Improvements in the Manufacture of Stockings and Socks and in Machinery or Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 19th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Stockings and Socks and in
Machinery or Apparatus therefor.
We, BENJAMIN KERR, of Belgrave in the County of Leicester, Mechanic and
ISAAC LOVELL BERRIDGE of Humberstone Gate, Leicester, Hosiery Machine
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention refers to the manufacture of stockings and socks and relates
specially to such as are produced upon circular reversible knitting machinery.
The object of the present invention is to obtain a better scam or juncture at the
sides of the pouch forming the heel and toe so as to impart an improved finish to
such articles and avoid the holes and openwork which often characterises the seams
or junctures of the toe and heel pouches in the goods referred to.
According to our invention we avoid the defect in the seams or junctures of the
toe and heel pouches by forming a tuck or accumulated loop stitch on each selvage
needle during the operation of narrowing or forming the first half of the pouch.
That is to say, instead of allowing each needle to clear its loop each selvage
needle as it becomes inactive during the narrowing operation is allowed to-retain its
loops, so that when it is subsequently brought into action during the widening
operation or formation of the second half of the toe or heel pouch a tuck stitch is
formed.
Further we provide that during the widening process, each needle previously
placed out of action may have the thread wrapped round its stem prior to clearing
the loops accumulated thereon as hereinbefore described.
In order to produce a "tuck" stitch upon the selvage needles during the
narrowing operation as hereinbefore mentioned, we provide mechanism which
acting in conjunction with the stitch cam will restrict the movement of such
needles so that they do not clear but keep the loop upon the latch, until again
brought into action."
To wrap the thread round the stem of the selvage needles during the widening
operation the thread carrier or yarn guide conducts the thread as far as the needle
space beyond the selvage needle which is to be brought into operation and the
thread is sunk between such needle and the adjoining needle by a sinker or by
hand.
A. heel or toe pouch formed in accordance with this invention will have the seam
or juncture closed and well finished.
Dated thin 10th dov of halmuaru 1901
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Stockings and Socks and in
Machinery or Apparatus therefor.
We, BENJAMIN KERR of Belgrave in the Borough of Leicester, Mechanic, and
ISAAC LOVELL BERRIDGE of Humberstone Gate, Leicester, Hosiery Machine
Builder, 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 refers to the manufacture of stockings and socks, and relates
specially to such as are produced upon circular reversible knitting machinery.

page_text: The object of the present invention is to obtain a better seam or juncture at the
sides of the pouches forming the heel and toe so as to impart an improved finish to
such articles and avoid the holes and openwork which often characterizes the seams
or junctures of the toe and heel pouches in the goods referred to.
According to our invention we avoid the defect in the seams or junctures of the
toe and heel pouches by forming a tuck or accumulated loop stitch on each
selvage needle during the operation of narrowing or forming the first half of the
pouch.
That is to say, instead of allowing each needle to clear its loop, each selvage
neelle as it becomes inactive during the narrowing operation is allowed to retain
its loops, so that when it is subsequently brought into action during the widening
operation or formation of the second half of the toe or heel pouch, a tuck stitch is
formed.
In order to produce a "tuck" stitch upon the selvage needles during the
narrowing operation as hereinbefore mentioned, we provide mechanism which,
acting in conjunction with the stitch cam, will restrict the movement of such
needles so that they do not clear, but keep the loop upon the latch, until again
brought into action.
A heel or toc pouch formed in accordance with this invention will have the
seam or juncture closed and well finished.
In the accompanying drawings we have shewn our improvements applied to a
circular reversible knitting machine for which Letters Patent No. 10,025 of 1885
were granted to Walter Aiken and
Figure 1 is an elevation of so much of the machine named as is necessary to
illustrate our invention which is embodied therein, and
Figure 2 is a plan.
Figure 3 is a side elevation and Figure 4 a plan of apparatus forming the
subject of this invention.
Figure 5 is a plan of the spring controlled plate, which withdraws the out-throw
cam and of the lever which actuates the former, and
Figure 6 is a plan of the underside of that portion of the needle-actuating-
circular-cam-plate at which the knitting cans are located.
Figure 7 is a section on the line a a of the last named figure.
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1 and 2.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the drawings and
the letters or numerals in brackets in the following Specification are those employed
to indicate the same parts in the Specification of the original patent hereinbefore
.referred to.
In order to enable the selvage needles to produce tuck stitches during the
narrowing operation, it is necessary to limit or restrict the movement of such
needles so that they are not moved sufficiently far outwards to clear or to cause the
stitch already on the needle to pass over the end of the latter, for this purpose the
out-throw cam A (22) is periodically partly withdrawn so that the movement of
the selvage needles is relatively shortened and a tuck or accumulated loop stitch
the subsequent result.
Now to shorten the movement of the out-throw cam as and for the purpose
described a pin B (1) is connected thereto, and passes through a radial slot C (u)
in the needle-actuating-circular-cam-plate C' (c¹) and into an angular slot D¹ in a
plate D on the upper or outer side of the said cam plate.
