Improvements in Knitting and Hosiery Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1889-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by EDOUARD DUBIED, of the firm of Edouard Dubied & Co.,
Couvet, Switzerland, Knitting Machine Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Knitting and Hosiery Machines.
GODFREY STIBBE of 25 Jamaica Street Glasgow in the County of Lanark Merchant
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
In knitting or hosiery machines or frames for producing fabrics wholly or partly
by means of latch needles as hitherto constructed the latches of the needles are
opened by means of knives made of steel usually called latch openers or latch-opener-
knives which pass between the hooks and the latches of the needles. A knot or
thickness in the yarn or even the want of tension on the selvages of the web that
is being made will often cause the heads or hooks of the needles to strike against
the edges of the latch-opener-knives whereby the needles are injured or deteriorated.
It also frequently happens that the needles rise above the latch-opener-knives causing
interruption and disorder, more especially in the case of machines of fine gauge or
machines driven by motive power. The object of my invention is to prevent these
inconveniences and to this end I employ small flat brushes in the place of the latch-
opener-knives as used hitherto to open the latches of the needles. These brushes may
be composed of hairs bristles fibres or of any fibrous or flexible substances in the
form or nature of a brush. The needles are raised by the action of the cams of the
machine or are by other means brought into contact with the said brushes which open
the latches of the needles, but the brushes being of a flexible nature they cannot
injure or deteriorate the needles.
Although I have in the present description provided only for the use of the said
brushes in the place of the latch-opener-knives hitherto used I would have it under-
stood that the said brushes can also be applied in conjunction with or in addition
to such latch-opener-knives or other device for opening the latches of the needles.
Dated this 20th dose of T..1.. 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting and Hosiery Machines.
GODFREY STIBBE 25 Jamaica Street Glasgow in the County of Lanark Merchant,
a communication from Edouard Dubied of the firm of Edouard Dubied & Co. Couvet
Switserland Knitting machine manufacturers 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 :--
In knitting or hosiery machines or frames for producing fabrics by means of
latch needles as hitherto constructed, the latches of the needles are opened by means
of knives made of steel usually called latch openers or latch-opener knives, which
pass between the hooks and the latches of the needles. A knot or thickness in the
yarn or even the want of tension on the selvages of the web that is being made will
often cause the heads or hooks of the needles to strike against the edges of the
latch-opener-knives, whereby the needles are injured or deteriorated. It also frequently
happens that the needles rise above the latch-opener-knives causing interruption and
disorder more especially in the case of machines of fine gauge or machines driven by
motive power. To prevent these inconveniences I employ in the place of the usual
latch-opener-knives, small flat brushes, the hairs or bristles or fibres of which
open the latches of the needles which are raised by the action of the cams con-
tained in the carriage of the machine. But the said hairs or bristles or fibros of
ED

page_text: the said brushes being of a flexible nature they cannot damage or deteriorate the
needles.
In order that this said invention and the manner of carrying the same into effect
may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a sheet of explanatory
drawings.
Fig. 1 is an end view of a knitting machine of the "Lamb" class in which the
needles are raised and lowered by the action of traversing reciprocating cams.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same machine.
с
The latch-opener-brushes b (fig. 1) are fixed by means of screws to the latch-opener-
bracket c which is screwed to the carriage of the machine which said carriage contains
the cams that operate the needles and is fitted with suitable mechanism for feeding
the yarn to the needles.
The hairs, or bristles or fibres a (fig. 1 and 2) of the latch-opener brushes b open
the latches of the needles as shown in fig. 1, but being of a flexible nature they
cannot injure the needles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :
First. In a knitting or hosiery machine or frame or in a machine for producing
fabrics wholly or partly by means of latch-needles the use of one or more brushes
composed of hairs or bristles or fibres or of any fibrous and flexible substances in the
form or nature of a brush for opening the latches of the needles, substantially as
described.
Second. In a knitting or hoisery machine or frame or in a machine for producing
fabrics wholly or partly by means of latch-needles, the use of one or more brushes
composed of hairs or bristles or fibres or of any fibrous and flexible substances in the
form or nature of a brush in addition to or conjointly with the usual latch-opener-
knives or other device, for opening the latches of the needles, substantially as
described.
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