Machines for Knitting Left-and-left.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 11th NOV., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Machines for Knitting Left-and-left.
We, EDOUARD DUBIED, AND COMPANY, of Couvet, Neuenburg, Switzerland,
Knitting Machine Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing. that is to say :-
The improvements which form the subject of the present invention make it
possible to produce upon knitting machines articles knitted in left-and-left or
purl stitch with widenings and narrowings, and permit to pass immediately from the
left-and-left knitting to any other kind of knitting.
The process for producing the left-and-left stitch upon machines provided with
the new invention consists principally in this, that the loops or stitches formed by
the one row of needles are automatically transferred to the opposite row of needles
immediately after they have been formed. To effect this it is necessary that the
loops when formed pass behind the latches of the needles, and that they are held
securely in that position so that the opposite needles when moved forward may
enter the said loops and lift them off when the first row of needles is lowered.
The new arrangements of the knitting machine necessary for this left-and-left
knitting consist firstly in this, that the needle beds can be made to rack over the
half of one needle space in order that the needles may be made to meet, and in the
addition on both sides of the usual cams and on both sides of the knitting machine,
of a special needle-raising cam and needle-lowering cam which can be withdrawn
into the cam boxes. This raising cam and lowering cam are in operation only
when they follow up the ordinary cams of the machine whereas they are out of
action when preceding them. The cams working together are arranged in this
way that they produce a row of loops and then transfer the said loops to the
needles placed opposite. To effect this each needle is provided with a loop bearer
which places the loop in such a position when the needle is moved forward that the
opposite needle can pass through the loop and lift it off.
The annexed sketches represent all the parts required to give a full understanding
of the new invention.
Figure 1 shows both needle beds and the carriage in an end view.
Figure 2 is a view from above of the two needle beds laid flat in the same plane
with the ordinary cams and the additional needle raising and needle, lowering
cams, and shows the process of the transferring of the loops.
Figure 3 shows the front needle bed in a section following the line XX of
Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view from above of the middle of the carriage with the front.
cam box.
i
Figure 5 shows the same parts of the machine partly in a sectional view.
Figure 6 is a view from above, of the front cam boxes with. the swinging plates

page_text: -
ocating the acute raising and needle lowering camis WHICH SCOOTERSECTIO
the loops.
Figure 7 shows a sectional view of the carriage of the cam box and needle bed
along the line X' X¹ in Figures 4 and 6.
Figure 8 is a section along the line X2 X2 in Figures 4 and 6.
Figures 9, 10, 11 show the principal positions of the needle during the transferring
of the loop.
Figures 12-18 give separate views of different kinds of needles with loop bearers
on a large scale.
The cams A, A1, A2, which work the same as in the ordinary Lamb system
machines do not form part of this invention and will not therefore be described
in detail.
In the sketches only so much of the accessory parts of the mechanism of the
knitting machine is shown as to make the action of the different parts understood.
As mentioned at the commencement it is necessary for the production of
left-and-left knitting that the loops which have been knitted in the usual manner
upon the needles of the needle bed & be transferred to the needles of the opposite
"needle bed G' which will be attained in the following manner :-
1st. The needles of the needle bed G are raised so far that the loops which hang
on to them fall behind the latches of the needles and are held there.
2nd. The needles of the opposite needle bed G¹ are raised until their hooks pass
through the loops that are held by the opposite needles.
3rd. The needles of the needle bed G are lowered and drop their loops.
4th. The needles of the needle bed G' are also lowered and take the loops
with them.
In order that the loops may be held securely, behind the latches of the needles
or the needle hooks until the, opposite needles lift them off each needle H,
Figures 1, 2, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, is provided at a certain distance from the
point with a special, arrangement called the loop-bearer. This loop-bearer is
formed of a spring tongue the point of which enters into a lateral groove of the
needle, Figures 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18. The said spring tongue or also the needle
itself are provided with a projection or nose ¹ which is to serve as a resting point
for the loop when the needle is raised and to hold the loop securely in its place,
Figure 10. Behind this nose, the spring tongue and the needle form a kind of
ceyelet ², into which the opposite needle penetrates for the purpose of taking off
the loop.
"
"
The flexible spring tongue h, and the eyelet 2, can be omitted and the needle can
be provided with the nose or projection only, Figure 14. In that case the
needle has at its lower part a groove ³, widening out into a lateral gorge . For
the transferring of the loop the opposite needle would. enter first in the groove ³,
then into the loop suspended from the nose and finally into the gorge h*.
The loop bearers as described can be applied to all kinds of needles for knitting
machines and for knitting frames, such as latch needles, hook needles, point needles
and narrowing 'points.
:
Employing the needles which are described in the present, it is necessary to
enlarge the needle grooves g, to permit the loop, bearers h, to enter them during
the movement of the needles (see section of the needle bed, Figure 5). In order
that the transferring of the loop may take place without encumbrance, the needles H,
must pass very close to each other, Figure 2, and the needle beds must be pushed
2 sideways until the needles touch each other. For this purpose not only the front
needle bed G, but also the back needle bed G', is movable as in ordinary knitting
imachines and the jacks g', are not in one piece with the needle beds, but are attached
to them, Figures 1 and 2, so that they can be moved into suitable positions, with a
view to the positions of the needles
ande
To transmit to the needles the movements necessary, for the transfer of the loop
special raising cams B, B', and lowering cams C, C', which work alternately at each

page_text: course of the carriage are placed on each side of the carriage, and on each side of
the ordinary cams A, A1, A³. For this purpose the cams B, B, C, C¹, are placed
upon plates E, which can slide upon the pins e between the plate F, Figure 6,
bearing the cams. A, A1, A2, and the carriage D. The cams B. B', C C¹, pass
through the lower cam plate F by means of the slots f. The alternate raising and
lowering of the plates E, of each of the needle beds G and G', is operated advan-
tageously by the shifting of the frame D¹, placed above the carriage D, Figures 5-8,
in the grooves d, of which the pistons e', of the plate bearers 2 enter. The shifting
of the frame D', and consequently the raising and lowering of the cams B B, C C³,
is determined automatically before each change of the course of the carriage by
means of a movable finger d¹ fixed to the frame D¹, which comes in contact with
the stops d², Figures 4 and 7, fixed upon the slide d³, of the carriage.
To make the invention well understood the following description in detail serves
to show the process of the work. Supposing the carriage D, to be on the right and
returning to the left, the stop d', has shifted the frame D', to the left, and the
Cams B B, C C, which are situated on the right of the ordinary cams A, A', A²,
are lowered in order to enter into operation while the cams B B, C C', situated to
the left of the cams A, A1, A2, and which had been in work up to the present are
now put out of action by being raised. During the movement of the carriage 'D,
from right to left a new row of loops is formed upon the needles H, of the front
needle bed G, by means of the ordinary cams A, A¹, A². When the loops have
been formed the raising cam B, of the front needle bed. G, raises the needles
again immediately to such a height as to bring the eyelet 2, of the loop bearer h,
of each needle in the line of motion or in the way of the opposite needles of the back
needle bed G¹.
During the forward movement of the needles the nose of the loop bearer h, and
of the needle bears against the loop so that the same is raised forward along with
the needle and held up or suspended by the said nose. Before the needles of the
front needle bed G, have reached their highest position the opposite needles of the
back needle bed G₁ are raised in the direction of the front needles by means of
the raising cam B', Figure 9, and they remain in that position until the needles of
the frout needle bed have reached their highest position. In order that the opening
of the loops of those needles may be operated with certainty the carriage D, is
provided with a special latch opener d, which is mounted upon a movable arm d³.
When the front needles have reached their highest position the needles of the back
needle bed G¹, receive another slight forward movement by means of the next
gradation or plane of the needle raiser B' which causes those needles to pass
through the loops held and spread out by the loop bearers h, and into the eyelet /²,
of the said loop bearers, Figures 1, 2, 10. The carriage continuing its course to the
left, the needles of the front needle bed are now lowered by the lowering cam C,
the loop bearer, Figure 2, opens and the loop is passed to the opposite needle.
When the needle of the front needle bed is clear of the loop which has been passed
to the opposite needles, Figure 11, the lower cam C' lowers the needles of the back
needle bed G¹ wholly out of action. When the carriage D reaches the end of its
course to the left, the raising and lowering cams B B, C C, which have been out
of action till now are put in action whilst the corresponding cams on the right are
put out of action whereupon the work proceeds on the back needle bed G in the
same manner as above described.
In order to knit other kinds of knitting instead of left-and-left goods upon
machines provided with the above described improvements it is only necessary to
put the raising and lowering cams B B¹, C C', completely out of action. This is
done by unhooking the coupling hooks de, Figures 4 and 5, by means of which the
frame D¹, which consists of two parts is held together so that the cams B B¹, CC,
can be raised by pushing the parts of the frame D¹. By turning sideways the
movable finger d', and folding back the arm d' of the latch opener d*, those parts
also can be put out of action.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
First. A knitting machine of the "Lamb" system on which all the ordinary
kinds of knitting of such machines can be done, and also left and left knitting, for
producing which two pairs of needle raising cams B B¹, and two pairs of needle
lowering cams C C', have been arranged crosswise on both sides of the locks in
such a manner that acting alternately after the locks or ordinary cams, the said
cams bring the needles which have been in operation to their highest position cause!
the opposite needles to penetrate into the loops knitted by the first mentioned
needles, cause the first mentioned needles to be lowered for the purpose of trans-
ferring their loop to the last mentioned needles and finally cause the last mentioned
needles to be lowered out of action.
Second. In a knitting machine of the "Lamb" system the use of needles provided
with a projection or nose placed behind their points, latches or hooks, upon which
nose the loops are held suspended during the forward movement of the needles in
such manner as to bring them into a position suitable for their being transferred
*to the opposite needles.
Dated the 10th day of November 1892
i
G. STIBBE,
25, Jamaica Street, Glasgow, Agent for Applicants.