Improvements in Flat or Rotary Knitting Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1892-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flat or Rotary Knitting Machines.
I, CHARLES HENRY ALDRIDGE of Pinfold Gate, Loughborough in the County
of Leicester, Hosiery Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The invention relates to flat or rotary knitting machines more especially to those
of the type known as "Cotton's" knitting machines.
In machines of this type as heretofore constructed for making eyelets or what is
often termed lace work for marking or numbering the sizes of hose or whatever
may at the time be produced, an additional bar or bars have been applied to the
narrowing machine which is operated upon at its end by pattern wheel or cam to
give its desired end wise traverse the taking off and putting on of the loops being
accomplished in the ordinary motion of the narrowing machine.
This class of marking is not suitable for all classes of goods and my invention
relates to what is known as the knotted stitch marking which hitherto has not been
accomplished than by hand which is expensive and tedious. To perform this
automatically I employ similar bars to the marking tackle as well known and in
addition to the endwise motion or traverse I give to the bars a backward and
forward motion and I also use a point with two grooves or eyes one groove to be
used in taking hold of the loop at the back of the needle but not taking the loop
off the needle the loop for the time being is held by both point and needle till the
receding motion is given to the point at the same time as the endwise traverse, the
stitch is then put on to the beard or front of the adjoining needle or needles in
the ordinary way thus the loop will then embrace two or more needles at once and
form a knot in the stitch or fabric which may be varied at will by wheel or
otherwise for making marks, letters, diamonds &c. the backward and forward
motion is given to the point bars by a lever or levers and cams operated from the
cam shaft, the up and down motion is attained in the same way as in the ordinary
fashioning course.
The points may be held fast or fixed in slides if fixed in slides they may be
operated upon by jacquard or other means well known.
Dated this Seventh day of October 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flat or Rotary Knitting Machines.
I, CHARLES HENRY ALDRIDGE, of Pinfold Gate, Loughborough, in the County
of Leicester, Hosiery Machinist, 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 :-
The invention relates to flat or rotary knitting machines more especially to those
of the type known as "Cotton's" knitting machines.
In machines of this type as heretofore constructed for making eyelets or what is
often termed lace work for marking or numbering the sizes of hose or whatever
may at the time be produced, an additional bar or bars have been applied to the
narrowing machine which is operated upon at its end by pattern wheel or cam to
give its desired endwise traverse the taking off and putting on of the loops being
accomplished in the ordinary motion of the narrowing machine.
This class of marking is not suitable for all classes of goods and my invention
in
744

page_text: relates to what is known as the knotted stitch marking which hitherto has not been
accomplished otherwise than by hand which is expensive and tedious. To perform
this automatically I employ similar bars to the marking tackle as well known and
in addition to the endwise motion or traverse I give to the bars a backward and
forward motion and I also use a point with two grooves or eyes, one groove to be
used in taking hold of the loop at the back of the needle, but not taking the loop off
the needle, the loop for the time being is held by both point and needle till the
receding motion is given to the point at the same time as the end wise traverse the
stitch is then put on to the beard or front of the adjoining needle or needles in
the ordinary way thus the loop will then embrace two or more needles at once and
form a knot in the stitch or fabric which may be varied at will by wheel or
otherwise for making marks, letters, diamonds &c., the backward and forward
motion is given to the point bars by a lever or levers and cams operated from the
cam shaft the up and down motion is attained in the same way as in the ordinary
fashioning course.
The points may be held fast or fixed in slides, if fixed in slides they may be
operated upon by jacquard or other means well known.
The drawings annexed show the apparatus as I generally arrange it, for
producing the results above described; together with so much of the parts of a
knitting machine as will enable the apparatus to be understood.
Figure 1. Sheet 1 is an end view of the apparatus, together with some adjacent
parts of the machine.
Figure 2. Sheet 2 is a part front view of the same.
Figure 3, Sheet 3 is a part plan of the same.
Figures 4 to 7 Sheet 4 are enlarged views of a needle, knocking-over-bit, and
point; in different positions during the formation of the "knotted stitch" and
Figure 8 Sheet 4 is an enlarged plan of a small portion of fabric on four neodles,
showing the point in the act of passing a loop over a second needle so as to form
the said "knotted stitch."
A Figure 1 Sheet 1. are the needles which are carried by the needle bar A¹ to
which the necessary motions are imparted by suitable cams and levers in the usual
way, which are not shown in the drawings annexed but are well understood by all
persons conversant with knitting machinery. B are the sinkers. C the knocking-
over-bits. D is a point, or points having two grooves, or eyes, one at the front and
one behind (shown more clearly in Figures 4 to 8 Sheet 4). D' is a point holder
which is attached to, and carried by the rod D'.
N, Figures 1, 2 and 3 Sheets 1, 2 and 3 is one of the ordinary narrowing machine
arms, which is carried by the rod, or shaft N'. N' N' are the rods which carry
the ordinary coverer-point-holders (which in this case are omitted from the
drawings for the sake of clearness). The rod D2 is so arranged that it can be
moved end wise as well as turned in its bearings. D' is a lever which is free to
move upon a centre pin D' which is attached to the arm N, one end of the said
lever D embraces the rod D', between the two collars D D (Figures 2 and 3)
which are attached to the rod D². Thus when the lever D' is moved, or turned
upon its centre pin D* an end wise or "traverse" motion is imparted to the rod D'
and consequently to the point, or points .D. The end D of the lever D' (Figures 2
and 3) is kept in contact with a "pattern-wheel" D' by a suitable spring. D®.
Motion is imparted to the said ". pattern-wheel" D' from a cam E on the cam
shaft F by means of the "truck" E' carried by the lever E³, the rod E³, the
arm E which carries the ratchet E' and the ratchet wheel E which is attached
to the said pattern wheel D'.
At any convenient position on the rod D³ I place an arm G (which may be
attached to the rod D' by any convenient well known means) which carries a pin G¹
(Figure 2) the said pin G passes through a boss on the rod Gas shown (see
Figure 1). One end of the said rod G may pass through a suitable guide G'.
Motion is imparted to the said rod G' from a cam G on the cam shaft F by means
of the truck G³ on the lever Go the rod G' and the bell crank lever G³.

