MACHINERY FOR KNITTING STOCKINGS OR VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Rand Clark, of Maine, of the United
States of America, for the Invention of "MACHINERY FOR KNITTING
STOCKINGS OR VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES."-Partly a communication from
George M. Patten, of Maine, aforesaid.
Sealed the 10th June 1870, and dated the 22nd April 1870.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said James Rand Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 22nd April 1870, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
RAND CLARK, of Maine, of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention of "MACHINERY FOR
KNITTING STOCKINGS OR VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES," and have petitioned Her
Majesty to grant unto me and my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn

page_text: Declaration that I am the first and true Inventor of such Invention in
part, the remainder having been communicated to me by George M.
Patten, of Maine, aforesaid.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Rand Clark, do hereby
declare the following Complete Specification, under my hand and scal, 5
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, making
part of this Specification, that is to say :-
The nature of such Invention may be said to consist, first, in a 1
cam wheel provided with a reversible vane, susceptable of automatic
adjustment to a right and left-hand pitch and to an annular or central
position.
Second. In the combination of a vane and comb bar with a reversing
tumbler arranged, and to operate so as to admit of a period of rest for 1
the comb bar during two revolutions of the said vane prior to reversing
the motion of the bar.
Third. In the combination of a tumbler provided with a groove and
recesses with the vane provided with a rounded projection.
Fourth. In the combination of a tumbler provided with tappet wheels 2
with adjustable dogs provided with pins.
Fifth. In the combination of a cam, grooved upon opposite sides,
with an arm carrying a needle, and also with another arm and a looper
operating shaft.
Sixth. In the combination of a needle arm with a needle carriage.
Seventh. In the combination of an index dial and its operating lever
with the comb bar, the said lever being arranged to be operated by
frictional contact with the comb bar.
2
Eighth. In the combination of dogs provided with stop pins with
the comb bar, and with index fingers serving to hold the dogs in 3
place.
Ninth. In an alarm apparatus and its combination with the knitting
machine, the purpose of such alarm apparatus being to indicate when
there may be in a thread that may be in the act of being knit by the
machine a knot which would be liable to do injury to the needle, the 3

page_text: apparatus being caused to sound an alarm or give warning before the
knot may reach the needle.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings, Figure I represents a plan
view of a comb knitting machine; Figure 2 represents an end elevation
and section of the comb; Figures 3 to 7 represent various positions:
assumed by the needle looper and knocking-off bar with reference to
each other and the teeth of the comb in the process of knitting;
Figure S represents a front view of the cam wheel and needle bar, with
parts broken away; Figure 9 represents a side view of the same also
with parts broken away: Figure 10 represents a plan view of the regis-
tering wheel, and the means of operating the same; Figure 11 repre-
sents a cross section of the bearing of the cam wheel shaft, on the
line xx, of Figure 1, and Figure 12 represents a detached portion
showing the tumbler for changing the spiral vane on the cam wheel;
Figure 13 is a top view; Figure 14. a side elevation, and Figure 15 a
front clevation of the alarm apparatus hercin-before mentioned. Similar
lctters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the bed frame of a knitting machine, from which rises
the curved and branched bracket B; C represents a comb provided with
fingers whereon the loops are formed. The said comb is arranged to
reciprocate on the bed in suitable guides to carry the fingers past the
needle and looper, and for that purpose is provided with a rack bar a,
into which gears a helical vane a¹ on the cam wheel D, which receives
motion from the driving wheel E by gears, or in any other suitable
manner. To provide for moving the comb in either direction, one end
of the vane a¹ is arranged to assume automatically a right or left-hand
pitch in the following manner:—
a², Figure 8, represents a rotating tumbler, arranged in a recess in the
cam wheel D, provided with journals and star wheels on each end, and
with a spiral groove a³ in the periphery of the portion between the
journals, which traverses from one end of the enlarged portion of the
tumbler to the other, and back again to the place of starting at one
revolution of the same around the said tumbler. Recesses a* are also
provided in the tumbler on each side at the angles where the groove
changes its direction, which recesses communicate with the groove. The
movable end of the helical vane is provided with a projection a³ which
takes into the said groove passing through a slot in the face of the cam

