US3079780A - Solid color patterned stocking with split foot - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1963 R. B. KALE ETAL SOLID COLOR PATTERNED STOCKING WITH SPLIT FOOT Filed NOV. 25, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 5, 1963 R. B. KALE ETAL SOLID COLOR PATTERNED STOCKING WITH SPLIT FOOT Filed Nov. 25, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 v-RT March 5, 1963 R. B. KALE ETAL. 3,079,780

soun COLOR PATTERNED sTocxING WITH SPLIT Foofr Filed Nov. 25, 1957 4 She'ets-Sheet 3 RmHARD E. KALE and NORMAN J. LEMoNa INVENTORS BY mwxwm m@ ATTORNEYS March 5, 1963 R. B. KALE ETAL 3,079,730

SOLID COLOR PATTERNED sTocKING WITH SPLIT FooT Filed Nov. 25, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheryl'l 4 INVENTORS RxcHAav B. KALE and NORMAN J. LE MONS,

ATTORNEYS lauxiliary'station K'.

'plate S3 which encircles the needle cylinder.

'anverso yarn from the immediately adjacent or contiguous area. Although a yarn change could occur in the knitting of the heel H, sole S and toe T, the heel H, sole S and toe T Vare preferably Vknit of the same yarn, which yarn is preferably a cushion yarn to provide a cushion sole, heel and toe on the stocking.

As heretofore stated, the invention resides in the novel method of anchoring incoming and outgoing yarns at the bottom of the patterned areas in the leg and at the start or top of the split-foot areas as well as at the juncture of .the split foot with the ring toe courses. In order that the novel structure may be clearly understood, pertinent knitting instrumentalities will be described with particular reference to FIGURES 6 through 14. With the exception of a special arrangement of the needle butts, the machine involved in the knitting of the present fabric is of the conventional two feed type substantially as disclosed in said U.S. Patent No. 2,217,022.

As shown in FIGURE 6, the machine is provided with t two diametrically opposed knitting stations, namely, a

'main or first knitting VstationK and an auxiliary or second knitting -station VK which are disposed at the respective right-hand and left-hand sides of the machine when viewed with respect to the needle circle shown in FIGURES 7 through 14. The knitting station K comprises right-hand and left-hand stitch cams 6i), 61 and a top center cam 62. Corresponding cam 60', 61 and 62' comprise the The stations K, K' are provided with narrowing picks 160 and widening picks 101, respectively.

As disclosed insaid patent, the sets of stitch cams K, K 'are :independently radially movable according to the desired pattern to render them active and inactive. The auxiliary set of s-titch cams K' `also includes a wing cam 64 spaced closely above the top center cam 62. In FIG- VURE 6, the cams are cut at the center of the auxiliary knitting station K and, thus, opposite halves of such cams appear at the extreme ends of the FIGURE. The usual raise cams are provided between the main and auxiliary sets of stitchcams K, K', the needle raise cam at the back of the machine being indicated at 65 and the needle raise cam at the front of the machine being indicated at 66. Conventional needle raising switch cams 70, 71 are provided at the front and at the back of the machine. These switch cams 70, 71 lare active for engaging the butts of needles during reciprocatory knitting of areas other than the split foot F to eiect the usual widening and narrowing operations.

The knitting machine is provided with conventional selector jacks .I each of which is provided with a plurality of saw-tooth removable butts 74, a master butt 75 and an auxiliary or leveling butt 76. Below the stitch cams are conventional jackV leveling or lowering cams 80, 86 and circularly spaced series of pattern controlled selector plungers 81, 82, 81' and 82, The needle cams are supported on a conventional needle cam supporting A conventional bed plate 84 also encircles the needle cylinder and is spaced beneath the needle cam supporting plate 83.

'The bed plate 84 has jack raising cams 8S, 86, 8S and 86 thereon which serve to engage the master butts 75 of any jacks J selected by the respective series of selector plungers S1, 82, 81' and 82' to raise these jacks and their needles to take yarn from the next succeeding yarn feed finger then in active or lowered position.

Yarn feed stations 90, 90' (FIGURES 7 through 14) rare 'spaced above the respective knitting stations K, K'. The yarn feed fingers at station 90 are indicated at a Vthrough g and the yarn feed lingers at station 90 are l movement of the needle cylinder.

indicated at a' through g' in FIGURE 7. Some of the Y yarn feed lingers are omitted from the FIGURES 8 through 14 forrpurposes of clarity.

