IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Johnson of the town and County of the
town of Nottingham, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING
MACHINERY"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd February 1883.
FREDERIC JOHNSON, of the town and County of the town of Nottingham,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING-MACHINERY"
To either end of a knitting machine arranged to produce narrowings by automatic
means, I secure a bracket provided with an axle, on which a toothed ratchet wheel
revolves, the bracket also forms bearings for sliding bolts, moved by cam plates on
the axle first named, these plates operate at will, narrowing bars; such bars when
the machine is making the gusset, or the ordinary narrowings, are operated by the
narrowing screws in the usual way, but when making the toe of a hose or half hose,
the narrowing bars are no longer operated by the screws, but are operated by the cam
plates before named, so as to produce narrowings either by one, or more needles at
a time. A sufficient number of points or coverers being employed to move as many
loops as required from the selvages inwards. When employing such apparatus for
making what is known as the French foot or toe, the point or coverer boxes, are
operated by the cam plates to take off the required number of loops from each
selvage to the first row of narrowings and having delivered the loops, the coverer
box slides are again operated by the cam plates before named and are again
traversed the required number of needles to form the second row of narrowings,
thus forming four distinct narrowings in each course to the length required, The
revolution of the cam plates is effected by a driver carried by a right angled lever
connected by a link to a truck bearing lever, operated by a cam on the cam shaft
of the machine, each revolution of the cam shaft, racking the toothed wheel one or
more teeth,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederic Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd August
1883.
FREDERIC JOHNSON, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY
To either end of a knitting machine arranged to produce narrowings by automatic
means, I secure a bracket provided with an axle on which a toothed ratchet wheel
revolves, the bracket also forms bearings for sliding bolts moved by cam plates on
the axle first named, these plates operate at will narrowing bars, such bars when
the machine is making the gusset or the ordinary narrowings are operated by the
narrowing screws in the usual way, but when making the toe of a hose or half hose,
the narrowing bars are no longer operated by the screws but are operated by the cam
plates before named so as to produce narrowings either by one, or more needles at
a time. A sufficient number of points or coverers being employed to move as many
loops as required from the selvages inwards. When employing such apparatus for
making what is known as the French foot or toe, the point or coverer boxes are
operated by the cam plates to take off the required number of loops from each
selvage, to the first row of narrowings, and having delivered the loops, the coverer
box slides are again operated by the cam plates before named and are again
traversed the required number of needles to form the second row of narrowings,
thus forming four distinct narrowings in each course to the length required, the
revolution of the cam plates is effected by a driver carried by a right angled lever
connected by a link to a truck bearing lever operated by a cam on the cam shaft
of the machine, each revolution of the cam shaft, racking the toothed wheel one
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a front view of my improved apparatus
applied to a knitting machine of well known construction having vertical needles.
Figures 3 to 7 inclusive are separate views of portions of the apparatus severally
referred to hereafter.
The corresponding parts in each Figure are indicated by the same letters where
necessary.
To either end of a knitting machine arranged to produce narrowings by
automatic means, I secure a bracket A provided with an axle on which a toothed
ratchet wheel A¹ is secured, the axle also carries two cam plates, B, B¹, each cam
moves a bolt which slides in bearings formed in the bracket, to the inner ends
of the bolts narrowing bars are held either by a spring or by a cord attached
to each bar and passed over a pulley E (seen at Figure 2) and provided with
weights at its lower end.
The cam B, moves a bolt which operates the upper narrowing bar D, and
the cam B¹ moves a bolt C³, which operates the lower narrowing bar D', both
bolts being capable of adjustment lengthways.
Each narrowing bar is provided with a point or coverer box, the upper bar D
carries as many boxes F as there are widths of fabric made across the machine,
each box F having a sufficient number of coverers G to move as many loops as
required from the right selvage inwards, and the lower bar D₁ carries an equal
number of boxes F¹ and coverers G to move as many loops as required from the
left selvage inwards.

page_text: At Figures 1 and 2 the narrowing bars and coverer boxes are shown at their
extreme inward throw, as placed by the cam plates B and B¹, when in the
respective relative position shown in side view at Figure 4 the bolt C resting
upon the highest run of the cam plate B and the bolt C¹ on the highest run of
the cam plate B¹. At Figures and 2 the cam plates are shown plain but
each is cut of the same shape as the one shown at Figure 1, the highest run
of the cam B, being to the left when the highest run of the cam B' is to the
right.
Figure 5 is an enlarged front view of one pair of coverer boxes, and part of
the narrowing bars D and D¹ in the relative position they occupy with respect
to the right and left needles of each width, previous to commencing to narrow.
Figure 6 is an end view of the coverer boxes showing the narrowing bars in
section.
The revolution of the cam plates is effected by a driver A³ rocking on an axle
carried by a right angled lever H, connected by a link H¹ to a truck bearing
lever H² operated by a cam H' on the cam shaft of the machine, each revolution
of the shaft racking the toothed wheel A* one or more teeth, an enlarged view of
the left side of the cam His shown at Figure 7. When the cam shaft is in the
position seen at Figure 2, the machine makes fabric without narrowings; the truck
on the lever H³ runs on the highest rim of the cam H' without operating the
driver A³, but when narrowings are required to be made, the cam shaft is shogged
to the right so as to place the lowest run of the cam under the truck, and thus
operate the driver until the required number of narrowings are made. When the
machine is making the gusset or the ordinary narrowings, upon the driver A¹
being thrown out of gear with the ratchet wheel, the cam I will operate the
narrowing screws in the usual way.
Figure 3 is a plan of the link H¹ lever H' and the cam H*.
Having thus described the nature of my said invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that I claim,
For the two cam plates B and B₁ operating apparatus applied to a knitting
machine arranged to produce narrowings, by automatic means, substantially as
described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
In witness whereof I the said Frederic Johnson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this eighteenth day of August in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three,
TATT