US1127283A - Knitting-machine. - Google Patents

Description

W. RICHTER.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED M345, 1911.

1 127,283, Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

8 SHBETSSHEET 1.

& 7 mlvaivro WITNESSES\ j v a ATTORNEY W. RICHTER.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.15. 1911.

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Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

42% r- ATTORNEY WITNESSES W. RICHTER.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.15.191L

1,127,283. Patented Feb. 2, 1915'.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES WOLFGANG RICHTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

-KNITTING-MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Application filed February 15, 1911. Serial No. 608,836.

. To all whom it may concern: W

Be it known that I, VOLFGANG RICHTER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing in the city and county of Phlladelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a true and exact description,-

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My present invention relates to flat knitting machines such as are employed in making full fashioned Hosiery and consists in novel features for transferring the loops caught on the welt hooks or needles to the main knitting needles in the operation of forming a welt on the fabric knitted.

The invention comprises certain features of construction and arrangement of the knitting machine parts, all devised for the.

purpose of making the loop transferring portion of the welt forming operation semiautomatic, whereas, in practice, this portion of the welt forming operation has heretofore been carried out manually.

With the use of my invention, the loop transfer operation can be performed in a small fraction of the time heretofore required for doing this work, and with a substantial decrease in labor cost, and with a substantial increase in the effective output of the knitting machine to which it is applied. Moreover, the breakage of needles occurring in or due to the welt forming operation is decreased with my invention, and the quality of the product is improved.

An important advantage characterizing my present invention is that the invention may be readily embodied in existing machines at a comparativelysmall cost.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention. however, and the advantages possessed by it. reference should be had to the accom panying drawings and descriptive matter, in which I have illustrated apparatus embodying the invention. v

Of the drawings, 'Figure 1 is an end ele vation of a knitting machine embodying one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side ele vat-ion of a portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1. with parts broken away and removed. Fig. 3 is an elevation taken similarly to Fig. 2 but on a larger scale and showing a portion only of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2. Fig. l is a transverse sectional elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are views taken similarly to Fig. 4 but each showing a portion only of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4: and each showing parts in positions different from those occupied by the same parts in the other figures and in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an elevation of one form of my improved welt needle. Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a view taken similarly to Fig. I, but showing a modified welt needle construction.

The knitting machine shown is, in its general organization and construction of a type well known and in common use for knitting flat stocking leg blanks. On this account I shall refer herein specifically only to such old parts of the mechanism shown as will facilitate an understanding of the invention claimed herein.

. In the form shown the frame work of the machine comprises a number of standards A, in which are mounted shafts 1 to 11 inclusive;.some of these are journaled for rotatable movement in the standards A while others are rigidly secured to the standards Aand serve simpl as parts of the stationary framework 0 the machine. Between each two adjacent standards A are mounted two sets of needles B, and the cooperating parts pertaining exclusively to them, and itwill be understood that each machine is capable of simultaneously knitting as many fabric-pieces as there are sets of needles B. In the machines of this type in common use the number of sets of needles B per machine is usually eighteen.

In the form shown, the two sets of knitting needles B proper betweeneach two adjacent standards A, are secured to a single needle holder or head C by devices including a clamping head C for each set of needles B. The needles B are given a rising and falling movement and a movement toward and away from the stationary presser head L of the machine by connections between each needle supportC and the shafts 2 and 3, and the shafts 2 and 3 are given determined osillatory movements by cams carried by the main cam shaft 5 of the machine. The connection between each needle holder (and the rock shaft2 comprises an arm C rigidly connected at its upper end to the support G and pivotally connected at its lower end to a lever D The latter has a handle D by means of which the lever D can be hooked over or disengaged from a pin D carried by an arm-D secured to the rock shaft 2. To oscillate the shaft 2, one or more arms D rigidly secured to it, are provided. In the construction illustrated the one arm D shown is in the form of an extension of one of the arms D and carries at its lower end a cam roll D normally bearing against the periphery of the cam Z secured to the main cam shaft 5. The shaft 2 through the connections described operates to give the needle heads C their movement toward" and away from the presser head L. The rising and falling movement 'ofeach head'C is given by theshaft 3 throughconnections comprising an arm E secured to the shaft 3, and pivotally connected at E to brackets E rigidly connected to the heads 0. The shaft 3 is oscillated by one or more arms E, each carrying at its lower end a roll E engaging the periphery of a corresponding cam Z carried by the shaft 5. In practice, it will be under:

hold the rolls E and D against the corresponding cams. It will be understood also that the number of arms E and D employed will depend on the length of the machine. The usual number of arms of each kind ranging from two to seven.

In the form shown the machine comprises a narrowing mechanism including arms F mounted on the standard carried shaft 11 and connectedat their upper ends by a shaft 12. Brackets F" mounted on the shaft 12 at its ends are connected to a linkage mechanism bywhich the arms F shaft 12, and pa'ts connected thereto may be oscillated aboutt e shaft 11 as an axis. a bar F at each end of the machine and each connected at its upper end to a corresponding bracket F and pivotally connected at its lower end to a corresponding arm G through a shaft 14. Thearms G are pivotally mounted on the standard carried pintles G Between its ends each arm Gcarries a roll, G which normally rides on the periphery of a disk Z but in the narrowing operation is caused to engage the periphery of a cam Z The shaft 14 has secured to it an arm F by means of which the shaft 12 and parts connected to it may be raised from time to time as desired by the attendant.-

This is accomplished by means of a wiper arm H secured to the rock shaft 10 and engaging the arm F an arm H secured to the rock shaft 10; a link H connected at one end to the end of the arm H and a-lever H to which .the other end of the link is connected. The lever H is journaled on the This linkage comprises shaft 6 and is provided with a treadle-like extension H by means of which the attendant may oscillate the shaft and thereby, through the connections described, swing the shaft 12 about the shaft 11.

H represents a latch lever by means of which the treadle H, when depressed, may be locked down until it is desired to release it.

Adjacent each set of needles B are provided slideways A for the corresponding welt needle carrier I.

J represents tension members of which there is one for each set. of needles, each adapted to be connected to the corresponding piece of fabric knitted, as by hooking it into a hook I carried by the corresponding welt needle carrier I in the initial stage of the formation of the fabric piece and by connecting it to the-fabric in some other usual way, in subsequent'stages of the knitting operationr- Each tension device J in the form shown is connected to a disk J, mounted on the shaft 80 journaled in the frame standards A, and the usual provisions, not shown, are made for causing the disk J to exert the proper pull on the members J to put the fabric being knitted under the proper tension.

The presser head L is provided with the usual knocking over bits M and sinkers N and dividers 0. These are in the form of flat pieces of steel, which are arranged to provide channels or spaces through which the needles pass each needle B passing between a corresponding pair of knocking over bits M and between one sinker N and one divider O, the sinkers and dividers being alternately disposed. The knocking over bits are stationary while the sinkers and dividers are movable in the head L suitable mechanism, not shown, being provided for giving them their properly timed reciprocating movements.

In so far as already described, the knitting machine parts referred to, standing by them :elves, embody no part of the present inven- The welt needles K, of whichthere is a set mounted in each carrier I. differ in construction from those heretofore known. The needles K, see Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive, are spring beard needles, each having the usual recess K formed in the front edge of the needle body to receive the tip of the beard K The back edge .of a portion K of the body of each needle K adjacent itshook end s set 111 advance of the back edge of the adacentportion of the needle body. A groove K is formed in the back edge of the said ad acent body portion. The groove K in the back edge of each needle K extends longitudinally of the needle and is open at its end adjacent the needle hook.

In the welt needle K as shown in Figs. 7 to 9 the bottom of the groove K is in line mamas with the back edge of the portion K of the needle. The modified form of the welt nee-, dle KA shown in Fig. 10 differs from the form shown in Figs. 7 to 9, in that the portion K of the needle KA is odset so that. the front edge of the portion K is in front of the front edge of the adjacent body portion of the needle and the back edge of the portion K is in front of the bottom line of the slot K. For reasons hereinafter explained the groove K 'should lie entirely back of the back edge of the portion K of the needle though the bottom line of the slot may be either back of, or coincident with the back edge of the portion K as shown in Figs. 10 and 7, respectively. The welt needle disclosed, while novel with me, is not claimed herein. but is claimed in my application Serial Xo. 694,905, filed May 3rd, 1912. as a division of this case.

The welt needle carriers I, which during the knitting of the welt forming portion of the fabric. rest on the slideways A are held during the loop transferring operation each in brackets C secured to the ends of the corresponding clamping heads Q, as shown best in Figs. 3 and 4. For this purpose the brackets C are formed at their upper ends with open ended slots C receiving the end extensions 1 of the corresponding welt needle carrier.

In the operation of forming a welt with the apparatus described. the welt needles K or KA employed, after their hooks are first entered in the initial row of loops X formed on the needles B, are acted upon by the tension producing provisions to stretch and draw taut the fabric X knitted until sufficient fabric has been knitted to form the welt portion of the article being hiitted. During this stage of the operation the extensions I of the welt needle carriers rest upon and are drawn along the slideways A. After the welt forming portion of the fabric has been knitted. each carrier I is manipulated to carry the loops X out of the eyes of the needles K or KA and back onto the bodies thereof. Each carrier I is then mounted in the brackets C as shown in Figs. 3 and i. the fabric being looped over the rod P. which may rest on the guides A and be connected to the tension member I or other suitable tension means after the loops X are transferred to the needles B.

The manipulation of each holder I, so far described. is manual and in placing the holder I in the brackets C it is necessary to see that the welt needles K or KA properly enter the spaces between the sinkers as the welt needles are inserted between the I sinkers and dividers and between the knocking over bits the hook ends of the needles B enter the slots K in the back edges of the welt needles. After the welt needles are thus put into the loop transferring position the needle carrier. C is moved substantially as in the ordinary knitting operation with the result that the welt needles are pressed against the stationary presser head L and the beards K enter the sockets K and are held there while the carrier C rises sufficiently to carry the ends of the beards K well through the loops X. The latter are prevented from rising with the welt needles by the sinkers N. This transfers the loops K (see Fig. 5) from the welt needles to the needles B. The upward movement of the holder C continues until the parts are brought into the position shown in Fig. 6. Before the member C has reached the position shown in Fig. 6 it is caused to move laterally away from the presser head L so that the bodies of the needles K or KA clear the head L. In the condition of the apparatus shown in Fig. 6, the loops X having been entirely transferred to the main knittingneedles B, the welt needle carriers I may be removed, either manually or automatically, as by the provisions hereinafter described.

While as I have said the carrier C has substantially the same movement during the loop transferring operation as in the ordinary knitting operation the movements of the carrier toward and away from 'the presser head should preferably be timed a little diderently in the two cases, and in general the movements of the carrier G toward and away from the presser head should be difierent in extent in the two operations. To give the carrier C the proper movement during the loop transferring operation I have provided in the machine shown a cam Z adjacenteach cam Z and difiering therefrom in contour as desired to give the proper movement to the carriers C during the loop transferring operation, and during the loop transferring peration I control each lever D, not by the cam Z but by the cam Z. This is accomplished by the provisions made for shifting the cam roll D at will from the position in which it engages one of the cams Z and Z. and the position in which it engages the other. The shifting provisions comprise a longitudinal movable shaft D a. hand lever D conveniently disposed for shifting the shaft D and a forked or slotted shifter arm D for each caln'roll D having bifurcations which enter the groove formed in the hub of the corresponding cam en gaging roll D Preferably the stationary presser headL has its needle engaging portion in the form of a rib L as shown best in Figs. 4%., 5 and '6, though this is not absolutely essential. Preferably also, the clamping head M for the knocking over bits is extended as shown, sothat there is no danger of the points of the beards K of the welt needles engaging the presser head L.

