provements in Apparatus for Producing Ornamental Circular Knitted Fabrics.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1893-Accepted. 10th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Ornamental Circular
Knitted Fabrics.
We, ANDREW ELWORTHY ADAMS, WILLIAM ALFRED SHEFFIELD, and JOHN
HALLAM, of Adelaide Buildings Albion Street, Leicester, in the County of Leicester
Hosiery Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for producing ornamental
circular knitted fabrics, that is to say; upon circular knitting machines to produce
knitted ribbed stripes, fancy plaids, checks, diamonds, mottled stripes, and patterns
of different angles without tucking or throwing any loose threads in any part of the
work, at the same time producing a solid knitted fabric.
The principal object of this invention is to produce the fabric above mentioned
upon a swing jack machine forming the subject of our prior Patent No. 19534
of 1889, by the employment of some of the mechanism mentioned therein and
hereinafter described. But the apparatus can be applied to any circular knitter,
or circular knitting machine with slight modifications.
To carry our invention into effect we provide upon the bed of the machine in close
proximity to the rack or cam wheel N mentioned in our former Patent previously
alluded to a smaller rack wheel in a suitable bracket, having upon its underside
cams of various dimensions, or of various lengths (to decide the width of the check
pattern to be produced). To operate the said cam wheel, a lever is pivoted to the
bracket the outer lower end of which is provided with a roller which engages with
the ordinary revolving cam on the machine. To this lever is attached a pawl, held
in its first position by a spring.
The cam or cams on the under side of the cam wheel comes in contact with a foot
put upon the lever W, mentioned in our former Patent No. 19534 of 1889. The
inner end of which lever is under and engages with the cam w, therein mentioned
and when it is desired to break the vertical stripe into checks or diamonds the
cam to operating the frame or vertical needles by being raised, a certain
number of the needles in any number of courses, or in any part, or all of the
vertical needles can be brought in or taken out of action for the purpose above
referred to.
The machine is provided with two or more feeders each carrying different
coloured yarns, as many as may be desired. In larger machines for making vests,
jackets and the like, checked, striped, or plaid patterns can be made in exactly the
same manner and by the same means, no matter what capacity the machine is, so
long as it makes ribbed work and is provided with two or more feeders.
Any machine can be supplied with the apparatus, and any pattern of solid rib,
without the use of thread layers can be made in hose, half hose or sock legs, or by
We can
changing automatically as described in our Patent No. 7358 of 1892.
produce any change of rib, or ribbed top with welt for the wrist, and fancy
pattern for the length of web to form the hand of a glove, automatically in
lengths as may be desired.
Dated this Oth day of March 1893
W. B. MAXFIELD,
Applicants' Agent.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Ornamental Circular
Knitted Fabrics.
We, ANDREW ELWORTHY ADAMS, WILLIAM ALFRED SHEFFIELD, and JOHN
HALLAM of Adelaide Buildings Albion Street, Leicester in the County of Leicester
Hosiery Manufacturers, 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 relates to improvements in apparatus for producing ornamental
circular knitted fabrics, that is to say; to produce upon circular knitting machines
knitted ribbed stripes, fancy plaids, checks, diamonds, mottled stripes, and patterns
of different angles without tucking or forming any loose loops upon any side of the
work, at the same time producing a solid rib knitted fabric.
The principal object of this invention consists in the means of producing the
fabric above mentioned upon a swing jack machine forming the subject of our
prior invention No. 19534 of 1889 by the employment of some of the mechanism
mentioned therein and hereinafter described. Our invention can be applied
to any circular knitter or circular knitting machine baving movable needles
therein.
That our invention may be well understood drawings are annexed in which are
shown the appliances and various patterned ribbed fabrics and articles produced
thereby according to this invention."
Figure 1 shows in elevation a two feeder swing jack machine with our apparatus
attached thereto, such machine working with two sets of needles and different
coloured yarns, when the frame needles are not knitting, the machine needles
intercept and take up the knitting, and in consequence of this and, that the needles
never take two threads; no loose loops are formed on either side or face of the
fabric.
Figure 2 shows the bottom ring or bed of the machine and upper view of the
"jacquard" and apparatus for carrying out this invention.
