US3744275A

US3744275A - Patterning mechanism for multi-feed circular knitting machines and to a method of knitting on the same

Info

Publication number: US3744275A
Application number: US00126720A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Harris
Original assignee: STIBBE MACHINERY Ltd
Current assignee: STIBBE MACHINERY Ltd
Priority date: 1971-03-22
Filing date: 1971-03-22
Publication date: 1973-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 1990-07-10

Abstract

A multi-feed circular knitting machine capable of producing multi-color jacquard patterns and ''''blister'''' fabrics and wherein the feeds are arranged in successive groups each of the same number. The section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds includes a jack raising cam acting upon operating butts of pivoted needle-actuating jacks left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action upon the jacks by pattern unit in advance of the jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks are directed by a downwardly sloping cam face; a re-setting cam at the leading end of said portion of cam track for outwardly moving the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the pattern unit; and, following the resetting cam, a depressor cam automatically acting on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the aforesaid intermediate height or at a low height to depress these butts into the cylinder.

Description

United States Patent 1 Harris PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR MULTI-FEED CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND TO A METHOD OF KNITTING ON THE SAME Inventor: Ronald Harris, Leicester, England Stibbe Machinery Limited, Leicester, England Filed: Mar. 22, 1971 Appl. No.: 126,720

Assignee:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1935 Deans et al. 66/50 B 6/ 1939 McAdams 66/50 X 2,173,488 9/1939 Tandler et al 66/50 R 3,616,654 11/1971 Llinas 66/42 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,147,706 4/1963 Germany 66/50 B 1,230,961 12/1966 Germany 66/25 351,046 6/ 1931 Great Britain 66/50 R July 10, 1973 1,206,225 9/1970 Great Britain 66/50 B Primary Examiner-Wm. Carter Reynolds Attorney-Larson, Taylor & Hinds 5 7 ABSTRACT A multi-feed circular knitting machine capable of producing multi-color jacquard patterns and blister fabrics and wherein the feeds are arranged in successive groups each of the same number. The section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds includes a jack raising cam acting upon operating butts of pivoted needle-actuating jacks left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action upon the jacks by pattern unit in advance of the jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intemiediate height following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks are directed by a downwardly sloping cam face; a re-setting cam at the leading end of said portion of cam track for outwardly moving the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the pattern unit; and, following the resetting cam, a depressor cam automatically acting on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the aforesaid intermediate height or at a low height to depress these butts into the cylinder.

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 32 l 19 3 l I 32 l 7 27 3 20 19 19 2 28 in 27 t 20 8 "r" PATENTEUJL'U mm 3.744.275

sum 2 or 4 H0. 3.- I V v 15 15 A 1s 15 SHEEI3UF4 PATENTEBJUL 1 01915 Y SHEET l 0F 4 PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR MULTI-FEED CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND TO A METHOD OF KNITTING ON THE SAME This invention relates to patterning mechanism for multi-feed circular knitting machines, and has reference particularly to such mechanism of the general class having a selective action upon individually operable needles or other appropriate elements requiring to be controlled or influenced for producing jacquard and other patterning effects in tubular knitted fabric.

The term multi-feed is intended to be sufficiently broad to cover a circular knitting machine having a few feeds only, although it is primarily the intention to apply the invention to a so-called super multi-feed machine having as many as, say 48 or more feeds.

In particular, the invention has reference to a patterning system of the kind including, in combination, (a) needle or other element-influencing jacks mounted beneath needles or associated elements in tricks in the needle cylinder, the said jacks having thereon operating butts and, in addition to being movable heightwise and controlled by cams acting on the said butts for producing patterning effects, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles or other elements, and (b) pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units being adapted to exercise selective and individual control over the pivoted needle or other element-influencing jacks, through the medium of associated patterning butts which are so disposed or disposable in a multiplicity of planes as to enable the butts in any one plane to be well spaced apart and are arranged to be selectively acted upon, e.g., pressed in towards the cylinder axis, by each pattern unit in turn.

The term associated patterning butts is used herein in a generic sense to cover not only the more usual case in which the said butts are provided upon appropriately displaceable selector members separate from the aforementioned pivoted needle or other element-influencing jacks, but also a case in which the patterning butts are on the said jacks themselves.

In any event, a patterning system of the kind concerned has heretofore required the provision of a pattern unit at every feed of the machine.

Such a unit may, for instance, consist of a rotary drum furnished either with pins or with protuberant teeth in superimposed planes for action on the patterning butts either directly, or through the medium of a bank of intermediate slides or pivoted levers disposed in the same planes.

