Improvements in or relating to Means Employed in the Manufacture of Knitted Fabrics.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 16th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means Employed in the Manufacture
of Knitted Fabrics.
I, THOMAS MAWBY, of Duke Street, Leicester, Hosiery Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to means employed in the manufacture of knitted
fabrics.
In certain classes of goods it is desirable at some point in the knitting to con-
vert a plain fabric into a ribbed fabric or vice-versa and the object of this inven-
tion is to provide means by which this may be done automatically instead of it
being necessary to transfer the loops by hand one at a time from the frame or
cylinder needles to the dial or ribbing needles or vice-versa.
In order to illustrate the carrying out of my invention I may take a tube of
plain fabric and run it on to a well known transfer bar and subsequently trans-
fer the said fabric to the frame or cylinder needles of the machine in the well
understood manner.
Now it is required to transfer the loops from certain of the frame or cylinder
needles to the ribbing needles and in order to enable this to be done according
to the present invention, the frame or cylinder needles whose loops are to be
transferred are not of the usual kind but are substituted by devices of the con-
struction hereinafter described so that the ribbing needles are capable of engaging
the loops upon such devices whereby the said loops become transferred auto-
matically.
Each of these devices consists of a stem which as regards its lower part may
be similar in construction to an ordinary needle being provided with the usual
heel or butt.
As regards the upper part, instead of a hook it may be provided with an eye,
through which the hook of a ribbing needle may pass to engage the loop on the
said device.
A notch or shoulder is formed with the eye of the said device to prevent the
loops going too far down the stem and getting below the action of the ribbing
needle.
The said shoulder maintains the loop stretched across the eye in such a position
that the ribbing needle when projected through the latter can engage the loop
and when receding will carry the said loop with it.
Sometimes however when the knitting machine is started in motion the cylinder
needles will descend before the ribbing needles are withdrawn in which case the
eye of the devices would pull down and thereby dislocate the ribbing needles,
but to provide against this taking place the upper part of the eve is split so
that when the said devices are first lowered the eye will open and pass over the
ribbing needle and close again immediately it has done so.
The said devices as will be understood may be used in other knitting machines

page_text: than those of the circular type for facilitating the transfer of loops automatically
from one set of needles to the other in the production of ribbed fabrics.
Dated this 18th day of November 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Means Employed in the Manufacture
of Knitted Fabrics.
I, THOMAS MAWBY, of Duke Street, Leicester, Hosiery Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to means employed in the manufacture of knitted fabrics.
In certain classes of goods it 18 desirable at some point in the knitting to
convert a plain fabric into a ribbed fabric, and the object of the present invention
is to provide means by which this may be done automatically instead of it being
necessary to transfer the loops by hand one at a time from one set of needles,
as the frame or cylinder needles, to the other set or ribbing needles.
The invention consists of the use in a knitting machine of devices which,
acting in conjunction with the needles therein, will enable the loops to be auto-
matically transferred.
The invention will be understood from the following further description in
reference to the accompanying drawing in which,
Figures 1 and 2 are front and side elevations respectively of a device constructed
in accordance with this invention for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same.
Figuro 4 is a front elevation of a fragment of a grooved needle bed with the
devices arranged alternating with every two frame or cylinder needles.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 represent in side elevation a fragment of a grooved needle
bed, with a device and a ribbing needle in different relative positions at each stage
in the transfer of the loop.
Figure 8 is a fragment of a grooved needle bed with the device in its raised
position supporting the loop and expanding it preparatory to it being penetrated
by the ribbing needle upon which it is to be transferred.
"
These devices consist of a stem A which as regards its lower part may, be
similar in construction to an ordinary latch needle, provided with the usual. heel
or butt A', but as regards its upper part instead of it being furnished with a
hook Baud a latch B¹ which are the principal characteristics of the needles B
it is provided with an eye A
The latter is formed by the stem A being forked or bifurcated at A³ and the
two members or limbs A4 forming the upward continuation of the stem being
curved outwardly and brought together again at their upper ends in the form of
two spring jaws which are separable at their meeting points and will consequently
open to let a needle pass through them as indicated in Figure 3.
Each of the limbs is provided with a notch or shoulder A which arrests the
loop C and prevents it getting too far down the stem of the device and below the
action of the ribbing needle D.
}
As will be observed in Figures 5 to 8 the loop C is held up by the said
shoulder A, and the separable limbs A (forming the eye A³) expand the loop. C
so as to admit of it being penetrated by the ribbing needle D.

page_text: :-
The mode of using the hereinbefore described devices will be gathered from
the following explanation:
Referring to Figure 4 it will be observed that in the fragment of a grooved
needle bed or cylinder E therein shown the latch needles B are arranged in pairs
(as is necessary for the production of a two and one rib fabric) and the alternating
groove instead of being left empty is filled with one of the devices illustrated
per se in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
In order to convert a plain fabric into a two and one rib fabric according to
this invention, a tube or piece of plain fabric which has been previously run on
to a transfer bar is transferred in the usual well known manner to the needles B
and devices A located in the grooved needle cylinder E of the machine.
The loops C of the fabric would then hang two on the latch needles and one
on the devices in alternation all round the needle cylinder E as in Figure 4.
The ribbing dial having the needles D arranged therein to alternate between
every pair of frame or cylinder needles B, i.e. over the cylinder grooves in which
the devices A are located, is then placed in position on the machine as will be
readily understood by anyone conversant with circular reversible knitting
machines.
On the first rotation of the machine the devices will be raised together with
the adjacent needles to the elevated position indicated in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 8
in which the loop C is held by the shoulder A5 and expanded as shown.
The ribbing needles D will next move outward from the position shown in
Figure 5 to the position indicated in Figure 6 so as to penetrate the loop C
and upon the device A descending in its groove, the limbs or jaws A will open
or separate as in Figure 3 and as in the central device in Figure 4 to pass
over the ribbing needle D and leave the loop hanging upon the latter as in
Fig. 7.
These three stages are indicated in Figure 4 the device A nearest the left hand
side of the figure being shown with the loop C held up by the shoulder A³ and
expanded so that the ribbing needle D has penetrated it.
The next device has descended in the needle groove and is shown in the act
of opening to pass over the ribbing needle 1) and the remaining device has
descended still lower in the needle groove and left its loop C hanging on the
ribbing needle D so that the transfer is complete.
By the time the machine has made a complete revolution the whole of the
loops C on the devices A in the needle cylinder E will have been transferred
to the ribbing needles D and upon the machine continuing in action a two and
one rib fabric will be produced.
The devices being minus of hooks and latches cannot take the thread and form
loops so that there is no necessity to immediately remove them from the needle
cylinder before work can proceed after the loops have been transferred as
herein described.
It will be understood that any variation of ribbed fabrics can he produced and
the loops C automatically transferred by arranging the devices A in those grooves
in the needle cylinder É immediately under the ribbing needles D and also by
a corresponding arrangement of the needles and devices in the cylinder and
needles in the ribbing dial a fabric transferred to the cylinder needles B could
be subsequently knitted one half plain and the other half thereof rib as in the
case of a foot bottom with a ribbed instep.
It will be understood that the devices can be used with other machines for the
manufacture of ribbed fabrics besides those of the circular type.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a knitting machine the combination with the needles of devices such
as A substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.

page_text: 2. The improvements in knitting machines for the manufacture of ribbed fabrics
to effect the automatic transfer of loops from certain of the frame needles to
certain of the ribbing needles substantially as described and illustrated, with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
DL: 15LL I Cantambar 1800
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.