US393186A - stowe - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet -1.

B. L. STOWE.

KNITTING MACHINE. N0. 3Q ,16. 55 Patented Nov. 20 1888.

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KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 20,1888.

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I I I I 5 I I I I l I I I I I I I I I I I I N. PETERS. PrmwIIIII w. WIISIIIII M nu:

UNrrnn, STATES PATENT Erica.

BENJABLIIN L. STOWE, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOUR'IHS TO J. VAN D. REED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,186, dated November 20, 1888.

Application filed November 30, 1887. Serial No. 256,558. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN L. STowE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement uponthat which is the subject of my application for Letters Patent for an improvement in knittingmaehines, filed August 3, 1885, Serial No. 173,408, renewed January 9, 1888, Serial N 0. 260,220, and has reference to the feeders or feedinghooks which pass the knitting-thread through the series of longitudinal strands to be incorporated into the fabric and bring the said knitting-thread out into position to be taken by the knitting-needles. The machine described in my aforesaid application is characterized mainly by the combination,with the guiding devices for the longitudinal strands, the knittingthread-delivering mechanism, and knitting-needles arranged and operating substantially parallel to the position of said strands, of reciprocatory feeding-hooks or feeders which pass the knitting-th read through between the strands and deliver it to the needles. The machine itself described in said application is one for knitting a single-ply fabric in which the looped stitches appear on one face only of the fabric.

Mypresent improvement embodies the same general combination as that just stated, but is designed for the production of a multiply fabric, and one in which the looped stitches may appear on both faces or sides of the fabric. Such a fabric contains two or more concentric (if a tubular fabric) or parallel (if a straight fabric) series of longitudinal strands, and a number of knitting-threads, as well as weft or filling threads, if desired. I arrange the knitting-thread guides in different horizontal planes, placing those whose threads are to appear on one side of the fabric in one plane and those whose threads are to appear on the other side of the fabric in another and different plane. I also'employ two sets of knittingneedles--one on one side and the other on the other side of the fabric-and I so form the reciprocating feeders that when they pass through between the longitudinal strands in one direction they will carry with them all the knitting-threads that lie in one plane and deliver them to one set of needles, andwhen they return or move through the longitudinal strands in the opposite direction they will carry with them the knitting-threads that lie in the other plane and deliver them to the other set of needles.

The nature of my invention and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whieh- Figure 1 shows in sectional elevation so much of a knitting-machine for a tubular fabric as needed to explain this improvement. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged and distended cross-sectional views of portions of a tubular fabric, intended to illustrate diagrammatically the manner in which the improvement is to be carried into effect. In Fig. 2 the right-hand portion represents the finished fabric,while in the left-hand portion the knitting-thread loops are still upon the knitting-needles. In Fig. 3 the heads of the inner and outer sets of knitting-needles are shown, and a sufficient num- 75 her of the feeders or feeding-hooks are indicated, both to show the position which they occupy with relation to the longitudinal strands and the needles and to illustrate the manner in which they operate in connection with the knitting-threads to deliver selected loops of the same to the inner and outer sets of needles, respectively.

Referring to Fig. 1, B is the outer needlecylinder carrying the Vertical reciprocatory knitting-needles a.

B is the inner needle'cylinder carrying the vertical reoiprocatory knitting needles a. The knitting operation is performed by these two sets of needles, and the knitted fabric passes between these two cylinders. These sets of needles are placed and operated substantially parallel to the longitudinal strands 5, of which there are, in this instance, three concentric sets,supplied in the customary way through suitable guides, 5 5, which are shown typically at X in Fig. 1.

Above the knitting-needles, and at right augles to them, are the horizontal reciprocatory feeders X. The needles,as well as the feeders, 100

are placed opposite the spaces intervening between the longitudinal strands,as in my aforesaid application.

The outer set, a, of needles may be operated in the manner usual in circular-lmitting machines producing a tubular fabric within the circle of needlesthat is to say, by means of a rotating cam-cylinder encircling the needlecylinder B and engaging the heels of the needles a,- and the inner set, a, can be operated in the manner usual in circular-knitting machines producing a fabric upon the outside of the needle-cylinder, the arrangement of mechanism for this purpose being similar in a general way to that shown in Patent No. 27,430, of March 16, 1860, for operating needles in the needle-cylinder inside of the fabric produced. Mechanisms for this purpose are well known, and, forming no part of my present improvement, do not require illustration. The feeders X, one of which is shown in Fig. 1, are arranged and operated precisely inthe same way and by the same means as shown and described in my aforesaid application for Letters Patent. There are four weft-depositing arms, 0, one for each weft-thread 2, said weft-threads alternating with the rows of longitudinal strands 5. Each arm 0 is attached to a shuttle-ring, D, there being as many concentric rings 1) as there are weft-depositing arms. These shuttle-rings are supported on guides I), attached to the frame of the machine, and are driven in unison with one another and in proper relation to the needle and feeder actuating mechanism by means of pinions F, mounted on the driving-shaft G and engaging circular racks H on the shuttle-rings. Each weft-thread 2 is led, as usual, from a bobbin on the shuttlering through a suitable tension-regulating device, (not shown,) whence it passes to and through a guide-eye, b, at the lower end of its depositing-arm 0. Each of the two intermediate rings carries also two additional arms, I J, similar to the weft-depositing arms, except that the arms I are shorter than the arms O, and that the arms J are in turn shorter than the arms I. These arms I J deliver and deposit the knitting-threads 3, which aresupplied to them from bobbins on the shuttlerings in any usual manner. The threads of the arms J, before they are knitted into the fabric, are thus held in a plane above the threads of the arms I.

