US2290147A - Circular knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1942. w. E. BOOTON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1941 l] Sheets-Sheet l July 14, 1942. w. E. BOOTON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1941 1] Sheets-Sheet 2 July 14, 1942. w, BOOTON 2,290,147

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Marc 2h 19, 1941 11 Sheets-Sha e; 7

July 14, 1942. w. E. BOOTON I CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1941 1] Sheets-Sheet 8 AfmQ/vEY y 4, 1942. w. E. BQOTON 2,290,147

c'mcumn KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1941 l] Sheets-Sheet l1 Patented July 14, 1942 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE William Edward Booton, Leicester, England, assignor to W. E. Booton Limited, Leicester, England Application March 19, 1941, Serial No. 384,176 In Great Britain February 16, 1940 20 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to circular knitting machines for knitting i articles of footwear in the nature of hose, threequarter hose and half-hose and the articles of footwear (hereinafter termed "hose for the sake of brevity) having heel pockets and toe pockets; An object of the invention is to provide means I whereby there may be produced a hose wherein the line of linking at the toe pocket is on the underside of thefoot instead of on the upper side as is more usual, and the invention is particularly but not exclusively concerned with ladies stockings of natural or artificial silk or a mixture thereof. With the aforesaid object in view the invention provides a circular knitting machine organised for the production of hose mainly by rotary knitting, having two opposed knitting systems characterised by the combinatlon of means for knitting a heel pocket by reciprocation on one group of needles in one of said systems, and means for knitting the toe pocket by reciprocation on an opposed group of the needles in the other system. Thus not onlyis it possible to produce the toe pocket on the instep needles so that the linking line is at the underside, without it being necessary to displace the needle bed through half a revolution between the knitting of the heel pocket and the knitting of the toe pocket, but production is speeded up, since two courses are produced at each revolution, and the advantages of the known principle of weft mixing are obtained.

The foregoing and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the examples now to be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a finished stocking manufactured on a machine according to this invention, and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the stocking blank as it comes from the knitting machine,

Figs. .3 and 3A together show a development of the cams in a circular knitting machine according to this invention, illustrating the operaet and heel pocket respectively, and at the top of Fig. 5 the arrangement of needle butts is again shown for the sake of convenience.

Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating one of the widening pickers, while Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating one of the narrowing pickers.

Figure 9 shows a battery of pickers employed in splicing and fashioning,

Figure 10 is a perspective view of abattery of pickers employed for mock-fashioning, while Figure 11 is a perspective view, looking from underneath, of a portion of said last mentioned battery.

Figures 12 and 13 are plan views looking on the top of the machine, each showing approximately one half of the circumference and illustion of certain pickers and showing a needle, a

jack, and certain butts thereon.

Figure 4 hows the lower part of the stocking blank laid out fiat and considerably fore-shortened, and also shows a jack and illustrates the arrangement of the butts on the needles and on the jacks.

Figures 5, 5A, 6 and 6A show the knitting cams, and the arrangement of the knitting butts on heel pouch h, is knitted by rotation and during this rotational knitting except at the upper part of the stocking certain fashioning needles are held inactive so that ateach revolution float threads 1 are laid across the gap left by the' inactive needles. The stocking is knitted from the toe upwards and at the commencement roving courses a and a slack course b are knitted by rotation. The machine then goes into reciprocation and makes the toe pouch t by narrowing and widening (the suture lines being indicated at ts) on a certain group of needles. On the com pletion of the toe pouch rotational (spiral) knitting is resumed and a ring toe c is produced followed by the instep d and foot bottom. The marginal parts of the foot bottom, at each side of the gap spanned by the floating threads I,

are spliced as at e, the shape of the splicing being clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. That is to say the spliced areas e are narrowed upwards from the toe t and are subsequently widened upwards to the heel and above the heel are again reduced. In order to produce the heel, the machine is reciprocated and a heel pouch h is produced in two portions by narrowing and widening upon two groups of heeling needles separated by the gap, the suture lines being indicated at hs. These heeling needles are opposite the inthe needles, preparatory to knitting the toe pockstep needles, and the heel pouch is a small one,

being produced on less needles than is the toe pouch. At the completion of the heel pouch the machine again goes into rotation and the leg is produced, still with the floating threads f, splicing being terminated at the appropriate stage. Higher up the leg, fashioning is effected at g by introducing needles in activity at each side of the gap to decrease the latter and to widen the blank, and this fashioning is accompanied by the production of lines of mock fashion marks i (preferably formed by tuck stitches) which lines extend parallel with the fashioned edges 9 and therefore in the finished stocking are parallel with the leg seam hereinafter mentioned. After a further portion of knitting on a constant number of needles, the remaining fashioning needles are introduced to fashion the leg at? and to close the gap. This fashioning is accompanied again by lines of mock fashion marks k, parallel to the fashion edges, to simulate the thigh fashioning in a fully fashioned hose. At this stage the complete circle of needles is active and thereafter the stocking blank is completed in uninterrupted tubular form. At least one reinforced course is produced at I, followed by a picot edge m and welt n. A string of blanks having been completed they are separated and in each blank the floating threads are cut away, and that length of the slack course b which is produced on the toe pouch needles is linked to those portions of said course which are included in the foot bottom so that the resultant toe linking line extends across the foot bottom and not across the top of the toe as is customary. Next the edges of the blank are seamed together by a seam s Fig. 1 which therefore extends upwards from the toe linking line b' Fig. 1, along the foot bottom, around the heel h, and up the leg. Preferably the seam s is continued as a mock seam upwards through the truly-tubular part of the stocking which lies above the termination of the fashioning i.

