GB2265159A

GB2265159A - Corded knitting needle and method of making the same

Info

Publication number: GB2265159A
Application number: GB9301162A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Toshio Hasimoto
Original assignee: Clover Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Clover Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 1992-03-18
Filing date: 1993-01-21
Publication date: 1993-09-22
Also published as: KR940011320B1; KR930019884A; JPH05302248A; GB9301162D0; DE4308715A1

Description

2265159 1 CORDED KNITTING NEEDLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME This

invention relates generally to knitting needles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a knitting needle of the type which comprises at least one needle body connected to one end of a flexible cord. The present invention also relates to a method of making such a needle.

Corded knitting needles are classified into two types. One type is a noncircular knitting needle which comprises only a single needle body which is connected to one end of a flexible cord whose other end is connected to a stitch stopper. The other type is a circular knitting needle wh-ich comprises a pair of needle bodies connected together by an intermediate flexible cord. Either type of corded knitting needle is known to enable formation of a large-sized knitting article because the cord can be used to retain the formed stitches while enabling formation of new stitches by the needle body.

Conventionally, the needle body of the corded knitting needle is typically made of metal or rigid synthetic resin for reasons of strength at the connection to the flexible cord which is made of relatively soft resin such as nylon. Recently, however, bamboo or wood is increasingly used as a material for the needle body because of the users' demand for a better feeling, a proper weight (as required for facilitating the knitting operation, higher grade, and etc.

However, the use of bamboo or wood for the needle body gives rise to new problems.

71 First, bamboo (or wood) lacks mechanical strength so that a thin-walled end portion of the needle body for connection to the cord is easily damaged or broken by repetitive flexing of the cord.

Secondly, it is difficult to provide a strong adhesive connection of the bamboo (or wood) needle body to the flexible cord which is made of relatively soft resin. This problem is serious due to the fact that the cord flexes repetitively near the needle body during the knitting operation, thereby straining the cured adhesive. In an extreme case, the cord may come off the needle body after long use.

In view of these problems, U.S. Patent No. 4,646,543to Okada discloses a corded knitting needle which comprises at least one needle body made of bamboo, a resinous connector fixed to a connection end of the needle body, and a flexible cord fixed at one end to the connector. More specifically, the connection end of the needle body has an axial mounting bore, whereas the connector has an enlarged flange portion and a shaft portion projecting from the flange portion into the mounting bore of the needle body for adhesive fixation thereto. The connector further has an anchoring bore, whereas the cord has an end shaft portion fitted in and adhesively bonded to the anchoring bore of the connector.

Obviously, the resinous connector has an additional function of mechanically reinforcing the connection end of the bamboo needle body. Further, the resinous connector provides better adhesive connection to the cord which is also made of resin.

3 However, the corded knitting needle disclosed in the above U.S. patent is still to be improved in the following points.

First, the adhesive connection between the resinous cord and the resinous connector, though better than direct adhesive connection between a resinous cord and a bamboo needle body, is still influenced by repetitive flexing of the cord during the knitting operation. Thus, after long use, the cord may ultimately come off the connector.

Secondly, the resinous nature of the connector, though relatively hard, cannot negate the possibility that the connector itself deforms elastically upon flexing of the cord, thereby damaging the adhesive connection between the connector and the needle body. Thus, the connector may come off the needle body after long use.

In the third place, the resinous connector cannot provide an enough reinforcement for the thin-walled connection end of the needle body.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a corded knitting needle wherein the connection between the needle body and the cord is additionally strengthened.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making such a needle.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a corded knitting needle comprising: at least one needle body having a connection end formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface which diametrically reduces progressively toward and terminates at an annular end face, the 1+ connection end being further f ormed with a connection bore extending f rom, the end f ace; a connector having an enlarged f lange portion which comes into abutment with the end face of the needle body, the f lange portion being formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface which diametrically reduces progressively away from the needle body substantially in continuity with the tapered surf ace of the needle body, the connector also having a shaft portion f itted in and adhesively bonded to the connection bore of the needle body, the connector further having an anchoring bore with an open mouth located away from the shaft portion; and a flexible cord having an enlarged yarn guide portion formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface which diametrically reduces progressively away from the connector generally in continuity with the tapered surf ace of the connector, the cord further having an end shaf t portion f itted in the anchoring bore of the connector; characterized in that the connector is made of metal, the anchoring bore being diametrically reduced at the open mouth thereof f or engagement with the end shaf t portion of the cord by plastic deformation of the f lange portion of the connector.

Preferably, the shaf t portion of the connector is formed with annular grooves to further strengthen the connection between the needle body and the connector. The connector may be made of any metal such as brass or aluminum which is plastically deformable, whereas the needle body may be made of either bamboo or wood.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making a corded knitting needle which comprises: at least one needle body having a connection end formed with a connection bore extending from an annular end face; a connector having an enlarged flange portion and a shaft portion projecting from the flange portion, the connector further having an anchoring bore with an open mouth located away from the shaft portion; and a flexible cord having an enlarged yarn guide portion and an end shaft portion projecting from the yarn guide portion, the yarn guide portion being formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface which diametrically reduces progressively away from the end sh-aft portion; the method comprising the steps of: loading an amount of adhesive in the connection bore of the needle body; inserting the shaft portion of the connector into the connection bore of the needle body; mechanically working the connection end of the needle body together with the flange portion of the connector so that the connection end of the needle body and the flange portion of the connector are respectively made to have tapered outer circumferential surfaces which are substantially continuous with each other and diametrically reduce progressively toward the open mouth of the connector anchoring bore; and inserting the end shaft portion of the cord into the anchoring bore of the connector; characterized in that the connector is made of metal, the method further comprising a step of diametrically reducing the anchoring bore of the connec tor at the open mouth thereof for engagement with the end shaft portion of the cord by plastically deforming the flange portion of the connector.

The method may further comprise a step of forming an easily bendable portion by flattening the cord at a position following the yarn guide portion. Obviously, the anchoring bore of the connector may be formed either before or after inserting and adhesively fixing the shaft portion of the connector in the connection bore of the needle body.

The present invention will now be described further, only by way of examples,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. la is an overall view showing an example of corded knitting needle to which the present invention can be appliedT,- Fig. lb is an overall view showing another example of corded knitting needle to which the present invention can be applied; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the connection between a needle body and a cord; Fig. 2a is a further fragmentary view showing a easily bendable portion of the cord; and Figs. 3a through 3f are fragmentary sectional views showing the successive steps of making the connection between the needle body and the cord.

Figs. la and lb show two different types of corded knitting needles to which the present invention can be advantageously applied.

The corded needle 1 shown in Fig. la comprises a pair of needle bodies 2 connected to respective ends of a flexible cord 3. Such a needle is called "circular knitting needle". Each of the needle bodies 2 may be made of bamboo or wood. The flexible cord 3 may be made of a relatively sof t resin such as nylon.

The other corded needle 11 shown in Fig. lb comprises only a single needle body 2' connected to one end of a flexible cord 3 The other end of the cord 31 is provided with a stopper ST for retaining stitches previously formed by the needle body 2'.

The features of the present invention reside in the connecting structure between each needle body 2 (or 21) and the cord 3 (or 31). In the following description, reference is made to Figs. 2 to 3f which show only the parts of the circular knitting needle 1 shown in Fig. la. However, it should be understood that the corded knitting needle 11 shown in Fig. lb also has a similar connecting structure.

As shown in Fig. 2, the needle body 2 has a connection end 2a with an outer circumferential surface 2b which tapers progressively toward and terminates at an annular end face 2c. The connection end 2a of the needle body 2 is also provided with an axial connection bore 2d extending from the end face 2c beyond the tapered surface 2b.

The connection between the needle body 2 and the cord 3 is established by a metallic connector 4 which has an enlarged flange portion 4a and a shaft portion 4b. The connector 4 may be made of any metal which is plastically deformable although brass or aluminum is preferred for its easy workability.

The flange portion 4a of the metallic connector 4 has an outer circumferential surface 4c which tapers progressively 00 away f rom, the needle body 2 to be substantially continuous with the tapered outer surf ace 2b of the needle body 2. The f lange portion 4a also has an annular contact f ace 4d which comes into abutment with the end face 2c of the needle body 2.

The shaft portion 4b of the connector 4 projects from the flange portion 4a for fitting into the axial connection bore 2d of the needle body 2. The shaft portion 4b is anchored in the axial connection bore 2d by means of adhesive 5 previously loaded in the connection bore 2d. When the shaf t portion 4b is inserted, the adhesive 5 is f orced under the insertion pressure to reach minute clearances between the shaf t portion 4b and the connection bore 2b and between the end face 2c of the needle body 2 and the contact f ace 4d of the connector 4. Thus, the adhesive connection between the needle body 2 and the connector 4 can be rendered very strong by such an increase of the overall adhesion area.

The adhesive 5 may be of any kind. However, it is preferable to use an instantaneously curable adhesive such as cyanoacrylate adhesive.

It is further preferable that the shaft portion 4b of the connector 4 be externally formed with a plurality of annular grooves 4e, as shown in Fig. 2 (see also Fig. 3a). In this case, the portions of the adhesive 5 cured at the grooves act as engaging pawls for preventing unexpected removal of the shaft portion 4b from the connection bore 2d.

The metallic connector 4 is further formed with an axial anchoring bore 4f which is diametrically reduced or constricted at the open mouth thereof by plastically deforming the flange portion 4a. Such plastic deformation is an important feature of the present invention and will be described later in detail.

The cord 3 includes an enlarged yarn guide portion 3a and an end shaf t portion 3b. The yarn guide portion 3a has an outer circumferential surface 3c which tapers progressively away f rom the connector 4 to make general continuity with the tapered surf ace 4c of the connector 4. The end shaf t portion 3b projects from the yarn guide portion 3a for fitting into the anchoring bore 4f of the connector 4. The diametrically reduced mouth of the anchoring bore 4f engages the end shaft portion 3b to f irmly f ix it in the anchoring bore when the cord 3 flexes during the knitting operation.

At a position following the yarn guide portion 3a, the cord 3 has an easily bendable portion 3d which may be made by thermally flattening the cord. Obviously, the thickness of the easily bendable portion 3d is reduced (see Fig. 2) while its width is increased (see Fig. 2a). The easily bendable portion 3d serves to reduce stress application to the connection between the cord 3 and the metallic connector 4.

As described above, the connection between the flexible cord 3 and the metallic connector 4 is established simply by plastically (permanently) deforming the enlarged flange portion 4a of the connector for diametrical reduction of the anchoring bore 4f at the open mouth thereof. Thus, there is no need to load any adhesive in the anchoring bore 4, but yet the obtained connection is more reliable than the adhesive connection. If the connection between the cord 3 and the connector 4 is established only adhesively, the cured adhesive is subjected to stresses (though reduced by the easily bendable portion 3d) every time the cord 3 is deformed, which may result in accidental removal of the cord after long use.

On the other hand, the connection between the needle body 2 and the connector 4 is established only by the adhesive loaded in the axial connection bore 2d of the needle body 2.

However, since the adhesive 5 is rarely subjected to stresses due to sufficient hardness of the metallic connector 5 even if the cord 3 is repetitively deformed during a knitting operation, the adhesive 5 alone is sufficient for connecting between the needle body 2 and the connector 5.

Further, the metallic connector 5 provides a sufficient reinforcement for the thin-walled connection end 2a of the needle body 2.

Moreover, the respective tapered surfaces 2b, 3c, 4c of the needle body 2, cord 3 and connector 4 are generally continuous with each other. Thus, the formed stitches can move smoothly between the needle body 2 and the cord 3, thereby facilitating the knitting operation.

The connecting structure described above or the knitting needle having such a connecting structure can be made in the following manner.

First, as shown in Fig. 3a, a needle body 2 and a metallic connector 4 are separately prepared. The needle body 2 has an axial connection bore 2d, but the outer circumferential surface of the needle body 2 around the connection bore 2d is not tapered initially. The connector 4 has an enlarged flange portion 4a and a shaft portion 4b formed 11 with annular grooves 4e, but the outer circumferential of the flange portion 4a is not tapered initially.

Then, an amount of adhesive 5 is loaded in the connection bore 2d of the needle body 2, and the shaf t portion 4b of the connector 4 is inserted in the connection bore 2d until the annular contact face 4d of the connector 4 comes into abutment with the annular end f ace 2c of the needle body 2, as shown in Fig. 3b. As a result, the adhesive 5 spreads over the entire surface of the connection bore 2d and the annular end face 2c under the insertion pressure of the connector 4, so that the connector 4 is firmly f ixed to the needle body 2 upon curing of the adhesive 5.

Then, as shown in Fig. 3c, the needle body 2 and the connector 4 are subjected together to machine working (e.g.

cutting and/or grinding), so that they will respectively have tapered surfaces 2b, 4c which are continuous with each other.

Then, as shown in Fig. 3d, an anchoring bore 4f is formed in the connector 4, whereas a cord 3 having a tapered yarn guide 3c and a end shaft portion 3b is separately prepared. Obviously, the anchoring bore 4f may be formed before fixing the connector 4 to the needle body 2.

Then, the end shaf t portion 3b of the cord 3 is inserted in the bore 4f of the connector 4, as shown in Fig. 3e.

Finally, as shown in Fig. 3f, the anchoring bore 4f of the connector 4 is diametrically reduced at its open mouth by plastically deforming the flange portion 4a, and an easily bendable portion 3d is f ormed in the cord 3 near the yarn guide portion 3a by application of heat.

121 According to the method described above, the needle body 2 and the connector 4 are mechanically worked together for forming the respective tapered surfaces 2b, 4c (see Fig. 3c). Thus, these tapered surfaces can be made continuous even if the connection bore 2d of the needle body 2 and the shaft portion 4b of the connector 4 are not exactly coaxial.

The present invention being thus described, it is obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

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Claims

C L A I M S

1. A corded knitting needle comprising: at least one needle body (2) having a connection end (2a) formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface (2b) which diametrically reduces progressively toward and terminates at an annular end face (2c), the connection end (2a) being further formed with a connection bore (2d) extending from the end face (2c); a connector (4) having an enlarged flange portion (4a) which comes into abutment with the end face (2c) of the needle body (2), the flange portion (4a) being formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface (4c) which diametrically reduces progressively away from the needle body (2) substantially in continuity with the tapered surface (2b) of the needle body (2), the connector (4) also having a shaft portion (4b) fitted in and adhesively bonded to the connection bore (2d) of the needle body (2), the connector (4) further having an anchoring bore (4f) with an open mouth located away from the shaft portion (4a); and a flexible cord (3) having an enlarged yarn guide portion (3a) formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface (3c) which diametrically reduces progressively away from the connector (4) generally in continuity with the tapered surface (Ac) of the connector (4), the cord (3) further having an end shaft portion (3b) fitted in the anchoring bore (4f) of the connector (4); characterized in that the connector (4) is made of metal, the anchoring bore (4f) being diametrically reduced at the open mouth thereof for engagement with the end shaft IL portion (3b) of the cord (3) by plastic deformation of the flange portion (4a) of the connector 4).

2. The corded knitting needle according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion (4b) of the connector (4) is formed with annular grooves (4e).

3. The corded knitting needle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the metal for the connector (4) is selected from brass and aluminum.

4. The corded knitting needle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the needle body (2) is made of a material selected from bamboo and wood.

5. The corded knitting needle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cord (3) further has an easily bendable portion (3d) at a position following the yarn guide portion (3a).

6. A method of making a corded knitting needle which comprises: at least one needle body (2) having a connection end (2a) formed with a connection bore (2d) extending from an annular end face (2c); a connector (4) having an enlarged flange portion (4a) and a shaft portion (4b) projecting from the flange portion (4a), the connector (4) further having an anchoring bore (4f) with an open mouth located away from the shaft portion (4b); and a flexible cord (3) having an enlarged is yarn guide portion (3a) and an end shaft portion (3b) projecting from the yarn guide portion, the yarn guide portion (3a) being formed with a tapered outer circumferential surface (3c) which diametrically reduces progressively away from the end shaft portion (3b); the method comprising the steps of:

loading an amount of adhesive (5) in the connection bore (2d) of the needle body (2); inserting the shaft portion (4b) of the connector (4) into the connection bore (2d) of the needle body (2); mechanically working the connection end (2a) of the needle body (2) together with the flange portion (4a) of the connector 1 (4) so that the connection end (2a) of the needle body (2) and the flange portion (4a) of the connector (4) are respectively made to have tapered outer circumferential surfaces (2b, 4c) which are substantially continuous with each other and diametrically reduce progressively toward the open mouth of the connector anchoring bore (4f); and inserting the end shaft portion (3b) of the cord (3) into the anchoring bore (4f) of the connector (4); characterized in that the connector (4) is made of metal, the method further comprising a step of diametrically reducing the anchoring bore (4f) of the connector (4) at the open mouth thereof for engagement with the end shaft portion (3b) of the cord (3) by plastically deforming the flange portion (4a) of the connector (4).

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of forming an easily bendable portion (3d) by flattening the cord (3) at a position following the yarn guide portion (3a).

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8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the anchoring bore (4f) of the connector (4) is formed after inserting and adhesively fixing the shaft portion (4b) of the connector (4) in the connection bore (2d) of the needle body (2).

9. A corded knitting needle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A method of making a corded knitting needle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.