IMPROVE- MENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING FRAMES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Moses Mellor, of the Firm of Moses Mellor
and Sons, Arkwright Street, Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING FRAMES."
Sealed the 31st January 1868, and dated, the 13th. August 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Moses Mellor at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th August 1867.
I, HENRY MOSES 'MELLOR, of the Firm of Moses Mellor and Sons, Ark-
wright Street, Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING FRAMES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in circular knitting frames. In
circular knitting frames when a wheel with fixed blades is employed to sink
the yarn
between the needles so as to supply to each needle the length neces-
sary to form a loop stress is necessarily placed upon the yarn whilst it is
bound by the sinker wheel against the stems of several needles, consequently
either the yarn is liable to be broken, or else the wheel must be so set as not
to sink the yarn so deeply as is in many cases desirable. To avoid these

page_text: difficulties sinker wheels are commonly made in which the sinking blades are
arranged to move radially in suitable guides in and out from the centre of the
wheel, and so that each sinker blade as it comes up to the needles makes a
somewhat sudden forward movement, and takes at once the yarn it requires
before the yarn becomes bound by the other sinker blades. There are how-
ever practical difficulties in the making and using of such sinker wheels for
machines of fine gauge.
Now according to my Invention in place of a wheel with radial slides I
make a wheel carrying levers, each capable of rocking on its fulcrum to and
from the centre of the wheel. Each lever has a sinking nib at one end, and
near its other end it rides upon its fulcrum. The sinking levers are fitted
into radial slots in the periphery of a cylindrical boss which carries them,
and the whole is carried round by means of a driver wheel in connection with
-it working on to the stems of the needles, and as each lever comes round to
the point where it is to sink the yarn a cam within the circle of the wheel
acts on the lever, and protrudes forward the end on which the nib is formed.
The lever is afterwards brought back by another cam surface acting on tails
on the levers near their other ends.
.
Another part of my Invention relates to the arranging circular knitting
frames to produce work with a tuck, rib, or seam down it from end to
end, so that the work may more nearly resemble that produced on a flat
frame. I would explain that the formation of this tuck, rib, or seam depends
on the work at the seam being knocked over at every alternate course
only. Such work has heretofore been produced on a circular frame having
two feeding heads at different points in the circle of needles. The needles have
been latch needles, and a ribbing or seaming latch needle has been arranged
to work radially in and out through the circle of frame needles at a space
where one needle is left out, and this ribbing or seaming needle has been so
governed as at one feeding head to move out sufficiently to cause it to knock
over the work on its return, whilst at the other feeding head it is protruded
a less distance, which causes it on its return to miss knocking over. The
production of the work however in this way is disadvantageous, because when
two feeding heads are used the yarn cannot easily be recovered from any
waste work which may be made, and again the latch needles do not make the
best description of work.
According to my Invention I employ a circular frame with one feeding
head only, and carrying needles with spring barbs, the needles being able to
slide independently in a direction parallel to the axis; such frames are well
known. I however at the point where the rib or seam is to be produced
.

page_text: place a needle without any barb; it serves to takes a loop of yarn for the
ribbing or seaming needle. This needle, works in and out in a radial direction
in the same way as the ribbing or seaning needle already described; it comes
forward through the circle of frame needles, and in receding it takes the loop
formed for it by the beardless needle in the frame, and carries it. back within.
the circle of the frame needles. The ribbing or seaming needle may have
either a spring beard or a latch. Supposing in the first place that it is made
with a spring beard, then at the point in the circle where, this needle draws
back a presser is placed, which closes the beard down just at the time to
enclose the newly formed loop and to exclude the work previously on the
needle, so that as the needle continues to draw in towards the centre this
work may be knocked over. The presser for this ribbing or, seaming needle
is however required to act every alternate, course only; to cause it to do so I
arrange it to be kept up. to its work by a cam wheel or. surface, which is shifted
at each revolution of the machine by a ratchet wheel and pawl or otherwise.
If the ribbing or seaming needle employed be a latch needle, then in working
one course I cause it to protrude so. far forward as to cause the work to
knock over on its return, and. in working the next course. I cause it to
protrude a lesser distance, so that on its return, it fails to knock over. I
prefer to mount this needle. on a lever. rocking on a centre, and to arrange a
cam surface to act upon. the tail of the lever, and the cam surface, is shifted.
at each revolution. of the machine.
Another part of my Invention consists, when. constructing a circular knitting.
frame in using needles with spring, beards able to slide in a direction parallel
with the axis about which they, rotate, as already mentioned, in conjunction with
a sinking wheel having moveable sinking blades arranged either to slide radially;
or as levers to rock on a fulcrum, as above set forth.
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
13th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, HENRY
MOSES MELLOR, of the Firm of Moses Mellor and Sons, Arkwright Street,
Nottingham, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One. thousand, eight; hundred, and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her

