US1536863A - Machine for knitting gloves - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1925.

F. E. JONES MACHINE FOR KNITTING GLOVES Filed A112. 19, 1920 6 tseet 1 U U [I lllllfi l l ll II F. E. JONES MACHINE FOR KNITTING GLOVES Filed Auz. 19, 1920 6 heets-Sheet 2 May 5, 1925. 1,536,863

F. E. JONES MACHINE FOR KNITTING GLOVES Filed Auez. 19, 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet I5 HE" E? a 1 m Q r Bah/7c E JOii/CeS,

.g) Q L? w May 5, 1925. 1,536,863

F. E. JONES MACHINE FOR KNITTING GLOVES F'l d A 19, 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 e uz} a "/8 Fig.6.

mg ll8- Inventor:

Frank 15'. James Patented May 5, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

FBA NK E. JOI IES, OF IPAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 HEMPHILL COM- PANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATIONOF RHODE ISLAND.

MACHINE FOR KNITTING GLOVES.

I Application filed August-19, 1920. Serial No. 404,620.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. JONES, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Machines for Knitting Gloves, of which the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings is a specification, likecharacters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to glove knitting machines, and its object is particularly concernedwith the production of a. machine for knittin a continuous web of fabric including rig t and left hand love units, preferably, though not exclusively, in-alternation. In or er that the principle of the invention maybe readily understood, I have shown merely as an example an illustrated embodiment hereinafter fully set forth, while the scope of the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 7

In the drawings I Fi 1 is a front elevation of a circular knitting machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a diagram indicating the cams for selecting the needles that are to form the thumb and the fingers respectively for vthe various glove units:

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5,-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a diagram indicating the cams on the several cam drums of the machine; and

Fig. 7. is a plan view of a strip offabric illustrating one example of work that may be produced upon the machine constituting this invention.

Fi 8 is a sectional plan view, taken on 'i the line 88 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 9 is a development of the needles employed in the machine embodying this invention.

The machine herein-shown and described.

is similar to that embodied in the co-pending application of John Lawson, Patent No.

1,401, 12 dated December 27, 1921, and ing volves the formation of glove blanks such as are disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 4Ql,789? fil'ed Aug. 6, 1920, which is particularly concerned with the formation of a longitudinal strip or web of fabric, preferably including right and .left glove f rocatin fabric inc udin in alternation, ut the prmci 1e of my in- 4 capable of producing numerous other types of gloves.

of fabric including pairs, preferably in a ternation, of articles other than hand coverings or glove units, although it is preferably employed in the manufacture of such units and preferably the products of the invention consist of a strip formed by relatively recipthe needle cylinder or cam ring herein so that in starting, as I preferably do, at the lower end of the wrist of the glove unit,

-I may reciprocatingly knit the stri or web the-width of the hand, the digits being preferably all knitted integrally with'said hand strip. The thumb may be separately knitted and afterwards applied to the hand in any suitable manner.v I shall, however, de-

scribe a preferred embodiment of m invention, wherein upon a circular machine havingindependent needles I begin at the base of the wrist at the back thereof, and after knittin the wrist and the hand by reciproeating nitti'ng, I knit thefingers in any de- Furthermore, my invention may 'be employed in knitting a continuous stri reciprocating the needle cylinder sired sequence, after which I knit the palm of the hand down to the thumb, then knit the thumb, then the lower part of the hand and finally the wrist, thus com leting the courses followed by the knitting of the second love unit, and so on. throughout the knitting of the entire strip.

The machine herein "shown is one eculiarly ada ted for the knitting of a strip of right and left glove units vention will allow for consi erable variation in this res ect, as, for example, instead of knitting rig tand left gloves in alternation, two or more right or left glove units may be knitted in groups, followed by two or more glove units of the opposite form, all

formation of the first unit. Fol owingthis", 4 1 preferably knit. one or more marking of which alternations are within the scope and purpose of the invention. While knitting the thumb and fingers for the several glove units, I may at the proper points simply retain in action the desired needles while rendering the remaining needles inactive, but permitting them to retain their loops. Preferably, however, when I have reached the point for which a change" in the number of needles in action is effected, as, for example, at the commencement of the knitting of the little finger, I in most cases elevate all of the needles just in action by permitting them to retain their loops and then immediately bring down again into action those needles that are next to be employed. I shall in the ensuing descriptions refer to the preferred mode of action, but it is to be understood that I am not limited thereto.