This fashioned blank is produced on a circular knitting machine the needle cylinder I of which is provided with a full complement of needles I I, which machine has two diametrically opposed knitting systems indicated at l and 2 in Figs. 3

and 3A. In each system there are knitting cams of a conventional kind known in seamless hose machines and a battery of interchangeable yarn feeders, and those cams and their parts which are duplicated in each of the two systems have the same reference numbers and letters, those in system 2 being differentiated from those in system I by a dash. Thus in system I there are stitch cams 20 and I20, guide cam 2I, up-pickers 22, I22, down pickers 23, I23 and feeders bracketed together at F. The corresponding parts in system 2 will be recognized, as for example stitch cams at 20', I20 and feeders F. The needles II have butts I2 of contrasting lengths and the cams provide an active track I3 and a lower inactive track I4 for certain of said butts, there being a gap I5 leading from the inactive track I4 to the active track I3 following system 2 and a gap I5a leading in the reverse direction following system I. The arrangement of the needle butts I2 is best shown in Fig. 4. There is a central group of long butt needles LB which produce the toe pouch and are termed instep needles. This group is flanked at each side by a group of splicing needles SN. These splicing needles have butts of two contrasting lengths; a few needles near the group LB have medium butts MB while the remainder have short butts SB. The needles SB are heeling needles, and the intermediate groups MB are provided so that a small heel may be produced. The remaining needles have extra short butts SBX; these needles are fashioning needles and therefore in Fig. 4 half of them are shown at one edge of the blank and the other half at the other edge thereof. Beneath each needle and working in the same trick there is a jack 33; these jacks have butts at seven different levels 3440 grouped as shown. Each Jack has a butt at the level 40, and these butts 40 are of contrasting lengths according to the functionsof the associated needles. The instep jacks IJ below the needles LB have short butts; the splicing jacks SJ below the splicing needles SN have medium butts; and the fashioning jacks FJ below the fashioning needles SBX have long butts. The left-hand or leading group of splicing jacks FJ has butts at level 34, and two of the adjacent jacks IJ have butts 34' at that level also. The right-hand or trailing group of splicing jacks SJ has butts at level 35. The trailing group of fashioning jacks FJ has butts at level 36 and also at level 31 while in addition a few of the adjacent jacks SJ have butts 31' at the leading end of the group of butts 31. The leading group of fashioning jacks FJ has butts at level 38 while a few of the adjacent jacks SJ have butts 38 located at the trailing end of said group 38. Spaced jacks are without butts at level 39, so as to facilitate the formation of the picot edge m.

Cams (Figs. 3 and 3A) are provided for operating on the jack butts 40 and defining an upper active track I6 and a lower inactive track I'I. Below gap I5 a gap I8 leads from track I! to track I6, while in system I a gap I9 leads in the reverse direction.

At the termination of one stocking blank all the needles are knitting in the active track I3 and it is necessary, prior to the commencement of the next blank, to press off the fashioning needles SBX. To do so belt cams 24, 25 and 26 are partially inserted immediately following knitting system I. The butts of all needles other than the fashioning needles SBX are raised by cam 24 to clear and are then lowered by cam 21 located just in advance of system 2. The short butt needles SBX miss cam 24 but are lowered by cam 26 to pass down gap I5a to inactive track I4. These needles are therefore pressed off. At the same time a bolt cam 28 is inserted to engage the jack butts 40 and to lower all said butts from the active track I6 to the inactive track I! through the gap I9.

The roving courses a are knitted, by rotation, upon needles SN and LB, each of said needles knitting in both systems in each revolution of the cylinder and floats being laid across the gap left by fashioning needles SBX. Next at least one slack course is produced by raising the needle cylinder I0 in a manner known in the art. Thereafter it is necessary to hold the heeling needles SB and needles MB inactive while the toe pocket is produced by reciprocation. The butts of these needles SN are therefore raised to an upper inactive level 'I4a, Fig. 3. Cams 24, 25, 26 and 28 have already been withdrawn. Another bolt cam 29. and the stitch cam 20, are ret iacted as are also certaif'; jack cams shown at and 30. Stitch cams I20 and 2| are so adjusted that the former raises the needles SN and LB while the latter lowers the needles LB. Therefore the needles SN continue round over ting cams in knitting system I are entirely'inoperative and the machine goes into reciprocation to knit at system 2 only, whereat the narrowing up pickers 22' and I22 are rendered operative so that in a swing from right to left, Fig. 5, the leading needle of group' LB is elevated to track Ma by picker I22 and in a swing from left to right the leading needle at the other end of the group LB is likewise elevated by picker 22'. This narrowing at the two ends of group LB continues for the desired period. The narrowing pickers 22' and I22 are then rendered inoperative and the widening down pickers. 23 and I23 associated with knitting system I are introduced and controlled. In each swing from right to left the picker 23 lowers the first butt that reaches it in the right-hand group of raised butts and in a swing from left to right the picker I23 lowers the first butt that reaches it in th left-hand group of raised butts. This down picking continues until all the instep needles LB are again knitting, the toe suture lines ts having thus been produced. Thereupon the machine changes to rotation and cam 32 is introduced to lower all the needle butts occupying track Ida to the active track I3. Stitch cams 20 and I2!) are also introduced. This completes the formation of the toe pocket.

