US1883581A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 18, 1932. T, COLE 1,883,581

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet l 0a. 18, 1932. B. T. COLE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 2% Baa/wed Zimnraw C04:

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' KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9; 1929 6 sheets-Sheep 5 1 1 7611, g3 21 l l 0 E as? 3 9 5 lie 352N040 vKlan/raw Caz: lTvamw-az Oct. 18, 1932. B. T. COLE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9. 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Baa/app Z70A-7-0- C045 JI/l/avrae m* Patented Oct. 18, 1932 PATENT OFFICE BERNARD THORNTON COLE, O1 LEICESTER, ENGLAND KNITTING MACHINE Application filed November 9, 1929, Serial No. 405,889, and in Great Britain Iovember 12, 1928.

This invention comprises improvements in or relating to circular knitting machines and in the production of fabrics thereon, an important object of the invention being to provide an improved mode of and means for producing shaped or fashioned fabrics or articles on circular knitting machines.

A particular object of the invention is to provide means whereby a fashioned seamless hose may be produced on a circular knitting machine.

According to the present invention a circular knitting machine is provided wherein needles and sinkers are introduced at predetermined intervals between other needles already in operation, for the purpose of varyin the shape of the fabric or article being knltted on the machine.

A predetermined number of the needles and sinkers may be selectively introduced between other needles already in operation to produce additional stitches in the knitted fabric at positions previously occupied by sinker wales.

It is well known in the art that in the production of plain knitted fabric a loop is sunk or drawn between each pair of needles in operation but in accordance with this invention a knitting machine is provided with means for enabling loops to be sunk or drawn between a predetermined number, less than n the total number, of pairs of the operative needles and for varying the number ofsaid loops during the production of different knitted courses, to vary the number of stitches in said courses and produce shaped or fashioned fabric.

A sha ed or fashioned knitted tube, i. e..

one or more of said needles and oneor more sinkers are selectively introduced into and maintained in operation until the full normal complement of needles and sinkers is in operation when the maximum diameter of the said tube will be produced.

For the purpose of more fully describing the nature of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figures 1 and 2 are a side and rear elevation respectively of a portion of a fashioned seamless stocking capable of being produced on a circular knitting machine according to this invention.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan'view of an arrangement of needles and 100 sinkers in a circular knitting machine acco ing to this invention.

Figures 4 and 5 are enlar ed detail views illustrating diagrammatical y anumber of the loop forming elements shown in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of art of a circular knitting machine adapte for the production of the hose shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 7 is a continuation of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a part sectional elevation showing the needle cylinder and sinker mountings of the machine shown in Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an inverted plan view of of the sinker cam box of the machine an associated sinker selecting cam.

Figure 10 is an enlarged elevation of one of the selectable sinkers of the machine. 1

Figure 11 is a fragmental elevation illustrating means for selecting the sinkers of the machine.

Figure 12 is a part-sectional elevation illustrating means for selecting the needles of the machine.

Figure 13 is an elevation of the needle operating cams of the machine.

Figure 14 is an enlarged elevation of one of lthe fashioning needles and its associated ae Figure 15 is a detail elevation of mechanism for controlling the sinker and needle selecting means.

Fig. 16 is a sectional plan view through the art lower part of the control drum shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. '17 is a detail view showing in enlarged elevation a form of jack used 1n connect1on with an ordinary or non-fashionlng needle, and 1 Fig. 18 is a detail view, in enlarged elevation, of one of the non-selectablesmkers.

By way of example, a convenient method of carrying out this invention Wlll now be described as applied to the production of seamless fashioned stockings or the like as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Such a stocking may be produced upon a circular knitting machine of any known or approved type having a complete circular row of needles 1, see Figure 3, accommodated within tricks formed in a rotating needle cylinder, in the customary manner and having a co-operating circular row of sinkers 2, one of which normally operates between each pair of the said needles.

