US500122A - Transfer - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. J. PRANGK. TRANSFER APPLIANCE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Patented June 27, 1893. F/G.

W/TNEE'SEE.

//vv NTOR, 1/1 5y wg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EMIL J. FRANOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL AUTOMATIC KNITTER COMPANY, OF SAMEPLAGE, AND NOR- RISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRANSFER APPLIANCE FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,122, dated June 27, 1893. Application filed August 18, 1892. derial No. 443,429. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

-]3e it known that I, EMIL JOHN FRANCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Phila- 5 delphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Transfer Appliances for Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The principal objects of my invention are, first, to provide a simple, efficient and comparatively inexpensive and portable device or frame onto which the respective stitches comprising a course of stitches of a knitted r 5 top or other web may be rapidly and manually transferred while a knitting machine is fabricating an article, so that the device or frame may be applied to the knitting machine upon the completion of the article and in such manner that said course of stitches may be readily transferred to the needles thereof to permit of the fabricating of another article without undue delay or loss of time; second, to provide simple and inexpensive 2 5 means for preventing accidental injury to the needles when the transfer device or frame is applied to a knitting machine; third, to construct and arrange the reeds of the transfer device for operation in respect to the needles c in such manner that the latches thereof are held in open position for the reception of the stitches; fourth, to construct and combine the various parts of the transfer device in such manner that the same may be inexpensively made and readily assembled and separated in order to permit of repairs or for other purposes; fifth, to arrange and adapt the transfer appliance or frame for operation in such manner that any needles which may 0 fail to properly engage or register withtheir corresponding reeds when the appliance or frame is applied to the knitting machine, may

be brought into engagement therewith by the manual rotation of the camcylinder and without unthreading or otherwise interfering with the thread; and sixth, to construct the grooved reeds of the transfer frame or appliance in such manner that they are provided with lateral openings through which the needles may pass into engagement with the reeds when a rotary motion is imparted to the frame or appliance.

My invention consists of a transfer appliance comprising a portable ring or annulus having a smooth face adapted to slide upon supporting posts and provided with grooved reeds adapted to fit over and open the latches of the needles of a knitting machine.

My invention further consists of a transfer appliance for'knitting machines, comprising an inner ring provided with a notched periphery, an exterior segmental ring, reeds clamped between said rings, a packing for the reeds, and means for uniting the segments of the exterior ring.

My invention further consists of a transfer appliance provided with a series of reeds having lateral openings for engaging the needles when a rotary motion is imparted to the appliance.

My invention further consists of a knitting machine provided with needles andacam cylinder having upwardly projecting posts, and a portable ring or annulus provided with grooved'reeds for the reception of the needles and adapted to ride on said posts, the construction being such that the posts may slip in respect to the annulus or ring to permit of the rotation of the cam-cylinder for bringing stray needles into engagement with their corresponding grooved reeds.

My invention further consists of the improvements hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature, scope and characteristic features of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof; and in Which Figure 1, is a side elevation showing a portable ring or annulus provided with projecting reeds and resting in upright position upon a support or bracket adapted for its reception,

and also showing a top or other knitted web in application to the reeds. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are views showing the manner in which the ring or annulus is inverted and applied to the kitting machine in order to effect the transfer of the top or other knitted web to the needles thereof; and Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a sectional plan and an elevation,

showing a modified form of reed embodying features of my invention and provided with a lateral groove, and also illustrating the application of the same to a needle.

In the drawings a, is a ringprovided with a notched periphery.

b, are a series of grooved reeds fitted into the respective notches in the periphery of the ring a, and having their extremities beveled oif toward the center of the ring a, as shown at b, in Fig. 2. These reeds b, may be provided with grooves 11 out or otherwise formed upon the faces thereof that lie nearest to the center of the ring a, as is shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. However, the reeds may be grooved in such manner that two walls I) and b, are formed as shown in Figs. 6and 7. One of these walls I), is substantially coincident with a radius of the ring a, and the other of these walls I), is disposed substantially at right angles to the first, so that an opening 11 is formed in one of the sides of the reed for purposes to be presently described.

c, is a segmental ring encircling and clampingthe reeds b, and in the present instance composed of three parts united by set-screws c, located in recesses 0 the greater portion of two of these segments beingshown in Fig. 1.

d, is a packing of soft fibrous paper or other analogous material interposed between the ring 0, and the shanks of the reeds b, in order to protect the latter from accidental injury when the segments of the ring 0, are drawn together by the set-screws c.

e, Fig. 1, is a bracket orsupport secured to the wall or to any other convenient article and provided with a flange forming a seat adapted to hold the transfer frame f, in upright position.

g, are posts or pins projecting upward from the cam-cylinder g, of the knitting machine.

72., are needles.

t, is a portion of the needle cylinder, and t", is a thread carrier provided with a hinge as at 1?, and carried by the revoluble member of the machine, for example, by the cam cylinder g. The other portions of the knitting machine are not shown but may be of any preferred type.

