US2844015A

US2844015A - Hand operated knitting machine

Info

Publication number: US2844015A
Application number: US498385A
Authority: US
Inventors: Luchsinger Ernst
Original assignee: Fibra A G
Current assignee: Fibra A G; FIBRA AG
Priority date: 1954-04-02
Filing date: 1955-03-31
Publication date: 1958-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 1975-07-22
Also published as: FR1121757A; GB790783A; DE1042825B; CH321482A

Description

y 1958 E. LUCHSIN GER 2,844,015

HAND OPERATED KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 31, 1955 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A I f-l-l-ll'nl 'Q' WIE'I'IIII' fl l H, I MIIM 1 fl= [6'2 I INVENTOR:

ERNST LUCHSINGER AT TORNEYS July 22, 1958 Q E. LUCHSINGER 2,844,015

HAND OPERATED KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 31, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR FRNST L UCHSINGER ATTORNEYS United States HAND ()PERATED KNITTING MACHINE Ernst Luchsinger, Kusnacht, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Fibra A. G., Glarus, Switzerland The present invention relates to hand operatedknitting machines and more particularly to knititng machines of the type having a cam-box serving to operate latch needles.

In this type of knitting machines it is of importance toensure that the last formed row of stitches suspended from the stems of the latch needles, will be :properly knocked over after the yarn has been formed into a new row of zig-zag loops.

In known apparatus weights or the .like are applied to the fabric in order to substantially prevent movement of the stitches of the last knitted row and to enable the needles to slide through the stitches or meshes retained in the described manner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel means in a knitting machine of the type described which positively ensure that the switches are knocked over from the stems of the needles over their closed hooks onto a row of zig-zag loops.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means in a knitting machine of the type described of knocking over means which may be removablyarranged at any desired point of the widthof the needle bed.

In order that the invention may bebetter understood and put in practice two embodiments of the inventionrare hereinafter described by way of examplewand with :reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l showsasidezview of a first embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 shows a top view of the embodiment according to Fig. 1,

Figs. 3 6 show diagrammatically the method of operation of the deviceaccording to'the invention,

Fig. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of the :invention in a view similar to that of Fig. 1 but drawn to a smaller scale,

Fig. 8 is a top view of the embodiment of Fig. 7.

In the first embodiment (Figs. 1-6) the numeral 1 designates an oblong support having a covered bed for a row of latch needles 2 and a cam-box 3 provided with a handle 3a, which cam-box serves to operate the latch needles in a known manner. At the front longitudinal side of the support 1 a retaining comb 4 is formed by a row of teeth extending from the support in an upwardly inclined direction. This retaining comb permits to drawout the yarn B into a row of zig-zag loops and further to hold the fabric A when the needles 2 slide back.

The knocking over comb provided at the knitting machine comprises a ledge 5 carrying a blade 6 of spring steel, in which a number of parallel fingers 6a are formed by a corresponding number of recesses. This knocking over

comb

5, 6, 6a, which is arranged behind the retaining comb 4 and transversely with respect to atent O the path of movement of the latch needles 2 is secured by two holding pins 7 by means of its ledge 5. The

I holding pins 7 are arranged at the support 1 in a line p yarn B is laid out in the open end hooks of the latch needles 2 situated in their advanced position ahead of the retaining comb 4, as shown in Fig. 3. The yarn may be laid out either by hand or by a threadguide. The stitches of the lastknitted row of the fabric A are situated behind the opened latch 2a immediately in front of the corresponding fingers 6a of the knocking over comb: the distance between adjacent fingers of the latter corresponds to the distance between adjacent working needles 2.

As the needles 2 commence their backward movement towards their withdrawn position rearwardly ofthe-retaining comb 4 due to movement of the cam-box in the direction indicated in Fig. 2 by an arrow, the row of stitches suspended from said latch needles have the tendency to follow this backward movement. Normally however, the stitches will be hindered by the retaining comb 4 from being entrained by the backward movement of the needles 2. The latch needles 2 therefore glide .back through the stitches wherebythe latches 2a of the needles 2 are movedinto their closed position by thefabric A as shown, the end hooks of the latch needles 2 thereby being closed. These closedhooks form portions of increased thickness at the free ends of the needles which naturally will make it difiicult for the stitches of the last formed row to be knocked over said needle ends. Due to these portions at the needle ends the case may arrive where the fabric will partly be drawn into the retaining comb or through the latter, thus endangering a positive operation of the knitting machine in that some of the stitches may not be knocked over theneedle-hooks which. may result in faults in the produced .fabric. The conditions giving rise to such faults are especially grave, if relatively small stitches are produced, i. e. if the travel of the latch needles is short. By means of the knocking over

comb

5, 6, 6a, the fingers Ga-of which will prevent with their free ends a backward movement of thestit'ches of the fabric A as shown in Fig. 5, it is ensured, that the stitches are properly knocked over the needle-ends. In the withdrawn position of the needle 2'the h'ooks will be in the position shown in Fig. 6, rearwardly of the'forward ends of the fingers 6a even'if'thetravelofthe needles 2 is very short. This effect of the knocking'over combis especially important at points of the fabric where the tension of the latter is small, as for instance at the stitches situated near the edge of the fabric.

