Patent GB-669083-A (GB)
Title: Knitting machine and method and product thereof
IPC: D04B9/10
Filed: 1948-02-05
Abstract: 669,083. Knitting. SCOTT & WILLIAMS, Inc. Feb. 5, 1948 [Feb. 13, 1947], No. 3436/48. Class 74 (ii). A knitting-machine comprises superposed needle cylinders, needles carried by the cylinders, yarn feeding means, means for effecting the formation of patterns running continuously from the leg of a stocking into the instep past the corners of a heel, means for effecting the location of instep needles at an inactive low-level during reciprocatory knitting of a heel and means for picking sole needles to an inactive high-level during reciprocatory knitting, the instep needles at said inactive low level being unaffected by the stitch cams which produce stitchdrawing movements of the active sole needles, so that loops carried by the inactive instep needles are not stretched by stitch cam action. The instep needles may occupy about half the circumference of the machine and corresponding to them, in the lower cylinder, are sliders 4a having short narrow lower butt 12a. The needles knitting the heel and toe occupy the remainder of the circumference but, of these, a few at each end knit the toe only and are associated with lower cylinder sliders 4b having stepped lower butts 12b; the needles knitting both heel and toe are associated with lower cylinder sliders 4c having long lower butts 12c. For knitting the heel, all sole needles have been transferred to the lower cylinder. Stitch cams 456, 458 are moved in sufficiently to engage long butts 12c; but miss butts 12a and 12b, so that the loops on the corresponding needles will not be stretched. Cams 472, 473, 474, 501 engage butts 12c. Sliders 4a and 4b thus follow the lowermost welt race beneath the stitch cams 456, 458, passing cams 472, 501, but sliders 4c follow an upper active path, being moved downwardly by cams 452 and 456 or 458 and raised to cleared level by the successive actions of cams 472, 473, 474 or by cam 501. In narrowing, the leading slider 4c. in each reciprocation is raised by one of pickers 512<SP>1</SP>, 514<SP>1</SP> so that the corresponding needle is raised out of action. When widening is to begin, a lowering picker 310 is rendered active. The wrapping means and control therefor are generally similar to those disclosed in Specification 658,955. Wrapping takes place at tuck level so that the separation between the cylinders may be relatively small and the needles well supported by the lower cylinder. The arrangement of the lowering picker is also generally as in that Specification. In addition, pattern jacks are provided, below the lower cylinders sliders, each having saw-tooth butts 346, a " fish-tail " butt 348 providing upper and lower notches 350, 352, and a fulcrum point 354. The saw-tooth butts are selectively engaged by stacked slides 360 urged inwardly by comb-like springs 368, 370 acting on projections 364, 366 on the slider. The slider may also be selectively withdrawn by three fingers 374 acting on frangible butts 372. The slides carry projections 376 on which may act butts on trick bits 378 in a trick-wheel 379. During patterning, the trick-wheel is advanced at every course by a cam 382. This cam 382 rocks a three-armed lever 386 so that an intermediate arm 389 thereof rocks clockwise a spring-biased yoke 395 pivoted at 398. A gear segment 408 on a lever 406, pivoted with appreciable friction on the yoke, engages and advances gear 380 on the trick-wheel through two steps, the lever 406 rocking on its pivot during the advance. On the return stroke, the segment 408 is lifted from the gear and the lever 406 is returned to its initial angular position on the yoke 395 by engagement with a stop 410. The trick-wheel itself reduces the return stroke of the segment 408, when necessary, to reduce the advances to single steps, through the lowermost slide 360, which has no jack-butt engaging part. This slide normally withholds a pivoted lever 442, through coacting ear 450 and screw 448, and, on advance, allows the lever 442 to rotate clockwise until a hook 444 thereon comes into the path of a lug 426 adjustably secured to the third arm 416 of the lever 386. To stop the trick-wheel during heel knitting, a lever 434 is rotated counter-clockwise by the cam-drum of the machine, through a Bowden wire 438, to bring a stop 430 into the path of the lug 426. To stop the trick-wheel for toe formation, the Bowden wire allows the lever to, rotate clockwise, under the influence of its spring 440 until, as the trick-wheel rotates, a pin 441 drops. into a notch 445 in the gear edge, bringing a stop 432 into the path of the lug 426. A cam on the cam drum pulls the Bowden wire when patterning is to be resumed in the next stocking. The jacks, to be divided into two sets, are moved downwardly and their lower ends are at the same time tilted outwardly by a cam 530 which engages the lower notch of the fish-tail butts. Selected ones, 342, of these jacks are now raised by trick-wheel controlled cams 362 acting on their saw-tooth butts and thereafter by a cam 534 engaging notches 352. Other jacks 342<SP>11</SP>, which have not saw-tooth butts in position to be engaged by cams 362 will have their lower ends rocked inwardly by a cam 532 and will miss the cam 534, leaving at the level determined by cam 530. By means of the " fish-tail " butts 348, the paths of jacks travelling at an upper and a lower level may be made to cross so that the jacks leave the cross-over point at a lower and upper level respectively. The lower ends of jacks 342A, approaching at the lower level, are rocked outwardly by a cam part 538 and their fish-tail butts are directed into a dovetail passage 544, of which the lower edge merges into an edge 546, which the butts are caused to follow by a cam 512, Fig. 38 (not shown), acting on their butts 344. Cams 548, 550 then successively raise the jacks. Jacks 342B, approaching at an upper level, are lowered by cam 512 and any lower ends which do not occupy an inner position are cammed inwardly by edge 540 acting on the " fish-tail " butts, all of which miss the passage 544 and cam edges 546, 548, 550 and leave at a lower level dictated by the cam 512. Empty sliders in the upper cylinder protect the latches of needles at clearing height in the lower cylinder. The path taken by the empty sliders in the lower cylinder includes the lower transfer point. Fabric changes are effected by selecting the positions of bolt cams and by substitutions of interchangeable jack cams. Fig. 51 depicts a stocking made on the machine. Approximately half the needles knit the toe; but the heels are knitted on less than half the needles, to keep the heel corner needles away from the sweep of wrap yarns, so that wrapping can occur immediately on coming off the heel. Patterning may be continued closely past the heel corners, without interruption, into the instep. Wrapping may be carried out in the instep only, without wrapping in the sole. Fig. 35 shows draw-thread formation by the cam arrangement of Fig. 33 (not shown). Main and auxiliary yarns are severed in courses C<SP>2</SP>, C<SP>3</SP>, C<SP>4</SP>, for example. Fig. 36 shows a press-off draw-thread. 1 Î 1 rib courses D<SP>1</SP>, D<SP>2</SP> are followed by weltformation, courses D<SP>3</SP>, D' inhibiting run-back from the press-off draw-thread course D<SP>5</SP>, which is followed by welt formation, courses D<SP>6</SP>, D<SP>7</SP>, D<SP>8</SP>, or a conventional reverse welt, and 1 X 1 rib courses D<SP>9</SP>, D<SP>10</SP>. Fig. 52 shows an example of fabric produced, main yarn being shaded, auxiliary yarn unshaded. Figs. 53-55 (not shown) depict other fabrics, main yarn being shaded, auxiliary yarn unshaded, and wrap yarn stippled.