US999854A - Circular-knitting machine. - Google Patents

Description

E. PAQUETTB. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a, 1910 I 999,85, Patented Aug. 8,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. PAQUETTE.

v CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. b, 1910. 999 85 Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 E. PAQUBTTE. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3 1910,

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

E. PAQUETTE.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3, 1910. 999 85%, v Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

4 SHEETS-*SEEET Z7 Z6 Af UNITE srATns ra rmvr OFFICE.

EXILIAS PAQU'ETTE, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LAWRENCE MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EXILIAS PAQUETTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to that class'of circular knitting machines in which the needles are mounted in a needle cylinder and are operated by cams and controlling devices carried by a cam cylinder which is rotated and reciprocated to knit a tubular fabric provided at intervals with heel and toe pockets.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement of cams and devices for operating the needles, whereby the production of the machine is increased.

The invention is intended primarily as an improvement in the machine known as the Acme machine, and illustrated in the patents to Mayo, No. -17 t,671, May 10, 1892, and No. 7-.t5,449, December 1, 1903, although it will be understood that the invention is not' limited in its application to this machine,-and may be embodied in other constructions and other forms of circular knitting machines for producing seamless hosiery.

The invention consists in the features and combinations hereinafter described and referred to in the claims, the advantages of which will be obvious to" those skilled in the art.

The various features of the invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, and the'following detailed description of the machine illustrated therein.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation showing so much of a knitting machine as is necessary toillustrate the application of the present invention thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the base plate with the cam cylinder and needle cylinder removed; Fig. 3 is a View showing a development of the inside of the cam cylinder; Fig.4 is a similar View showing'the outside of the cam cylinder Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on line 55, Fig, 3; Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the cams for throwing the supplemental knitting cams into and out of operation on the'short butt needles; Fig. 7 is a plan view'of the cam cylinder; and Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the take-ups.

In the drawings the invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine having many of its parts constructed and arranged and operating in substantially the same manner as the corresponding parts in the Acme machine above referred to. The motion changing mechanism, the pattern mechanism for controlling the operation of thevarious parts of the machine, the main knitting cams which operate the needles during the knit ting of the heel and toe, the elevating and depressing pickers for effecting the narrowing and widening, and the cam which raises the long butt or instep needles into the inactive series atthe beginning of the narrowing and returns all the needles in the inactive series to the lower or active plane at the end of the widening, are the same in construction, and are operated and controlled in the same manner as in the Acme machine. In addition to the knitting cams corresponding to the knitting cams of the Acme machine, which for convenience are termed the ma1nkn1ttmg cams, I the machine illustrated in the drawings is also provided with two additional sets of knitting cams which may for convenience be termed supplemental knitting cams. The machine is also provided with two additional .or supplemental thread guides through which yarn is fed to the knitting waves formed in the needles by the respective sets of supplemental knitting cams, so that during each revolution of the cam cylinder three circular courses of loops are formed, with a corresponding' increase in the rapidity with which the leg or leg and foot of the stocking is knit. The supplemental knitting cams are thrown out of action at the beginning of the heel or toe. so that the main knitting cams are the only active knitting cams during the knitting of the heel or toe, and are again thrown into action when the motion of the cam cylinder is changed from reciprocating to rotary.

v V The needles which are out of action during the knitting of the heel and toe, and which for convenience may be termed the instep needles, are provided with the usual long butts, while the needles which are operating during the knitting of the heel and toe are provided with the usual short butts. The needles are mounted in a needle cylinder 1, and are surrounded by a cam cylinder 2 to which either rotary or reciprocating movements are imparted through motion to the pickers of the Acme machine,

plate of the machine.

and are controlled in the same manner by the latches 10 and 11 and the cam posts 12 and 13. 'The cam cylinder is also provided with a cam 14 which acts upon the long butt needles to raise them into the inactive plane at the beginning of the heel and toe, and also acts to return all the needles which are int-he inactive plane at the end of the widening into the lower or active plane. This. cam has the same construction as the corresponding cam in the Acme machine, and is operatedin the same manner through the slide 15 on the cam cylinder and the cam arms 16 and 17 which are mounted on the base The movements of the cam posts 12 and 13 which control the operation of the narrowing and widening pickers respectively, and the movement of the cam arms 16 and 17 into and out of ac tive position, are controlled by a shifter ring 18 which is constructed and operated in the same manner as the corresponding shifter ring of the Acme machine.

In addition to the main knitting cams, the cam cylinder is provided with two additional sets of knitting cams which are arranged to operate upon all the needles during the rotation of the cam cylinder, and are rendered inactive upon the short butt needles during the reciprocation of the cam cylin der in knitting the heel or toe. For convenience these two sets of supplemental knitting cams :will be referred to as the first and second set respectively. The first set of supplemental knitting cams forms a knitting wave in the needles immediately following the knitting wave formed by the stitch cam 4, and comprises the stitch cam 19 for drawing down the needles, the cam 20 for raising them to-normal position, and the switch cam 21 for directing the needle butts down into the path of the stitchcam. 19.

