Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1887
Complete Left, 8th Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 9th Mar., 1888
We SAMUEL PARKER KITTLE and JOSEPH JOHNSON ADGATE, both of New York
and at present of 40 Kirby Street, Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in circular knitting machines, and
particularly machines of that class in which a weft thread is incorporated with the
fabric in the operation of kuitting; the beads of certain of the needles, the alternate
ones for example, for this purpose temporarily moving back out of line with the
remainder, to enable the weft thread to be laid between the front and back rows of
needles, when the same are in their highest position; and the Invention consists in
improvements in the details of construction of certain parts of the said machines,
whereby the building of the machine is simplified and its operation perfected, at the
same time that a vastly increased rate of production is ensured.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification, wherein figure 1 shews an elevation of a portion of the circumference
of the improved machine, and of the take up motion for the fabric. Figure 2 is a
cross section on line 1-1 Figure 1, the take up motion being partly represented in
elevation. Figure 3 is a cross section of the needle ring and cam ring, the needles
(of which two adjacent ones are shewn) being in their highest position and one of
them having moved back out of line with the adjacent needles, as hereafter described,
for the purpose of laying weft thread between them. Figure 4 is a similar section,
the needle being in its lowest position. Figure 5 is an external elevation of part of
the needle ring, the needles being removed, and figure 6 is a plan of the same.
Figure 7 is a horizontal section on line 1-1 figure 4. Figure 8 is an elevation of the
temple for stretching the work to its full width, previous to winding it on the cloth
roller. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The needle ring is a compound structure formed by three separate rings A, B, C,
firmly united together as hereafter described. The inner or body portion A is a ring

page_text: of cast iron, turned true on its external periphery, and having an external shoulder
or flange a by which it rests on a correspondingly turned seat in the stationary
ring-shaped supporting frame 1, wherein it is rotated by gear engaging with a
toothed ring A bolted to the lower end of the ring A beneath the fixed frame D.
The ring B is of brass turned on its internal periphery to fit the part A and firmly
secured thereto by being shrunk on. This ring B has, cut in its external periphery
(which has been previously turned true) after the ring has been shrunk on to the
body portion A, the vertical grooves or races 6 to receive the bodies or "jacks" of
the needles which slide up and down therein. These grooves have parallel sides and
are of uniform depth throughout their length, the ring having been rebated (previous
to cutting the needle grooves) at the lower part, to receive the guard ring hereafter
referred to, for confining the needle bodies or jacks in their races or grooves. The
upper member C of the needle ring is of wrought iron or steel and is turned true on
the straight portion of its internal periphery and shrunk on to the cast iron body
portion A after which the curved portion of the inner periphery of A and C (over
which the work is drawn) are turned, so as to make a smooth and flush joint. The
ring C, after being shrunk on to A, is turned externally, the lower half of the ring
from 1 to 2 being turned to a diameter equal to the diameter of the ring B at the
bottom of the grooves or races b, this lower part of the ring being plain, and the
upper half of the ring from 3 to 4 being turned to the same diameter as the
diameter of the ring B at the top of the ribs b¹. In the upper part of this
ring, grooves care cut, corresponding in pitch to the grooves or races 6 but of only
sufficient depth to receive the needles. The width of these grooves c at the lower
part is equal to the width of the races b, so as to afford lateral support for the needles
and give passage to the needle jack when raised for the purpose of withdrawing it
from the machine, but the grooves are cut by means of a circular saw or cutter, of
greater width at their upper part, in order to leave clearance for the needle latches
and for the loops in the hooks of the needles, when the latter are drawn down.
EE are the upper and lower members of the cam ring. They are two separate
rings turned internally to fit as close as possible without touching, around the needle
ring, their adjacent opposite faces being parallel to each other and formed with
inclines or deviations from the horizontal plane, there being as many sets of such
inclines or deviations as there are sets of thread guides for laying the warp and weft
threads into and between the needles. The rings E E' are held at a sufficient distance
apart to form the cam slot F to receive the toes or lugs of the needle-jacks. The
lower member E' is fixed upon the frame D by screw-studs d fixed to the latter,
received in ears on the former and secured by nuts and the upper member E is
fixed adjustably (at the proper distance above the lower member E¹ to make the
width of the cam slot F suit the lugs or toes of the needle-jacks) by means of screw
bolts or pillars e at suitable intervals around the circumference, received in ears e¹ e
on the upper and lower members E E. The lower part of the pillar is screw threaded
and screws into a tapped hole in the lug e', whilst the upper part is shouldered for the
ear e to rest upon, the upper end passing freely through the ear and being threaded
to receive a nut by which the pillar is firmly fixed. By loosening the nut and
applying a key to the squared bottom end of the pillar it may be screwed up or down,
in order to adjust the width of the cam slot F as may be required.
Such of the needles as are to move back when raised so that their heads shall be
out of line with the other or vertical needles, have shanks of peculiar form whereby
the needles will naturally spring back when they are raised to the proper height, the
form being such that the needles almost immediately they begin to be drawn down,
will be caused to move quickly forward into line with the remaining needles for the
purpose of receiving the knitting thread. For this purpose, the needle shank has
reverse bends and in its upper part, so that the intervening portion i is inclined
somewhat suddenly backwards at an angle of about thirty degrees from the vertical,
whilst the head or upper portion is nearly vertical or only slightly inclined backwards,
and the lower part of the shank is quite vertical or in line with the jack in which it
is fixed. The angle and length of the part i may vary, and instead of a second

page_text: reverse bend at the whole upper part of the needle above ¹ may be inclined
gradually backwards in a straight line from ¹ to the hook, but the form shewn is
preferred as it gives more room between the two rows of needles to allow the weft
thread to come down below the latches. The lower bend when the needle is in its
highest position is just above the upper edge of the needle ring, so that the upper part
of the needle projects inwards over the said ring a sufficient distance to allow the
weft thread to be laid between the two rows of needles. This form of needle is
consequent on the jacks H moving without play in their grooves or races and
consequent on the grooves c being only just deep enough to receive the needles for the
purpose, as above mentioned, of supporting them against the tension of the fabric,
the needles being so supported both when raised, as in figure 3, and when drawn
down, as in figure 4, and in all intermediate positions. Thus, when in the position.
