Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM WILSON HORN, of the Firm of Horn & Son, of 151. Strand, London,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (a communication to me from abroad by William H. Kelly, of Brandon,
Territory of Virginia, United States of America, Inventor, and John Jenckes of
Nayatt Point Rhode Island, United States of America, Gentleman) to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to improve and simplify knitting-machines of the
class in which the machine is adapted to automatically lift one needle after another
at the ends of the series of needles which are employed in narrowing to make the
first half of a heel or toe for a stocking, and to also automatically bring down one
of said needles after another from the ends of the said series of needles as the fabric
or web is gradually widened to produce the complementary part of the heel or toe.
In the said machines when widening was to be done the operator had to fix the
tumblers in place by set-screws and loosen the switch-plates from the holding action
of screws, and when narrowing was to be done the operator had to reverse this
operation viz., had to fix each switch-plate by a screw and loosen each tumbler from
its holding screw. The operation of controlling each tumbler and switch-plate
independently of the others required considerable time.
The object of my present invention is to provide a more compact construction of
parts and improved means for throwing the tumblers and switch-plates into and out
of operation.
My invention consists, essentially, in a cam-cylinder, its drawing-down cams, tumblers
adapted to automatically lift the needles singly, and pivoted switch-plates combined
with longitudinally-movable slides carrying the said switch-plates, and cam projections
co-operating therewith to depress or turn the switch-plates automatically on or with
relation to the said slides, as will be described; also a compound cylinder consisting,
essentially, of an interior cylinder and a surrounding cylindrical jacket having an
internal groove and segmental slides, and segmental blocks movable in the said
grooves and accessible from outside the said jacket combined with tumblers and
with pivoted switch-plates and cams or projections co-operating therewith, substantially
as will be described.
Other features of my invention will be described in the specification.
Figure 1 is an inner side view laid out straight of a cam cylinder and its attached
parts embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the cam-cylinder.
Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line a, Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a partial section in the line a¹.
Fig. 5 is a detail showing the cams in a different position from that represented
in Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is an outside elevation of the cylinder.
Fig. 7 shows the segmental slide separately.
Fig. 8 shows one of the switch-plates separately.
Fig. 9 shows one of the blocks separately.
Fig. 10 shows one of the tumblers, and
Fig. 11 a needle such as used in my machine.
The cylinder herein shown is a compound one, it being composed of a jacket, as C²,
within which is placed a cylinder C, having at its inner side a ledge or shoulder D, on
which ride and rest the butts of the needles D', (see Fig. 11,) used for knitting
when in their regular position and not opposite the cams. The interior of the
cylinder is cut out to receive the usual lower cam-plates A B A2, and above these

page_text: cam-plates at opposite sides the plate B are pivoted in usual manner the
switch-cams E E. The cylinder C above the cam-portion B has secured to it the
V-shaped or triangular plate J, the sole purpose of which is to act as a stop for the two
tumblers K K2, one of which is shown detached in Fig. 10, which tumblers of like
shape are pivoted at opposite sides of and just below the centre of the said plate J, as
in Fig. 1, each tumbler having a projection, as 2, at its end.
The parts so far described, with the exception of the jacket C, are substantially the
same as in those machines first named. Each tumbler has extended from it a pin,
as 12. which is passed through a diagonal slot in the cylinder portion C, the pin
terminating in the groove 4 of the jacket C2, so as to be acted upon by a segmental
block 13, free to slide in the said groove 4 between the two parts of the cylinder, a
threaded stud as 14, of the said block being extended through a slot, as b, cut through
the jacket, the said screw-stud receiving upon it a thumb-nut 15. The interior of the
cylinder has screwed or attached to it at each side of the said tumblers two cam
projections, as a a', forming upper cam-plates which are considerably inclined, very
much more so than the upper cam-plates represented in those machines hereinbefore
referred to, the said projections a a¹ being set at a greater inclination to thereby enable
the switch-plates e e¹, employed to pull the needles down singly when narrowing, to be
located lower down in the machine and with their pivoted points more nearly in the line of
the pivots of the tumblers K K2, thus gaining greater compactness of parts and having
easier operation of the needles. The projections a a', referred to, at their under side
and at their ends next the said tumblers, are so shaped, substantially as shown in the
drawings, as to permit the lips 2 of the tumblers to be placed just above the down-
turned points 3 of the said cam projections, when the tumblers are turned up out of
operation and held against the projection J, as shown in Fig. 1, when ordinary knitting
and widening is being done.
