Improvements in and relating to Knitting Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., .1894
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
IIVOY INTONAL
Improvements in and relating to Knitting Machines.
THOMAS BILLSON and WALTER HARRY PARTRIDGE trading as Billson &
Partridge Church Gate Leicester Glove and Hosiery Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
This invention has reference to improvements in and relating to power driven
rotary knitting machines, the object being the production of power rotary knitting
machines upon which plain or ribbed knitted articles or fabrics may be manufactured
with warp threads knitted therein.
According to this invention the knitting machine is fitted with a number of warp
thread guides the number and arrangement of which depends upon the article and
the pattern required. These warp thread guides are carried by mechanism which
allows of them being moved both horizontally and vertically such movements
being obtained by means of cams, jacquards or other pattern mechanism.
There may be one or more sets of warp thread guides which may be actuated by
the same or separate mechanism, and the warp threads may be taken from bobbins,
or beams.
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2
1004
Improvements in and relating to Knitting Macnines.
THOMAS BILLSON and WALTER HARRY PARTRIDGE trading as Billson &
Partridge Church Gate Leicester Glove and 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 and applicable to power driven rotary
knitting machines having fixed or movable needle bars, and upon which plain or
ribbed fabrics may be made, the object of this invention being the provision of
means for enabling knitting machines of the kind referred to, to produce knitted
fabrics with warp threads incorporated therein.
According to this invention the warp threads are laid upon the needles by means
of warp threads guides which are arranged relatively to the needles according to
the work required, and are so fitted and actuated that they may be moved
horizontally and vertically, such movement being obtained by pattern wheels,
jacquards, cams, or other suitable pattern mechanism.
The machine may be fitted with more than one set of guides which may be moved
together or independently, and the threads used may be drawn from bobbins or
beams, the latter being used by preference.

page_text: This invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings which show the
application of the invention to machines having fixed needle bars. In the
accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of part of a knitting machine showing the mechanism
for wrapping the warp threads round the needles.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the wrapping mechanism.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the wrapping mechanism.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of one arrangement for using two sets of guides.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a second arrangement for using two sets of
guides.
Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the arrangement shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a plan of the same, and
Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating the method of working the guides.
The apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrates the application of a single
set of guides to a rotary knitting machine of the usual construction, the needles a
being mounted upon a fixed needle bar b. The machine has the usual sinkers of
which the dividing sinkers are shown at c, and these sinkers, the thread carriers
and the other usual parts of the machine, are arranged and actuated in the ordinary
manner.
The warp thread guides d are according to this arrangement carried by a bar e
capable of sliding endways on an angle barf which is mounted in bearings f' and
fitted to slide in the same. The bearings f¹ are carried by brackets f2 from the
links c which give the to and fro motion to the sinkers. The bracket fat one end
of the machine is also arranged to carry an axle g upon which is mounted a ratchet
wheel g', pattern wheel 92 and a claw wheel g³, these three wheels being so connected
that they rotate as a single wheel when racked by the clawker g, and are held
between each movement by a spring claw go which is attached to the extremity of
the bracket f. On the ends of the angle barf there are axles f³ one of which
by means of a spring is pressed up to the face of the pattern wheel g³ and according
to the cutting of the same the bar and the guides d are moved to and fro.
According to the arrangement shown the wheel g² moves the bar ƒ and the warp
guides through a space equal to the distance between two adjacent needles, and is
used for wrapping the warp threads on the top of the needles when the guides have
been raised above or through the same. For raising and lowering the guides the
bar fis provided with an axle f' which is connected by a suitably shaped link to a
cam lever which is actuated by a cam on the cam shaft.
The pusher h for pushing the warp threads up to the work, so that they may be
incorporated in the same, is supported by bearings which are attached to the
plate e, and the pusher is provided at each end with axles h² to which links h³ from
the actuating lever h* are attached, this lever being itself actuated by a cam on the
cam shaft.
