Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
We, CHARLES TERROT of Cannstatt, Wurttemburg, Germany, Hosiery Machine
Builder, and THE "BOAS-KING" KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY, LIMITED, of
Tanfield Chambers, Bradford, England, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to that class of knitting machines in which the
needle bed or cylinder is stationary and the cams for operating the needles are
revolved continuously round the needle cylinder for producing tubular seamless
fabric, as in the leg of a stocking or sock and reciprocated about a portion of the
needle cylinder for fashioning a fabric as in the production of heels and toes.
The invention is mainly designed as an improvement upon the knitting machine
for which British Letters Patent were granted to Robert William King No. 13994
of 1892 and consists of improved mechanism, which during reciprocating knitting
will actuate at the desired times the guiding gates or cams concerned in selecting
the needles during the well known processes of knitting the heels and toes.
The guiding gates before referred to are moved up and down more or less
frequently (according to whether narrowing or widening is being done) to direct
more or fewer needles into the non-knitting groove.
For this purpose the guiding gates on each side the usual needle director may
be connected to a plate capable of being moved to and fro by an oscillating plate
operated by cam plates or equivalent on the side of a spring controlled horizontally
sliding plate, located in slots in the side walls of a plate attached to the cam ring.
The sliding plate may be provided on its other side with two lugs between which
is located the upper end of a rocking gate moving lever fulcrummed to a spring
controlled plate hinged or pivotted at each side to the side walls of the plate before
mentioned.
The gate moving lever can be moved to and fro to actuate the sliding plate
engaged therewith, by front and rear toes thereon coming into contact with cam
surfaces mounted on the usual stop rings of the machine.
These stop rings as described in the before mentioned Specification have inter-
mittent motions in opposite directions and travel towards each other during the
narrowing operation and away from each other during the widening operation so
that more and fewer needles respectively are turned into the non-knitting groove.
During circular knitting the gate moving lever and its attached plate may be
raised out of operative position to prevent the said lever coming into contact with
the cam surfaces before mentioned.
For this purpose a cam slide may be employed which at times is placed under
the plate and lever so as to raise the latter into an inoperative position and at other
times to pass from underneath so that the said lever is lowered into its operative
position.
The cam slide is movably connected to the cam ring and has at its opposite end a
strong spring also connected to the cam ring.
The cam slide may have pivotted thereto a locking lever adapted to engage a
recess or equivalent in the cam ring and thereby place the said cam slide under the
plate to which the gate moving lever is attached and raise the latter out of the track
of the cam surfaces.
The said locking lever is also adapted to be raised out of the said recess so that
the spring at the end of the cam slide may withdraw the latter from underneath the
plate and its attached gate moving lever, whereupon the latter becomes depressed

page_text: and falls into the track of the cam surfaces, in which position it may be retained by
a locking finger on the cam slide.
The said locking lever has one end normally elevated by a spring and the said
lever may be actuated at the required times to move the cam slide as before stated,
by a plate or equivalent means carried on the upper end of a spring controlled
spindle in contact with an arm on the end of a shaft passing under the bed
plate and movable at the required times by a monitor lever and a pattern chain.
Dated this 1st day of February 1894.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
We, CHARLES TERROT of Cannstatt, Wurttemburg, Germany, Hosiery Machine
Builder, and THE "BOAS-KING" KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY LIMITED, of
Tanfield Chambers, Bradford, England, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to that class of circular knitting machines in which
the needle bed is stationary and the cams for operating the needles are revolved
continuously round the cylinder for producing tubular seamless fabric as in the leg
of a stocking or sock, and reciprocated about a portion of the needle cylinder for
fashioning a fabric as in the production of heels and toes.
The invention is mainly designed as an improvement upon the knitting machine
for which British Letters Patent were granted to Robert William King
No. 13994 of 1892 and consists of improved mechanism which during reciprocating
knitting will actuate at the desired times the guiding gates or cams concerned
in selecting the needles during the well known processes of knitting the heels
and toes.
