IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNITTING MACHINERY
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNITTING MACHINERY."
A communication from abroad by Moses Marshall, of Lowell, in the State of
Massachussetts, North America.
Sealed the 1st September 1876, and dated the 7th July 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th July 1876.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
RELATING TO KNITTING MACHINERY." A communication from abroad by Moses
Marshall, of Lowell, in the State of Massachusetts, North America.
My Invention consists in various improvements in that class of circular knitting
machines which contain both vertical and horizontal needles for the production of
ribbed fabrics. Certain of the features are also applicable to the machines having
vertical needles only for the production of plain fabrics, but they are considered of
secondary importance.
My first improvement consists in the employment of a suspending.rod serving to
sustain the dial plate in which the horizontal needles are mounted to hold the same
from turning, and also to adjust it with its needles vertically, the object of this
arrangement being to provide for the ready and accurate adjustment of the dial to
render the machine simple and compact, and to dispense with certain devices
hitherto used for holding the dial plate which were objectionable on account of
their producing an injurious strain and friction upon the fabric during its passage
down through the machine. The above-mentioned suspension rod is suspended
from above from an arm of the standard to which is attached the body of the
machine, the height being regulated by means of a thumb nut, and is held in place
by a set screw in said arm.
My second improvement consists in mounting the horizontal needle cams and
cam plate, the bobbin carrier, and the take-up devices on a sleeve surrounding the
above-mentioned suspending rod, and rotated by the action of the machine, so that
the yarn may be fed to the machine from two or more points at once from separate

page_text: Dobbins, and the take-up operated automatically and, maintained in its proper
relation to the other parts.
The third improvement consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of
a take-up device containing a pivotted fly by which the device is operated whenever
the motion of the machine is reversed, but at no other time, the object being to
take up automatically the slack which occurs in the yarn when the motion of the
machine is reversed, as, for example, when knitting a flat web with selvage edges,
which is accomplished by giving the needle cylinder a reciprocating instead of a
continuous rotary motion. In effecting the take up automatically I fix a horizontal
disc to the standard with a circular concentric groove on its under side to receive a
pivotted fly on a vibrating arm and, a stud or shoulder to engage therewith. A
rotating plate on the sleeve is provided with a taking-up arm, a disc, and the lever
upon which the pivotted fly is fixed, also thread guiding arms.
The fourth improvement consists in the employment of small slides, technically
termed needle bits, mounted in the grooves by the side of the needles and operated
by special adjustable cams for the purpose of setting the needles in the proper
position to be acted upon by the fixed operating cams as usual. The bits serve
simply to move the needles up into the path of the operating cams which act entirely
independent of the bits, advancing and retracting the needles and causing them to
form the stitches in the usual manner. The object in using the bits and their
special adjustable cams is to so control the needles that all or a portion of them
may be operated in unison, and so that a portion of them may be operated while the
remainder are standing idle, whereby the machine is adapted for knitting different
fabrics without removing the needles, a simple instantaneous shifting of either bit
cam serving to throw the needles controlled thereby into or out of action while the
remainder continue to operate.
The fifth improvement consists in a special manner of arranging certain of the
adjustable needle bit cams and in connecting the cams of the vertical needle bits
with those of the horizontal needle bits in such manner that the two may be
adjusted simultaneously.
The sixth improvement consists in a special arrangement of the remaining needle
bit cams other than those above mentioned so that they may be adjusted separately
so as to operate the needle in conjunction with the main operating cains, and the
other needle bit cams in the special manner required for the production of different
fabrics. There are in the machine 4 pair of needle bit cams, one pair for the long and
another pair for the shorts bits of the horizontal needles, and the same forthe long
and short bits of the vertical needies; four of the cams, one of each pair, are entirely
independent of each other, and may be drawn into and out of action without
reference to each other, while the remaining four are connected in such manner as
to be thrown in and out of action all at the same time. This is effected by placing
round the main cam ring a loose ring or plate called the shifting ring, provided
with two slotted cam plates, one of which by a rod operates a long bit cam on one
side of the machine, while the other by a lever operates a short bit cam on the
opposite side.
The seventh improvement consists in the employment of spring pressure fect
in the cam plate of the horizontal needles to press the needle bits down upon the
needles and holding the latter in place so that when the needles are not required to
operate there will be no danger of their being accidentally moved so as to be caught
by the operating cams.
