IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1885

page_text: 7417
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I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNITTING MACHINES
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
Articles made on a knitting machine must always have the desired shape
imparted to them in the said machine and cannot, like those made of woven
fabrics, be modified until they fit. Therefore, in working with knitting machines
a considerable amount of time is lost in counting how many needles should be put
in the work, how many turns are to be knitted, how many narrowings and
widenings are to be made and how many turns are to be knitted between each
narrowing or widening in order to ensure that each garment, if knitted in several
parts shall fit the person for whom it is intended. Not only does this counting
require much time (oftentimes proceeding more slowly than the knitting itself) but
it is also difficult, that only a few of those who work at the knitting machine are
able to master it. The others must always knit at random and then undo the
knitting and knit it anew, until it has the desired shape. In the meanwhile it
frequently happens that the thread is half worn out when the work is ready.
Knitting machines are usually provided with a device, which, when the machine
or the crank is drawn round counts to 100 turns. In plain knitting this device
may be of some though not of great, use. In most knitting it is preferable not to
draw the crank round but on the contrary backwards and forwards over the
machine and the usual counter is not of the least service. Even if this counter
were applied so as to count for all kind of knitting, it would only be of some
slight use in work not requiring any changes in the machine and as work of this
kind does not constitute one percent of the work made in knitting machines the
use of the usual counter will be easily understood.
My invention comprises what I term a calculating apparatus with separate
pattern cards. By the use of this apparatus and pattern cards the person working
at the knitting machine is relieved from all calculations previous to beginning the
work and calculating during the progress of the work is rendered superfluous.

page_text: Another great advantage is afforded by my invention, viz:- that if it be
necessary to leave the knitting machine during the progress of the work it may
instantly be seen, on returning, where the work ceased. There is consequently no
need, as otherwise there often is, to recount the knitted piece, in case the number
of turns has been forgotten. After applying my calculating apparatus to the
knitting machine any person acquainted with the mechanism of a knitting machine
can in a few hours learn how to make all that can be made on a knitting machine.
The apparatus together with a specimen of an appertaining pattern; is represented
on the annexed drawing.
and
Figure 1 shows the apparatus viewed from the top applied to a knitting machine
Figure 2 shows the saine viewed from the front.
Figure 3 is a section of the machine on the line 1-1 (Figure 2).
Figure 4 represents a part of the mechanism viewed from below.
The apparatus is secured by means of screws in the place heretofore occupied
by the usual calculating apparatus. A is a small table supporting the pattern
card C¹. Under the table A is supported a screw B having two threads crossing
one another and uniting at the ends of the screw. This screw B, is provided at
one end with a knob or handle C whereby it may be turned by hand and at the
opposite end it has a ratchet wheel D. F is an advancing rod, supported at one
end of the table A and having an alternating motion in two guides. One end of
this rod F has a button G and the other end is provided with a pawl H gearing
with the ratchet wheel D fixed on the shaft of the screw B. If necessary a
counterpawl may be used in order to prevent the ratchet wheel from returning
when the pawl H and the advancing rod F return. Small springs L and M are
provided to bring the advancing rod back and to press the pawl H against the
ratchet wheel D. In the table A above the screw B is a longitudinal groove O
serving as a guide for a small sliding piece P. This sliding piece P is provided
under the table with a movable tooth Q bent or curved and engaging with the
threads of the screw B so that the sliding piece P may, when the screw B is
turning, be moved forwards and backwards in its groove O, for when the tooth Q
reaches the end of one thread, it turns and enters the crossing thread, the sliding
piece P then begins to move in the opposite direction Above the table A the
sliding piece P has an arm R provided with a longitudinal groove, wherein a pawl
.can be moved forwards and backwards. The rack S is constantly drawn to one end
of the groove by means of a small spring T. The end of the rack S indicates upon
a scale V situated in front of the table. At the ends of this scale V are two
inclined planes X and Y designed to move forward the rack S in its groove
immediately before the sliding piece P has to turn. The sliding piece P having then
moved a little in the opposite direction, the spiral spring T brings the rack S into its
former position. This motion has for its object to cause the rack S with one of its
teeth to seize the pawl Z of a slide A°, on the arm R. The slide A° is thus brought
back as far as a tooth of the rack S every time the sliding piece P returns. On the
side of the slide A° is a small hand A" which during the motions of the sliding
piece P to the right and to the left follows a line on the pattern C and, when the
sliding piece-P returns moves the same by the motion of the slide A° fixed on the
arm R, to the next line.
On the slide B₁ of the knitting machine is secured a piece A¹ rounded or
pointed at its ends (see Figure 1). On knitting with the machine, this inclined
plane A¹ passes the button G of the calculating apparatus every time the slide B¹
of the knitting machine is turning, whereby the calculating apparatus is put in
motion and the screw B turned through a distance corresponding with one tooth
of the ratchet-wheel D. The knitted turn is thereby counted. In some kinds of
knitting both needle ranges work simultaneously, consequently two advancements
are made for each knitted turn, but the pattern may be easily made in conformity.
The pattern card C¹ (Figure 1) is arranged in the following manner. On the
back-half of the pattern-card patterns are traced of the different parts of the

