US1837867A - Hosiery knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1931. c, HILSCHER 1,837,867

HOS IERY KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 17 192 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 22, 1931. c. HILSCHER HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1926 Kwdam Patented Dec; 22, 1931 CUBT BILSGHER, OF CHEMNITZ, GERMANY HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINE Application filed September 17, 1926, Serial fashioned stocking blank at various stagesof its formation. According to this publication and as well known in the hosiery knitting industry, it has been customary to knit the welt and tapering leg portion of the stocking blank down to the beginning of the instepportion in the usual way. Certain additional portions known as the heel tabs have then been knitted either on the same or on another machine as continuations of the narrowed ankle portion. Where two machines are used, the last formed loops marking the beginning of the instep portion or the lower end of the front side of the ankle portion are knocked off. Then, when the tabs have been completed, the loops forming the inner edges of said tabs and the knocked-off edge of the ankle portion are rearranged on a separate knitting machine known as a footer, whereupon the foot and instep portions are added to the parts previously formed as described.

Knitting of the entire stocking in a single machine is disclosed in British patent to Georg HilscherNo. 1,494 of 1913, and British patent to William Edward Evans No. 23,170 of 1902. In the former, edge loops of the heel tab courses are engaged successively on transfer points mounted on a moving band which carries said points with an intermittent motion past the heel tab knitting needles. After completion of the knitting and knocking off of the heel tabs or flaps, the band is reversed in one movement to a position in which the edge loops may be transferred to the needles at either side of the center or'instep group of needles. after which knitting of the instep and foot continues. This transfer is effected by a so-called tickler having transfer -Ho, 136, 188, and in Germany Kay 8, 1926.

needles 16 which enter the loops on the transfer points, remove them, and place said loops on the proper knitting needles.

According to the British patent to Evans, above mentioned, when the heel tabs'with one row of .dropped loops adjacent their inner edges are about to be formed, the tickler points 15 operate in the same manner as narrowing points in ordinary knitting and then remain inoperative during the knitting of the tabs.- When the latter are knocked ofl, the enlarged openings provided by the dropped loops are readily reset by hand on the knitting needles. Hilscher (British) performs this resetting operation by the transfer points and tickler above referred to.

In both of said British patents the needle bar has a hinged or rocking central section which is displaced to inoperative position during knitting of the heel tabs and without knocking off the last formed loops of the instep portion of the stocking. This arrangement, however, undoubtedly strains said last formed loops during the up-and-down and to-and-fro motions of the needle bar while the heel tab courses are knit-ted so that, where they are not actually broken, said loops are either weakened or so distorted as to present a very undesirable appearance after knitting of the foot has been completed.

One object of my invention has been to provide improved apparatus whereby foot and instep portions of a stocking blank, such as that shown in German Patent No. 152,390 of October 9, 1901, or as shown in any of the publications above mentioned, may conveniently be formed continuously with the leg portion in the same machine without removing the blank and resetting it on a separate machine, or without resetting any of the loops on the same machine. For this purpose, the knitting instrumentalities are so arranged and related that, when the knitting reaches the course or line of loops at which the central or instep portion was commonly knocked off in the two-machine method, these center loops are not knocked off but remain hanging on their needles, and the latter continues their up-and-down reciprocating motion but without breaking, weakening or distorting said I tab extension. In this respect my invention last formed loops during knitting of the heel presents advantages, particularly on fine or sheer hosiery, over theconstructionsshown in the British patents to Evans and Georg Hilscher. Upon completion of the heel tabs, actuation of the necessary instrumentalities is resumed to continue the formation of the instep and foot portions.

An embodiment of my invention includes the parts illustrated in the drawings accompanying the present specification and in which: 7

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showlng my arrangement of'needles, sinkers, knockover bits and cover points adjacent line 11, Figure 5', at the beginning of the formation of a new course of the heel tabs;

- Figure 2, a similar view showing the needles moving downwardly and the sinkers moving rearwardly and with'the cover points interposed as pressers between each heel tab. needle and its last formed loop;

Figure 3, a similar view showing the sinkers still moving rearwardly, the needles at their low position and the cover points moving upwardly out of pressing relation;

Figure 4, a similar view showing the last formed heel tab loops engaged under the needle beards and the parts ready for the needles to again move upwardly to receive the next new loops;

Figure 5, a front elevation of the knockover bit assembly showing a central portion thereof in displaced or retracted position, as during knitting of the heel tabs of a stocking;

Figure 6, a view partly in section on the line a:m of Figure 5 showing portions of the knock-over bit assembly in the retracted position as during knitting of the heel tabs; and

Figure 7, a view on the line w-w of Figure 5 showing the knock-over bit assembly parts in the relative positions occupied when the center portion is in .normal knitting position, as during knitting of the leg portion of the stocking.

In making full fashioned stocking blanks of the kind having heel tabs, for example, mfy machine forms the upper or leg portion 0 the stocking with, its instrumentalities operating in the usual manner. However, when the knitting reaches the line of loops which marks the beginning of the instep portion of the stocking and approximately the beginning of the upper line of the heel portion, then my apparatus discontinues or postpones the formation of the instep portion and, without knocking off or distorting the last formed loops thereof, continues on with the formation of the heel tabs.

Referring now to the drawings and having in mind known forms .of fiat knitting machines, apparatus embodying my invention includes the usual bearded needles 6 cooperating with sinkers 7 between presser edges 12.

