US2578506A

US2578506A - Needle replacement tool for circular knitting machines

Info

Publication number: US2578506A
Application number: US194622A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Julian E Carnes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-11-08
Filing date: 1950-11-08
Publication date: 1951-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 1968-12-11

Description

Dec. 11, 1951 CARNES, JR 2,578,506

NEEDLE REPLACEMENT TOOL FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 8, 1950 Patented Dec. 11 1951 NEEDLE REPLACEMENT TOOL FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Julian E. Carries, Jr., Charlotte, N. C.

Application November 8, 1950, Serial No. 194,622

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved needle gripping tool for circular knitting machines and its primary object is to provide means for grasping independent needles of a circular independent needle kntting machine to facilitate the installation or replacement of needles in the grooves provided therefor or for removing broken or bent needles from the needle cylinder or for replacing needles which have butts thereon of undesired lengths to replace the same with other needles having butts thereon of a desired length.

It is well known to those familiar with the knitting art that latch needles of the type used in circular independent needle knitting machines are, of necessity, made of a relatively thin material so that they may be closely spaced about the periphery of the needle cylinder in accordance with the gauge of stocking being knitted. These needles usually have rounded heels thereon and outwardly projecting butts at the lower ends thereof which are substantially rectangular in shape and the protruding lengths of which vary according to a desired pattern or for purposes of introducing an elastic strand to certain needles.

It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a tool for gripping a needle and a for holding the same in any desired attitude upon manipulation of the tool, which tool comprises a pair of relatively movable jaws, similar to the jaws of a pair of pliers and the proximate surfaces of these jaws are provided with longitudinally extending grooves therein for reception of the butt of a needle.

The end of one of the jaws extends substantially beyond the free end of the other of the jaws, and this extension is preferably of less thickness than the corresponding jaw to permit the same to be fitted into any one of the grooves in the periphery of the needle cylinder. The free end of this extension is provided with a hook-like projection which extends toward the other of the jaws and the surface of this hooklike projection at its juncture with the associated jaw is curved in accordance with the curvature of the heel of a needle to be gripped between the jaws of the tool. Thus this hook portion at the outer end of the extension of one of the jaws may be inserted back of the curved heel of'a needle or between one heel of the needle and the bottom of the groove in the needle cylinder in which the needle may be disposed and the jaws may be manually operated to clampingly engage the opposed edges of the butt of the needle to thus facilitate the removal of the needle from the needle cylinder for its replacement.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a tool to remove a needle from a needle cylinder which needle has a portion of its butt broken away. Broken needles are particularly hard to remove because they are usually broken flush with the needle cylinder and have to be forced out by placing some object behind them to force the front edge outside the needle cylinder to be gripped by a conventional pair of pliers. With this invention the needle can be removed in one operation because this tool is so constructed as to permit the small remaining portion of the needle butt to be gripped and removed from the needle cylinder.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the improved needle gripping tool and showing a needle and a portion of a needle cylinder in cross section;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view taken substantially along the line 22 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the front portion of the improved needle gripping tool but omitting the needle cylinder and showing a needle with its butt broken away;

Figure 4 is an elevation taken substantially along the line 44 in Figure 3 but showing the needle removed from the needle cylinder.

Referrin more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a conventional needle cylinder, of the type associated with circular knitting machines, and which has a plurality of grooves 6 in which conventional latch needles broadly designated at N are mounted for vertical sliding movement. Each of the latch needles has a hooked portion 1 at its upper end and is provided with a butt 9 at the lower end thereof which is used to control the vertical movement of the latch needle N by the usual needle control cams, not shown. Each needle has a curved heel portion 8 at its lower end opposite the butt 9. The present invention is especially provided for removin and installing needles of the type described in the needle cylinder 5.