Alternatively, each of the pattern units may consist of a stack or pile of rotary discs formed with predetermined set-outs of peripheral teeth for action upon patterning butts in the different planes, the unit being driven in timed relation with the needle cylinder, and the teeth acting on the patterning butts suchwise as to press in selected selector members or associated selector presser jacks and thus effect inward radial movements of the pivoted needle or other elementinfluencing jacks into their tracks. In this alternative, each rotary pattern unit may be fixed so far as any movement thereof towards and away from the selector members or the associated presser jacks, as the case may be, is concerned. Where the arrangement includes presser jacks these would have patterning butts initially at one level in which instance variable presser jack moving means would be provided for shifting the presser jacks longitudinally upwards and downwards to disposed their single patterning butts opposite to radial teeth in predetermined ones of the relevant planes.

'Again, each patterning unit may alternatively comprise a bank of electro-magnetically operable members controlled from a pattern tape, e.g., through the medium of light responsive devices.

The elements of the machine to be controlled or influenced by the patterning mechanism of this invention will usually be either independent slidable needles, or associated sliders, although there is no limitation in this respect. But for convenience in the following further description the elements will hereinafter be referred to as needles, the purpose of the patterning system in this case being to determine the manner in which predetermined needles operate at relevant feeds at desired times, e.g., as to whether such needles clear and knit, miss 0r tuck, according to patterning requirements.

Moreover, although the invention is primarily applicable to multi-feed circular knitting machines of the rotary needle cylinder type with a relatively stationary cam box, it would be possible to apply it to a rotary cam box type of machine with a stationary cylinder.

It is primarily the intention to apply the present invention to a specific system wherein intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks are disposed immediately beneath the needles in the same tricks and are formed with downwardly extending tails which are permanently engaged in suitably forked upper ends of selector members in the form of swivelling presser jacks furnished with the patterning butts in the desired multiplicity of planes for direct action upon by the pattern units. In this way, the selector members dictate the pivotal radial inward and outward movements of the intermediate needle-actuating jacks so that their operating butts are moved out of and into the path of the jack actuating cams respectively.

The principle of operation of a patterning system of the kind herein referred to, with respect to the production of multi-color jacquard patterns, is that the needles which knit at the first feed of a group of successive feeds corresponding in number to the number of different colors to be knitted, do not knit at the succeeding feed or feeds of the group, and those that knit at the second feed do not knit at the first and at the remaining feed or feeds, and so on where necessary, the needles which did not knit at the first, the second etc. feeds knitting at the last feed of the group, this operational sequence being thereupon repeated around the knitting machine. For example, in three-color jacquard patterning to which this description will be mainly confined, the needles which knit at the first of a group of three successive feeds do not knit at the second and third feeds of the group, whilst those that knit at the second feed do not knit at the first and third feeds, the needles which did not knit at the first and second feeds knitting at the third feed. The system generally adopted is to raise the required needles to knit at the first feed at the dictates of a pattern unit; then to return these needles to a non-knitting height; to select the needles required to knit at the second feed by another pattern unit and then to return these needles to the non-knitting height; next to select desired needles to knit at the third feed by yet another pattern unit and so on if more than three colors are required.

Such a system, necessitating one pattern unit to every feed, is very costly to set up, especially on a high production machine having as many as 48 or more feeds. For instance, in a case where each pattern unit comprises a rotary stack or pile of peripherally cut discs, there may be involved as many as two thousand discs each of which must be individually cut to the required pattern. Manifestly, any substantial saving in the number of pattern discs required, by a reduction in the number of pattern units necessary, constitute a significant saving in time and labor and hence also in maintenance of simplified machines.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide, in a multi-feed jacquard circular knitting machine equipped with a patterning system of the kind concerned, improved cam systems for action upon the pivoted needle-actuating jacks and designed to reduce the number of pattern units required without detriment to the patterning capabilities of the machine.

Another object is to provide to the same end an improved method of operating such a knitting machine.

it is, however, to be clearly understood that the cam means and the general operational method of this invention for reducing the number of pattern units needed are, within the broad scope of the invention, also applicable to the production of patterns other than jacquard, e.g., multi-color jacquard, patterns. For example, they can be adopted when producing so-Called blister fabric. Basically, the production of a blister fabricinvolves a selection which is repeated at one or more feeds of a group of successive feeds followed by a reversal of such selection for the next one or more feeds. i

The cam system of the machine encircling the knitting head includes, at each feed, a clearing cam and a stitch cam, the feeds being arranged around. the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle or sequence. A characteristic distinguishing feature of the method of knitting according to this invention is that, at each of relevant feeds, pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are permitted to have their operating butts in radially outward positions, by selective action of a pattern unit, are first raised to raise corresponding needles to an operative position and thereupon immediately lowered to an intermediate height at which the said operating butts can be automatically depressed into the needle cylinder to render such jacks inactive, and wherein just prior to this depression 'of operating butts the remaining needleactuating jacks, previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit, are re-set to positions wherein their operating butts are radially outwards.