In use the transfer frame or appliance f is placed in upright position upon the support or bracket 6, as shown in Fig. 1, and the respective stitches comprising the loose course of stitches of the top or other web j, are placed or threaded manually upon the reeds b, Whereupon the portion of the web or topj, above the loose course of stitches is pulled out, and the top or web itself is drawn down through the ring a, as shown in said figure. The frame or transfer appliance is then lifted from the support or bracket e, and inverted, as shown in Fig. 2, care being exercised to prevent the top or other web j, from falling through the ring a. The thread carrier 71, is turnedinto 1 the position shown in Fig. 4, and the ring 0,

of the transfer appliance is placed in position upon the posts or pins 9, as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon all the needles h, are elevated by hand or by any device with which the camcylinder may be provided for this purpose. The posts f, serve, to prevent the ring a, from contacting with and injuring the hooks of the needles; and for this purpose the ring 0, may be made slightly thicker than the ring a, as shown, so that an off set 0 is formed for the accommodation of the hooks of the needles. should fit over the outside portion of a corresponding needle h, and if the needles h, are provided with latches h, as shown the reeds also serve to insure the opening of all the latches as will be evident from an exami nation of' Figs. 3 and 4. However, in prac- In this position each of the reeds b, i

needlesfail to register with the grooves of the corresponding reeds. In. such case the needles could be raised and lowered by hand or by the devices referred to above, if present, the operation being facilitated by rotating the cam-cylinder, which is permitted by the slipping of the posts 9, beneath the ring a.

so that all the needles (or as manyras neces:

sary) are first depressed and then lifted,by the ordinary operation of the cam cylinder or otherwise, and the needles as they are lifted take into the grooves of the corresponding reeds, because the transfer appliance being 'held against rotary movement by certain of the needles is nevertheless afforded sufiicient play to permit of the accomplishment of this result. It may be remarked that during the manual rotation of the cam cylinder g, the thread carrier 1;, occupies a position clear of the working parts as shown in Fig. 4, so that the thread need not be withdrawn from the thread eye thereof.

When reeds having lateral openings 12 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, are employed, the insertion of the needles into the reeds is greatly facilitated, because the transfer frame or appliance may be supported above the machine with the needles in range of the reeds and then slightly rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 6, with the result that the needles enter the openings b and are thus rapidly brought into proper engagement with the reeds. The web or top j, is then drawn down through the ring a, and through i the needle cylinder by hand, with the result that all the. stitches are simultaneously and rapidly transferred from the feeds 1), to the needles h, as is shown in Fig. 4. The frame or transfer appliance is then lifted 0% the machine as shown in Fig. 5, and the stitches of the top or web j, remain in .position to be caught by the hooks of the needles h, in such manner that an additional web is knit onto the top or web j, by the subsequent operation of the machine. It may be remarked that the operative in charge may run a top or other web 3', onto the reeds of the frame or transfer appliance while the machine is fabricating one article, so that as soon as the article is finished the top or web j, may be transferred to the machine, to permit of the fabrication of a second article, thus permitting the out put of the machine to materially increase without necessitating any increase in the cost of labor. Moreover, the same transfer appliance or frame may be employed in connection with several knitting machines.

Although I have explained my invention in application to a so-called circular knitting machine, still it may be applied to so called straight knitting machines by others skilled in the art by attaching the reeds b, to one or more straight bars in substantially the manner hereinabove explained and without the exercise of invention, hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts hereinabove set forth, but

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, What .I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A transfer appliance for knitting machines, comprising an inner ring provided with a notched periphery, an exterior segmental ring, reeds fitted into said notched periphery, a packing interposed between the reeds and exterior ring, and means for uniting the segments of the exterior ring, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A transfer appliance comprising a portable ring or annulus having a smooth face adapted to slide upon supporting posts and provided with grooved reeds adapted to fit over and open the latches of the needles of a knitting machine, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A transfer appliance provided with a series of reeds having lateral openings for engaging the needles when a rotary motion is imparted to the appliance, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In combination, posts or pins, a portable ring or annulus provided with projecting reeds for the reception of the needles and adapted to slide over the tops of said posts, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A transfer appliance for knitting machines comprising an inner ring provided with a notched periphery, an exterior segmental ring, reeds clamped between said rings, and set-screws for uniting the segments of the exterior ring, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In combination, a knitting machine provided with needles and with upwardly projecting pins or posts, and a portable ring or annulus provided with projecting reeds and with an off-set for the reception of the needles, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. The combination, of a cam-cylinder, upwardly projecting posts or pins carried by the cam cylinder, and a port-able ring or annulus provided with grooved reeds for the reception of the needles and adapted to ride on said posts, the construction being such that the posts may slip in respect to the annulus or ring to permit of the rotation of the cam cylinder, for bringing stray needles into engagement with their corresponding reeds, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination, of needles, a hinged thread carrier, a cam-cylinder, upwardly projecting posts or pins carried by the cam cylinder, and a portable ring or annulus provided with grooved reeds for the reception of the needles and adapted to slip on the posts or pins, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set mysignature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- EMIL J. FRANOK. Witnesses:

THOMAS M. SMITH, RICHARD C. MAXWELL.

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