Improvements in or relating to Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Circular Knitting Machines.
I, CHARLES TERROT of Cannstatt, Wurttemberg, in the Empire of Germany.
Hosiery Machine Builder, 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 circular knitting machines.
Hitherto it has only been possible to construct circular knitting frames so as to
enable different descriptions or systems of loops to be produced in the same frame
by arranging needles in such a manner that they may be operated singly.
This dispensed with the sinking of the loops and the needles reached the thread
one by one, and by drawing it through the preceding loops formed a fresh course
of loops.
This arrangement has been repeatedly adopted in the construction of English
circular knitting frames, although individually movable needles, especially when
applied to ordinary knitting frames, have been found deficient in the pressing,
opening and other operations.
This is the reason why singly movable needles have hardly ever been applied to
French circular frames.
In order however to increase the efficiency of French or similarly constructed
circular knitting frames by adapting them also to different systems of loop
formation, it being remembered that the needles in such frames are secured to the
needle-rim, it is necessary to limit as much as possible the extent of each system of
loops, so as to enable as many systems as possible to be worked on the same frame,
and also to shorten or accelerate the movements necessary for the formation of the
loops.
These results are attained by the present invention consisting in certain improve-
ments in the shape and method of operation of the sinkers and in the presser
mechanism and in the thread feeding arrangement.
As shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing the stationary depending
spindle A of the frame carries the needle-rim or disc A¹ revolving under the action
of the main shaft H operated by the gear wheels R³, R², R¹, R.
The sinkers P instead of being divided into jack-sinkers and lead sinkers are
made to answer both purposes each in one undivided piece which is held between
the needles N and in the guide-slots of the rings A*A* while it is moved along
with the needle N in the way E.
Over the lower widened portion P¹ is arranged a ring E connected with the
way El
Both guides are provided with recesses and projections as shewn in Fig. 6
between which the sinkers are adapted to move up and down.
As this motion takes place above and below the guide A° the parts E E¹, known
as eccentrics, may be provided with a very steep incline so that the movement in
question may be effected very rapidly.
By means of the eccentrics E' the sinkers are moved forwards and by means of the
push-back plates C they are driven backwards. These eccentrics also are steep and
arranged to impart rapid motion to the sinkers.
Thus one system of loops only extend from 1 to 6 Fig. 7. At 1, Figs. 6 and 7,
the sinkers are lowered for laying the loops (Fig. 3), at 2 they advance under the
hooks, at 3 the latter are pressed (Fig. 4), at 4 the loops are knocked over (Fig. 5),
at 5 the loops are locked in again by the sinkers (Fig. 2), and at 6 the next system
or course may be started.

page_text: Towards the centre of the frame, below the needles, the sinkers are curved or
bent (Fig. 1).
Their lower portions therefore, even in the knocking over or landing operation,
do not advance very far outwardly, besides a sheet iron casing O may be placed
around the whole of the lower portion of the knitting frame upon the support M
so that it may be revolved by the needle-rim A' through the medium of
gearing R, R, R, R' simultaneously with the needle-rim, and protecting at the
same time the knitted fabric W from contact with the lubricated parts of the
knitting mechanism.
Any oil or grease dripping off is conducted through O' into a groove provided in
the stationary disc B.
This disc B also carries a pinion z' which receives motion through 2³ from the
hand-wheel 2*.
With z, gear the wheels z¹ each system having a wheel z¹ of its own. Thus the
wheel z imparts motion to all the wheels z¹ and causes the screws E to be screwed
further into or recede from E' as the case may be.
These screws E* carry the eccentrics E E' of the sinkers. Thus by means
of and the eccentrics may be simultaneously and uniformly adjusted in all
systems so that the loops may everywhere be tightened or loosened in an equal
degree.
The steel ring A' inserted into the guide-ring A' protects the said guide-ring A*
from wear.
For pressing the needles N it is proposed to employ single presser-levers which
are either arranged as shewn at S in Fig. 1 in a position similar to that of the
jack-sinkers of a frame provided with loop wheels, or as represented at K
Figs. 2 to 5, that is hung or hooked on to each sinker P.
In the former case Fig. 1 the discs De D' carry the presser levers S the disc Y
moves them backwards and forwards and the two rings Y' connected by the
yoke D at the proper moment carry them downwards into position for pressing
the needle-hook.
upon
The spindle A' and with it the whole presser mechanism receives motion from
the needle-rim through D¹.
In the latter case Figs. 2 to 5 each sinker carries a pivotted lever K laterally.
As the sinkers advance this lever takes up its position upon the needle-hooks and
by passing under a presser wheel I it is presser down and accordingly presses the
needle-hooks. This as illustrated in Figure 4 takes place at the moment when
each sinker still holds its loop with its front part, while the backward portion
however is already passing the preceding loop on to the compressed needle-
hook.
This method of operation on the one hand enables hard and stiff yarn to be
worked and on the other hand accelerates the shifting and finishing motion of the
loops and also the pressing and the passing of previously formed loops upon the
hooks (2 33 Fig. 7) so that the time taken up by carrying out each system is
thus materially shortened.
In French circular knitting frames the thread is preferably fed to the needles
by means of a so called regulator, that is, by means of the gearing F F' shewn in
Figure 8 and which exists in every system.
Thus a greater or less amount of thread or yarn may be supplied according as
the teeth more or less closely gear with each other.
To enable the same feeding arrangement to be applied where the systems are
situated closely side by side a common intermediate wheel F, Fig. 1, may be
arranged which is operated from the shaft H through the wheels X X.
Over each system there is arranged a small wheel F¹ (Figs. 1 and 8) the position
of which in relation to F may be adjusted at will.
Between F and F' the thread of each system is passed in the manner shewn in
Fig. 8.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A circular knitting frame characterized by the following arrangements enabling
its circumference to be adapted for knitting different systems of loops:
:-
A. The arrangement of the sinkers (P) of which each represents a jack sinker
and a lead sinker in one piece so that they are grasped above and below their
guide-ring (A) by the adjustable eccentrics (E E¹) which are common to all
systems and are acted upon by the same gear-wheel (); the portion of such
sinkers situated below the needles being bent inwardly so as to permit of a sheet
iron casing (o) being placed around them for the purpose of preventing contact
between the knitted goods (W) and the lubricated parts of the knitting
mechanism.
B. The arrangement of the needles (N) so that they are pressed upon by
levers (SK) movable singly either in a loop-wheel or on the sinkers in which case
they meet the presser wheel (I).
C. The thread-conveying wheels (F¹) for the different systems so arranged as to
be all operated by one common intermediate wheel (F).
Dated this 11th dow of Fobmory 1801
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.