Improvements in Apparatus for Knitting simultaneously Two or more Bandages or other Fabric having Rubber or Caoutchouc in them.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Knitting simultaneously Two
or more Bandages or other Fabric having Rubber or
Caoutchouc in them.
I, JOHN HARRINGTON HAYWOOD, Castle Gate, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire,
Surgical appliance manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR KNITTING SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO OR MORE
» and in
BANDAGES OR OTHER FABRIC HAVING RUBBER OR CAOUTCHOUC IN THEM
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to frames for knitting elasti fabrics, and it has for its
object the improvement of such machines so as to render them capable of knitting
two or more lengths of elastic bands or other elastic fabrics having threads of
rubber or caoutchouc in them simultaneously whilst at the same time the machines
are rendered more convenient for working.
It has not been possible hitherto to knit more than one length of elastic band or
fabric having rubber in it, at a time on knitting frames owing to the elastic
character of the rubber strand and the difficulty experienced in laying such strand
on the needles evenly and with undue tension or slack. In the improved apparatus
this objection is obviated by employing suitable mechanism for gripping and
releasing the elastic strand at proper times during the traverse of the thread
carrier. In carrying out the Invention the part carrying the usual thread carrier
for laying the rubber strand along the needles is formed with upward extensions
at its top. On the end of these extensions there is centered a rocking shaft having
at its middle a lever which extends upwards towards a guide rail. Above each
thread carrier there is fixed on the rocking shaft a lever piece formed by two
steel wires which form jaws and grip the elastic strand passed between them. The
upper end of the lever is pressed against the underside of the guide rail by a
suitable spring and is arranged on the traverse of the thread carrier to come into
contact with two angular guide pieces. These guide pieces are each formed with
two legs one of which is shorter than the other, and the guide pieces are centered
at the vertex of their angles on downward projections formed or fixd to the rail
their shorter legs being placed upwards end to end but with just sufficient room
between their ends to allow of the end of the inclined lever to pass between. The
longer legs of the guide pieces bear against the inner side of the rail and on
the

page_text: traverse of the thread carriers the lever piece is brought against the incline forined
by the long leg of one of the angular guide pieces and pressed down thereby.
This action lifts the outer end of the lever and removes the spring jaws from
contact with a knife edge which is arranged to keep the jaws open when the jaws
rest thereon. The jaws being lifted from the knife edges then grip the elastic
strands and as the thread carriers and the lever traverse across the frame this grip
is maintained long enough to remove any slack in the strand and lay the strand
evenly on the needles. On the return traverse of the thread carrier the action
will be repeated by the lever piece coming in contact with the other angular guide
piece. The action of the apparatus is further improved by forming the presser bar
in sections so that only such a number of the needles may be pressed as is desired
and convenient at a time.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings to
be hereinafter referred to and representing part of a knitting frame having my
improved arrangement of apparatus applied. In these drawings the same reference
numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
This
Figure 1, on the accompanying sheet of drawings is a sectional side elevation
showing part of a frame having my improved arrangements and Figure 2 is a front
view of the same, showing only sufficient of the frame to enable my Invention to
be understood. The rest of the frame may be formed in the usual manner except
that two or more sets of needles may be now employed instead of one set as
formerly. The thread carriers 1 for laying the elastic strand along the needles are
carried, when there are two sets of needles as shown in the drawing at each end
of a metal block 2, which is formed to slide on a bar 3 in the usual manner.
bar 3 is fixed on the framing above the sinkers and needles and at an inclination
which causes the lower ends of the thread carriers to incline inwards just over the
ends of the row of needles. At each end of the block 3 there are fixed curved
arms 4 which extend backwards a short distance having bearings at their ends to
carry a horizontal rocking bar 5. This bar 5 has screwed on its middle an arm or
lever 6, which projects backwards up to a guide rail 7 carried by uprights 8 at each
side of the framing of the machine at the top. Over each thread carrier 1 there is
fixed on the rocking bar 5, a pair of strong steel wires 9, which are formed with a
curve about their middles and these wires form jaws between which the strand or
thread is passed. The top of the thread carrier is formed with a short horizontal
part 10 projecting forward through a hole in the outer end of which the strand is
passed after passing through the jaws on its way to the thread carrier. This
horizontal part 10 carries near its inner end a short vertical knife piece 11 which
at certain times passes between the wires forming the jaws and by opening them
releases the strand from its grip. To lift the jaws out of contact with these knife
pieces 11 and cause them to grip the strand the lever 6 is arranged to come against
an inclined angular guide 12. This guide is formed with two legs one of which is
slightly shorter than the other and it is centered at the vertex of its angle on a
downward projection 13 on the guide rail 7 with its legs upwards. The longer leg
rests against the underside of the guide rail 7 and on the traverse of the thread
carrier 1 towards the left looking at Figure 2, the lever 6 is pressed against the
longer leg of the angular guide piece and depressed by it until it reaches the vertex
of the angle. While the lever is traversing this incline the jaws are lifted away
from the knife pieces 11 and grip the strand and by the continued traverse of the
thread carrier removes any slack and lays the strand evenly on the needles. When
the lever 6 reaches the vertex of the angle it is caused by the action of a helical
spring 14 to lift up the shorter leg of the angular guide 12 and to be brought once
more against the guide rail 7. The continued traverse of the thread carriers
brings the end of the lever 6 past a second angular guide piece 15 similar to the
first and also centered in the same manner except that its shorter leg is placed end
to or contiguous to the shorter leg of the first. By this arrangement when the
return traverse takes place an exactly similar action takes place to that just

page_text: described. The helical spring 14 is connected by one end to about the middle of
the lever 6 and by its other end to a vertical arm 16. This arm 16 is fixed upon
a horizontal arm 17 which at its front is curved downwards and fixed to the
traversing block 3, whilst at its other and inner end there is fitted a truck or
roller 18 which runs upon a guide rail 19 carried by the main framing 20 and by
this arrangement the equilibrim of the apparatus is maintained. The presser bar
is formed in sections instead of being in one continuous length as formerly. Each
section (see Figure 1) is in the form of a flat plate 20 and is hinged to a rod 21 so
that it may be turned back out of the way when not required to act. When the
sections are down and in a position to operate they are held in that position by
spring catches 22 which engage with the parts screwed on a continuous bar 23.
Each sectional presser plate 20 when in the position for pressing is held against
the bar 23 by the catches 22 and when thrown out of the way the plates lie on the
top of the bar 23 as shown in Figure 1.
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 apparatus for knitting elastic fabrics the combination with the thread
carriers (1) of a knitting machine of the gripping levers (9), knife edges (11),
rocking bar (5), spring (14), lever (6), guide rail (7), angular guides (12, 15)
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described with reference to the
drawings.
(2) The combination and arrangement of parts of apparatus forming an improved
frame for knitting simultaneously two or more widths of rubber or elastic fabric
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
(3) The forming of the presser bar in sections substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1007

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