The invention will be understood from the following description in reference to
the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure 2 a plan of so much of the circular
knitting machine hereinbefore referred to as is necessary to illustrate the present
invention.
Figure 3 is an underside view of the cam ring showing the guiding gates and
pivotted needle director.
Figure 4 is a front elevation, Figure 5 a back elevation and Figure 6 a vertical
section of the gate moving lever and the parts intermediate of it and the guiding
gates.
Figures 6 and 6B are detail views.
Figure 7 is a section of one of the cam plates for actuating the gate moving lever
and also of the stop ring to which it is attached.
Figure 8 is a similar view of another of the cam plates and the gate moving lever
in contact therewith.
Figure 9 shows a plan of the four cam plates.
Figure 10 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of the plate
carrying the gate moving lever and attached mechanism, cam slide, stop ring
and cam plate thereon and plate in its lowered position for actuating cam slide.
Figure 11 is a detail view showing the cam slide actuating plate in its elevated
position to miss contact with the cam slide.
Figures 12, 13 and 14 are different views of the cam slide and mechanism for
actuating same.
Figure 15 is an elevation of the pattern chain and monitor lever for raising and
lowering the plate for actuating the cam slide.

page_text: Figure 16 is an elevation of the shaft carrying the pattern chain and arm J, (the
latter shown in Figures 1 and 13).
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings
and as far as possible those parts of the knitting machine which are shown and
described in the hereinbefore mentioned Patent are designated by the same letters
and numerals of reference as are therein used for such parts.
a a represent the usual guiding gates of the cam ring which are moved up and
down during reciprocating knitting to guide the needles into the knitting or non-
knitting grooves as fully set forth in the Specification of the Patent before
mentioned.
According to the present invention the pointed ends of these guiding gates a aª
are pivotally connected to a gate connecting plate A capable of sliding to and fro
in and across the width of the cam ring B' and cut away at its centre to pass each
side of the plate upon which the director a18 is pivotted and to obtain the requisite
length of movement.
The gate connecting plate A is attached by two screws to a plate A', Figure 64,
on the outside of the cam ring and the said plate A' has a hole A therein in which
is located a pin A2, Figures 5 and 6, formed on the face of an oscillating plate A³
moving on a fulcrum A attached to a plate C fastened by screws passing through
holes CC into a projecting flange C₁ Figures 2, 6 and 10 secured by screws C³×
to the cam ring C**.
The oscillating plate A³ has on its opposite side a small diagonally fixed block C,
Figures 5, 6 and 6B, lodged between two cam plates, viz. an elevating cam plate C®,
(also shown in dotted line in Figure 5) and a depressing plate C7 formed on a sliding
plate C and when the latter is moved to and fro the said cams raise and lower the
oscillating plate A³ and the latter communicates a similar motion to the guiding
gates aa through the medium of the gate connecting plate hereinbefore
described.
The sliding plate C moves in a slot in each of the side walls C C of the
plate C and is controlled in its movement by a spring C" on the upper edge
thereof which acts as a drag preventing too free a movement, and enters one of
two notches C12 C13 when the said plate has moved its fullest extent in one or the
other direction.
The said spring C is fixed by a screw C¹ to the upper plate C and passes
through a slot in the latter to make contact with the sliding plate C* while the said
upper plate C is fixed by screws C¹ to the side walls C° C 10.
The sliding plate C8 has on its opposite side two projections C" Figure 4 between
which is located the upper end of a rocking gate moving lever D which as herein-
after described is caused to move to and fro on its fulcrum D' to actuate the sliding
plate C and connected mechanism before referred to to raise or lower the needle
guiding gates a' as during reciprocating knitting.
The fulcrum of the rocking gate moving lever D is connected to a plate D² which
lies in a recess formed between the two side walls C° C and the said plate is
furnished on each side with an upward extension D³ movably hung on pivots D*,
Figures 6 and 10 in the side walls C° C.
