US1214828A - High-splicing mechanism for circular-knitting machines. - Google Patents

Description

`F. W. ROBINSON. HIGH SPLICING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLlcATloN FILED sEPT.2o. 1915.

II l, Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

F. W. ROBINSON. HIGH SPLICING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, IBIS.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

of Fig. 2 so as to FRANK W. ROBINSON,

0F READING, PENNSYLVANIA, :ASSIGNOR T0 NOLDE & HORST COMPANY, 0F READING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

HIGH-summe MEGHANIS'M Specification of Letters Patent.

FOB CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

patented ret.' e, 1era.

Application led September 20, 1915. Serial No. 51,576.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in High-Splicing Mechanism for Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to circular knitting machines, and my object is to provide mechanism for introducing a reinforcing thread to certain of the needles to form a highspliced foot and heel in a stocking knit thereon. The free portion of this reinforcing thread has been ordinarily floated across the tubular fabric to be cut away in a sub' sequent operation. Moreover where striping or clocking attachments are employed in connection with the knitting machine, with thread carrying means extending into the circle of needles this floating of the thread is apt to cause interference.y To permit the use of a reinforcing or high-splice thread in stockings having stripes or clocks, and to avoid the subsequent operation even in plainknitting, I provide mechanism for introducing this reinforcing thread having means for laying the thread under the needles intended to knit-in the same, and for cutting it 0E beyond the latter and carrying the end around the idle needles so as to be again engaged by the active needles. My mechanism also provides for dividing the needles so as to permit only a determined portion of them to engage this reinforcing thread.

The invention is fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawing and the novel features are set forth in the claims.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a knitting machine embodying my invention developed on the center line 1-1 more clearly show the construction. Fig. 2 's a partial plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the tensioning device on the exterior of the thread-carrier latch ring or segment. Fig. 4 is an inside view of a part of the knitting cam ring,

engaging, disengaging and severing of the reinforcing thread.

In the drawing 1 represents the revolving cam cylinder, which is mounted as usual in the frame of the machine and driven in well known manner. f

2 is the fixed needle cylinder, and 3, 3 the knitting needles therein which are vertically moved by the cams on the inner face of the cam cylinder.

4 is the thread-carrier latch ring, pivotally mounted at 5, as usual, in a bracket 6 secured to the cam cylinder, so that it may be swung up out of the way when desired.

Above the needles I have indicated a striping attachment such as is more fully shown and described in my Patent No. 1,077,304 issued November 4, 19/13; the thread fingers 10, 10, being arranged to swing between the needles. These fingers have a pivotal bearing at 11 in sockets secured to the plate 12 supported above the needles by a bracket 13, and each finger has a projecting larm 14 provided with a lateral branch having spaced contacts 15 and 16 for an operating cam 17 whereby the lingers `are swung through and around one or more needles to wrap about them the additional thread which is to be interlooped with the loops of the fabric -to form a stripe. Reference to the patent will more fully disclose this known operation. These striping fingers 10 extend into the circle of needles\3, 3, below the top of the latch ring 4; which latter is cut away as shown at 20 for a portion of its 'height opposite the cam 17, so as to permit the swing of the fingers through the needles. These fingers 10, extending into the circular series of knitting needles, .interfere with fioating the free portions of a reinforcing thread across the fabric as has been commonly done, and the use of my improved mechanism is particularly advantageous in connection with such a construction.

The reinforcing thread is to be introduced into the tubular fabric for a portion only of each circular course, which necessitates splitting the needles at the point of entry and leaving so that the determined ones only will engage the thread. The thread must be held in position to be engaged by And its free portion must be cut and carried around the remaining portion of the circular course so as not to interfere with the depending fingers 10. These operations follow in quick succession and must be certain and accurate to obtain the desired results. This splitting or dividing of the needles I accomplish as shown, in a simple manner, by means of the knitting cam 30, 36, and by the use of long and short butt needles, the short butt needles only being arranged to engage the reinforcing thread (see Figs. 4 and 5). The knitting cam 30 is formed with the usual inclined edge 31 to lower the needles riding on the cam track 32 so that they will be engaged by the cam 33, which still further lowers them until they are raised by the inclined edge 34 of the track 32. The cam 30 has part of its face portion cut away as shown so as to form a recess 35; in which is pivotally supported the swinging cam 36, equal in thickness with the depth of the recess, which latter extends to the inclined edge 31 as shown. The long butt needles 37 ride upon the track 32 until they come to the knitting cams when they follow the heavy dotted line 38 shown in Fig. 4, riding down the inclined edge 31 of cam 30, inclined edge of cam 33, and up inclined edge 34 of cam track 32. The short butt needles 39 however do not strike the inclined edge 31, which is of reduced thickness as stated, but pass over same, as indicated by lightly dotted line 40, and contact with cam 36, which swings against cam 33 as shown and lowers these short butt needles to cam 33; after which they follow the path 38 of the long butt needles.