It is convenient here to explain that since in Fig. 4 the fore-shortening blank is shown as being laid out flat the toe suture lines ts are shown as diverging until they meet spaced transverse lines ts which indicate the course of loops held on the raised needles SN. This disposition of lines ts and ts is in fact imaginary and the areas bounded by said lines are non-existent in the knitted blank. In other words a pair of lines ts shown as divergent in Fig. 4 are coincident and a pair of lines ts shown as spaced apart length wise of the blank are also coincident, and to indicate this union or coincidence of said lines the aforesaid areas are shaded in Fig. 4. Th same applies to the area bounded by the lines hs and he referred to subsequently in the production of the heel.

During the production of the toe pouch 1. all the jacks have been idling. The jack cams ll and 42 Fig. 3 are now introduced. Cam dl lowers the long butt jacks FJ while the short butt jacks IJ pass both cams without being engaged thereby. The medium butt jacks SJ miss cam dI but are elevated by cam 42 and by the subsequent cam 43 so that they pass into the active jack race I6. This prepares the jacks for subsequent splicing operations, and said cams M, 42 are retracted.

Before splicing commences, however, a few courses of circular (spiral) knitting are produced upon'needles SN and LB which knit in both systems to form a ring toe. It will be understood that in this circular knitting floating threads f are produced across the gap left by the inactive fashioning needles SBX.

At the termination of the ring toe the needle clearing cams 24 and 29 are introduced so that all the'active needles clear thereat. The lack cams 30 and 30' are also introduced and stitch cams I20 and I 20' are retracted. As a result the needles SN associated with the jacks SJ are elevated by cams 30, 30' to take the ground threads and the splicing threads fed by splicing feeders S, S, now introduced, while the needles LB (the jacks IJ of which are inoperative) pass cams I20 and I20 and so miss the splicing threads but take the ground thread only (said threads being fed in different paths), and knit at stitch cams 20 and 20.

It will be observed that the spliced areas 2 are immediately narrowed. In this narrowing use is made of the jack butts at levers 34 and 35. Considering first the butts 34 on the leading or left hand group splicing jacks SJ it will be appreciated that the narrowing takes place progressively from the trailing end thereof. Since the jacks SJ are pursuing track I6 and the jacks IJ are pursuing track II, the control butts 34 on jacks IJ are lower than the butts 34, as shown in Fig. 3. The first control butt 34 strikes a picker arm 34a and swings it sideways. This picker arm 34a is connected to a picker arm 34b located above it and the latter is caused to swing sideways and downwards. In thismovement it lowers the last jack of the leading group SJ so that the butt 40 of said jack passes down the gap I9 to the inactive gap IT. The said jack is therefore not elevated by the splicing cams 30' and 30 and the associated needle thereafter misses the splicing threads. As said 'jack is lowered, its butt 34 is placed in front of butts 34', to operate arm 34a at the next revolution, and these operations continue, a lowered sub group of butts 34 and 34', and a raised sub group of butts 34, being formed. When the desired reduction has been effected, picker mechanism 34a and 34b is placed out of operation. It is subsequently necessary to re-introduce certain of said lowered splicing jacks so that the left-hand spliced area is again widened towards the heel. This is effected by a single up pi'cker 340 located in advance of system I and which, at each revolution, picks up the first butt of the lowered subgroup of jacks SJ of the left hand group thereof and causes the butt 40 of said jack to pass up gap I8 to the active track I6 whereby the associated needle is caused to splice.

Considering now the right-hand or trailing of the jack group SJ reaching it in a revolution and picks said butt downwards so that the jack butt 40 is passed down gap I9 and the associated needle thereafter misses the splicing threads. These operations continue, so that the group of butts 35 isdivided into a leading low sub-group followed by a raised sub-group. The picker 350 is rendered inoperative at the appropriate time, and a parallel length of splicing is then produced until it is desired to widen theright-hand spliced area e.

This widening must take place from the trailing end-of the lowered splicing jacks FJ. Use is again made of the butts 35 which by operation of picker 350 have been sub-divided into a low leading sub-group and a raised trailing sub-group. Picker mechanism 35a, 35b is rendered operative. The first butt of said raised sub-group strikes arm of 35a and swings it sideways. Said arm is connected to picker arm 35b which is caused to swing upwards and sideways. In this movement arm 35b elevates the last butt 35 of said lowered leading sub-group. The butt 40 on the jack thus raised passes up gap I8 to the active track I6 and the associated needle is caused to splice, the butt 35 of said jack being removed from the trailing end of the low sub-group and added at the front end of the raised sub-group. When the desired width of the trailing spliced area e has been reached mechanism 35a and 35b is rendered inoperative.

