US1032613A - Latch knitting-needle. - Google Patents

Description

A. KQRNDOERFER, JR. LATCH KNITTING NEEDLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24:, 1911.

Patented July 16, 1912.

2/ M Q :m. a

UNITED sTATn-s PATENT OFFICE.

AUIGzUSTUS KORNDOERFER, JR., 015 PPHLADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR F QNEriFOURTH TO JOHN J. TULLER AND ONE-FIFTH TO HARRY E. LA'IHAM, BOTH OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LATCH KNITTING-NEEDLE.

To all whom tt ma'y concern:

Beit knownthat I, AUGUSTUS Kormnonnrnn, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of liliil adelphia and State of Pennsylvania,

" f liave invented certain new and useful Imlocated in a manner-a0 securethese results,

provements in Latch Knitting-Needles, of which the following is a specification. v This invention relates to knitting needles of the latch type, and has to do more particularly with a needle of that character in which the pivot for the latch is integral with the shank of the needle, as contradistinguished from those needles in which the pivot is set in and riveted to the shank.

The disadvantages resulting from the pivots of latch needles becoming loose is ell known in the art and need not be herein set forth, and numerous attempts have been made heretofore to prevent the loosening of the riveted pivots, but at the present time no entirely satisfactory needle of this type has been introduced for the knitting industry. i The principal object of the present invention'is to provide a knitting needle which overcomes the objections inherent in the setin or riveted pivot needle, by employing an.

improved form of pivot and latch which can be readily assembled in place.

In carrying out the invention, I provide an elongated pivot in the chamber of the shank of the needle,'which pivot is preferably integral with the side walls of the chamber. Attached to the pivot is a latch which has an enlarged pivot-receiving eye that is open or slotted at one pointinits. perimeter so that the pivot can be entered in the eye in assembling the latch, the slot be-' ing slightly. wider than the transverse or H minor axis of the pivot in order that the pivot can enter the eye diametrically. The

slot in the eye is so arranged that it cannot move into alinement with the major, axisfof the pivot during the natural movement of the latch within its prescribed limits be tween open and closed position, and hence the latch can never become accidentally de tached from the pivot after it-is once properly assembled. Since the slot of the eye is the latch, in the initial step of assembling,

will be in an abnormal position, or one lying "outside the normal range of movement of the latch. After the latch is applied to the pivot it is moved to its final position with.

the slot of the eye out of alinement with the major axis of the pivot.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the ac-. companying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the improved latch needle. Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective view through the pivot portion of the needle. Fig. 3 is a -perspective view of the latch enlarged. Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive, are detail sectional views of the needle showing the manner of assembling the latch. Figs. 8 to 12, inclusive, are detail sectional views of another form of latch and the manner of assembling the same.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts through out the views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the shank of the needle, which has at oneend theusual hook 2, at the base of which the shank is enlarged and provided with a chamber 3 for receiving the latch 4.. :Extendihg acrossthe chamber is a pivot 5 {which is integrally connected with the side walls 6 of ratenteaa iyie, 1912.

surrounding this pivot is theeye T of'the latch 4. This eye issomewhat larger than the eye of the latch of an 'ordinary needle;

and has an opening or slot 8 at a suitable point whichis' radial and "of considerably less width than the diameter of the eye, for permitting the latchx-to be assembled when held in one position on the pivotand to be retained thereon when in open or closed or intermediate positions. 1

r I As more 'cleiiri'lv shown in F igs. 4--to 12, inclusive, the pivot 1 5 -:is considerably widened or flattened,- )referably, although not necessarily in the direction ofrlength of theshank, the major or longitudinala-Xis of the pivot being substantially thesame as the diameter of the eye. The-slot-8. in the-eye of the latch is slightly wider than theiraris verse or-minor axis of the pivot in m-derito permit the pivot to be freely enteredin the eye. As the pivot is of; rectangularv cross section, only its .endsfi'ind in. fact theeeorn'ers "of the pivot afi'ordl -ibearin'gszfor the latch;

and as the result, the latch has a four-point contact with the pivot, so that friction is materially reduced and the latch can move back and forth freely.

In assembling the latch after the method depicted in Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive, the free or spoon end of the latch is left unfinished so that the latch can be inserted bodily into the chamber 3 of the shank, as shown in Fig. 4c, the length of the chamber below the bottom of the pivot 5 being greater than the length of the latch for permitting of the ready insertion thereof. The initial position of the latch is shown in Fig. 4E, where the slot or opening 8 of the eye is in alinement with and disposed under the lower end of the pivot. The latchis moved upwardly, as indicated by the arrow, in a line parallel with the major axis of the pivot to enter the pivot diametrically of the slot until the latch is in the position shown in Fig. 5. The latch is slightly rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow, in order to throw the slot 8 out of alinement with the pivot. This brings the tip of the latch out of the forward open side of the chamber 3, and it now merely remains to shape the tip of the latch into the usual spoon. The tip being thus spread, it cannot reenter the chamber and assume the position shown in Fig. 5, because the width of the chamber 3 is less than the width of the spoon tip of the latch. The latch is thus limited in its open position by the tip en- .gaging with the shank of the needle, as

shown in Fig. 6, and limited in its closed position by the tip of the latch engaging the bill of the hook 2, as shown in Fig. 7 The latch, in moving through its normal range of movement between open and closed position, does not bring its slot 8 into alinement with the longitudinal axis of the pivot, the slot remaining at all times to one side of such axis, and as a consequence, it is impossible for the latch to become detached from its piyot after the latch has been moved to and confined in its normal range of movement by the spoon being formed on the tip of the latch after the latter has been engaged with the pivot.

