CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Moses Mellor, of the Firm of Moses Mellor & Sons,
of Arkwright Street, Nottingham, for the Invention of
CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES."
16 IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 8th September 1877, and dated the 5th June 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Moses Mellor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th June 1877.
HENRY MOSES MELLOR, of the Firm of Moses Mellor & Sons, of Arkwright Street,
Nottingham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object to construct circular knitting machines capable
of producing ribbed work at greater speed than heretofore. For this purpose I use
two revolving cylindrical heads, placed together end to end with a slight space
between the two. The needles carried by each head work to and fro in grooves
parallel, or nearly so, with the axis of the head which carries them, and their stems
are secured to slides upon which are nibs or projections to enter a groove in a cam
fixed concentric with the revolving head; or the cams may otherwise give motion
to the needles. The work produced is led up through the centre of the upper
head, which is made hollow for the purpose, and bell mouthed at its lower end to
enable the fabric to pass freely away. The lower head carries the frame needles,
and the upper head the ribbing needles. Both sets of needles may be latch needles,
or bearded needles may be used for the ribbing needles.
As above stated the ends of the two cylindrical heads are in close proximity to
one another, leaving sufficient space for the web to pass between the two. The
heads are caused to revolve at the same speed, and when the needles are projected
out from the grooves of their own head they enter and lie in the grooves of the
other head: When the thread is laid on to the needles the frame needles first
descend, and the work on them is knocked over; afterwards the rib needles rise,
and at the same time the frame needles rise slightly to give thread for the rib
needles to form loops.

page_text: The upper head is so carried that it can readily be moved away from the lower
head to facilitate the running on of work.
Similar machines may also be made for producing plain work with an imitation
seam, such as is produced by the machine described in the Specification of a former
Patent granted to me, No. 2325, in the year 1867.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Henry Moses Mellor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th December
1877.
HENRY MOSES MELLOR, of the Firm of Moses Mellor and Sons, of Arkwright
Street, Nottinghain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object to construct circular knitting machines capable
I use
of producing ribbed work at greater speed than heretofore. For this purpose
two revolving cylindrical heads, placed together end to end, with a slight space
between the two. The needles carried by cach head work to and fro in grooved
combs or tricks, and their stems are secured to slides upon which are nibs or pro-
jections to enter a groove in a cam fixed concentric with the revolving head. The
edges of the combs or tricks of the two cylindrical heads are in close proximity to
one another, leaving sufficient space for the web to pass between the two, and
the heads are caused to revolve at the same speed. The work produced is led up
through the centre of the upper head, which is made hollow for the purpose, and
bell mouthed at its lower end to enable the fabric to pass freely away; the lower
head carries the frame needles, and the upper head the ribbing needles. Both sets
of needles are latch needles, or bearded needles may be used for the ribbing needles.
The upper head is so carried that it can readily be moved away from the lower
head to facilitate the running on of work.
Similar machines may also be made for producing plain work with an imitation
seam, such as is produced by the machine described in the Specification of a former
Patent granted to me, No. 2325, in the year One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
seven.
The Drawings hereunto annexed shew parts of two circular knitting machines,
constructed to produce ribbed work in the manner above described.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 shew various views of one of the machines. Figure 1 is a
side elevation of the upper cylindrical head; Figure 2 is a plan view of tlie same;
Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the two heads, shewing the position
of the machine or ribbing needles with respect to the frame needles; Figure 4
shews an elevation and plan of one of the machine needles and its slide.
a is the upper cylindrical head, having grooves on its circumference to receive the
slides b of the machine or ribbing needles b'; c, c, are the tricks or coinb blades at
the lower end of the head a, between which the needles. work. The liead a is free
to turn in a bearing at the end of an arm d, and has secured to it a toothed wheel e,
by which it can be revolved. f, f, are the fixed cams which act upon the projec-
tion 62 of the needle slides wlien the head is revolved. These cams are.secured to
the bearing within which the head a revolves. The interior of the head is hollow,
and bell mouthed at its lower end for the work to be led up through it; a portion
of work is shewn at g, Figure 1. h is the lower cylindrical head carrying the frame

page_text: needles; a general outline only of this head is shewn, as it is constructed in the
ordinary manner in which circular knitting machines for producing plain work are
now made. It has grooves formed at its circumference to receive the slides i of the
frame needles k; the slides i have projections upon them to be acted upon by fixed
cams, and the needles lie between tricks or comb blades at the upper end of the
head; their tricks correspond with the tricks of the upper head. Wherever ribs
are to be produced in the work a frame needle (or needles) is removed from the
lower head, and a machine needle (or needles) is mounted on the upper head above
the groove (or grooves), from which the frame needle (or needles) had been removed;
thus the needles of either set as they are protruded from the tricks or comb of their
own head enter between the tricks or comb of the other head. Upon the axis / of
the lower head is a toothed wheel, of the same size as the toothed wheel e on the
upper head; these two wheels are geared with pinions fast on an upright shaft, not
shewn in the Drawings; the two heads are therefore caused to revolve at the same
speed. The pinion which gears with the toothed wheel on the upper head is free
to slide endwise along the upright shaft, so that if the upper head is raised away
from the lower head the pinion and toothed wheel may still remain in gear, and
when the head is again lowered it will return to its former position relatively to
the lower head. The arm d which carries the upper head is secured to a slide
capable of being raised or lowered on a vertical standard, and of being clamped
thereto by a set screw so that the upper head may be raised and retained away
from the lower head when running on work.
The action of the machine is as follows:-Thread from a stationary thread guide
is laid on to the needles. The frame needles after passing the thread guide descend
and the work is knocked over upon them. The machine needles after passing the
guide also ascend, preferably in this machine somewhat later than the frame needles
descend, so that the old loops upon them are knocked over somewhat after the
knocking over of the old loops from the frame needles, and I cause the frame needles
to rise slightly just as the old loops are knocked over upon the machine needles to
slacken the thread sufficiently for the machine needles to draw the thread into
loops. The frame needles then rise and the machine needles descend until the new
loops have slipped beyond the end of the latches of the needles, and when this has
taken place the needles are at once moved somewhat in the opposite direction as
they come into position for the thread to be again laid on to them by the thread
layer.
The Drawings shew the machine or ribbing needles to be ranged in pairs around
the upper head which carries them, but the number of needles used for forming
cach rib may be varied. The number of ribs formed in the work, and their position
and distance apart, may also be varied to any extent desired.
The machine can also be arranged to produce either broad or narrow rihs, but in
this case if it is required to be able to produce broad ribs I arrange the machine to
knock the loops over consecutively from each set of needles (machine and frame), as
described with reference to the modified arrangement of the machine shewn at
Figures 5 to 9, which I will now proceed to describe.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 shew various views of the modified machine. This
modification differs only from the arrangement above described in that the slides of
the machine needles in place of being straight are curved, and work in the arc of a
circle instead of in straight lines. By this arrangement the machine needles may,
as shewn, be brought nearly into a horizontal position when protruded forward
) between the frame needles and pass clear of the tricks in which they work, whilst
at the same time the frame needles as they rise pass clear of the tricks of the
machine needles. Thus if two frame needles are removed three machine needles
may be worked in the space from which they have been taken, and the ribs can be
formed of any width.
5 In this arrangement of machine I prefer that the work or old loops should be
knocked over from the needles of the two sets consecutively, that is, that the
needles of both sets have the loops knocked off from them as they pass the same

page_text: point; thus each needle as it is drawn back into its own:trick or comb to knock off
froin it the old loop which was upon its stein, at the same time:draws with it a loop
of the thread previously laid on to it by the thread layer, and at once formis its
own loop.
:
:
The several parts of the machine are marked with the same: letters of reference as
those; in the machine 'first described; it is therefore unnecessary to give any further
detailed description of them."
...
cow 0.
Having thus described the nature. of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that-I claim;
First. The combination of two circular. heads carrying sliding latch needles, and
working together end to end to produce ribbed work, substantially. as above described:
Second. The combination of two circular. heads .carrying) sliding. needles, and
working together end to end to produce ribbed work, each set of needles working
between tricks or combs, and the ends of the tricks of, the two sets coming. close to
one another, yet leaving sufficient space for the work to pass between the two, sub-
stantially as above described.
.
Third. The combination of two circular heads carrying sliding needles, working
together end to end to produce ribbed work,.and with one set composed of latch
needles, each of which needles is secured to a needle plate or slide, which has a
projection upon it to be acted upon by a cam, substantially as above described.
Fourth. The combination of two circular heads carrying-sliding needles, working
together end to end, to produce ribbed work, and with one set of needles carried
by curved plates or slides, which work in the arc of a circle, substantially as above
described..
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Moses Mellor, have hereunto set my 2
hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.