IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIRCULAR RIBBED FABRICS, AND IN CIRCULAR HOSIERY FRAMES TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Moses Mellor, of the Firm of Moses Mellor and
Sons, of Arkwright Street, Nottingham, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIRCULAR RIBBED FABRICS, AND IN CIRCULAR
HOSIERY FRAMES TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Moses Mellor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th August 1881.
HENRY MOSES MELLOR, of the Firm of Moses Mellor and Sons, of Arkwright
Street, Nottingham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIRCULAR
RIBBED FABRICS, AND IN CIRCULAR HOSIERY FRAMES TO BE USED FOR THIS
PURPOSE."
The object of the Invention is to produce circular ribbed fabrics having various
patterns of rib or rib and plain fabric in the same piece, and also to form a welt
around one end of the piece, say, for example, for the tops of socks, stockings, half
hose, and such like articles.
For this purpose I employ a cylinder having latch needles in a vertical position
carried by needle slides having projections on their outer edges of various lengths.
These needle slides are actuated by cams that can be moved into or out of action,
that is, brought into position to act upon the projections of the needle slides or
move away so as not to act upon them, and as the projections on the slides are of
different lengths different cams can be employed to act upon them.
I also employ an upper or ribbing cylinder having horizontal latch needles
preferably carried by levers turning on centres, or I can obtain the saine result with
a ribbing cylinder described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me,
No. 2193, in the year 1877.
To these upper or ribbing cylinders I attach a welting apparatus of ordinary
construction to be worked either automatically or by hand manipulation.
I also employ an extra thread guide in connection with cams for the purpose of
making extra stitches upon such needles as are intended to be put out of work
when changing from one kind of rib to another.

page_text: Apparatus formed as above described may be arranged to work as follows:-
When making the leg of a stocking or half hose with the upper part a rib of one
and
one, I first form the welt for the top then any desired length of rib of one
and one.
Every alternate needle of the vertical needles is at this time out of work. When
the desired length of fabric of one and one rib has been formed, then those needles
which before were out of work are brought into work by the shifting of cams that
act upon them, and a two and one rib is then formed. When the desired length of
two and one rib has been formed the second or additional thread layer is brought
into action and caused to lay thread only on to those vertical needles which are to
go out of work when the one and one rib is to be made, these vertical needles
being raised higher than the others by the cams that act upon them. After a few
courses of work have been formed in this way these needles go out of work and
the machine again makes one and one rib. The horizontal needles are then put
out of work for 3 or 4 courses, the loops remaining upon them, and they are then
again brought into work so as to form a welt, as is well understood.
The production of another length of fabric is then proceeded with, as above
described.
The advantage of laying in the extra thread on to those needles which are to go
out when changing from the making of a two and one rib to a one and one rib is
that when the needles go out of work and the loops are cast off from them the
work will not run or ravel as it would do if this extra thread were not laid in to
hold them. Thus the work is kept perfect and the lengths can be cut off and
divided one from the other, and a foot piece be subsequently formed upon them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Moses Mellor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th February 1882.
HENRY MOSES MELLOR, of the Firm of Moses Mellor and Sons, of Arkwright
Street, Nottingham.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIRCULAR
RIBBED FABRICS, AND IN CIRCULAR HOSIERY FRAMES TO BE USED FOR THIS
PURPOSE."
The object of the Invention is to produce circular ribbed fabrics having various
patterns of rib or rib and plain fabric in the same piece, and also to form a welt
around one end of the piece, say, for example, for the tops of socks, stockings, half
hose, and such like articles.
For this purpose I employ a cylinder having latch needles in a vertical position
carried by needle slides having projections on their outer edges of various lengths.
These needle slides are actuated by cams that can be moved into or out of action,
that is, brought into position to act upon the projections of the needle slides or
move away so as not to act upon them, and as the projections on the slides are of
different lengths different cams can be employed to act upon them.
I also employ an upper or ribbing cylinder having horizontal latch needles
preferably carried by levers turning on centres, or I can obtain the same result with
a ribbing cylinder described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me,
No. 2193, in the year 1877.
To these upper or ribbing cylinders I attach a welting apparatus of ordinary
construction to be worked either automatically or by hand manipulation.
I also employ an extra thread guide in connection with cams for the purpose of
making extra stitches upon such needles as are intended to be put out of work
when changing from one kind of rib to another.
