US716767A - Rib-knitting machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 7|6,767. Patented'Dec.-23, 1902..

` B. W. SCOTT.

FHB KNlTTINGMCH/INE.

s shears-sheet I.'

(No Modem .1, n mi a.

Patented-Dec. 23, i902. a.y w. ssoTT.` RIB KNITTING MACHINE.

[Application filed Mar. 9, 19041,)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

rammed Dee. 23, i902.

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n led Mar. 9, 190). l

l'. W. SCOTT.

BIB KNITING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

Unire STATES A` Aefr-intr OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA., ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, OFAASHBOURNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

srncrnrca'rron forming para of Letters Patent No. 716,767, dated December 23. 1902.

To @ZZ whont it muy concern'.

Beit known thatI, ROBERT W. SCOTT, a citiaen of the United States,`residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Rib-Knitting Machines, of

Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machinery for knitting ribbed fabrics having loops of an independent thread drawn out on` either face or t both` faces, so that .they can be gigged or brushed to form a iieece. In this respect the machine is similar to that forming the-subject of my Letters Patent No. 676,372, dated June 1l, 1901; but the present machine differs from that of the patent cited in that no separate bed is employed for the hooks or sinkers, whereby the looping or corrugating of the ileecing-thread is effected, nor is any special cam member employed for operating zo these hooks orsinkers, the latter being mounted and guided in one or both of the needlecarrying members of the machine and being operated by appropriate cams on one or both of the ordinary cam members of the machine, thus simplifying construction, reducing cost, 'and overcoming certain practical objections to previous machines of thistype which have been devised-namely, the difficulty of access to the sinkers, sinker-bed, and sinker'- 3o cani structure when these elements are 1o cated on the inside of the machine and the obstruction which these parts oder when they are located on the outside of the machine'.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents in vertical section sulhcient of a rib-knitting machine to illustrate my present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line a ct, Fig. l, illustrating in a dat plane the cam mechanism employed for operating 4o the cylinder-needles and the hooked loopers `for acting on the iieecing-thread.V Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line b b, Fig. l, also illustrating .in a-iiatplane the action ot' said hooked loopers upon the lieecing-thread.

Fig. 4 is a plan view in a dat plane of part oli' the needle-bed with its needles and the loopers for acting on the iieecing-thread; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig; l, but illustrating another embodiment of my invention. Fig.

5o 6 is a view taken on the line d d, Fig. 5, and

Serial No. 50.467. (No model.)

illustrating the character of the cams employed in amachine such as there shown.

Fig. 7 is a plan View illustrating a special construction of the machine in accordance with my invention. Fig. 8 is a view of a jack or sinker which may be used instead of the hooked loopershown in the other gures. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a machine in which the hooked loopers are used in connectin with both of the needle-carriers of the machine, and Fig. 10 is an invertedV plan View ot' the dial-'cam cap of the machine shown in Fig, 9.

I-Ieretofore in order to corrugate or form loops in a supplementary or fleecing thread laid between the front and back wales of a l ribbed fabric during the process ofvknitting hooks, loopers, or sinkers of some forni have been employed, these elements being mounted so as to be free to reciprocate in an independent bed and being operated by cams carried by an independent cam member either rotative or stationary, according to the type of machine employed. My former patent, No. 676,372, is an illustration of this type of machine. In carrying outk my present invention, however, I utilize one or both of the main needle-carriers for supporting and guiding the hooks. or sinkers which act upon the eecing-thread, and I mount the cams for operating these hooks or sinkers on one or both of the main cam-carrying members.

In the drawings, l `represents part of the bed-plate of the machine; 2, part of the fixed needle-cylinder; 3, part of the stationary horizontal needle-dial; a, part of the rotating cylinder-cam ring, and part of the dialcam cap, these parts, with the exception of the needle-cylinder and the cams of the cyl- .inder-cam ring 4, being constructed in a manner similar to that of an ordinary rib-knitting machine of this type, which may be either a single-feed or a multiple-feedmachine, preferably the latter, as in practice itiis Lpreferable to apply the fleecing-thread to alternate courses only of the fabric.

I have not shown in any views except Fig. lO of the drawings the guides for the knitting-yarn, nor have I illustrated the stitches of the fabric upon the needles, as the opera- IOO tion of those parts which constitute my invention can be better understood in the absence of such showing of the fabric itself.

Fabrics of the character described are as a rule made upon vmachines having about eight needles to the inch in the cylinder and eight needles to the inch in the dial, the needles of one member alternating with those of the other, as will be readily understood. Instead, however,of cutting eight needle-grooves to the inch in the cylinder in the ordinary manner I l em ploya cylinder having inserted walls or par= titions--such, for instance, as shown and described in the patent of Louis N. D. Williams, numbered 561,038, dated May 26, 1896, which construction permits of a close disposition of the grooves without unduly sacrificing the strength of the partitions between the grooves, and the cylinder is prepared with sixteen grooves to the inch or twice as many as there are in the dial. The gage may of course be varied.

In that form of myimproved machine shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 every other groove of the cylinder 2 is provided with an ordinary knitting-needle 6; but the intervening grooves contain a series of hooked loopers 7, which are similar to the needles in respect of having shanks with projecting butts for the action of the cams whereby they areoperated, but differ from the needles in being without latches and in having their upper ends bent outwardly and terminating in inwardly-bent hooks instead of the outwardly-bent hooks of the ordinary needles. The Shanks of the loopers are also of a different length from those of the knitting-needles, so that the butts of the needles and loopers are in diierent horizontal planes, and thus permit of the use of two independent sets of operating-earns one above the other on` the-cylinder-cam ring 4.. This is the preferable plan, as it does not require any special formation of the butts of the needles or loopers; but when such special formations are not objectionable other arrangements of the cams may be adopted. In the present instance the needle -operating cams are the upper set and comprise the usual lifting-cam 9,l depressing-cam 10, and supplementary lifting cam 1l, while the looper-operating cams, which constitute the lower set, comprise a lifting-cam 12 and a depressing-cam 13, the latter being by preference vertically adjustable, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to vary the extent of downward movement or draft of said loopers. A fixed cam 13a constitutes a continuation of the depressing-cam 13 and serves to maintain the loopers 7 in the depressed position and keep the fieecing-yarn under control until said loopers again rise to receive the freshyarn. The upper ends of the partitions between the grooves of the cylinder 2 are inclined or beveled inwardly and downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to tend to directinwardly the yarn drawn down onto the said tops of the partitions.

Supposing that the ileecing-yarn is supplied by a guide 14, secured to the dial-cam cap 5, as shown in Fig. l, the operation of those parts of the machine constituting my inven- 7o tion will be as follows: The guide 14 is so disposed as to deliver the iieecing-yarn to the hooked upper ends of the loopers 7 when the latter have been elevated by the cam l2, as shown in Fig. 3, and as the loopers are drawn downward by the action of the cam 13 the said eecing-yarn will be caught by the hooks of the loopers and drawn down over the tops of the partitions between the grooves in the cylinder 2 and into the upper ends of those 8o grooves in which the loopers work, as shown in Fig. 3, the fleecing-yarn being there shown as resting upon the top of the cylinder and directed inwardly or toward the center of the machine by reason of the beveled tops of the partitions between the cylinder-grooves. At or about the` saine time that the fleecing-yarn is thus drawn down onto the top of the cylinder and into the looper-grooves the knitting-needles 6 are caused to rise slightly by 9o the action of the supplementarylifter-cam 1l, so as to insure the laying of the fleecing-yarn back of each needle where said yarn crosses the top of the needle-groove, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus insure the placing of the fieecingyarn between the front and rear wales of the knitted fabric and prevent it from being knit- 'ted into the fabric, as it would be if any of the needles caught it in such manner as to draw a stitch. In order to increase the cer- Ioo tainty of laying the fleecing-yarn behind the knitting-needles in this way, I prefer in some cases to increase the depth of the grooves in which the hooked loopers are guided, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 7. of depth may be restricted to the upper portion of the groove, and the desired location of the hooks of the loopers in a different plane from the hooks of the needles may be effected by simply providing said loopers with 11o straight Shanks instead of the outwardly-bent s hanks shown in Fig. 1. By the rising of the cylinder-needles in front of the fleecing-yarn the latter is at once placed back of the Wale formed by the cylinder-needle, While in a mal chine of the character shown in my Patent No. 676,372, previously referred to, the fleecing-yarn does not occupy this position until after it is knocked over by the cylinderneedle. The loopers, however, retain their 12o hold of the fleecing-yarn and exercise complete control over the fabric until they release said ieecing-yarn just prior to receiving a fresh supply of the same into their raised hooks.