page_text: at any
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Moses Mellor, Her special licence that I, the said Henry
Moses Mellor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Henry Moses Mellor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter 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 KNITTING FRAMES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Moses Mellor, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Moses Mellor, 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 knitting frames.
In circular knitting frames when a wheel with fixed blades is employed to
sink the yarn between the needles so as to supply to each needle the length
necessary to form a loop stress is necessarily placed upon the yarn whilst it
is bound by the sinker wheel against the stems of several needles, consequently
either the yarn is liable to be broken, or else the wheel must be so set as not
to sink the yarn so deeply as are in many cases desirable. To avoid these
difficulties sinker wheels are commonly made, in which the sinking blades are
arranged to move radially in suitable guides in and out from the centre of the
wheel, and so that each sinker blade as it comes up to the needles makes a
somewhat sudden forward movement, and takes at once the yarn it requires
before the yarn becomes bound by the other sinker blades. There are how-
ever practical difficulties in the making and using of such sinker wheels for
machines of fine gauge.
Now according to my Invention in place of a wheel with radial slides
I make a wheel carrying levers, each capable of rocking on its fulcrum to and
from the centre of the wheel. Each lever has a sinking nib at one end, and
near its other end it rides upon its fulcrum. The sinking levers are fitted
into radial slots in the periphery of a cylindrical boss which carries them, and
the whole is carried round by means of a driver wheel in connection with it

page_text: working on to the stems of the needles, and as each lever comes round to the
point where it is to sink the yarn a cam within the circle of the wheel acts
on the lever and protrudes forward the end on which the nib is formed. The
lever is, afterwards brought back by another cam surface.
.1
"
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shows a side view; and
Figure 2 a plan view of a circular knitting frame having applied to it a
sinker wheel constructed according to my Invention; so much only of the
knitting frame is represented as is requisite for showing clearly the manner
in which I prefer to carry out my Invention.
In these Figures a is the circle of needles; the stems a¹ of these needles
are received in grooves formed around the periphery of a hollow cylinder,
which is caused to revolve as is usual. As the construction of these parts is
well understood I have not shown either the cylinder or the gearing for
causing it to revolve. As the circle of needles revolves the thread is led on to
the needles just before they come round to the sinker wheel, and as the thread
is carried round with the needles it enters in succession the nibs at the lower
ends of the sinking levers as these levers come round opposite to the circle
of needles a. c is the circular boss formed with radial slots, in which the
sinking levers are received. Each lever is supported at its upper end by a
short arm projecting inwards from it towards the centre of the boss. On the
under side of these short arms is a semicircular notch which comes over a
corresponding projection c on the top of the boss c; this projection on the
boss forms the pivot or fulcrum on which the levers turn. d is a small
stationary cam formed on the fixed hollow bearing e, in which the stem of
the boss c turus; this small cam is opposite to the circle of needles, and as
the levers come round to this point the cam acting on their inner edge pushes
ther lower ends outwards from the boss and causes the sinking nib at its end
to be protruded in between the needles, and to take with it the amount of
thread required; the hollow bearing e is carried from the framing of the
machine by a bracket e¹, as shown, in such manner that it may be raised or
lowered and also moved towards or from the axis of the circle of needles;
the position of the sinker wheel can thus readily be adjusted. is a groove
formed around the boss c; the levers are also similarly notched out to
receive a ring or rubber band.f, which prevents unnecessary movement of the
levers. is a toothed wheel fixed to the stem by means of a set screw; this
toothed wheel gears with the stems of the needles a, aud thus when the circle
of these needles is caused to revolve the boss carrying the circle of sinker
levers will revolve also. A side view, partly in section, of the sinker wheel
and parts connected therewith is shown separately at Figure 3; in this Figure,

page_text: and also in Figure 1, two only of the lever sinkers carried by the boss c are
shown in their places, the other. lever sinkers being for the sake of clearness
removed from the radial grooves in the boss.
:
Another part of my Invention consists, when constructing à circular
knitting frame, in using needles with spring beards able to slide in a
direction parallel with the axis about which they rotate, as already men-
tioned, in conjunction with a sinking wheel having moveable sinking blades
arranged either to slide radially or as levers to rock on a fulcrum as above
set forth. In the circular knitting frame shown in the Drawings the circle
of needles with which the sinker wheel before described is shown to be com-
bined is composed of needles each having a spring beard, and each capable of
rising and falling parallel with the axis about which.the circle of needles rotates;
a sinker wheel with moveable blades arranged to slide radially, and such as has
heretofore been employed might also, as above described, be similarly combined
with such a circle of spring, barbed needles.
and
Another part of my Invention relates. to the arranging circular knitting
frames to produce work with a tuck, rib, or seam down it from end to end, so
that the work may more nearly resemble that produced on a flat frame.. I
would explain that the formation of this tuck, rib, or sean depends on the
work at the seam being knocked over every alternate course only. Such
work has heretofore been produced on a circular frame having two feeding
heads at différent points in the circle of needles. The needles have been
latch needles, and a ribbing or seaming latch needle has been arranged to
work radially in and out through the circle of frame needles at a space where
one needle is left out, and this ribbing or seaming needle has been so governed
as at one feeding head to move out sufficiently to cause it to knock over the
work on its return, whilst at the other feeding head it is protruded a less
'distance, which causes it on its return to miss knocking over. The production
of the work however in this way is disadvantageous, because when two feeding
heads are used the yarn cannot easily be recovered from any waste work
which may be made, and again the latch needles do not make the. best
description of work.
According to my Invention I employ a circular frame with one feeding
head only, and carrying needles with spring barbs, the needles being able to
slide independently in a direction parallel to the axis around which they
revolve such frames are well known. I however at the point where the rib
or seam is to be produced place a needle without any barb, it serves to take a
loop of yarn for the ribbing or seaming needle; this needle works in and out
in a radial direction through the circle of 'frame.ineedles, and in receding it

page_text: takes the loop formed for it by the beardless needle in the frame and carries
it back within the circle of the frame needles. The ribbing or seaming
needle may have either a spring beard or a latch. Supposing in the first place
that it is made with a spring beard, then at the point in the circle where this
needle draws back a presser is placed, which closes the beard down just at the
time to enclose the newly-formed loop and to exclude the work previously on
the needle, so that as the needle continues to draw in towards the centre this
work may be knocked over.. The pressure for this ribbing or seaming needle
is however required to act every alternate course only; to cause it to do so I
arrange it to be kept up to its work by a cam wheel or surface which is
shifted at each revolution of the machine by a ratchet wheel and pawl, or
otherwise. If the ribbing or seaming needle employed be a latch needle, then
in working one course I cause it to protrudé a lesser distance, so that on its
return it fails to knock over. The circular knitting frame shown in Figures 1'
and 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is arranged for forming work with a
tuck, rib, or seam, as above described.
'
A's before stated the circle of needles a is composed of barbed. needles
capable of sliding independently in a direction parallel to their axis, and the
thread is led on to the needles at one point only. is the ribbing or seaming
needle which is to work radially in and out between the vertical needles at
the point where the tuck, rib, or seam is to be formed. The ribbing or seaming
needle shown at Figure 1 is a latch needle carried at the lower end of a
lever ; the pin on which this lever turns is carried by a projection from a
revolving frame k which is carried round with the circle of needles, so that
the needle g always works in and out between the same pair of needles. The
upper portion of the frame k is composed of a tube supported externally in
a bearing at the end of an arm q forming part of the framing of the machine;
this tube is connected by descending arms with a ring which serves to
hold down the work. Below the ring is a ring which has formed around
its outer circumference a number of small radial grooves in which are
received the needles a, so that the ring is caused to revolve with the needles,
a small projection on the ring by coming against a similar projection on
the ring causes the ring to revolve also, and thus when the circle of
needles is revolved the frame k is carried round with it. The tubular piece
5 of work as it is formed on the circle of needles passes between the rings k² and
3, and is led up through the tube which forms the upper portion of the
frame. One or other of the two vertical needles between which the latch
needle works in and out is a beardless needle, which as it comes round to
the sinker wheel (after passing the point a* at which the thread is led on to

page_text: the needles) has a loop of thread formed between it and the needle next to
it, which is afterwards to be taken by the latch needle. Before the needles
arrive at the point where the thread is thus laid on to them they are
raised in the ordinary manner so that the thread may be laid on below the
beards of the needles, and during this time the needles are supported by the
fixed wire l. At the time that the thread is laid on to the beardless needle
the needle g is drawn back from between the vertical needles, so as to be
out of the way of the sinker wheel, and this is effected by the upper end of
the lever which carries the needle coming against a cam surface o which is
fixed by means of screws to the exterior of the bearing which carries the
revolving frame k. After the needles a have passed beyond the sinker wheel
they descend in the ordinary manner, so that the thread just laid on to them
may be within their beards the beards of the needles are then closed by
-coming-in-contact--with-the-fixed-presser-m, -so-that-the-loops-of--work-may-
pass over their points.. n is a lifting wheel of the ordinary construction for
holding up the loops whilst the beards are closed. The cam surface which
governs the vertical movements of the needles a is so formed as at first only
to allow the needles to descend sufficiently to permit of the loops of work.
coming above the points of the beards, but not to descend far enough to allow
of the work passing off the upper ends of the needles. After the needles
have descended to this extent they are carried round in the same horizontal
line until divided by the lifting wheel n; they then descend to pass off the old
loops, and the ribbing needle is knocked over. The knocking over the work
on this needle at every alternate revolution is governed by the cam wheel p,
the form of which is seen clearly in the plan view, Figure 2, this cam wheel
turns on a stud p¹ projecting up from a plater carried the arm of
the framing, as is seen more clearly in the side view of these parts shown at
Figure 4. The cam wheel p is formed with teeth resembling the teeth of a
ratchet wheel, except that the outer edge of every alternate tooth is further
from the axis of the wheel than the teeth next to it. As the lever h carrying
the ribbing needle is by the revolution of the machine brought round to the
point at which the cam wheel is situated, the upper end of the lever comes
against one or other of the teeth of this wheel and turns the wheel round a
distance of one tooth, so that when the lever is again brought round to the
cam wheel its upper end will come against the next tooth, and so on con-
tinuously. When the upper end of the lever comes against one of the teeth
of the cam wheel which is at the greater distance from its axis then the
latch needle at the lower end of the lever is protruded out beyond the circle
of needles to the extent shown at Figure 5, but when the upper end of the

page_text: lever comes against one of the teeth which is cut deeper into the wheel
then the latch needle is protruded to a less extent as shown at Figure 6. As
soon as the lever h has been carried round beyond the can wheel its upper
end is at once acted on by another cam surface o¹, which causes the lever to
draw back the latch needle to bring it within the circle of needles a, and
after the latch needle has been thus drawn back to take the loop the needles a
descend until the tops of the needles pass below the latch needle, the old loops
of work then slip off their upper ends and the needles afterwards ascend to
the horizontal line shown in Figure 1. When the lever h has passed beyond
the cam surface o the fixed plate or cam r moves it into the position shown at
Figure 1 so that the loop of work upon it shall open the latch of the ribbing
needle, as shown.
After
The operation of the ribbing needle is as follows:-As this needle is by
the revolution of the machine brought round to the point at which the thread
is led on to the circle of needles it is, as before explained, drawn back within
the circle of needles a, so as to be out of the way of the sinker wheel.
the needle has been carried beyond this point, and beyond the point at which
the work is raised above the points of the beards of the needles a, the ribbing
needle is moved forwards by the cam wheel p, and if at this time it carries
only one loop of thread it is only moved forward to the extent shown at
Figure 6; the ribbing needle then at once moves back and takes with it the
loop of thread held for it on the beardless needle, and afterwards when this
beardless needle descends below the latch needle the loop of thread just taken
by the latch needle slips over the top of it and is thus freed from the beardless
needle. As the lever carrying the latch needle is again brought round to
the cam wheel p it is caused to protrude from the circle of needles to the
extent shown at Figure 5; the two loops which the needle was carrying will
then slip over the end of the latch, and when the needle is again drawn back
the new loop of thread which had just been laid on to the beardless needle
will be taken hold of by the latch needle, whilst the two previous loops which
are on the stem of the needle behind the latch will close the latch and will
slip off the end of the needle. The new loop of thread is afterwards freed from
the beardless needle by this needle descending as before explained, and after-
wards the latch needle is protruded forward between the needles a to a
5 sufficient extent to again open the latch, so that the latch needle may be
ready to take hold of a new loop of thread, and these operations are repeated
continuously.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shown another mode of
carrying out this part of my Invention. In this arrangement the ribbing or

page_text: seaming needle employed is a needle formed with a spring beard. Figure 7
shows a side view, and Figure 8 a plan of the arrangement.
These Figures
only show the mechanism for operating the ribbing needle, the other parts
of the knitting frame which I prefer to be arranged as shown at Figure 1
are omitted. a is the circle of spring barbed needles; b, the ribbing or
seaming needle; the stem b¹ of this needle is received in a radial groove c¹ on
the disc c, which disc by means of a driver, c fixed upon it is caused to
revolve together with the cylinder carrying the circle of needles. This disc is
carried at the end of an axis d which passes up through the hollow bearing e;
this hollow bearing is carried at its lower end by a disc e¹ which is carried by
a bracket from the exterior cylindrical casing enclosing the stems of the
circle of needles. On the under side of the disc e¹ are cams ƒ and g which
act on a projection 62 on the stem b¹ of the needle 6; as the disc c is carried
round with the circle of needles a, the projection 62 is first brought against the
side of the camf, and the needle 6 is thereby protruded out from the
exterior of the circle of needles a until the end of its spring barb, has passed
some distance beyond them. As the disc c continues to revolve the needle
is withdrawn by the cam surface g, and when the needle has been withdrawn
to such an extent that the end of its spring beard just passes between the
needles a, and so overlaps the thread which has just been laid on these needles
the beard of the needle comes below the end of a, presser h carried by a
spring h¹ which is fixed to the hollow bearing as shown. Above the spring h
is a cam wheel k capable of turning on a pin carried by an arm from the
hollow bearing; this wheel has formed or fixed on its axis a ratchet wheel k
which at each revolution of the circle of needles is turned round one tooth
by an arm fixed on the axis c¹. The cam wheel is formed with alternate pro-
jections and depressions corresponding in number to the, number of teeth on
the ratchet wheel. When one of the projections on the cam wheel is pressing
down the spring h¹ then the presser is lowered to such an extent that
when the beard of the ribbing needle passes below it the beard is closed, but
when one of the depressions in the cam wheel is above the spring h¹ then
the presser is not lowered sufficiently to close the beard of the needle and
as the cam wheel is at each revolution of the machine turned to such an
extent as first to bring a depression in the cam wheel above the spring ',
and at the succeeding revolution to bring one of its projections above this
spring, the beard of the ribbing needle will at one revolution pass under the
presser / without being closed, whilst at the next revolution it will be closed
by the presser, and whilst the beard of the needle is thus closed the needle
is drawn back by the cam surface 9 to cause the old loops of work. to pass

page_text: beyond the point of the spring beard, and thus the work on this needle will
be knocked over at every alternate revolution of the machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Moses Mellor, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
HENRY MOSES MELLOR. (L.s.)