IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES."-A communication
from abroad by Samuel Peberdy and Henry Howson, both of
Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. United States of America.
Sealed the 31st August 1875, and dated the 19th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th April 1875.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
5 of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES," a commu-
nication to me from abroad by Samuel Peberdy and Henry Howson,
both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, to be as
follows:-

page_text: the thread breaks or in the accidental absence of a new loop, which
object is attained in the manner horein-after described.
The stem of the needle, the butt of which may be made in the same
manner as that of an ordinary needle for attachment to a knitting
machine, terminates in a hook to the outer end of which is loosely
pivoted a lever having two arms, one of which is pointed at its
extremity, the lever being so pivoted that while it has a tendency to
retain an angular position to the stem, it may be made to assume a
position parallel thereto, the point of the lever when in the latter position
entering a groove formed in the stem.
The hooked end of the needle may be slotted for a certain distance and
the lever be situate within the slot, or the lever may be hung to the side
of the hooked end of the stem, a recess or groove being provided in the
stem for the reception of the pointed end of the arm as before mentioned.
When the lever is in its normal position the pointed arm is raised and
the opposite arm depressed so as to cross the hook. The new loop or
thread which has just been placed over the stem of the needle is moved
towards the hook until it is lodged in the bend of such hook, in doing
this however the loop must bear against the under edge of the opposite
arm of the lever to that at which the point is formed, and must con-
sequently lower the pointed arm until its point is in the groove, and so
long as the loop remains within the hook it will retain the lever in this
position, so that the stitch of knitted fabric can be passed over the upper
edge of the pointed arm, which is inclined or rounded, and off the end of
the latter when the loop becomes one of the stitches of the fabric, and
remains suspended on the needle until pushed therefrom, the latter
operation having the effect of elevating the pointed arm preparatory to
the passage of a new loop of thread into the hook.
With the improved needle all liability to the accidents which are
common with the ordinary needles is obviated, as in the absence of the
new loop the old stitch can be moved to and fro on the stem of the
needle beneath the lever without leaving the said needle.
The breakage of the new loop in the end of the hook or the absense of
such a loop, will induce the lever to occupy the normal angular position,
and hence there is an uninterrupted course for the old stitch along the
stem of the needle and into and from the hook, and no tendency to leave
the needle.

page_text: The lever should be so arranged or so weighted or hung that it has a
constant tendency to assume the normal angular position whenever it is
not controlled by the new loop underneath. For example, the opposite
arm of the lever may be made longer and consequently heavier than the
pointed arm, so as to have a tendency to raise the latter arm.
The lever should be so arranged or so weighted or hung that it has a
constant tendency to assume the normal angular position whenever it is
not controlled by the new loop underneath. For example, the opposite
arm of the lever may be made longer and consequently heavier than the
pointed arm, so as to have a tendency to raise the latter arm.
Although the loops and stitches have been described as being moved
on the needle, the latter may be moved as in many machines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great. Seal Patent
Office on the 15th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 17, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, caring date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that 1, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 MACHINE NEEDLES," a communication to mc
from abroad by Samuel Peberdy and Henry Howson, both of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and scal, 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

page_text: six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 5
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
The object of the said Invention is to so construct knitting machine
needles, that the stitches of the knitted fabric will not fall from the 1
same in case the thread breaks or in the accidental absence of a new
loop, which object is attained in the manner herein-after described,
reference being had to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings represent the 1
improved needle with its lever herein-after described in different
positions. Figure 3 is a pian corresponding to Figure 1, and Figure 4
is a side view of an ordinary latch needle.
A is the stem of the needle the butt of which may be made in the
same manner as that of an ordinary needle for attachment to a knitting 2
machine. The stem terminates in a book a, to the outer end of which
is loosely pivoted the lever D, having two arms d and d, the lever
being so pivoted that while it has a tendency to retain the position
shown in Figure 1, it can be caused to assume that shown in Figure 2.
In the example shewn in the Drawings, the hooked end of the needle is 2
slotted as far as the point and the lever is situate within the slot, but
it should be understood that the lever may be hung to the side of the
hooked end of the stem, a recess or groove m being in all cases provided
in the stem for the reception of the pointed end of the arm d.
In Figure 1 the lover D is shewn in its normal position, the arm d 3
being raised and the arm d' depressed so as to cross the hook a. Tho
new loop or thread n which has just been placed over the stem of the
needle is moved in the direction of the arrow, until it is lodged in the
bend of the hook, as shewn by dotted lines in Figure 2, in performing
this motion however the loop is necessarily caused to bear against the 3
under edge of the arm of the lever, thereby raising it, and consequently
lowering the arm until its point enters the groove m. As long as the

page_text: loop remains within the hook a it will retain the lever D in this
position, so that the stitch m' of knitted fabric can be passed in the
direction of the arrow over the inclined or rounded upper edge of the
arm d of the lever D, and off the end of the latter when the loop n
becomes one of the stitches of the fabric, and remains suspended on the
needle until pushed therefrom in a direction contrary to that indicated
by the arrow, the latter operation having the effect of elevating the arm
a preparatory to the passage of a new loop of thread into the hook.
The main advantage of the improved needle will be best understood
by comparing its operation with that of an ordinary latch needle, shown
in Figure 4. Assuming the new loop n¹ in this figure to be broken, or
assuming that by some accident no new loop has been formed or lodged
in the end of the hook, the stitch m² of knitted fabric will pass over the
latch w, and drop entirely from the needle when it becomes necessary to
stop the machine for the readjustment of the stitch. The same evil
which is a source of delay and expense in all knitting machines will
occur when bearded needles are used; in an ordinary rotary machine, for
example, the breaking of one of these new loops or its failure to
occupy its proper position on the hook will generally result in the
falling of the entire tube of fabric from the whole of the needles before
the machine can be stopped, and delay is necessarily incurred in
readjusting the fabric to the needles; morcover the continued move-
ment of the machine in the absence of the fabric has a tendency to
break or bend the latches of ordinary needles.
It will be observed that with the improved needle all liability to such
accidents is obviated, as in the absence of the new loop the old stitch
can be moved to and fro on the stem of the needle beneath the lever
without leaving the said needle.
The breakage of the new loop in the end of the hook, or the absence of
such a loop will induce the lever to occupy the position shown in
Figure 1, and hence there is an uninterrupted course for the old stitch
along the stem of the needle and into and from the hook, and no
tendency to leave the needle.
It should be understood that the lever should be so arranged or so
weighted or hung that it has a constant tendency to assume the position
shown in Figure 1 whenever it is not controlled by the new loop under-
neath. In the present example the arm of the lever is longer and

page_text: consequently heaver than the arm d, and therefore has a tendency to
raise the latter arm. It will also be understood that although I have
shown the needle as arranged horizontally it may be in a vertical
or inclined position, and that although the loops and stitches have been
described, as being moved on the needle, the latter may be moved as
in many machines.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, a knitting
machine needle having at the end a look a and a lever D hung loosely
to the said hook, all substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
described and as illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of
October One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.