Improvement in Knitting Looms.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
Improvement in Knitting Looms.
I, JOHN BRADLEY, of North Chelmsford, (no street and number), County of
Middlesex, in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same
1s to be performed, to he particularly described and ascertained, in and by the
following statement
This invention relates to a new and improved knitting mechanism for the
production of a table by so aanging the warp and weft threads that the web may
closely resemble a fabric produced upon an ordinary loom employing a harness to
control the warp and a shuttle and lay to put in the welt My intention consists
in the novel features of construction and relative arrangement of parts hereinafter
fully described in the Specification, clearly illustrated in the drawings and
particularly pointed out in the claims
Reference is to be had to the accompanying three sheets of drawings forming
part of this application, in which like characters indicate like parts, wherever they
оссия.
In the drawings, —
Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved knitting loom
Fig 2 is a vertical central sectional view of the saine.
Fig. 3 is a detail view in front elevation showing the manner of laying in the
weft-thread and of guiding and controlling the warps.
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the upper portion of what is shown
in Fig 3.
Fig 5 is a detail view representing the knock-off mechanism.
(a) designates the bed or frame of the machine. (b) is the needle head supported
upou a strap (c) connected at its ends with the bed, and adapted to turn on the
bolt (d) connected at its lower end to the said strap and extending centrally through
the head.
(e) are spring-beard needles carried by the head in the usual way so that ordinary
kuitting may be performed thereon as the head is rotated with the co-operation of
ayan-guide (f), stitch-wheel (y), presser-wheel (h), and other essential
contrivances.
The head (s provided on its lower edge with bevel gear-teeth (t) which may
be integral with the head on form a part of a gear attached to the bottom of the
head, which gear-teeth are engaged by the teeth of a hovel-gear (1) secured to the
driving-shaft (4). By this means the head is adapted to be rotated
(1) designatos a revoluble warp-carrier having bearings on the bed (a), and
provided in its lower part with bevel teeth (m) which are engaged by the teeth of
the bevel-gear (n) on the driving-shaft (A).
The teeth of the gears (") and () agree in number as do also the teeth (1)
and (m), so that the head and warp-carier will be moved in exact uDISON
The warp-carrier is equipped with a number of spools (0) carrying threads in
number equal to the number of needlos in the head, which warp-threads are led
from their spools though guide-ways (p) (7),-formed in the vertical cylinder (r)
forming an integral part of the waip-tairier, beneath a tension-ring (s) through
guide-notches (1) forined in the upper edge of the cylinder (7) between the needles,
and into the fabric longitudinally thereof. There is a warp thread extending
between each two needles
Between the cylinder (r) and the head (6) there is a space, and in this space and

page_text: attached to the stationary bed of the machine there is arranged a weft-guide and
warp-1aiser (u) extending to or slightly above the tops of the needles, and guiding
a thread (p) led up through a hole in the bed (a), and through the space between
the cylinder (r) and head, in such manner as to pay and thread (v) on or over the
tops of the needles behind the warp-threads (10), and in front of the stitches in the
hooks of the needles, formed from the regular knitung-thread (c) The weft-
guide (u) is so constructed tint it raises the warp threads slightly at the tops of
the needles so that the weft-thread may be laid in, as described.
(y) designates a warp depresser manged in the space between the cylinder and
head (). It is attached to the stationary bed of the machine and located in the
vicinity of the stitch-forming mechanism, as shown in Fig. 1. Its function is to
depress the warp threads below and past the stitch-wheel Other wise, the waip
thieads become entangled with the stitch-wheel
(2) is the clearing wheel having the usual function, arranged tu advance of the
stitch-wheel
Inasmuch as the means whereby the weft thread is introduced into the fabric and
furthermore, inasmuch as the warp are led into the work so as to in no way
interfere with the operations of the regular knitting mechanism, it is obvious that
my invention is applicable as well to reciprocating latch-needle machines as to a
spring-beard machine, in connection with which I have chosen to show my invention
and explain its mode of operation For the same reason, the invention is equally
as applicable to a straight-bar machine as to a circular machine.
One
Some provisions are necessary to establish and maintain a uniform tension upon
the spools (o) and then contents. Many arrangements may be devised for this
purpose, but I prefer the construction shown in Fig 2, in which (s) represents a
lever preferably of spring metal, pivoted by ears (s) to the warp carrier.
aim of this lever is aanged to engage and bear upou the waip threads 10 a
spool (o), there being a level for each spool The other aim of this lever is
provided with a screw (*) that engages a block (st) mounted in the chamber in the
Larite and bears ontwaid by means of a spring (). By turning the screw (8*)
the tension upon the spools may be adjusted at will
It is further necessary to provide some means whereby upon the failure of
breaking of the weft-thread (v) or the regular knitted thread (c), the machine may
be stopped It is not necessary to provide any means for stopping the machine on
the failure of the warp thread. the distance being so small between the spool and
the fabric that the thied practically never breaks
The knock-off mechanism just referred to is clearly shown in Fige 1 and 5.