Each feeder X, as in my aforesaid application for Letters Patent, has a downward projectiomw, which is forked or bifurcated, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, to permit it to straddle the end of the knitting-needle when the latter is raised to take the loop or knittingthread therefrom. This projection differs, however, from the like lettered projection in my aforesaid application by reason of the arrangement and formation of its edges m a 0. The inner vertical edge, m, is the shorter edge. It extends down far enough only to be in the path of the knitting-threads of the up per arms, J. The outer and longer vertical edge, 12, extends down far enough to be in the path of the knitting-threads of the lower arms, I, and the two edges on n are connected by the inclined bottom or under edge, 0, which enables the projection 00' to ride over the lower knitting-threads as the feeder movesinwardly and to engage during this movement; the threads of arms J only. v

The reciprocations of the inner and outer needles are so timed with relation to those of the feeders that the loops of knitting-thread delivered by the feeders will at the proper times be taken by said inner and outer needles respectively.

Such being the organization of parts, the

mode of operation is as follows: The shuttleriugs in their revolution deposit the weft and the knitting threads. At the time the guides for these threads pass any feeder said feeder is retracted, the outer needle is elevated and about to descend, and the corresponding inner needle is depressed and about to rise. Just as the guides pass the feeder it commences to move inwardly. In so doing it rides over with its inclined under edge, 0,the two lower threads of guides I, but pushes before it by its inner and shorter vertical edge, m, the two upper threads of guides J in the form of loops,which are carried by it to a position in which the illner needle, a, appropriate to this feeder can take them. This needle gradually rises as the feeder moves inward, not attaining, however, its highest position until after the bifurcated projection :17 is over it,in order that the loops, or rather the bight of the loops,may be carried beyond it.

The feeder then recedes or moves outwardly, leaving the loops upon the inner needle, a, which will then descend and form its stitch in the usual manner. As the feeder moves outwardly it will engage with its longer edge, a, the knittin g-threads of thelower guides, I, which it crowded out of its path during its inward movement, and will in like manner carry out loops of these two threads and deposit them upon the outer needle, a. This mode of operation is indicated clearly in Fig. 3. In that figure the left-hand feeder (indicated by dotted lines) has commenced topush inward aloop of the enter one of the two upper knitting-threads, the next has pushed inward loops of both of these threads, and so on.

The knitted fabric herein shown I do not here claim, the same being made by me the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 215,763, filed October 9,1886. From the foregoing it will be noted that the improvement herein described upon the mechanism described and claimed in my aforesaid prior application for Letters Patent is characterized, first, by the fact that there are two or more knitting-warp guides arranged in different planes in relation to each other, in combination with inner and outer sets of needles and reciprocatory feeders, which pass through from one side of the fabric to the other and deliver some of the knitting-threads to the inner needles and the others to the outer needles, and,

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' secondly, by the fact that the reciprocating feeder is provided with a deflecting face or edge which enables said feeder to ride over a knitting-thread when it moves in one direction and to engage the same thread when it moves in the opposite direction.

Therefore, having described my improvement and the best way at present known to me of carryingthe same into effect, what I claim herein as new and of my own invention is as follows:

1. The combination of guides for delivering the longitudinal strands in two or more eon centric or parallel sets, inner and outer sets of knitting-needles situated and operating substantially parallel to the position of the strands, knitting-thread-delivering mechanism for two or more knitting-threads arranged to deliver knitting-threads in different planes, as de-' scribed, and reciprocatory feeders for passing the knitting-threads through said strands and delivering those in one plane to the inner set of needles and those in the other plane to the outer set of needles, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of guides for delivering the longitudinal strands in two or more concentric or parallel sets, inner and outer sets of knitting-needles situated and operating substantially parallel to the position of the strands, devices for delivering the weft or filling thread, knittingthread-delivering mechanism for delivering knitting-threads in different planes, as described, and reciprocatory feeders for passing the knitting threads through said strands and delivering those in one plane to the inner set of needles and those in the other plane to the outer set of needles, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. The reciprocatory feeder provided with a thread-engaging edge, at, and a thread-deflecting edge, 0, whereby the feeder during its reciprocations is caused,when moving in one direction,to ride over the same knitting-thread, which it afterward engages when moving in the opposite direction, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The reciprocatory feeder provided with the lip or projection 00, having the longer and shorter vertical edges, 12 m, and the intermediate deflecting-edge,0, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of November, 1887.

BENJAMIN L. STOXVE.

Witnesses:

HELEN J. STOWE, GEoRo-E A. WIES.

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