In the present embodiment, I preferably employ a single knitting cam or set of knitting cams, though I am not limited to such number. In addition to the knitting cam or cams, I provide means'for selecting the needles which are to be employed in knitting the several digit strips, and while within the scope ofmy invention any suitable means may be employed for this purpose, I herein provide other cams-which I designate generally as non knitting cams comprising one cam for elevating the needles out of action, one cam for restoring the needles to action and five cams for selecting the needles for the five digit strips.

The said selecting cams may be caused to operate upon the needles in any suitable way, but herein for this purpose I provide the needles with elongated stems or jacks of five different lengths, one length being provided for the thumb and the other lengths for the four fingers respectively. In this or in any other suitable manner the selecting cams will select or present to the knitting cam or earns the proper group of needles for the knitting of each digit strip. As in said patent to John Lawson, No. 1,401,712, it is desirable to provide certain gusset needles at the base of the digit strips, so in the present case I provide means whereby the said selecting cams may select certain needies from adjacent groups to act in forming the gusset portions of the digit strips for each of the units of the work.

' Although I have laid particular emphasis upon the-formation by the herein described machine of hand coverings generally known lit) as gloves, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention'may be employed in knitting numerous other articles such as mittens, glove mittens and the like, and the term glove herein used should be construed broadly as including such other fol-ms of hand coverings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the ma chine frame within which is rotatably gages with a member 13 carried by a clutchshifting lever 14 for the purpose of controlling said lever and in the disclosed embodiment for maintaining said lever in a position to produce reciprocating knitting throughout. The details of the mechanism controlled by the pattern ring 12 through 'which the needle cylinder is reciprocated forward and backward for-fiat or reciproeating knitting may be and preferably are the same as in the patent to Hemphill No. 933,443, dated September 7, 1909, for circular, automatic stocking knitting machine, and are unnecessary herein more fully to be described or shown. A latch ring 15 is pivoted at one side of the machine upon a suitable upright post 16 as will be seen in Fig. 3, and preferably at an angle of approximately from said pivot it is received upon an upright post or standard 17, as in said Hemphill patent.

The needles, which preferably are of the latch needle type, are herein shown diagrammatically in the development of Fig. 9. They are arranged in a circular series and less than the entire number of needles may be and preferably are used in the entire knitting operation. These needles are each provided with the usual knitting butt A and preferably in addition to the knitting butt, said needles have what may, for convenience be termed jack butts, the latter being suit-. ably distributed in groups throughout the series of needles for the purpose of enabling such groups to be selected imlcpcmlcntly of the other needles of the series to form the various finger or digit strips of the blank. As an example of a simple arrangement. of said jack butts B represents the jack butts of a group of the ncedlcswhich will hereinafter he termed the thumb needles; C willrcpresent a group of jack butts constituting the first finger group; D the jack butts for the second finger group; I) the jack butts for the third finger group and F the jack butts for the fourth or little finger group, some of these groups overlapping other groups and the jack bulls of the thumb group ll are upon jacks of needles which are used in forming a part of the first and a part of the second finger sl rips.

Assuming the knitl ing to begin at. the bottom of the wrist as at a (see Fig. 7), and assuming merely for simplicity of description that the wrist'is of thefull width of the hand rather than fashioned by narrow front or back are in action and the knitting proceeds upon theusual knitting cams, such, for example, as those shown in said Hemphill Patent No. 933,443, for the formation by reciprocating knitting of a straight strip, selvaged at opposite edges to constitute the back 18 of the hand. Having reached the bases of the fingers (see said Fig. 7), I next proceed to knit, preferably one at a time, the several finger strips 19, 20, 21 and 22, respectively constituting the first, second, third and fourth fingers of the first glove unit 23. Although I shall hcreindescribe said strips as knitted in order, beginning with the little finger 22, obviously the finger strips maybe knitted in any desired order or sequence, andby using a plurality of knittingcams a plurality of digit strips may be knitted simultaneously.

