Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 17th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1898
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
I, JAMES KENT Ross, of 5, George Drive, Govan, Lanarkshire, Knitting Factory
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction
of knitting machines for knitting flat web fabrics in which two needle beds
inclined towards each other are used, and has for its object the fitting of such
machines for knitting trimming suitable for woollen underclothing in one or
more strips and also providing means for automatically racking the front needle
bed.
The trimming to be made consists of one or more double rows of stitches on
each side connected together by threads of the yarn crossing each other diagonally
from side to side, but the pattern of the trimming is capable of alteration to some
extent according to the arrangement of the needles.
In carrying my improvements into practice a central horizontal longitudinal bar is
mounted above the needles on brackets connected to fixed frame of machine, and
the upper edge of this bar is formed with notches or alternately projecting and re-
cessed parts with angled parts forming inclined planes leading from one to the other.
Guides for the thread or yarn used are carried by a feather on one side of this
bar preferably forming a dove tailed joint with said feather and free to slide on
it. One thread guide is used for each strip of trimming being knitted and is
reciprocated so as to move it from the set of needles knitting the stitches at one
side to those knitting the stitches at the other by the means to be described.
A curved spring actuated arm is secured by one end to the side of the usual frame
or carriage carrying the neelle actuating cams all arranged in an ordinary manner
which is at the back of the machine and the free end of this arm rests upon the
top of the central longitudinal bar. As the cam frame is traversed the arm rises
out of and falls into the notches as it passes along the longitudinal bar and as
it falls into each notch a short pin on its end engages with a recess formed in
the upper part of each thread guide and carries it along the feather until the
arm rising on the projecting part of bar and releasing the guide passes on to
the next notch and thread guide, the process being repeated in the reverse direction
as the frame returns. The thread is preferably brought from cops at the back
of the machine one for each strip to be made and carried over overhead thread guides,
mounted above the machine where it is brought down to the moveable thread
guides.
The process of knitting the stitches is that commonly used and possesses no
substantial novelty.
The automatic racking of the front needle bed or either of the beds is effected
by mounting a horizontal shaft in bearings beneath the machine frame and gearing
same to the main driving wheel by bevel gearing so as to give one turn to the
shaft for two turns of the wheel.
On this shaft is mounted a cam disc formed with a projecting part on the

page_text: opposite half of each side which as it rotates between projections on guides on
the needle bed reciprocates or racks it once in each direction for every two turns
of the driving wheel.
T
1
11
1
1007
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
I, JAMES KENT Ross, of 5, George Drive, Govan, Lanarkshire, Knitting Factory
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, reference being made to the accompanying
sheet of drawings :-
:-
My invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction
of knitting machines for knitting flat web fabrics in which two needle beds
inclined towards each other are used, and has for its object the fitting of such
machines for knitting trimming suitable for woollen underclothing in
more strips and also providing means for automatically racking the front needle
bed.
one or
And in order that my invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended a sheet of explanatory drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view
of a knitting machine fitted with my improvements and Figures 2, 3 and 4 show
details.
The trimming to be made consists of one or more double rows of stitches on
each side connected together by threads of the yarn crossing each other diagonally
from side to side as shown in Figure 2, but the pattern of the trimming is capable
of alteration to some extent according to the arrangement of the needles.
In carrying my improvements into practice a central horizontal longitudinal
bar A is mounted above the needles which are merely indicated in Figure 1
at B on brackets a connected to fixed frame of machine, and the upper edge of
this bar is formed with notches A' or alternately projecting and recessed parts
with angled parts forming inclined planes leading from one to the other. Guides C
shown in detail by Figure 4 for the thread or yarn used are carried by a feather A²
on one side of this bar A and free to slide on it. One thread guide C is used
for each strip of trimming being knitted and is reciprocated so as to move it
from the set of needles knitting the stitches at one side to those knitting the
stitches at the other by the means to be described. A curved spring arm D
is reciprocated by an arm on the side of the usual frame or carriage carrying the
needle actuating cams all arranged in an ordinary manner which is at the back
of the machine and slides on the dovetailed edge of the bar d and the free end
of this arm D which is fitted with the spring D¹ and short pin D2 rests upon the
top of the central longitudinal bar A. As the cam frames E are traversed the
arm 1) rises out of and falls into the notches A' as it passes along the longitudinal
bar A and as it falls into each notch A' the short pin D² on its end engages
with a recess e formed in the upper part of each thread guide C and carries it
along the feather A2 until the arm rising on the projecting part of bar and
releasing the guide C passes on to the next notch A¹ and thread guide C, the
process being repeated in the reverse direction as the frame returns. The thread
is preferably brought from cops at the back of the machine one for each strip

page_text: to be made and carried over overhead thread guides F. The process of knitting
the stitches is that commonly used and possesses no substantial novelty.
The automatic racking of the front needle bed B or either of the beds is
effected by mounting a horizontal shaft G in bearings beneath the machine
frame and gearing same to the main driving wheel H by bevel gearing I I so
as to give one turn to the shaft G for two turns of the wheel H.
On this shaft is mounted a cam disc J formed with a projecting part on the
opposite half of each side which as it rotates between projections K on guides on
the needle bed B reciprocates or racks it once on each direction for every two
turns of the driving wheel H.
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
1 claim is:
-
First. In knitting machines of the class described and shown the construction
and arrangement of the bar A and thread guides Call substantially as and for
the purposes herein described and as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 of the accom-
panying drawings.
Second. In knitting machines of the class described and shown the com-
bination comprising the notched bar A the thread guides C and the arm D all
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and illustrated by Figures 1,
3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Third. In knitting machines of the class described and shown the means
for automatically racking the needle bed consisting of the shaft G, gearing II,
cam J, and projections K all substantially as herein described and illustrated
by Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 16th day of February 1898
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.