US2376050A - Machine for knitting - Google Patents

Description

May 15, 1945. H. c. GREEN v MACHINE FOR KNITTING Filed April 7,l 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet l y Si L ma@ fw K F7614:- l

May 15, 1945. l. H. c. GREEN MACHINE FOR KNITTING 5 she'ets-sheet 2 Filed April 7. 1943 ATT Y.

l. H. c. GREEN MACHINE FOR KNITTING Filed April '7, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 May-15, 1,945. l `l. H. c. GREEN MACHINE FOR KNITTING 5 sheets-sheet 4 lFiled April '7, 1943 Flag.

ummm

May l5, 1945. .1. H. c. GREEN 2,376,050 v MACHINE Fon KNITTKIKNG` n Filed April '7, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 .FIGC/Z.

Pme.; Mais, 1945 v2,376,050

UNITED ASTATES l PATENT OFFICE Isaac H. C. Green, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to vHemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 7, 1943, Serial No. 482,143

Claims.

This application concerns a knitting machine of the circular, independent needle type adapted n to knit hosiery and in which'at certain parts of a knitted stocking pile or terry loops are formed. Such hosiery is the subject matter of Davis Patent #2,144,563 and is very popular for athletic wear, military uses and other purposes. There is no particular diiliculty' in incorporating the pile or terry loops during circular work, but in reciprocatory knitting as informing heels and toes, considerable diiiiculty is experienced.- At that time it is necessary to narrow and widen and that causes the pile yarn to be missed by many of the sinkers so that it does not appear in the finished fabric in each course, or in all ofthe desired stitches in a course. f

Here mechanism is disclosed which is adapted to control the feeding of the pile yarn in such relationship to the so-called body yarn and simu1 taneously to regulate the rection of sinkers as to f ing knitted by mechanism describedin this case, f

separate the two yarns a maximum amount or extent and projectnibsoi sinkers betweenthe yarns at such time and in such manner that there shall be a pile loop at each stitch intended.

In the following description taken in reference' to the accompanying figures ofvdrawings; two

forms of mechanism are described by means of which the general purposes of the invention are to be carried into eiect.

In the figures of drawings:

Fig. 1 is an. elevation of; a part of a circular type hosiery machine to which the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a plan of part of a cylinder, sinker cam cap and certain controlling devices applied there- Fig. 3 is a detail view of sinker cams, the cap having been cut away to show these cams more clearly. y

Fig. 4 is a detail view of feeding levers and of `needles and sinkers and the yarns being drawn by them.

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing a modied form o'f the invention, certain parts being cutaway, and 65 to controlled'by those picks.

Fig. 9 is a view ,of the mechanism shown in Fig.

, 8., but as it would be seen if viewed from the inf-l side of the needle cylinder.

Fig. 10 is a detail' view of sinker cams and special control for those cams as it is applied by the mechanism of this modified form of the invention.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing needle cams, one pick and means controlled by that pick for regulating the action of the sinker cams.

Fig. 12 is a sectiontaken at the line |2|2, Fig. 10. l t

Fig. 13 is a detail of a friction ring employed in this modification. A y

Fig. 14 is a conventional illustration of a stocksaid stocking being viewed inside out.

Now referring to the Figs. 1-7, a needle cylinder i of usual type is rotatable in a frame which has a circular base 2 and that cylinder carries theusual latch needles 3, Fig. 7, each of. these needles t having the usual butt. Instep needles have long butts while sole needles have short butts. A plurality of sinkers 4, one for each needle, havespecial nibs 5 which are adapted to project between the two feeding yarns. Each of these sinkers has a butt (not shown) and is -controlled by action 'of certain cams on those butts. There are a plurality of cams which are adapted to engage needle butts and control them, those cams including the usual stitch cams, center cam land raise cams all of which are supported by a cam plate 6 and the stitch, cams of which are operated in conjunction with a cam block l. There are also the usual nary rowing picks 8 forthe purpose ofrasing one f needle at a time during each stroke 0f heel and toe knitting. t

Yarns are fed by a series of yarnflevers or nfgers shownmore clearly in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. TheA lever .9 feeds a yarn is the pile yarn employed during knitting the high splice andthe double sole. That finger is controlled to move to and from feeding positiononce each course.Y Lever Ill-.feeds a similar pile yarn during formation of' the heel and toe. Of course, there is the usual mechanism employed on this type of'machi'ne to .raise and lower these yarn levers so as to introduce or withdraw a yarn at desired times. There are other levers for feeding other yarns during knitting diiIerent parts of the stocking. Those vare not important here and will not be described. The body yarn is to be fed at a point very close the center'ot the mouthpiece" and is thread-A ed through the offset end l2 of a. special, vertical- -ly-movable, feeding finger I3. This finger I3 rests upon the mouthpiece when in lowered or active position and is guided during its vertical movements by the projecting part I4 and a guide I 5. That guide I5 attaches to theside'of projection I6 extending from the carriery ring I1.

