IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JABEZ SMITH of Godwin Street, Bradford in the County of York, Sewing
machine Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN KNITTING MACHINES to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in knitting machines and has for
its object the arrangement of the apparatus so that the operator is able to knit
direct from the yarn hank without having occasion to wind the same on to a
bobbin as in now the common practise and to prepare the needle cylinder and
mount the ribbing cone in such a manner that needles can be used at the same time
both in the needle cylinder and the ribbing cone, thereby knitting finer hose.
I accomplish my object by securing to the main shaft of the machine a coned
pulley which is connected by a cord or strap to another coned pulley which actuates
a pair of rollers between which the yarn from the hank passes to the machine
thereby feeding the same direct.
In
In order to adapt the machine that needles can be used at the same time both
in the needle cylinder and ribbing cone, I cut the circumference of the needle
cylinder with a series of recesses in which the needles work and cut away each
alternate division in a curved manner near to the depth of the needle recesses.
the curved spaces the needles from the ribbing cone move, and to adjust the two
series of needles I secure to the bed plate of the machine a circular plate having a
number of arms which extend, and come in contact with some pins that are secured
to the ribbing frame. By turning a screw, connected with the circular plate the
ribbing cone is adjusted to the position required for the two series of needles and
for the work under operation.
WAUGH & CHAPMAN,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, JABEZ SMITH, of Godwin Street, Bradford, in the County of York, Sewing
Machine Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES, 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 certain improvements in circular and other knitting
machines, and has for its object the arrangement of the apparatus so that the
operator is able to knit direct from the yarn hank without having occasion to
wind the same on to a bobbin as is now the common practice; and to prepare the
needle cylinder and mount the ribbing cone in such a manner, that needles can be.
used at the same time both in the needle cylinder and the ribbing cone, thereby.
knitting fashioned or shaped and finer hose.
I accomplish my object by securing to the main shaft of the knitting machine,
a pulley which is connected by a cord to another pulley on one of the feed roller
shafts. The feed rollers may be parallel, conical, or step coned, between which the
yarn from the hank passes to the machine, thereby feeding the same direct; and in
order to adapt the machine so that all the needle grooves can be utilized at the
same time both in the needle cylinder and ribbing cone, I cut the circumference of
the needle cylinder with a series of recesses for the needles, and cut-away each
alternate division, ribh, or bar, for a certain distance down the cylinder to the depth
of the needle recesses. In the ribbing cone, I place needles which work in the
spaces cut away; and in order to adjust the two series of needles so that both can
be utilized at the same time, I attach to the bed plate of the machine, a circular
plate having a number of arms which extend upwards, and come in contact with
some pins that are secured to the ribbing frame; so that by turning a screw in
connection with the circular plate, the ribbing cone is adjusted to the position
required for the two sets of needles to operate at the same time upon the hose or
fabric in the machine.
I will now further explain my invention by making reference to the accom-
panying drawings marked with letters of reference. Fig 1. represents a side
elevation of a circular knitting machine arranged according to my invention, and
the apparatus for holding and delivering the yarn to the machine. Fig 2 is a front
elevation of the feed rollers, and Fig 3 shews another arrangement of the feed
rollers, the remainder of the figures are hereinafter referred to.
The creel pullies upon which the yarn hanks are placed, are mounted upon studs;
the lower creel pulley A being upon a fixed stud and the upper creel pulley A'
upon a stud secured to the lever arm B which is jointed to the standard C at C¹,
and upon the other arm B of the said lever is secured weight W, so that when the
creel pulley A is moved into a position somewhat as shewn by Fig 1, the yarn
hank can be placed upon the pullies; which when liberated, the weight W will
cause the top pulley A¹ and arm B to be in a more perpendicular position.