The latter is provided with teeth C³ on its underside and is rotated, for the
production of tubular web, or reciprocated, for the formation of the heel or the
pouch, by the bevel wheel E¹ (c) on the driving shaft E (a).
The plate D is moved to the left as hereinafter described at the end of the
traverse of the needle-actuating-cam-plate C₁ during reciprocating knitting in the
narrowing operation thereby causing the pin B to travel in the slots CD', as
shewn in Figure 5, and partly withdraw the cam A (12) when it would otherwise
cause the selvage needles to clear their loops, but the effect of such withdrawal

page_text: allows the selvage needle to retain the loop on its stem and thereby form a tuck
stitch as hereinbefore referred to.
To cause the plate D to move to the left as before mentioned, it is provided with
an inclined vertical plate D' most clearly indicated in Figure 1 in actual contact
with a lever F fulcrummed at F between the lugs on the plate F³ secured to
the cam plate C¹ by screws F.
Upon the outward end of the lever being elevated as in Figure 5 the inner
end thereof presses against the inclined plate D moving it to the left and with it
the plate D to or on which it is attached.
Upon the outer end of the lever being lowered the other end of same is
removed from frictional contact with the inclined plate D2, the spiral spring G
attached at one end to the lug pin G' and at the other end to the stud Ds on the
plate D, brings the latter back into its original position, the pin B will then
simultaneously travel to the end of the slots C D', as in Figures 2 and 4, and the
out-throw cam will perform its usual function.
The plate D moves preferably between flat sided guide pins D on the cam
plate Cand is also maintained in position by a screw C³ fixed in the latter and
located within the slot D³ in the former.
As before mentioned the movement of the plate D is dependent upon the elevation
of the outer end of the lever F.
This lever is actuated and depends for its proper movement upon duplicate
mechanism carried on slides K capable of moving upon a curved bar K² and
operated through the medium of connecting rods M attached to the outer side of
the usual two toothed main segmental slides N (e, e) which are moved inter-
mittingly when it is desired to remove the butts of the needles one at a time from
the cain groove C (e), Figure 6 in the cam plate C' (c) out of the range of the
knitting cams as described and illustrated in Patent No. 10025 of 1885 hereinbefore
referred to.
The duplicated mechanisms are shewn in their relative positions in Figure 2,
but singly in Figure 1, and on an enlarged scale in Figures 3, 4 and 5 for the sake
of clearness.
This mechanism in each case consists of an arm H connected at one end to an
adjustable plate J attached by a screw to the slide K, this arm H when in its
operative position is in the lowered position shewn in Figure 1 so that as the
lever reciprocates with the cam plate C' during the narrowing operation it passes
up the inclined plane of the arm Hand on to the horizontal part thereof just prior.
to making its return journey and remains thereon just sufficiently long to withdraw
the out-throw cam A and prevent the selvage needle clearing its loop as before
described.
The slides K are moved one needle space nearer to cach other by the action of
the two toothed main segmental slides N (e³, e¹) before referred to and are thus
able to cause the lever to withdraw the out-throw cam at each selvage needle
as the reciprocal movement of the cam plate is shortened and until the narrowest
course in the heel or toe pouch is reached by which time the inclined ends of the
levers L fulcrumined at L' to the slides K will have come into contact with the
angular stop plates O on the curved bar K² and be caused to move on their centres
so as to elevate the arms H as shewn in Figure 3.
Upon the slides K returning to their original positions during the operation of
widening, the end of the lever F passes through the cut away or recessed portion H¹
of the arm H and the out-throw cam resumes its ordinary functions.
The lever L is hollowed at its upper end to receive a pin H2 on the arm H the
latter being controlled in its movement by a spring J pressing on the pin H2 and
fixed to the plate J by a screw J.
A stud K is fixed in the slide K to restrict the movement of the lever L and the
plate J is adjustable by means of the screw J and slot J' to regulate the height
of the arm H so as to elevate the end of the lever F as before described to
withdraw the out-throw cam to a greater or less extent as required.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The manufacture upon a circular reversible knitting machine of a stocking or
sock in which the selvage stitches of the first or narrowed portion of the heel or
toe pouch are composed of tuck stitches substantially as described.
2. In a circular reversible knitting machine the provision of means to enable the
selvage needles to produce tuck stitches during the narrowing operation
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the out-throw
cam of a spring controlled and slotted plate such as D carried on the needle-
actuating-circular-cam-plate C' and means to actuate the said plate and withdraw
the cam to cause the selvage needle to produce tuck stitches during the narrowing
operation substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
4. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the out-throw
cam of a spring controlled slotted plate such as D vertical inclined plate or cam D²
and lever such as F carried by the needle-actuating-circular-cam-plate and actuated
by an adjustable intermittingly movable spring-controlled slide such as K sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
5. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with a lever Fof
an adjustable spring controlled arm H, lever such as L intermittingly movable
slide such as Kand curved bar such as K2 substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination of an adjustable
spring controlled arm H, lever L, stop plate O, slide K and rod M connecting the
latter to intermittingly movable segmental cam slide or rack N constructed and
operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
7. The improved arrangement and combination of parts constructed and operating
substantially in the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of November 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.