The eighth improvement consists in giving the horizontal cam groove by which
the horizontal needles are oporated a peculiar widened or concentric form at certain
points in order to arrest the inward or backward movement of cach of said needles
until the adjoining vertical needles have completed their downward movement and
drawn over the stationary needle a sufficient amount of yarn to form the stitch.
This arrangement in addition to its other advantages admits of the cam groove in
the dial plate being contracted so as to afford room for from two to four cams,
where heretofore only one could be used in machines of small size.

page_text: The ninth improvement consists in beveling the upper inner edge of the vertical
needle cylinder and the jacks or ribs between the vertical needles, in order to have
them cast the stitches over, inside of, and below the tops of the jacks as fast as they
are formed, in order to avoid the usual strain of drawing the fabric down over the
jacks and apply the strain and tension to the working needles while the stitch is
being formed.
The tenth improvement consists in making the needle cylinder adjustable
vertically and secured by screws in order to raise and lower the jacks and thereby
change the length of the stitches without changing the adjustment of the needle
operating cams or the movement of the needles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th
December 1876.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO KNITTING MACHINERY." A communication from abroad by Moses
Marshall, of Lowell, in the State of Massachusetts, North America.
My Invention consists in various improvements in that class of circular knitting
machines which contain both vertical and horizontal needles for the production of
ribbed fabrics. Certain of the features are also applicable to the machines having
vertical needles only for the production of plain fabrics, but as they are considered
of secondary importance I have in the accompanying Drawings shown a machine
of the first-mentioned class constructed to lay two threads into the fabric at each
revolution, and in the following description I will confine myself thereto.
My first improvement consists in the employment of a suspending rod, serving
to sustain the dial plate in which the horizontal needles are mounted to hold the
same from turning and also to adjust it with its needles vertically, the object of this
arrangement being to provide for the ready and accurate adjustment of the dial, to
render the machine simple and compact, and to dispense with certain devices
hitherto used for holding the dial plate which were objectionable on account
their producing an injurious strain and friction upon the fabric during its passage
down through the machine.
My second improvement consists in mounting the horizontal needle cams, the
bobbin carrier, and the take-up devices, on a sleeve surrounding the above-
mentioned suspending rod and rotated by the action of the machine, so that the
yarn may be fed to the machine from two or more points at once from separate
bobbins, and the take up operated automatically and maintained in its proper
relation to the other parts.
The third improvement consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement
of a take-up device, containing a pivotted fly by which the device is operated
whenever the motion of the machine is reversed but at no other time, the object
being to take up automatically the slack which occurs in the yarn when the motion
of the machine is reversed, as for example, when knitting a flat web with selvage
edges, which is accomplished by giving the needle cylinder a reciprocating instead
of a continuous rotary motion.
The fourth improvement consists in the employment of small slides technically
termed needle bits, mounted in the grooves by the side of the needles and operated
by special adjustable cams, for the purpose of setting the needles in the proper
position to be acted upon by the fixed operating cams as usual. The bits serve
simply to move the needles up into the path of the operating cams which act
entirely independent of the bits, advancing and retracting the needles and causing

page_text: them to form the stitches in the usual manner. The object in using the bits and
their special adjustable cams is to so control the needles that all or a portion of
them may be operated in unison, and so that a portion of them may be operated
while the remainder are standing idle, whereby the machine is adapted for knitting
different fabrics without removing the needles, a simple instantaneous shifting of
either bit cam serving to throw the needles controlled thereby into or out of action
while the remainder continue to operate.
The fifth improvement consists in a special manner of arranging certain of the
adjustable needle bit cams, and in connecting the cams of the vertical needle bits
with those of the horizontal needle bits, in such manner that the two may be
adjusted simultaneously.
The sixth improvement consists in a special arrangement of the remaining needle
bit cams other than those above mentioned, so that they may be adjusted separately
so as to operate the needle in conjunction with the main operating cams, and the
other needle bit cams in the special manner required for the production of different
fabrics.
The seventh improvement consists in the employment of spring pressure feet in
the cam plate of the horizontal needles to press the needle bits down upon the
needles and holding the latter in. place, so that when the needles are not required
to operate there will be no danger of their being accidentally moved so as to be
caught by the operating cams.