The second set of supplemental cams form a knitting wave following the wave formed by the first set, and comprise a stitch cam 22, elevating cam 23, and switch cam 24. The supplemental knitting cams are arranged be- The main knitting cams,

tween the main knitting cams and the cam 14 which raises the long butt needles into the inactive plane at the beginning of the heel and toe, so that the long butt needles will be acted upon by both sets of supplemental cams after they have passed through the main knitting cams, and before they are raised into the inactive plane preparatory to knitting the heel or toe. to raise the long butt needles into the inactive plane during the last forward or rotary stroke of the cam cylinder in going upon the heel or toe, and during this forward revolution of the cam cylinder the switch cams 21 and 24 are moved radially outward while they are acting upon the long butt needles into such position that they will not engage the short butt needles. This radial outward movement of the switch cams renders the two .sets of supplemental knitting cams inactive upon the short butt needles. The outward movement of the switch cams is not suflicient, however, to free them from the long butt needles, so that they continue to engage the long butt needles during this revolution of the cam cylinder.

The two supplemental yarns will therefore knit on The cam 14 acts the long butt needlesduring the last forward revolution of the cam cylinder, and will knit last on the needle at the end of the series of long butt needles. During the knitting of the heel or toe the supplemental yarns will lead from this long butt needle, and will wrap idly about the needles as the cam cylinder reciprocates. At the completion of the heel or toe the switch cams 21 and 24 are moved radially inward during the first revolution of the cam cylinder on rotary knitting, while they are passing under the needles which are in the inactive series. The supplemental knitting cams therefore resume knitting upon the front end of the series of short butt needles, the supplemental yarns leading from the rear long butt needle to the short butt needle which is. at the end of the series of active needles.- The motion of-the cam cylinder is preferably changed so that there will be one or. more short butt needles in the inactive series when the supplemental cams resume knitting. This causes the "supplemental yarns to lie across or be tucked on one or more of the short butt needles, so that they fill or cover the hole which might otherwise appear at the end of the suture between the narrowed and widened fabric. v I

The switch cams 21 and 24 are secured upon pins25 and 26 respectively, which are mounted to slide radially through the wall of the cam cylinder to shift the switch camswith two crank pins 31 and 32 arranged on diametrically opposite sides of a rock shaft 33. The rock shaftis provided with a segmental pinion 31 which is engaged by a gear segment formed on one arm of a bell crank lever 36. The bell crank lever is pivoted on the cam cylinder. and the horizontal arm of the lever is provided with a radially projecting-pin 37 adapted to engage. and be operated by cams mounted on the base plate of the machine. The cam 38 for raising the pin 37 and thus rocking the shaft 33 to move the stitch cams radially outward is formed on the free end of an arm 39 which is pivoted at 10 to the base plate of the machine. The arm39 is forced forward toward the cam cylinder by a spring l1, and is held normally in position with the cam 38 out of the path of the pin 37 by a lug -12 on the shifter ring 18. The cam 13 for depressing the pin 37. and thus returning the rock shaft 33 and switch cams :21 and 24 to normal position. with the switch cams in the path of both the long and short butt needles. is formed on the free end of an arm 11 similar to the arm 39 and also pivoted on the stud +0. This arm is also pressed forward by a spring against the-lug 12 on the shifter ring. hen the shifter ring is shifted. preparatory to knitting the heel or toe, the lug 12 forces the arm 14 back. to remove the cam 43 from the path of the pin 37, and also allows the arm 39 to move forward and bring the cam 38 into the path of the pin. This movement takes place after the pin 37 has passed the cam arms 16 and 17. and before it reaches the cam 38. Now during theforward rotation of the cam cylinder the pin 37 rides up the cam 38. thus rocking the shaft 33 and withdrawing the switch cams :21 and 2-1. The cam is so located that the switch cams '21 and 21 are at this time operating upon the long butt needles. hen the motion of the cam cylinder is changed from reciprocatory to rotary after the completion of the heel or toe, the shifter-ring 18 is returned to normal position. and during this movement of the shifter ring the lug 12 moves the arm 39 back and withdraws the cam 38 from the path of the pin 37. and also allows the arm 41 to move forward. thus bringing the cam 13 into the path of the pin. This movement takes place after the pin 37 has passed the cam arm 16 and beforeit reaches the cam 43. Xow during the' forward rotary movement of the cam cylinder.

the pin 37 rides down the cam 13. operating the rock shaft 33 to move the switchcams 21 and 21 back into position to operate upon the butts of all the needles. At this time the switch cams 21 and 21 are passing under the long butt needles. which are still in the i11- active series. since they have not yet been acted upon by the cam 14 and returned to the active plane.

