US2104231A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 4, 1938. S N 2,104,231

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fl G. 2. F1 G. 3.

11v YEA/70R 1? 0351227! ZAWJ'M' By 25 0 Zlfwe/ ATTy.

Jan. 4, 1938- v R LAWSON 2,104,231

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [NYE/V701? ROBERTHZAWSOM ATTy.

Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE Application October 10, 1932, Serial No. 637,064

4 Claims.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken through a needle cylinder and stitch ring and showing a needle and companion sinker-like instrumentality in .the relative positions they assume at the 15 completion of the drawing ,or measuring of a stitch;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of a sinker-like instrumentality and its controlling jack;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a sinker which is preferably mounted in the same slot as the sinker-like instrumentality shown in Fig. 2;

Fig.4 is a view of a modification showing a needle and sinker cooperating in measuring or drawing a stitch;

Fig. 5 is a View showing another position of the needle and sinker shown in Fig. 4, the parts being in the position they assume just prior to the drawing of a new stitch through an old stitch;

Fig. 6 is a view showing another position of the parts shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the sinker being shown in its knocking over position;

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view in plan of a further modification; I

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the 35 modification shown inplan in Fig. '7;

' Fig. 9 is a detail view of a burr wheel showing its'relation to the needle circle; and

Fig. 10 is a detail view showing a cooperative relation between a needle and burr in drawing 40 or measuring a stitch.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the needle bed I which may be in the form of a cylinder is shown in section and as being provided with removable walls 2 which provide slots 3 within which slots needles 4 and jacks 5 slide, a jack being shown as sliding on the outer surface or edge of a needle. Spring bands 6 which are retained between lugs '6' forming part of the walls 2, serve to retain the needles and jacks in position in the tricks or slots 5 3 of the needle bed. Adjacent to the upper end of the needle bed'a sinker head I is provided which is connected to the needle bed in any convenient manner, and as shown each wall 2 is provided with an outwardly projecting lug 8 which is 55 received within companion recesses provided in the adjacent faces of the sinker head I and a sectional ring 9. Screws 10 pass through the sections 9 into threaded engagement with the sinker head I thus clamping the projections 8, which are received within the mentioned recess, between the sinker head I and the sections of the ring 9, thereby retaining the sinker head in position adjacent to the upper end oi the needle bed or cylinder. The upper portion of the sinker head I is'slotted as at H, a sinker I2 10 and sinker-like instrumentality 13 preferably being received within each slot H. A stitch ring II which may be integral with or suitably connected to the needle bed I, surmounts the needle bed at the upper end thereof and is provided 15 with slots It in its upper surface which slots serve to support the sinkers I2 for sliding movements.

The sinkers I2 perform the usual sinker functions of knocking the completed stitches over the tops of the needles and of holding down the web, edges l6 performing the first named function and nibs l1 performing the last named function. The sinkers are provided with butts is which are actuated by cams carried by a cam plate or cam ring (not shown). A butt I8 is shown on the instrumentality l3, Fig. 2. This butt is not essential to the operation of the instrumentality as, preferably, the said instrumentality is retained in the same radial position with respect to the needle throughout, but in the event that the instrumentalities are not so retained and friction of an adjacent sinker l2 causes an instrumentality l3 to move in a radial direction, such displaced instrumentalities may be restored to their proper radial position by means of the same cams that act upon the butts l8 of the sinkers, likewise acting upon butts I8.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the sinker-like instrumentalities l3 have their upper, stitch measuring edges I9 substantially horizontally dis- 40 posed at the completion of the stitch drawing movements of the companion needles and sinkers, and prior to the stitch drawing movements the sinker-like instrumentalities i3 are so positioned that their edges l9 are inclined with respect to the horizontal, the said instrumentalities being permitted to tilt or rock upon fulcrum points indicated at 20 in Fig. 2, a recess or cut-away portion 2| provided in the lower edge of each instrumentality permitting the tilting, the portion of the lower edge indicated at 22, Fig. 2, at such time resting upon the upper surface of the sinker head in the slots ll thereof. The needles are provided with butts 23 which are actuated by cams (not shown) which peri- 1 raising and lowering the instrumentalities I 3.

Referring to the modification disclosed in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, it will be observed that the needles 4 cooperate with specially'shaped or constructed and operated sinkers 21 in efi'ecting the drawing of the stitches. The sinkers 21 are provided with butts 28 for operation by cams (not shown), and have specially constructed noses or nibs 28 which cooperate with the needles in the drawing of the stitches. In the form of the invention disclosed in these figures, the sinkers 2! perform all of the usual sinker functions and are constructed and operated so as to be advanced or projected to the relative position shown in Fig. 4 as the needles move to a stitch drawing or measuring position, the advancing movements of the sinkers and the lowering or retracting movements of the companion needles occurring at the same time so as to divide the measuringv of the stitches between the advancing sinkers and descending needles, the new stitches being measured over the downwardly and inwardly inclined edges of the nibs as at 30. Immediately after the needles and sinkers have drawn or measured the stitches, the sinkers are retracted to the relative position shown in Fig. 5, the companion needles. in the meantime continuing their descent whereupon the measured stitches leave the measuring edges 38 of the sinkers to the position shown in Fig. 5 where a newly measured stitch is shown as about to be drawn through the old loop on the needle. From the position shown in Fig. 5 the needles I continue their descending movement until the new stitches are completely drawn through the old stitches, whereupon the needles rise slightly and the sinkers 2'! are again advanced beyond the position shown in Fig. 4 to the relative position shown in Fig. 6, the old stitches, the sinker wales of which are in the sinker throats 30', then being knocked over the tops of the needles where they 'join the fabric.