The eighth improvement consists in giving the cam groove by which the hori-
zontal needles are operated a peculiar form at certain points in order to arrest the
inward or backward movement of each of said needles, until the adjoining vertical
needles have completed their downward movement and drawn over the stationary
needle a sufficient amount of yarn to form the stitch. This arrangement in addition
to its other advantages admits of the cam groove in the dial plate being contracted
so as to afford room for from two to four cams, where heretofore only one could be
used in machines of small size.
The ninth improvement consists in beveling the upper inner edge of the vertical
needle cylinder and the jacks or ribs between the vertical needles in order to have
them cast the stitches over, inside of, and below the tops of the jacks, as fast as they
are formed, in order to avoid the usual strain of drawing the fabric down over the
jacks and apply the strain and tension to the working needles while the stitch is
being formed.
The tenth improvement consists in making the needle cylinder adjustable verti-
cally in order to raise and lower the jacks, and thereby change the length of the
stitches without changing the adjustment of the needle operating canis or the
movement of the needles.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings,―
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of my complete machine and illustrates its
general form and construction, and the manner in which the dial plate, the hori-
zontal cam plate, the bobbin holder, and the take-up devices are sustained.
Fig. 2 is a vertical central section on the line 40 of Fig. 1, showing the suspension
rod with the dial plate attached to its lower end, the sleeve surrounding said rod
and carrying the bobbin holder, the take-up devices, and the cam, by which the
horizontal needles are operated.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 50 of Fig. 2 looking downward, and
showing the take-up device and yarn guides or carriers.
Fig. 5 is another section on the same line as the last looking upward instead of
downward, and illustrating the action of the pivotted fly by which the take-up arm
is operated.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 41 of Fig. 3, showing the manner in which
the spring take-up arm is attached and supported.
Fig. 7, a horizontal cross section of the same on the line 42 of Fig. 3.
Fig. 8, a vertical section through the lower end of the suspension rod and sleeve
and the cam plate by which the horizontal needles are operated, illustrating the

page_text: manner in which said plate is attached to the sleeve and rendered capable of a
vertical adjustment to correspond with the adjustment of the dial plate.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 51-51 of Figs, 10, 14,
and 15, showing the form and arrangement of the cams by which the horizontal
needles and needle bits are operated, the arrangement and action of the needles and
bits, and the spring pressure feet by which the needles and bits are prevented from
moving accidentally.
Fig. 10 represents a vertical central section on the line 43-43 of .Fig. 9, illus-
trating clearly the form and arrangement of the needle bits and the difference
between the long and short bits used on opposite sides of the machine.
Fig. 11, a vertical radial section through the left-hand side of the machine on
the line 44 of Fig. 13, showing the needle partially raised by the operating cam.
Fig. 12 is a vertical radial section through the right-hand side of the machine,
showing the vertical needle at its highest point.
Fig. 13, a top plan view of the knitting machine proper complete, the bobbin
carrier and take-up not being included.
Fig. 14, a vertical central section of the machine on the line 44 of Fig. 13 with
the dial plate sustained and held by the usual devices instead of my suspending
rod.
Fig. 15 is a vertical central section through the cam plate by which the hori-
zontal needles and needle bits are operated, showing the manner in which the needle
bit cam sare mounted and adjusted, and also the arms which serve as pressers, yarn
carriers, and latch openers.
Fig. 16 is a bottom plan view of the said cam plate, showing the cams, cam
grooves, latch openers, and spring pressure feet.
Fig. 17 is a side view of one of the needles and a long needle bit.
Fig. 18 is an edge view of the same.
Fig. 19 is a side view of one of the needles and a short needle bit.
Fig. 20 is an edge view of the same.
Fig. 21 is a horizontal cross section of the stationary vertical cylinder, in which
the vertical needles are mounted as usual.
Fig. 22 is a side elevation of the same partly in section.
Fig. 23 is a top plan view of the dial plate, in which the horizontal needles are
mounted.
Fig. 24, a cross section of the same on the line 46.
Fig. 25 is a vertical sectional elevation of the external revolving cam ring by
which the vertical needles and needle bits are operated, taken on the line 44 of
Fig. 13.
Fig. 26 is a similar section of the said cylinder taken at right angles to the first
on the line 43 of Figs. 13 and 14.
Fig. 27 is a top plan view showing one of the needle bit operating cams attached
to the revolving ring, illustrating the manner in which it is mounted, so that it can
be thrown into and out of action at will.
Fig. 28 is a plan view of the needle bit cam situated on the opposite side of the
machine from the one shown in the last Figure, showing the manner in which it is
adjusted and held in position.
