An Improved Process of and Machinery for Effecting the Operation of Knitting.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1890-Accepted, 23rd Aug., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process of and Machinery for Effecting the Operation
of Knitting.
We, ROBERT WALTER SCOTT and LOUIS NAPOLEON DEVON WILLIAMS of 2079 E
Cumberland Street in the City of Philadelphia State of Pennsylvania United States of
America Knitting Machine Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
1
Our invention consists of an improved process of and mechanism for operating the
needles of a knitting machine so that the number and location of the needles which
are in action may be governed in a simpler manner than usual.
In the carrying out of our invention, the normal position of the needles is the pro-
jected or inoperative one, that is to say, the position in which the bits of the needles
are out of control of the cams or other devices whereby the needles are operated in
order to draw the stitch, the neodles being pushed into operative position or into the
control of the cams or other actuating devices by simple pressure upon the hooked or
butt ends of the needles.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side view of sufficient of a circular knitting machine to illustrate the
application of our invention thereto;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;
Figure 3 is a view in an extended flat plane of the cams on the cylinder for
operating the needles; and
Figures to 18 are views illustrating special features of the machine, or
modifications in detail of the same as hereinafter described.
In Figure 1, A represents part of the fixed frame of the machine, B the cam
cylinder, and D the needle cylinder, the cam cylinder being driven from the shaft a
by gearing, which may be of any ordinary character, for instance, by gearing, such
as shewn in the Specification of United States Patent No. 410,859, dated September
11th 1889, so that the said cam cylinder can be rotated continuously in one direction
or can be turned forward and backward as required. The cam cylinder has needle
operating cams, such as are shewn in Figure 3, there being a central drawing down
cam band at each side of the same a pivoted throw-out cam d, the stem of each of
which is under control of a spring d' (Figure 4) tending to retain the cam in the
position shewn in Figure 3, but permitting it to yield in the direction of the arrows
shewn in said Figure, so that the bit of the needles may pass under the same in
approaching the drawing-down cam.
On leaving the drawing-down cam however, the throw-out cam d will raise the
bit of the needle above or out of range of said drawing-down cam, so that in order to
form the next stitch upon the needle it must be depressed so that its bit will again
come within range of the drawing-down cam.
In making plain tubular work the cam cylinder moves in the direction of the
arrow, Figure 3, and a preliminary drawing-down cam f is situated in advance of the
first cam d, so as to draw the needles successively down into operating position before
they reach the said cam d, the bits of the needles then tripping the said cam, passing
under the cam b, and being then raised to inoperative position by the throw-out
cam d, which follows the said cam b.
In reciprocating the machine however, the can f, is removed and the needles are
inoved from the operative to the inoperative position by a presser acting upon the
tops of the needles, the presser being capable of expansion and contraction, so as to
provide for throwing a greater or lesser number of needles into action, as the character
of the work to be produced may require.

page_text: As shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the mechanism for effecting the pressing of the
needles into action comprises a pair of segments F and G. (Figures 5 and 6.) these
egments being hung by a pin g. to a plate H (Figure 7.) and said plate being
secured to and projecting forward from a rock shaft H, having at one end a
pinion H2 gearing into a segment I, pivoted at i, to a suitable stand on the frame A
and having an arm with a pin engaging at its inner end with a cam slot in a
dise on the driving shaft a, so that as the said shaft is turned back and forth in
effecting the reciprocation of the cam cylinder, a vibrating motion will he imparted
to the segment rack I, the shaft H' will be caused to rock in its bearings, and a rising
and falling movement in the are of a circle will be imparted to the plate H and to the
aforesaid segments carried thereby.
As the needles, after passing the drawing-down cam, are raised by the succeeling
cam d into inoperative position, that is to say, into a position in which their hits are
free from the control of the drawing-down cam, it follows that on the next movement
only such needles will be operated upon by the drawing-down cam, as have been
pressed down into the path of the same by the action of the segments F and G, theso
segments in their descending movement acting upon the hooked upper ends of the
needles and thus depressing said needles sufficiently to bring their bits within the
range of the cam b.
In order that the number of needles thus rendered operative may be diminished or
increased, and the web of fabric produced by the needles thus narrowed or widened,
we provide for contracting and expanding the segments F and G the following
mechanism.
The outer portion of each segment radially beyond the line of the needles is pro-
vided with a segmental rack Fi G₁, the rack F gearing into a spur pinion F2 which
is secured to or forms part of a sleeve F3 turning on a stud h, secured to and
depending from the plate H, the lower end of the sleeve forming or being provided
with a bevel wheel F which gears into a bevel pinion J, on a shaft m, free to turn
in brackets m¹ secured to or forming part of the plate H, one end of said shaft being
provided with a ratchet wheel K, which on the rise of the plate comes into engage-
ment with a pawl K¹ hung to a fixed standard on the frame, so that a movement of
partial rotation is thereby imparted to the ratchet wheel and to the shaft m, carrying it.
The segmental rack G₁is operated by a spur pinion G², sleeves G³, bevel wheel G4
and bevel pinion J, in the same manner as is the rack F¹, so that as the plate H, rises
and falls, movement in opposite directions will be imparted to the said racks and to
the segments, the number of needles covered by the segments being thereby increased
or diminished.