In order to knit the little or any other finger or thumb strip, I herein throw out of action all the needles and then return to action the needles that are to be employed in knitting that strip. For this purpose, I may provide any su table means, and I will now briefly refer to the means for throwing out'of action needles at the desired time.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, I provide a needle throw-out cam 24 generally similar, it may be, inmode of operation to the cam 19 illustrated in the applicat'on of George P. Bosworth, Patent No. 1,428,318 dated September 5,1922, saidcam being ar ranged to be moved to engage the knitting butts A shown most clearly in Fig. 9. The cam 24is slidably mounted in a suitable support 25 and has a stem 26 which is operatively connected to or acted upon'by (as through a pin 27) a bell (rank lever 28v needles that are to be employed in knitting the front or, it may be, the back of the hand. For this purpose I preferably provide a needle throw-down cam 32, shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, and herein operated in a manner similar to the corresponding cam in said Bosworth Patent No. 1,328,318. As herein shown, the cam 32 is provided with i a stem 33 slidably mounted in a support 34 and having a pin 35 upon which acts a bell crank lever 36, the latter being pivotally connected to an upright rod 37 (see Fig. 2),

while the lower end of saidrod is attached toa lever 38 extending into proximity with thepattern or camdrum 11, whereby said lever 38 may be properly controlled in a manner not necessary more fully to describe.

The needles for formng the several digit strips may be selected in any suitable manner, but herein by cams, five in number,

which are indicated somewhat diagrammatically in Figs. 4 and 9 at'39, 40, 41, 42'

-turn being connected pivotally to upright rods 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63 extending downwardly to and pivotally connecting thelevers 64,65, 66, 67 and 68 which extend into operative proximity to the mm or pattern.

similar to those illustrated in said Bosworth application and as indicated in plan in Fig. 5, whereinsaid cams are shown as mounted upon a cam block 69 suitably supported upon a cam plate 3. It is within the scope and purpose of this invention to provide means for fashioning in and by the knitting operation each of the digit: strips and'especially at the tips thereof, as shown at 70, 70 (see Fig. 7), and to that end I herein provide means which are actuated at a suitable time, as, for example, when the knitting has progressed about to the bottom of the nail of the finger strip, whereby I elevate or remove from action at the end of each movement of reciprocation a single needle while permitting it'to retainits loop so that itmay thereafter be restored in the widening operation. To this end, I have hereinrep resented two narrowing pickers 71 and 72, indicated most clearly in Figs. 1 and 5, and which may be mounted at any suitable part of the mechanism and preferably as shown in said 'patent to John Lawson, No. 1,401,712, to which reference may be had for further information concerning their operation and therefore not necessary more fully herein to be described.

Numerous variations may be made in the character of the yarn employed in knitting various sections of the glove blank and one variation, to which particular attention is directed, is that relating to the insertion of a marking thread between the several glove units and more particularly at the points is indicated at 80, and is more fully described in said Hemphill Patent No. 933,443. The thread guide 77 may be employed for the usual knitting thread, the thread guide 78 being employed for a reinforcing thread, provided such a thread s desirable in formation of the glove blank, the thread 76 being employed for the marking threads which are inserted in the fabric at the points 73, 7 4 and 75; that is, at the end of the knitting of each glove unit and serving as a marker in the subsequent severing of the entire strip into units.

The means for controlling the various threads are of the usual construction characteristic of said Hemphill Patent No. 933,443, and therefore not necessary more fully herein to describe. The several threads referred to when employed may, within the scope and purpose of this invention, be severed as illustrated in saidLawson patent, or they may befloated without being severed, all of which features are fully set forth in said patent and, as they form no particular part of this invention, no further description thereof is believed to be necessar I have referred to means whereby the thumb and finger strips 'may be and are narrowed in the knitting operation and whereby, if desired, a reinforcing thread may be introduced or substituted, so as to reinforce certain parts of the glove blank. I will now refer toone form of means whereby I complete the fashioning of the thumb and'finger strips by correspondingly widening the said strips. This I preferably effectby picker means, and to that end may provide a single widening picker to control the return to action of the needles that have been removed from action by the narrowing pickers hereinbefore referred to. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, however, I have represented merel for convenience two pickers 87 and 88, whic may be of any suitable construction but herein are as illustrated and more fully de scribed in said Lawson patent, and as said pickers are operated in the same manner as described in said application, further information concerning the same may, by referring thereto, be provided, no further description thereof being thought necessary.

As most clearly shown in Fig. 1, the shaft 9 has fast thereon the usual ratchet wheel 89, herein provided with thirty-six teeth. This ratchet wheel is driven by pawl mechanism, not herein illustrated and preferably the same as in the machine shown in said I-Iemphill Patent No. 933,443. The driving pawl for the ratchet 89 is controlled in its movement by a pivoted pawl-like member 90, suitably mounted, and the movements of which are controlled by the usual pattern chain 91 in a manner not herein necessary more fully to describe. The pattern chain 91 is controlled in its movement by the usual ratchet wheel 92, loose upon said shaft 9 and driven in any usual manner not herein necessary to describe, as for instance in said Hemphill patent. As previously stated, the pattern drums 10 and 11 are secured to said shaft 9 to rotate therewith, being operated at predetermined periods by said pattern chain and its associated parts.

The principal object of this invention is to provide means for automatically producing a series of glove units, each unit as hereinbefore described consisting of front and back and front and back digit coverings, which digit coverings may or not be fashioned or reinforced as desired. Furthermore, it has been stated that the glove units shown in Fig. 7, wherein three integral units 95, 96 and 97 respectively are shown, united by the marking threads 73 respectively, are arranged with units constituting right hand glove blanks alternating with left hand glove blanks,for example, the I glove blanks 95 and 97 are left hand glove blanks and the blank 96 is a right hand glove blank, so that upon the knitting of a strip including four blanks, two complete pairs of gloves will be produced, or upon completing the knitting of a strip including two blanks or units, one pair of gloves will be completed. In order to complete the formation of a pair of glove units when said units are arranged as heretofore stated with rights and lefts in alternation, one complete rotation of the pattern shaft 9 will be sufiicient to produce a complete pair of I blanks, and in order that this may be aclift) ered to their operative positions.

messes which has a plurality of interruptions, one of which is positioned at- 102 and in the region of the line b, 7). It is with this rib that the lever 38 cooperates and at the line b. 7), which is assumed to be the starting point of the machine, the nose 'of said lever 38 is resting within the interruption 102 against the face of the pattern drum 11. The lever 38 when in this position effects the placing of the throw-down cam 32 at its innermost position where it will engage the butts of the needles andca-use said needles to-be lou-- The forward end of the section of the circumferential rib 101 following the interruption 102 is beveled'at' 103and during the next step in the movement of said cam drum by the ratchet mechanism, hereinbefore described,

. in the natural way.

the end of the lever 38 will ride up said b'eveled end'to the top of said rib and in so doing cause the needle throw-down cam-32 to be retracted, but not until all the needles, as hereinbefore stated, have been thrown down to their'opera-tive positions, in which position they remain and are functioned in the natural way to knit the portion 104 of the glove unit 95 extending from the end of the wrist to the bases 15 of the fingers, this stripconstituting'the back hand covering fol-the first unit. No change in the needles, therefore, will take place until this strip has been completed, the end of the lever 38 riding along on the top of the rib 101, thus to maintain the needle throw-down cam out of action so as to permit the needles to function During the formation of this section of the strip, the drum 11 is revolved several steps, each stop being equal to the space between the teeth of theratchet 89,- said cam drum moving until the line 0, c on said drum is brought into a position ad jacent to the cam-engaging ends of the levers 61 to 68 inclusive and also the lever 31. Immediately following the line 0, c are two elevations 106 and 107 secured to the pcriphery of the cam drum 11, and these elevations are preferably in longitudinal alignment. The clevation'106 is arranged in circumferential alignment with the camlever -31, while the elevation 107 is arranged in circumferential alignment with the lever 65.'

As previously described, the lever 31, is op eratively connected with the needle throwout cam 24, so that when said lever 31 is raised, the said cam 24 is permitted to move into aposition against the needle cylinder where itwill engage the needle butts during the rotation of said needle cylinder and cause all the needles to be raised to their front of said series of levers.

ting the little finger which, as hereinbefore described, is the first'finger to be knitted in the order selected for illustration. The said levers are permitted to rest upon the tops of said elevations until the desired number of courses have been knitted to form the little finger strip, and at the proper time in the formation of said st-rip the narrowing and positions and to select the needles for knitwidening pickers are operated to fashion the tips as previously described, When said strip has been completed, the cam drum is moved one step, causing the levers31 and 65 to drop off said elevations .106 v and 107 against the periphery of the pattern drum' 11 immediately in the rear of said elevations.

