US2498496A - Point straightening mechanism for knitwear looping machines - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1950 J T JULLIE 2, 8,4 3

POINT STRAIGHTENING MECHANISM FOR KNITWEAR LOOPING MACHINES Filed July 10, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FICA INVENTOR. JO$EPH 'r. JULLIE Feb. 21, 1950 J. T. JULLIE 2,498,496

POINT STRAIGHTENING MECHANISM FOR KNITWEAR LOOPING MACHINES Filed July 10, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

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JOSEPH T. J'ULLI E Feb. 21, 1950 2,498,496

J. T. JULLIE POINT STRAIGHTENING MECHANISM FOR KNITWEAR LOOPING MACHINES Filed July 10, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. JOSEPH T. J'ULLIE A TTORNEVS Patented Feb. 21 1950 POINT STRAIGHTENIN G MECHANISM FOR KNITWEAR LUOPING MACHINES Joseph T. .lullie, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor to Strutwear, line, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application July 10, 1948, Serial No. 38,056

9 Claims.

This invention relates to knitwear looping machines or the like, which employ a rotary dial or ring carrying a multiplicity of outwardly extending spring metal points or prongs.

The invention relates particularly to mechanism readily attachable to standard loopers and the like for automatically straightening the spring steel points after the same have become bent or deformed through use and hand transfer of corresponding loops of a piece of knitted fabric thereon.

In such machines as knitwear loopers, a dial or large annulus is mounted in a circumferential race attached to a stationary disc and this dial is provided with sectional point clamps which cooperate with a point retaining ring or brass to retain the depending L-shaped ends of a great multiplicity of small prongs called points, the working portions of which extend outwardly radially of the dial in closely spaced relation. Knitwear loopers are manufactured for many operations in the production of knitted fabrics where it is desirable to join two edges of a knitted web or article together.

In operation, the corresponding loops of two edges of a knitted article or web must first be transferred successively to the points carried by the dial. Thereafter the machine is operated with a looper bracket and needle arm carrying the strand or strands and individually looping the thread through the two series of transferred knitted loops carried by the points.

Transfer of the two series of loops is done by hand by skilled operators prior to the operation of the machine and revolution of the dial. The downward pressure of human hands upon the points in transferring loops of the knitted fabric as well as strain and pressures impressed upon such points during the machine looping operation, in time bends the points or positions them slightly out of their normal operative positions in their sockets. In time, the multiplicity of radially arranged points (instead of presenting a substantially horizontal or slightly truncated conical position in a symmetrical generated figure) presents an irregular or undulating appearance with the result that transfer of loops from time to time by the skilled operator, becomes difficult and operation of the machine may become faulty.

At the present time, hand straightening tools are used with teeth to engage the points and the points are struck or pulled by such teeth, manually until the anchorage ends of the points are properly set in their sockets with the points proper extending in a common plane or figure. This is laborious, requires skill and produces far from perfect results.

It is an object of my present invention to provide a mechanism particularly adapted for knitwear looping machines but capable of use on other machines which employ a rotary dial or disc with outwardly projecting radial prongs which will quickly, accurately and automatically correct the positioning of the points or prongs throughout the circumference of the dial or rotary member.

A further object is the provision of mechanism of the class described which is driven and provided with driving connections from the common source of power for driving the looper machine and which operates upon the points during the normal revolution of the dial without requiring detachment of dial sections or detachment of the dial from the machine.

More specifically, it is an object to provide automatic point straightening and positioning mechanism for knitwear loopers and the like which employs as essential elements, a vertically reciprocating arm positioned generally in close spaced relation beyond the points of the dial carrying a pair of cooperating individual point-engaging striker elements, one adapted to successively raise the terminals of the points and the other being adapted to depress the terminals of the points. The cooperating action of these two point striker members through the inherent resiliency of the spring steel points and nature of their anchoring sockets, restore the points successively to normal and correct operative position.

