Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1897--Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
I, JOHN MILLAR, of 122 Great Saffron Hill, in the County of London, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in knitting machines, of the kind or class
referred to in the specification of former British Letters Patent No. 11532 dated the
7th day of July 1891, and has reference to an improved arrangement for enabling
any slack of the fabric or cloth on its way to the cloth roll to be taken up with
greater facility than has heretofore been possible.
The invention further has reference to an improved arrangement of the take-up
rolls, which in the aforesaid patent are arranged side by side, but according to the
present invention are placed one above the other and are provided with convenient
means whereby the degree of pressure between them can be varied.
According to my said invention I provide the spindle of the main take-up roll,
that is to say the one to which the driving motion is communicated, with ratchet
and pawl driving connections whereby after the machine is stopped the rolls can be
very easily rotated independently of the rest of the machine so as to take up any
slack.
According to one arrangement the spindle of the lower take up roll may have
the gear wheel which drives it mounted loose on one end thereof and formed with or
connected to a ratchet wheel also loose on the shaft. A flanged boss or disc is secured
to the shaft by the side of the ratchet and carries internally a pair of pawls situated
opposite each other and engaging the ratchet wheel, the pawls being one half
a tooth in advance of the other. The ratchet wheel when rotated engages the pawls
and so drives the spindle. At its other end the spindle has keyed to it another
flanged disc or boss carrying a similarly arranged pair of pawls adapted to normally
engage a ratchet wheel mounted loose on the spindle and to drive such wheel when
the spindle is rotated. The ratchet wheel is formed on or connected to a gear wheel
or pinion serving to transmit motion to the other rolls of the machine through
suitable gearing. The pawls are arranged so that they can be disengaged from the
ratchet wheel whereby these other rolls are thrown out of action.
For this purpose
each pawl may be provided with a short rod or pin extending radially from the disc
or boss or with a cord or other suitable means whereby it can be moved away from
the ratchet teeth, while in the face of the disc or boss opposite each pawl may be
arranged a spring pin or catch adapted to snap into one or other of a pair of holes
corresponding respectively to the engaged or disengaged positions of the pawls.
When it is desired to take up slack, the machine is stopped and these latter pawls
are disengaged by the means referred to. A detachable lever arm or wrench is then
applied or fitted to the spindle or the disc or boss thereon and the same is rotated,
thereby turning the take-up rolls without disturbing the other parts of the machine,
since the first inentioned pair of pawls at the other end of the spindle simply slip
over their ratchet wheel.
A convenient arrangement for applying the necessary power to effect this

page_text: movement of the take-up, comprises a wrench having a pair of pins at the side
thereof near one end, such pins being adapted to enter a corresponding pair of holes
in the boss.
In order to enable the pressure between the take-up rolls to be varied as desired,
the spindle of the upper or presser roll is journalled in a pair of pivotted arms or bars
which extend across the ends of the machine, the variable pressure being obtained by
applying different weights to the free ends of these rods. To facilitate this the
levers may be provided with any suitable suspension device, adapted to receive
radially slotted weights in the manner well understood.
The take-up rolls are as stated arranged one above the other, and the cloth instead
of coming down directly between them and therefore being only in contact with
their adjacent surfaces, is brought down to a guide roller and is then led off
approximately at right angles on to the top of the upper roll down one side of which
it travels, and then passes between the rolls, whence it is led to the cloth roll on
which it is finally wound. By this arrangement the cloth comes in contact with
a much larger surface of the take-up rolls and a much more efficient action is
obtained.
I, JOHN MILLAR, of 122 Great Saffron Hill, in the County of London, Gentleman,
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 relates to improvements in knitting machines, of the kind or class
referred to in the specification of former British Letters Patent No. 11532 dated
the 7th day of July 1891, and has for its object an improved arrangement for taking
up the "slack" of the fabric or cloth on its way to the cloth-roll with greater facility
than has heretofore been possible.
According to my present invention the take-up rolls which in the machine
described in the aforesaid patent are arranged side by side, are arranged one above
the other, and the spindle of the main take-up roll, that is to say the one to which
the driving motion is communicated, is provided with ratchet and pawl driving
mechanism whereby after the machine is stopped, the rolls can be very easily
rotated independently of the other parts of the machine for the purpose of taking up
slack.
The said take-up rolls are also provided with convenient means whereby the degree
of pressure between them can be varied as desired, for which purpose the ends or
journals of the upper take-up rolls are carried in a pair of pivoted lever arins or bars,
to the free ends of which different weights may be applied.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into,
effect I will proceed to describe the same by the aid of the accompanying drawings
in which :-
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section,
Figure 2 is a plan also partly in section, and
Figure 3 is an end view of so much of a knitting machine of the kind referred to
as is necessary to illustrate my improvements.