The main yarn -15 which is fed to the knitting waves formed by the cams 3 and 1 may lead from a bobbin held upon a stationary support. while the yarns +16 and 17 which are fed to the knitting waves formed by the supplemental knitting cams are led from cops 4.8 and 19 mounted upon a rotary support 50. The rotary support is arranged above the cam cylinder, and is rotated and reciprocated in unison therewith. by suitable gearing connected with the gearingfor driving the cam cylinder. The yarns 16 and 17 may be held taut as they are wrapped back and forth around the needles during the knitting of the heel or toe. by spring take-ups 51 and which may be of any usual construction. During rotary knitting the take-ups are held .in the position indicated inFig. 1 by the tension on the yarns, and during the knitting of the heel or toe the. take-ups swing back and-forth from this position and the position indicated in Fig. 8 as the yarns wrap aboutthe needles or unwrap from the needles.

The web holder or sinker cam ring is the same in construction as the sinker cam ring of the Acme machine, and is provided with two additional or supplemental cams for forming waves in the web holding sinkers corresponding to the waves formed in the needles by the supplemental stitch cams.

\Yhile it is preferred to employ the construction and arrangement of parts shown and described in embodying the invention in a machine having the general construction and mode of operation of the Acme machine above referred to. it will be understood thatthis construction and arrangement is not essential, and may be varied and modified as best suited to the construction of machine in which itis to be embodied.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention, and specifically described one form of mechanism in which it may be enlbodied, what I claim is v 1. A circular knitting machine, having.

in combination, a needle cylinder provided with long and short butt needles. a rotary and reciprocatory cam cylinder provided with narrowing and widening devices, a needle elevating cam for raising the long butt needles at the beginning of the heel or toe and two sets' of supplemental knitting cams, means for rotating the cam cylinder and for reciprocating it during the narrowing and widening to form the heel or toe, and devices for rendering the supplemental knitting cams inactive on the short butt needles while they are acting on the long butt needles during the last forward stroke of the cam cylinder before the narrowing, and active on all the needles while they are passing under the butts of the revolution of the cam cylinder at the comcylinder preceding the pletion of the heel or toe, substantially as described.

2. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, a needle cylinder, a rotary and reciprocatory cam cylinder provided with main knitting cams, narrowing and widening devices, devices for throwing the instep needles out of operation at the beginning of the narrowing and widening, two sets of supplemental knitting cams arranged to operate upon all the needles during the rotary motion of the cam cylinder, and devices for causing said cams to operate only upon the instep needles during the last rotary stroke of the cam cylinder and to become inactive during the reciprocatory motion of the cam cylinder upon the needles which are in operation during the knitting of the heel or toe, and means for rotating the cam cylinder and for recipro' cating it during the narrowing and widening to form the heel or toe, substantially as described.

3. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, a needle cylinder provided with long and short butt needles, a rotary and reciprocatory cam cylinder provided with main knitting cams narrowing and widening devices, a needle elevating cam for raising the long butt needles at the begin ning of the heel or toe and two sets otsupplemental knitting cams arranged to follow the main knitting camsand to precede the needle elevating cams, devices for throwing the supplemental knitting cams out of operation upon the short butt needles while they are acting on the long butt needles during the last forward stroke of the cam narrowing, and into action upon all the needles while they are passing under the butts of the needles in the inactive plane when the motion of the cam cylinder is changed from reciprocatory to rotary at the completion of the heel or toe, and means for rotating the cam cylinder and for reciprocating it during the narrowing and widening to form the heel or toe, substantially as described.

4. A circular knitting machine, having,

in combination, a needle cylinder provided and reciprocatory, cam cylinder provided with main knitting cams, a needle elevating cam for rais ng the long butt needles into long and short butt eeasea the inactive series and two sets otsupplemental knitting cams, devices for operating the needle elevating cam comprising cam arms 16 and 17, devices for throwing the supplemental knitting cams out of action on the short butt needles and into action on all the needles comprising the cam arms 39 and 44, and a shifter ring for rendering the cam arms active or inactive, substantially as. described.

5.,A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, a needle cylinder provided with long and short butt needles, a rotary and reciprocatory cam cylinder provided with main knitting cams, a needle elevating cam for raising the long butt needles into the inactive series, two sets of supplemental knitting cams comprising stitch and elevating cams and the switch cams 21 and 24, means for moving the switch cams radially outward beyond the ends of the short butts and radially inward to engage both the long and short butts comprising relatively stationary cams and means for moving the cams into and out of active position, substantially as described.

6. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, a needle cylinder provided with needles, a rotary and reciprocatory cam cylinder provided with main knitting earns, a needle elevating cam for raising the long butt needles into the inactive series, two sets of supplemental knitting cams arranged to follow the main knitting cams and precede the needle elevating cams comprising stitch and elevating cams and switch cams, relatively stationary cam arms 16 and 17 for operating the needle elevating cams, relatively stationary cam arms 39 and 44 for moving the switchcams radially in and out, actuating devices for the switch cams mounted on the cam cylinder and projecting into position to engage the cam arms 39 and 44, and means for moving the cam armsalternately into and out of the path of'the actuating devices after said devices have passed the cam arms 16 and before they reach the cam arms 39 and 44, sub stantially as described.

nXiLIAs raonnr rn.

Witnesses EDWARD MARTIN, AUoUsTE JEAN.

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