Each of the upward extensions D³ has a lateral projecting arm D³ so that a
spring D in contact therewith keeps the plate D³ normally in the recess before
mentioned, and in the position shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6.
The underside of the lever D is provided at each end with a toe D' D³ each of
the said toes being one half the thickness or thereabouts of the base of the said
lever and formed respectively on the front and rear sides thereof as shown most
clearly in Figure 4.
The gate moving lever D is rocked to and fro by the said toes colliding with
cam surfaces E E E E³ to be described, carried on the usual stop rings bº 66.
These stop rings as described in the Specification of the before mentioned Pateut
have intermittent motions in opposite directions so that during the reciprocation of
the cam ring B' as in the production of heels and toes the cam surfaces on each ring

page_text: travel towards each other at successive courses during the narrowing operation, and
travel away from each other at successive courses during the widening process,
thereby actuating the lever D and the herein before described mechanism inter-
mediate of it and the guiding gates a² a³ to place the latter in the required position
to elevate in the usual proper sequence the end most needles of the series of needles
used in narrowing and then to lower the said needles in the inverse order during
widening.
The cam plates E E' E' E³ are fixed to the stop rings 6° 6 by screws passing
through slots therein.
It will be noticed that the cam plates E E' are located within the circle described
by the rear toe D³ of the lever D and when the said toe passes in contact with
either of the same it moves the gate moving lever D into the position shown in
Figure 4 so that the guiding gates are in their lowered position Figure 3 and thus
guide the butts of the needles into the non-knitting groove.
When however either of the cam plates E' E collide with the front toe D'
which moves in a circle outside that of the toe D the lever D is moved into
the reverse position indicated in Figures 1 and 2 when the guiding gates are at
once placed in their elevated position whereby the needles are guided into the
knitting grooves.
During the narrowing process the two sets of cam plates moving with the stop
rings travel nearer to each other so that fewer needles are guided into the
knitting groove at every course and during widening the said cam plates recede
from each other at successive courses until the full complement of needles is again
turned into the knitting groove.
During circular knitting as in the leg of a stocking the gate moving lever Dand
the plate D² to which it is attached are held in a raised position as indicated in
Figure 10 so that the toes D2 D3 on the said lever are placed out of contact with
the cam surfaces E E' E² E³.
For the purpose of raising the said plate D2 and lever D out of the range of the
cam plates when circular knitting is to be done and to lower the same within the
track of the cam plates when reciprocating knitting is to be done, a cam slide Fis
employed and is actuated so that at tinies, as in circular knitting, the highest
portion F thereof can get under the plate D and elevate it and the lever D into
the inoperative position shown in Figure 10, and at other times, as in recipro-
cating knitting, to lower them into the operative position shown in Figures 1, 2,
4, 5, 6 and 8.
The said cam slide F is furnished with slots F F in each end through which
screws F F having heads larger than the width of the slots pass into the cam
ring Cox so that the cam slide can move to and fro on the said screws any distance
within the length of the said slots.
The opposite end of the cam slide has a strong spring F attached thereto, the
other end of the latter being fixed to the cam ring C*.
G is a locking lever centrally pivotted to the cam slide F and furnished at its
ends with lugs or projections G¹ G² and at one end with a spring G³ adapted
normally to keep that end of the locking lever connected thereto in an elevated
position and the opposite end in a contrary position so that at times the lug G¹³ may
engage the side of a recess G³ formed in the cam ring C**.
When the lug G' thus engages the side of the recess the elevated portion F
of the cam slide is kept under the plate D* and its attached lever D thereby
maintaining the latter in its inoperative position.
At other times the end G2 of the said locking lever may be depressed as herein-
after described so as to raise the opposite end thereof out of the recess G³ when
the cam slide under the influence of the spring Fe will at once move to its original
position, shifting the elevated portion F' of the said slide from under the plate D'
and thereby allow it and the lever D under the influence of springs De to resume
the lower and operative position as in reciprocating knitting.
