Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Dec., 1886.
Complete Left, 6th Sept, 1887
Complete Accepted, 7th Oct., 1887
I EDWARD ATTENBOROUGH of the firm of Blackburn Attenborough and Sons of
Atlas Works Kirke White Street Nottingham Machinists do hereby declare the nature
of my invention to be as follows:-
Heretofore fabrics made on circular knitting machines have been slacker at the two
portions of the circumference of the web opposite the ends of the winding up frames
this difficulty increases with the enlarged diameter of the head, to obviate these defects
I construct circular knitting machines of the following parts:-
"
I connect two or more main standards together by a requisite number of floor
plates or tie bars the upper end of each standard I connect to the outside flange of a
suitable shaped bearing ring or bed plate, this bed plate has three horizontal flanges
and a vertical flange each turned true the vertical flange and the central horizontal
flange carries a circular needle ring provided with tricks for needles or with leads of
Deedles the underside of the needle ring revolves in a trough cut or otherwise fornied
in the central horizontal flange which has rings and radial slots cut in the bottom of
the trough to contain oil to lubricate the needle ring which is held in position by an
upper horizontal circular plate which is firmly bolted to the top of the vertical flange
of the bearing ring before named, the top of the horizontal circular plate forms a
platform to and on which the brackets carrying the landing and knocking over wheels
are adjusted and secured. The outer horizontal flange of the bed plate forms a
platform to and on which the brackets carrying the push backs clearing wheels, loop
wheels, dividing wheels, presser wheels and any other wheels which may be required
for making other than plain fabric.
The needle ring on its under side near its outer circumference forms a circular
toothed bevel wheel into which a toothed wheel gears which is carried by the inner
end of a driving shaft suitably geared to a driving pulley shaft, in addition to the
toothed wheel above described there are other toothed wheels round the bevel wheel
each of which is carried by a short shaft capable of being slid towards or from the

page_text: bevel wheel so as to be clear of or to gear with it for the convenience of the attendant,
the bearings for the whole of these shafts are either formed in or secured to the bed
plate, Instead of placing the winding up frame above the needles I place it below
them and cause it to revolve and wind up the fabric by means of shafts and toothed
gearing which receive motion from a vertical toothed wheel-on-iho outer edge of the
needle ring; The third horizontal flange of the bed plate has a grooved track cut in
its upper face in this track three or more bearing rollers run these rollers carry a
suitable shaped framing provided with a round faced ring over which the fabric is
inverted and passes down to the winding up roller before named.
·ש.י.ת
Th
1 "

page_text: I, EDWARD ATTENBOROUGH, of the Firm of Blackburn, Attenborough and Sons,
of Atlas Works, Kirke White Street, Nottingham, Machinists, 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
:-
Figure 1 shows a side view of one of my improved circular knitting machines, but
having portions at the left of the centre, and one intermediate standard broken away.
Figure 2 shows a vertical sectional view through the bed of the machine.
Figures 24, and 2 are portions of the same severally referred to hereafter.
Figure 3 shows in plan one half the bed, and one of the main standards, and one of
the intermediate standards which support it.
Figures show an outer view and plan of a bracket hereafter referred to.
Figure 4 shows an outer view of the inain standard at the left of Figure 1.
Figures 5 and 6 show respectively an edge view and outer view of one of the
intermediate standards.
Figure 7 shows in plan portion of the bed and three of the brackets which support
a thread cop pin ring, and an upper four armed ring from the centre of which à
vertical rod depends on which a stretcher revolves, from the outer flange of the ring,
brackets project which support a ring over which threads are passed.
Figure shows in plan two portions of the ring of a winding up frame; four
rollers, and a bearing trough below them. The teeth of the various wheels being of
the usual form are only partially shown in the Drawings.
Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 show separate portions of the winding up frame severally
referred to hereafter.
Figures 13 and 14 show in plan a pair of segmental brackets I employ.
Figures 1, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 are drawn one eighth the full size, Figures 2,
24, 2, 11 and 12 one half full size, and Figures 13 and 14 one quarter full size. The
corresponding parts in each Figure are indicated by the same letters where necessary.
Heretofore fabrics made on circular knitting machines have been slacker at the two
portions of the circumference of the web opposite the ends of the winding up frame
this difficulty increases with the enlarged diameter of the head, to obviate these
defects I construct circular knitting machines of the following parts.
To the outside flange of a circular bed plate A, 1 secure the upper ends of two
main standards A' and two intermediate standards A2, the lower ends of the main
standards are connected to the ends of a floor plate A³, the outer flanges of which are