To this end the cam system of the machine is furnished, at each of relevant feeds, with a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action upon the jacks by a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of said jacks are directed by a downwardly sloping cam face; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressing cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low height, the said jack depressor cam being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder.

The arrangement of a jack depressor cam or cams in a portion of the cam system of the machine relating to a group of successive feeds will, of course, depend on the nature of the patterning to be produced.

In any event, by the adoption of the broadly described method of knitting and the improved cam system according to this invention it is possible to produce jacquard patterned knitted fabric with a less number of pattern units than heretofore ln a convenient method of knitting to produce threecolor jacquard patterning on a machine equipped with forked selector members in the form of swivelling presser jacks as aforesaid, a first pattern unit operates on the selector members to permit the operating butts of predetermined ones of the pivoted needle-actuating jacks to be in their radially outward positions as a consequence of which selected needles are raised to clearing height preparatory to knitting at the first feed of a group of three consecutive feeds; the said needleactuating jacks are then lowered to an intermediate height at which they are rendered inactive by depressing them into their tricks so that the operating butts are in their radially inward positions, the remaining needleactuating jacks passing at a low height; a second pattern unit thereupon operates on the patterning butts of desired ones of the swivelling presser jacks, thereby enabling the pivoted needle-actuating jacks corresponding to the remainder of the swivelling presser jacks not so operated on to raise needles required to knit at the second feed of the group; the last mentioned needleactuating jacks are next lowered to an intermediate height at which they are rendered inactive by depressing them into their tricks, the remaining needleactuating jacks passing at a low height at which they can be raised by a jack raising cam so that at the third feed of the group the corresponding needles automatically knit; finally all of the needle-actuating jacks are returned to the low height preparatory to commencement of a repeated knitting cycle.

Expressed in more specific terms, the last described method of three-color jacquard patterning is as follows:

After having been selectively raised to clearing height and then immediately brought down to run at an intermediate height, the operating butt of each of the selected pivoted needle-actuating jacks is depressed below the outer surface of the needle cylinder so that these selected jacks then take no further active part until the next pattern cycle. On the other hand, the unselected needle-actuating jacks are moved outwards by the action of a draw-out cam on the corresponding selector members (swivelling presser jacks) so that the operating butts of the said unselected jacks will be controlled by control cams whilst the operating butts of a predetermined ones of the unselected jacks will be pushed back into the cylinder again by the corresponding swivelling selector members under the influence of a pattern unit. The now outwardly disposed needleactuating jacks will be raised to cause their needles to knit and then lowered again to the intermediate level at which a jack depressor cam will act on the operating butts of said jacks to push them in. As a result, the last mentioned jacks will not be raised at the next feed. The jacks previously left in by the pattern unit will now be swung out by action of a draw-out cam upon the corresponding selector members and raised by a jack-raising cam so that the corresponding, i.e., remaining, needles knit at the next feed. Subsequently, all of the needles and their actuating jacks are lowered to their nonknitting and selecting heights respectively in preparation for the next jacquard patterning cycle.

The various control cams may, if desired, be made readily withdrawable to facilitate changing from one pattern to another; similarly, the pattern units may be easily movable from one position to another.

In making fabric known as double blister by repeated three-feed cycles,.one pattern unit would be sufficient to enable desired needles to knot both at the first and at the second feeds, and the remaining needles to knit at the third feed. Thus, a saving of two complete pattern units in respect of each group of three feeds can in this case be made.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect, specific constructional examples thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the needle cylinder and cam box of a circular knitting machine showing a needle, a needle-actuating jack and an associated selector member immediately prior to a selection,

FIG. 2 is another vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the needle, jack and selector member as they appear after a selection has been made,

FIG. 3 is a developed view, from the inside, of three sections of the cam box of the machine with cams set in position for three color jacquard, associated pattern units also being shown,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a typical layout of a cam box with cams set for producing double blister fabric,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are vertical sectional views taken respectively on the lines V V and VI VI of FIG. 3 and showing the mechanisms by which relevant ones of the cams are manually adjustable heightwise.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the needle cylinder is indicated at 10, whereas the annular cam box surrounding the same is represented at 11. The cylinder 10 is formed in known manner with a circular series of tricks 10a in each of which are accommodated and longitudinally slidable an independent knitting needle 12 of the latch type, a selector member 13 in the form of a swivelling presser jack, and a corresponding intermediate needleactuating jack 14. Each knitting needle 12 is provided with a butt 12a which is guided generally by

cams

15, 16, 17 and 18.

Each intermediate jack 14 is furnished with an operating butt 14a which is guided generally by

earns

19 and 20. A downwardly extending tail 14b at the lower end of each intermediate jack I4 is permanently engaged between two prongs of a forked upper end 13a of the corresponding swivelling presser jack 13.