The regular knitting thread or yarn 44 is fed to the needles through eye 45 in the latch ring 4 as usual. The reinforcing thread 46 passes under rod 47 secured to the outside of ring 4 and then through a slot 48, which permits convenient threading, to the short butt needles. A springpressed tension arm 49 presses against the rod 47 so that a regulated tension, exerted by spring 50, may be constantly placed upon the interposed thread 46.

To the bracket 6 is secured an extension 55, on which is pivotallymounted, at 56, a swinging arm 57, normally held at' rest upon the upper edge of latch ring 4 by a spring 58. The inner end of this arm 57 carries a depending thread guide 60 which is spaced from the inner face of the latch ring 4 so that the needles may pass between it and the latch ring. This guide has an inclined face 61 adapted to lay the striping thread in proper position with regard to the knitting thread 44 so that the stripes will uniformly appear on the outer face of the stocking, as more fully described in Patent No. 1,200,140, issued to me October 3, 1916, on application of even date herewith. As

shown this guide also has a slot 6 2 in which the free portion of the reinforcing thread is engaged and carried around that portion of the circular course where no reinforcing thread is desired. The arm 57 is adapted to be swung up with the latch ring 4 when the latter is moved out of service, the guide 60 secured to the end of said arm traveling in a different arc from the ring 4 so as to be projected inward from the latter as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to avoid striking the needles 3, 3.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 to be considered in connection with Fig. 4, I have indicated diagrammatically the operation of my mechanism, the long butt needles having a portion shown solid to distinguish them from the short butt needles. In Fig. 6 the last of the series of long butt needles are shown as lowered by the edge 31 of cam 3() while the first of the series of short butt needles are shown in dotted lines, as passing by the reinforcing-thread slot 48 over the recessed face 35 of cam 30, being not yet depressed by the cam 36. This permits the reinforcing thread 46, which has been threaded as described at the beginning of the reinforcing operation, t0 engage with the short butt needles only, the slot 48 being so located. As all the short butt needles will pass over the face 35 of cam 30, they will all engage this thread and draw it down in the knitting movement of the needles. In Fig. 7 the last of the series of short butt needles is shown as just passing the slot 48, while the long butt needles, striking the edge 31 of cam 30, are depressed before they reach this slot and do not engage the thread. In Fig. 8 the reinforcing thread 46 is shown extending from the last of the short butt needles to the slot 48 of the latch ring, through the slot 62 of the guide 60; the rlsing of this needle upon V the incline 34 passing this tensioned thread into the slot 62. A scissors 70 is shown as cutting this spanned thread midway between the end short butt needle and the slot 62 in guide 60; thus allowing the short butt needles to travel on free while the separated end of the reinforcing thread is held in the slot 62 until it is engaged by the first of the short butt needles, (Fig. 6) when it will be drawn out of said slot. The scissors device for cutting this thread is shown in Fig. 1, the scissor member 70 being pivoted at 71 to a depending arm 72 carried by the plate 12 so as to locate the opened scissors at the proper point for severing the thread. The movable scissor, member 70 has a link 7 3 connecting it to a pivoted cross arm 74. A spring 75 normally maintains this arm in lowered position to open the scissors, and a rod 76 connects the arm 74 to a lever 77 pivoted to a post 78, as shown, on the upper face of the plate 12. The end of the lever 77 is extended beyond the circumference of the plate 12 and is arranged to be lifted by a cam 178, mounted in a manner similar to cam 17, upon a post 79 carried by the cam cylinder l. This cam is thrown into the path of the lever 77 when the reinforcing thread is being fed to the needles, so that at each revolution of the cam cylinder the scissors will operate to cut the reinforcing thread after it has left the short butt needles as shown in Fig. 8.

The mechanism shown and described will accurately lay the reinforcing thread and knit the same into the tubular fabric for the desired portion only of each circular course, and when the striping or clocking thread carriers are employed, as described, this operation will not be interfered with.

The detail construction specifically shown and described may be readily modied without departing from the invention as dened in the claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a circular knitting in achine having a plating-thread carrier, a thread-carrier latch ring provided with separate guide apertures for a` knitting thread and a reinforcing thread, and separate series of needles operative upon said knitting thread with and Without said reinforcing thread respectively; a thread-guide plate carried by said latch ring and provided with an inclined thread-guiding edge and with a thread-engaging slot.

2. In a circular knitting machine having 'a plating-thread carrier, a thread-carrier latch ring provided with separate guide apertures for a knitting thread and a reinforcing thread, and separate series of needles operative upon said knitting thread with and without said reinforcing thread respectively; a thread-guide plate carried by said latch ring and provided with an inclined thread-guiding edge and with a thread-engaging slot arranged approximately parallel with said edge.

3. In a circular knitting machine having a. plating-thread carrier, a thread-carrier latch ring provided with separate guide apertures for a knitting thread and a reinforcing thread, and separate series of needles operative upon said knitting thread with and without Said reinforcing thread respectively; a. thread-guide plate carried by said latch ring and provided with an inclined thread-guiding edge and with a thread-engaging slot, and an automatically operated thread cutter operative upon successive slot-engaged threads extending between said thread-guide plate and their engaging needles.

In testimony whereof I FRAN K W. ROBINSON affix my signature.

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