' A second set of elevations 108 and 109 are by the last-mentioned movement of said cam drum brought into a position immediately in The elevation 108 is in circumferential alignment with the elevation 106, so that it will engage the lever 31 which effects the throwing out of all the needles previously used in knitting the little finger strip. The elevation 109 is in longitudinal alignment with the elevation 108 and in circumferential alignment with the lever 66, this lever be-ingo-peratively connected, as hereinbefore described, with the group selecting cam 40, whereby the needles for the third finger strip are brought down into knitting action, consequently upon the next intermittent movement of the cam drum which causes said elevations 108 and 109 to raise the levers 31 and 66 respectively, all of the needles which are at this time in their knitting positions, will be elevated and those now required for knitting a third finger group will be restored so that they may be acted upon by the knitting cams during reciprocation of the needle cylinder.

In this position, the patterns drum remains until the third finger strip has been completed, whenanother movement of said drum takes placeto cause said lever to drop off of the elevations 108 and 109 against the periphery of said drum, which movement 'now presents another pair of elevations 110 and 111 in front of the series of lovers engaging the periphery of said. drum. The elevation 110 is in circumferential alignment with the elevations 106 and 108, and

consequently will actuate the lever 31 to cause the needle throw-out cam to engage causing all of the needles to be thrown out of action, While the other, that is,the latter lever 67, effects the movement of the group selecting cam 41 into a position to engage the needles for knitting the second finger strip, thereby moving said needles into a POSllJlOIX to engage and be functioned by the knitting cams of the machine to knit the second finger strip.

' Following the completion of this strip, the drum is again moved one step to release said levers and to bring up to but not into engagement with said series of levers two other elevations 112 and 113, which elevations operate in a manner similar to those previously described, and upon the levers 31 and 68 respectively to throw out all the needles previously in use and to restore the needles for the group upon which the first finger strip is to be knitted, and when the movements of the pattern drum and of the machine whereby the knitting of said first finger strip has been effected are completed, said pattern drum is again actuated to release said levers, permitting said levers to engage the periphery of said pattern drum and so remain until other elevations are brought into-action to alter the conditions. The next step in the formation of the first glove unit following the knitting of the first finger strip is to restore all of the needles so that the palm of the hand may be knitted, and. to accomplish this result the needle restoring cam 32 is permitted to move into engagement with the needle butts and cause all of said needles to be moved downwardly into engagement with the knitting cams.

To accomplish this result, a' second interruption 114 is provided in the circumferential rib 101, and into this interruption the lever 38 is arranged to drop, thus accomplishing the restoration of the needles by the lnstrumentalities connected therewith, and hereinbefore fully described. This action takes place in one intermittent movement of the pattern 'drum, the next movement there of causing said lever 38 to be raised and the.

cam operatively connected therewith to be withdrawn from engagement with the needle butts, leaving all the needles in action'but in readiness to be acted upon by other elevations upon said drum, andthe next elevations to effect said needles'are those shown at 115' and 116. The elevation 115 is in circumferential alignment with the elevations 'ment with said elevation 115 is the elevation 116, and this latter elevation is in circumferential alignment with the lever 64, which I is the lever operatively connected with the needle group selecting cam for the thumb needles. Thus, upon a sufficient circumferential movement of the pattern drum, these elevations 115 and 116 will be moved to engage their respective levers and re spectively throw out all of the needles and select the needles for the thumb strip, which are then functioned by the knitting cams to produce the thumb strip for the glove unit 95.

Following the completion of said thumb strip, the levers engaging the elevations which effect the production thereof are permitted to move into engagement with the peripheryof the pattern drum, and said pattern drum is further moved until a third interruption 117 in the circumferential rib 101 is brought into alignment with the end the fabric constituting said units. To insert such a marking thread, I have provided the thread guide 76, and in order to actuate said thread guide atthe proper time to insert its thread, I have provided upon the cam or pattern drum 10 a circumferential rib 119, and this rib has interruptions one of which is marked 119' whereby the thread guide operating lever may be permitted to drop to cause the thread of said guide to be led to the needle.

