Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1887]
Specification Accepted, 18th Oct., 1887
We, WILLIAM WESTMORELAND, of Sullivan Street, Radford, Nottingham in the
County of Nottingham, Sewing Machine Maker, BENJAMIN KERR of 33 Havelock
Street, Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Foreman Mechanic, and ISAAC LOVELL
BERRIDGE, of 8 Gallowtree Gate, Leicester, in the County of Leicester, 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:
Our invention relates to knitting-machines and is chiefly designed to simplify and
improve the construction and increase the efficiency of machines of the kind or class
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to the said William
Westmoreland and dated 27th July A.D. 1886, No. 9662. Our said invention,
however, comprises improvements which are applicable to other knitting-machines.
In the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine of the kind or class described in the said
former Specification with our present improvements applied thereto, the driving pulley
and other parts of the mechanism being omitted.
Figure 1 is an end elevation, showing details of construction.
Figure 2 is a plan of part of the said machine.
Figure 3 is a section on the line x, x, Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated
by the arrow, and
Figure 4 is a plan, showing details of construction. These Figures and Figures 5
and 6 are drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 5 is a plan, and
Figure 6 a side elevation, showing further details of construction.
Figure 7 is a transverse section on the line y, y, Figure 2.
Figure 8 is a side elevation, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing a splicer or splicing
attachment hereinafter described.
Figures 9 and 10 are plans, also drawn to an enlarged scale, showing details of
construction.

page_text: Figure 11 is a vertical central section, and
Figure 12 a plan, both drawn to an enlarged scale, of a knitting-machine provided
with the device hereinafter described for holding down the work.
Figure 13 is a face-view of a part of the said holding down device.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the frame of the machine which is supported upon standards A¹. B is the
shaft for operating the jacquard-mechanism and the rack hereinafter described. C is
the knitter.
The shaft B, instead of being arranged at the rear end of the machine as heretofore,
is placed between the jacquard-mechanism and the knitter, and is geared directly to
the shaft D by means of gear-wheels a, b fixed on the said shafts. The shaft D has
a pulley D° fixed thereon and designed to be connected, by means of a belt or band,
with any suitable driving mechanism. The bevel wheel D¹ is fixed upon a hollow
shaft c fitted to rotate upon the shaft D, and the toothed wheel D² is also fixed on
this hollow shaft. The shaft D is carried in bearings in uprights or standards d
secured to the frame A. A single rack G is used instead of the double rack formerly
employed, and is coupled to the pin or stud F' fixed in the piece F which is fitted to
slide on the rod F¹ substantially as described in the said former Specification. The
bracket A and lever E are placed at the rear end of the machine, and the said lever
is connected, by a rod or, link E¹, to the crank B2, and, by a rod or link E³, to the
sliding piece F.
For connecting and disconnecting the shafts c, D, when changing from rotary or
round-and-round knitting to reciprocating knitting, or vice versa, we employ the
devices shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and hereinafter described, that is to say:
A lever or catch e is pivotted at e¹ to a disc f fixed on the shaft D, and is provided
with a projection e² adapted to enter a notch g¹ in another disc g fixed on the hollow
shaft c. This lever or catch e is provided with cam-shaped projections e³, et, and a
lever or switch his pivotted to the frame A and is provided at or near its extremities
with projections h³, h². The said lever or switch h has coupled thereto a bar i fitted
to slide in a suitable guide and actnated by means of a bent rod or wire k connected
with the lever R, Figures 2 and 7, which is arranged to operate substantially as
described in the said former Specification for the purpose of moving into and out of
action the needles in one half of the needle-cylinder. Therefore, when the needles in
one half of the needle-cylinder are moved out of action by the said lever R, the
switch will be turned upon its pivot into the position shown, so that the projection et
of the catch e will, in the rotation of the shaft D, come in contact with the pro-
jection of the switch h, and the said catch will thus be moved out of engagement
with the notch g². The shaft D may then be continuously rotated while the hollow
shaft c is partially rotated alternately in either direction through the medium of the
rack G and toothed wheel D'. When the lever R puts the said needles again into
action, it will again turn the switch upon or about its pivot into position for the
projection on the catch e to come into contact with the projection ¹ in the
rotation of the shaft D, so that the projection of the catch e will be caused to
re-enter the notch g', and the hollow shaft c will be rotated continuously with the
driving shaft D.
