Patent GB-944418-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for knitting a toe portion of hosiery
IPC: D04B9/46
Filed: 1961-12-21
Abstract: 944,418. Knitting. DRAPER CORPORATION. Dec. 21, 1961 [Dec. 27, 1960], No. 45772/61. Headings D1C and D1K. The toe portion of a circularly knitted hosiery is formed by knitting by reciprocation a decreasing instep tab 36 on one group of needles and simultaneously knitting a decreasing sole tab 37 with a second group of needles, loopers rounds 38 then being knitted to permit the toe to be closed on a linking or sewing machine. The article is knitted on a circular knitting machine having two yarn feeding and knitting stations. The needles are divided on to two equal groups one having short butts, the other long butts. One course of instep tab 36 is knitted each stroke by the short butt needles at the auxiliary knitting station as the cylinder reciprocates with a stroke of slightly less than two revolutions, selected cams being withdrawn as the needle butts pass a second time through the knitting station. The sole tab 37 is knitted simultaneously and in a similar manner by the long butt needles at the other, regular, feeding station. During knitting the sole tab is narrowed by conventional feeding picks at the regular feeding station, while the instep tab is narrowed by a double acting pick effective in both directions of reciprocation and acting in co-operation with a slidable cam member which both directs the leading needle into the pick and raises that needle to another level. Narrowing continues until the tab is formed, one needle being withdrawn from each group of needles in each direction of reciprocation. The picks are then withdrawn, all needles are selected and loopers rounds are knitted. The toe is closed on a linking or a sewing machine, using rubber yarn or "stretch" yarn. The double acting pick 158 (see Figs. 10a, 15) is supported for motion in any plane in a frame 154 pivoted to the machine. A spring 166 engages one end of the pick to bias the other end into engagement with a V notch in a fixed guide block 167. A rod 175 may be moved by cam mechanism to swing a frame extending below the pick to withdraw the latter from operation when required. A member 141 carrying cam members 142, 143, is slidably mounted above the pick. As needle butts move to the left in Fig. 20 for example they ride up cam 62, the first butt of a group engages cam 143 to move the member 141 to the left, and move down below cam 143 to enter a notch in the pick 158 which swings up along one side of its V notch to pass the butt of the first over the top of cam 142 to a withdrawn position. The subsequent needles, having moved down below cam 143 pass on to stitch cam 61 and knit. Cams 68, 70 are engaged by ramps on a slider 82 (see Figs. 4, 5) which is movable by a cam operated lever 83 to position the cams towards or away from the cylinder 44 according to the portion of sock to be knitted. The cam 68 has a pin 99 engagable by one arm 98 of a bell crank lever which is operated by a cam to withdraw the cam 68 when required to prevent needles knitting during a second passage through a cam station, irrespective of the position dictated by the arm 83 and slider 82. Similar mechanism is provided (Figs. 6, 7 and 8, not shown), for cams 67, 69.