US2014126A - Method of knitting nonrun shaped hosiery blanks - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 10, 1935. E. E. CARLSON METHOD OF KNII'TiNG ,NONRUN SHAPED HOSIERY BLANKS Filed Feb. 1, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 10, 1935. E. E. CARLSON 2,014,126

METHOD OF KNITTING NONRUN SHAPED HOSIERY BLANKS 4 Sheets-She et 3' Filed Feb, 1, 1954 lnveni ori I EZiswor'i/Fo E Caz ison.

Sept. 10, 1935. E. E. CARLSON METHOD OF KNITTING NONRUN SHAPED HOSIERY BLANKS Filed Feb. 1, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 173716 @7707.- EZZs 2002 2 515. Caz ason Patented Sept. 10, 1935 PATENT oFFicE METHOD OF KNITTING NONRUN SHAPED HOSIERY BLANKS Ellsworth E. Carlson, Saratoga. Springs, N. Y., assignor to Van Raalte Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 1, 1934, Serial No. #09302 Claim.

This invention relates to a method of knittin non-run shaped hosiery blanks.

In order that the principle of my invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a parallel sided blank of non-run character constructed in accordance with my invention, as it comes from the full-fashioned knitting machine, and to'which the sole of the foot and the toe are to be knitted;

Fig. 2 is a similar view representing the blank when it has been cut to shape;

Fig. 3 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2 but representing the sole and side portions of the ifoot and the toe as having been knitted onto the blank;

Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective representing the manner of knitting the welt;

Fig. 5 is'a vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of non-run full-fashioned hosiery as disclosed in my original application Ser. No. 541,245, filed June 1, 1931, now Patent No. 1,989,913, February 5, 1935, the fabric disclosed in this application being of the same non-run characteristic as shown in said original application, rendered so by the presence of a warp thread in and restricted to each needle wale throughout the entire extent of the fabric;

Fig. 7 is a detail upon a very much enlarged scale showing the knitting of individual warp threads in the respective needle wales of the fabric of Fig. 6 as well as of Figs. 1, 2 and 3; and

Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive are perspective views indicating the manner of forming the welt upon each blank without setting the fabric up anew upon the needles and warp thread fingers of the machine.

Referring first to Figs. 6 and 7 of the application. I have in Fig. 6 represented at l the leg or calf portion of a full-fashioned stocking which is rendered of a non-run character by reason of the knitting of a warp thread 2 into each needle wale 3 of the fabric but not into the sinker wales t thereof. The purpose of knitting in the said warp threads 2 is to render the fabric of a non-run character throughout while at the same time preserving the full lateral expansibility of the fabric in the manner fully disclosed in my said Patent No. 1,989,913. The said stocking shown in Fig. 6 is provided with a welt 5. The instep 6 is desirably knitted as a direct and integral continuation of the leg portion l, and the warp threads 2 are continued into the respective needle wales throughout the instep portion 6.

own needle wale, I am not confined thereto as to all features of my invention, since I am the first, so far as I am aware, to knit a non-run blank and then to out the same to shape.

Referring more particularly to the stocking of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, and 15 to the matter of forming the welt thereof illustrated in Figs. 8 to 12, it is to be understood that the fabric is knitted upon a full-fashioned knitting machine, but that in making the said fabric,

I do not either effect a lateral transfer of loops at the points where fashionings would normally be provided, as, for example, just below the welt and in the calf portion and in the heel, nor do I shorten the traverse of the main knitting or I weft thread from time to time in order to shape the fabric. Both of these other methods of procedure are fully disclosed and claimed in applications already filed by me, and certain of which have issued as Patents, viz, Nos. 1,978,408, 1,978,409, and 1,978A12. In the present case, however, I knit the fabric of uniform width from the commencement of the welt down to the toe as is illustrated in Fig. 1 at in, and then, as illustrated in Fig. 2, I cut or trim the fabric along certain lines, as will be fully disclosed. Preferably after trimming the fabric, I kniton the sides and bottom of the foot and the toe, as indicated in Fig. 3, and then seam up the fabric.

Referring more in detail to said Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the welt portion of the fabric is indicated generally at II and the preferred manner of forming this welt will be hereinafter disclosed.

It is to be understood that the fabric of Fig. 1 is knitted upon a spring beard needle machine of any suitable type, as, for example, the well known Reading machine, but without employing transfer points or narrowing points. The

,rnachine is desirably of a fine gauge, and the fabric may be of any suitable weight or character, as, for example, chiffon or service weight or of some, intermediate weight. The machine is, however, provided by-me, in accordance with my invention, with a warp thread finger, desirably one for each needle, and in the knitting of the fabric each warp is fed to its needle in the man ner fully described in my Patent No. 1,978,412, October 30, 1934. In setting up the machine for such fabric, it is evident that much time is necessarily involved in introducing each warp thread to the proper needle, and, as will be hereinafter disclosed, it is an important feature of my invention, but which, however, may be used in various relations, that the series of blanks constituting the successive leg portions of the stockings be integrally connected together, so as to avoid setting up the machine as to the warp threads thereof at the completion of each leg blank. In other words, the fabric is knitted as a continuous string, each leg blank being severed at a proper time after the knitting of the new blank has commenced, and thus preserving the continuity of the in roduction of the warp threads to.

the respective needles.