Normally each of the levers 9, l0, etc., swings A about pivot I8 in the usual way. However, the

feeding finger I3 is raised by a specially shaped lever I9 pivoting at I8 and having a reduced end which engages in a sort of slot adjacent the lower end of the linger itself. The lever I9 is in turn moved by a second controllingy element and it is for that reason that finger I3 moves vertically. The shape of the oilset projection I2 is l.such that the heel and toe pile yarn can feed over the top of that projection without interference.

As shown in Figs. Zand 3, sinkers are controlled by'cams including center sinker cam 22, side sinker cams 23 and 24, and movable cams 25 and 2t. These cams are mounted in a sinker cam cap 21 and the sinkers themselves are movable in a sinker head 28. Normally the cams 23 and 24 control in the casting oft movement so that, when there is no pile yarn being knitted, the action of the machine is more or less normal. When pile yarn is to be knitted, sinkers are projected inwardly for an extent sumcient to move the nibs 5 beneath the topmost or pile yarn.

Cam 23 pivots at 29 while. cam 24 pivots at 30 and unless pushed in by special mechanism later to be described, neitherY of these cams will have any eiect. At either side of the cam block l there is a spindle 3l at the front and 32 at the back of the machine, these spindles being sup-1` ported in an appropriate bracket 33, Fig. 1. Each of these spindles is free to rotate n its bearing in the bracket and at its upper end indie 3l has fixed thereto an angularly bent arm 34 while spindle 32 has a similar arm 35. At the lower end of spindle 3| there is a second arml generally designated by numeral 33, that arm being per.

manently held to move with the spindle and also with the arm 34. A springl 31 connects at the outer end of arm 36 and also to a hook 33, Figs.

1 and 2. At the other end of the arm 33 there is adjustably `attached a triangular shaped cam or follower 39. t

At the opposite side of the machine there are similar parts including arm 43, spring 4I, hook 42 and follower 43. Normally the spring 3l which has considerable tension moves arms 36 and 34 in such a manner that the lever 34-pushing on a pin 44 projecting from the movable cam 25, willl hold thatcam inwardly. At such'tlmes as the :follower 39 rides upon-needle butts 45, `the arm 36, also arm 34, will be moved against the tension of spring 31 so that cam 25 will not be held in its innermost or active position. In fact, it will trolled bysultably patterned cams.

During operationvof the machinea stocking to be moved. out by the leaf spring 46. A

At the rear of the machinethe follower 43 will perform the same ,function and cam 28 will be controlled in the'same manner. In counterclockwise rotation or strokes of knitting the cam 2,876,050 g 23 governs; in clockwise strokes cam 25 .and its attendant mechanism controls.

The followers 39 and 43 are at such a level that they contact and ride upon needle butts in that group of needles raised to instep level. In other words, the followers ride upon the butts of the long butt group of needles and upon short butts of those needles picked up to that same level during knitting the heel or toe. The timing of the mechanism is such that just as follower 43, for example, falls from the last butt in the instep group, the cam 26 will move in and will push sinkers inwardly to project the nibs of those sinkers between the yarns. 'In actual practice that occurs so that in reciprocatory work, about the fourth sinker after the leading short butt needle will have its nib projected between the yarns. Then all following sinker nibs `will have the pile yarn drawn over them as illustrated in Fig. 7. When the cam 26 is pushing sinkers inwardly, cam 25 may or may not be in its active position depending on whether the follower 33 is` riding on any of the needle butts.l

In circular work as during knitting the highsplice' or double sole, cam 23 is maintained in position and, of course, there are no needle butts at a level toA contact either of the followers 39 or 43. `The yarn finger 9 feeding a pile yarn at that time is moved'to and from feeding position once each course. That is done by mechanism well known to those skilled in the art. Cam 25 remains in'position during this rotary work. It assists in holding the work down on the needles.

During knitting in the stocking leg or at any other part where there is no pile yarn being knitted, the yarns which are fed arenever at a positionfto be drawn over sinker nibs. They will always be taken in the throats of sinkers and for this reason, cam 26 may be in position and sinkers move in at an early point in the cycle without interference. However, when a yarn change is made, the cam 26 must be withdrawn and the change madeat a time ,when sinkers are not advanced so that the newly inserted yarn would follow over sinker nibs. In reverse strokes als in clockwise reciprocations inthe heel or toe cam 25 as governed by follower 39 acts in the same way as the opposite set of parts functions when knitting in the other direction.

When it is desired to withdraw follower 43 and cam 23 from active position, mechanism not specifically illustratedis controlled by pattern means on the machine. This mechanism in cludes a bell crank lever engageable with the` arm Sii and other linkage extending down tobe con-.

be knitted may start with a transferred rib 'top or with' anyfother type top or edge and the leg of the stockingwill be knitted as above described A or in any convenient manner. Preferably, at the highsplice, the pile yarn fed by lever 3 will be thrown into action and sinkers will then be con trolied so that all those sinkers at thesole feed of the stocking will be projected inwardly to have their nibs inserted beneath the pile yarn but l rather than the needle butts.

the yarn lever Il is lowered to feeding position. Follower 43 vwill ride on the long butts and as that follower drops from the last long butt, cam

26 will be projected inwardly moving all sinkers into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 'I as those l sinkers pass the point of the cam. In actual practice the fourth sinker in that .'group over which the heel needles knit will be the first which Vmay safely have its nib projected between the yarns. In opposite' strokes the .same applies since follower 39 allows cam 25 tocontrol the sinkers similarly. l

After the start of the heel picks 8 come into action and then at each stroke, one short butt needle will be moved up to the instep level. u The follower 43 will then ride upon all the longbutts and in addition, as many short butts as have been moved upwardly to the instep level. That means that progressively the number of short ybutt needles first becomes smaller and correspOndingIy, the rstsinker toA be moved in for each direction of knitting will .be the fourth sinker following the rst needle knitting in the short butt group. Of course, variations may make it desirable t0 project. the third; or fifthscribed. At each stroke one ,short butt needle will -be moved upwardlyI but sincethe widening picks come into play, they move down two such needles so that the effective group increases .by

one needle at each stroke. Naturally, the instepA group of needles decreases correspondingly.

vwhich is frlctioned to move with the head by means of the frictioning springs 88 would move to the same extent unless otherwise' restricted. As shown in Fig. 9, a plurality of angular clips i1 engage within a groove 68 in the sinker head andl prevent vertical movement of the ring.

There is a latch 69 at one end of a lever 10 pivoted at 1l,` and this latch 'and lever are normally pressed by means of a spring (not shown) so that the latch engages a detent 12. A second latch 13 is identical with the latch 69 only it is adapted to work in the reverse direction. The second latch is a part of a lever 14 also pivoted at 1| and correspondingly pressed by a spring to engage a second detent 15 when the ring 5p moves in a direction so that those two elements are engaged.

` The arm 10 and the corresponding arm 14 have projections 16 and 11, respectively, which engage -on'the upper edgeof the picks 53 and 52, respectively. Whenever a pick is raised `as when it picks up a needle, it will swing its corresponding llever so that the latch 69 or 13, as the case may After That means that followers 39 and 43 fall from the needlebutts upon 'which they ride one needle earlier than for the previous course, and thus, as

the widening progresses the first sinker nib to be projected inwardly will follow y the number of vneedles -as it did in the narrowing operation.

Now referring to Figs. 8-l3, a modification will be described in which the controlling movement for graduating the lsinkers is taken from the picks In Figs. 8 and 9 a cam plate 41 has a cam block 48 on which are operatively positioned stitch cams 49 and 5l3 and a center guard cam 5I; In this form of the'inbe, will be disengaged from the corresponding de tent.

Referring to Fig. ll, the pick 53 has been swung so that its butt Aengagingend has lifted a needle from a'lower pathway 18 to a higher pathway 18.

It has also been engaged with the extension 16,

swung the'lever about pivot 1| so that the latch 69 has disengaged its detent`12.

In operation, this' modied form of the invention operates in the same general manner 'as that first described. On counter-clockwise strokes .of knitting the frontpick 52 will be raised by the leading short butt needle and the latch 13 disengaged with detent 15, releasing the frictioned ring 5U so that it can move with the cylinder and sinker head to the position shown in Fig. 10. In that position the cam 63 will push the movable sinker cam 59 inwardly and the sinkers will then have their nibs 5 projected inwardly to have the pile yarn thrown over them.

As in the first instance, about the fourth sinker following the leading short butt needle will be vention feeding may be by means similar to that previously described and the needles and sinkers are of similar or identical construction. The

narrowing picks52 and 53 are of usual construction and it is by means of these picks thatthe graduating of sinkers is obtained. The outline f the. cylinder is shown in dot and dash lines.

In Fig. l0 a sinkercam cap 54 has sinker cams which are the same as are similarly shownv in Fig.

3. There is a center sinker cam 55, a i'ront sinker cam 56 and correspondingrear sinker cam 51. There are also the'movable cams- 58 and 5g which correspond to cams 25 and 28.

For maintaining one or the other of these movable cams in a position to project sinkers .inwardly so that their nibs' are engaged between yarns, a ring 6U is carried by and is frictionally moved by the sinker head fil.V This ring carries a can-iholder 62 and a cam 53, the latter being adapted to engage either one of the pins .64 or 55 as the case may be, and thereby push the movable cam inwardly against the tension of one of knitting.

sinkers will have pile yarn measured over their nibs. The ring 5B is stopped in proper position by contact of an adjustable stop screw 8U engaging with post ti. The stop screw 8B is threaded into a lug 82 attached to the ring.. At

a properly spaced distance from the lug 82 a second lug with a similar stop screw is attached to function lin the opposite direction. The cap 54 rswings to and fro as is the usuall practice, but 'its movement is not nearly so great as the movement of the ring til. Hereafter when substantially the fourth sinker from the -first or leadingA needle to take the yarns is mentioned, it is to'be understood that the actual sinker may vary one or two either way but the first that can safely be projected so its nib will enter between the yarns is meant.

-In clockwise strokes the leading` short butt `needle will be lifted by pick 53 unlatching the detent i2 and thereby allowing the ring to moveto its opposite position as intendedin dot and dash lines, Fig. l0. 'In that position'the n-ibs of sinkers will be projected between the yarns as previously described relatively to counterclockwise In Fig. 14 there is illustrated a stocking having a top 83, leg 84 and a foot including the instep 85, sole, heel Sii, toe 88 and a highsplice 88.

,In this particular stocking the heel, soleand toe 4 t n have pile loops projecting to the'inside oi the' fabric. The highsplice 89y might similarly be `asvaoso formed with pile loops at that area i: so desired.

The invention has been described by illustrating and specifically describing two embodiments` of the same, but it is to be understood that. varia- 2. sinker controlling means'for circular, in-

dependent needle knitting machines including in combination sinker cams movable to and'from aposition in which said cams will project sinkers inwardly and means for controlling the timed interval at which andduring which said sinker tions may be resorted to so long as control taken 'from a varying number of needle buttsin accordance with narrowing and widening; the projection of the leading sinkers will always bear the same relationship to the first needle knitting in that particular stroke. Likewise, in' the second embodiment, the picks are actuated by the leading needle of a varying'group of needles and the. same relationship will still apply.

The invention is not to be limited otherthan by the scope of the appended claims.

l. A circular, independent needle knitting'rna chine having needles and sinkers to`be rotated at times, and at other times, reciprocated, means for feeding yarns including a mouthpiece, a yarn feeding lever to feed a body yarn from a position centrally of said mouthpiece, a second lever adjacent one side of the mouthpiece for feeding a pile yarn during rotary work and a third lever for feeding a pile yarn during reciprocatoryknitting,'said last mentioned lever feeding its yarn so that it will swing during reciprocatory work to be fed first through one corner of the mouthpiecevand then through the other, the construction of said body yarn feeding lever and the third lever being such that the pile yarn can cross over and feed above the body yarn feeding lever without interference.

cams shall be thus moved inwardly, vsaid means being operable by narrowing picks. f

3. In a circular, independent needle, knitting machine having needles, sinkersv and narrowing picks, the combination of means to feed at least two yarns to said needles and sinkers so that one of said yarns will'feed as al body yarn and another as a pile 'yarn in both rotary and reciprocatory work, means controlled by the narrowing picks for projecting sinkers inwardly so ythat their nibs will engage above the body .yarn but below the pile yarn.

4. In a circular, independent needle, knitting machine having needles, sinkers and narrowing picks, the combination of means to feed at least two yarns to said needles and sinkers in such a manner that one of said yarns will feed as a body yarn and another as a, pile yarn in both rotary and reciprocatory work, means for projecting sinkers inwardly so that their nibs will engage above the body yarn but below the pile yarn and means for controlling said projecting means which consists of a narrowing pick'and needle functioning cooperatively so that the viirst sinker to be projected will-be a predetermined sinker followinglfthe leading needle which takes the yarns.

j rotation in the opposite direction and means op- 5. rIn a circular, independent needle, knitting machine, sinker cam operating means which includes means rotatable with the cylinder in either direction and operatively associated with said sinker cams, means for arresting said rotation in one direction, lockingmeans for preventing said erated by a narrowing' pick for releasing said rotatable means from said locking' means.

. ISAAC H. C. GREEN.

Images