Improvements in Straight-bar Knitting Frames.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Straight-bar Knitting Frames.
We, JAMES HEARTH, WALTER HEARTH, and WILLIAM HENRY WILLIS, trading
as James Hearth & Co., of 124 Church Gate, Leicester, Hosiery Manufacturers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-—
This invention has reference to straight bar knitting frames and embodies improve-
ments in the construction of such frames whereby fabric such as is described in the
Specification of our Patent Application No. 15588 of 1889 may be produced
thereon.
.
For this purpose it is necessary to keep the knocking over slide out of action and
the machine needles out of contact with the presser at certain times and with this
object in view the following additional mechanism is employed.
We mount on the driving shaft a bevel pinion gearing with a bevel wheel mounted
on an additional shaft fixed transversely to the driving shaft and having suitable
bearings in the framework.
At the outward end of this additional shaft there is carried a pinion engaging a
toothed wheel of larger diameter and revolving on an axle at the lower end of the
bearing before mentioned.
This larger toothed wheel has fixed on its outward side a circular plate or dise
having secured thereto, one two or more suitably shaped cams the number of which
may be equivalent to the number of loops to be tucked or accumulated on the needles-
prior to the loops being knocked over to form tuck stitches.
These cams, through the interposition of the following mechanism, render the
machine needles and knocking over slide inoperative at certain times, when they would
otherwise be in action, the result of their inoperation is the accumulation of the loops
of that course, and any subsequent similarly treated course, upon the needles, until
such time as the next pressing and knocking over operations take place, when such
accumulated or mispressed loops will be formed into "tuck" stitches.
Each of the cams performs a dual office as before mentioned ciz, that of rendering
both the inachine needles and knocking over slide periodically inoperative, and these
functions are discharged simultaneously.
For this purpose each cam is shaped in such a manner as to depress on the one
side, the free lower end of a spring controlled lever fulerumed to the framework, the
upper end of the said lever being forked to partially enclose the truck or roller on the
knocking over cam and at the time of depressing, to move the said truck off the latter
onto the adjacent circle and thereby render the knocking over slide inoperative. On
the other side and simultaneously the cam comes into contact with and depresses a
roller on the end of a lever connected to a vertical rod the upper end of which is fixed
to an arm provided with a boss or equivalent encircling the machine shaft, the lowering
of the latter through the medium of the lever and vertical rod, brings the machine
needles away from and out of contact with the presser at the same time that the
knocking over slide is kept out of action.
The toothed wheel carrying the disc and cams before mentioned is fixed movably on
its shaft so as to admit of it being moved backwards and forwards thereon, at such
times as are desirable to place the cams in and out of action for the purpose named
and a lever fulcrumed to the framework and connected to the said toothed wheel or
other suitable mechanism is employed for this purpose.
Dated this 8th day of February 1890
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COME DIN DI MIFICATION.
Improvements in Straight-bar Knitting Frames.
We, JAMES HEARTH, WALTER HEARTH, and WILLIAM HENRY WILLIS, trading as
James Hearth & Co. of 124 Church Gate, Leicester, Hosiery Manufacturers, 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 has reference to straight bar knitting frames and embodies improve-
ments in the construction of such frames whereby fabric such as is described in
the Specification of our Patent Application No. 12159 of 1889 may be produced
thereon. For this purpose it is necessary to keep the knocking over slide out of
action and the machine needles out of contact with the presser at certain times and
with this object in view we employ mechanism such as is shewn in the accompanying
drawings, in which
Figure 1. represents in front elevation our improved mechanism applied to a
Cotton's patent rib frame, only so much of the latter being shewn as is necessary
to illustrate the invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of part of the mechanism.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the cams F.
We mount on the cam driving shaft A a bevel wheel A' gearing with a larger
bevel wheel B' carried on an additional shaft B transverse to the driving shaft and
. carried in a sleeve or bearing B2 on the upper end of an upright or standard B³.
firmly secured to the front rail of the framework by screw-bolts B³.
Carried at the outer end of the shaft B is a pinion B engaging a tooth wheel D
of larger diameter, revolving on an axle D¹ in a sleeve or bearing D2 at the lower
end of the standard B³.
The toothed wheel D has fixed on its outer face a circular plate or disc E on which.
may be secured by screw-bolts E¹ or other suitable means, one or more cams F, shewn
detached in Figure 3.