shewn in figure 3, the loop is around the shank just below the bend ¹, and the lower
part of the shank is supported by the bottom of its groove e against the pull of the
fabric, whilst as the needle begins to be drawn down, the inclined part i meets the
edge of the ring C and in sliding against it, causes the needle to be pushed and
deflected outwards until it is in line with the other or vertical needles, the part above
the bend then bearing against the bottom of the groove e until it is drawn quite
down, as shewn in figure 4. Thus, it will be seen that the loops on the shanks, both
of the front and rear needles in all positions of the latter are subjected to exactly the
same amount of tension and are of exactly the same length, in consequence of the
shanks of both rows of needles always bearing alike against the needle ring at the
point where the loops are on the needles. In order that the needles may be sprung
or deflected forward without liability of breakage and in order that when drawn
down, as in figure 4, the upper part above the bend shall bear fairly along its
whole length against the bottom of the groove c, the lower part of the shank is made
rather thinner from. front to back about the middle of its length, as at 3, so as to
permit of flexure of the shank at this part, the shank thus having a local spring-like
action whereby the necessary motion of the needle is permitted without causing unduo
strain on the part of the shank where it enters the jack H. The body or jack portion H
has parallel sides and edges, and fits in the race b, its outer edge being flush with
the edges of the ribs 61, its lug or toe H¹ projecting in the cam slot F and exceeding
the jack in thickness (see figure 7) so as to overlap the ribs 61 and abut against the
toes of the adjacent jacks, in order that they may mutually support each other
against lateral strain. The lower portion of the body or jack H is of sufficiently less
depth than the upper part, to perniit of its sliding behind the guard ring h which is
of wrought iron or steel, and is shrunk on to the rebated lower end of the ring B,
the outer periphery of the said ring & being flush with the outer faces of the ribs b¹,
so that it is quite clear of the lower cam ring without the latter being recessed to
receive it. The purpose of this guard ring, is to confine the jacks in the grooves of
the needle ring and prevent rubbing and friction of the lower ends of the jacks
against the inner surface of the cam ring, whereby the machine requires much less
power to drive it, and the needles work more steadily.
J is the guide for the warp or knitting thread and K the guide for the filling or
weft thread. The former is so placed with regard to the incline 5 of the cam slot F
that it will lay the warp or knitting thread under the hooks of the needles as they
are being drawn down, the direction of the thread nearly corresponding with the
downwardly inclined line of the needle hooks from the highest to the lowest, so that
it will run freely to furnish the quantity of thread necessary to form the loops at the
point where the knitting operation is accomplished. The weft thread guide K is
some distance in advance of the guide J so that the weft thread (which is laid
between the needles when the latter are in their highest position in the horizontal part 7
of cam F and are, separated into front and back rows by certain of the needles
retiring as shewn in figure 3) extends diagonally across the rearmost row of needles
and acts as a guard to prevent the premature closing of the latches before the warp
thread has been laid therein, as shown separately on a larger scale in figure 1º. I is
the guard for the latches of the front row of needles, being a horizontal curved wire

page_text: carried by a bracket fixed to the upper cam ring E. It extends in front of the
needle latches and serves to prevent them being prematurely closed whether by
springing up when the loops slip over their points on to the shanks of the needles
as the latter rise, or from any other cause. Two sets of thread guides are placed close
together, as shown at the left hand side of figure 1, and between them and the next
sets of thread guides, there is a sufficient space to allow of the attendant having
access to the interior of the machine for any purpose, this arrangement or spacing of
the thread guides being repeated around the circumference of the machine. Opposite
the wide interval between the sets of thread guides, the straight horizontal part 8 of
the cam slot F is at such a height that the needles engaged therein will be partly
raised, in order to facilitate access to them in case of need, a gate or removable
sliding section et let into the inner periphery of the upper cam ring E¹ being provided
for permitting the entire withdrawal and insertion of a needle from or into its groove
in the needle ring, the section et being removed to give passage to the lug of the
needle jack.
The take up motion is supported in a pendent frame M fixed to and revolving with
the body A of the needle ring. N is the cloth roller on which the work is wound.
Its journals run free in a pair of slotted arms n pivoted on the journals of the cloth
driving roller O and held adjustably at the desired inclination by means of stay
rods n. The upper ends of the slots in the arms n are closed by pivoted latches n²
to permit the easy removal of the cloth roller when full. The roller O is journaled
in the frame M and the cloth roller rests upon it and is rotated by frictional contact
therewith. The roller is covered with emery cloth, or otherwise roughened to
enable it grip the fabric which encircles about two-thirds of its circumference. It is
rotated by a pawl p on an arm P pivoted upon the journal of roller O engaging with
the ratchet wheel o fast on said journal, the arm P being operated in the forward or
acting direction of the pawl, by a spiral spring Q upon a rod R and in the reverse
direction by inclined cams S fixed to the stationary frame D acting on an anti-friction
roller r adjustably mounted on the upper end of the rod R, the anti friction roller as
the mechanism revolves meeting the cams S and being forced down thereby putting
the spring in tension and moving the pawl back for another stroke. The cams S,
of which any suitable number are fixed at equal distances around the machine, have
a second incline S' in the reverse direction for the purpose of preventing a too sudden
action of the spring Q at the first part of its stroke. The rod R is jointed at the
lower end, to arm P and slides through guide brackets fixed to the frame M. The
spring is attached at its lower end to a collar 7 fixed on rod R, and its upper end
is engaged between a pair of hooked plates q fixed at either side of the upper guide
bracket. The upward motion of the rod R is limited by an adjustable cross-pin
abutting against the upper guide bracket, so that by raising this stop and at same
time adjusting the fork of the anti friction roller r higher up on the rod R, the tension
of the spring may be increased.
The work T passes down between a pair of cross rollers u, mounted in brackets on
the frame M, then round the guide roller V journaled in vertical slots in frame M
immediately beneath the roller.O, thence around the roller O to the cloth roller N.
The temple or device for keeping the work stretched to its full extent, is a frame
of the form shewn in figure 8, consisting of two-downwardly. bent rods w fixed in
sockets w¹ united by a screw rod w' by which the length of the device can be varied.
The ends w pass down between the rollers u and hold the work stretched as shewn.
They are prevented from being drawn down along with the cloth by the sockets w
which are much too large to pass between the rollers u.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
We, SAMUEL PARKER KITTLE and JOSEPH JOHNSON ADGATE both of New York
and at present of 40, Kirby Street Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention relates to improvements in circular knitting machines, and particu-
larly machines of that class in which a weft thread is incorporated with the fabric in
the operation of knitting; the heads of certain of the needles--the alternate ones for
example for this purpose temporarily moving backwards automatically out of line
with the remainder of the needles to enable the weft thread to be laid between the front
and back rows of needles, when the same are in their highest position; and the
invention consists in improvements in the details of construction of certain parts of
the said machines, whereby the building of the machine is simplified and its
operation perfected, at the same time that a vastly increased rate of production is
ensured.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifi-
cation, wherein Figure 1 shews an elevation of a portion of the circumference of the.
improved machine, and of the take up motion for the fabric. Figure 2 is a cross-
section of line 1-1 figure 1, the take up motion being partly represented in elevation.
