Patent ID: 8813524
Filing Date: 2014-08-26
Classification: D04B

Abstract:
1. A method for holding a knitted product with a locking fastener comprising: providing a locking fastener having an outer element, the outer element having a groove formed by walls and a peripheral traverse slot, wherein the peripheral traverse slot passes through the walls of the groove; an inner element partially disposed into the groove, the inner element comprising a slit which is a through hole that traverses the inner element; a spring mechanism connected to the partially disposed inner element and the groove, wherein the peripheral traverse slot and the slit increasingly overlap one another when the inner element moves towards the groove and compresses the spring mechanism, wherein the increasing overlap opens a passageway between the peripheral traverse slot and the slit, wherein the passageway is a channel configured to receive an end of a string; activating the locking fastener by moving the inner and outer elements together thereby compressing the spring mechanism and creating the passageway; placing one end of the string through the channel; deactivating the locking fastener by allowing the elements to move away from each other thereby releasing the spring and closing the passageway, thus securing the one end of the string and leaving the other end of the string free to feed through live knitted stitches; placing a predetermined number of live knitted stitches on the string from the free end being stopped by the secure end; once all the live predetermined number of stitches are on the string, reactivating the locking fastener and placing the other free end of the string in the channel of the locking fastener, then deactivating the locking fastener thereby securing both ends of the string and thus also securing the live knitted stitches.