The back and forth movements of the sinkers just described, are controlled by means of cams (not shown) acting upon the butts 28 of the sinkers, and are substantially at right angles to the movements of the needles and instrumentalities.

Referring to Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 wherein another modification is disclosed, the needles 4 areshown as cooperating with the burrs 8| which burrs are shown as being radially disposed in a burr wheel 32 which burr wheel is mounted upon a shaft 33, the axis of which is inclined to the axis of the needle cylinder (not shown) within slots of which cylinder the needles 4 independently slide, being controlled by cams which are not shown. As indicated in Fig. 7, the burr needles As the needles 4 successively move downwardly to a stitch drawing position they engage a thread 35 in their hooks finally causing the same to be engaged over the upper edge of a burr at the position 88, Fig. 8, and between ad- Jacent needles at the positions 31 and 38. Continued rotation of the needles and burrs carries the needle previously at. the position of I! to the position 88 and at the same time causes the burr at the position 36 to move to the podtion 88, the

downward movement of the needle from the position 81 to the position 38 and the upward movement or the burr from the position 38 to the position 38 causing a loop to be drawn and measured. Fig. 10 showsa -needle and burr in the respective positions 38 and 38 at which time the newly drawn loop is shown as about to be released from engagement with the upper edge of the burr I I, continued rotation of the burr wheel causing withdrawal of the burr II from engagement with such stitch or loop.

Although not necessarily a part of the present said needles and instrumentalities to cooperate in the drawing of stitches, the result being that the stitches constituting the sinker and needle wales are much more even than is ordinarily the case when the needles alone do the stitch drawing; furthermore, it is possible by dividing the stitch drawing movements between needles and other instrumentalities to have the needles moved to a stitch drawing position at an angle less than the customary 45 degree angle whereby the machine can be operated at a higher speed.

It will be understood that when instrumentalities are referred to or claimed, it is the intention to refer to elements I8, 21 or II, or similarly constructed and/or operated elements.

In the foregoing description and in the drawings the parts constituting the several modifications have been described in specific terms and shown in detail; however, it is not the intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction described and shown other thanas required by the scope of the claims themselves.

In all the sinker constructions hereinbefore referred to, whether illustrated ornot, the stitch measuring edge or part ofthe sinker or web holder may be the sinker nib, i. e., the upper edge of such nibs moving upwardly as the needles themselves participate in drawing their stitches or shoulders may be provided on the nibs to draw the stitch against the co-acting needle shank as the needles descendf I have referred to downward movement of the needles, but it is obviously to be understood that by downward I mean simply a movement of the needle to draw the stitch, and such movement may, according to the type of machine, be a downward or upward or inward or outward movement.

I claim: 1

1. A needle bed having needles, instrumentalities for cooperating with the needles inthe draw-. ing of stitches and jacks for actuating said instrumentalities, the jacks being mounted in the same slots as companion needles and supported for sliding movements on the outer edges or faces of the companion needles.

2. In a knitting machine, a needle and companion instrumentality and a Jack for moving the instrumentality in one direction as the companion needle movesiin the opposite direction thereby to cause the needle and instrumentality to divide the drawingv or measuring of a stitch between them, the jack being provided with lugs straddling "a portion of the instrumentality, and means functioning upon said jacks to return them to initial position whereby the movement of the jack in either of two directions is transmitted to the in-' 'strumentalit-y, the movements imparted to the instrumentaiity being, as aforesaid, to assist in the drawing or measuring of a stitch and to retract the instrumentality from its extreme stitch drawing or measuring position to an initial position. J 3. Ina knitting machine, a means for dividing the stitch'drawing or measuring consistingof a.

needle, sinker and instrumentality, the needle and instrumentalit'y being movable in opposite directions for the purpose of drawing or measuring a stitch and the sinker being movable in a direction substantially at right angles to the directions of movements of the needle and instrumentality, for the purpose of knocking over completed stitches.

4. In a knitting machine a needle; companion instrumentality and sinker, the two first named being adapted to cooperate in the measuring of a stitch by movements in opposite directions, a slotted sinker head, the instrumentality and com panion sinker being mounted in the same slot in the sinker head.

Y 1 BOBERTH. LAWSON.

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