US1627290A - Reverse plating mechanism and process - Google Patents

Description

3 1927. 1,627,290 May H. LAWSON REVERSE PLATING MECHANISM AND PROCESS Filed Nov. 22. 1926 -6 Sheets-Sheet l Imvemio? 1307267 2 IiLQZl/MSO771,

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' E 1,627,290 y 1927' R, H. LAWSON REVERSE PLATING MECHANISM AND PROCESS Filed Nov. 22. 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 a 1/ 62 Fig 3 Fg 8 55 fiE vzmsc mar/M 87 May 3 7' R. H. LAWSON ]'627'290 REVERSE PLA'IING MECHANISM AND PROCESS Filed Nov. 22. 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet I /I I 11/! 22 MMM 4 and processior efi'ecting reverse plating,

Patented May 1927.

UNITED STATES ROBERT E. LAWSON, CF PAWTUGKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR '10 HEMPHILL'COM- 7 PANY, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAI VD, A CORI'ORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

' REVERSE PLATING IMZEGH Alil 'ISlfll AND R JOCESS.

Application filed Novemher 22; 1926. Serial No. 149,952.

This application is a continuation as to all commonsubject-matter of my co-pend ng application Serial' No. 111,77 filed May 26,

This invention relates to improved means particularly in rgachineshaving independently operated needles.

\ In order that the principle of the invention may be, readily understood, certain embodiments thereof are disclosed in t-heac companying drawings, wherein Y Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a circular knitting machine having the invention applied thereto I e Fig. 2 is a detail showing in rear elevation a portion of th'e mechanism of the invenneedles;

- nism in a machine of the character chosen for illustration;

Fig. 6' is a vertical central section of thestructure shown in Fig.

Fig. 7 is a plan view or the latch; ring and of the cams to move the web holders and special instru'mentalities; f

Fig.. 8 is an inside view of a part-of the head of the knitting machine showing. the web holders, special instrumentalities and Fig. 9 represents in side elevation eleven different positions of a special web: holder and the adjacent needle in the formation of a reversely plated: loop;

Fig. 9 represents in side elevation a neele and the two plating yarns in successive positions the formation of reverse platg; I h Fig. 9 is a perspective. view of two of the special web holders showing contrasting length butts;

Fig. 10 isa view similar to Fig.- 9, \but representing in successive positions a regular web holder and'adjacent; needle in the formation of normal plating;-. v v

Fig. 10- is a view similar to Fig. 9 but representing the positions for normal plat: ing; and Fig. 11 is a plan upon an enlarged scale of certain of the web holders and; special in:

strumental-ities and the special cams crating the same.

' In Patent No. 1,605,895, dated November for op- 2, 1926, .means aie disclosed for effecting holders, and there is provided means for shifting or altering during the knitting op eration the point or points at which the reverse plating is effected. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention the plating is effected in lines, bands or blocksextending lengthwise the hosiery or other article. In said disclosed embodiment of the invention the reverse plating is accomplished through the action of specially shaped Web holders,

or like instrumentalities, each of which is placed alone in a radial groove 0t the web holder sinker ring; and at the points or areas where normal plating is to occur, regular'web holders or like instrumentalitiesare provided.-

This invenflion is radically contrasted with machines for making those fabrics wherein a lengthwise extending stripe is produced by floating one of the two plating yarns at predetermined'times. In accordance with this invention the plating of the fabric throughout the whole or a predetermined extent thereof is effected in any usual manner, and

at predetermined -lengthwise extending areas, a 'reversal of the-platingoperation is efl'ectedi- That is, upon c ertainpredetermined parts of the plated work,'one of the threads is caused to appearupon the outer face of the fabric, and in other parts the.

other thread is caused to appear upon the said outer face thereof, thus securing lengthwise striping. Such striping may be characterized by continuous or long stripes, or by short or interrupted stripes, or various combinations of continuous and interrupted stripes may be resorted to, as more fully described and as illustrateclin said Patent No. 1,605 895. s

Independent tween which are positioned casting off in-v strumentalities herein shown as web holders,

and;when no vertical striping is to beefjfected, all said web holders or instrumentalities act in what maybe termed a normal needles are employed, his-- manner, so that what may be termed normal plating results. Certain of said web holders or instrumentalities are, however,.of peculiar formation, and when reverseplatmg is to be. produced,-such webholders or instrumentalities of special formation areIprojected inward at an earlier point circumferentially considered,.so'as to engage the yarn which was the back yarn during normal plating, and so to position the same that it becomes the face or front'yarn. By the employment of suitable means, preferably automatic, the normal plating may. be interrupted at any point, and reverse plating may be effected at any desired wale or wales and continued for as few or for as many courses as desired, then to be replaced by normal plating.

