Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 30th July, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
JOHN WILSON Dakeyne Street Nottingham Hosiery Manufacturer ROWLAND
HUTCHINSON 18 Flewitt Street Nottingham Machinist do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in straight bar knitting machines of the
Cotton's type, and is particularly applicable for making what is known as the
French foot it may also be used for fashioning other articles in which two rows of
fashionings are required.
The fashioning points are made in two divisions, placed side by side and one
division so arranged that it can be slided up and down in the bracket carrying both
sets, this sliding division being connected to a rod in a manner similar to the
ordinary filling up points. Free to rotate upon one end of the shaft carrying the
fashioning point bar bracket there is a cam and ratchet wheel this latter being
moved round one tooth every time the fashioning machine rises, it coming into
contact with a fixed pawl and by its movement turns the cam to which it is con-
nected and the cam through an arrangement of levers rocks the rod connected
to the sliding points and thus cause them to rise and fall according to the shape of
the cam.
The point bars are moved inwards by screws at each end of the machine, but
instead of actuating the point bar direct from the screw it acts upon the bar
through a cam carried by it and turned partially round each time the fashioning
machine ascends by means of a ratchet wheel connected to the cam and turned by
coming into contact with a fixed pawl. After the screw has carried in the point
bar for a given distance, the cam acts and allows it to partially return and this
movement in conjunction with the dividing of the points causes the two sets of
fashioning.
The machine is fitted with a similar set of mechanism at each end of it, so as to
actuate the fashioning points at both sides of each division of needles.
Dated this 11th day of December 1890.
W. H. POTTER,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
JOHN WILSON Dakeyne Street Nottingham and ROWLAND HUTCHINSON
18 Flewitt Street Nottingham Machinist 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 :-
Our improvements are applicable to straight bar knitting machines of the
Cotton's type, and refer more particularly to mechanisms for actuating the
fashioning points during the production of double rows of narrowings, as in what is
known as the French foot. In order that the movements of the fashioning points
may be understood we have shown in Fig. 1 a diagram illustrating the double row
of fashionings as made for a French foot. At the line 1. 1 the machine is making
parallel work & continues to do so until the line 2 is reached, when all the loops to
the left of 35 are brought in two needles, a parallel course is then knitted, after

page_text: which all the loops to the left of 2* are brought in two needles. Several courses
of parallel work are then made & the fabric fashioned at the points 5 and 4ª, then
more parallel work and more fashionings until the last pairs of fashionings 7 & 6a
are reached. It will be seen that the number of loops transferred when fashioning
at 2" are less than when fashioning at 3 and to do this a less number of points must
be in operation. After the fashionings at 7" & 6", single needle fashionings 8 to 11ª
are made at every course and thus bring the double row of fashionings to a point.
It must be understood that the drawing and description of a French foot is
intended to show the method only, and not the number of fashionings nor the
courses between each, these latter being varied according to the fashioning being
made.
Having described the method of making the two rows of fashionings we will
now describe the mechanism we employ for that purpose, and in order that this
may be understood we have attached hereto one sheet of drawings, upon which
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the mechanism for giving the lateral movement to
the points.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the fashioning points to one breadth of
needles, and the mechanism for raising and lowering the inside divisions of the
same.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the above with the needles and points omitted &
Fig. 5 is a sketch showing a method by which the clawker actuating the
fashioning screw is made to move the same a distance of one or two needles as
desired.
In all the figures the same parts of the machine have the same reference letter,
& it will be understood that the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 is applied to both ends
of the machine and the arrangement of points and holders shown in Fig. 3 is applied
to each breadth of needles.
The fashioning machine is carried by a shaft A which is raised and lowered in
the usual manner through arms A' from a rocking shaft at the back of the machine.
The shaft A is fitted at suitable intervals with brackets A', in which the point
carrying bars A and B slide. The bar A is moved in by means of a slide C
which is actuated in the usual manner by a screw. Upon the top of the slide there
is an arm D which gives motion to the bar A' through a piece E & cam F, the
former being free to slide on the bar A' and the latter fixed thereto. The bar A³
is also provided with a weighted cord or spring A³ which tends to pull it back and
consequently keep the cam F in contact with the piece E, & the piece E with the
arm D.
When ordinary fashionings are being made the slide is racked in and
moves the bar A³ & the points carried by it. The cam F is attached to a ratchet
wheel G also carried by the bar A and rotated as the fashioning machine ascends
by a pawl G¹ which is pivoted at G2 upon a rod G' capable of sliding in bearings G⭑
on the slide C and connected by an arm A, and fork G, to the bar A³, so that the
relative position of the pawl G₁ and wheel G remains the same whatever movement
is given to the bar A*. The pawl is held in gear by a spring G, and the wheel G
and cam F are prevented from over running by a spring F.
The fashioning points are divided into two sets H & H¹ Fig. 2 carried by
brackets H&H which are attached to the bars A³ & B³ respectively.
When our invention is applied to "legging" frames, part of the points H¹ are
attached to a plate H capable of sliding in the brackets and held up or down by
screws H. The plates H are moved up by hand when narrowings on the sides of
a leg are required, the points attached to the brackets H* H³ being then moved
inwards in the ordinary manner.
The points H are attached to slides H which project above the brackets H2 H³
and are slotted to embrace a rod H' which is carried by arms HB from another
rod H. The rod He has suitable bearings A carried by the brackets A² and it is
fitted with a lever K Fig. 4 which is connected by a link K' to another lever K
pivoted at K and fitted with a cam truck K³. Upon the shaft A there is a fixed