page_text: wheel D, communicating with the recess wherein the tumbler is arranged.
The said projection springs into the recesses at in the tumbler, after
each change of the vane has been effected, which will be presently
described, and rests therein during the movement of the comb bar from
point to point where the changes are effected. The star wheels on the
tumbler are provided with four teeth or tappets. a represents dogs
which are attached to the rack bar so as to slide thereon, and may be
secured at any desired point by the swinging levers a', which drop into the
notches between the teeth of the rack bar. The said dogs are provided
with studs as. The swinging levers a are bent from cach side toward
the tumbler, and serve as gauges for setting the dogs. When the comb
bar has been moved in either direction, so as to bring one of the dogs aª
nearly into contact with the cam wheel D in the revolution of the latter,
a tappet on the star wheel on the side next to the dog will strike the
pin as on the said dog, and the tumbler will thereby be turned a quarter
of a revolution, which will move the vane on the periphery of the cam
wheel, from a helical to an annular position, whereby the movement of
the comb bar in either direction will cease, while the motion of the
other parts of the machine will continue. As the cam wheel D however
makes another revolution, another tappet on the star wheel will be
brought into contact with the pin as on the dog, and the star wheel
again moved a quarter of a revolution, whereby the vane will be again.
moved into a helical line, but in the direction opposite to that it occupied
previous to the movement of the tumbler, whereby the comb bar will be
again set into motion, also in the opposite direction, which will continue
until the dog a on the other side of the cam wheel comes up and
effects a similar change of the vane. As the vane is central, or in the
same plane, for the greater portion of the circumference thereof, the
motion of the comb bar is intermittent. By reason of the continuance
of the comb bar in its position during two revolutions of the cam wheel
at the point where its direction of motion changes, as above explained,
two stitches are made on one finger, at the outer edges of the fabric,
thereby giving to the edges their full complement, which would not
otherwise be the case; F represents the needle arm, and G represents
the looper arm, both of which are pivoted to the bracket B and actuated
by cam grooves in the side of the cam wheel D. The arm F is provided
with a stud 6 which projects into the groove b¹ of the cam wheel, whereby
a swinging motion is communicated to the said arm. The lower end of

page_text: the said arm is provided with a slot and a spring, which latter is provided
with a stud and a hook 5. The stud b projects through a hole in
the needle arm F. The toc 6° of the needle arm and the heel barc
angularly shaped as shown in the Drawings, for the purpose of locking
tightly with the needle carriage H, which is provided with a notched
recess to correspond with the foot of the needle arm. The needle
carriage is provided at its lower edge with a semicircular recess and
fits into the groove b² in the bottom of the foot of the needle arm, and
the spring hook 5 catches under it in the groove, whereby the needle
carriage is casily attached or detached from the carrier, and is also
firmly connected to it; I represents a yarn tension wheel, supported on
a pin secured to the needle carriage; 6s represents the needle and ³ the
knocking-off bar; K represents the twisted looper shaft, to which the
looper head c¹ is adjustably connected, being provided with a socket,
into which the end of the shaft K fits, and is held therein by a set screw.
The looper shaft is arranged on its bearings so as to slide lengthwise
therein, and is moved in either direction by the forked arm G, at the
same time that it communicates rotary motion to the said shaft. The
outer end of the shaft is provided with a pin, which, coming in contact
with the circular cam c³ governs the forward movement of the looper
toward the comb teeth, in respect not only to the said forward movement
but also in respect to the position of the looper in its rotary movement
at the time of the said forward movement.
By reason of the above described arrangement for driving the needle
and looper from two sets of apparatus actuated by two distinct cams, I
am enabled more effectually to adjust the movements of one relatively
to another, whereby the needle does not run into the looper until that
is withdrawn and turned around enabling the looper to run close to the
needle on the return stroke; h represents a dial plate for registering the
number of rows knit, and is actuated by the spring pawls d, d², con-
nected to the vibrating lever d², pivoted to the bed at d³, and provided
at its other end with a socket, in which is secured some frictional
material, arranged to be held in close contact with the back face
of the comb bar, which gives it motion in either direction, each
movement of the comb bar moving the wheel one degree. The pins d'
in the bed prevent the lever moving too far. The bracket B is provided
with a long circular boss B', having a cylindrical opening through