Fig. 29 is a plan view of a shifting ring carrying three slot cams and a spring
arm, for the purpose of making the required changes in the position of the needle
bit cams and securing them in position.
Fig. 30 is a side elevation of the cam by means of which motion is communicated
from the shifting ring to the devices employed for moving the horizontal needle bit
cams.
Fig. 31 is a side or edge view of a portion of the annular shifting ring and one of
its slot cams for operating the bits of the vertical needles.
Fig. 32 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 51-51, Figs. 10, 14,
and 15, showing the spring pressure feet to retain the bits and needles in position.
Fig. 33, an elevation of the same partly in section.

page_text: Fig. 34 is a top plan view of a portion of the internal stationary cylinder,
showing the yarn guide or latch opener in section, and also the tops of the jacks and
the needles, and the manner of forming stitches with the same.
Fig. 35 is a partial elevation of the inside of the stationary needle cylinder with a
portion of the needles in place for receiving the yarn and forming the loop.
Fig. 36 is a vertical section through the upper edge of the needle cylinder,
showing the jacks and needles and the first and last positions of the stitches upon
the same.
Fig. 37 is a plan view of a portion of the needle cylinder, showing the manner in
which it is beveled on the inside in order to aid the downward movement of the
stitches as fast as they are formed.
Fig. 38 is a vertical cross section of the needle cylinder showing the form of the
jacks, and in dotted lines the form and location of the needle and needle bit cams
and the needles.
In its general construction and mode of operation the machine is similar to those
now in use, consisting essentially of a series of vertical needles mounted in grooves
in a vertical cylinder, and of a series of horizontal needles mounted in radial grooves
in a dial plate, and arranged to pass between the ends of the vertical needles, the
needle cylinder and dial plate being held stationary and motion communicated to
the needles by moving cams.
In Fig. 1 A represents a standard or pillar to support the machine, having its
upper end bent to one side to sustain the suspending rod of the dial plate, as herein-
after described; B represents a shelf secured rigidly to the pillar to support the
knitting machine proper; C, the said machine fastened upon the shelf; D, rolls,
arranged on the pillar below the machine to receive the fabric and draw it down
through the machine; and E, the web or fabric passing down through the center
of the machine; X represents the stationary cylinder in which the vertical needles
are mounted; and S, the dial plate, in which the radial horizontal needles are
mounted, arranged in the upper end of the cylinder so that the ends of the hori-
zontal needles pass outward between the ends of the vertical needles in the usual
manner. The dial plate S and the cylinder are both held stationary and their
needles operated by cams, the cams which operate the horizontal needles being
located in the under side of a rotating plate R, which is situated upon the dial plate
while the cams which operate the vertical needles are located on the inside of a
ring Y, which encircles and revolves about the needle cylinder X as usual.
Instead of sustaining the dial plate S and cam plate in the usual manner, I
secure the dial plate to the lower end of a suspension rod P, having its upper end
secured to the upper end of the standard A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and secure
the cam plate R to the lower end of a rotating sleeve H, surrounding the suspension
rod and connected by a bar C' and posts!U with the rotating cam ring of the machine
so as to receive motion therefrom. The rod P holds the dial plate firmly and
rigidly in position while the sleeve H, receiving a rotary motion from the machine,
rotates the cain plate R and causes the proper action of the horizontal needles. The
suspension rod P is prevented from rotating by a set screw or a feather at its upper
end and is sustained by a thumb nut Q applied to said end, as shown in Figs. 1
and 2, so that by turning said nut the dial plate and its horizontal needles may be
raised and lowered as required; in order to allow the cam plate to rise and fall
with the dial plate it will be attached to the sleeve by a set screw or by a loose
slotted connection, as shown in Figs. 2 and 8, so that it can rise and fall without
moving the sleeve or disengaging therefrom. On the middle or lower portion of
the sleeve H I secure a plate G, provided with spindles which receive the bobbins
and carry them around with the machine, so that they are always held in the same
relative position thereto, while at the same time, they are above the same, out of
the way of the attendant so as not to interfere with the control of the machine or
its work. On the upper end of the sleeve H I secure a plate I, carrying the thread
guiding arms O and the take-up arms N, which take up the slack thread when the
motion of the machine is reversed. The take-up arins have their outer ends pro-

page_text: vided with eyes or hooks to carry the thread, and their inner ends wound spirally
upon a hub on the side of a bracket or plate M, secured upon the plate I, as shown
in Figs. 6 and 7, so that the tendency of the outer end is to spring downward, by
the side of the take-up arm at its inner end, and concentric therewith I mount
a disc L, provided with a pin b* extending under the arm, and with a shoulder a*
engaging with a lip on the free end of a horizontal arm K pivotted on the plate I,
as shown, so that when the arm K is moved backward its lip turns the disk L and
causes the pin thereon to raise the take-up arm N, and take up the thread or yarn.