66
Figure 3 illustrates in diagram a piece of ribbed knitted web or fabric of a
square or "check" pattern with a mottled ground.
""
Figure 4 represents a piece of web, with vertical stripes upon a mottled ground,
the dotted lines indicating that ordinary fingers and thumb can be attached thereto
in the usual way to form gloves.
Figure 5 shows another piece of web consisting of a one colored portion to form
(say) the top of a sock, or the cuff or gauntlet, and a mottled portion striped, with
another coloured thread to make the glove hand or leg portion of a sock or
the like. The "dotted line" showing that the leg portion may be extended, and
heeled and footed in any well known manner.
Figure 6 represents an article of under, or may be "over wear "such as a ribbed
shirt, vest, bodice, guernsey, football jersey or other ribbed goods of a similar kind,
the "dotted lines" across the waist denoting that another kind of ordinary or lock
stitch fabric may be knitted as a "belt" if desired, we have no claim to this only
in combination.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 represent the various cylinder jacks employed and arranged
on the cylinder in any definite manner according to the pattern to be produced, an
example of which is bereinafter explained.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the drawings.
To carry out our invention we secure to the bed or bottom ring of the machine a
bracket A carrying the rack or cam wheel N mentioned in our Patent previously
alluded to and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings and

page_text: the "jacquard" or counting apparatus in connection therewith to which is added
the small rack or "check" wheel C having upon its underside two rows of
cams D, D' which are of various lengths according to the width of the pattern
which it is desired to be produced. The said wheel C being racked by the lever E
arranged at the lower end of the vertical spindle e carried in bracket A.
In the outer end of said lever E is a roller el engaging with the ordinary revolving
cam of the machine. At the upper end of spindle e is the lever F to which is
linked the pawl G, held to the teeth of the wheel C by spring C. By the racking
of the cam wheel C the cams D, D' come in contact with and depresses the foot H
(added to the rocking lever W of our former Patent No. 19534 of 1889) and the
foot H of the lever W₁ which operate the cams 10 and 20 respectively. The said
cams are vertical sliding cams such as illustrated in our former Patent No. 19534
of 1889, which regulate the feet and tails of the cylinder needles or longitudinal
movement of such needles for the purposes of this invention as hereinafter
specified.
To make a spot or strip such as J Figure 4, or to cause a break in the "check "K
either at the corners of the pattern or in the centre of the pattern as occasion may
require and as the "jacquard" shall determine, the long tailed jacks I' Figure 8,
or may be steel wire needles of the desired form and having a stunted foot i¹ and
extended tail whereby they can be brought either into the full or half way
position and independent of the other jacks I Figure 7 (which are of the ordinary
kind) by the cam w³ controlled by the lever W₁acting upon the cam D³ of the cam
wheel C.
The vertical sliding cam to operates the jacks 12 while the ordinary jacks I are
always knitting.
The cylinder jacks 12 Figure 9 have their feet stunted and are arranged in the
tricks of the cylinder in a predetermined manner so that they are operated by the
cam at any desired point in any course or courses of knitting so as to produce
the design or its equivalent as shown in Figures 3 and 6 which show "square" or
"check" patterns in a ribbed mottled fabric to be made up into articles such as L.
Such articles being finished in any well known manner and as occasion may
require.
The jacks are set in the cylinder according to the size and width of the "square"
or "stripe" desired for example: Take two jacks each 1. 1' and 12 and arrange
them successively with two feeders of different coloured yarns the pattern produced
would be a "check of four needles wide, when by lowering the cam w the
width would be increased to six needles of the colour desired to be brought to the
front, this being regulated by each feeder.
To produce vertical stripes the five whales (or more or less) forming the stripe
of (say) "black" , the jacks I2 are lowered below the knitting race M (by
depressing the cam w¹) at the time they are passing the feeder carrying a different
coloured thread 12, which thread is not taken up by the vertical needles, but at the
next feeder carrying the "black thread," then both the machine and frame needles
come into the knitting position in as many revolutions or courses as may be
beforehand determined upon.