Fashioning or shape is imparted to the leg portion of the stocking by increasing the number of knitted loops or stitches in the continuous spiral rows extending upwards from the ankle portion of the hose to a convenient height in the leg, say the upper part of the calf, the said fashioned area being preferably provided centrally at the rear of the leg.

Certain of the needles and sinkers extending around one section of the circumference of the needle cylinder, which will hereinafter conveniently be referred to as the rear section, have associated therewith means, hereinafter fully described for enabling selected of said needles and sinkers to be moved from an inoperative to an operative position. The selectable needles are designated 1a and con veniently comprise every third needle of those positioned in'the said rear section of the machine and the selectable sinkers, designated 2a, are conveniently those sinkers positioned next adjacent to each of the selectable needles 1a on each side thereof.

' The knitting of the seamless fashioned hose is commenced at the toe and continued along the foot, heel and up the leg to the top or welt, the toe and heel being produced in the well known manner by reciprocative motion and the foot and leg by circular motion.

Prior to making the customary linking courses or starting to knit the toe, all of the selectable or fashioning needles 1a and the selectable sinkers 2a are withdrawn from operation and the toe, foot, heel and ankle portions of the stocking are produced by the remaining needles and sinkers in operation. Upon the needles 1a being withdrawn, the pairs of remaining operative needles 1 in the rear section of the needle cylinder are spaced by gaps of a width equal to two needle spaces and upon the sinkers 241 being also withdrawn, it will be appreciated that the stitches produced by the needles 1 on each side of every inoperative needle la will be joined by a thread bar extending across the gap left by the withdrawn needle (Fig. 5), and as the inoperative sinkers do not engage and push forward said bar, same will be drawn comparatively tightly across said gap. If, however, the amount of thread sunk by the operative sinkers 2 between adjacent needles 1 is sub,- stantially the same as is that bridging the gap a between operative needles 1 where the sinkers 2a and needle 1a are withdrawn, (see Figures 4 and 5,) the length of the sinker wales of the fabric will be substantially constant. (By the term sinker wale is to be understood the Wale between adjacent needle wales irrespective of whether the wale is sunk by a sinker or not.) Consequently although the vertical wales or sinker wales formed at the positions of the withdrawn needles 1a and associated sinkers 2a are of necessity somewhat different in appearance from the ordinary sinker wales formed by sinkers operating between adjacent operating needles 1, it has been found that the subsequent dressing and /or finishing and/or stretching process to i which stockings are customarily subjected has the result of eliminating any apparent existing difference. That is to say the leg portion of the finished hose is uniform in texture and appearance.

After knitting the ankle portion of the stocking the inoperative needles la together with their HSSOCIat-Qd'SIDkGIS 2a are selective- 1y brought into operation at predetermined intervals and in a predetermined order to increase the number of stitches produced at the subsequent courses of knitting. and thereby produce a shaped or fashioned area A centrally at the rear of the stocking leg. The replacing or introduction of the needles 1a and sinkers 2a is continued at intervals (conveniently to the height H shown in Figure 2) until all of the needles and sinkers are in operation and the full complement of stitches is being produced in each row or course, after which all needles operate to the finish of the stocking top or welt.

In one arrangement the fashioning of the stocking leg is commenced by bringing into knitting position the two withdrawn needles and the four sinkers associated therewith that are located at each end of the rear section of the machine on which said fashioning is accomplished, thus increasing by four the number of stitches in a complete course. Knitting is then continued for any desired number of revolutions or courses with the additional four needles and their sinkers in operation, after which two further needles 1a on each side with their associated sinkers 2a, next adjacent to those needles and sinkers previously replaced, are brought into action and knitting is continued for a number of further courses, said courses thus containing four additional stitches. This introduction of needles and sinkers is repeated until the full number are in operation, the number of courses between eachreplacement being advantageously e ual.

At each position where a needle 1a and two sinkers 2a are brought into-operation a small hole'B is formed in the fabric (Figures 1 and 2), and where said needles are introduced in pairs, said holes will also appear in pairs.

