US1995279A - Means for effecting transfer of knitted fabric portions in fullfashioned knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

Mal-ch19, 1935. M. E. MAGNIER 1,995,279

MEANS FOR EFFECTING TRANSFER'OF KNITTED FABRIC PORTIONS IN FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 9, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l 9 G O Q 9 Q Q Q Q 0 6 6 w y M W March 19, 1935. v E, MAGNlER 1,995,279

' MEANS FOR EFFECTING TRANSFER OF KNITTED FABRIC PORTIONS IN FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 9, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ave-Win2 Mar na's E. Ma gnwz;

Patented Mar. 19, 1935 MEANS FOR EFFECTING TRANSFER or KNITTED FABRIC PORTIONS IN FULL- FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Morris E. Magnier, Phoenixville, Pa., assignor to Ajax Hosiery Mills, Phoenixville, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 9, 1932, Serial No. 591,769 Claims. ((31. 66-148) This invention relates to means for effecting the transfer of knitted fabric portions particularly in full fashioned machines.

In order that the principle of the invention may 5 be readily understood, I have disclosed in the accompanying drawings the preferred form of means for practising the invention and shall describe the best method known to me for effecting the same.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a'front only of elevation of a section or part a. full fashioned knitting machine of known type having the mechanism for carrying out by invention applied thereto;

Fig.2 is a vertical transverse section of parts of the knitting machine and showing, in full lines in operative position and in dotted lines in inactive position, one form of means by which my invention may Fig. 3 is a plan view be practised; and

part of a full fashioned stocking, being in the present instance the top welt of the stocking,

, and the part immediately succeeding the same,

both provided with a lace formation.

It has heretofore been customary to knit the upper portion of a full fashioned stocking, or less than the entire full fashioned stocking, upon one full fashioned machine, and then to transfer the same to another action as heretofore practised machine, which transferring I will describe at length before proceeding to describe the improvement provided by my invention.

The reasons for transferring the upper portion of a full fashioned stocking, or less than the entire full fashioned stocking, to another full fashioned machine areseveral. machine upon which the Frequently the upper-part of the stocking is knitted is not provided with mechanism by which the fashioning operation may be carried out in the calf and which the upper part of the ankle; or the machine upon stocking is knitted may be provided with means for effecting the formation of lace in the welt andin the part immediately below the welt, as fully described in the patent to Harry W. Hoffm'ann,

1,828,533, dated October 20, 1931, and such machine may not be adapted to complete the knitting of the remainder of the stocking. Also it is customary, when the completed with Stocking leg or leg of the stocking has been the heel portions, to transfer said blank to a footer, or the transfer may be desirable for other reasons. 1

Referring to the transfer operation, for any purpose, so far as the same has heretofore been practised, the stocking was knitted upon a full of a portion of the upper fashioned machine down to a point'below the welt or to such other point as it may. have been desired to carry or continue the knitting on the said first full fashioned machine, then a loose course was knitted and then an additional number of courses were knitted, giving about onehalf inch in length of additional fabric, so that the person who made the transfer could have an edge fabric portion to hold between the thumbs and fingers while making the transfer.

When the knitting was continued that far, the incomplete stocking or blank was taken off the machine; assuming there were eighteen to twenty sections on the machine, the blanks from all said setcions were-taken off at this point. The 15 said blanks so taken off were ca ed to a table, where there was provided a supporting frame in which was permanently mounted ona backward slant a bar having a number of points equalling the number of needles in a section or head of 20v the said first knitting machine and with the same gauge, etc. A special operative took in turn each of said blanks and (holding, the extra lower edge fabric portion between the thumb and first finger of, say, the left hand and an adja- 25 cent part of the fabric atthe other side of the loose course between the thumb and first finger of say, the right hand) the loops of. the said loosecourse were impaled upon the points of that stationarily mounted bar. 5 1 Having done this for one blank, the same operative at once retransferred the said stitches from that stationarily mounted bar onto a like bar not mounted in a fixed support, but adapted to be carired over to the next knitting machine. The 35 operative then repeated this entire operation with all the blanks taken from the said first knitting machine, thus providing, say, eighteen to twenty blanks, each one of which he so impaled upon the points of a separate bar. attached piecesof fabric were then taken to the second knitting machine equipped to knit legs or equipped to complete the knitting of the stocking, and the operative transferred each piece of fabric onto one section or head of needles of 45 the said second knitting machine. He then raveled back the additional one-half inch of extra "fabric of each fabric blank'to the described loose 'for effecting the described transferring operations Said bars with their 4 was costly, the cost amounting to twenty-five cents per dozen pair of stockings, or more.

By my invention a marked saving in time, convenience and material is effected. I will first describe or refer to so much of a full fashioned machine as is necessary or desirable in order to have the knitting operation understood.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the needle bar or support is represented at 1, the needles at 2, the knockingover hits at 3, and the sinkers at 4. The upper knife rod or bar is indicated. at 5, the narrowing rods at 6, the narrowing transfer points at 7, 8 and the picot rod at 9. Such parts, being of usual construction, need not'be more fully described.

Preferably upon one of the knife rods, as, for example, upon the upper knife rod 5, I removably secure two brackets 10, 10, shown' most clearly and upon a larger scale in Fig. 2. If desired and as there shown, each bracket is provided with a divided collar 11, 11 secured together by bolts 12, 12. The bracket has a depending portion 13 of substantially right angular construction, and secured thereto, as by screws 14, is another bracket member 15 of right angular shape, each such bracket member having a stud 16 held in an opening therein, as by means of a nut 17. The head or end 18 of the said stud extends through the bracket member 15 and is adapted-to enter an opening 19 in one end portion or other suitable part of a transfer bar 20.

The said transfer bar 20 is thus supported at its opposite ends upon the studs of the said brackets 10, and any suitable means may be provided to confine or retain the said transfer bar 20 in position upon the said brackets 10 until the transfer of the portion of the knitted fabric blank or portion is effected to the points 21 of the said transfer bar 20. For the purpose, I may provide spring clips or spring plates 22 mounted upon pivots or pins 23 so that they may be swung from over the said studs 18 to permit theremoval of the transfer bar 20, or may be swung so as to overlie the said studs 18. It will be understood that the said. brackets 10 may be readily swung up by hand or otherwise into inactive position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Each bar 20 has a number of transfer points 21 equalling the number of needles in the corresponding head or section of the knitting machine, and with the same spacing of transfer points as for the needles. It will be understood that the knife bar or other part upon which the said brackets are supported participates in the dipping movement.

With a machine equipped as thus described, the knitting of the stocking is begun as usual, as, for example at the commencement of the welt, and the welt portion 24 (shown in Fig. 3) is knitted, said welt being closed in the usual manner at a line or course indicated at 25. During the knitting of the outer wall of the welt, I prefer to effect, by lateral transfer movement of stitches to the right or left, a lace formation characteristic of the said Hoffmann Patent No. 1,828,533, and as indicated at 26, 27 in Fig. 3. I may and desirably do continue the knitting upon the same machine down to some suitable point, such as indicated at 28, and before reaching the point 28, I may and preferably do effect by lateral transfer of stitches another lace formation such as indicated at 29. Desirably the entire portion of the fabric shown in Fig. 3 is knitted with a thread which is heavier than the thread from which the remainder of the stocking is knitted.

It now becomes necessary to transfer the fabric thus far knitted, and one type of which is shown in Fig. 3, to the second knitting machine to complete the knitting of the stocking, or at least to continue the knitting down to the foot portion of the stocking. Therefore, in accordance with my invention, I proceed as follows:

When the knitting is continued down to the desired point, as, for example, down to the point 28, Fig. 3, a dipping action is automatically effected, so that thereby the incomplete blank of Fig. 3, which as an entirety is designated at 30, is instantly, by said dipping action, taken off the knitting needles 2 by and onto the transfer points 21 of the transfer bar 20. No additional material is knitted to be later raveled back as described in connection with previous processes. The bar 20, which is indicated in Fig. 3 as now impaled by its points on the last course of the fabric blank 30, is removed from the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and is carried directly over to the second machine with the fabric portion or blank 30 impaled on the points thereof. The impaled stitches of the fabric portion 30 are then transferred exactly onto the needles of the second machine, and from this point on the knitting of the stocking is the same as heretofore practised.

It will be understood that by my invention there is not only effected a saving in material, inasmuch as it is not necessary to ravel back any portion of the fabric that is transferred, but I also effect a very substantial saving of time.

The means for creating the lace top is indicated in Fig. 1 in which is shown the lace bar 31 for one unit or section, said lace bar being represented as turned back out of action. Each lace bar of the machine is provided with brackets 32 which are mounted upon the lace rod 33. It will be understood that after the work is transferred from the first machine onto the transfer bar 20, such transfer bar is removed, in order that the work may be transferred ultimately onto the second machine. While such transfer work is going on the transfer-bar brackets are raised up out of the way in order to allow the knitter to bring the lace bar 31 down into action and start another welt having lace formation therein.

Having thus described one embodiment of means for practising my invention and the best method known to me for effecting the same, it is to be understood'that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

1. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, a bar or rod adapted to participate in the dipping movement, bracket means secured to said rod or bar, studs 16 upon .said bracketmeans, and a transfer bar adapted to.be readily positioned on said "studs for quick removal.

2. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, a bar or rod adapted to participate in the dipping movement, bracket means secured to said rod or bar, studs 16 upon said bracket means, and a transfer bar adapted to be readily positioned upon said studs for clip means 22 temporarily to maintain said bar upon said studs. I

3. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, a bar or rod adapted to participate in the dipping movement, bracket means secured upon said rod or bar, projections extending from said bracket upon which a transfer bar may be readily and temporarily hung. in combination with a transquick removal, and spring fer bar having openings to receive said projections, and means to insure the temporary holding of said transfer bar upon said projections.

4. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, a rod or bar adapted to participate in the dipping movement; bracket means secured to said rod or bar; and a transfer bar adapted to be readily positioned upon said bracket means for quick removal; one of said parts (namely, the bracket means and. the transfer bar), having projections, and the other of said parts having openings to receive said projections, whereby the ready positioning for quick removal is obtained.

5. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, a rod or bar adapted to participate in the dippin movement; bracket means secured to said rod or bar; a transfer bar adapted to be readily positioned upon said bracket means for quick removal; one of said parts (namely, the bracket means and the transfer bar), having projections, and the other of said parts having openings to receive said projections and means to insure the temporary holding of said transfer bar upon said projections, whereby the ready positioning forquick removal is obtained. MORRIS E. MAGN'IER.

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