Figure 3 is a cross-section of the needle ring and cam ring, the needles (of which two
adjacent ones are shewn (being in their highest position and one of them having
moved back out of line with the adjacent needles as hereafter described, for the purpose
of laying weft thread between them. Figure 4 is a similar section, the needle being
in its lowest position. Figure 5 is an external elevation of part of the needle
cylinder, the needles being removed, and figure 6 is a plan of the same. Figure 7
is a horizontal section on line 1-1 figure 4. Figure 8 is an elevation of the
temple for stretching the work to its full width, previous to winding it on the cloth
roller.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The needle cylinder is a compound structure formed by three separate rings ABC,
firmly united together as hereafter described. The inner or body portion A is a ring
of cast iron turned true on its external periphery, and having an external shoulder or
flange a by which it rests on a correspondingly turned seat in the stationary ring-
shaped supporting frame D wherein it is rotated by gear engaging with a toothed
ring A bolted to the lower end of the ring A beneath the fixed frame D. The ring B
is of brass, turned on its internal periphery to fit the part A and firmnly secured thereto
by being shrunk on. This ring B has cut in its external periphery (which has been
previously turned true) after the ring has been shrunk on to the body portion A, the
vertical grooves or races 6 to receive the bodies or "jacks" of the needles, which slide
up and down therein. These grooves have parallel sides and are of uniform depth

page_text: throughout their length, the ring having been rebated (previous to cutting the needle
grooves) at the lower part, to receive the guard ring hereafter referred to for confining
the needle bodies or jacks in their races or grooves. The upper member C of the
needle cylinder is of wrought iron or steel and is turned true on the straight portion
of its internal periphery and shrunk on to the cast iron body portion A after which
the curved portion of the inner periphery of A and (over which the work is drawn)
are turned so as to make a smooth and flush joint. The ring C after being shrunk on
to A, is turned externally, the lower half of the ring from 1 to 2 being turned to a
diameter equal to the diameter of the ring B less the depth of the grooves or races b
this lower part of the ring C being plain, and the upper half of the ring from 3 to 4
being turned to the same diameter as the diameter of the ring B plus the depth of the
grooves or races b, i.e. at the tops of the ribs b¹. In the upper part of this ring,
grooves c are cut corresponding in pitch to the grooves or races b but of only sufficient
depth to receive the needles proper. The width of these grooves c at the lower part
is equal to the width of the races 6 so as to afford lateral support for the needles, and
give passage to the needle jack when raised for the purpose of withdrawing it from
the machine, but the grooves are cut, by means of a circular saw or cutter, of greater
width at their upper part, in order to leave clearance for the needle latches
and for the loops in the hooks of the needles, when the latter are drawn down.
E E are the upper and lower members of the cam ring. They are two separate
rings turned internally to fit as close as possible without touching around the needle
cylinder, their adjacent opposite faces being parallel to each other and formed with
inclines or deviations from the horizontal plane, there being as many sets of such
inclines or deviations as there are sets of feeding places or thread guides for laying
the warp and weft threads into and between the needles. The rings E E' are held at
a sufficient distance apart to form the cam slot F to receive the toes or lugs of the
needle jacks. The lower member E' is fixed upon the frame D by screw studs d fixed
to the latter, received in ears on the former and secured by nuts and the upper
member E is fixed adjustably (at the proper distance above the lower member E to
make the width of the cam slot F suit the lugs or toes of the needle jacks) by means
of screw-bolts or pillars e at suitable intervals around the circumference, received in
ears on the upper and lower members E E'. The lower part of the pillar is
screw-threaded and screws into a tapped hole in the lug e whilst the upper part is
shouldered for the ear e³ to rest upon, the upper end passing freely through the ear e³
and being threaded to receive a nut by which the pillar is firmly fixed. By loosening
the nut and applying a key to the squared bottom end of the pillar, it may be
screwed up or down in order to adjust the width of the cam slot F, as may be
required.
Such of the needles as are to spring or move automatically backwards when raised,
so that their heads shall project inwards over the edge of the needle cylinder and
therefore be out of line with the other or vertical needles have shanks of peculiar form
whereby the heads of the needles will be caused to lean back when they are raised to
the proper height, the form being such that the needles almost immediately they begin
to be drawn down, will be caused to move quickly forward into line with the remaining
needles for the purpose of receiving the knitted thread. For this purpose, the needle
shank has reverse bends and in its upper part, so that the intervening portion i is
inclined somewhat suddenly backwards at an angle of about 30° from the vertical
whilst the head or upper portion is nearly vertical or only slightly inclined backwards
and the lower part of the shank is quite vertical or in line with the jack in which it
is fixed. The angle and length of the part i may vary, and instead of a second reverse
bend at the whole upper part of the needle above i may be inclined gradually back-
wards in a straight line from ¹ to the hook, but the form shewn is preferred, as it
gives more room between the two rows of needles, to allow the weft thread to come
down below the latches. The lower bend when the needle is in its highest position,
is just above the upper edge of the needle cylinder so that the upper part of the
needle is caused by the tension of the loop of fabric upon it to project inwards over
the said cylinder a sufficient distance to allow the weft thread to be laid between the

page_text: two rows of needles This inclined part of the needle bears against the bottom of the
needle groove c and acts as a sort of cam to guide the needle in its descent, whereby
it is brought forward into line with the adjacent straight needles the grooves & being
only just deep enough to receive the needles, so that the latter are supported against
the tension of the fabric, as above mentioned, the needles being so supported, both
when raised as in figure 3, and when drawn down as in figure 4, and in all intermediate
positions. Thus, when in the position shewn in figure 3, the loop is around the shank
just below the bend i¹ and the lower part of the shank is supported by the bottom of
its groove c against the pull of the fabric whilst as the needle begins to be drawn
down, the inclined part i meets the edge of the ring C and in sliding against it, causes
the needle to be pushed outwards until it is in line with the other or vertical needles,
the part above the bend then bearing against the bottom of the groove c until it is
drawn quite down as shewn in figure 4. Thus, it will be seen that the loops on the shanks
both of the straight and bent needles in all positions of the latter are subjected to exactly
the same amount of tension and are of exactly the same length in consequence of the
shanks of both rows of needles always bearing alike against the needle cylinder at the
point where the loops are on the needles. In order that the needles may be sprung or
deflected forward without liability of breakage and in order that when drawn down as
in figure 4 the upper part above the bend shall bear fairly along its whole length
against the bottom of the groove c, the lower part of the shank may in the case of stiff
coarse needles be made rather thinner from front to back about the middle of its length
as at, so as to permit of flexure of the shank at this part, the shank thus having a
local spring-like action whereby the necessary motion of the needle is permitted
without causing undue strain on the part of the shank where it enters the jack H.
The body or jack portion H has parallel sides and edges, and fits in the race b, its outer
edge being flush with the edges of the ribs b', its lug or toe H¹ projecting in the cam
slot F and exceeding the jack in thickness (see figure 7) so as to overlap the ribs b¹
and abut against the toes of the adjacent jacks in order that they may mutually
support each other against lateral strain. The lower portion of the body or jack H
below the toe or lug is of sufficiently less depth than the upper part, to permit of its
sliding easily behind the guard ring h which is of wrought iron or steel, and is shrunk
or otherwise secured on to the rebated lower end of the ring B, the outer periphery of
the said ring being flush with the outer faces of the ribs b₁ so that it is quite clear
of the lower cam ring without the latter being recessed to receive it. The purpose of
this guard ring is to confine the jacks in the grooves of the needle cylinder and
prevent them canting outwards under the tension of the work on the needles,
thereby avoiding friction of the lower ends of the jacks against the inner surface of
the can ring so that the machine requires much less power to drive it and the needles
work more steadily.
