IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Williams Clay, Machinist, in the employ
of Mr. John Scott Wells, of Nottingham, Hosiery Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY."
Sealed the 4th March 1862, and dated the 12th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Williams Clay
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th September 1861.
I, WILLIAM WILLIAMS CLAY, Machinist, in the employ of Mr. John Scott
Wells, of Nottingham, Hosiery Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in knitting machinery.
For these purposes the nebs and lower parts of the sinkers are similar to
those most ordinarily used; but the upper parts in place of one half being
suitable for being cast in leads, and of the other half having jacks attached
thereto as is most generally the case, the upper part of each sinker above
the neb is made wider than is usual and with parallel edges. In front near
the upper end of each sinker there is a projection, which in rising comes
under or against a suitable bar or stop, and such projection, by reason of its

page_text: resting on a bar in front of the machine, is the means by which each of the
sinkers is raised a short distance when the front bar is raised, in order to
relieve the needles from the weight of the sinkers when the needles are
raised to the presser bar (which at the time of closing the beards of the
needles is stationary), in order that the pressing may be performed on the
beards, such pressing action or closing of the beards being accomplished by
the needles being first raised towards the pressers and then moved back
under the pressers. At the upper end and at the back edge of each sinker
there is formed or affixed a jack or projection, which at its back end is
formed with an angular point. At the ends of these fixed jacks or projections
bent springs are used, which are similar in form to those now employed at
the ends of lever jacks, and such bent springs support the fixed jacks and
their sinkers when they have been raised and until they are depressed by
the passage of a slur cock on the tops of the sinkers, which in succession
depresses the several sinkers and their fixed jacks. The upper parts of the
sinkers slide between the front bar above mentioned and a back bar on
which the pressers are fixed.
I would state that it is not new in knitting machines or frames to act in
succession on all the sinkers by means of a slur cock, or instrument
ncting in the nature of a slur cock, that having before been done in various
ways. The lower ends of the sinkers are retained and guided between two
bars or surfaces as heretofore. The thread is sunk between the needles
by the catches in front of the nebs of the sinkers, the previous loops are
retained in the throats or arches of the sinkers, and the knocking over of
the work is by the bellies of the sinkers; in these respects the form and action
of the lower parts of the sinkers are similar to those most ordinarily used.
The sinkers work or slide between plates, which at their back edges are cast
in lead and fixed to a bar, there being a projection formed at the back edge
of each plate suitable for being cast in lead, whilst the front edges of tho
presser plates come against the front bar before mentioned, by which tho
sinkers are lifted in order to relieve the needles of their weight when the
needles are rising towards the presser plates. The under or lower edges
of the presser plates (which are between the sinkers) are made somewhat
rounded or pointed. The bar to which the leads of the presser plates are
fixed bas a movement up and down, it being stationary as before stated
when at its lowest position at the time the pressing action on the beards of
the needles is being performed by the beards of the needles rising up to
and moving back under the rounded or pointed ends of the presser plates.

page_text: The bar to which the pressers are fixed is caused to rise and carry up with
it the whole of the sinkers, jacks, and springs, as well as the front bar, sọ
as to raise all the sinkers into a position to bring the bellies of the sinkers
into position to knock over the work as the needles are caused to retire
further back. By the first movement of the front bar the sinkers are raised
so that the angular points or ends of the fixed jacks rise beyond the cranked
or angular bends of their springs, which will retain the sinkers and their
fixed jacks till after the front bar has descended into its lowest position,
which it will do after the pressers have descended with their bar into their
lowest position. The needles will again come forward and the fresh loops
will be received into the arches or throats of the sinkers. The thread carrier
will then again supply thread on to the stems of the needles and the slur
cock will be again drawn, and will again act on the succeeding sinkers,
by which the pointed ends of their fixed jacks will be again forced beyond
the bends or cranked parts of the springs.
These improvements are applicable in constructing machines where straight
needle bars are employed, and by preference when such machines are worked
by rotatory motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Williams Clay in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WILLIAMS CLAY, Machinist, in the employ of Mr. John Scott Wells, of
Nottingham, Hosiery Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Williams Clay, Her special licence that I, the said
William Williams Clay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Williams Clay, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle

page_text: of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Williams Clay, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Williams Clay, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to sny:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in knitting machinery.
In constructing knitting machinery according to my Invention, I employ
sinkers, such as are shewn at Figures 1, the nebs and lower parts of which
are similar to those most ordinarily used, but the upper parts (in place of, as
respects the one half of the sinkers employed, being suitable for being cast in
leads, and as respects the other half, being suitable for having jacks jointed
thereto, as is usual) are made wider than is usual, and with parallel edges.
In front, near the upper end of each sinker, there is a projection marked a¹ in
Figures 1, which serves two purposes; in rising it comes under or against a
suitable bar or stop, and it also, by reason of its resting on a moving bar in
front of the machine, is the means by which the sinker is raised a short distance
in order to relieve the needles from its weight when the needles are raised to
the presser bar in order that the pressing may be performed on the beards.
The pressing or closing of the beards of the needles is accomplished by the
needles being first raised towards the pressers, and then moved back under
them. At the upper end and at the back edge of each sinker there is formed
or affixed a projection, or, as I terin it, a jack, it is marked a² in Figures 1; this
at its back end is formed with an angular point, as is shewn. At the ends of
these jacks, bent springs are used, which are similar in form to those now
employed at the ends of lever jacks; a side view of a lead of such springs is
shewn at Figure 2; these bent springs support the fixed jacks and their sinkers
when they have been raised, and until they are depressed by the passage of a
slur cock over the tops of the sinkers, which in succession depresses the several
sinkers and their fixed jacks. The upper parts of the sinkers slide between a
back bar, on which the pressers are fixed, and a front bar, which may be either
the bar before mentioned as that employed for raising the sinkers, or it may