Again short parallel areas of splicing are produced until it is necessary to make the heel pouch. Bolt cams 24, 29, 20', I20, 30 and 30' are retracted and stitch cam I20 of system I is introduced together with needle raising cam 44 (the heel pouch therefore being knitted in system I). This cam 44 engages the butts of needles MB and LB and raises them to the loop retaining level I4a which stage is shown in Fig. 6. Said needles MB and LB therefore hold their loops (line hs' Fig. 4). The machine goes into reciprocation and the up pickers 22 and I22 associated with system I are rendered operative. In a swing from right to left the up picker I22 raises the first butt of the trailing group of needles SB to the loop retaining level Ila. In a swing from left to right up picker 22 raises the first butt reaching it of the left-hand group of needles SB. Thus narrowing continues for the desired extent and pickers 22 and I22 are rendered inoperative and the down pickers 23' and I23 associated with system 2 are rendered operative to pick down from level Na in a manner similar to that in which pickers 23 and I23 functioned for the toe. Thus the heel suture lines he are formed. The needle cams 24, 29 and 20' and jack cams 30 and 30 are re-introduced; needle cam 32 is introduced and stitch cam I 20 is withdrawn and the machine goes into rotation. Cam 32 lowers all the butts from loop retaining level Ida so that these needles again knit. Thereafter two courses of spiral knitting are produced at each revolution, certain of the needles SB taking the splicing thread. At the desired time picker mechanism 36a, 34b, and picker 340 are rendered operative to narrow the spliced areas to the desired extent. This stage having been reached said pickers are rendered inoperative, the splicing feeders S", S are withdrawn and jack cams I and 42 are introduced. Cam H temporarily lowers the ashioning iacks FJ while cam 82 raises the butts d of jacks SJ (which butts miss cam II) so that e jacks SJ continue to clear at earns 30, 3I'. The lon butt needles LB clear at clearing cams 2d and 29 which are only partially inserted.

Thereafter a parallel lower portion of the leg is knitted, two courses at each revolution, until it is desired to fashion the leg at g by introducing needles into activity at each side of the gap. Considering first the trailing group of fashioning needles SBX it will be appreciated that this introduction must take place progressively from the leading end of said group. Therefore use is made of the group of butts on trailing jacks FJ at level 31. It will be understood that, since the jacks FJ pursue the inactive track I1 and the adjacent jacks SJ pursue the active track I6, the butts 31' on the said jacks SJ will be level with the butts 36 on jacks FJ. A single picker 31a is rendered operative which at each revolution picks up the first jack butt 31 reaching it so that the jack is introduced to the active track through gap I8 and the associated needle is introduced to the active track I3 through gap I5. This elevation of the first of the trailing group of jacks FJ raises jack butt 36 thereon and brings butt 3'! thereon into line with butts 31' and the butts 36 on the remaining inoperative jacks of trailing group FJ. This picking continues for the desired extent, picker 310. being then rendered inoperative.

It is also necessary to produce the line of mock fashion marks i at the right-hand edge of the blank. In mock fashioning at the right-hand edge of the blank use is made of the butts 36 associated with the needles SBX and the butts 31 associated with the needles SB together with mock-fashioning picker mechanism 36a, 36b which is located between knitting systems 2 and I. It will be appreciated from a consideration of the cam tracks provided for the jack butts 40 that on arriving at the region of the said picker mechanism (Fig. 3) the butts 31', being associated with active needles SB, and also the butts 36 which are associated with such fashioning jacks as may at that time have been introduced into activity, pursue a higher path than do the butts 36 on the inactive fashioning jacks. In other words there are two sub-groups of butts:-- a raised leading sub-group comprising butts 31 and such butts 36 as may have been added thereto by fashioning, and a lowered trailing subgroup consisting of butts 36 of the inoperative fashioning jacks. At each revolution the first of these butts 36 of the lower sub-group strikes the arm 36a and swings it sideways. The said arm is connected to arm 36b which is swung sideways and downwards to lower at least one butt of the raised sub-group, saidbutt being spaced an appropriate distance in advance of the first butt of the lower sub-group. Therefore the butt 40 on the associated jack is passed underneath cam 30 and the associated needle tucks. It will be understood that owing to the operation of the fashioning picker 31 the number of butts 36 in the lower sub-group is gradually decreased and the number of butts in the upper sub-group is gradually increased reciprocally, and therefore the mock fashion line i is parallel with the fashioned edge 9.

Since there are two knitting systems and the diversion of a selected needle in mock fashioning is only temporary the mock fashioning mechanism is duplicated at 36a and 36b in advance of knitting system 2.

To consider now the fashioning operations at the left-hand edge of the blank, it will be obvious that the butts 38', being on active jacks SJ, pursue a higher track than do the butts 38 at the commencement of fashioning, since none of the fashioning jacks of leading group FJ have so far been raised into activity. It will likewise be appreciated that the introduction of fashioning needles and jacks into activity must take place progressively from the trailing end of needle group SBX and jack group FJ. In each revolution the first butt 38 (or the first butt at the same level as said butts 38') strikes arm 38a and swings it sideways. The said arm is connected to picker arm 38b which is caused to swing upwards and sideways to elevate the last one of the lowered butts 38 so that the associated jack is introduced into activity through gap I8 and associated needle into activity through gap I5. This movement causes the picked butt 38 to take its place in advance of butts 38' so as to strike the arm 38a in the next revolution and to cause shown in Fig. 9.

arm 38b to pick the next butt 38 of the low group. Therefore pickingtakes place progressively forwards from the trailing end of the leading group of fashioning needles SBX. The mock fashioning for the left hand edge of the blank is effected in advance of system I by picker mechanism 38a and 38b. The first butt 38' strikes the arm 38a and swings it sideways. Said arm is connected to arm 38b which is caused to swing sideways and downwards to lowena subsequent one of said butts 38'. The associated Jack is therefore passed beneath cam 30 and the associated needle tucks. It will be understood that at each operation of picker mechanism 38a, 38b

one of butts 38 is added in front of butts 38' and therefore gthe next revolution the newly added butt serves to drive the arm 38a and there eventually comes a stage in which so many butts have been added that arm 38b picks among said added butts.

Like mock-fashioning operations are performed in advance of system 2 by similar mock fashioning mechanism 38'a, 3B'b'.

After the desired number of needles have been introduced for the fashioning at g, the fashioning and mock-fashioning picker mechanism just described are temporarily put out of operation and a portion of the leg knitted on a constant number of needles. Subsequently, in order to produce the fashioning 7' and mock-fashioning k the said mechanisms are again rendered operative until all the fashioning needles SBX have been raised to the operative track and all the jacks, except jacks IJ, pursue track I6. The entire circle of needles is now knitting so that un- 3 interruptedly tubular fabric is produced, two courses at each revolution.

At the appropriate stage in this tubular knitting a yarn change is made to produce the reinforcement l and subsequently the picot edge m is produced. For this picot edge cam 42 is introduced momentarily to raise the jacks IJ to the active track and needle cams 24, 29, 20 and I20 and I20 and also jack cam are withdrawn for four courses, it being therefore appreciated thatduring these four courses only stitch cam 20 is operative and that such needles as clear do so at cam 30. Picot cam 45 is moved inwards to engage the spaced jack butts at level 39 and it may here be mentioned that the group of short butts at level 39, shown in Fig. 4, is provided to permit of the insertion of said cam 45. The function of cam 45 is to lower the jacks v provided with butts 39 so that their butts 40 pass beneath cam 30 and the associated needle tuck. The cams just referred to are now withdrawn. The welt n is produced and subsequently all nee- .dles other than needles SN, LB are pressed off in the manner already descri The battery of pickers beneath system 2 is 50 carrying a vertical spindle 5| about which picker blocks 52a, 52b, 52c and 52d are pivoted. The block 520. has picker arm 34c pivoted to it for movement about a horizontal axis 53a, and for said arm there is a guide plate 541: and a return spring 55a. The block 52b, provided with return spring 55b, carries the arm a and alsohas pivoted to it, for movement about a horizontal axis 532), the up picker 35b. For said picker 35b a guide plate 54b is provided. The block 52c has picker arm 31a pivoted to it for movement about a horizontal axis 530, and said arm is provided with guide plate 540 and return spring 55c. The block 52d, provided with retiu'n This battery consists of a body axis 5311, said arm being provided with guide.

plate 54d. The various'pickers may be moved to and from operative positions by arms projecting radially from their blocks. Thus block 520. carries control arm 58a; block 52b, arm 5w; block 520, arm 56c; and block 52d, arm 56d.

The various picker mechanisms shown in Fig. 4, are controlled from a racking pin drum (Fig. 14) surrounding the base of the needle cylinder I0. Picker 34c and mechanism 35a, 35b, are swung to and from operative position by a rock lever 8| engaging pins 56a, 56b, and connected to a feeler for the pin drum 80. Picker 31a and mechanism 38a, 38b are controlled by rock lever 88 engaging pins 56c, 56d, andconnected to feeler 90.

Thepicker mechanisms 34a, 34b and 350 arranged beneath knitting system I are substantially similar respectively to the mechanisms 35a, 35b and 340, and therefore need no further illustration than is provided by Figs. 9 and 14, but it may be pointed out that whereas picker 340 is an up picker and is located above mechanism 35a, 35b, the splicing narrowing picker 35c is a down picker and is located beneath mechanism 34a, 34b. For mechanism 34a, 341) there is a control pin 56'b and for picker 35c a control pin 55'a. The rock lever is indicated at 8| and the feeler at 85.

The battery of mock-fashioning pickers 36a,

36b, 38a, 38b located in advance of knitting system I is shown in Figs. 10 and 11. There is a body 51 carrying two parallel vertical spindles 58 and 59. Arm 36a projects from a block 50a rotatably mounted on spindle 58. Said block is connected, to a block 60b rotatably mounted on spindle 59, by means of connection 6|. The picker arm 36b is mounted on block 60b for movement about horizontal axis 62a and is provided with a guide plate 63a and a return spring 64a; said block 601) likewise has a control arm 65a. Arm 38a is attached to block 660. rotatably mounted on spindle 59 and connected by a connection 6Ib to block 56b rotatably mounted on spindle 58. Block 66b has picker arm 38b pivoted to it for movement about a horizontal axis 521) and is provided with a return spring 64b. Block 66a has a control arm 65b. Pins 65a, 65b are engaged by rock lever 92 connected to feeler 94.

The mock-fashioning picker mechanism 36a, 36b and 38'0, 38'b' in advance of knitting system 2 is similar to that just described and illustrated and needs no further description herein. It is indicated generally at 51' in Fig. 14.

In general the connections whereby the various cams and other mechanisms hereinbefore referred to are controlled from a suitable control member such as the main drum of the machine or a chain or drum 80, may follow standard practice in knitting machines and little description and illustration thereof is necessary herein, for once the functions of such parts have been described numerous simple controls for them will present themselves to a knitting machine builder without the necessity for invention. Figs. 12 and 13 show the lay-out of the knitting cams and needle pickers. Each said figure is a plan view dealing with approximately half the circumference of the machine. Fig. 12 relates to knitting system I, and Fig. 13 to system 2, and in the two figures parts which are duplicated for the two systems (or are mechanical equivalents) are given the same reference numbers, but those in Fig. 13 for system 2 are differentiated by a dash. Dealing first with system I the yarn ,feeders F are controlled in customary manner by a battery of push rods 10. Stitch cam I20 is controlled through bell-crank-lever IIll. Guard cam 2| is controlled by bell-crank-lever mechanism II. Stitch cam 20 is controlled through bell-crank-lever I0. Narrowing picker 22 is controlled through bell-crank-lever I2 and horizontal shaft I3. Picker I22 is similarly controlled by bell-crank-lever I'I2. Widening picker23 is controlled by arm I4, bell-crank-lever 15 and connections I6, widening picker I23 being controlled by like connections I14, I15. The foregoing parts are to be found duplicated and distinguished by a reference numeral with a dash in Fig. 13. Fig. 7 shows in detail the control for the widening picker 23, and therefore this picker also serves to illustrate the control of the similar pickers 23, I23 and I23. Said picker 23' is pivoted on a horizontal spindle I1 transfixing a vertical spindle 18' from which the arm I4 projects for engagement by bell-cranklever I5. The picker is provided with a guide plate I9 and it will therefore be appreciated that by rocking spindle I8 the picker 23' may be swung and lowered to an inoperative position. Fig. 8 illustrates the control of the narrowing picker 22' and therefore serves to illus trate the control of the similar pickers 22, I22 and I22. Said picker is pivoted by a horizontal spindle 8| in a block 82' which is itself pivoted on a vertical spindle 83'. The picker is provided with a guide plate 84' and it will therefore be appreciated that by depressing the outer end of the picker by means of bell-crank-lever I2 said picker may be raised to an inoperative position.

Referring once again to Fig. 12, bolt cam 29 is controlled by means of lever 86 and bellcrank-lever 81. Cam 3| is controlled by lever mechanism 89. Cam 24 is controlled by means of lever 9| and cam 25 by lever 93.

Referring to Fig. 13 cam 26 is controlled by lever 61, while cam 32 is controlled by bellcrank-lever B8. Cam 44 is controlled by lever 69.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine of the type organised to knit a hose mainly by rotation but to knit the heel and toe pockets by reciprocation, the combination of one knitting system for knitting the toe pocket on a group of needles and an opposed knitting system for knitting the heel pocket on an opposed group of needles.

2. In a circular knitting machine of the type organised to knit a hose mainly by rotation but to knit the heel*and toe pockets by reciprocation, the combination of two opposed knitting systems for knitting two courses at each revolution, and means for knitting the toe pocket by reciprocation in one system and for knitting the heel pocket by reciprocation in the other, employing different needles for the two pockets.

3. In a circular knitting machine of the type organised to knit a hose mainly by rotation but to knit the heel and toe pockets by reciprocation, and having a circular needle bed, the combination of one knitting system for knitting the toe pouch and an opposed system for knitting the heel pouch, instep needles and heeling needles differentiated by contrasting butts and occupying different locations in the needle circle, cams for engaging said butts and for displacing the heeling needles to and from a loop-holding level preparatory to and subsequent to knitting the toe pouch, pickers for operating on the instep needles to narrow and widen the toe pouch, cams for engaging said butts and for displacing the instep needles to and from a loop-holding level preparatory to and subsequent to knitting the heel pouch, and other pickers for operating on the heeling needles to narrow and widen the heel pouch.

4. In a circular knitting machine adapted to knit a hose mainly by rotation but with toe and heel pockets knitted by reciprocation, and having a needle cylinder and a circular complement of needles therein, the number whereof and diameter of the circle being that for the production of a single hose in substantially tubular form and said needles comprising instep needles and heel needles disposed over opposed portions of the circle, the combination of two diametrically opposed sets of knitting cams each for knitting one of the pockets and each comprising two withdrawable and opposed stitch cams for knitting in either direction during reciprocation, a cam race for conducting the needles past each set of knitting cams in turn during rotation, at least one yarn feeder for each set of cams, means for temporarily diverting the heel needles to a loop-retaining position while knitting the toe pocket on instep needles in one set of knitting cams, means for temporarily diverting' the instep needles -to a loop-retaining position while knitting the heel pocket on the heel needles in the other set of knitting cams, and, adjacent to each set of knitting cams, narrowing the widening pickers for making the pockets.

5. In a combination according to claim 4, fashioning needles midway in the heel needles for producing a gap of varying width up the back of the leg, and means for diverting said fashioning needles between inactive and, active positions infashioning.

6. In a combination according to claim 3, a group of fashioning needles, midway in the heeling needles and dividing them into two groups, for producing a gap along the foot bottom and through the heel pouch and an upwardly convergent gap in the back of the leg whereby said leg is fashioned, means for controlling said fashioning needles to vary the width of said gap in fashioning, and means for holding said fashioning needles inactive during the production of the heel pouch and foot bottom.

