US1692583A - Runner-mender needle - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 20, 1928.

1 1,692,583 J. E. SHEPPERACK RUNNER MENDER NEEDLE Filed Aug. /1928 INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TQSEPH E. SHEPPERACK, OF MONT CLARE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-FOURTH '10 JOHN DI CIO AND ONE-FOURTH TO HARRY G. SIMONS, BOTH OF N ORRISTOWN,

PENNSYLVANIA.

RUNNEB-IENDER NEEDLE.

Application med August a, 1928. Serial no. 297,35.

Runner'mender needles known and used heretofore have consisted of a shank having a hook at the end thereof, and a latch coactin with said hook, said shank being secure to a suitable handle. In these constructions the latch coacting with the hook was not only relativelylarge, but it also was completely unprotected and therefore apt to engage or straddle and often cut or damage two or more threads in advance of the thread next adjacent the loose loop picked by or carried on the hook, which rendered the mending of runs, by the rekmtting of the slipped or loose loop with the 1 appropriate cross threads, rather tedious and exacting, and it often resulted in added positive damage to the stocking being mended. Another disadvantage of prior and present conventional runner mender needles resides in the fact that the shank terminates in a rounded hook which can not be easily introduced into the small loops or between the threads of delicately knit fabrics such as hosiery and the like, and which therefore called for very accurate eyesight, steady hands, and a high degree of proficiency, all of which features are not universally present. My present-invention relates to a new and useful runner mender needle which obviates the foregoing disadvantageous features and is particularly adapted for manual operation in mending runs in stockings and similarly knitted fabrics.

To obviate these disadvantagesl have devised a novel runner'mender needle having a front terminal guide sooconstructed as to facilitate the insertion of the hook into the loops andbetween the threads with which it is desired to knit the loops. I further provide my novel runner mender needle with a front guard portion to prevent the accidental enga ement of the latch cooperating with said ook with threads of the fabric other than the thread with which the loop carried on the hook is to be knitted.

To the above ends,'my invention consists of a novel runner mender needle comprising a handle, a shank secured thereto, said shank being bifurcated to form an upper arm and a lower arm, a pointed guide on the outer end of said upper arm,'an enlarged guard portion adjacent said guide, a hook and latch on the outer end of said lower arm, the latter being shorter than said upper arm, and the length of said needle being less than the length of said guard.

' My invention further consists of various other novel features of construction and advantage, all as hereinafter enumerated and described.

Fig. 1, represents, on an enlarged scale, a side elevation of a runner mender needle embodying my invention.

Fig. 2, represents a perspective view of the same, illustrating the manner of use and operation. 5

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities asherein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, 1 designates a runner mender needle embodying my invention, comprising the handle 2, to which is secured the shank 3 in any suitable manner. The shank 3 is bifurcated to form the upper and lower arms 4 and 5 which arepreferably made of spring metal and which form part of my invention.

The u per arm 4 is convexed'or curved as at 6 and t en concaved,'or oppositely curved as at 7 to converge towards'the convexed or curved portion 8 of the lower arm 5 which is also slightly concaved as at 9. The upper arm 4 is provided with the front, enlarged guard portion 10 which terminates in the pointed front guide 11, while the lower arm 5 isprovided with the terminal hook 12 which has the slot 13 within which ispivoted the latch 14 by pivot pin 15. The latch 14 coacts with the hook12, in the usual manner, itbeing understood that the lower arm 5 is shorter than the upper arm 4 so that the point 11 extends beyond the hook 12. Similarly, the latch- 14 is preferably shorter than the width of the lguard portion 10, so that in its movement a out its pivot 15 the outer end of the latch 14 is always within the outer edge 25'of the guard ortion 10.

18 designates a stocking abric in which a runner has been formed by the slipping or disengagement of the loop 19 from proper engagement with the cross threads 21, 22, 23, and 24. To knit or mend the run, it is necessary to pick the thread 21 and pass it through the loop 19, and then to pass the thread 22 through the loop thus formed to form another loop through which the thread 23 is assed, and so on until all the loose threads have been knit, the last loo ,thus formed being then sewed to the fabric to prevent further slipping or disengagement.

If a conventional runner mender needle is employed, which is not provided with the ide 11 and guard of m invention, the atch 14will straddle and epress not only the thread 21 which is to be picked up by the hook 12, but will also, in its movement about its pivot, engage the adjacent threads 22 and 23. When my novel runner mender needle is employed, the latch14 is prevented from any undesirable, accidental engagement with the cross threads 23 and 22 by the provisionof the guard portion 10, the outer edge 4 of which extends be 0nd the outer end of the latch 14, as will e understood from Fig. 2, wherein the thread 21 is being picked up by the hook and wherein the next adjacent thread 22 is deflected by the surface 25 of the guard 10 into a position out ofreach of the etch 14.

The pointed terminal guide 11 of the upper arm 4 serves to separate closel entang threads and to lead or direct the 00k 12 into with the guide 11 serving to the 19 and between the successive adjacent threads 21 to 24. Thus, when it is desired to pick the loop 19, the book 12 is inserted through the eye or opening of'the loop s ace the adjacent thread 21 away from said hook. Similarly,'the bottom edge 26 of the guide 10 serves to guide the thread21 onto the hook 12 when the guide 11 is inserted between the threads 21 and 22.

. The operation is as follows:

The hook 12, guided by the pointed guide 11, is inserted into the fabric and through the eye of'the loop 19. This moves the latch 14 from the closed position shown at 28 to the open position shown at 29 in Fig. 1, and the loop 1.9 now sli over the latch 14 and rests on the concave portion 9 of the arm 5, as will be understood from Fig. 2. On its upwqd stroke the hook 12 enga s the thread 21 which is next adjacent the cop 19 and as the needle is drawn upwardl the loop 19 slides down over the convexe portion 8 of the arm 5.and closes the latch 14 over the thread 21 in the hook 12. The passing of the thread 21 through the loop 19 forms a new loop which is now transferred to the concaved portion 9 of the arm 5 by a downward stroke of the needle to open the latch in the manner heretofore set forth, whereupon the next adjaoent thread 22 is engaged by the hook 12 and drawn upwardly throu h the loop formed by the thread 21 until t e entire run has been mended.

. From the foregoing description of the 0 eration or use of my novel mender, it will evident that the provision of the terminal pointed guide 11 greatly facilitates the insertion of the hook 12 into the loop 19 or between the threads 21 and 22 which often lie close together, thus greatly expediting the operation and relieving the severe eyestrain heretofore attending the mending operation. The guide edge or surface 25 of the uard portion 10 serves to-place the next ad acent thread 22 out of reach of the latch 14, while the thread 21 is being engagedor picked u by the hook 12. Thus, by singling out with the guide 11 the particular thread to be picked up, it will be impossible for the latch 14 to come in contact with, or for the hook 12 to pick up any thread other than the one thread singled out by the guide 11. The concaved portion 9 of the arm 5 forms a convenient rest for the loop 19 while the next adjacent thread 21 is being picked up b hook 12.

In order to insure constant, per ect alignment of the latch 14 with respect to the hook 12, the latch is secured in the slot 13, as will be understood from F 2. It will thus be seen fhat I have devised a.

novel runner mender needle, by the use of which the heretofore excessive strain on the eyes is eatly relieved, and which can be operate without any great degree of skill or proficiency, the operation of mending a runner being reduced by the use of my novel mender to a series of stabs or upward and downward strokes, it being merely necessary to see that the guide 11 is inserted between the proper two adjacent threads, the ide surfaces 25 and 26 (of the arm 4) ans the concaved portion 9 and the convex portion 8 (of the arm 5) bein suflicient to guide the respective threads an loops into their proper relationships, as will be clearl understood from the description above set orth.

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

1. A runner mender for repairing a run in a knitted fabric, comprising a rear arm terminating in a hook adapted to be inserted through a loose loop in said run and having a pivotal latch coacting therewith, and a front arm having a guard for said latch to prevent the latter from engaging the cross threads in said run, said front arm extending beyond said hook to guide the latter between said cross threads.

2. A runner member for repairing a run in a knitted fabric, com risin an'arm termimating. in a hook adapter? to be inserted through a loose loop on said run and having .a pivotal latch coacting with said hook, and

a second arm of greater length having a guard for said latch to prevent the latter from engaging the cross threads of said run, and a terminal ointed guide positioned in advance of said 00k to guide the latter between said cross threads.

3. In a device of the character stated for mending a run in a knitted fabric, a shank bifurcated to form an upper and a lower arm, a hook formed at the end of said lower arm and adapted to be inserted through a loose 100 in said run, a latch coacting with said h dk, a guide member formedat the end of said upper arm and extending beyond said hook to guide the latter between the cross threads of said run and a guard formed at the base of said guide and registering with said latch to prevent thelatter from engaging said cross threads.

4. In a device of the character stated for repairing a run in a knitted fabric, a shank formed into upper and lower elongated arms, said arms divergingxat their central portion and converging at t eir ends, a hook formed on the outer end of the lower arm adapted to be inserted through a loose loop in said run,

a latch coactin with said hook, an upwardly pointed guide orme'd on the outer end of the upper arm and extending beyond said hook to guide the latter between the cross threads of said run, and a guard formed at the base of said ide and registering with said latch and hocii to prevent said latch. from engaging said cross threads.

5. In a device of the character stated for repairing a run in a knitted fabric, a shank bifurcated to form upper and lower arms, said arms diverging at their central portions and converging at their ends, a hook formed at the end of the lower arm and adapted to be inserted through a loose loop in said run, there being a slot in said lower arm, a latch pivoted in said slot and coact-ing with said 001;, a curved upper guiding edge for said. loop formed in the lower arm at the pivotal point of said latch, acurved pointed terminal guide farmed at the outer end of said upper arm forguiding said hook between the cross threads of said run, and a convex guard portion formed at the base of said terminal guide and rggistering with said hook and latch to prevent the latter from engaging said cross threads.

JOSEPH E. SHEPPERACK.

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