Improvements in Circular Reversible Knitting Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 16th Jan. 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Feb., 1889
Improvements in Circular Reversible Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN of the Hawthorns, Newport Road, Stafford, in the
county of Stafford, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR REVERSIBLE KNITTING MACHINES to be as follows:-
To produce automatically on circular reversible knitting machines (commonly
known as stocking knitters) ribbed welts other than 1 and 1 and with the same
facility as the 1 and 1 ribbed welts are now made.
Heretofore in order to produce, for instance, a 2 and 1 ribbed welt at the top of
a stocking it has been necessary, first; to lift out of action successively, by hand,
every alternate cylinder needle; this is not only a tedious process but tends also to
injure the needles.
By my improvement I am able, to make inactive, such needles, as are not required
to knit whilst fastening, the welt, by the simple change of position of certain cams
or other parts of the machine, and to do this without interfering with any of the
other functions of the stocking knitter, thus doing away with the necessity that has
heretofore existed, of manipulating the needles by hand.
In general this welt is produced by forming a series of "Tuck" stitches on every
alternate needle, just previous to, and while making the first course of the welt, all
the needles of the ribbing attachment being put out of action, as is usual in forming
a 1 and 1 welt.
There are several methods by which I may accomplish this result, either of which
will not interfere with the other functions of the stocking knitter.
First. I may lift the needles entirely out of action, above the path of the cams.
Second. I may produce "Tuck" stitches on alternate needles by not raising these
needles sufficiently, to cast off their loops.
Third. I may depress alternate needles so as to cause them to miss the yarn
during one or two courses.
::
Fourth. I may produce Tuck" stitches during one course on one alternate
series of needles, and then during one course on the other alternate series of
needles.

page_text: This last named method is preferable to any of the others for making a welt on
a 3 & 1, 4 & 1 or 5 & 1 rib, or on plain work.
By the following arrangement I may continue to use the same needles as usual
both in the cylinder and dial and actuate thein by the same cams so as not to
interfere with taking out the needles for changing the ribs, or with lifting them out
of action when fashioning the heels and toes.
I construct, in the cam shell underneath the paths of the butts of the ordinary
needles, a supplementary groove to carry the butts of a series of jacks, preferably
stamped out of sheet steel.
These jacks are actuated vertically in every alternate cylinder groove underneath
the ordinary cylinder needles.
I also place in this groove, one or more supplementary upthrow cams, which in
their normal position are depressed, so as not to lift the jacks far enough to, in any
way, affect the cylinder needles; but when forming the welt 1 may put out of action
the usual upthrow cams which in knitting the stocking raise the needles to free their
latches and by means of the supplementary upthrow cam raise the alternate cylinder
needles either to free their latches so as to form stitches or sufficiently high that
they will pass out of action above the path of the ordinary upthrow cams.
To produce a welt on plain web or on broad ribs I divide the needle cylinder into
two sections horizontally or in a line at right angles to its axis.
With jacks in
alternate grooves I put the main upthrow cams out of action and by means of the
supplementary upthrow cam, I knit a course with "Tuck" stitches on one alternate
series of needles. I then shogg one section of the cylinder upon the other so as to
bring the jacks under the other series of alternate needles and knit another course
with "Tuck" stitches on the other alternate series of needles.
This method of making the cylinder in two sections might be used to advantage in
producing fancy Tucked patterns and would give a larger variety of patterns than
the methods now in use.
Instead of shogging a section of the cylinder the butts of the jacks in alternate
grooves may be of different patterns as are the nebs of the needle-bits of ordinary
hosiery machinery for making Tucked patterns.
Another method of rendering the needles inactive is to make the alternate grooves
of the cylinder deeper and to press the butts of alternate needles back out of the path
of the cams.
In order to avoid the injury to the latches of the cylinder and dial needles when
using the ordinary rigid "latch fender" I provide for this latch fender being auto-
matically adjustable, by means of its own weight, by attaching it to the post which
carries it by means of a hinge pivot.