The mechanism used for moving the guides to and fro for laying their threads
upon particular needles, comprises a pattern wheel e¹ which is mounted upon an
axle and is rotated at intervals by a ratchet wheel e³ and a clawker which is
connected to any convenient cam lever. The wheels e¹ and e³ rotate together and
are held between each movement by a claw wheel e¹ and a suitably disposed spring
claw. The plate e is also provided with a foot e and a regulating screw which
bears against a rod e fitted to slide in a bracket e and held up to the pattern wheel
by a spring attached to the plate e, this arrangement moving the guides so that the
threads may be laid upon the selected needles.
The warp threads are drawn from a beam fitted with a tension arrangement and
may have also a let-off mechanism. From the beam the threads pass over a rod d'
to the guides d, which are arranged to wrap over certain needles according to the
desired effects required. When in operation the guides d rise through the
needles a and are then moved by the wheel g² to the left or right a distance equal
to one needle. The guides then descend, and the pusher bar pushes the threads
up to the sinkers, and the course is completed in the ordinary manner. The

page_text: wheel e¹ is then rotated one division and moves, or allows the guides to move on
the bar fone needle to the right or left after which the guides rise through the
needles and are moved by the wheel g² to the right or left. The pusher then
comes into action and the course is completed. The third and following odd-
numbered courses are then made in the same way as the first described course,
and the even numbered courses in the same way as the second described course,
the guides moving over and under the needles in a line which is similar in
appearance to the figure eight.
When more elaborate patterns or designs are required the machine is fitted
with two sets of guides, and these according to the arrangement shown in Fig. 4
are so fitted that the threads from the upper guides may be laid over the needles
in the same way and with the same facility of being moved to select the particular
needles as the single set of guides heretofore described, while the lower set of
guides though fitted with the same means of selection as the upper set can only lay
their threads on the needles when they do so in conjunction with threads from the
upper set of guides. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 both sets of
guides are arranged to work as independent sets hence the threads from both sets
of guides or from either set may be laid upon the needles as desired.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 the needles a, the sinkers, the thread
carriers and the other usual parts of a rotary knitting machine are arranged and
actuated in the ordinary manner.
The guides and I are carried by bars k¹ and l' which are fitted to slide on a
bar m, this bar being carried by bearings and moved endways with both sets of
guides for wrapping the threads on the needles in the same way as the bar f shown
in
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and described in the foregoing part of this Specification. The
machine is also fitted with a pusher bar h mounted and actuated as herein described.
The bars k¹ and are fitted with brackets k² and 2 having adjusting screws which
are held in contact with the pattern wheels 3 and 13 by suitably disposed springs.
These wheels are shaped to give an end wise movement to the guides for selecting
the needles, and are similar in construction to the wheel e¹ Fig. 3 and are rotated
similarly by a ratchet wheel n. With this arrangement the bar m and both sets of
guides are rocked vertically by one of two cams. One of these cams raises the
upper set of guides through the needles, while the other cam raises both sets of
guides through the needles. For bringing either of the cams into action the truck
of the cam lever is fitted to move on its axle from one cam to the other by means
of a forked lever which embraces the truck and is worked by pattern mechanism,
this being a common arrangement in hosiery machines for effecting the same
object.
With this arrangement of guides it is possible to wrap threads round any
particular needle by the upper guides or by both guides, and if, say, adjacent
guides in the upper set are supplied with different coloured yarns, it is possible to
wrap a thread from a bottom guide with either of the threads from the upper guides
and in any determined order.
The arrangement shown.in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 is designed so that either or both
sets of guides may be used, the needles a and the other usual parts of the
machine being fitted and actuated in the ordinary manner. The upper guides o
are carried by a bar o' which is capable of being moved to and from the needles a
on a bar o², which is itself capable of moving end ways and carrying with it the
bar o and guides o' on a bar o³, which moves end ways in its bearings for wrapping
the threads on the needles, and carries the guides with it when so moved.
The lower guides p are carried by a bar pl fitted to slide endways on a bar p³
which is moved end ways for wrapping the threads in the same way as the bar o'.
For obtaining the rocking motion of the guides, which is always great enough to
carry both sets of guides through the needles, and at the same time allow the
threads from either set of guides to be wrapped on the needles, the ends of the bars
are arranged as shown in Fig. 6. At the end shown, the bar o³ is bent to carry an
axle
q which is mounted in bearings and held up to a pattern wheel q' by a spring,

page_text: the wheel q¹ having a ratchet wheel q² and claw wheel g³, similar to, and actuated
in the same way, and for the same purpose as the wheels g', g², and g³ described
with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. At the other end of the machine the bar p' is
bent to carry an axle which is in a line with the axle g and it is held upon a
pattern wheel, which is similar and similarly worked to the wheel q², this arrange-
ment enabling either bar to be moved as required for the wrapping process. It
will of course be understood that with the exception of the wrapping motion, the
bars o³ and p² rock on their axles as a single bar, and that suitable means are
provided for holding the bars together, allowing either bar to slide on the other,
and for rocking the two bars.
Now in addition to the wrapping movement of the guides, each set has a
selecting movement, and the upper guides have also a movement to and from
the needles. For the selecting movement each set of guides is fitted with a
pattern wheel which is actuated by a ratchet wheel and clawker. The guides o
are moved for selection by a wheel carried by the bar o³, and the guides p
by a similar wheel which is carried by the bar p². On the same axle as the
wheel r, and rotating with it is a wheel which moves the guides o to and from
the needles through a link 2, lever ³, and slot r, this latter being formed in a
projection on the bar o'. By preference we use two or more levers r³ which are
connected together and moved simultaneously by a link r³.
The threads p for the lower guides p are led over a rod p³ to the guides,
and the threads of for the upper guides over a rod of and between the bars o²
and o³, thus allowing the lower guides to be moved without coming into contact
with the threads of. The plate o³ is made with facings or bearing surfaces o
for the plate o³ to ride upon, such facings being arranged according to the require-
ments, and construction of the machine.
In the foregoing description pattern wheels are referred to as the means adopted
for giving the various movements to the guides, these being simple means well
understood, but instead of such wheels pattern chains, jacquards, or other equivalent
pattern mechanism may be used for the same purpose.
The method of laying in the warp threads with a single set of guides is illustrated
in Figs. 8 and 9. In the upper diagram, Fig. 8, the pattern wheels are arranged
to move the guides over one needle to the left, then under one needle in the same
direction and back again in the reverse order. In the lower diagram the same
cams are used but they are timed differently. According to this arrangement the
guides move over the needles, one needle to the left, then under the same needle to
the right, over the next needle to the right and under the latter needle to the left.
The diagram shown in Fig. 9 represents the movements of the guides when
wrapping the threads on four adjacent needles, the direction in which the guides
move being indicated by the arrow heads. It will be noticed that in these
diagrams the guides move, when over the needles, in opposite directions alternately.
The same diagrams may be used for representing the movements of the upper
guides shown in Fig. 4, to which the lower guides would add a thread whenever
they were raised through the needles.
When two sets of guides are used, and each set is required to move independently,
it will be readily understood, that if the threads from the upper set had to pass
between the lower guides, and the latter were moved a few needles sideways, that
there would be a liability of the upper threads being raised through the needles
and wrapped on the same by the movement of the lower guides. This liability is
overcome by passing the threads from the upper guides between the plates o³ and o
as already described. Again by making the movement of each set of guides
independent it is possible to raise both sets of guides between certain pairs of
needles, move one set to the right or left and lower them between other pairs of
needles, and also to lower the other set of guides through the same pairs of needles
between which they were raised, the threads to the latter set of guides being held
tight by the tension appliance on the beam. By this method the upper guides may
be raised and lowered through the needles and the threads wrapped by the upper

page_text: guides for an indefinite number of times, but when the threads are to be wrapped by
the lower guides only it will be seen that after a number of courses have been made.
the threads to the upper guides, when they have been raised to the position o* Fig. 5,.
are in danger of being caught by the lower guides as the latter move sideways..