Apparatus formed as above described may be arranged to work as follows:-
When making the leg of a stocking or half hose with the upper part a rib of one
and one, I first form the welt for the top then any desired length of rib of one
and one.
Every alternate needle of the vertical needles is at this time out of work.
;
:
When the desired length of fabric of one and one rib has been formed, then those
needles which before were out of work are brought into work by the shifting of
cams that act upon them, and a two and one rib is then formed. When the desired.
length of two and one rib has been formed the second or additional thread layer is
brought into action and caused to lay thread only on to those vertical needles
which are to go out of work when the one and one rib is to be made, these vertical
needles being raised higher than the others by the cams that act upon them.
After a few courses of work have been formed in this way these needles. go out'
of work and the machine again makes one and one rib. The horizontal needles
are then put out of work for 3 or 4 courses, the loops remaining upon them,
and they are then again brought into work so as to form a welt, as is well
understood.
The production of another length of fabric is then proceeded with, as above
described
The advantage of laying in the extra thread on to those needles which are to go
out when changing from the making of a two and one rib to a one and one rib is
that when the needles go out of work and the loops are cast off from them the
work will not run or ravel as it would do if this extra thread were not laid in to
hold them. Thus the work is kept perfect and the lengths can be cut off and
divided one from the other, and a foot piece be subsequently formed upon them.
•

page_text: [
order that my inventon may be runy understoo - дато вистц
Drawings hereunto annexed various views of a circular hosiery frame constructed
as above described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a front elevation, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 &
vertical section of the circular hosiery frame; Figure 4 is a plan view of the same;
Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken through the bottom cylinder shewing the
position of the inclines for raising and lowering the needle slides, it also shews
spring and recess used for putting any needle out of work when required to
narrow; Figure 6 is a horizontal section shewing in plan the cám plate and welt
cams of the rib machine; Figure 7 is a side elevation, and Figure 8 a plan of the
welting lever.
A is a frame bed to which the hosiery frames are secured; B is a driving shaft;
C, C, are bevil wheels for driving the hosiery frame; D is a standard which
carries the bottom and top cylinders E and F, as shewn at Figure 2; they are
clamped to the standard by screw clamps, as shown; there is also a screw for
raising or lowering the top cylinder to facilitate setting it at the proper height
as in circular hosiery frames heretofore constructed; G, G, are spur wheels on the
bottom and top cylinders; these gear with other spur wheels G on a vertical
shaft G¹, so that when the bottom cylinder is revolved the top cylinder revolves also.
a, a¹, are the frame needle slides capable of sliding up and down in vertical
radial grooves in the circumference of the inner revolving cylinder E. Every
alternate needle slide a is formed in the manner shewn at Figures 9 and 10,
whilst the remainder a¹ are formed as shewn at Figure 11. The needle slides a¹,
Figure 11, are made with their projection b of full length, whilst the needle
slides a, Figures 8 and 9, have their projection marked c of lesser length;
the lower ends of the needle slides a¹ marked d are also made narrower than
the lower ends of the slides a marked e. Carried by the fixed cover of the
vertical cylinder E are two cam plates f, g, shown separately at Figures 12
and 13. The cam f forms part of the ordinary fixed cam for giving a rising
and. falling motion to the needle slides. The cam 9 is of precisely the same
form as the cam f, and when it is fixed in such a position as to coincide with this
cam both sets of needles will be raised to a proper height to have thread laid on
to them by the first thread layer h; if however the cam g is lowered, the needle
slides a with the shorter projections c will not be raised to have thread layed on
to them from the thread layer h but will go out of action.
i is another moveable cam piece on the inside of the cam in the interior of the
lower cylinder cover. This moveable cam piece is shown separately at Figures 14
and 15; when set in its lowest position it is out of action, but when raised it acts
against the lower ends of the needle slides a and lifts them at a point where a
second thread layer j can then lay a thread on to them; but the other needle slides a¹
being narrower at their lower ends move past the cam piece i without being acted
on by it, and so this second thread is not laid on to the needles which they carry.
k and are lock screws and nuts for holding in position the moveable cam
pieces g and i.
m are the horizontal rib needles carried by vertical levers n turning at their
upper ends on centres carried by the upper cylinder F; plan views of the cams
which act on these levers are shown at Figure 6, and edge views at Figures 1, 2,
and 3. The movements given to the levers by these cam pieces is well understood,
so that it is unnecessary to give a detailed description of them. o is the forked
welting lever turning on a pivot at its upper end and at the lower extremity of its
two arms, carrying two of the cam pieces marked p, p, for acting upon the levers.