These holes B constitute fashion marks which graduall converge'up the back of the stock mg, as s own. It is to be understood, however, that the displaced needles 1a and sinkers 20 may be introduced in any desired sequence on selected courses.

In the embodiment illustrated herewith the needles 1 and 1a are accommodated in tricks formed in the machine cylinder 3 which is rotated in any convenient manner from the main drive of the machine and each needle is provided with a knitting butt 1b. and an operating jack 4 is located in the same cylinder trick or groove as its needle and positioned directly beneath same (see Figs. 14 and 17) The needles around one half of the c linder are provided with long butts 1b and t e needles around the other half of the cylinder are provided with short butts 16, for the purpose of operating the needles in the well known manner during the production of the heel and toe of a stocking.

The jacks 4 (see Fig. 18) appertaining to the non-selectable needles 1 are plain jacks having a single long butt 4a positioned at or near the lower extremity of the jack, but the jacks 4 (see Fig. 14) appertaining to the selectable needles 1a are each provided with an additional selecting butt 4?). The height and the length of these butts determines-the sequence in which they are selected for operation so that by providing butts at different heights and of different length, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14, increased selectivity is obtairfid;

Referring to Figure 13, a fixed clearing cam 5 is provided adapted to engage with the long butts 4a on the jacks appertaining to the non-selectable or ordinary needles 1,

'to cause the said needles to clear their old loops and move into a position whereat they will be caused to pass along the path shown by the dotted line at b in the upper part of the figure to knit in the customary manner underthe influence of the customary knittin cams.

The ]acks 4 appertaining to the selectable needles 1a, having a short butt 4a, normally miss the clearing cam 5 and the butts 16 on the said needles are caused to engage with a lowering cam 6 which moves the said needles beneath the customary knitting cam system along the path indicated by the dash and dot line 0 and prevents such latter needles from taking and knitting the thread or threads. When it is desired to move a needle 1a into operation, one of a plurality of superposed selecting cams 7 is moved to engage the jack butts 4b of'a predetermined length and provided at the same height as the said cam. This cam then elevates the jack and causes same to move the butt 1?) on the corresponding needle into a position where it will follow the path indicated at b, causing said needle to take thread and knit in the customary manner.

In order to minimize the strain upon the needles, while same are passing through the knitting cam system, a cam 40 positioned at the lower part of the needle cylinder operates upon all of the jack butts 4a to lower same and separate the jack from the needle, the jacks being again moved into position directly beneath the needles, after the latter have passed through the knitting system by virtue of the jack butts 4a riding up an elevating cam surface 4d.

The superposed selecting cams 7 are conveniently mounted, as shown in Figures 6 and 12, in an upstanding bracket or casting 8 secured to the frame 9 of the machine, the said cams being normally held out of engagement with the jack butts 46 by means of suitably connected coiled springs 10. The lower fixed clearing cam 5 may also be supported by the bracket 8 and be fixedly secured therein by means of one or more screws or the like 11.

The selective introduction of the cams 7 to move predetermined of the needles 1a into operation may be effected through a plurality of superposed substantially centrally pivoted levers 12 each having its one extremity in engagement with pro ecting superposed cam pieces 12?; (Figures 7 and 16) secured to the periphery of a control dru-m 12a adapted for intermittent rotation about a vertical axis. Each of the cam pieces 12?) is of differing depth to cause its corresponding lever to introduce its cam to varying extents whereat it will engage with the differing lengths of the butt 4b provided on the jack at the same height as the said cam.

All of the sinkers in the machine are mounted for horizontal reciprocation in the customary manner in radial tricks in an annular bed 13 (Figure 8) provided around the upper part of the needle cylinder and all of the sinkers 2 that are interposed between the non-selectable needles 1 are reciprocated to sink their loops between the said needles under the influence of-a stationary annular cam ring 14 positioned above the sinkers.

Yarn feeding and changing mechanism 150 and a latch ring 16 of any suitable or known type are also provided mounted above the sinkers in any convenient manner.