Referring to FIGURES 7 through 14, it will lbe observed that the needles (broadly designated at N) are di- 'needles 92, each of which groups includes substantially half of the needles. At least one medium butt needle is provided between ends of the groups of short and long butt needles 91, 92 these two medium butt needles being indicated at 93 and 94.

In knitting a stocking, all the yarn feed lingers in sets 99 and 9G' may be employed. However, -since the present invention is concerned only with the split-foot and the lower portion of the leg of the stocking, yarns Y-l, Y-2, Y-3, Y-4, Y-S and Y-6 are shown extending from the respective yarn feed lingers b, c, d, a', b and c in the pertinent FIGURES 7 through 14. It will be observed in FIGURES 4 and 5 that the yarns Y-l, Y-3, Y.5 and Y6 are knit in the respective leg pattern areas 52', 52, 5t) and 50. Only the yarn tails appear in FIGURE 5. The yarn Y-2 is knit in the heel H, sole S and toe T and will beY Referring to FIGURE 4, the knitting progresses from the top toward the bottom in this figure and the courses are marked by arrows indicating the direction in which they are knitted. `The needle wales are indicated at W-1 through W-21. The partial courses shown in gusset 52 are indicated at C-l through C-4, and the partial courses in gusset 52 are indicated at C-1, C-2 and'C-S Those split-foot courses in FIGURE 4 are indicated at C-S, C-6 and C-7. It is apparent that a Ysubstantial numberY of wales are present between wales Wf-4 and W5, W-16 and W-17, and W-l and W-21 respectively. It is apparent from the foregoing description that the diamond area 50 in the central portions of FIGURES 4 and 5 and the diamond area 50 in the right-hand central portion of FIGURE 5 are knit at the auxiliary knitting station K while the intervening gusset areas 52 and 52' are knit at the main station K with true sutures being 'formed at the iunctures of the latter area in a manner fully described in U.S. Patent No.`2,217,022. Accordingly, only partial courses involved in the knitting of the lowermost portions of the gussets 52, 52 and the diamond 5G will be decribed.

Those courses knitted from leftrto right in FIGURE 4, as indicated by the arrows, are knit with clockwise movement of the needle cylinder in FIGURES 7 through 14, and thosev courses which are knit from right to Ylett in FIGURE 4 are knit with counterclockwise movement of the needle cylinder. Comparing the partial courses C-3, C-2 of gussets 52, 52 and a course P of diamond 5G in FIGURE 4 with FIGURE 7, it should be noted that the partial course C-Z is knit with counterclockwise The extreme left-hand loop (Wale W-14) in this partial course C-2 is held on the corresponding needle while the penultimate partialV Thus, with the stocking and needles in the position shown in FIGURE 7, the extreme right-hand loop in course P, Wale 14, of the diamond 50 is not formed until after the final course in the gusset 52' (FIGURE 4) is completed, at the completion of which the yarn feed finger b is withdrawn from action. Y

With continued clockwise movement of the needle cylinder, the partial course C-3 is then knit from left to right in FIGURE 4 so the last three stitches at the right-hand end of the partial course C-3 are pulled through the previously formed rst three stitches at the left-hand end of the partial course P. Counterclockwise movement of the needlesN then commences and, since the extreme right-hand stitch or loop in the partial 'course' C-3 of the is partially withdrawn to where only medium and long butt needles will engage cams 69, 61. However, during 'the withdrawal 'of the main set of stitch cams K (see FIGURE 8) a leading few selected needles (bracketed at N-l) moving counterclockwise with the needle cylinder,

engage the rig t-hand stitch cam 6@ Ibefore it is completely withdrawn so these few needles, which are shown as being three in this instance, take the left-hand side gusset yarn Y-S in the hooks thereof, but do not draw stitches because the stitch cam 6l is withdrawn before the latter needles N-l reach the same with movement thereof from right to left in FGURE 6. The subsequent short butt needles, although selected, are not raised high enough to take yarn Y-3 from linger d. lt should be noted that the remaining subsequent short butt needles 91 are thus selected at the niain station K for subsequently drawing stitches at the auxiliary station K', as will be later explained.

