Improvements in Circular Knitting Frames.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Frames.
I, ELMER LINCOLN LANG, 19 Foregate, Stafford, in the county of Stafford, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to circular latch needle ribbing frames and has for its object,
to adapt such frames to knit not only (as at present) a continuous tubular ribbed web
with or without a welt and slack course, but also to knit at certain determined
distances, apart lengths of flat ribbed web with proper selvedges which shall serve as
the instep of the stocking.
The main needle bed or frame may be of either of the forms in common use-
viz. cylindrical, conical or flat and the ribbing needle bed may be either a dial, a
cylinder, or a cone, or the ribher needles may be soldered into vibrating suspended
jacks in the well known manner.
For making a welt at the top of a 2 & 1-3 & 1 or other than 1 & 1 ribbed
tubular stocking leg, 1 provide means for putting out of action every alternate
frame needle, during two or more courses of knitting which is preferably done as
follows,―
Every alternate groove in the needle bed is cut enough deeper at its outer or lower
part, to admit of withdrawing the butts of these needles entirely within their grooves.
The needles in the shallow grooves have no tails, but those in the deep grooves have
tails long enough to extend beyond the needle bed. Around the outside of the needle
bed, is a ring divided into two parts, each part being approximately a semi-circle ;
these rings have holes or slots at distances apart, to correspond with the deeper
grooves and through each hole or slot, the tail of a needle passes. When these
segments of a circle are depressed, each alternate needles is drawn down into its
groove, so that its butt is out of contact with the cams, and only the alternate
needles, without tails, are in action. The ribbing needles may be put out of action
in the usual manner, by withdrawing the out-throw cam, which pushes the ribbing
needles forward to clear their latches from the old stitch, and to take the new yarn
into their hooks.
For making a selvedged ribbed instep, I provide means for changing from circular
to reciprocating motion, preferably as follows,-
Underneath, and a little to one side of the machine, I provide a counter shaft,
which may be driven from the main shaft by a fast and loose pulley, or by other well
known means.
Above this countershaft, and parallel to it, is the driving shaft of the
machine, which carries on one end, a bevel gear wheel, which gears into a corre-
sponding bevel gear, on the cam ring of the machine, and on the other end, first, a
loose spur geared pinion, with a clutch on one side of it, then a clutch, which is
splined to the shaft so as to revolve with it, but free to move longitudinally on the
shaft; and the other side of this clutch, is a rocking bar, having also a clutch on one
side of it.
On the countershaft beneath, is a spur gear, which gears into and drives the
pinion on the shaft of the machine, and having on one of its sides a crank pin, and
connecting rod extending down to a cross head or guide below; from this cross head
rises another rod, which connects with the end of the bar, before mentioned, and
give a rocking motion thereto, thus causing the machine to rotate, when the clutch
is moved into connection with the pinion, and to reciprocate, when it is in connection
with the rocking bar.
I may modify the above mechanism as follows. Instead of the rocking bar with
clutch attached, as mentioned above, I may place on the shaft which drives tho
machine, a second geared pinion, similar to the first, but having the clutch on its
го

page_text: opposite side. On an axle or pin extending from the frame of the machine,
place the segment of a spur gear wheel, which gears into the second pinion and
receives a reciprocating motion from the main gear wheel, by means of a cam on its
side, or by a crank pin and connecting rod as described above. Thus the machine
will rotate, when the clutch is in connection with the first pinion, and reciprocate
when it is in connection with the second.
I also put out of action half, or thereabouts, on the same side, both of the frame
and ribbing needles, the stitches being retained on the needles while they are out of
action.
Provision is also made for holding down the work without the use of the winding
up tackle, which may be done by means of reciprocating web-holders or sinkers,
as shown in Griswolds specification No. 2669 of 1879, but I prefer the following
arrangement,
Underneath the machine, and in a circle a little less in diameter than the verge
of the needle bed, I place, equidistant from each other, a series of steel bars, arranged
to reciprocate in slots, parallel to the axis of the machine, the aggregate weight
of these bars, being the weight necessary to hold down the work. In the top of each
of these steel bars, is soldered one or more hooks, or claws, which hook into the
work to hold it down. A revolving cam lifts these bars and hooks, in rotation, to
take a new hold of the work, and I prefer that this cam be slowed down, so as to
make about one revolution to every four or five that the machine makes.
I also provide imechanism for gradually, and automatically, tightening the stitch in
the lower part of the leg of the stocking. Round the cam ring or plate, I place a
ring, in which is an oblique slot, through which slot pass the pivots of the knitting
cam or cams; for a distance along the edge of this ring, are cut rachet teeth, with
which a rachet lever engages. At stated periods, say once in twenty revolutions of
the machine, a lng on a pattern chain lifts up a bar, until it engages the rachet
lever, as it comes round, and pushes the ring forward one tooth, thus slightly
shortening the throw of the knitting cam. On the pattern chain, are as many lugs,
as are required to make the ankle and foot of the stocking of the required stiffness in
proportion to the leg.
