Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1893—Accepted, 26th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
We, CHARLES HENRY WALLWORK and ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK trading
as Henry Wallwork & Co. of Union Bridge Ironworks, Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:―
Our invention relates chiefly to circular knitting machines and consists in
improvements in the construction and arrangement of the splicing mechanism for
introducing an additional yarn into and thereby thickening any desired part of a
knitted garment, and of the welting cam, the object being to simplify the mechanism
and arrangement of the parts thereof.
One part of our invention consists in the form and manner of applying a semi-
circular rail or raised platform upon the base of the machine for the purpose of
operating our splicing mechanism.
We form two projections upon the base of the machine in such manner that the
Each
ends of the semicircular rail or segment shall fit therein on opposite sides.
end of the segment is formed in such manner that it may enter each projection
aforesaid horizontally and the segment remain securely in position and readily
moveable from one side of the machine to the opposite one.
In arranging the machine to make what is termed diamond splicing or any other
special shape of splicing and to make this done automatically we form a semi-
circular rail in two parts, and arrange it so that the length of the said rail shall
vary and consequently the time of operation of the splicing parts. To give the
necessary movement to the parts of the semicircular rail we form each part with a
toothed rack one part having an inverted rack, the racks laying together and
arranged in gear with a pinion which is moved by a ratchet wheel at each
revolution of the machine backwards or forwards.
Another part of our invention consists in the form and arrangement of the
lever and parts for gripping the splicing thread and taking up and giving out slack
yarn.
This lever is mounted upon a pivot in a somewhat vertical position above
the plane of the semicircular rail, and has its lower arm bent in the plane of
its movement and carrying by preference a friction roller at its extremity
which during the movement of the machine comes in contact with and travels
upon the platform aforesaid, the elevation of the platform causing the lever to
move. The upper end of this lever is provided with a hole for the yarn to pass
through and also a slot or groove which engages with the moveable part of a jaw
or clamp through which passes the splicing yarn. To the lever and its carrier is
arranged a spring in such manner that when the roller foot of the lever is off the
platform on semicircular-rail the spring shall cause the lever to close the jaw
and grip the splicing yarn and also take up some slack yarn passing through
the hole aforesaid in the top end of the lever, which slack yarn is given up upon
the return movement of the lever when the roller foot thereof moves along the
semicircular-rail.
By the action of this lever, which is the main portion of our splicing
mechanism we first release the yarn and at the same time place the necessary
amount of slack yarn, previously taken up by the lever and ready to be taken
through by the yarn already being knitted. When the roller foot of the lever has
travelled to the end of the semicircular rail, the lever moves back, traps the
splicing yarn and at the same time takes up some slack yarn, ready for the next
splicing thread.

page_text: Another part of our invention relates to what is known as the welting cam,
in which we arrange a small switch moveable from the top of the cam plate
when in work. This switch is arranged with two sides forming practically a
moveable groove or channel and is positive in action. By turning a thumb piece
on the top of the cam plate the grooved switch is moved to guide the needles
from the outer race on the cam to the inner race to keep them out of action until
again required.
In a modification of our improved cam plate we arrange that part of the cam
which keeps the needles in action to disappear from the face of the cam plate when
the needles are not required for causing the welt. We effect this by hinging the
moveable part and applying a spring catch which when moved causes the said part
to spring up out of the way. By pressing down the hinged part it remains placed
in position by the spring catch aforesaid.
In a further modification of our improved cam plate we use a combination
of the two movements above referred to and we cause a divergence of the
race from the outer to the inner by forming a short channel by two moveable
pieces the outer one of which is made to switch at the junction and the inner
one to sink in the plate by one movement of a thumb piece upon the top of the
cam plate.
Dated this 27th dor of Santambon 1000
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
We, CHARLES HENRY WALLWORK and ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK, trading
as Henry Wallwork & Co., of Union Bridge Iron Works, Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to circular kuitting machines and consists in improvements
in the construction and arrangement of the splicing mechanism for introducing an
additional yarn into and thereby thickening any desired part of a knitted garment,
and of the welting cam, the object being to simplify the mechanism and arrange-
ment of the parts thereof.
On the two sheets of drawings appended hereunto
Fig. 1 shows an elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of our improved splicing
arrangement;
Fig. 3 a side view of our improved splicing cam or rail;
Fig. 4 a side view of the machine generally, showing another arrangement of
splicing rail;
Figs. 5 and 6 a side view and view from below of our improved welting cam ;
Figs. 7 and 8 two views from above and below of a modification thereof.
One part of our improvements consists in the manner of applying a semicircular
rail or platform upon the base of the machine for the purpose of operating our
splicing mechanism and is shown by Fig. 4. Upon the base L of the machine we
cast four radiating brackets (two of which only are visible on the drawing)
distant by a quarter circle from each other. The two diametrically opposite
brackets are formed with holes in them and the splicing rail or cam D is formed
fork shaped at each end, so that the lower prong of the fork passes through the
hole and the other rests upon the top of the bracket as shewn, the rail D being
further slotted in the part resting upon the middle bracket / between the other
brackets so as to secure its position in a circumferential direction. The rail or

