Improvements in and connected with Knitting Machines and in the Method of Operating same, and in the Articles Produced thereby.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1891-Accepted. 19th Dec., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Knitting Machines and in
the Method of Operating same, and in the Articles Produced
thereby.
I JOSEPH CRAWHALL CHAPMAN Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent
Agents, of 70 Chancery Lane in the County of London, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention which has been communicated to me from abroad by
William Henry Haskell, Manufacturer, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United
States of America, and the manner in which the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates particularly to straight latch needle knitting machines
designed to knit a tubular fabric and automatically shape the same, and it includes
mechanism for introducing new needles in such a manner for widening the fabric
as will cause the crossing of the thread to prevent the formation of holes in the
fabric where, the new needles are brought into action.
It includes the particular operating mechanism by which the needles are
controlled in their movements to cross the thread the end of the rows when
knitting plain or in widening in order to form a mock seam in the fabric to imitate
regular fashioned goods.
It includes further a special form of non-reversible thread carrier for feeding
first one row of needles and then the other.
The invention also includes the method of knitting as carried out on the machine
and the article produced thereby.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1, is a front view of the machine with parts broken away.
Figures 1A and 1B are detail views.
Figure 2, is a plan view with parts removed and parts in section.
Figure 3, is a transverse section through the upper part of the machine.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 represent respectively a front, a plan and a sectional view of
the thread guide.
Figure 7, is an end view of the machine partly in section.
Figure 8, is a bottom plau view of the cam bar.
Figure 9, is a plan view of the upper face of the cam bar.
Figure 10, is a rear view of the bar.
Figures 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 represent in diagrammatic form the needles and the
notched slides controlling the same.
Figure 16, is an exaggerated view of the fabric.
Figure 17, is a rear view of the stocking leg showing the fabric.
Figure 18, is a side view, and
Figure 19, is a rear view of the modification.
The needles a are operated through jacks 6 from cam bars A which are recipro-
cated through connections to the cam shaft consisting of the lever B pivoted to the
frame at 1, Figure 1, and loosely connected by a pin and depending fork 3 to a
cross head 4 to which the cam bars are attached. The cross head slides on a
bar 5, projecting from the end of the machine and which is sustained by a bracket 6
projecting from the machine frame and shown broken off in Figure 1. The lever B
is connected by a pitman 2 to a cam or face wheel on the cam shaft C. This is
driven from the main shaft D by a pinion 7 and a gear 8.
The ribs of the jacks 6 travel in the cam groove 10 Fig. 8, and unless the jacks
are pushed forward so that the nibs will engage with the inclined portions of the
stitch cam 11 the jacks and needles will remain inactive and for the purpose of

page_text: '
this invention it is intended that first one row of jacks and needles shall remain
inactive and then the other. For moving the jacks with their needles to engage
the stitch cams a second set of jacks, is employed under tension of springs 12.
These jacks are held normally in retracted position against the tension of the
springs by notched slides. E, F, working in the notches 13 of the jack, but when
either slide is moved, so that the notches thereof align with the jacks all the jacks
on that side are released and are free to move forward when the inclined supple-
mental cam groove 14 comes opposite them and in their forward movement which
takes place in succession, these jacks of the lower set strike those of the upper set
and move them into the stitch cam groove 11, for the ordinary knitting operation.
The upper nibs of the lower jacks ordinarily (or while inactive) are slightly off the
lower face of the cam bar thus preventing friction also and when the jacks are
released to be pushed forward by the springs these nibs enter the supplemental cam
groove when it arrives at that point.
The notches of the opposite controlling slides E, F, alternate in, position, so that
the jacks with their needles are released on one side while those on the other side
are held by the teeth of the slide on that side. The slides shift their position at
the end of the cam bar's stroke in either direction to effect the alternate release of
the opposite row of needles, and this shifting movement is secured by a lever d
pivoted in a slotted bracket 15 one end having a roller acted on by a cam x and the
other end engaging a circumferential groove in a collar 17 fixed on a screw shaft e.
This shaft has longitudinal movement by means of the lever and cam in one direction
and it is returned to its outward position by a spring 18 within a hollow bearing
stud 19 which has a conical point Fig. 2. The outer end of the screw, shaft moves
in a bearing on the bracket 15. The notched slides are connected to a cross
head G movable on the bracket 15 and the longitudinal movement of the screw
shaft is imparted to this cross head through a nut which is detachable from the
shaft for a purpose hereinafter described. The amount of movement of the slides
either way is equal to one-half the distance from needle to needle and by reference
to Figures 11 to 15 it will be seen that at the end of the rows of regular notches
in the slide E a tooth 20x of double width is formed while opposite in the slide F
a notch 21* of double width is formed and next to the double tooth in the slide E
an additional small notch 20 is formed. This.construction is provided in order to
permit crossing the thread at the ends of the rows in widening, the fabric and to
prevent the formation of holes and also to cross the thread at the end of the needle
rows in plain knitting. In operating the machine, supposing sixty needles are
being used to form the plain part of the tube the thread will be taken up by the
active needles of the front row E up to the needle 60 as the thread carrier moves
to the right, Figures 11 and 16. The end needles 61 of the fiont, row is now
inactive while the opposite back needle 61 being in the wide notch operates, and
takes the thread which is thus crossed to the back row. On the return of the
carrier to the left to feed the back needles Figure 12 the needle 61 of the, back
row is out of action while the corresponding needle 61 of the front row moves
freely forward and takes the thread causing it to recross from the back to the front
needle 61 from which it is laid to the back needle 60 and then along the back, row.