Behind each intermediate needle-actuating jack 14 there is provided at the back or bottom of the corresponding cylinder trick 10a an insert 21. At its upper extremity such insert is formed with an inwardly directed protuberance 21a which is located on a shoulder 10b provided on the cylinder 10. All the inserts 21 of the circular series are firmly held in position by an annular rib which projects downwardly from an upper cylinder component 10 for engagement in recesses in the upper ends of the trick inserts 21. The lower portion of each trick insert 21 is relieved at 21b by virtue of being reduced in width but terminates in an outwardly directed projection 21c upon which an inwardly directed butt on the corresponding intermediate jack 14 locates at relevant times as will be hereinafter described. Each intermediate needle-actuating jack 14 is pivotable about a fulcrum lobe 144d formed'at its upper extremity, this lobe bearing upon the front edge 21d of the upper full-width portion of the associated trick insert 21. Immediately below its fulcrum lobe 14d, each jack 14 is additionally furnished with an outwardly directed butt 14:: so arranged as to enable it to locate between the underside of a thin horizontal cam 22 and the cam 19 of a section of the cam system at each feed of the machine.

The lower extremity of each swivelling presser jack 13 is pivotally seated in the cylinder 10, the tricks 10a formed in the latter being relieved behind these presser jacks. On its outwardly facing edge each swivelling presser jack 13 is formed with a patterning butt 13b disposed at one of a multiplicity of heights as is quite common for selector members used in circular knitting machines. A stack of selector discs, slides or levers denoted generally at 25, operate on the patterning butts 13b in well known manner. Whenever one of the discs, slides or lever 23 contacts a patterning butt 13b the relevant swivelling presser jack 13 is pushed back and so pulls with it the corresponding intermediate jack 14 so that its operating butt 14a is withdrawn into the needle cylinder 10 so as not to be acted on by cams 19, as shown in FIG. 2.

In order to reset the swivelling presser jacks 13, by swinging them outwards in readiness for the next selection, there is provided a draw-out cam 24 arranged to operate on vertical extensions 13c of the presser jacks 13.

In FIG. 3 are shown the cam box sections at three successive feeds, these sections, which include the knitting stations at'the said feeds, being generally designated A, B and C. These will now be described with specific reference to the production of a 3-color jacquard pattern, it being understood that successive groups of sections A, B and C are spaced right around the knitting head of the machine. The cams for controlling the needles 12 are duplicated at each knitting station; it will accordingly only be necessary to describe one of the systems. It will, moreover, be noted that each cam box section is identical with its neighbors: this is to ensure that it is not necessary to change a number of cam box sections when changing from one jacquard pattern to another, e.g., from three color to four color jacquard.

The needles 12 which are not acted upon by intermediate needle-actuating jacks 14 are controlled by virtue of their butts 12a first travelling along the upper edge of cam 18 in section A in a horizontal path and only being lower slightly at the end of section A by the bottom of stitch cam 16. On the other hand, the needles 12 which are acted on and pushed up by corresponding intermediate jacks 14 are controlled by their butts 12a being raised to a level to land them on to the leading edge of clearing cam 17 in section A. The said butts then rise up cam 17 and are thereafter lowered by portion 152 of cam and stitch cam 16. At the end of cam box section A, the needle butts 12a are presented to the leading edge of the cam 18 in section B to be passed between the last mentioned cam and the cam 15 in the same section B ready for the next selection.

The operation of the intermediate needle-actuating jacks 14 which are controlled in their longitudinal movements by cams acting on operating butts 14a will now be described. The intermediate jacks 14 in advance of cam box section A, are all initially at their low height with their butts 14a supported on the upper edge of a cam 25 (see FIG. 3). At this position predetermined ones of the intermediate jacks 14 are pressed into their tricks 10a so that their butts 14a are no longer influenced by the relevant jack cams. This is achieved by relevant selector discs, slides or levers 23 of the first pattern unit PU acting on the patterning butts 13b of the corresponding swivelling presser jacks 13 as a consequence of which the upper forked ends 13a of the said jacks and hence also the tails 14b of the corresponding intermediate jacks 14 are depressed, i.e., swung radially inwards.

The intermediate jacks 14 which are depressed in this way are not acted on by any cams and travel horizontally at the low height, with their upper butts 14:: located between the underside of the thin horizontal cam 22 and the upper face of cam 19 in section A until a further pattern selection is made this time by selector discs, slides or levers of a second pattern unit PU. These jacks will, of course, continue to travel horizontally at this low height if they-are again depressed at the second pattern unit PU. One of the draw-out earns 24 is located between the pattern units PU and PU for action on the upward extensions 13c of inwardly swung presser jacks 13, this cam being chamfered at its leading edge and thus serving to pull out all the previously inwardly swung swivelling jacks 13 and associated depressed intermediate jacks 14 in preparation for reselection by the second pattern unit PU.

