Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM INGRAM JAMES of 8 Brunswick Terrace Stafford in the County of
Stafford, Engineer do hereby declare, the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvements relate to circular knitting machinery and especially to that class
of knitting machines commonly known as stocking knitters.
The first part of my invention provides an improved means of holding down the
work while being knit.
I construct the cylinder of the stocking knitter with a series of "jacks" so that
there is one jack over each of the cylinder posts.
These jacks extend upwardly and outwardly over the cylinder posts and at their
upper ends are terminated by hooks which look inwardly towards the axis of the
needle cylinder.
These hooks are so placed that they receive the yarn between each stitch of the
cylinder needles and hold it down and back against these needles thus hindering the
work from rising with the needles when they are raised to free their latches from
the loops previously formed.
It may sometimes be found better when using coarse yarns to make the jacks
capable of receiving a slight outwards movement away from the axis of the cylinder
in order that the hooks may be drawn forward a little just as the needles are being
depressed in the act of forming the stitch so as better to allow the yarn to pass and
pushed back again before the needles rise.
To provide for thus moving the jacks I may pivot them to the cylinder and extend
the cam ring of the machine upward and attach thereto a set of cams of.. suitable
shape to impart the desired movement to the jacks or I may attach to the dial
spindle of the stocking knitter a cam plate suitably shaped to impart the desired
movement to the jacks.
In another part of my invention I provide means by which during one revolution
of the cam shell of a stocking knitter one part of each row of ribbed tubular web
may be knitted tighter than the other parts.
It is customary to fashion the ankles of 2 & 1 ribbed hose, by gradually removing
alternate cylinder needles and transferring their stitches to the adjacent needles, until
the web has been changed from 2 & 1 to 1 & 1 rib, half way round the leg of the
stocking. A hindrance to the success of this style of fashioning is, that the 1 & 1 ribbed
portion has been more open than the 2 & 1 ribbed part.
To obviate this I provide means by which the ribbing attachment is lowered while
knitting the 1 & 1 ribbed part and raised again to its ordinary height when knitting
the 2 & 1 part. I accomplish this by fixing to the underside of the ribbing spindle
I then fix on the
adjusting nut, a cam plate extending about half way round it.
ribbing arm a piece which engages with this cam at each revolution and raises the
dial during about half of each revolution and lowers it during the other half while
the ankle is being knitted.
:
The dial may be kept at its highest position, while knitting the other parts of the
stocking (viz. the leg, heel & foot) by means of the forked washer as described in
Patent No. 16152 of 1887 granted to William Henry Dorman.
Another part of my invention consists in forming in the bottom of the needle
groove in the ribbing dial and in the needle cylinder of a circular knitting machine a
slot which is large enough to allow the ribbing or cylinder needles to be turned over
in the groove with the butts downwards and inwards. By this means any needles
that are required not to knit may be turned over and will not be acted upon by
the cams.
i

page_text: Another part of my invention is an improved form of guard cam for the cam
sbell of circular knitting machines. I make the point of the guard cam movable
on a pivot whose centre is below the point of the cam when in its normal position.
If from any cause the butt of a needle should strike the movable point of the
guard cam, this point will be turned over by the impact of the needle butt, and the
butt will be conducted over the top of the guard cam and thus injury to the needle or
to the cylinder posts will be avoided.
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM INGRAM JAMES of 8 Brunswick Terrace, Stafford, in the County of
Stafford, Engineer, 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 improvements in circular knitting machines, especially
that class of knitting machines known as stocking knitters, and will be understood
by the following specification reference being had to the annexed drawings in which
Figure 1 represents by a part sectional elevation the cylinder of a stocking knitter
constructed according to the first part of my invention.
A series of hooks a. a. is so arranged that there is one hook over each of the
cylinder posts b. b. These hooks a. a. may be extensions upwardly of the cylinder
posts b. b. and look towards the axis of the needle cylinder c, of which Figure 2 is a
plan. They receive the yarn between each stitch of the cylinder needles, and hold it
down and back against these needles thus preventing the work from rising with
the needles when they are raised to free their latches from the loops previously
formed.
a
Figures 3 & 4 show modifications in the construction of the hooks or jacks.
