IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harris Cooper, of Rotherby, in the County
of Leicester, Thomas Alfred William Clarke, of Leicester, in the
County of Leicester, Alfred Russell Donisthorpe, of Leicester,
aforesaid, Edwin Corah, of Leicester, aforesaid, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES."
Sealed the 18th November 1873, and dated the 23rd September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harris Cooper,
Thomas Alfred William Clarke, Alfred Russell Donisthorpe, and
Edwin Corah at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 23rd September 1873.
We, JOHN HARRIS COOPER, of Rotherby, in the County of Leicester,
THOMAS ALFRED WILLIAM CLARKE, of Leicester, in the County of
Leicester, ALFRED RUSSELL DONISTHORPE, of Leicester, aforesaid,
EDWIN CORAH, of Leicester, aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-

page_text: the tubular fabrics, such as stockings, shirts, drawers, and such like
formed upon them may be widened or narrowed at the parts desired.
of vertical latch
For this purpose we employ two parallel rows
needles at a slight distance apart from one another, and at the ends of
these rows are other rows of latch needles passing across the space
between the two rows first mentioned; one or both of these end rows is
movable to or from the other, or both rows may move in one direction
if required.
Each of the needles is mounted in such a manner as to be capable of
rising and falling as in ordinary circular knitting machines in which
latch needles are used, the thread eyc or layer is caused to travel
continuously around the oblong frame of needles, and after each needle
has had the thread layed under the hook at its upper end it is caused to
descend as usual, so that the old loop on its stem becomes slipped over
the thread lying under the hook in the ordinary manner, the needles are
again subsequently caused to rise before the thread layer comes round
to them. To give this rising and falling motion to the needles we
employ grooved bars to which a reciprocating to-and-fro motion is
imparted, there being one such bar for each of the two side rows, and
other grooved bars for the two end rows, and the plates which carry the
needles are made with projections to enter these cam grooves.
To cause the thread layer to travel continually around the oblong
frame of needles the thread carrier is by a cam caused to travel to and
fro along a bar, and has also a swinging motion given to it when it has
arrived at the ends of its course along the bar, thus when the thread eye
has arrived at the end of one of the side rows it is swung over across the
end row of needles, so laying its thread upon these needles, and is then
traversed back along the bar by which the thread eye lays its thread
along the opposite side row, and when it has arrived at its end the
thread eye is swung across the end row of needles and again moved
along the first side row, and so on in succession.
When the work is to be narrowed one, or it might be both, of the end
rows of needles are moved inwards so as to diminish the length of the
oblong points on a point bar, are then caused to rise and enter the loops
which are upon the needles at the end of the side rows, and which are
beyond the end piece which has been moved inwards; when the thread
layer again comes round a shorter travel is given to it so that it does not

