Improvements in Stockings and Socks, and in Machines for Knitting the same.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 31st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stockings and Socks, and in Machines for Knitting
the same.
I, FRANK MOORE, of 67 Granby Street, Leicester, in the County of Leicester,
Hosiery Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to hose and half-hose and to machines for knitting the
same and has for its object the production by means of a plain seamless footing
frame of a sock or stocking having a nock ribbed instep in lieu of a plain
instep.
Hitherto all seamless footing machines or frames have produced plain or unribbed
feet which have an odd appearance when joined to ribbed stocking legs and hence
are undesirable especially in conjunction with low shoes. By my invention I
produce on seamless footing machines a foot having the appearance of a ribbed
instep which matches the leg, while the heel, toe, and sole of the foot remain plain
as in ordinary seamless foot stockings.
The mock ribbed appearance is produced by throwing out of operation or taking
out certain of the needles in various parts of the cylinder of the seamless machine,
or by the employment of dummy needles where required.
The stocking with ribbed leg made on an ordinary circular rib machine is run on
to the footing frame having dummy needles or having certain of the needles left
out as above stated; and the machine rib stitches of the leg are then picked up
and put on the needles on either side of the dummy needles or space corresponding
to the omitted needles as the case may be and the machine is then worked in the
ordinary way.
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HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Stockings and Socks, and in Machines for Knitting
the same.
I, FRANK MOORE, of 67 Granby Street, Leicester, in the County of Leicester,
Hosiery Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates to hose and half-hose and to machines for knitting
the same and has for its object the production by means of a plain seamless
footing frame of a sock or stocking having a mock ribbed instep in lieu of a plain
insten

page_text: Hitherto all seamless footing machines or frames have produced plain or unribbed
feet which have an odd appearance when joined to ribbed stocking legs and hence
are undesirable especially when they are worn with low shoes. By my invention
I produce on seamless footing machines a foot having the appearance of a ribbed
instep which matches the leg while the heel, toe, and sole of the foot remain plain
as in ordinary seamless foot stockings.
The mock ribbed appearance is produced by throwing out of operation, or by
taking out, certain of the needles in various parts of the cylinder of the seamless
machine, or by the employment of dummy needles where required.
The ribbed leg made on an ordinary circular rib machine is run on to the footing
frame having dummy needles or having certain of the needles omitted or thrown
out of operation as above stated, and the machine rib stitches of the leg are then
picked up and put on the needles on either side of the dammy needles or spaces
corresponding to the omitted needles or needles thrown out of operation as the case
may be and the machine is then worked in the ordinary way.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side view of part of a sock or stocking having the instep knitted
with a mock rib according to my invention.
Figure 2 represents the arrangement of the needles for knitting an instep
having five stitches between each mock rib, the needles at the mock ribs being
omitted,
Figure 3 is a side view of one group of needles.
Figure 4 is a side view of two needles one having a short butt and one having a
long butt such as are used when the mock ribs are formed by throwing some of the
needles out of action, and
Figure 3 is a view of a portion of the cam cylinder showing the cam for operating
the needles with long butts as hereinafter described.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several figures.
A is the leg of the hose or half hose having true ribs extending to the dotted
line 1-2, B is the mock ribbed portion or instep, and C is the plain knitted heel
and sole of the foot. The leg of the hose, made on a circular rib machine, is run
on to the seamless footing machine at the dotted line 1-2. The needles to the
left of the dotted line 3-4 in Figure 2 knit the plain portions of the sock or
stocking in the usual manner and those to the right knit the mock ribbed portion.
I have shown an arrangement of needles ad ipted to what is known as a five and one
rib that is to say the needles are arranged to make five plain stitches and then miss
one, the omitted stitch constituting the mock rib which is a continuation of the true
rib. For this purpose every fifth needle is removed from the right of the dotted
line 3-4 half way round the machine. The same effect may be produced by
employing dummy needles, that is to say needles having no hooks and latches, at
those places where the nock ribs are to be formed.
Or instead of omitting the needles at intervals or employing dummy needles as
above described I sometimes use needles having butts of different lengths to allow
of a selective action by a cam which is arranged to throw out of action those
needles having long butts or short butts as the case may be so as to produce the
mock ribs.
In Figure 4, E is one of the needles having a short butt F, and G is one of the
needles having a long butt H. There is a groove I all round the cam cylinder J,
Figure, to accommodate the ends of the butts H of the needles G and a cam K
suitably placed in this groove raises the said needles G by passing under their butts H
after the said needles have taken the yarn so that the said yarn passes below the
latch, which it closes and slips over when the needle unext descends. In this manner
the needles G are caused to miss the stitches and so to form the mock rib. The
needles E on the other hand by reason of having short butts F are not actuated by
the cam K and therefore form stitches in the usual manner.
When the leg of the stocking has been run on, the last stitch of the true rib is
picked up and put on one of the needles at the side of the dummy needle or needles

page_text: thrown out of action or the spaces corresponding to the omitted needles and the
machine is then worked in the ordinary way, mock ribs being then produced in
line with the true ribs in the leg.
In order that the mock rib may present a good appearance the needles D
next adjacent to the spaces or to the dummy needle or needles thrown out of
action are made slightly shorter than the rest so that they may draw a longer
loop.
In some instances the mock ribs may be formed all round the foot instead of at
the instep only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A sock or stocking having a ribbed leg and a seamless kuitted foot with
stitches omitted at intervals in such a manner that a ribbed appearance is given to
it substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
2. In a plain seamless footing frame omitting certain of the needles at intervals,
or employing dummy needles without hooks and latches at intervals, or constructing
certain of the needles to be thrown out of action by means of a cam when required,.
substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Dated this 31st day of December 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.