The selectable sinkers 2a are conveniently of a shape illustrated in Figure 10, the forward end portion 26 of the sinker being of the customary shape and identical with the forward extremity of the remaining sinkers 2 -.ber 15 encircling the sin er bed 13 and cams 14 at the upper part of the machine cylinder. The ordinar sinkers 2 are of the shape illustrated in ig. 18, and the projecting cam 14a on the sinker cam 14 is accommodated within a space 2e between a butt 2f and a vertical edge 2g on the said sinker. The cam 14a controls in the main the operation of the ordinary sinkers 2, the actual extent to which they sink the loop being governed by a smaller cam piece 14b hereinafter termed the knock-over cam, which engages with the rear edge of the butt 2;. This butt is provid: ed on the tail or rear extremity of the ordinar sinkers 2 and at a position substantially mi way in the length of the selectable sinkers 2a.

The non-selectable sinkers 2 are moved to a position to be actuated by the cam 14?; by virtue of the spaces 2e in the said sinkers being of approximately the same width as is the cam 14a. These sinkers are, therefore, moved both inwardly and outwardly by the cam 14a and are drawn inwardly by the left hand portion of the cam to be engaged by the cam 14?).

The space 26 provided in the selectable sinkers 2a is. greater than the corresponding space provided in the ordinary sinkers and as a consequence the cam 14a only operates on the forward edge of the butts 2f provided on the said sinkers 2a to move same outwardly to an inoperative position. When it is desired to introduce the said sinkers 2a positioned one on each side of a needle 1a, which has been brought into operation in the manner previously described, a member 17 Fig. 11) having a concave cam face 17a Figure 9) is lowered to engage with one of the butts 2d provided on the said sinkers. The cam 17 thrusts the sinkers with which it engages into a position whereat the rear face of the butts 2 on the said sinkers engage with the knocking-over cam 14b and causes said sinkers to operate in unison with the ordinary sinkers 2.

It will be understood that variable selection of the sinkers for operation is effected by the cam 17 according to the position at which one or more of the butts 2d is or are provided on the said sinkers and to the extent to which the said cam is lowered to engage therewith. The particular sinker illustrated in Figure 10, having its full complement of butts 2d,

will be operated at the first and each subsequent selective displacement of the cam 17.

The sinkers to be introduced at the second displacement of the cam 17, the operation of which cam is hereinafter more fully described, have the uppermost butt 2d removed. The sinkers to be introduced at the third displacement of the said lever each have their two uppermost butts removed. The fourthly introduced sinkers each have their three uppermost butts removed and so on. Certain of the sinkers, which ma be provided with the lowermost butt 2d on y, would only be selected for operation when the cam 17 has been lowered to its fullest extent.

The cam 17, see Figure 11, is mounted for vertical sliding displacement upon a vertically disposed bar 18 supported at its upper part by an upstanding bracket 19 secured to a cover member 20 for the cylindrical sinker mounting 15, the ,said cam being normally retained in its uppermost position by a coiled spring 21 anchored to the said bracket 19 and the cam 17. The cam 17 has projecting therefrom a pin 22 which is engaged by the one extremity 23a of a pivoted lever 23 adapted to be displaced to move the said cam downwardly into engagement with the sinkers to be selected and the required displacement of the lever is effected by stepped cam portions 120 secured to the upper peripheral parts of the verticall disposed control drum 12a, a roller 23?) eing provided at one extremity of the said lever 23 and adapted to ride up the inclined forward edges 12d of the said cam pieces 120. The lever 23 is pivotally mounted on an up standing bracket 24 secured to any convenient part of the machine and the extremity 23a of the said lever that engages with the projecting pin 22 is suitably shaped as shown to ensure the accurate displacement of the cam 17 by the said lever;

