Year: 1886

page_text: therefor.
We, GEORGE FREDERICK STURGESS of N° 13 Free Lane, Hosiery Machinist, and
JAMES HEARTH of N° 61 London Road Hosiery Manufacturer both in Leicester, in
the county of Leicester do horeby declare the nature of this invention to bo as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improvement in knitted hosiery fabrics for producing
stockings, cuffs, mitts, and to substitute the ribbed top in half hose, socks, glove
tops, pants, and the like by putting in to the back part of the fabric, an elastic or
india rubber thread cord, or other similar and suitable material for retaining the
article, or articles in position when worn, and giving elasticity to the part, or parts
required the said thread being placed between the needles alternately that is
before one needle, and behind the other in the same cylinder or one set of needles
employed with tumbler or bearded needles in a circular machine, with any number
of feeders for producing plain fabric on one set of needles to be made into stockings
and the like at the point at where the ordinary garter or band is used to keep the
stocking in position upon the leg we put a course, or courses of india rubber thread:
or if required in any other part of the stocking it can be inserted, the thread of
whatever material.is used is supplied from a spool upon which the rubber is wound,
and shaped that the rubber thread moves off easily, and passes through a guide to
feed every alternate needle, or every two, or more, in the needle cylinder, or
frame, as may be desired. The needles to receive the rubber thread are raised
independently from the others by an auxiliary incline used for the purpose the
thread passing into a slight curve in the needle below the tumbler made expressly
to receive the elastic thread, thus ensuring the other needles rising in their slots on
the ordinary incline in front and clear of the rubber thread-when those needles
having the rubber thread on their front and when drawing their ordinary yarn
loops, the rubber loops are cast off by the tumblers, thus making a knock off loop
of the elastic thread employed and securing it in the loops of the fabric. If more
than one set of needles are employed in order to make a ribbed fabric, the same
means are adopted, upon the one set of needles prepared to receive the thread as.
before stated at the back of the fabric, not as at present employed between the
frame and machine needles-this our Invention alike refers to Lambs and all
machines of a like construction, and to rotary frames-we also obtain the same:

page_text: result on loop wheel frames by feeding a laying in wheel with the thread of elastic-
for fancy and lined fabrics made of a different kind of material, than what the main
fabric is composed of, such as silk, cotton, or an admixture of wool, worsted, cotton
twine, or fibre, to make it different in the back than the front, the same means
of putting in the thread is employed The following is the construction of the
apparatus employed to sever the thread a moveable shaft is fixed in the centre of a
bracket on its sides with a ratchet-wheel attached, the ratchet wheel receiving its
motion from a paul fixed to a shaft and receiving its motion from a cam on the
frame the shaft carrying the ratchet wheel receiving a shog motion by a spiral
spring on the shaft and pressing against the ratchet wheel that when it has made
one revolution a small pin in the opposite end of the shaft to the spiral spring
enters an aperture cut out in the bracket above the axle bearing-so that the shaft
only obtains the shogging motion at this point and projecting through to the outer
side of the bracket strikes a lever which severs the elastic thread or other thread
employed.
..
The spiral spring is compressed by pulling back the ratchet wheel under the
paul, the apparatus is released and the operator can place the thread in the needles
without stopping the machines it thus commences to work and goes one revolution
and shogs, to complete the number of courses required.
Dated this 27th day of March one thousand eight hundred and eighty six.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Knitted Hosiery Fabrics, Applicable to
all kinds of Knitted Wearing Apparel, and in Apparatus 2
therefor.
We,
GEORGE FREDERICK STURGESS of N° 13 Free Lane, Hosiery Machinist, and
JAMES HEARTH of N° 61 London Road Hosiery Manufacturer, both in Leicester
in the county of Leicester do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
AN IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTED HOSIERY FABRICS, APPLICABLE TO ALL KINDS or 3
KNITTED WEARING APPAREL, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an improvement in knitted hosiery and other fabrics,
for stockings, and to substitute the ribbed top in half hose, socks, glove tops, pants,. 3
cuffs, mitts and the like by putting into the back part of, the fabric an elastic or
india-rubber thread, cord; or other similar and suitable material, for retaining the
article, or articles in position when worn and giving elasticity to the part, or parts,.