Loosely mounted upon a diving shaft (4) is a diving wheel (P) provided with a
clutch part (1) arranged to engage a complemental clutch-member (4) secured to
the diving shaft (A) is a collar on the end of the shaft to prevent the wheel (*)
being forced off the shaft (4) represents a series of teeth formed on the inside
of the wheel and arranged to engage at suitable times a dog (a) pivoted in a
bracket (a) secured to the bed (a) of the machine The weft-thiend and the
regular knitted thread are led to the machine though split brackets (a¹) secuted
to the bed (a) of the machine, and provided with apertures (a) through which the
thread passes
(u³) represents a lever pivoted at one of its ends in the split bracket
and provided with a hole (a) arranged to register with the apertunes (a) in the
split bracket. When the parts are in the full me position shown in Fig. 5 the
holes o apertines (a²) and (a') registering, the lever (a) will be a little off its
dead centic so that upon breaking or failure of the thread the lever will drop into
its dotted live position. In so diopping this lever engages an arm (a') secured to
the end of a lever (a) pisoted at (a") to the bed of the machine. The opposite
end of this level engages a lever (a) pivoted to the adjacent side of the machine,
one arm of this level being provided with a finger aanged to engage the dog (a")
The parts being in the position shown in Fig 5 a full lines, now, if the threau
should break or fail, the lever (a) would drop into its dotted line position, thereby
operating the levels (a) and (a), and throwing the dog (a) outward to be

page_text: engaged by the teeth (A). This engagement of the dog with the teeth (**) forces
the wheel () a sufficient distance to disengage the clutch members (*) (*),
thereby stopping the macbine.
(a) is a lug secured to the bed of the machine, on which one arm of the lever (a")
rests. It will be obvious that the knock-off mechanism will be operated upon
inilure of either of the threads (c) or (v), or both of them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manuel the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim 18,
1. A hitting loom comprising in its construction a knitting mechanism to form
a regular knitted web, waip-guides for guiding the warp threads between the
needles, and a warp-raiser and weft-guide airauged to raise the warp threads
above the needles and to guide a weft thread beneath the warp threads and
between the warp threads and the loops of the kuitted thread, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
2 A knitting loom comprising in its construction a knitting mechanism to form
a regular knitted web, warp-guides for guiding warp threads between the needles,
and a warp-raise and weft-guide extending between the warp threads and the
needles, and ananged to raise the warp threads and lay its weft threads behind the
warp threads and back of the regular knitted loops, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth
3. A knitting loom comprising in its construction a rotary head and its needles,
and co-operating spring-beard needle knitting mechanism to form a regularly
knitted web, a warp-cariier and independent means for moving it in unison with
the head, and a combined weft-guide and warp-raiser arranged between the head
and cariter having a pait to raise the warp-thread above the needles, and a slot
to guide a weft-thead beneath the warp threads and between the warp-threads
and the loups of the knitted thread, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
4. A spring-beard needle knitting loom comprising in its construction a head
and its needles, and means for rotating the head, and co-operating knitting
mechanism to form a regular knitted web, a warp-carrier independent of said
head and means for moving it, and a combined waip-raiser and weft-guide having
a part to raise the warp-theads above the needles and a slot to guide a well-
thread beneath the warp threads and between the warp threads and the loops of
the knitted threads, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a spring-beard knitting loom, the combination of a neelle cylinder, a
wap-cartier surrounding said cylinder and in the same horizontal plane there-
with, and independent means for rotating said cylinder and carrier, said cairie
being provided with an upwardly extending flange provided with thread tension
devices and notches to guide the warp-thread, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
6. The combination with the rotary head, of the warp-catrier evoluble around
the head, independent means for moving the head and carrier in unison, and a
stational y weft-guide and warp-raiser extending upward between the head and
cairier, and having a part projecting above the needles, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth
7. In a knitting loom, in combination, a rotary head and its needles and comple-
neutal stitch-forming mechanism, an independently revoluble warp-carrier, a
weft-guide and warp-raiser, and a warp-depresser, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
8. In a knitting loom, in combination, a rotary head, a revoluble warp-carrier,
independent means for moving the head and carrier, and complemental stitch-
forming mechanism, and a stationary warp-depresser extending up between the
head and carrier near the stitch-wheel to guide the warp-threads below and clear
of the stitch-wheel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 9. A knitting loom comprising in its construction a rotary head and its needles,
co-operating spring-beard knitting mechanism for forming a regular kuitted web,
mechanism for combining a weft-thread with the regular knitted thread, a knock-off
mechanism with which said weft-tload and kutted thread are connected, and
connections between said kuock-off mechanism and the driving wheel whereby
upon the failure or breakage of a weft-thread or the regular knitted thread, the
machine will be stopped, substantially as and for the purpose set forth
10. In a knitting loom, in combination, a rotary head, a revoluble warp-canner,
independent means for moving the head and carrier and complemental stitch-
forming mechanism, warp-spools mounted upon said warp-carrier, and spring-
pressed levers having one arm arranged to engage said spools in order to maintain
a uniform tension upon the waip-thieads, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
E P. ALEXANDER & SON.
Chartered Patent Agents,
19 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W C., Filing Agonts.