Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN MILLAR, of 38, Friendship Street,
Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America, Gentleman.]
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to that class of knitting machines, in which the needles
are mounted in adjustable straight bars and known as "straight" knitting machines.
In such machines, the fabric produced is composed of a series of warp-threads, a
series of upper knitting threads interlocking with each other and with the warp-
threads, and a series of lower straight filling-threads alternating with the upper
threads and laid continuously along one side of the warp-threads.
Such machines are usually provided with a series of fixed U-shaped warp-
guides of sheet steel, fastened to a stationary plate, the outer or free ends of
the guides passing between and beyond the rear of the needles. In other words,
the guides extend just far enough back of the needles to prevent the filling-
thread guide, as it travels along, from coming in contact with the warp-threads.
The needles descend and draw the knitting-yarn down to make the stitch, at
the same time drawing the yarn over the end of the warp guides.
One objection to this construction is that it is liable to produce imperfect
work by cutting the knitting-threads at weak places by reason of its contact
with the warp-guides. Another is that when a needle is not perfectly straight,
it is apt to strike the guide in rising, the result being either to bend or break
the needle or the guide itself.
To overcome these objections, I provide movable warp-guides arranged to be
worked successively in sections or series, whereby they are thrust outwardly, so
as to hold the warps away from the filling-guide, as the latter travels along,
and are then drawn back so as to avoid contact with the rising needles, the said
warp-guides remaining in the rearward position until after the descending needles
have formed the corresponding portion of the knitting-thread into loops or
stitches, as hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a vertical section taken transversely through the upper portion of
the knitting machine.
Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section, showing portions of the needle-bar,
frame and warp-guide mechanism.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the warp-guide-holders, supporting plate and
actuating cam.
Figure 4 is an end view of the said cam.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the cam.
Figure 6 is a side view of one of the warp-guides.
Figure 7 is a side elevation, showing a portion of the needle-bar and the adjacent
part of the warp-guide holder.
Figure 8 is a ulan view of the same.

page_text: Figure 9 is a vertical section on line o-o of Figure 2, showing the arrangement
of one group or series of needle actuating cams; and
Figure 10 is an enlarged section on line x-x of Figure 2, showing a portion of
the grooved plate, containing the warp-guides.
As the improvement lies substantially in mechanism for actuating the warp-
guides, it does not seem necessary to show the machine as a whole, such machines
being well known to those skilled in the art to be provided with oppositely mounted
needle-bars and a pair of revolving shafts, on which are mounted groups or series of
spirally arranged cams, each cam actuating a cam-frame, the latter carrying at its
upper end a knitting needle adapted to be moved up and down in a corresponding
slot or groove formed in the front side of the needle-bar and also with a series of
continuously travelling bobbins carrying the filling-threads; similarly mounted
and travelling bobbins carrying the knitting-threads, the filling-threads being laid
in advance of the knitting-threads and warp-threads passing to and alternating with
the needles through the medium of fixed U-shaped guides.
In the accompanying drawings, t-t designate the two needle-bars mounted in
suitable framing, s, the cam-shafts s', the cams j, the cam-frames adapted to work
vertically in the needle-bars, and n, the needles secured to the cam-frames. The
filling or weft-threads are mounted on bobbins m², which in turn are mounted on
vertical holders or carriers c. A similar arrangement of carriers f and bobbins m³,
located at the top of the machine, being employed for carrying the knitting-
threads, as shown in Figure 1; the several knitting-threads are conducted
downwardly to the needles by suitable guide-tubes h* travelling with the carriers f
Automatic means for changing the relation of the warp-threads w and their
guides g with respect to the needles by aid of the carriers c constitute the present
invention. From Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that the top of the carrier is
enlarged to form a head or table c', on which is secured a cam-block a, the latter
having an irregular or cam-shaped groove a' adapted to receive the shanks g¹ of the
warp-guides g. These guides, instead of being stationary, as heretofore, move
end wise in grooves formed in the under side of the stationary supporting plate b,
which in turn is secured to pieces e attached to studs e tapped into and hanging
down from the under side of the upper bed of the machine. (See Figure 1.) The
warp guides alternate with the needles mounted in the bars t, and are arranged at
substantially right angles therewith, the retracted or normal position of the warp-
guides being indicated in Figure 8 at the right. To the rear or farther side of
each cam block is secured a bent guide d, whose free end is provided with an eye d¹
arranged to receive and carry a filling-thread h, the said eye portion extending
beyond the line of the backs of the needles and adapted to travel ahead or longi-
tudinally of the machine, in the space formed between the under side of the
warp-guides and the tops of the needles, when the latter are in the normal or
lowest position. (See Figures 2 and 7.)
The needle-actuating cams s' are shown as having the centre or hub portion
provided with two concentric steps or projections 2, 3, (see Figure 2), each
extending circumferentially about 90°, the latter terminating in the toe. By
means of this construction, each cam, after dropping its needle to the lowest point,
or just below the top of the needle-bar t, immediately acts upon the needle-frame
first to lift the needle flush with the under side of the warp-guides by the projection ³,
then somewhat higher by the projection 3, after which the toe s completes the
vertical movement of the needle; the latter remains stationary until the toe s
engages the lug 11 of the frame and depresses the latter to its lowest position,
(see Figure 2), thus completing the revolution of the cam. Figure 9 shows a
series of cams and needles corresponding to one knitting-thread and one filling-
thread; the cams are arranged spirally upon the shafts and are separated by fixed
washers or discs m³. The horizontal line at the top indicates the upper edge of
the needle-bar ; d' indicating the corresponding position of the travelling filling-
thread guide and h, the travelling knitting-thread guide. The said group of
needles is continuously repeated throughout the length of the needle-bar.