The jacket is provided at its inner wall with an annular groove 4, and the inner
cylinder C, containing the usual cams and toothed ring C, is secured to it by screws 5
or otherwise, the said groove being cut entirely through the exterior of the jacket at
four points, there being two slots, as b, and two, as b', at each side of the projection J,
the drawings showing but two of the said slots, as they are just alike. The groove 4
referred to, at each side the projection J and beyond the blocks 13, serves to receive in
it like segmental slides, f, having hollow hubs (see section Fig. 3) which extend through
the like slots b', the said hubs receiving loosely the studs C of the like switch-plates e e¹,
the said studs outside the jacket having each applied to them a thumb-nut, as 16, which
is used to hold in place or confine to the said studs the free end of a spring, as e²,
extended through a hole in the shank of the stud 6 (see Fig. 6,) the other end of
the said spring being fixed by a suitable screw, as 8, to the jacket C, the normal
tendency of the spring e² being to not only keep the pin 10 projected from one side of
the switch-plate (see Fig. 8) pressed up against the under side of the cam projection
or plate above it, but also to keep the segmental slide carrying the switch pressed
toward the knitting point or toward the tumblers. As herein shown, the outer threaded
end of each stud 6 is split. The cylinder C at its inner side has two like
pushing-down cams, as gy¹, each located just back of one of the said switches, as
fully shown in Fig. 1.
When tubular knitting is being done, all the needles are down and the tumblers K K'
are held up next the triangular block J by the action against the pins 12 of the
said tumblers of one end of the segmental blocks 13, referred to, the block at
such times being fixed in position. When a heel or toe is to be knitted, those needles
which are not to be employed in the production of the heel are raised by hand in the
usual manner, all the needles which are to be used in the widest course of the heel
being left down. In this condition the segmental blocks 13 are loosened and
moved in the groove 4 toward the segmental slides f, carrying the switch-plates e e',.
and the said blocks are made to act against the said slides and push them and the
switch-plates back until the said switel-plates, by the action of the pins 10 against
the under sides of the projections h or ', are lowered sufficiently to pass under the
butts of the raised needles, and in this condition the said blocks are fastened by

page_text: the thumb-nuts 15. The cylinder being now reciprocated in usual manner from right
to left, the butts 20 of the endmost needles of the series of needles left down for
narrowing arrive one after the other in successive reciprocations of the cam-cylinder
against the tumblers K or K², according to the direction of movement of the cylinder,
and meeting the said tumblers above their lips 2, are pushed against by the said
tumblers in such manner that the tumblers are turned upon their pivots, and in so
doing each tumbler acts to lift with it the needle, the butt of which bears against
the tumbler, thus lifting the said needles one at a time up out of the range of the
knitting-cams, leaving the said needles lifted until they are again to be lowered
automatically in widening, as will be described, by the switch-plates e e². The tumbler
lifted by the first needle of the series of needles employed in the heel or toe remains
up, while the butts of all the needles being used for narrowing pass under them, one
needle at a time being lifted, as described, from the leading end of the series of
needles during each reciprocation of the cam-cylinder until the narrowest course for
the heel or toe has been knitted, immediately after which and preparatory to wilening
to produce the second half of the heel or toe the segmental blocks 13 are again
loosened and moved to place the tumblers described against the block J, permitting
the segmental slides f to approach the tumblers far enough to enable the points of the
switch-plates to extend up far enough to engage the butts of those needles which have
been elevated, as described, in narrowing, the point of one of the said switch-plates
striking in succession the butt of the leading needle in the direction of the rotation of
the cylinder of the series of needles elevated, as described. During the operation of
widening the segmental slides carrying the switch-plates are free to be slid in the
groove 4 away from the tumbler next to it and against the action of the spring e. The