Such normal and reverse platmgare effected without any change in the relatlve tension of the two yarns and no measuring of the yarn is effected in the formation of the loops, as is characteristicof fullfashioned machines.

The'machine, herein shown as one upon which the invention may be practiced, need .not' be specially described inasmuch as it is shown asthe well known Banner or Hemphill machine. Briefly, it is to be noted .that the machine is of the independent needle type and that theneedles are desirably latch needles. Therefore, there is provided" upon a suitable framework 1,as upon a standard 2 rising from the bed plate 3 thereof, a latch ring 4 equipped with suitable binder mecha-' nism general y indicated at 5, and operative-. ly connected to link and lever mechanism 6 controlled from the patterndrum 7 u on the pattern drum shaft 8, The entire mec anism is driven from the main shaft 9 having thereon the usual pulleys 10 and also the usual gearing for imparting rotary and re-' ciprocatingr movements in a well known manner. he mechanism is also provided. with the usual narrowing pickers and the usual widening pickers, one each of which is indicated at 11, 12, respectively. These pickers are desirably those of the said Banner machine and require-no further description. The needle cylinder is indicated at 13 and within the grooves thereof are re.- ceived the independently operated latch needles .14. At the vuppervend of the needle cylinder is provided the web holder receiviangrand operating mechanism which is gen.- erally similar to that of the Banner machine, but altered in accordance with the invention. The web holder bed ring is here; in shown at 15. Positioned thereabove is the sinker cam ring 16, shown most clearly in Figs. 5 and 6. The web holder bed ring is rovided with the usual radial grooves wit in which are located atthe points where normal plating is always to occur, web holders or like instrumentalities 17 of usual there are provided substantially as usual the brackets '18, 19 which cooperate with the stationary upstanding bracket 2 in suitable positioning the sinker or web holder cam ring for reciprocating knitting.

There is provided certain operating mechanism for so positioning the special web holders as tomove the same radially inward at an earlier point, as hereinbefore referred to, and herein for the purpose two levers are provided which act upon said specially shaped web holders which for the purpose of lever actuation are made of two contrasting shapes at their outer ends or butts so .as to permit each lever to act only upon the special web holders pertaining thereto, and arranged singly or in groups as desired throughout the circle ofneedles; and desirably these two or other desired number of levers are mounted and positioned in a manner similar to that shown in said Patent No. 1,605,895, although this inventionis not limited. tosuch arrangement.

The regular web holders, as already stated, are indicated at 17, and they are provided with the usual butts 17 or tails'so as to be acted upon by the stationary web holder cams most clearly indicated in Fig. 5 at 20, 1

2 1, 22, 23. They may be varied inform in accordance with operating conditions, and A the invention is in no wise limited to the particular form thereof shown. Each such web holder (within which definition is included the so-called sinkerh is mounted for a groove of the web holder bed ring 15d,

orm of special web holder or instrumentality herein shown and claimed, namely, that form shown in Fig.

9, it is to be noted. that said specially formed web holder or'special instrumentality indicated at 24, and is provided with a tail or butt 25 upstanding therefrom. Although there is shown in said figure but one height or length of tail or butt 25, it is to be understood that when employing two operating levers, contrastingly formed tails or butts are provided, which desirably distinguish from each other in hei ht. w

Said special form 0 web holder or inltrumentality 24 which is particularly no i in and out or'radial sliding movement in :1

adapted to a coarser yarn or a yarn of intermediate size, but which use. is obviously not limited to employment with such yarns, is provided with a vertical edge 26 extending to substantially the height shown in Fig. 9 and elsewhere, at which point an upwardly and rearwardly inclined edge 27 is provided, terminating in a point 28 beyond which is a curved edge 29 merging into the downwardly extending-vertical edge 30. Below the vertical edge- 26 is a relatively shallow but relatively Wide notch orrecess30. g The action of this special form of web holder in reverse plating will be fully de-' scribed at a subsequent point.