Intermittent rotation of the vertical needle and sinker selecting control drum 12a is effected by a pawl member 25, see Figure 7, engaging with a ratchet wheel 26 secured at the lower part of the said drum. The pawl member 25 is pivotally mounted on a member 27 which is freely rotatable about the vertical spindle 28 to which the drum is secured and the pawl 25 is normally maintained in contact with the ratchet wheel 26 under the influence of a suitably arranged coil spring 29. The member 27 is under the influence of a coiled spring 30 which tends to rotate said member in a clockwise direction and hold a projecting portion of same in engagement with the upper extremity of a pivoted lever 31 which receives motion from a lever 32, a section only of which is illustrated, and which is normally continuously oscillated in the direction of the arrows. The oscillating lever 32 is associated with other mechanism of the machine which, not being pertinent to this invention, is not illustrated and engages with the lower part of the lever 31 pivotally to displace same and impart the necessary motion to the member 27 and pawl to rack the drum 12a. The lever 32 is shown in end elevation in Fi re 15 and when desired the lever is withhe (1 from oscillation by virtue of a pivoted clawker member 33 engaging with a stepped ortion or member 32a provided on the said lhver the said clawker member being allowed to move into engagement with the part 32a when an integral arm 33b of the said clawker falls, under the influence of a spr ng 330, into on agement with the main timing chain 34 of t e machine.

The clawker member 33 is provided with a further laterally projecting portion 33d which extends beneath a laterally projecting portion 31a on the racking lever 31 and when the clawker arm 33?) moves into engagement with a raised link 35 on the timing chain 34, the said projection 33d is moved to a position where same will allow the lever 31 to be pivotally displaced by the oscillating lever 32 to rack the druml2a. When, however, the clawker arm 33?) is displaced to a greater extent by a higher link 36 on the chain 34, the projection 33d is raised and itself displaces the lever 31 to a position whereat the oscillating lever 32 will not engage with the lower extremity of the said lever 31 and the drum is withheld from rotation. Thus the rotating and stationary periods of the control drum 12a are determined by the chain 34 and the links 35 and 36 thereon.

It is, however, desirable during certain periods in the operation of the machine to withhold the control drum 12a from rotation but still allow the lever 32 to oscillate and the higher links 36 are provided to discontinue the racking of the control drum during such periods.

The production of a seamless fashioned stocking on a machine of the above type will now be described and for the purposes of illustration it will be assumed that the machine has a full complement of'300 needles and similar number of sinkers.

' As previously stated, the knitting of the stocking is commenced at the linking courses and the toe and during the knitting thereof all of the selectable needles 1a and sinkers 2a of which there are conveniently 60 and 120 respectively, are out of operation, all of the needle selecting cams 7 being withdrawn and the sinker selecting cam 17 being moved to its highest position. At this position the levers 12 and 23 are out of engagement with the cams'12b and 120 on the control drum 12a.

The needle cylinder is reciprocated and pickers 37 and 38 operate to produce the toe pocket in the well known manner. Continuous rotation of the machine is then commenced to produce the foot and this is folioned rear portion A in the stocking. At this position a link 35 on the main timing chain 34 engages with the clawker arm 33b to allow the control drum 12a to rack and the lowermost of the levers 12 is caused to on go the portion of the lowermost cam 126 w 'ch is of the smallest depth and the lowermost of the cams 7 is introduced to engage with those jacks having the longest lowermost butts 4b, to move the corresponding needles la into operation. These needles are conveniently located at substantially diametrically opposed positions in the needle cylinder at the extremities of the rear section thereof and simultaneously with the said needles being selectively moved into operation the lever 23 is brought into engagement with the lowermost cam 120 to lower the cam 17 into engagement with those selectable sinkers provided with the uppermost sinker butt 2d, these sinkers being located one on each side of the needles 1a that have been brought into operation. Thus 4 additional needles and 8 additional sinkers have been moved into op eration and the courses of the stocking subsequently knitted will accordingly include 4 additional stitches and be of correspondingly larger diameter than the portions of the stocking previously produced.

A predetermined number of courses including these 4 additional stitches are knitted and another link 35 is then brought into a position to continue the racking of the control drum and the lowermost lever 12 is further displaced to introduce its cam to a greater extent to engage with the needle jacks aving a lowermost butt 4b of medium length. This action selects for operation the needles appertaining to these jacks, such needles bein the two pairs next adjacent to the previous y selected pairs of needles. Si-

multaneously with this second selection of tion.

