US3143868A

US3143868A - Knitting machine

Info

Publication number: US3143868A
Application number: US138334A
Authority: US
Inventors: Palange Walter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-09-18
Filing date: 1961-09-15
Publication date: 1964-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 1981-08-11
Also published as: GB999048A; CH394458A; DE1241030B

Description

Aug. 11, 1964 w. PALANGE KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1961 WALTER PALANGE INVENTOR. BY M, :M NM

' ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1964 w. PALANGE 3,143,868

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 15, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WALTER PALANGE INVENTOR.

Elk 10M, Mum/ ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1964 w. PALANGE 3,143,868

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 15, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Walter Polunge MM JM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,143,868 KNITTING MACHINE Walter Palange, 35A Moddermanstraat, Tilburg, Netherlands Filed Sept. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 138,334 Claims priority, application Netherlands Sept. 16, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-1) The present invention relates to a machine for manufacturing knitted fabrics, comprising two needle beds which are positioned opposite to each other and can move towards and away from eachother, and in which the points of the needles of one bed are adapted to move toward and then along the points of the needles of the other bed, said needles having a U-shaped cross-section through which the threads are guided.

Such a machine is disclosed in Italian patent specification 571,889.

The object of the present invention is to provide a needle structure which makes it possible to position the needles in the needle beds closer to each other in side by side relationship, so that it is possible to knit finer fabrics.

In the knitting machine according to the invention, therefore, the extremity of each needle consists of one sidewall of the otherwise U-shaped needle and said extremity is provided with a guiding eye.

In the drawing an embodiment of the machine and of the needle according to the invention are shown as compared to the known embodiment.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the known needle.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of known needles in a portion of the known machine.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the needle according to the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of needles according to the invention.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section of the needlebeds with the needles according to the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a side-elevation of a needle according to the invention, which is provided with a knitting thread in a predetermined knitting position relative to the needles on the opposite bed.

FIGURE 7 shows the same needle in a dilferent relative knitting position.

FIGURE 8 shows a plan of the machine according to FIGURE 5.

FIGS. 9-12 are schematic represenations of the needles in ditferent positions during knitting.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 the needle 1 is made from a curved plate having a U-shaped cross-section. At the base of the needle there are two lugs having holes drilled therethrough in which a shaft 2 is positioned, a thread 3 being guided under shaft 2 and along the bottom of the inside of the needle so as to prevent the thread from falling out of the U-shaped needle. The thread 3 extends lengthwise through the U-shaped needle and leaves it at the top end thereof at 4.

When the thread leaves the said needle it is not controlled by an eye, only by the extremities of the U-shape needle which are bent somewhat towards each other (see FIGURE 2). Said inwardly bent ends provide an obstruction, so that the thread cannot leave the needle. However, the lacing up of the machine and the mending of broken threads is still possible without the use of lacing needles.

The open needles (see FIGURES l and 2) are respectively mounted on two needle beds, which are positioned opposite to each other and are movable towards and away from each other, the points of the needles of the one bed moving in an are past the points of the needles of the other bed. In order to provide a connection between the threads being knitted, the ends of the needles rice.

of the one needle bed must pass through an opening be.- tween a loop of the thread and the ends of the needles of the opposite needle bed and vice versa. The distance between the one needle and the next one on the same needle-bed is determined by the blocks 5, which of course in any case must provide a larger spacing than the width of the U-shaped needle.

In FIGURES 3 and 4 the needle according to the present invention for manufacturing a finer knitted fabric has a body portion formed out of a curved plate having a U-shaped cross-section 6 with upright spaced side walls and a rounded bottom connecting the side walls. The extremity 7 of the needle is an extension of one of the side-walls of the U-shaped cross-section plate. The extremity 7 is flat and thin having a thickness equal to the thickness of the plate which is bent into U-shape to form the needle. The extreme end of the portion 7 is provided with an eye 8. The thread 9 extends through the U-shaped cross-section and -is retained therein by being passed under the shaft 2. Thus the thread passes through the U-section needle and, subsequently, along the side of the plate in the end 7 and finally through the eye 8.

The needles 11 of the two opposed beds 12 and 13 (FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8) are interposed in such a way that the thin plateshaped end 7 of the needles 11 of the one bed 12 are positioned adjacent to the U-shaped portion of the needles of the opposite bed 13 (see FIGURE 4). Therefore, the blocks 14 between the needles of one needle bed can be made narrower than the U-shaped portion and need only be slightly thicker than the plateshaped end 7 (see FIGURE 8).

In this Way it is possible to pass the thread with a knot through the U-shape of the needle without making that U-shape narrower. In this way the rows of needles of both beds can be positioned closer to each other and, therefore, it is possible to use much finer needles and finer threads.