Assuming that all the blanks are set up or started upon the respective sections of the machine, each blank |0 is knitted parallel sided from the commencement of the welt at a point which may be the line l2 of Figs. 4 and 5, down to the line l3, l3 of Fig. 1 (and in fact through the short zone H, to be hereinafter referred to) and so on through the formation of the succeeding blanks.

In knitting the said blank, I preferably introduce colored or otherwise contrasting warps at six points l5, l5, l6, l6 and l6, l6, as a guide for cutting the fabric blank. The said colored warps are, of course, continuous throughout the series of blanks, but the coloring material is of such nature that it is readily washed out in the treatment of the fabric blank in completing the stocking after the knitting operation.

During the knitting operation, I reinforce what become the high splice and heel portions l1, l1 and also the terminal portions of the instep I8 at IS, IS. This is done by introducing extra weft thread carriers, each traversing a portion only of the width of the fabric in a manner customary in the Reading machine and which need not be further described.

After the blank of Fig. 1 has been knitted and either before or after the remainder of the foot and the toe have been knitted thereonto, the blank is trimmed along the inclined lines 20, 20 and 20', 20, for the calf shaping and the shaping at the knee just below the welt, and in order to locate the points at which said inclined lines commence and terminate, I may provide suitable indications or markings and preferably by providing at each edge of the fabric where the inclined lines of cutting should commence and terminate, a small indentation or notch 2 2|, 22, 22, as by varying the feeding of the weft thread inward and then outward to the extent of two needles at each edge. This fixes the exact location of the inclined lines or cut edges 20, 20 and 20', 20"of the stocking. The fabric blank is also cut at the termination 23 of each heel or high splice reinforcement, as shown in Fig. 2, and also lengthwise the blank, at 24, 24, preferably through the reinforcements l1, I! for the heel. Desirably, also, the reinforcement at the heel is continued along narrow lines25, 25down to and so as to merge into the reinforcements IS, IS, hereinbefore referred to.

After the trimming has been efiected along the lines 24 of Fig. 2, and the areas 21, 21 of Fig. 1 have been trimmed away, the heel tabs are turned outwardly, as indicated at 28, 28, Fig. 3, and then 29 are knitted as continuations of the heel tabs 'in looping the toe.

and the toe portion 30 is knitted with fashioning 3|, 3|, this being preferably done upon the usual footer and without the employment of warp threads in the needle wales of the said side and sole portions of the foot, and in the toe.

At a suitable time, the fabric is seamed up along the longitudinal lines 32, 32 at the edges of' the instep, and also the outer edges 33, 33 are seamed together to complete the foot and the stocking is seamed up the median back line of the leg along the cut parallel lines 34, 34 of Fig. 2, the cut inclined lines 20, 20, Fig. 2, and the selvaged edges 35, 35 of Figs. 1 and 2. It will be understood that the outer corners 26 (Fig. 2) of the heel tabs are also trimmed or rounded before the blank is seamed up.

The knitting of the welt in such manner as to avoid reintroducing the warp threads to the needles is effected as shown in the diagrammatic views, Figs. 8 to 12, reference being also made to Figs. 4 and 5.

It will be assumed that the machine has been set up as hereinbefore described and that the knitting has continued throughout the formation of the first blank, as indicated in Fig. 8. In that figure, the take-up roll for the fabric is indicated at 36, and the fabric blank I0 is represented as extending therefrom to the needles 31. The welt stick is indicated at 38. It will be observed that between the extremity of the instep portion I8 and the needles, there is the short extra zone Id of the full width of the fabric. Several important functions are served by the provision of the said extra zone. It is not possible, or at least it would be exceedingly difficult, to trim or sever one blank from the next on the machine and to do this accurately. By providing the extra zone,,the knitter can separate the blanks with scissors roughly, and later they can be trimmed accurately. The welt is turned in the manner described without having pressed off the previous hose or stocking blank prior to the commencement of the welt, and thus the short extra zone cooperates in several ways to facilitate the entire knitting operation. It may be mentioned that when making an English foot, the extra zone constitutes a finger-hold for the topper when topping on for the footer. In the case of a hose made on a unit machine, the said extra zone would be used as a finger-hold for the looper In either case (that is, with the English foot on the legger and footer system or the French foot on the unit machine), the extra zone serves as a finger-hold for topping or looping, and facilitates the quick severing of ting is continued for the formation of the new welt, and in Fig. 10 the new welt is indicated at 43, the blank I0 of the previous hose being shown as partly accumulating upon the take-up roll 36. In Fig. 11, the welt bar 40 has been placed on the needles to turn the welt in the well understood manner. In this figure, the straps 44 are shown as hooked onto the welt stick 38, which runs through the welt, but actually the said straps are not booked up until the welt bar has been reneedles when said additional zone has been knitmoved. A few inches more of fabric are then knitted, as indicated in Fig. 12, where a portion of the new hose or stocking blank following the welt is indicated at 46, and then the old hose or stocking blank I3 is held up by the operator and trimmed off at the line 41, as indicated in Fig. 12. This leaves a short protruding portion 48, shown also in Figs. 4 and 5, which protruding portion is subsequently trimmed off, or otherwise removed.

In this manner an integral welt is completed which is turned and not sewed, which welt is of an entirely non-run character, because each needle wale thereof isprovided with its own 'warp thread.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that I have provided a blank which is of an entirely non-run character because of warp threads, one for each needle wale, and that the said warp threads are continuous throughout the welt and that the welt is a turned welt, the

making of which, however, .does not require the setting up of the machine after the formation of each blank.

I desire it to be understood that the feature of forming the welt, without setting up the machine as to the warp threadsthereof, at the termination of each leg blank may be used either with the feature of cutting the blank as herein d6:- scribed or it may be employed independently thereof, as, for example, in the making of a nonrun fabric blank that is either (1) shaped or fashioned wherever desired by lateral transfer of stitches composed of the main knitting thread and the respective warp threads, as, for example, just below the welt, at the calf portions of the leg and/or in the heel, or (2)'in making a fabric that isshaped or fashioned by terminating needle wales through the act of shortening the traverse of the main knitting or weft thread wherever desired, as, for example, just below the welt and being knitted without lateral transfer of stitches of the warp and weft threads and without shortening the traverse of the welt thread, inasmuch as said claims form the subject matter of a divisional application to be duly filled.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the blank and of the stocking andthe best mode known for making 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 Lelaims.

I claim:

1. That method of knitting including providing a non-run welt upon a non-run stocking having a main or weft thread throughoutand having warp threads in the needle Wales thereof to render the same of a non-run character, which includes knitting a stocking blank of said weft thread and said warp threads to the toe portion of the full width of the fabric, continuing the knitting of the full width of the blank to provide an additional zone, inserting welt hooks at the ted, continuing theknitting to provide fabric of suflicient length to constitute a turned welt for the next stocking blank, turning the welt to permit the continuation of the fabric of the said new blank, severing the blank for the previous stocking at said zone without removing from the needles the new fabric formed subsequent to the described welt and similarly knitting the said next stocking blank. 10

2. That method of knitting including providing a non-run Welt upon a non-run stocking having a main or Weft thread throughout and having warp threads in the needle wales thereof to render the same of a non-run character, which includes knitting a stocking blank of said Weft thread and. said warp threads to the toe portion of the full width of the fabric, continuing the knitting of the full width of the blank to provide an additional zone, inserting welt hooks at the needles when said additional zone has been knitted, continuing the knitting to provide fabric of sufficient length to constitute a turned welt for the next stocking blank, turning the welt to permit the continuation of the fabric of the said new blank, severing the blank for the said previous stocking at said zone without removing from the needles the new fabric formed subsequent to the described welt, and similarly knitting the said next stocking blank.

3. That method of knitting a string of stocking blanks all of a non-run character and each stocking blank having integrally formed therewith a turned welt of similar non-run character, which includes knitting course after course of a mainor weft thread, and introducing a series of warp threads into the respective needle wales in number substantially corresponding to the number of said wales, and in so doing knitting each stocking blank of the same width from the 40 top thereof to the toe, continuing the knitting of the full width of the blank to provide an additional zone to facilitate the subsequent manual manipulation of the blanks in the said knitting operation, then knitting and turning as the commencement of the next stocking blank, a welt portion wherein the said warp threads are continuations respectively of the warp threads of the preceding stocking blank, and, in the said knitting of the successive stocking blanks integrally, continuing the respective warp threads throughout the said stocking blanks including the respective welts thereof.

4. That method of knitting including providing a non-run welt upon a non-run stocking having a main or weft thread throughout and having warp threads in the needle wales thereof to render the same of a non-run character, which includes knitting a stocking blank of said weft thread and said warp threads to the toe portion of the full width of the fabric, continuing the knitting of the full width of the blank to pro vide an additional zone to facilitate the subse quent manual manipulation of the blanks in the said knitting operation, continuing the knitting to provide fabric of sufficient length to constitute a turned welt for the nextstocking blank, turning the welt to permit the continuation of the fabric of the said new blank, severing the blank for the previous stocking at said zone with-" out removing from the needles the new fabric formed subsequent to the described welt, and similarly knitting the said next stocking blank. 5. That method of knitting a continuous string of flat-knit stocking blanks, each of which blanks has a welt knitted integral therewith, which method includes knitting successive courses having a weft thread to form a stocking blank, said knitting being continued to the toe portion of the blank of the full width of the fabric, continuing the said knitting of the full width of the blank to provide an additional zone to facilitate the subsequent manual manip'ulation of the blanks in the said knitting operation, continuing the knitting of the full width to provide fabric of sufficient length to constitute 8.

turned welt for the next stocking blank, turning the welt to permit the continuation of the knitting of the fabric of the said new blank portion, severing the blank for the previous stocking at said additional zone without removing from the needles the new fabric formed subsequent to the described welt, similarly knitting the said next stocking blank, and continuing the said steps throughout the knitting of the said string of stocking blanks.

ELLSWORTH E. CARLSON.

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