To this end there is provided an improved needle gripping tool broadly designated at H! having rearwardly extending handle portions II and I2 integral withjaw portions I 3 and I4 and which are pivotally secured to each other as at IS. The jaws l3 and [4 have corresponding grooves l1 and i8 therein adapted to receive the outside the needle cylinder 2|.

butt 9 of a needle N whereby the handle portions I I and I2 may be moved toward each other to cause the jaws I3 and I4 to clampingly engage the butt 9 on the needle N. The jaws I3 and I4 have reduced

portions

22 and 23, respectively, at their free or left-hand ends in Figures 1 and 3, the lower portion 23 having at its upper left-hand end in Figure 3 an upturned hooked portion 24 which is adapted to'receive the curved lower rear portion 8 of the latch needle N for removing a needle from the needle cylinder 5. The upper reduced portion 22 of the jaw It" is provided to engage the upper portion of the butt 9 on the needle N to permit thebutt B of" the needle N to be gripped thereby and to be removed from the needle cylinder 5.

It is thus seen that should a needle N have to be removed or exchanged in the needle cylinder the operator could move the handle portions II and I2 of the needle gripping tool II! apart to thus move the jaws l3 and I4 aparta'nd'the reduced hooked portion 23 may be moved into position into one of the grooves 6 in the needle cylinder 5 under the butt 9 of one of the latch needles N and the curved hook portion 24 will engage the rear curved portion 8of the needle N'and the handleportions I! and I2 may be moved toward each other to cause the reduced I portion 22 to engage the top of the needle butt and theneedle can be pulled downwardly and I outwardly and removed from the cylinder.

' It is well known to those familiar with the art that in many instances the needle butts 9 on the latch needles N become broken as illustrated in Figure 3, in which instance the needle butts are usually broken flush with the outer surface of the needle cylinder allowing a small portion thereof to remain because it is protected by the "outer edge of the needle cylinder 2| which permits only a portion of the needle butt to extend These butts become broken when they engage an operating 'cam at the wrong time or hit a fiat object and are broken off. Therefore these needles with broken butts do not operate properly and have to be changed so that the sock will not have a run or drop stitch. It is with these broken butt needles that this invention is particularly valuable. Heretoiore it has been the practice of operators of knitting machines, when a needle butt becomes broken, to take another needle or some pointed object and force it up behind the needle in the groove in the needle cylinder far enough .to'force the remainin part ofthe butt-"out of "the cylinder so that a conventional pair of :pliers may be-used to grip the small remaining part o-f the butt toremove same.

. In many cases because of the manycams and It is thus seen thatwith thisinve'ntion, needles with broken butts canberemoved'in one operation, thus saving time and also providing a safer method of removing needles from the needle cylinder. Although this needle gripping tool is most useful in removing broken butt needles, it can also be used to remove needles that have the original butts on them but the hooks of which may be broken or which have latches which do not work and for all other reasons that it is desired to change the needles and this needle grippin tool can be used to better advantage than could a' conventional pair of pliers. The grooves I1 and I8 are provided to hold the needle butt in an upright position when the butt is still on the needle to make the job of inserting needles U 'into :thegrooves 6 in the needle cylinder 5 easier.

'In the event one of the hooked portions 1 has to be cut in order to remove the latch needle N there areprovided conventional cutting por- 'tions 25 andlfi associated with the jaws I3 and manner to cut wire and the like.

I4, respectively, which work in a conventional There are also provided clamping portions 2'! and 28 associated ."with the jaws I3 and I4 to be used to straighten bent latch needles N and forany other conventional use.

pivotally connected to'each other intermediate their ends and each having respective first and second jaws at one end thereof, the first and tending groove in theface thereof adjacent the other of'the'jaws, the second jaw having a projection extending outwardly from the free end thereof and in alinement with the groove in said second jaw, saidprojection on the second jaw being curved toward the first jaw at the free end thereof and being of substantially the same thickness as the width of said groove in the second jaw, said first jaw also having a projection on the free end thereof terminating substantially shortof the free end of the projection on the second jaw and also being of a thickness substantially the same as the-width of the groove in the first jaw.

JULIAN E. CARNES, JR.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number "Name Date 776,688 .Richter Dec. 6, 1904 1 1,490,019 'Neum'aier Apr. 8, 1924 1,704,992 Sanders. Mar.v 12,.1929 1,792,837 Harrison .Feb. 17, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 677,726 Germany July 1, 1939