Those intermediate needle-actuating jacks 14 which are not depressed by selective action of the first pattern unit PU rise up the leading edge of cam 20 in section A to correspondingly raise their respective needles 12 to clearing height and are then lowered by lowering face 19a of cam 19 to an intermediate level at which the upper butts Me of the said jacks locate upon the top first of the cam 22 and then of a thin landing cam 26 in section A. The operating butts 14a of these nondepressed intermediate jacks 14 then pass in front of a depressor cam 27 in the section A which has a chamfered leading edge 27a for action on the outer ends of the butts 14a in order to depress the jacks 14 after the remaining previously depressed intermediate jacks 14 have been pulled out by the action of draw-out cam 24 in the section A on the upward extensions 13c of the corresponding presser jacks 13. The butts 140 of the intermediate jacks l4 depressed by the depressor cam 27 in the section A are located on to the outwardly directed projections 210 of the corresponding trick inserts 21: in this way the jacks 14 which are required to remain at the intermediate level are positively prevented from sliding down. The last mentioned jacks then travel along a horizontal path until they are again pulled out, this time by the action of the draw-out cam 24 in the cam box section B on the upward extensions 130 of the corresponding swivelling presser jacks 13.

The tails 14b of the intermediate jacks 14 which are at the low level are not acted on by swivelling presser jacks 13 at the dictates of the second pattern unit PU those intermediate jacks 14 which are not depressed riding up the leading edge of cam 20 in cam box section B to raise their respective needles 12 to clearing height.

The intermediate jacks 14 which are depressed at this stage again travel a horizontal path and are pulled out again by the draw-out cam 24 in the section B acting on the upward extensions 13c of the relevant swivelling presser jacks 13 in the same fashion as that described with reference to draw-out cam in the section A. The last mentioned jacks are thereupon automatically raised by the cam 20 in the section C, no pattern unit being required here as these remaining intermediate jacks and respective needles are the ones which have not previously been raised to clearing height.

The butts 14a of the intermediate needle-actuating jacks 14 which were raised to clearing height by the cam 20 in the section B are then lowered by the lowering face 19a of cam 19 in the same section so that the upper butts Me of said jacks locate upon the top first of the cam 22 and then of the landing cam 26 in section B so that these jacks join the jacks 14 which are already travelling in a horizontal path at an intermediate height. All these intermediate needle-actuating jacks 14 then have their butts 14a depressed by the depressor cam 27 in the cam box section B from whence they travel along a horizontal path and are pulled out again by the action of a draw-out cam 24 in section C on the upward extensions 13c of the corresponding swivelling jacks 13. I

In order that a fresh jacquard selection can be made on the next group of three feeds, the now exposed operating butts 14a of the last mentioned needle-actuating jacks 14 are contacted and lowered by an additional and vertically movable lowering cam 28 which is associated with the cam 19 in the cam box section C, the said lowering cam together with the thin horizontal landing cam 26 immediately above it, being set in an operative lowered position.

The immediate needle-actuating jacks 14 which were raised by the cam 20 in the section C are afterwards lowered by the operative lowering cam 28 in the same section to join the remaining intermediate jacks 14 at the low level in preparation for the next three-feed cycle of jacquard patterning.

The trailing edges 20a of the upstanding portions of the cams 20 in the cam box section A, B and C are, as shown, chamfered to allow the draw-out earns 24 in the three sections to pull-out the swivelling presser jacks 13 and the intermediate needle-actuating jacks 14 as early as possible.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that three jacquard pattern selections are effected with the use of only two pattern units. Likewise, when producing four-color jacquard pattern, it is only necessary to use three pattern units. That is to say, when producing a jacquard pattern of any number of colors it is possible to use a number of pattern units one less than the number of colors.

There is an additional vertically movable lowering cam 28 associated with the cam 19 in each of the three cam box sections A, B and C. Each such lowering cam is movable from an inoperative raised position in which it is located within a recess 19b in the associated cam 19 (see sections A and B in FIG. 3) to its operative lowered position below the cam 19 (see section C, FIG. 3). The additional lowering cam 28 and the thin horizontal landing cam 26 in each cam box section are provided together upon and thus connected by a common slide 29 vertically movable within the cam box 11. This slide, shown in FIG. 6, is adapted to be set in either of its two positions by means of a manually operable knurledheaded screw 30. A vertical slot 31 allows the screw 30 to be passed through the cam box 11 for screwing into the slide 29 and also permits the latter to be moved vertically.