The thread is thus crossed and recrossed at the end of the needle rows.and this; has
the effect, of producing a mock seam in Figures 16, 17' and' 18 which stands out
from the body of the fabric, and is composed of two wales 61 61 which are in the
nature, of and appear as extra wales thrown in. between the regular end wales 60
each wale 61 being bound to the regular wale 60 of the opposite side...
In widening the fabric see Figure 14, a new needle 62 is brought into action in
the front row and the thread having crossed from wale 60 of the front row to
wale 61 of the back row as in plain knitting, is, looped about new needle 62
(needle, 6.1, being inactive) to form the first loop in the new wale 62; and then, the
thread crosses to the regular needle 61 of the Back row and is. looped in the wale
formed, thereby as at Figure 16 and, is bound by the loop which was first
formed on the needle 61 and cast off independently and intermediate of the regular

page_text: courses as shown. The thread is then caught by the other needle of the back row
as shown by the arrow.
On the next course Figure 15 the thread crosses from the end needle 61 of the
front row which is now active to new back necille 62 hence to front needle 62 and
from there recrossing to the regular needle 61 of the back row and along said row.
Two new wales are thus started in the fabric one on the front row and one on the
back and any number of plain courses may now be knitted as before described,
Figures 11 and 12 forming a mock seam in the widened portion as well as in the
plain part. From this it will be seen that the thread is so disposed and cressed
and recrossed where the new needles are brought into action as to effectually close
the apertures which would otherwise be left by casting off the first loops of the
new wales. This crossing of threads is shown at 2 and 3 Figure 16.
The fabric may be shaped at both ends of the needle rows and the mock seam
may be composed of one or more wales standing out from the body of the fabric.
The fabric when shaped to its full width may be knitted without crossing the
thread thus presenting a plain surface without a mock scan. The fabric would
then consist of a straight portion the full width of the fabric, a shaped portion
and a straight portion of reduced diameter the mock seam being on the reduced
and shaped portions as in Figure 19. One advantage of the mock seam in a
shaped seamless fabric is that it is plainly evident to the observer that the fabric
is shaped and it distinguishes from the shaped seamless fabrics which have no
mock scam and which by the casual observer cannot be distinguished from a
stretched fabric.
The widening movement of the slides is effected by the rotation of the screw
shaft which moves the nut and cross head to the right in excess of the regular
longitudmal movement of the screw shaft and notched slides to the left and this
rotation of the shaft is determined by pattern mechanism. A spring pawl 21 in
the fixed grooved collar 17 is engaged by a toothed rim 22 of a loose pinion 23.
A rack bar 24 under tension of a spring 25 engages the pinion and a roller 26
on its lower end bears on a cam 27. The rack is held up inactive by a bell
crank lever 28 engaging a pin 29 on the rack bar which projects through a slot 30
in the cap plate 31 when the catch lever is withdrawn by means of the lug on
the pattern chain 32 raising the lever 33 and drawing upon the rod 34 the
spring 25 draws the rack bar down and turns the loose pinion backward without
effect the spring pawl being bevelled as shown to permit this but when the high
part of the cam 27 lifts the rack bar the pinion is turned forward and through
the notched rim 22 and pawl turns the fixed collar and the shaft causing the
screw nut to travel along it and move the cross head and notched slides. The
lever 28 and the pattern lever 33 are returned to normal position by a spring 70.
The nut is movable vertically between jaws 35 on the cross head and is
pressed normally upward by a spring 36 and may be detached from the screw by a
cam lever 37 connected thereto by a stem 38 which passes through a portion of
When detached the
the cross head depending through a slot in the bracket 15.
cross head with the notched slides may be shifted to their extreme leftward limit
after having widened for beginning a new fabric and a stop 38 is provided on the
screw shaft to determine the position.
The screw shaft is retained against rotary displacement by a spring pawl 39
Figure 1 which is seated in the bracket 15 and engages notches in the grooved
collar 17. This does not interfere however with the free longitudinal movement
of the screw shaft. The pattern chain passes over a sprocket drum 39 loose on
a shaft 43 and this is provided with a ratchet wheel to which movement is given
by a pawl 40 carried by an arm 41 fixed to the shaft 42 which is rocked by a
cam 42 through an arm 43* and a spring 44, a detent 45 prevents the ratchet and
the pattern chain from retracting.