When the needles B are first entered into the grooves K of the welt needles the arrangement of the parts is such that the needles are slightly flexed so that the needles B are resiliently held in the grooves K When subsequently the welt needles are forced against the presser head L, as shown in Fig. 5, the pressure in practice is, and

must be great enough to still further flex the needles B and to reversely bend the needles K or KA. It is on this account that 1 find it essential, for a successful practical operation, that the bottom lines, of the grooves K? of the welt needles, be either back of or coincident with,,but never in front of, the back edges of the hook end por tion K of the welt needles. If this were otherwise, the very substantial tension under which the needles B are placed at this stage (if the operation would tend to cause these needles to fulcrum on the hook needle portions K with the result that some of the needles B would-snap out of the grooves K and jam or wedge in at the sides of the corresponding welt needles in the spaces between the sinkers and dividers and knocking over bits. This would not only result in a faulty transfer of the loops X but would substantially increase the needle breakage.

While as 1 have already said the welt needle carriers 1, may be separately manually removed from the brackets C my invention comprises .PlOVlSlOIlS for simuland in a somewhat, illlllOIllEltlQ taneously, manner, removing all of the carriers 1, thus greatly simplifying and expediting this operation. In themachine shown I accomplish this by means of parts mounted upon the .narrowing mechanism and moved in part to remove the welt needle carriers 1 by the mechanism ordinarily brought into movement during the operation of the narrowing mechanism. The provisions for this purpose embodied in the machine shown, comprise a shaft 13 mounted in brackets F clamped to the shaft 12, provisions for oscillating the shaft 13, and hook-like devices Q, carried by the shaft 13. Preferably I provide resilient means for holding the shaft 13 either in the full line position shown in Fig. 4, or in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4 and marked Q3 As shown, 1 accomplish this by the spring R at one or both ends of the shaft connected at one end to the corresponding bracket F and at the other end to an arm R secured to the shaft 13. The spring R and its points of connection are so arranged that while the spring tends to move the shaft 13 in a counter clockwise direction when the shaft is in the full line position shown in Fig. 4, a very slight rotation of the shaft 13 in the clockwise direction will throw the line of action of the spring to the other side of the axis of the shaft 13, so that the spring thereafter tends to rotate the shaft in the clockwise direction into the position in which the arms Q occupy the dotted line position- Q with respect to the brackets F shown in Fig. 4. A handle Q attached to the shaft 13, is provided for the manual rotation of the shaft .13.

shown in Fig. 4. The shaft 13 is then rotated in a clockwise direction to move the arms Q into the position relative to the shaft 13 indicated by the dotted line position Q of the arms Q in Fig." 4. The springs R tend to hold the shaft in this position and when the parts are in this position the carriers I slide down toward the shaft 13 as illustrated in Fig, 4, and are thus conveniently stored untilit is necessary to connect them into the initially formed row of loops of the subsequent formed pieces of fabric.

1 find it advantageous to mount on the shaft 13 other arms S for use in connection with the welt forming operation. In the operation of entering the loops X of the fabric into the eyes of the welt needles at the beginning of the Welt forming operation I find that there is a tendency for the welt needles to be moved outward (away from the presser head L) from the position shown in Fig. 1, with resultant faults in the fabric. 1 To prevent this I so dispose the arms S that they may be brought into engagement with the rear edges of the lugs 1 formed on the welt needle carriers in the manner shown in Fig. 1, so that the attendant throughhis grip on the handle Q, may readily and simultaneously hold all of the welt carriers in until the first row of loops X are entered in the eyes of the welt needles. I then shift the narrowing mechanism and theshaft .13 to bring the ends of the arms S in front of the lugs 1 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and thesprings R,

the shaft 13 and the arms S then serve as a tension mechanism for holding the fabric being knited taut during the brief period which it takes the attendant to move along the length of the machine and hook the various tension devices into the eyes I of the welt carriers. When this is done the narrowing mechanism and the shaft 13 are i'ng blanks. during a period ranging from fifteen to thirty per cent., and averaging perhaps twenty per cent. of the time required for completing the simultaneous knitting of one stocking blank by each set of needles B of the machine. Furthermore, broken needles and fabric faults are frequent incidents of the manual manipulation of the welt hooks or needles. lVith my invention the time required for the loop transferring operation is very substantially redueed. This operation may he performed by comparatively unskilled attendants and with a great reduction in the amount of needle breakage and fabric faults occurring in or from the welt forming operation.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the use of the invention in a machine of the type illustrated thus increases the ca-.

