US1977676A - Novel mechanism and method for producing special loop formations in knitted fabrics - Google Patents

Description

, Oct..23, 1934. G. GASTRICH 1,977,676

NOVEL MECHANISM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SPECIAL LOOP FORMATIONS IN KNITTED FABRICS Filed April 22. 1932 '4 Sheets-Sheet, l

I N VEN TOR: Gusiav (iasirich,

' ATTbRNEifS.

Oct. 23, 1934. G. GASTRICH 1,977,676

NOVEL MECHANISM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SPECIAL LOOP FORMATIONS IN KNITTED FABRICS Filed April 22. 1932v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gusiow Gasirich,

' ATTORNEY Oct. 23, 1934. G. GASTRICH Y 1,977,676

NOVEL MECHANISM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SPECIAL LOOP FORMATIONS IN KNITTED FABRICS Filed April 22. 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTOIRNEYIS. V

Oct. 23, 1934. .G. GASTRICH 1,977,676

NOVEL MECHANISM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SPECIAL LOOP FORMATIONS IN KNITTED FABRICS Filed April 22. 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR: Gasfav Gasirich,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented a. 23, 1934 NOVEL iuE'onAmsM PRODUCING SPECIAL LOOP IN KNITTED FABRICS AND METHOD FOR FOBMATIONS Gustav Gastrieh, Wyomissing, Pa., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa'., a

corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 22, 1932, Serial No. 606,795

20 Claims.

My invention relates to novel mechanism for, and a method of, producing special loop formations in knitted fabrics.

An object of the invention is to enable a full fashioned knitting machine to more effectively employ the usual narrowing machine, and the points carried thereby, for the production of various special stitches and loop formations formed by the coaction between the points and needles. In accordance with this object, I provide additional means to modify the usual operation of thenarrowing machine and loop engaging points carried thereby, whereby the dipping movement of the narrowing machine may be temporarily arrested or momentarily stopped in its vertical path of travel and maintained at a predetermined elevation, out of operative engagement with the needles, for apredetermined time interval in the cycle of movement of the needles and while the latter continue in their usual knitting operation. This enables the time relation of the vertical movement of the narrowing machine to be interrupted, modified or changed with respect to the needles for producing other than plain stitches, or for any other purpose, without the necessity of longitudinally shifting the main cam shaft of the knitting machine at such time. Thus, the narrowing machine and points carried thereby can be utilized for the production of a variety of loops other than plain loops, depending upon the time and extent of the interruption of the vertical movement of the narrowing machine, in which case the machine functions as special loop producing mechanism.

With this and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, my invention resides in the novel methods, elements of construction, mechanisms and combination of parts in cooperative relationship, as hereinafter more particularly set forth in the claims. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of, portions of a full fashioned knitting machine embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a portionof the mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan view, partly broken away, further showing the cooperative relation of the cams and levers illustrated in Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of portions of a lace clock mechanism employed in conjunction with the present invention;

Figures 6 to 8 are perspective views showing the operation of the needles and transfer points in accordance with the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 3, the knitting machine is provided with needles 10 for each machine section, held in needle bars 11 which are reciprocated in usual manner by a cam 8 acting on a lever 9 connected to the needle bars 11. The narrowing shaft 12 is carried by guide arms 13 from rear narrowing shaft 14 and is provided with brackets 15 supporting the lace point rod 16 which carries the usual narrowing or transfer points 17, which in the present arrangement are employed as lace points. The main cam shaft 18 as usual has earns 20 operative, upon longitudinal shifting of the shaft, on arms 21 connected to narrowing shaft 12 to move the latter vertically about shaft 14. Cams 20 act to move the transfer ,or lace points 17 into and out of cooperation with certain needles 10 to take loops therefrom and when the points are moved laterally of the needles to place the loops on other needles; an idler path 19 being provided on said cam for holding the transfer 30 points in raised position during knitting.

The lateral movement of the points 17 is controlled through the narrowing rods 16 by a lace clock mechanism 22 (Figure 5) having a pattern chain 23 provided with one series of buttons which determines the number of needle spaces through which the transfer points move in either direction for transferring loops taken from certain needles to other needles to the right or left thereof.

In accordance with the present invention, at certain times in the operation of the transfer points 17 their descentds momentarily terminated short of their usual downward movement in the present instance, so that instead of the loops on 95 the points being placed thereby on needles 10 alined therewith, the loops are drawn or pulled off the points as the needles descend, in the normal cyclic operation of the latter.