page_text: it, in which is fitted the eccentric sleeve B³ provided with a handle B³,
projecting through the circumferential slot B' in the boss B¹. The shaft c
of the cam wheel D is fitted within the eccentric sleeve B², which serves
as a bearing for it. By means of this arrangement the cam wheel may
be raised or lowered, so as to connect the vane a¹ with or disconnect it
from the teeth of the rack bar.
The operation of the knitting machine which is the subject of the
aforesaid improvements, which I have applied to it, is as follows:-The
fabric being suspended from the fingers of the comb, as represented in
Figure 3, the needle is caused to move forward, together with the
knocking off bar, at the proper time, by the cam D driving the point
through the loop on the finger, and afterward knocking it off as shown in
Figure 4 on to the needle. At this moment the looper is moved forward
and also commences a rotary motion, engaging its point in the loop of
yarn which hangs under the needle, between the eye of the same and
the connection of the yarn with the old loop, as shown in Figure 5,
which it takes up, and carries with it in its rotary movement, until it
arrives at the position shown in Figure 6, at which time its rotary motion
ceases, but it moves forward following the needle, which now begins to
recede, until the position shown in Figure 7 is assumed, at which time
the looper ceases its forward movement, while the needle continues its
backward movement, withdrawing from the loop and tightening up the
yarn, so that its tension holds the newly formed loop on the finger,
while the looper recedes to its first position, leaving all the parts as
indicated in Figure 1.
The alarm apparatus shown in Figures 13, 14, and 15, may be thus
explained -A in such Figures is a bell mounted on a spindle B, from
which there extends an arm C. Extending through the said arm and
pivoted therein is a short shaft D. A fork E projects from one end of
the shaft. Furthermore, a hammer F is extended from the other end
of the shaft and into the bell. A helical spring G hitched upon a
stud H projecting from the shaft and also hitched upon a hook I pro-
jecting from the arm near the bell spindle, serves to throw the hammer
against the bell, when the fork brings up against a stop K projecting
from the arm, the whole being arranged as represented. A thread
guide L may also be extended from the arm, and with respect to the
fork, as shown in the said Figures 13 and 14. This alarm apparatus is

page_text: to be applied to the knitting machine at some proper place between the
spool and the needle thereof, the thread from the spool being run
between the next adjacent prongs of the fork, or, in other words, first
through the cyc of the guide, and next through the fork, there being
narrow slits or spaces between its prongs. In case there may be a
knot in the thread, such knot on being drawn in contact with the fork,
will cause such and the bell hammer to decline until the knot may
slip out from between the prongs. Immediately on such taking place.
the fork will be set free, and the spring will throw it back to place
against the shoulder or stop, and also throw the hammer up against the
bell, and thereby sound an alarm.
I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,—
1. The cam wheel D, provided with a reversible vane susceptable of
automatic adjustment to a right and left hand pitch and to an annular
or central position, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2. The combination of the vane and comb bar with a reversing
tumbler, arranged and operating as described; so as to admit of a period
of rest for the comb bar during two revolutions of the said vane prior
to reversing the motion of the bar, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
3. The tumbler a provided with the groove a³ and recesses a' in
combination with the vane a' provided with the rounded projection a³,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. The tumbler a² provided with tappet wheels, in combination with
the adjustable dogs aª provided with pins a³ substantially as and for the
purpose described.
5. The cam D grooved upon opposite sides, in combination with the
arm F carrying the needle and the arm G, and looper operating shaft,
substantially as described, for the purpose specified.
6. The combination of the needle arm F with the needle carriage H,
when connected together, substantially as and for the purpose described.
7. The combination of the index dial and its operating lever & with
the comb bar, when said lever is arranged to be operated by frictional
contact with the comb bar, substantially as and for the purpose
described.

page_text: S. The combination with the comb bar of the dogs a provided with
stop pins as and with the index fingers a', which also serve to hold the
dogs in place, substantially as and for the purpose described.
9. The alarm apparatus as herein-before described, also the com-
bination of such or its equivalent with a knitting machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Rand Clark, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March A.D.
1870.