The method of knitting a 2 & 1 ribbed stocking leg, with a selvedged instep, is as
follows; when a welt is required at the top of the stocking leg, my machine knits, first
a few rows of circular web, then a slack course to cut off by every alternate frame
needle is then put out of action, while exactly one course is knitted with the yarn
from which the stocking leg is to be made; then the ribber needles are put out of
action, and another row is knitted; then the alternate frame needles are put into
action and several other rows are knitted by the frame needles, after which the
ribber needles are put into action, and the knitting proceeds, until the leg is finished,
when about two thirds of the leg has been knitted, the apparatus comes into action,
for stiffening the web, so as to make the ankle of the stocking smaller in diameter
than the top of the leg.
Having knitted the leg, the instep is knitted as follows,-half or thereabouts of
the needles on the same side both of the frame and ribber are put out of action; the
motion is changed from rotary to reciprocating, and with the needles remaining in
action, a strip of ribbed flat web is knitted. When this is done, all the needles are
put into action again, the motion changed to rotary, and two or three rows are
knitted to be ravelled out, then another slack course and the welt of another stocking
and so on.
Dated Eleventh day of April 1889.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Frames.
I, ELMER LINCOLN LANG of 19 Foregate Street Stafford, in the County of Stafford
Mechanical Engineer, 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 invention relates to circular latch needle frames, and has for its object to adapt
such frames to knit, not only, a continuous tubular ribbed web with or without a
welt, and slack course, but also, to knit at certain determined distances apart, lengths
of flat ribbed web, with proper selvedges, which shall serve as the instep of the
stocking.
The main needle bed or frame may be of either of the forms in common use, viz.
cylindrical, conical or flat and the ribbing needle bed may be either a dial, a cylinder
or a cone, or the ribbing needles may be soldered into vibrating suspended jacks in
the well known manner but I prefer the needle bed to be in the form of a flat disc,
with the needle grooves cut radially on its top, and the ribbing needle bed in the
form of a hollow frustum of a cone, with the needle grooves cut on its inside surface
and I have made the drawings herewith accordingly.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved knitting frame.
Fig. 2 is a plan or top view.
Fig. 3 is a right hand end view or elevation.
Fig. 4 is a central section of the machine proper.
Fig. 5 is a top view of the main needle bed.
Fig. 6 is a detached end view of the mechanism for changing from rotary to
reciprocating work & vice versa.
Fig. 7 is a detached view of the shaft Y showing the clutch mechanism for changing
from rotary to reciprocating motion and vice versa.
Figs. 8 & 9 14 & 15 show the form of needles used.
Figs. 10, 11 & 12 show the segments of rings used to put into & out of action the
frame needles as these segments would appear if bent out flat.
Fig. 13. shows the top surface of the piston which puts the ribbing needles into and
out of action.
Similar letters relate to corresponding parts in the various figures.
A is the bed of the machine, which may be supported on a suitable stand or frame
and which may be of such a length as to carry several machines.
B is the main driving shaft which may be supported from the stand, and be common
to as many machines as there are upon the stand.
C¹ & C² represent a conical friction clutch of usual construction for starting and
stopping each machine seperately by means of the shipper E pivotted at E¹ Fig. 3 and
held in working position by the catch E' on the lever R.
T is a sprocket wheel carrying a pattern chain T₁ having on it, one or more
dogs T, which, as they come round, lift one end of the lever R, thus freeing the
shipper E, which is drawn back out of action by a spring, not shown. Thus, by
adjusting the length of the pattern chain T¹, and fixing upon it dogs T³, at the
required distance apart, the machine will be automatically thrown out of action, at
any required moment.
To start the machine the operator has simply to move the handle of the lever E to
the left. To throw it out of action again she has only to depress the handle of the
lever R.
The shaft H is driven from the pulley of the friction clutch by the band D and
the fast pulley G. which pulley also, has a handle G for turning the machine by
hand.
I is a spur geared wheel, which being keyed to the shaft H, revolves with it, and
gears into the pinion J Fig. 1 & 7. which is thus made to have a continuous rotary

page_text: motion on its shaft Y. L is a geared segment, pivotted at W, and made to reciprocate
by the heart shaped cam K. revolving with the shaft H.
This segment L, gears into the pinion M, and gives to it a reciprocating rotary
motion, loose on the shaft Y. A portion of the shaft Y, with the pinions J & M, is
shown detached at Fig. 7. J. & M are loose on the shaft Y and J revolves thereon
continuously, while M reciprocates as explained above; and each pinion has on its
inner side a clutch. The shifting clutch N is splined to the shaft Y, so as to revolve
with it, but free to move longitudinally thereon. When this clutch N is placed
mid way between J & M, as shown in Fig. 7, the shaft Y will be at rest. When by
means of the shipper N¹, it is moved into contact with the pinion J, the shaft Y will
revolve; but when N is in contact with M, the shaft Y will reciprocate.