A further object is the provision of mechanism of the class described which is readily attachable when needed to the fixed disc or mounting of conventional knitwear loopers, occupying the position in certain of said conventional loopers, of the usual clipper mechanism and reciprocated, as in the case of the clipper mechanism, from a pitman or link connection with the inwardly extending horizontal dial driving shaft.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of mechanism of the class described wherein the inward positioning of the point raising and point depressing elements carried by the reciprocating arm as well as the spaced relation thereof, may be accurately adjusted by means of a micrometer nature.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the greater portion of a conventional knitwear looper machine with some of the working mechanism broken away and showing an embodiment of my point straightening mechanism operatively attached and connected for driving;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the rotary dial and dial race and base of my attachment and showing the initial point raising step in the cycle of operation of my mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the positioning of the reciprocating arm and the point raising and point depressing elements in the intermediate step of the cycle of operation, just before the downward movement of the reciprocating arm;

Fig. 4 is a similar diagrammatic view showing the third step in the cycle of operation where the point depressing element is operating and has been moved to substantially full, downward position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view, generally similar to the diagrams of Figs. 3 and 4, but not showing the reciprocating arm, but illustrating the ultimate corrected position of one of the point after release from the point depressing element of my mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of an embodiment of my mechanism detached from the looper machine and with the driving link or pitman detached;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation partly in section, of the mechanism in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 88 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, detail plan view showing a few of the points in laterally deformed position and showing a lateral straightening element 40a in operation; and

Fig. 10 is a cross section through one of the points taken on the line l0lll of Fig. 9.

Referring now to the drawings in Fig. 1, a conventional type of knitwear looper machine is shown, having the usual stationary disc or mounting frame It provided at its circumferential edge with a dial race Illa (see Fig. 2) and having cooperatively associated therewith, a looper bracket of conventional type, indicated as an entirety by the numeral II and a conventional needle arm I la. Spaced circumferentially above the mounting disc I0, is a trimmer mechanism of conventional form, indicated as an entirety by the numeral I'Z. A guide bracket I3 is supported from the mounting disc 10 and is also of conventional form.

A conventional dial I4 is revolubly mounted in the race Illa and comprises a heavy annulus having an internal flange I la which seats upon a shoulder of the mounting disc I0 providing the dial race and which is removably held in I operative position by a retaining annulus I5, detachably secured to the top marginal portion of the mounting disc Ill. The dial M has the usual upstanding annular brass-supporting flange Mb at the periphery thereof, to which is detachably secured, a point anchoring ring or brass annulus it of conventional structure (see Figs. 2 and 3) which has formed in the inner inverted frusto conical surface thereof, a multiplicity of narrow semi cylindrical grooves disposed in very close spaced relation for anchorage of the attachment portions of the conventional spring metal points 11. Each point I! has an outwardly and radially projecting loop-retaining arm Ila and a depending attachment portion seated in one of the said sockets of the brass and terminating in an outwardly turned extremity for engagement with the lower edge of the brass or point retaining ring IS.

A plurality of sector shaped point retaining clamps H! of conventional structure, are detachably secured by screws l9 to the upper marginal portion of dial [4 and have upturned clamping flanges for engagement with the attachment portion of the points to cooperate with the brass it in positively retaining the points in operative position upon the revoluble dial.

The dial is revolved at comparatively slow speed in conventional manner, through driving engagement of a pinion (not shown), with a gear ring Mc formed on the bottom of the dial 14 (see Fig. 2). Power is applied for driving dial l4 through a horizontally extending shaft encased in an overhanging sleeve 20 (see Fig. 1). The said shaft terminates at its inner end in a power take-off head 2| which is ordinarily employed in looper machines for driving the clipper mechanism. Driving connections for the dial M are conventionally made by a vertical power take-01f from the shaft encased in tube 20 which vertical power take-off passes through a casing 22 mounted on the central portion of mounting disc 10 and has driving connection (not shown) by beveled gear or worm with a horizontal driving shaft (not shown) which carries the pinion for engagement with the gear ring I40 of the dial.

My point straightening mechanism is swingably reciprocated as is the conventional clipper mechanism of a looper machine, from pitman or link connection with a crank pin 23 removably aifixed at an eccentric point to the outer end of the power take-off head 2| of the shaft encased in tube 20, which overhangs the top of mounting disc In. In certain conventional looper machines, my point straightener mechanism is attached to the mounting disc or more specifically, to the top of the retaining ring l5, in the precise position of the clipper mechanism.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, I provide a block base member 24 having a vertical arm-accommodating slot 24a in the medial portion thereof and provided with an inwardly extending rigid attachment plate 24?) which has a pair of adjustment slots 240 (see Fig. 6) for adjustable accommodation of clamping screws 25, said slots being disposed at opposite sides of base block 24. The attachment 2% further embodies a screw-receiving adjustment lug 24d in which is threaded a vertical adjustment screw 26, having a knurled handle 2611, at its upper end and with its lower end positioned to abut against the upper face of disc ID at a point inward of its marginal e ge.

