US1941903A - Auxiliary knitting needle - Google Patents

Description

K. R. LIEBERKNECHT 7 1,941,903 AUXILIARY KNITTING NEEDLE Jan. '2, 1934.

Fild June 2a, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor l KarlRzcizeberk/zecht' by his Aftorfiey 3 M H M K. R. EEEEEEEEEE HT 1,941,903 AUXILIARY KNITTING NEEDLE OQOO . m/en or 4 Karl Rich. Lieberknechl' E by hzs Attorney Patented Jan. 2, 1934 1,941,903 AUXILIARY KNITTING NEEDLE Karl Rich. Lieberknecht, Oberlungwitz,

many, assignor to Kalio Inc.,

acorporation of New York Application and in Germany February 9, 1933 Claims.

In the manufacture of knitted fabrics a Wale of greater width than normal is sometimes required. Such a wale may be formed by lengthening the proper loops in each course as compared 5 with the other loops which will result in a widening of the wale in which these longer loops occur.

This invention relates to a device for forming such longer loops and consequent wider wales on flat knitting machines and since they are particularly useful in fullfashioned hosiery its application to a full fashioned flat hosiery knitting machine has been selected for descriptive purposes. It will be understood however that it may be employed in the knitting of other fabrics as well.

5 In the knitting of full fashioned hoisery it is customary to knit the leg of the stocking in normal length loops as far as the heel tabs. 'Then the knitting of the instep portion is suspended and the heel tabs are knit. After that, if a single unit knitting machine is employed, knitting of the instep portion is resumed and the knitting of the foot portion begun, the first course of the sole being ultimately joined to the inside selvages If the knitting is performed on a legger and footer, the leg and foot portions are similarly joined when the foot is begun. In both instances to facilitate the joining of the sole to the inside selvages of theheel tabs it is of great advantage to form a Wale of greater than normal of the heel tabs.

width in each inside selvage of the heel tabs.

Heretofore to obtain The employment of the narrowing mechanism equipped with special points has also been suggested but this involves radical alterations in the narrowing mechanism and narrowing cams which complicate and interfere-with the normal use and operation ofthe mechanism.

may be easily,

usual attachments.

The device consists essentially of auxiliary needles which are brought into operative cooperation with the regular needles of the wales in question at the desired time so that, in effect, needles of extra thickness are provided around 5 which the loops are formed by the normal sinkersuch wales the general practice has been to stretch the selvage loops by means of a hand tool of bone or steel having'a pointed end. Attempts have also been made to do 35 this mechanically by means of specially designed sinkers, needles, or knockover bits or by modifying the motions of these parts of standard design.

Ger-

New York, N. Y.,

June 26, 1933, Serial No. 677,589,

ing operation. The loopsformed around these particular needles will be longer than the others,

not as the result of stretching normal length loops, but because desired length in these loops are formed of the the first place, obviously the abnormal strain is put upon the yarn or needles.

The accompanyingdrawings illustrate the nature of the extra width Wale and that form of the invention particularly adapted to form the wales on the inside selvages of the heel tabs heretofore described. Of these- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the leg and heel tab showing -by broken lines the position of the wide selvage Wale of the heel tabs;

portions of a stocking blank v Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a heel tab showing conventionally the relative character of the wales in these portions;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a section of the knitting machine provided with the standard needles and also with the two auxiliary needles required for selvage Wales.

forming the two extra width It also illustrates the sinkers and the manner in which the loops are formed around the needles to secure the normal and extra length loops by the normal sinkering' operation;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views through the needle bar showing the auxiliary needles and operating mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the needle bar showing the means of operatingthe auxiliary needles; and

Fig. '7 is a larger fragment of Fig. 6.

As most clearly shown in selvage Wale 1 of Fig. 2, the inside each heel tab is composed of long loops 4 which result in a wale of abnormal Width. These are obtained by associating with the regular needles 2 (Fig. 3) oflthesewales auxiliary needles 3 around which the long loops 4 are formed by means of and concurrently with the formation of the normal length loops 5 by the sinkers 6 operated in the normal manner.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the needles and themode and means of operating them.

the end being shaped so that it can enter the lower end of a groove 8 of the regular needle just below the part provided for the beard, a portion 9 substantially paralleling the regular needle 2,

a shank l0 sliding and a foot 12 bent in a channel in needle bar 11, at right angles to the shank 10.