page_text: The guide-plate or table 6 is, as before stated, grooved on its under side to
receive the warp-guides 9, a bottom cap or strip 6 being dove-tailed into the
plate to prevent the guides from falling out, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 10. To
the front lower side of the plate 6 is secured a piece b*, the same serving both as a
guide or support for the upper portion of the carriers c and a stop b³ for the
guides g, (see Figure 2), said stop being formed by cutting away the top of the
piece b, thus producing a shoulder to prevent the guides from being drawn back
too far. By this arrangement the shanks g¹ of the guides will in succession enter
the mouth m, (Figure 5), of the travelling cam, for the purpose of thrusting out
the warp-guides.
It will thus be seen that the mechanism is adapted and arranged so that the
warp-guides are successively thrust outwardly to their limit by cam a, just in
advance of the filling-guide, which travels along below them, and at substantially
the same instant that the step 2 of the revolving cams s¹ lifts the corresponding
needles slightly above the needle-bar, thereby laying the filling-threads under the
warp-threads and back of the needles and upon the previously formed knitting-
thread loops or stitches upon the needles. The moving cam a next retracts the
guides g to the normal position, thus carrying the warp across the filling-threads,
followed by introducing the knitting-threads, which are at once converted into
loops or stitches and interlocked with the previously placed warps and filling-
threads.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a knitting machine, the combination with vertically arranged mechanically
actuated needles, of a knitting-thread guide * travelling longitudinally of the
machine and contiguous to the upper end of the needles, a filling-thread guide d
located in advance of said guide and travelling in concert therewith above
the needles, a series of warp-guides g located above said filling-thread guide,
arranged at substantially right angles with and alternating with the needles,
and means for projecting the outer or free ends of the warp-guides from the
front to the back of the needles in advance of the travelling guide d' and
retracting them after it has passed, substantially as described.
2. In a knitting machine of the class described, the combination with a
stationary plate b, mechanically actuated needles and independently moving warp-
guides mounted in said plate and arranged at substantially right angles to the
needles, of a continuously travelling filling-thread holder and guide mounted
below the warp-guides, a travelling knitting-thread guide h' and mechanism,
substantially as described, for intermittingly actuating the warp-guides end wise.
3. In a knitting machine, mechanically actuated needles, a suitably mounted
stationary plate, as b, warp-guides, as g, loosely mounted in the under side of said
plate and provided with depending shanks, in combination with a continuously
travelling cam, as a, arranged to successively engage said shanks to actuate the
guides endwise, a filling-thread guide travelling in concert with said cam,
substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a knitting machine, the combination with a continuously travelling knitting-
thread holder and guide, a similarly travelling filling-thread holder and guide and
warp-guides and means for intermittingly actuating said warp-guides at right angles
to the needles, of a stationary needle-bar, movable needles mounted in said bar and
revolving needle actuating cams, as s¹, arranged in continuous series, each.cam having
steps, ass, s, s, increasing in height formed on its forward or advancing side,
substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a knitting machine employing a plurality of threads, the combination of
suitably mounted mechanically actuated needles, independently movable warp-
guides arranged with respect to the needles, mechanism for successively projecting

page_text: and retracting said guides end wise, and mechanisms for feeding the threads and
knitting them together to produce a fabric, substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of November 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co..
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.