pacity of the machine, reduces the cost of operation and improves the quality of the output. The invention also makes it feasible to provide each machine with a greater number of needle beds than has heretofore been considered advantageous.

\Vhile in accordance with the provisions of the statute I have illustrated and de scribed the best form of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes,'within the scope of the claims, may be made in the form of apparatus disclosed withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, and that certain features iof the invention claimed may be advantageously employed under certain circumstances without acorresponding use of other claimed features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is:

1. In a knitting machine, the combination with a set of main needles, a carrier therefor. a set of welt needles, a holder therefor. provisions connected to said carrier for supporting the welt needle holder during the loop transfer operation and mechanism adapted to engage said holder and separate it from said provisions at the conclusion 0 the loop transfer operation.

2. In a knitting machine, the combination with a plurality of sets of main needles. carriers therefor, a plurality of sets of welt needles, holders therefor, provisions mounted on said carriers for supporting the welt needle holders during the loop transfer operation, and mechanism adapted to engage said holders and separate them from said provisions at the conclusion of the loop transfer operation. 8. In a knitting machine, the combination with a plurality of sets of main needles,

carriers therefor, a plurality of sets of welt needles, holders therefor, provisions mounted on said carriers for supporting the welt needle holders during the loop transfer operation, and mechanism adapted to engage said'holders and separate them from said provisions at the conclusion of the loop transfer operation, said mechanism comprising arms, movable to engage and lift the various holders, and means for simultaneously moving said arms.

4. In a knitting machine of the kind specified, the combination of a set of main needles, a carrier therefor, a set of welt needles, a holder therefor, provisions connected to said carrier for supporting said holder during the loopstransfer operation, and narrowing mechanism comprising a movable member and means connected thereto adapted, on determined movements of said member-and means to move the welt holder out of engagement with said provisions.

5. In a knitting machine, the combination of a .plurality of sets of main knitting needles, means for moving them comprising brackets adjacent to and movable with. each set of needles, a plurality of sets of welt needles, holders, one for each set of welt needles, adapted to be supported in said brackets during the loop transfer operation, a narrowing mechanism,a shaft supported thereby and movable therewith, and arms connected to said shaft adapted to lift. said holders out of I engagement with said brackets at the completion of the loop t-ransfer operation.

6. In a knitting machine of the kind specified the combination of a plurality of welt needles, a holder for each set of welt needles, a plurality of sets of mainneedles,

needle holders rest during the welt knitting operation, a movable support, arms pivotally connected thereto and means for moving said arms relative to said support and for moving said support to cause said arms to press said holders in one direction during one portion, and in the opposite direction durlng another portion of the welt forming operation.

8. In a knitting machine, the combination with a plurality of sets of main knitting needles, of means for moving them, brackets adjacent to and movable with, each set of.

portion, and away from the needles during another portion of the welt knitting operation, and to lift said'holders out of engagement with said brackets at the completion of the loop transferring operation.

9. In a knitting machine of the kind specified, the combination of a stationary presser head, a set of spring-beard welt needles having grooved backs, a holder therefor, a set of-springbeard main needles, a support therefor, and provisions carried thereby for supporting said holder during the loop transfer operation so that the main needles enter the grooves in the back edges of the welt needles, and mechanism for giving said main needle support movements with respect to said presser head comprising two cams and means 'for bringing one of them into use in the regular knitting operation and the other in the loop transfer operation.

WOLFGANG RICHTER. Witnesses:

ARNOLD KA'rz, D. STEWART.

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