it will be observed in FiGURES 8 and 9 that after the short butt needles pass the main yarn knitting station l, disposed beneath the yarn feed station 9b, the medium outt needle $3 and then the long butt needles 92 are selected at the group of selector lingers 82 and caused to ride up the right-hand stitch carn eli so that stitches are then drawn with the yarn Y-S, since the set of stitch earns i( is only withdrawn sufliciently to miss the butts of short butt needles. Thus, referring to FIGURE 4, it will be observed that the yarn Y-3 is floated from Wale W-7 to wale W-S, which Wale W-S is formed by the medium butt needles 93. This portion of the stocking is bracketed at B-S in FlGUlE 5.

As the short butt needles 9i, between the needles N-l and the medium butt needle 93, pass beneath the main set of yarn reed fingers 9S, yarn feed finger c (which feeds the sole yarn Y-Z) is lowered to operative position (FIG- ULE 9), tL e yarn feed linger d having previously occupied lowered position during the knitting of the rst side gusset S2. Thus, at the wale W-S the sole yarn Y-Z is introduced to needle 93 and subsequent long butt needles S52 so that both the yarns Y-Z and Y-3 are knit together in partial course C-a in the rear half of the gusset 52 (see bracketed zone B-fi in FIGURE 5), at which point the yarn feed finger d, and yarn Y1-3, are withdrawn as hewn in the successive steps of FIGURES l and ll.

As the needles N rnove counterclockwise from the position of FGURE 9 to that of FGURE l0 (while floating yarn Y3 and then knitting yarns Y-Z, Y-S together at knitting station K), yarn feed finger a (which feeds the instep yarn Y-d) moves into active position and three needles (in this instance) N-Z are selected by selector plungers The latter needles N-Z are immediately adiacent the needles N-Jl. With further counterclockwise movement of the needles N, the bottom portion of the front diamond Si? moves in the vertical plane of the auxiliary knitting station K and the auxiliary set of yarn feed fingers 99' so that the selected short butt needles in group N- corresponding to wales VJ-i3, W-lZ, W-l in PGURE 4, receive instep yarn Y-4 from the auxiliary yarn feed linger a' and knit this yarn in partial course Q in plating relation with the yarn Y-S in the next few wales, which are shown as three wales in FGURE 4 (see bracket area B-Z in FIGURE 5). Thereupon, the yarn feed linger b is withdrawn (see FGURE ll) at the auxiliary set of lingers 99' to complete the diamond Si? whereby the instep yarn Y- is securely anchored in the course portion Q.

With continued counterclockwise movement of the needle cylinder, those needles N-l, in whose hooks the yarn Y-S had previously been taken from finger a' at the main yarn feed station (see FGURE 8), and which are already in raised position, take the instep yarn Y-4 in the hooks thereof. Fihus, stitches are formed both from the yarn Y-3 and the instep yarn 145- at the auxiliary knitting station K' in wales JV-8, W- and W-l of partial course V (see bracketed area B-l in FIGURE 5). The course portion V (area B-S, FIGURE 5) is then completed front right to left in FlGURE 4 at the auxiliary knitting station K' on the corresponding short butt needles $1 only (which were previously selected ahead of the main knitting station K), and it will be noted that the final stitch (wale W-3) at the left-hand end of the partial course V is formed on the medium butt needle 93 (FIGURE l2). The auxiliary stitch cams K' are withdrawn from action and the heel H of the stocking is then formed from the heel yarn Y-S in the usual manner by the usual narrowing and widening operations in reciprocatory knitting, during which the medium butt needle 93 continues to hold the corresponding stitch thereon. It should be noted that all the intervening stitches then held on the short butt needles, which are those embraced by the wales W-3 and W-lS in FIGURE 4, as well as the stitches of course C-3 in wales W-l6 through W-l9 are held in the hooks of the short butt needles 91 during the knitting of the heel H (see FIGURE l2).

The sutures and lower portion of the heel H are omitted from the portion of fabric shown in FIGURE 4 so as to clarify the stitch construction of other parte of the fabric, since it is apparent that the stitches in the heel H would actually be distorted in the blank areas in the opposite lower corner portions of FIGURE 4. Since the heel is knit in a conventional manner, a detailed illustration and description of the fabric and the manner in which it is knit is deemed unnecessary.

Upon completion of the knitting of the heel H, the auxiliary knitting cams K return to fully operative position and the machine continues reciprocatory knitting, but in this instance, the instep yarn Y-4l is knit on all the short butt needles 9i and the sole yarn Y-Z is knit on all the long butt needles 92. On the other hand, the medium butt needles 93 and 9d alternate in knitting with the two yarns Y-Z and Y-4 to form a suture at each side of the stocking along Wales W-3 and W49 at the juncture of the sole and the instep portions thereof (see FlGURES 4 and 13). Since the knitting of split foot fabric is, in itself, well known, a detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary, the primary feature of the present invention residing in the fact that yarn, from a portion of which stitches were made at the main yarn knitting station K, is interknit in a contiguous course with other yarn from which stitches are made at the auxiliary knitting station K.

During knitting of the heel H the auxiliary knitting earns K' are withdrawn. However, during reciprocatory knitting of the instep l and sole S, the auxiliary knitting earns K occupy active position. lt is apparent, there` fore, that, whereas the long butt needles 92 are raised to pass through the knitting station K by alternating act1ve or inward and then outward movements of the switch earns 7d, 7l (FlGURE 6) in knitting the sole S (narrowing picks ltltl and widening picks lill then being inactive), selector plungers 81, S2' are alternately controlled to raise the jacks I and corresponding short butt needles 9i to pass through the knitting station K to knit the instep l.

As heretofore stated, the yarn change at the final course in the instep, and immediately preceding the knitting of the ring toe RT is effected in a manner similar to that in which the yarn changes are effected at the iuncture of the leg and the instep of the stocking. Referring to FEGURE 13, it will be noted that both of the yarn feed lingers a and c occupy lowered or operative position and the respective yarns Y-4 and Y-Z are being fed to selected needles. In order to lay the yarn Y-d in the hooks of sonic of the short butt needles without knitting the same, the left-hand auxiliary stitch cam 61' (FEGURE 6) is withdrawn out of action while the righthand auxiliary stitch cam 6u remains in action for a sufficient length of time to raise a suilicient number of needles to insure that the yarn will subsequently be securely anchored in the fabric at the juncture at the instep with the ring toe. ln this instance, approximately twenty short butt needles 91 are raised by the right-hand auxiliary stitch cam 6G' after the left-hand auxiliary Istitch cam 61' has been withdrawn from action. These 4twentyrneedles are bracketed at N-3 in FIGURE 14.

Said twentyshort butt needles N-3 are preferably located substantially midway between the medium butt needles 93 and 94 and have the yarn Y-4 laying in the hooks thereof in FIGURE 14. The latter needles N-3 remain elevated after passing the auxiliary knitting station K'. The yarn feed finger a' is raised out of action vand the right-hand auxiliary stitch cam 60' is also withdrawn from action as the last needle in group N-S moves past the same.V Thus, the yarn Y-4 is held in the hooks of the Ygroup of needles N-3. The preceding short butt needles 91 to the right of the group N-3 in VFiGURE 14, will have already 'drawn stitches at the auxiliary knitting station K' and, as the long butt .needles 92 pass the main knitting station K, the main knitting station K moves ino fully operative position so as to not only raise .the long butt needles 92 to take the sole yarn Y`2 and draw stitches therewith, but to also raise all the remain-v .ing`needles, including 'the subsequent short butt needles .91.

It is yapparent that, as 'the short butt needles 91 are raised and take the yarn Y`2 in the hooks thereof, they are subsequently lowered bythe left-hand stitch cam 61 atthe main station K to form stitches therewith. Thus,

those needles N^3 in whose hooks the yarn Y4 had origi nally beentaken at the auxiliary knitting station K will take the yarn Y-Z from yarn feed finger c at the main station K and subsequently draw stitches from both the yarn Y-2 and vthe yarnYY-4 to securely anchor the latter yarns together (see varea B-3, FIGURE 5). The needle 'cylinder then continues counterclockwise rotation to complete the kknitting-of the ring courses, whereupon the machine goes into reciprocatory knitting to knit the toe T, as is usual.