As shown in Figure 3, the arm 21, which is 109 acted upon by cam 20 to control the upward and downward movements of transfer points 17 relatively to needles 10 in usual manner, has a shoulder 24 at its free end engaging a shoulder 25 on a supporting member 26 mounted on a rocker arm 27 secured to a rock shaft 28. The member 26 is pivotally mounted on rocker arm 27 and pressed against an adjustablestop 30 by a spring 31. A second rocker arm 32 (Figures 1, 3 and 4) also fixed to rock shaft 28 carries a stud 33 on which a,-rol1er 34 is slidably mounted for movement into and out of the plane of a cam 35 secured to cam shaft 18.

When roller 34 is positioned in the plane of cam 35 rock shaft 28 is operated for raising the sup-- porting member 26 so that its shoulder 25 is engaged by the shoulder 24 of arm 21 as the latter moves downwardly under control of cam 20 to lower the transfer points 17. Thus, upon engagement of arm 21 with member 26 the descent of the transfer points 1'7 is terminated short of the downward movement permitted by cam 20 and inasmuch as the needle bars are descending at this time the loops on the points are pulled off the points as the needles continuing downward move away from the points. As cam shaft 18 completes a revolution support 26 is lowered and arm 21 engaging shoulder 25 descends therewith as cam 35 permits support 26 to return to its normal lowered position.

The position of roller 34 relatively to cam 35 is controlled by a pattern chain 37 having buttons 38 operable on a pivoted lever 40 which acts through a rod 41 to actuate a lever 42 having a bifurcated portion 43 engaged with roller 34 for moving the latter on stud 33. A pawl and ratchet device 44 for actuating pattern chain 3'7 is operable from a cam 45 on shaft 18 acting through a roller 46 slidable on a-stud carried by a pivoted arm 4'7 operatively connected to the pawl and ratchet device 44. Roller 46 is engaged by a bifurcated lever 48 operable to dispose the roller in the plane of cam 45 for actuating the pattern chain.

Lever 48 is connected by a rod 50 to apivoted lever 51 having a clevis 52 connected to an arm 53 carrying a roller 54 engageable with the periphery of a cam 55 on shaft 18.; Asecond roller 56 on arm 53 is engageable with a cam contour on the face of cam 55 for operating levers 51 and 48 to control operation of the pawling device 44 for pattern chain 3'7 by cam 45 acting on roller 46. An articulated extension 5'7 of arm 53 is normally in supported engagement with a shoulder on a spring biased pivoted supporting member 58 to maintain roller 54 from following the periphery of cam 55 so as to render cam 55 ineffective to act on roller 56 to operate levers 51 and 48.

A rod 60 slidably mounted in suitable guides is provided with a contact member 61 for moving support 58 from engagement with arm 53 and its extension 5'7. Roller 54 may then follow the periphery of cam 55 for positioning roller 56 for cooperation with the contour on the face of the cam which actuates levers 51 and 48 to position roller 46 for operation by cam 45 for advancing pattern chain 37. Theraised peripheral por tion of cam 55 is adapted to act on roller 54 for reengaging arm 53 and extension 57 with support 58 to again position and latch roller 56 out of cooperative relation with cam 55.

Rod 60 is controlled by the course regulator of the lace clock mechanism 22 and is actuated thereby, 'in the usual operation of the latter to release conventional shifting mechanism 62 for cam shaft 18, for releasing the support 58 to cause advance of pattern chain 3'7 as described above.

Briefly described, the course regulator determines the number of plain courses between lace courses, certain buttons of varying height on pattern chain 23 acting through bell crank 59 on a stepped plate 63 to determine the setting of a slide 64. Slide 64 is operable from its set position through a rack and pinion actuated by 8 pawl and ratchet 65 operated from a cam on cam shaft 18. When set for a number of plain courses as determined by chain 23 the slide 64 is advanced towards the left until it acts through rod 60 connected thereto to lift a chain lock lever 66 for releasing conventional shifting mechanism for moving cam shaft 18 axially.

The shifting of rod 60 also releases support 58 so that cam 55 acts through levers' 5l, 48 to position roller 46 for causing the pawling device 44 to advance pattern chain 3'7. Thus, pattern chain 37 is advanced a step for each operation of the lace mechanism 22 and the buttons 38 thereof become operative after a determined number of lace courses to shift roller 34 into the plane of cam 35 for raising support 26 to shorten the downward movement of the transfer points 1'7 so that in the downward. movement of the needles 10 the loops on the points will be pulled off by the needles, thus causing the dropping of stitches.

Referring now to Figures 6 to 8, after a course C has been knit the transfer points 1'7 and needles 10 are operated in usual manner, by causing the narrowing machine and transfer points to dip the required number of times, the lace clock mechanism 22 successively shifting the transfer points laterally in opposite directions in time relation with the dipping movements of the narrowing machine to transfer a loop b from its needle to an adjacent needle and then to transfer a second loop d of the same course in the opposite direction to an adjacent needle thusinterlocking the loops b and d' with the loops a and e.' When the loops of the following course D have been enthe loop 0 of course D on the needle 10c I and raised to take the loop from the needle.

In this operation the transfer point is not shifted laterally of the line of needles but is again lowered as though to replace the loop c on the needle 10c. However, as point 1'7 is lowered its descent is checked, as described above, so that as the needles descend, as usual in loop transferring operations, the loop 0 is drawn off the alined point 1'7 inasmuch as the point is held against further descent as the needles move downwardly. 136 The pulling of the loop 0 from point 17 results in freeing this loop since it is not now engaged on a needle 10 nor held on a point 1'7. Consequently, the stitch c' is dropped resulting in combining the openings I, II, into a large opening III.

Although the formation of only a single enlarged opening has been described it is to be understood that a plurality of enlarged openings may be formed in various courses by providing a plurality of transfer points. The enlarged openings formed in accordance with my invention may if desired be combined with smaller openings to produce varied lace-work designs. For example, Figures 6 to 8 also show a smaller opening IV provided below the enlarged opening 111 by interlocking a loop 0" of course A with the adjacent loop d".

The above described mechanism may, as hereinbefore stated, also be employed toproduce a variety of special loop formations in knitted fabrics obtained by the coaction between loop engaging points and selected needles, depending upon the time and extent of the interruption of the vertical movement of the narrowing machine, and the time relation and movements of the narrowing machine and points with respect to the needles.

For brevity in the specification and claims the term knitting, when employed with reference to the operation, movement, or cycle of operations or movements of the needles, is used in a generic sense to define any movement or operation of the needles relative to the coacting points for any li pose, and is not limited to those movements of the needles which produce only plain knitted loops; the expression additional means", referring to the means utilized for stopping, arresting, or otherwise affecting, temporarily or for any predetermined time interval, the dipping movement of the narrowing machine or the points carried thereby, is used in a generic sense to define any means utilized for this purpose; and the suits, can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a full fashioned knitting machine the combination with a series of needles, a seriesof needle engaging points, and means for cooperatively moving the latter toward and from the needles; of additional means for temporarily stopping for a predetermined timetinterval the vertical movement of the points short of their usual downward limit of travel to modify their cooperative relation with the needles during the normal operating cycle of the latter.

2. In a full fashioned knitting machine the combination with a series of needles, a series of' needle engaging points, and means for ,cooperatively moving the latter toward and from the needles; of cam shaft controlled additional means for temporarily arresting the dipping movement of the points short of their usual downward limit of travel during their cyclic cooperative relaplurality of points, means on said cam shaft for actuating said needle bar, a cam on said shaft adapted to operatively engage said narrowing machine to move said points vertically toward and away from said needles, and additional means to temporarily arrest the vertical dipping movement of said narrowing machine short of its usual downward limit of travel toward saidv needles while the latter continue in their normal path of travel.

4. In a full fashioned knitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a series of needles, a narrowing machineincluding a plurality of points, said cam shaft including means for actuating said needle bar and means for normally actuating said narrowing machine to move said points toward and away from said needles,

and additional cam-shaft-controlled meansarranged to temporarily arrest movement of said narrowing points short of their usual downward limit of travel toward said needles while permitting normal cyclic operation of said needle bar.

5. In a full fashioned knitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a series of needles, a narrowing machine including a support and. a plurality of points, means on said cam shaft for actuating said needle bar, a cam on said shaft adapted to operatively engage said narrowing machine to move said points toward and away from said needles, and means to maintain saidinarrowing machine inoperative for a predetermined time interval while said needles continue in their knitting cycle, said last mentioned means including a cam on said main cam shaft and a pivotal support operatively connected to said cam and arranged to engage said narrowing machine and maintain the latter free of said narrowing machine cam while in operative alignment therewith.