page_text: each provided with a pair of set screws and lock nuts A', the lower end of each screw
rests upon a metal plate secured to the floor, thereby preventing vibration, the floor
plate at the centre of its length has the inner ends of two tie bars H secured to it
the outer ends of which are connected to the lower inner ends of the standards A²
thereby ensuring the rigidity of the machine.
The bed plate has three horizonial flanges and a vertical flange each turned true,
the vertical flange and the central horizontal flange carries a circular needle ring B
which may be provided with tricks for needles or with leads of needles held to the
ring by plates and screws in the usual way as shown at Figure 2, the underside of the
needle ring revolves in a trough cut or otherwise formed in the central horizontal
flange of the bed which has rings and radial slots cut in the bottom of the trough to
contain oil to lubricate the needle ring, which is held down by an upper horizontal
circular plate or.a number of segmental plates B¹ either of which are firmly bolted to
the top of the vertical flange of the bearing ring.
The top of the circular plate or segmental plates form a platform on which brackets
carrying landing and knocking over wheels are adjusted and secured, there being one
landing wheel, and one knocking over wheel to each segment of brackets hereafter
referred to. The needle ring is caused to revolve from right to left by the following
means, on its underside near its outer circumference, the ring forms a circular toothed
wheel into which a toothed wheel B gears, which is secured on the inner end of a
driving shaft B³ carried by a bearing B' which is bolted to one of the vertical flanges.
on the underside of the bed plate A the top of which with the top of one of the main
standards are cast with a recess to receive the driving shaft and its outer bearing B.
Opposite the same main standard the bed plate is cast with two orifices shown in plan
at Figure 8 one to receive the wheel B2, the other to receive a winding up frame
driving wheel C, and a bracket carrying the axle of an intermediate wheel (2,
-hereafter referred to.
-
Instead of placing the winding up frame above the needles I place it below them,
and cause it to revolve and wind up the fabric by arranging its parts in the following
manner. The underside of the bed plate A is turned true to receive a reversely flanged
ring which is secured to it by screwed boits, passing through the bed and the inner
horizontal flange of the ring, the outer horizontal flauge has a trough formed in its
upper side which has rings and slots cut in the bottom to contain oil to lubricate the
lower edge of a flanged ring C, the upper edge of which is toothed as shown at
Figures 2 and 8. The ring is caused to revolve in the same direction from right to
left as the needle ring, by an intermediate toothed wheel C which revolves on an axle
capable of adjustment in a bearing bracket (shown separately at Figures 3ª, the
intermediate wheel gears into a vertical toothed wheel secured on the driving
shaft B³, to the underside of the ring two vertical arms C, C are bolted, the lower
ends of which are secured to a trough shaped rail C. from the bottom of which
bearings project, (see Figures 1, 8, 11 and 12, the Figures 11 and 12, showing
respectively a longitudinal sectional view of the central portion of the floor plate A³
and rail C, and a cross sectional view of the same) in these bearings a shaft revolves
which has a toothed bevel wheel I secured on its inner end, this wheel engages with
a toothed bevel wheel 2 bolted to the floor plate A³, the outer end of the shaft
revolves in a bearing at the bottom of the vertical arm (3, and is provided with a
toothed wheel 3, which communicates motion to three wheels 4, 5 and 6, the inter-
mediate wheels 4 and 5 revolve on axles carried by the arm C³, the wheel 6 being
secured on one end of the axle of an india rubber covered roller C carried by the
arm C the other end of the axle carried by the arm is provided with a wheel 7
gearing into a similar wheel above it on one end of an india rubber covered roller C³,
the wheel 7 gears into an intermediato wheel 9 which drives a wheel 10, on one
of a card covered roller C, above this roller is a work roller C" the ends of which
rise and fall in vertical slots formed on the inner sides of the arms C, C, the relative
arrangement of the wheels 3 to 10 are shown by dotted lines at Figures 9 and 10
which represent outer views of the vertical arms C C, the direction the wheels
revolve in being indicated by arrows.
end

page_text: The fabric as fast as made passes between the rollers C and C, down to and round
the work roller ( upon which it is wound by its pressure upon the card covered
revolving roller C¹º.
The fabric is conducted to the two upper rollers by the following means:-
The third horizontal flange of the bed plate has a grooved track cut in its upper
face near its inner edge, in this track the requisite number of rollers I run (one of
which is shown at Figures 2, 24, and 2B) each roller revolves on an axle in a bracket
projecting from the lower side of a ring D' from the upper side of which a number of
vertical rods D2 project which are connected at their upper end by a ring D³ passed
through them in the spaces between the rods the ring D³, has helically coiled springs
threaded on it which are each enclosed in an india rubber tube D' the springs and
tubes being free to turn on the ring.
From the inner side of each roller bracket an arm projects downwards, the lower
ends of the arms are connected by a ring De, provided with india rubber covered
springs in the same way as the ring D³.
Figure 24 shows a side view of one of the roller brackets and projecting arm, and
Figure 2B shows an inner view of the same with a vetical rod D portions of the
ring D', ring D³ and rubber covered springs. The fabric E is. inverted and passes
over the rubber covered ring D³ over and within the rubber covered ring D³, then
over two rollers F and the sides of a stretcher F¹ of the usual construction, to and
between the rollers Cs and C. The stretcher is carried by and turns upon the lower
end of a vertical rod F³, having its upper end secured in the centre of a four armed
ring F3 supported by a number of brackets which are bolted to the outer flange of
the bed plate, the ring is provided with a number of brackets which support a
ring F over which threads are passed from cops on pins carried by a cop pin ring in
the usual way.
The rollers F, stretcher F1, rings F³ and F³, three of the brackets F and portion of
the bed are shown in plan at Figure 7. The outer horizontal flange of the bed is cast
hollow of the shape shown in section at Figure 2 to allow of the insertion of the heads
of screwed bolts, the top of the flange forms a bed to and on which a number of
segments are secured each segment being provided with brackets to carry the wheels
required.
For a machine of the size shown by the Drawings twelve such segments may be
employed, six long ones and six short ones arranged as follows:-
A long segment is shown in plan at Figure 13 and a short one at Figure 14. A
long segment is secured on the bed with the centre of its length over the driving
shaft B³ then a short segment on each side of it, a long segment and a short one
alternately at equal distances from each other.
The segments are each provided with a bracket near its right end in which a push
back I can be adjusted. The centre of each bracket is indicated by a dotted line in
the Figures numbered consecutively.
In the short segment No. 1 bracket carries a star wheel bracket having a wheel to
lay a backing thread in the needles.
No. 2 carries an angle bracket for a clearing wheel.
No. 3
a star wheel bracket for a
"
No. 4
"
").
""
No. 5
No. 6
No. 7
"
"
"
"
"
"
22
"
loop.
wheel.
picking up wheel.
loop wheel.
dividing wheel.
presser wheel.
opposite which within the circle of needles is a landing wheel and next to the landing
wheel also within the circle of needles, is a knocking over wheel the landing wheel and
knocking over wheel are carried by brackets secured to the circular plate or segmental
plates B
In the long segment the bracket nearest the push back
No. 1 carries a star wheel bracket for a putting in wheel to lay in a thread which
will produce a curl on the face of the fabric,

page_text: No. 2ª carries an angle bracket for a wheel which lowers the thread layed in by the
wheel on No. 1^ bracket.
The remainder of the brackets Nos. 2 to 7 are each provided with a wheel like those
carried by the brackets on the short segment, the seventh wheel being provided with
a landing wheel and a knocking over wheel carried by the segmental plates B' as
before described.
Besides which the brackets 1ª, 1, 3 and 5 on the long segments and the brackets 1,
3 and 5 on the short segments are each provided with a thread guide supplied with
threads from cops conveniently placed.
By constructing circular knitting machines as above described I am enabled to
dispense with the central axle and arms to the needle ring or cylinder heretofore
employed, thereby leaving the centre of the machine open to enable the fabric made
to bo passed downward to the winding up frame if preferred.
The bed A with its three horizontal flanges and a vertical flange, supporting the
inner and outer wheel brackets and the needle ring as shown and described, enables
me to construct circular wheel knitting machines of larger diameter with fewer parts
and considerable less vibration than circular wheel knitting machines. previously
-constructed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:-
The construction and employment of circular wheel knitting machines, each having
an open centre, and a bed plato A in one piece to support a needle ring, the inner and
outer wheels and brackets and push backs substantially as described and illustrated in
the drawings annexed.