US55241A - Improvement in knitting-machines - Google Patents

Description

-Fzyl L PETERS, PHOTGLITHUGRAFHEIL WASHINGTON. D (D4 Usirrne STATES PATENT Ormea.

WILLIAM W. CLAY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,24] dated June 5, 1866.

vTo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W. W. CLAY, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Knitting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of certain mechanism, fully described hereinafter, whereby a Jacquard apparatus is caused to so act on the needles of a knitting-machine that ornamental fabrics can be produced.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specifica-tion, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved knittingmachine, and Fig. 2 a plan view, partly in section.

A is a metal frame, at opposite edges of which are formed two parallel guides, a a', and between the latter is secured a bed-plate, B, in the center of which is a narrow slit or opening, x.

In the bed-plateis a series of parallel grooves, c, adapted for the reception of double-ended self-acting needles C, and in each groove slide two carriers, D and D', one of which is on each side of the opening x, each carrier having a lug, d, at its upper edge and a hook, e, at the inner end.

In the bed-plate B, at opposite sides of the opening d, slide two series of vertical rods, j' and j", the upper end of each rod projecting into one of the grooves c, and the lower end bearin g on the upper edges of a horizontal bar, F or F', which is arranged to slide in the frame A, and at the inner end of which is an enlargement, i, there being as many of the bars F and F' as there are carriers D and D'.

To each bar and to the frame A is secured a spring, k, which tends to draw the bar inward, and to the outer end of each bar are secured cords Z, which are so connected to a Jacquard apparatus that when one ofthe bars,

F, is drawn outward the opposite bar, F', will be moved inward, and vice versa.

On the guides a a', and on the guide-bars E E', secured to projections J and J of the frame A, slides a plate, Gr, to the under side of which are secured cams H H' I I', the edges ofthe latter (shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2) bearin g against the projections d of the carriers D D', and the cams being` so formed that as the plate Gr is moved back and forth the said carriers will be moved in the grooves e to and from the openlng In the projections J J slide bars K K' K", to each of which is secured a thread-guide, L, and to the bar K" is secured an additional guide, L', the lower ends of all the guides projecting through an opening in the center of the plate G and over the opening x in the bedplate.

In brackets M M', secured to the plate G, slide two bars, N N', andin thelatter slides a transverse plate, O, in which is a spring-catch, h. In the under side of each bar K K' K" is a recess, a, adapted for the reception of the spring-catch h, and to each projection J J' of this frame are secured two adjustable plates, m m', for a purpose described hereinafter.

The bars F' are rst drawn outward, and the bars F are movedinward to theposition shown in Fig. 1. In doing this the enlargements 1l of the bars F' are brought beneath the rods f', which, together with the c arriers D', are elevated, and the hooks of the latter are above the range of the needles, while the rods j' are lowered and the hooks ofthe carriers D brought within the range of those of the needles.

The spring-catch 7L is then brought into the recess a in the bar K by adjusting the plate O, so that as the plate Gr is moved back and forth it will carry with it the bar K and its guide L.

As the plate Gr is operated the carriers D, with the needles to which they are hooked, will be moved by the cams on the plate Gr back and forth in the grooves c, and the thread y on the guideL will be carried onto the hooked ends of the needles and formed into loops on the same in a manner too well known to those skilled in this class of machinery to need description.

As the plate Gapproaches either of the pro` jections J or J' the ends of the bars N N' will strike the adjustable pla-tes m m', and the motion of these bars, of the plate 0, and of the bar K will be arrested, while that of the plate Gr' is continued, so that on the return motion of the plate the carrier L will be in advance of the cams H I, and will lay the thread on the needles before the latter can be operated by the said cams.

When it is desired to introduce into the fabric a new thread of a different color from that previously employed, the new thread is passed through the eyes of the guide attached to the bar K, and the plate O is adjusted so that the spring-catch 71. is brought into' the recess a of the said bar, when the latter, with its guide, will be operated in place of the bar K and its guide, the new threadbeing carried onto the needles and knitted to the fabric already formed.

In order to form a fabric with longitudinal stripes of different colors, the spring-catch 7L is brought into. the recess in the bar K, and two differentcolored threads are passed through the eyes of the two guides attached to the said bar, when the machine is operated as before. As, however, each guide L L should pass over onlya portion of the needies, the plates m m should be so adj usted that the ends of the bars N N may strike the same as soon as the guides have been moved to the extent required.

So long as the needles are all operated by the carriers on one side of the opening m a plain fabric will be produced; when, however, one or more needles are transferred to the opposite side of the opening w the stitches formed by these needles will be thrown to the opposite side of the fabric, and will produce ribs or elevations on the same.

The transfer of the needles from one side of the opening to theother is effected in the following manner: When a bar, F, is drawn outward and the opposite bar, F, is pushed inward by the operation of the Jacquard apparatus, the rod f is elevated and the rod f is lowered, so that when the carrierD is again moved forward it will slide over the end of the rod f, and will be thus raised from contact with the needle, the opposite hooked end of which slides beneath the hooked end of the opposite carrier, D. The needle is operated by the carrier D as long as the carrier D is elevated by the movement of the bars F F. When, however, the carrier D is depressed and the carrier D is again elevated the needle will be transferred across the opening to its first position.

As the transfer of the needles from one side of the opening w to the other is effected by the movement ofthe bars F F and as the latter are operated by the Jacquard apparatus, it will be apparent' that by the use of suitably-prepared cards a fabric of almost any desired pattern may be produced. In some cases I connect the bar O to the jacquard, so that the latter' may regulate the movement of the said plate and the disposition of the colors in the fabric.

Without confining myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts herein described,

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the needles C, car riers D D', a Jacquard apparatus, and the within-described devices or their equivalents, whereby the needles can be transferred from one carrier to another by the'operation of the Jacquard apparatus, for the purpose described.

2. The guides L L', in combination with the within-described devices or their equivalents and with a Jacquard apparatus, for the purpose specified.

3. The bars K K K, with theirI threadguides L L and recesses a, in combination with the adjustable plate O and spring-catch h, or its equivalent, the whole being arranged and operatin g as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. WMS. CLAY.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. FosrER, JOHN WHITE.

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