In order to prevent the entire row of lower jacks when released from bearing
upon the lower side of the cam bar and thus creating friction a series of dogs 45×
are provided Figure 3, which engage the nibs of the jacks and hold them back.

page_text: These dogs have nibs fitting in a cam groove 46 in the rear side of the cam bar
and as shown in Figures 8 and 10 this groove has a rise opposite the stitch cai
so that the lower jacks are released from the dogs in succession when the stitch
cam comes in line therewith.
I employ movable sinkers 47 which act to measure off the yarns for the loops
and to hold the web without requiring a weight. These are operated by cam
bars 48 which are connected with the main cam bars by the curved arms 49.
In order to vary the length of the stitch I mount the wings 50 of the stitch
cam upon a plate 51 having an enlarged opening to admit the V cam 52 which is
fixed to the bar. The plate 51 may be slid to move the wings closer to or further
from the cam and for this purpose a plate 53 having an inclined slot is adjust-
ably held the slot receiving a block 54 on the end of the pin 55 of the plate 51.
The plate is connected to a bar 56 extending through a bearing 57 on the cross
head of the cam bars, and this bar is threaded and made adjustable by the nuts 58.
These adjustable devices for varying the length of the stitch are the same on
both sides of the machine.
The thread guide 59 is composed of a bar extending longitudinally between the
needle rows having bevelled faces forming a knife edge 60 adapted to open and
hold the latches of the needles, a central opening 62 is formed through the guide
and its stem 61 for the passage of the thread and this opening is elongated at its
mouth and has inclined ends or corners which terminate on opposite sides of the
knife edge so that in going one way the thread will be directed on one side of the
said edge and in going in the opposite direction it will be directed on the opposite
side of the said edge thus feeding one row of needles and then the other. The
thread guide is supported in an arm 65 pivoted to a standard 66 on one of the
cam bars. The arm is held normally down by a spring 67 but it may be raised
when desired to lift the guide to permit access to the needles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is
--
1. In combination the needles, the cam bar, means for moving the needles into
operative position, and the slide acting alternately to lock the parts in their
retracted position, first on one side of the machine, and then on the other, and
operating mechanism for the slides substantially as described.
2. In combination the needles, the cam bars, the means for moving the needles
into operative position, the locking slides to retain the parts in their retracted
position first on one row and then on the other mechanism for operating said slides
to and from their locking position and devices for giving said slides an additional
movement for shaping the fabric substantially as described.
3. In combination the needles and cam bars the means for moving the needles
into operative position a pair of locking slides having notches arranged to
release the parts alternately first on one row and then on the other, when said
notches align therewith and means for operating the slides in unison substantially
as described.
4. In combination with the needles and cam bars means for forcing them into
operative position, the locking and shaping slides having a series of notches
alternately set with relation to each other, one of said slides having a wide tooth
opposite a wide notch at the end of the other slide and an additional small notch
and the means for operating the slides substantially as described.
5. In combination the needles and cam bars the locking and shaping slides the
screw shaft the connections therefrom to the slides, the means for reciprocating
the shaft with the slides and the mechanism for rotating the screw shaft to move
the slides for shaping the fabric substantially as described.
6. In combination the needles and cam bars of a straight knitting machine, a
thread carrier arranged over the rows having a knife edge adapted to open and
hold the latches of the needles and an opening for the thread having a mouth

page_text: with the opposite corners thereof on opposite sides of the knife edge substantially
as described.
7. A tubular knitted fabric. having a mock seam standing out from the face
thereof.
8. A seamless shaped tubular fabric having a mock seam extending the shaped
and straight portions substantially as described.
9. A tubular fabric widened by additional wales and having at one point of the
widening an independent loop & Figure 16 intermediate of the regular courses
with the thread extending between the same and the opposite widening wale and
thence across to the regular course substantially as described.
10. The herein described method of forming a mock seam in a straight portion
of a knitted fabric consisting in knitting along one row crossing to the opposite
row and then recrossing to the front and then to the back and along said back
row and repeating the operation without variation substantially as described.
11. The herein described method of forming a mock seam in a knitted fabric
consisting in knitting along the front row omitting the end needle of said row and
crossing to the end needle of the back row then recrossing to the end needle of
the front row and then to the back row omitting the end needle thereof and
knitting along said back row to complete the course.
12. The herein described method of widening, consisting in knitting along one
row bringing a fresh needle in this row to form a new loop after having first
formed an independent loop in the regular wale of the opposite row and then
recrossing to said opposite row, and continuing along the same to form the regular
course the said independent loop being intermediate of the course substantially as
described.
13. The herein described method of widening consisting in knitting along one
row and introducing a fresh needle in this row after having first formed an inde-
pendent loop in the regular wale of the opposite row and the recrossing to said
opposite row and continuing the course to the end of the first row then crossing
to a fresh needle in the opposite or back row and then recrossing to the needle
in the front row which has been newly introduced and then recrossing to the
back row and continuing this to form the next course.
Dated this 17th day of November 1891.
J. C. CHAPMAN, C.P.A.