page_text: Thus an oscillating motion can be imparted to the rod D³.
And now it will be
seen, that, by the cum G4 the point or points D are caused to move to the back or
front of the needles as desired and by the pattern wheel D' the said point, or
points D, are caused to traverse from one needle to another. The necessary
vertical motions are imparted to the said point or points D by the movements of
the narrowing machine as in the ordinary manner when fashioning.
It will be seen by referring to Figures 2 and 3 Sheets 2 and 3 that the arm G is
attached to the rod D' in this instance in the following manner :-
On the rod D' is a fixed collar H (Figures 2 and 3) having a suitable handle H'.
One side of the said collar H is provided with suitable incline, or clutch, surfaces H
(Figure 2) which engage with corresponding incline-surfaces on the boss of the
arm G. The two incline surfaces being kept in contact by the spring H³. Thus,
when the said incline surfaces, are in contact as shown; all the motions of the
arm G are communicated to the point or points D.
When the points D are required to be out of action the handle G' (and con-
sequently the arm G also) is pulled away from the collar H. Then, by lifting the
handle H the rod D' is turned in its bearings and the points D are thereby turned
up out of the way, against the point-guard-bar Dº.
The motions of the point, or points D will be better understood by referring to
Figures 4 to 8 Sheet 4.
Figure 4 shows the point D behind the needle and just entering the loop which
is upon the needle. Figure 5 shows the point fairly in the same loop with the
needle, and the point and needle are both in the act of rising.
When the point is sufficiently high to clear the tops of the knocking over bits C,
it is caused to traverse, by means of the pattern wheel, as hereinbefore described.
At the same time the point is caused to pass between and to the front of the
needles (as shown in Figure 6) by the means hereinbefore described. The point is
then caused to cover the head of an adjacent needle and as the needles rise the
loop is passed on to that needle without leaving the needle upon which it was
formed the loop is then on two needles as shown in Figure 8. The point is then
withdrawn and the knotted stitch is completed.
"
In the above description I have described the "pattern wheel" as attached to
the arm N but there are many other well known arrangements of "pattern-wheel
which are equally applicable for producing the traverse motions of the rod D' and
which I apply where more convenient.
In some cases instead of having the "pattern-wheel" and the lever D³ attached
to the arm N as shown, I arrange them on a suitable fixed bracket at the end of
the machine.
Attached to the end of the rod D' and at right angles to it I provide a suitable
flat surface which then forms an enlarged flat end to the said rod D'. This surface
is kept pressed against the end of the lever D' by a spring or other convenient
means. The said surface must be of such extent that as the narrowing machine
rises and falls the end of the lever D' is always opposite to, and in contact with,
some portion of the said surface. Thus all the motions of the said "pattern-wheel
are transmitted to the said point or points D. The said "pattern-wheel" may be
arranged either in a vertical or horizontal position, and the lever D³ may be a
straight lever, or a bell-crank lever as most convenient.
:
"
In some cases, instead of using a "pattern-wheel" attached to the narrowing
machine arm N for producing the traverse motions of the points D as herein before
described I arrange a vertical surface which works in a suitable horizontal slide
at the end of the machine. Against the said vertical surface the end of the rod D'
or some convenient attachment thereto, slides as the narrowing machine rises and
falls, and it may be kept in contact with the said surface by a suitable spring or
other convenient means. Thus when the said surface is moved or traversed, in its
slide, the rod D' and consequently the points D are moved, or traversed also. The
movements of the said vertical surface in its slide can be governed by a pattern-
wheel, jacquard, or other suitable well known means.

page_text: It will be evident that the mechanism above described can also be used for the
ordinary method of "marking" by making "eyelets" when the cams are suitably
shaped.
In the foregoing description I have described the points D as held fast in their
holder D' but in some cases they may be arranged in slides so as to be free to slide
up and down in the point-holder D in which case any desired convenient number
of points may be arranged side by side in one or more holders, their sliding motions
being independent the one from the other and so arranged that when they are down
they will be in action and when they are up they will be out of action. Their said
sliding motions may be governed by a jacquard, or other suitable well known
appliance so that the said points severally or collectively can he put in to, or taken
out of action automatically as desired and thus any desired fancy markings, or
patterns, can be produced by means of the said hereinbefore described. knotted-
stitch.
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 :-
First. The employment in flat or rotary knitting machines of a point (or points)
having two grooves or eyes one in front and one behind operated in such a manner
as to cause it to first pick up a loop behind a needle and then pass between the
needles and place it upon an adjacent needle without removing the said loop from
the needle upon which it was form-d substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second. The employment in flat, or rotary knitting machines of "points" having
two grooves, or eyes (one in front and one behind) arranged in suitable slides,
sliding in suitable holders and governed by jacquard or other suitable well known
means; for producing fancy "markings" or patterns automatically with knotted
stitch" substantially as hereinbefore described.
Third. The construction of mechanism in flat or rotary knitting machines for
automatically producing "markings" or patterns with a "knotted-stitch" sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Ninth day of June 1892.
C. H. ALDRIDGE.