IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THOMAS COLTMAN, of Leicester in the County of Leicester, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to a knitting machine described in the Specification of
a former patent granted to me for Improvements in knitting machines dated
April 16th 1880, No 1555, But instead of employing a sliding saddle I employ two
sliding cam boxes, each of which are traversed too and fro by connecting links and
levers, those belonging to the back box, being operated by an axle pin carried by a
toothed wheel at the back of the machine in the usual way, and those belonging to
the front box being operated by an adjustable axle pin carried by a disk at the
front of the machine, and capable of being adjusted on the shaft of the toothed
wheel. The back box carries two lowering cams and one raising cam, the front
box carries one lowering cam and two raising cams. The thread carrier slides are
traversed on three bars at the front, and three bars at the back, there are four
reversely screwed rods, two at the front and two at the back, each of which are
provided with stops capable of adjustment upon them.
Each box is provided with thread carrier slide drivers and springs, the drivers
being hinged to the boxes.
The remainder of the machine is of the usual construction. By which means
I am enabled to make plated work with two threads, or ordinary work with a
single thread, or a one and one stitch by suitably adjusting the disk at the front of
the machine.

page_text: and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
Figure 1 shows a front view of a knitting machine with my improvements
applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a left end view of the machine showing the parallel levers for
operating cam boxes hereafter referred to.
Figure 3 is a full sized sectional view of the operating parts and
Figures 4 to 13 are separate parts severally referred to bereafter.
Figures 7 to 10 show underside views of the several positions the canis are
placed in.
My Improvements relate to a knitting machine described in the specification of
a former patent granted to me for Improvements in Knitting Machines N° 1555
April 16th 1880.
But instead of employing a sliding saddle I employ two sliding cam boxes A A
(see Figures 1. 2 and 3) each of which are traversed to and fro by connecting
links B B¹ and a lever B³ those belonging to the back box being operated by an
axle pin carried by a toothed wheel B³ at the back of the machine in the usual
way, and those belonging to the front box being operated by an adjustable axle pin
carried by a disk C at the front of the machine the disk is capable of adjustment
on a smaller disk carried by the axle shaft of the toothed wheel, such arrangement
enables either cam box to be placed in advance of the other when one is required to
lead. The back box carries two lowering cams and one raising cam shown at
Figures 9 and 10. The front box carries one lowering cam and two raising cams,
these cams severally operate needle bits carrying needles D which slide in sleys D¹
of the usual construction.
The thread carrier slides E. are traversed on three bars E¹ both at the front and
back, between the bars there are four rods E³ each reversely screw threaded from
the centre outwards, two at the front and two at the back, each of which are
provided with stops capable of adjustment upon them, one such stop F is shown in
end view and a longitudinal sectional view at Figure's 5 consists of two parts the
inner part which is screw threaded is placed by the attendant where required on
its screw then the outer inclined part is slid over it and secured in position by a
screw as shown, the other stops F are in one piece screw threaded for the right or
left screw and bas forked clips which slide upon two of the bars E' before
mentioned, these stops F1 are moved to or from the centre of the rods E by
hand wheels E at the right end of the machine. The raising cams in the front
cam box are alternately placed in position by two sliding bolts shown at Figures 11
and 12, and the raising cam in the back cam box by the sliding bolt shown at
Figure 13. The sliding bolts in the front cam box lie parallel to each other the one
shown at Figure 11 being at the bottom and that shown at Figure 12 being above
it one or other of these bolts are caused to slide in their boxes at each traverse by
striking against either a fixed stop G one of which is secured to the front of the
machine at the left end and another to the back of the machine at the right end or
else by striking against a folded stop G₁ one of which is placed at the front of the

page_text: machine at the right end and another to the back of the machine at the left end.
When the folded stop Q¹ is in the position shown by dotted lines at Figure 3 both
the bolts shown at Figures 11 and 12 are caused to slide in their box as they
strike the stop, but upon the attendant turning up the stop Q¹ it allows the top.
bolt to slide over the fixed part of the stop which causes the bottom bolt to slide in
its box.
Each cam box is provided with two thread carrier slide drivers H and H¹ hinged
to the boxes, the driver to the top carrier slide is provided with a spring H2 and
the driver to the bottom carrier slide with a spring H¹ which keep the drivers
engaged with a clip secured to the slide (one of which is shown in front view at
Figure 4 having the thread carrier secured to the back) except when the driver is
raised clear of the slide by its sliding over one of the inclined stops For F' or by
being thrown out of work by the attendant moving one of the handles H³ upwards
the inner inclined end of which slides upon an incline on the side of a slot in the
driver and holds it clear of the carrier slide clip.
The remainder of the machine is of the usual construction.
The several cams operate as follows:-
When working with two threads one in each back carrier and one in each front
carrier, the front cam box when moved from left to right the double bolt is caused
to slide from right to left by the folded stop at the right end of the machine
causing the cams No 1 and 2 to occupy the position shown at Figure 7 but upon
the fixed stop at the left end moving the double bolt No 1 cam is lowered and
No 2 cam is raised such movements taking place at each alternate traverse, during
which movements the back cams remain in the position shown at Figure 10 being
exactly opposite the centre of the front inclines while in such position they cause
the needles to make the polka stitch fabric either plain or plaited (that is if thread
of one colour is placed in the front guides and threads of another colour in the back
guides the front of the fabric will be one colour and the back another.
When making the polka stitch fabric the front and back cam boxes are moved
simultaneously without any lead either way as shown in Figure 1, during the
above movements the folded stop at the left end of the machine at the back is
thrown back so as not to operate the single sliding bolt.
But when making the polka stitch fabric with one thread either in the back
carriers or the front carriers and the back sliding bolt has been moved by the fixed
stop at the right end of the machine the cam occupies the position shown at
Figure 10 and on the completion of the traverse to the left the folded stop moves
the bolt and places the cam in the position shown at Figure 9, during which
movements the bottom bolt only in the front carrier box is moved by the unfolded
stop at the right end of the machine and the fixed stop at the left end.
When moved by the unfolded stop at the right end both cams 1 and 2 are raised
when moved by the fixed stop at the left end No 1 cam is lowered and No 2 is left
raised, the cam No 3 having previously been lowered by the attendant.
When making a one and one ribbed fabric with the single threads as above
described I give the required lead to the front cam box by adjusting the disk C on
its carrying disk, so that such lead places the centres of the No 1 and No 2 front
cams alternately opposite the centre of the lowered back cam Figure 10.
I am aware that a carrier slide has been used on the front and another on the
back of knitting machines such as above referred to but I am not aware that four
carrier slides, two on the front and two on the back of the machine have been used
before.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is,
1. The employment of four carrier slides substantially as described and illustrated
in the drawings annexed.

page_text: 2. The construction and employment of the adjustable driving disk C to give
the requisite lead to the front cam box in advance of the back cam box.
.
3. The construction and employment of the front cams substantially as described
and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
Dated this Seventeenth day of November 1884.