US43783A - Improvement in apparatus for cutting out knitted stockings - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT FEICE.

WILLIAM MARTIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OUT KNITTED'STOCKINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,783, dated August 9, 1864.

To all whom, it may concern,.- f

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MARTIN, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Arrangement of Trimming-Knives for Cutting Knitted Fabrics, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of an arrangement, fully described hereinafter, of cutting-knives with straight and lzigzag blades, for the purpose of so severing tubes of knitted fabrics that when the same are stitched in the form of socks or stockings no subsequent cutting or trimming will be necessary.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved trimming-knives for cutting knitted fabrics prior to the same being formed into socks or stockings; Fig. 2, a diagram showing the tubular knitted fabricas cut by the knives; Fig. 3, a plan view of part of the severed tube of knitted fabric; Fig. 4, a view of Fig. '3, folded to the form of a sock or stoekin g and Fig. 5, a plan view of Fig. 4 on the line 1 2, Fig. 1.

Socks and stockings of the common class are made` from tubes of fabric produced by the yordinary circular-knitting machines. In converting these tubes into socks and stockings it has been usual hitherto to so cut the fabric before stitching the saine as to involve the necessity of subsequent cutting and trimming, a labor obviated by my invention, which I will now proceed to describe.

A is a metal plate, io which are secured the series of knives of the peculiar form and arrangement seen in Fig. l, these knives projecting to a suitable distanceabove the plate A, and having sharp cutting-edges.

B may be termed the longitudinal knife,

the continuity of which is interrupted by the l angular or zigzag blades a and a.

At a given distance from each end of the longitudinal knife, and at right angles to the .Vsa'ne, is a blade, D, one of these blades projecting in one direction and the other in the opposite direction from the longitudinal knife.

It should be understood that the cuttinged ges of the whole of these blades are on the same plane.

A tube of `knitted fabric, or several tubes, one above the other, and indicated by the red lines a., Fig. 1, isplaced upon the cuttingedges of the knives. Pressure is then applied to the fabric, which is severed by the blades,

as shown in Fig. 2, each of the pieces F and F being converted into a.. stocking in the following manner: Taking the piece F, for instance, it is turned to a position at right angles to that shown in Fig. 2, and flattened out, as seen in Fig. 3. The fabric is then folded at the narrowest point, y, the portion from y to c being folded over the other port'on, so that the inclined edges d and d shall coincide with each other and form, when stitched together, the tapering toe of the sock Vor stocking.

The edge f, cut by the knife D, forms, when stitched, the bottom of the heel, to which the under fold is united to form the foot, by bending the fabric at the instep h and stitching the end e to the edge j, which was severfd by the portion i of the knife B.

The tube of fabric has now assumed the form represented in Fig. 4, and the several edges are stitched together so as to complete the foot, the uncut portion of the tube forming the leg of the sock or stocking, into which the usual former is then inserted, the latter, with the sock or stocking, being subjeeted to pressure, as usual.

It will be understood that the piece F of the severed tube is converted into a sock or stocking in the manner above described.

In severing the tube of fabric the only part Wasted is that inclosed by the zigzag cutting-edges a, and a', the shape of which is such that the desired tapering form of the toe is produced without the necessity of resorting to the trimming and cutting to which socks as ordinarily formed from tubes have to be subjected after they are stitched.

I claim as' my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The arrangement described of knives with straight cutting-edges AB B and zigzag cutting-edges a and a', for the purpose `specied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nume t0 this specification in the ypresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

HENRY HoWsoN7 JOHN WHITE.

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