Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 18th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
WILLIAM JAMES FORD Albany Villa West Humberstone Leicester Hosiery
Manufacturer. I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is, improvements in circular knitting machines, to
enable spliced goods to be made without cutting or breaking the splicing thread,
and, to throw the splicing threads on the front of the fabric. By using a different
colour, a slipper appearance will be given.
"
My further improvements consist of "driving gear so arranged, that, in case an
extra stout splicing thread comes up, the frame stops, instead of breaking the
needles or cylinder.
To a circular knitting machine of the reciprocating class, 1. fix an incline
ring, to the bed of the machine, of the size required to control the splicing
thread.
To the guide, I fix a slide, having a pulley wheel at the bottom.
To the slide, I fix an arm, with a hole at the end to carry the splicing
thread.
The arm is let in the guide, behind the knitting thread, and covered by a
shield, to prevent the needle-latches from catching.
When the lever ascends the incline, the splicing thread is brought into work, and
knitts, and
When the lever descends from the incline, the splicing thread drops, and does not
knitt, the thread falls loosely inside the fabric.
By carrying the splicing thread guide behind the knitting thread, the two threads
meet apart in the needles, and the splicing thread works on the front, to form the
slipper appearance.
To the driving shaft, I fix two flat discs, faced with leather, one being fastened
to the driving shaft, the other runs loose.
To the loose wheel, I fix a toothed wheel, also a grooved wheel. In the grooved
wheel, I attach a forked lever, fastened to the stand by a plate, having an axle to
carry the forked lever.
The forked lever is a right angled triangle.
To the end of the lever is fixed a chain, or rod, attached to a treadle for
bringing the two discs together.
A spring fixed under the lever, throws them apart.
The chain runs to a toothed wheel, on the axle of the machine.
The machine when held by thick yarn, causes the discs to slip, and so prevents a
breakage.
Another way of working the splicing thread, is by a bolt, acting from the side of
the incline ring, which works under the up-throw cam, and lifts the latches above
the splicing thread, causing the thread not to knitt.
The thread is passed through a hole in the guide, low enough to miss the
latches of the needles. Both ways the bolt and lever are brought back by a
spring.
My further improvements, namely, to allow removal of cylinder, is, to have two
or more pins attached to the cylinder, which drop into two holes in the bed of the
machine, and are fastened by a bolt, or set screws. Hitherto, the cylinder is
fastened by two screws, that pass through the holes in the bed, to the screw holes
in the cylinder.
DL1 3
D
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM JAMES FORD of Albany Villa, Uppingham Road, West
Humberstone Leicester Hosiery Manufacturer, 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 relates to circular reversible knitting machines and is designed
(1) with a view of enabling spliced knitted goods to be made without breaking the
splicing thread, and (2) to provide an improved arrangement of driving gear, so
that in the event of an extra thick portion of the splicing yarn being presented to
the needles so as to clog them, the latter instead of breaking will be thrown out of
action by the stoppage of the machine.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Figure is an elevation of a circular reversible knitting machine having my
improved splicing mechanism applied thereto.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the machine showing a front view of the splicing
mechanism.
Figures 3 and 4 are face views of the thread guide showing the splicing carrier
in non-knitting and knitting positions respectively.
Figure 5 is a plan of the thread guide, splicing mechanism, and a portion of the
needle cylinder.
Figures 6 and 7, are front and side elevations of my improved driving
mechanism.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of crank handle, bevel gear, and sprocket wheel for
driving the machine.
Only so much of the knitting machine is shown in the foregoing figures as is
necessary to illustrate the invention.
A represents the usual thread guide which is connected by screws A' to a
bracket B attached to the rotating carriage or cylinder of the machine, in the well
known manner and D is the knitting thread which passes through the usual eye A³
in the said guide.
The back of the bracket B is provided with a groove in which is located a
slide E maintained therein by a plate B' fixed thereover and to the bracket by
screws B'.
The lower end of the slide E is furnished with an axle A³ carrying a pulley A',
the latter being kept in working position thereon by a cottar A passing through
the said axle.
The slide has a lateral extension E' formed at the upper end thereof, to which au
arm E is connected by screws E³.
This arm consists of an angular plate the horizontal portion of which extends
forward underneath the thread guide A as in Fig. 1 and is provided on its side
with a loop E and an upwardly projecting eye E' on the end thereof, through
which the splicing thread D' passes.
-
Attached to the bed of the machine by screws F is a platform F with inclined
ends, the extent of the said platform in a curvilinear direction is regulated by the
distance it is desired to splice round the tube of fabric.
When the operation of splicing is to be effected the pulley A' ascends the
platform F and thereupon simultaneously elevates the slide E and arm E³ until the
eye E in the latter is located within a recess A formed in the thread guide A
Figs. 3 and 4, and while in this position the splicing thread is led on to the needles
of the knitting machine, behind the knitting thread and subsequently appears on
the front of the fabric.