page_text: cam D can thus be readily removed, or transferred from one side of the machine to
the opposite one when this is required by the work done on the machine.
For this
When the machine is to be used for what is termed diamond splicing or other
special shapes of splicing we form a semicircular or segmental rail or cam in two
parts as shewn by Fig. 3, arranging it so that the length of said rail and con-
sequently the times of the operation of the splicing parts can vary.
purpose we form the splicing rail in two parts & and deach formed with a long slot
and a rack on the upper side of the slot for the part d' and on the lower side for
the part d.
Between the racks we arrange a small pinion on a stud d² fixed in the
base L of the machine, said pinion d gearing with both racks and having a hand
wheel d³ fixed to it. The ends of the parts d and d' rest upon radiating brackets
similar to brackets / on Fig. 4. By turning the pinion, the length of extra splicing
yarn placed in the stocking or other article being knitted can be regulated. The
turning of the pinion may be done by hand, or when desired a ratchet wheel may
be attached to the pinion instead of the hand wheel d³ which ratchet is acted on by
a finger fixed to the revolving part of the machine so that the ratchet is slightly
moved at each turn of the handle of the machine or each revolution.
A
After
Another part of our invention consists in the form and arrangement of the lever
and parts for gripping the splicing thread and giving out and taking up slack yarn.
This arrangement is shewn by Figs. 1 and 2. A bracket B is fixed to the side of
the cylinder and has a stud b fixed in it on which the lever E can oscillate.
bobbin carrier a is fixed to bracket B on which the bobbin containing the splicing
yarn is placed. The thread passes from the bobbin through an eyelet a' in a lug
on lever E, an opening a² in a bracket & fixed to bracket B, a hole a³ in the
lever E, a slot at in the bracket 6, then between the part as on bracket and a
vertical part a on the lever A; these two parts forming a jaw or clamp for the
threads. This lever A swivels on a stud as on the top of bracket fixed to B and
is moved by a tail a' formed on it which passes through a slot e³ in lever E.
this the thread passes through the eyelet a', when it joins the main thread which
passes along and through the hole in bracket 3 to the needles. When the
roller C mounted on a stud in the end of lever E comes into contact with the
rail D, Fig. 4, the lever E is turned into the position E' shewn in dotted lines.
This brings the hole as opposite a² and leaves a straight passage for the yarn
from a through a³, between a and a, and through a', the jaws as a being pulled
apart by the lever E acting on the tail a³. The splicing yarn can thus pass along
with the main thread to the needles and be knitted up. When the roller C gets to
the end of the rail D, a spring e² connected to the lever E and bracket B pulls
the lever E back into the position shewn in full lines. The splicing yarn is then
clipped between the jaws a³ and a and as a consequence breaks off at the needles
and is left in this position until the roller C comes again into contact with the
rail D, when the thread is again released and the action repeated as before. By
the movement of the eyelet a³ to the left, some yarn is pulled off the bobbin and
the slack taken up, and when next time the roller C mounts on the rail D and the
eyelet a is moved to the right into line with a², as, the splicing yarn is left slack
so that it can readily be taken forward by its frictional adhesion to the main thread.
Another part of our improvements relates to what is known as the welting cams,
and consists in the arrangement of a switch, moveable from the top of the cam
plate when in work. This is shewn on Figs. 7 and 8 Fig. 7 being a view of the
cam plate as seen from above and Fig. 8 as seen from below. The small switch F
made with two sides so as to form a groove, swivels upon the centre f' and is con-
nected to a small handle f2 on the top of the cam plate M, so that by moving the
handle to the switch assumes the position shewn on Fig. 8 and causes the needles
to pass round the groove g and to be kept out of action, and if moved to f*, the
needles are caused to pass round g¹ and are brought into action again.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent another modification of the welting cam. In this the
block H is arranged to lift entirely out of the way when the needles are not
required to act for making the welt. We effect this by hinging the block H which

page_text: fits into and projects through a correspondingly shaped opening in the cam plate N
at h and arranging a small spring trigger so that when the block H is placed
into its acting position the catch 2 slips over the part and secures the block.
When the action of the needles is not required, a small handle h is pulled to move
the trigger 2 back and release the block, which is then pushed at once into the
position shewn by Fig. 8 by means of a small spring arranged at ', and remains in
this position till pushed down again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, we declare that what we claim is, in circular knitting machines,
1. The arrangement of reversible splicing rail or cam and brackets therefor
substantially as described with reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings.
2. The arrangement of the splicing rail or cam in two parts formed with racks
and a pinion in gear with both said racks substantially as described with reference
to Fig. 3 of the drawings and for the purpose set forth.
3. The arrangement of splicing mechanism or combination of parts substantially
as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
4. The arrangement of a movable switch on the welting cam substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings.
5. The arrangement of hinged grooved block, spring trigger and welting cam
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.
Dated the 27th day of June 1893.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.