"I. In a circular knitting machine adapted to knit a hose mainly by rotation but with toe and heel pockets knitted by reciprocation, and having a needle cylinder and a circular complement of needles therein, the number whereof and diameter of the circle being that for the production of a single hose in substantially tubular form and said needles comprising instep needles and heel needles disposed over opposed portions of the circle, and fashioning needles, centrally disposed in the heel needles, for fashioning the hose, the combination of two diametrically opposed sets of knitting cams, one for knitting the toe pocket and the other for knitting the heel pocket, each of which sets comprises two opposed stitch cams for knitting in either direction during reciprocation, a cam race for conducting all active needles through each set of knitting cams in turn during rotation, at least one yam feeder for each set of cams, means for diverting the fashioning needle from said race to an inactive level prior to knitting the toe and for retaining them there until required for fashioning, means for temporarily diverting the heel needles to a loop-retaining level while knitting the toe pocket on instep needles in one set of cams, means for temporarily diverting the instep needles to a loopretaining position while knitting the heel pocket, with a central gap left by the fashioningneedles, on the other set of cams, narrowing and widening means for making the pockets, and fashioning means for gradually bringing the fashioning needles from the inactive level into said race to narrow the gap up the leg.

8. In a circular knitting machine of the kind organised to knit a hose mainly by rotation but to knit toe and heel pockets by reciprocation, and having a circular needle bed, the combination of a group of toe needles. and a group of heel needles occupying substantially opposed locations in the needle circle, two opposed groups of intermediate needles, between said groups, two opposed knitting systems for knitting two courses at each revolution in the foot and leg on the needles of said four groups but one system for knitting the toe pocket by reciprocation on the toe needles and the other for knitting the heel pocket by reciprocation on the heel needles, means for temporarilyv displacing to a loop-retaining level, preparatory to knitting each pocket, the needles for the other pocket and said intermediate needles, means for re-introducing said needles upon completion of the pocket, and narrowing and widening means a for operating on the toe needles and heel needles in the production of the respective pockets.

9. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder and a circular complement of needles therein, the number whereof and the diameter of the circle being that for the production of a single hose blank from the toe upwards in substantially tubular form and said needles comprising a group of fashioning needles, a group of heel needles at each side of it, and a group of instep needles opposite said fashioning and heelneedles, which machine is organised to knit the leg and foot of the blank by rotation and the heel and toe pockets by reciprocation, the combination of two opposed sets of knitting .cams each for knitting by rotation on all active needles and one for knitting the toe pocket on the instep needles by reciprocationand the other for knitting the heel pocket on the heel needles by reciprocation, at least one yarn feeder, for each set of cams, an inactive track for the fashio'ning needles, means for diverting them to it preparatory to knitting the toe pocket, means for knitting at least one course of rotational knitting on the instep and heel needles, means for diverting the heel needles to a loop-holding level while knitting the toe pocket by reciprocation on the instep needles at one of the sets of knitting. cams, narrowing and widening means for operating on the instep needles to shape said pocket, means for restoring the loop-holding heel needles into activity upon completion of the toe pocket, means for introducing a splicing thread to the heel needles, during rotational knitting of the foot and a part immediately above the heel pouch, in the productionof a spliced area at each side of the gap left by the inactive fashioning needles, means for diverting the instep needles to a loopretainin level during the production of theheel pouch by reciprocation on the heel needles in the other set of cams, narrowing and widening means for operating on the heel needles to shape the heel pocket, means for restoring the loop-holding instep needles to activity upon completion of the heel pocket, and fashioning means for gradually displacing the instep needles to and from a loopmoving the fashioning needles from the inactive track into activity to narrow the gap while rotatlonal knitting proceeds up the leg on instep and heel needles at both sets of knitting cams.

10. In a combination according to claim 3, a needle racefor leading all active needles through both knitting systems during active knitting, which race affords, at least one of the systems,

splicing and non-splicing passages, fashioning needles located centrally of the heel needles, an inactive race for said fashioning needles, means for diverting them from one race to the other while knitting proceeds up the leg. to produce an upwardly convergent gap in the fabric at the back of the leg, a splicing thread feeder at said system having the non-splicingpassage, and means for diverting a varying number of needles at each side of the fashioning needles through the. splicing passage while the foot is being knitted.

to knit heel and toe-pockets thereon by recipro-.

cation, and having a circular needle bed and a circular complement of needles therein, the combination of two knitting systems, one at each oftwo different locations in the circumference of the machine; means for knitting a toe pocket by reciprocation ona group of the needles in one of the systems; and means for knitting a heel pocket by reciprocation, on a group of the needles disposed inthe opposite part of the needle bed to the first said group, in the other system.

13. In a circular knitting machine of the type organized to knit hose mainly by rotation but to knit heel and toe pockets thereon by reciprocation and having a circular needle bed, the combination of a knitting system for knitting the toe pouch; a second knitting system diametrically'opposite the first for knitting the heel pouch;

instep needles and heeling needles disposed over from a loop-holding position preparatory to and subsequent to knitting the toe pouch and for holding position preparatory to and subsequent to knitting the heel pouch; and narrowing and widening means for operating on the instep needles to narrow and widen the toe pouch and on the heeling needles to narrow and widen the heel pouch.

14. In a machine according to claim 13, fashioning needles disposed midway among the heeling needles; means for retaining said fashioning needles inactive during the knitting of the foot and heel pouch; and means for progressively moving them between active and inactive positions during knitting of the leg and for thereby fashioning the leg.

15. In a circular knitting machine for producing hose by knitting the leg and foot by rotation and heel and toe pockets by reciprocation, and' having a needle cylinder and a circular complement of needles therein, the number whereof and diameter of the circle being that for the production of a single hose in substantially tubular form and said needles comprising instep needles and heel needles disposed over substantially diametrically opposed portions of the circle, the combination of two substantially diametrically opposed sets of knitting cams each for knitting one of the pockets and each comprising two withdrawable and opposed stitch cams for knitting in either direction during reciprocation; a cam race for conducting the needles past each set of knitting cams in turn during rotation; at least one yarn feeder for each set of cams; means for temporarily diverting the heel needles to a loop-retaining position while knitting the toe pocket on instep needles in one set of knittingcams; means for temporarily diverting the instep needles to a loopretaining position while knitting the heel pocket on the heel needles in the other set of knitting cams; and narrowing and widening means for each set of knitting cams for making the pockets.

16. In a combination according to claim 15, a group of fashioning needles, midway in the heel needles, for producing a gap along the foot bottom and through the heel pouch and an upwardly converging gap up the back of the leg; a low inactive race for said fashioning needles; butts on the needles for traversing the cam race and inactive race; a butt passage leading from the inactive race to the active race; fashioning jacks under the fashioning needles; butts on the jacks; fashioning mechanism operable on the jack butts' for progressively moving the butts of the fashioning needles at the edges of the group thereof through the gap from the inactive to the active race; and means for moving said needle butts in the reverse direction.

17. In a circular knitting machine of the type organized to knit a hose mainly by rotation, from the toe upwards, with toe and heel pockets knitted by reciprocation, the combination of a needle cylinder and a circular series of needles therein, the diameter of the needle cylinder and the number of needles being that for the production ofa single hose in substantially tubular form, which needles comprise a group of instep needles, a group of fashioning needles opposite the instep needles, and a group of heeling needles at each edge of the group of fashioning needles; butts on said needles; two substantially diametrically opposed sets of knitting cams each for knitting one only of the pockets and each comprising cam means for knitting in either direction during reciprocation and in one direction during rotation; an active cam race for conducting the needle butts through each set of knitting cams during rotation whereby two courses are knitted at each revolution; at least one main yarn feeder for each set of cams; a low inactive race for the needle butts; means for diverting the butts of the fashioning needles to the inactive race and for diverting the heeling needles to a loop-holding level prior to knitting the toe by reciprocation at one set of knitting cams; narrowing and widening means for operating onthe instep needles to narrow and widen the toe; means for restoring the heeling needles to the active race upon completlon of the toe; means for diverting the instep needles to a loop-holding level prior to knitting the heel by reciprocation at the other set of knitting cams; means for restoring the instep needles to the active race at the completion of the heel; and fashioning means for progressively moving the butts of the fashioning needles at the edges of the group thereof from the inactive to the active track as knitting proceeds up the leg.

18. In a machine according to claim 4 wherein that stitch cam of each set of knitting cams whereat the needles first arrive in rotational knitting is also a clearing cam and the aforesaid yarn feeder is a ground yarn feeder, splicing mechanism for causing the heel needles to knit a spliced area along the foot bottom, comprising a splicing yarn feeder to each set of knitting cams for feeding a splicing thread in a path different from that of the ground thread; jacks below the heel needles; butts on said jacks; a withdrawable jack clearing cam below each said clearing cam, for operating on the jack butts and for raising the associated needles, when said clearing cam is withdrawn, to take both the splicing thread and the ground thread; and means adjacent to each set of knitting cams for. causing the needles, that are not raised by the jack clearing cam, to clear and for guiding them in a path to take the ground thread only and to knit at the other stitch cam of the set.

19 In a machine according to claim 4 wherein that stitch cam of each set of knitting cams whereat the needles first arrive in rotational knitting is also a clearing cam and the aforesaid yarn feeder is a ground yarn feeder, splicing mechanism for causing the heel needles to knit a spliced area along the foot bottom, comprising a splicing yarn feeder for each set of knitting cams, for feeding a splicing thread in a path different from that of the ground thread; jacks below the heel needles; butts on said jacks; a withdrawable jack clearing cam below each said clearing cam, for operating on the jack butts and for raising the associated needles, when said clearing cam is withdrawn, to take both the splicing thread and the ground thread; a lower inactive track for said Jack butts; an upper active track therefor leading to the jack clearing cams; and selective means for transferring the jack butts from the inactive to the active track thereby to vary the spliced area.

20. In a circular knitting machine of the type organized to knit an article of footwear having a leg and foot knitted by rotation, and heel and toe pockets, the combination of two knitting systems at different locations in the circumference of the machine for knitting two courses at each revolution; at least one yarn feeder for each systern; foot bottom and heel-pocket producing needles and instep and toe-pocket producing needles; means for manipulating the first said needles to produce at one system a heel pocket with sutures; means for manipulating the second said needles to produce at the other system a toe pocket with sutures; and means for manipulating all said needles to knit at both systems during rotation of the machine in the production of a leg and foot.

WILLIAM EDWARD BOOTON.

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