Year: 1886

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my 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 that class of knitting machines known as circular, in
which a series of latch needles are arranged in a circle and are moved up and down
by a revolving cam to form the stitches which constitute the knit fabric; and it
consists in certain novel constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts
which will be hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a plan of so much of a machine as is necessary to illustrate my
invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the same with the loop cast-off-carrying-ring and the
cast-off-operating-cam removed, and the yarn guiding stump arm in section.
Figure 4 is an inverted plan of the segment carrying flange and plate and
showing the mechanism for moving the said plate and the segments connected
therewith.
Figure 5 is a plan similar to Figure 3 except that the plate and the segments
carried thereby are shewn in a position to throw one half of the needles out of
action with the needle operating cam-path of the cam cylinder.
Figure 6 is a vertical section on the line x, x Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a horizontal section on the line y, y, Figures 2 and 6, and showing
the cam segments in position to throw one half of the needles out of action with
the cam.
Figure 8 is a central vertical section of the needle operating cam-cylinder.
Figure 9 is an elevation of a small section of the needle cylinder drawn to an
enlarged scale.
Figure 10 is a vertical section on line z, z on Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a plan of a portion of the series of radial cast offs and their sup-
porting ring.
Figure 12 is an inverted plan of a portion of the cast off operating cam.
Figure 13 is a vertical section on the line v, v Figure 5.
Figure 14 is an elevation of the needle.
Figure 15 is an elevation of one of the cast off fingers

page_text: the douDIC
Figures 16 and 17 are respectively a plan and a side elevation of
acting pawl for operating the upper segment for throwing the needles out of
action.
Figures 18 and 19 are similar views of the double acting pawl for operating the
lower segment for throwing the needles out of action and
Figure 20 shows a detail to be hereinafter referred to.
A is the base-ring which may be secured upon a bench or table, or it may be
mounted upon a post or standard firmly secured to said ring.
B is the needle-cylinder secured in a fixed position upon the ring A, by means of
screws, one of which is shown at a Figure 6.
The cylinder B has formed in its periphery a series of vertical grooves b, b to
receive and form guides for the needles C, the inner walls or bottoms of said grooves
being curved so as to make said grooves considerably deeper at the centre of their
lengths than at their ends, as shown in Figures 6 and 10; the purpose of which is
to enable the needles to be sprung or bent so as to throw them out of action with
the cam which reciprocates them.
The upper portions of the grooves b, b are milled out to a somewhat greater
width, as shown at b¹ Figure 10, to permit the loops of yarn to be drawn into said
grooves as the needles descend, and said grooves are returned across the top of
said cylinder in a direction radial to the axis of said cylinder, which has the
inner portion of its upper end reduced in height and bevelled, as shown in
Figure 10.
The partitions b² 62 between said grooves b, b, it will be seen, extend above the
main body of the cylinder, and have the inner edges thereof, which so project,
inclined or under cut so as to form hooks c, the purpose of which will be herein-
after described.
D is a cam cylinder mounted in a suitable bearing in the upper side of the base
ring A, so as to surround and enclose the lower portion of the needle cylinder B;
and having formed in its inner surface the cam path d, arranged to receive and act
upon the outwardly projecting lugs e of the needles C, to impart to said needles a
vertically reciprocating movement in a well known manner; a rotary motion
being imparted to said cam cylinder by the bevel gear wheel E mounted upon the
shaft F, and meshing with corresponding bevel gear teeth formed on the lower end
of the cylinder D, also in a well known manner.
The shaft F may be provided with a pulley and be driven by a belt from any
convenient source of power, or it may be supplied with a crank and be driven
by hand.
The needle cylinder D has formed therein the circumferential groove f and just
below said groove is provided with the shoulder g-Figures 9 and 10-to form
a stop or rest for the annular plate G secured to the cylinder B by a driving fit.
The annular plate G has formed in its upper surface, a recess / semicircular at
one end and extending to the circumference of the plate at the opposite end, in
which is fitted to slide in a dovetailed bearing formed in the sides thereof, the
plate H, the inner end of which is curved to an arc of a circle corresponding in
radius to the curve of the inner end of the recess formed in the plate G, so that
when the plate H is adjusted to the position shown in Figure 7, and fills the outer
portion of the recess h formed in the annular plate G, a recess the outline of which
is a nearly complete circle concentric with the axis or centre of the needle cylinder,
surrounds said cylinder, in which are placed the two segmental cams I and I¹ placed
one upon the other, said segments being of an aggregate thickness equal to the
depth of the recess h or the thickness of the plate H, as shown in Figure 6.
The plate H has the centre of its inner end cut away to form an enlargement of
the recess h to receive the two double-ended pawls and i', which engage with
notches in the outer edges of the segments I and I' respectively.
The double pawl is formed upon the lower end of, and preferably in one piece
with, the short shaft i which has its bearing in the hub of the double pawl i and
has secured to its upper end the spring arm j.

page_text: The hub of the pawl i has its bearing in the inner end of the lever J which is
pivotted at to the plate H, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 7.
To the upper end of the hub of the pawl is firmly secured the T-shaped arm K,
in the outer end of which are formed three detent notches 1, and 12 to receive the
outer end of the spring arm according to whether one or the other or neither end
of the pawl is to act upon the segment I when the lever J is vibrated.
The object or purpose of the double pawls i and i', and their arrangement in com-
bination with the lever J, the arm K and the spring arm j, is to enable the operator,
by simply vibrating the lever J, to impart to the segments I and I' a step by step
movement in opposite directions, so as to advance them from the positions shown
in figure 5 to the positions shown in Figure 7 or "vice versa as will be more fully
described.
"
The object of this step by step movement of the segments I and l' is to throw
out of action with its cam a single needle at the end of each course for the purpose
of narrowing in the formation of the first half of a heel or toe bulge, and then by
reversing the action to allow a single needle to be brought into action again at the
end of each course, for the purpose of widening in forming the last half of the heel
and toe bulges.
'
The segments I and I are made to extend considerably beyond a semicircle in
length, and each has formed upon its inner edge at each end a curved cam surface,
as indicated at 3 to it (see Figure 3), that portion of its inner edge bet
23
and, comprising just a half circle of such a diameter that when s
are moved towards the needle cylinder by means of the plate H and
-
°
to the position shown in Figure 5, they shall cause just one half of the neeu.
contained in the needle cylinder to be bent in at the middle of their lengths to
throw their lugs out of action with the cam-path of the cam cylinder D, as shown
at the right hand side of Figure 6.
Land L' are two springs secured at their outer ends to the plate H, and having
their inner ends bent downward upon the ends of the segments, which are bevelled
to permit said segments to lift said springs and pass under their ends which press
upon and prevent the segments being lifted as they are being moved about the
cylinder B by the action of the pawls thereon, and also to determine when said
segments are in their normal positions relative to the plate H, as shown in
Figures 3, 5, 7 and 13.
As the segments I and I¹ are moved around the needle cylinder from the positions
shown in Figure to the positions shown in Figure 7, the cam surfaces 23 to 2* act
upon the bodies of the needles to press them inward, as shown in figure 6, the
partitions between the needles preventing the needles from being carried forward
with the segments.
A reciprocating movement toward and from the cylinder B may be imparted to
the plate H and segments I and I, by means of the lever M pivotted to the plate H,
the crank pin m carried by said lever and the link N pivotted at one end to the
under side of the annular plate G and connected at the other end to the crank pin
m, as shown in Figures 2, 4 and 6.
O is an annular plate or flange supported upon the posts 01 01 01 set in the
flange G, and having formed in its upper surface a series of radial grooves n, n, in
which are placed a series of cast off and work-down-holding fingers o, o male from
flattened steel wire bent and shaped as shown in Figure 15. The upwardly pro-
jecting lug of is designed to be acted upon by the cam path p formed in the under
side of the annular plate P, which is provided with the downwardly projecting
annular flange Pi to enclose and have a bearing upon the edge of the plate O as shown
in Figure 6, said plate P being arranged to rest upon the plate O and be revolved
thereon, in unison with the needle operating cam cylinder D, by means of the
U-shaped arm Q. The lower end of the arm Q is firmly secured to the cam ring D
and its upper end extends inwards over the plate P and is not attached thereto but
rests upon the segment R. secured to the upper side of the plate P and is provided
2

page_text: with the upwardly projecting ears in which are set the adjustable screw
stops and between which the upper arm of said U-shaped arm may vibrate
without moving the cam plate P.
The arm Q
operated by hand when it is desired to knit back and forth, as
when knitting the heel and toe bulge, and moves with it the cain plate P after it
strikes the screw-stop 2 and 3, according to the direction in which it is being
moved. The object of the lost motion between the arm Q and the plate P due to
the movement of the arm Q from contact with one of said screw stops to contact
with the other is to enable the eye of the thread guide which is carried by said
arm to move in advance of the cam throws which operate the needles and cast offs,
whether said arm and arms are moved in one direction or the other.
To the inner end of the upper arm of the U-shaped arm Q is secured the yarn
guide S, so as to be adjusted thereon to a greater or less distance from the needles
by means of a slot and screw, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 6; said guide being
made in two parts pivotted together at 8 by a clamping screw and nut, so that its
inner end may be adjusted up and down and held in any desired position by
friction, or if desired the inner portion or the guide proper may be turned back
upon the outer portion so as to be entirely out of the way when putting a ribbed
stocking top upon the needles.
The annular plate O is so arranged relative to the needle cylinder B, that the
inner ends of the cast off fingers oo are directly above and rest upon the upper
ends of the stationary sinkers c¹ or the ribs between the grooves b, b, and project
inward somewhat beyond the needles and the sinker hooks c when in their normal
positious as shown in Figure 1.
The cam plate or ring P is so arranged relative to the needle-cam that each
cast-off finger o is drawn back thereby to its farthest outward position just before
the needle immediately in advance of it is drawn below the upper end of the needle
cylinder, and is again moved inward to push the loop of yarn, just drawn down
over the ends of the fixed sinkers, off from the upper end of said sinker and upon
the hooks c before the needle rises above the top of said sinker.
The cast off finger remains in said innermost position to hold the knitted fabric
down until another stitch is to be formed by the next revolution of the cam.
The cast off fingers o o are reduced in vertical thickness between their inner ends
and the lugs o¹ by cutting away a portion of the wire at o² Figure 15 to render
them more elastic; and a steel segmental rib T is secured to the inner edge of the
cam-plate or ring P upon the side next to the outward throw p¹ of the cam-path p
and projects slightly below the under surface of the plate P so as to bear hard upon
the cast offs o, o, and press them into close contact with the upper ends of the
sinkers c when they are being moved inward to cast off the loop of yarn, thereby
ensuring the casting off of the loop and making it impossible for the cast off fingers
to slide over the loops, the extreme ends of the under edge of said rib T being
rounded or curved upward to ensure its easy passage over the cast off fingers o, o
even though they may be slightly displaced.
0 It will be observed that the lugs e of the needles C are formed by bending the
wire in the form of a letter U with a considerable space between the parallel
portions of said U bend, instead of having said parallel brought into close contact
by forming a sharper bend in the wire which has been found very objectionable
when needles were to be thrown out of action with the cam by bending or
springing them, as they would often break through said short bend; but by
making the bend longer and separating the parallel parts of the lug as shown, this
difficulty is entirely over come and I am enabled to mechanically throw out of
action one half of the needles at a single operation, by simply reversing the position
of the lever M, thereby moving the plate H and segments I and 11 from the
position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Figure 5 in which latter
position the inner edges of the segments I and I¹ enter the circumferential groove f
and pressing upon the needles at the point e¹ bend them into the position shown

page_text: on the left band side of Figure 6, when the lugs e are removed from the cam-path
and the cam cylinder D may be revolved without moving said needles.
When it is desired to knit a heel the plate H and segments I and I¹ are moved
into the position shown in Figure 5, and the cam ring P and cam cylinder D are
reciprocated through an are of a circle of requisite length in a well known manner.
At the end of each course the lever J is moved to the opposite angle from which it
stands relative to a radial line drawn through the axes of the cylinder B, thereby
moving the segments I and I' in opposite directious around the cylinder B in the
recess h, a distance equal to the distance between two needles, a movement of the
lever J in the direction indicated by the arrow causing the pawl i to engage with
the notches in the outer edge of the segment I and impart a movement thereto in
the direction indicated by the arrow shown thereon and a movement of the lever J
in the opposite direction causing the pawl to engage with the notches in the
outer edge of the segment I and impart a movement thereto in the opposite
direction, thereby throwing out of action an additional needle after each course
first at one side and then at the other side of the cylinder, the spring arm j being
meantime held in the detent notch in the T-shaped arm K as shown in
Figure 5.
When the first half of the heel or toe has been knitted and it is desired to knit
the other half and join the two halves together it is only necessary to move the
spring arm from the detent notch to the notch 1, the effect of which is to
throw out of action the ends of the pawls i and i which have just been operating
upon the segments I and I¹ and cause the opposite ends of said pawls to engage
with said segments, and continue the knitting and vibrating the lever J after each
course as before; the segments I and I¹ being alternately moved in the reverse
direction to their previous movement a distance equal to the distance from the
centre of one needle of the centre of the next needle, thereby uncovering a needle
first upon one side of the cylinder and then upon the other and permitting them to
spring into the proper position to be engaged by the cam path d at the next
movement thereof.
When the cam segments I and I' have again assumed the position shown in
Figure 5 the heel or toe will be completed and if a heel the lever M is reversed to
move the plate H and segments I and I' into the positions shown in Figure 3, thus
relieving the pressure upon all the needles and permitting them to assume their
normal positions where they will be acted upon by the cam path d to raise and
depress them, when the cams will be revolved continuously around the cylinder B
in the direction indicated by the arrow upon the cam ring P, the upper arm of the
U-shaped arm Q being in contact with the screw-stop and thus compelling said
cam ring P to move in unison with the cam cylinder D.
When knitting the heel and toe however in order that the greatest rise of the
needles shall precede the backward or outward movement of the cast off fingers, the
U-shaped lever Q moves from contact with the stop 2 to contact with the screw
stop before the cam ring P begins to move, and “ vice versa "after the completion
of each course before commencing another.
The cam ring P has secured to its periphery two or more plates t, t, having one
portion bent at right angles to the other portion and extending inward across the
under edge of the annular lip P¹ and under the plate O, as shown in Figure 20, to
secure the cam-ring P in position and prevent it being accidently lifted and thus
displaced.
The yarn to be knitted is drawn from a bobbin through or over an elevated
guide, neither of which are shown, and is passed first through the eye u in the yarn
guide S and then through the eye u', and is then laid along under the hooks of the
needles by which it is seized as they descend and is drawn in the form of loops
over the ends of the sinkers c, c which loops are then pushed off from said tops into
the hooks c when the cast offs pass inward beyond said hooks and prevent said
Joops from being drawn off from the hooks c as the needles rise to seize a new loop.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated
to me by my foreign Correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The combination of the needle cylinder B, provided with the fixed
sinkers c¹, c; the needles C; the cast off fingers o; the cam ring P, provided with
the path p and throw p'; and the cam cylinder D, all arranged and adapted
to operate substantially as described.
Second. The combination of the needle-cylinder B provided with the fixed
sinkers c² c; the cast off fingers o; the cam ring P, provided with the path p
having the throw p¹; and the pressure segmental rib T, all arranged and adapted
to operate substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
Third. The combination of a needle-cylinder provided with a series of longi-
tudinal grooves in its periphery made deeper at the middle of their lengths than at
their ends; a series of needles located in said grooves; and a reciprocating seginent
arranged to press against the middle of said needles and bend them into the hollows
of said groove, substantially as shown and described.
Fourth. The combination of the cylinder B provided with the longitudinal
grooves b having a greater depth at their centres than at their ends and with the
circumferential groove f; a series of needles in said grooves; the cam-cylinder D
provided with a needle operating cam path d; the flange or plate G firmly secured
upon said cylinder and provided with the recess h having the parallel portions of its
sides dovetailed; the reciprocating plate H fitted to slide in said dove-tailed recess;
the segments I and I¹; the crank lever M; and the connecting rod or link N
connecting said. flange G and plate H, whereby one half of the needles may be
thrown out of action by a single movement of said crank lever, substantially
as described.
Fifth, In combination with the flange or plate G provided with the recess h; the
plate H and the segments I and 11, the springs L and L' each secured at one end to
the plate H and having its opposite end bent down over the inner ends of the
segments, substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
Sixth. The combination of the cylinder B provided with the series of longi-
tudinal grooves b, b, having a greater depth at the centre of their lengths than at
their ends, and with the circumferential groove f; the flange G; the plate H; the
crank-lever M; the connecting-rod N; the cam-segments I and 12 fitted to the
inner end of said plate H and provided with teeth or notches in their outer edges;
the lever J; the double acting pawls i and i¹; the T-shaped arm K provided with
the detent notches 1, and 12; and the spring arm j, all constructed, arranged and
adapted to operate substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
Seventh. The combination of the needle cylinder B; the needles C; the needle
operating cam cylinder D; the radially groove plate O, the cast off fingers o; the
cam ring P; the adjustable stops 72 and mounted upon the cam ring P; and the
U-shaped arm Q, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as described.
Eighth. The combination of the U-shaped arm Q; and the yarn guide S made
in two parts pivotted together and adjustably secured upon the upper branch of the
U-shaped arm Q, substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.