IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES."-A Com;
munication from abroad by George W. Howe and David M.
Sommerville, both of Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th July 1871.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES,"
a communication, to be as follows:-
-
This Invention relates to knitting machines, and consists in the
construction of a disc or wheel. which carries the sliding pins that
receive the loops from the needle as they are formed thercon and received

page_text: in a keeper for retaining the stitch upon the sliding pins while the
needle passes through the loops thereof and in the combination and
arrangement of some of the parts of the machine as will be herein-after
more fully set forth.
The object sought to be obtained by this Invention is the production
of a machine which in its operation shall be simple and easily understood,
and that shall imitate as nearly as possible the method of forming
stitches by the hand and the ordinary knitting needle and upon or with
which tubular or plain web goods may be knit.
The framework of the machine may have any suitable device for
attaching it to a bench or table by means of a thumb screw or in any
convenient manner. The frame is provided with suitable bearings for
the crank or pulley shaft to revolve in, the said frame being bolted or
otherwise secured to the fixed disc upon which the sliding pins rest: I
use a spool holder constructed to give the required tension to the yarn
or thread as it passes from it. The driving pulley is placed upon a
horizontal shaft which has its bearings in the frame and extends outward
beyond the disc and sliding pins sufficiently far to admit between them
and the driving pulley a feed wheel. The periphery of this driving
wheel may have a groove formed in it to receive a round belt from
any prime mover, or its surface may be formed to receive a flat belt
from the same. Upon the inner face of this driving pulley there is
formed a concentric groove in which there is placed a short shaft
which extends through the wheel, its inner end being provided with a
flange fitting into a recess therein; in this flange there is formed a groove
corresponding in size to that in the wheel. Upon the outer end of the
said shaft there is placed a crank which is held in position by means
of a set screw, and which is for the purpose of changing the position
of that portion of the groove upon the face of the pulley that is within
the flange of the shaft, to which such crank is attached for the purpose
of reversing the movements of the feeding mechanism of the machine.
I thus cause the ring carrying the sliding pins which enter the loops
after they have been formed by the needle to be rotated in either
direction. A gear wheel secured to the pulley shaft works in the frame
and in or near the centre of a disc, a portion of the periphery of the
said wheel being provided with cogs in order that it may communicate
motion to another wheel below it. Another portion of the periphery
of this wheel has formed in it a groove which'receives the inner end

page_text: of a lever or needle guide, which imparts a lateral or horizontal motion
to the needle. This groove is eccentric or cam shaped in form, it
being formed by cutting down a portion of its outer flange and
attaching in its place a piece of metal pointed at its ends, and so
arranged that when it comes in contact with the lever or needle holder
above referred to it shall cause the said lever to be vibrated horizontally
and thus give the required motion to the needle. At one end of the
metal described as giving the cam shape to the groove for moving the
lever is placed a reversible guide or switch, which is held in position by
a spring in the periphery of the wheel or in any other convenient
manner, but which is capable of being turned to guide the end of the
lever through which the needle passes upon either side of the projecting
pin upon which the loop of the stitch is retained in order that tubular
or flat web goods may be knit. Upon or within the inner surface of
the said gear wheel or that face which is nearest the driving pulley
there is formed a cam shaped groove for giving motion to a sliding bar,
the said bar being so constructed and arranged that a slot formed in it
allows it to span the driving shaft, and a pin or stud which projects
inwardly from its inner surface enters the groove in the wheel and
imparts a reciprocating movement to the bar. The outer end of this
bar is provided with a curved or cam shaped slot in which works a
stud or pin attached to the inner end of a lever or stitch retainer, so
that as the said bar is moved horizontally a vertical vibration will be
given to the ends of the said stitch retainer. Upon the under surface
of this sliding bar there is formed a groove or recess which is designed
to receive the heads upon the sliding pins, and cause them to be
withdrawn so that the loop formed by the needle may be transferred to
the sliding pins. A feeding wheel has its bearing in ears formed upon
the frame and is so arranged that some of the projections upon its
periphery alternately pass into and span the groove upon the face of
the driving pulley, while those upon or nearest its opposite side pass
between pins or projections upon or in the upper surface of the revolving
ring, and thus impart the required feed movement to the said ring.
When it is desirable to change the direction in which the said ring
moves the reversible movement of the concentric groove in the face of
the driving pulley is changed so as to produce such effect.
desirable to move the ring so as to carry more than one pin past the
needle at any one time for the purpose of knitting double goods, or for
When it is

