IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF RIBBED FABRICS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Hornbuckle Hine, of the Town of
Nottingham, Manufacturer, and William Onion, of the same Place,
Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY
Sealed the 3rd September 1857, and dated the 22nd May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Hornbuckle
Hine and William. Onion, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd May 1857.
We, BENJAMIN HORNBUCKLE HINE, of the Town of Nottingham, Manu-
facturer, and WILLIAM ONION, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF RIBBED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to the production of ribbed fabrics where similar
ribs are produced on both sides or surfaces thereof, and have for their object
simplicity in the combination or adaptation of apparatus employed, as also
superiority in the fabric produced.
Two sets of needles, each affixed to a moveable needle bar with a stationary
presser bar, are employed, but such arrangement separately is not new. The
"machine" part, or that which carries the sinker bar, hand bar, and spring bar
is stationary in place of having motion given to it, the knocking over being
effected by the motions to the needle bars. The parts are operated by rotary
motion.
When lead sinkers as well as jack sinkers are employed, the lead' sinker
bar will have a rising and falling motion given to it to cause those sinkers, as

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Hornbuckle Hine and William Onion, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, BENJAMIN
HORNBUCKLE HINE, of the Town of Nottingham, Manufacturer, and WILLIAM
ONION, of the same Place, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Benjamin Hornbuckle Hine and William Onion, Her special licence that
we, the said Benjamin Hornbuckle Hine and William Onion, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Benjamin Horn-
buckle Hine and William Onion, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RIBBED
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Benjamin
Hornbuckle Hine and William Onion, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the band
and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Benjamin Hornbuckle Hine and
William Onion, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate to the production of ribbed fabrics where similar
ribs are produced on both sides or surfaces thereof, and have for their object
simplicity in the combination or adaptation of apparatus employed, as also

page_text: да
frame, arranged to carry out our improvements; Figures 3 and 4 show two
sections of the same on a larger scale; other of the Figures show some of the
parts separately.
a, a, is the main framing; b is the driving axis, upon which are formed the
crank handles 6', by which the workman gives motion to the same; but in
place of this axis being worked by hand, it may have affixed on it a pulley or
other suitable means, by which steam or other power may be applied thereto;
62 is a fly wheel, affixed on this axis 6 to aid in equalizing its motion. Upon
this shaft 6 is affixed a. pinion 63, which takes into and drives the toothed
wheel 6, affixed upon the cam or tappet shaft 65, upon which are affixed the
various cams or tappets for effecting the various movements required,
excepting that for giving traverse motion to the thread carriers and the slur
cock; and this cam or tappet is affixed on the cross shaft or axis c, which
receives motion by having affixed thereon the toothed wheel c', which is taken
into by the pinion c², affixed upon the axis 65. d are what are called 'the
"frame" needles, and they are affixed in leads in the ordinary manner carried
by the bar d', which in this case is capable of an inclined as well as a to-and-
fro movement, for which purpose it is formed at its ends with axes to receive
the wheels or rollers d, which are capable of running on the frame. The
bar d' is, according to the arrangement shown, constantly borne towards the
front of the frame by means of springs d³ at each end thereof, whilst the
backward movement thereto is effected by means of the cams or tappets d*,
affixed on the shaft or axis 6%, acting upon the trucks or bowls &³ of the

page_text: levers do, which turn upon the fixed axes d', and at their other ends are by
pin joints connected to the bar d¹.
e are the
The inclined or dipping motion to the needles d is effected by means of the
cam or tappet ds, which acts upon the trucks or bowls d', d. The truck
or bowl do is carried by the lever d", which turns at one end upon the fixed
centre d¹³, whilst its other end is by the link d¹s connected to the lever d
which carries the truck or bowl do, and turns upon the axis d, whilst its
other end is by pin joint attached to one end of the connecting rod d¹,
whose other end is by pin joint d connected to the needle. bar d'.
"machine" needles, which are in the ordinary manner set in leads affixed to
the bar e¹, which is governed in its motion by the cams or tappets e², e². The
cams or tappets e³, e², act to draw down the bar e¹ by operating upon trucks or
bowls carried by levers e', which are by connecting rods e attached to the
' ends of the lever arms e, where those lever arms are by pin joints e* connected
to the bar e¹, and the lever arms e' are affixed to the axis or spindle bar e³,
to which are affixed other arms e, the outer ends of which are attached
to springs e¹, with a tendency constantly to bear the bar e' upwards, with the
trucks e bearing against their cams or tappets as shown; e¹¹ are adjustable
stops affixed to the framing in position to be acted upon by the levers e' to
adjust the amount of lift to the bar e¹.
The tendency of the work is
The forward motions of the needles e are effected by the cam or tappet e
acting upon the truck or bowl e¹³ carried by the arm e affixed to the bar e',
which at such times turns upon the centres e*.
to bear the needles e backwards; f is a stationary presser bar acting for both
sets of needles, and according to the arrangement shewn, there are several of
these presser bars across the frame, each acting for a width of fabric being
produced; each presser barf is supported by being affixed to arms f, f
carried by the fixed bar f. It will, however, be evident that in place of a
dipping motion being given to the needle bar, and the presser being stationary,
a like effect may be obtained by simply giving to-and fro motious to that bar,
and giving the requisite motions to the presser.
The sinkers are in the ordinary manner affixed by pin joints to jacks g',
but which, in carrying out these improvements, turn upon a fixed centre of
motion g, and the hand bar for guiding the lower ends of the sinkers is also
stationary, the sinkers simply sliding therein as acted upon by the slur cock h
and jack bar i, the "knocking over "being as already stated effected simply
by the movements of the needles d. The slur cock his operated by the
forked arm h¹, one end of which embraces a pin on the slur cock, whilst its
other end is affixed to the bar h2, which embraces with a capability of sliding