In forming upon the machine shewn, a pocket or bulge, such as is required to
form the heel or toe of a stocking, the segments F and G, are in the first instance
separated to the full extent, so that in conjunction with the segmental portion of the
plate H they cover about one half of the entire number of needles on the head as
shewn in the diagram Figure 8, and on each reciprocation of the cylinder the
segments are moved towards each other to a slight extent so as to gradually contract
the area covered by the segments and thus provide for a gradual increase in the
number of needles permitted to remain in the elevated or inoperative position, the teeth
of the ratchet wheet K, and of the racks F1, G¹ and intermediate gearing being so
proportioned in respect to the guage of the head that each successive movement of
the ratchet wheel K, will cause the contraction of the segments F, G to the extent
of one half the distance between the needles of the head, and one segment being set
in advance of the other to the extent of a half a needle, so that the needles will be
dropped out of action first at one end of the acting set and then at the opposite end
thereof.
This operation will continue until the segments have been contracted to the full
extent and lie directly the one over the other and beneath the segment of the plate H,
as shewn in Figure 9, which position they assume when the desired narrowing of
the fabric has been effected, the next movement of the racks causing the separation

page_text: of the segments so as to gradually bring needles into action again to widen the web,
the two operations being effected by the continuous forward movement of the ratchet
wheel K.
The widening operation continues until the segments are again fully separated as
shewn in Figure 10, after which the cam is replaced and the making of continuous
tubular fabric resumed, the segments being restored to their normal position
(Figure 8) before the next narrowing and widening operation has to be performed.
In order to insure the retention of the needles in the elevated or inoperative posi-
tion the ribs of the needle cylinder which form the partitions between the needle
slots are,
at their upper ends, freed from connection with the body of the cylinder
by means of a slot or incision n Figure 11, and are also preferably recessed at the
front edge, as at 2, and reduced in thickness above this point so as to form on each
rib or partition an elastic finger p, which can be bent laterally so as to bear against
the shank of the needle in the adjoining slot, and thus impart sufficient friction thereto
to retain it in the elevated position to which it has been moved.
The presser plate is available for other uses than for the widening and narrowing
of a web of fabric, for instance, it may be used effectively in connection with a circular
machine for the production of flat webs by rotating the can box so as to start the
web on one nee fle and after carrying the cam box around the head, finishing the
course on the needles adjacent to the starting needle the direction of movement of
the cam box being then reversed, and the second course started on the finishing
needle of the first course and finished on the starting needle of the same, and so on
so as to form a flat web with opposite selvages.
In using the presser plate for this purpose the said plate may extend around the
entire head, with the exception of as much of the segment as is necessary for the
disposal of the needle actuating cams of the cam box for instance it may extend
throughout the greater segment from the point a to the point in Figure 13 and
while the cams occupy a position adjacent to the lesser segment, from a to
the plate
may be depressed so as to throw into action all the needles from a to y' around the
greater segment.
Y,
C
While the cam is traversing past these needles in the direction from y¹ to the plate
may be shifted circumferentially and again depressed so as to throw into action the
needles in the lesser segment from a toy, before the operating cams of the cam box
reach the same, leaving out of action the needles from y' to w, Figure 14, so that the
cams after actuating the needles from a to y pass beneath the needles from y¹ to w
without forming stitches thereon.
The plate is then again depressed, and the movement of the cam box reversed, so as
to start the second course on the needle y the presser plate being again shifted and
depressed so as to bring the needles from wo to y¹ into operative position before the
cams reach the same on the backward movement, the course ending on the needle y
and the operations being then repeated, so that the adjoining needles y y' constitute
the selvage needles.
The shifting of the presser here contemplated involves a back and forth movement
of the shaft m with periods of rest, a movement which may be conveniently effected by
gearing actuated by a cam-controlled toothed segment, such, for instance, as that
employed for vibrating the presser carrier at intervals.
The mode described of forming flat selvaged webs on circular machines is of value
when such a web has to be formed at a continuation of a tubular web as that entire
number of needles in the machine are available for the production of said flat web
which has therefore the same number of stitches as the tubular web and both can'
be produced upon the one machine if desired.
Instead of shifting the presser plate the needle cylinder and its needles may be
shifted, and vertical movement may be imparted to the needle carrier instead of
to the presser if desired in order to effect the depression of the needles from
noperative to operative position for instance, the needle cylinder may be mounted
apon a cam ring, this ring being moved back and forth to raise and lower the
ylinder.

page_text: It will be evident that our invention may be carried out in connection with
straight machines as well as with circular machines, and also that it may be used
for either widening or narrowing fabrics instead of for both purposes as before
described.
In a straight machine, for instance, the segmental presser plate F, and G³,
would be replaced by straight plates which would be guided on the plate H, so as
to be moved longitudinally in line with the needle bed by the rack and pinion
mechanism. In this case the knitting operation might be begun with the presser
bar fully contracted and said bars gradually expanded during the knitting operation
so as to bring additional needles into action. The cam f, in this case would be
dispensed with.