Radially outside of the cam point 22' of the sinker ca'm ringand at such a point as to engage theouter end portion or butt 25 or the'like of the special webholders, are provided two levers 31, 32 pivoted at 33 upon a suitable bracket or part of the ma chine, herein the web holder cam ring. The

shortends 31, 32 of said levers are'actively engaged by springs 31", 32" tending normally to force the opposite or functioning end of said levers outwardly. The inner or opposite end of said levers 31, 32 are here shown as having cam formations or faces which are normally moved out of function ing relation or position into outer or non functioning position (that is, for normal plating) by means of said springs 31' 32", it being understood that the function of said cam formations is to move the special web holders inward so as to cause them to push the back thread of normal plating into position to be the face thread of reverse plating. There are providedmeans preferably acting automatically to move the longer ends of said levers 31, 32 inwardly, andLfor that purpose there is shown the following mechanism, to which this invention is in no wise restricted and which "may be and desirably is substantially the same as. that shown in said patent. 1

As most clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, a bracket .or standard 34 is provided in which are mounted for sliding movement two bars 35, 36 of which the overlyin or upper bar strikes a, suitable pin 37 (see iig 5) upon the overlying cam lever 32 and the lower bar 36 strikes a pin: 38.npon the underlying cam lever 31. Thus at times determined by the respective controlling means for the said bars, one or the other of the said cams 31,32 is moved radially, inward sufliciently, for it to'cause the special web holders controlled by it to-engage the back yarn and effect reverse plating in a manner already referred to. v

Each bar 35, 36 is connectedby a pin, one of which is indicated at 39 in'Fig. 5 to the properlever 40,41, pivoted at 42 upon the framing of the machine so as to be swung in a horizontal lane at the proper time Said levers, whicll are also indicated generally in Fig. 1,i are notched or suitably formed at their outer ends to be engaged by the ends 43, 44 of hell crank levers pivoted at 45 upon the bracket 34, and are respectivel connected at 46, 47 to downwardly extend I ing links 48, 49 .which, as shown in Fig. 1

entendwdownward to controlling pattern' f"d1 sks' or members 50, 51 upon the pattern shaft '8. Said disks or members 50, 51 are of proper shape "to impart the in and out movement to said cam levers 43,- 44, at the predetermined time so as in the operation of the mechanism to causei'everse plating to occur whenevcr either ofsald levers 43, 44,

or both of them, is or are moved inwardly.

If the article being-knitted is ahose or stocking the said disk members 50, 51 are desirably so shaped as to cause reverse plating to cease during heeland toe work, and at that time a special heel and toe yarn is or may be introduced. In Figs. 7 and '8 tion the feeding of two yarns in plating re lation, namely, the black yarn 52, which in normal plating is the back yarn, and the white yarn 5 3, which in. normal plating is .the'face yarn; These two yarns are supplied through corresponding yarn guides 52, 53', mounted in the usual manner with ille group of yarn guides of the Banner machine so as to enter the throat thereof in a well understoodniahner. Inproper relation to thesaid yarn guides or needles are positioned-the knitting cams, not herein shown, but which are desirably of the usual type in the Banner machine.

Desirably the regular web holders are'provided with short upwardly extending butts, and the special web holders interspersed theream'ongor arranged as desired to pr o is represented in eleva vide the predetermined pattern, are provided with longer butts, and said longer butts are contrastinglys'haped among themselves so as to cooperaterespectively with the cam portions of the levers 31, 32.

" Referringnow 'to that form of special web holder shown in Figs. 9 and 11, it is to 'be understood that the butt 25 thereof is to be operated upon by the regular fixed cams 20,21, 22, 23 of-the web holder cam ring so; long as said special web holders act in forming normal plating, but whenthey are. to be pushed in at an earlier pointcircumferem tially considered, as indicated in Fig. '5, they are then-acted upon by the camper-tion of whichever lever 31, 32 is apportioned thereto. In other words, if the butts or heels 25 of these special web holders are medium an long respectively, then the medium length butts are acted upon bythe lower cam lever 31 and the longerbutts are operated on by the upper lever 32. Within the .scope of my invention but a single lever 31 or 32.01

single instruinentality for the pur use may act upon all the s being determined in accordance with the simplicity or compleizity of the pattern.