page_text: the purpose of widening the goods, additional cams or reversible
portions are provided in the said driving wheel, or more than one groove
may be formed in the one reversible portion, which will produce the
same result. The metal disc to which the frame is attached is plain and
smooth upon its upper surface from its centre outwards to near its
periphery, where it is reduced in thickness by turning off a portion
thereof to form a shoulder against which the heads of the sliding pins
rest while being carried around such reduced portion of the said disc,
their bodies at the same time resting upon the reduced portion and
between it and the revolving ring. Segmental guides or keepers are
secured to the upper surface of the disc in such position as to be just
within the revolving ring, they being provided upon their under surface
and at their outer edges with grooves or projections, which cause a
portion of them to pass over a portion of the revolving ring and thus
form guides for it to revolve in and upon. The revolving ring carries
the sliding pins; it consists of an annular ring of metal, its under side
being provided with grooves radially arranged to receive a portion of
such pins in order that as it rotates the pins shall move with it. This
ring is held in position by means of the guides above referred to, and
has its upper surface provided with a series of pins or projections which
may be equal to one half of the number of the sliding pins, or the
number may be varied according to circumstances. Upon the inner
end of these pins a head is formed, and upon their under surface there.
is formed a groove for the point of the needle to enter so that the needle
will enter the stitch with facility. A gear wheel is held in bearings
formed in the framework which projects from the under side of the disc;
the said wheel receives its motion from the first mentioned, gear wheel,
and upon or within its faces there is formed a cam-shaped groove which
is so constructed as to give the required movement to the sliding bar
which moves the needle. To the outer end of this bar is attached a
pivoted needle holder which is so arranged that it is capable of moving
laterally therein, so that when the needle has been carried forward or
upward to its most clevated position it may be moved laterally by the
lever or needle guide so that the sliding pin may be projected while
the needle is being carried to its lowest position.
The needle is provided
with a solid shank for securing it within the holder, and with a tubular
body which extends from such shank to near its point through which
the yarn or thread passes. Near the point of the needle there is formed

page_text: an aperture through which the yarn enters near the shank, or it may
enter at the outer end of the shank if preferred. The outer end of the
said needle is reduced to a point for the purpose of facilitating its
entrance into the stitch or loop.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
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 MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad by George W.
Howe and David M. Sommerville, both of Cleveland, Ohio, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, forming a part of this Specification.
This Invention relates to knitting machines, and consists in the con-
struction of a disc or wheel which carries the sliding pins that receive
the loops from the needle as they are formed thereon; and, second, in a
keeper for retaining the stitch upon the sliding pins while the needle
passes through the loop thereof; and, lastly, in the combination and
arrangement of some of the parts of the machine, as will be herein-after
more fully set forth.
The object sought to be obtained by this Invention is the production
of a machine which in its operation shall be simple and easily under-
stood, and that shall approach as nearly as possible to the method
of forming stitches by the hand of the operator and the ordinary
knitting needle, and upon or with which tubular or plain web goods

page_text: lever or needle holder; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a part of the
sliding lever which carries the needle, the pivoted needle socket in
the outer end of such lever, and the guide through which the needle
passes; Figure 7 is a side elevation of the driving wheel, having in its
side a concentric groove, in which is arranged a reversible portion for
the purpose of changing the feeding mechanism, so that it shall move in
opposite directions; Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the pins
upon which the loop is formed; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the
needle shewing the cavity through its centre through which the yarn
passes, and the eye near its point through which it passes out of such
cavity; Figure 10 is a side view of the same. Corresponding letters and
Figures refer to corresponding parts in the several Figures.
A refers to the framework of the machine, which may consist of any
suitable device for attaching it to the bench or table by means of a
thumbscrew A, or in any convenient manner. The frame A is to be
provided with suitable bearings for the shaft to which the crank or
driving pulley is attached to revolve in, as shewn in Figure 1, the said
frame being bolted or otherwise secured to the fixed disc upon which
the sliding pins rest. A³ refers to a spool holder, which may be con-
structed to give the required tension to the yarn or thread as it passes
from it; B refers to the driving pulley placed upon a horizontal shaft,
which has its bearings in the frame A, the said shaft extending outward
beyond the disc and sliding pins sufficiently far to admit between them
and the driving pulley a feed wheel, herein-after described. The
periphery of this driving wheel or pulley may have a groove formed
in it to receive a round belt from any prime mover, or its surface may
be so formed as to receive a flat belt from the motor. Upon the inner
face of this driving pulley there is formed a concentric groove B', in
which there is placed a short shaft B2 that extends through the wheel B,
its inner end being provided with a flange fitting into a recess therein,
.and in which flange there is formed a groove B³, corresponding in size
to that in the wheel. Upon the outer end of the said shaft there is
placed a crank, which is held in position by means of a set screw, and
which is designed for changing the position of that portion of the groove
upon the face of the pulley B within the flange of the shaft to which
such crank is attached for the purpose of reversing the movements of
the feeding mechanism so that it may cause the ring which carries the
sliding pins that enter the loops after they have been formed by the

