plate having as many needle grooves cut into its
upper surface as there are needle grooves in the vertical needle cylinder. The said
grooves radiate from the centre of the flat dial or from the apex of the cone and
are placed in alternation with the grooves of the vertical needle cylinder (one
radial groove between any two vertical grooves). They are situated in such a
position that when a latch needle is pushed into each of the radial grooves towards
the centre of the cylinder, such needles will be situated immediately over the
vertical needle guide posts between the needles of the vertical cylinder.
If I wish to vary the width of the fabric I put as many needles into the circular
needle disc (cone or dial) as are required for producing the maximum width of fabric,
(the number of intermediate needles may be less than the total number of grooves
and is in proportion to the width of fabric to be produced. If I only wish to
make stockings on the machine, I only require a segment of the outer cone cylinder,
or disc, but I prefer a whole circle, although I may only wish to use a portion of it,
for instance that which is required for twenty needles. I then work as much wide
or cylindrical part of the fabric as may be desired, and then I commence the
narrowing process by gradually withdrawing (out of reach of the actuating cams
and thereby setting out of action) the intermediate needles, first taking off their
loops and hanging them upon the vertical needles. The plan I adopt for the
removal of the intermediate needles in making "fashioned" or shapeable stockings
is as follows: Suppose there have been twenty intermediate needles at work,
I commence by removing number 1 and 2 on the left side, and 19 and 20 on the
right side; next I work a certain number of revolutions, then remove Nos 3 and 4
on the left side and N° 17 and 18 on the right side, and so on until all the
intermediate needles are removed. I next work sufficient for a pair of stocking-
smalls (that is the narrow part of the stocking between the calf and the heel);
I then commence widening the stocking by again putting the intermediate needles
into action. I commence by hanging on to a fashioning needle a portion of the
loop that has been produced upon the nearest vertical needle. The order of putting
the intermediate needles into action is preferably as follows: First put in action
the needles No 9, 10, 11 and 12, then produce a certain number of revolutions, or
courses with the knitting machine, then put in action the needles Nos 7, 8, 13
and 14, and so on until the twenty are all in action. I then work sufficient of the
wide part as may be necessary for a pair of stockings, then commence the narrowing
process and so on, so as to produce a continuous series of stocking legs. I then cut
the series through at the centre of the wide parts and also at the centre of the
narrow parts. Various other ways of removing the intermediate needles may be
adopted:

page_text: Again if I wish to make cylindrical fabric, but wider than can be produced upon
the vertical needles only, I can do so by means of intermediate needles. For instance,
if the vertical needle cylinder contains 100 needles, I can, by filling all the grooves
in the outer or intermediate needle cylinder, increase the fabric to double the width
which would be produced by the vertical needles only.
In the accompanying drawings Fig 1 is a vertical section, Fig. 2 a plan and
Fig. 3 an elevation of a circular knitting machine embodying my invention, while
the remaining figures represent details.
The left half of Fig. 2 shows the guide ring for the intermediate needles, the cam
plate for operating the needles as well as the yarn guide, while the right half
shows the: machine after the removal of the said ring and of the parts attached
to it.
A is the vertical needle cylinder, which is stationary and provided on its
circumference with grooves a for guiding the vertical needles.
The needle cylinder rests on an annular casting B, having two concentric
grooves b¹ and 62, of which the former serves to support and guide the cam
cylinder or ring C, which has on its underside a toothed ring c gearing into the bevel
wheel D, adapted to impart to the cam cylinder C a rotary motion, and thereby to
the vertical needles a¹ the necessary up and down motion, as in ordinary circular
knitting machines.
The tooth wheel D is mounted on the driving shaft E provided with a handle F.
His the guide ring or disc provided on its upper side with radial grooves h for
guiding the horizontal or fashioning needles h¹. The lower part of the stationary
ring H projects into the groove b', of the casting B and is thereby held concentrically
to the vertical needle cylinder A.