The movement of the arm K is effected by providing it on the upper side with a
pivoted horizontally swinging fly c, having notch or recess in its outer end and
providing the standard A with a fixed plate J, having in its under side a circular
concentric groove to receive the fly c' and a stud c³ to engage therewith, as shown
in Figs. 2, 4, and 5. The rotation of the disk I with the arm K thereon carries
the fly round and round within the grooved plate J, past the stud c³.
When the machine is running forward continuously in one direction the fly is
turned to one side and the stud passes the same from its pivoted end towards its
free end without causing any material movement of the arm K, but when the
motion is reversed and the stud carried towards the free end of the fly, as shown in
Fig. 4, it engages therein and turns the fly over upon its pivot, and in so doing
causes the fly to push the arm K back, as shown in Fig. 5, and thereby operate
the take-up arm N. After the fly is turned the parts may continue their motion
in the new direction without causing any further action of the fly or take up, but
the instant the motion is reversed the fly and take-up will be again operated. It
will thus be seen that although the machine can run continuously in either direction
without operating the take up, the latter is automatically brought into action each
and every time the reversal of the motion occurs to produce a slack thread.
The essential feature of the take up is the pivotted fly acting, as described, and
it is obvious that it may be used with take-up devices of any suitable construction
other than that shown. In order to provide for the adjustment and operation of
the needles to produce different fabrics and accomplish results not attainable in
other circular machines herein-after described, I employ a series of small slides
called needle bits, operated by a special set of cams for the purpose of moving the
needles into such positions that they will be operated and caused to form stitches
by the usual cams in the usual manner.
Instead of arranging the parts as usual, so that the needles always remain in
position to be caught and moved by their operating cams, I so arrange them that
although the motion of the operating cams continues they will not move the needle
until the latter have first been moved up thereto by means of the needle bits
actuated by the special cams.
The cams which operate the needle bits are arranged so that thoy can be thrown
into and out of action at will, so that in order to have the needles remain at rest
out of action it is only necessary to throw the needle bit cams out of- action, the
result of which is that the bits are not moved, and, consequently, the needles not
pushed up into the path of their operating cams. By this arrangement I am
enabled to throw the needles out of action instantly without removing them from
the machine.
In order to permit a portion of the needles to be thrown out of action without
affecting the operation of the others, I use bits of different forms, operated by
different camis, so that although one series of cams and bits may be thrown out of
operation the remainder will be unaffected thereby. By this arrangement the
machine is adapted for the production of either a tubular web, or a single, or two
separate flat webs, with selvago edges, either of them with a plain or a ribbed
surface, as preferred.
The construction and operation of the needle bits will be readily understood upon
reference to Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, and 20. The needles are made of the
usual form, as shown in Figs. 17 and 19, with a lateral projection or heel 22 at the
middle to engage with the operating cam, and as usual in this class of machines,

page_text: they are simply placed loosely in grooves in the cylinder and the dial plate, so as to
slide freely thercin. The bits for setting the needles consist simply of small metal
slides S, (S), such as shown in Figs. 17, 18, 19, and 20, of such size and form as to fit
into the needle grooves upon the back ends of the needles, and fill said grooves out
flush with the surface of the dial and cylinder, as shown in Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12.
The needles and the bits are free to slide in the grooves independently of each
other, except where the forward ends of the bits strike against the heels 22 of the
needles. The bits are used in the same manner with both the vertical and the
horizontal needles, although the difference in location of course necessitates a
corresponding difference in the form and arrangement of the operating cams.
In order to permit the operation of the bits and needles on one side of the
machine while those on the other side are idle, I provide two different sets of bits
and corresponding cams, so that each cam while operating one set of bits and
needles will perinit the other to pass by without moving them, so that both sets of
needles may be operated at once or either set operated alone or the two operated
alternately, as will be herein-after more fully explained.