In a similar way, the depressor cam 27 in each of the three cam box sections A, B and C and a guard cam 32 arranged immediately above it (to prevent wandering of the intermediate jacks 14) are provided together upon and connected by a common slide 33 which is vertically movable within the cam box 11. This slide, shown in FIG. 5, can be set with the earns 27 and 32 either in raised positions (see all sections, FIG. 3 and sections E and F, FIG. 4) or in lowered positions (see section D, FIG. 4). A manually operable knurled-headed screw 34, which extends through a vertical slot 35 in the cam box and is screwed into the slide 33, enables the latter to be set in either of its two positions.

In FIG. 6 there are shown at 36 the manually operable screw means by which each of the clearing earns 17 can be projected into or retracted from its operative position.

The production of a double blister fabric in accordance with the principles of this invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 4. The needles 12, the intermediate needle-actuating jacks 14 and the swivelling presser jacks 13 are all as previously described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 for making jacquard patterned fabric. In FIG. 4, however, the three successive cam box sections are designated D, E and F.

Initially, a pattern selection is made by a pattern unit PU located immediately in advance of section D which unit dictates which of the swivelling jacks l3 and hence corresponding intermediate jacks 14 are to be depressed and which not. The butts 14a of the intermediate jacks 14 which are not depressed are first raised up the leading edge of cam 20 in section D, then lowered by the lowering edge 19a of cam 19 in the same section whereupon they travel at an intermediate height, up the leading edge of cam 20 in section E and down the edge 19a of cam 19 in section E. These non-depressed intermediate jacks 14 travel horizontally at this intermediate level until the outer ends of their butts 14a are depressed by a depressor cam 27 in section E so that said butts continue in a horizontal path behind cam 20 in section F without being raised thereby. Thereafter, cam 24 in section F acts to pull out all of the jacks 14 in order that their butts 14a may contact and be lowered by the additional lowering cam 28 in section F which last mentioned cam is set in its lower position. Thus, to ensure that the first selection made at PU is maintained for two feeds, the intermediate jacks are brought down to the intermediate height and are not acted upon by the depressor cam 27 in section D which in this instance is, together with the associated guard cam 32, in

. 6 its lower position. The operating butts 14a therefore re-establish contact with earns 20 and are raised again by the cam 20 in cam box section E.

The intermediate jacks 14 which were initially depressed by selective action of the pattern unit PU travel horizontally behind earns 20 in sections D and E without being raised thereby until the draw-out cam 24 in section E operates on upward extensions 13c of the corresponding swivelling presser jacks 13 to pull out these intermediate jacks 14. The draw-out cam 24 both in Section D and in Section E operates on all the swivelling presser jacks 13 to pull all of these out. On the other hand, at Section D the depressor cam 27 pushes back those intermediate jacks 14 which were initially depressed, whereas at E the cam 27 acts on and pushes back the remaining intermediate jacks 14 which were initially raised. The latter thereupon continue horizontally until their butts 14a are raised by cam 20 in section F and subsequently lowered by the additional lowering cam 28 in the same section.

From the above description it will be appreciated that with the use of only one pattern unit such as PU predetermined ones of the needles are twice raised to clear and knit whilst the remaining needles are only raised to clearing height once. Moreover, any type of jacquard pattern or blister pattern can be set-up simply by appropriate adjustments of the heightwise positions of the depressor cams 27 and the lowering cams 28 and suitable changes in the pattern units.

In the illustrated arrangements all the cams at any one knitting section are duplicated at another, this requiring several adjustable cams which simplify and expedite pattern changing.

I claim:

1. A method of knitting to produce a color jacquard patterning on a multi-feed circular knitting machine equipped with a patterning system including, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the needles in the cylinder; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needle-actuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the method being characterized in that at each of relevant feeds pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are permitted to have their operating butts in radially outward positions, by selective action of a pattern unit, are first raised to raise corresponding needles to an operative position and thereupon immediately lowered to an intermediate height at which the said operating butts can be automatically depressed into the needle cylinder to render such jacks inactive, and in that just prior to this depression of operating butts the remaining needleactuating jacks, previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit, are re-set to positions wherein their operating butts areradially outwards,

said needle-actuating jacks being intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks furnished with the operating butts and with tails; selector members in the form of swivelling presser jacks which have forked upper ends in which said tails are engaged and are furnished with the patterning butts; and a jack raising cam for action upon the operating butts of those intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their operating butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the intermediate pivoted needle actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam, said method being further characterized in that a first pattern unit operates selectively on the swivelling presser jacks to permit the operating butts of predetermined ones of the intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks to be in their radially outward positions as a consequence of which the corresponding needles are raised to clearing height preparatory to knitting at the first of at least two consecutive feeds; the said intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks are then lowered to an intermediate height at which they are rendered inactive by depressing them into their tricks so that their operating butts are in radially inward positions, the remaining intermediate pivoted needleactuating jacks passing at a low height at which they can be raised by a jack raising cam so that at the next feed the corresponding needles automatically knit; the method including the step of finally returning all of the intermediate pivoted needleactuating jacks to the low heights preparatory to commencement of a repeated knitting cycle,

and wherein those intermediate pivoted needleactuating jacks which at any feed pass at a low height are drawn out to position their operating butts radially outwards by virtue of the corresponding presser jacks being acted upon and drawn out.