If a stocking without the vertical strlping is desired, that is; if solid, or what may herein be termed normal plating, is to be an earlier period by means of the proper cam lever 31, 32, so as to causeeach of said special web holders that is-to functionjn the creation of reverseplating to engage the black yarn 52, which in normal plating is the back yarn, so as to move the same 1nwardly .in advance of the white yarn 53 which had appeared at the front in normal plating. The result is to roduce stripes of a width determined'by the number of consecutive special web holders, and of a length dependent upon the length'of time the cam.

lever 3l" or 32 is in its inner radial position, and which in turnis dependent upon the pattern control a 1 I Reference is made "at certain points in't'he preceding portion of the specification to the effect-that the special web holders or instrumentalities engagethe yarn which was the back yarn during normal 'plati and so position the same that it becomes ,t egfaceor front yarn, but such reference isnot intended to be inconsistent with statements else wherema'de that. said special instrumentalis ties at certain times engage both the: yarns, the first mentioned statementbeing particularly concernedwith the said back-yarn-and not being intended as a statement directed wholly. or exclusively to said back yarn.

Viewing Figs. 8 and I1, it is to be understood that the yarn shown at .52, being more to the left in each of said figures, is fed without tension and that the yarn 53 is tenjsioned as by tensiondisks, such as shown in :1 said -patent.- ,It will also be observed that the arn-53 whi' ch in normal'plating appears it: t 'e .frontfor. outer face of the fabric is I introduced slightly in advance circumferem' tiallyofthe-yarn fifi; Thetension upon the "yarn 53 is maintained atal'l-times when nor mal or reverse platingis being eflected. i It will be und rstoodthat in plating, the {arnto'the'fron of the needles is the one which appears on the back (inside) of the finished stocking or other article. 'In;.jnor- "tension, and the other yarn which in; the

tension appears on the outside hr :faceof Su'glr'web holder or instrumentality has the mal plating, this, is the yarn whichin the preferred practice'ofthe invention is without preferred practice of-thi's invention is-under the finish stocking. or other article. I

cial web hol ers. thisj In normal plating, tliefront yarn, which is nnder. tension, strikes the' needles more quickly, and lower down" on the stems thereof, than does the back yarn, but the back yarn first engages the needles higher up and in-thedisclosedembodiment of the invention v 'itmay be in the'hooks thereof. The said front yarn, as, for example, the yarn 53, will get up into the hook of each needle last, and will in normal plating tend to actas a wedge to force the back yarn toward the front of the hook of the nee dle.

' In reverse the tension 0 the tensi'hned yarn, herein the front yarn, and the other yarn is still permitted to be. fed without tension, but the action of the special we'bholders or instrumentalities is, with t-he other cooperating parts, such as to effect a reversal in the position of the two arns.' In normal plating as; each needle ta es the threads and draws I them down overthe shoulders of the web holders, ,both ',th're'ads crowd-against the shanks of one or' more ofthe needles immediately behind the rearmost needle which is just pulling the thread over a web holder shoulder. This crowding action is dueto the fact that the-needles are carried by the.

fplating, there is no change in rotating needle cylinder, or mother words are revolving-about-the axis of the needle cylinder, as will-be understood from an inspection of Figs." 5, 6, etc., the needles taking the th'readsyas' theydo ordinarily in a machine of thei-type shown. During normal plating the'twothreads, fed; in the customary manner. in aplating relation are drawn or crowdedtoward thegouter side of the i{ needle,-cyl inder, and the threads are mainfitaine'd, in this relationship while the needles :continue-to move downwardlyand draw ad 1 lditiojnal thread-to form both needle and L sinker loops of the length requiredin knit- -ting.. The maintenance of the threads in this-definite and predetermined relationship to each other during the loop forming operation is incidental to the feeding of the yarns in a plating relationand the. drawin of the said'yarn by the needle's'as so fed. 0 long as the knitting'operationproceeds in this manner-fa plated fabric will be. produced and a substantia'll b ack inner surface, the fabric at the knitting point being inside out.

lf duringthe initialsta es of the stitch forming operation, a specia instrumentality or device is pressed against the sides of the thread opposite to the shank ofthe needle hook, the threads "can be reversed. Fora this .PurP' Se thereisref lab y eniployed a special instrumentaity in thegeneral nature of a web holder and functioning as such in the normalplating operation, and

having-asubstantiall white outer surface for this purposethe special web holders or instrumentali'ties are represented usual web supporting shoulder 54 like a regular web holder, and it has the work engaging face or edge 26 already referred to, which is here shown as vertical or extending parallel to the axis of the needle. In the said parent application Serial No. 111,770, Fig 13 shows four difi'erent posi tions of a specialinstrumentality and the adjacent needles, but without at-temptin to show all the positions for either normal p ating or reverse plating during the downward or loop drawing movement of the needle. In said Fig. 13, the first two posit-ions indicate reverse plating and the third and fourth positions indicate normal plating and are intended simply to show that form of special instrumentality and to indicate the use thereof. 4

, In a standard gauge Banner machine of the needle and three and ahalf inch diameter, employing two hundred and forty needles in the needle circle, there are .eleven needles counting from the needle in the lowermost position in Fig. 8 upward to the needle just preced-- ing that which is in position to begin its downward movement. This actual structure is shown in Fig. 8 of this application.

In Fig. 9 are represented twelve positions of a needle and its special instrumentality,

being the positions of the twelve needles just referred to and also the needle which has just commenced its subsequent upward movement. r In other words, in Fig. 9 are represented eleven positions which are assumed by eachneedle .that has associated therewith a special instrumentality, andalso said instrumentality, it being understood that intermediate those positions are other variant therefrom.

' Referring to said Fig. 9, and also to Figs. 8 and 11, the relation of the two threads,-

the special instrumentality.

, will be clear. In position No. '1 the needle ment. In the second position,

the needle,

14 is at the upper level shown in Fig. 8 and the two threads 52, 53 are in proximity to the special web holder 24 not having yet commenced its inward movesaid special web holder has not'yet commenced its inward movement, but the needle hasjust be-. gun its descent. In the third position, the special webholder or instrumentality has not. yet; commenced its inward movement,

but the needlehas moved slightly further downward. In the fourth position, the spe-' cial instrumentalityhas been moved slightly.

thereto, the needle has urther downward, and the closer relation to the or 32 pertainin moved slightly two threads are in Y needle'st-ein. In the fifth position, the special web holder has been moved inward slightly further, so that the lower or tensioned thread 53 has now been engaged by' theedge or face 26 thereof,'and the upper or 'non-tensioned thread :52 has not as et been engaged by said edge 26. a In the sixth o- .sltion, the special mstrumentality 24 as been moved further inward, and, having its edge 26 in engagementwith both threads 52, 53, is pushing both of them inward, the needle being now moved slightly further downward. In the seventh position, the special instrumentality 2 f has been moved slightly further inward. Both threads 52,

53 are still-in engagement with the edge 26,

and are therefore being pushed inwardly, and the needle is being moved still further downward. In the eighth position, the special instrumentality 24 is in the sanie -pos1- tion as in the seventh position, and the tensioned thread 53 has now slipped off the lower edge of the face 26 into the recess 30', the non-tension'ed thread 52 being still engaged by the edge or face 26, and it is thus brought into a position insuring its appearance at the outer face of the fabric.

In other words, the position of said thread .52 is thus reversed from the position it oclating. In the eighth o-' cu ies in normal P as moved slightly furt er.

sition, the needle downward. In the ninth position, cial instrumentality24 is still in' the same position, further downward, and both the . yarnsor threads 52, 53 are now within the recess 30',

the spebut the needle has moved slightly '0 but in the relation to each other necessary 24 has'been moved slightly further in, but now by the regular cam, and the needle is moved slightly further downward. In the 53 during the initial steps in the formation of the reversely plated loops.

' It will be evident thatthe face. or edge,

26 of each special instrumentality 24 is for reverse plating. In the tenthand elev- "enth positions, the special instrumentality "ion twelfth position. the needle has commenced the threads or yarns at an abnormoved into enga er'nent with both the threads or yarns w ile the needles draw the threads downwardly toward the shoulders of the said special web holders, that is,

toward the shoulder 54.

