US2114646A - Straight knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

April 19, 1938.

E. J. BERGER 2,114,646

STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHI NE Filed June 10, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FZG LI- WITNESSES; INVENTOR:

Emu lflerger, v'l

. I BY April 1938. E. J. BERGER 2,114,646

STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 10, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGlTZ:

WITNESSES: I INVENTOR:

Patented Apr. 19, 1938 type; flat full fashioned knitting machines in the stockings are knitted complete with continu- UNITE STATE PATENT OFFICE STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINE Hatfield, Pa.,

Lansdale, Pa.,

Emil JrBerger,

dale Hosiery Mills, of Pennsylvania assignor to Dexa corporation This invention relates to straight full fashioned stocking knitting machines of the Cotton? and it has reference more particularly to which ous leg and foot portions.

Incident to the production of a stocking blank on a machine of the portion of the 'blan upon the loops across v sort specifically referred to. the machine is brought to a stop after the leg k has been knitted, wherethe central or instep portion of the blank arelifted from the mid group of the needles by a tr by the latter during withthe end groups of ting and pressing ofi held by the points of t ansfer point bar and held the knitting of heeltabs needles. After the knitof ,the heel tabs, the loops he transfer bar are restored to the instep needles, whereupon the heel tabs are swung outwardly at right angles tothe bod of the stocking and the loopsof the inner selv ge edges of such tabs imp of the needles. Final aled upon the end groups ly, the machine is again set in motion to knit the foot portion of the stock ing in direct continuation. With the line gauges palernent thereon of selvages of of yarn and needles employed of the light weight or at the present time; any

spacing of the .end groups chiffon in the production stockings in vogue disali'gnment or variant of needles renders difficult the impalement of the selvage edges of the heel tabs and often results in loop or gaping, and hence droppin in the formation of imperfect junctures upon resumption of the knitting after the impaling .The primary aim of come the above difllculty which objective I reala step. my invention is to overize in practice as hereinafter more fully disclosed, throughprovision of a needle gauging means in the form of a bar with groups of points adjacent opposite ends thereof, adapted to be thrust into the intervals of the needles to thereby definitely and evenlyspace said needles and the heel tabs.

between the end groups so facilitate uniform imthe loops along \the inner Another object of m invention is to provide for the guidance of the gauging bar such that its points are caused to enterlow in the intervals between the heel tab move to a higher level to advancement of said needles; and attendant advantages will following description of the "atchine toward the Other objects appear from the tached drawings, view in cross section 0 wherein f a flat knitting machine needles and to gradually in said intervals incident bar inwardly of the ma- Fig. I is a fragmentary I knitting, the

ported for horizontal 'ment in the stationary sinker bed 4. As ordinism for actuating machine being shown in its normal or operative position during the knitting of the heel tabs of a stocking blank.'

' Fig. II is a view like Fig. I, showing the needle bar retracted in readiness for the looping-of the heel tabs of the stocking blank.

Fig. III is a fragmentary illustration in plan, viewed as indic'ated by the arrows III-III in Fig. II, with the needles of the machine and, the

bar positioned in. readiness for impalegauging the heel. tabs ment of the inner selvage edges of 'upon the end groups of the needles.

position in its Fig. VII is a fragmentary view of the needle bar of the knitting machine showing the usual condition of the heel tab needles preparatory to being gauged in accordance with my invention;

and

Fig.,VIII is a theheel tab needles uniformly gauged in readiness for the looping of t e heel tabs of the stocking blank.

