Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM ESTY, Machinist and LEWIS FLANDERS
BUSIEL, Manufacturer, both of Laconia, New Hampshire, United States of
America.]
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 the manufacture of widened tubular knit fabrics and it
consists in a novel arrangement of stitches formed from a single yarn extending
continuously in the same direction and composing the seam in that part of the fabric
where the widening takes place.
In the manufacture of this improved widened tubular fabric, an automatic machine
having two sets of needles arranged in rows parallel to each other upon fixed beds is
used, said beds being so inclined to each other that the needles in one row when moved
end wise by the action of the needle cams thereon will cross the plane of movement of
the other row of needles, said needle cams being constructed to feed the needles in the
front row end wise when said cams move from right to left while the needles in the
rear row are at rest, and to move the needles in the rear row endwise when said cams
inove from the left to the right while the needles in the front row are at rest, or vice
versa, a pivoted or vibrating yarn carrier constructed and arranged to feed a yarn first
to one row of needles and then to the other row of needles, means for moving said
carrier over said rows of needles from end to end thereof, and vibrating said carrier at
each end of the rows of needles, so that the yarn which is fed to one row of needles
when the carrier is moving in one direction, will be delivered to the other row of
needles when the carrier moves in the opposite direction, and a pattern chain for
automatically throwing into and out of action the needles for forming the widening
seam.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 of the drawing is a side elevation of a shirt sleeve illustrating this
invention and

page_text: arrangement of the stitches which constitute the seam in that part of the fabric where
the widening takes place.
A and B represent portions of the fabric which are knit straight, or with a uniform
number of stitches in each course of either section, but with a different number of
stitches in the courses of A, to those in B; and C is a section located between and
connecting A and B, and in which the widening to give the taper to the fabric takes
place.
This widened tubular fabric may be a stocking, the sleeve of a shirt, the leg of a
pair of draws, or any other tapered tubular knit fabric, and is knit by commencing at
the small end, and at the proper times widening to increase its diameter and give the
desired taper thereto.
If a shirt sleeve is to be knit, the wristband D is first knit, and then a straight
tubular portion B is knit extending to the line a, when the widening begins.
Up to this point a uniform number of needles have been in action and each course
knit contains the same number of stitches.
When the point for beginning the widening is reached and the yarn carrier is at
the right hand end of the rows of needles, an additional needle at the opposite end of
the front row of needles is thrown into action and the end needle of said row
previously in action and next to said new needle, and the third needle from said new
needle, are thrown out of action, two courses d d are knit, the new needle catching the
yarn of the first course d, and drawing it to the other side, but as there is no stitch
upon said new needle to draw the new loop through, said yarn is held by the hook of
said needle till said needle is again advanced to seize the yarn of the second course d,
when the latch of the needle is carried through the loop held by said needle and as the
needle again recedes, the loop c, of yarn seized from the second course d, is drawn
through the loop first seized and the latter is cast off.
Previous, however, to said second course d being knit and while the carrier is at
the right hand end of the rows of needles or when one-half of said second course d
has been knit and the carrier is at the left hand end of the rows of needles, a new
needle at the left hand end of the rear rows of needles is thrown into action and the
needle next to said new needle and the third needle therefrom, and previously in action,
are thrown out of action, and, as the carrier is again moved to the right, the new
needle of the rear row last thrown into action catches the yarn and draws it to the
rear side of the machine and holds it until the carrier returns to the left-hand end of
the row of needles, when said new needle is again projected forward carrying the
latch of the needle through the loop previously seized and as the carrier again moves
towards the right, said new needle seizes the yarn delivered therefrom and then
recedes and draws the loop c of said yarn through the loop previously seized by said
needle and casts the latter off.
When the carrier has reached the right hand end of its reciprocation after having
delivered the yarn of the second course d to the new needle last thrown into action
from the front row of needles, said needle is again thrown out of action, still
holding the loop c of yarn last seized thereby, and at the same time the two needles in
the same row last previously thrown out of action, are again thrown into action,
another course e is knit, the new needle last thrown into action from the rear row of
needles is again thrown out of action, still holding the loop e last seized thereby and
at the same time the two needles in the same row previously thrown out of action are
again thrown into action and the loops b, b, held thereby are knit in the next
succeeding course.
Two or more courses e, e, are knit upon the original number of needles in each
row, after the new needles which were thrown in have been thrown out of action
again, and then the new needles are again thrown into action and the loops c or c
carried thereby are knit into succeeding courses, the trowing into and out of action
of the needles in the rear row taking place one course later than the same actions
take place in the front row of needles.
These operations are repeated as often as it is desired to widen, and are continued
until the point is reached where it is desired to discontinue the widening, the

page_text: widening upon one side of the seam occurring in each case one course later than
upon the other side thereof.
When the widening is completed, any desired number of courses are knit upon
the needles then in action without adding to or subtracting from said number, to
complete the straight portion A, and then the gusset E is knit by widening as
before.
When completed, the seam of that portion of the fabric where the widening is
done, will consist of a series of repititions of the following features, viz :-one or
more courses of yarn extending continuously in one direction as d, d, a plurality
of loops b, c, upon each side of the widening seam, drawn from a lower course over
said first mentioned course or courses, and knit into a course above, one of said
loops upon each side of the centre of the seam being carried up by a new needle
being thrown into action as heretofore described thus increasing the number of
stitches in the course and widening the fabric.
This present invention may be made upon the same machine as the fabric
described in another application, of even date herewith, by threading only one end of
the yarn carrier and so setting the pattern chains relatively to each other that the
throwing into and out of action of the needles in one row of needles shall take place
one course later than the same movements take place in the other row of needles, and
modifying the needle operating cams, so that the needles in one row will be moved
end wise by the movement of the cams in one direction while the other row of needles
are at rest, and when the cams are moved in the opposite direction the needles
previously at rest will be moved endwise and the needles in the other row will
remain at rest.
This invention is an improvement upon the invention described in said other
application, in that the seam or rib upon the side of the tube opposite to the
widening seam, caused in said other application by the crossing of the yarns is
entirely eliminated from the fabric when formed from a single yarn as herein
described and the openings in the widening seam will be reduced in size, thus
making a more desirable article.
The object of forming the portion of the seam where the widening takes place in
the manner hereinbefore described, is to more tightly close up the openings which
would be formed were only one loop upon each side of the seam drawn from a
course over one or more courses and knit into a succeeding course, and at the same
time to render said seam more elastic than it otherwise would be.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :—
A widened tubular knit fabric, having the seam in that portion where the widening
is done, composed of a series of repetitions of one or more courses of a yarn extending
continuously in one direction as d, d, and a plurality of loops upon each side of the
centre of said seam drawn from a course below, over and above the said first
mentioned courses and knit into a course above the same at each widening, one of
said loops upon each side of the seam increasing the number of stitches in the
course into which it is knit and widening the fabric.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.