in Knitting machines
Year: 1888

page_text: 1, HENRY HUBERT HUMPHREY, of Detroit in the County of Wayne and State
of Michigan, United States of America, gentleman, 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:-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in Knitting machines,
and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear and exact description of the
same.
The invention consists in the improved arrangement, and construction of the
various parts, whereby the operation of what is commonly known as a "straight
bed" knitting machine is simplified, the operator is less liable to break or injure the
parts and the construction is simplified and the expense lessened.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention.
Figure 1, is a perspective view of my improved knitting machine.
Fig. 2, is an end elevation thereof.
Fig. 3, is a cross-section.
Fig. 4, is a tractional side elevation.
Fig. 5, is a bottom view of the needle-operating cams on one side of the carriage.
Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are details of parts indicated by their letters of reference, and
more specifically referred to hereinafter.
In the drawings, A, is the frame supporting the double inclined needle bed B,
which is provided with two rows of needles N, movably supported in transverse
grooves (. D, is the reciprocating carriage which carries on its underside the
sual needle-operating cams for each row of needles. E, are the latch openers.
, are the yarn guides. G, is the tension and take-up lever, and H, is the shifting
arn guide, all these parts being constructed, arranged and operating in the usual
manner, except as hereinafter set forth.
The carriage is provided with four legs a terminating in eyes or bearings b whic
engage with the parallel guide rods e secured, at some distance below the needle bed,
frame
Fig. 4, is a fractional side elevation.
Fig. 5, is a bottom view of the needle-operating cams on one side of the carriage.
Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are details of parts indicated by their letters of reference, and
more specifically referred to hereinafter.
In the drawings, A, is the frame supporting the double inclined needle bed B,
which is provided with two rows of needles N, movably supported in transverse
grooves (. D, is the reciprocating carriage which carries on its underside the
sual needle-operating cams for each row of needles. E, are the latch openers.
, are the yarn guides. G, is the tension and take-up lever, and H, is the shifting
arn guide, all these parts being constructed, arranged and operating in the usual
manner, except as hereinafter set forth.
The carriage is provided with four legs a terminating in eyes or bearings b whic
engage with the parallel guide rods e secured, at some distance below the needle bed,
ama

page_text: The reciprocating motion of the carriage is obtained in the usual manner by
means of a crank e and pitman connection e¹.
The carriage has a double inclined bed L, the two inclines being connected by
arches which provide the necessary room for the latch openers E, and the
shifting yarn guide H.
To the underside of the carriage bed are secured by screws g, the plates which
carry the needle operating cams. In figures 6 and 7 one of these plates is shown
detached, Figure 6 showing its underside and Figure 7 its top side. The needle
operating cams are secured to this plate in the following manner: The wing cams i, i,
are provided upon their back with tenons which fit adjustably into straight
mortices, cut obliquely into the underside of the plate h, and each cam is provided
centrally with a single adjusting screw, which passes through a slot (Figure 4),
in the carriage bed and through a coincident slot in the plate into the cam. By
these improved means I overcome the constant liability of these cams to become
loose under the severe strain to which they are subjected in operation, and at the
same time I render them easily adjustable, there being but one screw for each cam,
which, when loosened, permits the cam to be readily adjusted for the well understood
object of knitting the fabric more or less loose. As a visual aid to the desired
adjustment, I provide each set screw with a pointer 16, which is pivotally secured at
one end to the carriage bed and has radial slot engaging on the shank of the screw.
The position of the pointer is indicated by a little scale, marked off at the end of
the pointer.
into
This
The shifting center cam j, is adjustably secured to the plate in a similar manner
as the wing cams, there being a mortise cut transversely across the plate
which a corresponding tenon formed on the back of the center cam engages.
center cam is held to the plate h by a screw, which passes through a slot and has a
spring washer, and also engages with one end of a little lever 1, which is pivotally
secured at jo, and engages with a spring. A downwardly projecting arm is
secured to the center cam, and this is provided at the upper side with a handle k¹
and upon the lower side with a pin k².