Each of the cams F performs a dual office viz.-that of rendering the machine
needles and the knocking over slide-not shewn in the drawings-periodically
inoperative and these functions are discharged simultaneously.
For this purpose each of the cams is shaped as shewn in Figure 3 and on revolving
with the wheel 1) the edge F1 of the cam F comes into contact with and depresses
the free lower end of a bell-crank lever G fulcrumed at G¹ to the rail C and forked
at its upper end to engage a truck H by which the knocking over slide, through the
medium of the usual lever J receives its motion.
On the bell-crank lever G being depressed by the cam F it moves the truck H off
the cam K which operates the knocking over slide on to the disc or plain cam L
adjacent to it and while the truck H is on the latter the knocking over slide is
rendered inoperative.
The truck H is kept in its normal position through the influence of the spiral
spring M connected at one end to the lever G and at the other end to the standard C¹
of the framework of the machine, while the lever G is maintained in the proper
position for coming into contact with cams F by moving in the forked upper end of
the guide plate G2 which is secured to the ground or framework of the machine by
screw-bolts G³.
Simultaneously with the edge F1 of the cam F coming into contact with and
depressing the bell-crank lever G for rendering the knocking over slide inoperative,
the other edge F2 of the cam F comes into contact with a roller N carried on a

page_text: spindle N fixed by means of the nut N³ to the vertical part of the usual step
plate N³.
1
This step plate is of the usual construction and is depressed by the foot of the
operator, as is well known to those acquainted with this class of machinery, when it
is desired to keep the machine needles away from the presser, this being effected
through the medium of the connecting rod O and arm O' encircling the machine
shaft 0 in the usual well known manner, it is obvious therefore that on the depression
of the roller N by the cam 'F a similar result will follow.
It will be well understood that when the crank lever G and the roller N are
depressed by and so long as they remain in contact with the edges F1 F2 of the cam F,
the knocking over slide and the machine needles will be rendered inoperative, so that
the loops on the needles at such times are accumulated and not formed into-stitches
until the next ordinary course is worked when the tuck stitches will be formed.
The number and position of the cams F on the wheel D is determined according to
the number of loops to be accumulated before the operations of pressing and knocking
over take place or to number of ordinary courses that are worked between the tuck
courses. According to the dispositions of the cams F, as shewn in Figure 1, two tuck
courses will be produced alternately with two ordinary courses, it is obvious that any
variation in the number or positions of the cams will effect a corresponding alteration
in the resultant fabric.
When tuck work is being produced the wheel D is placed in the position shewn
in Figures 1 and 2, so that when revolving the cam or cams F may come into
contact with the lever G and roller N, but when ordinary knitting is to be resumed
the wheel D is moved outwards on its axis D' as far as the collar D³ and when in
this position the cams F miss both the lever G and roller N.
To enable the wheel D to be slid outwards it is loosely carried on the spindle D'
and the boss D at its back, is grooved or recessed to receive a projection or arm on
the lower end of a lever P fulcrumed at P' in the bracket R, the latter being
rigidly secured to the standard C² by screw-bolts C³, the moving backwards and
forwards of the lever P alters the position of the wheel D to place the cams F in or
out of the position in which they operate the lever G and roller N.
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. In a straight bar knitting machine rendering the knocking over slide and
machine needles simultaneously inoperative for one or more courses substantially as
and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a straight bar knitting machine the combination of bevel pinion and wheel A¹
and B pinion B toothed wheel such as D carrying one or more cams such as F,
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a straight bar knitting machine the combination with a wheel such as D
carrying one or more cams such as F, of a bell-crank lever such as G, for periodically
rendering the knocking over slide inoperative substantially in the manner and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a straight bar knitting machine the combination with a wheel such as D
carrying one or more cams such as F of a roller such as N carried on the step
plate N³ for periodically withdrawing the machine needles out of contact with the
presser substantially in the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a siraight bar knitting machine the combination with one or more canis
such as F F F of a bell-crank lever such as G and roller such as N carried on the
step plate N3 substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.

page_text: 6. In a straight bar knitting machine the combination and arrangement of parts
comprising the complete mechanism consisting of a bevel pinion and wheel A' and B'
toothed wheels B and D one or more cains F lever P roller N and bell-crank
lever G substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of November 1890
JAMES HEARTH.
WALTER HEARTH.
WILLIAM HENRY WILLIS.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicants.