US2913888A

US2913888A - Warp knitting method, machine and needle therefor

Info

Publication number: US2913888A
Application number: US673513A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roy C Amidon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-07-22
Filing date: 1957-07-22
Publication date: 1959-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 1976-11-24

Description

Nov. 24, 1959 me. AMIDON WRAP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR Filed July 22, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I R C AMIDON ATTORNEY R. c.' AMIDON WRAP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR Filed July 22, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 8

INVENTOR R.C. AM-IDON ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1959 R. c. AMlDON 2,913,888

WRAP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR Filed July 22, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 10

INVENTOR R ."c AMIDON in? 1 ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1959 R. c. AMIDON WRAP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR Filed July 22, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.12A

FIG. 13

INVENTOR R C AMIDON ATTORNEY Nov; 24, 1959 R. c. AMIDON WRAP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR 6 Sheets- Sheet 5 Filed July 22, 1957 FIG. 14

FIG-16 INVENTOR R C AMIDON I all ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1959 R. c. AMlDON 7 2,913,888

WRAP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR I Filed July 22, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet e FIG. 15

. INVENTOR R C AMIDON ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,913,888 WARP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR Roy C. Amidon, Reading, Pa. Application July 22, 1957, Serial No. 673,513

14 Claims. (Cl. 66-86) The present invention relates to apparatus and method for warp knitting in which the warp yarn which is supplied is moved from a position in front of the knitting needle and is then passed between the knitting needles to a position in back of the knitting needle and is then returned to its original position in front of the knitting needle by being passed again between the knitting needles on the opposite side of the knitting needle which is coacting with the warp yarn supply.

The knitting needles are conveniently set in a line by attachment thereof to a needle bar and the warp yarns are supplied through yarn guides with the warp yarn be ing under tension.

In conventional warp knitting the yarn which is wrapped within the hook of the needles is made to pass through the loop of a previously formed knitted stitch by means of a trick or knockover bar, the knitted fabric being drawn away from the needles in a direction opposite to the position of the yarn guides. The knitted fabric and the stitches that are in the process of formation are held in contact with the knockover bar by the tension applied by the knitted fabric which is leaving the needles.

The casting Off or knockover of the knitted stitches takes place at the top of the trick or knockover bar. The needles operate on one side of the bar and. the knitted fabric is held in position and drawn away from the needles, under tension, on the opposite Side of the bar.

The tension upon the knitted fabric which is produced is frequently not uniform. This is primarily true in flat or straight knitting where the tension of the fabric is more pronounced in the center of the machine. When a knockover bar is employed in the casting off of the stitches, the reduced tension between the needles and the fabric takeup roll at the sides of the knitted fabric permits the loops of the previously formed stitches to be drawn upwardly along the needle shank. Further, when the yarn has been conveyed by means of the yarn guides to a point in back of the needles and then starts forward again in the process of laying the yarn around the needles, thetension on the warp yarn which is supplied is reduced and the yarn relaxes between the yarn guides and the needles. This reduction in tension enables the yarn loops to be lifted to a still higher position upon the needle shank. This lifting of the yarn loops is a cause of distortion in the stitch formation. Further, the relaxation of the warp yarns supplied can result in an excessive impact between the Warp yarn and the knitting needles.

2,913,888 Patented Nov. 24, 1959 strained upward movement of the loops along the needle until contact is made between the yarn within the needle hooks and the loops that are around the needle. This results infan excessive impact between the yarn within the needle hooks and the loops before the loops have been drawn to their stitching position upon the sinker blades.

Further, in conventional warp knitting, the yarn is carried by a yarn guide which'is not capable of accurately di recting the yarn in its path to the needles, from the yarn guide. As a result, it has been necessary for the yarn guides to move in a path which is below theprojected position of the needles with-the yarn guides moving between the projected needles. Asa consequence, themachine speeds has been limited by the danger that the yarn guides would strike the needles at excessive speeds.

An object of the presen; invention is to provide warp knitting machines capable of effective and reliable operation at faster machine speeds.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the tendency of the yarn to miss or to contact the point of the hook of the needle. i i

Still another object of the invention is to perform warp knitting with a minimum of yarn tension and to maintain a uniform tension upon the yarn as it is laid upon the shank of the needle imposition to engage'the hook thereof. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of warp knitting apparatus in which the yarn is moved around the needles and placed within a hook thereof with greater accuracy than has heretofore been possible.

Another object of the invention is the provision of warp knitting apparatus in which the yarn guides are specially formed to more accurately guide the yarn and' are moved through a path above the projected needles so that the yarn guides cannot strike the needles.

Still another object of the invention is the production of warp knitting fabrics having fewer imperfectionstherein. V

Still another object of the invention is the provision of warp knitting apparatus capable of reliable operation 3 employing a shorter needle stroke.

with a longitudinally extending groove. A book plate In the downward motion of the needles which is ac companied by the retraction of the sinker nibs in timed relation, there is a termination of contact between the cross threads that connect the laterally juxtaposed stitch chains and the sinker nibs before the needles can move downward to a point where the yarn within the needle hooks can clear the sinker nibs. By reason of the above,- and because of the upward tension pull upon the yarn within the needle hooks and the horizontal tension pull of the knitted fabric upon the needles, there is an unre- In accordance with the invention, the forward extremity of the knitting needle adjacent the hook thereof is arched away from the point of the needle and the'rear adge of the main body or shank of the needle is formed having a hook which faces the hook of the knitting needle is slidably mounted Within the longitudinal groove of the knitting needle. The knitting needle and its associated hook plate are operated in conjunction with a sinker having a nib section for holding the yarn loop downwardly at a predetermined level so that the yarn loop will not follow the knitting needle in its upward projection. The sinker is also formed with a lower knockover section which functions to hold the yarn loop upwardly to maintain the yarn loop at predetermined level while the knitting needle is retracted to draw the fresh yarn loop through the previously knitted yarn loop laidover the slide plate which guides the yarn into the arched portion of the needle as the yarn guides move from the rear of the needles to the front of the needles.

Therear of the needles is the grooved edge thereof.

Still further in accordance with the invention, the

3 warp yarns are tensioned by means which function as a part of the guide bar rocker shaft. More particularly, the improved tension device in accordance with the invention participates withthe yarn guides in a to-andfro movement. As the yarn guides are moved to their extreme position in back of the needles, the motion of the yarn tension device is in a downward direction toward the needles. As the yarn guides are moved forwardly to their extreme forward position in front of the needles, the tension device is moved in an upward direction away from the needles. As a result, a more uniform tension is applied to the yarn.

Also in accordance with the invention, the yarn guides are formed with a yarn guiding aperture the lower edge of which is horizontal and the yarn guide is formed so that the yarn supplied is maintained in engagement with the said horizontal lower edge and the yarn guides are moved through a path above the projected position of the needles so that the danger of having the guides strike the needles at high machine speeds is eliminated.

Fig. 1 illustrates the assemblage of operating elements which is employed in warp knitting in accordance with the invention. A

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section, showing the hook needle, hook plate combination of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing a slide plate and the block upon which the slide plate is mounted.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the slide plate and supporting block structure shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a partial front elevation showing a yarn guide in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the yarn guide shown in Fig. 6.

Figs. 813 are partial side views illustrating in step by step manner the sequence of operations employed in the warp knitting method of the invention.

Fig. 9A is a front view showing the relationship of parts at that instant of the warp knitting operation shown in Fig. 9.

Figs. 10A, 11A, and 12A are front views similar to that shown in Fig. 9A with reference to Figs. 10, 11 and 12, respectively.

Fig. 14 is a cross-section showing the yarn guide assembly and the tensioning means employed to tension the yarn which is supplied.

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing an illustrative preferred structure which enables the operation of Figs. 8-13 to be performed.

Fig. 16 is a detailed view illustrating the mechanism for moving the yarn guides from side to side.

The numeral 10 designates a knitting needle having a book 11 which is mounted in a needle bar 12 for .reciprocation along the length of the needle by .the needle bar reciprocating mechanism 13 which is moved back and forth as indicated by the double-ended arrow 14.

Cooperatively disposed adjacent the needle 10 is a hook plate 15 which is mounted upon a hook plate bar 16 for reciprocation in the direction of the length of the needle by means of the hook plate bar reciprocating rlrgechanism 17, as indicated by the double-ended arrow Cooperatively disposed alongside the needle 10 and the hook plate 15 is a sinker 19 which is positioned to substantially slidingly contact the sides of the needle 10 and which is mounted upon the sinker bar 20 for reciprocation in a direction transverseto the length of the needle and in the plane of the width of the needle by means of the sinker bar reciprocating mechanism 21, as indicated by the double-ended arrow 22.

Disposed above the sinkers 19 and substantially parallel with respect thereto is a slide plate 23 which is positioned in the plane of the needle10. The slide plate 23 is mounted upon the slide plate bar 40 by connecting means 24 for reciprocation in a direction transverse to 4 the length of the needle and in the plane of the width of the needle by means of the slide plate bar reciprocating mechanism 25, as indicated by the double-ended arrow 26.

Disposed above the needles 10 and the slide plates 23 are pairs of yarn guides 27, and 28 which are mounted upon the guide bars 29 and 30. These guide bars are swung back and forth between a position in front of the needles 10 to a position in back of the needles 10. This swinging movement is effected by the guide

bar swinging mechanisms

31 and 32, which are pivoted as is generally indicated by the double-ended arrow 33. The guide bars 29 and 30 are also shifted from side to side by the mechanism shown in Fig. 16 so that they will traverse the path shown in Fig. 9A-12A.