A projection upon one of the arms of the lever is (by means of a spring q attached
to the arm) held constantly against a cam r, to which a step by step revolving
motion can be imparted. A plan and edge view of this cam are shown at

page_text: Figures 16 and 17. The cam has upon it a ratchet wheel, one tooth of which is
cut away. s is a pawl carried by a lever a which drives the ratchet wheel and
gives to it a step by step revolving motion. The lower end of the lever s is by a
spring held up to a disc on the revolving portion of the cylinder E which carries
the vertical needles. The disc carries a small projection t, which at each revolution
of the cylinder gives a rocking motion to the lever, and so turns the cam r one
step until the pawl carried by the lever is resting on the space where one tooth of
the ratchet wheel on the cam is cut away. The cam then remains at rest until a
partial turn is given to it by hand; it then again commences to revolve.
Each time that the cam r comes into work to form a welt, its first action is to
tuck all the horizontal needles, once at the next movement of the cam the needles
all go back and remain back for the next 3 or 4 of the cams' movements, whilst 3
or 4 courses are made on the vertical needles, then at the next movement of the
cam the whole of the horizontal needles are brought forward and the welt is
completed; the object of the first tuck course is to improve the appearance of the
welt.
u is a spring carrying an incline u¹ to push forward the levers carrying the
horizontal rib needles so as to move these needles forward sufficiently to open the
latches, but not to throw the loops on to the needle stems. vis a hinged piece
which can be turned into a position to prevent the spring u from pushing forward
these levers; w is a nut for locking the hinged piece v in any position required.
a is a spring to hold the vertical needle slides which carry the frame needles in
position, it can be drawn back to allow any of these needle slides to drop, so that
the projections upon them shall enter a lower groove in the cams on the inside of
the cylinder cover; such needle slides as are allowed to so drop down go out of
action. In this way any of the frame needles can be put out of action when the
work is to be narrowed, to this way of allowing any of the frame needles to go out
of work I however lay no claim.
The working operation of the machine is as follows:-When the machine is
intended to make a stocking or sock the moveable inner cam piece g is lowered
and made fast by its lock nut lever, then half of the vertical needles remain down
on first revolution of the cylinder; the web is then put on, and one and one rib
web can be made; a welt is then made by moving small ratchet wheel on cam
one tooth by the hand, the pawl s¹ then gives a revolving step by step motion to
the ratchet wheel until it again comes on to the open space between the teeth of
this wheel, a welt will then have been formed. Afterwards the cylinder is allowed
to run until the rib top is made, then the inner or moveable cam g is raised, and
all the other vertical needles are thus brought into work, and 2 and 1 web is
produced until it is intended to form another welt for the next stocking; the
moveable cam i at second thread guide or layer is then raised, and the thread of
this thread layer laid on the needles; one revolution of the cylinder is then
worked; afterwards the cam g at first thread guide is lowered and two more
revolutions worked; it will thus be seen that half the vertical needles are out of
work at the first thread guide and still working at the second thread guide or
layer, so that the needles at second thread guide are working with extra loops on
them, and thus their loops are fastened when second incline is put down again
and the second thread is removed.
The machine above described can also be used for making socks having rib tops
and plain legs on lower parts; when it is intended to thus make a long length of
plain work the hinged piece t is locked in such a position as to prevent the spring a
from pushing forwards the needles that carry the horizontal rib needles, and so
keep these needles out of action.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,―
First. The general combination of parts, substantially as herein described, for
producing the legs of stockings, or socks, or half hose, or such like circular ribbed

page_text: fabric with a welt at top, and with their upper parts one and one rib, and their
lower parts two and one.
Second. The combination of parts whereby the machine can be set to produce
either one and one rib, or two and one as desired.
Third. The means, substantially as herein described, for preventing the work
from running down or unravelling when a change is made from one and one to
two and one rib work.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Moses Mellor, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
HENRY MOSES MELLOK. (L.S.)