page_text: lay its thread on to these needles; when the needles again descend the
loops are left upon the points and the point bar is then shogged inwards
and the loops carried over the adjacent needles, so that as these rise they
take the loops from the points which are then caused to descend out of
the way.
When the work is to be widened the movable end row or rows of
needles are moved outwards in place of inwards and the points remain
out of action.
To control the widening or narrowing we employ a step cam of the.
pattern required, and to give motion to this cam we fix upon its axis a
ratchet wheel. When the position of the cam has to be shifted a
ratchet is allowed to move the ratchet wheel one step, but when the cam
has not to be shifted and straight or parallel work is to be produced the
ratchet is held out of action and prevented from engaging with the
teeth of the ratchet wheel; this we effect by two or more revolving
plates driven at slightly different speeds; notches are formed in the
peripheries of the plates at the points required, and when the notches in
the different plates coincide the pawl is free to act, but so long as the
notches do not coincide the pawl is held out of action; this mechanism is
applicable for controlling the widening and narrowing in other kinds of
.knitting machines.
The work may be thickened by an additional thread laid into it where
required by using an additional thread eye, which after traversing
around the needles upon which the thickening thread has to be laid is
stopped, swung across from one side row to the other, and so again
comes into position to again move forward with the main thread carrier
when it again comes round; or in some cases the thickening thread may
be laid along a portion of one of the side rows only of needles, and be
carried back along the space between the needles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Harris Cooper, Thomas Alfred William
Clarke, Alfred Russell Donisthorpe, and Edwin Corah in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 23rd March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HARRIS COOPER, of Rotherby, in the County of Leicester, THOMAS
ALFRED WILLIAM CLARKE, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester,
ALFRED RUSSELL DONISTHORPE, of Lecester, aforesaid, EDWIN CORAH,
of Leicester, aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said John Harris Cooper, Thomas Alfred William
Clarke, Alfred Russell Donisthorpe, Edwin Corah, Her special license
that we, the said John Harris Cooper, Thomas Alfred William Clarke,
Alfred Russell Donisthorpe, Edwin Corah, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Harris Cooper, Thomas
Alfred William Clarke, Alfred Russell Donisthorpe, Edwin Corah, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN KNITTING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said John Harris Cooper, Thomas Alfred William Clarke, Alfred
Russell Donisthorpe, Edwin Corah, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Thomas Alfred William Clarke, on
behalf of myself and the said John Harris Cooper, Alfred Russell
Donisthorpe, and Edwin Corah, do hereby declare the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to construct knitting machines, in
which a continuous series of needles is used in such a manner that the
tubular fabrics, such as stockings, shirts, drawers, and such like formed
up them may be widened or narrowed at the parts desired. For this
purpose we employ two parallel rows of vertical latch needles at a slight
distance apart from one another, and at the ends of these rows are other
rows of latch needles passing across the space between the two rows
first mentioned. One or both of these end rows is movable to or from
the other, or both rows may move in one direction if required.
Each of the needles is mounted in such a manner as to be capable of
rising and falling as in ordinary circular knitting machines, in which
latch needles are used. The thread eye or layer is caused to travel
continuously around the oblong frame of needles, and after each needle
has had the thread layed under the hook at its upper end it is caused to
descend as usual, so that the old loop on its stem becomes slipped over
the thread lying under the hook in the ordinary manner. The needles
are again subsequently caused to rise before the thread layer comes.
round to them. To give this rising and falling motion to the needles
we employ grooved cams, to which a reciprocating to-and-fro motion is
imparted, there being one such cam for each of the two side rows and
other grooved cams for the two end rows, and the plates which carry the
needles are made with projections to enter these cam grooves.
To cause the thread layer to travel continually around the oblong
frame of needles the thread carrier is caused to travel to and fro along a
bar, and has also a swinging motion given to it when it has arrived at
the end of its course along the bar; thus when the thread eye has
arrived at the end of one of the side rows it is swung over across the
end row of needles, so laying its thread upon these needles, and is then.
traversed back along the bar by which the thread eye lays its thread
along the opposite side row, and when it has arrived at its end the
thread eye is swung across the end row of needles and again moved
along the first side row, and so on in succession.
When the work is to be narrowed one or it might be both of the end
rows of needles are moved inwards so as to diminish the length of the

page_text: oblong. Points on a point bar are at the same time caused to enter the
loops which are upon the needles at the end of the side rows, and to
stretch these loops to bring them into a position to allow the adjacent
needles to rise up through them at the time when these needles are
caused to rise to have a fresh thread laid upon them. The points are
then moved away, leaving the loops over the needles, which have thus
risen up through them. When one of the end rows has thus been moved
inwards the thread layer when it again comes round to lay a thread on
to them has a shorter travel given to it so that it does not lay its thread
on to the needles from which the loops are being taken.
When the work is to be widened the movable end row or rows of
needles are moved outwards in place of inwards, and the points remain
out of action.
To control the widening or narrowing we employ a step cam of the
pattern required, and to give motion to this cam we fix upon its axis a
ratchet wheel. When the position of the cam has to be shifted a ratchet
is allowed to move the ratchet wheel one step, but when the cam has
not to be shifted, and straight or parallel work is to be produced, the
ratchet is held out of action and prevented from engaging with the
teeth of the ratchet wheel. This we effect by two or more revolving
plates driven at different speeds. Notches are formed in the peripheries
of the plates at the points required, and when the notches in the different
plates coincide the pawl is free to act, but so long as the notches do not
coincide the pawl is held out of action. This mechanism is applicable
for controlling the widening and narrowing in other kinds of knitting
machines.
The work may be thickened by an additional thread laid into it where
required by using an additional thread eye, which after traversing around
the needles upon which the thickening thread has to be laid is stopped,
swung across from one side row to the other, and so again comes into
position to again move forward with the main thread carrier when it
again comes round; or in some cases the thickening thread may be laid
along a portion of one of the side rows only of needles and be carried
back along the space between the needles.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, we will proceed
to describe more fully the manner of performing the same :-
In the Drawings hereto annexed we have shewn a knitting machine
constructed according to our Invention,