I have herein stated that the preferred method of knitting the series of glove units is to knit right andleft hand glove blanks in alternation, although it is within the scope and purpose of the invention to knit otherwise, that is, as a single example, two right hand gloves may be knitted, one following the other, and then two left hand gloves may be knitted; but herein I have provided means for producing right and left glovesin alternation, therefore, after the marking thread has been inserted in the strip, the next step in the operation is to knit the wrist and the front hand covering 120 of the second glove unit 96. The strip is knitted while the lever 38 rests upon the top ofthe rib 101 following the interruption 117, and continues until certain other elevations are brought into positions to engage certain of thelevers of the group ti-f to (iii inclusive, which elevations are included in the group 100 for producing a right hand glove. During the formation of the unit 96, the same levers and instrumentalities are used for the various fingers that were used in forming the first unit 95,

but the sequence of operation thereof is varied; for example, in knitting the glove unit 95, the finger strips were knitted before the thumb strip, whereas in the knitting of the second unit, the thumb strip will be knitted first and then the finger strips will be knitted. therefore, the next step willbe to select the thumb needles sothat they may be func- 10!), 111 and 113. the herein described two groups of elevationed to knit the thumb, the lower part of the hand strip having been knitted as heretofore described. To effect this step in the operation, I provide a pair of elevations 121- and 122. The elevation 121 is herein arranged in circumferential alignment with the lever 31', which actuates the cam for with-- drawing or throwing out of action all of the needles previously used in knitting the hand strip.- The elevation 122 is arranged in longitudinal alignment with the'eleva'tion 121, and also in circumferential alignment with the lever 64, which is operatively connected with the group selecting cam for the thumb needles, and when sufficient movement has been imparted to the pattern drum 11 to cause said elevations to engage their levers and to produce the thumb strip, further movement is imparted to said drum to produce the next step in. the operation, which is to restore all of the needles whereon to knit the remaining portion of the hand strip up to the bases of the fingers, and this stepv is accomplished by means of an interruption '123, formed 1n the circumferentlal Mb 101,

whereby the lever normally engaging said rib which controls the needle throw down cam will be permitted to drop into engagement with the periphery of said pattern drum and restore all the needles to action, and these will remain in action as previously stated untilthe front hand covering has been completed. and thereafter the needles for the fourth, third, second and first finger strips are brought into action by the foursets of elevations 124, 125, 126 and 127 respectively, which actuate the levers 31, G5, 66, 67 and 68 in substantially the same manner as do the four groups in-"luding the elevations 107, By the arrangement of tions'upon said cam drum, I am permitted to produce a pair of glove units or any number of pairs of glove units as desired with' thevarious digit strips of the right and left units in circumferential alignment, although the sequence of knitting the several digit 'slripsis different in one glove than in an- To provide fon'this alteration,

other. It will, however, be obvious that the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement of elevations upon the cam drum whereby said digit stripsare in circumferential alignment, but may be varied as desired.

lrVhile I have herein shown and described merely for villustrative purposes one specific embodiment of my invention, and have disclosed and discussed in detail the constructies to knit as a part of said web seamless digit coverings of different lengths to correspond with the fingers. 1 '2. A. knitting machlne comprising means automatically to knit as a fiat salvaged :web contlnuons series of alternating right.

and left hand covering units, said automat1c means including instrumental tie to k'nlt as a part of SZHd'SOIICS seamless igit coverings fashioned in any by the knitting operations at the tips thereof and varying in length consistent with the length of their i respective fingers. g

3. A knitting machine having ln comblnation, a series of needles, selective butts length of their respective 1 for said needles arranged in groups, knitting Y cams, means to effect relative reciprocating movements between said needles and said cams, needle group selecting cams respectively to select predetermined of said groups to knit separate strips, and means to actuate said roup selecting cams, including two sets of pattern cams.

4. A knitting machine having, in combination, a series of needles, selective butts for said needles arranged in groups, knitting cams, means to effect relative reciprocating movement between said needles and said ,cams, needle group selecting cams arranged for the selection of predetermined of said groups to knit separate strips and pattern means-to actuate saidgroup selecting cams, said pattern means including a drum having two sets of patterns arrangedthereon.

5. A knitting machine having, in combination, a series of needles, selective butts for said needles'arranged in groups corresponding to the digits of a glove knitting cams, means to effect relative reciprocating movement between sa1d needles and said comprising right and left glove blank units, in alternation, each of said units including coverings for the fingers and thumb of con-' trasting, properly proportionate lengths,--"

and means for marking the extent of each of said units.