Figure 2 illustrates the structure and relative disposition of the needle 10 and the hook plate 15. As can be seen the hook 11 of the needle 10 is disposed at the upper extremity of the needle at the end of an arched portion 34 so that the book 11 is set back from the rear edge of the main body portion or shank of the needle 35. The rear edge 36 of the shank 35 is grooved longitudinally as indicated by the numeral 37. The groove 37 extends to a depth such that a line projected upwardly along the bottom of the groove toward the hook 11 will just clear the hook 11.

The upper end of the hook plate 15 is formed with a hook 38 which faces the book 11 of the needle 10. The front of the hook plate is mounted in the groove 37 of the shank 35 for sliding movement therein. As can be seen, the hook 38 will just miss the hook 11 as the hook plate 15 and the needle 10 are reciprocated as indicated by the arrows 14 and 18. The hook 38 can enter the groove 37 to engage a yarn loop positioned on the shank 35 of the needle 10. The hook 38 may be grooved as shown at 38'.

Figure 3 is a side View of Fig. 2 and it can be seen that in the form of the invention illustrated, the needle 10 is thicker than the hook plate 15 along the shank of the needle so that the hook plate 15 can be slidably disposed within the groove 37. As a result, the hook plate 15 is guided by the needle 10 and perfect alinement is assured. The upper end portion of the needle 10, e.g., the arched portion 34, and the hook 11 are conveniently of the same thickness as the hook plate.

The yarn slide plates of the invention are more clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The yarn slide plates 23 are formed of a thin plate of steel or other material of similar characteristics. One end of the slide plates is free, and the opposite ends are cast in blocks forming the slide plate bar 40, these blocks being removably mounted in line upon the reciprocating mechanism 25 (see Fig, 1). An aperture 41 is formed in the blocks to enable securement of the blocks to the reciprocating mechanism 25.

The yarn slide plates may be of any thickness that will support the yarn without flexing. Normally, the yarn slide plates are cast in the same gauge as the needles and are moved in a to-and-fro motion with a substantial dwell at both extremities of movement.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4, the upper surface of the plate 23, as it extends away from the block is smooth and a forwardly extending finger portion 42 is situated at the upper portion of the plate. The surface 43 below the finger portion 42 and in back of the same is shaped to conform to the hook section of the needle. The lower end of the forward extremity of the slide plate tapers rearwardly as indicated at 44.

The yarn guides 27 and 28 are more clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7 where the yarn guides are identical and only the yarn guide 27 is shown. As can be seen, the guide 27 is formed of wire which is bent to provide a stem portion 45, an opening 46 and a tail section 47. As previously indicated, the

guides

27 and 28 are mounted upon the yarn guide bars 29 and 30. i "The opening 46 is triangularly shaped andincludes a horizontal bar 48 and

inclined portions

49 and 50 which are joined at their lower ends by the said horizontal bar 48. The

inclined portions

49 and 50 provide a camming action to the yarn as the yarn is moved by the movement of the

guides

27 and 28. The inclined portion 49 is also inclined with respect to the stem 45 as can be seen in Fig. 6. The yarn is inclined upon an angle greater than the angle of the wire guide so that the yarn will remain in contact with the bar 48. This is an important feature and it assures precise lateral positioning of the yarn at all times. The opening 46 is closed by the tail portion 47 which includes an inclined portion 51 directed up wardly toward the stem 45 and a terminal portion 52 which is directed upwardly and away from the stem 45 to facilitate threading of the yarn in the opening 46.

In threading the

guides

27 and 28, the yarn is passed between the yarn guides and is placed against the stem 45 above the tail portion 47, and onthe side of the stem 45 facing the tail portion 47. The yarn is then passed into the opening 46 by sliding the yarn toward the bar 48 with sutficient force to cause the yarn to pass bythe bend 53 (see Fig. 7). i

The structure of the sinkers 19 will become apparent from the description of the operation of the warp knitting procedure of the invention which is sequentially depicted in Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 and which will now be discussed.

Referring to Fig. 8, the yarn guides 27 and 28 are positioned in front of the needle which is shown in its fully retracted position. The yarns Y and Y are caught within the hook 11 to form the loop L and the previously knitted yarn loop L has just been cast off. Fig. 8 therefore shows the cast off position. The hook plate 15 is rising as indicated by the arrow 60, this hook plate 15 while moving upwardly having just effected the casting off of the yarn loop L as will be more fully described hereinafter. The hook 38 of the hook plate 15 is well above the hook 11 of the needle 10. The yarn slide plate 23 is positioned above the needle 10 and the hook plate 15 and is being retracted as indicated by the arrow 61.. The sinker 19 is being projected as indicated by the arrow 62.

Referring more particularly to the sinker 19, this sinker includes a main body portion 63 at the forward extremity of which is formed a lower nib 64 which serves to prevent the yarn loop L from moving to a position lower than a predetermined level and an upper short nib 65 which serves to hold the yarn loop L down when the sinker 19 is sufiiciently projected to enable the upper nib 65 to reach the loop L. The action of the

nibs

64 and 65 will be more fully described later when the portions of the knitting cycle in which these nibs participate is described.

Referring to Fig. 9, the hook plate 15 has now been fully projected so that the hook 38 is above the lower surface of the upper nib 65, the yarn slide plate 23 is fully retracted and the yarn guides 27 and 28 are moving rearwardly as indicated by the arrow 66 toward the rear of the needle 10 but are in front of the needle. It will be observed that the needle 10 has been fully projected. In this fully projected position of the needle 10, the hook 38 of the hook plate 15 has just entered the groove37 and the shank 35 of the needle extends across the opening between the

nibs

64 and 65 of the sinker 19 which is also fully projected. The yarn loop L is positioned in the space between the

nibs

64 and 65 as a result of the knitted fabric having been caught and held down by the lower surface of the upper nib 65 as the needle 10 was projected. It will be especially observed that yarn guides 27 and 28 pass above the projected needles 10 and the two cannot strike irrespective of machine speed. This is shown with particular clarity in Fig. 9A.

Referring to Fig. 10, the sinker 19 has remained in its fully projected position, the needle 10 has remained in its fully projected position and the hook plate 15 is being retracted as indicated by the arrow 67. It will be ob 6. served that the hook 38 of the hook plate 15 has moved downwardly within the groove 37 and is about to enter the loop L, the purpose of which will become apparent later. At the same time, the yarn guides 27 and 28 have moved rearwardly to their extreme rear position in back of the needle 10 and these guides have been shifted from side to side as can be seen by comparing Figs. 9A and 10A. The slide plate 23 is being projected as indicated by the arrow 68 and the slide plate 23, the yarn guides 27 and 28 and the needle 10 all cooperate to wrap the yarn Y around the needle. The wrapping action will be more fully described hereinafter. It will be observed at this point that the yarns Y and Y have moved past the sides of the needle 10 and partially across the needle 10 where they have been caught by the advancing slide plate 23 (see Fig. 10A). Additionally, the needle 10 is about to be retracted a short distance as indicated by the arrow 69 for a purpose which will be evident in Fig. 11.

Referring to Fig. 11, the short retraction of the needle 10 has moved the yarn loop L to the lower portion of the space between the

nibs

64 and 65 into engagement with the upper surface of the nib 64. The purpose of this is to hold the yarn loop L to facilitate entry and retention of the yarn loop by the hook 38 of the hook plate 15. As can be seen in Fig. 11, the book 38 has entered the loop L. The slide plate 23 is now fully projected and the relative positions of the projected slide plate 23 and the hook '11 of the needle 10 can be clearly seen.

In Fig. 10, the yarn Y has been laid in the arched portion 34 of the needle 10 and in Fig. 11, the finger 42 is engaging the yarn Y to guide the yarn into the hook 11 along the arched portion 34. At the same time, the yarn guide 28 has moved the yarn Y into engagement with the tapered portion 44 of the slide plate 23 which acts as a guide to lay the yarn Y into the arched portion 34 of the needle 10.

In Fig. 12, the yarn guides 27 and 28 are moving forwardly and the yarn Y has been guided into the rearwardly arched portion 34 of the needle 10 to be safely trapped within the hook 11. The needle 10 is about to be retracted and the sinker 19 is also about to be retracted.

The front views showing Figs. 9A, 10A, 11A and 12A when taken in conjunction with Figs. 8-13 will clearly show the path of the, yarn guides 27 and 28. This path is always above the needle 10 and the yarns Y and Y are always in contact with the horizontal bar 48.

In Fig. 13, the needle 10 is almost fully retracted as indicated by the arrows 70 and the sinker 19 is fully retracted so that the upper nib 65 is no longer in contact with the knitted fabric whereby the yarn loop L is free to rise except for the presence of the hook 38 on the hook plate 15. The hook plate 15' is about to be projected as indicated by the arrow 71. As will be evident, projection of the hook plate 15 will remove the book 38 from the loop L and this loop, as a result of the retraction of the needle 10 and the presence of the lower nib 64, is above the hook 11 on the needle 10. Thus, projection of the hook 38 will free the loop L and cause the same to be cast oif over the top of the hook 11. The yarn guides 27 and 28 are now fully in their extreme forward position and the new loop on the needle 10 is fully formed in the hook 11. The slide plate 23 is about to be retracted.

It will be observed that the difference between Figs. 13 and 8 is the fact that in Fig. 8, the hook plate 15 has been projected to cast off the yarn loop (now identified as L) and the sinker 19 has been projected to be in position for the start of the next knitting cycle. A further difference is the side to side shift of the yarn guides 27 and 28 which are'shifted in the time period from Fig. 13 to Fig. 8 to once again resume the lateral position shown in Fig. 9A.

It will be seen from the foregoing description of the operation procedure of the warp knitting apparatus of the invention that the invention permits the use of a- 7 short needle stroke. This stroke is shorter than is permissible with knitting machines which employ yarn guides which pass between the needles or in machines which employ latch or spring board needles in place of the hook plate 15.

It will also be seen that when the yarn guides are moved to lay the yarn between and in front of the needle, that there is no release of yarn tension upon the yarn so that the yarn is securely and accurately placed between the needles and the yarn slide plates at high machine speeds. After the yarn has been positioned between the slide plates, the yarn guides are moved to position the yarn upon the top surface section of the plate next in line and the yarn is made to contact the tapered section of the hook needle in the same position in each knitting cycle of the machine as the yarn guides are moved to their rear position.

The yarn slide plates function from a rocker shaft position to their to-and-fro movement, and stay in line with the needles to permit the yarn to be drawn around the needle much more accurately than machines that have to depend upon the position of the guide bar exclusively to position the yarn as it is drawn in back of and around the needles.

It will also be seen that by the use of the needle hook plate to intercept and hold the previously formed loops, that the yarn loop on the shank of the needle is positively engaged and effectively released at the proper time. Moreover, the point of the needle hooks makes a sliding contact with the rounded section of the hook upon the hook plate, as compared to the possible end to end contacts between the hook and tongue elements of other types of tongue and groove needles.

It will also be noted that by the use of the previously described needle, that the hook section of the needle hook plate holds the yarn loops in position over the sinker so that the sinker nibs may be withdrawn from between the needles much more slowly and smoothly than is possible in machines that use other types of needles in a wrap knitting process.

It will also be evident that by the use of tension which is applied more uniformly to the yarn that greater machine speeds may be attained.

A feature of the invention is the provision of more uniform tension to the yarn between the warp beam and the needles than is possible in the stationary or conventional tension. An advantage of this is that when the machine is stopped and started in a knitting process, the stitches that are in the process of being formed at the stopping point, will remain in the same proportion as to length as the stitches that are formed in a continuous knitting operation. One feature of the improved yarn tensioning means is a to-and-fro movement relative to the movement of the yarn guides. More particularly, as the yarn guides are moved to the extremity of their motion in back of the needles, the yarn tensioning means is moved in a downward direction toward the needles. As the yarn guides are moved forward to their position in front of the needles, the yarn tensioning means is moved in an upward direction away from the needle, imparting a lifting effect upon the yarn by reason of the upward motion of the yarn tensioning means and the frictional contact between the flexing section of the yarn tensioning means and the yarn.

The yarn tensioning means is shown in Fig. 14 and is constructed of a springy plate 72 of steel or other material of uniform thickness to provide a flexing action. The plate 72 extends longitudinally along the length of the yarn guide bar. One lateral portion of the springy plate 72 is free and unsupported, while the opposite lateral portion is supported between two plates of

metal

73 and 74 which are arranged, one upon each side of the steel plate 72, by means of suitable rivets or bolts which join the three pieces securely together. The combined structure is rigidly supported along its length by arm member 75.

The arm member 75 is rigidly mounted upon the guide bar rocker shaft'76. As a result, and as can be seen in Fig. 14, the springy plate 72 moves with the guide 27. The yarn Y frictionally engages the plate 72 in its passage to the yarn guide 27. In the same manner, the plate 72 is engaged by yarn passing to the guide 28.

Any suitable means may be employed to provide the necessary timed movement which is specifically shown in Figs. 8-13. Suitable means for this purpose are illustratively presented in Figs. 15 and 16.

Referring particularly to Fig. 15, the numeral desig-' nates a main cam wheel having a plurality of cam tracks thereon, the

followers

81, 82, 83 and 84 hearing against the cam tracks on the cam wheel 80. The movement'of the

followers

81, 82, 83 and 84 regulates the time movement of the needle bar 12, the hook plate bar 16, the sinker bar 20, the slide plate bar 40, and the yarn guide bars 31 and 32, which are all shown in their assembled relation in Fig. 1 with arrows indicating the movement which is to be effected. The description which follows of Fig. 15 will be better understood it it is taken in conjunction with the assembled relationship and movements shown in Fig. 1.

Referring first to the needle 10, movement thereof in the direction indicated by the double-ended arrow 14 is achieved by mounting the needle bar reciprocating mechanism 13 on the end of an arm 85 which is secured to a sleeve 86 mounted for rotation on a rocker shaft 87. The sleeve 86 is secured to an arm 88 which is connected to the follower 84. As the follower 84 is moved toward and away from the cam wheel 80, as indicated by the double-ended arrow 89, the arm 85 is oscillated as indicated by the double-ended arrow 90 and the needle bar reciprocating mechanism 13 is moved back and forth as indicated by the double-ended arrow 41.