The feed rollers D may be arranged in various ways to accomplish my object;
Fig 2 shews them conical, they are driven by a cord or strap passing around

page_text: pulley E secured on main shaft of machine and pulley El on roller shaft, by which
the feed rollers are caused to rotate in the manner as hereinafter described, the
pulley E' being free on the said shaft. By regulating the position of the detector
guide F so as to guide the yarn to pass between the rollers in different positions,
the length of the yarn drawn from the hank on the creel pullies is adjusted to suit
the length required by the knitting machine.
The feed rollers may be arranged with step coned pullies as shewn by Fig 3 and
driven in a similar manner to that before described; or parallel rollers may be
used to accomplish my object, but when rollers of this description are used, I'employ
step coned pullies for driving in place of the pullies E and El, so that by placing
the driving band or belt on different coned pullies, the surface speed of the parallel
feed rollers will vary accordingly, and therefore distribute a varying length of
yarn.
For some classes of yarn it is necessary to transmit notion to the creel pullies,
which I accomplish by securing a pulley G to the feed roller shaft, and another
pulley G¹ to the bottom creel pulley A connecting them together by a cord or strap,
thus imparting motion to the creel pullies; and in order to detect knotty or thick
places in the yarn before it gets to the knitting machine, I form the guide F with a
light spring F attached thereto, at the top of which is a hammer; by passing the
yarn between the spring F¹ and the standard of guide F, when a knot or thick
place in the yarn appears, it disturbs the spring, causing the hammer F² to strike
the bell H, thereby calling the operators attention to the same.
For some kinds of work, such as knitting the beel of a stocking, it is necessary
to turn the handle J of the machine first in one direction and then in the other;
and in order that the feed rollers D may only rotate one way, I form one side of
the loose driving pulley E' with a series of recesses soine what after the form of a
catch box, by which an inclined plane is obtained between each division between
the lines K, shewn by Fig 4; and I also insert in the end of one of the feed rollers,
a pin which is made to protrude beyond the face of the same, by a spiral spring at
the end of the pin hole (see Fig 5), so that when pulley E¹ is turned in the proper
direction to draw the yarn from the hank, the end of protruding pin will be in
contact with a projection formed by the before mentioned inclined planes on the
face of the pulley E, but when moved in the opposite direction, the spring will
allow the end of the pin to pass over the inclined planes, and thus leave the feed
rollers and creel pullies stationary; the speed of the rollers being so adjusted that
they distribute or measure a sufficient quantity of yarn to feed the machine both
for its forward and backward motion.
Fig 6, represents a section through the centre of the knitting machine; Fig 7,
is a plan of the base plate; Fig 8, an elevation of the additional circular plate
and Fig 9, is a section through a portion of the needle cylinder L drawn to an
enlarged scale. The cylinder is grooved for its entire depth all around the circum-
ference for the needles to work in, but in order to adapt the machine so that the
needles can be used at the same time both in the cylinder Land the ribbing cone M,
I cut away each alternate division, rib or bar L' in a curved manner as shewn by
Fig 9 at L2, In the curved space cut away, the needles from the ribbing cone M
work; and to adjust the two series of needles so that they can operate at the same
time, I mount on the underside of the bed plate V, a circular plate N provided
with two or more vertical arms N₁, which come in contact with the pins P
projecting from the ribbing cone, so that by the turning of screw R either way,
the circular plate and ribbing cone are moved accordingly, bringing the needles in
the ribbing cone over the spaces cut away between the divisions, ribs, or bars L'.
that form the circumference of the needle cylinder; or directly over the said
divisions as may be required; the needles both in the cylinder and ribbing cone
being operated upon in the same manner as in ordinary ribbing coned machines in
which only one set of needles can be worked at the same time,

page_text: '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
The supplying of a measured length of yarn to knitting machines direct from
the hank.
The arrangement and combination of circular plate N' with ribbing cone M and
the needle cylinder L having each alternate division rib or bar cut away substan-
tially in the manner shewn and for the purpose as described.
D
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WAUGH & CHAPMAN,
70, Chancery Lane,
Agents for the Applicant.