The knocking over comb may extend over the whole length of the retaining comb 4 at the knitting machine whereby a finger 6a is co-ordinated with each needle 2, or the knocking over comb may extend in its length only over a limited number of needles 2 as shown. In the latter case the knocking over comb is placed at points of the fabric where it will be necessary to prevent backward movement of the stitches, the knocking over comb then being secured to the support by means of the holding pins 7.

It will be understood that the knocking over comb may be of dilferent construction and that also other means may be used to secure the latter to the knitting machine. The knocking over comb may for instance be provided with a flap having fingers and spring-loaded, thus keeping the fingers in the path-of movement of the latchneedles,

3 On the other hand the knocking over comb may also be formed by means of fingers being secured directly to the support 1, which fingers could have an inherent spring action or which might be spring-loaded. Instead of a stationary arrangement ofthe knocking over comb the latter may be secured to the cam-box 3 as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the comb being formed in this case by a plate consisting of spring steel which extends with its forward part in a downwardly inclined direction. The free edge of this plate projects into the path of movement of the 3 I latch needles and into the vicinity of the retaining comb 4. The plate 8 is displaced together with the cam-box 3, its free edge co-operating with the needles 2 moving into their withdrawn position, thereby preventing the stitches from being entrained backwardly by the movement of the needles.

I claim:

1. In a hand operated knitting machine having a support, a needle bed arranged on said support, latch needles guided in said needle bed for movement between a withdrawn and an advanced position, a cam-box slidably arranged on said support for moving said latch-needles between said two positions, a retaining comb mounted upon said support so as to be positioned ahead of the ends of the needles in the withdrawn position of the latter and rearwardly of the ends of the needles in the advanced position of the latter, knocking over meansarranged rearwardly of said retaining comb and immediately above said latch needles, said knocking over means including resilient means resting directly on said needles and adapted to glide on the latter when these are moved and to knock over the stitches suspended from said needles upon movement of the latter to their withdrawn position.

2. In a hand operated knitting machine having a support, a needle bed arranged on said support, latch needles guided in said needle bed for movement between a withdrawn and an advanced position, a cam-box slidably arranged on said support for moving said latch-needles between said two positions, a retaining comb mounted upon said support so as to be positioned ahead of the ends of the needles in the withdrawn position of the latter and rearwardly of the ends of the needles in the advanced position of the latter, a knocking over comb arranged rearwardly of said retaining comb and immediately above said latch needles, said knocking over comb having its teeth constituted as resilient fingers, each of said fingers resting directly on one of said needles and cooperating therewith to knock over the stitch suspended from said needle upon movement of the latter to its withdrawn position.

3. In a hand operated knitting machine having a support, a needle bed arranged on said support, latch needles guided in said needle bed for movement between a withdrawn and an advanced position, a cam-box slidably arranged on said support for moving said latch-needles between said two positions, a retaining comb mounted upon said support so as to be positioned ahead of the ends of the needles in the withdrawn position of the latter and rearwardly of the ends of the needles in the advanced position of the latter, knocking over means arranged rearwardly of said retaining means and immediately above said latch needles, said knocking-over means comprising a resilient plate having cut-outs to provide a number of resilient fingers, each of said fingers resting directly on one of said needles and cooperating therewith to knock over the stitch suspended from said needle upon movement of the latter to its withdrawn position.

4. A hand operated knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said knocking over means are removably secured to said support.

5. A hand operated knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said knocking over means are removably secured to said support and adapted to be positioned at any desired point of the width of the needle bed.

6. In a hand operated knitting machine having a support, a needle bed arranged on said support, latch needles guided in said needle bed for movement between a withdrawn and an advanced position, a cam-box slidably arranged on said support for moving said latch-needles between said two positions, a retaining comb upon said support so as to be positioned ahead of the ends of the needles in the withdrawn position of the latter and rearwardly of the ends of the needles in the advanced position of the latter, knocking over means removably arranged rearwardly of said retaining comb and immediately above a portion of said latch needles, said knockingover comb having its teeth constituted as resilient fingers, each of said fingers resting directly on one of said portions of said needles to knock over the stitch suspended from said needle upon movement of the latter to its withdrawn position.

7. In a hand operat d knitting machine having a support, a needle bed arranged on said support, latch needles guided in said needle bed for movement between a withdrawn and an advanced position, a cam-box slidably arranged on said support for moving said latch-needles between said two positions, a retaining comb upon said support so as to be positioned ahead of the ends of the needles in the withdrawn position of the latter and rearwardly of the ends of the needles in the advanced position of the latter, knocking over means comprising a resilient plate secured to said cam box for movement therewith along the needles, the end portion of said plate being supported by a portion of said needles to knock over the stitches suspended from said needles as they are moved into their withdrawn position by the cam box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,501,045 Groszmann Mar. 21, 1950 2,715,328 Buhrer Aug. 16, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 518,106 Belgium Mar. 31, 1953