Date : 14th
fil 1900

page_text: Improvements in Circular Reversible Knitting Machines.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN, The Hawthorns, Newport Road, Stafford in the
county of Stafford, Engineer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is, to produce automatically on Circular Reversible
knitting Machines (commonly known as stocking knitters) plain Welts & ribbed.
Welts other than 1 & 1.
Heretofore in order to produce a plain Welt at the top of a stocking, or a ribbed
welt other than 1.& 1, say for instance 2 & 1, it has been necessary, to lift out of
action successively by hand, every alternate cylinder needle. This is not only a
tedious process, but tends to injure the needles. By my improvement, I am able to
render inactive, such needles as are not required to knit, while fastening the welt, by
the simple change of position of certain cams or other parts of the machine. I do this
without interfering with any of the other functions of the Stocking Knitter, thus
doing away with the necessity, that has heretofore existed of manipulating the needles
by hand.
A Welt of this description is produced by forming a series of "Tuck" Stitches on
every alternate cylinder needle, while knitting the first two or more courses of the
stocking; all of the ribbing needles being also put out of action after the first course,
as is usual in forming a 1 & 1 Welt.
There are several methods, by which "Tuck" stitches may be produced upon
alternate cylinder needles. The three following methods, which I shall describe &
illustrate in full, seem the best adapted for the purpose; neither of which will
interfere with the other functions of the stocking knitter.
1st. I may lift the alternate cylinder needles entirely out of action, above the path
of the cams, during two or more courses.
2nd. I may during two or more courses, cause every alternate cylinder needle only
to knit, by not raising these needles high enough to clear their latches from the
previous stitches.
3rd. I may produce "Tuck" Stitches on every alternate Cylinder needle, during
one course, then during the next course, on every other alternate needle, that is, those
alternate needles, which knit during the first course, shall "Tuck" during the second
course, and those which "tucked" during the first course shall knit during the second
course.
This last named method is preferable to any of the others for making a welt on
a 3 & 1, 4 & 1, or 5 & 1 rib, or on plain work.

page_text: Figs. 8, 9, & 10, show the weighted hinged latch opener.
Figs. 11 & 12, show the adjustable inclined piece for operating the upthrow Cams.
Fig. 13 shows the gate for passing the jacks into the grooves in the Cam shell.
Figs. 14, 15, 16 & 17 show the various forms of jacks employed.
The same letters refer to the same parts.
The arrows show the direction in which the machine is supposed to be working.
I may continue by the following arrangements to use the same needles as usual;
both in the cylinder & dial and actuate them by the same cams so as not to interfere
with taking out the needles, for changing the ribs or with lifting them out of action
when fashioning the heels & toes. I construct in the cam-shell A underneath the
path of the butts B of the ordinary needles a supplementary groove C to carry the
butts of a series of jacks which may be stamped out of sheet steel D D, or made
out of bent wire E E, similar to the tails of the ribbing needles. In my first method
these jacks are placed in every alternate cylinder, groove, underneath the ordinary
cylinder needles. I also place in this groove C in advance of the Cam Guard H, a
supplementary upthrow Cam, F₁; which in its normal position is depressed so as not
to lift the jacks far enough to affect the cylinder needles.
But when forming the Welt, I put out of action the usual upthrow cams, G₁ and
by means of the supplementary up-throw cam, F, acting on the jacks E, raise
alternate cylinder needles, sufficiently high that they will, by striking on the inclined
face of the cam Guard H₁ pass out of action, above the path of the ordinary
cams.
To put the ordinary upthrow Cams G₁ out of action, I slacken the Thumb screw K.
and lower the incline plane I in the slot J the supplementary cam F₁, can then be
raised to act on the jacks & fastened by a thumbscrew at N.
I provide a dovetail piece Z held in place by a screw X which may be removed
for introducing the jacks into their places in the grooves of the needle cylinder.
If at any time the machine is not required to be used for making welts automatically
other than 1 & 1 Rib, I may make use of the upthrow Cam F₁, to raise out of
action as many needles as are required not to knit during the formation of the heels &
toes of stockings.
