IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LOCKS OF KNITTING-MACHINES AFTER LAMB'S SYSTEM
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, in the City of Hamburg, Germany, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LOCKS OF KNITTING-MACHINES AFTER LAMB'S
SYSTEM." A communication from August Stanislaw Biernatzki, trading under
the Firm of Biernatzki & Co., of Hamburg, in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Friedrich Hermann Felix
Engel at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd July 1880.
FRIEDRICH HERMANN FELIX ENGEL, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, in the
City of Hamburg, Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LOCKS OF KNITTING-
MACHINES AFTER LAMB'S SYSTEM." A communication from August Stanislaw
Biernatzki, trading under the Firm of Biernatzki & Co., of Hamburg, in the
German Empire.
These improvements in the mechanism of the locks of knitting machines with
straight needle beds relate, firstly, to a new arrangement of the centre cam of locks
used for ribbed work. In one direction of the motion of the carriage this new cam
only lifts the needles so high as to let the threads remain in the hooks of the
needles, and not to slip underneath the open latches as before. The loops are with
the application of this lock formed within the hooks of the needles, instead of on
top of the latches as before. The advantage gained by this improvement is very
great, as the work is done much quicker and with less strain on the yarn. The
construction of the lock at same time prevents the needles from running too high,
thus saving many false stitches when working the machine at high speed.
The centre or A shaped cam of the lock is made of three parts instead of one as
formerly. Of the division lines of these parts one is horizontal, dividing a part of
the top of the cam from the bottom piece, which latter is again divided into two
parts, which have a free space between them. The top part is by a pin guided in a
slot of the lock plate, and is by means of a spring pressed down onto the bottom.
parts, of which one part can by a lever and pin, or by any other convenient.
mechanism, be shifted sideway and be pressed against the other bottom part, which
is fastened to the lock plate. As the top part remains in position whilst the
movable part is shifted sideway, the lower edge of the top piece projects sideway

page_text: over the shifted part, and the needles when being moved upward by and along the
outer edge of the shifted part, push against the projecting edge of the top piece
and by the forward motion of the carriage overcome the pressure of the top spring
and lift the top part of the cam. Instead of passing over the top of the cam as
formerly the needles pass underneath along the edge of this upper part and then
downward along the edge of the corresponding wing cam; cousequently the needles
have with this motion of the carriage received a smaller lift than was formerly the
case with the old lock. With the return motion of the carriage the needles are,
however, lifted to the full height of the cam as formerly, as with this motion the
then acting edge of the centre cam forms one straight plane, and the needles are
without interruption passed over the top of the centre cam and are afterwards
drawn down by the opposite wing cam. The loops are during this return motion
by the full lift of the needles brought down below the latches and slip off over the
ends of the needles, in the same manner as before, after the needles have been drawn
downward.
The second improvement in the locks of these machines is applicable to all sorts
of locks used for tubular as well as ribbed work, and has for its purpose to prevent
the shanks of needles which are not properly in working position or not drawn
clear down to catch or hit the angles of the centre cam. This arrangement consists
of a flat steel spring or steel bar fastened to the lower edge of the lock plate, the
ends of which are curved or twisted and project from the plate.
The needles are
by these curved ends of the steel bar either guided between centre cam and
corresponding wing cam, or brought underneath the lower edges of the cams.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd January 1881.
FRIEDRICH HERMANN FELIX ENGEL, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, in the
City of Hamburg, Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LOCKS OF KNITTING
MACHINES AFTER LAMB'S SYSTEM." A communication from August Stanislaw
Biernatzki, trading under the Firm of Biernatzki & Co., of Hamburg, in the
German Empire.
These improvements in the mechanism of the locks of knitting machines with
straight needle-beds relate, firstly, to a new arrangement of the centre cam of locks
used for ribbed work. In one direction of the motion of the carriage this new cam
only lifts the needles so high as to let the threads remain in the hooks of the
needles, and not to slip underneath the open latches as before. The loops are, with
the application of this lock, formed within the hooks of the needles instead of on
top of the latches as before. The advantage gained by this improvement is very
great, as the work is done much quicker and with less strain on the yarn. The
construction of the lock at same time prevents the needles from running too high,
thus saving many false stitches when working the machine at high speed.
