US1874769A - Striping attachment for knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

W- 1932- w. J. LONGTIN 1,874,769

STRIPING ATTACHIENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES Fild Oct. 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 1 f0 I I g o e 9 o I :i i g i /A l l \1 E l i 21 I I '1 i A 5 f? 3 E 1 1 'M Hi 15 .1 ,1" Ti? ,2 '1 I i 5 a. f5": 7 c

All. 30, 19.32. w, J, LQNGTIN V 1,874,769

STRIIIHG ATTACHIENT FOR KNITTING IACHINES I mm Oct. 8, 1930 2 sums-sum 2 i inga vertical striping other thread changes may be intr uced into said stripes as desired. 1' 1 10 With this main object in view, my inven- Patented Aug. so, we 1 wnmnm 1. LONG'I'IN, or mums, rmmsrnvmn, assrcuon'ro mm orananmc. rmsrnvam A conronarron or ram-wane m we;

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M invention relates to circular knitting macliines and more specificall to those havattac ent feeding extra threads to certain needles. to produce 4 ornamentalplait'ed stripes; my present object being to provide for a selective automatic changing of such threads whereb color or tion consists in improvements in the construction, arrangement and operationof the guide fingers supplying such plaiti-ngflthread to the needles, as -w1ll now be more ly de- 15' scribed in connection with the accompanying drawin the novel features thereof be-- in set fort in the appended claims.

eferring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic verticalsection of g} a portion of a well known rib-kmttm machine suflicient to fully disclose a re erred embodiment of my invention apph thereto. Fi 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showingthe knitting needles and the relation as of the plaitin thread guide fingers thereto.

Fig. 3 is a 'agrammatlc transverse crosssectional view on-the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2, 1ndicatin the lateral shifting action of the guide w eel on the ends of the radially swung guide fingers.

Fig. 4 is a dia ammatic side e1evation of a pair of guide l ihgers and with a radially swung one on agin the guide wheel whlc shifts it latera y its particular needle.. The drawings indicate a knittingmachine having a vertical striping attachment of gen erally similar structure to that shown and described in U. S. Patent to Walter Larkin, No. 1,666,780 of Afplril 17, 1928, as reference thereto will more 11y disclose; and while a machine having dial needles for rib-knitting is shown, my improvements are equally-applicable to a usual. lain knitting machine, as the striping attac ent shown feeds onl to the cylinder needles and an plies 1nd1v1 ual ones of the latter with a ded thread to produce plaited vertical stripes in well known manner. I

My present invention relates to improvements in such striping attachment by prodriven depending sleeve shaft 18 and 1s 1 Application 0mm 8,:1930. sum 8 0.67.1";

viding for a plurality of ide fingers in place of'a singleiinger, each aving its separate plalting thread, and each 0 rated by pattern mechanism to selectively eed a determined needle or needles by a positively controlled needle-wrapping encircllng swing.

.In the known mechanism-shown in the drawings 7 5 indicates a usual stationary needle cy inder, and 6 the series of slots in the latter in which the movable needles 7 are mounted the particular machine shown em- 510 in dial needles 9, radially movable in a ia p ate 10, but, as stated, these are not essential to my improvements.

In the known striping attachment shown, 11 indicatesthe cylindr cal guide carrier coaxially mounted in spaced relation above the A non-rotated needle cylinder 5 and is provided with guide slot ways 12 for a series of thread guides 13as heretofore, such slots 12 preferably corresponding in number with and overhanging the needle slots 6 so as to rovide an 1 individual guide 13 for each 11 1e 7 when desired. And in known manner suitable cams radially swing said guides 13 across the circle of needles 7, the angularly bent end 13' insurin return of said ng'er end on the opposite slde of its needle to wrap the thread about the latter. Selective operation of such guides 13 has also been provided heretofore y butts'14' rojecting through the slotted wall of'cylin' er 11 for determined action of. cam 15'on a rotated verticall shiftable sleeve 16.. The sleeve 16 is key on a rotatabl mpved vertically thereon by means of link bar 19, lever 20 and ush bar 21, the latter overhanging suitable age on a pattern drum 22, and l nk 19 having a engaging sleeve; 16. The above briefly set forth known mechanism is ada ted to feed a series of added threads to se ected individual needles to form continuous or irregular plaited pattern stripes, but does not provide for desirable see lective change of such threads for novel color combinations or the like.

To '.provide for such thread changes, I employ a plurality of guides in all or selectedslots 12 each carrying a separate thread,

and determinedly singly operating them dependin on the particular thread desired.