Referring next to the hook plate 15, the necessary movement of the hook plate bar reciprocating mechanism 17 in the direction indicated by the double-ended arrow 18 is achieved in the following manner. The book plate bar reciprocating mechanism 17 is secured on the end of an arm 91 which is slidably disposed for longitudinal movement in an aperture in the needle bar reciprocating mechanism 13, as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 15. In this manner the needle 10 and the hook plate 15 are independently reciprocated while they are maintained in alinement. The lower end of the bar 91 terminates in a pin 92, to which is pivotally secured a bracket 93. The lower end of the bracket 93 is secured to a pin 94 projecting from an arm 95 which is mounted for rotation on a shaft 96. The arm 95 is provided with a lower projection portion 97 upon which is mounted a pin 98, to which is pivoted a connecting rod 99. The connecting rod 99 is pivotally mounted on a lever member 100 as indicated at 101, the lever member 100 being fixed to a rocker shaft 102 for swinging movement as the shaft rotationally oscillates. Also fixed to the rocker shaft 102 is an arm 103 which is connected with the slide plate reciprocating mechanism 25, the lower end of the arm 103 being constituted by a sleeve 104 which is keyed to the rocker shaft 102. An arm 105 is fixed to the sleeve 104, at one end, and to the follower 83, at the other end, so that movement of the follower 83 toward and away from the cam wheel 30 as indicated by the double-ended arrow 106 will cause rotational oscillation of the rocker shaft 102, as indicated by the double-ended arrow 107. As a result of this movement, the arm 100 oscillates as indicated by the double-ended arrow .108 and this movement, through the connecting rod 99, causes the arm 95 to oscillate as indicated by the double-ended arrow 109, and this oscillation is transmitted through the bracket 93 to the slidable arm 91 to effect reciprocation of the hook plate 15 as indicated by the double-ended arrow 18. At the same time, the movement of the arm 105 oscillates the arm 103 as indicated by the double-ended arrow 110 to cfiectrc ;'9 ciprocation of the slide plate reciprocating mechanism 25 as indicated by the double-ended arrow 26.

The arm 111- is freely pivoted to the rocker shaft 102. Thus, the arm 111 employs the shaft 102 as a center of pivotalmovement so that the sinker 19 will move in a plane parallel with the plane of movement of the slide plate 23. However, the arm 111 is not oscillated by the rocker shaft 102 since the movement of the sinker is not timed with the movement of the slide plate. Instead, the arm 111 is separately actuated in the following manner. An arm 112 having a sleeve 113 at its lower end is keyed to the rocker shaft 96 and this rocker shaft 96 is ro-tationally oscillated by the arm 114 which is connected at one end to the shaft 96 and at the other end to the follower 82. As the follower 82 is moved toward and away from the cam wheel 80, the arm 114 is caused to,oscillate as indicated by the double-ended arrow 115 and this results in an oscillation of the arm 112 as indicated by the double-ended arow 116. This movement of the arm 112 is transmitted to the arm 111 by the pivotally mounted connecting rod 117 so that there results a movement'of the sinker 19 as indicated by the double-ended arrow 22.

The yarn

guide reciprocating mechanisms

31 and 32 are moved together. As can be seen, these

reciprocating mechanisms

31 and 32 are mounted for swinging movement about a rocker shaft 76. As previously indicated, the yarn guides 27 and 28 are caused to move through a path as indicated by the double-ended arrow 33. Additionally, at each end of the swinging movement, the yarn guides are shifted from side to side (see Figs. 9A, 10A, 11A and 12A). The movement with which we are here concerned is the'movement indicated by the double'ended arrow 33, the side to side movement being discussed later.

Connected to rocker shaft 76 is a lever arm 119 at the lower end of which is pivotally mounted a connecting rod 120 and the opposite end of the connecting rod 120 is pivoted to an arm 121, the lower end of which is formed with a sleeve 122 which is keyed to the rocker shaft 87, the rocker shaft 87 is rotationally oscillated by the arm 123 which is connected at one end to the rocker shaft 87 and at the other end to the follower 81. As the follower 81 moves towardand away from the cam wheel 80, .the'arm 123 is oscillated as indicated by the doubleended arrow 124 and the arm 121 is oscillated as indicated by the double-ended arrow 124' to cause the yarnguide

reciprocating mechanisms

31 and 32 to carry the yarn guides 27 and 28through the path indicated by the doubleended arrow 33.