The construction shown in Figs. 9 to 12, inclusive, necessitates a different method of assembling the latch. It will be observed that the slot 8. of the eye of the latch is located near the medial portion thereof, and furthermore the spoon on the tip of the latch is completed before the latter is assembled. The latch is first positioned asshown in Fig. 8, withits slot 8 in alinement with the pivot and with its tip disposed between the shank of the needle and bill of the hook. The latch is raised vertically to en- I ter the pivot into the eye, the tip of the latch passing under the bill of the hook, as clearly shown in Fig. 9. The tip of. the latch is flexed to one side, itbeing understood that the-latch is "made of tempered steel ;or other resilient metal, and while bent thus to one side, the tip is swung forwardly past the side of the bill of the hook, as clearly shown in Fig. 10. After the latch has reached a point in front of the bill, the lateral pres sure is removed from the tip so that it can engage the front of the bill, as shown in Fig. 11, wherein the latch is in its closed position and the slot 8' of the eye out of alineinent with the pivot 5. ,Y'Vhen the latch is in open position, as shown in Fig. 12, the slot 8 is also out'of alinemeut with the pivot, so that it is impossible for the latch to become disconnected. In this form of latch, the slot is at all times at the front side of the pivot. In order to detach the latch, the steps are taken in the reverse order, from Figs. 11 to 8, inclusive.

From the foregoing, it will be seen'that the method of constructing the pivot and latch and of assembling the parts is extremely simple and comparatively inexpensive, and as the pivot cannot become loose or burs form on the end as is common with the set-in rivet type of needle, the many disadvantages accompanying the use of this latter class of needles will be overcome. Besides avoiding the great loss to manufacturers from imperfect material resulting from defective needles, the present improvements will result in a considerable saving to the knitting manufacturer from the needles themselves, because the breakage of a latch, for instance, does not render the whole needle useless, since the broken latch can be removed and a new one substituted.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily ap- 5 parent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment 110 thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and thatsuch changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

' Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, is

l. A latch knitting needle comprising a chambered shank, a flattened pivot in the chamber, and a latch having a pivot eye 120 provided with a slot through which thepivot enters the eye and so disposed as to be out of line with the major axis of the ivot throughout the range ofmovement 0 the latch between open and. closed position.

2. A latch knitting needle comprising .a chambered shank, a flattened pivot integral with the side walls of the chamber in the shank, and a latch having a pivot eye provided with a slot wide enough to permit the one side of the major axis 01 the pivot throughout'the range of movement of the latch. i

A latch" knitting needle comprising a shank, a latch pivot thereon, and a latch having a pivot-engaging eye of fixed form Open in one part of its periphery for the free passage into said eye of said pivot in one position of the parts.

4. A latch knitting needle comprising a chambered shank, a pivot of non circular cross-section arranged in the chamber and being in its major axis of greater dimension than in its minor axis, and a, latch having an eye of approximately the same diameter as the major axis of the pivot whereby the latch has bearing contact only with the portions of the pivot at the ends of the major axis, said eye having a radial slot through -Wl1lCl1 the pivot enters the eye diametrically and which is so disposed that the major axis of the pivot will be out of line with the said slot throughout the range of movement of the latch.

5. A latch knitting needle comprising a chambered. shank, a pivot of rectangular cross section in the chamber, and a latch having an eye of substantially the same d1- ametcr as the width of the pivot. said eye being provided with a slot of substantially,

the same width as the thickness of the pivot to permit the latter to be entered in the eye.

6. A latch knitting needle comprising a chambered shank, a pivot in the chamber, said pivot being of greater width than thickness and having its Width extending longitudinally of the shank, and a latch having an eye provided With .avslot through which the pivot is entered in the eye, the portion ofthe chamber-below the pivot being of greater length than the length of the latch to permitthe latter to be placed-in position for assembling on the pivot, said latch having a-widened ti for preventing the tip from entering the c iamber to thereby maintain the slot out of alinement w th the longitudinal axis of the pivot. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two' Witnesses.

AUGUSTUS KORNDOERFER, JR.

\Vitnesses CHARLES V. NOEL, J OHN L. Sorrnnrnn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissionsrof Patents, Washington, D. G. i a

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