Jis the guide for the warp or knitting thread, and K the guide for the filling or
weft thread. The former is so placed with regard to the incline 5 of the cam slot F,
that it will lay the warp or knitting thread under the hooks of the needles as they are
being drawn down, the direction of the thread nearly corresponding with the down-
wardly inclined line of the needle hooks from the highest to the lowest, so that it will
run freely, to furnish the quantity of thread necessary to form the loops at the point 9
where the knitting operation is accomplished. The weft thread guide K is some
distance in advance of the guide J, so that the weft thread (which is laid between the
needles when the latter are in their highest position in the horizontal part 7 of can F
and are separated into front and back rows by certain of the needles retiring as shewn
in figure 3) extends diagonally across the rearmost row of needles, and acts as a
guard to prevent the premature closing of their latches before the warp thread has
been laid therein, as shown separately on a larger scale in figure 1". is the guard for
the latches of the front row of needles, being a horizontal curved wire carried by a
bracket fixed to the upper cam ring E. It extends in front of the needle latches and
serves to prevent them being prematurely closed, whether by springing up when the
loops slip over their points on to the shanks of the needles as the latter rise or from.
any other cause. Two sets of thread guides are placod close together, as shewn at the

page_text: left-hand side of figure 1, and between them and the next sets of thread guides, there
is a sufficient space to allow of the attendant having access to the interior of the
machine for any purpose, this arrangement or spacing of the thread guides being
repeated around the circumference of the machine. Opposite the wide interval between
the sets of thread guides, the straight horizontal part 8 of the cam slot F is at such a
height that the needles engaged therein will be partly raised in order to facilitate
access to them in case of need, a gate or removable sliding section et let into the
inner periphery of the upper cam ring E', being provided for permitting the
entire withdrawal and insertion of a needle from or into its groove in the needle
ring, the section et being removed to give passage to the lug of the needle
jack.
The take-up motion is supported in a pendent frame M fixed to, and revolving
with, the body A of the needle cylinder. N is the cloth roller on which the work is
wound. Its journals run free in a pair of slotted arms n pivoted on the journals of
the cloth driving roller O and held adjustably at the desired inclination, by means of
stay rods n. The upper ends of the slots in the arms n are closed by pivoted latches n³
to permit the easy removal of the cloth roller when full. The roller O is journaled in
the frame M and the cloth roller rests upon it and is rotated by frictional contact
therewith. The roller O is covered with emery cloth or otherwise roughened, to
enable it to grip the fabric which encircles about two-thirds of its circumference. It
is rotated by a pawl p on an arm P pivoted upon the journal of roller O engaging
with the ratchet wheel o fast on said journal, the arm P being operated in the forward
or acting direction of the pawl, by a spiral spring Q upon a rod R and in the reverse
direction by inclined cams S fixed to the stationary frame D acting on an anti-friction
roller adjustably mounted on the upper end of the rod R, the anti-friction roller, as
the mechanism revolves, meeting the cams S and being forced down, thereby putting
the spring Qin tension and moving the pawl back for another stroke. The cams S, of
which any suitable number are fixed at equal distances around the machine, have a
second incline S¹ in the reverse direction, for the purpose of preventing a too sudden
action of the spring Q at the first part of its stroke. The rod R is jointed at the lower
end to arm P and slides through guide brackets fixed to the frame M. The spring Q
is attached at its lower end to a collar fixed on rod R and its upper end is engaged
between a pair of hooked plates q fixed at either side of the upper guide bracket. The
upward motion of the rod R is limited by an adjustable cross-pin 2 abutting against
the upper guide bracket, so that by raising this stop and at the same time adjusting
the fork of the anti-friction roller r higher upon the rod R, the tension of the spring
may be increased. The work T passes down between a pair of cross-rollers u mounted
in brackets on the frame M, then round the guide roller V journaled in vertical slots
in frame M, immediately beneath the roller O, thence around the roller O, to the cloth
roller N.
The temple, or device for keeping the work stretched to its full extent, is a frame of
the form shewn in figure 8, consisting of two downwardly bent rods w fixed in
sockets to united by a screw rod w³, by which the length of the device can be varied.
The ends w pass down between the rollers u and hold the work stretched, as shewn.
-They-are-prevented-from-being-drawn-down-along-with-the cloth,-by-the-sockets-w¹,-
which are much too large to pass between the rollers u.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is ;-
1. A circular knitting machine in which the needle jacks slide up and down in one
set of grooves or races and the needle shanks slide, and are supported against the
tension of the fabric, in corresponding grooves of less depth than the jack grooves and in
which the needle jacks are of the shape shewn and are retained in their races by a
guard ring shrunk or otherwise secured on to the rebated lower end of the
needle cylinder and flush with the circumference thereof, substantially as shewn and
described.

page_text: 2. In a circular knitting machine, in which the cam for operating the needles is
made of two separate rings, as shewn; the particular arrangement of screw pillar for
connecting the rings and enabling the width of the cam slot to be readily adjusted,
substantially as shewn and described.
3. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with the spring rod R actuating
the take-up motion, of a spring Q connected to the rod R as described, so as to act in
tension, and the combination with the spring and rod so connected, of the adjustable
stop and of the adjustable bracket supporting the anti-friction roller whereby the
tension of the spring Q is readily adjustable, and the combination with the foregoing
mechanism, of the double inclined cam S Si whereby sudden action of the spring is
prevented.
4. In a circular knitting machine, guiding the journals of the cloth roller in adjustable
inclined slotted guide arms, as described.
5. In a circular knitting machine, the temple or device for stretching the fabric,
consisting of the frame with downwardly bent ends w in combination with the pair of
cross-rollers z supporting the frame in position, substantially as specified.
6. In a weft thread circular knitting machine wherein a weft thread is laid between
the needles whilst in their highest position and whilst separated into front and back rows
by the moving backwards of certain of the needles, the arrangement of the weft thread
guide relatively to the needles, so that the weft thread shall act as a guard for the latclics
of the back row of needles, as described.
7. In a weft thread circular knitting machine wherein certain of the needlos move
back automatically when raised, the combination with the needle cylinder having
grooves of such depth as to guide and support the needles, as described, of needles
having shanks bent backwards (at a point which is just above the edge of the needle
cylinder when the needles are in their highest position) and fixed in jacks which slide
in the grooves of the needle cylinder and of a guard ring which prevents contact of
the lower ends of the needle-jacks with the can ring, substantially as specified.
Dated this 8th day of February 1888.

page_text: This Specification was, upon the 24th day of January 1890, Amended under
Sections 18 to 21 of the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1883.