6. In a full fashioned knitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a series of needles, a'narrowing machine including a support and a plurality of points, means on said cam shaft for actuating said needle bar, a cam on said shaft adapted to operatively engage said narrowing machine to normally movesaid points toward and away from said needles, and additional means to temporarily modify the operation of said narrowing machine including a cam on said main cam shaft and a pivotal support operatively connected to said cam and arranged to maintain the narrowing machine at a predetermined elevation free of said narrowing machine cam while said main cam shaft remains in the position occupied during normal operation of said narrowing machine.

'1. In a mu fashioned knitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a series of needles, a narrowing machine including a support and a plurality of points, means on said cam shaft for actuating said needle bar, means on said shaft adapted to operatively engage said narrowing machine to move said points toward and away from said needles, and additional means operative after selected loops are engaged on the points to maintain said narrowing machine at a predetermined elevation intermediate its usual upward and downward limits of travel and out of coactive engagement with said needles for a predetermined time in rval while said needles continue in their knitting cycle.

. s. In a mu fashioned knitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a series of needles,

a narrowing machine including a support and a plurality of points, means on said cam shaft for actuating said needle bar, a cam on said shaft adapted to normally engage said narrowing machine to permit movement of said points toward and away from said needles, and supplemental means to maintain said narrowing machine momentarily inoperative at a predetermined elevation intermediate its usual upward and downward limit of travel, in its narrowing position, for

a predetermined time interval while said needles continue in their knitting cycle.

9. In a full fashioned knitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a series of needles, a narrowing machine including a plurality of points; said cam shaft including means for op-- erating said needle bar and means for normally operating said narrowing machine, said latter means being operatively positioned by longi- .tudinal shifting of said main cam shaft, and additional means to stop said narrowing machine short of its usual downward"'limit of travel and maintain the same temporarily inoperative while fi said main cam shaft remains in such longitudinally shifted narrowing position, whereby to permit said needles to continue knitting movements without throwing said narrowing machine ou of its narrowing position.

,10. In a full fashioned knitting machine the combination with a series of needles, a series of needle engaging points, and means' for cooperatively moving the latter toward and from the needles; of means operative after the points have 16 removed loops from selected needles for stopping the points short of their usual downward limit of travel during their cyclic cooperative movement with the needles, said machine including means for moving. the needles away from 20 said stopped points whereby descent of the needles from the latter effects withdrawal-and dropping of loops from said points.

11. In a full fashioned knitting machine the combination with a series of needles a series of needle engaging points, and means for cooperatively movingpthe latter toward and from the needles; of cam shaft controlled means operative after the points haveremoved loops from selected needles for stopping the points short of their usual downward limit of travel during their cyclic cooperative movement with the needles, said ma- ,chine including means for moving the needles away from said stopped points whereby descent of the needles from the latter efliects withdrawal and dropping of loops from said points.

12. In a full fashioned knitting machine the combination with a series of needles, a series of needle engaging points, andmeans for cooper! atively moving the latter toward and from the needles; of means operative after the points have removed loops from selected needles for stopping the points short of their usual downward limit of travel during their cyclic cooperative movement with the needles, said means including a cam operated member and a cam for actuating Y the latter, and said machine including means for moving the needles away' from said stopped points whereby descent of the needles from the latter effects withdrawal and dropping of loops from said points.

13. In a full fashioned knitting machine having reciprocable needles and a loop transfer point alignable therewith, means for operating said point to transfer a loop from an aligned needle to another needle, means for moving said point in the opposite direction to pick up a loop from another aligned needle and transfer the same to a needle more widely separated from said first mentioned other needle, thereby producing a plu-' rality of spaced openings one at each side of an intermediate loop in the same course, and said machine including means for effecting a partial operation of said point and engagement thereof with the intermediate loop bearing needle, whereby subsequent relative movement of said point and intermediate needle away from each other frees the loop from said intermediate needle and permits the same to drop, thereby combining said plurality of spaced openings into a single larger opening. I

14. In a full fashioned knitting machine have ing reciprocable needles and a loop transfer point alignable therewith, means for lowering and raising said transfer point to take a loop from an aligned needle, means formoving said transfer point, with the picked-up loop thereon, in one direction and in alignment with another needle bearing a loop in the same course, means for operating said point to transfer said picked-up loop to said other loop-bearing needle, means for returning said transfer point in the opposite direction and into alignment with another loop bearing needle normally separated from said first named aligned needle, means for operating said point to pick' up the loop from said separated needle and to transfer said loop to still another of said aligned loop bearing needles more widely separated from said first-transferred loop-bearing needle, said machine including operating means for knitting a succeeding course of loops to said first course, thereby producing a plurality of spaced openings, one at each side of aprescribed intermediate loop-bearing needle and means for partially lowering said transfer point in alignment with said intermediate needle, and in engagement with the loop on the latter whereby vertical movement of said intermediate needle away from said point draws said last mentioned loop from said point and drops the same, thereby combining said plurality of spaced openings into a single larger opening.

15. In a full fashioned lmitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a row of needles thereon, means operatively connecting said cam shaft and needle bar to reciprocate the latter, a transfer point support, means operatively connecting said transfer point support and said main cam shaft, means for operating the transfer point support and the points thereof to transfer a plurality of loops from certain needles to others spaced therefrom, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction in a predetermined course of the fabric being knitted, and means for temporarily arresting the loop-engaging travel of said transferpointsupport at a predetermined point while the transfer points are in partial engagement with other needle loops adjoiningthe said transferred loops in the immediate succeeding course of'the fabric, whereby subsequent movement of said needle bar away from the transfer points effects withdrawal of said partially engaged loops from the transfer points and dropping of said loops inthe knitted fabric.

16. In a full fashioned knitting machine, a main cam shaft, a needle bar having a row of needles thereon, means operatively connecting said cam shaft and needle bar to reciprocate. the latter, a transfer point support, means operatively connecting said transfer point support and said main cam shaft, means for operating the transfer point support and the points thereof to transfer a plurality of loops from certain needles to others spaced therefrom, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction in a predetermined course of the fabric being knitted, and means for temporarily arresting the loop-engaging travel of said transfer point support at a predeterminedpoint while the transfer points are in partial engagement with other needle loops 140 adjoining the said transferred loops in the immediate succeeding course of the fabric whereby subsequent movement of said needle bar away from the transfer points effects withdrawal of' said partially engaged loops from the transfer 5 points and dropping of said loops in the knitted fabric, said temporary arresting means including a main-cam-shaft-controlled device arranged to predeterminedly engage said transfer point support.

said'cam shaft and needle bar to reciprocate the latter, a transfer point support, means operatively connecting said transfer point support and said main cam shaft, means for operating the transfer point support and the points thereof to transfer a plurality of loops from certain needles to others spaced therefrom, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction in a predeter-.

mined course of the fabric being knitted, and means for temporarily arresting the loop-engaging travel of said transfer point support at a predetermined point while the transfer points are in partial engagement with other needle loops adjoining the said transferred loops in the imme diate succeeding course of the fabric, whereby subsequent movement of said needle bar away from the transfer points effects withdrawal of said partially engaged loops from the transfer points and dropping of said loops in the knitted fabric, said means operatively connecting the transfer point support and main cam shaft including -a"pivotally mounted arm, and said temporary arresting means including a rock shaft, a rocker arm fixed on said rock shaft and engageable with said main cam shaft, a second rock arm fixed on said rock shaft, and a supporting member mounted on said second rock arm, said ,supporting member including means for releasably engaging said pivoted arm to temporarily arrest its downward travel.

18. The method of making an enlarged lace work opening in a knitted fabric which comprises transferring spaced loops in a determined course first in one direction and then in another direction for interlocking with adjacent loops to form openings at opposite sides of a loop intermediate said spaced loops; and disengaging in the following course, a loop which corresponds to said intermediate loop from its needle to combine said openings into a single larger opening.

19. The method of making an enlarged lacework opening ina knitted fabric which includes knitting a course of loops, transferring a prescribed loop to and associating the same with an adjacent loop of said course, repeating said transfer operation with a second prescribed loop normally alternating with'said first prescribed loop and associating said second prescribed loop with an adjacent loop distant from said first named adjacent loop, then knitting a second course of loops, thereby producing a plurality of spaced openings, one at each side of a selected inter-' mediate loop in the first course, then disengaging from its needle a loop of said second course lying in the same wale as said intermediate loop, thereby combining said plurality of spaced openings into a single larger opening.

20. The method of making an ornamental opening in a knitted fabric which includes knitting a course of thread loops upon a series of needles, aligning a transfer point withone of said needles and transferring the loop on said needle to an adjacent loop-bearing needle, then shifting said transfer point laterally of said needles, in the opposite direction, into alignment with a second loop bearing needle spaced from said one of vthe needles by an intermediate needle and picking up the loop of. the said second needle, then transferring said last mentioned loop to an adjacent loopneedles away from said transfer point, thereby drawing said intermediate loop fromsaidtransfer point and dropping said loop, therebyforming said plurality of spaced openings into a single larger opening. v

GUSTAV GASTRICH.

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