The to and fro motion of the fashioning needles is produced by a cam or race
way secured to or formed on the underside of a cam plate I, adapted to move
around the axis of the machine with the same angular speed as the cam cylinder of
the vertical needle.
For guiding the fashioning needles in the radial grooves, the rear part h² of
each needle has the shape of an upright plate fitting into one of the radial grooves
of the guide ring, and for guiding the needles in the cam or race way of the cam
plate, the rear part of each needle has a pin or lug h³ projecting upward, so as to
fit into the race way of the cam plate I, when the latter approaches the needle.
The rotary motion of the cam plate I is produced by a bracket h to which the
outside of the cam plate is secured by means of screws passing through adjusting
slots 3, which bracket is fixed to the top of a ring L resting on the casting B and
fitting into the annular groove b² of the same. The underside of this ring is
provided with teeth gearing into a bevel wheel M mounted on the driving shaft E.
The upper part of the groove 62 serves to guide the ring L concentrically to the
vertical needle cylinder. The yarn guide N is fixed to the top of the cam plate I.
The curved block O (shown in Fig. 2 by dotted lines) which forms (an inner)
part of the race way for the horizontal needles, is pivoted at o, for the purpose of
making the corresponding end of the said raceway narrower or wider.
The combination and arrangement of the guide ring H and of the fashioning
needles h¹ with regard to the vertical knitting needles and the vertical knitting
cylinder is more clearly shown by the detail Figures 4 and 5, of which Fig 4 is a
vertical section of one half of the ring and needle cylinder, while Fig. 5 is a plan.
Fig. 6 shows in detail, and in a larger scale, the cam or race way i on the
underside of the cam plate I.
-
The curved race way is formed by the block O pivoted at o, and by the fixed
guides Q and R.
The mouth of the race way is enlarged to facilitate the entrance of the guide
pins of the needles into the race way, and the pivot o allows the guide O at the
opposite end to be moved inward or outward into the required position, by means
of the plate P and the cat corou ml
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page_text: Figs 7 to 11 indicate the relative positions of a pair of vertical and fashioning
needles during the knitting process.
Just before the yarn guide reaches the horizontal needle, the needles assume the
position Fig. 7 thereupon both needles move forward until they have reached their
extreme position shown by Fig. 8, after which the needles recede into the position
represented by Fig. 9. Then the vertical needle continues to descend into the
position shown in Fig. 10, while the horizontal needle remains stationary. After
the vertical needle has risen into the position Fig. 11, it remains stationary, and
the horizontal needle recedes into the position shown in the same figure. In this
position the needles remain for about 3/4 of the course, until the yarn guide has
nearly reached them.
In machines where the needle cylinder revolves and the vertical needle cam is
therefore stationary, the fashioning ring must revolve at the same angular speed,
and the horizontal needle cam remains stationary. In this case the knitting begins
when the horizontal needles reach the yarn guide; the series of operations is
analogous to that just described, and will not, therefore require a detailed
description.
I prefer to form on the circumference of the vertical needle cylinder (and at the
top of the latter) an elevated rim m as illustrated by Fig. 4, for obtaining a longer
loop for the horizontal needles.
The grooved guide ring for the fashioning needles is preferably made adjustable
in height, by any convenient means, for instance, by mounting it loose on a fixed
ring, and providing the lower or tubular part of the loose ring with several oblique
slots, through each of which passes a set screw fixed in the circumference of the
fixed ring. After loosening the set screws (or the nuts of the screws) the loose or
upper ring may be turned and thereby raised to the required height, after which
the set screws are again tightened, so as to hold the loose cylinder in the given
position.
The foregoing description shows how my fashioning or intermediate needles
work in making plain fabric (that is fabric with the loops turned all one way).
