Patent GB-484708-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to circular knitting machines and to hose and the like
IPC: D04B9/46
Filed: 1936-11-09
Abstract: 484,708. Knitting-machines. BOOTON, W. E. Nov. 9, 1936, No. 27423. [Class 74 (ii)] A circular machine is provided with means for knitting a stocking blank having an instep 12 and a selvedged sole flanked, either by selvedged heel tabs 111, or by a selvedged central toe tab 13 and auxiliary toe tabs 14, 14<1>, or by both. The machine may have either a rotary or stationary needle cylinder, and the blank is knitted by reciprocation. The machine is provided with two sets 100, 102 of normal knitting cams and thread feeders 40, 40<1> therefor, means for causing all the active needles to knit at both sets of cams, and means tor fashioning the selvedge edges of the blank. If part of the blank is to be formed of the fabric described in Specification 329,098, [Class 74 (ii)], lock-stitch forming cams 101 are provided. The needles 30 are of three forms, with short, intermediate length and long butts, and jacks 31 with two butts are provided beneath the needles. The lower butts are all of the same length, and the upper butts are of two differentlengths. Pickers P<1>, P<2> raise the needles for selvedging, and pickers P<5> ... P<8> are provided for raising the jacks. For reducing the number of needles in action, down pickers P<9>, P<10> are provided for actuation upon the jacks 31. Mock fashion marks 45, 46 in the leg panel 10 and sole may be made in the manner described in Specification 469,507. To prevent the various threads becoming crossed during the repeated oscillations of the needle cylinder, the feeder 57 for the main thread, and feeders 58, 59 are movable about the cylinder. The feeders 57, 59 are mounted upon a stub shaft 51 so as to be driven frictionally therewith ; the shaft 51 is supported upon an arm 50 carried within the needle cylinder. The eyes of the feeders are formed in downward projections on the feeders which rest within the latch ring. Local recesses 63, 63<1> are provided in the latch ring at the knitting cam positions, and catches 67, 67<1> are provided for holding the feeders temporarily in the feeding position. The splicing threads may be fed at a higher level than the main thread, so that needles having jacks with a short upper butt take only the main thread. The long butts are engaged by a cam L<2> and the corresponding needles take both the main and a splicing thread. During splicing, the jacks may be used merely to control the needles to take or miss the splicing thread, fashioning being controlled by the needle pickers P<1>, P<2>. Since in producing locked fabric, it is necessary to knit alternate courses of main stitch loops and locking thread loops, the stitch cams S<1>, S<4> of the normal knitting cams are taken out of action, so that the stitch cam S<3> functions during a right-to-left swing, and the stitch cam S<2> acts on a left-toright swing. For producing a picot edge, recesses 49 are provided in the jacks 31. Spaced needles, e.g. every fourth needle, have a short recess and are engaged by cams Q<1>, Q2, so that the corresponding needles are lowered and do not clear their loops and form tuck loops. According to the Provisional Specification, the machine may be provided with three or four sets of knitting cams spaced round the needle arc, and with thread feeders for each set.