Date of Application, 10th May, 1887
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1888-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1888
We SAMUEL PARKER KITTLE and JOSEPH JOHNSON ADGATE, both of New York
and at present of 40 Kirby Street, Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in circular knitting machines, and
particularly machines of that class in which a weft thread is incorporated with the
fabric in the operation of knitting; the heads of certain of the needles, the alternate
ones for example, for this purpose temporarily moving back out of line with the
remainder, to enable the weft thread to be laid between the front and back rows of
needles, when the same are in their highest position; and the Invention consists in
improvements in the details of construction of certain parts of the said machines,
whereby the building of the machine is simplified and its operation perfected, at the
same time that a vastly increased rate of production is ensured.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification, wherein figure 1 shews an elevation of a portion of the circumference
of the improved machine, and of the take up motion for the fabric. Figure 2 is a
cross section on line 1—1´ Figure 1, the take up motion being partly represented in
elevation. Figure 3 is a cross section of the needle ring and cam ring, the needles
(of which two adjacent ones are shewn) being in their highest position and one of
them having moved back out of line with the adjacent needles, as hereafter described,
for the purpose of laying weft thread between them. Figure 4 is a similar section,
the needle being in its lowest position. Figure 5 is an external elevation of part of
the needle ring, the needles being removed, and figure 6 is a plan of the same.
Figure 7 is a horizontal section on line 1-1 figure 4. Figure 8 is an elevation of the
temple for stretching the work to its full width, previous to winding it on the cloth
roller. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The needle ring is a compound structure formed by three separate rings A, B, C,
firmly united together as hereafter described. The inner or body portion A is a ring

page_text: of cast iron, turned true on its external periphery, and having an external shoulder
or flange a by which it rests on a correspondingly turned seat in the stationary
ring-shaped supporting frame D, wherein it is rotated by gear engaging with a
toothed ring A bolted to the lower end of the ring A beneath the fixed frame D.
The ring B is of brass turned on its internal periphery to fit the part A and firmly
secured thereto by being shrunk on. This ring B has, cut in its external periphery
(which has been previously turned true) after the ring has been shrunk on to the
body portion A, the vertical grooves or races to receive the bodies or "jacks" of
the needles which slide up and down therein. These grooves have parallel sides and
are of uniform depth throughout their length, the ring having been rebated (previous
to cutting the needle grooves) at the lower part, to receive the guard ring hereafter
referred to, for confining the needle bodies or jacks in their races or grooves. The
upper member of the needle ring is of wrought iron or steel and is turned true on
the straight portion of its internal periphery and shrunk on to the cast iron body
portion A after which the curved portion of the inner periphery of A and C (over
which the work is drawn) are turned, so as to make a smooth and flush joint. The
ring C, after being shrunk on to A, is turned externally, the lower half of the ring
from 1 to z being turned to a diameter equal to the diameter of the ring B at the
bottom of the grooves or races b, this lower part of the ring C being plain, and the
upper half of the ring from 3 to 4 being turned to the same diameter as the
diameter of the ring B at the top of the ribs 61. In the upper part of this
ring, grooves c are cut, corresponding in pitch to the grooves or races 6 but of only
sufficient depth to receive the needles. The width of these grooves c at the lower
part is equal to the width of the races b, so as to afford lateral support for the needles
and give passage to the needle jack when raised for the purpose of withdrawing it
from the machine, but the grooves are cut by means of a circular saw or cutter, of
greater width at their upper part, in order to leave clearance for the needle latches
and for the loops in the books of the needles, when the latter are drawn down.
E E are the upper and lower members of the cam ring. They are two separate
rings turned internally to fit as close as possible without touching, around the needle
ring, their adjacent opposite faces being parallel to each other and formed with
inclines or deviations from the horizontal plane, there being as many sets of such
inclines or deviations as there are sets of thread guides for laying the warp and weft
threads into and between the needles. The rings E E¹ are held at a sufficient distance
apart to form the cam slot F to receive the toes or lugs of the needle-jacks. The
lower member E' is fixed upon the frame D by screw-studs d fixed to the latter,
received in ears on the former and secured by nuts and the upper member E is
fixed adjustably (at the proper distance above the lower member E¹ to make the
width of the cam slot F suit the lugs or toes of the needle-jacks) by means of screw
bolts or pillars e at suitable intervals around the circumference, received in ears e¹ e²
on the upper and lower members E E. The lower part of the pillar is screw threaded
and screws into a tapped hole in the lug e', whilst the upper part is shouldered for the
ear to rest upon, the upper end passing freely through the car e² and being threaded
to receive a nut by which the pillar is firmly fixed. By loosening the nut and
applying a key to the squared bottom end of the pillar it may be screwed up or down,
in order to adjust the width of the cam slot F as may be required.
Such of the needles as are to move back when raised so that their heads shall be
out of line with the other or vertical needles, have shanks of peculiar form whereby
the needles will naturally spring back when they are raised to the proper height, the
form being such that the needles almost immediately they begin to be drawn down,
will be caused to move quickly forward into line with the remaining needles for the
purpose of receiving the knitting thread. For this purpose, the needle shank has
reverse bends ¹ and in its upper part, so that the intervening portion i is inclined
somewhat suddenly backwards at an angle of about thirty degrees from the vertical,
whilst the head or upper portion is nearly vertical or only slightly inclined backwards,
and the lower part of the shank is quite vertical or in line with the jack in which it
is fixed. The angle and length of the part i may vary, and instead of a second

page_text: reverse bend at the whole upper part of the needle above i¹ may be inclined
gradually backwards in a straight line from 1 to the hook, but the form shewn is
preferred as it gives more room between the two rows of needles to allow the weft
thread to come down below the latches. The lower bend when the needle is in its
highest position is just above the upper edge of the needle ring, so that the upper part
of the needle projects inwards over the said ring a sufficient distance to allow the
weft thread to be laid between the two rows of needles. This form of needle is
consequent on the jacks H moving without play in their grooves or races and
consequent on the grooves c being only just deep enough to receive the needles for the
purpose, as above mentioned, of supporting them against the tension of the fabric,
the needles being so supported both when raised, as in figure 3, and when drawn
down, as in figure 4, and in all intermediate positions. Thus, when in the position
shewn in figure 3, the loop is around the shank just below the bend it, and the lower
part of the shank is supported by the bottom of its groove c against the pull of the
fabric, whilst as the needle begins to be drawn down, the inclined part i meets the
edge of the ring C and in sliding against it, causes the needle to be pushed and
deflected outwards until it is in line with the other or vertical needles, the part above
the bend then bearing against the bottom of the groove c until it is drawn quite
down, as shown in figure 4. Thus, it will be seen that the loops on the shanks, both
of the front and rear needles in all positions of the latter are subjected to exactly the
same amount of tension and are of exactly the same length, in consequence of the
shanks of both rows of needles always bearing alike against the needle ring at the
point where the loops are on the needles. In order that the needles may be sprung
or deflected forward without liability of breakage and in order than when drawn
down, as in figure 4, the upper part above the bend shall bear fairly along its
whole length against the bottom of the groove c, the lower part of the shank is made
rather thinner from front to back about the middle of its length, as at 13, so as to
permit of flexure of the shank at this part, the shank thus having a local spring-like
action whereby the necessary motion of the needle is permitted without causing undue
strain on the part of the shank where it enters the jack H. The body or jack portion H
has parallel sides and edges, and fits in the race b, its outer edge being flush with
the edges of the ribs b¹, its lug or toe H¹ projecting in the cam slot F and exceeding
the jack in thickness (see figure 7) so as to overlap the ribs b¹ and abut against the
toes of the adjacent jacks, in order that they may mutually support each other
against lateral strain. The lower portion of the body or jack H is of sufficiently less
depth than the upper part, to permit of its sliding behind the guard ring which is
of wrought iron or steel, and is shrunk on to the rebated lower end of the ring B,
the outer periphery of the said ring being flush with the outer faces of the ribs b',
so that it is quite clear of the lower cam ring without the latter being recessed to
receive it. The purpose of this guard ring, is to confine the jacks in the grooves of
the needle ring and prevent rubbing and friction of the lower ends of the jacks
against the inner surface of the cam ring, whereby the machine requires much less
power to drive it, and the needles work more steadily.