page_text: Figure 1 shews a side view; Figure 2, a vertical transverse section;
Figure 3, an end view; and Figure 4, a horizontal section taken on the
line A, B, Figure 1, of a machine constructed according to our
Invention.
In these Figures a, a, are two parallel rows of needles at a short
distance apart from one another; and b, b, are short rows of needles
In the arrangement
passing across the space between the two rows.
shewn in the Drawing one row of needles b is carried by a slide c, a
separate view of which is shewn at Figures 5, by which it can be moved
towards or away from the opposite end row which remain stationary;
provision is thus made for fashioning the work at one end only of the
rows of needles a, but if desired both of the short cross rows of needles b
may be similarly mounted so that the work may be fashioned at both
ends of the rows of needles a. In order to give the requisite rising and
falling motions to the needles of the two side rows a, two grooved
cams d, one for each row are employed; these cams are fixed to the
lower ends of two levers e which are capable of being rocked upon two
rods f parallel with one another and capable of being slid to and fro
through fixed guides on the framing; the upper ends of the two levers
are linked together by a link e¹ which has an arm e² standing up from
it; this arm carries two rollers e³, e, one on either side, to enter into the
thread either of one or other of two parallel screws g, g', which are
geared together to revolve in opposite directions.
•
When the roller es engages with the thread of the screw 9, the links e¹,
levers e, and cams d are caused to travel in one direction, whilst if the
roller e engages with the thread of the screw 9¹ they are caused to
travel in the opposite direction, in order that when the cams d have thus
been caused to travel in one direction along the rows of needles they
shall then be caused to travel back again; each screw carries at its end
a cam h, which as the screw revolves comes round and strikes against a
pin e carried by the arm e³, and throws over this arm so as to disengage
the roller on one side of it from one screw thread, and throw the other
roller into gear with the thread of the other screw; the arm will then
at once commence to travel back again, and in order that when the arm
5 has been thus thrown over in one or other direction it may remain in
the position into which it has been brought until it has been traversed
from one end of its stroke to the other; the upper end of the arm es
passes at each end of its stroke from one side to another of a fixed bar i.

page_text: By thus shifting the link e¹and arm e² to or from the screws g, g¹, the
lever arms e are caused to rock upon the rods f, and the cams d which
are carried by the levers are thus brought into position for acting upon
the needles when moved in one direction, and are thrown out of action
when moved in the opposite direction.
The two end rows of needles 6 are caused to rise and fall by two
grooved cams k carried at the lower end of a swinging frame k².
When the side cams d have arrived at one or other end of their
course, and the levers e are then rocked to throw one out of action and
the other into action, a pin on one or other of the levers strikes the
frame k¹ and swings it over, so causing the needles in one end row 6 to
rise, and the others to descend, and by this means the several needles
are successively raised to have a thread laid upon them, and lowered to
throw over the old loops as in an ordinary circular machine in which
sliding needles are used.
The thread carrier m is caused to traverse continuously around the
oblong frame of needles, and to lay a thread on to them as they are thus
raised in succession in the following manner:-The thread eye m is
mounted on a slide m³ capable of being slid to and fro along a bar n,
this bar is fixed at its ends to the upper ends of arms n³, which at their
lower ends are free to rock upon axes n².
The slide m¹ carries a bar m³, upon which is a friction clip o which
can slide to and fro along the bar; on each side of the clip o is a pin o¹,
and the clip is carried to and fro by one or other of the levers e coming
against one of these pins and carrying the clip along with it. As the
clip is thus carried along it carries with it the slide m¹ until the thread
eye m has arrived at one end of its course, the slide m¹ is then arrested
by a stop whilst the cam d still continues its travel in order to complete
the knocking over of the work upon all the needles of the side row with
which it works. When this has been done the cam d which was
previously at work is thrown out of action as before described by means
of the cam h on the screw g or g¹, throwing over the upper ends of both
levers e, thereby also causing a roller on the arm e² to engage with the
opposite screw which previously was out of action; and by this means
the cams and thread carrier are-traversed back again, the thread carrier
having been by the same action moved across the end row of needles 3
and caused to lay its thread upon them. To give this motion to the

page_text: thread carrier the arms n¹ which carry the slide bar n are turned on the
axes at their lower end by projections on the swinging frame ¹, thus
the thread eye is moved over together with the slide m' and friction
clip o, and one of the pins o¹ on this clip is brought in front of the
lever e on that side of the machine to which the clip has been moved, so
that when this lever commences its backward travel, the clip, together
with the thread eye is carried along with it.
As the end row of needles has a thread laid on to them, as above
described, by the swinging over of the thread eye the needles in this row.
are in succession drawn down by the simultaneous swinging across of
the arm k, whilst the needles at the opposite end are simultaneously
caused to rise, in order to be ready to receive a fresh thread when the
thread eye again comes round to them.
When it is required to narrow the work the movable end row of
needles 6 is racked inwards after the work has been knocked over upon
them, and the loops which were upon the two end needles of the sido
rows a are transferred on to the two outer needles of the row b, as
illustrated in the diagram, Figure 6. This is effected by means of two
points p, p, in the following manner :-The points immediately after the
work has been knocked over on the end row b, and after this row has
been racked inwards, are caused to descend and to enter the last loops of
the two side rows of needles. The points are then moved inwards towards
one another, thereby stretching the two last loops in the manner indicated
by the dotted lines in the diagram. All these operations are effected
before the thread eye commences to traverse across the opposite end row
of needles b, and consequently during the time that the needles b, which
have been racked inwards, remain in their lowest position; and when
they are caused to rise the two outermost of them pass up through the
loops which have been stretched out, as before described. When the
thread carrier again comes round to lay a thread on to these end needles
its travel is shortened, so that it does not lay its thread on to the side
needle, which still retains the stretched loop, so that when this needle
has been raised and again lowered the loop slips off from it, and is left
on the outermost needle b, and is thus incorporated with the work, when
the thread eye lays its thread on to this needle, and the needle is drawn
downwards to allow the loops to slip off from it. In like manner as the
thread eyo travels across in front of the needles b it does not lay its
thread on to the needle of the opposite side row a, which still retains

page_text: the stretched loop, so that when the needle is again raised and lowered
the loop slips off from it, and is held by the loop on the outer needle b.
When the end row of needles is not racked inwards, and plain work is
being produced, the points p descend in front of needles which have no
loops upon them; and although the same motions continue to be given
to them they practically remain out of action until such time as the end
row of needles b is racked inwards. As the narrowing progresses, and
the thread carrier has a shorter and shorter travel given to it by reason
of the stop which limits its traverse being racked inwards, together with
the end row of needles ; and as the friction clip has always one uniform
extent of travel given to it the cams d will, as the narrowing goes on, be
moved at that end of their course where the narrowing takes place
further and further beyond the thread guide, and if when the cams d
move back again the thread guide were not held back from moving with
the cams, it would gradually get to be too far in advance of these cams.
To prevent this a catch q is employed to hook over the slide as it gets
near to the end of its course, and when the friction clip commences to
travel back the slide m¹ is retained from moving back with it by the
catch until this catch is released by a pin carried by the friction clip
or levers e acting upon an incline on the catch and raising it, so setting
the slide m¹ free to travel forward with the friction clip. By this means
the thread eye is always kept at the required distance in advance of the
cams d.
In order to give the herein-before described movements to the points
p they are each carried upon a lever p' capable of turning both on a
vertical and horizontal joint, the tail ends of the two levers p¹ are passed
through slots in two plates r, r³, as shewn at Figure 7. The slot in the
plate is a horizontal slot whilst the slots in the plate
one another as shewn.
are inclined to
plates rise together
extent, the plate ri
points towards one
When the points are to be caused to descend both
until the points have been lowered to the required
then continues its upward motion, so drawing the
another, and when the points are to be again raised both the plates are
lowered to their former position. The rising and falling motion is given
to these plates by levers s¹ jointed to them and acted upon by cams 83 on 3
a shaft s, as shewn most clearly in Figure 7; on this shaft is also a
crank by which a rising and falling motion is given to the bar carrying
the pawl by which the racking in of the end row of needles_b is effected.

page_text: When the needles are to be racked in this pawl is allowed in its down-
ward stroke to engage with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel u and
move it round a distance equal to the distance between two teeth. On
the axis of the wheel u is a cam or pattern wheel against which rests
the lower end of a lever u² whilst the upper end of the lever rests
against a rod which stands out from the slide c which carries the needles
b, and thus when the pattern wheel is shifted round one tooth the
needles 6 will be racked either inwards or outwards, and the work cor.
respondingly widened or narrowed. Whenever the needles are racked
outwards the effect will be that the thread carrier will have a longer
traverse given to it, and a greater number of needles in each side row a
will be employed in forming the work. In order to control the times
when the narrowing takes place we employ two or more notched discs v to
control the movement of a bar w which is suspended on links w¹; one
end bears against the discs.v and is drawn against it either by a weight
or spring, and the other carries a roller w³ against which the pawl t rests.
When the end of the bar w is free to enter notches in the two discs v
the roller w² is drawn away from the pawl t and leaves the pawl free to
engage with the teeth of the ratchet wheel u, and to turn this wheel
together with the cam or. pattern wheel u¹ carried by it; but when the
notches in the two wheels do not coincide the end of the bar w rests
against the periphery of either one or other disc, the roller w² holds
forwards the pawl t and prevents it from engaging with the teeth of the
ratchet wheel ", so that although the pawl continues to be moved up
and down it does not act upon the ratchet wheel, and no narrowing or
widening of the work takes place. In the arrangement shewn in the
Drawing one of the pattern wheels has 6 or it might be other number
of notches formed in it at such distances apart as are required to control
the narrowing or widening of the work when the work is to be narrowed
or widened, and the other which is revolved at a slower speed has notches
in it to control the time when the narrowing or widening of the work
shall take place.
The manner in which motion is transmitted to the two discs > is
clearly shewn by the Drawing, so that it is unnecessary to give any
detailled description of it. In a similar manner also three or more
notched discs might be employed, each driven at a different speed to
control the narrowing or widening of the work. The discs also in place
of being concentric with one another might be on separate axes so long
as they all act in the manner described upon one bar or lever.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner in
which the same may be carried into effect, we would have it understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the precise mechanism herein-before
described and shewn in the Drawings for giving motion to the various
parts of the machine, as these may be considerably varied, and we would
also remark that it is not essential that the side rows should be straight
rows, although we prefer that they should be so.
We would also state that machines may be constructed in a similar
manner to that herein-before described to fashion the goods at three or
more points by suitably placing the needles in a triangle or other shape,
with parallel rows of needles at the angles for a short row of end needles
to work between, as above described, but for most work it will be
sufficient to provide for fashioning at one or at the most two points.
Machines such as hercin-before described might also be arranged to
produce ribbed work around a portion of the work, and only to produce 1
plain work where the fashioning is to take place, horizontal needles
being in this case provided to work with the vertical needles wherever
the ribbed work is to be formed, as is well understood.
A mock seam may also be formed down the centre of the work
between the narrowings by substituting for one or more of the vertical 2
end needles needles capable of sliding horizontally. It is also not
essential that there should be four needles in the two end rows b, as
other number of needles wither mom
155

page_text: 4. The employment of two or more notched discs revolving at different
speeds to control the action of a pawl upon a ratchet wheel for governing
the fashioning of work in knitting machines, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Alfred Clarke, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.