IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Coltinan, of the Firm of Gimson and Coltman, of
Leicester, in the County of Leicester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY AND APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Coltman at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th December 1877.
THOMAS COLTMAN, of the Firm of Gimson and Coltman, of Leicester, in the
County of Leicester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS AppliCABLE
TO MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFActure of LoOPED FABRICS."
My improvements are applicable to both circular and rotary machines employed
in making either plain or ribbed looped fabrics, and consists in providing each
thread guide with a metallic rocking lever, the feeding end of which terminates in
an eye or curl through which the thread is passed; the opposite end of this lever
upon the thread breaking or ending will rest on a wire threaded through insulating
eyes carried by the thread guides or other parts of the machine thereby completing
an electro-magnetic circuit, the magnet of which causes a lever to engage with one
or other of the teeth of a ratchet stop cam secured upon the driving shaft of the
machine, and adjacent to a friction pulley driven by a belt in the usual way.
The electric current may be supplied from any galvanic battery of the usual
construction.
Upon the lever engaging with the ratchet wheel the machine is instantly stopped;
thus considerable time is saved, and the production of imperfect work obviated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Coltman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th June
1878.
THOMAS COLTMAN, of the Firm of Gimson & Coltman, of Leicester, in the County
of Leicester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO 5
MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS."
My improvements are applicable to both circular and rotary machines employed
in making either plain or ribbed looped fabrics, and consists in providing each
thread guide with a metallic rocking lever, the feeding end of which terminates in an
eye or curl, through which the thread is passed; the opposite end of this lever upon 1
the thread breaking or ending will rest on a wire threaded through insulating
eyes carried by the thread guides or other parts of the machine, thereby completing
an electro-magnetic circuit, the magnet of which causes a lever to engage with one
or other of the teeth of a ratchet stop cam secured upon the driving shaft of the
machine, and adjacent to a friction pulley driven by a belt in the usual way. 1
The electric current may be supplied from any galvanic battery of the usual
construction.
Upon the lever engaging with the ratchet wheel the machine is instantly stopped,
thus considerable time is saved, and the production of imperfect work obviated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a side view of my improved apparatus applied to a circular
machine for making plain looped fabrics.
Figures 2 and 3 are portions of the same shewn separately.
2
At Figure 1 my improved machinery and apparatus is shewn as applied to the
back of a circular machine, such as is described in the Specification of a former 2
Patent granted to me for an Invention of "Improvements in Circular Knitting
Machines," dated February 2nd, 1877, and Numbered 439. To the upper flange A
of such circular head I secure three or more brackets B, the upper ends of which
are attached to and support a circular bearing ring C, shewn in section to the left
of the Figure; only portion of the ring and circular head are shewn, sufficient 3
to illustrate the Invention.
My improvements are equally applicable to both circular and rotary machines
employed in making either plain or ribbed looped fabrics, and consists in providing
each thread guide D with a metallic lever E, which rocks upon an axle formed by
a wire C¹, which lies in a groove cut on the outside of the inner flange of the bearing 3
ring C. The feeding end of the lever terminates in an eye or curl, through which
the thread is passed. The drag upon this thread caused by the needles of the head
as they recede from the thread guide holds the inner end of the lever in a higher
position than is shewn at Figure 1, but upon the thread breaking or ending the
outer end of the lever, which has a projection on its top edge, will be raised into the
position shewn at Figure 1, the projection touching a wire which is threaded
through blocks F of ebonite or other insulating material, which are wedged or other-
wise secured between the inner and outer flanges of the bearing ring C. Immediately
either of the levers touches the wire an electro-magnetic circuit is completed, the
machine being instantly stopped by apparatus shewn at Figure 1, constructed and 4
operating as follows:—To the standard or other convenient part of the framing of
the machine I secure by screws or otherwise a stout metallic base plate G in close
proximity to the driving shaft of the machine. To this plate a strong slotted
bracket G¹ is secured; the slot is indicated by the vertical dotted line. In this
slot the teeth of a ratchet stop cam H is free to pass while the machine is in ♬
operation.