J is the guide for the warp or knitting thread and K the guide for the filling or
weft thread. The former is so placed with regard to the incline 5 of the cam slot F
that it will lay the warp or knitting thread under the hooks of the needles as they
are being drawn down, the direction of the thread nearly corresponding with the
downwardly inclined line of the needle hooks from the highest to the lowest, so that
it will run freely to furnish the quantity of thread necessary to form the loops at the
point 9 where the knitting operation is accomplished. The weft thread guide K is
some distance in advance of the guide J so that the weft thread (which is laid
between the needles when the latter are in their highest position in the horizontal part 7
of cam F and are separated into front and back rows by certain of the needles
retiring as shown in figure 3) extends diagonally across the rearmost row of needles
and acts as a guard to prevent the premature closing of their latches, before the warp
thread has been laid therein, as shewn separately on a larger scale in figure 1. is
the guard for the latches of the front row of needles, being a horizontal curved wire

page_text: carried by a bracket fixed to the upper cam ring-E. It extends in front of the
needle latches and serves to prevent them being prematurely closed whether by
springing up when the loops slip over their points on to the shanks of the needles
as the latter rise, or from any other cause. Two sets of thread guides are placed close
together, as shewn at the left hand side of figure 1, and between them and the next
sets of thread guides, there is a sufficient space to allow of the attendant having
access to the interior of the machine for any purpose, this arrangement or spacing of
the thread guides being repeated around the circumference of the machine. Opposite
the wide interval between the sets of thread guides, the straight horizontal part 8 of
the cam slot F is at such a height that the needles engaged therein will be partly
raised, in order to facilitate access to them in case of need, a gate or removable
sliding section et let into the inner periphery of the upper cam ring E¹ being provided
for permitting the entire withdrawal and insertion of a needle from or into its groove
in the needle ring, the section e being removed to give passage to the lug of the
needle jack.
The take up motion is supported in a pendent frame M fixed to and revolving with
the body A of the needle ring. N is the cloth roller on which the work is wound.
Its journals run free in a pair of slotted arms n pivoted on the journals of the cloth
driving roller O and held adjustably at the desired inclination by means of stay
rods n. The upper ends of the slots in the arms n are closed by pivoted latches n²
to permit the easy removal of the cloth roller when full. The roller O is journaled
in the frame M and the cloth roller rests upon it and is rotated by frictional contact
therewith. The roller O is covered with emery cloth, or otherwise roughened to
enable it grip the fabric which encircles about two-thirds of its circumference. It is
rotated by a pawl p on an arm P pivoted upon the journal of roller O engaging with
the ratchet wheel o fast on said journal, the arm P being operated in the forward or
acting direction of the pawl, by a spiral spring Q upon a rod R and in the reverse
direction by inclined cains S fixed to the stationary frame D acting on an anti-friction
roller r adjustably mounted on the upper end of the rod R, the anti friction roller as
the mechanism revolves meeting the cams S and being forced down thereby putting
the spring Qin tension and moving the pawl back for another stroke. The cams S,
of which any suitable number are fixed at equal distances around the machine, have
a second incline S¹ in the reverse direction for the purpose of preventing a too sudden
action of the spring Q at the first part of its stroke. The rod R is jointed at the
lower end, to arm P and slides through guide brackets fixed to the frame M. The
spring is attached at its lower end to a collar fixed on rod R, and its upper end
engaged between a pair of hooked plates q fixed at either side of the upper guide
bracket. The upward motion of the rod R is limited by an adjustable cross-pin
abutting against the upper guide bracket, so that by raising this stop and at same
time adjusting the fork of the anti friction roller r higher up on the rod R, the tension
of the spring may be increased.
The work T passes down between a pair of cross rollers u, mounted in brackets on
the frame M, then round the guide roller V journaled in vertical slots in frame M
immediately beneath the roller Ŏ, thence around the roller O to the cloth roller N.
The temple or device for keeping the work stretched to its full extent, is a frame
of the form shewn in figure 8, consisting of two downwardly bent rods w fixed in
sockets w¹ united by a screw rod w by which the length of the device can be varied.
The ends w pass down between the rollers u and hold the work stretched as shewn.
They are prevented from being drawn down along with the cloth by the sockets w¹
which are much too large to pass between the rollers u.
Doted thin 10th 1
M
1000
S. P. KITTLE.
J. J. ADGATE.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
We, SAMUEL PARKER KITTLE and JOSEPH JOHNSON ADGATE both of New York
and at present of 40, Kirby Street Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to further improvements in circular knitting machines,
and particularly based upon those described in the specification of a former Patent
granted to Joseph Johnson Adgate dated December 15th 1885 No. 15407 and they
particularly relate to machines of that class in which a weft thread is incorporated
with the fabric in the operation of knitting; the heads of certain of the needles-the
aiternate ones for example for this purpose temporarily moving backwards auto-
matically out of line with the remainder of the needles to enable the weft thread to be
laid between the front and back rows of needles, when the same are in their highest
position; and the invention consists in improvements in the details of construction of
certain parts of the said machines, whereby the building of the machine is simplified
and its operation perfected, at the same tiine that a vastly increased rate of production
is ensured. We employ needles such as those described in the specification of our former
patent dated December 15th 1885. No. 15411.
Reference is to he had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifi-
cation, wherein Figure 1 shews an elevation of a portion of the circumference of the
improved machine, and of the take up motion for the fabric. Figure 2 is a cross-
section of line 1-1 figure 1, the take up motion being partly represented in elevation.