' While I have in the specification generally used the term special instrumentality or special ,web holder, it is to be understood that within this definition, aspecialsinker,

so-called, is comprehended. It will. also be understood that the so-called regular, web

holdersfmayalso be and in practicelfre- I quently are termed sinkers" andtha the portions thereof overhanging the shoulders maybe termed beaks In the knitting operation, as .the web holders, whether regular or special instrumentality, approach the point in their orbits or points ofrotation gatwhich the,

the movable or auxiliary cams or cam levers 31, 32, engage the'bfitts 25 of the special ing operation than do the regular web There is, as-

each special instrumentality 24.- 4

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment .of the invention, it is to be knitting needles,-maintaining a threads, pressing against the threads later-. ally at one side thereof 'during'the initial instrumental1ties24 and. force said special instrumentalities into enga ementwith the work at an earlier point in the stitch formholders, as already stated. already stated, a differential tension established with respect to the twothreads'52, 53,

but in the practice of this invention, prefer-.

ably there is tension appliedfto the lower thread 53, and the upper thread is fed substantially without tension. The feedin of the threads in the position indicated and the maintenance of the relative tension, which is maintained during both normal and reverse plating, preserves the describedv relationship of the two threads 52, 53, in normal plating while the needles continue to move downward and draw the thread in the loop formin operation. v t

In e ecting reverse plating, the special instrumentalities 24 are moved in, as stated,

at a relativ ely' earlier period than are the regular the initi stages of the stitch forming operation, with the result that during the initialstages of the stitch forming-operation, both threads are engaged and are moved or pushed by the vertical face 26 or edge of understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and' --descriptive sense, and not for purposespf limitation, the sco e of the invention being set forth in the following claims:

1. That improvement in, the process of knitting plated fabrics"which consists in feeding two theradssimultaneously to the greater tension on "one thread than the other during the feeding thereof, causing said'needles to.

engage the threads to form loops in said steps in the formation of normal loops, and reversing the relative positions] of' said threads in certain of theloops by pressing engaging and pushin between adjacent neec les during the Initial vgebrholders, and this occurs during a against the opposite sides of the threads during the initial steps in the formation of the latter loops.

.2. That improvement' in the process of forming stripes in knitting plated fabrics taneously to a series ofneedles, causing said needles to draw said threads over a series of sinkers, and thereby form loops in the threads, maintaining a greater tension on one ofsaid threads than the other during the feeding thereof and. thereby maintaining the tensioned thread normally at one face 'of the" knitted fabric, and reversing the threads at certain of the sinkersib ,causrng which consists in feeding two threads simulthe latter sinkers .to engage the-t reads at an abnormally early point in the loop forming operation.

3. In a knitting machine, the combination with a series of needles and the u'sual sinkers cooperating with said needles, of means for feeding a pluralit taneously to said need es, means for mainof threads simul-- taining a differential tension on said threads,

devices interspersed with said sinkers for against the threads steps of the stitch formin operation, and

means for moving said devices into enga ement with the threads while the need es draw the threads downwardly toward ,the

sinker shoulders,

4. In a knittingmachine, the combination bf a series of needles, sinkers cooperating with said needles, devices for feeding two threads simultaneously to said needles,

means. for maintaining a considerablev tension on one of said threads' while allowing the other'thread to feed more freely, sinkers intersperse'd'with the first mentioned sinkersand having faces to engage and push special against said threads, and sinker operating mechanism-including means for moving the special sinkers a ainst thethreads'held by. the needles in a Vanceof the other sinkers and while; the needles are carr ing saidthreads down tothe shoulders of sinkers."

' 5 In aknittin machine, the combination of a series of nee les, device s for feeding two threads; simultaneously to .said needles,

means for maintaining a greater tension on e special 7 one of said threads than the other, sinkers" cooperating with all of said needles and. j 12" including both' sinkers of theusual type and also special sinkers located at ints where vertical stripes are to .be made in thefabri'c, ecial sinkers having web supporting said s shoul ers' and also having,.-parts'above said shoulders for engaging the portions of the threads between the .needles'as the needles draw the threads down towardysaid shoulders, cams for operating all .of said sinkers in the same time relationshipto the movements of the needles,-and. 'anauxiliary cam for operating the special sinkers when desired to cause them to engage the threads while the threads are being moved downwardly toward the sinker shoulders.