The stop cam is secured to and revolves with a driving pulley indicated by the
dotted line H¹, the boss of the pulley being provided with a friction spring of the

page_text: The
usual construction. Under the slotted bracket is a double-armed rocking lever I,
carried by a bracket bearing J secured to the base plate. The lower arm of the
rocking lever is turned up at nearly a right angle at the end under the slot of the
bracket G, and has a spring plate secured to it, the upper end of which carries a
stop plate 1', which, pressing upon the slotted end of the bracket G when in the
position shown, effectually prevents the passage of the teeth of the stop cam.
stop plate is brought into action by the upper arm I of the rocking lever, which is
provided with a stud which takes into a short slot in a lever K, which rocks on a
stud in the base plate, and has one end of a helically coiled spring hooked to it, the
opposite end of the spring being hooked on a stud in the base plate, by which
means the stop piece is held in the position shewn, except when held clear of the
teeth of the stop cam by a tappit lever H³, which is secured on the back end of a
rod passed through the base plate, and having its front end carried by a bracket
shewn by the dotted line H, secured to the front of the inachine, and provided
with a handle for the convenience of the attendant The said handle is secured on
the front end of the rod at such an angle that its weight will always hold the tappet
lever, as shown, except when operated by the attendant.
When the rocking lever I is depressed to the position shewn by the dotted lines,
a steel catch M having its lower end attached to a spring plate carried by a bracket
M' secured to the base plate takes into a slot in the lower arm of the lever I, and
securely holds it until released by the following means:-Adjacent to the catch M
is a U formed magnet L, having each pole provided with a reel and coil, the whole
insulated by being clamped between two blocks of ebonite L, L, or other insulating
material, by a screw passed through the blocks, and screwed into the base plate The
wire of one coil is connected to a clamping stud N insulated and carried by the base
plate, the stud N being connected to the negative wire of a galvanic battery. The
wire of the other coil is connected to a current conducting wine N³, carried by a plate
insulated by a block or blocks of insulating material O, and provided with a spring
contact plate N¹, which is held clear of a conducting wire N³, when pressed upon
by an ivory or ebonite stud carried by an arm secured to the lower end of the
rocking lever K before mentioned. The wire N° is insulated at one end by a stud
of insulating material O' in the base plate, and at the opposite end by a clamping
stud in a block of insulating material. O is a side view of one; such block is
shewn at Figure 3, portion of the base plate G being shewn in section.
There is a stud on the strap lever H of the machine, which, when the lever is
moved by the attendant on to the loose pulley, presses on the upper end, which
is inclined, of the rocking lever K, and forces the insulated stud and contact plate
N¹ further to the left, thereby breaking contact, and effectually preventing waste
of battery power when the machine is not at work.
The clamping stud carrying the wire N' is connected by the wire P to the framing
of the machine. The positive wire of the battery is connected to the wire carried
by the insulating blocks F before named. Such battery may be of any suitable
construction strong enough for the purpose. Immediately the electro-magnetic
circuit is completed, upon a thread breaking or ending the catch plate M is forcibly
drawn towards the magnet L, thus setting free the rocking lever I, which places the
stop plate I in contact with a tooth of the stop cam H.
Instead of the contact lever E, shewn at Figure 1, I sometimes employ the
arrangement shewn at Figure 2, where the lever has a pin or projection on its under
side, which is kept in the position shown when at work by the tension of the
thread; but upon the thread breaking or ending the lever falls, and the pin or pro-
jection dips in a cup or trough containing mercury, thus completing the circuit, the
mercury being connected to a battery the same as the wire before described. By
either arrangement I am enabled to instantly stop a circular or rotary machine
employed in the manufacture of plain or ribbed looped fabrics.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the exact arrangement
of the several parts as shewn n the Drawings, as their relative positions will have

page_text: to be arranged according to the position of the driving shaft and the shape of the
framing of the machine to which the apparatus may be applied.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that I claim, the general arrangement and combination
of machinery and apparatus actuated by an electric current for stopping either
circular or rotary machines employed in the manufacture of looped fabrics, as herein-
before described, and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Coltman, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
H. W. GOUGH, C.E.,
Nottingham.
THOMAS COLTMAN. (L.S.)