Figs. 9, 10, 14, 15, and 16 illustrate the manner in which the horizontal needles
and their bits are moved. R, Fig. 9, represents the horizontal can plate, and 13
the cam groove therein, made of a circular concentric form, and provided on oppo-
site sides of the machine with the two eccentric or cam portions 131, by which the
needles are advanced and retracted as usual. The office of the cams is to push the
needles outward until their heels enter the eccentric or cam portions 131, for unless
this is done the heels will continue to travel within the circular groove, and the
needles will remain at rest in the dial plate, notwithstanding the rotation of the
cam plate, the needles on one side of the dial plate and provided with the long
bits 8, of the form shown in Fig. 17, while those on the other side are provided
with the short bits 81, of the form shown in Fig. 19, as will be clearly seen in both
Figs. 9 and 10. The cam plate R is provided with grooves for the ends of the bits
to travel in, and in these grooves there are mounted two cams and m on opposite
sides of the center to act upon the short bits s¹, and two cams j¹ and L, also on
opposite sides of the centre, to act upon the short bits s¹, as clearly represented in
Figs. 9 and 10. As the needles and bits are carried around by the rotation of the
dial plate, the cains j, k, l, and m, act against the bits, and pushing them outward
cause them to push the needles outward far enough to be caught and operated by
the main operating cams 13. The bits do not move the needles far enough to
cause them to operate, but simply set them so they can be operated by the usual
cams, as before stated.
The special bit operating cams are all of them attached to vertically sliding rods,
as shown in Fig. 10, so that they can be drawn up out of action independently of
each other. By adjusting the cams all the needles may be advanced and retracted
twice during each rotation of the dial, or either set operated in this manner while
the others are at rest, or either set caused to operate twice while the others are
operating once, or both sets caused to operate once-at each revolution, or, finally,
both sets stopped entirely.
The manner in which the above cams are held and adjusted, and their connection
with the cams of the vertical needles, will be hereafter explained. The cams and
needle bits of the vertical needles are arranged and operate in the same manner as
those of the horizontal needles, although, as before stated, the cams are differently
shaped, owing to the fact that instead of being in a flat plate they are in the inner
face of the ring Y surrounding the needle cylinder, as shown in Figs. 11, 12, 25, and
26. The vertical needles, like the horizontal, are divided into two equal sets, those
on one side of the machine being provided with the long bits, and those on the
opposite side with short bits, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, in which n and p repre-
sent the cams for operating the short bits o, and q the cams for operating the
long bits, and y¹ the main operating cam, by which the needles are operated after
being raised by the bits. The cam groove y' extends around within the ring Y, in
continuous straight line, so that the ring can rotate without operating the needles,

page_text: but on opposite sides of the machine, the groove is provided with deviating por-
tions Y, forming cams, as shown in Figs. 11, 12, 25, and 26, which serve to operate
the needles whenever they are started up therein by the action of the bits.
When
the bits fail to raise the needles out of the straight portion of the groove the cams
pass by without moving the needles. The bit operating cams n, p, o, and q are so
arranged that they can slide outward clear of the bits, so as not to act thereon,
and are each provided with an operating stem or rod extending through the
ring and protruding on the outside, as shown in Figs. 11, 12, 26, 27, and 28, by
means of which rods the cams may be thrown into and out of action at will, inde-
pendently of each other, so as to obtain the same action of the needles, as before
described in speaking of the horizontal needles.
It will be observed that there are in the machine four pair of needle bit cams,
one pair for the long and another pair for the short bits of the horizontal needles,
and the same for the long and short bits of the vertical needles. Four of the cams,
one of each pair, are entirely independent of each other, and may be drawn into and
out of action without reference to each other, while the remaining four are con-
nected in such manner as to be thrown into and out of action all at the same time.
This is effected by placing around the cam ring Y a loose ring or plate c, provided
with slotted cam plates d and e, as shown in Fig. 29, one of said plates operating a
long bit cam o on one side of the machine, while the other operates a short bit cam n
on the opposite side of the machine. The ring c, termed the shifting ring, is also pro-
vided with a vertical slotted cam plate f, as shown in Figs. 29 and 30, which
engages, as shown in Fig. 14, with the lower end of a vertically sliding rod h,
pivoted at its top to a lever i, which is pivoted at its middle to the horizontal cam
plate R, and provided at its inner end with two arms, which are pivoted, as shown
in Fig. 15, to the shifting rods or stems of the two horizontal needle bit cams j
and . Upon turning the ring c around the cam ring y the slot cams d and e
shift the cams o and n of the vertical needles, while the cam f, through the rod h
and lever i, shift the cams j and k of the horizontal needles, all four cams being thus
shifted simultaneously, by simply turning the ring.