2. A method of knitting similar to that specified in claim 1 but extended to the production of multi-color jacquard patterning comprising more than two colors on successive groups each of more than two feeds and using in conjunction with each of such feed group, a number of pattern units one less than the said number of colors.

3. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needleactuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through the medium of which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressor cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low. height, the said jack depressor cam being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate or low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder,

and wherein said needle-actuating jacks are intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are disposed directly beneath the needles in the same cylinder tricks and are provided with tails engaged in forked upper ends of selector members in the form of swivelling presser jacks furnished with said patterning butts for direct action upon by the pattern units, wherein the re-setting cam in each corresponding section of the cam system is in the form of a draw-out cam arranged to act on extensions of the swivelling presser jacks.

4. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks of said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needleactuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through'the medium of which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressor cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low height, the said jack depressor being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate or low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder,

and wherein a lowering cam located above the jack raising cam in each corresponding section of the cam system is provided with the downwardly sloping cam face for action upon outwardly positioned operating butts or relevant pivoted needleactuating jacks to lower the latter to the intermediate height, and there is provided above the said lowering cam a horizontal landing cam on to which can be landed upper outwardly directed butts on those needle-actuating jacks whose operating butts, previously lifted by the raising cam, have been acted upon by the aforesaid downwardly sloping cam face, a space being provided between the lower face of the landing cam and the upper face of the lowering cam to receive and locate heightwise the said upper butts of needle-actuating jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of a pattern unit located in advance of the jack raising cam.

5. A multi-feed circular knitting machine according to claim 4, wherein each corresponding section of the cam system also includes an auxiliary lowering cam for action upon operating butts of the pivoted needleactuating jacks, said auxiliary lowering cam being displaceable heightwise from an upper inoperative position to a lower operative position in which it provides a downward extension of the downwardly sloping cam face on the main lowering cam above the jack raising cam, for the purpose described.

6. A multi-feed circular knitting machine according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary lowering cam in each corresponding section of the cam system and an associated horizontal landing cam disposed directly above it are both provided on a common vertically displaceable slide, the said landing cam, whenever the auxiliary cam is in its raised inoperative position, being at the same lever as and constituting an extension of the said landing cam.

7. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needleactuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through the medium of which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressor cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low height, the said jack depressor cam being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate or low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder,

and wherein each of the pivoted needle-actuating jacks is also furnished with an inwardly directed butt which is adapted, whenever the jack is moved inwardly by action upon its operating butt of a jack depressor cam at the intermediate height, to locate upon an outwardly directed projection providedon an insert secured in and at the back of the corresponding cylinder trick behind the needleactuating jack.

8. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needleactuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through the medium of which the latter are controlled,said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the'said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid sponding section of the cam system is movable vertically downwards to a position below the portion of cam track at the intermediate height. 9. A multi-feed circular knitting machine according to claim 8, wherein the jack depressor cam and a guard cam disposed immediately above it are both provided on a common vertically displaceable slide.

Claims

1. A method of knitting to produce a color jacquard patterning on a multi-feed circular knitting machine equipped with a patterning system including, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the needles in the cylinder; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising seLective and individual control over the pivoted needle-actuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the method being characterized in that at each of relevant feeds pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are permitted to have their operating butts in radially outward positions, by selective action of a pattern unit, are first raised to raise corresponding needles to an operative position and thereupon immediately lowered to an intermediate height at which the said operating butts can be automatically depressed into the needle cylinder to render such jacks inactive, and in that just prior to this depression of operating butts the remaining needle-actuating jacks, previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit, are re-set to positions wherein their operating butts are radially outwards, said needle-actuating jacks being intermediate pivoted needleactuating jacks furnished with the operating butts and with tails; selector members in the form of swivelling presser jacks which have forked upper ends in which said tails are engaged and are furnished with the patterning butts; and a jack raising cam for action upon the operating butts of those intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their operating butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the intermediate pivoted needleactuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam, said method being further characterized in that a first pattern unit operates selectively on the swivelling presser jacks to permit the operating butts of predetermined ones of the intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks to be in their radially outward positions as a consequence of which the corresponding needles are raised to clearing height preparatory to knitting at the first of at least two consecutive feeds; the said intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks are then lowered to an intermediate height at which they are rendered inactive by depressing them into their tricks so that their operating butts are in radially inward positions, the remaining intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks passing at a low height at which they can be raised by a jack raising cam so that at the next feed the corresponding needles automatically knit; the method including the step of finally returning all of the intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks to the low heights preparatory to commencement of a repeated knitting cycle, and wherein those intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks which at any feed pass at a low height are drawn out to position their operating butts radially outwards by virtue of the corresponding presser jacks being acted upon and drawn out.

3. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of thEse units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needle-actuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through the medium of which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressor cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low height, the said jack depressor cam being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate or low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder, and wherein said needle-actuating jacks are intermediate pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are disposed directly beneath the needles in the same cylinder tricks and are provided with tails engaged in forked upper ends of selector members in the form of swivelling presser jacks furnished with said patterning butts for direct action upon by the pattern units, wherein the re-setting cam in each corresponding section of the cam system is in the form of a draw-out cam arranged to act on extensions of the swivelling presser jacks.

4. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks of said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needle-actuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through the medium of which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of The remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressor cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low height, the said jack depressor being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate or low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder, and wherein a lowering cam located above the jack raising cam in each corresponding section of the cam system is provided with the downwardly sloping cam face for action upon outwardly positioned operating butts or relevant pivoted needle-actuating jacks to lower the latter to the intermediate height, and there is provided above the said lowering cam a horizontal landing cam on to which can be landed upper outwardly directed butts on those needle-actuating jacks whose operating butts, previously lifted by the raising cam, have been acted upon by the aforesaid downwardly sloping cam face, a space being provided between the lower face of the landing cam and the upper face of the lowering cam to receive and locate heightwise the said upper butts of needle-actuating jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of a pattern unit located in advance of the jack raising cam.

5. A multi-feed circular knitting machine according to claim 4, wherein each corresponding section of the cam system also includes an auxiliary lowering cam for action upon operating butts of the pivoted needle-actuating jacks, said auxiliary lowering cam being displaceable heightwise from an upper inoperative position to a lower operative position in which it provides a downward extension of the downwardly sloping cam face on the main lowering cam above the jack raising cam, for the purpose described.

6. A multi-feed circular knitting machine according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary lowering cam in each corresponding section of the cam system and an associated horizontal landing cam disposed directly above it are both provided on a common vertically displaceable slide, the said landing cam, whenever the auxiliary cam is in its raised inoperative position, being at the same level as and constituting an extension of the said landing cam.

7. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needle-actuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through the medium of which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks Can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressor cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low height, the said jack depressor cam being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate or low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder, and wherein each of the pivoted needle-actuating jacks is also furnished with an inwardly directed butt which is adapted, whenever the jack is moved inwardly by action upon its operating butt of a jack depressor cam at the intermediate height, to locate upon an outwardly directed projection provided on an insert secured in and at the back of the corresponding cylinder trick behind the needle-actuating jack.

8. A multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the feeds are arranged around the machine in successive groups each of the same number so as to be capable of producing repetitions of the same patterning cycle, and which includes, in combination, a tricked needle cylinder; needles operating in the tricks in said cylinder; needle-actuating jacks, with operating butts, mounted beneath the said needles; cams acting on said butts to produce patterning effects; the said jacks, in addition to being movable heightwise by the said cams, being also capable of selective pivotal movement radially into their tricks towards the axis of the cylinder so as to initiate selective actuation of the needles; pattern units at desired feeds, each of these units exercising selective and individual control over the pivoted needle-actuating jacks; and patterning butts associated with said jacks and through the medium of which the latter are controlled, said patterning butts being so arranged as to be selectively pressed in towards the cylinder axis by each pattern unit in turn: the said machine being characterized in that the section of the cam system at each of relevant feeds, includes, in addition to a clearing cam and a stitch cam, a jack raising cam adapted for action upon the operating butts of those pivoted needle-actuating jacks which are left with their butts in radially outward positions as the result of selective action which causes the needle-actuating jacks to be operated by means of a pattern unit located in advance of said jack raising cam; a portion of cam track at an intermediate height immediately following the jack raising cam and into which the operating butts of the said jacks can be directed; a downwardly sloping cam face for so directing the said butts; a re-setting cam at the leading end of the said portion of cam track for effecting outward movement of the remaining jacks previously moved inwardly by the selective action of the aforesaid pattern unit; and, following the re-setting cam, a jack depressor cam either at the same intermediate height as the aforementioned portion of cam track or at a low height, the said jack depressor cam being adapted to automatically act on the outer ends of the operating butts of the outwardly moved jacks at the said intermediate or low height suchwise as to depress these butts into the cylinder, and wherein the jack depressor cam in each corresponding section of the cam system is movable vertically downwards to a position below the portion of cam track at the intermediate height.

9. A multi-feed circular knitting machine according to claim 8, wherein the jack depressor cam and a guard cam disposed immediately above it are both provided on a common vertically displaceable slide.