AN IMPROVED KNITTING MACHINE
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Me-
chanical Draughtsman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED KNITTING
MACHINE." A communication from abroad by The New Haven
Family Knitting Machine Company (Incorporated), of New Haven,
in the State of Connecticut, United States of America.
Sealed the 1st June 1870, and dated the 12th January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th January 1870.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED KNITTING
MACHINE," to be as follows:-
:-
The general features of this improved machine are similar to those in
common use; in which are employed a series of vertical knitting needles
that are raised and lowered by a rotating cam.

page_text: The Invention consists mainly of a needle cylinder provided at its
base with a screw thread that fits within a female screw in the bed plate
or equivalent means of attachment, and in combining with the same a
cam immovably attached to the inner side of the shell gear, and capable
of being driven in either direction at pleasure. By screwing the needle
cylinder in and out from the bed plate the cylinder will be raised or
lowered relatively to the same, thereby causing the needles to form
longer or shorter stitches in the work. The needle cylinder is held
in position by means of a set screw passing through the bed plate
at one side. Cast with the bed plate are two brackets, one of which
forms the bearing for the shaft of a driving bevil wheel, and the other
carries a clamping screw for attaching the machine to a table. By the
use of an elastic cord the needles may be readily removed and replaced
at any time by simply drawing back a portion of the cord, whereas when
a rigid or unyielding band of metal is used for retaining the needles in
place in circular knitting machines such band requires to be entirely
removed when the needles are to be taken out." The yarn carrier is
attached to the shell gear and moves with it.
r
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent 2
Office on the 12th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 2
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me; the said "Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my 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 :

page_text: '
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED KNITTING MACHINE," being a communication to me fron
abroad by The New Haven Family Knitting Machine Company (Incor
porated), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred'
Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say)
The general features of this improved machine are similar to those in.
common use, in which are employed a series of vertical knitting needles
that are raised and lowered by a rotating cam.
The Invention consists mainly of a needle cylinder provided at its
base with a screw thread that fits within a female screw in the bed plate,
and in combining with the same a cam immovably attached to the inner,
side of the shell gear, and capable of being driven in either direction at..
pleasure. By screwing the needle cylinder in and out from the bed plate.
the cylinder will be raised or lowered relatively to the same, thereby
causing the needles to form longer or shorter stitches in the work. Tho
needle cylinder is held in position by means of a set screw passing
through the bed plate at one side.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a transverse vertical.
section of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;
and Fig. 3 is a view of the cam way or groove on the interior of the shell
gear. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts..
A, A', A", represent the bed plate, the portion A¹³ which forms the
bearing for the shaft of the driving bevil wheel B and the portion A¹
which forms the clamp being cast in one piece with the bed plate. By
the use of an elastic cord the needles may be readily removed and
replaced at any time by simply drawing back a portion of the cord. A
rigid or unyielding band of metal has been used for retaining- the

page_text: '
gear
needles in place in circular knitting machines, but such band requires.
to be entirely removed when the needles are to be taken out.. B repre-
sents the bevil gear wheel which engages with and drives the b of
the shell C. To the inner side of the shell C is permanently attached.
the plate C¹, in which is the cam way or groove c. The cam is so
constructed and arranged as to enable the shell gear to be turned in
either direction, and thus admit of a reciprocal motion of the yarn.
carrier for knitting a straight piece of work of any desired width with
selvedge. D is the needle cylinder formed with recesses for holding the
needle n. Surrounding the needle cylinder D is a groove in which is
fitted an elastic cord or band d for the purpose of retaining the needles
in place. On the lower outer portion of the needle cylinder D is formed
a screw thread, as shewn at D', which fits within a corresponding female
screw in the portion G of the bed plate A, so that by loosening the
screw S. and turning the needle cylinder in one or the other direction it
will be elevated or lowered, carrying with it the needles n, so that tho
projecting lower ends n' of the needles will be correspondingly adjusted
to the cylinder D, and thus cause the needles to make a longer or shorter
stitch or loop as desired. The needle cylinder may be easily rotated in
either direction, and is held in position by means of a set screw S, S¹,
passing through the bed plate and bearing against the screw D', as shewn
in Fig. 1. The machine may thus be readily adapted to make longer
and looser or shorter and tighter stitches or loops at any time during its
operation by simply turning the screw S and releasing the needle
cylinder, the amount of elevation or depression being readily determined
by the eye without the necessity of a gauge for the purpose. E is the
yarn carrier attached in the usual manner to the shell gear C; it is
provided with a curved slot e, as shewn in Figure 2*, so that the yarn
may be readily slipped out or detached from the same, and thus enable
a circular knitting machine to knit around any portion of the circle for
the purpose of knitting a straight piece of work with selvedge, and the
work may be of regular or varying width. In this way a machine
having a rotating motion only in one direction may knit straight work
of any width, the operation being as follows:-Any number of needles
from one to nearly as many as there are in the needle carrier may be
inserted. When one row of the desired width is knit the yarn is slipped
out from the yarn carrier and brought back over and around the needles
to the starting point. The shell gear turns all the way around, and at
the proper place the yarn is again inserted in the carrier, when the

page_text: stitches are again taken up and carried to the same place as before, and
so the operation is repeated. In order to vary the width the number of
needles may be gradually increased or diminished as the work proceeds.
The machine may be attached to a table, shelf, or other support, and
firmly secured to the same by means of the clamp A" and screw H.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of an improved
knitting machine as communicated to me from abroad, and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,—
First. The needle cylinder D provided with a screw thread D¹ in
combination with the cam C, screw S, and bed plate A, constructed and
operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Second. The needle cylinder D provided with a screw thread D' in
combination with the reversible cam C, slottled thread guide E, screw S,
and bed plate A, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, the Eleventh day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.