IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES "A
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough Park,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN KNITTING MACHINES "A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 31st July 1858.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in knitting machines, and
is moro especially applicable to circular knitting machines, in which more
than one feed yarn is employed. In the working of such machines con-
siderable inconvenience is experienced from the work running off the needles
when one of the feed yarns breaks or fails.
Now, the Invention consists in so arranging the machine, that when one of
the feed yarns breaks or fails, instruments are brought into action which
remove the corresponding presser from the beards of the needles, or
which so change the position of the corresponding sinker, that it no longer
pushes the work from under the beards of the needles. According to the

page_text: arrangement which I prefer to employ, the feed yarn is passed through an eye
formed in a rod, and when the feed yarn breaks or fails, this rod falls, and in
so doing acts on a trigger, thus liberating a weighted arm, which in descending
withdraws a bolt, and allows the presser to slide back in guides in which it is
mounted. When arranging the apparatus, so that the sinker may be changed
in position when the feed yarn breaks or fails, I prefer to employ a spring
which has a constant tendency to move the sinker in such a manner as to throw
it out of action, and this spring is, when the machine is at work, retained by a
catch until the feed yarn breaks or fails, and then the fall of the weighted
lever before mentioned acts to withdraw the catch and allow the spring to
throw the sinker out of action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord Oue
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence that I, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINES," a communication, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in knitting machines, and
is more especially applicable to circular knitting machines, in which more
than one feed yarn is employed. In the working of such machines con-
siderable inconvenience is experienced from the work running off the needles
when one of the feed yarns breaks or fails.
Now, the Invention consists in so arranging the machine, that when one of
the feed yarns breaks or fails, instruments are brought into action which
remove the corresponding presser from the beards of the needles, or which so
change the position of the corresponding sinker that it no longer pushes the
work from under the beards of the needles. According to the arrangement
which I prefer to employ, the feed yarn is passed through an eye formed in a
rod, and when the feed yarn breaks or fails, this rod falls, and in so doing acts
on a trigger, thus liberating a weighted arm, which in descending withdraws
a bolt, and allows the presser to slide back in guides in which it is mounted.
When arranging the apparatus, so that the sinker may be changed in position
whon the feed yarn breaks or fails, I prefer to employ a spring which has a
constant tendency to move the sinker in such a manner as to throw it out of
action; and this spring is, when the machine is at work, retained by a catch
until the feed yarn breaks or fails, and then the fall of the weighted lever
before mentioned acts to withdraw the catch and allow the spring to throw
the sinker out of action.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the parts; Figure 2, details of Figure 1.
The needles a, sinker b, and other parts necessary for knitting are, as in any
31 1
1 with curing barbed
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the parts; Figure 2, details of Figure 1.
The needles a, sinker b, and other parts necessary for knitting are, as in any
of the well-known machines, represented by Figure 1, with spring barbod
needles; the presser c, whether rotating or otherwise, is in the usual.
working position; but instead of placing it on a permanent stand, as bas
heretofore been the case, I affix the axis to a slide d, which can move back
horizontally in permanent ways on the top of a standard e; by this backward
movement the presser c is withdrawn from contact with the barbs of the
needles for a purpose hereafter explained. To hold the presser in contact with

page_text: the needles, there is a bolt i or other fastening to confine it. i, Figures 1
and 2, is a bolt passing up through the permanent standard e and slide d
This bolt is connected with a weighted lever f by a rod i, so that wher
the lever is in the position shewn at Figure 1, the slide is bolted up to
the working position, but when lever f is made to fall, as shewn by the red
lines, the bolt i is disengaged from the slide d and releases it, the slide runs
back and frees the presser from contact with the needles. The lever fis
held up by means of a short arm h" on a shaft h, (clearly seen in Figure 1)
resting in bearings k affixed to the frame. On the opposite end of shaft h
there is another arm h¹ jointed to a light connecting rod m, which passes up
through a fork or narrow slit in a stationary plate n affixed to the frame.
The feed yarn runs through the hole or eye in rod m above the plate n,
and thence to the feeding point at the needles. It will be obvious that as
long as the feeding thread continues to pass through the eye in the rod m,
said rod will be held up in the position shewn in Figure 1, and the arm "
will be kept in contact with lever f, and prevent it falling; but if the feed
yarn breaks or runs out, the rod m is liberated and falls, thus turning shaft h,
removing arm h", and releasing the lever f, which falling into an inclined
position, represented by the red lines, draws the bolt i from the slide d, and
allows it to slide back, as before stated; the barbs of the needles being thus freed
from the presser, the stitches are held on the needles. As long as the feed
yarn runs regularly to the work, it proceeds in the usual way, but on breaking
the feed yarn the work is stopped by the movement of the presser from the
barbs, which then cease to cast off the stitches, and thus avoid making a hole
in the work or delay in mending or taking up stitches; and in machines
where more than one feed is employed, the other feeds go on without stoppage
or waste of yarn.
An obvious modification of this device is shewn in Figure 3, where the
presser, instead of sliding back when the thread breaks, is made to rise above
the bards by being attached to a shank p that slides up and down in a socket
g; this shank p is thrown up when freed by a spiral in the socket 23 when the
presser is at work it is held down by a hook s, or its equivalent, pivoted at
the side of the socket, which hooks on to a stud r projecting from shank p;
this hook 8 has an arm projecting back horizontally, the rear end of which is
sustained by a trap t, held in contact therewith by the feed yarn, unless it
breaks or runs out, on the occurrence of which trap t falls, freeing hook s,
and permitting the presser to rise. Instead of rising or sliding back the
presser stand may be hinged, and thus relieve the needles from the presser.
Another device for the purpose of preventing the stitches from being cast off

page_text: when the feed thread stops (which is the purpose of my Invention), is to
construct the standard that holds the sinker b, so as to throw up the sinker,
and thus prevent the stitches from passing down below the points of the barbs
of the needles. This action is made and governed, like the device already
described for the presser, by the feed yarn, and is represented in part in
Figure 4.
It will be obvious that the devices for trapping, holding, and disengaging
the parts, may be varied in many different ways to suit the manufacturer, the
style of work, and form or position of the parts of the machine; but the
above is sufficient to instruct any competent mechanist to make and use the
Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
5
Witness,
W. WILLIAMS,
New Court, Swithin's Lane,
London.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.8.)