butt of the leading needle of the series of elevated needles at each reciprocation of the
cam-cylinder strikes the upturned end of a switch-plate, and the switch-plate is thereby
temporarily arrested, so that in the further movement of the cylinder the segmental
slide is made to travel back in the groove 4 opposite the direction of rotation of the
cylinder, such movement by the action of the projection of the switch-plate against the
cam-plate or projection hh' above it causing the front end of the switch-plate in
engagement with the butt of the endmost needle to turn down, taking with it the said
needle, so that the butt of the latter needle passes under the switch-plate and under the
drawing-down cam g or g¹ behind it, the butts of all the elevated needles except the
one so engaged by the switch-plate passing above the switch-plate and the drawing-
down cam g or g' behind it. The projections do not lie immediately above the
switch-plates or in the same vertical plane, so the said projections do not act against
the butts of and pull down the needles. As described, the elevated needles used in
narrowing are gradually brought down for widening and the widest course of the heel
or toe having been completed after the commencement of the widening all the needles
previously thrown up out of operation and not used in narrowing and widening are
thrown down in any usual manner. The switch-cams E E' act in connection with the
needles in the usual manner for knitting.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM WILSON HORN, of the Firm of Horn & Son, of 151 Strand, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from abroad by William H. Kelly, of Brandon, Territory of
Virginia, United States of America, Inventor, and John Jenckes of Nayatt Point
Rhode Island, United States of America, Gentlemen) to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to improve and simplify knitting-machines of the
class in which the machine is adapted to automatically lift one needle after another at
the ends of the series of needles which are employed in narrowing to make the first

page_text: half of a heel or toe for a stocking, and to also automatically bring down one of
said needles after another from the ends of the said series of needles as the fabric
or web is gradually widened to produce the complementary part of the heel or toe.
In the said machines when widening was to be done the operator had to fix the
tumblers in place by set-screws and loosen the switch-plates from the holding
action of screws, and when narrowing was to be done the operator had to reverse this
operation-viz., had to fix each switch plate by a screw and loosen each tumbler from
its holding screw. The operation of controlling each tumbler and switch-plate
independently of the others required considerable time.
The object of my present invention is to provide a more compact construction of
parts and improved means for throwing the tumblers and switch-plates into and
out of operation.
My invention consists, essentially, in a cam-cylinder, its drawing-down cams,
tumblers adapted to automatically lift the needles singly, and pivoted switch-plates
combined with longitudinally-movable slides carrying the saf switch-plates, and cam
projections co-operating therewith to depress or turn the switch-plates automatically on
or with relation to the said slides, as will be described; also a compound cylinder
consisting, essentially, of an interior cylinder and a surrounding cylindrical jacket
having an internal groove and segmental slides, and segmental blocks movable in the
said grooves and accessible from outside the said jacket combined with tumblers and
with pivoted switch-plates and cams or projections co-operating therewith, substantially
as will be described.
Other features of my invention will be described in the specification.
Referring to the drawings furnished with my Provisional Specification
Figure 1 is an inner side view laid out straight of a cam cylinder and its attached
parts embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the cam-cylinder.
Fig. 3 is a partial section in the line 2 Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a partial section in the line a¹.
Fig. 5 is a detail showing the cams in a different position from that represented
in Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is an outside elevation of the cylinder.
Fig. 7 shows the segmental slide separately.
Fig. 8 shows one of the switch-plates separately.
Fig. 9 shows one of the blocks separately.
Fig. 10 shows one of the tumblers, and
Fig. 11 a needle such as used in my machine.
