Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
[Communicated from abroad by RUDOLPH & THIELE, of Hohenstein, Er.,
Saxony, Engineers.]
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
I, JAMES BALLANTYNE of 82 Mitchell Street Glasgow in the County of Lanark
North Britain, Commission Agent 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:-
This invention which relates to improvements in knitting machines of the Lamb
class has for its object to produce a machine which will knit either plain or ribbed
open or circular goods, whether they be broad or narrow.
In order that my said invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the annexed
drawings.
Figures 12 and 3 of which are plan, side elevation & plan of under side of a
sledge made in accordance with my said invention and Figures 4 & 5 detail views
of a part of same.
Referring to the said drawings which represent the various parts of one sledge, there
being two of such used in the knitting machine and placed one on each side over an
inclined or V-shaped needle bar or guide in which the knitting needles are carried.
The parts are shown in position for knitting plain circular goods. The sledge A is
provided with a lock or needle operating device composed of two abjustably fixed
cams B, B and two movable centre cams b, b¹ which are provided with springs b
acting so as to project the cams from the face of the sledge, and with raising and
lowering pins C and C¹ having V-shaped catches or projections e formed thereon,
and which are acted on by wedges d, d¹ on a sliding lever D to throw them out or
into the operative position, the wedges being formed with grooves or recess d³ into
which the points of the projections c engage and are so retained, until the lever D
has been moved by the operator through the medium of the handle d. In the
position represented in the drawings the cam 6 only is in the operative position the
other cam 6' being withdrawn by the action of the wedge d¹ in the piece C¹. On
the adjoining sledge, it is to be understood the cams are similarly actuated by a
sliding lever and the corresponding cam (6) is in the operative position. The
lever D is provided at its end with an X groove piece d', d' the one leg or groove d³
of which is deeper than the other d the shallow groove being also wider than the
other. When by sliding the lever the X groove piece is pushed under a regulating
wheel E which is used only in knitting open goods the pins e on the latter, which
are alternately of large and small diameter, during the rotation of the wheel
traverse the shallow and deep grooves alternately and automatically operate the
sliding lever D to bring the cams into and out of action so as to cause the working
of the needles in their respective directions for open goods.
The wheel E is turned through a quarter of a circle every time it reaches the
end of the main slide by means of a pivotted lever or stop F shown in dotted lines
aud which is attached to the end of the main slide f, the said wheel E being also
provided with suitable recesses e into which a spring e³ drops to retain it stationary
after each quarter turn. Instead of being placed centrally as in Figure 1 the
✗ groove piece d' may be formed as shown in Figure 4, that is to project past the
one side of the lever D.
The cams of the lock B are fitted to slide in grooves formed in the sledge A and
are held up to raise the needles and apply the tension to the yarn by means of
springs, and they may be set at any portion to vary the tension by means of a
binding screw 6 entering a stud on each cam and passing through one of the

page_text: guiding slots, pointers on washers against which the screws bear being provided to
indicate against engraved scales 6, the tension to which the cams are set. By
means of the levers D the machine can be set to knit plain circular goods as shown,
that is by placing the lever D on both back and front sledges so as to have one of
the centre pieces b, b' of the lock B down and the other up and to knit plain open
selvedge goods by having both of the X grooved pieces din gear with the
wheel E.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The general arrangement, construction, & combination of the various parts
constituting my improvements in knitting machines substantially as & for the
purposes hereinbefore described & shown in the drawings.
2nd. In "Lamb" knitting machines forming the lock B in two pieces b, b¹ both
of which are provided with springs 6' & actuated by sliding levers D all substan-
tially as & for the purposes hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings.
3rd. In "Lamb" knitting machines the employment & construction of sliding
levers D having X grooved pieces d' and regulating wheels E all substantially as
& for the purposes hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings.
Dated at Glasgow the 27th January 1892.