To do this I remove the jacks from underneath alternate needles and place them
under all those needles that may be required not to knit at the heel & toe, so that
when the upthrow cam F₁ is brought into action, these needles will be lifted up by
the jacks above the path of the cams, thus doing away with the necessity of lifting
them by hand as is ordinarily done.
In the second method, I adopt a similar arrangement to that described for the
first method, only I place the supplementary upthrow Cam F, directly under the
ordinary upthrow cam G.
The result of this modification is that when the incline plane I is lowered, the
ordinary upthrow cam Ga will be put out of action and the supplementary upthrow
cam F2 will be put into action, and the cam F, by means of the jacks E will cause
every alternate needle only to knit and "Tuck" stitches will thus be formed on the
other alternate cylinder needles.
If it is required to use the machine for knitting "fancy tucked" patterns I then
place jacks in some only of the grooves of the needle cylinder.
These may be
arranged round the cylinder in groups, such as, 1 in and 1 out 2 in and 2 out, 2 in
and 3 out, or in any other combination to suit the pattern desired.
As long as the supplementary cams F₁ are not put into action, all the cylinder
needles will knit as usual when the cam-shell is revolved, but when the cams G₁ are
put out of action and the cams F, are put into action then "tuck" stitches will be
formed upon all those needles that have jacks under them and by manipulating
these cams F, and G₁ alternately after knitting any desired number of rows I can
produce fancy tucked" patterns.
In the second method I arrive at the same result, in a similar way, only that in
this case, it is those needles that have no jacks under them on which the "tuck"
stitches are formed.

page_text: In the third method, which is specially applicable for producing a welt on plain or
on broad ribs. I divide the needle cylinder into two sections horizontally and 1 keep
the two sections concentric by forming a lip M on the one which fits into a corre-
sponding recess in the other.
Having placed jacks E in alternate grooves in the
lower section of the needle cylinder and underneath the ordinary needles, I put the
main up-throw Cams Gs out of action as before & by means of the supplementary
up-throw Cams, F3, I knit a course on every alternate cylinder needle. I then move
the upper section P of the cylinder round upon the lower a distance equal to the
spacing of the needle grooves, so as to bring the jacks E, under the other series of
alternate needles and knit another course, on these needles. I thus produce
"Tuck
stitches on alternate series of alternate needles, during two or more consecutive
courses. The cylinder is so divided that the ordinary cylinder needles are always
entirely above the dividing line L L. & when the upthrow Cam F3 is put out of action,
all the jacks E, are below the dividing line L L. This method of making the cylinder
in two sections, and of moving or shogging one section upon the other, may be
used to advantage in producing Fancy Tucked patterns & gives a larger variety of
patterns than the methods now in use.
"
In making "
fancy tucked" patterns in this third method I place needles in some
or all of the grooves of the upper section P of the cylinder and jacks in some only
of the grooves of the lower section Q. These jacks may be arranged 1 in and 1
out, 2 in and 2 out, 2 in and 3 out, 3 in and 3 out or in any other order to suit the
pattern desired. Now if the upthrow cam G3 is put out of action and the cam F3.
is put into action and the cam shell revolved, only those needles will knit which have
jacks under them. The upper section P of the cylinder is "shogged" upon the
lower section Q every revolution or every other revolution in one direction for a
few courses and then in the other for a few courses as may be necessary to form the
desired pattern.
I provide inside the lower section Q. of the needle cylinder a pin s with a spring
and finger knob t which passes through two lugs, v..v. The point of the pin & enters
into holes drilled into lugs n which are provided on the inner surface of the upper
section P. of the needle cylinder. These lugs n are so placed as to hold the two
sections of the needle cylinder relatively one to the other in any position that may be
required.
.
If the machine is required to be used for making 1 & 1 rib, I may make use of
the upthrow Cam F3 to raise out of action as many needles as are required not to knit
during the formation of the heels & toes of stockings.
To do this I construct the Cam shell A with the supplementary Cam F3 placed in
advance of the point h, of the Cam Guard H3.