Various other modifications in the construction of the needle pressing plates and
in the mode of operating the same can be effected without departing from our
invention.
One of such modifications is illustrated in Figure 15 in which is shewn a
succession of segmental plates P carried by an endless chain P¹ intended to be
situated in the rear of the needle cylinder and to be intermittently operated so as
to bring the plates in succession over the needles, the plates being depressed by
the vibrating frame or plate H of the machine, and the successive plates being of such
dimensions as to effect the desired widening or narrowing of the fabric which is being
formed upon the machine.
In order to prevent the closing of the latches of the needles as they are raised to
the inoperative position or to the clearing position, it is advisable to mount at a suitable
distance above the top of the needle cylinder a guard ring S as shown in Figure 2
which will strike any latches that may rise on clearing the stitches and thus prevent
said latches from closing against the hooks of the needles and so cause slipping of the
stitches when the needles are depressed.
As shown in Figure 16 the guard ring S bas pinss fitting in vertical slots s' in the
carrier ring S' so that the said guard ring rests on but is detachable from the carrier
ring and can hence be removed to permit of the removal of the cylinder but it will be
evident that a split or two part ring to be separated laterally as shewn for instance: in
Figure 17 may be substituted therefor and this ring may carry a thread guide or may
have an opening serving as a thread guide if desired.
In many cases it may be advisable to construct with short bits the needles which
are intended to be always in action and to make the lifting cams so narrow that they
will not elevate the short bitted needles out of range of the drawing down cam thie
extra wear on these needles being thus prevented (see Figure 18).
The use of the preliminary drawing down cam shown in Figure 3 may be dispensed
with in the production of tubular work if the cam d which follows the drawing down
cam is so constructed as to be retained in the elevated or inoperative position for in
that case the bits of the needles on leaving the drawing down cam will not be elevated
to a point beyond the said cam but will remain in condition to be operated by it on
the next rotation of the cam box. A convenient device for holding the cam din
inoperative position is a spring finger t engaging with a notch in the enlarged head t
at the outer end of the stem of the cam as shewn for instance in Figures 4 and 18.
Other means than cams may also be used for operating the needles of the machine
so as to clear the same or draw the stitches thereon.
Having thus described our invention we claim and desire to secure by Letters
Patent.
First The combination in a knitting machine of a needle carrier and its needles
means for actuating the needles to draw the stitch and for subsequently moving the
needles to inoperative position and a presser for acting upon the needles to restore
them to operative position substantially as herein before described.
Second-The combination in a knitting machine of the needle carrier and its
needles means for actuating the needles to draw the stitch and for subsequently
moving the needles to inoperative position a presser for restoring the needles to

page_text: operative position and provision for expanding and contracting the presser substantially
as herein before described.
Third-The combination of the needle carrier and its needles with the cam box
having a drawing down cam and at each side of the same a yielding cam for moving
the needles out of the path of the draw down cam and a presser for restoring the
needles to the influence of the said draw down cam substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Fourth-The combination of the needle carrier and its needles the cam box having
a draw cam and at each side of the same a yielding lift cam for moving the needles
out of the path of the draw down cam and a supplementary draw down cam in advance
of one of said lift cams substantially as herein before described.
Fifth-The combination of the needle carrier and its needles means for operating
the said needles to draw the stitches and for subsequently moving them to inoperative
position a presser for restoring them to operative position a carrier for the said
presser and a rock shaft on which the said carrier is mounted substantially as herein-
before described.
Sixth-The combination of the needle carrier and its needles means for operating
the said needles to draw the stitches and for subsequently moving them to inoperative
position a presser for restoring them to operative position the said presser consisting
of a pair of segments and rack and pinion mechanism for moving said segments in
respect to each other substantially as hereinbefore described.
Seventh-The combination of the needle carrier and its needles means for operating
the said needles to draw the stitches and for subsequently moving them to inoperative
position and a presser for restoring them to operative position the said presser consisting
of a vibrating frame a pair of segments carried thereby rack and pinion mechanism
a ratchet wheel on the pinion shaft, and a pawl for actuating the said ratchet wheel
as it is moved with the vibrating frame substantially as hereinbefore described.
Eighth-The combination of the needles with a needle carrier having ribs with
free portions forming laterally bent fingers for bearing on the shanks of the needles
and holding them in inoperative position substantially as hereinbefore described.
Ninth: The mode hereinbefore described of effecting the operation of fashioning
knitted webs upon a knitting machine said mode consisting in maintaining the
fashioning needles normally inoperative and free from such action as to cause strain
on the stitches carried thereby and moving into operative position in knitting each
course such of the said fashioning needles as are to have stitches drawn thereupon in
that course substantially as herein before described.
Tenth-The node herein before described of effecting the operation of fashioning
knitted webs on a knitting machine the said mode consisting in maintaining the
fashioning needles normally in operative and free from such action as to cause strain
on the stitches carried thereby moving into operative position in knitting each course
such of the said fashioning needles as are to have stitches drawn thereupon in that
course diminishing the number of active needles to effect the narrowing of the web
and increasing the number of acting needles to widen the said web substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Dated this 92-1 dow of In1000
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.