A series of needles is mounted on the movable needle bed 12, with another series of needles being mounted on the movable needle bed 13. The needle beds can be moved along arcs in the direction of the arrows a and b so that the ends of opposed needles cross each other, and also in the axial direction of

shafts

15 and 16 on which

beds

13 and 14 are mounted for rotation (FIGURE 5). Contemplating the series of needles, which are mounted on the movable needle bed in the position of FIGURE 6 one sees that the threads 9 having passed through the eye 8 extend back along the needle and under a loop around the outside of the same needle which is at the end of the fabric being knitted. This happens with all threads which extend back along the needles of the bed 12. Each thread extends at a slight angle from the end of end 7 across the U-shaped needle 11 and forms a free chord from the eye to the loop over said needle. The opposite needle is thrust through the opening between said free chord and the curved shaft of the needle and the free chord will be looped over the opposite needle as the opposite needle rises. Simultaneously the loop on the first-mentioned needle is slid off the end of said needle as the needle swings downwardly and is passed onto the knitted fabric below the newly formed loop on the opposite needle.

This process is repeated in the reverse direction as the needles swing in the opposite directions. That is, the needles on bed 12 will have the ends 7 inserted under the free chords on the needles on bed 13 and new loops will be formed on needles on bed 12 while the loops on the needles on bed 13 will be transferred to the knitted fabric. Thus the needles are partially broad and partially narrow in such a way that the narrow extension on the ends of the one series of needles can pass between the broader path of the series of needles on the opposite needle bed. The broader arcuated portions hide the threads in the hollow of the U-shape. In this way the chords formed by the thread will always be attainable; however, the thread portions hidden in the U-shaped section are never exposed. In this way the chords formed on the needles of the one bed can always be caught by the needles of the other bed and vice versa.

I claim:

1. In a machine for automatically knitting fabrics, the combination of two needle beds mounted for swinging movement along arcs which curve toward each other, a plurality of needles on each bed each comprising a body portion having an upwardly open U-shaped cross-section with upright spaced side walls and a rounded bottom connecting portion connecting the side walls and through which threads are adapted to be guided, each needle having a single side wall extension extending from the end of one of the side walls, the extensions on the needles on one needle bed being on the sides of the needles toward one end of the needle beds and the extensions on the needles on the other needle bed being on the sides of the needles toward the other end of the needle beds, and the needles on each bed being spaced a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of the side wall extension, the needles being sufliciently long that the ends of the needles move along arcs and the ends of the extensions cross each other, and each extension having an eye in the end thereof. 7

2. A needle for use in a machine for automatically knitting fabrics in which there are two needle beds mounted for swinging movement toward and away from each other along arcs, and each needle bed having a plurality of needles thereon, said needle comprising a needle body having an upwardly open U-shaped cross section with upright spaced side walls and a rounded bottom connecting portion connecting the side walls and through which threads-are adapted to be guided, said needle having a single side wall extension extending from the end of one of the side walls, and each extension having an eye in the end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,286,349 Kopp Dec.'3, 1918 I FOREIGN PATENTS 495,059 Italy July 7, 1954

Claims

1. IN A MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY KNITTING FABRICS, THE COMBINATION OF TWO NEEDLE BEDS MOUNTED FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ALONG ARCS WHICH CURVE TOWARD EACH OTHER, A PLURALITY OF NEEDLES ON EACH BED EACH COMPRISING A BODY PORTION HAVING AN UPWARDLY OPEN U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION WITH UPRIGHT SPACED SIDE WALLS AND A ROUNDED BOTTOM CONNECTING PORTION CONNECTING THE SIDE WALLS AND THROUGH WHICH THREADS ARE ADAPTED TO BE GUIDED, EACH NEEDLE HAVING A SINGLE SIDE WALL EXTENSION EXTENDING FROM THE END OF ONE OF THE SIDE WALLS, THE EXTENSIONS ON THE NEEDLES ON ONE NEEDLE BED BEING ON THE SIDES OF THE NEEDLES TOWARD ONE END OF THE NEEDLE BEDS AND THE EXTENSIONS ON THE NEEDLES ON THE OTHER NEEDLE BED BEING ON THE SIDES OF THE NEEDLES TOWARD THE OTHER END OF THE NEEDLE BEDS, AND THE NEEDLES ON EACH BED BEING SPACED A DISTANCE ONLY SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE SIDE WALL EXTENSION, THE NEEDLES BEING SUFFICIENTLY LONG THAT THE ENDS OF THE NEEDLES MOVE ALONG ARCS AND THE ENDS OF THE EXTENSIONS CROSS EACH OTHER, AND EACH EXTENSION HAVING AN EYE IN THE END THEREOF.