US2119236A - Topping bar - Google Patents

Description

May 31, 1938..

- R. F. MEIER '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 27, 1934 v May 31, 1938. MEIER 2,119,236

TOPPING BAR Filed June 27, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/II/l'Il/ I/I);vlllllllllilllllrlllg v 4 INVENTO R RICHARD E MEIER Patented May'3l, 193$ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE TOPPING BAR Richard F. Meier, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application June 2'7, 1934, Serial No. 732,561

3 Claims. (Cl. 66-96) My invention relates to knitting full-fashioned hosiery, and relates particularly to the topping mechanism to be utilized upon a single-unit machine for knitting full-fashioned hosiery.

Two machines have been used for knitting a complete full-fashioned stocking. However, in my Patent No. 1,912,005, granted June 5, 1933, I have disclosed a method and mechanism for knitting a complete full-fashioned stocking upon a single machine. The single-unit machine employs a topping mechanism comprising a front ba r together with a plurality of side or wing bars, all of the bars have transferring needles therein.

My instant invention relates to an improvement in the structural details of the topping bars, so that the loops on the instep of the stocking fabric are correctly and accurately transferred 'to the knitting needles of the flat knitting machine.

It is an object of my invention to provide a device wherein the transfer needles are accurately and easily installed. a

A further object is to provide a side topping bar having a guide for each of the transfer needles, and means to prevent the slipping of the transfer needles.

With the above and related objects in view, my invention consists in the following details of construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter will be fully described when the description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 1

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the central bar and the side topping bars.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the side topping bar and front topping bar.

Fig. 3' is a top plan view of the side bar.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2. p

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of one of the needles.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-45 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of my invention embodied upon a fiat machine.

Fig. 8 isa fragmentary view of a curved topping needle.

Referring to the drawings, in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 is shown a topping mechanism comprising a central topping bar, generally designated as A, and

a plurality of side bars or side wings, generally designated as B, BI. One side bar is pivotally mounted adjacent each end of the central topping bar A, hence two sidebars B, Bl essentially are employed. The central bar A is comprised of an elongated bar 10 of wood, metal, or composite material, such as a phenolic condensation product, having a relatively thin downwardly extending tongue [2 wherein one side wall I4 is substantially parallel to the vertically extending designated as M, rigidly within their cooperative or complementary grooves.

Upon the top surface of the bar it are a plurality ofserrations 25 having the center of each crest or valley spaced a unit distance apart from its adjoining crest or valley; and the unit dis tance mentioned is equal to the distance between adjoining knitting needles on the needle bar of the hat knitting machine. The serrations 25 may be, however, a greater or less multiple of the aforesaid unit distance apart. The aforementioned serrations 25 enable the bracket 32 to be moved either to the left or to the right as Fig. 2 is viewed in order to align the needles in the side bar B with the needles in the center bar. The side bar Bl can be likewise adjusted in a lateral direction. 1

A horizontally extending tapped hole, through a Walt 26, and adjacent each end and the upper portion of the bar it coincides with a hole in a bar support 2%, and a bolt 39 is fitted into the holes in. order to rigidly secure the bar it and the bar support 28 together.

Mounted upon the upper surface of the central bar A adjacent one end thereof is a bracket, generally designated as 32. A second bracket 3 similar in detail of. construction to the bracket 32, is mounted upon the other end of the central bar A. The bracket 32 has a. plurality of corrugations on its lower flange surface which are adapted to interlock with their complemental corrugations on the top of the central bar lil. Centrally extending through the flange portion of the bracket is a longitudinally extending slot through which a holding bolt 36 passes into a threaded bolt hole in the central bar It]. The bolt 3t holds the bracket securely to the bar H].

The bracket 32 is adapted to be adjustably mounted on the bar support, by virtue of the slot in the wing, the adjustment is essential in order to provide a means for knitting stockings of different sizes.

A body portion 38 of the bracket 32 has an annular bearing 49 whose bearing surface is vertically extending. The bearing fill extends away from one side of. the body portion 38 of the bracket in order that the side bar may oscillate freely by not engaging the body portion, as hereinafter shall be further described.

A vertically extending journal or pintle Al is mounted on the top of the side bar 13, adjacent the vertical side which is closest to the central topping bar A. The journal bearing provides the pivot about which the side bar oscillates after it is inserted in the bearing 4|] of the bracket 32.

The bar 20 retains transfer points, each of which is generally The side bar B is comprised of a rectangular block of wood, metal, or composite material made up of two sections 42 and 44. In Fig. 3 I show the sections 42 and 44 dovetailed together.

A plurality of vertically extending grooves 46 are in the section 42, and a plurality of grooves 48, complemental to the grooves 46, are in the section 44.

The grooves 48 in side wing section 44 are not continuous as they are broken by a large rectangular slot. Horizontally extending parallel walls 52 and 54, see Figs. 1 and 2, define the top and bottom, respectively, of the rectangular opening 59 in the side wing section 44.

Securely mounted between the bottom ledge 54 and the bottom of the section 44 is an expansion spring 58. The spring 55 is curved in the shape of a spoon 58 at its long extended end, with the curved side 58 expanding inwardly towards the longitudinal center of the groove.

Each of the vertically extending grooves, defined by the grooves 46, 48 in each of the side bars, provides the guides for each slidable transfer point or needle, generally designated as 69. The longitudinal distance between the center of adjacent grooves, each of which house a transferring or lifting needle, is equal to the distance between adjacent knitting needles on the needle bar.

Each transfer needle 60 has a pointed end 62 which is adapted to pierce through a loop in a stocking blank. The hexagonal needle 60 has parallel side walls 66 and 68 and end faces 10, 12 converging from one edge of each side wall, thus, the shanks are adapted to readily slide within the grooves when a side extension 14 attached to the shank, near the top edge, is moved.

Suitable retaining means, such as screws or bolts 16, in addition to the dovetailed joints, aid

in holding the sections of the side bar B together.

The central bar A is mounted upon the elongated rectangular supporting rod 28 by means of the holding bolts 30. The rectangular bar 28 carri s two shift bars 18 and 89 on its upper surface. Each of the shift bars 18, 89 are connected to each of the side bars by means of two pivoted links 82, 84, and 86, 88, respectively. The link 82 is pivoted at one end 82A to the push bar 18. The other end of the link 82 is pivoted at 823 to a bracket or link 84, the latter is attached to the side bar B. Each of the links 82 and 84 have one of their ends pivotally joined together, and the other end of the link 84 is securely attached to the movable side wing B, and the other free end of the link 82 is pivotally attached, as at 82A, to the shift bar 18. The linkage arrangement 82, 84 between the oscillatory side wing'B and the translatory movable push bar 18 results in force being applied to the rotary side bar B when the push bar 18 is moved in a rectilinear direction.

'Thus, movement of the shift bar 18 in a translatory direction to the left causes an oscillatory movement of the side bar B in a clockwise direction. Movement of the shift bar 99 to the right moves the side topping bar Bl counterclockwise. The link 86 is pivoted at 86A, 86B. The shift bars 18 and 88 are connected to an operating mechanism whereby the shift bars are moved in opposite directions when the single operating mechanism is actuated. The purpose of the shift bar is to move the side bar from the same plane as the plane of the middle bar A to a plane perpendicular to the plane of the middle bar, or vice versa.

A plurality of L-shaped brackets 90 hold the shift bars in position on the rectangular bar 26.

Since the topping mechanism must move in a horizontal plane as well as in a vertical plane, suitable mechanism, as described in my prior Patent No. 1,920,005, is employed. Such mechanism causes the rod 92 to ascend or descend, and moves the rod 92 forward and backward in a rectilinear direction.

The supporting bar 28 is mounted on a grooved bracket support 94 which is attached to the horizontally and vertically movable bar 92.

Each transfer needle 24, for use in the central or front topping bar A, may have a pointed, slightly curved lifting point or a straight point. Extending from the needle body is a bend 95, an offset 96 from the bend, and an inturned end 98 which enables the needle to rest securely within the grooves of the front bar.

In my Patent No. 1,912,005, I have shown a loop designated as X which has no needle therethrough. The purpose of omitting the needle from the loop X is to insure coincidence of the loop Y with the loop X when the heel portions are placed in the positions shown in Patent No. 1,912,005. These two loops are placed on the same needle so that the heel at such point will be strengthened. If a needle were placed in loop X when the heel is knitted, a hole would result after the foot of the stocking is completed.

Thereforc, it is to be remembered that the end transfer needle in. the central topping bar and the adjoining needle in the side topping bar must be spaced so that two loops will be placed upon one needle, this space is twice the distance of the space which is between adjoining needles.

It is to be remembered that the side topping bar BI and its supporting bracket 34 is complementary in arrangement and construction with respect to the side topping bar B and its supporting bracket 32, except that one is for the right hand side and the other is for the left hand side. The complete topping bar unit is adapted to be placed over the knitting needles of the flat knitting machine.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as illustrative rather than limiting, as the invention may be variously embodied. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except as far as it is made necessary by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A topping bar comprising a bar and a plurality of slidable needles therein, grooves in said bar to guide the needles, a spring engaging each of the slidable needles, and means on each of said needles for limiting its movement.

2. A topping bar comprising a plurality of side bars and a front bar, each of said side bars having a plurality of grooves, a topping needle inserted in each of said grooves, means on. each needle to limit the movement of the needle, a plurality of needles fixed in position in said front bar, and

curved points on the fixed needles.

3. A side topping bar comprising two sections rigidly secured together, a plurality of slots in each section, the slots in one section being complementary to the slots in the second section whereby grooves are defined for slidable needles, and a resilient expanding spring extending into each groove.

RICHARD F. MEIER.

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