6. In a knitting machine, the combination of a series of needles, devices for feeding two threads simultaneously to said needles, means for maintaining a greater tension on one of said threads than the other, two sets of sinkers cooperating with said needles and both having the usual shoulders over which the needles'draw the loops of thread,,one

tween the needles as the needles draw the.

threads downwardly toward the sinker shoulders, and means for throwing said auxiliary cam into or out of operation, as desired. e

7. In a circular knitting machine, the combination of a circular series of needles, 'means for feeding two threads simultaneously to the needles, means for maintaining a greater tension on one thread than the other during the feeding thereof, means to cause said needles to engage the threads to form loops in said threads, the construction and arrangement of the parts causing both threads to press at one side thereof against the shanks of one or more of the needles during the initial steps in the formation of normal loops, and means acting to reverse the relative positions of the said threads in certain of the loops by pressing against the opositesides of the threads during the initial steps in the formationof the reversely plated loops.

8. In a circular knitting machine. the com-- binationiof a circular series of needles, means for feeding two threads simultaneously to the needles, means for maintaining a greater tension on one thread than the other during the feeding thereof, means to cause said needles to engage the threads to form loops in said threads, the construction and armangement oftheparts causing boththreads to press at one side thereof against the shanks of one or more ofthe needles durformation of normal loops, andspecial instrumentalities interspersed between needles'and movable transversely with respect thereto to reverse the relative positions of said threads in certain of the loops by pressing against the opposite sides of the threads during the ini tial steps in the formation of the reversely [plated loops.

9. In a knitting machine, an

a series of needles fiiterspersed sinkers or web. holders, mean. for feeding two threads simultane ously to said series of needles, means, for causing said needles to draw said threads over a series of said sinkersor web holders and thereby to form loops in the threads,

means for maintainin a greater tension on one of said threads than the other during the feeding thereof, and thereby maintaining the tensioned thread normally at one face'of the knitted fabric, and means for reversing the threads at certain of the sinkers or web holders by causing said certain sinkers or web holders to engage the threads at an abnormally early point forming operation.

10. In a knitting machine, a series of needles, sinkers or web holders interspersed thereamong and movable transversely of the series of needles, special instrumentalities interspersed among certain of said needles and also movable transversely with respect to the needle series, cam means to move said sinkers or web holders transversely of the needle series, means to feed two threads simultaneously to said needles while maintaining a greater tension on one of said threads than the other, and cam means to move said special instrumentalities transversely of the needle series at an earlier point with respect to said needle series than is done by the cam means for the said sinkers or web holders, thereby effecting reversal of the threads at said special instrumentalities by causing the latter to engage the threads at an abnormally early point in the loop forming operation.

11. In a knitting machine, a series of needles, si-nkersor web holders interspersed thereamong -and movable transversely of the series of needles, special instrumentalities interspersed among certain of said needles and also movable transversely with, respect to the needle series, cam means to move said sinkers or web holderstransversely of the needle series, means to feed two threads simultaneously to said needles while maintaining a greater tension. on one of said threads than the other, said special instrumentalities having among themselves contrasting formations, and cam means acting selectively to engage'and move said special instrumentalities transversely of the needle series to engage the threads at anabnormally early eration to effect reversal of the threads.

12. In a knitting machine, a series .of

needlcs,sinkers or web holders interspersed thereamong and movable transversely of the series of needles, special instrumentalities interspersed among certain of said needles and also movable transversely "with respect in the loop point in the loop forming opf to theneedle' series, cam means to'move said sinkers orflweb holders transversely of the needle series,v means to feed two'threads si- 'mliltaneouily to said needles while maintaininga greatertensi'onon one of said threads than the other; said special instrumentali-i -ties having among :themselves' different lengthbutts'fand a plurality of cams positioned' to engage saidbiitts according'to their lengthsahd selectively to move said'XO special instrumentalit-ies transversely'of the needle series, so as to engage the threads at an'abnormally early point in the loop ferming 0 eratioli and effect reversal of said \threa s at said special instrumentalities.

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

ROBERT H. LAWSON.

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