Figure 3 is a cross-section of the needle ring and cam ring, the needles (of which two
adjacent ones are shown) being in their highest position and one of them having
moved back out of line with the adjacent needles as hereafter described, for the purpose
of laying weft thread between them. Figure 4 is a similar section, the needle being
in its lowest position. Figure is an external elevation of part of the needle
cylinder, the needles being removed, and figure 6 is a plan of the same. Figure 7
is a horizontal section on line 1-1 figure 4. Figure 8 is an elevation of the
temple for stretching the work to its full width, previous to winding it on the cloth
roller.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The needle cylinder is a compound structure formed by three separate rings A B C,
firmly united together as hereafter described. The inner or body portion A is a ring
of cast iron turned true on its external periphery, and having an external shoulder or
flange a by which it rests on a correspondingly turned seat in the stationary ring-
shaped supporting frame D wherein it is rotated by gear engaging with a toothed
ring A bolted to the lower end of the ring A beneath the fixed frame D. The ring B
is of brass, turned on its internal periphery to fit the part A and firmly secured thereto;

page_text: by heing shrunk on. This ring B has cut in its external periphery (which has been
previously turned true) after the ring has been shrunk on to the body portion A, the
vertical grooves or races 6 to receive the bodies or "jacks" of the needles, which slide
up and down therein. These grooves have parallel sides and are of uniform depth
throughout their length, the ring having been rebated (previous to cutting the needle
grooves) at the lower part, to receive the guard ring hereafter referred to for confining
the needle bodies or jacks in their races or grooves. The upper member C of the
needle cylinder is of wrought iron or steel and is turned true on the straight portion
of its internal periphery and shrunk on to the cast iron body portion A after which
the curved portion of the inner periphery of A and C (over which the work is drawn)
are turned so as to make a smooth and flush joint. The ring after being shrunk on
to A, is turned externally, the lower half of the ring from to 2 being turned to a
diameter equal to the diameter of the ring B less the depth of the grooves or races b
this lower part of the ring being plain, and the upper half of the ring from 3 to 4
being turned to the same diameter as the diameter of the ring B plus the depth of the
grooves or races b, i.e. at the tops of the ribs 6. In the upper part of this ring,
grooves c are cut corresponding in pitch to the grooves or races b but of only sufficient
depth to receive the needles proper. The width of these grooves c at the lower part
is equal to the width of the races 6 so as to afford lateral support for the needles, and
give passage to the needle jack when raised for the purpose of withdrawing it from
the machine, but the grooves are cut, by means of a circular saw or cutter, of greater
width at their upper part, in order to leave clearance for the needle latches
and for the loops in the hooks of the needles, when the latter are drawn down.
EE are the upper and lower members of the cam ring. They are two separate
ringe turned internally to fit as close as possible without touching around the needle
eylinder, their adjacent opposite faces being parallel to each other and formed with
inclines or deviations from the horizontal plane, there being-as-many sets of such
inclines or deviations as there are sets of feeding places or thread guides for laying
the warp and weft threads into and between the needles. The rings E E' are held at
a sufficient distance apart to form the cam slot F to receive the toes or luge of the
needle jacks. Instead of making the adjustment for the cam rings as described in the
Patent granted to the said Joseph Johnson Adgate A.D. 1885-15th Decr.
No. 15407 for Improvement in Weft Thread Knitting Looms, we make the rings E E
to be held at a sufficient distance apart to form the cam slot F to receive the toes or lugs
of the needle jacks in manner following: The lower member E¹ is fixed upon the frame D
by screw studs d fixed to the latter, received in ears on the former and secured by
nuts and the upper member E is fixed adjustably (at the proper distance above the
lower member E¹ to make the width of the cam slot F suit the lugs or toes
of the needle jacks) by means of screw-bolts or pillars e at suitable intervals around
the circumference, received in ears e¹ e on the upper and lower members E E¹. The
lower part of the pillar is screw-threaded and screws into a tapped hole in the lug e¹
whilst the upper part is shouldered for the ear e³ to rest upon, the upper end passing
freely through the ear e and being threaded to receive a nut by which the pillar is
firmly fixed. By loosening the nut and applying a key to the squared bottom end of
the pillar, it may be screwed up or down in order to adjust the width of the cam slot F,
as may be required.
Such of the needles (for which the patent was granted A.D. 1885 15th Decr.
No. 15411 as above mentioned) as are to spring or move automatically backwards when
raised, so that their heads shall project inwards over the edge of the needle cylinder and
therefore be out of line with the other or vertical needles have shanks of peculiar form
whereby the heads of the needles will be caused to lean back when they are raised to
the proper height, the form being such that the needles almost immediately they begin
to be drawn down, will be caused to move quickly forward into line with the remaining
needles for the purpose of receiving the knitted thread. For this purpose, the needle
shank has reverse bends i¹ and 2 in its upper part, so that the intervening portion i is
inclined somewhat suddenly backwards at an angle of about 30° from the vertical

page_text: whilst the head or upper portion is nearly vertical or only slightly inclined backwards
and the lower part of the shank is quite vertical or in line with the jack in which it
is fixed. The angle and length of the part i may vary, and instead of a second reverse
bend at the whole upper part of the needle above may be inclined gradually back-
wards in a straight line from ¹ to the hook, but the form shewn is preferred, as it
gives more room between the two rows of needles, to allow the weft thread to como
down below the latches. The lower bend when the needle is in its highest position,
is just above the upper edge of the needle cylinder so that the upper part of the
needle is caused by the tension of the loop of fabric upon it to project inwards over
the said cylinder a sufficient distance to allow the weft thread to be laid between the
two rows of needles. This inclined part of the needle bears against the bottom of the
needle groove c and acts as a sort of cam to guide the needle in its descent, whereby
it is brought forward into line with the adjacent straight needles the grooves being
only just deep enough to receive the needles, so that the latter are supported against
the tension of the fabric, as above mentioned, the needles being so supported, both
when raised as in figure 3, and when drawn down as in figure 4, and in all intermediate
positions. Thus, when in the position shewn in figure 3, the loop is around the shank
just below the bend and the lower part of the shank is supported by the bottom of
its groove c against the pull of the fabric whilst as the needle begins to be drawn
down, the inclined part i meets the edge of the ring C and in sliding against it, causes
the needle to be pushed outwards until it is in line with the other or vertical needles,
the part above the bend then bearing against the bottom of the groove c until it is
drawn quite down as shewn in figure 4. Thus, it will be seen that the loops on the shanks
both of the straight and bent needles in all positions of the latter are subjected to exactly
the same amount of tension and are of exactly the same length in consequence of the
shanks of both rows of needles always bearing alike against the needle cylinder at the
point where the loops are on the needles. In order that the needles may be sprung or
deflected forward without liability of breakage and in order that when drawn down as
in figure 4 the upper part above the bend i shall bear fairly along its whole length
against the bottom of the groove c, the lower part of the shank may-in-the ease-of-stiff
course-needles be is made rather thinner from front to back about the middle of its
length as at 3, so as to permit of flexure of the shank at this part, the shank thus having.
a local spring-like action whereby the necessary motion of the needle is permitted
without causing undue strain on the part of the shank where it enters the jack H.
