US3404546A

US3404546A - Links and links knitting machine with pivotal jacks

Info

Publication number: US3404546A
Application number: US612694A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mishcon Sam
Original assignee: Singer Co
Current assignee: Singer Co
Priority date: 1967-01-30
Filing date: 1967-01-30
Publication date: 1968-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1985-10-08
Also published as: JPS4936068B1; GB1147419A; FR1552519A; ES349899A1; DE1635928A1

Description

Oct. 8, 1968 5, MW; 3,404,546

LINKS AND LINKS KNITTING MACHINE WITH PIVOTAL JACKS Filed Jan. 30, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheetl INVENTOR. Sum Mishcon BY WITNESS:

04-04 4844 ATTORNEY msHcoN Oct. 8, 1968 LINKS AND LINKS KNITTING MACHINE WITH PIVOTAL JACKS Filed Jan. 30, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INYENTOR. Sum Mlsh con ATTORNEY WITNESS:

Oct. 8, 1968 s. MISHCON 3,404,545

LINKS AND LINKS KNITTING MACHINE WITH PIVOTAL JACKS Filed Jan. 50, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR. Sam Mishcon WI"I'NESS: BY

' d ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofice 3,404,546 Patented Oct. 8, 1968 3,404,546 LINKS AND LINKS KNITTING MACHINE WITH PIVOTAL JACKS Sam Mishcon, Miami Beach, Fla., assignor to The Singer Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 612,694 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-14) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A knitting machine for making purl cloth is described as embodying superposed cylinders and double ended needles. The needles are described as being positionable from one needle cylinder to the other by means of jacks having pivotal members, such pivotal members seizing and releasing the needles periodically, for passage of the needles between the cylinders, whereby stitches are formed. Each pivotal member of each jack is supported at an intermediate point of each pivotal member on a second jack part; the second jack part is provided with a buttfor jack positioning purposes-and a cutout into which the free end of the pivotal member may be depressed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention A knitting machine according to the invention is of the independent needle type, each needle thereof being double ended and adapted to cooperate with a respective pair of jacks. One jack locates in a first needle cylinder that is superposed with respect to another needle cylinder, and the slots of both cylinders are spacially aligned. Actuation of the jacks may effect passing of a given needle from one cylinder to the other, the needle in passing through the space dividing the cylinders taking yarn fed thereat, first with one needle end (as the needle goes, say, from the lower needle cylinder to the upper needle cylinder), and then with the other needle end (as the needle goes from the upper needle cylinder to the lower needle cylinder), whereby cloth is formed for example consisting of purl stitches. The invention is directed to just such a knitting machine and in particular to a jack/ needle combination useful therewith, which jack/needle combination permits of easy cam design and machine maintenance and repair. While the invention is indicated in the nature of a circular machine, it is not so limited, and may in fact be employed with flat bed knitting machines.

(2) Background of the invention Links and links knitting machines as presently available in the art are best illustrated by the machine shown and described in US. Patent No. 2,820,354, issued J an. 21, 1958. As indicated in such patent, assorted cams (C-1, -2, -3, -4; 18; 21; etc.) are designed to operate on the jacks thereof so that the needles corresponding with such jacks may :be passed between the needle cylinders properly: The cams of such prior art machines must be ideally situated with respect to their respective needle cylinders, for not only must one jack take control of a given needle at a precise instant, but so too must a corresponding jack timely give up control of the needle being transferred. In other words, two separate jack motions are required for proper needle transfer in a links and links knitting machine, viz. one motion that is updown and another motion that effects jack pivoting for needle disengagement. By requiring both such motions of a single one-piece jack, the prior art has built into such prior art links and links machines undue and unnecessary complexity, this attendantly requiring comparatively astute knitting machine mechanics for the timing, maintenance and repair of prior art links and links machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To obviate the complexity of prior art links and links machines, and thereby make links and links machines more commercially useful and practical, the invention provides a jack/needle combination that does not require complex camminlg arrangements for the timely engagement/release of double ended needles. A jack according to the invention has a first part provided with a butt adapted to engage a raise cam; and with a second, needle-engaging part that is pivotally supported on the first jack part. In its presently preferred form, the needleengaging part of the jack is pivotally coupled to the first part of the jack at a fulcrum point located between the ends of the needle-engaging part of the jack, such needleengaging part being provided with a beak for engaging one of the hooks of the needle in question. Pressing one end of the needle-engaging part of the jack, say, by means of a cam, lifts such part for needle-release; pressing the other end of the needle-engaging part of the jack lowers such part for needle-engagement. Since the jack of the invention is two-piece, with its working end pivotal, one required jack motion (up-down) may be effected by operating simply on the first jack part; and the other required jack motion (pivotal) for needle release may be effected by operating simply on the other, or needleengaging jack part, this attendantly being simpler than what has heretofore been the practice of the prior art. In its presently preferred form, the pivotal needle-releasing motion of the second jack part is brought about automatically by virtue of the up-down motion of the first jack part, this being by means of a cam follower boss, on the pivotal needle-engaging part of the jack, that engages with the aforementioned pressing cam as said jack moves up and down.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a links and links knitting machine of simple construction and de- Slgll.