The stunted footed jacks take up only the "black thread" while the ordinary
footed frame as well as the machine jacks will take up and be knitting the other
coloured thread or threads employed. It will be understood that the needles only
take up one thread at a time.
To break such vertical stripe into "squares" or "checks" K Figures 3 and 6 the
cam D on the checking wheel C depresses the tail of the lever W and raises the
cam so bringing the jacks 1 into the same knitting position as the ordinary
jacks I, thereby crossing the stripe with a mottled course or courses, such patterns
being formed without any loose loops inside the fabric.
The machine needles always make two loops to the frame needles one, but if
plain fabrics were made on the machine with the herein described appliances
thereto loose loops would be made in the fabric.

page_text: The "
dogs" in the pattern chain are arranged according to the size of the
pattern it is desired to be made.
The appliances wherewith our invention is carried out are operated by the
revolution of the machine and constructed and arranged as follows; the rack
wheel C is controlled by the pivotted lever n, the outer end of which is bent or
hooked to catch against the hook end of the pawl G Figure 1 for holding the pawl
from racking the wheel C when the machine is only required to knit the top and
welt O of the sections or pieces of web to form, or which are afterwards formed
into the articles hereinbefore mentioned, the inner end of the controlling lever n
engaging with the inner ring n¹ of the cam wheel N and held thereto by a spring 2
(the racking of the cam wheel N is fully explained in our former Patent before
alluded to). When the inner end of such coutrolling lever n falls into a recess in the
can ring N, the outer end releases its hold of the pawl G, so allowing the pawi to
rack the wheel C and thereby cause as before stated the shifting of the needles to
make the fabric in various patterns as may be from time to time desired.
The yarn or yarns is fed to the needles in the ordinary manner from two or
more feeders each carrying different coloured threads as many as may be desired.
In large machines similarly constructed and which produce tubular bodies or
sleeves of vests, jackets and the like in checked, striped or plaid patterns in a solid
ribbed, or part ribbed and plain fabrics can be made by the same means and
appliances no matter what capacity the machine is so long that it makes ribbed
work.
The quantity of yarn fed to the needles is regulated by the action of each needle
in the cylinder, if it were not so and the full complement was supplied to each
feeder loose loops would be made. The apparatus can be attached to any machine
circular or flat, having self acting needles acting independently of one another by
arranging the mechanism shown and described in combination with a "jacquard
as illustrated; or others of a similar capacity. And any pattern of solid rib can be
made, without thread layers in hose, half-hose or sock legs, or by changing ribs
automatically as described in our Patent No. 7358 of 1892.
5
We are likewise enabled to produce any change of rib or ribbed top and "fast
welt" for forming the top of the wrist with the fancy pattern forming the hand of
a glove to be fingered as before stated in the ordinary manner, and made
automatically in any length as may be desired according to the article to be
produced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :
1. In the manufacture of tubularly knitted fabrics, patterning with vertical
stripes, or breaking the vertical stripes into "
"checks
squares,
spots" or the
like of a different colour to the body of the web or fabric automatically without
tucking, mis-stitching or pressing off or forming any loose loops or ends inside the
fabric, but knitting a patterned solid fabric by the aid of a "check" wheel operated
and operating in the manner herein before described.
66
2. In combination with a "jacquard pattern wheel," or counting device, a
rack or cam wheel C operated by a pawl, the latter controlled by lever operated
from or by the pattern mechanism, to operate the cylinder jacks or the feet of
self acting steel wire needles of a circular knitting machine in the manner and for
the purpose substantially as described.
"
3. The application to knitting machines of any kind having self acting needles
acting independent of one another, of a Jacquard" mechanism as shown in
Figure 2 in combination with the "check " wheel and its accessories to operate
the cams w¹ and wª, substantially as described and set forth.
4. The making of a patterned solid rib fabric consisting of stripes, squares or
checks, or mottled broken stripes into articles of hosiery such as is referred to in
Figures 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 5. Improvements in apparatus for automatically producing a solid patterned
ornamental circular knitted ribbed web or fabric, substantially as hereinbefore
described and set forth.
Dated this 9th day of December 1893.
WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
Registered Patent Agent,
Of No. 19, Bowling Green Street, Leicester, Applicant's Agent.