By means of the construction described the center cam is free to be shifted up or
down to render it operative or inoperative, as desired. By tightening or loosening
the screw the friction of the cam in sliding can be adjusted so as to be made
sufficient to counteract any accidental displacement by the jar of the machine in
operation, besides the spring acting on the lever keeps the latter locked in
position when the cam is either up or down. By means of the handle & the center cam
can be shifted at the option of the operator, whenever required for special purposes
well known, but in the normal operation of the machine this is done automatically
by means of the cam-stop shifters J, which are secured laterally adjustable to the
corners of the "bed. These cam-stop shifters are provided with suitable inclined
planes I, against which the pin on the arms of the shifting center cams strike at
the end of each reciprocation of the carriage, thereby shifting each center cam
automatically before the carriage begins its reverse movement. The inclines on the
camp-stop shifters on one side of the needle bed are reversely inclined to the
inclines upon the opposite side of the needle bed, so as to produce an alternate
operation of the two rows of needles in the usual'ınanner.
The needles N, which are of the usual kind, slide in transverse grooves in the
needle bed and are confined therein by the latch bar L, which secured in an
undercut mortise in the needle bed. The needles are provided with the usual heels N¹,
which project above the face of the bed and by their engagement. with the cams of
the carriage produce the reciprocating movement of the needles.
Figures 8 and 9, which are cross-sections through one side of the bed, show the
device for shifting the needles. It consists in clamp springs M, slidingly secured in
the lower ends of the needle grooves. The upper leg of each clamp spring passes
into the grooves of the needle bed, underneath the bar B', (which latter partially
closes the lower end of the needle grooves) and is provided at its free end with an
upturned toe m. against which the heel of the needle rests and which also prevents

page_text: the withdrawal of the spring clamp further than shown in Figure 9. The lower leg
of each spring clamp engages on the underside of the needle bed and has a catch or
bend m¹ formed near its free end which is adapted to engage with a slight pro-
jection or depression (such as the channel m²) on the underside of the bed.
By pushing the clamp springs up into the position shown in Figure 8, the heels
of the needles are thrown into the path of the needle operating cams, and the needles
are therefore rendered operative, and in this position they are firmly held against
accidental displacement by the jar of the machine. By pushing down on the heel of
the needle or by withdrawing the clamp spring each needle may be readily retracted
into its inoperative position shown in Figure 9.
:
The shifting yarn guide H, which guides the yarn into the hook of the needles, is
of tubular form conically contracted towards the lower end it is secured vertically
adjustable by means of a clamp sleeve o to the sliding box of which engages on the
longitudinal guide bar o³, secured to the carriage. The sliding box of is provided
with a stud 3, which engages loosely into a slot cut at the free end of the yarn
guide lever O. This lever is pivotally secured at of to the carriage bed, and is
provided at its lower end with the pin of which engages with the free end of the
shifting lever o. This lever is pivotally secured at o' to an arm o of the frame of the
carriage, and its lower end engages by means of the stud o with the friction
sleeve of on the rear guide bar c of the frame. A plate o carried within a recess
of said sleeve and backed by a spring o¹ produces a frictional resistance of this
sleeve against lateral displacement.
Two adjustable stops, o¹³, o¹, on the bed of the carriage arrest the oscillating
movement of the shifting lever.
By examining Figure 4, it will be seen that when the carriage is moving in the
direction indicated by the arrow, the shifting lever O is held in contact with the
adjustable stop o¹s, but, as soon as the motion of carriage is reversed, the shifting
lever, on account of the frictional resistance of the sleeve o¹0, oscillates on its pivot,
until it comes in contact with the stop o, and thus shifts the yarn guide into its
proper relative position, required to engage the yarn into the hooks of the needles.
While the carriage passes over the needle bed, the sleeve o, travels with it and keeps
the yarn guide in position, and at the reversal of the yarn guide lever, the sleeve is
at rest.
By means of the adjustable stops 3 and 4 the shifting lever can readily be
adjusted to hold the yarn guide in its proper working position.
