An Improved Method and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Knitted Stockings and Socks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Knitted
Stockings and Socks.
We, WILLIAM TERTIUS ROWLETT, of 34 Newarke Street, Leicester, Yarn
Merchant, and WILLIAM INGRAM JAMES, of Green End House, Stafford,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The disadvantage attending stockings or socks made in the ordinary way upon
what is known as the Griswold machine is that the foot and leg both have to be of
the same width. In order to obviate this disadvantage we in place of making the
foot of the stocking of a parallel tubular piece of work of the same diameter as
the leg that is-made throughout upon the same number of needles as the leg-
make the foot of two selvaged pieces of work both forming continuations of the
tubular leg piece. One selvaged piece of work forming the sole or under side and
the other the upper side of the foot. The one forming the sole is a continuation
of the heel piece formed as usual in the end of the leg upon somewhat more than
half the circle of needles-the other forming the upper part of the foot is formed
on the remainder of the needles.
Immediately after the heel has been formed we commence to form the sole upon
the same needles that the heel piece was formed on and gradually reduce the
number of needles taking the loops off the outer needles of those in work and
shifting them inwards on to the adjoining ones at the same time taking out the
needles from which the loops have been taken so as to put them out of work. In
this way the sole is narrowed at the gusset until the required width is obtained.
The toe we make on the same needles as the sole by the usual method employed
on Griswold machines but if desired one half of the toe may be formed on the end
of one of the pieces of selvedged work and the other on the other piece or any
other form of toe may be substituted.
We also provide for making the leg and the selvaged piece of work that is to
form the upper part of the foot of ribbed work.
In order to avoid the great loss of time which would be entailed by making these
two selvaged pieces of work at separate times upon the Griswold machine we use
a circular knitting machine constructed as hereinafter described which enables us
to knit the two selvaged extensions simultaneously and also to make the selvaged
extension which is to form the upper part of the foot of ribbed work.
We form the machine with two cam rings placed one above the other and both
capable of being revolved or reciprocated around the needle cylinder-the stems
of the needles carried around the circumference of one half or division of the
cylinder being longer than those carried by the other half or division so that the
needles around one portion of the circumference of the cylinder may be acted on
by the cams on one cam ring and the needles around the other portion of the
circumference of the cylinder by the cams on the other cam ring-the cams on
each ring being also formed so as to raise and lower the needles in a proper way
for producing work whether the cam rings be revolved in one direction or the
other.
We also make provision for securing together the two cam rings so that the
cams come one below the other and produce tubular work when the two cams are
revolved around the cylinder.
We also make provision for securing together the two cam rings so that the

page_text: cams come on opposite sides of the circumference of the cylinder when work is to
be produced by giving an oscillating motion to the cam-rings as described in the
Specification of the Patent granted to William Henry Dorman No. 2325 in the
year 1887.
We also provide such a machine with a ribbing attachment the revolving cams
of which are so formed as to properly move the needles for producing ribbed work
whether the cams be revolved in one direction or the other.
In the machine described in the above mentioned Patent tubular work was
produced whether the cam rings were revolved continuously around the needle
cylinder or whether they were oscillated to and fro around it-the stems of some
of the needles at the junctions of the two divisions of needles being made with
two projections upon them so that these needles were acted on by both sets of
cams and when the cams were oscillated to and fro the work produced on one set
of needles was locked to the work produced on the other set by work being
produced on these junction needles both by the yarn laid onto the one division of
needles as well as by the yarn laid on to the other division of the needles.
We use no such junction at the meeting points of the two divisions of needles
so that when making the two extensions of the leg piece these two pieces are
formed with proper side selvedges. When the leg has been made of ribbed work
the ribbing needles working with the cylinder needles upon which the heel_and
sole pieces are to be knitted have their loops removed from them and placed on
to the cylinder needles and put out of action whilst the ribbing needles working
with the cylinder needles upon which the upper part of the foot is to be made
remain in action.
Dated this 97th day of Lon 1804
W. T. ROWLETT.
W. INGRAM JAMES.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Knitted
Stockings and Socks.
We, WILLIAM TERTIUS ROWLETT, of 34 Newarke Street, Leicester, Yarn
Merchant, and WILLIAM INGRAM JAMES, of Green End House, Stafford,
Engineer, 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 :---
The disadvantage attending stockings or socks made in ordinary way upon what
is known as the Griswold machine is that the foot and leg both have to be of the
same width. In order to obviate this disadvantage we in place of making the foot
of the stocking of a parallel tubular piece of work of the same diameter as the leg
-that is-made throughout upon the same number of needles as the leg-make
the foot of two selvedged pieces of work both forming continuations of the tubular
leg piece. One selvedged piece of work forming the sole or under side and the
other the upper side of the foot. The one forming the sole is a continuation of
the heel piece formed as usual in the end of the leg upon somewhat more than
half the circle of needles-the other forming the upper part of the foot is formed
on the remainder of the needles.
Immediately after the heel has been formed we commence to form the sole upon
. the same needles that the heel piece was formed on and gradually reduce the
number of needles taking the loops off the outer needles of those in work and
shifting them inwards on to the adjoining ones at the same time taking out the
needles from which the loops have been taken so as to put them out of work. In
this way the sole is narrowed at the gusset until the required width is obtained.

page_text: The toe we make on the same needles as the sole by the usual method employed on
Griswold machines but if desired one half of the toe may be formed on the end of
one of the pieces of selvedged work and the other on the other piece or any other
form of toe may be substituted.
We also provide for making the leg and the selvedged piece of work that is to
form the upper part of the foot of ribbed work.
In order to avoid the great loss of time which would be entailed by making these
two selvedged pieces of work at separate times upon the Griswold machine we
use a circular knitting machine constructed as hereinafter described which enables us
to knit the two selvedged extensions simultaneously and also to make the selvedged
extension which is to form the upper part of the foot of ribbed work.
We form the machine with two cam rings placed one above the other and both
capable of being revolved or reciprocated around the needle cylinder-the stems
of the needles carried around the circumference of one half or division of the
cylinder being longer than those carried by the other half or division so that the
needles around one portion of the circumference of the cylinder may be acted on
by the cams on one cam ring and the needles around the other portion of the
circumference of the cylinder by the cams on the other cam ring-the cams on
each ring being also formed so as to raise and lower the needles in a proper way
for producing work whether the cam rings be revolved in one direction or the
other.
We also make provision for securing together the two cam rings so that the
cams come one below the other and produce tubular work when the two cams are
revolved around the cylinder.
We also make provision for securing together the two cam rings so that the
cams come on opposite sides of the circumference of the cylinder when work is to be
produced by giving an oscillating motion to the cam-rings as described in the
Specification of the Patent granted to William Henry Dorman No. 2325 in the
year 1887.
We also provide such a machine with a ribbing attachment the revolving cams
of which are so formed as to properly move the needles for producing ribbed work
whether the cams be revolved in one direction or the other.
In the machine described in the above mentioned Patent tubular work was
produced whether the cam rings were revolved continuously around the needle
cylinder or whether they were oscillated to and fro around it-the stems of some
of the needles at the junctions of the two divisions of needles being made with two
projections upon them so that these needles were acted on by both sets of cams
and when the cams were oscillated to and fro the work produced on one set of
needles was locked to the work produced on the other set by work being
produced on these junction needles both by the yarn laid on to the one division of
needles as well as by the yarn laid on to the other division of the needles.
We use no such junction at the meeting points of the two divisions of needles
so that when making the two extensions of the leg piece these two pieces are
formed with proper side selvedges. When the leg has been made of ribbed work
the ribbing needles working with the clinder needles upon which the heel and
sole pieces are to be knitted have their loops removed from them and placed on to
the cylinder needles and put out of action whilst the ribbing needles working
with the cylinder needles upon which the upper part of the foot is to be made
remain in action.
In the drawings annexed
Figure 1 is a side view of a stocking or sock formed in the above manner.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the piece of work as it comes from the machine
-a portion only of the leg of the stocking or sock is shewn in these figures.
Figure 3 is a diagram plan view of the circle of vertical or frame needles.
The stems of the needles around the portion of the circumference marked a, e, e,
f, d, b are adapted to be acted on by the cams on one cam ring whilst those around

page_text: the portion of the circumference marked a, a* and b are adapted to be acted on by
the cams on the other cam ring.
A is the upper part of the leg made of ribbed work in the ordinary way until
the point A is arrived at the loops on the ribbing needles around somewhat more
than one half of the circle of needles say around the portion marked a, c, e, f, d, b,
in the diagram view Figure 3 are taken off from themi and placed on to the upright
or frame needles below them and the ribbing needles from which the loops have
been removed are taken away. The two cam rings used for acting on the upright
frame needles are now secured together in such a manner that the cams on one ring
are opposite to the cams on the other ring.
A reciprocating motion is now given to the cam rings and ribbed work is made
on the needles around the portion a, a, b and plain work on the remaining needles.
This is continued until the point A2 is arrived at when the shaping of the heel
is to be commenced. The two cam rings are now again disconnected and the ring
carrying the cams for acting on the needles around a, a, b is left stationary, whilst
the cam ring acting upon needles a ce for b reciprocates to make the heel or
instead of disconnecting the cam rings the needles a a* b, are raised up out of
action as in the ordinary Griswold machine.
The heel portion B is now made in the ordinary way-when it is completed the
ring carrying the cams for acting on the needles around a, a, b is again brought
into action, either by again setting it in motion or by bringing down the needles
which had been put out of work so that when the rings are again oscillated ribbed
work is again made on the needles around a ab to produce the piece C for
forming the upper part of the foot whilst plain work is produced on the remainder
of the needles for forming the piece D for the underside of the foot. As the
formation of this piece D proceeds the width of it is gradually decreased by
taking loops from those needles which are nearest to a and b and shifting them on
to needles nearer to c and d-and this is continued until the width of the work has
been reduced to the width required for the remainder of the underside of
the foot.
The production of ribbed work on the needles around a, a, b and of plain work
on the needles around c, e, f, d then goes on until the point is arrived at where the
toe end is to be formed. When this point is arrived at the ribbed piece C will
have been made of sufficient length and may be taken off from the needles-the
formation of the toe end is then proceeded with and it is made just in the same
way as the heel the length of the courses of work being gradually decreased until
work is being produced say only on the needles from e to f-(the needles from c
to e and from to d still retaining their loops) and then again gradually increased
in length until work is again made on all the needles between c, e, f, d the
formation of the toe piece is then complete and the work is taken from the
machine.
As before stated other ways of forming the toe end may be adopted.
Afterwards the formation of the sock or stocking is completed by knitting or
otherwise joining together the end edges of the toe piece and of the ribbed piece C
and by stitching together the selvedged edges of the pieces C and D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A knitted stocking or sock made substantially as hereinbefore described of a
tubular leg piece with two selvedged pieces of work forming continuations from it
one selvedged piece of work forming the heel and underside of the foot and the
toe and the other the upper side of the foot and with the continuation forming
the underside or sole of the foot gradually narrowed after the heel piece has been
formed and the selvedged edges of the continuations subsequently knitted or joined
together.

page_text: 2. A knitted stocking or sock made substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 25th day of October 1894.
WILLIAM TERTIUS ROWLETT.
W. INGRAM JAMES.