A locking finger F' on the said slide will then engage the plate D2 and secure it

page_text: against accidental movement and maintain the line of movement of the gate moving
lever D within the track of the cam plates E E' E' E³.
The cam slide F is actuated at the required times by a preferably horizontal
plate H slotted at each side to pass over two screws H H which take the thrust
of the said plate upon it coming into contact with the pivotted slide locking lever G.
The said plate H may be raised or lowered into the track of the slide locking
lever G and for this purpose is provided with an internally screw-threaded stalk H*
screwed on to the end of a bolt H passing through the bed plate and encircled by
a spring H compressible between the underside of the bed plate and the head H•
of the stalk H³.
The plate H is raised by an arm J fast on the end of a shaft e passing under
the bed plate and moved at the required times by a monitor lever J thereon
actuated from a pattern chain J' Figure 15.
The spring H depresses the bolt H' and lowers the plate H immediately the
arm J is lowered under the said bolt.
After the completion of circular knitting as in the formation of the leg of a
stocking and immediately prior to reciprocating knitting as in the formation of the
heel, a high link of the chain J' comes under the toe of the monitor lever J' and
thereupon partially rotates the shaft e so as to cause the arm J on the opposite
end thereof to lift the bolt H' and the plate H into the elevated position shown in
Figures 1, 11 and 13.
Upon the machine continuing in motion the projection G' on the locking lever G
will come upon the part H7 of the plate H and passing under the latter will
be depressed sufficiently to elevate the opposite end G' and raise it out of the
recess G (in which it is normally located during circular knitting) so that the
projections G G will now pass under the plate H while the latter remains in
its elevated position.
Immediately upon the projection G₁ being raised and thereby freed from contact
with the side of the said recess the spring F (which heretofore has been in tension)
instantly draws the cam slide F towards it within the slots F F and in so doing
the elevated portion F¹ of the said slide is withdrawn from under the plate D
whereupon the latter and its connected rocking gate moving lever D are lowered
under the influence of the springs De into a position for the said lever D to be
acted upon by the cam plates.
Upon the machine continuing in motion in the same direction as that in which
circular knitting is effected the rear toe D8 of the rocking lever will collide with
the cam plate E3 and move the said lever from the position shown in Figures 1 and 2
in which the guiding gates a' as allow the needles to enter the knitting groove into
the position indicated in Figure 4 whereupon the position of the guiding gates is
reversed so that the needles are then directed into the non-knitting groove.
Upon the return of the cam ring in the opposite direction to that in which
circular knitting is done the front toe D' (now in the lowered position Figure 4)
of the rocking lever D comes into contact with the cam plate E' and moves the
lever D again on its fulcrum and in so doing returns it to its original position
(Figures 1 and 2) in which the guiding gates are raised so that the needles are
turned into the knitting groove.
The cam ring continuing in motion the rear toe D8 passes over the cam plate E
and moves its lever back into the position shown in Figure 4 in which the needles
are directed into the non-knitting groove.
Upon the return journey the front toe rides over the cam plate E thereby
returning the lever to the knitting position.
This gate moving lever D continues to be similarly acted upon at every course
and the two sets of cams being moved nearer to each other at every course during
the narrowing operation increase the frequency with which the said lever is changed
from the knitting to the non-knitting position consequently fewer needles at each
course or reciprocation of the cam ring enter the knitting groove until the shortest
course in the heel is produced.

page_text: The stop rings then change the direction of their motion so that the cam plates
at successive courses in the widening of the heel travel away from each other and
in doing so gradually increase the time between each reversal of the gate moving
lever from the knitting position to the non-knitting position so that an additional
needle at every course is turned into the knitting groove and a wider course in the
fabric made at each reversal of the stroke of the cam ring until the original full
complement of needles is again brought into action and the heel finished.