The shaft Y has on it a beviled geared wheel O, which gears into and drives the
cam plate P, of the machine, either with a rotary, or reciprocating motion, according
to whether N is clutched with J or M.
Having now described the driving mechanisin and reversing gear I will proceed to
describe the knitting machine proper.
In Fig. 4, F represents the main grooved needle bed, in the form of a ring, the face of
which is shown in Fig. 5, with the needle grooves cut radially, at equal distances from
each other. Some of the grooves are of uniform depth throughout, their whole length,
as shown at F, on the right side of Fig. 4, and others are made deeper at the outward
than at the inward portions, as shown at F, on the left side of Fig. 4. The needle
bed F is supported from, and fastened to, the frame A, by means of the projection F4.
P is the cam plate for actuating the needles in the main needle bed F. This
cam plate has on its underside, cams of the usual form, and is revolved or reciprocated
by means of the bevil gear teeth on the outer part of its underside, driven by the
bevil gear wheel O, as mentioned before. To the top of this cam plate P, is fastened
by screws, and set pins, or otherwise, so that it may be readily removed, the ribbing
arm Q, which supports the ribbing attachment. The boss of this arm, has a hole
drilled down through it, exactly concentric with the axis of the machine. Through
this hole in the boss, passes the hollow spindle ;, which has a collar forged on its
lower end, and turned true to fit the inside of and support the ribbing needle cone k.
When in its place, the needle cone k is fastened to the collar, by means of several
pins 1.
The needle grooves are cut on the inside of this needle cone k.
ribbing needles are actuated by a conical cam plug p, having cams of the usual
form on its outer surface. This cam plug p, is loose on the spindle j. and detached
from the arm Q but may be made, when required, to revolve or reciprocate with it,
and thus in unison with the cam plate P, by pushing down the bolt m, in the boss
of the arm Q.
The
I will now explain the mechanism, by which certain needles are put out of action.
All the needles, both in the main and the ribbing needle beds, if required to be put
out of action, have tails projecting beyond their butts as shown full size in Fig. 8.
All needles that do not require to be put out of action, have no tails as shown in
Fig. 9. On the right hand half of the main needle bed, from Q (Fig. 5) towards
Q, and round to Q, every alternate groove is cut deep enough at its outer portion,
to entirely bury within it, the butt of its needle, while on the left hand side from q*
towards g, and round to 97, every groove is a deep one.
As before mentioned, each deep groove has in it a needle with a tail long enough,
to extend beyond the outer circumference of the needle bed F, as shewn in Fig. 8,
while each, shallow groove, has a needle without a tail as shown in Fig. 9.
Around the outside of the needle bed, F is a ring (Figs. 4 & 5) divided into
two equal segments, c¹ & c.
Throughout the whole length of the segment c², are drilled radial holes, equi-distant
from each other, and corresponding with alternate grooves in the right hand half
of the needle bed F, viz. those particular grooves which are deeper and which carry
needles with tails. These holes are all in one plane, and just large enough, to allow
the tails of the needles to work freely in them.

page_text: The other segment c³, not only has holes to correspond with every alternate needle,
but it also has slots equi-distant between each hole. Directly in front of c³, is still
another semi-circular segment c³ and exactly corresponding with c³, except that each
slot corresponds with a hole, and each hole with a slot. A part of the segment c¹,
is shown as if bent out straight, in Fig. 10; the segment in Fig. 11 and cin
Fig. 12. It will be readily seen, that whenever either one of these segments is
depressed, those needles whose tails pass through the holes in that particular segment,
will be drawn down into their grooves, until their butts no longer engage with the
cams in the cam plate P.
Below the segments c¹ c² & c³, are three shifting segments, g¹ g² & g³, each less than
a semicircle, in length, and each attached to its corresponding segment, that is g¹ to c¹,
g to c and g to c³, each by the clips i in such a way, that for instance by moving g'
to the right, it will depress c¹ and by moving it to the left it will restore it to its
normal position again.
Thus, any one of the segments c¹, c² or c³, may be depressed or raised to its normal
position, merely by sliding its corresponding shifting segment.
The needle bed of the ribbing attachment has its needle grooves cut on its inside
surface. Those on the right hand half, are cut the usual depth, and carry needles
without tails, as shown in Fig. 14. Those on the left hand half, are cut deep enough
to bury the butts of the needles, which have tails, as shown in Fig. 15. The ribbing
needle bed is extended downwards, in the form of a hollow cylinder, at k. (Fig. 4) and
turned true on its inside surface and to it, is fitted a piston u, which may be moved
upward and downward by means of the rod x, which passes up through the hollow
spindle j.
