EP2331735B1

EP2331735B1 - Method for the production of a contoured article with hemmed flaps of knitting, on a circular knitting machine for knitwear, hosiery or the like

Info

Publication number: EP2331735B1
Application number: EP09815664A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ettore Lonati; Tiberio Lonati; Fausto Lonati
Original assignee: Santoni SpA
Current assignee: Santoni SpA
Priority date: 2008-09-23
Filing date: 2009-09-11
Publication date: 2013-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2029-09-11
Also published as: WO2010034631A1; ITMI20081687A1; IT1391248B1; CN102187027A; KR20110060908A; EP2331735A1; CN102187027B

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for the production of a contoured article with hemmed flaps of knitting on a circular knitting machine for knitwear, hosiery or the like.

Background Art

It is known to provide knitted items by using tubular knitted articles manufactured with medium diameter circular knitting machines for knitwear or with circular hosiery knitting machines.
This production method is followed, for example, in the production of items of clothing such as body suits, underpants, tops or bras without lateral seams, and consists in producing, with the circular machine, an article that has a tubular portion with flaps of knitting that are provided in one piece with the tubular portion and protrude from one or both of the axial ends of the tubular portion. The flaps of knitting that protrude from a same end of the tubular portion are then joined, generally by means of a sewing operation, in order to provide a shoulder strap, in the case of body suits or tops or bras, or to provide the crotch region in the case of underpants, or buttons or other detachable connection means for closing the crotch region in the case of body suits are applied thereto.
More particularly, an article designed for the production of underpants is generally produced by providing initially a folded double hem by using only the needles of the cylinder of the circular knitting machine or by involving in the production of the folded double hem also the hooks of the dial or the needles of the bed of the machine in the case of machines with a cylinder and dial or with a cylinder and bed, thus providing a tubular portion of the article, and finally by providing two flaps of knitting as an extension of two diametrically opposite regions of the tubular portion. The folded double hem is usually provided by actuating the needle cylinder of the machine with a continuous rotary motion, i.e., in a same direction of rotation, as during the production of the tubular portion. The two flaps of knitting can be produced by actuating the needle cylinder of the machine with a continuous rotary motion or with an alternating rotary motion about its own axis. In the first case, the yarns used to provide the rows of knitting that compose the two flaps of knitting are cut during the production of the article at the lateral ends or hems of said flaps of knitting, or are kept floating in the region located between the two flaps of knitting and are cut subsequently. This technique inevitably causes the presence of cut yarns at the sides that laterally delimit the flaps of knitting and therefore leads to a result which, in order to be acceptable from an aesthetic point of view, requires a subsequent hemming operation for finishing of the item.
In the second case, the cyclic reversal of the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder, at the lateral ends of the flaps of knitting, avoids the necessity of cutting the yarns and achieves, for the lateral ends of the flaps of knitting, a distinctly improved finish, although the flaps of knitting tend to roll up proximately to said lateral ends. For this reason, in this second case also, it is preferable to submit the item to a subsequent operation for hemming the flaps of knitting.
An article for the production of tops or bras is generally produced by providing a folded double hem and/or a tubular portion followed by the production of four flaps of knitting designed to be joined subsequently by sewing in order to provide the two shoulder straps of the top or bra. In this case also, the flaps of knitting as a continuation of the tubular portion can be provided by actuating the needle cylinder of the machine with a continuous rotary motion in one direction of rotation or with an alternating rotary motion about its own axis, reversing the direction of rotation at the lateral ends of the various flaps of knitting. Depending on the technique used, the flaps of knitting have cut yarns at their lateral ends, or do not have cut yarns, as already described above with reference to the production of underpants.
An article for the production of body suits is generally produced by providing one or two pairs of flaps of knitting, depending on whether manufacturing is started from the lower part or from the upper part of the item, thus providing a tubular portion and ending with the formation of two pairs of flaps or of one pair of flaps of knitting. The two flaps of knitting of each pair are designed to be joined by sewing in order to provide respectively the crotch and the two shoulder straps of the body suit. In this case also, the several flaps of knitting can be produced by actuating the needle cylinder of the machine with a continuous rotary motion or with an alternating rotary motion about its own axis, as already described, with the result of having or not having cut yarns at the lateral ends of the flaps of knitting.
In any case, the sides of the flaps of knitting that in the finished item delimit the openings through which the legs, arms or neck of the user are inserted must be subjected to a hemming operation in order to conceal the cut yarns or prevent the roll-up of the flaps of knitting at such sides.
The hemming operation consists in applying, by sewing or by gluing, a border that must be produced separately.
The hemming operation requires time and the intervention of personnel, with the drawback of affecting significantly the overall production cost of such items.
GB-1.495.744 disclosed a method for hemming the flaps of knitting directly during the production of the article. This method consists substantially in excluding some needles from knitting, so as to make the yarn float for a few stitches, proximately to the side to be hemmed, during the formation of some rows of knitting alternated with rows of knitting during which said needles form knitting. In this manner, the knitting formed by the needles when they are actuated folds or rather curls up, providing the hem of the flap of knitting. With this method, the folding or curling of the knitting in order to form the hem occurs in the direction of the rows of knitting, i.e., at right angles to the extension of the rows of knitting during their formation. With this method, by varying the needles that cause the floating of the yam, as well as by varying the number of needles used to form a flap of knitting, it is possible to provide contoured and hemmed flaps of knitting.
However, this method suffers the drawback of limiting the possibilities of selection of the needles, used to form the hem, in order to obtain contoured portions or decorations of the hem due to the operations needed to make the yarn float during the execution of some rows of knitting.
Moreover, in this method it is preferable for the yarn that must be made to float to be elastically extensible and this, in view of a simplification in the execution of the hem, reduces however its dimensional stability over time.

Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to devise a method for manufacturing a contoured article with hemmed flaps of knitting directly on the circular knitting machine for knitwear, hosiery and the like used for its production, which is capable of obviating the drawbacks cited above and of leading to results that are fully satisfactory both from a functional point of view and from an aesthetic point of view.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to propose a method that makes it possible to obtain articles that can be used to produce items of knitting, particularly such as underpants, body suits, bras, tops, which do not require hemming operations at the sides that delimit the openings of the item of knitting.
Another object of the invention is to propose a method that makes it possible to reduce the overall production costs of items of knitting such as underpants, body suits, bras, tops or the like.
Another object of the invention is to propose a method that can be used on conventional modem knitting machines for knitwear or for hosiery.
This aim, as well as these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method for manufacturing a contoured article with hemmed flaps of knitting on a circular knitting machine for knitwear, hosiery or the like, characterized in that it consists in primarily providing a folded double hem that is designed to hem the flaps of knitting of the contoured article to be produced and in providing said flaps of knitting of the article as an extension of said folded double hem.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the method according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of the steps of production of an article for providing an item of knitting of the top type;
Figure 2 is a schematic view of the article at the end of its production, extended flat;
Figure 3 is an enlarged-scale sectional view of a detail of Figure 2, taken along the longitudinal line III-III;
Figure 4 is an enlarged-scale sectional view of a detail of Figure 2, taken along the longitudinal line IV-IV;
Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the article as it is unloaded from the machine;
Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a top provided by means of the article shown in the preceding figures.

Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, the method according to the invention consists substantially in providing primarily a folded double hem 2, which is designed to hem the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b of the contoured article 1 to be produced and in providing the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b of the article 1 as an extension of this folded double hem 2.
Figure 1 is a schematic figure that does not reproduce a real condition of the article 1 but is deemed useful to illustrate the various steps of production of the article 1. Actually, the areas designated by the letters A, B, C, D and delimited laterally by the sides of the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b do not exist, since the sides of the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b are connected directly to the folded double hem 2, as shown in Figure 2.
In greater detail, with particular reference to Figure 1, the method according to the invention comprises a step X for providing a double folded edge 2, at least by means of all the needles of the needle cylinder of the machine that are designed to be used in the provision of the loops of knitting that will laterally delimit the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b to be hemmed of the article. Subsequently, a step Y for providing the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b is performed, gradually increasing, row by row of knitting, the number of needles that are moved to knit at at least one feed or drop of the machine, so as to form knitting as a continuation of the last row of knitting of the folded double hem 2. The article 1 is thus completed in a manner known per se and is unloaded from the machine.
The folded double hem 2 can be provided, in a manner known per se, by using simply the needles accommodated in the needle cylinder of the machine or by involving also the hooks or needles that are accommodated in the dial or bed that faces upward and coaxially the needle cylinder, in circular machines with a cylinder and a bed or dial.
In the first case, the folded double hem 2 is obtained, in a manner known per se, by producing a preset number of rows of knitting by means of some needles that are alternated with other needles that are excluded temporarily from knitting and retain the last formed loop of knitting. These needles temporarily excluded from knitting, after the other needles have produced a preset number of rows of knitting, which can vary with the height that one wishes to obtain for the folded double hem, are then returned to knitting together with the other needles so as to form a row of knitting that is engaged, with some of its loops of knitting, which are the loops of knitting formed by the needles previously excluded from knitting, with a previously formed row of knitting. This engagement causes the folding, parallel to the extension of the rows of knitting, with an overlap of the knitting produced by the needles that were not excluded from knitting and therefore the formation of the folded double hem 2.
For example, in this first case it is possible to perform an initial portion of knitting with one-for-one selection of needles alternated on two drops or feeds of the machine. A row of plain knitting is then performed with all the needles and one proceeds with a one-for-one selection of the needles (one active needle and one excluded from knitting, for every two needles) or with a three-to-one needle selection (three needles knitting and one needle excluded from knitting, every four needles) in order to form the folded double hem. The formation of rows of knitting with this needle selection is continued for the number of rows of knitting that is needed to obtain the desired height for the folded double hem 2 and then the production of plain knitting with all the needles is resumed. Of course, this is only an example of practical embodiment of the folded double hem 2 using only the needles of the needle cylinder of the machine, among the many possibilities that are well-known to the person skilled in the art.
In the second case, at the beginning of the knitting process some rows of knitting are formed and, during the formation of at least one of these rows of knitting, some loops of knitting are engaged by the hooks of the dial or by the needles of the bed, by way of insertion of said hooks or needles between the active needles arranged in the needle cylinder of the machine. The hooks or needles are then retracted into the dial or bed, retaining the loops of knitting engaged by them, whereas part or all of the needles of the cylinder of the machine are moved to knit in order to produce a preset number of rows of knitting as a continuation of the loops of knitting engaged by the hooks of the dial or by the needles of the bed. Subsequently, the hooks or needles are again extracted from the dial or bed and are inserted between the needles of the cylinder so that they can link with the loops of knitting, previously retained by the hooks or needles with the loops of knitting of one row of knitting after the end of the preset number of rows of knitting. In this manner, folding is produced parallel to the extension of the rows of knitting, with an overlap of the knitting produced by the needles during the engagement performed by the hooks of the dial or the needles of the bed, thus forming the folded double hem 2.
For example, in this second case, it is possible to provide an initial portion of knitting in one-for-one needle selection which is alternated on two drops or feeds of the machine. Then two rows of plain knitting are produced with all the needles of the cylinder and then the hooks of the dial or the needles of the bed are loaded with a one-for-one or one-for-three selection on a row of knitting and then the hooks or needles are retracted into the dial or bed so that they retain the engaged loops of knitting. One continues by producing knitting with the needles of the cylinder of the machine and, after a preset number of rows of knitting needed to obtain the desired height for the folded double hem 2, one proceeds with the unloading of the hooks of the dial or of the needles of the bed, linking the loops of knitting released by them with the loops of knitting of a row of knitting being produced. Of course, this is also merely an example of practical embodiment of the folded double hem 2 using the needles of the cylinder and the hooks of the dial or the needles of the bed of a circular machine with cylinder and dial or cylinder and bed, among the many possibilities that are well-known to those skilled in the art.
After the execution of the folded double hem, one proceeds with step Y, in which the flaps of knitting of the article are provided; their number can vary depending on the item to be produced.
For example, if it is necessary to provide an article that is aimed at the production of a pair of underpants, two contoured flaps of knitting are produced by means of two groups of needles that are arranged in two diametrically opposite sectors of the needle cylinder and the number of needles moved to knit is changed depending on the shape of the flaps of knitting to be provided.
If instead one must provide an article that is aimed at the production of a top, as in the illustrated case, or of a bra, four flaps 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, or more precisely two pairs of flaps of knitting, arranged mutually opposite two by two, with respect to a diametrical plane of the needle cylinder, in the arrangement of the article within the needle cylinder of the machine during its production, are produced.
If instead it is necessary to provide an article that is aimed at the production of a body suit, it is possible to produce two flaps of knitting, as in the case of the production of underpants, if production of the article starts from its lower end, or four flaps or more precisely two pairs of flaps of knitting, as in the case of the production of tops or bras, if production of the article starts from its upper end.
Each flap of knitting is produced by reversing cyclically the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder of the machine at the end of the production of a row of knitting by means of a group of needles accommodated in a sector of the needle cylinder. The number of needles that in each instance are moved to knit during the production of a row of knitting can vary with the shape desired for the flap being provided and depending on any designs or aesthetic effects to be obtained on the flap of knitting.
It should be noted that during the production of the flaps of knitting, new loops of knitting are provided progressively so as to increase the breadth of the sector that accommodates the needles used for knitting. This means that in each instance needles that had been used to produce the folded double hem 2 and had been left excluded from knitting, retaining the last loop of formed knitting, are returned to knitting. In this manner, this last formed loop of knitting, upon resumption of knitting by the corresponding needle, is knitted in with a subsequent loop of knitting arranged at the lateral end of the flap of knitting, and then the folded double hem 2 is moved to follow the lateral profile of the flap of knitting.
Subsequently, the article is completed by producing a portion of tubular knitting, in a manner known per se, for example by using all the needles of the machine, and is left by the needles in order to be removed from the machine.
It should be noted that the portion of tubular knitting that is produced after the provision of the flaps of knitting can have different shapes depending on the expected destination of the article. Thus, for example, if the article is designed to be used for the production of a pair of underpants, said tubular portion can comprise a portion with simple thickness and an end portion that is provided again as a folded double hem, elasticized adequately by means of the insertion of elastically deformable yarns, in order to provide the waistband of the underpants.
If instead the article is designed to be used for the production of a bra, the portion of tubular knitting can simply consist of a folded double hem.
If, as in the illustrated embodiment, the article 1 is designed to be used for the production of a top, after the production of the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b one proceeds with a step Z in which a portion of tubular knitting 5 is produced. Step Z can comprise a final step Z', if required, in which a final folded double hem 6 is provided in a manner that is similar to what has already been described.
If the article is designed to be used to produce a body, after the provision of the tubular portion and before the unloading of the article from the machine, two flaps of knitting are produced in order to provide the crotch of the body, if the production of the article has started from its upper end, or four flaps of knitting, or more precisely two pairs of flaps of knitting, in order to provide the shoulder straps, if the production of the article has started from its lower end.
It should be noted that in order to adapt the length of the folded double hem 2 provided initially to the total length of the lateral perimeter of the flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b to which it is progressively joined during the production of the article, the length of the loops of knitting in the production of said double folded edge can be increased adequately so as to promote the longitudinal extensibility of the folded double hem 2 and/or it is possible to use elastic yarns with the same purpose.
The article 1, provided with the method according to the invention, appears with a tubular portion 5, 6 of knitting provided with flaps of knitting 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b that protrude from at least one of the two axial ends of the tubular portion 5, 6 and whose sides have a folded double hem 2 that is part of the same article and therefore does not require any additional work in order to be applied to the article.
Moreover, thanks to the fact that the folded double hem 2 is composed of rows of knitting produced in succession and is folded along a direction that is parallel to the extension of the rows of knitting, it is possible to provide lettering or designs during the formation of said hem.
In order to provide the row of knitting that joins the two ends of the folded double hem 2, with the method according to the invention there is no need to use elastic yarns, but it is possible to use substantially inextensible yarns, to the advantage of the aesthetics and stability of said hem.
Another advantage of the method according to the invention is that it is possible to use hems with different aesthetic shapes by using, in a manner known per se, various needle selections, since there are no limitations arising from the need to provide floating stitches, as instead occurs with the method described in prior patent GB-1.495.744 .
The knitted item is completed by mutually joining, for example by sewing, the ends of the mutually opposite flaps.
For example, in the case of a pair of underpants, the ends of the two flaps are joined, thus providing the crotch of the underpants. In the case of a body suit, the ends of the four upper flaps are joined two by two, thus providing the shoulder straps of the body, and buttons or other detachable connection means of a known type are applied to the ends of the two lower flaps for closure of the crotch of the body suit. In the case of a top 7, as in the illustrated embodiment, or of a bra, the ends of the four flaps 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b are joined two by two, thus providing the shoulder straps of the top or bra.
In practice it has been found that the method according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, since it makes it possible to provide contoured articles with flaps of knitting that are hemmed directly during their production and are fully satisfactory from an aesthetic point of view and from a functional viewpoint, avoiding the need for subsequent operations for finishing the item of knitting.
The method thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims;
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been include for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A method for manufacturing a contoured article with hemmed flaps of knitting on a circular knitting machine for knitwear, hosiery or the like, characterized in that it comprises the steps of providing first a double folded hem (2), designed to hem the flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) of the contoured article (1) to be manufactured and providing said flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) of the article (1) as a continuation of said double folded hem (2).
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises:
a step (X) of providing a double folded hem (2), at least by means of all the needles of the needle cylinder of the machine that are designed to be used in the provision of the loops of knitting that laterally delimit the flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) to be hemmed of the article (1);

a step (Y) of providing flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) by increasing progressively, row by row, the number of needles that are moved to knit so as to form knitting as a continuation of the last row of knitting of said double folded hem (2);

a step (Z, Z') of completing the production of the article (1);

a step of unloading the article (1) from the machine.
The method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said double folded hem (2) is provided by:
retaining loops of knitting of one of the first rows of knitting formed by said needles, by means of the hooks of the dial or the needles of the bed of the machine, inserted between the active needles in the needle cylinder;

producing, by means of said needles, a preset number of rows of knitting as a continuation of said initially formed loops of knitting;

looping the loops of knitting previously retained by the hooks of the dial or by the needles of the bed with the loops of a row of knitting that follows the end of said preset number of rows of knitting.
The method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said double folded hem (2) is provided by:
excluding from knitting part of said needles alternated with needles that are kept active;

retaining the last loop of knitting formed by means of said needles excluded from knitting;

providing, by means of said needles kept active, a preset number of rows of knitting;

returning to work said needles previously excluded from knitting to form at least one row of knitting together with the needles previously kept active.
The method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) are produced by inverting cyclically the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder of the machine at the end of the production of a row of knitting by means of a group of needles accommodated in a sector of the needle cylinder.
A knitted article, particularly for manufacturing knitted items of clothing such as underpants, body suits, tops, bras or the like, comprising a tubular portion of knitting (5, 6) with flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) that protrude from at least one of its axial ends, said flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) having a hem along their perimetric sides that is provided in one piece with said flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b), characterized in that said hem consists of a double folded hem (2) composed of rows of knitting performed in succession and folded along a line arranged parallel to the rows of knitting that constitute said double folded hem (2) said flaps of knitting (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) being a continuation of said double folded hem (2).