'
Practically my fashioning needles work in the same manner whether they are
used in the production of plain or ribbed fabric (that is with a portion of the loops:
turned one way and another portion the other way). For whatever pattern of
fabric my fashioning or intermediate needles are used, such fabric can be narrowed.
until all the intermediate needles are thrown out of action as before described.
Figs 12, 13 and 14 represent a few of the ribbed patterns of fabric that my
intermediate needles can help to produce.
NB. The dots represent the vertical needles, the full lines my fashioning needles,
and the dotted lines the ribbing needles.
Fig. 12 represents a 3/1 pattern and can by removing the intermediate needles be
reduced to a 2 and 1 pattern.
Fig. 13 is a pattern and can be reduced to a 3/1 pattern.
Fig. 14 is a 5/2 and can be reduced to a 3 and 2 pattern.
In machines provided with a ribbing cone, the fashioning ring should also be
conical, and in all cases the fashioning needles must retain their position opposite
the needle posts of the vertical needle cylinder, which may be effected by fastening
lugs or hooks to the inner surface of the fashioning needle cylinder or dial plate
which fit into corresponding notches formed on the outer surface of the vertical
needle cylinder, but preferably I fit to the underside of the fashioning needle
cylinder (or dial plate) a toothed ring containing the same number of teeth as are
contained in a similar toothed ring that is screwed to the underside of the vertical
needle cylinder, which rings gear into two small pinions mounted on a vertical
shaft (one wheel at the top and one at the bottom end of the said shaft) placed at
the side of the vertical needle cylinder, and held in position by suitable bearings.
A similar driving gear is fully illustrated in my specification of patent N° 3197
of the year 1877, and the machine described in the said specification may thus
be easily converted into a machine with fashioning needles.

page_text: Figs 15, 16 and 17 illustrate a method of lengthening or shortening the travel
of the vertical needles and therefore the loops obtained by the same.
In a certain class of circular Knitting machines, a part of the race way or cam
on the inside of the vertical cam cylinder is formed by a short lever or excentric
adapted to be turned from the outside of the cam cylinder, so as to vary the shape
of the race way and thereby the travel of the needles. In order to obtain the
desired result, without weakening the depth of the cam or curved guide, I adapt
the whole cam plate to move up and down.
For this purpose a part of the inner circumference of the vertical cam cylinder C
is formed into a vertically movable slide S. This plate carries the parts 8, s¹, 83,
forming the needle race way t, as well, as the horizontally moyable slide u and the
levers u, and u.
According as the cam plate S is raised or lowered, the part of the cam will be
placed higher or lower and thereby the travel of the needle altered.
The vertical adjustment of the plate S is effected by turning a set screw T,
which is screwed into the block w attached to the slide S and passing through a
vertical slot c¹ of the cam cylinder C.
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:
1. In latch-needle knitting machines The combination with the vertical needles
and mechanism for operating the same, of intermediate or fashioning latch-needles
placed outside the vertical needles at an angle to the same and so that the thread
coming from the bobbin is laid by the vertical needles across the fashioning needles,
instead of being laid directly upon the needle guide posts situated between the
vertical needles, and with mechanism for imparting to the fashioning needles a
periodical to and fro motion similar to that described by the vertical needles and
adapted to cause the intermediate needles to take part in the knitting process.
2. In circular latch-needle kuitting machines, the combination of a vertical
needle cylinder, vertical latch needles guided by the same, mechanism for imparting
to the vertical needles the required up and down motion, a concentric flat or
conical ring or segment surrounding the vertical needle cylinder and provided
with guide grooves converging radially or like the sides of a cone towards the
axis of the vertical needle cylinder, so that the prolongation of any guide groove
would intersect the prolonged vertical needle cylinder at a point between two
contiguous vertical needles, and a cam or curved guide adapted to impart to the
fashioning needles a to and fro motion similar to that of the vertical latch needles,
substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
3. In circular latch-needle knitting machines provided with fashioning needles, a
grooved guide ring or segment for the fashioning needles, made adjustable in height,
substantially as described.