Improvements in Taking up Apparatus for Circular Knitting Machines and the like.
Year: 1888

page_text: Stuttgart, in the German Empire.]
Improvements in Taking up Apparatus for Circular Knitting
Machines and the like.
1, WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD of No. 19 Bowling Green Street Leicester in
the county of Leicester Patent Agent 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 improvements in taking up apparatus for circular
knitting machines and the like, or those machines known as loop wheel-machines, or
such circular frames that knit tubular fabric and have their needles fixed horizontally
in the needle bed, called radial knitting frames. My invention is for devices to
facilitate the drawing off and winding the fabric as it comes down from the knitting
frame. The apparatus which I employ differs from appliances that are now in use for
the purpose inasmuch that it is self acting and simple in the adaptation of the various
parts for the purpose hereinafter referred to. That this invention may be well
understood reference is made to the drawings accompanying this specification, the
same letters of reference refer to like parts in both the figures. Figure 1. is a front
view of the apparatus. M illustrates in section, a circular or radial knitting machine
which is suspended from a beam and rotates upon the shaft m' under which is placed
the top of the apparatus forming the subject of this invertion constructed and
arranged as follows: the iron circle a. is secured to a floor or platform, and having
upon its upper face the incline shown in dotted lines by means of which the shaft
carrying the winding up wheel g is raised, the centre of the circle being provided
with a pin a on which works the moveable pin b. and upon which rests the apparatus B.
Care the leading bars which are screwed to the under sides of the machine M. and
have their outer ends fitting between the bars e of the apparatus, an oval wire ring E
is adjusted to the leading bars that the fabric runs over and is kept stretched out.
The apparatus B. consists of an horizontal cross iron, c to which is joined the flat
[ Price 8d7

page_text: uprights which carry the sockets to hold the drawing off roller D. me
roller F. and winding roller G. The winding roller is actuated and shogged by the
driving mechanism secured to the uprights d'and lower cross iron c as before stated
the essential part of this invention is in the drawing off and winding down of the
fabric by the roller D moving freely in its bearings and is drawn down either by its 5
own weight or by the uniform action of the springs d¹ which are hooked on at the
ends of the said roller and on to adjustable pins in the uprights d. The fabric, which is
shown in dotted lines comes from the needles over the oval ring E. and the leading
bars C. then between the iron bars e. under the drawing down roller D. and carried
up over the leading roller F. illustrated in figure 2, then down again to the winding
roller G. By this method I get an equal and regular tension, or a tension equal to half
the weight of the roller D. or of the springs d taking the weight of the roller alone
into consideration the drawing down tension is quite uniform, and that I am enabled
to get a sufficiently uniform tension in the force of the springs their length is regulated
in comparison to their action, the driving mechanism being so arranged that the
In the
drawing down roller D. is only allowed a movement of about an inch or so.
event of the roller D. rising beyond the utmost desired point the winding mechanism
becomes displaced and the shogging appliance which actuates the winding roller G. is
then out of action until the roller D. reaches its lowest point which is accomplished
by the addition of new fabric. The steering mechanism consisting of the roller fixed
in the end of the lever g. fitted to the shaft on the cross iron c. the outer end of the
shaft carrying a link, or slotted lever h. that by the roller riding up and over the
incline on the base ring A. the shaft and connecting rod i. is put in action which
imparts motion to the lever k. and shogs the toothed wheel seen in figure 2. by
means of the click . the toothed wheel being prevented from falling back by the
catch a riding on its periphery the said wheel is connected to the winding roller G. by
the axle box q. consequently they must turn together, one end of the winding
roller G is loose in its bearings-so that when full it is taken out by removing the
peg m out of its slot. The driving mechanism is relieved from time to time should
more fabric be taken down quicker than it comes off the machine, by the action of
the vertical bar O. secured to the lever k. and having at its upper end a spring or
catch O¹ fitted in a recess in the bar, immediately in front of the catch is a triangula
bolt P. which is moved to the bar O. by its lower end disengaging with the spindle
of the roller D. as it rises. The spring p' forces back the bolt P. to release the bar o
upon the fall of the roller D. the nose of the catch O' when the bar is raised is abov
the point of the triangular bolt, P. when turned to it, the bolt being pressed ove
sufficiently so that the hooked end of the catch O' engages with it when the drivin
mechanism cannot fall into the lower or working position and is not raised during th
next revolution of the apparatus, but remains stationery while, and only when th
roller D. is at the highest point when the bolt is drawn out and the bar O. falls int
its place again the lower end of the triangular bolt P. is hollowed out to fit under th
spindle of the roller D. by the roller D being confined to a limited space a unifor
tension in the drawing down or taking up of the fabric is effected. To replace broke
needles, or to replace the fabric if it falls off the needles the tension must be relieve
1 accomplish this by taking out the leading roller F. from the upper socket ar
laying it in the lower socket F when the roller D falls to the bottom of its socke
and so slackens the fabric, the distance between the sockets F and F¹ being such
to allow of sufficient fabric becoming slack for any repairs to be made to the machi
By again replacing the leading roller F. in the upper sockets the tension is aga
restored. In order to move or alter the tension of the spings d'according to t
make of fabric coming down from the machine the blocks to which the springs a
attached are made moveable, but the shifting of the blocks will not affect the tensi
on the roller D. It will be well observed that the driving and winding mechanism
placed upon one side of the apparatus and one side becomes heavier than the oth
but to obviate this and cause the swing of the apparatus to be regular in its movem
the opposite side is counterbalanced by the block Q.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
(1.) In a taking up apparatus of the character described of drawing down the
fabric by the roller Deither by its own weight or by the adjustable springs d
connected to the apparatus substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein-
before set forth.
(2.) The steering and winding mechanism in combination consisting of the rod O.
catch O' and bolt P. actuated by the lever k. attached to the toothed wheel and axle
bos q. to move the winding roller G. in the manner herein before described.
(3.) The means of slackening the fabric by removing the leading roller F from one
socket to the other as shown and described.
(4.) Improvements in taking up apparatus for circular knitting machines,
substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described and set
forth.
WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
Of The Central" Office for Patents, &c.,
No. 19, Bowling Green Street, Leicester.