The cylinder herein shown is a compound one, it being composed of a jacket, as C³,
within which is placed a cylinder C, having at its inner side a ledge or shoulder D,
on which ride and rest the butts of the needles D', (see Fig. 11,) used for knitting
when in their regular position and not opposite the cams. The interior of the
cylinder C is cut out to receive the usual lower cam-plates A B A2, and above these
cam-plates at opposite sides the plate B are pivoted in usual manner with switch-
cams E E². The cylinder above the cam-portion B has secured to it the V-shaped
or triangular plate J, the sole purpose of which is to act as a stop for the two
tumblers KK, one of which is shown detached in Fig. 10, which tumblers of like
shape are pivoted at opposite, sides of and just below the centre of the said plate J, as
in Fig. 1, each tumbler having a projection, as 2, at its end.
The parts so far described, with the exception of the jacket C³, are substantially the
same as in those machines first named. Each tumbler has extended from it a pin, as 12
which is passed through a diagonal slot in the cylinder portion (, the pin terminating
in the groove 4 of the jacket C³, so as to be acted upon by a segmental block 13, free
to slide in the said groove 4 between the two parts of the cylinder, a threaded stud
as 14, of the said, block being extended through a slot, as b, cut through the jacket, the
said screw-stud receiving upon it a thumb-nut 15. The interior of the cylinder Chas
screwed or attached to it at each side of the said tumblers two cam projections, as a a¹,
forming upper cam-plates which are considerably inclined, very much more so than

page_text: the upper cam-plates represented in those machines hereinbefore referred to, the said
projections a a¹ being set at a greater inclination to thereby enable the switch-plates e e',
employed to pull the needles down singly when narrowing, to be located lower down
in the machine and with their pivoted points more nearly in the line of the pivots of
the tumblers K K2, thus gaining greater compactness of parts and having easier
operation of the needles. The projections a a', referred to, at their under side and at
their ends next the said tumblers, are so shaped, substantially as shown in the drawings,
as to permit the lips 2 of the tumblers to be placed just above the downturned points 3
of the said cam projections, when the tumblers are turned up out of operation and
held against the projection J, as shown in Fig. 1, when ordinary knitting and widening
is being done.
The jacket C2 is provided at its inner wall with an annular groove 4, and the inner
cylinder C, containing the usual cams and toothed ring C, is secured to it by screws 5
or otherwise, the said groove being cut entirely through the exterior of the jacket at
four points, there being two slots, as b, and two, as b', at each side of the projection J,
the drawings showing but two of the said slots, as they are just alike. The groove 4
referred to, at each side the projection J and beyond the blocks 13, serves to receive
in it like segmental slides, f, having hollow hubs (see section Fig. 3) which extend
through the like slots b, the said hubs receiving loosely the studs 6 of the like switch-
plates e e, the said studs outside the jacket having each applied to them a thumb-nut,
as 16, which is used to hold in place or confine to the said studs the free end of a
spring, as e, extended through a hole in the shank of the stud 6 (see Fig. 6,) the
other end of the said spring being fixed by a suitable screw, as 8, to the jacket C²,
the normal tendency of the spring e being to not only keep the pin 10 projected from
one side of the switch-plate (see Fig. 8) pressed up against the under side of the cam
projection or plate h above it, but also to keep the segmental slide carrying the
switch pressed toward the knitting-point or toward the tumblers. As herein shown,
the outer threaded end of each stud 6 is split. The cylinder C at its inner side
has two like pushing-down cams, as g g', each located just back of one of the said
switches, as fully shown in Fig. 1.