' the auxiliary needles,

' bar.

ing wide wales in any suitable means so that its other end may be in Fig. 4 or down as in Fig. into the, position of Fig. 4 pushed upward until the end of groove 8 of regular needle 2. Portion 9 will then lie substantially parallel to and close to-needle 2. When the sinkers advance the loops will be formed around as shown at 4 in Fig. 4. Auxiliary needles 3 will be maintained in this position during the knitting of the courses'in which the wide wales are desired. When these are completed return to normal length loops in these wales is effected simply by swinging lever caused to swing up as 5. When swung up auxiliary needle 3 is tip 7 enters the lower iliary needles 3 erating position.

By sliding rod 20 in the opposite directions cam surfaces 25 will permit ends 17 of levers 14 to be: will move auxiliary neerocked downward which dles 3 into operating position (Fig. 4). Positive contact between ends 17 of levers 20 and sur faces 23 of cams 22-may be maintained by suitable springs 24 bearing upon the tops of levers 14. As a convenient means 05 shifting rod 20 a hand rod 25 has been shown connected to rod 20 by arms 26.

Of course other operating devices may be used. The shifting device shown is in general that employed to lock and unlock the swingable instep section of the needlebar of a single unit machine, and sincev thisinvention is particularly useful with this machine this operating mechanism has been selected for purposes of illustration. The manner in which such a shift rod may be employed to lock and unlock the instep section of the needle bar is described in my copending application Serial No. 599,913, filed April 19, 1932. Ordinarily the use of auxiliary needles 3 begins with the unlocking of the needle bar section so that by a single operation of rod 20 the instep needles may be unlocked'and the auxiliary needles 3 moved .into operating position and vice versa at the beginning and end, respectively, of the knitting of the heel tabs. However there is no necessity of combining the device with the needle bar lock or with a sectional needle It is as applicable to the usual solid needle bar.

The invention may, of course, be used for formpart of the stocking fabric bar provided with the usual an auxiliary loop-forming needle slidably mount- 1. In a flat knitting machine having a needle bar provided with the usual needles and sinkers, an auxiliary loop forming needle slidably mounted on said needle bar behind a usual needle and means for sliding said auxiliary needle upward into loop forming position 'and downward into an inoperative position.

2. In a flat knitting machine having a needle bar provided with the usual needles and sinkers, an auxiliary loop forming needle slidably mounted in said nnedle bar behind a usual needle, and means for sliding said needle upward and towards said usual needle to cause it to engage the yarn when the sinkers advance to form the loops and for sliding said needle downward and away from the usual needle into an inoperative non-loop-forming position.

3. In a flat knitting machine having a needle needles and sinkers,

ed on said needle bar behind said usual needle and having a point adapted to enter the groove of the usual needle, and means for sliding said auxiliary needle so that the point engages with the groove of the usual needle and for removing said auxiliary needle into a non-contacting, inoperative position.

4. In a flat knitting machine, a needle bar with the usual needles mounted thereon, a channel in said needle bar for the reception of an auxiliary needle, said channel lying behind a usual needle and sloping upwardly and forwardly, an auxiliary needle having a shank slidably mounted in said channel, an intermediate portion above said shank substantially parallel with the shank of the usual needle and a point offset from said intermediate portion and engageable with said usual needle, and means for sliding said auxiliary needle upwardly and forwardly to engage its point with the regular needle above that part around which the loops are formed and to slide it downwardly and away from said usual needle into an inoperative position below the point at which the loops are formed.

5. In a flat knitting machine having a needle bar provided with the usual needles and sinkers, an auxiliary loop forming needle slidably mounted in said needle bar behind a usual needle, and means for sliding said needle upward and towards said usual needle to cause it to engage the yarn when the sinkers advance to form the loops and for sliding said needle downward and away from the usual needle into an inoperative non-loopforming position, said sliding means comprising of which engages with means for rocking said lever.

KARL RICH. LIEBERKNECHT.

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