P, is a tension yarn guide, and is formed at the free end of the spring lever Q,
which is removably secured to the rock arm R, sleeved upon the shank of the
adjusting screw S. This screw passes through the axis of the spring barrel T, and is
provided with the milled head's and a tightening nuts and thereby permits of
adjusting the tension of the coil spring U, one end of which is secured to the shank
of the screw, while the other end is secured to the rock arın. The spring barrel is
cut away at one end to permit the free play of the rock arm within the desired
limit. The object of this construction is to lessen the expense caused by the frequent
breakage of the tension lever, as by constructing it in two parts as shown, any
damage is generally restricted to the spring lever Q, which can be quickly and cheaply
replaced.
As the operation of knitting with my improved machine is conducted in the same
well known manner as in other machines of this class, I deem it unnecessary to enter
into a description thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
claim is :-
1. The combination with the shifting cam, of a reciprocating carriage, the cam stop
shifters, secured to the corners of the needle bed, and provided with the inclines
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination with the center cam, and the downwardly projecting arm k

page_text: +
secured thereto and provided with the pin 2 of the needle bed, and the cam stop
shifters J secured to said bed and provided with inclines, l, said inclines being reversably
arranged, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination of the reciprocating carriage D having transverse mortices ¹
formed in its bed, and with the shifting cam and provided with the tenon engaging
into said mortice, the screw, the spring washer the lever, the spring and the
shifting arm all substantially as described.
4. The combination of the laterally grooved needle bed and the needles placed
therein, with a reciprocating carriage carrying the knitting cams, the laterally shifting
center cams, the outwardly projecting shifting arm secured thereto, a pin secured to
such arm and shifting cam stops secured to the corners of the bed and provided with
inclined planes, arranged to operate in connection with the pin on the shifting arm to
shift the center cam, substantially as described.
5. The combination of the laterally grooved needle bed, the two series of needles
placed therein, with a reciprocating carriage, carrying the knitting cams, the shifting
cams the outwardly projecting arms & secured to said arms, and the shifting cam
stops J, secured at the corners of the needle bed, substantially as described.
6. The combination of the reciprocating carriage with the tubular shifting yarn
guide H, the sliding box of the longitudinal guide bars o' and the shifting yarn guide
lever, and its actuating mechanism, substantially as described.
7. The combination of the reciprocating carriage with the shifting yarn guido H₂
the clamping collars o adjustably securing said yarn guide in position, the sliding box o¹
carrying said clamping collar, the guide bar o² and the means for shifting the sliding
box on its guide bar, substantially as described.
8. The combination with the reciprocating carriage with the shifting guide H, the
collar 0, the sliding box o¹ the guide bar o², the yarn guide lever O, the lever of the
friction sleeve o¹0 and the guide bar c, all arranged to operate substantially as
described.
39. The combination of the reciprocating carriage, with the shifting yarn guide H,
the sliding box o¹, carrying said yarn guide, the guide bar o², the shifting yarn guide
lever O, actuating means for said lever, and the adjustable stops o¹³ and o¹, substantially
as described.
10
10. The combination of the reciprocating carriage with the yarn. guide, the
shifting yarn guide lever O, the lever 06, the guide bar and the sliding sleeve o¹0,
having the friction plate o", and the spring o", all arranged to operate substantially
as described.
11. The combination with the barrel T, of the screw S, passed through the axis of
the barrel, and provided at one end with milled heads and at the other with adjusting
nuts, the coil spring U around said screw within said barrel, the rock arm R on said
screw, the spring lever Q, secured thereto, and formed at one end with the tension
yarn guide P substantially as described.
12. In a knitting machine, a double inclined needle bed, longitudinal guide rods
secured upon opposite sides thereof, and a double inclined reciprocating carriage
provided with the legs engaging the said guide rods, substantially as described.
13. In a knitting machine, a double inclined needle bed, longitudinal guide rods
secured upon opposite sides thereof, a double inclined carriage reciprocatingly supported
upon said guide rods, and a shifting yarn guide, having a frictional engagement with
one of said guide rods, substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of September 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.