As indicated in Figure 5, the knock-over bit assembly includes a central section of knockover bits 1 and two lateral sections of knockover bits 1, all mounted on the shaft 8. However, the central section for the-bits 1 has a sleeve 9 eccentrically mounted on the shaft 8 and interposed between said carrier and said shaft. A lever 10 secured to said sleeve is movable to vary the angular position of the sleeve on shaft 8 and also in relation to the bearings of the carrierfor bits 1. Thus, when lever 10 is deflected by endwise movement of rod 11 to the position as indicated in Figure 6, the bits represented by 1 are in depressed orlowered position; whereas, when rod 11 is moved in the opposite direction or to the position shown in Figure 7, the bits 1' are raised or repositioned in ali ment with the bits 1. This adjustment o the knockover bits 1 will be utilized for a special purpose in connection with heel tab knitting hereinafter to be described.

With knock-over bits 1' de ressed to'the position shown in Figure 5 an as described, the yarn carriers (not shown) are readjusted by well known means to feed am only to those needles upon which the eel tabs are to be formed. As shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, all the needles remain continuously out of engagement with the presser edges 12 while. the heel tabs are knitted so that the usual pressers 'are not utilized durin this operation to press the heel tab nee es 6. However, to knit the heel tabs, the needles on which these tabs are formed must be pressed at the proper time.

For this purpose, I utilize, as an auxiliary pressing device, the cover points 2 secured in the cover point carrier 3 opposite the heel tab needles and mounted to move into and out of pressing engagement with the heel tab needles during knitting of the heel tabs substantially as hereinafter set forth.

The tab knitting and auxiliary resser operation will be best understood by ollowing through the progressive steps of la ing and looping a'course of yarn in one o the heel tabs, as indicated in Figures 1 to 4 in-.

elusive.

Figure 1 shows that the yarn for the new .course has been laid and pushed by the sinkers into a series of corrugations or loops 4 against the needles 6 delegated to knit the heel tabs. No yarn is laid opposite or against the centrally disposed needles upon which last formed loops of the instep portion are now suspended. As the sinkers 7 are retracted by means well known, the cover points descend into .pressing engagement with the heel tab needles 6 and slide between the last formed loops 5 of the fabric and the needle beards as the needles move down; but these last formed heel tab loops 5 are not carried away from the heel tab needles by the cover points, as in the narrowing or widening operations of the device in Weissbach British Patent No. 227,594 of January 1922, for example, and deposited again. On thecontrary, said loops 5 continue to engage their respective. needles until knocked over, being stripped from the cover points when the latter move upwardly past the under edges of the sinkers 7 which, as shown in Figure 3, have not yet retreated rearwardly beyond the paths of the needles and the cover points. When the parts have reached the relative positions indicated in Figure 4, the cover points are up and away from the needles and the sinkers and the latter are withdrawn to their rearmost position. Meanwhile, as the forward ends of the sinkers retreated rearwardly past the path of the needles, and as the latter continued to descend, the loops 5 were knocked over and the new-laid loops 4 slid ofl? and passed through or into said loops 5, or into the relative positions indicated in said Figure 4, thus completing a heel tab course.

While the foregoing cycle of operation takes place in respect to the heel tab needles, a quite diiferent result occurs in connection With the instep needles or those centrally positioned. They still retain the last formed loops of the end of the leg portion; but when the yarns are laid for knitting the heel tabs, no yarn is laid against the instep needles, as above stated. However, these needles as well as the heel tab needles reciprocate up and down with the needle bar 13 and complete their up-and-down cycle without engagement with the presser ends during heel tab knitting, as shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive. There being no cover points opposite the instep needles, the beards thereof are not depressed during heel tab knitting, either by the presser edges or by the' cover point-s acting as pressers; and they, therefore, do not knock ofi' the last formed loops of the instep. With the use of my improved apparatus, these inste loops are not deformed or unduly pulled or distorted by the repeated upand-down pulling of their needles, during knitting of the heel tabs, because the central portion of the knock-over bits 1, is depressed so that the instep loops opposite or resting on bits 1" do not pull against the latter, as would be the case in normal operation, or as is the case with the heel tab loops operating normally in relation to the heel tab needles is discontinued and the centrally positioned or instep knock-over bits 1 are again restored to their normal position in line with the knock-over bits 1 by rotating sleeve 9 as previously indicated; Thus, by repositioningthe variousparts and again'feedin yarn to the instep needles, previously desci'i d as working up and down intheir loops, knitting of the instep and forward foot portions of the stocking may take place.

I claim:

1. In a hosiery lmitting machine'for forming the leg portion of a stocking and then knitting heel tabs engaging with some of the last formed'loops of said leg portion while the last formed loops of the instep portion are held on their needles, the combination of a needle bar provided with a plurality of heel tab needles and a plurality of instep needles, a plurality of sinkers, a plurality of cover points movable between said sinkers, into pressing engagement with the heel tab needles and movable between said sinkers out of pressing engagement with said heel tab needles, knock-over bits arranged adjacent all the needles, and means for moving those bits which are adjacent to said instep needles into inoperative position in relation to said instep needles. I i

2. In a hosiery knitting machine, the combination of a needle bar provided with a set of needles for heel tab knitting and a set of needles for instep knitting, said sets being mounted for endwise reciprocating movement, a plurality of sinkers reciproeatable transversely between said needles, cover points mounted to move between the sinkers in one. direction into pressing engagement with' said heel tab needles and to move between the sinkers in the opposite direction out of pressing engagement with said heel tab needles, a plurality of knock-over bits operatively related to said sets of needles, and means for retaining the knock-over bits of the set of instep needles in inoperative position while the remainder of said bits cooperate with said set of heel tab needles to knock over the heel tab loops.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CURT HILSOHER.

needles and the bits 1. And the instep loops are not stretched by any to-and-fro motion of the needles because the needle bar, during heel tab knitting does not swing or rock to bring the needle beards against the presser edges, but, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, only move up and down and out of contact with the presser edges or ends 12. I

After the desired length of heel tab has been completed, operation of the yarn guides positioned for feeding yarn to the heel tab

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