When tubular knitting is being done, all the needles are down and the
tumblers K K are held up next the triangular block J by the action against the
pins 12 of the said tumblers of one end of the segmental blocks 13, referred to,
the block at such times being fixed in position. When a heel or toe is to he
knitted, those needles which are not to be employed in the production of the heel
are raised by hand in usual manner, all the needles which are to be used in the
widest course of the heel being left down. In this condition the segmental blocks 13
are loosened and moved in the groove 4 towards the segmental slides, carrying
the switch-plates e e¹, and the said blocks are made to act against the said slides
and push them and the switch-plates back until the said switch-plates, by the
action of the pins 10 against the under sides of the projections h or h³, are
lowered sufficiently to pass under the butts of the raised needles, and in this con-
dition the said blocks are fastened by the thumb-nuts 1. The cylinder being
now reciprocated in usual manner from right to left, the butts 20 of the endmost
needles of the series of needles left down for narrowing arrive one after the other
in successive reciprocations of the cam-cylinder against the tumblers K or K³,
according to the direction of movement of the cylinder, and meeting the said
tumblers above their lips 2, are pushed against by the said tumblers in such manner
that the tumblers are turned upon their pivots, and in so doing each tumbler acts
to lift with it the needle, the butt of which bears against the tumbler, thus lifting
the said needles one at a time up out of the range of the knitting-cams, leaving the
said needles lifted until they are again to be lowered automatically in widening,
as will be described, by the switch-plates e e¹. The tumbler lifted by the first
needle of the series of needles employed in the heel or toe remains un, while the butts
of all the needles being used for narrowing pass under them, one needle at a time
being lifted, as described, from the leading end of the series of needles during each
reciprocation of the cam-cylinder until the narrowest course for the heel or toe has

page_text: been knitted, immediately after which and preparatory to widening to produce the
second half of the heel or toe the segmental blocks 13 are again loosened and moved
to place the tumblers described against the block J, permitting the segmental slides f
to approach the tumblers far enough to enable the points of the switch-plates to extend
up far enough to engage the butts of those needles which have been elevated, as
described, in narrowing, the point of one of the said switch-plates striking in succes-
sion the butt of the leading needle in the direction of the rotation of the cylinder of
the series of needles elevated as described. During the operation of widening the
segmental slides carrying the switch-plates are free to be slid in the groove 4 away
from the tumbler next to it and against the action of the spring e². The butt of the
leading needle of the series of elevated needles at each reciprocation of the cam-
cylinder strikes the upturned end of a switch-plate, and the switch-plate is thereby
temporarily arrested, so that in the further movement of the cylinder the segmental
slide is made to travel back in the groove 4 opposite the direction of rotation of the
cylinder, such movement by the action of the projection of the switch-plate against
the cam-plate or projection above it cansing the front end of the switch-plate in
engagement with the butt of the endmost needle to turn down, taking with it the said
needle, so that the butt of the latter needle passes under the switch-plate and under
the drawing-down cam g or g¹ behind it, the butts of all the elevated needles except
the one so engaged by the switch-plate passing above the switch-plate and the
drawing-lown cam g or g behind it. The projections h h do not lie immediately
above the switch-plates or in the same vertical plane, so the said projections do
not act against the butts of and pall down the needles. As described, the elevated
needles used in narrowing are gradually brought down for widening, and the
widest course of the heel or toe having been completed after the commencement
of the widoning all the needles previously thrown up out of operation and not used
in narrowing and widening are thrown down in any usual manner. The switch-
cams E E' act in connection with the needles in the usual manner for knitting.
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. The cam-cylinder, the cams g g', and the pivoted switch-plates and their
co-operating springs, combined with the longitudinally-movable slides carrying the said
switch-plates and cam projections co-operating therewith to depress or turn the
switch-plates automatically on or with relation to the said slides, substantially as
described.
2. The compound cylinder consisting, essentially, of the cylinder and the
jacket C slotted at band having an internal groove 4, the cams E E², and
the segmental slides and segmental blocks placed in the said grooves, and having
shanks or projections accessible for their movement in the said groove from outside
the said jacket combined with the tumblers, the pivoted switch-plates, springs to
actuate them, cams g and gl and cams or projections, as hh', to operate substan-
tially as described.
3. The cylinder portion C, the jacket C, having the groove 4, the segmental
slides, placed in the said groove, the pivoted switch-plates mounted on the said
segmental slides, the springs to normally elevate the points of the switch-plates and to
hold the slides pressed toward the knitting-cams, and the segmental blocks 13, placed
in the said groove, combined with the cam-plates A B A2, the cams E E² and
tumblers, and can projections a a¹, the said segmental blocks when moved to
permit the tumblers to drop for widening also pushing back the segmental slides
to depress the points of the switch-plates and the projections h h¹, substantially as
described.
Dated thaa L... SM 1900