Figure 3 shows an arrangement in which loose jacks a. a. capable of receiving
slight movement are employed in order that the hooks may be drawn outwards a little
just as the needles are being depressed in the act of forming the stitch (so as better
to allow the yarn to pass under the hook) and pushed inwards again before the
needles rise. For this purpose the jacks a. a. are pivotted at d. in an annular groove
cut in the ring piece d' which is inserted in the cylinder c. and a cam e, shown
separately in section in Figure 5, is secured to the ring f. which is attached to the
cam shell 9, a gate being provided as shown by Figures 6 & 7, for the purpose of
inserting & removing the needles from the cylinder grooves.
Figure 8, is a view showing one of the loose or pivotted jacks a. removed from the
cylinder so as better to show the shape of it.
In the case of needle cylinders which have finely cut grooves, it is found
impracticable to make the jacks & cylinder posts in one, and thin sheet metal jacks
are employed. Figure 4 shows a jack of this description soldered into or otherwise
fixed to the cylinder post.
The second part of my invention consists of means by which during one revolution
of the cam shell of a stocking knitter one part of each row of ribbed tubular web,
may be knitted tighter than the other part.
It is customary to fashion the ankles of 2 & 1 ribbed hose, by gradually removing
alternate cylinder needles and transferring their stitches to the adjacent needles, until
the web has been changed from 2 & 1 to 1 & 1 rib, half way round the leg of the
stocking. A hindrance to the success of this style of fashioning is that the 1 & 1 ribbed
portion is more open than the 2 & 1 ribbed part. Figure 9 shows in part sectional
elevation and Figure 10 in plan. the improvement by means of which the ribbing
attachment is lowered. while knitting the .1 & 1 ribbed part and raised again to its
ordinary height when knitting the 2 & 1 part. I fix or attach to the underside. of the
ribbing spindle adjusting nut 9³ a cam plate h. the acting part of which extends about

page_text: half way round it from k to k¹. I also fix on the ribbing armi a piece i which
engages at with this cam plate at each revolution. When the piece j¹ passes
under the inclined edge k it raises the cam plate h and the nut g³ to which it is
attached. The nut is fast upon the ribbing spindle g¹ as is also the ribbing
dial n and thus the raising of the cam plate / raises also the ribbing dial n during
about half of each revolution. When the piece j' passes out from under the cam
plate h at the point the action of the spring 92 together with the weight of the
parts causes the ribbing dial n to fall again during the other half revolution. This
rising and falling motion takes place while the ankle is being knitted. By inserting
under the cam plate h (see Fig. 12) a forked washer 1 of a thickness equal to that
of the piece (and similar to that shown in Figure 11 and described in Patent 16152
of 1887) the cain plate h will cease to engage with the piece and the tightness of
the ribbed work will be uniform during the entire revolution of the machine.
Figures 13, 14 & 15 illustrate the third part of my invention which consists in
forming in the bottom of the needle groove m. in the ribbing dial n and in the needle
cylinder c of a circular knitting machine a slot or hole which is large enough to
allow the ribbing or cylinder needle butts to lodge therein when the needles are
turned over in the grooves so as not to be acted upon by the cams.
The fourth part of my invention is an improved form of guard cam for the cam
shell of circular knitting machines. 1 make the points of the guard cam pas
seen in Figures 16 & 17 moveable on a pivot q whose centre is so placed below
the level of the point of the cam that if from any cause the butt of a needle should
strike the moveable points of the guard cam, the point will be turned over by
the impact of the needle butt into the position shown in dotted lines and the butt
will be conducted in the direction of the arrow over the top of the guard cam &
thus injury to the needle or to the cylinder posts will be avoided. When the
points is released by the needle butt it is restored to its original position by a
spring r.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The improvements in circular knitting machines substantially as herein specified
and shown by the annexed drawings.
2. The construction of jacks terminated at their upper ends by hooks to hold the
yarn down and back against the needles, said jacks being part of or fixed or pivotted
to the needle cylinder of a stocking knitter.
3. The combination of a cam on the ribbing spindle & piece on the ribbing arm
to engage with said cam or their equivalents in order to raise the ribbing dial of
a circular knitter during part of a revolution.
4. A circular knitter in which the ribbing dial is caused to approach and recede
from the cylinder during portions of a revolution of the machine, so as to knit one
part of each row of ribbed tubular web tighter than the other part.
5. In circular knitting machines, forming in the bottom of the needle groove in
the ribbing dial or in the needle cylinder a slot or hole which receives the butts of
the needles, when the needles are turned over.
6. In circular knitting machines, the improved guard cam having a moveable
point.
1 1° .01 T
T1 1000
W. INGRAM JAMES.