page_text: needle to be rotated in cither direction. B' refers to a gear wheel
secured to the inner end of the shaft to which the driving pulley is
attached; it works in a slot formed in the frame A, and in or near the
centre of the disc D, a portion of the periphery of the said wheel being
provided with cogs, in order that it may communicate its motion to
another wheel below it. Another portion B¹ of the periphery of this
wheel has formed in it a groove which receives the inner end of a lever
or needle guide; the latter imparts the lateral or horizontal motion to
the needle, as shewn in Figure 5. This groove is eccentric or cam-
shaped in form, being formed by cutting away a portion of its outer
flange, and attaching in its place a piece of metal; this piece is pointed
at its ends, and so arranged that when it comes in contact with the lever
or needle holder above referred to it shall cause the said lever to be
vibrated horizontally, and thus give the required motion to the needle,
as will be more fully described herein-after. At one end of tho
'piece of metal described as giving the cam shape to the groove for
moving the lever is placed a reversible guide or switch; this guide is
held in position by a spring in the periphery of the wheel, or in any
other convenient manner, but is capable of being turned to guide the
end of the lever, through which the needle passes upon either side of
the projecting pin whereon the loop is retained in order that tubular
or flat web goods may be knit. The construction and arrangement of
this groove and the reversible guide or switch are clearly shown in
Figure 4, and also their relation to the lever which guides the needle.
Upon or within the inner surface of the wheel B', or that face which is
nearest the driving pulley, there is formed a cam-shaped groove for
giving motion to the sliding bar B; this bar is so constructed and
arranged that a slot formed in it allows it to span the driving shaft,
and a pin or stud which projects inwardly from its inner surface enters
the groove in the wheel, and thus imparts the reciprocating movement
to the bar. The outer end of this bar is provided with a curved or cam-
shaped slot, in which works a stud or pin that is attached to the inner
end of the lever or stitch retainer B', so that as the said bar is moved
horizontally a vertical vibration will be given to the ends of the said
stitch retainer. Upon the under surface of this sliding bar there is
formed a groove or recess b, as shewn in Figure 4, which is designed to
receive the heads upon the sliding pins, and cause them to be with-
drawn, so that the loop formed by the needle may be transferred to the
` sliding pin. B' refers to the lever or stitch retainer above alluded to, it

page_text: being pivoted to a bracket secured to the disc D, in such a manner that
as the sliding bar B is moved the slot in its outer end shall cause the
inner end of the lever to be moved vertically, and consequently the
same motion in a reverse direction to be imparted to its outer end, such
outer end being depressed at the time when the needle is being raised to
its most elevated position, thus insuring the retention of the stitch
upon the pin until the needle has been raised to said elevated position.
C refers to a feeding wheel, its bearings being in ears formed upon the
frame A; it is so arranged that some of the projections upon its
periphery alternately pass into and span the groove upon the face of
the driving pulley, while those upon or near its opposite side pass
between pins or projections upon or in the upper surface of the re-
volving ring D2, hercin-after described, and thus impart the required
feed movement to said ring. When it is desirable to change the direction
in which the said ring moves, the reversible portion of the concentric
groove in the face of the driving pulley is changed to produce such
effect. When it is desirable to move the ring to carry more than onc
pin past the needle at any one time for the purpose of knitting double
goods, or for widening the goods, additional cams or reversible portions
are provided in the said driving wheel, or more than one groove may be
formed in the one reversible portion, which will produce the same result.
D refers to a disc of metal to which the frame A of the machine is
attached; it is plain and smooth upon its upper surface from its centre
outward to near its periphery, where it is reduced in thickness by
turning off a portion thereof to form a shoulder; against this shoulder
the heads of the sliding pins rest while being carried around such
reduced portion of the disc, their bodies at the same time resting upon
the reduced portion, and between it and the revolving ring. D', D', refer
to segmental guides or keepers secured to the upper surface of the
disc D, in such positions as to be just within the revolving ring; "they
are provided upon their under surfaces and at their outer edges with
grooves or projections, which cause a portion of them to pass over a
portion of the revolving ring, and thus form guides for it to revolve in
and upon. D³ refers to the revolving ring which carries the sliding
pins; it consists of an annular ring of metal, its under side being pro-
vided with grooves radially arranged to receive a portion of the size of
such pins, in order that as it rotates the pin shall move with it. This
ring is held in position by means of the guides D', and has its upper