It is thus seen Vthat we have provided a novel method of anchoring incoming and outgoing yarns in circular knit fabric on a two-feed or multi-feed machine in which yarn which is being knit at one station is taken in the hooks of a few needles andris not knit at the particular station and the latter portion of yarn is subsequently knit withyarn from the other of the two stations, or at a subsequent knitting station, to thereby securely anchor 'the two yarns in the fabric.

In the drawings, and specili'cation there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although s'pecic terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being dened in the claims.

We claim: i

1. Astocking having a leg knitted Ain 'the form Cif-solid colored patterned areas in which adjacent areas are interconnected by knitted sutures, said stocking'having a split foot including an instep formed from an independent instep yarn and a heel and sole formed from an independent sole yarn, an initial course in the instep having the incoming instep yarn knitted together with a few stitches kformed from at least two adjacent areas of tte leg, and the sole yarn also being knit together with a few stitches at the bottornot at least one of said areas of the leg to thereby anchor the instep and sole yarns to the respective areas of the leg'.

2. -A stocking having a leg knitted in the form of solid color patterned areas including front and rear diamonds and intervening first and second side gussets and being connected tothe adjacent areas b'y knitted sutures, 'a split foot including an instep knit of an instep yarnl and 'a heel and sole knit of -a sole yarn independently 'of 'the instep yarn with the heel andsole connected to the eppoi-l Asite sides 'of the 'instep by knitted sutures, said instep yarn being introduced by being iter'knitted with and in the same course and vwales as those formed by the yarn present in the lowermost portion of the lfront diamond andan adjacent portion of one of the side gu's'set's for few wales, with the yarn from the latter side gusset rbeingV oated 'from said last mentioned ew -wales to the heel, whereat the yarn from the latter gusset is knitted together with 'the sole yarn in a pluralityV of wales forming a part, at least, of the initial course in the heel tothereby anchor the'frontdiam'ond and said adjacent gusset tothe instep `and to also anchor said adjacent gusset to the heel.

3. A tubular knit stocking having a reciprocally knit leg including patterned areas,` adjacent areas being k-nit of separate yarns and being interconnected by knitted-su-V tures extending at an angle to the wales and'courses of the stocking, the areas at the' bottom of the leg being s'ubstani tially'triangular with the point of one of the latter -areas terminating in a bottom course ofstitches at the front lower portion of the leg, 'said stocking also comprising 'a split Vfoot including an instep and a sole each knit of an independent yarn, the yarn in said instep being different from the'yarn in said point of said one of the areas, and the rst course knit in said instep including stitches knitted inplated relation with stitches or the bottom course in said point.

References VCited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,801,280 VLawson Apr. 21, 1931 2,237,144 Housernan Apr. 1, 1941 2,360,668V Fregeolle Oct. 17, 1944 2,374,532 Fregeolle Apr. 24, 1945 2,543,172 Iavorek et al Feb. 27, 1

' 4.2,642,732 Thurston June 23, 1953 `,2,660,868 Naumann Dec. 1, 1953 2,663,175 Pons Dec. 22, 1953 v2,667,774 Allen Feb. 2, 1954 2,676,474 Bouthillette et yal 'Apn 27, 1954 2,680,961 Thurston June 15, 19,54 2,800,782 Bridges July 30, 1957 2,856,762 Gell s Oct. 21, 1958

Claims (1)

1. A STOCKING HAVING A LEG KNITTED IN THE FORM OF SOLID COLORED PATTERNED AREAS IN WHICH ADJACENT AREAS ARE INTERCONNECTED BY KNITTED SUTURES, SAID STOCKING HAVING A SPLIT FOOT INCLUDING AN INSTEP FORMED FROM AN INDEPENDENT INSTEP YARN AND A HEEL AND SOLE FORMED FROM AN INDEPENDENT SOLE YARN, AN INITIAL COURSE IN THE INSTEP HAVING THE INCOMING INSTEP YARN KNITTED TOGETHER WITH A FEW STITCHES FORMED FROM AT LEAST TWO ADJACENT AREAS OF THE LEG, AND THE SOLE YARN ALSO BEING KNIT TOGETHER WITH A FEW STITCHES AT THE BOTTOM OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID AREAS OF THE LEG TO THEREBY ANCHOR THE INSTEP AND SOLE YARNS TO THE RESPECTIVE AREAS OF THE LEG.

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