Immediately the pulley desecuds the opposite end of the platform the slide E

page_text: under the influence of a spring E assumes the lowered position indicated in
Figure 1 and the splicing thread D' the position in Figs. 1 and 3.
The splicing thread, instead of being trapped and severed at this point as is the
case with other splicing devices, is merely lowered so as to be out of the reach of
the needle hooks and instead of being severed, or incorporated in the fabric, it is
carried across the latter to the point where the splicing of the fabric re-commences
in the next course.
When a coloured splicing thread is employed in the knitting of the foot portion
of a stocking or sock, the fact of the splicing thread being incorporated with the
loops & thrown on to the front of the fabric in one half of the tube thereof, imparts
a slipper appearance thereto.
A shield or plate G is fixed over the face of the thread guide & the recess A*
therein to prevent contact of the thread with the latches of the needles.
When the splicing thread is to be fed on to the entire circle of needles for a
number of courses the slide may be kept in its raised position by a pin or cottar H
passing through the same and into the bracket B.
The second part of the invention consists of an improved arrangement of driving
gear by which the motion of the machine is arrested immediately any irregularity,
extra thickness, or knots in the yarn clog the needles, thereby preventing the
breakage of the latter, which would otherwise occur.
According to this part of the invention there is carried on the driving shaft K
two leather faced discs, pullies or equivalents J and J the former of which is fixed
to the shaft by a screw and the other disc J' is loose thereon.
To the side of the latter there is attached a toothed or sprocket wheel L
carrying a chain or equivalent I which also passes over a similar chain wheel L'
on the axle of the machine & at the side of the usual bevel driving gear R.
The knitting machine is set in motion by placing the two discs together so that
the loose disc J' is driven by frictional contact with the fixed one J.
To move the loose disc against the fixed disc, a grooved pulley L³ formed
integrally with the wheel L and disc J', is embraced by the forked end of an
arm M of a bell crank lever fulcrummed between two cheeks N' on a plate N
screwed to the usual bench or work table O to which the knitting machine is
fixed. The other arm M' of the bell crank lever is connected to a chain, rod or
equivalent P fastened to a treadle Q secured to the ground.
To set the machine in motion the treadle is kept depressed by the foot of the
operator the result of which is to bring the discs J and J' into frictional contact us
herein before stated.
If the needles become clogged either from an extra thick portion of yarn or
other cause as before stated, the machine offers greater resistance than the
frictional power of the discs J and J' is able to overcome, the result is that the
machine is brought to a standstill, whereas if a positive driving gear were
employed to drive the machine under similar circumstances some of the needles
would be broken.
Upon the foot of the operator being removed from the treadle a spring S raises
the arm M of the bell crank lever and thereby moves the loose pulley out of
contact with its neighbour.
Heretofore, as far as I am aware, circular reversible knitting machines have
been driven by a positive motion and the breakage of needles in consequence
has been an important item in the maintenance of the machine, but by driving
the machine by friction the breakage of the needles is almost altogether avoided
as any clogging thereof from the causes hereinbefore mentioned brings the machine
to rest.
It should be understood that this invention is not confined to the particular
intermediate mechanism shown and described between the friction pulleys J, J' and
the bevel gear R for driving the machine, nor to the particular mechanism
employed for moving the said discs in and out of frictional contact with each other,
as it is obvious that these may be modified or varied in several important details.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination of mechanism
adapted at times to place the splicing thread within the action of the needles
so that it becomes incorporated in the fabric and at other times to remove
the said thread out of the reach of the needles without severing it for the purpose
described.
2. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the thread
guide of a splicing thread carrier adapted to be alternately raised and lowered to
place the said thread in and out of contact with the needles substantially as and for
the purpose described.
3. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the thread
guide of a splicing thread carrier adapted to be alternately raised and lowered to
place the said thread in and out of contact with the needles and mechanism for
actuating the said splicing thread carrier in the manner and for the purpose
described.
4. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the driving
shaft of a fixed pulley and a loose pulley thereon, the latter adapted to be driven
by frictional contact with the former and mechanism for placing the loose pulley
in and out of contact with the fixed pulley for the purpose described.
5. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the driving
shaft of fixed and loose pulleys, the latter adapted to be driven by frictional contact
with the former, mechanism for placing the loose pulley in and out of contact with
the fixed pulley, and suitable intermediate mechanism between the loose pulley and
the knitting machine for actuating the latter for the purpose described.
6. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the driving
shaft of fixed and loose pulleys, sprocket wheels and chain for actuating the usual
bevel gear of the machine substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
7. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the driving
shaft of fixed and loose pulleys thereon, the latter adapted to be driven by
frictional contact with the former, grooved pulley on the said shaft, forked bell
crank lever and foot treadle connected thereto for moving the loose pulley in and
out of contact with the fixed pulley substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
8. In a circular reversible knitting machine the combination with the driving
shaft of fixed and loose pulleys thereon, the latter adapted to be driven by
frictional contact with the former, sprocket wheels and chain, grooved pulley,
bell crank lever and foot treadle substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of September 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.