page_text: bracket L which carries the pivot axle K' and is turned down to form an axle for
a handle L and cut away at L to limit the movement of the same. At the
back of the bracket L and loose upon the shaft A there is a ratchet wheel M and
cam N which are fastened together and prevented from over running by a spring N'
& collar N2.
The ratchet wheel and cam can be turned by hand when desired by means of a
clawker M on the handle L'. They can also be turned automatically by a
clawker M pivoted upon a bracket M' and held in gear by a spring M', the clawker
engaging with and turning the ratchet wheel and cam when the fashioning machine
ascends. The bracket M³ is fitted with a slide M' which can be pressed down and
moves the clawker clear of the ratchet wheel.
The ratchet wheel cam, and the mechanism connected thereto are placed at any
convenient part of the machine.
When a French foot is required the brackets H2 H3 are racked in to the desired
width and take off the needles all the loops between the fashioning and the selvage,
these loops are then moved in two needles & transferred to other needles.
A plain
course is then knitted and as the shaft A ascends the ratchet wheel M and cam N
are turned one division, which allows the truck K³ to fall into a hollow in the
cam and raises the lever K and this through the link K' and lever K, turns the
rod H which raises the points H through the levers H & rod H. At the same
time the cam F has been turned until the piece E has fallen on to the first step F*
which has the effect of bringing out the bar A³ and bracket H. Supposing
20 loops were lifted at the first narrowing and moved in 2 needles and that there
are 6 points in the divisions H, then there are 18 loops left between the fashioning
and the selvage. The six points being then raised a narrowing of two needles
would be made on the other fourteen needles, and if the six points were again
brought into action there would be twenty loops transferred at the next fashioning
and so on, alternately. Upon this supposition parallel narrowings would not be
made but by means of the cam F the bar A³ and its points are moved outwards
two needles between every other narrowing thus throwing out of action two of the
points.
When the parallel narrowings are completed they must be brought to a point,
this being effected by throwing the cam F out of gear and moving in the points one
needle at each narrowing by the ordinary narrowing mechanism.
The fashioning screw O Fig. 5 is geared to a shaft P fitted with a pinion P¹
which is geared to a wheel P2 and driven by a ratchet wheel R, and clawer R' on a
lever R2 actuated by a cam. The motion of the lever R2 is sufficient to turn the
wheel R two teeth at each motion but when single needle narrowings are required
the lever R is moved to the position shown in dotted lines by a lever S carried
by a small shaft S₁ which extends across the machine and is fitted at a convenient
part with a handle S² the same being held in either position by notches in a
quadrant Ss.
We would have it understood we lay no claim to the making of French feet or
parallel fashioning upon knitting machines of the Cotton's type as we are aware
this class of work is being made at the present time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The arrangement of a cam F, piece E, and bracket D, in conjunction with the
fashioning point bars A and B substantially as shown & described.
2. The arrangement of the cam F with a ratchet wheel G, and the method of
carrying the clawker G' for actuating the same, substantially as shown and
described.
3. The method and arrangement of dividing the fashioning points with the
cam N, ratchet wheel M, & clawker M' for actuating the same.

page_text: 4. The general arrangement of the parts herein shown & described, as, and for,
the purposes specified.
Dated this 20th day of July 1891
W. H. POTTER,
Agent for the Applicants.