Improvements in Flat Knitting Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flat Knitting Machines.
I FRIEDRICH RABE of Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany, Hosiery Manufacturer, 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 consists in the application to flat knitting machines of a new
device for securely seizing and operating only those of the selfacting needles
which are to be used in narrowing.
In order to more clearly set forth my said invention I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 represents a transverse section of so much of a knitting machine as is
necessary for explaining the application and operation of my said invention.
Figs. 2 to 13 show details of the parts to which reference is hereinafter made.
A plate a (Figs. 1 and 3) is mounted so as to be capable of sliding along the
prismatic bars forming a guide f in a direction parallel to the needle bed i of the
machine.
The guides on both sides of the machine rest on brackets o in such a manner
that they may be slid towards the needle bed. The plate a can slide along the self-
acting needles h. The end studs of the guides fare carried by arms f the
positions of which are controlled by the eccentric shaft p at the outside of the
machine. Mounted on the same guide f as the plate a and moving simultaneously
with it in the direction of the needles is a slider in a slot 62 of which engages the
pin d¹ of a bell crank lever d'd d² which has its fulcrum d in the nut g (Fig. 1)
which travels along the guide rod gl. A pin on the lower arm of the bell crank
lever d¹ d d takes into a slot in the bar m carried by arms m¹ controlled from
the eccentric shaft p.
The screw spindle e Fig. 1 (with which the nut 9 engages) is carried in suitable
fixed bearings in the frame of the machine and consequently it does not move with
the guide f.
The upper edge of the plate a (Fig. 3) is so wide that those selfacting needles
which are used for narrowing may be lifted. (In Fig. 3 four needles are dealt with.)
The plate a has a small recess a¹ in order that the fourth needle may not be lifted so
high as the other three needles.
The selfacting needles of the knitting machine after forming the meshes are never
in a perfectly straight line. When narrowing the plate a is therefore first of all
brought up against the feet h¹ of the needles so as to set then in line. Then the
slider is moved up to the plate a (as shown in Fig. 4) in which position the
upper hook like prolongation 61 of the slider b takes over the feet h' of the needles.
The necessary motion of the slider bis derived from the partial rotation of the bell
crank lever d' d d about its fulcrum.
The first three needles are finally lifted so high that the meshes come over the
tongues of the selfacting needles h (Fig. 4) and the covering needles k present
themselves. The fourth needle is however only lifted so high as that the mesh
opens the tongue recoils and remains lying on it.
The selfacting and the covering needles are now drawn down (the former some-
what more rapidly than the latter) so that as shown in Fig. 5 the meshes remain
suspended on the covering needles. The covering needles are now lifted over the

page_text: knocking over comb (Fig. 6) and are shifted laterally through a space equal to
the pitch or distance apart of the needles in order to transfer the meshes to other
needles (Fig. 7). The lateral shifting of the covering needles k is effected by
means of the screw (Fig. 1). Simultaneously with this shifting the slider b and
the plate à are slid through the same distance by means of the screw spindle e.
Since the nut g carries the bell crank lever d' d d it follows that on the rotation of
the screw e the bell crank lever (Fig. 4) is shifted and the pin d¹ of the latter shifts
the slider b which takes along with it the plate a lying against it.
The covering needles now present themselves to the selfacting needles 2 to 4 and
while the selfacting needles are again lifted the covering needles return to their
position of rest having again delivered their meshes to the selfacting needles.
The raised selfacting needles are now drawn back and as soon as they reach the
working position for forming the meshes (Fig. 8) the slider is again retired
through the space of four needles by the bell crank lever d' d d (Fig. 4).
Since however the bell crank lever has been shifted the distance of one needle the
hook like prolongation 6 of the slider b remains over the foot of the empty needle
number 1 (Fig. 8) and when the slider b and the plate a retreat they as well as
this empty needle are brought out of the range of the knitting machine lock s
(Fig. 2) as may be seen from the right hand half of Fig. 1.
In wide machines the narrowing takes place while the locks (Fig. 2) moves
between the two narrowing points x and y.
In narrow machines the narrowing takes place at x while the slide moves along
the whole needle bed as indicated by the arrow 2 and the narrowing only takes
place at y after the return and when the lock has passed y.
I wish it to be understood that my said invention is not limited to the herein-
before described particular construction or shape of the slider or the particular
mode described of operating the same in combination with the plate a. In the
drawings I have shown various modifications of these parts.
Fig. 9 shows the plate a hinged at g to a slider q somewhat like a pair of
scissors and which is caused to move sideways over the needle feet (Fig. 10) by
means of pins ¹ q' fixed on the traverse nut engaging with corresponding grooves
or cam surfaces when the plate a is lifted.
Figures 11 12 and 13 show still other modifications or alternative constructions
acting however on the same general principle.
In Figs. 11 and 12 the slider r is hinged at right angles to the position shown
in Fig. 9 so as to work to and from the needle bed i. On being pushed up the
slider is caused to assume the dotted position shown in Fig. 12 so that only the
upper edge of the plate a acts on the needles. When the needle feet are brought
into line by the plate a the slider drops on them as shown in full lines in Fig. 12
and the sequence of operations ensues as described with reference to Fig. 1.
In Fig. 13 the slider v₁ is hinged so as to swing in the same direction as described
with reference to Figs. 11 and 12. The hinge pin v (corresponding to " of Fig. 12)
is mounted on a separate shaft so that the slider v' may work in the direction of the
needles quite independently of the plate a. In this case the plate a first raises the
needle feet while the slider v swings back into the position indicated by dotted
lines and then swings down against the needle bed. In order however to ensure
the slider taking over the needle feet the space t is made greater than the needle
feet. The plate a continues to rise until the needle feet are held without play
between the end of the slider and the plate a. Thereupon both the plate a and
the slider v descend simultaneously and bring down the needles..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a flat knitting machine the combination of a plate for lifting the needles
of such a width as. only to act on the needles, used for narrowing in combination
with a slider for depressing the needles substantially as set forth and shown,

page_text: 2. In a flat knitting machine the combination of a needle lifting plate a with a
laterally operated slider b engaging over the feet of the needles substantially as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described and shown with reference to Figures 1, 2
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In a flat knitting machine the combination of a needle lifting plate a with a
laterally hinged slider g for depressing the needles substantially. as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described and shown with reference to Figures 9 and 10 of
the accompanying drawings.
4. In a flat knitting machine the combination of a needle lifting plate a with a.
slider (or v) for depressing the needles hinged (either directly on the lifting plate
or on a separate shaft) so as to swing to and from the needle bed substantially
as and for the purpose set forth and shown with reference to Figures 12 and 13
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of October 1896
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M. Inst. C.E.,
70 Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.