" It will be appreciated that the showing presented in Fig. 15 is diagrammatic, there being no effort made to show precise details of construction since these are in no way. material to the invention. It is important, however, to note that the construction which has been presented represents only minor structural changes from conventional warp knitting reciprocating structure and these present structures can be modified as indicated in Fig. 15'

Referring to Fig. 16, a cam Wheel 125 is shown which is driven by the drive shaft 126 through the

gears

127 and 128. The yarn

guide reciprocating mechanisms

31 and 32 each terminate at one end in a projecting stern 129 ending in a follower 130, which is biased against a track in the cam wheel 125 by means of the spring 131. Since each of the reciprocating bars 31 and 32 are handled in the same way, and since, in Fig. 16 these bars arepne behind the other, only one of the side toside shiftingstructures is shown. Eachiof the followersQ130 bears against a'separate cam track in the cam wheel 125. Since this structure for moving the yarn guides from "10 side to side is conventional, it will not be further described. The invention is defined in the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In combination, a hook needle comprising a main body portion and an arched portion with a hook disposed at the upper end of said arched portion, the said hook being set back from the rear edge of said main body portion, said rear edge of said main body portion being grooved along the length of said main body portion with said groove extending to a depth such that a line projected upwardly along the bottom of said groove will just clear the front of said hook, a hook plate having a hook facing said needle at the upper extremity thereof, said hook plate being cooperatively disposed with respect to said hook needle so that the hook of the hook plate can remove a yarn loop from the main body portion of said hook needle and thereafter release said yarn loop to cast the same over the upper end of the hook of said hook needle by being slidingly mounted within the said groove of the hook needle, the hook of said hook plate being dimensioned tobe received within the groove of said hook needle, and a pair of yarn guides mounted for swinging movement back and forth between a position in front of said hook needle to a position behind said hook needle through a path above the projected position of said hook needle.

2. In a warp knitting machine, a hook needle and a slide plate, said hook needle comprising a main body portion and an arched portion, with a hook disposed at the upper end of said arched portion, the said hook being set back from the rear edge of said main body portion, said slide plate being positioned in the plane of said hook needle in a direction transverse thereto, said slide plate having a forwardly projecting finger at the upper end of the forward extremity thereof, the forward surface of said slide plate immediately beneath said finger conforming with the shape of the hook of said hook needle, means to reciprocate said slide plate in a direction transverse to the length of said needle.

3. In a warp knitting machine, a hook needle, a hook plate, a slide plate anda sinker, said hook needle comprising a main body portion and an arched portion with a hook disposed at the upper end of said arched portion, said hook plate having a hook at the upper end thereof facing said needle, said needle having a longitudinal groove in the main body portion thereof facing said hook plate with said groove being dimensioned to receive the hook of said hook plate, said slide plate being positioned in the plane of said hook needle in a direction transverse thereto, said slide plate having a forwardly projecting finger at the upper end of the forward extremity thereof, the forward surface of said slide plate immediately-beneath said finger conforming with the shape of the hook of said hook needle, said sinker having a main body portion, a lower nib at the forward end of said main body portion and a short upper nib at the forward end of said' main body portion, means to reciprocate said needle along the length thereof, means to reciprocate said hook plate in a direction parallel with the length of said needle, means to reciprocate said slide plate in a direction transverse to the length of said needle and means to reciprocate said sinker in a plane transverse to the length of said needle, said sinker being positioned alongside said needle and said hook plate and transverse thereto.

- 4. In a warp knitting machine, a hook needle, a hook plate, a sinkerand yarn guides, said yarn guidesbeing mounted upon guide bars which are pivotally secured to a rocker shaft, said hook needle comprising a main body portion and an arched portion with a hook disposed at the upper end of said arched portion, said hook plate having a hook at the upper end thereof facing said needle, said needle having a longitudinal groove in the main body portion thereof facing said hook plate with saidgroove being dimensioned to receive the book of said,

hook plate, said hook plate being slidably mounted in the groove of said needle, said sinker having a main body portion, a lower nib at the forward end of said main body portion and a short upper nib at the forward end of said main body portion, said yarn guides being mounted above said needle for swinging movement back and forth from the front of said needle to the rear of said needle and back again to the front of said needle, means to reciprocate said needle along the length thereof, means to reciprocate said hook plate in a direction parallel with the length of said needle, means to reciprocate said sinker in a plane transverse to the length of said needle, said sinker being positioned alongside said needle and said hook plate and transverse thereto, means to swing said yarn guides to wrap the yarn carried by said yarn guides around said needles, and a flexible tension plate carried by the rocker shaft to tension the yarn as said yarn passes from a beam to said yarn guides, said tension plate being swingable with said yarn guides to place the yarn under uniform tension during the various stages of the warp knitting operation.