convenience of exemplifying my invention is of well known construction and adapted for the successive production of full fashioned stocking blanks B complete with the leg and foot portions in integral continuation. Clamped in the longitudinally extending needle bar I of the machine are serially arranged needles of which the mid group designated 2 in Fig. III produces the instep portion A of the stocking while" the groups 2a beyond the ends of the mid group l are employed in the knitting of the heel tabs T. Incident to the needles 2 and 12a cooperate in a known. manner with sinkers 3 which are supinand out sliding movenarlly, the needle bar I is pivotally' connected at 5 to its lifting arm 6 so that it can be swung from the active position shown in Fig. I to the an-, gular retracted position shown in Fig. II to enable looping the inner selvage edges E (Fig. III) of the heel tabs T preparatory to the knitting of the foot portion of the stockings. The mechathe bar Ito move the needles in relation to the sinkersi incident to stitch view similar to Fig. VII showing The knittingmachine herein illustrated for I i formation has been omitted from the drawings since it is not particularly pertinent to my invention. The sinkers 3 are given their advance or thread sinking movements in the customary manner through the medium of individually associated slur-cock-actuatedv jacks 1, and are retracted by a catch bar 8 ina well known manner. The draw oft mechanism of the machine includes a take up reel 9 which is mounted on a longitudinally extending shaft l0, and whereto are secured straps H with hooks |2 at their free ends for engaging the usual draw rod l3 passed through the welt W (Fig. I) of the stocking blank Y B being knitted in the machine. As the knitting proceeds, the rod I3 is drawn rearward under the pull of the straps I while sustained by a pair of laterally spaced horizontal rails I4 which are of angular cross section and which have their lateral outwardly-extending flanges 15 secured by screws I6 to the longitudinal front rail or bed I! of the machine frame. At Hi there is shown a transfer or point bar which is arranged to receive the fabric loops from the mid group 2 of the needles, which, as already explained, knit the instep portion of the stocking, said bar acting to hold the instep loops away from the needles 2 while the heel tabs T of the stocking blank are being knitted. The point bar I8 is suitably supported from above so that it can be moved from a normal elevated position out of the way through the dot and dash line position shown at I80 in Fig. I to a position in which its points engage over the beards of the mid needles 2 to receive the fabric loops from them. After having engaged the fabric loops on the mid needles 2, the bar is moved over the tops of said needles and positioned behind the latter as shown in full lines in Fig. I in which position it remains while the heel tabs are being knitted. Suitable means, not shown, is provided in the machine for manipulating the point bar in the manner just explained, but inasmuch as this means is not directly concerned with my invention, it too has been purposely omitted from the drawings. After the heel tabs T are formed and pressed off, the point bar I8 is again manipulated to restore the loops held thereby to the mid needles 2 from which said loops were previously taken, whereupon the machine is stopped for looping of the inner selvage edges of the heel tabs onto the needles of the end groups 2a.

Owing to their frailty, the needles yield easily to sidewise fiexure during impalement of the heel tab selvages and eventually become permanently bent out of alignment as shown more or less exaggeratedly in Fig. VII, so that very often two needles will pass through the same selvage loop while others of the selvage loops are skipped, with consequent formation of imperfect junctures when the knitting is resumed for production of the stocking foot. The means which I have devised for overcoming this diificulty includes a gaugingbar 20 having adjacent its ends, groups of gauging points 2| which are adapted to be thrust into the intervals between the needles of the two end groups 20.. As shown in Fig. III, the gauging bar 20 generally resembles the topping bars ordinarily used in connection with full fashioned knitting machines except for the. omission of points at its center and except for lug projections 22 at opposite ends thereof arranged to engage longitudinal guide slots 23 (Figs. IV-VI) in the upright flanges of the rails l4 whereon the draw rod I3 is sustained during the knitting of the stockingleg. At their rear ends, the slots 23 in the rails H are formed with downward recesses 24 which by coaction with the end lugs 22 of the gauging bar 20 hold the latter against accidental displacement in the normal retracted inactive or idle position shown in Figs. I and IV. At their 2!; when the needle bar. is in its angularly retracted position as shown in Fig. II. The slots 23 in the bars are moreover downwardly notched at their front ends as at so as to hold the gaugin g bar 20 against displacement in its advanced position.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Let it be assumed that the heel tabs T of the stocking blank B have been formed and pressed off as in Fig. III, the instep loops restored to the mid needles 2, and the needle bar swung back to the retracted position of Fig. II, as hereinbefore explained, in readiness for the transfer of the inner selvage edges of said tabs. With this accomplished, the gauging bar 20 is advanced from its normal retracted position, i. e., moved inwardly of the machine along longitudinal slots 23 in the supporting rails I. At about the time that the gauging bar 20 reaches the inclined forward ends 25 of the slots 23, its points 2| enter between the needles Zawell below the hooks of the latter, as shown in Fig. V. As the advance. ment of the gauging bar 20 continues, under the action of the inclines 25 at the front ends of the slots 23, the points 2| are moved upward in the intervals between the needles of the group 211 until they finally reach the position shown in Fig. II at right angles to said needles at a higher level close to the beardtips of the latter. In thus moving upwardly between the needles 2a from the position of Fig. VII to that of Fig. VIII, the points 2| of the gauging bar 20 cause said needles to be gradually 'flexed sidewise in one direction or the other, and when said bar finally occupies the notches 26 at the front end of the the heel tabs T upon the needles 2a,'which operation is rendered easy by reason of the accurate spacing of said needles so that the likelihood of loop skipping or dropping is substantially precluded.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. In a straight knitting machine for producing a complete stocking blank with integrallycontinuous leg and foot portions, a needle bar with a series of needles; means for receiving the fabric loops across the central or instep portion of the stocking blank from the mid group of the needles and holding said loops during knitting of heel tabs on the end groups of the needles, and for subsequently restoring the instep loops to the mid needles upon completion of the heeltabs;

and means for uniformly spacing the end groups guide'slots' 23, the needles 2a will be definitely of the needles to facilitate impalement thereon loops across the central or instep portion of the stocking blank from the mid group of the needles and holding said loops during knitting of heel tabs on groups of end needles, and for subsethereof adapted to be thrust into the intervals between the needles of the end groups, and a pair of laterally-spaced rails with longitudinal,

slots engaged by projections at opposite ends of the gauging bar, whereby the latter is supported and guided during its advancement toward the knitting needles.

' 3. In a straight knitting machine for producing a complete stocking blank with integrally-continuous leg and foot portions'a needle bar with a" series of needles; means for receiving the fabric loops across the central or instep portion of the stocking blank, from the mid group oi the needles and holding said loops during the knitting of heel tabs on end groups of the needles, and for subsequently restoring the instep loops to the mid needles upon completion of the heel tabs; and gauging means for definitely and evenly spacing the needles of the end groups to facilitate impalement thereon of the selvage loops along I the inner edges of the heel tabs in preparation for the resumption of the knittingto'produce the stocking foot, said gauging means including a gauging bar with groups of points adjacent opposite ends thereof adapted tobe thrust into the intervals between the needles of the end groups,

gauging bar as aforesaid.

d. in a straight tting mace for produc ing a complete stocking a: ,--.2

continuous leg and foot portions, a needle bar with a series of needles; means for receiving the fabric loops across the central or instep portion of the stocking blank from the mid group of the nes and holding said loops during knitting of heel tabs on the needles of the end groups, and

for subsequently restoring the instep loops to the mid needles upon completion of the heel tabs; and

uging means for definitely and evenly spacing the needles of the end groups to facilitate impalement thereon of the selvage loops along the inner edges of the heel tabs in preparation for the resumption of the knitting to producetthe stocking foot, said means including a gauging bar with groups of points adjacent opposite ends thereoi'adapted to be thrust into the intervals between the needles of the end groups, and a pair of laterally-spaced rails with longitudinal slots engaged by projections at opposite ends of the gauging bar, whereby the latter is supported and guided during its advancement toward the knitting needles, said slots having downward recesses at opposite ends which coact with the 'end proiections oi the gauging bar to hold it against accidental displacement in inoperative and operatime positions.

5. In a straight knitting machine for producing a complete stocking blank with integrally-.

continuous leg and foot portions, a needle bar with a series of needles; means for receiving the fabric loops across the central or instep portion of the stocking blank from. the mid group of the needles and holding said loops during knitting of heel tabs on end groups of the needles, and .for subsequently restoring the insteploops to the mid needles upon completion of the heel tabs; and gauging means for definitely and evenly spacing the needles of the end groups to facilitate impalement thereon of the selvage loops along the inner edges of the heel tabs in preparation for the resption of the knitting to produce the stock-' ing foot, said means including a gauging bar with groups of points adjacent opposite ends thereof adapted to be thrust into the intervals between the needles of the end groups, and a pair of laterally-spaced rails with longitudinal slots engaged by projections at opposite ends of the gauging bar whereby the latter, is supported and guided during its advancement toward the knitting needles, said slots being upwardly inclined at their inner ends to cause the gauging points of the bar to enter low in the intervals between the heel tab needles and to gradually move upward to a higher level in said intervals incident to advancement oi said gauging bar as aforesaid.

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