Knitting needles for circular knitting machines and their use

Abstract: Damage to the butts (4) of needles (e,f) having bridges (5) used in circular knitting machines is prevented by using a combination of at least two kinds of needles (e,f) with different butt positions in the same knitting machine with the needles arranged so that the butt (4) of each needle (e,f) is next to a bridge (5) of each of the adjacent needles (f,e).

Description: The present invention relates to knitting needles for circular knitting machines and their use. Knitting needles are placed with their backs contacting the needle beds of the needle grooves in a cylinder of a circular knitting machine. They are often used in a combination of several kinds of needles with different butt positions within the same knitting machine. The knitting needles rotate at a high speed as the cylinder rotates, and, at the same time, the needle butts perform high-speed reciprocating movement as they are activated by cams in fixed cam holders that are so arranged to face the needle butts. Various types of knitting needles that withstand high-speed knitting have so far been invented. For example, it is known to be effective to provide cutouts on the needle body that is between the butt and the needle head alternately from the upper side and the lower side, which gives the entire needle a meander-form by forming bridges therein. The needles having bridges are more effective compared with the needles in the past. However, a problem has arisen when the knitting speed becomes faster and the force applied by the cam to the butt becomes large enough to force the butt to incline in the opposite direction to the rotary movement of the cylinder. When two needles with different butt positions are placed adjacent to each other in which the butt of a given needle is not adjoined by a bridge of the adjacent needle, as is the case in prior art techniques, a gap is formed between the insert wall or insert piece of the cylinder toward which the butt inclines and the next insert wall of the cylinder. As a result, the butt is likely to get damaged, and damage of the butt could cause damage to the insert wall and the cylinder. The damage to the butt of a needle could also trigger damage to butts of several needles in a chain reaction. Should this happen, damage on the cylinder will be too serious for repair, and replacement will be inevitable. The object of the present invention is to solve this problem. An article in the December 1978 issue of Knitting International shows in Figure 3 two different kinds of meander needles for use in a knitting machine. There is no recognition in the article that the use of both kinds of needle in the same machine would improve durability of knitting needles and cylinders in a circular knitting machine. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circular knitting machine comprising reciprocating knitting needles having at least one bridge between a butt and the needle head, characterized in that there are more than two different kinds of needle having different butt positions arranged so that the butt of each needle is next to a bridge of each of the two adjacent needles. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided the use in a circular knitting machine to improve durability of knitting needles and cylinders of at least two different kinds of reciprocating knitting needles, each kind having at least one bridge between a butt and the needle head with the butt positioned along the needle such that, with both kinds of the needle aligned, the butt of each kind is level with a bridge of the other kind. According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a set of reciprocating knitting needles for use in a circular knitting machine of the invention, said set comprising more than two different kinds of reciprocating knitting needles each kind having at least one bridge between a butt and the needle head with the butt positioned along the needle such that, with the needles aligned, the butt of each kind is level with a bridge of the other kinds. Usually, the needles will be latch knitting needles and the circular knitting machines will be eight-lock or interlock machines. In one embodiment of the present invention, one of said kinds of knitting needle have a needle head comprising a hook and a latch, at least one butt, a needle rear end, at least one bridge between the butt and the needle head, and at least one bridge between the butt and the needle rear end; and another of said kinds of knitting needle has a needle head comprising a hook and latch, at least one butt, a needle rear end, at least one bridge between the butt and the needle head and the butt is formed as a unit with the needle rear end. In another embodiment, all of said kinds of knitting needle have a needle head comprising a hook and a latch, at least one butt, a needle rear end, at least one bridge between the butt and the needle head, and at least one bridge between the butt and the needle rear end. According to the present invention, between the insert wall of the cylinder toward which a butt inclines and the next insert wall of the cylinder, there is always a bridge of the adjacent needle so that the butt is unlikely to get damaged. Even if it does get damaged, the insert wall and the cylinder get damaged much less frequently. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 (a) - (d) are a set of knitting needles for an eight-lock circular knitting machine or an interlock circular knitting machine that are used in a combination in the same knitting machine; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of two kinds of knitting needles placed in a cylinder; and FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2. The four kinds of knitting needles shown in FIG. 1 shows a combination of four kinds suitable for use in the present invention. However, as long as there are at least three kinds of needles, the present invention is materialized. Each of the three needles (a), (b) and (c) shown in FIG. 1 has a needle head 3 consisting of a hook 1 and a latch 2, and at least a butt 4 and a needle rear end 6. There is at least a bridge 5 between the butt 4 and the needle head 3. Moreover, there is at least a bridge between the butt 4 and the needle rear end 6. The needle (d) shown in FIG. 1 has a needle head 3 comprising a hook 1 and a latch 2, and at least a butt 4 and a needle rear end 6. There is at least a bridge 5 between the butt 4 and the needle head 3. Needle (d) differs from needles (a) - (c) in that its butt 4 and needle rear end 6 are formed as a unit. The present invention can also be used in a combination of only two of the (a) - (c) kinds without using needle (d) shown in FIG. 1, although this combination is not illustrated in the drawing. The characteristic of the present invention is that the butt 4 of each of the needles (a) -(d) always corresponds to bridges 5 of the remaining needles. As is obvious from the above description, the knitting needles of the present invention are used in such a way that when using the needles (a) - (d) shown in FIG. 1 in a combination of at least three kinds in the same knitting machine, the butt 4 of a needle is always placed right next to a bridge 5 of the adjacent needle. When at least three kinds of needles (a) - (c) only are combined for use in the same knitting machine, the butt 4 of a needle is placed right next to a bridge 5 of the adjacent needle. Other needles used in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in both of which figures only two kinds of needles are shown. Each of the two needles (e) and (f) are placed between the insert walls in the cylinder in the order of (e)-(f)-(e)-(f)-(e). The needles (e) and (f) in FIG. 2 are a little different from the ones in FIG. 1. The needle (e) is similar to the needle (c) and the needle (f) to the needle (d) in FIG. 1, but the needles (e) and (f) in FIG. 2 are shorter than the needles (c) and (d) in FIG. 1 because two bridges 5 between the needle head and the butt are omitted in each needle. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the butt 4 of a needle is placed right next to a bridge 5 of the adjacent needle. According to the present invention, since there is always a bridge between the insert wall of the cylinder toward which a butt inclines and the next insert wall of the cylinder, the butt is unlikely to get damaged. Even if it does get damaged, the insert wall and cylinder get damaged much less frequently. As a result, the present invention improves durability of knitting needles and cylinders.