Another object of the invention is to provide a links and links knitting machine that employs jacks having one part designed for needle-engagement purposes, which one part if pivotally supported on another jack part that is designed for needle-raising purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a jack for use with a links and links knitting machine, such jack having one part designed for needle-engagement purposes, which one part is pivotally supported on. another jack part that is designed for needle-raising purposes.

The invention will be described with reference to the figures wherein FIG. 1 is a side elevational view partially in section illustrating a links and links knitting machine according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the cam system of the machine of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view partially in section, illustrating a part of the machine of FIG. 1, and being useful for indicating the operation of the machine of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a side view of a presently preferred form of jack useful to practice the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a pair of

superposed needle cylinders

10, 12 of a links and links knitting machine according to the invention mount respective pluralities of

jacks

14, 16 in their respective needle/

jack slots

18, 20.

The needle cylinders 10,-'12 in this form of the invention are held,stationary...by means not shown, and surrounding the

needle cylinders

10, 12 are rings of

respective cam sections

22, 24. The

cam sections

22, 24 are tied together by means of braces 26 (several are employed although only one is herein shown), and such cam sections are adapted for rotation about the

needle cylinders

10, 12. Each cam section 22 secures by means of bolts 27 to a ring gear 28 that rests within a shouldered cutout 30 in an outer ring 32, andsuch outer ring 32 is fixedly supported on legs, not shown. The shouldered cutout 30 serves as a bearing surface for the ring gear 28.

The cam sections 24 are secured through a ring 33 to the braces 26 by means of bolts 34, and the braces are, in turn, secured to the sections 22 by means of bolts 36. Hence, rotation of the ring gear 28 on its bearing surface 30 carries with it both the cam sections 22 and the cam sections 24.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, 3 the

sections

22, 24 mount respective combinations of raising, stitch and guide cams, FIG. 1 being a view taken generally along the line 1-1 of FIG. 3. Each cam section 22 mounts a stitch cam 40, followed by a raise cam 42 (according to the direction of cam rotation as indicated by the arrow of FIG. 3); in turn, the raise earn 42 is followed by guide cams 44. Each cam section 24 mounts a stitch cam 46 followed by a raise cam 48; and the stitch cam 48 is, in turn, followed by guide earns 50.

Reference should now be had to FIG. 4. Jacks 14, 16 according to the invention are two-piece, having a first part 52 with a butt 54 and a needle-hook receiving end 56. The second, or needle engaging and releasing, part 58 is secured to the jack part 52 at a pivotal socket and fulcrum point 60, and such second jack part is provided with a needle engaging beak 62, and a cam follower end 64. Pressing the cam following end 64 of the jack part 58 causes such part to pivot at its fulcrum point 60, whereby the end 64 seats within a cutout 66 of the jack part 52. The other end of the needle engaging and releasing part 58 of the jack is provided with a pointed tip 68 that serves to ride under the latch of its respective needle 70 and thereby cam such latch open.

Again referring to FIGS. l3,

bands

72, 74 respectively surround the

needle cylinders

10, 12, and serve as cams for pressing the respective cam follower ends 64 of the jack parts 58 into their respective jack cutouts 66, this being as such jacks are moved up and down in response to the raise (42, 48) and stitch (40, 46) cams as the

cam sections

22, 24 are rotated with respect to the needles 70. Rotating with the

cam sections

22, 24, and adapted to feed yarn 75 at the juncture between the

needle cylinders

10, 12, are yarn feeds 76, one thereof being shown, whereby cloth 78, adapted to pass through the center of the needle cylinder 10, is formed of links-links stitches in a manner to be described presently.

