US629155A - Latch-opener attachment for knitting-machines. - Google Patents

Description

' Patented July I8, |899. MILLER.

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LATCH DPENER ATTACHMENT FOB KNITATING MACHINES.

{Applicatiun :um me. s, 189s.; (In Modal.)

[IUIIU U /llilh i UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'WILLIAM J. ELLIOTT kANI) IRvINe M. MILLER., 4OE vALAT'IE, NEW Yoan.

LATCH-OPENER ATTACHMENT Foa KNlTTINc-MACHINES.

SPECFICATION forming partof 'Letters Patent No. 629,155, dated July 18, '1899.

Application filed December 5, 1.8.98. Serial No. 698,278. (No model.) Y

To' all whom it -may concern:

Be it knownthat we, WILLIAM J. ELLIOTT and IRVING M. MILLER, citizens of the United States, vresiding at Valatie, in the county of Columbia and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latch-Opener Attachments for .Knitting- Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and' exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersV eration and which may have become closed during the operation of hooking on the web or cud. In the use of circular dial-machines this operation requires considerable time and care, for the reason that the operative must' turn the machine a little atv a time lto throw back the latches with the lingers. inasmuch as the dial is stationary and some of the needles will be on the opposite side of the frame from the operative it isv necessary to either pass around the machine or to reach first on one side of the shaft and then on the other.

The object of this invention is the production of an attachment having a latch-opening linger normally out of the path of movement of the latches, but capable of being quickly placed in position, so that a single rotation of said attachment will open all of the latches which may be closed.

To this end the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter described.

. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of a circular dial knitting-machine as is necessary to .illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. l Fig. 3 represents-a vertical section of the attachment on the line 3 8 of Fig. 1 on a somewhat enlarged scale.

Similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

l opening at The dial bed or plate a is provided with the usual grooves for the needles b and is heldin stationary. position while the needles thereof cooperate with the usual vertical needles (not shown) and relatively mounted and arranged, as shown in Patent No. 239,169 to W. D. H use March 22, 1881. here, however, that this invention is not limited to the knitting-machine shown in said It is to be remarked aten't it beinor ca able of use in connection withany knitting-machine employing horizontally-movable latch-needles. The shaft c is provided with the top plate d, to which the needle-operatin g cams are or may be attached in a manner such as shown in the above-mentioned patent.

W'ith the form of machine mentioned and so far described the attachment forming the subject-matter of this invention is shown as carried by the top plate d. Said attachment comprises' a bar or plate 1, having elongated slots 2, through which the screws 3 pass to .secure the said bar to the top plate.

The outer end of saidl bar is provided with-a circular opening and is split, as indicated at 4, a screw 5 working in the two sides oi'v the bar on opposite sides of the split to enable the the end of the bar to be contracted or clampednpon the barrel of the attachment, which will now be described.

A cylindrical barrel 6 is provided with a reduced lower end 7 to form ashoulder adapted to rest upon the surface ofthe bar l around the opening thereof.

Eil-,ced to slide vertically within the barrel 6" is a rod 8, having its lower end turned laterally, as indicated at 9, to form the latch- Opening finger, adapted to operate as hereinafter described. The lower end of the barrel is provided with a vertical groove 10 to receive a pin 11, projecting from the rod 8,

wherebythe latter is prevented fromj turning on its axis. The vertical opening in the barrel is slightly enlarged above its lower end to form a shoulder l2, on which rests a spring 13. -The upper end of the rod S is screwthreaded, as at le, to receive then sleeve 1 5, provided with a milled rim 16, and between the lower end of which and the shoulder 12 the spring 13 isconiined. It will thus be understood that the spring 13 has a normal tendency to lift the rod 8 of the latch-opening finger IOO as far as the lower end of the barrel will permit, owing to the contact therewith of the lateral projection or iinger 9. The rod S is of a length su Iiieient to extend somewhat above the upper end of the sleeve 15 and receives a set-nut 17.

Secured to the side ot' the barrel 6 is a spring 18, having a shoulder or lug 19, adapted to take over the edge of the milled rim 16 and provided with a linger-piece 20, by means of which the spring can be moved outward suficien-tly to release the lug 19 from the milled rim 16.

When it is desired that the opener shall be moved to operative position, so that the sharp end of the ringer 9 will be in a plane to cause any closed latches to ride thereover, the operative simply needs to press down upon the upper end of the rod S or the set-n ut 17 thereon until theedge of the rim 1G is engaged by the spring-catch 1S 19. To permit the inger to rise again to its normal position, the operative by means of the finger-piece 20 releases the spring-catch, and the spring 13 then immediately throws the rod S and its finger 9 upward to the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The distance of the latch-opening finger 9 lfrom the lower end ot' the barrel, and consequently its position relatively to the latchneedles when the opener is in operative position, may be adjusted by turning the sleeve 15 upon the screw-threaded portion 14 of the rod S, thus changing the position of the milled rim 16 relatively to the latch-opening finger.`

The shoulder or lug 19 of thel spring 1S is always in one position relatively to the barrel 6 and the top plate d of the machine, and consequently the vertical position of the rim 16 relatively to the finger 9 controls the position of the said finger 9 relatively to the latchneedles when the said milled rim is engaged by the spring-catch. The attachment therefore may be accurately adjusted in this respect, as will be readily understood.

The adjustment of the finger 9 in the direction in which it is desired to have it eX- tend, so as to engage under the latches of the needles more or less distant from the hooks thereof, is obtained by rotating the barrel within the opening of the bar or plate 1 and clamping it in its position by means of the screw 5. The elongated slots 2 in the bar or plate 1 permit of aradial adjustment, which is also of use in adapting the attachment to different styles and sizes of knitting-machines. Having thus described our invention and illustrated one mechanism for carrying it'into effect, what we claim is 1. A knitting-machine comprising in its construction a series of latch-needles, a latchopener therefor 'and a spring for normally retaining said opener out of the path of movement of the latches.

2. A knitting-machine comprising in its construction a series of latch-needles, a latchopener therefor, a spring for normally retaining said opener out of the path of movement of the latches, and means for adjusting the plane of the operative path of movement of said opener.

3. A knitting-machine comprising in its construction a series of horizontally-movable dial-needles provided with latches, of a latchopener therefor and a spring for normally retaining said opener above the plane of the path of movement of said latches.

et. A knitting-machine comprising in its f construction a series of latch-needles, a latchopener movable into and out of position forl lengaging the latches of said needles, a spring for throwing said opener to one position, and a catch for retaining it in the other position.

5. .A knitting-machine attachment comprising a latch-opener, a guide therefor having means for attaching it to a knitting-machine,A a spring for holding the latch-opener in one position relatively to its guide, and a catch for holding said openerin the other position.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a dial bed or plate and its needles, of the bar or plate l and a suitable support therefor, the barrel 6 mounted on the end of said bar, the rod S vertically movable in said barrel and provided with a latch-opening finger 9 at its lower end, and means within the control of the operative for adjusting the vertical position of the rod and its latch-opening finger. j

7. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a dial bed or plate and its needles, of the bar or plate 1 and a suitable support therefor, the barrel 6 mounted on the end of said bar, the rod 8 vertically movable in said barrel and provided with a latch-opening linger 9 at its lower end, the sleeve 15 adjustably secured to the rod 8, the spring 13 bearing against the lower end of the sleeve, and a spring-catch adapted to engage the said sleeve to hold it and the rod 8 and its latch-opener in depressed position.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. ELLIOTT. IRVING M. MILLER.

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