Claims: A circular knitting machine comprising reciprocating knitting needles having at least one bridge (5) between a butt (4) and the needle head (3), characterized in that there are more than two different kinds of needle (a, b, c, d) having different butt (4) positions arranged so that the butt (4) of each needle is next to a bridge (5) of each of the two adjacent needles. A circular knitting machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein two of said kinds (a, b, c) also have a bridge (5) between the butt (4) and the needle rear end (6). A circular knitting machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein one of said kinds (a, b, c) also has a bridge (5) between the butt (4) and the needle rear end (6), and one other of said kinds (d) has the butt (4) formed as a unit with the needle rear end (6). A circular knitting machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the needles are latch needles. A circular knitting machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: one of said kinds of needle has a needle head (3) comprising a hook (1) and a latch (2), at least one butt (4), a needle rear end (6), at least one bridge (5) between the butt (4) and the needle head (3), and at least one bridge (5) between the butt (4) and the needle rear end (6); and another of said kinds of needle has a needle head (3) comprising a hook (1) and a latch (2), at least one butt (4), a needle rear end (6), at least one bridge (5) between the butt (4) and the needle head (3) and the butt (4) is formed as a unit with the needle rear end (6). A circular knitting machine as claimed in Claim 2, wherein all of said kinds of knitting needle have a needle head (3) comprising a hook (1) and a latch (2), at least one butt (4) and a needle rear end (6), at least one bridge (5) between the butt (4) and the needle head (3), and at least one bridge (5) between the butt (4) and the needle rear end (6). The use in a circular knitting machine to improve durability of knitting needles and cylinders of at least two different kinds (a, b, c, d) of reciprocating knitting needles, each kind having at least one bridge (5) between a butt (4) and the needle head (8) with the butt (4) positioned along the needle such that, with both kinds of the needle aligned, the butt (4) of each kind is level with a bridge (5) of the other kind. A use as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the needles are as defined in any one of Claims 2 to 6. A set of reciprocating knitting needles for use in a circular knitting machine as claimed in Claim 1, said set comprising more than two different kinds (a, b, c, d) of reciprocating knitting needles each kind having at least one bridge (5) between a butt (4) and the needle head (3) with the butt (4) positioned along the needle such that, with the needles aligned, the butt (4) of each kind is level with a bridge (5) of the other kinds. A set of reciprocating knitting needles as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the needles are as defined in any one of Claims 2 to 6.

Inventors: KAWASE YUJI, SETA KAZUO, KAWASE, YUJI, SETA, KAZUO
Applicants: FUKUHARA NEEDLE CO LTD, FUKUHARA NEEDLE CO., LTD.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: D04B35
IPC codes: D04B35