The piston u has holes drilled in it, half way round, a little way back from its edge,
to correspond with half of the needles in the ribbing needle frame, as shown in
Fig. 13 and of such size as to permit the tails of the needles to pass freely through
them.
To hold down the work, without the use of weights or winding up tackle, I may
make use of web-holders or sinkers, as shown in Griswold's patent No. 2669 of 1889,
but I prefer the following arrangement viz.; Underneath the machine, and concentric
with its axis, I fix the frame w pierced with a series of perpendicular holes, in which
are actuated longitudinally, a series of steel bars r, r the aggregate weight of which,
being the weight necessary to hold down the work. Into the top of each of these
steel bars is soldered one or more springs, with hooks or claws on their upper end, (as
shown in Fig. 4) which hook into, and hold down the work.
The cam t is revolved or reciprocated, by the bevil geared pinion on the end of
the shaft Y which gears into the bevil gears (Figs. 1 & 4) and lifts by means of the
pin these bars and hooks, to take a new hold upon the work, and I prefer that the
camt be slowed down, to make about one revolution, to every four or five that
the machine makes.
This mechanism for holding down the web is equally as applicable to ordinary
circular knitting niachines as to those which are reversible.
To illustrate the working of my improved knitting machine 1 will explain the
method of knitting a 2 & 1 ribbed stocking leg with a welt at the top and a selvedged
instep.
Having set up the work, 1 first knit a few rows of 2 & 1 ribbed web; then, as is
usual, a slack course to cut off by. Then 1 depress segments c¹ & c³, thus drawing
the butts of every alternate frame needle, down into their respective grooves and
putting them out of action and knit exactly one course round the machine. Then I
raise the bolt m (Fig. 4), disconnecting the cam plug p, of the ribbing attachment,
from the arm Q, thus putting all the ribbing needles out of action. I then knit
exactly another round; then lift to their normal positions again, the segments c¹ & c³,
thus putting all the frame needles into action again; then, knit 4 or 5 more rows on
the frame needles only, after which 1 push down the bolt m, thus again putting the
ribbing attachment into action, when the machine proceeds to knit a 2 & 1 circular
ribbed web, until the leg is completed.

page_text: Having knitted the leg, while the yarn guide is on the right side of the machine,
I depress segments & c³, thus putting out of action all the frame needles on the left
hand half of the machine. I also; at the same time, depress the piston u, of the
ribbing attachment, by means of the rode, thus putting out of action all the ribbing
needles on the left hand side.
With all the needles in action both frame & ribbing on the right hand side of the
machine, I shift clutch N into connection with pinion M, thus changing the motion from
rotating to reciprocating, and let the machine knit a flat ribbed, selvedged, web, long
enough for the instep, the work being held down by the series of hooked weight bars rr.
Stopping with the yarn guide at the right, I lift to their normal position, the
segments c² &c, thus putting all the frame needles into action, and raise the piston u,
thus putting all the ribbing needles into action; shift the clutch N into connection
with the pinion J, thus changing from reciprocating to rotary motion: knit a few
rows; then a slack course; then a welt, then the leg; then the instep; and so on
repeating these changes in order.
The stocking legs after being knitted are severed from each other at the slack course
above the welt and are footed on an ordinary footing frame.
If the stocking is required to be knitted in a 1 & 1 instead of a 2 & 1 ribbed web
the welt is formed by merely putting out of action the ribbing attachment by lifting
the bolt m and it is not necessary to depress the segments c³ & c².
If required the welt at the top of the stocking may be omitted and the top turned
in and sewn down as customary in ribbed goods.
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 :
1st. On a circular reversible knitting machine, the process of knitting a tubular
ribbed stocking leg having at one end a welt and at the other a flat selvedged strip as
herein specified.
2nd. On a circular reversible knitting machine, the process of knitting a tubular
ribbed stocking leg having on one end a flat selvedged strip as herein specified.
3rd. In a circular reversible knitting machine the mechanism for changing from
rotary to reciprocating motion, and vice versa, substantially as specified.
4th. In circular reversible knitting machines the use of the segment c¹ (Fig. 10)
pierced with a series of holes as and for the purpose specified.
5th. In circular reversible knitting machines the use of the segments c³ & c³.
(Figs. 11 & 12) pierced with a series both of holes and slots either seperately, or in
combination with each other, as and for the purpose specified.
6th. In a circular knitting machine, the use of the piston u, (Fig. 13), as and for
the purpose specified.
7th. In a circular knitting machine, the device for holding down the work consisting
of a series of reciprocating bars rr with hooks attached as specified.
8th. The general construction of the knitting machine substantially as herein
specified.
Dated this 11th day of January 1890.
E. L. LANG.