page_text: preferably be a separate bar attached at each end to the back bar. The lower
ends of the sinkers are retained and guided between two bars or surfaces, as
heretofore. The thread is sunk between the needles by the catches a* in front
of the nebs of the sinkers, the previous loops are retained in the throats or
arches as of the sinkers, and the knocking over of the work is effected by the
bellies as of the sinkers, in all which respects the action of the lower parts of the
sinkers are ordinary, and their form similar to those most ordinarily used. The
sinkers are kept properly spaced, and work or slide between plates, which at
their back edges are cast in lead and fixed to a bar, each plate having a pro-
jection formed at its back edge suitable for being cast in lead, whilst the front
edges of the plates come against the front bar before mentioned, by which the
sinkers are retained in their places. A lead of these plates is shewn at
Figures 3. The under or lower edges 6' of these plates are made suitable for
pressing, and are somewhat rounded or pointed. The bar to which the leads
of the presser plates are fixed has a movement up and down, it being stationary
when at its lowest position, at the time the pressing action on the beards of
the needles is being performed by the beards of the needles rising up to and
moving back under the rounded or pointed ends of the presser plates. The
bar to which the pressers are fixed is caused to carry with it the whole of the
sinkers, jacks, and springs, as well as the front bar, which lifts the sinkers, so as
to raise all the sinkers into a position to bring them into position to knock
over the work as the needles are caused to retire further back.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 show transverse sections through the working parts
of the machine, and represent the different positions the parts take relatively
the one to the other in producing the work. Figure 4 represents the instru-
ments in the positions they assume when the laying in of the thread is about to
take place. The thread carriers, as also the slur cocks, are mounted on slides,
as is usual; they are made to travel to and fro by means of the ordinary drawing
tackle; the thread carrier slides at the end of every traverse disengage from
the slides of the slur cock, and the slur-cock slides travel separately from the
thread-carrier slides a short distance, so that in the return action of those
instruments they follow each other in the same order as they did in the previous
traverse, all of which is well understood and needs no further description. To
work a course, the thread is first laid by the carrier into the needles, the
thread carrier is closely followed by the slur cock, which by acting against the
sinkers a at the part marked a causes them successively to move downwards
with their jacks (formed upon them), and thus draw down the thread just laid
in and extending across the needles, and so form loops between them. The

page_text: sinkers are stopped in their descent by coming against the upper surface of the
moveable bar c; d, d, are springs which constantly press upon the jacks, so as
to retain them in position either up or down till they are acted upon by the
slur cock or the moveable bar c; e is a bar which is stationary during the
working of the frame, but yet capable of being turned down out of the way
when necessary to run on the work or adjust the neodles; it serves to support
the needles at their outer ends while their loops are being formed. The
position assumed by the instruments as soon as the thread carrier and slur
cock have passed is shown at Figure 5. The loops having been formed as
explained, the needles f, f, with their bar begin to move back, and the sinkers then
cause the fresh made loops to pass beneath the beards of the needles, the bar c
rising slightly so as to relieve the needles from the weight of the sinkers; the
needle bar then rises slightly with its needles, and continues to move back, in
order that the beards of the needles, by coming under the rounded ends
the presser plates may thereby be pressed and the work be landed on the beards
of tho needles, as represented in Figure 6. The whole of the instruments
except the needles then rise together, in order to raise the sinker nebs out of
the newly formed loops. The needle bar then moves further back with its
needles, and the work, by coming against the bellies of the sinkers, while the
needle heads pass between the sinkers, is knocked over, leaving the newly
formed loops in the needle heads, as shown by Figure 7. The instruments
(except the needles) then descend, the bar c simultaneously rising, the sinkers
are thus replaced ready to be again acted on by the slur cock, the needles then
again come forward, thus shifting the work on to their stems, and the bar c
then again falls, bringing the parts again to the position shown at Figure 4.
is a stop bar, which prevents the sinkers rising too high.
of
Figure 8 is a transverse section of the machine, showing the manner the
several parts are carried. a is the cam shaft; b, an axis turning in bearings on
the framing, it is caused to rock by the cam , and it has arms b* upon it,
which carry the sinkers, pressers, and slur cock, and their appurtenances. The
needle bar slides to and fro in guides on the frame, the guides being so formed
so as to tilt it upwards slightly at the time the pressing takes place; it is actuated
by arms on the axis c, which is, as shown, rocked by a cam c' on the cam shaft.
d is an axis similarly rocked by a cam on the cam shaft; it has arms on it,
which carry the thread carrier, bar, and thread carrier, with its appurtenances;
the object of giving this motion to the thread carrier is to clear it of the slur
cock at the end of each traverse, as before explained. The bar which lifts the
sinkers is also actuated by a cam, which, however, is not shown.

page_text: I would state that it is not new in knitting machines or frames to act in
succession on all the sinkers by means of a slur cock or instrument acting in
the nature of a slur cock, that having before been done in various ways.
I would also state that these improvements are applicable in constructing
machines where straight needle bars are employed, and by preference when
such machines are worked by rotatory motion.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Williams Clay, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
WILLIAM WILLIAMS CLAY. (L8.)