To provide for throwing the rack G into and out of gear with the toothed wheel D²
as required, the following device is employed, that is to say ;-An upright or standard /
is secured to the frame A at the forward end of the machine, and a block or piece m
is fitted to slide on guide-rods n, n' attached to this upright or standard, and is
provided with two inclined surfaces m¹, m³. This slide or sliding piece has fixed
therein a pin or stud m³ which works in a slotted arm I fixed on the shaft I', which
is connected through the slotted arm I³ with the lever R, and is arranged to be
operated by the said lever substantially as described in the said former Specification.
When the needles in one half of the needle-cylinder are moved out of action by the
said lever R, the sliding piece m is also moved thereby through the medium of the
shaft I, so that the wedge-shaped or taper end G of the rack will, in the next
forward movement thereof, strike the inclined surface m' on the said slide and the

page_text: rack will thereby be moved downward into gear with the toothed wheel D2 as shown.
When the said needles are again lowered into action, the slide will be so moved that
the end of the rack will strike the inclined surface m² on the said slide and will thus
be moved up out of gear with the toothed wheel D².
To retain the rack either in gear or out of gear with the said wheel and prevent its
being accidentally thrown into or out of gear therewith, the said rack is arranged to
slide in a guide-way o' in a vertical bar o fitted to slide up and down in guides in
another upright or standard p secured to the frame A. This sliding bar has attached
thereto a spring q provided with a pin or stud adapted to enter one or the other of
two holes or depressions in the said upright or standard and thus retain the bar o at
either extremity of its movement, whilst permitting its movement by the rack when
acted upon by either of the inclined surfaces m³, m³.
The levers for operating the cylinder carrying the pattern-card of the jacquard-
mechanism are, in our improved machine, made alike, the lever J, however, is to be
provided at or near its free end with a T-piece, spring and guides, (not shown in the
drawings) as, and for the purpose, described in the said former specification. An
excentric is fixed on the shaft B, and the rear end of the excentric-rod is coupled
to the lever J, so that, in the rotation of the shaft B, the cylinder carrying the
pattern-card will be moved to and from the horizontal sliding rods or needles of the
jacquard-mechanism.
The said jacquard-mechanism, with the above named exceptions, is to be constructed
substantially as described in the said former specification, cams and levers being
employed as therein described for operating the lifters connected with the levers N ;
the positions of the said cams and levers are, however, reversed as necessitated by the
shifting of the shaft B from the rear to the front of the jacquard-frame. Moreover,
the levers N and R are to be connected with the needles of the knitter substantially as
described in the said former specification.
In some instances, we employ a comb-spring or divided spring which is attached in
any suitable manner to the jacquard-frame A³, and which bears upon the rear ends of
the levers N, and tends to depress the said levers at their rear ends and raise them at
their forward ends, thus obviating any tendency of the said levers to fall and pull
down the needles after they have been moved up out of action.
If the machine is to be adapted for splicing, we provide it with a splicer of suitable
construction, and we employ devices for automatically regulating or controlling the
action of the said splicer during the operation of the knitter. Moreover, we provide
means controlled by the jacquard-mechanism, whereby the said regulating devices
will be automatically moved into and out of their operative positions as required.
The whole of the operations necessary in the knitting of spliced stockings or other
articles can, therefore, be automatically effected by our improved machine.