There are now 8 additional needles and 16 additional sinkers in operation and a convenient number of courses'are knitted before the control drum is again racked to cause the lowermost of the cams 7 to be further introduced to engage with the shortest of the lowermost butts 4b and the cam 17 to be further lowered to engage with the third highest butts 2d and select 4 further needles and 8 further sinkers and knit a leg portion of the stocking of correspondingly increased diameter.

Upon the drum 12a being again racked, the second lowermost of the levers 12 is caused to engage with its first depth of cam 12?) and the cam 17 is again lowered as before and 4 more needles and 8 more sinkers are moved into operation.

It is to be noted from Fig. 16 that the com mencing portions of the cams 126 on the drum 12a, i. e., those portions of smallest depth, are staggered or stepped so that the second lowest portion 126 will not displace its lever until the lowermost portion has .displaced its lever to its fullest extent. Similarly, the third cam portion will not displace. its lever until the second cam portion has fully operated, and the two uppermost cams are arranged to operate in a similar manner.

The racking of the control drum is continued until the full complement of needles and sinkers are in operation, which position conveniently conincides with the production of the upper part of the calf of the hose leg as indicated at H.

The production of the remainder of the stocking is then continued in the customary manner, the control drum 12a being withheld from rotation by virtue of a high link 36 on the main control chain 34 engaging with the clawker arm 33 to displace the lever 31 out of engagement with the oscillating lever 32.

Upon completion of the stocking a number of supplementary courses are knitted and then a clearing cam 39, see Figures 12 and 13, is thrust inwardly, through pivoted lever mechanism 40, displaced by a cam 41 on the main pattern disc 42 of the machine to cause all of 1152 needles to be raised to clear their oldfipfips beneath their latches and, during the fioduction of this course, the control drum12a is racked until all of the levers 12 and the lever 23 have moved out of engagement with the cams 12b and 120 respectively to cause all of the selectable needles and sinkers to be withdrawn ready for the commencement of the production of another stocking. 1

It will be appreciated that the particular arrangement of butts and cams on the selectable needles and sinkers above described may be varied in many ways, for example, instead of providing the butts 242 on the lateral enlargement 2c of the sinkers 2a, such butts could conveniently be provided on the upper part of a longitudinal extension of the said sinkers. Such butts could also be of varying length and a separate and indipendent operating cam could be provided for each of the said butts, such cams being adapted for vertical selective movement vertically. The sinkers may also be selectively operated through the medium of separate suitably positioned jacks.

A machine as above described for producing a seamless fashioned stocking may also embody means for knitting into the said stocking either square or pyramid high splicing above the heel and where pyramid high splicing is to be provided, as indicated at C, Figures 1 and 2, the taper of the spliced area may be arranged to coincide with or be parallel to the fashioned area A in the leg portion of a stocking.

It is also to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the production of fashioned stockings and the principle of selectively introducing into operation needles and/or sinkers to produce shaped fabric or articles may be applied to many diverse types of knitting'machines.

I claim 1. In a circular knitting machine, the combination of knitting needles, sinkers dis posed between the needles, means for operating these to knit a tubular fabric,certain of the needles and sinkers being displaceable so as to remain inoperative,means for introducing needles and sinkers that have been displaced between other needles already in operation for the purpose of varying the effective width of the fabric produced.

2. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles displaceably mounted in sald cylinder, a sinker carrier, sinkers displaceably mounted in said carrier, and means for selectively introducing at predetermined intervals needles and sinkers which have been moved to an inoperative position in said cylinder and carrier to position to operate between needles already in the operative position.

3. In a circular knitting machine needles and sinkers arranged in succession, means for rendering inoperative selected needles,

means for rendering inoperative the sinker located on each side of each of said selected needles, and means for selectively re-introducing a needle and a sinker located on each side thereof during selected knitted courses.

4. In a circular knitting machine, needles and sinkers arranged in succession, selected of the needles and selected of the sinkers being displaceable from an inoperative to an operative position between needles already in operation, each selected sinker having a plurality of butts provided on a lateral enlargement thereof, a vertically adjustable cam, said cam functioning to move selected of said sinkers with lateral enlargements from an inoperative to an operative position, and cam means functioning to displace the selected needles from the inoperative to the operative position.

5. In a circular knitting machine, needles and sinkers arranged in alternation, certain of these being displaceable so as to be inoperative, means for effecting the operation of these parts to cause knitting, and displaceable cam means for moving selected of t'he needles and of the sinkers from an inoperative to an operative posltion between needles already in operation.

6.. In a circular knitting machine, needles with sinkers operating therebetween, means for operating these to effect the knitting of a fabric, selected of the needles and sinkers being displaceable so as to become inoperative, jacks having special butts, cooperating with the needles that may be displaced to be inoperative, special butts on the sinkers that are displaceable so as to be inoperative; and cam means adapted to cooperate with the said special butts of the jacks and the special butts of the sinkers arranged to move selected of the needles and sinkers from inoperative positions to operative positions between needles already inoperation.

7. In a circular knitting machi e, needles with sinkers operating therebetweencertain of the needles and sinkers being displaceable so as. to be inoperative; and a traveling cam device adapted to contro the displacement of selected of the needles and sinkers and move them from an inoperative to an operative position between needles already in operation.

8. In a circular knitting machine, a circular row of needles, a circular row of sinkers operating between said needles, means for temporarily retaining selected of the needles and sinkers in an inoperative position, means for laying thread across all operative needles, means for moving the said operative needles and the operative sinkers to knit the said thread into a tubular fabric, means for introducing selected of the saidinoperative needles and sinkers at predetermined intervals into operation between needles already in operation, means for moving each operative sinker, to sink a predetermined length of thread between the pair of needles between which it operates and means for spacing the needles redetermined distances apart so that the ength of thread laid between each pair of operative needles having no sinker o erating therebetween is the same as the sai predetermined len h of thread sunk by each operative sin er, whereby a fashioned fabric is roduced which when dressed and finishe is of uniform texture throughout.

9. In a circular knitting machine, needles with sinkers operatin therebetween, means for moving selected 0 said needles and sink-,

ers from an inoperative positionto an operative-po sition between needles already in operation, and a traveling cam member for controlling the said selective movement of the needles and sinkers.

10. In a circular knitting machine, needles with sinkers operating therebetween, meansv for selectively mov'ing certain of the said needles and sinkers from an inoperative posi tion to an operative position between other needles alread in o eration, a vertically adjustable cam or e ecting the said selective movement of the said sinkers, lever mechanism for adjusting the said sinker selecting cam, and an intermittently rotating cam drum controlling the said lever mechanism.

11. In a circular knitting machine, needles with sinkers operating therebetween, means for selectively moving certain of the said sinkers from an inoperative position to an operative position between needles already in operation, and cams which select and move certain of the said needles from an inoperative position to an operative position and also move the said selected needles to a position in which the thread loops thereon are clearly beneath the needle latches.

12. In a circular knitting machine, needles with sinkers operating therebetween, means for selectively moving certain of said needles and sinkers in pretermined combinations from an inoperative position to an operative position between needles already in operation, and a single traversing member-for controlling the said selection and movement of the said needles and sinkers.

13. In a circular knitting machine, needles with sinkers operating therebetween, means for selecting and moving predetermined combinationsof said needles and sinkers from an inoperative position to an operativeposition between needles already in operation, a n single rotating cam drum for controlling the said selection and movement of the said needles and sinkers, pawl and ratchet mechanism through which the said cam drum is adapted to be intermittently rotated, a nor- 105 mally continuously moving lever for operating the said pawl, and ratchet mechanism and a traversing pattern chain for controlling the movement of the said lever.

BERNARD THORNTON COLE.

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