page_text: Figure 4 is a section on the line xx Figure I and
Figure 5 shows a convenient form of wrench hereinafter referred to for turning the
take up rolls independently.
Figure 6 is a side view, and
Figure 7 a section on the line y y Figure 6, showing to a larger scale part of the
mechanism connected with the take-up rolls.
A is the frame of the machine, and a and a¹ are the take-up rolls to the former of
which the driving power is communicated. These rolls are as stated arranged one
above the other, and the fabric or cloth ax (see Figure 4) is brought down from the
knitting portion of the machine to a guide roller a² whence it is led on to the top of the
upper or presser roll a¹ down one side of which it travels and then passes between
the rolls a a¹ whence it is led to the cloth roll a³ on which it is firmly wound. By this
arrangement the fabric or cloth comes in contact with a very large surface of the
take-up rolls, so that the said rolls obtain a good grip thereof and a very efficient
action is secured.
The roll a to which the driving power is communicated is mounted on a spindle b
which carries at one end thereof a loose gear wheel c formed with or connected to a
ratchet wheel c¹ also loose on the shaft. d is a flanged boss or disc which is secured
to the spindle 6 by the side of the ratchet wheel c¹ and carries a pair of pawls d', d²,
situated opposite each other and engaging the ratchet wheel, the pawl being one half
a tooth in advance of the other to enable them to engage with teeth more readily.
The arrangement is such that when the gear wheel c is rotated in the direction of the
arrow (Figure 1) the ratchet wheel cl engages the pawls and so drives the spindle b
and the rollers a a¹. At the end of the spindle opposite the wheel c is keyed another
boss or disc e carrying a pair of pawls e¹, e² as shewn more clearly in Figures 6 and 7
adapted to normally engage a ratchet wheel f, mounted on a sleeve loose on the
spindle, and to drive such wheel when the said spindle is rotated. The ratchet wheel
fis rigidly connected to a chain wheel g serving to transmit motion by a chain g¹ to
a wheel at on the shaft of the cloth roll a³.
A
The pawls ee² are arranged so that they can be readily disengaged from the
ratchet wheelf for which purpose each of the said pawls is provided with a short rod
or pin e3 or with other suitable means whereby the pawls can be turned on their
pivots (Figures 6 and 7) out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel,
in which position they rest against the stops e on the disc. In the said disc are
arranged spring pins having conical heads h¹ adapted to snap into holes e in the
pawls, under the action of springs h², and thus tend to keep the pawls in engagement
with the teeth, the arrangeinent being such that although the pins can be forced
back by the action of the pawls in rising over the teeth of the ratchet, yet their
heads so not leave the hole e and thus in resuming their normal position they exert
a wedge-like action on the pawls and force them into engagement with the teeth
again When however the pawls are pressed back against the stops the points of
the pins h are forced out of the holes e and bear against the sides of the pawls, so
retaining the same in their inoperative position. Similar means are provided in
connection with the pawls d' d' at the opposite end of the shaft 6 for normally keeping
them in action and for throwing them out of engagement if desired.
When it is desired to take up slack, the machine is stopped and the pawls e¹, è² are
disengaged by the means referred to. A detachable lever or wrench such as
hereinafter described is then applied to the disc e and the same is rotated thereby
turning the take up rolls without disturbing the other parts of the machine, since the
pawls d', d² at the other end of the spindle simply slip over the ratchet wheel c'. A
convenient form of wrench for applying the necessary power to effect this turning
movement of the take-up is shown in Figure 5 and comprises a rod or bar i having a
pair of pins at the side thereof near one end, such pins being adapted to enter
corresponding holes e in the disc e (Figures 2 and 3).
The arrangement referred to for enabling the pressure between the take-up rolls to
be varied as desired, comprises a pair of pivoted arms or bars k carrying the
journals a³ of the rollers a¹, these bars extending across the ends of the machine and

page_text: having extensions * which carry hangers k' from which weights are suspended.
The variable pressure may be obtained by substituting different weights for the
weights 2 or by adding weights ³ Figure 3 to the said weights 2, such weights k³,
being radially slotted in the well-known manner to enable them to pass the hooked
stem k' of the weight k².
As it is sometimes convenient to be able to force the rollers together, independently
of the action of the weights k², k³, I secure to each of the pivoted arms ka
screw-threaded rod 5 which passes through a bracket k. On this rod, above and
below the said brackets, are a pair of nuts k by adjusting which a very powerful
pressure can if desired be transmitted through the arms k to the roll a.
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. A knitting machine of the kind referred to having the take-up rolls arranged
one above the other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a knitting machine of the kind referred to the arrangement of ratchet and
pawl mechanism whereby the driving motion is communicated to the take-up rolls
and from them to the cloth roll, substantially as set forth.
3. In a knitting machine of the kind referred to in the first claiming clause, the
means for varying the pressure between the take-up rolls, substantially as described.
4. A knitting machine having its take-up rolls arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of October 1897.
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C. Agents for the Applicant.