IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR WEAVING CIRCULAR FABRICS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson,.
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR WEAVING CIRCULAR FABRICS." -A communi-
cation from abroad by Charles Poron and Amand Poron, of Troyes,
Timnas Manufacturona
Scaled the 9th February 1875, and dated the 12th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition.
on the 12th August 1874.-
I, THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
3 Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR WEAVING CIRCULAR FABRICS," communicated
to me from abroad by Charles Poron and Amand Poron, of Troyes,
France, Manufacturers, to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is an apparatus by means of which stripes
may be formed in all circular hosiery machines, whether with self-acting

page_text: needles or with sinkers or plates, and it is- desired more particularly to
apply it to machines with self-acting needles.
In all theso machines the needle frame receives a circular movement
around an axis, and successively presents all its needles before a thread
guider. Under the action of the sinkers in some cases or by means of a
lowering in others, the needles each take the quantity of cotton
necessary to form the mesh.
In the apparatus which is the object of the present application for
Letters Patent the thread guider is a tube. So long as this tube remains
in front of the needle frame it provides cotton-to-the-needles, and it_
ceases to provide it at the same moment as it is caused to pass behind
the frame in crossing the latter, and the needle near to which it has
passed is the last to receive the cotton. If the tube is caused again to
pass across the needle frame in order to return to its place, it will begin
again to provide cotton to the needles starting with that nearest to:
which it has passed. If there are several tubes guiding difforent.
threads variations can be obtained by leading successively and separately
before the needles the tube which has to provide the thread, and pushing
back those tubes which have ceased to work. Those two movements
should be effected-so as to bring about a simultaneous distribution of
two cottons upon some needles, so as to avoid any irregularities in the
fabric. To obtain these results the tubes are attached to the ends of
jointed levers upon which the needles prolonged from springs rest, so as
to press them against a series of rollers. Each of the levers has a claw
which falls successively into hollows in rollers supported upon a ratchet
axis, this ratchet axis receives from a lever thrown periodically by a cam
turning with the needle frame a circular movement necessary to change
the hollows of the rollers, and present them successively to the claws of
- the tube carrier levers. This needle carrier lever rests upon a hammer
which lifts in their successive passage the lift plates of a counting chain
passing against a cam wheel. When the lift plate has passed the
hammer falls, and with it the lever which will meet with no more
ratchicts in the movement which the cam imparts to it. The ratchet
wheel then only turns and produces the change of thread upon the
passage of a lift plate of the chain under the hammer. In machines
with vertical needles the tubes once entered into the interior of the
needle frame would continue to provide threads which would knot and
tangle in the descent of the fabric. In order to avoid this a steel rod is

page_text: ..
placed at the centre of the machine upon which the threads roll them-
selves, since the length placed between the fabric and this rod breaks in
consequence of the traction of the fabric.
T
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas James Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of her reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas James Smith, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas James Smith, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas James Smith, 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 and Ireland,
the Ohannel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES OR Apparatus for WEAVING CIRCULAR FABRICS," "communicated
to me from abroad by Charles Poron and Armand Poron, of Troyes,
France, Manufacturers," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas James Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said: Inven-
tion, 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.
.
י

page_text: by the following statement thereof, reference. being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is mechanical formation of stripes or ribs
in circular fabrics, chiefly hosiery and the like class of goods, whether
effected in machines with self-acting needles or with sinkers or plates. i
It is desired more particularly to apply it to machines with self-acting
needles such as that shewn in the annexed Drawings.
Q...
In all these machines the needle frame receives a circular movement
around an axis, and successively presents all its needles. before a thread
guider. Under the action of the sinkers in some cases or by means of
lowering in others (in the annexed Drawings in particular), the needles
cach take the quantity of cotton necessary to form the mesh (loop).
-
1
The thread guider in carrying the Invention into effect is preferably a
tube, and so long as this tube remains in front of the needle frame it
provides cotton to the needles, and it ceases to provide it at the same 1
moment as it is caused to pass behind the frame in crossing the latter,
and the needle near to which it has passed is the last to receive the
cotton. If the tube is caused again to pass across the needle frame in
order to return to its place, it will begin again to provide cotton to the
needles starting with that near to which it has passed. If there are 2
several tubes guiding different threads, variations can be obtained by
leading successively and separately before the needles the tubo which has
to provide the thread, and pushing back those tubes which have ceased
to work. These two movements should be effected so as to bring about
a simultaneous distribution of two cottons upon some needles so as to a
avoid any discontinuity in the fabric. To obtain these results the tubes
Tarc attached to the ends of levers B, B', jointed at t (Figure 1), upon
which the needles prolonged from the springs R, R³, rest so as to press
them against a series of rollers A, A². Each of these levers has a claw b
which falls successively into recesses in the rollers supported upon a
ratchet axis a. This ratchet axis receives from the lever L, thrown
periodically by a cam O (Figure 2), turning with the needle frame a
circular movement necessary to change the recesses of the rollers A, A',
and present them successively to the claws b, b, of the tube carrier
levers. This needle carrier lever L rests upon a hammer M which lifts
in their successive passage the plates G of a counting chain (Figure 3)
passing a call wheel g. When the lift plate G has passed, the hammer

page_text: M falls and with it the lever L which will meet with no more ratchets
in the movement which the cam O imparts to it. The ratchet wheel
then only turns and produces the change of thread upon the passage of
a lift plate G of the chain under the hammer M.
In machines with vertical needles such as that shown in the annexed
Drawings, the tubes T once entered into the interior of the needle-frame
would continue to provide threads which would knot and tangle in the
descent of the fabric. In order to avoid this a steel rod N is placed at
the centre of the machine upon which the threads roll themselves, since
the length placed between the fabric and this roll breaks in con-
sequence of the traction of the fabric.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that claim is made,―
Firstly. To the formation of stripes or ribs in circular hosiery or other
circular woven fabrics by mechanical appliances, substantially as herein-
before described.
Secondly. The improvements in machines or apparatus as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings in or by
which ribs or stripes can be formed mechanically in circular hosiery and
fabrics.
In witness whercof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, havo here-