IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR LOOMS OR KNITTING FRAMES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henson, of Saint Just, in the Empire of
France, Engineer, for the. Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR
LOOMS OR KNITTING FRAMES."
Sealed the 18th February 1859, and dated the 21st August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
August 1858.
I, WILLIAM HENSON, of Saint Just, in the Empire of France, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR
LOOMS OR KNITTING FRAMES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in circular looms or knitting
frames, and consists in arranging such machines in the manner herein-after
described, so that the fabric produced upon them may be increased or dimi-
nished in width as may be required by the automatic action of the machine.
For this purpose the needles of the machine are, as in other circular knitting
frames, arranged round in a circle, and are caused by suitable driving gear to
revolve round the centre of this circle; but the needles, in place of being all
fixed in relation to each other, as is usually the case, are each mounted on a
spring blade, and these spring blades are fixed at one end, and at the other
end rest on and press against the edge of a circular plate, being kept equally

page_text: distant from each other all round the plate by a circular comb carried by it.
The circular plate against which the spring blades carrying the needles rest
is actuated by a cam, to which a slow motion is given, and this cam moves the
plate in a direction to and from the fixed ends of the blades, so as by deflecting
the spring blades to a greater or less extent, to increase or diminish the
diameter of the circle of needles, and consequently of the work produced on
them. The instrument which lays the thread on the needles, and those also
which press and knock over the work, are actuated by cams which cause them
to move in unison with the needles. It will be seen that the shaping of the
work in this machine is effected by varying the distances between the needles,
and not, as in ordinary straight machines, by varying the number of needles
employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENSON, of Saint Just, in the Empire of France, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Henson, Her special licence that I, the said William Henson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Henson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others; from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CIRCULAR LOOMS OR KNITTING FRAMES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Henson, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their; or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henson, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in circular looms or knitting
frames, and consists in arranging such machines in the manner herein-after
described, so that the fabric produced upon them may be increased or diminished
in width as may be required by the automatic action of the machine. For this
purpose the needles of the machine are, as in other circular knitting frames,
arranged round in a circle, and are caused by suitable driving gear to revolve
round the centre of this circle'; but the needles in place of being all fixed in
relation to each other, as is usually the case, are each mounted on a spring
blade, and these spring blades are fixed at one end, and at the other end rest
on and press against the edge of a circular plate, being kept equally distant
from each other all round the plate by a circular comb carried by it. The
circular plate against which the spring blades carrying the needles rest is
actuated by a cam, to which a slow motion is given, and this cam moves the
plate in a direction to and from the fixed ends of the blades, so as by deflecting
the spring blades to a greater or less extent to increase or diminish the
diameter of the circle of needles, and consequently of the work produced on
them. The instrument which lays the thread on the needles, and those also
which press and knock over the work, are actuated by cams which cause them
to move in unison with the needles. It will be seen that the shaping of the
work in this machine is effected by varying the distances between the needles,
and not, as in ordinary straight machines, by varying the number of needles.
employed.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and:
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side view of a machine constructed according to my Inven-
tion. a, a, is the frame of the machine; b is the main axis, which receives
motion either by hand or power; on this axis is a bevilled wheel c, which
drives another bevilled wheel d, mounted on a hollow axis e; f is a hollow
standard fixed to the frame, and having mounted on it the hollow axis e,
which is prevented from rising on the standard by the nut g screwed on to its
upper end; h, h, are spring blades, held in leads, and attached by screws to.

page_text: the axis e; each of these blades has mounted at its upper end a needle i of an
ordinary description. Within the hollow standard f is a rod j, fixed at its
lower end to the frame, and carried at its upper end in any convenient manner;
on the rod ja piece k slides, and it carries at its upper end a circular plate 1,
against the edge of which the spring blades h rest, and they are maintained
equidistant the one from the other by a circular comb attached to the plate l,
as is shown at Figure 2. To the under side of the plate la piece m is fixed,
and this piece passes down between two studs on the hollow axis e, so that the
plate revolves with this axis; it also has a rising and falling motion com-
municated to it by the lever n, on the end of which the lower end of the
piece k rests; this lever turns on a centre carried by the frame, as is shown,
and an arm springing from it carries the friction wheel n', which rests on the
cam 0. The axis p, on which this cam is mounted, has a toothed wheel q
keyed on to it, and this gears with a worm t, the axis of which carries a
toothed wheel gearing with a pinion on the axis b; thus, by the action of the
cam o, the plate l is, as the work proceeds, moved up and down, and increases.
and diminishes the size of the circle which the needles i occupy, this causing
more or less yarn to be laid on to the needles; the size of the tube of work
produced will be varied accordingly. The speed at which the cam o revolves
should be such that its revolution is not completed until the needles have
made a sufficient number of revolutions and worked a sufficient number of
courses to complete the article to be manufactured. The instruments which
sink the yarn into the needles and press and knock over the work are shown
ats; they are arranged in the ordinary manner; and in order that they may
conform to the changes in the positions of the needles, they are mounted on a
bart fixed at one end of the lever u; this lever turns at a point. near its
centre on an axis carried by the frame, and the other end of the lever carries
a friction wheel, which is .acted on by the cam v on the axis p; and this cam
is formed so as to move the instruments s in unison with the motions of the
needles produced by the cam o. w is a roller for supporting the needles
during the time that they are being pressed, so that the work may be thrown
over their ends; this roller bas also to move in unison with the needles, and
for this purpose it is mounted on a bar, which works in guides a carried by
the rod j; and the bar has projections formed on it, which are acted on by the
inclined surface of the slide y; this slide rests on the upper end of the piece k,
and rises and falls with it, but it is prevented from turning on the rod j by a
pin z fixed in the said rod and passing through a slot in the slide y. It will
thus be seen that when the piece k rises, and so enlarges the circle of needles,

page_text: the incline on the slide y operates so as to cause the roller wo to follow them;
and when the piece k falls, and the circle of needles contracts, the slide y
allows the roller w to recede to a corresponding extent. The apparatus for
taking up the work when finished, as also the other parts of the machine
which are not clearly shown in the Drawing, are of the ordinary construction.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
JOHN HADDEN,
Nottingham.
WILLIAM HENSON. (L.s.)