Improvements in Needles for Knitting Looms or other Textile Machinery, and in Means for Holding the same in Position.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 18th June, 1898
Improvements in Needles for Knitting Looms or other Textile
Machinery, and in Means for Holding the same in Position.
I, JOHN MILLAR, of 122, Great Saffron Hill, London, E.C., Gentleman, 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 present invention relates to improvements in needles for knitting looms and
other textile machinery, and in means for holding the same in position, and it
consists essentially the combination with the peculiarly bent needle-shank arranged
to form a spring catch, of a jack or needle-holder provided with a notched socket
adapted to receive said needle-shank and be interlocked therewith, all as hereinafter
set forth and claimed.
My improved needle is more especially adapted to be employed in straight
knitting machines, that is knitting machines capable of producing flat webs of
fabric. Machines of this class were patented to me in Great Britain, July 7th,
1891, and November 6th, 1894, and numbered 11532, and 21350, respectively. In
said patented machines, as well as in other knitting machines, it has been usual
hitherto to secure the needles to the holders or jacks" by means of soft solder.
While such former securing means constitutes a strong and rigid connection the
needle cannot be disconnected from the holder except by unsoldering it.
2
By means of my invention the needle can be easily and quickly attached to or
disconnected from the holder. Moreover, from the fact that I employ no solder or
heat, the needle shanks are thus rendered stiffer, since the temper is not drawn as
is usually the case where the needles are soldered in. Another advantage resulting
from my improvement is that the needles can be quickly detached or changed at
will without removing the holder from the machine, thus not only facilitating the
operation but effecting a great saving of time.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings,
Figure 1 is a transverse section of part of a knitting machine or loom provided
with my improved needle and holder.
Figure 2 is a side elevation, in enlarged scale, of the needle and its holder.
Figure 3 is a similar view, in partial section, showing the interior construction.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section, enlarged, taken on line a of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the needle detached from the holder, and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the U-shaped yoke adapted to be secured to
and from a part of the holder.
While, as before stated, my improvement is applicable to various types of
knitting machines I find it peculiarly adapted to straight knitting machines, and
in order to show the relative arrangement of the needle-actuating parts of such a
machine I have represented in Figure 1 a partial transverse section of my improved
knitting machine. In this case the needle-driving or cam-shafts has the cams c
secured thereto, the rotation of the cams causing the thin cam-frames or jacks f
to reciprocate up and down in unison therewith. These frames f are mounted in
a box or standard e provided with a steel needle-bar t, which in turn is grooved to

page_text: receive the adjacent edges of the frames. The upper part of the frame is
elongated to form the holder portion f¹, soon to be described.
The needlen (shown in enlarged scale Figure 5) is provided at its upper end
with the usual hook and latch, the opposite or lower end portion of the shank
being bent rearwardly to form a reflex spring arm n¹. The said arm n¹ is bent
about midway of its length for the purpose of providing a catch or stop, as n², when
combined with the holder portion f¹ of the cam-frame. The latter is cut away
at m on its inner edge, adjacent to the needle-bar, and forms substantially the
counterpart of the arm n'. The lower end m of said cut-away portion constitutes
a seat or abutment for the needle, thus preventing the latter from being accident-
ally unseated the upper end of the holder is provided with a corresponding
notch or lip m adapted to engage with said catch n² of the needle-arm n¹, as clearly
shown.
A U-shaped strap or yoke o of thin metal is secured to the holder f', the same
forming, with the said cut-away portion, a socket for the lower part of the needle-
shank and the spring arm n. The act of pressing the needle into said socket past
the lip m compresses the arm until the stop n passes the lip, at which instant
the arm automatically springs outward or rearwardly, thus firmly locking the
needle to the frame or holder; the front vertical wall of the yoke o at the same
time forming a guide adapted to keep the needle in position.
I would state that I term the hook side of the needle the back and the opposite
side the front of the needle. The needle may be readily removed from the holder
by first simply pressing the free end n³ of the spring-arm rearwardly until the
catch thereof is detached from the upper seat or lip m¹ of the holder, after which
the needle can be easily withdrawn endwise from the socket.
It will be seen that in using my improved needle-holding device, the needle is
inserted or withdrawn endwise or longitudinally, the arrangement at the same
time forming a practically rigid or non-yielding locking device, and being
comparatively inexpensive.
I do not desire to limit my improvement to the precise form represented in the
drawing, since modifications thereof may be employed without materially departing
from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a knitting machine, the combination with the cam-frame or jack having
the needle-holding portion thereof provided with an opening or recess, of the
needle member having its shank bent to form a spring-arm arranged to automatic-
ally interlock with the said holder upon inserting it into the recess thereof, and
having the free end of the spring arm extending beyond the recess, substantially
as herein before described and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination with the cam-frame or jack having a recess formed in its
edge and a thin metal strap or yoke secured thereto contiguous to said recess, thus
forming a socket, of the needle having its shank bent to form a spring-arm adapted
to be sprung into and interlock with said recess, substantially as described and
for the purpose set forth.
3. A needle for a knitting loom or other textile machine, and the means for
holding the same, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.