US2014213A

US2014213A - Latch needle pattern attachment

Info

Publication number: US2014213A
Application number: US644575A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richards Eugene
Original assignee: GRAND RAPIDS TEXTILE MACHINERY
Current assignee: GRAND RAPIDS TEXTILE MACHINERY; GRAND RAPIDS TEXTILE MACHINERY Co
Priority date: 1932-11-28
Filing date: 1932-11-28
Publication date: 1935-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 1952-09-10

Description

Sept. 10, 1935. H A SHN-ELUS 2,014,213

LATCH NEEDLE PATTERN ATTACHMENT Sept- 10, 1935. H. A. sHn-:Lns V2,014,213

LATCH NEEDLE PATTERN ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 2s, 1952 2 sheets-sheet 2 3. ,Mmm

Patented Sept. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LATCH NEEDLE PATTERN ATTACHMENT Application November 28, 1932, Serial No. 644,57 5

8 Claims.

This invention relates to pattern attachments for knitting machines and its particular purpose is to provide an attachment by means of which a pattern may be knit into the fabric manufactured by a tubular latch needle knitting machine.

The device provides an invention by which two strands of yarn are guided into the needles of the knitting machine at each yarn feeding station so that the relative positions of the respective strands of yarn as they are fed into the needles and knit into the fabric thereby may be repeatedly changed during the knitting operation so that the different strands of yarn alternately appear upon the outer surface of the fabric at different locations and, the respective strands of yarn being of different colors or different kinds, a pattern is caused to appear in the finished product.

The invention provides a device of this kind which is most efficient and accurate in operation, durable, simple in construction, adjustable for operation under different conditions and also has various other new and useful features of construction and arrangement as hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 shows a portion of a conventional knitting machine with the pattern attachment of this invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a. cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l of the same part of the conventional knitting machine showing the pattern knitting attachment in side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the pattern attachment showing the parts thereof moved to a different position than shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the pattern attachment viewed from` the opposite side than shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a series of needles of the knitting machine showing the needle guard having the throat through which the treads pass and also showing the eye ends of the yarn guide lingers in position with the strands of yarn passing through them and into the needles.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan View of the drive gear and cam of the pattern attachment.

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the same on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, and

Fig. 9 is an elevation of one of the yarn guard fingers removed from the machine.

(Cl. (i6- 137) Like reference numbers refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The machine to which the attachment of this invention is applied is of the conventional type known as a tubular latch needle knitting machine which has a rotating needle cylinder l and a rotating needle dial 2. Conventional latch needles 3 are slidably mounted in longitudinal grooves on the outer surface of the needle cylinder l and similar latch needles 4 are slidably mounted in radial grooves on the upper surface of needle dial 2. A fixed cylinder cam 5 surrounds the cylinder l to move the needles 3 thereon in a conventional manner and a fixed cam plate i5 located over the needle dial 2 performs a like function upon the needles 4. A xed arcshaped guide l is located close to the needles at each yarn feeding station to retain the needles 3 of the cylinder l in their respective grooves.

Knitting machines of this type are customarily provided with a plurality of yarn feeding stations spaced about the periphery at which stations the respective vertical and horizontal needles 3 and il are successively moved as the cylinder and dial rotate, to receive the yarn and to perform the knitting operation, and to manufacture plain fabric without pattern the strands of yarn are fed into the needles at these stations by iixed yarn guides. The present pattern attachment is substituted for the conventional fixed yarn guides and is attached to the cam plate 6 of the knitting machine by the same screw 8 as was originally used to attach the fixed yarn guides thereto.

The pattern attachment comprises a body 9 having a bracket portion Il) which engages the cam plate and through which the screw 8 passes to attach the device to the knitting machine. The upper portion of the body has a horizontal extension ll in which are mounted two fixed yarn guides lz through each of which one of the respective strands of yarn I3 and i4 passes.

Two yarn guide lingers l5 and I6 are pivotally mounted upon the body 9 upon a single pivotal axis. A shaft or pivot pin l1 serves as the pivot mounting, and a xed yarn guide I8 is supported on said shaft il, said yarn guide I8 having two holes through which the respective strands of yarn pass. Each of the yarn guide fingers I5 and I6 has an upwardly extending arm having a substantially horizontal portion l5a and lSa which has an eye and a downwardly extending arm having k,an eye portion 15b and |62). Although the upper and lower arms of each guide linger are made of separate parts for convenience in manufacture, these upper and lower arms of Vsidered.