If it is required to form the heel of the stocking on the front part of the machine,
I place a jack under all the needles in the back-half of the needle cylinder, which are
required not to knit during the formation of the heel so that when the supplementary
up-throw Cam F, is brought into action, it will by acting on the jacks, cause all those
needles which have jacks under them, to rise and pass above the path of the knitting
Cams.
If it is further desired to form the toe of the stocking on the opposite side of the
stocking, to that on which the heel has been formed, I give to the lower section Q. of
the divided needle cylinder, a half turn with reference to the upper section P. The
jacks will thus be brought under the knitting needles which are in the grooves of the
front half of the needle cylinder and when the cam F3 is put into action, it will by
means of the jacks raise all those needles which have jacks under them above the path
of the cams & allow the toe of the stocking to be formed at the back of the
machine.
In order to avoid the injury to which the latches of the needles are liable, when
using the ordinary rigid latch fender, I provide for this latch fender R being
automatically adjustable, by attaching it to the post S which carries it by means of a
hinge pivot c and an adjustable piece Z. I provide the latch fender R with a counter-
balance T. This counterbalance lies against the piece Z, and the latch-fender is thus

page_text: .
prevented from falling below its horizontal position it is however free to move
upwards, and in case the latch of a needle should by any means get under the latch-
fender R, this latter will be raised by the pressure of the latch of the needle & thus
allow the latch to open as required without injury & without breaking the yarn.
Instead of the counterbalance TI make use of a spring Y attached to the adjustable
piece X.
This piece X carries a pin U and the tail a of the latch fender is
pressed against the pin U by the spring Y, and the latch fender R is thereby
prevented from falling below its horizontal position, but is free to rise if a latch
should get under it as described..
This construction of latch-fender offers also the advantage of being capable of
being turned right back out of the way if it is desired to examine any of the dial
needles which are pushed out underneath it.
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,
1st. The construction of circular reversible knitting machines in such a manner as
to admit of automatically making Welts at the top of the plain Stockings or Stockings
with 2 & 1, 3 & 1 or other than 1 & 1 ribbed web without interfering with any of
the other functions of the machine substantially as described & shown.
2nd. In circular reversible knitting machines the combination with the grooved
needle cylinder and its series of needles, the cam ring & its set of cams for actuating
the needles; of a series of jacks in the grooves of the cylinder underneath the
needles actuated by a supplementary set of cams substantially as specified.
3rd. In circular reversible knitting machines the combination with the grooved
needle cylinder, & its series of needles, the cam-ring & its set of cams for actuating
the needles; of a series of jacks in alternate grooves of the needle cylinder, under-
neath the needles actuated by a supplementary set of cams for making welts at the
tops of stockings, plain, or ribbed, with other than 1 & 1 rib substantially as specified.
4th. In circular knitting machines the combination with the grooved needle
cylinder and its series of needles, the can ring and its set of cams; of a series of
jacks in certain of the grooves of the needle cylinder, underneath the needles actuated
by a supplementary set of cams, for the purpose of knitting circular fancy tucked
patterns, substantially as specified.
5th. In circular knitting machines the construction of the grooved needle cylinder,
divided in two parts by a horizontal section as specified.
6th. In circular knitting machines, the grooved knitting cylinder divided into two
parts by a horizontal section; its series of needles in the upper part and its series of
jacks in the lower part, the cam-shell with its cams for actuating the needles and its
supplementary Cams for actuating the jacks & mechanism for shogging the upper &
lower part of the needle cylinder upon each other for the purpose of knitting welts at
the top of stockings or for making fancy tucked patterns as specified.
7th. In circular reversible knitting machines the combination with the grooved
needle cylinder & its series of needles, the cam ring and its set of cams; of a series of
jacks placed underneath those needles which are not required, when knitting the heel
& toe of a stocking for the purpose of lifting such needles out of action automatically
for knitting the heel & toe.
Sth. In circular knitting machines the latch fender pivoted upon its support so as
to have a vertical motion and press upon the latches of several of the ribbing needles,
either by its own weight or by the pressure of a counterbalance or spring as
specified.