Improvements in or Applicable to Linking Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Linking Machines.
I JULIUS KÖHLER of Limbach, Saxony, Sewing Machine Maker, 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:-
My said invention relates to improvements in linking machines.
As is well known such machines serve for linking together the end rows of the
meshes of the adjacent edges of knitted fabrics and also for linking off an open
row of meshes. To accomplish this the meshes are hung on the needles or points
of a ring or of a bar and presented to the linking machine.
In order to more clearly describe my said invention reference is hereinafter made
to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 9 shows the method of
working a linking machine as hitherto practised. There is a bent sewing needle c
with a single thread for producing the ordinary single thread linking. Such
linking is however easily unravelled and the object of my said invention is to
make use of a second thread so as to produce double thread linking which is
much more secure.
One disadvantage of a bent needle is that it is more easily broken than a
straight needle which possesses the further advantage that it can be more easily
set in the needle bar. In carrying out my said invention I therefore prefer to
use a straight needle.
Fig. shows a cross section of a circular linking machine and
Fig. 2 a corresponding view of a straight linking machine (with a straight
needle and a novel looper) constructed in accordance with my said invention.
The needle bar c' is supported in the box like framing g and has a rectilinear
reciprocating motion imparted to it by the eccentric and fork . The needle
bar c carries the straight sewing needle which passes close over the points b on
which the meshes are hung.
b
The points may be set in a ring n (Fig. 1) (revolving on a fixed disc m) or in
a bar h (Fig. 2) which is slid past the sewing needle. The sewing needle c is
supplied with a thread r.
For double thread linking I so construct the looper that the thread y is first
introduced into the looper shank and passes upwards and out through a hole /
in the looper (see Fig. 3 which is a plan of the main features).
The looper has two motions viz.-vertically and laterally whence there results a
circular motion about the needle.
This construction and mode of operating the looper is also applicable to existing
linking machines having bent needles (as in Fig. 9).
The double thread linking is shown in Fig. 8 in which the needle thread pro-
duces ordinary linking while the 'looper thread y spirally embraces the linking z.
e sequence of the operations in producing double thread linking is as
follows:-
Referring to Fig. 3 the meshes a of the fabric are supposed to be hung on points
(not shown in this figure). The straight needle c has entered the mesh and the

page_text: looper is in such a position as that the needle penetrates the loop f¹. The looper
thread issuing upwards out of the looper lies over the needle.
The looper now sinks and goes back under the needle (Fig. 4) casting its loop f¹
and carrying the looper thread half way round the needle.
After advancing still further the needle retreats to a slight extent (Fig. 5) and
thus forms a bow f in the needle thread which the ascending looper enters. The
looper now carries the loop last seized over the retreating needle (Fig. 6) and
again takes the looper thread half way round the needle.
On the further retreat of the needle the looper thread drops off it and embraces
the new loop in the manner shown in Fig. 7. The fabric now advances a
distance of a mesh the needle re-enters as in Fig. 3 when the described sequence of
operations is repeated.
The binding of the linking by the looper thread is therefore effected by the
threaded looper moving round the needle during the casting of the old loop and
the seizing of the new one so that the piece of looper thread y (Fig. 8) is laid in
front of the old loop and behind the new one and this invention is equally
applicable to a machine with a bent needle such as illustrated in Fig. 9. .
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. In a circular or flat linking machine a straight needle c mounted in a needle
bar having a rectilinear reciprocating motion substantially as set forth and shown
in Figs. 1 and 2.
2. In a linking machine the combination with a needle of a looper carrying a
thread and revolving about the needle substantially as set forth and shown.
3. The production of double thread linking (such as shown in Fig. 8) by the
use of a threaded looper which after the seizure of the loop passes over the needle
and after casting passes under the needle so as to deliver its thread alternately
before and behind the loop of the linking substantially as hereinbefore described
and shown.
Dated this 14th day of May 1897.
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M. Inst. C.E.
70 Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.