Consider, as indicated in FIG. 3, the particular series of elements A through M which shows the details of needle-passing between the

cylinders

10, 12. The jack A has control of the needle B, its beak 62 holding the lower hook of the needle B in its needle-receiving end 56; the opposing jack C is guided horizontally along by cams in anticipation of the needle B. As the needle-controlling jack A moves upwardly in response to the raise cam 42 to the position indicated by the jack D, its needle E gets so elevated that the needle-latch F gets ca'mmed open by the pointed tip 68 of the needle-anticipating jack G, such jack G being guided horizontally just as the jack C is horizontally guided. Simultaneously with the camming open of the latch F, the loop of yarn which had been on the upper hook of the needle E starts to clear the latch. Further raising the needle E by means of its jack D riding up the raise cam 42, whereby the jack situates as indicated by the jack H, causes the jack H to start to release its needle I to the jack J. That is, the cam follower end 64 of the jack H rides up the cam 72, with the jack H pushing the upper hook of the needle I into the needle-receiving end 56 of the jack I. As the cam follower end 64 of the jack H moves against its cam 72, it gets depressed into its cutout '66 to release the needle I and, as this happens, the opposing jack J starts to take control of the needle I. The jack G, in moving to occupy the position of the jack J has its cam follower end 64 depressed into its cutout 66, for needle- I-receiving purposes, by the cam 74; and as the jack I is raised to occupy the position of the jack K, the cam follower end 64 of the jack K comes out of its cutout 66 so that its beak 62 seizes the upper hook of the needle L. The timing of this operation is so designed that the jack J starts to take control of the needle I as the jack H starts to release the needle 1. Continued movement of the seized needle to the position indicated by the needle M causes the lower hook of the needle M to take yarn fed at the cloth line 78. Thereafter, this process is repeated, with the needles 70 passing alternately from one needle cylinder to the other.

While the invention has been described in its preferred form it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than of limitation, and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. In a links and links knitting machine having (a) first and second needle beds (10, 12) with respective pluralities of spacially aligned slots (18, 20),

(b) a plurality of double ended needles (70) adapted for passage thereof from the slots of one needle bed to the slots of the other needle bed,

(0) first (14) and second (16) pluralities of needlecooperable jacks for respectively the slots of said first and second needle beds,

(d) a first system of cams (22) for said first plurality of jacks, and a second system of earns (24) for said second plurality of jacks, said first and second cam systems being adapted to position their respective jacks within and along the slots in their respective needle beds,

(e) and auxiliary cam means (72, 74) adapted to bear transversely of and against said jacks when said jacks are moved along their respective slots the improvement wherein (a) each of said jacks has first (52) and second (58) parts, said first part being adapted to ride solely translationally at the base of and along its respective slot and being provided with at least one butt (54) that is adapted for cooperative engagement with a respective one of said system of cams, and said first part 52 being provided with a cutout (66) therein on the same side thereof that has said one butt (54),

(b) wherein said second jack part (58) is pivotally supported by said first jack part (52), at a fixed point thereof which is intermediate its ends, said second jack part at one side of said pivot point being adapted for engagement with one end of a respective double ended needle (70), and being provided at the other side of said pivot point with a cam follower (64) cooperable with said auxiliary cam means (72, 74), whereby when said cam follower (64) cooperates with said auxiliary cam means (72, 74), said other side gets depressed into said cutout (66), said cutout (66) being of such size that when said other side is depressed into said cutout (66) said one side of said second jack part is disengaged from said needle (70).

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second jack part (58) is provided with a beak (62) for seizing one end of its corresponding double ended needle (70).

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each of said double ended needles is a latch type needle, and wherein the end of said second jack part that obtains in proximity with said needle is provided with a latch controlling tip (68).

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 FOREIGN PATENTS 125,866 1/1902 Germany.

18,170 9/ 1 899 Great Britain. 320,269 5/ 1957 Switzerland.

WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner.