USRE10112E - Knitting-machine - Google Patents

Description

7 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. H. ABEL,-

Assignbr of one-half to H. W. BDARDMAN.

KNITTING MACHINE- No. 10,112. Reissu'ed May 16,1882.

By Lu Attorney WITNESSES t e e 1 h S t e e h S 7 W. H. ABEL" Assignor of one-half to H. W. :VBOARDMAN;

KNITTING MACHINE.

Reissued May 16, 1882.

I IJVV'EJVNOR 5 .4%!

WITNESSES I M By A! flttorne I 7 Sheets--S11eet f .W. H. ABEL,

' Assignor of 0ne-ha1f to H W BOARDMAN.

, KNITTING MACHINE. No. 10,112. I Reissued May16,1882.

W I TN ESSES v W M 7 Shets-Sheet n W. H. ABEL,

Assignpr of one-half to H. BOARDMAN.

KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 10,112@ 'Reissued May1 6,188Z

WITNESSES spring-needle fashioningmachines To all ivIiom i t phay" concern:

UN ED STATES PATENT OFFICE \vjlilninii n. Anne; on LACi)NIA,'Nhl\V. HAMPSI-URE, ASS

KGNUR OF Cinn- KNlTTlNG-MAGH-INE.

SPEQI FICATIQN' forming part Reissned Letters Patent No. 10,112, tinted May 16,1882

Be'ieknown-ithat], \VILLIAAL ii. ABEL, of iniconhnin the eonnty of Beth :ip,in the State of New Iirtti ishire, "have invented a. new and Improve olf-Acting Narrowing Knitting- Machine towing is n full-and exact description thereof, reference being had to the nceom pnnying drnwings, making part, of this specification- Figure 1 being a. top view ot' themachine;

Fig. 2, a'tront view of the some; Fig. 3-, a rear view thereof; Fig. ham and view of the snme,'

thed'rit'im milev hein' in section Fi n4 on b l"- 7 O eninrged vtransverse section ot parts ot'the machine. Figs. 5 to ll, inclusive, are views of-pnrts oijthe nnichinedetached.

l' ,ike .iei;ters designate corresponding parts in all of the lignz'cs.

'Jlhepnrpose oi my invention is to produce nnjimprolved. self'ncting nznrowing knitting;

'mztehine for making shaped vgoods,whet-eh the'mtichino itself may he greatly simplified nnd ehnn eiwd, the n'csser which is u ed v.-

ineehnnisini'or operating it being dispensed Wiiil,'ill1ti the needles being; much stronger mad less iifliiidiifl tweak. wherehy niso the knitting; cnn he donc mneh no e rnpidiy than with the :qning medie nnrrowingnnnehinee heretofore generally used, whereon almost. any qnniitg' oi" yarn may he employed in linittinnn-ri wherehy the highly-skilled inbor required with other iinrro' 'ingdnnchines may he rentiez cd unneeessnr z My invention consists of certain combinations of mechanical devices which are. specified in detail in the claims at; the close of {hindeseriptiunr These de'i'ices'n-ro the ioiiowing,

- Viz: a peenlinr, latch-needle havinga timing slot or eyehetnreen thehook-poin t. of the needle -audits latch-pivot, said eye being adapted to receive the point of the tmnsiir-rring-instrumenthy which the loop of yarn is taken from the needle and is v reapplied toit; (this peeuiinr kind of needle is designated by me on teye pointed intch needle, and a series of these he cnlim' needles is an essential memher oi 'ench of the' new combinations which constitute my 1 n\" e n t'ion;) the coveringpoint or transferringiteh oi yarn "m -(1'1 do hereby doe-hire thnt the ioh ith' {ind the d July i, .379. Amdicniion for reissue filed June 23. 188i.

is transferred from one needle to another-fer the purpose of nz rrowingthe t'ehric,snoh cover tug-point eerresponding wit h whntnrecointnoir iy coiled tiehlers" andimnsierringinstt'nments by knitie s; the rocking bar "o5 means of whieh the aerating-point or tieiaier is de-v {messed and raised no to be engaged in the ego of the eye-pointed hilch-nc-cdie over which it is pinced, and to he disengaged therefrom; the hack sinker-bar, by means of which the loop otyarn on one of the series ot'cydpointed linen-needles is moved from the needle on which it, is formed to the covering-point; or tiehler; the front sinker-horde:mennsofn'hieh the loop of gain on" the covering-poin or iiel'm is named from it: to one of the eycqiointed iercirnee iles of the series; a siizie for ing; and raising the needles which to he thrown out of work on the inhric is narrowed, or {Hit at. work as required a potiernwi'heei or 10 its snhstitnte for determining; the times when the transference o1 stitches is the coveringpnints or tichlersds to he eli'ccti-ii; n neediniur for hoiding: the needles. in snch simmer. iitkii those lion: which the loops :ire r; noved only in. lowered out of rnng'e oithe by whicii'ynrn dciii'rrrd to the need knitting.

The peeniin ,nsticctien oi the era. inielrnrediois not c "n: .in ti K i IS on other one oi the nh-oxe-nninm'i dcvie cininied as new of itscih theimprovemenizn. which are einimed being the novet e nihi n tions of the said devices invented it}; me is specified in thencinims, in order that these combinations may he i'niiwnndersiondfl have represented tin the 21(.(,i lltii.lll \'ilif drawings and wiil proceed to'desei'ihe n nizichino in which i. embodied them previous to the into of my npplicnlion for thc originni patent, said .mnchino having the narrowing devices duplicated at opposite ends of the series of needles, so thnt ihe tnhric may he nnrrowrd at eneh side.

In the drnwin the machine, oi'nny snitnhlc construction; '8, the driving-short, extending across the innchine'irom end to end, and receiving most; of the mitnnting parts ot" the machine, or those parts by which motion is applied to thede vices which operate upon the yarn and do the knitting; O, -the driving-milky.on the drivingshaft; D, the needle-bar, receiving any required number of latch-needles, E Ll; and G,- the sliding bar, bearing the cam which operates the needles, and. havinga longitudinal reciprocating movement over and a little b not; of the needle-bar.

The eye-pointed latch-needles are represented detached at Figs. 116,17, and 18. Each has a hook-point and a latch, h, which is pivoted to the stem of the needle hack of-itspoint,a11d which can no swung forward to cover the hookpoint, or can be swung back, as shown at, Fig. 17, so as to permit the loop ot' yarn to he moved baciiirard to the stem ofthe needle behind the latch. Between the pivot oi the latch and the hook-point there is a liaring slot or rcccssJ", forming what is commoniycalled an eye,

and the distinguishing characteristics of this needle are that it is a littchmeedieand that it, has an eyehetncen its lateh-pivotand its point. Each needle-stem is provided with an upper projection or nib, g upon which thecam carried by the sliding bar G operates forthc purpose of moving the needle in the needle-bar D. Each needle is also fitted with a'prqjecting tail, d", which is advantageous in keeping the needle in its line of travel when at work.

Thc-necdlehar 1) (represented detached at Figs. 1t, 12, 13, and 14) hasa series ofgrooves in it, in which the needles slide,and the needle-grooves at the ends of the series, which 1 correspond with the needles that; are who ing-rod, I, extending from the craulrpiir to a thrown out of work for narrowing the fabric, have bottoms inclined. from the rear of the needle-bar to its front, as seen in Fig. 13, so that the points of the needles may be droppcd'or depressed when they are to he put out; of work. In the machine represented these grooves of the needle-bar are formed by inserting thin fillots of steel (such as are represented at Fig. 1.3) intoslits cut crosswise in the necdie-bar. The siiding bar G carries the cam for moving the no dies to and fro in the medic-bar, and also the yarn-carrier or yarn-guide 20, by means oi." which yarn is delivered to the urcdleshetweentheirhook-pointsandtheirlatehcs. The reciprocating movement; of the siiding cam-bar G is eli'ectedby means, of a revolving crank, H, mounted on a vertical shaft, a, near one end of the machine, and it connectpivot, b, on the sliding eam-barnea-r the other end ot'thc machine, so thatas great a length may be given. to the connecting-rod as practicable. The crank H is driven by two-bevelgears, ml, respectively on the drivingishatt B and on the crank-shad", the l'ormcrbeingjust;

half as large as the latter, whereby a rcciproeating movement; in either direction is given to the sliding cam-harat each revolution ot'the d'riying-sliat't, and the motions 0t all the operative parts at the machine are property timed.

In the machine represented in the drawings the back sinker-bar, J, has the form'represented at Figs. 20 and 4.", it being a bar with pro t0 loops or stitches, the lengths ot' which are determined by adjusting the back sinker-bar by the means hereinafter described. This back sinker-bar, J, is mounted on two standards, a c,

projecting upward from a rock-"shaft, f, which is pivoted to the front end of arms g g, reach"- ing back and attached to an adjusting rockshaft, h, at the rear side of the machine, and provided with an adjusting-arm, i, and screw j, as shown in Figs. 3 and .4,'whc rcby the sinkers are raised and lowered. The ordinarytorward and backward movement of'this sinkerbar-that is,its movement For plain knittingisproduced' by means of a cam, K, Figs. 3and 5, on the driving-shaft operating against an anti-friction wheel,L,on an arm, k, of the rock shaftf. The camispert'ectly circularaud concentric wilhits shaft, except one depression in its edge, to allow the sinker-bar to more backward at the proper time by the action of laterally-movable pivot of the anti-friction wheel L, there being a laterally-extended slot in thearm k to allow the positiouot' the said anti-friction wheel to be varied on the arm.'

This is a simple and convenient means of adjustment and capable of great accuracy. I

The front sinker-bar, M, as shown at Figs. 2t and 4", is similar in construction to the back siuttcr-bar'abotfe. described. This front siulrer-bar,M, also is mounted on two standardarms, a a, which are attached to arockshaft,

o, turning in suitable hearings on the frame,

from which rock-shaft; a suitable 11llI],1J, cx

tends backward,a spring, q,-oxtcnding from the rear end-ct the said arm to a stationary part of the machine, to hold the'sinkccbar in the right'pos'ition in front of the work, the dc; vice being adjustable by, a 'sctscrew, against; which the arm bears, Sincethe only 'function of the front siukers'in' ordinary knitting is to hold the work. to the back siuk'ers and allow the needles to perform their ofiiee withoutdis: placing the loops, no operative motion of the front; sinker-bar is required for plain kuittiu For convenience in putting on the work 'with the hook-bar, for taking up stitches, and repairing the work, the fi rut; sinker-bar is provided with mnnsavhich permit; itto be swung l'hrn'ard out or" the way when such operations are to-be cll'ccted, such means consisting of a downwardly-moiectiug arm, 1', on the rockshaft 0, and a hook-catch, s, pivoted'to thearm p, and catching. on a pin on the said arm 7' to couple the roclishat't rigidly thereto, and thereby cause the same to move with the arm 29; but; on detaching the catch .9 from its pin,

etus 3 scrihed belongto what I designate the late-lb needle knitting-machine proper -that is to say, they are adapted to'theknitting of plain cork by ,the operation of latchneedlcs; but

all the parts are also adapted to operate in cornhination with what I designate the narrowing-machine properf the eye-poin ted latch-nee, dies being specially adapted to this purpose by reason of the eyes between their points and the pivots of their latches.

What I designate the narrowing-machine proper? consists of thercovering-pointsfl F, their sliding blocks N N,.by means of which said points are moved laterally from one nee dle to another, and the rocking bar, by whose action the said points are engaged in and are removed from theeyesof the eye-pointed latehneedles. These parts are all mounted on a swinging frame, F, to which the rocking bar 0 is pivoted att t, and the said frame is pivoted at a n to asnit-able part of the main frame. In order that this frame may be swung forward out ofthe way when necessary, a cam-arm, Q,

is secured to the frame I bypiroting at, one of the pivots an, and by a notched catch, 1, pir

otedtto-aforward projection oi the arm and catching over a pin on the frame P, so that the narrowingmaohine may he uncoupled from and coupled to cam-lever at will. The attachment of pivot of the-catch 'v isadjnstable in slot, 2r, oi" the arm Q, whercbg'tne position ottlic parts and limits of the moreillElltSDfl the i'iarrowirig-machine may be ad justed and determined. backward and forward movement of the narrowing-machine iseiiected by a cannlhon the driyiiwt-slnift B aelin on the rear end of the arm Q.

Thecovering-points F F, as represented at Figs. 4,l7,and- 19, do not diiler substantially From-the ticklers or transihrriiig'.-iiisti'iiinciits usually employed in springmcrdle narrowing hnitting-machines,J inch being a pointed ins trunient ,'with an eye in itsnnd'or:sido,;a little behind its point, so that when the cover log-point, alter being placed over a needle, is depressed, itspoint engaged in the eye f of the latch-needle, while its own eye receives. the hook-point of the lntchaieodlo, sothat the loop ol'yarn or stitch can then be readily slid from thejneedle to the covering-point,or from the latter to the former. lnathe inaehinorcpresented in the drawings, that covering'points are applied at each side of the machine, so as to produce a sclvnge i'onr stitches in width at each side of the narrowed fabric; but. such cnr ployinent of four covoring-pointsdoes not coir 'stitnte any part of my invention. v v

The up and down lllOVCll'lQlltS of the covering-points, to cover and uncover the latchncedies'al'ter being brought over the said needles, as indicated in Fig. 1, are produced by rockin Lhe reciprocating the-bar O-onits pivots H. Fronrthe pawls respectively said bar an arm, S, extends hackward,'and

bears. a stationary cam, T, which lies within reach of two anti-friction rollers, cm, which are pivoted to the inner side of the driving-pnlley U, as shown in'position in Fig. 4. Asthe drivingpnlley'revolves these anti-friction rollers rido'over, the cam T and depress the arm S,

thereby rocking the back edge of the bar 0 downward and bringing theeoveringpoints down upon the needles, as shown in Figs. 17

and Il -first, to'take oil the loops'from their needles, and, second, to deliver them to the next needles; and as. soon as the rollers pass 3 from the cam a, counter-spring, 3 operates to raise the arm S, thereby rocking the bar 0 in, the opposite direction, and by consequence raising the cover'ingpoints. When the-covering-points are depressed by the rocking bar() 3 each covering-point is engaged in the eye of the latch-needle which it covers,and when the rocking bar is rocked in the opposite direction each covering-point is disengaged or reinoved from the eye of the corresponding eyepointed latch-needle.

Itis essential to the operation of the machine represented in the drawings that thecoveringpoints, when brought orertheneedles, should be held securely in exact position, without the 5 possibility of getting out of place during the. narrowing increments. I provide a lock which effects this very perfectly. Upon the top of j the arm E5 is formed or attached a stop, z, abutting at the rear against an anti-Friction roiler equivalent stop, '1, on the frame A, when the cevering points are brought into position over the needles, as shown in Fig. 4. Then, as the arm lowered by'aetion upon cain'T, another step, 2, on the underside said arm, facing forward, moves downril close behind or in contact with a hand projection, 3, oi the frame.- Thn's when the ioints goiiown n'pon theneedles the! e is no possibility of their moring'either forward or backward. Y A 'lfihc'iatcral morementsot t hccoi'ering-points to take, the stitches or loo isi'roin theirneedlc's and transfer them to the next inner needles for narrowing are efl'ectod by the following int-ans: Blochsorcarriag'es U U are arranged to slide on lined ways a. 4. On these blocks respectively are secured arms 5 5, which reach, to tan outer edges of the sliding blocks N N, which oiirry'iiio covering points; also, to the enter-ends of the blocks U U are respectively pivoted jointed pawls (i (i, which take intofixed IZtiGiL-bttlfi F 7, secured to the said ways, or to the frame oi the machine. The notches in these ratch-harc are just as far apart as the I ICO needle to the next inner needle in order. The pivot-pins S S, by which the two parts-ofiihe are pivoted togetin-iypro-g jeet backward into horizontal grooves or lifters t), locatedjust back of and parallel with the ways 4 4. the said grooves allow these pivot pins to slide freely, and by raising the lifters at the proper moments to a certain extent the pawls are thereby lifted at their joints and shortened sutficiently to draw their points from their notches'in the ra'tch-ba into the next inner notches thereof. Then on again depressing the lifters so asagain to straighten the pawls the rac'l-eblccits U U, and consequently the blocks N N, carrying: the Coveringpoints, are .moved inward adistance equal to the distance between two adjacent needles, as required.-

The lifters it 9 are actuated by a hookedor hooded cam, V, Fig. 4. on the driving-shalt B catching around a projeetionon thelower end again.

The movemeu ts of the front and back sin kerbars in connection with the covering-points and needles in narrowing'are peculiar. When the covering points are moved backward over the needles for narrowing the front and-back sinker-bars both move backward, carrying the sinkers between the needlesthe front sinkers for sliding the loops of yarn back upon the needles beyond the pivots of the latches, to move and hold the latches away from the covering-poin s, and to give. room for the said covering-points to come down upon the needles in front. of the loops, and the back sinkers to give way for-the work and to get into position for its next orward functional movement. Themes soon as the covering-points are brought down upon the needles, both sinkerbars move forward-the back sinkers to push the loops upon the covering-points and the front sinkers to give wayl'or the work and to getintopositionngaiu. Next,thclmcksinkec bar recedes a little to allow the covering-points to raise the loops, and then immediately comes forward again'to push the loops farther upon the covering-points to insure their retention thereon and certain delivery to the adjacen t needles. The back sinker-bar then moves back ward to allow the covering-points to move laterally and carry the loops to the next inner needles. Then the l'rontsin ker-harnloves backward to push theloops from thecovering-points back upon the needles beneath. Finally both sinker-bars come forward into position for k nitting, and at the same time the ct" .ringpoin-ts move forward to be out oi the'way while the knitting proceeds till it is time to commence the next narrowing. All these movements are determined automatically by the machine it selt', the backward movement of the back sinker-bar to allow the covering-points to move laterally being, necessary only when its projections are'high, (as they are in the machine represented in the drawings) and when the eoveringpoints are not raised high enough to pass laterally over them.

To etl'ect these movements of the trout and back sinker-bars, cams on the driving-shalt I are employed. A cam, W, acting upon an antit'rietion wheel, 12, on the arm 1), efl'ects the movements tit-the l'ront sinker-bar, as do scribed, theie being two operating project ons on the cam to movethe sinker-barbackward twire in the revolution of the drivingshatt. A cam, X, acting upon an anti-friction 1 wheel, 13, on the arm 7:, effects the movements of the hack sinker-bar. This earn also acts twice to move the sinker-bar forward at each revolution ot' the driving-shaft, and italsohas a depression in one throwing projection of its periphery to effect the slight receding movement of the sinker-bar to allow-the covering-points to lift the loops before fully pushing the loops thereon, as above described. This cam X is entirely distincttroui cam K, which controls the movements of the back sinkerbar in knitting, and theauti-friction wheel 13, against which the cam X- acts, is entirely distinct from the anti-friction wheel L, against whichthc cam K'operates; but it is on the same pivot as'lhat and adjusted by the same means.

In narrowing, as't'ast as the loops are taken from thc'outermost needles the said needles are required to be moved from their position a sntlicicnt distance not to take the yarn again as' the yarn carrier passes over the needlesin knitting. To eti'eet this purpose the said needles are caused to drop down into a position a little lower than the plane of the needles for knitting. The means of etleeting this movement consists of a slide, Y, attached to each rackblock U, and reaching inward therefrom to the needles,aud havingthe following construction, (see Fig. 9;) A portion, 14, at the inner end of each slide has its upper edge just highenough to hold the needles which rest thereon at the proper height for knitting, the slides being the sole support for the front ends of those needles which are subject to depression from their usual height iu'uarrowing- At the outer extremity of this portionot' the slide there is a downward inclination, 15, to apor tion, 16, ot' the slide, which holds the needles at a height far enough below the needies on the .part 14 to be out of the way in knitting, as desired. ()verthe part 16 is a projecting arm or part, 17, ot' the slide, which forms a slot, 18, the entire length of thesaid part 16, just wide enough for the needles to move freely in and be prevented from lifting out or position, as shown. clearly in Fig. 9. The inclination i5 is such as to act as a cain to raise the needles out of the groove or slot 18 upon the raised part 14 when the slide re-- codes from under the needles after each narthe'i-uner end sccnd into the slot without failure in narrow tug. Theposition of the inclination 15 is such that as the slide moves inward correspondiugiy with. the movemcntoi' the covering-point; sliding clocks N N, (driven inward by the projecting anus 5 5 or the ruck-blocks U as the loops arerahenoueby one, successively, fromthe needles in narrowing, each needle, as soon as the loop is taken from it, drops down into the slot 18, out-oi" the way; and when the slides Y Y are drawn outward after the narrowing is completed all the needles which had dropped one by one into each slot 18 are thereby'again brought out upon the raised part 14 of the slides, ready for knitting the full width agaimor for another narrowing.

The operations of the two oiganizaiions designated by me the hitch-needle knitting-machine proper and the lilfllTOWlHg-IlltlChlllG proper, above described, are, entirely distinct and alternate with each other-that is to soy, thclatch-needle knitting machine pfoper may he worked distinctly from the narrowing-machine proper, and when so worked will produce sheet of knitted fabricfof uniform breadth and when the narrowing-machine proper is brought into action the formation of stitches upon the needles from and to which a stitch is to he transferred (for narrowing the fabric) is temporarily inierinitted until the transfer is effected i It remains to describe the means by which the harrowing devices are automatically brought into action when required to narrow the fabric at predetermined rows of stitches.

Upon the driving-shaft B the cam K, which controls the back sinker-bur while knitting, and the bevel-gear wheel 0, which operates the sliding needle cam-bar G through the crank 'H'uud connecting-rod I, operate their respect ire devices during plain knitting; and the hooked or hooded cam V (which causes'thc movement of the rack-blocks U U) and the cams f X (which respectively.operate the front and back sinker-hers simultaneously, or in harmony together) 'operaie their respective devices for narrowing the fabric. The cams are so located on the driving-shaft that by moving the said shaft lengthwise a distance somewhat more than the thickness of the cams, one way or the other, either the cam K is brought into action or the cams V W X, as

I the, case may be; also, when the driving-shaft,

is moved to throw the cams V W X into acrion for" narrowing, the bevel-wheel 0, which drives the needle cum-bar, is uncoupled from the said shaft, since the said cam-bar must; be at rest while narrowing. This uncoupling is efi'ectcd by'having a clutch,19, secured fixedly to the driring-sha.ft, arrauged to separate from its counterpart on the said bevel-wheel when the shaft; is moved endwise to bring the nan rowing mechanism into action. Then, when would notbecome automatically coupled again;

i when in action.

. sary rubbing cams into the. properlposition for act-uutiug Vkeep thcbarings always accurately the driving shaft is moved inthe otherdired tion, to throw the narrowing mechanism out of action, the said clutch engages with the bevel-f wheel 0 again and brings the combat into act, tiou. ,i t With a knittingmachiuccoustructemns represented in the drawings, with narrowing de-' vices at each. endof the series of needles as ranged to operate simultaneously, in is in my opinion essential that the sliding combat; G,

- which bears the yarn-carrier 20, should beat the extremity'of its movements, or nearlyiso, when the uncoupling of the bevcl-whcelctnkesl place and the movements of the said cam-bar are suspended for narrowing. Otherw-iseithc yarn-carrier would be left over the needles and the narrowing could not proceed, This proper stopping ofihe cam-bar is very easily and not w, urally effected by arranging the .clutoliJi) so that it; becomes completely detaclicdrfromcits counter clutch on the bevel wheel conly; at

t e vcry extreme of the sliding movement;- of thedriring-shaft; in that direction but, should,

the bevel-wheel c be turned toanycousiilera- I ble extent from imposition during the ti'me'of a its being uncoupled, dis-arrangement: oi the machine would take place, and the wheels To obviate the liability of this happeni-ugfl employ a. .spring,2l, secured to thcframe A, r and bearing slightly on'the top oftho 'bevelwhoel d, which gears I 0, thus acting as n'brake to keepthesaidbe pressure of this spring'brakc, is not suificicnt; to practically impede the motiousot' the parts A pad, 22, maybefapplied to the foot of the spring to prevent unneces I05 and friction on the bevel-wheel d. To enable the driving-shaft B to have the sliding movement necessaryfor bringing thei the'devices'uponwhich they respectively op; crate; it is preferable to mount it in bearings: 23 23 whichthemselves have u sl-idingmorement of the requisite extent. in the frliifi'eqof the machine, these hearings "beiug. v-shaped at; the bottom to slide in corros )ondin'g shaped ways, whiclnalwaystw'elih'ceutrall% and therein? v (a The sliding movement oft:- the driving sheft is effected by two cams, Z Z; secured theretog v one at one side hnd 'tho-othen ng theflothe side of one of=the uprights of the --frai ne' These canis acts respectively against; two jectio'ns, 24 and 25,fon n shifting block; A! Fig. 4,'w hi ch has an 'up-ond-down sliding;

movement in a slot inthe suid stand'nrdof the 3: frame. Whenjthe c aingizestrikes theIprojec tion 24 of' the shiftinghlock; the flatterlb eiuk stntionaryt-he ea in itseltfmiustmove, and witl h it the (liming-shalt; the"? miementj produced thereby bein'g nsz much ins the;distancetho- 1, said shaftis required-t0 bemoro'd gnaw-i m: and when the cam-Z strikesthoiprojection ilo theemn itself, audlthedriviu g -shuif wjthiifii ihr into the suidbevcl-wvhelf r00 cl-wheels in position while uncoupled;",Thefl.

e i I -1o,112

end of the machine .n herethe cam is located,

and into the position for knitting, and ireeps the shaft there whilejthe knitting continnes, the projection during the'tinie being entirely above and out 'ofcontact with the cam Z,

spring, 26, serves to and when the shifting block is moved to the extremity of its downward positionthe projecwith its cam Z and the pr icction25 is brought opposite to the cam Z, which then and thercby is made to throw the driving-shaft end wise inthe other dircction thus bringing the narrowing mechanism into action. A simple ais e and to hold raised the shifting block.

The depression ol'the shifting block to bring the narrowing mecha nism into action is effected by the foilowine' device: A paltcrnavheel, B I, Figsfi, 3, and 10, is inonntcd on the frame A in front of the shifting bioch, and it connect ing'lever, G, is pivoted to thel'rame between the two. One end of thclever plays between ,two projections of the shifting block, one of which may be thcprojection 2i and the other a projeetion,27, below the lever 0, bearing and operating on the latter. The olherend of thelever has an adjustablecain-point, 28, which bears upon the edge of the 'iattern-wheel, so, that the lever may be acted on thereby. The

pattern-wheel has cam-projections 29 29, each suflicient to raise the forward end of the lever C, aiid consequently depress the shifting block to its lowest position, while the spaces 30 30 between those cam-projections are deep enough to receive the cainpoint on the lever and permit the lowering thereof, so as to allow the shifting biock to be raised toils high est posit-ion by the spring p The distances between the can't-projections 29 29 are to be according to the form of narrowing required. lfthe narrowing is to be uniform, the distances are uniform. If the narrowingis to he irregnlar,the distances are its regular. n

The IGVOliiiig motion of the pattern-wheel is regular, being produced, as shown in the drawings by a ratchet-wheel D secured to the shaft of the same, into the teeth of which works a pawl, E, pivoted'on an arm, 3i, that vibrates on the shaft of or on a pivot concentric with the pattern-wheel and ratchetwhecl. Against the nppcrend of the pawl-lever a cam, G, on the driving-shaft acts to cause the same to vibrate for ard and backward once at each revolution thereof, and consequently to move The notches in Thus, as shown in-the drawings, which reprcsent a pattern-wheel for narrowing thetoes of stockings, having its cam-projections at uniform distances apart, there are three notches in the ratchet-wheel for each cainproiection on the patternwheel--one notch opposite to each projection and trio notches opposite to each'spacc between thcprojections; and since,

when the cam-point of thelever (1 is down in these spaces, the shifting block is raised to its highest position, and the driving-shaft is there- .by bron'g'htinto position forknitting, and when the cam-point is on a cam-projection of the pattern-wheel the shifting block is thereby brought toits iowcst position and the drivingsha'ft is thrown intoposition for narrowing, the effect of the construction of pattern-wheel described isto knit two courses and then narrow one stitch of thelast of the said two courses alternately.

It is obvious that the patternwheel may be constructed to produce anyibrin of narrowingand shaped work within practicable limits. W'hen long portions'of straight'work intervene between thenarrowings the pattcritwhecl mag be thrown into and out of action by." hand; but

the entire operation is easily cti'cctcd antomaiicaliy and continnonsiy for knitting shirts, drawers, any hind-of article. To accolaplish this a. Jacquard. mechanism is combined with takes the place of the pattennwheel, the simplest way of constructing which is to form the cam-projections for operating the shifting: block on Jacquard links, which travel oh :1. simple sprocket-wheel in place of the pat tern-wheel, nndtarned by the samemeans. Where no in'trrowing is to take place the cansprojrctions on the Jacquard links are of coarse omitteth I i v v The narrowing movement is stopped auto niat-ically bysiinply having one tooth omitted. on the ratehtiwheel, as at 32, there being in the pattern-wheel a space, 33, of greater extent than the other spaces between the canrprcjectioiis opposite to the said space where the ratchettooth is'oaiitied, it being understood that a. narrowed section I of the fabric is cornpleted in one revolution of the ratohet whe'el.

ihe narrowing mechanism is again brcnght into actionat the will-of the operator by siinply moving theratchet-wheel the distance of one'or two notchesbyhand, so as to engage the pawl E with a tooth thereof.

In he machine above described the sliding in veinent of the driving-shaft is effected whenever a eani- 'arojection of thepattcrn-whcel is moved beneath the lever ot' the. shifting blocir A, and such movement of the drivingshaft causes the respective cams to operate the rocking bar 0, (b3 which a covering-point is entered into the eye of one of the series of eye-pointed latch-needles and is raised therefrom,)' the back sinker-band, (by which the loop of yarn is moved from one of the eye pointed latch-needles to the covering-point,) the front sinher-har,M, (by which thesaidioop of yarn is moved backward from the coveringpoint to the next eye-pointed latch-needle of the series,) and the slide Y, (by which the eye .15 thcrefore -the said pattern-wheel determines pointed latch'needle from which the loop has been removed} is dropped or depressed from p the series of eye-pointed latclrneedles rem ainingin 'knitting' positions.) In said machine,

the imeor occasions at which each of said device (rocking bar, back sinker -bar, front sin r-bar, and slide) operates in combination wit the series of eye-pointed latch-necdlesfor the purpose of transferring aloop of yarn from the eye-pointed latch-needle on which it is formed to the next adjacent eye-pointed latchneedle of the series.

' Having thus described a machine embodying my invention, I declare that I am aware that long previous to my invention knittingmachines were constructed with spring-needles combined with narrowing devices at both ends of the series ofspring-needles, the said narrowingdevicesjin some cases (as in the Kilbournemachines) being arranged to operate separately, so that knitting may progress at one edge of the fabric while the narrowing is efl'ected at the other edge, and the narrowing devices in other cases (as inthe Iaget machines) being arrangcd to operate simultaneonsly, so that the knitting isintermittedat both sides of the fabric during narrowing.

I am also aware thatknittin g-machines have been constructed with plain. latch-needles, (without eyes at or neartheir points.) 1 therefore donut claim as a part of my in vention' the employment of two sets of narrowing'ilevicem, ortwo'scts of narrowing deviccs pperatingsh multaneously; nor do I claim inglhis patent a latch-needle as a new instrument. f What I claimin'this patent'ps my invention 15- .I -1. The combinfzition, substantially as'before needles, the CQtjtFlllg-POi'nt, and the rocking bar by which the covering-point is engaged set forth, ot-the'series of eye-pointed lateh- 'm'and is removed fro'mthe eyes of the eye pointed.latch-needles.

2. The combination, substantially as before set 'forth, of the series of eye-pointed latchneedles, the covering-point, the rocking bar v and the pattern-wheel by which the times at which the rocking bar is operated are deter-' a i ned.

3. The combination,substantially as before set forth, of the series of eye-pointed latehneedles, the covering-point, the back sinkerbar, by whose action a loop ismoved from an eye-pointed latch-needle to a covering-point, and the front sinker-bar, by. whose action a loop is moved back flL .a a covering-point to an eye-pointed latch-needle.

4'. The combination, substantially'as before set forth, of the series of eye-pointed latchneedles, the covering-point, the back sinker- 'bar, the front sinker-bar, and the patternwheel, by which the times 'at which the covering-point and sinker-bars are to operate are determined. H

5. The'combination, substantially as before sctforth, of the series of eye-pointed latchneedles, the covering-point, the back sinker bar, the front sinker-bar, the needle-bar, and the slide by which the needles of the end of the series are depressedand raised.

6. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the series of eye-pointed latchneedles, the covering-points, the back sinkerbar, the front sinker-bar, the needle-bar, the slide by which the needles at the end of the series are depressed and raised, and the pattern-wheel, by which the times at which said needles are successively depressed are determined. a

In witness whereof I have hereto set my 1 hand this 26. day of June, A. 111881..

. ZWM. H. ABEL.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Samoan, GEORGE It. LEAvrr'r

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