5. In a warp knitting machine, a hook needle, a hook plate, a sinker, yarn guides and a slide plate, said hook,

needle comprising a main body portion and an arched portion with a hook disposed at the upper end of said arched portion, said hook plate having a hook at the upper end thereof facing said needle, said needle having a longitudinal groove in the main body portion thereof facing said hook plate with said groove being dimensioned to receive the hook of said hook plate, said sinker having a main body portion, a lower nib at the forward end of said main body portion and a short upper nib at the forward end of said main body portion, said yarn guides being mounted above said needle for swinging movement back and forth from the front of said needle to the rear of said needle and back again to the front of said needle, said slide plate havinga forwardly projecting finger at the upper end of the forward extremity thereof, the forward surface of said slide plate immediately beneath said finger conforming with the shape of the hook of said hook needle, means to reciprocate said needle along the length thereof, means to reciprocate said hook plate in a direction parallel with the length of said needle, means to reciprocate said sinker in a plane transverse to the length of said needle, said sinker being positioned alongside said needle and said hook plate and transverse thereto, means to swing said yarn guides towrap the yarn carried by said yarn guides around said needles and means to reciprocate said slide plate in a direction transverse to the length of said needle.

.6. In a warp knitting machine, a plurality of hook needles mounted in a line, a plurality of hook plates mounted in a line facing said hook needles and a plurality of pairs of yarn guides, said hook needles comprising a main body portion, a hook disposed at the upper end of said needle and an arched portion between said hook and said main body portion, means to reciprocate said hook needles to project and retract the same in unison, said hook plates being mounted for reciproation in the plane of said hook needles, said yarn guides defining a yarn guiding aperture the lower end of which is constituted by a horizontal bar, said yarn guides being mounted for swinging movement back and forth between a position in front of said hook needles to a position be hind said hook needles through a path above the projected position of said hook needles and said yarn guides being shaped to cause the yarn supplied through the same to be maintained in contact with said horizontal bar as said yarn guides are moved.

7. The combination recited in claim 6 in which said yarn guides comprise a wire bent to define a triangle with a horizontal lower bar and an open upper end.

'8. The combination recited in claim 7 in which said wire is bent to provide a stem portion, a triangularly shaped portion including a pair of inclined portions 12 joined at their lower ends by a horizontal bar, one of said inclined portions being inclined with respect to said stem portion at an angle greater than the angle of said yarn guide so that the yarn remains in contact with said horizontal bar as said yarn guide is moved.

9. The combination recited in claim 7 in which tensioning bars are carried with said yarn guides to maintain uniform tension upon the yarn supplied as the yarn guides are moved.

10. The combination recited in claim 8 in which the other of said pair of inclined portions terminates in a tail portion directed upwardly toward the stem portion, said tail portion terminating in a upwardly directed terminal portion directed upwardly away from said stem portion.

11. A method of warp knitting using a hook needle, a hook plate, a sinker, and yarn guides, said hook needle comprising a main body portion and an arched portion with a hook disposed at the upper end of said arched portion, said hook plate having a hook at the upper end thereof facing said needle, said needle having a longitudinal groove in the main body portion thereof facing said hook plate with said groove being dimensioned to receive the book of said hook plate, said hook plate being slidably mounted in the groove of said hook needle said sinker having a lower nib and a short upper nib mounted at the forward end thereof and said yarn guides being mounted above said needle for swinging movement back and forth from the front of said needle to the rear of said needle and back again to the front of said said needle comprising projecting said needle, moving said yarn guides from the front of said needle through a path over said needle to the rear of said needle, holding the old yarn loop downwardly on the main body portion of said needle with the upper nib of said sinker, retracting said hook plate with respect to said needle to cause the hook of said hook plate to move downwardly within said groove into a position within the old yarn loop on the main body portion of said needle, retracting said sinker to remove the upper nib thereof from the path of said needle and simultaneously returning said yarn guides to their initial position in front of said yarn guides to their initial position in front of said needle to wrap the yarn around said needle, then retracting said needle while supporting the old yarn loop on the lower nib of said sinker so that the old yarn loop is retained by hook of said hook plate and then projecting said hook plate to release said old yarn loop above said needle.

12. A method of warp knitting as recited in claim 11 in which a slide plate having a forwardly projecting finger at the upper end of the forward extremity thereof is em ployed and is projected to a position directly over the projected needle while the yarn guides are moved to a position to the rear of the needle to engage the yarn supplied by the yarn guides.

13. A method of warp knitting as recited in claim 12 in which said slide plate is formed with the forward surface thereof immediately beneath said finger conforming with the shape of the hook of said hook needle and with the lower end of the forward extremity of said slide plate is tapered to the rear of said slide plate so that the yarn supplied is guided into the arch of said needle and hence into the hook thereof.

14. A method of warp knitting as recited in claim 11 in which the yarn supplied is tensioned by means which are moved with said yarn guides so that the tension applied to the yarn which is supplied is uniform as the yarn guides move back and forth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS