US582431A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. A. NYE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 582,431. Patented May 11, 1897.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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- F. A. NYE.

KNITTING MACHINE. No. 582,431. Patented May 11, 1897..

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(No Model.) 7 5 Sheets-Shee 4.

F. A. NYE. KNITTING MACHINE. No. 582,431. Patented May 11, 1897.

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I P. A. NYE.

' KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented May 11, 1897.

UNITED TATES ATENT usion.

FRANK A. NYE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO NYE & TREDICK, OF SAME PLACE.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,431, dated May 11, 1897.

I Application filed August 24, 1896. Serial No. 608,669. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK A. NYE, of Phil-- adelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knitting-Machines,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to circularknitting machines in which a series of reciprocating cylinder-needles cooperate with a series of reciprocating dial-needles to produce a tubular ribbed fabric; and the invention consists primarily in combining with the usual operating-cams of one set of needles a movable tucking-cam and devices for operating said cam at predetermined times and on different needles or different groups of needles during every revolution of the machine.

The invention also consists in combining with independently-operating tucking-cams and two sets of operating-cams and needles for the dial or cylinder a third tucking-cam and means for operating said third tuckingcam at predetermined intervals and on the iution of the machine.

The invention also consists in the details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a circular-knitting machine having myinvention embodied therein in its preferred form. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation on the line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the inner side of the cylinder, showing the tucking-cam applied in relation to the cams for operating the cylinder-needles in the manner I prefer to adopt. Fig. 4 is an elevation showing the two sets of needles, which differ as to the location of their heels. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the machine from the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the line b b of Fig. 1.

In the accompanyingdrawin gs I have illustrated my invention as applied to and operating in connection with the cams and needles of the cylinder, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention same or different needles during every revo-- may be variously modified without departing from the limits of the invention.

1 represents a suitable frame giving support to an angular bed or plate 2, from which rises a cylindrical fixed shell 3, bearing on its inner face cams 4 for operating the cylinder-needles, as will be more fully described hereinafter. The base of the shell is grooved to receive an annular rotating ring 5, having projecting from its inner side a series of lugs 6. These lugs give support to a vertical needle-cylinder 7 which is firmly secured thereto and which is provided with a series of vertical slots 8, in which are mounted the cylinder-needles. The rotary ring 5 is provided on its under side with bevel-gear teeth 9, which are engaged by a drivinggear 10 on the inner end of a driving-shaft mounted in bearin gs in the frame. The shaft is provided with the usual fast and loose pulleys and the hand-crank, by which the machine may be driven by power or by hand.

The cylinder-needles cooperate with a series of dial-needles 11, mounted to reciprocate in radial grooves formed in the upper side of a dial 12, which is mounted loosely to revolve on a vertical hanger 13, depending from a cross-tree 14, fixed to the top of two posts 1 5, rising from the annular bed or plate 2. The dial is driven from the cylinder by the usual driving-lugs, and as the former rotates the needles are moved against dial-cams 16 on the under side of a dial-plate 17, fixed to the hanger above the dial.

The foregoing parts may be of the ordinary construction, and, except in so far as hereinafter indicated, they form no part of the present invention.

On reference to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the cylinder-cams are duplicated, one set of cams being fixed above the other. These cams are adapted to act on two sets of cylinderneedles 1S and 19, which needles differ in the point at which theirheels are located,as shown in Fig. 4 This arrangement of cams and needles is fully set forth and described in Letters Patent of the United States to G. E. Nye, dated May 23, 1893, No. 498,139, the purpose of this arrangement being to produce the tuck-stitch by any desired number of needles and the plain stitch by the remainder. In this patent the two sets of needles and cams were shown as applied to the dial, movable tucking-cams being provided and combined with means for operating them independently to act on the needles of the two sets. My present invention is shown as applied to a machine having this arrangement of double cams and needles incorporated in the cylinder, and on reference to Figs. 4 and 4: it will be seen that the two sets of needles are acted on by two tucking-cams 20 and 21, the latter being located above the former. The cams are operated independently at predetermined times and their action is governed by a patternchain, as usual. The lower cam is mounted on the inner end of an arm 22, extending through a vertical slot in the fixed cylindrical shell 3,the outer end of the arm being fixed to a horizontal rock-shaft 23, mounted in a bearingblock 24, fixed to the annular plate 2. The opposite end of this rock-shaft has fixed to it a vertical arm 30, to the upper end of which one end of a link 31 is pivoted, the other end of the link being pivoted to the upper end of an elbow-lever 32, pivoted to the frame. The lower end of the lever is provided with a roller resting on a pattern-chain passing over the usual pattern-roll.

The upper or companion tucking-cam 21 is mounted on the inner end of an arm 28, whose outer end is fixed to a rock-shaft 29, mounted above the rock-shaft 23 and connected to a vertical arm 25, which is in turn connected by a link 26 to an elbow-lever 27, pivoted to the frame alongside the lever 32 and provided with a roller resting on a pattern-chain passing over the pattern-roll. These pattern chains are provided, as usual, with high and low links, by which the levers are operated to elevate .or depress the tucking-cams, according as it is desired that the needles acted on by them shall tuck or knit oil. The thread is fed to the needles of both series by a threadguide 33, located on the dial-plate adjacent to the two tucking-cams just described. I prefer to embody my invention in a machine of this character, though its application is not limited in this connection, as will more fully appearhereinafter, but it may be used as well in connection with a single set of needles and cams either on a cylinder or dial.

In applying my invention to this machine I provide a third movable tucking-cam 34, which may be identical with those just described, and I combine with this third cam devices by which it may be caused to act at predetermined times and on certain needles of the lower series, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The cam is situated on the side of the camcylinder opposite the two tucking-cams 20 and 21 and is provided with a hole by which it is supported on the inner end of an arm 35, extending through a vertical slot in the cylindrical shell 3. The outer end of the arm is connected to a horizontal shaft 36, mounted in a bearing on the annular bed or plate 2. The arm is pivotally connected about midway of its length to the upper end of a vertical link 37, the lower end of which is jointed to a horizontal lever 38, pivoted between its ends to the inner side of a bracket or hanger 39, depending from the under side of the annular plate 2. The opposite end of this horizontal lever is connected by a vertical link 40 to a second horizontallever 41 at a point about midway between its ends, this lever being pivoted at one end to the bracket, as at 42, and having its opposite end free and formed with an oifset 43, as shown in Fig. 6.

The horizontal lever 38 is acted 011 by a spring 44, which tends to hold the various connecting parts in such positions that the cam will be maintained yieldingly in a depressed position, in which position it will cause the needles to tuck or retain the stitches on them previously formed. Then elevated, the cam will cause the needles to produce plain work or knit off. The action of this tucking-cam is controlled by a vertical tucking-Wheel 45, mounted on a horizontal stud 46, projecting inward from the lower end of the depending bracket 39, the edge of said wheel being provided with a series of bevelgear teeth meshing with a series of similar teeth 47 on the rotary ring 5 outside of the driving-teeth 9, before described. By the rotation of the ring, and consequently the needle-cylinder, the vertical wheel will be revolved.

The outer Face of the wheel is provided at intervals with threaded holes 48, arranged in a circular row adjacent to its outer edge and adapted to receive threaded pins 49. These pins are in such a position that when the wheel is rotated they will successively con tact with the offset 43 on the lever 41 and will depress said lever momentarily, thereby elevating the cam to a knitting-off position against the influence of its depressing-spring 4A. By changing the location of these pins and the distance between them it will be seen that certain needles and groups of needles may be caused to tuck during every revolution of the machine. The purpose of this third tuckingcam is to form in the fabric ornamental designs, such as will be more fully described hereinafter, and made up of different-colored yarns, one color being fed by the yarn-guide 33, before alluded to, while the other color is fed by a yarn-guide 50, fixed to the dial-plate adjacent to the third tu cking-cam and diametrically opposite the other guide.

I11 order that the design to be'produced on the fabric may be caused to appear at predetermin ed points, I provide devices controlled, preferably, by a pattern-chain for normally holding and locking the third tucking-cam in an elevated position and at predetermined times for unlocking the cam and allowing it to be acted on by the devices operated by the tucking-wheel. The devices for thus locking and unlocking the cam consist of a link 51,

having formed in one end a slot 52, in which extends a pin 53 on the upper end of an arm 54, fixed to the rock-shaft 36, before alluded to. The opposite end of the link is pivoted to one end of a horizontal lever 55, pivoted on a vertical axis to a post 56, rising from the annular bed 2. This lever beyond the pivot is extended vertically and connected by a link 57 to the upper end of an elbow-lever 58, pivoted in the frame and having on its lower member a roller resting on a pattern-chain. 59. This pattern-chain is provided with high and low links, and when a high link moves beneath the roller it will pull the link 51 forward, the slot in the link moving to such a position that the cam will be free, so that it can be operated by the tucking-wheel. When one of the lower links of the chain moves beneath the roller, the link 5l'will be moved in the opposite direction, and the end of the slot therein will engage the pin and move the cam to an elevated knitting-off position and the cam will be held and locked in that position. It is obvious, therefore, that the points in the fabric where the pattern is to appear may be governed by the disposition of the links on the pattern-chain, which is constructed to normally hold the elbow-lever in such a position that the cam will be locked in an elevated position, and at predetermined times, when the pattern is to appear, to allow the lever to be moved to unlock the cam, so that it can be operated on by the tuckingwheel.

The designs and patterns may be varied in character by placing the pins in the tuckingwheel in different positions, the spaces between ihe pins representing the number of needles of the lower series that will be caused to tuck and the alternating pin representing the needle or needles that will be caused to knit off.

I prefer to so construct the tucking-wheel as regards its number of gear-teeth that for every revolution of the head or dial the Wheel will revolve two times and a fraction, or, in other words, I prefer to drive the wheel so that its revolutions will bear an odd ratio to that of the dial, or vice versa. The result of this is that different needles or groups of needles will be caused to tuck on successive revolutions of the machine and a diagonal pattern will be produced. In the present instance, where there are two series of cylinderneedles and a tucking-cam for the lower series,the design produced will consist of a series of diagonal blocks of one color extending spirally around the fabric and alternated by straight longitudinal stripes of another-color. If but one set of needles is used in the cylinder, the longitudinal stripes will not appear and the diagonal blocks will be joined,forming a series of diagonal stripes extending spirally around the fabric.

caused to tuck during every revolution of the machine, which can be accomplished by If the same needles arev so forming the tucking-wheel that its rotation will be a factor to that of the head or machine, or vice versa, the blocks or stripes, according as one or two sets of needles are used, will not be diagonal, but horizontal, extending in parallel lines around the fabric.

In machines of this character it is customary to combine with the operating-cams what is known as a slack-course cam, adapted to be depressed below its usual level to depress the needles and lengthen the stitches. In the present machine two of these cams are shown, a lower one 60 and an upper one 61. The lower cam is mounted on the inner end of an elbow-lever 62, extending through a slotin-the cylindrical shell and mounted at the outside of the shell on an axis 63. The upper cam is mounted on the inner end of an arm 64, extending through a vertical slot in thevshell and pivoted at the outside of the shell on an axis 65. The arm and elbow-lever are connected by means of a link 66, so that they may be operated in unison. Theelbowlever 62 is pivoted to one end of a link 66, the other end of which is pivoted to the upper end of an elbow-lever 67, mounted in the main frame and bearing a roller 68, resting on a pattern-chain 69, passing over-a pattern-roll 70. As a result of these connecting devices it will be seen that the two slackcourse cams will be moved in unison from the same pattern-chain 69. In order that the relative positions of these two cams may be changedto meet the various conditions encountered in practice, I so construct the connecting-link 66 that the parts which it connects and which support the cams may be changed relatively. This is accomplished by forming in the upper end of the link a slot, in which a pin 7 2 on the arm 64 extends. A

set-screw 73 is passed vertically downward through the upper end of the link into the slot and bears on thepin. By means of this screw it will be observed that the two cams may be adjusted nearer together or farther apart, according as conditions may require.

In cylinder knitting-machines it is often necessary to remove certain of the cylinderneedles on account of breakage, and there are frequent occasions for gaining access to the needles. This is particularly the case in machines of the character under consideration, wherein the cylinder is provided with two series of needles. In order to readily remove or examine any of the needles and gain access to them, I propose to provide the fixed cylindrical shell 3 at some point in its circumference with a removable section. This section is shown at 72 more particularly in Figs. 1 and 5. This section is simply a portion of the shell divided vertically from the remaining portion and bearing on its inner face a portion of the cams, being a continuation of those on the fixed portion of the shell. The base of the removable section is provided with a foot 74, adapted to rest on the annular bed-plate 2, and both the foot and bed-plate are provided with vertical open ings adapted to receive a fastening-pin 76.

It will be readily observed that by the removal of this section the needle-cylinder at this point will be exposed and any portion of the cylinder may be brought opposite the opening formed by the removing of the section by simply rotating the cylinder.

In machines of the character under consideration, where there are two series of needles in the cylinder, it frequently happens that there are occasions for examining the upper needles only, and in order to prevent the displacement of the lower needles in cases of this nature I propose to so form the removable section that its upper portion maybe detached Without removing the lower portion from the shell. This upper portion is formed as a continuation of the lower portion on its inner face and is provided with a horizontal foot 78, having formed therein two openings which register with openings in the top of the lower portion of the section, and these openings receive two vertical fastening-pins 79. From this it will be noted that if it is necessary to examine the upper series of needles only the two pins may be removed, which will allow the upper part of the section to be detached.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a knitting-machine the combination with the dial, its needles and knitting-cams and the cylinder, its needles and knittingcams, of a movable tucking-cam coacting with one of said sets of knitting-cams, and an actuating mechanism for moving said tuckingcam, said actuatinginechanism so form ed and constructed that during each successive revolution of the machineit will move the tucking-cam to such positions that different needles or groups of needles will be caused to retain their stitches.

