Patent GB-813448-A (GB)
Title: Circular multi-feed hosiery knitting machine and method of knitting
IPC: D04B9/46
Filed: 1955-08-31
Abstract: 813,448. Knitting. CAROLINA KNITTING MACHINE CORPORATION. Aug. 31, 1955 [May 31, 1955], No. 24967/55. Class 74 (2). In knitting a circular seamless stocking from at least three yarns, the heel pocket is knitted single-feed by reciprocation from a heavy yarn MH fed at the main station, and eyelets are avoided in entering into two-feed knitting of the foot by the following method, Fig. 15 (in which the arrows indicate the direction of travel of the knitting wave in the courses concerned). In the last course C3 of reciprocatory knitting, a light main yarn ML is introduced at wale W3, knitted in with the heavy heel yarn MH over wales W3-W46 and then substituted for it. In the next revolution of the machine (to produce the first round-and-round course C4) a light yarn AL, fed at the auxiliary station, is first taken by the needle forming wale W46, but it is first knitted at that station in that revolution of the machine (to form a new course C4a) at wale W5, whereas, over wales W46- W6, it is held and then knitted in at the main station with yarn ML drawn in course C5. There is thus prevented the formation of an eyelet between wales W5 and W6 in course C4 and the subsequent course; and the end of the yarn AL is prevented from being unravelled after it has been trimmed. The toe pocket is knitted from yarn MH, by reciprocation with narrowing and widening. The machine starts up on bare needles and four to eight make-up courses are knitted single-feed with yarn MH. The welt and shadow welt are knitted two feed after a heavy yarn AH has been introduced at the auxiliary station. For the leg, also knitted two-feed, the yarns MH, AH are replaced by the lighter yarns ML, AL. At the auxiliary station of a cylinder and dial machine are interchangeable yarn fingers 102, 102a, working in a throat 100, needle raising cam 150, and interlinked stitch cam 151 and a switch retracting cam movable into and out of action by the main pattern drum. At the main station, yarn fingers 42 work in a throat 44; and the usual cams for round-and-round and reciprocatory knitting are provided. Gap closing plates 120, 121, acting in unison under control of the pattern drum, close the throats 44, 100 during reciprocatory knitting. The needle cylinder is divided into sections A-F equipped with long-, medium- and short-butted needles LN, MN, SN, Fig. 13, the varying lengths facilitating insertion and removal of the auxiliary cams 150, 151. The sections B-F contain the heel needles. In course C4, the finger feeding yarn AL is lowered as section B of the cylinder passes, the cam 150 is moved into engagement with the short butt needles in section C, to raise the needles in section D and succeeding needles to take yarn; and the cam 151 is moved into engagement with the short butt needles in section E, as they pass, and hence pulls down the needles in section F and all subsequent needles. After the foot has been knitted, the cam 150 is removed during the last round-and-round course, while section D is passing throat 100; and the cam 151 is removed as the last needle raised by cam 150 is lowered and the auxiliary yarn finger is raised.