The centre or A shaped cam of the lock is made of three parts, instead of one as
formerly. Of the division lines of these parts one is horizontal, dividing a part of
the top of the cam from the bottom piece, which latter is again divided into two
parts which have a free space between them. The top part is by a pin guided in a
slot of the lock plate, and is by means of a spring pressed down onto the bottom
parts, of which one part can by a lever and pin, or by any other convenient
mechanism, be shifted sideway and be pressed against the other bottom part, which
is fastened to the lock plate. As the top part remains in position whilst the moveable
bottom part is shifted sideway, the lower edge of the top piece projects sideway
over the shifted part, and the needles when being moved upward by and along the
outer edge of the shifted part, push against the projecting edge of the top piece, and
by the forward motion of the carriage overcome the pressure of the top spring and
lift the top part of the cam. Instead of passing over the top of the cam as formerly,
the needles pass underneath along the edge of this upper part and then downward
along the edge of the corresponding wing cam; consequently the needles have with
this motion of the carriage received a smaller lift than was formerly the case with
the old lock. With the return motion of the carriage the needles are, however,
lifted to the full height of the cam as formerly, as with this motion the then acting
edge of the centre cam forms one straight plane, and the needles are without
interruption passed over the top of the centre cam and are afterwards drawn
down by the opposite wing cam. The loops are during this return motion by the
full lift of the needles brought down below the latches and slip off over the ends
of the needles, in the same manner as before, after the needles have been drawn
.downward.
The second improvement in the locks of these machines is applicable to all sorts
of locks used for tubular as well as ribbed work, and has for its purpose to prevent
the shanks of needles which are not properly in working position or not drawn
clear down to catch or hit the angles of the centre cam. This arrangement consists
of a flat steel spring or steel bar fastened to the lower edge of the lock plate, the
ends of which are curved or twisted, and project from the plate. The needles are
by these curved ends of the steel bar either guided between centre-cam and
corresponding wing-cam, or brought underneath the lower edges of the cams.
In the Drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the first part of this Invention;
Fig. 1 shows the new lock in position for ordinary work, whilst Figs. 2 and 3
represent positions of the lock parts for working ribbed work. The attachment of

page_text: the lock to the machine is the same as with the old lock and not new, and for that
reason the combination of machine and lock is not shown in the Drawings.
With the position of the lock parts, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the needles are
guided by the edges of the centre cam b, b', 62, and wing cams a, a', in the same
manner as with the lock now commonly in use. For producing ribbed work
lever m is removed from pin r and turned on its fulcrum e in the position of Fig. 2,
in consequence of which part b of the centre cam, which slides by piece d in a slot 8
of the lock plate S, is shifted towards the unmovable part 62, as is represented by
Fig. 2. The part b¹ is guided by bolt o in a slot h of lock plate S, and is pressed
down upon parts b, 62, by spring p. As soon as the lifting of the needles begins by
motion of the carriage, edge i of part b presses the needles upward until the
shanks or feet v of the needles (see Fig. 5) meet edge of part b'. This part 61
is lifted by the pressure of the needles sufficiently to allow the shanks of the
needles to pass between b, b², and b¹, after which, by the action of spring p, b' is
again pressed down upon b, b². After being passed along the centre cam, the
needles are guided downward by edge 23 of the wing cam a' in the same manner
as with the ordinary lock.
The thread is placed into the hooks of the needles simultaneously after the same
are being raised or lifted, and as the needles by the new lock receive a shorter lift
than with the old lock, by which the needles were lifted to the upper edge of * of
part, b, the thread t remains within the hooks (of the needles, as is shown in
Fig. 5, and does not slip underneath the latches as formerly, and as is shown in Fig. 4.
On the return stroke of the carriage the needles are lifted by edge of the
centre cam, but with this motion no reduction of the lift is caused, as b¹ does on
this side not project above 62, as will be seen from Fig. 2. The needles are lifted
as high as shown in Fig. 4, and the thread is placed underneath the latches of the
needles, in consequence of which the formed loops can slip off from the needles after
the latter have sufficiently passed downward.
The second part of this Invention is illustrated by Figs. 6, 7, and 8, and consists
of the application of the thin steel bar z, which is screwed to the lower edge of lock
plate S. The ends of bars are curved and run free from plate S. The action of
this projecting bar is that, according to the position, the needles are either guided
between centre cam and corresponding wing cam, or brought to pass underneath
the lower edge of the cam.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Invention, I
claim,―
Firstly. The construction of the centre-cam of the locks of knitting machines out
of different movable parts, which parts can be so adjusted as to reduce the lift or
rise off the needles with one direction of the carriage, whilst the needles are fully
raised during the return stroke of the carriage, substantially for the purpose and in
the manner herein described and as illustrated by Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive of the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and,
Secondly. The application of the steel bar 2, with twisted or curved ends, attached
to the lock plate of locks of knitting machines for the purpose of guiding the shanks
of the needles either into the slot between centre-cam and wing-cam or underneath
the lock, as herein specified and described in reference to and illustrated by
Figs. 6, 7, and 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty eighth day of October, in the year of
Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.