This liability is overcome by moving the upper guides nearer the work as shown
at ox, and increasing the space between the ends of the lower guides and the
threads from the upper guides. It will be seen however that when the guides o are
moved as described, the threads cross each other at o and that the lower. threads.
might still wrap the upper threads on to the needles, but this may be avoided by
arranging the pattern wheels to work the guides according to the following method,.
reference being made to Fig. 10. In this figure the needles, upper guides and
lower guides are represented by the circles a, o, and p respectively. At the
diagram A both guides are below the needles, and the threads are supposed to be
attached to the same point in the fabric. At B the guides have been raised
through the needles, and as shown in Fig. 5 the threads from either or both sets.
may be wrapped round the needles. In the following diagrams the upper guide
thread is supposed to be last knitted in at a point which is some courses below the
needles. At C both guides are below the needles and at D above the same.
the lower guides are now moved sideways as at E they would cross the upper
threads at op Fig. 5 and wrap them round, or lay them on the top of the needles..
This objection is overcome by giving the lower guides a side movement under
the needles from the position shown at F to the position shown at G, causing
the threads to cross at o p¹ Fig. 5. The guides are then raised as at H, and the
lower guides moved to wrap their threads on the needles, after which both sets of
guides are lowered and the upper threads imprisoned by the lower threads at the
completion of the course as shown at I, after which the threads are practically in
the position shown in diagram A.
If
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
\
1. The combination with power driven rotary knitting machines of a single
set of warp guides, which are fitted to move vertically and horizontally for the
purpose herein set forth.
2. The combination with power driven rotary knitting machines of a single
set of warp guides fitted to slide horizontally on their carrying bar for selection
purposes, and to move horizontally with their carrying bar for wrapping purposes,
and to rock about the same axle for carrying the guides through or between the
needles substantially as herein described.
3. In a single set of warp guides when used in conjunction with a power driven
rotary knitting machine, the provision of pattern mechanism such as the wheels e
and g² for actuating the guides substantially as herein set forth.
4. The combination with power driven rotary knitting machines of two sets
of warp guides arranged as shown in Fig. 4 and actuated as described in the
accompanying Specification.
5. The general arrangement and combination of the parts shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3
and described in the accompanying Specification.
6. The general arrangement and combination of the parts shown in Fig. 4 and
described in the accompanying Specification.
7. The combination with power driven rotary knitting machines of two sets of
warp guides so mounted and actuated that both sets of guides move vertically at
the same time, and may move horizontally either together or independently.
8. In a power driven rotary knitting machine fitted with two sets of warp
guides, arranging and actuating the upper set of guides so that they may be
moved for selecting and wrapping purposes independently of the lower set of guides
substantially as berein described.
9. In a power driven rotary knitting machine fitted with two sets of warp
3

page_text: guides, arranging and actuating the lower set of guides so that they may be
moved for selecting and wrapping purposes independently of the upper set of guides
substantially as herein described.
10. In an arrangement of two sets of guides of the kind shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7
the provision of means such as a space between the bars o³ and o³ for enabling the
threads to the upper set of guides to be carried to the beam supplying the same
without passing between the lower guides.
11. In an arrangement of two sets of warp guides of the kind shown in
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 constructing the guide carrying bar of two separate bars such
as o and p³, and the provision of means for enabling the two bars to be rocked
as a single bar, and to be moved endways on each other as herein described.
12. The general arrangement of the two sets of warp guides shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7
and the combination with the same of means for actuating them as herein set forth,
substantially as described in the accompanying Specification.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1894.
W. H. POTTER, M.I.M.E.,
Nottingham, Patent Agent.