page_text: Un
garment to be made, for instance a bunting coat as shewn in the drawing.
the patterns is indicated how many needles are required from the begining in order
to get the requisite width of the piece to be knitted; on the same half of the
pattern card is indicated on the sides of the patterns, which parts of the garment
are represented by the different patterns and how the knitting machine is to be
adjusted at the beginning of the work. On the other half of the pattern card,
which during the work is placed on the table A and retained there by means of
small tacks, borders or parallel lines are drawn as long as the stroke of the sliding-
piece P and the arm R of the apparatus and as numerous and at the same distance
apart as the teeth of the rack S. In the apparatus represented on the drawing,
the pitch of the screw B is such that the knitting machine knits 100 turns, while
the sliding piece P passes from one of its turning points to the other. The number
of turns knitted by the machine can therefore be indicated in hundreds at the end
of the parallel lines. The number of turns between the hundreds is to be read on
the scale V by means of the hand O. As will be seen the apparatus shewn is
adapted to count 2000 knitted turns. Here and there on the parallel lines are
signs of different shape and on the back of the card are explanations of the
signification of each sign. Thus for instance a sign may signify that the working
needles must be reduced by a certain number at one side; another sign that they
must be reduced at the other side, a third sign that the needles must be increased
on either side, a fourth sign that some of the adjusting screws of the knitting
machine must be readjusted and a fifth sign that the work is ready. It is evident
that the appearance of the particular signs is of little importance if the signification
of each sign is known. It is likewise evident that patterns may be made for any
sort of garment and that each pattern may comprise one or more of a garment.
Likewise different patterns may be made for the same kind of garment but of
different size to suit for instance children or adults.
The mode of using the apparatus is as follows, viz:—
"
A pattern card adapted to the garment or part of a garment to be made is fixed
on the table A of the apparatus and the sliding piece P and slide A° are adjusted
so that the hand A points to the beginning of the first line. This adjustment
is easily effected, for, if the pawl H is pulled down by the finger, the screw B, may
be turned by means of the knob C in any desired direction. The slide A° may at
any time be moved into any desired position on the arm R as it is only necessary
to raise the pawl Z by the finger to permit such movement of the said slide A°.
When the hand A has thus been placed at zero, as it were, and the screws of the
knitting machine are duly adjusted and as many needles taken as indicated on
the upper half of the pattern card, the work is ready to begin. At each turning
of the slide B' of the knitting machine, the inclined plane A¹ secured on the said
slide will pass the button G of the advancing rod F once, thereby causing the
pawl H of the rod F to advance the ratchet wheel D one tooth. The screw B is
thus turned to a certain extent; it may therefore be seen on the scale V, how
many turns have been knitted, until the number has attained 100, but then the
sliding piece P will have reached the end of its stroke and be ready to turn.
Immediately before the return of the said sliding piece either of the planes X and Y
advances the rack S slightly in the groove made in the arm R so that the pawl Z
in the slide A° is seized by a new tooth of the rack S. When the sliding piece P
has moved a little in the opposite direction the oblique end of the rack S glides
along a plane and will get clear of this plane when the sliding piece P has
advanced sufficiently. The rack S has once occupied its usual position, but has
during its motion brought back the slide A° one tooth, whereby the hand A..
has descended to the next line on the pattern card. It will thus be seen that
the hand A will during the operation of the machine move in one or the other
direction along one after another of the parallel lines of the pattern card, whereby
with the assistance besides of the scale V the number of knitted turns may always
be known. Moreover, every time the hand A" arrives at one of the signs on the
lines the operator knows that a certain operation has to be performed, whereby

page_text: anybody may easily and without any previous calculation knit any garment he
likes if only he has procured the requisite pattern.
It is evident that the calculating apparatus may be in some degree modified
without rendering it substantially different. Thus for instance the cross threaded
screw may be replaced by a single threaded screw, which during a certain time
turns in one direction and then in the opposite direction, and so on. This reversion
of the motion may be effected for instance by having placed on the advancing
bar two pawls turned in opposite directions. The sliding piece may then at the
one end of its stroke be caused to disengage and at the other end to cause the
engagement of the pawl.
Likewise it is evident that the manner in which motion is transferred from the
knitting machine to the calculating apparatus may be varied. Thus for instance
an upright shaft might be used, which, by means of a ratchet wheel and a pawl,
transfers the motion to the advancing rod or to the ratchet wheel of the calculating
apparatus
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
First. A calculating apparatus for a knitting machine so arranged that a hand
fixed thereon is caused, by the motion of the knitting machine by means of any
Buitable mechanism, to move successively forwards and backwards along parallel
lines on a pattern card on which ciphers or other signs are provided to indicate
the changes which from time to time must be made in the knitting machine.
Second. Pattern cards for the calculating apparatus above described, provided
with ciphers or signs arranged in parallel (or concentric) rows or groups which
ciphers or signs indicate partly the number of turns to be made by the machine
between each change of the same, partly, by the signification of the different signs,
how this change is to be effected, and partly refer to the explanations given on the
pattern whereby the adjusting of the knitting machine at the beginning of each
particular piece of work is rendered intelligible.
Dated this 30th day of September 1885.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.