US152021A - Improvement in knitting-machines - Google Patents

Description

o. F; TRIP?.

Knitting-Machines.

No.l52,021.l Patentedlunmmmn.

7 C7. Mw v UNITED STATES OTHNIEL F. TRIPF, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHTGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNlTTlNG-MACi-HNES.

Specification forming part of Letfers Patent No, 352,02l, dated June 16, 1874; application tiled February 23, 187 4.

To all ywhom t may concern:

Beit known that I, OTHNIEL F. TRIPP, of Battle Creek, county of Calhoun and Sta-te of Michigan, have invented an Automatic Knitting Machine Needle Shifter, of which the following is a specification:

The object of this invention is to provide a mechanical means for positively depressing theiprojecting portions of the needle-shanks in their grooves below the surface of the bedplate, so as to render them tempora-rily inoperative, and again elevating them into working position, either singly, collective] y, or alternately, without disturbing the relative position of their hooks.

The invention consists in the following devices: First, alever needle-shifter, A, having a needle-holding clamp or arm, G 5 secondly, a reversin g rotary shaft, B, provided with adj ustable shift-ing cam-wheels C; thirdly, an alternatin g driving-wheel, D, operated by a self-adjusting arm or stop, E, all constructed as hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l gives a perspective view of the invention adjusted to a transverse section of a needle-bed; and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show the cam-wheels, rotary shaft, and needle shifter separately and in detail.

A, in Fig. 4, represents the lever needleshifter, by which the needle H is positively depressed and elevated in its groove alternately. It consists of a fiat bar, F, provided with a needle-holding arm or clamp, G, which projects over the bar of the needle, depressing it whenever the barF is lowered. rJlhe bar F extends the .entire length of the groove under the needle, and is also provided with a slot or socket,P, for the reception of the cani V, by which it is operated. B is a reversing rotary shaft, supported in any suitable manner, and provided with grooves and stops jj, and a pinion, K. The grooves and stops j j are for the purpose of receiving and holding` the inner end ofthe key M. C is an adjustable camwheel, provided on one side with a cam, V, and on the other with a radial and circular groove, in the former of which works a movable key or bar, M, for the purpose of adjusting the wheel upon the shaft, and in the latter is a spring, N, which bears upon the key M, to preventits accidental displacement. 0, Fig. 2, is a friction-spring, bearing, for a similar purpose, upon the side of the wheel C. D, Fig. l, is an alternating driving-wheel, having shifting pins or bars on one side, and a ratchet on the other. E is a self -adjusting arm or stop, provided with a spring, Q, and attached to the carriage. (Not shown in the drawing.) rlhe gib R has a groove cut in its under side, and the needle-bed S has a corresponding groove, T, directly beneath it, in which the needle-holdin g arms G of the needleshifters operate. The vneedle-bed S is provided with transverse grooves of sufficient depth to. receive and allow the operation of the needles and shifters. In adjusting these devices to a knitting-machine-the Lamb machine, for example-the self-adjusting arm E may be suit-ably attached to the reciprocating carriage, so that the pointed end of the arm shall strike a pin of the drivin g-wheel, D, propellin g it forward and around by degrees. As the carriage recedes the arm is struck by the pin back of it, swinging the pont upward until past the pin, when it is again set in position by the spring D. rFhe bevel-gear of the driving-wheel Q, acting upon the pinion K, turns the shaft B, which motion, by means of the cam-wheels and levers, serves to depress and elevate the projecting shanks of the needles. rlhe relative position of the cams may be reversed bythe use of the keys M. Thus, partially drawing one of the keys detaches that cam-wheel from the shaft, so that the cam remains stationary while the shaft revolves, operating other needles, while this one reina-ins inoperative; and bypressing back the key while the shanks are below the surface they are depressed or elevated together. Again, drawing one of the hoys when the shank is below the surface of the bed, and pressing it back when another is in working posit-ion above, both are removed in opposite directions at the same time. Also, by placing the finger against the serrated or milled edges ot' the cam-wheels and turning them backward and forward, the needle-shanks are raised and lowered independently oi' the motion ofthe shaft B. 'hen it is desired to do plain knitting the motion of the shaft B may be sus- "..rrnn'r @Errea pended by simply pushing` up the arm E in its slot until it does not engage with the driving wheel D.

By means of this invention the operator is enabled to produce With great rapidity the double mittens and gloves, such as are knit by hand, either striped or plain, completing them in the machine; also, an almost endless variety of plain and fancy knitted fabrics, either single, double, or overshot.

I reserve the right to so vary this device as to adapt it to a circular as Well as straight 1n achine, so long` as I confine myselfl to means substantially equivalent-for instance, by dispensing with the driving-wheel D and arin E, and operating the needle-shifter by means of longer keys and deeper grooves in the cam- Wheels C, acted upon by a cam or cams suitably attached to the carriage or cylinder of such machines.

I claini as my inventionl. The bed-plate S, provided with the groove T, and the gib R, correspondingly grooved on the under side, in combination with the needleshifter A, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, in a knitting-machine, of the lever needle-shifters A and adjustable lever shifting cam-wheels C, substantially as described.

3. The selfadjusting arni E and driving- Wheel D, with the shaft B, in combination With the needleshifters A and cam-Wheels C, substantially as described.

O'IHNIEL F. TRIPI).

"itncsses C. U. PEAVEY, URIAII SMITH.

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