page_text: surface provided with a series of pins or projections D³, which may be
equal to one-half the number of the sliding pins; but their number may
be varied according to circumstances. D' refers to one of the sliding
pins, its construction and form being clearly shown in Figure 8, where
it is shown as being bevelled from one side to form a point for passing
readily through the loop after it is formed. Upon the inner end of
these pins a head is formed, which projects from three sides thereof, but
more upon the upper side than upon the others, for the purpose of
enabling the sliding bar B or the recess in its end to take firm hold of
the pin, and thus move the same outward and inward at the proper
times. Upon the under surface of these pins there is formed a groove
for the point of the needle to enter, so that the needle will enter the
stitch with facility. E refers to a gear wheel held in bearings formed in
a framework which projects from the under side of the disc D, the said
wheel receiving its motion from the wheel B', and being provided with
cogs upon its periphery for that purpose. Upon or within the face of
this wheel there is formed a cam-shaped groove E¹, so constructed as to
give the required movement to the sliding bar which moves the needle.
E refers to a sliding bar, which is provided with a slot for receiving the
shaft of the wheel E, and with a pin or projection upon its inner end to
enter the cam-shaped groove in said wheel, in order that a reciprocating
movement may be imparted thereto. To the outer end of this bar there
is attached a pivoted needle holder so arranged with reference thereto
that it is capable of moving laterally in the same in order that when the
needle has been carried forward or upward to its elevated position
it may be moved laterally by the movement of the lever or needle
guide E, so that the sliding pin may be projected while the needle is
being carried to its lowest position. E³ refers to the needle holder,
which, as above stated, is pivoted to the sliding. bar E³, being held
thereon by means of a pin passing through both, as shown in Figure 3.
E refers to the needle guide, which is pivoted to the under side of the
disc D, its inner end entering the cam-shaped groove in the periphery of
the wheel B, and its outer end being provided with a socket, through
which the needle passes. This lever or guide is so arranged that as its
inner end is moved by the cam-shaped groove in which it works its
outer end is caused to give the lateral movement to the needle above
described. F refers to the needle, whose construction or form is shown
in Figures 9 and 10; it is shown provided with a solid shank for securing

page_text: it within the holder E³, and with a tubular body, which extends from
such shank to near its point through which the yarn or thread passes.
Near the point of the needle there is formed an aperture, from which
the yarn passes in use, and there is also an aperture through which the
yarn enters near the shank, or it may enter at the outer end of the
shank if preferred.
As a consequence of this construction of the needle I am enabled to
conduct the yarn or thread to be knit to the point where the stitch is
formed without subjecting the same to wear or abrasion in consequence
of its friction with other parts of the machine or the goods that have
been knit. The outer end of the said needle is reduced to a point for
the purpose of facilitating its entrance into the stitch or loop. The
gearing upon the bottom side of the disc I propose to cover with any
suitable cap to prevent the dust or dirt from collecting thereon, and
also to prevent any oil, should any be applied thereto, from coming in
contact with goods which are being knit.
The operation of this machine will be as follows:-The parts having
been constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, the
yarn or material to be knit is wound upon the spool in the spool
holder As, the end of such yarn being carried to the aperture in the
rear end of the needle, through which it is made to pass, and thence
through the said tubular needle to and out of the aperture near its point.
A loop is now formed and placed around one of the sliding pins, when
the machine is ready to be rotated by the application of power to its
driving wheel; the motion of this wheel B (supposing the parts to be
in the position shown in Figure 3) will cause the needle to be carried to
one side of the advancing pin, and then withdrawn by the action of the
cam-shaped groove in the wheel E acting upon the bar Es. While the
needle is in its lowest position the reversible portion of the concentric
groove in the driving wheel, comes in contact with one of the projections
on the feed wheel C, and causes it to be partially rotated, so that a
projection upon its opposite side may come in contact with one of the
projections or pins upon the ring D³, which will cause it to move so far
as to bring another pin directly over the needle; at this time the sliding
bar Ba
grasps the head of the said sliding pin, and carries it to its
position within the surface of the disc D far enough to allow the needle
in its upward movement to pass the point of such pin. The retracting

page_text: Seventh. The combination with the supporting disc of the recipro-
cating stitch holding pins, constructed and operating substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Tenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)