In Figures 1 and 8, u is a bracket which is firmly secured to the geared ring by
means of screws or otherwise. In the upper end of this bracket is secured, by means
of a thumb-nut u³, a pin or bolt u on which is fitted to rotate a conical reel u³ for
carrying the splicing thread. This thread is passed through a hole u in the bracket u
and then over a pin or stud o¹ projecting from the upper end of a lever v which is
pivotted at to the said bracket and is acted upon by a spring * which tends to
keep the pin or stud pressed against the bracket u. The said thread is then passed
through an eye fixed in the bracket u and around a hook to' of a lever w which is
pivoted at to the bracket u and is provided with a counterweight w* whereby it is
caused to take up the slack of the thread. The said thread is then passed through a
hole u in the bracket u and through a hole u' in an arm u³ secured to the said
bracket by means of a screw u' passing through a slot u in the said arm, so that the
latter can be adjusted vertically.
A lever is pivoted at v to the bracket u and is bent at its upper end as shown.
This lever is acted upon by a spring v³, so that, when the lever is released as herein-
after described, its upper end will press the splicing thread against the bracket u and
and thus prevent the drawing of the said thread into the work, as hereinafter specified.
is a catch which is pivoted at to the bracket and is acted upon by a

page_text: spring which tends to pull it downward. The said catch is formed with a notch
adapted to engage with a pin or stud v fixed in the lever and thus hold the said
lever in the position shown in Figure 8.
For regulating or controlling the action of the splicer during the operation of the
knitter, we provide the devices hereinafter described, which are attached to the frame
of the knitter at opposite sides thereof. One of these devices is shown in Figure 9,
and the other of the said devices in Figure 10. The device shown in Figure 9
comprises an arm S pivotted at S¹ to the frame of the knitter. The free end of this
arın is arranged to act upon the lower end of the lever in the rotation of the geared
ring and splicer, and thus move the said lever into the position shown in Figure 8,
so that the splicing thread is free to move into the work. A bar S³ formed with an
inclined surface S is arranged to slide longitudinally beneath the arm S for the
purpose of raising it into the path of the lever or lowering it so that it will not act
upon the said lever. The sliding bar S2 is arranged to be operated by means of a
wedge S working in a slot S in the said bar and connected with one of the levers N,
the movements of which are effected by means of lifters and are controlled by the
jacquard-mechanism substantially as described in the said former specification.
The device shown in Figure 10 is of similar construction to that shown in Figure 9,
with the exception that the arm S is so arranged that, in the rotation of the geared
ring and splicer, its free end will act first upon the catch to release the lever o
and then upon the lever v to move the pin or stud vl away from the bracket u for the
purpose hereinafter explained. Suitable springs (not shown in the drawings) are
provided for effecting the return movement of the bars S³ when the wedges S¹ are
moved downward.
The operation of the splicer is as follows, that is to say:-When the lever is
operated as above described to release the splicing thread, this thread is drawn into
the work, and the knitting is continued with the ordinary thread and the splicing thread
until the catch is disengaged from the lever as above described, the said lever
then grips the splicing thread, so that, in the continued rotation of the geared ring
and splicer, the said thread is broken. The knitting is then carried on with the
ordinary thread alone until the lever is again operated to release the splicing
thread. While the splicing thread is held by the lever v, the lever is operated as
above described so that its pin or stud is moved away from the bracket u and
unwinds the splicing thread from the reel u³ sufficiently to prevent any stress being
put upon the said thread when it is again drawn into the work. The above described
operations are repeated in the continued rotation of the geared ring and splicer so
long as the arms S are in their raised positions.
The Jacquard-mechanism is so arranged that the lowering of the arms S (when the
the spliced portion of a stocking or other article has been completed) will take place
immediately after the lever ³ has been released and permitted to grip the splicing thread
as above described, and the splicer will thus be disconnected or rendered temporarily
inoperative; the said Jacquard-mechanism is, moreover, so arranged that the raising
of the said arms (when another spliced portion is to be commenced) will take place
immediately after the splicer, in its rotation, has passed the arm S for operating the
lever to release the splicing thread, and the said splicer will thus be again brought
into operation. These movements of the arms S being controlled by the jacquard
pattern-card, the splicing of any part or parts of a stocking or other article may be
regulated or determined by the arrangement of the perforations in the said card. By
means of the splicing attachment above described, a stocking can be spliced to any
desired distance above the heel thereof.
It has been customary heretofore to use weights attached to the work for holding
the same down and preventing the rising of the same with the needles. We prefer to
provide the means hereinafter described for holding down the work, that is to say:-a
bracket T is firmly attached to the geared ring of the knitter so that it will rotate
therewith, and a segment T', the edge or periphery of which is provided with rowels
or star-shaped wheels U, such for instance as are used in spurs, is fitted upon a pin or
bolt T, in the said bracket, and is held thereon by means of a nut T. The rowels or

page_text: star-wheels U are fitted to rotate upon pins or studs fixed in the said segment, and are
so arranged that, in the operation of the machine, the said rowels or wheels will
engage with the work close to the needles. One of these rowels or wheels may be
used, but we usually employ two or more of the said rowels or wheels and so arrange
them that one of the same will always be in position to hold down the work in proximity
to the needle which is rising, and will thus effectually prevent upward movement of
the work therewith.
A pin or rod V is fitted in the bracket T and is adapted to enter a hole T' in the
said segment to ensure the rotation of the same with the geared ring.
We prefer to bevel the upper edge of the needle-cylinder on the inner side thereof
as shown in Figure 11, so that there is no corner over which the work has to pass as it
moves down within the said cylinder. We thereby facilitate the downward movement
of the work and the holding down of the same.
By the means above described, we provide for effectually holding down the work
without the use of weights and with very little strain upon the yarn. In some
instances, however, we employ a light weight attached to the work in any well-known
or suitable manner.
The above described device is very advantageous for holding down the work
when making the heels or the toes of stockings or when making similar parts of knitted
articles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :—
First. The combination, with the driving shaft D, of the hollow shaft having fixed
thereon the bevel wheel D' and the toothed wheel D³, and means controlled by the
Jacquard-mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the said shafts, substantially as,
and for the purposes, set forth.
Second. The combination, with the hollow shaft having fixed thereon the bevel
wheel D¹ and the toothed wheel D³, of the single rack and means controlled by
the Jacquard-mechanism for putting the said rack alternately into and out of gear with
the said toothed wheel, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Third. The combination of parts comprising the sliding piece m provided with the
inclined surfaces m³, m², and means controlled by the Jacquard-mechanisin for moving
the said piece to and fro, substantially as described, whereby we provide for automatically
throwing the rack into and out of gear with the toothed wheel D³, for the purposes
above specified.
e,
the
Fourth. The combination of parts comprising the discs f, g, the catch
switch h, and means controlled by the Jacquard-mechanism for operating the said
switch, substantially as described, whereby we provide for disconnecting the hollow
shaft c from the shaft D and connecting it therewith, for the purposes above
specified.
Fifth. The employment, in combination with the levers for moving the needles out
of and into the work, of a comb-spring or divided spring, substantially as, and for the
purpose, set forth.
Sixth. The improved machine consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings and operating
as, and for the purposes, specified.
Seventh. The employment, in a knitting machine, of a splicing attachment the
operation of which is regulated by devices controlled by Jacquard-mechanism, for the
purpose above specified.
Eighth. The improved splicing attachment consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to Figure 8 of the drawings and
operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
Ninth. The combination, with the splicing attachment, of the adjustable stops on the
frame of the knitting machine, for putting the said splicer into and out of action,
substantially as set forth.
Tenth. The employment of one or more rowels or wheels suitably supported and

page_text: arranged to move with the geared ring of a knitting-machine to hold down the work
as above specified.
Eleventh. The improved holding-down device consisting of the parts constructed
and combined substantially as described with reference to Figures 11, 12 and 18 of
the drawings for the purpose specified.