In order to hold the ring from turning accidentally it is provided, as shown in
Fig. 29, with a spring arm & to engage in notches in the cam ring y.
The cams l, m, p, and 9 need not necessarily be provided with fastening devices,
but it is preferred to provide the stem of each cam with two notches, and to lock
the same by a rotating pin fastened on one side, as shown in Fig. 28.
By the above described arrangement of long and short bits, and the various cams
for operating them, I am enabled to so control the needles as to produce a ribbed
or a plain fabric, and to knit the same in a tubular seamless web, or in a single
or two separate flat ribs with selvage edges.
When the machine is not required to perform all the operations above named,
the parts may be modified accordingly.
The essential and important feature is the bits arranged in the grooves by the
side of the needles, so that the length of the grooves and the size of the machine
need not be increased.
I am aware that an attempt has been made to use false shanks sliding in the
grooves behind and against the ends of the needles to push them up and leave them
standing, the parts being operated by the usual cam divided into two parts, which
were separated from each other in such manner that the shank was raised to
push the needle upward, and then drawn down and the needle left standing with
the stitches thereon. In their purpose and operation these shanks were totally
different from the bits of my machine, and moreover, as they required an increased
space behind the needles, they were impracticable in rotary machines, in which the
working parts are necessarily limited to a very small space.
While I have shown and described the vertical and the horizontal series of needles
as each divided by long and short bits into two sets operated by different cams
independently of each other, it is obvious that all the needles in each series may
have bits of the same form, and all be operated by the same cam or cams.

page_text: .
'Instead of simply dividing each series into two sets, they may be divided into as
many sets as desired by providing a corresponding number of different bits and
cams. The different bits may be distributed among the needles at will, and thereby
the needles divided into independently operating sets or groups in such manner as
to produce fabrics of various styles and forms, the arrangement shown in the
Drawings being intended more especially for the production of stocking legs made
of a tubular seamless form down to a certain point, and below that point provided
with a slit and selvage edges on cach side.
Another of my improvements consists in so shaping the horizontal needle
operating cam that the needles pause during their inward movement until the
adjoining vertical needles have descended past them and drawn over them sufficient
thread to form the stitches. This is accomplished, as shown in Fig. 9, by widening
the cam groove 131 at the points g, so that although the movement of the dial plate
continues, the needles remain at rest therein while their heels are passing through
the widened spaces.
By thus arranging the parts so that the vertical needles take
the thread or yarn for the stitches or loops of the horizontal needles also, I am
enabled to increase the length of the stitches for ribbed work to any extent required
in practice by simply raising the dial plate without changing the cams or the move-
ment of the needles.
Another of my improvements consists in the employment of spring pressure feet
in the horizontal cam plate bearing upon the needle bits, and preventing any acci-
dental movement of the bits or needles. These feet are made of a dovetail form, and
arranged to slide in vertical grooves, and are pressed down by spiral springs, as
shown at 12, Figs. 9 and 32, upon top of the bits, and pressing them upon the
needles, but any other form of parts may be used.
Another of my improvements consists in making the needle cylinder adjustable
vertically in order to raise and lower the jacks for the purpose of changing the length
of the stitches with or without a corresponding adjustment of the dial plate. As
shown in Figs. 11, 12, and 14, the needle cylinder is arranged so that it can be
raised and lowered in the frame or base plate of the machine, and is secured by
screws I and 2 passing through said plate. The screws are distributed at suitable
distances apart, and half of them arranged to bear upward against the cylinder,
while the others are arranged to draw the same downward, so that by turning one
set upward and the other downward the cylinder can be readily adjusted as
required. It is obvious however that instead of the above arrangement of screws,
any other suitable means may be employed for raising and lowering the cylinder.