The machine will now commence circular knitting of the foot but immediately
prior to doing so the toe of the monitor lever J' will come on to a small link in
the pattern chain and thereupon partly rotate the shaft es so as to lower the arm
thereon when the bolt H' under the influence of the spring H (now in compression)
will lower the plate H so that it is now within the track or line of movement of the
projections on the pivotted lever G.
The projection G¹ upon coming against the part H7 of the plate H Figure 12,
is held thereby and at once arrests the motion of the cam slide F attached
thereto.
Notwithstanding the arrested motion of the slide the cam ring continues to
revolve so that the spiral spring F becomes tensioned until the recess G passes
under the projection G whereupon the latter (by reason of the spring G having a
normal tendency to elevate the opposite end of the locking lever as in Figure 12)
at once drops into the recesss G and is held against the side thereof by the spring F
while the alteration in the position of the pivotted lever removes the projections
from contact with the plate H so that at every subsequent revolution of the cam
ring the said pivotted lever passes free of contact with the plate H.
Immediately upon the motion of the cam slide being arrested as described, the
plate D2 and its attached lever D ascend to the top of the highest portion F¹ of
the cam slide as shown in Figure 10 and away from under the locking finger F'.
The recess G in the cam ring is such a distance from the projection G'as that
when the motion of the cam slide is arrested the said recess comes under the
projection G' so that the latter drops therein simultaneously with the plate D³ and
lever D reaching the highest part of the cam slide.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :---
1. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates locate
in proximity to the junction of the said grooves of a gate connecting plate and
an oscillating plate to actuate the latter substantially in the manner and for the
purpose described.
2. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates located
in proximity to the junction of the said grooves of a sliding gate connecting plate,
oscillating plate and cams for operating the latter substantially in the manner and
for the purpose described.
3. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a
gate connecting plate and means interposed between the latter and an intermittingly
rocking gate moving lever to operate the said plate substantially in the manner
and for the purpose described.
4. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a gate
connecting plate, oscillating plate, sliding plate and attached cams, rocking gate
moving lever and means for operating the latter substantially in the manner and
for the purpose described.
5. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a

page_text: gate connecting plate, oscillating plate, sliding plate and attached cams and a
rocking gate moving lever having front and rear toes each moving in a different
circle and means for actuating the said toes and the gate moving lever substantially
in the manner and for the purpose specified.
6. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a
gate moving lever and means between it and the said guiding gates to actuate
the latter and means to automatically actuate the said gate moving lever substan-
tially in the manner and for the purpose described.
7. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a
rocking gate moving lever and means between it and the guiding gates to actuate
the latter and cam plates having motions in opposite directions and travelling at
times towards each other and at other times away from each other to actuate
the gate moving lever at proper times during reciprocating knitting substantially
in the manner described.
8. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a
rocking gate moving lever and mechanism interposed between it and the guiding
gates to actuate the latter and devices for actuating the said gate moving lever
and means for moving the said lever into an inoperative position and out of the
range of its actuating devices during circular knitting.
9. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a
gate moving lever and means between it and the said guiding gates to actuate the
latter and a cam slide and means for temporarily arresting its motion to place the
gate moving lever into an inoperative position during circular knitting substantially
in the manner described.
10. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a gate
moving lever and means between it and the said gates to actuate the latter, a cam slide
and means for temporarily arresting its motion to cause the said slide to place the
gate moving lever into an inoperative position and to subsequently move the said
slide to place the gate moving lever within the range of its actuating devices
substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.
11. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting, grooves and right and left hand guiding gates of a
gate moving lever, means between it and the said gates to actuate the latter, a cam
slide and a locking lever thereon and means to actuate the latter to move the cam slide
relatively to the gate moving lever to place the latter in either an operative or an
inoperative position substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.
12. In a knitting machine the combination with a reversible cam ring having
knitting and non-knitting grooves and right and left guiding gates of a gate
moving lever and means between it and the guiding gates to actuate the latter, a
cam slide movable relatively to the gate moving lever, a locking lever on the said
slide, and a plate and means for raising and lowering it within the track of the
locking lever substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1894
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.