2. The combination with the dial, its needles and cams, and the cylinder, its needles and cams, of a tucking-cam operating in connection with the cylinder-cams, means for operating said tucking-cam, a second tuckingcam for the cylinder, mechanism for operating the same, and devices for controlling the action of said mechanism on the cam.

3. The combination with the dial, its needles and cams, of the cylinder, two series of needles therefor, two sets of knitting-ca1ns for operating said needles, two movable tucking-cams coacting respectively with the two sets of knitting-cams, means for operating the same independently, a third tucking-cam coacting with one set of knitting-cams and means for operating it.

4. The combination with the dial and cylinder of two series of needles and two sets of knitting-cams applied to one of said parts, a single series of needles and cams for the other, two tucking-cams coacting respectively with the two sets of knitting-cams, means for operating them, a third tucking-cam coacting with one of the sets of knitting-cams and means for operating the same.

5. The combination with the dial, its needles and cams, of the cylinder, two series of needles therefor, two sets of knitting-cams for the needles, two movable tucking-cams coacting respectively with the two sets of knittingcams, means for operating them, a third tucking-cam coacting with one of the sets of knitting-cams, a mechanism for operating it, and devices for controlling the action of the mechanism thereon.

6. The combination with the dial, its needles and cams, of the cylinder, an upper and lower series of needles therefor, an upper and a lower set of knitting-cams for actuating said needles, two tucking-cams coacting respectively with the upper and lower cylinder knitting-cams, means for operating them, a third tucking-cam applied to the lower set of cylinder knitting'cams and means for operating it.

7. In a knitting-machine the combination with the needles and their knitting-cams, of a movable cam, a rotary wheel for operating said cam, a pattern-chain and devices acted on by said chain for controlling the action of the rotary wheel on the cam.

8. In a knitting-machine and in combination with the needles and their knitting-cams, a movable cam, a rotary wheel provided with projections, devices connected to said movable cam and adapted to be operated by the projections, a pattern-chain and suitable connections from said chain to the (18"lCGS by which the cam is operated.

9. In a knitting-machine the combination with the needles and their knitting-cams, of a movable cam, an arm supporting said movable cam, a rotary wheel for operating the cam provided with projections, devices connected to the arm and arranged to be operated by the projections on the wheel, a patternchain, a lever arranged to be operated by said chain, and connectionsbetween said leverand the devices operated bythe rotary wheel.

10. In a circular-knitting machine the combination with the needles and their knittingcams, of a movable cam, a rotary Wheel provided with projections, devices connected to said movable cam and arranged to be actuated by the projections on the wheel and means for rotating said wheel so that its revolutions will hear an odd ratio to those of the machine.

11. In a knitting-machine the combination with the cylinder, of two series of needles therefor, two sets of knitting-cams for operating said needles, two movable cams operating respectively in connection with the two sets of knitting-cams, connections between the same for causing them to move in unison and means for moving the cams.

12. In a knitting-machine the combination with a cylinder of two series of needles therefor, an upper and a lower set of knitting-cams for said needles, two movable cams operating respectively in connection with the knittingcams, adjustable connections between the two movable cams and means for operating them.

13. In a knitting-machine the combination with the cylinder, of two series of needles therefor, two sets of knitting-cams for operating same, two movable cams arranged one with two sets of needles and knitting-cams,

of two vertically-movable slack-course cams arranged one above the other and coacting respectively with the two sets of knittingcams,a pivoted arm supporting the upper cam,

an elbow-lever supporting the lower cam, a

link connecting the arm and lever and means for operating the lever.

15. In a knitting-machine the combination with the fixed annular bed-plate 2, of the vertical cylinder arising therefrom and provided on its interior with knitting-cams, a removable section divided Vertically from said cylinder and provided with a horizontal foot adapted to rest upon the bed-plate, vertical registering holes in said foot and bed-plate and a fastening-pin extending in said holes and serving to removably secure the foot to the bed-plate; whereby a vertical section of the cylinder may be removed at will.

16. The combination with the needle-cylinder and its needles, of the cam shell or cylin der surrounding the same and provided with a removable vertical section divided horizontally into two parts, means for securing saidparts detachably together and means for securing the lower part detachably to the machine.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 21st day of July, 1896, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

FRANK A. NYE.

WVitnesses:

O. M. DUFFIN, J 0s. B. GoDsHALL.

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