Another of my improvements consists in beveling off the inner upper edge of the
needle cylinder and the inner corners of the jacks, as the ribs between the needles
are technically termed. Heretofore it has been customary to bevel the inside of the
cylinder in order to facilitate the downward passage of the fabric as it is produced
by the needles, but the inner or back corners of the jacks have been left square and
flat on top, the consequence of which was that one or two loops always rested on
top of the jacks, and that there was great friction upon the fabric in drawing it
down over the inner corners of the jacks, and also, that instead of the strain and
tension being received upon the operating needles and the stitches in course of for-
mation, it was received upon the stitches or loops resting on the jacks. These
difficulties I overcome by beveling off not only the cylinder as usual, but also the
inner or rear corners of the jacks, as shown at 7, Fig. 36, thus giving each jack an
inclined rear face at the upper end, and bringing the upper rear corner of the jacks
forward of the rear side of the needles. When the jacks are thus constructed the
loops or stitches are cast down over and below their tops as fast as formed, the
usual friction avoided, and the strain applied to the fabric received upon the
working needles.
Having now described my Invention, what I claim is,-
1. The combination in a rotary knitting machine of the dial plate S containing the
horizontal needles and the vertically adjustable rod P sustaining the dial plate and
preventing its rotation as shown and described.

page_text: 2. The combination of the stanard A having the body of the machine attached
thereto, the dial plate S, and the vertical non-rotating rod P, having its upper end
mounted in the top of the standard and provided with the adjusting nut Q, as
shown.
3. In combination with the rigid rod P, having the dial plate S attached, the
rotating sleeve H surrounding said rod, and provided with the cam plate R, bobbin
carriers G, and take up N, substantially as shown and described.
4. In combination with the rotating sleeve H, having the thread guiding arms O
and take up N attached thereto, the stationary plate J for operating the take up,
said parts being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as shown and
described.
5. In a take-up mechanism for rotary knitting machines a pivotted fly C³, arranged
to operate substantially as shown and described.
6. The combination in a take-up mechanism of a grooved plate J, provided with
a stud or shoulder C³, and a vibratory arm K, provided with a pivotted fly C³, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
7. The take-up mechanism consisting of the stationary grooved plate J, provided
with the stud and the rotating plate I, provided with the arm N, disk L, and
lever or arm K, having the pivotted fly C thereon.
8. In combination with a sliding knitting machine needle a sliding bit mounted
by the side thereof, and operating substantially as described and shown.
9. The needle bits S, S¹, constructed and arranged substantially as shown and
described.
10. In a knitting machine the combination of a series of needles and a cam or
cams to operate the same when knitting, with a series of sliding bits operated by
special cams to set the needle in position to be acted upon by the operating cams,
substantially as shown and described.
11. The combination in a knitting machine of a series of needles, all operated
when in action by the same cam or cams, with two or more sets of different needle
bits for moving the needles into the path of the operating cams, each set of bits pro-
vided with and operated by its own special cam or cams, substantially as shown and
described, so that each set of bits and their needles are operated independently of
the others.
12. In a knitting machine the combination of a series of needles and a cam or cams
for operating them when in action, with needle setting bits and special adjustable
cams for operating said bits, substantially as shown and described.
13. In combination with the adjustable cams n and o, constructed and arranged
as shown, the shifting ring c provided with the cams & and e.
14. In combination with the adjustable ring c connected with the cams d and e,
as shown, the cam fattached to said ring, and connected by the rod and lever i
with the cams j and k, as shown, so that the turning of the ring serves to shift all
four cams.
15. In combination with the sliding needles and the bits resting thereon, spring
presser feet 12 bearing on the bits, substantially as shown and described.
16. In combination with the vertical and horizontal needles operating in con-
nection with each other, the horizontal cam groove provided with the widened or
concentric portions g³, permitting the horizontal needles to pause in their inward
movement until the adjoining vertical needles have completed their descent, as and
or the purpose stated.
17. In a rotary knitting machine the horizontal needles arranged to pause in
heir inward movement until the adjoining vertical needles have descended past
hem, as and for the purpose described.
18. The needle cylinder X adjustable vertically, as and for the purpose described.
19. The vertically adjustable cylinder X secured by the screws 1 and 2, as shown
nd described.
20. The needle cylinder x, having its inner edge and the inner edges of the jacks
evelled, as shown,

page_text: 21. The jacks or ribs between the vertical needles, having their inner upper
corners, bevelled, as and for the purpose described.
22. The jacks, having their upper: ends beveled, on the rear side from a point
forward of the rear side of the needles, as shown."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Phillips Thompson, have hereunto set
my hand and scal; this Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
1876
Witness,
EDWARD G. COLTON,
Patent Office,
6, Lord St.,
Liverpool.
WILLIAM P. THOMPSON. (L.S.)