page_text: on the fixed bar h. To this bar h is also affixed an arm i¹, whose outer or
front end passes between the fork 2, projecting upwards from the bar i³,
operating the thread carriers . From the arm i projects the pin h', which is
embraced by a slot formed in the upper end of the lever hs, which turns upon
the fixed axis he, and has affixed in it the pin h', by which it is connected to
the rod hs, which carries the trucks or bowls h, acted upon in the rotation of
the shaft c by the cam or tappet h¹ affixed to that shaft, by which the required
movements are given to the slur cock and thread carriers. j is a fixed guide
for the outer end of the rod hs; m is a plate (the object of which is hereafter
explained), to which an up and down motion is given in the following
manner: Upon the axis 6' are affixed cams m³, m³, which act upon trucks or
bowls m², carried by levers m³, which turn upon centres of motion m³, and at
their other ends are connected to the lower ends of the arms mo, affixed to the
plate m; springs me tend to keep the trucks or bowls of the levers to the
cams m'.
In order that the operation of these improvements may be clearly under-
stood, we will now describe a course of working, as obtained by the arrange-
ment shown, and we will suppose the parts in the position they would assume
when the thread carriers are to take their respective threads across the breadths
of fabric, as shown by the diagram, Figure 5, and the previously formed work
will be hanging by the last formed loops upon both sets of needles. And we
will suppose that there is but one breadth of fabric being produced, as the
operations of the parts in the production of each breadth simultaneously. will,
as is well understood, be the same.
1
The thread is laid by the thread carrier on to the frame needles d, the
sinkers at the same time descending upon such thread to form a row of loops;
these needles d then go back, by which the sinkers will push the newly formed
loops under the beards of those needles d, and the sinkers then fully rising,
the needles d in their further progress backwards will be acted upon by the
presser f, in order that the portion of loops, previously formed upon the
needles d, may be knocked over them. The machine needles e now begin to
descend, in doing which they take the new loops (upon the needles d) also
under their beards, when such thread will be held by both needles; and in the
further descent of these needles e, their beards will be acted upon by the
presser f to close them, in order that the previously formed loops on their
stems may pass over their beards. The front ends of these needles then come
slightly forward, and the plate m ascends to aid the dividing of the new loops
by holding back the work, and a row of loops from the last thread will be
formed on cach set of needles, and the work will be suspended between them.

page_text: The plate m having descended, the needles d come forward, and the parts again
assume the position indicated by Figure 5, and the operations will be repeated
in like manner so long as it is desired to produce the double ribbed fabric;
but when it may be desired for the purpose of forming welts, or otherwise to
operate only with the "frame," then we prevent the needles e coming into
operation, and this we effect by means of the lever handle k, which turns
upon a fixed stud k₁, and is capable of being turned so that its back end may
come over, a pin, projecting from the arm e, to hold the bar e' down at the
time when it would otherwise rise to take portions of the new loops; and at
such times the falling bar is capable of being shifted to vary the depth of
descent of the jacks to the length of loops desired to be formed on the needles d.
This is accomplished by the lever handle which turns upon the.fixed stud
and at its inner end is by the link 3 connected to the bar l, so as to slide the
same, and the bar is formed with steps or rises " on the under side, where it
is supported upon pins or projections, and according as the falling bar is
shifted by the lever 1 to be resting by one or other of the steps ³ on the
pins, so will the variation of length of loop be effected. When lead sinkers,
as well as jack sinkers, are employed, the lead sinker bar will require to have
a rising and falling motion given to it to cause those sinkers, as well as the jack
sinkers to form loops.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the means we
adopt in carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we
do not confine ourselves to the precise details shown, so long as the peculiar
character of the improvements be retained; but what we claim is the adaptation
and combination of parts, and mode of working to produce knitted ribbed
fabrics of the character referred to, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Benjamin Hornbuckle Hine and
William Onion, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth
day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundrèd
and fifty-seven.
Witness,
WILLIAM J. HESLOP.
BENJN H. HINE.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM ONION. (L.S.)