Improvements in Knitting Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883), as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 80th day of March 1896.
Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Knitting Machines.
JOHN ALFRED WILSON Dakeyne Street Nottingham Hosiery Manufacturer
and ROWLAND HUTCHINSON 18 Flewitt Street Nottingham Machinist do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements which are applicable to power driven
rotatory knitting machines, and by means of the said improvements we are enabled
to produce elastic hosiery for surgical and other purposes.
The jacks are actuated by slur cocks in the usual manner and the drawing lever
connected to the slur cook bar gives motion to the thread carrier bar which is below
the needles and is fitted with means for regulating the extent of its motions when'
fashionings are required. The thread carriers traverse over the needles, and full
below them at the end of each course.
The elastic threads are laid across each division of needles by separate thread
carriers driven by independent mechanism and moved at a different time to the
ordinary carriers.
The take-up apparatus for regulating the tension of the elastic threads consists
of two rods, one of which is capable of turning, while both are moved together
vertically. The rod capable of turning is fitted with a plate which nips the elastic
threads upon the other rod, the point at which the threads are released being
regulated by a plate moved by the fashioning screw, the take-up being thus
regulated according to the width of the fabric being made.
There is also a point bar for drawing the loops so that the elastic threads can be
placed between them.
The motions of the other working parts of the machine are similar to the motions
of corresponding parts in hand machines used for similar work, but are obtained by
suitable cams & connections.
Dated this 10th day of October 1891.

page_text: Improvements in Knitting Machines.
JOHN ALFRED WILSON Dakeyne Street, Nottingham Hosiery Manufacturer
and ROWLAND HUTCHINSON Flewitt Street Nottingham Machinist 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 knitting machines used in the production of knitted
elastic hosiery and other knitted elastic fabrics and refers particularly to machines
having a fixed needle bar.
The principle object of our invention is to lay the elastic thread into the work
without putting tension upon it, and this we accomplish by the mechanisms herein-
after described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the right hand end of the machine,
Fig. 2 a front elevation of the same,
Fig. 3 an elevation of the left hand end of the machine, and
Fig. 4 a front elevation.
Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of the machine through the centre of one
division of needles showing the working parts in their relative position.
Fig. 6 is an end elevation of details connected with the take-up arrangements,
Fig. 7 a front elevation of the same and
Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 18 are diagrams illustrating the various relative
positions of the working parts during the knitting of a course.
The same reference letters refer to the same parts in the different drawings.
The standards A are connected by a tie bar B and other suitable cross rails, upon
which are bearings for the various rocking axles and shafts. The machine is
driven from a shaft C which gives motion to a shaft D carrying the cams for
actuating the various parts and hereinafter referred to as the cam shaft.
The needles a Fig. 5 are cast in leads and secured to a fixed bar a' which extends
across the machine between the end standards. The sinkers 6 are of the usual
description, consisting of jack and dividing sinkers, and are mounted and actuated
by the usual mechanisms. There is also a presser bar d which is mounted upon
arms and brought upon the needles by the usual means.
The thread carriers e for supplying the ordinary thread are attached to a bar e¹
which is fitted to slide in arms attached to a shaft which is mounted on levers e³
and rocked by means of a shaft e, this rocking movement placing the carriers •
above the needles during their traverse across the same and bringing the carriers
below the needles during the formation of the loops. At the right hand end of the
machine the bar el Figs. 1 and 2 is connected by a friction box e to a slide e',
which is traversed to and fro on the shaft e³ by a draw cam of the usual construction,
the cam and slide being connected by levers, slides and a link e³.
The fashioning screws fat both ends of the machine are fitted with nuts f¹
which carry the stops f* for regulating the amount of traverse given to the thread
carriers e. At the right hand end of the machine the bar el carries an adjusting
screw Figs. 1 and 2, and at the other end of the machine the adjusting screw is
carried by a bracket on the nut. The screws fare fitted with the usual hand
wheels and springs for holding the screw in position, and also with ratchet
wheels by which the screws are worked from a shaft ƒ through levers and
clawkers, the rocking motion of the shaft f being obtained by a lever which is
moved by hand when required.
The ordinary threads are drawn from bobbins or spools and pass under snapping
levers which are actuated by a cam D' Fig. 3 through a lever D' link D' and a
lever D' on the shaft el carrying the levers e¹

page_text: The ordinary knocking down apparatus for depressing a sinker at both edges of
the fabric are connected to the rods and which are rocked by a lever o³, link o
lever o, and cam o'. The rod o is moved endways by an arm ol on the screw nut
at the right hand end of the machine and the rod p by an arm p¹ which is attached
to the screw nut at the left hand end of the machine. The elastic thread carriers g
are attached to a bar g¹ which is fitted to slide in bracket g' and driven with a
positive amount of motion from a lever 9* through a link g', the lever 9 being con-
nected by a link g' to a draw-bar arrangement of the usual construction.
The-
The elastic threads h Fig. 5 are drawn over a fixed rod h¹, under the draw-off'
rod and then over the rods h' and * to the nipping plate k and rod A¹, the threads.
passing between the two latter and are then led to the carriers g. The rod is.
carried by levers h attached to a shaft which is oscillated by a cam h' Fig. 1
through a lever h, link h' bell cranked lever 10, link h", and lever h".
mechanism for taking-up the slack of the elastic threads is carried by a rod Fig. 5
from a shaft k, by levers which are connected to the rod k¹ by links k³. The
shaft is oscillated by a suitable cam through the link Fig. 3 and lever kº.
The rod slides in slotted guides which are bolted to the standards and it is
fitted at intervals with brackets & for supporting another rod, which is fitted at
each division of needles with a plate k which nips the elastic thread upon the
rod k³. On one end of the rod there is fitted a boss 10 which carries a pivoted
lever and a fixed cam 41. The bracket k nearest to the boss 10 is extended
to carry a spring catch which holds the plate k on to, or away from the rod k¹.
There is also a sliding stop " fixed to the standard and as the take-up apparatus
completes its downward stroke the cam " strikes upon the stop k and nips the.
elastic thread between the rod and plate k. As the take-up apparatus ascends
the lever strikes upon a cam_plate " and turns the rod which carries the
plate back from the rod k¹. The cam k¹ is carried by a frame k¹ Fig. 4 from
the fashioning screw nut f1 and is moved in and out with it, while the cam is so-
shaped, that the amount of the slack of the elastic thread taken up, is inversely
proportionate to the width of the fabric, that is to say, if a narrow fabric is being
made, the nut flis nearer the standard A. and consequently the lever ¹¹ does not
strike upon the cam until it has ascended a greater distance than it would.
have done if a wider fabric was being made. The stop can be pulled back
if required and the lever 4" raised to the dotted position Fig. 6 so as to miss the
cam as it ascends.
The points for raising the loops for the insertion of the elastic thread are.
attached to a bar fitted to slide upon an angle bar which is pivoted upon levers P
and actuated by cams on the cam shaft through a rocking shaft 1. There is one
point to every two needles and they are moved end ways between each course so as
to act upon alternate needles, the sliding motion being derived from the cam shaft
through suitable levers and links. When a course is being knitted the points / are
moved in by hand to the position shown in Fig. 8 and the shaft carrying them is
connected to its operating lever. The thread carriers then rise through the
needles and traverse across them, the thread being sunk and divided upon the-
needles by the sinkers 6 which act in the usual manner and at the end of the traverse
the thread carriers pass below the needles. The sinkers are then brought forward
to the position shown in Fig. 9 carrying the last laid thread under the beards of
the needles and bringing forward the work, the points at the same time being
brought on to the top of the needle beards. In making elastic work every other
needle has two loops of ordinary thread upon it, and these are knocked over in the
ordinary way while the single loops on the other needles are pushed on the points /
as in Fig. 10 which shows the pressure d pressing the points and beards of the
needles a into the eyes of the needles, the sinkers having moved forward to knock
over the double loops and push the single loops on to the points l. The sinkers b
then swing back as shown in Fig. 11 the presser is returned to its original position
and the points are tipped about their pivot to stretch the single loops so that the
เ
elastic thread can be laid on the top of the needle beards and under the points, this

page_text: being done by the carrier g which traverses across all the needles and then returns a
short distance in order to allow for any tension which may have been put upon the
elastic thread by its passage through the carrier.
The elastic thread is then pushed into the loops and to the end of the needles by
the sinkers & which swing forward to the position shown in Fig. 12 after which the 5
sinkers fall to the position shown in Fig. 13 and knock the elastic thread over
the ends of the needles, the points 7 at the same time lowering the loops held
by them on to the needles and these loops together with the new loops are then
brought to the back of the needles by the return motion of the sinkers. During
this latter motion the take-up apparatus is lowered, the cam coming into contact 1
with the stop which forces the plate on to the rod and thus nips the
elastic thread between them. The take-up apparatus then ascends, drawing up
the slack of the elastic thread until the lever strikes the cam and the thread
is released. At the same time the draw-off rod h is being lowered to pull off
sufficient elastic thread for the next course. The take-up apparatus then returns
to within about an inch of its lowest position, and remains at rest until the elastic
thread for the next course has been laid.
The points in some classes of work always act upon the same needles, as is
generally the case when making the first few courses of an elastic stocking, but for
the body of the fabric it is usual for the points to act upon alternate needles as 2
described.
The ordinary covered elastic has a certain amount of tension put upon it during
the covering process, consequently it always has a tendency to contract, and it is the
difficulty of laying an elastic thread upon the needles without increasing the tension
already upon it, that has been one of the principle causes of the failure of other 2
machines but this difficulty we overcome by giving a small return motion to the
elastic thread carrier, and by giving a definite amount of motion to the elastic
thread carrier and regulating the take up of the slack according to the width of the
fabric being made.
We are fully aware that other knitting machines have been made for the pro-
duction of elastic knitted fabrics, and we lay no claim to a knitting machine for
this purpose nor to the general arrangement of the knitting machine herein
described.
We are also aware that in knitting machines the slack of the elastic thread has been
taken up by hand and that devices have been described for mechanically taking up a
constant length of the slack of the elastic thread and we make no claim to deal with
the slack by any of such methods but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
In knitting machines for the production of elastic fabrics and having a fixed
needle bar, the general arrangement and construction of a take-up apparatus sub-
stantially as shown and described and for the particular purpose specified in the
accompanying drawings and Specification.
COT Hudy in fon max cum no1ST
W. H. POTTER, M.I.M.E.,
Parliament Chambers, Nottingham, Agent for the Applicants.