The body or jack portion H has parallel sides and edges, and fits in the race b, its outer
edge being flush with the edges of the ribs b₁; its lug or toe H¹ projecting in the cam
slot F and exceeding the jack in thickness (see figure 7) so as to overlap the ribs b¹
and abut against the toes of the adjacent jacks in order that they may mutually
support each other against lateral strain. The lower portion of the body or jack H
below the toe or lug is of sufficiently less depth than the upper part, to permit of its
sliding easily behind the guard ring which is of wrought iron or steel, and is shrunk
or otherwise secured on to the rebated lower end of the ring B, the outer periphery of
the said ring being flush with the outer faces of the ribs b¹ so that it is quite clear
of the lower cam ring without the latter being recessed to receive it. The purpose of
this guard ring is to confine the jacks in the grooves of the needle cylinder and
prevent them canting outwards under the tension of the work on the needles,
thereby avoiding friction of the lower ends of the jacks against the inner surface of
the cam ring so that the machine requires much less power to drive it and the needles.
work more steadily.
Jis the guide for the warp or knitting thread, and K the guide for the filling or
weft thread. The former is so placed with regard to the incline 5 of the cam slot F,
that it will lay the warp or knitting thread under the hooks of the needles as they are
being drawn down, the direction of the thread nearly corresponding with the down-
wardly inclined line of the needle hooks from the highest to the lowest, so that it will
run freely, to furnish the quantity of thread necessary to form the loops at the point 9
where the knitting operation is accomplished. The weft thread guide K is some
distance in advance of the guide J, so that the weft thread (which is laid betweeen the

page_text: needles when the latter are in their highest position in the horizontal part 7 of cam F
and are separated into front and back rows by certain of the needles retiring as shewn
in figure 3) extends diagonally across the rearmost row of needles, and acts as a
guard to prevent the premature closing of their latches before the warp thread has
been laid therein, as shewn separately on a larger scale in figure 1. is the guard for
the latches of the front row of needles, being a horizontal curved wire carried by a
bracket fixed to the upper cam ring E. It extends in front of the needle latches and
serves to prevent them being prematurely closed, whether by springing up when the
loops slip over their points on to the shanks of the needles as the latter rise or from
any other cause. Two sets of thread guides are placed close together, as shewn at the
left-hand side of figure 1, and between them and the next sets of thread guides, there
is a sufficient space to allow of the attendant having access to the interior of the
machine for any purpose, this arrangement or spacing of the thread guides being
repeated around the circumference of the machine. Opposite the wide interval between
the sets of thread guides, the straight horizontal part 8 of the cam slot F is at such a
height that the needles engaged therein will be partly raised in order to facilitate
access to them in case of need, a gate or removable sliding section et let into the
inner periphery of the upper cam ring E¹, being provided for permitting the
entire withdrawal and insertion of a needle from or into its groove in the needle
ring, the section * being removed to give passage to the lug of the needle
jack.
The take-up motion is supported in a pendent frame M fixed to, and revolving
with, the body A of the needle cylinder. N is the cloth roller on which the work is
wound. Its journals run free in a pair of slotted arms n pivoted on the journals of
the cloth driving roller O and held adjustably at the desired inclination, by means of
stay rods n. The upper ends of the slots in the arms n are closed by pivoted latches n'
to permit the easy removal of the cloth roller when full. The roller O is journaled in
the frame M and the cloth roller rests upon it and is rotated by frictional contact
therewith. The roller O is covered with emery cloth or otherwise roughened, to
enable it to grip the fabric which encircles about two-thirds of its circumference. It
is rotated by a pawl p on an arm P pivoted upon the journal of roller O engaging
with the ratchet wheel o fast on said journal, the arm P being operated in the forward
or acting direction of the pawl, by a spiral spring Q upon a rod R and in the reverse
direction by inclined cams S fixed to the stationary frame D acting on an anti-friction
roller adjustably mounted on the upper end of the rod R, the anti-friction roller, as
the mechanism revolves, meeting the cams S and being forced down, thereby putting
the spring Qin tension and moving the pawl back for another stroke. The cams S, of
which any suitable number are fixed at equal distances around the machine, have a
second incline S¹ in the reverse direction, for the purpose of preventing a too sudden
action of the spring Q at the first part of its stroke. The rod R is jointed at the lower
end to arm P and slides through guide brackets fixed to the frame M. The spring Q
is attached at its lower end to a collar fixed on rod Rand its upper end is engaged
between a pair of hooked plates q fixed at either side of the upper guide bracket. The
upward motion of the rod R is limited by an adjustable cross-pin abutting against
the upper guide bracket, so that by raising this stop and at the same time adjusting
the fork of the anti-friction roller higher upon the rod R, the tension of the spring
may be increased. The work T passes down between a pair of cross-rollers & mounted
in brackets on the frame M, then round the guide roller V journaled in vertical slots
in frame M, immediately beneath the roller 0, thence around the roller O, to the cloth
roller N.
The temple, or device for keeping the work stretched to its full'extent, is a frame of
the form shewn in figure 8, consisting of two downwardly bent rods w fixed in
sockets w¹ united by a screw rod w³, by which the length of the device can be varied.
The ends to pass down between the rollers u and hold the work stretched, as shewn.
They are prevented from being drawn down along with the cloth, by the sockets w¹,
which are much too large to pass between the rollers u.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is ;-
1. A circular knitting machine constructed as hereinbefore described in which the
needle jacks slide up and down in one set of grooves or races and the needle shanks
slide, and are supported against the tension of the fabric, in corresponding grooves of
less depth than the jack grooves and in which the needle jacks are of the shape shewn
and are retained in their races by a guard ring shrunk or otherwise secured on to the
rebated lower end of the needle cylinder and flush with the circumference thereof,
substantially as shown and described.
2. In a circular knitting machine, in which the cam for operating the needles is
made of two separate rings, as shewn; the particular arrangement of screw pillar for
connecting the two rings and enabling the width of the cam slot to be readily adjusted,
substantially as shewn and described.
3. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with the spring rod R actuating
the take-up motion, of a spring Q connected to the rod R as described, so as to act in
tension, and the combination with the spring and rod so connected, of the adjustable
stop and of the adjustable bracket supporting the anti-friction roller whereby the
tension of the spring Q is readily adjustable, and the combination with the foregoing
mechanism, of the double inclined cam S S¹ whereby sudden action of the spring is
prevented as shewn and described.
4. In a circular knitting machine, guiding the journals of the cloth roller in adjustable
inclined slotted guide arms, as described.
5. In a circular knitting machine, the temple or device for stretching the fabric,
consisting of the frame with downwardly bent ends w in combination with the pair of
cross-rollers u supporting the frame in position, substantially as specified.
6. In a weft thread circular knitting machine wherein a weft thread is laid between
the needles whilst in their highest position and whilst separated into front and back rows
by the moving backwards of certain of the needles, the arrangement of the weft thread
guide relatively to the needles, so that the weft thread shall act as a guard for the latches
of the back row of needles, as described.
7. In a weft thread circular knitting machine wherein certain of the needles move
back automatically when raised, the combination with the needle cylinder having
grooves of such depth as to guide and support the needles, as described, of needles
having shanks bent backwards (at a point which is just above the edge of the needle
cylinder when the needles are in their highest position) and fixed in jacks which slide
in the grooves of the needle cylinder and of a guard ring which prevents contact of
the lower ends of the needle-jacks with the cam ring, substantially as specified.