7. A knitting machine havinga-"series of needles, selective butts for saidneedles arranged in predetermined groups, knitting cams to function said needles, a plurality of needle group selecting means and a revoluble pattern member including a plurality of cams for actuating each of said group selecting means to knit separate strlps, and means for imparting movement to said pattern member. I

'8. A knitting machine having means for automatically knitting alternate right and 'leftglove units including knitted hand and digit coverings of contrasting lengths, a pattern' drum, means to rotate said drum and elevations on said drum adapted to effect the formation of a plurality of knitted glove units during each complete rotation of said drum.

9. A knitting machine having a series of needles having butts arranged in groups corresponding to digits of a glove, knitting cams to function said needles, means automatically to retire said needles from active cooperation with said knitting cam, means to restore all of said needles intoactive cooperation with said knitting cams to knit the hand coverings of a glove, means to act upon said butts to restore predetermined groups of said needles into cooperation with said knitting cams to knit the digit coverings of a glove, a pattern member,

means on said pattern member to effect the operations of said needle retiring and needle restoring means ,to effect the knitting of a right glove unit and means on said pattern member for actuating said needle retiring and needle restoring means to effect the knit- .ting of a left glove unit integral with said right glove,. and means automatically to vary the number of courses in said digit coverings.

10. 'A knitting machine having, in combination, a series of needles, knitting cams for functioning said needles, means to effect cooperation between all of said needles and said knitting cams to knit the hand covering of a glove unit, means separately to effect cosaid needles and said knitting cams to knit integral-With said hand covering the digit coverings of said units, a pattern drum, means on said pattern drum to cooperate With said needle selecting means to effect the formation of a right glove unit, means on said pattern drum adapted to cooperate with said needle selecting means to eHect the formation upon said needles of a left glove unit, instrumentalities to effect the knitting of digit coverings of different lengths to correspond with the different 'fingers of the hand and means to impart one complete rotation to said pattern: drum during the formation of said right and left glove units. I

11. A knitting machine having a seriesof needles having a group of selecting butts corresponding with each digit covering of a glove, means for functioning all of said needles to knit the hand covering of a glove, individual cam means respectively to select groups of said needles to knit predetermined digit coverings integral with said hand coverings, and pattern means including two differently arranged series of cams to actuate said group-selecting means to effect the knitting of right and le-ftglove units.

12. In a knitting machine, means to knit a fiat Web of fabric comprising knitted hand and digit coverings said means including a pattern member having two sets of cams respectively arranged toeffect the knitting of alternate right and left glove units and means to cooperate with certain of the cams of said setsto knit seamless digit coverings to correspond in length with the particular finger of the hand to be covered thereby.

13. A knitting machine'having, in combination, a series of needles, knitting cams to function said needles, needle-selecting means for effecting the formation of hand and digit coverings including independently selecting butts for each group of digit needles and individual cams for each of said groups. means to fashion the tips of said digit coverings and pattern means adapted to cooperate with said needle-selecting means to effect the knitting of alternate right and left glove units.

14. In a knitting machine a series of needles, knitting cams to function said needles, individual needle-selecting cams reoperation between predetermined groups of means to select groups of said needles to respectively knit the hand, finger and thumb coverings of a glove unit, and means for controlling the selection of said needle groups including a pattern drum having means thereon to cooperate with said needle selecting means to knit alternate right and left hand coverings. i

16. A knitting machine having a series of needles, selecting butts for said needles arranged in groups for knitting the digit coverings of a glove, a separate cam for se lecting each of said digit groups, means for efl'ecting cooperation between said cams and said digit groups, a pattern drum, and a plurality of sets of patterns. on said drum,

each set adapted to effect the formation of the full number of digit coverings and means functioned by sald cams automatically to knit seamless finger coverings' of different lengths corresponding with the length of their respective fingers.

17. A knitting machine comprising a series of needles, knitting cams for functioning said needles, group-selecting cams respectively to function selected groups of said needles in the formation of the digit coverings of a glove means for controlling the operation of said group-selecting cams including a pattern drum having two series of cams, each of said series being adapted to form all of the fingers coverings of a glove,

the cams ofone of said series being disposed in reverse order to those of the other series. 1

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 'name to this specification.

FRANK JONES.

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