My mechanism includes a curved, preferably horse shoe shaped operating arm 21 disposed in a vertical plane and having its inner end pivoted by a pin 28 within the confines of the vertical slot 24a in the block base. Arm 2'! is curved upwardly from its swingable, attached end, then outwardly and then downwardly to dispose the outer portion of said arm in spaced relation outwardly of the revoluble dial M. The said outer end of operating arm 21 has adjustably fixed thereto, a lower point raising element 29 and an upper point depressin element 39, said elements at their inner extremities, serving to alternately engage, tension and successively elevate and depress the outwardly extending, radially arranged spring metal points carried. by the dial. As shown, the two elements 29 and 3e are of substantially identical construction with the exception of the location of their inner extremities or point engaging teeth 29a and 30a, respectively.

The point raising element 29 is in the general form of a rigid block, having an elongated central slot 2% formed therein for the reception and accommodation of operating arm 2'5 as well as adjustment mechanism to be hereafter described. A small adjustment carriage 3i is slidably mounted Within the slot 29b of the point raising element and is restrained therein for longitudinal sliding movement in member 29, by suitable means such as the flanges 3M and 3H) (see Fig. 2). A micrometer abutment screw 32 is threaded in the outer end of block element 29 and its inner end engages against the carriage 3| to precisel determine the outermost positioning of this carriage in its mounting slot 2%. One side of the block body of element 29 is longitudinally slotted at 290 for accommodation adjustably, of a clamping screw S which threads into the operating arm 27!.

The point depressing element 39 is equipped with a similar small carriage block 33 accornmodated in the vertical slot 38b of the element and identical in construction, slidable mounting and function with the carriage block 32 of element 29. A micrometer screw 34 adjusts and determines the outermost positioning of the carriage block 33 in element 30. A second clamping screw S fixes the element 38 in adjusted position upon operating arm 21.

For lateral adjustment of the two elements 29 and 30 and to vary within a short range, the spaced relation of their point raising and point depressing extremities or teeth 2% and 3%, a simple but accurate mechanism is interposed between the carriages 3i and 33 and a heavy stud Zia fixed to operating arm 2'! intermediately of the positioning of elements 29 and 30. To this end, a micrometer adjustment screw 35 extends through a cylindrical bore in the carriage 3! of element 29 and has its inner end threadedly received in a socket 271) formed in the lower portion of stud 21a. A coil spring 36 is interposed between the top of block element 23 and the underside of stud 27a. By turning the screw 35, when clamping screw S for element 29 is slightly loosened, the block element 29 may be adjusted angularly with reference to the lower portion of operating arm 2?.

Similar angular adjustment mechanism of a micrometer nature is supplied for the upper or point depressing element at consisting in an adjustment screw 3! passing through a cylindrical aperture in the small block carriage 33 and having its inner end threadedly received in a tapped socket formed in. the upper portion of stud Zla with a coil spring 38 interposed between the intermediate lower portion of block element 39 and the upper edge of the heavy stud 21a.

To prevent actual deformation of the points by bending during the point raising and depressing steps, of my mechanism and method and to also prevent dislocation of the points from their sockets, I provide a rotary abutment disc 3%! journaled in a radial bearing E ie formed in the upper and outer portion of the mounting block 24 of my mechanism. Abutment disc 38 is aflixed to a horizontal shaft 39a which is not only journaled but slidable longitudinall within limits within the bearing 24a. The periphery of disc 39 lightly rides over the points lid in a position above the point retaining ring or brass i6.

An elective feature of my invention Which appears to be of cooperating utility in 'use of my mechanism on some types of looper machines, is illustrated in Figs. 2 to 8 inclusive, comprising a straightener element 49 fixed to the lower end of a depending, adjustably mounted rod M and adapted to, with a slight wedging action, engage and spread the points I? in the downward movement of operating arm 21. The rod 4| is mounted in a short adjustable arm 42 which in turn, is adjustably secured by a clamping screw 43 to the intermediate and upper portion of the horse shoe operating arm 27. The specific shape of the spreader element 40 is best shown in Fig. 8 where it will be noted that the angulation of one side of element 40 with reference to the vertical, is greater than that of the opposite side which is almost vertical. When element 40 is utilized, each point in the revolution of the dial i4 is engaged twice by element it, the first engagement being against the more angulated side of element 40 and the last engagement being between the opposite or nearly vertical side of element 46 and opposite side of the point. With this arrangement, the point is first deflected considerably past normal position and then by engagement with the nearly vertical side of element 4i] deflected only slightly past the normal position and will spring to normal lateral position.

Operating arm 2? is driven by an adjustable pitman comprising link sections 44 and 45. Link section' i i is pivoted to the crank screw 23 on the head 2| of the driving shaft. Link 45 is pivoted by a screw pin 46 to the intermediate and upper portion of the horse shoe operating arm 21. The opposing ends of links 44 and 45 are adjustably and rigidly secured together by, as shown, a pair of clamping screws Al which work through longitudinal slots in link 45 and threadedly engage tapped sockets in link 44.

The point engaging teeth 28a and 38a of the straightening elements may be substantially aligned in a vertical plane or disaligned. I prefer to substantially align these teeth vertically so that the point raising element 2% engages a point in its upward cycle of operation while in the immediate downward cycle of the arm 21, the point depressing element 30a engages and depresses the same point.

Operation.

When, after extensive use, the prongs of a knitwear looper machine or the like, have become displaced, my attachment may be readily applied to the mounting or stationary disc of the machine in place of the conventional clipper. The pitman or link connection 45, upon original setting, is adjusted to obtain the proper swingable reciprocating stroke of the horse shoe shaped operating arm 27. The revolution of the power take-off head 2| from the driving shaft for the looper machine, is already synchronized with the clipper mechanism and the driving speed of the dial I4 to provide a reciprocation of the swingable arm for the circumferential travel of each point 11.

Thus, with my mechanism, as each point I! travels in its orbit, a complete cycle of operation of my point straightening mechanism is effected. In the upward swinging of the depending portion of the operating arm 21, the point raising element 2% engages and lifts the outer, radially projecting portion Ila of the point from the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 to the full line position. Thereafter, the point Ha through spring action returns from the dotted line position of Fig. 3 to the full line position. In Fig. 3, the point straightening elements a and 29a are disposed medially of their extreme strokes and point depressing element 300. is moving downwardly to engage the outer end of the point extension Ila. In Fig. 4, the dotted line position of the point extension Ila is similar to the full line position shown in Fig. 3 and the full line position of the point Na in Fig. 4 shows the extreme depressed position of the point and incidentally, the extreme downward swinging position of the operating arm 27. In Fig. 5, the arm 21 has moved upwardly, somewhat from extreme position and point I! has returned through resilient action, to normal, properly seated and straightened position.

Throughout the deflection of the several points in said straightening operations, the abutment disc 39 rolls lightly over the outwardly bent portions of the points I], directly above the brass Ilia acting as an abutment to prevent displacement of the points from their sockets in the brass and constituting an important element of my point straightening mechanism.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that in one revolution of the dial I4, all of the multiplicity of points I! are successively lifted and depressed beyond normal position, returning through spring action to proper positioning in their seats or sockets and presenting, when operation is completed, a substantially perfect operative alignment. In most looper machines, when the points are properly straightened, they lie in a truncated conical figure, slightly angled with reference to a horizontal plane.

In most conventional looper machines, the operation of the point raising element 29a and point depressing element 30a is entirely adequate to straighten the points and all thereof. Under certain conditions however, some deformation or deflection in a lateral direction may be best taken care of by the inclusion in my apparatus, of the lateral, spreader element 50 supported from the depending rod ll. The spreading action in the operation of my apparatus takes place simultaneously with the point depressing operation of the cycle. The element 50 first engages one side of a point I! with the angulated side of element 40, deflecting the point laterally, considerably beyond the normal or correct position of the point. Then, in the following downward movement of operating arm 21 and element 40, the almost vertical side of element engages the opposite side of the deflected point, moving the same laterally to a position of slightly beyond the correct, laterally straightened position of the point. The resiliency of the point returns it from such position to the normal, seated position.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided an apparatus or attachment adapted to very readily apply to conventional type knitwear looper machines and to be driven by power take-01f mechanism now utilized for other purposes (usually the clipper mechanism).

It will further be seen that with my said apparatus, automatically and very quickly, the great multiplicity of points, the working ends of which are projected radially from the dial, are restored to the correct operating positions.

It will of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, ar-

8. rangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. Mechanism for straightening the radially disposed points ofa knitwear looping machine or the like, having in combination a base member having means for attachment in a position adjacent a looper dial, an operating arm mounted in said base for reciprocating movement in substantially a vertical plane, said arm having a portion thereof disposed outwardly of and in close relation to the extremities of said points, means for connecting said arm for reciprocation with a source of power, a point-raising element mounted on said arm and extending radially of the rotary dial of the machine and having an extremity shaped to underlie and raise a point in each upward movement of said arm and a pointdepressing element mounted on said arm in spaced relation above said point-raising element and extending also radially of said dial and shaped and positioned to overlie and depress the end of a point in the downward movement of said arm.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and means for adjusting the inward position of said pointraising and point-depressing elements along lines extending radially of said dial.

3. Mechanism for straightening the radially disposed points of a knitwear looping machine or the like, having in combination a base member having means for attachment in a position adj acent a looper dial, an operating member swingably mounted in said base for reciprocating movement in a substantially vertical plane and having an arm disposed outwardly of and in close relation to the extremities of said points, means for connecting said operating member for reciprocation, a point-raising element mounted on said arm and extending inwardly toward said dial and radially thereof and having a terminal tooth adapted to underlie and raise a point in each upward movement of said arm and a point-depressing element mounted on said arm in spaced relation above said point-raising element and also extending inwardly toward said dial and radially thereof and having a terminal tooth positioned to overlie and depress the end of a point in the downward movement of said arm.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 and said point-raising and point-depressing elements being slidably mounted transversely of said arm and means for clamping said elements to said arm in desired adjusted position.

5. The structure set forth in claim 3 and means connected with each said elements for adjusting the positioning of the terminal teeth thereof in secured to said mounting disc, an operating arm mounted in said base for reciprocation in a substantially vertical plane, said arm extending outwardly of and in close relation to the extremities of the points carried by said dial, a link connecting the inwardly extending portion of said operating arm with said rotary driving element, a pointraising element mounted on said arm and having an inwardly extending extremity shaped to underlie and raise a point on each upward movement of said arm and a point-depressing element mounted on said arm in spaced relation above said point-raising element and also extending inwardly toward said dial and positioned to overlie and depress the end of a point in the downward movement of said arm.

7. Mechanism for straightening the radially disposed points of a knitwear looping machine or the like, having in combination a base member having means for attachment in a position adjacent a looper dial, an operating arm mounted in said base for reciprocating movement in substantially a vertical plane, said arm having a portion thereof disposed outwardly of and in close relation to the extremities of said points, means for connecting said arm for reciprocation with a source of power, a point-raising element mounted on said arm and extending radially of the rotary dial of the machine and having an extremity shaped to underlie and raise a point in each upward movement of said arm and a point-depressing element mounted on said arm in spaced relation above said point-raising element and extending also radially of said dial and shaped and positioned to overile and depress the end of a point in the downward movement of said arm, each of said elements having a connection with said arm permissive of swinging adjustment of the element at an intermediate point thereon and in a vertical plane, and a micrometer adjustment screw for each element engaging the outer portion of said element beyond said operating arm and having threaded connection with a portion of said arm extending laterally and outwardly from the body thereof.

8. Mechanism for straightening the radially disposed points of a knitwear looping machine or the like, having in combination a base member having means for attachment in a position adjacent a looper dial, an operating arm mounted in said base for reciprocating movement in substantially a vertical plane, said arm having a portion thereof disposed outwardly of and in close relation to the extremities of said points, means for connecting said arm for reciprocation with a source of power, a point-raising element mounted on said arm and extending radially of the rotary dial of the machine and having an extremity shaped to underlie and raise a point in each upward movement of said arm and a point-depressing element mounted on said arm in spaced relation above said point-raising element and extending also radially of said dial and shaped and positioned to overlie and depress the end of a point in the downward movement of said arm, said elements each comprising a bar or block at least partially surrounding said arm and extending transversely thereof and mounted on said arm with freedom for slidable adjustment transversely of said arm, an abutment carriage slidably mounted within each of said blocks for adjustment longitudinally thereof and adapted to engage against the outer longitudinal edge of said arm and a micrometer screw threaded in the outer portion of said block and engaging said carriage to adj ust the position thereof.

9. The structure set forth in claim 8, and a clamping screw for each element extending through said block and threaded into said arm and working through a slot in said block.

JOSEPH T. JULLIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 291,620 Nugent Jan. 8, 1884 733,394 Huffstickler July 14, 1903 1,336,543 Stull Apr. 13, 1920 1,361,528 Maine Dec. '7, 1920 1,930,755 Hofmann Oct. 17, 1933 2,249,140 Inglee July 15, 1941 2,301,643 Sachse Nov. 10, 1942 2,364,989 Mallina Dec. 12, 1944 2,367,602 Nivison Jan. 16, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 535,751 Great Britain Apr. 21, 1941

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