In that embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I employ ordinary knittingneedles 7a in place of the special hooked loopers shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and I also employ an eXtra set of cams in connection with said 13o needles-namely, the lifter-cam 15 and depresser-cam l-these cams acting upon the butts of said needles 7L just previous to the action of the cams 12 and 13 and causing such This increase 105l an elevation of said needles as will slip the loops of ileecing-yarn engaged thereby back of the latches, as shown at the right-hand side of Fig. 6, so that when the needles are depressed these loops will be slipped over the hooks of the needles, and thereby released, in order to permit the needles to rise and receive the fresh supply of fleecing-yarn, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 6. Any usual form of latch-opener may be employed lto insure the opening of the .latches of the needles when they rise to receive the fleecingyarn.

Various other modifications of my invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the same. For instance, instead of using .hooked loopers, so as to draw bights of ('leecing-yarn within the edge of the needlecarrier, I may use ordinary thrust-sinkers or jacks and corrugate the yarn by thrusting bights or loops thereof between the needles of the opposite needle-carrier, a convenient and cheap form of such sinker or jack being shown at 7 in Fig. 8, such jack consisting of a simple wire with projecting butt and bent upper end with notched top. The deepening of the groove in the needle-carrier may, if desired, take the form of a slot or notch in the edge of said carrier, into which said slot or notch the hooked or bent end of the looper or jack may be withdrawn when said looper or jack is retracted, this construction being shown in Fig. 8. In order to economize space in machines of fine gage and permit of theuse between adjoining grooves of the needlecarrier of partitions of proper thickness and strength, I may make the stems or Shanks of the jacks or loopers laterally' thinner than those of the needles, so as to correspondingly reduce the width of the grooves prepared for the reception and guidance of said jacks or loopers, as shown in Fig. 7, this being permissible, because the thickness of the stems of the jacks or loopers can be increased in the other direction to compensate for lateral thinning of the same.

For some purposes it is desirable that deecing-loops should appear on both faces of the fabric, and the arrangement of mechanism herein shown and described is peculiarly well adapted for making such a fabric, it being only necessary that both needle-carriers shall contain the loopers or sinkers. Such a machine is shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the two fleecing-yarn guides being illustrated at 14 and the two knitting-yarn guides at 17, the dial-needle projecting and retracting cams being shown, respectively, at 19 and 20 and the dial-looper projecting and retracting cams being shown, respectively, at 2l and 22. Un-

der these conditions the first ileecing-yarn guide would deliver the yarn to, say, the cylinder-needles and loopers, thus placing the loops of said fleecing-yarn on the outside of the fabric, while the next fleecing-yarn guide would deliver anotherv ileecng-yarn to the dial-needles and loopers, and thus at this feed theloops would be formed on the inside of the fabric. This could occur on alternate feeds, or any number of feeds of knittingyarn only might intervene between the feeds of vileecing-yarn. My invention, however, also contemplates the use of the loopers in bot-h sets of needle-carriers, even when but one knitting-yarn guide and one ileecing-yarn guide are employed. It will be evident that the production of such a fabric upon a machine with independent sinker-beds would be difficult, if not impracticable, on account of the multiplicity of parts necessarilyinvolved and also because when thrust-sinkers are employed for acting upon a eecing-yarn the projected position is the normal position, and when two sets are used at an angle to each other they would extend completely across the aperture between the needle-carriers when in the normal or rest position. Consequently they would interfere with the free passage of the work. With my arrangement of hooked loopers for actin g on the iieecing-thread, however, the retracted position is the normal or rest position. Consequently such interference is entirely obviated, and, moreover, there being no independent members either for carrying the loopers or for actuating them the use of loopers in both carriers, so as to coperate in the production of a fabric with loops on both faces, leaves the machine as free of access for adjustment and repair as though no fieecing mechanism was present.

It will be noticed that in all of the machines constructed in accordance with my invention there exists but slight differences from an ordinary rib-knitting machine, there being no members inside or outside of the cylinder of the machine, as has been the practice heretofore, and-which are annoying either on account of the difficulty of access to them for repairs or adjustment when they are inside of the machine or because they prevent ready access 'to other important parts of the machine when they are on the outside, and besides this greater convenience in the operation of the machine the saving in cost of construction is quite apparent.

In the manufacture of ribbed knitted fabric the yarn is usually drawn by the cylinderneedles, and the stitches formed by these needles constitute the face of the fabric, the dial-needles drawing no yarn from the yarnguide, but simply forming short loops of the yarn which has been already drawn from the yarn-guide by the cylinder-needles. This is effected by giving the draw-down cam of the cylinder-cam ring a comparatively abrupt angle, while the draw-in cam of the dial-cam cap is curved and of a lesser angle, so that the dial-needle draws inwardly more slowly than the cylinder-needle is drawn downwardly. As, however, in that form of machine shown in Figs. l to 6 of the drawings I apply the eecing-yarn to the cylinder-needles and as the stitches drawn by these needles should therefore form the back of the fabric,

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I reverse the construction usually employed and provide the dial-cam cap with abrupt draw-in cams-such, for instance, as shown at 20 in Fig. IO-while the cylinder-cam ring is provided with long and gentle curved drawdown cams, such as shown at l0 in Fig. 2.

While I have shown my invention as embodied in a machine in which the needle-carriers are stationary and the cam-carriers movable, it will be quite evident that this relation of the parts may be reversed without affecting the invention and also that my invention can be used in connection with straight or Hat bed machines and in machines in which spring-beard needles are employed in place of latch-needles.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to mount sinkers or web-holders in grooves in the needle-carrier of a knittingmachine; but such sinkers or holders acted only upon the knitting -yarn or upon the stitches of the knitted web, whereas the sinkers or loopers which I employ have no such function, but act upon a yarn independent of the knitting-yarn.

Having thus` described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent-' l. The combination of the needle-carriers, needles, cam carriers, cams, and knittingyarn guide of a rib-knitting machine with a iieecing-yarn guide, loopers or sinkers, guided in grooves of one of the needle-carrying surfaces of the machine which alternate with the needle-grooves thereof, and means for actuating the said loopers or sinkers so as to cause them to engage the fleccing-yarn, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the needle-carriers, needles, cam-carriers, cams, and knittingyarn guide of a rib-knitting machine, with a iieecing-yarn guide, loopers or sinkers guided in grooves of one of the needle-carrying surfaces of the machine which alternate with the needle-grooves thereof, and cams on one of the needle-cam carriers of the machine for operating said loopers or sinkers so as to cause them to engage with the (ieecing-yarn, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the needle-carriers, needles, cam-carriers, cams, and knittingyarn guide of a rib-knitting machine, with a tleecing-yarn guide, sinkers or loopers guided in grooves in one of the needle-carrying surfaces which grooves are deeper than those receiving the needles, and means for operating said loopers or sinkers so as to engage the iieecing-yarn, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a rib-knitting machine,with a leecing-yarn guide, hooked loopers guided in grooves in one of the needlecarrying surfaces, and having their hooks in a different plane from those of the needles, and means for operating said loopers so as to cause their hooks to engage the fleecing-yarn, the grooves which receive the loopers being deeper than those which receive the needles, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a rib-knitting machine having a needle-carrier with inwardlybeveled outer end, a fleecing yarn guide, hooked loopers guided in grooves in the needle-guiding surface ofsaid needle-carrier, and means for operatingsaid loopers so as to cause them to engage the fleecing-yarn and draw the same against the beveled end of the needle-carrier, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the needle-carriers, needles, cam -carriers, cams, and knittingyarn guide of a rib-knitting machine with a iieecing-yarn guide, loopers or sinkers mounted on one of the needle-carrying surfaces, the shanks of the needles and of the loopers or sinkers being of different lengths, and cams in different planes on a cam-carrying member of the machine, the cams of one plane actuating the needles, and those of the other plane actuating the loopers or sinkers, substantially as speciiied.

7. The combination of the needle-carriers of a rib-knitting machine and their needles, the knitting-yarn-feeding devices, a eecingyarn guide, loopers mounted upon one of the needle-carrying surfaces, and cams for operating said loopers and the needles in coperation with which they work, whereby said needles are slightly projected when the loopers draw the fleecing-yarn against the end of the needle-carrier, substantially as specified.

8. The combination of a rib-knitting machine with a fleecing-yarn guide, loopers or sinkers carried by one ot' the needle-carrying surfaces of the machine, and means for actuating said loopers or sinkers so as to cause them to engage thel ileecing-yarn, the said loopers or sinkers having their acting ends bent inwardly or in a direction the reverse of the hooks of the needles, substantially as specified.

9. The combination in a circular-rib-knitting machine, of the cylinder and dial, their needles, needle-actuatingcams, and knittingyarn-feeding devices, with a fleecing-yarn guide, loopers or sinkers guided in grooves of one of the needle-carrying surfaces, which grooves alternate with the needle-grooves of said carrier, and means for actuating said loopers or sinkers, so as to cause them to engage the iieecing-yarn, substantially as specied.

l0. The combination in a circular-rib-knitting machine, of the cylinder-dial, their needles and needle-operating cams, and knittingyarn-feeding devices, with a ileecing-yarn guide, hooked loopers guided in grooves of the needle-carrying surface of the cylinder which alternate with the needle-grooves of the same, and means for actuating said hooked loopers, so as to cause them to engage with the ileecing-yarn, substantially as specified.

11. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of the two needle-carriers, their nee- IOO IIO

ro'dles,needleactuating cams, and knittingyarn feeding devices with hooked loopers guided in grooves in each of the needle-carriers which alternate with the needle-grooves, a ieecing-yarn guide, and means for actuat- 15 ing the hooked loopers so as to cause them to engage with the eecing-yarn, substantially as specied.

13. A needle-carrier for use in a rib-knitting machine, said needle carrier having zo grooves for the reception and guidance of the needles and other and deeper grooves for the,

reception of lon gitudinall y-reciprocatiu g loopers or sinkers for engagement with a tleecingyarn, substantially as specified.

14. A looper adapted for use in a machine for producing ribbed knitted fabric with a Vfleecing thread or threads combined therewith, said looper having a bitted shank with upper end bent into a plane beyond but par- 3o allel with the shank, and a hook bent in a reverse direction from the bend of the shank, substantially as specified.

15. A rib-knitting machine having two needle-carriers, their needles, cams foractuating the same, and knitting-yarn-feeding devices,

so that the needles ot one carrier draw the stitches of the knitting-yarn, and the needles f of the other carrier have a secondary action, a fleecing-yarn guide, sinkers or loopers caro ried by one of the needle-carrying surfaces,

and means for actuating said sinkers or loopers whereby they bend or corrugate the ileecing-yarn around the shanks ot the needles having such secondary action, substantially as specied.

16. A circular-rib-knitting machine having a needle cylinder and dial, their needles, knitting-yarn-feeding devices and cams for actuating said needles so that the needles of the 5o dial draw the stitches of knitting-yarn and the needles of the cylinder have a secondary action, a leecing-yarn guide, sinkers or loopers carried by one of the needle-carrying su rfaces, and means for actuating said sinkers or loopers, whereby they bend or corrugate the eecing-yarn around the shanks of the 'cylinder-needles, substantially as specified.

17. A circular-rib-knitting machine having a needle cylinder and dial, their needles and 6o cams for actuating said needles, and knitting-yarn-feeding devices, so that the needles of the dial draw the stitches of knitting-yarn and the needles of the cylinder have a secondary action, a eecing-yarn guide, hooked loopers guided in grooves of the needle-cylinder which alternate with the needle-grooves, and means for operating said hooked loopers so as to cause them to engage with the fleecing-yarn, substantially as specified.

18. The combination with the needle-carriers, needles, cams, cam-carriers, and knitting-yarn guide of a rib-knitting machine, cfa tleecing-yarn guide, sinkers or loopers guided in grooves in one of the needle-carrying surfaces, and means for longitudinally rreciproeating said sinkers or loopers so as to cause them to engage with the leecing-yarn and exercise control over the same at all times except when they are moved into position to receive fresh yarn, substantially as specified.

19. The combination with the needle-carriers, needles, cams, cam-carriers, and knitting-yarn guide of a rib-knitting machine, of a tleecing-yarn guide, hooked loopers guided in grooves in one of the needle-carrying surfaces, and means for longitudinally reciprocating said hooked loopers so as to cause them to engage with the ieecing-yarn and retain them in the depressed position whereby they retain control of the said yarn until they are raised to receive a fresh supply, su bstantially as specified.

20. The combination of a rib-knitting machine, With a tleecing-yarn guide, loopers or sinkers guided in one ofthe grooved needlecarriers oi' the machine, and means for operating the said loopers or sinkers so as to cause them to engage the leecing-yarn, the Shanks of the loopers or sinkers, and the grooves of the needle-carrier for receiving the same, being narrower thanthe needle Shanks and grooves, substantially as specified..

2l. A rib-knitting-machine needle-carrier having grooves for the reception and guidance of the needles, and, alternating ltherewith, narrower grooves for the reception and guidance of loopers or sinkers, substantially as specied.

22. A rib-knitting-niachine needle-carrier having grooves for the reception and guidance of the needles, and, alternating therewith, narrower and deeper grooves for the reception and guidance of loopers or sinkers, substantially as specified.

23. The combination of a rib-knitting machine, with a eecing-yarn guide, loopers or sinkers having bent or hooked outer ends and guided in grooves of a needle-carrier ot' the machine, said grooves alternating with the needle-grooves of the carrier, and communieating at the top with slots or notches cut in the edge of the carrier, and means for operating the loopers or sinkers, so as to ca'use them to engage the lieecing-thread, the hooked or bent ends of the loopers or sinkers entering the edge notches or slots of the needle-carrier when said loopers or sinkers are retracted, substantially as specified.

24. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of the two needle-carriers, their needles, and needle-actuating cams, a plurality of knitting-yarn-feeding devices, loopers or sinkers carried by each et the needle-carriers of the machine, a plurality of ieecing--yarn ICO IIO

guides, one feeding yarn to the loopers of one carrier and the other feeding yarn to the loopers of the other carrier, and means Whereby the loopers or sinkers of one of the needlecarriers are caused to engage with one fleecing-yarn and form loops of the same on one face of the fabric and the loopers or sinkers of the other needle-carrier are caused to engage with another fleecing-yarn and form loops of the same on the other face of the fabric, substantially as specified. v

25. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of the two needle-carriers, their needles and needle-actuating cams, a plurality of knitting-yarn-feedingdevices,hooked loopers guided in grooves in each of the needlecarriers which alternate with the needlegrooves, a plurality of fieecing-yarn guides,

one feeding yarn to the loopers of one carrier and the other feeding yarn to the loopers of the other carrier, and means for actuating the hooked loopers of one of the needle-carriers so as to cause them to engage with one eecing-yarn and form loops of the same on one face of the fabric, and the hooked loopers of the other needle-carrier so as to cause them to

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