' the 'fran/ie of the machine.

each guide finger are joined together and moved as though they were integral and may be so con- The finger I 5 has an outwardly extending lever I9 having a pin 20 thereon and the linger I5 has an outwardly extending lever 2I and pin 22 thereon. An oscillating lever V23 is pivoted between its ends at 24 and each of its respective ends is forked to embrace the

respective pins

20 and 22. By this construction synchronous but opposite pivotal movement of the respective iingers I5 and I6 is caused to occur and the lengths between the respective arms I9 and 2i extend from their pivots and the relative location of the pivot 24 between the ends of the forked lever 23 is arranged so that Vthe amount of reciprocation of each of the fingers I5 and I6 is substantially the same. v

The pivoted linger I6 is moved in one direction by a spring 25 which is attached at its lowerY end to an extension i Ifc and at its upper end to 1. a supporting arm l25' mounted Von the frame of the machine; The ringer VI'E is moved in the opposite direction by a cam lever comprising the upper and lower arms 2'! and 28. The upper and

lower arms

21 and 28 of the cam lever are integrally joined by a hub 29 which hub is pivotally mounted on a pivot screw 30 extending fr om The arm 2I of the yarn 'guide finger Iiil has an adjustable screw 3! which engages the moving end of the cam lever 21 andthe moving end'of the `cam lever `28 rides upon a circular cam 32.

The cam 32 is `in the nature of an annulus or series of segments mounted upon a base 33 which is supportedV upon a gear 3-4. The gear 34 has a hub 35 "rotatably mountedupon a short vertical shaft 36 which is fastened to the frame of the machine. The 'base 33 of the cam 32 has a central Vopening 'through which the hub 35 extends and the base A33 may have a limited rotation about the Ihub upon the gear 34 it being provided with a 'segmental slot 31 through which a clamp- 'ing screw V38 extends, said-clamping screw being 'threaded into the Vgear v34. By this structure the cam 32 may be rotatably adjusted relativeV to the ygear 34 within the limit 'of the length of the slot 31 vand may be clamped -to the gear in the desired adjusted position by the screw 38.

-The gear. 34 is Varranged 'to be driven by engagement'with the 'needles of the needle cylinder vI"'or5by engagement with 'the portions of suchcylinder extending beyond the needlesbetween the needle grooves therein.V In some knitting ma- "chnes of this :type it is more convenient to engage the teeth of the Ygear 34 with the portions 'of thecylin'der I which'extend outwardly between needlegrooves as generally shown in the present drawings butin other machines it is preferable to engageythe teeth ofthe gear 34-directly with the needles to Ybe driven thereby. Usually when idrive'n by the'portions Yof the cylinder between Vthe grooves the gear should be ina higher posi- "tion and when Vdriven by the needles it should be in a lower position asrillustrated by dotted lines in FigJi. In order to change the vertical ."position ofthe gear 34 it is merely necessary to provide adi'ferent hub 35 therefor on which the ge'arisl mounted' at the desired height. Y When the vertical position of the gear is altered the `cam lever A28, which'engages the cam 3-2 thereon, must also be changed 'sothat it will properly engage 'the cam at the position where the gear is located.

The shaft"36,- about which the gear 34 and ca'm kthe needles 3 or the extensions between the needle 10 grooves of the cylinder. The lower ends I5b and IGb of the yarn guide fingers, which have eyes therein, serve to guideY the respective strands of yarn I3 and I4 through a needle guard 4I which needle guard is xed 15 to ythe frame of the device and which is provided with an opening or throat through which both strands of yarn pass.V The opening or throat has a larger portion 42 shaped and located so that it will receive either of the lower ends I5b 20 Y or ifb` of the yarn guide -iingersin inner pesi-tion and the throat has a narrowed extension 431 :cornrnunicating with the larger portion 42 and extending therefrom iin the saine direction `'as the yarn is led into the needles and is for the purpose `25 of guiding the `strand of vyarn which passes through the yarn lguide finger which is -rnoved to outer position in a manner tocause sai'dstrand of yarn to lie outwardly 'relative to the strand of yarn which is being guided into the needles 30` through the throat portion A42 by the yarn guide linger which is in inner position.

A yarn tension device is provided' whichco-nsists of a base 44 mounted for slding movement in -a slot 45 inthe frame 9 of the device and 85 being clamped in the desired location in 'said slot by a nut 46 which is screwed onto the threaded extension 44a of said base. Two small rods 4l extend in vertically spaced relation from said base 44 and in position so that the veye 40 portions of either the upper e'nds I'5a1and Ilia of the lyarn guide vfingers 'will move 'between them whensaid ends are movedforwardly. The upper end of the yarn guide, which is in vfoi.1'vafrd.-1;iosiu tion, causes the strand of yarn passing through 45 this respective guide to be fiexed in contact with vboth of the rods 41 'and also'in the 'eye yof ithe of the yarn guide which is in oute'rposition re- 450A moves the yarn from contact with the rods 41 permitting it to travel vdirectly vthrough the yarn guide without imposing frictiona'l resistance to such travel. Y

It may here be explained thatv the yarn guide `55 finger, which has its `upper end in forward position to engage its strand of .yarn with the'fri'ction rods 4l, has its lower end in outer position to pass its strand of yarn through ther forward extension 43 of the throat'of the yarn guide 6'0 which also imposes additional'frictional `resistance to movement of the yarn. rAdjustment of the position of the `friction rods il by movin the body 44 in vthe slot 45 alters the amount of tension which is frictionally imposed upon the 65 yarn at this. point. l

Adjustable stop'screws 48 and 49 are provided vto be engaged by and limit ythe movements in one direction of the respective yarn guide fngers I5 and I6. These stop screws43fandiiextend 70 through a support 50 Afastened to thelfra'me or 'the device yand are threaded vthrough ."said support so that rotation ofthe screws will vary their positions axially.

rihe lower endsof the screws are engaged Tbyf Y An adjusting screw 40 is screwed through `5 extensions ISC on the finger I6 and I5c on the finger I5 in the upward movements of these extensions to limit the movements of the respective fingers in the corresponding directions which adjustably limits the forward movements and positions of the lower ends I5b and Ib thereof.

Operation The device is first attached to the knitting machine at the yarn feeding station thereof by removing the conventional yarn guide and attaching the pattern knitting yarn guide of this invention in its place. There are customarily a plurality of yarn guides on each knitting machine spaced at intervals about its periphery and, as heretofore explained, the device of this invention is provided with a bracket I0 by which it may be attached to the knitting machine by the same screw 8 as was originally provided to attach the conventional yarn guide thereto.

Threads or strands of yarn I3 and I4 are led from spools located above, two of such strands leading to each pattern attachment and said two strands being of Adifferent colors or different kinds. Each of the strands is passed through a respective guide I2, thence through one of the upper eyes of each respective yarn guide fingers I5 and I6, thence through the respective eyes of the fixed yarn guide I8, thence through the respective eyes in the lower ends of the yarn guide fingers and from there both strands of yarn are led through the throat of the yarn guide 4I into the needles which needles operate upon -both strands of yarn when the machine is operated to knit the yarn into a tubular fabric.

A gear 34 of proper diameter and having the proper number of teeth to make the desired pattern with a hub 35 attached thereto is selected and the desired cam 32 and base 33 thereof is 'mounted upon the selected gear and attached 'thereto by the screw 38 and this assembly of gear, cam and hub is placed upon the shaft 3S, which is mounted upon the boss 39 and adjusted in the slot thereof so that the teeth of the gear will properly mesh either with the extensions on the cylinder I between the needle slots thereof or with the needles 3 on the cylinder, such adjustment being facilitated by the adjusting screw 40 and the shaft 36 vis then clamped in adjusted position by the nut at 36h.

Other parts of the device are then adjusted for proper operation. 'I'he cam arm 28 rests upon the cam 32 and when it engages a depression of said cam it permits forward movement of the lower end IBb of the cam finger I6, said cam nger being moved in that direction by the spring 25 and therefore the stop screw 49 is properly adjusted to limit the movement of the finger I6 so that its lower end, when in inner position will be properly located with respect to the throat portion 42 and the needles. When the cam arm 28 engages a raised portion of the cam 32, the cam finger I6 is moved to opposite position and, by action of the forked lever 23, the finger I5 is moved so that its lower end I5b is in inner position. 'Ihis inner position of the lower end I5b of the finger I5 is adjusted by means of the adjusting screw 3I on the extension 2| of the finger I6V which engages the moving end of the upper cam arm 21 and when this adjusting screw 3| is properly adjusted to move the lowe end of the finger I5 inwardly to its proper location when the cam arm 28 is on a rise of the cam 32 the stop screw 48 is adjusted to engage the extension I5c lthat direction.

of the finger to limit movement of said finger in The friction device, having the rods 41, is adjusted by movement in the slot 45 to a position Where the desired amount of frictional resistance and cam 32 thereon. The cam 32, in this rotation, alternately raises and lowers the cam arm 28 and likewise the cam arm 21 which reciprocates the yarn guide finger I6 on its pivot and, by means of the forked lever 23, causes a like but opposite reciprocation of the yarn guide finger I5.

After the yarn feeding pattern attachments have been properly adjusted as described and the knitting machine is put into operation two strands of yarn are drawn from each attachment into the needles by rotation thereof and the cams of the knitting machine move the needles in the conventional way to knit the yarn into a tubular fabric. The strands of yarn are pulled by rotation of the needles through the throat portion 42 and extension 43 thereof from the lower ends I5b and I6b of the guide fingers in a direction corresponding to the direction in which the extension 43 leads from the throat portion 42 and at all times the lower end of one yarn guide finger is in inner position in or close tothe throat portion 42 and the eye thereof relatively close to the needles so that the yarn which is led therefrom assumes a position close to the Shanks of the verguide finger is moved outwardly a considerable distance away from the needles and the strand of yarn leading therefrom is pulled into the extension 43 of the throat which causes it to assume a position outwardly located with respect to the other strand of yarn. The two yarn guide fingers thus lay the respective strands of yarn in the needles with one of the strands outwardly located relative to the other and the strands of yarn are knit into the fabric by the needles in these relative positions and the strand which was laid in the needles outwardly is the one which Will appear on the outer surface of the fabric.

To insure the proper positioning of the strands of yarn the one which is to lie in outer position has frictional resistance to its movement imposed upon it both by the friction device having the rods 41 and by frictional engagement with the ends of the extension 43 through which it passes which frictional resistance or tension forcibly pulls and holds it outwardly while the needles act upon both strands.

Since the yarn guide fingers alternately change their positions and reverse the positions of the strands of yarn which are led from them into the needles the two respective strands, which are of different kinds or different colors, alternately appear upon the surface of the fabric to form a pattern thereon and an infinite number of different patterns or designs may be made by changing either the cam 32 or the gear 34 or both of them. The operation of each pattern attachment may be adjusted to synchronize with that of other pattern attachments on the same machine so that the yarn charge produced thereby will properly correspond with the yarn charge produced by the other attachments all working upon the same piece of fabric to produce a continuity of the design by adjusting the cam 32 on the gear 34. This adjustment is made by loosening the screw 38 and slightly rotating the cam relative to the -proper position and then meshing gear. It is intended that such adjustment is for minor changes only since the segmental slot 31 ,is relatively short, and that greater changes in `adjustment-in this respect are made by unmesh- `ing the gear from the needles or cylinder extensions and rotating the gear to approximately the its teeth with the driving members. Y f

I claim: Y l; The combination with a knitting machine ,of a `device of the class described comprising, a

frame attachable to said knitting machine, two yarn guide fingers pivoted to said frame and each Yhaving an eye in its movable end, means actuated l5 oppositely oscillating said respective fingers about -their pivots ina manner to move each arm into by a moving part of said knitting machine for close proximity with the needles of the knitting machine and oppositely out of such proximity, a Viixed yarn guide attached to a fixed portion of said knitting machine and located close to the needles thereof and having a throat into proximity With which the moving end of each of said vyarn guide fingers is alternately moved, and said `.throat having an extension, which throat exten- 2. The combination with a knitting machine of a device of-the class described comprising, a

vframe attachable to said knitting machine, two

yarn guide iingers pivoted on said frame and each having an eye in its movable end,ra gear mounted vto rotate upon a vertical axis, means for changing the vertical position of said-gear on its axis Iwhereby said gear may be caused'to mesh either with the needlesof the cylinder of the knitting KVmachine or with portions of said cylinder, a cam moved by said gear, and means actuated by said cam and imparting opposite oscillatory movement to the respective yarn o`uide ingers.

3. The combination with a knitting machine ci a device of the Yclass describedY comprising, a

'frame attachable to saidV knitting machine, two

yarn guide fingers pivoted to said frame, and

each having an eye at its movable end, means actuated by a moving partV of said knitting mavchine for oppositely oscillating said yarn guide fingers, two strands of yarn, one strand passing through an eye in the movable end of each respective yarn guide ringer, means integral with each oi" said yarn guide iingers extending from the opposite side of their respective pivots, a

YsecondV eye ineach of said last mentioned integral means, the two strands of yarn passing through these second eyes, two spaced relatively iixed elements located at opposite sides ofthe paths of said second eyes for imposing resistance tof movement of the yarns at predetermined times.

4; The combination with a knitting machine of a device of the class described comprising, a

frame attachable to said knitting machine, twoV yarn guide fingers each pivoted between its ends tosaid frame, an eye in each respective end of each of said fingers, means actuated by a moving part of said knitting machine for oppositely oscillating'said yarn` guide fingers whereby the lower end of each yringer isrnovedV inwardly to close proximity with the needlesof` the knitting machine and outwardlyout of such proximity, and a tension member iixed to said frame inra 5 position whore it Ywill be engaged by strands of yarn passing through the eye inthe upper end of each of said ngers when each iinger is moved with its lower end out lof proximity withY said needles, said tension member acting to impose .1p resistance to longitudinal movement of said yarn. 5. The elements Vin .combination defined in claim 4 in which said tension member is adjustable in a manner to vary 4the resistance to movement of the yarn imposed by it. 15 6. The combination with a knitting machine o'f a device of the class described comprising, a frame attachable to knitting machine, a first and a second yarn guide finger pivotally mounted on said frame, an eye at the moving end of each 20 of said iingers, means actuated by a moving part of said knitting machine for imparting oscillation to said iirst finger in a manner to move its' end Yhaving an eye therein inwardly into close proximity with the needlesof said knitting machine and .25, outwardly out oi such proximity and means actuated 'oy movement of such iirst ringer for imparting corresponding but opposite movement to said second-ringer, said last mentioned means includ-V a lever having its ends slotted and being pivoted intermediate its ends, said pivot being paraiiel to the pivots of the said ngers.

Y 7. The combination with a knitting machine of a device of the class described comprising, a frame attachable to said knitting machine, a first and a second yarn guidefinger pivoted to said frame and each having an eye in its movable end,

a gear rotatably mounted on said frame and rotated by a moving part of said knitting ymachine, a cam actuated by said gear, a cam arm 49 pivoted to said frame and actuated by saidcam, adjustable means on said iirst yarn guide finger engageableiwith said cam arm and serving .to move said irst nger by actuation of said' cam arm in one direction of its oscillation, yieldable means connected to said first iinger toV move the same in the opposite direction 'of its oscillation, means actuated by movement of said rst finger serving to impart corresponding but opposite movement to said second ringer and stop means 'for one of said' fingers.

, 8. The combination with knitting machineof a device of the class described comprising, a frame attachable to said knitting machine, two yarn guide ngers movably mounted on said frame and each having an eye in its movable end,

means actuated by a moving part of said knitting machine for oppositely moving said respective i'ingers in a'manner to move each arm, a iixed yarn guide attached to a iixed portion of said knitting machine, said yarnguide having a throat into which the moving end of each of said yarn guide iingers is alternately moved, said throat :serving to guide the yarn when the Yeye carrying the same is located its greater' distance there-A from and said yarn extending directly from its respective eye' to theV needles when the eye is in said throat. Y l

HARRY A. SHIVELDS. 70