page_text: or the whole of the article if required, the said thread or threads, being placed
between the needles alternately, that is to say; before one needle and behind the
next in the same cylinder or the one set of needles employed, whether with tumbler
or bearded needles in circular machines with any number of feeders for making
plain fabrics on one set of needles, the same means are employed if more than one
set of needles are used to make ribbed fabrics.
That this Invention may be. more clearly understood reference is made to the
accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1. is a front view of a head of a plain feeder frame shewing the position of
the needles, and the apparatus for severing the thread and fixed in the required
position for use "a" is the thread which is carried from off the reel b, through
the guide fitting, on the cam box c. on to the head or set of needles running in the
curve c¹ under the tumblers in the front of the needles c² the needles c² being raised
to receive the thread independantly and in advance of the others, by an auxiliary
incline fixed at d or in any other desired position on the head to actuate the jacks.
either at their tail, or foot, the other needles being raised and coming up on the
front of the thread, which is across the needles c by the ordinary inclinė d thereby
causing the thread to be before one needle and in rear of the other, or before two
coming next to each other, and behind the next two, and so on, or more in their
corresponding positions if so desired, then when the needles having the thread on
their front in the curve prepared for it, are-drawing their ordinary yarn loops the
thread in the curve is cast off by the tumblers, thus making a knock off loop of the
thread employed, and securing it in the sinker loops on the back of the fabric, thus
allowing the thread to be secured more firm, and to give more elasticity whero
inserted, than by the present method employed of running the thread between the
frame and machine needles, or "frame loop" and "machine loop" which can only
be done when two sets of needles are used "e" are the jacks, in their relative
positions when feeding every two needles. F. is the cam box plate to which tho
apparatus for this class of machines, is fixed. "g" is a brush fitted to come 'over
and upon the top of the reel b. upon which the thread "a" is wound, the tension
of which is regulated by weights "h" placed upon the pin on the head of the
brush" g." I is a moveable shaft upon which the ratchet wheel J. is fixed, and the
handle fitting on one end of the shaft that it may be turned to any point to
decrease the number of catches on the ratchet wheel that count the number of
courses of thread required for every revolution, the ratchet wheel receives its
circular motion from the paul k. on the rocking shaft L. a spring J is fixed to the
opposite side, which presses against the ratchet wheel to steady it, the rocking shaft
is held down in working position by a spiral spring L³ attached to the head of the
paul and to the base plate of the apparatus and when the shogging motion has
taken place a small pin in the ratchet wheel holds the rocking shaft out of its
working position until the apparatus is released by the operator. The rocking
motion of the shaft L. is obtained by a stud M. fixed on the revolving frame
plate M¹ and the said shaft is guaged to take one or more tricks at a time by the set
screws L-the ratchet wheel J. is pressed by a spiral spring on the shaft, N. that
when one revolution is performed the small key on the shaft enters the aperture in
the bracket above the axle bearings, thus causing the shog motion, and the end of
the shaft projecting through at O. causes the hammer P. to rise and strike the
under side of the guide c. and thus severs the thread of the material employed
without the necessity of stopping the machines, the hammer P. falling with its own
weight on to the taper end of the shaft P¹ when the said shaft is pulled out.
Figure 2. is a side elevation of the apparatus. Figure 3 is an end view of same
shewing the action of the hammer P. Figure 4. is the inside of a plain half hose,
with the substituted elastic fabric top-the same can be used for glove-tops, or
ankle of under-pants, or waistbands of same in place of an ordinary ribbed top
Figure 5 is a plain stocking turned inside out with the rubber thread on the back
at "a" in accordance with this invention. Figure 6 is a cylinder shewing the
position of the needles c³ when being fed by the thread, or threads of india-rubber

page_text: or other material-Figure 7. is to shew the curve c¹ in a latch, or tumbler needle,
with the short and long foot, and short and long tail-by the means thus described
one or more threads can be put in at the same time if required,-the same method
of putting in a thread or threads of elastic or other material can be employed on
other machines constructed differently to those mentioned, whether cylindrical or
straight frames, and the same apparatus, for severing the thread, be used for fancy
or lined fabrics on feeder frames where threads of a different material to those used
in the loops of the fabric are required to produce a different back, to front, whether
in part, or the whole of the fabric; the same means of putting in the thread at the
back of the fabric, are employed, but to put the thread of clastic at, the back of
plain fabric made in loop wheel frames, we feed an ordinary laying in wheel with
the rubber thread and produce the same result, the thread of whatever material is
used is placed by the operator upon those needles, which are up in position to
receive it, while the machine is in motion, not having to be stopped for this
purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
Firstly. The method of putting in a thread, or threads of elastic by securing it in
the back of knitted hosiery fabrics, in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
Secondly. An elastic lined knitted fabric for hosiery, surgical and other purposes.
Thirdly. The method of introducing a thread, or threads of other material
differing from that used in the loops of the fabric, to the back of the fabric, on
feeder frames in the manner as described.
Fourthly. In the construction and working of the apparatus, and the brush
arrangement, as hereinbefore described and set forth in the drawings accompanying
this Specification.
Dated this fourteenth day of April one thousand eight hundred and eighty six.