The rawings show two such thread guides 25 and 26 jointly mounted for individual operation in a carrier slot way 12, the general shape of each guide being as heretofore and each provided with a butt 27 and 28 respectively extending inwardly in different horizontal planes, as shown, for selective 0 tion by suitably placed cam of shifted rotary sleeve 16. In order to accommodate two guides in a single slot way, said guide way must be enlarged or each guide must necessarily be made of as much as possible interfering rubbin 'ction when singly swung, and such frictionor lighter material reduces their lateral stifi'ness and renders unreliable the heretofore springy angled guide ends effecting a needle wrapping movement when radially swung across the needle cylinder.

located in different horizontal planes for suitable action of cam 15 to selectively swing either guide or 26 radially as heretofore, and to insure their ends 25and 26 encircling the same needle when thus moved, I employ a deep-toothed wheel at one end of a shaft 31 rotatably mounted in fixed bearin 32 carried on the rotated cam plate 33' an having a drive gear 34 at the other end,

. driven by tooth engagement with the needle slot cylinder 5. Gear 34 is shown as meshing with slots 6 ofthe cylinder, but obviously may en age instead with the needle shanks, or be ot erwise driven by said cylinder.

To eifect the desired action on the guides the lineal speed of the wheel 30 may be different from the lineal s eed of the needle cylinder, but I prefer as s own, to rotate this wheel 30 so that its lineal speed will be the I same as that of the cylinder 5, and to form it with deep teeth adapted to engage the ends 25' or. 26" of each radially swung guide.

These teeth are shown as preferably inclined .with relation to radial hues and curved to engage and move a'guide end, 25' or 26", lati erally with relation to their respective needle so that the inward swing of either will be made past the opposite side of the needle from that of their outward swing, thus insuring the thread being positively wrapped about said needle.

It is the curvature ofthe when travellin at equal lineal-speed with that of the circ e'of needles, that efiects this lateral needle wrapping movement, and it will be understood that both guides, 25 and 26, are set to swing outwardly past the same side of the particular needle they changeably feed and are returned by action of said wheel on the opposite'side of such needle.

My plurality of guides, 25 and 26, may be employed in each carrier slot way 12, or only in certain of the latter, with old guides 13 lighter material to reduce guide wheel teeth action on guides 13 will merely insure their lateral swing, or said guides 13 may be made straight, if desired, and depend on said wheel for their required lateral movement.

'With my improved guides 25 and 26, changes of thread may be had where desired to produce different color effects in a given vertical stripe and such changes determinedly provided for by action of the pattern drum 22 during continuous machine operation.

' From the foregoing description it is believed the nature of my improvements and their operation in feeding changes of thread to specific needles, will be readily understood.

The number of uides in a given slot-way may be changed and their arrangement around the cylindrical carrier varied as de-: sired for The butts 27 and 28 as stated, are spacedly articular patterns; and in place of the prefdrred guide actuatingcurved teeth shown onwheel 30, said teeth may be radial and laterally shift the guideends by a difference in the lineal speeds of said wheel and needle cylinder. Other modifications may be made withinthe spirit of my invention as defined in the following claims.

What Iclaim is: Y1

1. In combination with a circular knitting machine, a thread-change plating attachment adapted to selectively supply threads to the same needle, comprising a lurality of guide fingers, pattern-controlle means for imparting a radial swinging movement across the circle of needles to a selected one of said fingers, and a finger-end engaging wheel adapted to laterally shift said radially swinging end to impart thereto a needleencircling movement.

2. In combination with a circular knitting machine, a thread-change plating attachment adapted to selectivelysupply threads to the same needle, comprising a carrier having a vertical ide slot overhangin 2. cylinder slot of a etermined needle, a p urality of guide fingers in said carrier slot, patterncontrolled means for imparting a radial swinging movement across the circle of me dles to a selected one of said fingers, and means actuated by cylinder-slot for imparting a-needle-encircling movement to said radially swinging finger. i

3. In combination with a circular knitting machine, a thread-change plating attachment adapted to selectively supply threads to the same needle, comprising a carrier hav-,

adapted to laterally shift said radially swing- "lid ing end to impart thereto a needle-encircling movement.

4. In combination with a circular knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder having a vertical series of guide slots, and a corresponding series of needles reciprocally movable in said slots, of a change-thread plating attachment therefor comprising a cylinder having guide-carrier slot-ways overhanging the slots of said needle cylinder and mounted coaxially with the latter, a plurality of radially reciprocable plating-thread guide-fingers jointly mounted in one of said carrier s ot ways, pattern-controlled cams adapted to selectively swing one of said guide fingers outwardly across the circle of needles adjacent one side of a determined needle, a gear wheel driven by said needle cylinder and a guide-wheel driven by said gear wheel and adapted to engage the end of either radially swung guide finger to laterall shift said end to the other -side of said ne of needles whereby the thread of saidselected guide finger is wrapped about said determined nee e. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM J. LONGTIN.

D le preliminary to its return swing inwardly-across said circle

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