Patent GB-723301-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in knitting machines and their products and methods of producing knitted fabric
IPC: D04B35/02
Filed: 1948-05-31
Abstract: 723,301. Knitting. COLE, B. T. R. REYMES-, COLE, D. N. R. REYMES-, and COLE, J. M. R. REYMES-. May 28, 1949 [May 31, 1948; July 1, 1948; Dec. 15, 1948; May 17, 1949; Dec. 31, 1948], Nos. 14612/48, 17690/48, 32401/48, 32810/48 and 33598/48. Class 74 (2). To minimize visual contrast between fabric knitted on a limited group of needles containing thereamong closely-spaced fashioning needles by exchange of which between knitting activity and inactivity the fabric is shaped, and that knitted outside the group, both when the fashioning needles are active and when they are inactive, there are imparted to the fashioning needles, when active, and their sinkers and to similarly spaced non-fashioning needles and their sinkers beyond the group, relative loop-drawing movements which are greater than those imparted to all other non-fashioning needles and sinkers. A seamless stocking or the like is shaped by the progressive introduction or withdrawal of alternate (even) needles, h, j . . . p, over a group SG, or groups, to vary the number of wales, as knitting proceeds ; and throughout the circumference of the stocking the even needles and their sinkers draw loops somewhat longer than normal. The fashioning needles may be spread over two groups. The sinkers corresponding to the fashioning needles, say on the leading sides thereof, may be rendered active and inactive with the needles. When fashioning is by wale suppression, the ends of the suppressed wales may be locked, as by transferred or pelerine stitches; or by seaming. The holes 100 which are formed at the beginning of introduced wales, provide fashioning marks which may converge or diverge upwardly at 100a at the back of the calf and diverge upwardly at 100b at the back of the thigh. Foot fashioning marks 100c may also be produced by a diametrically opposed fashioning group of needles. Between upwardly converging lines of leg fashioning marks may be provided a gap, the edges of which are parallel to the fashioning lines and which are to be seamed together; the gap may be produced by cutting or by withholding needles from knitting. The size of the holes 100 may be minimized by causing each introduced fashioning needle to take thread on the first course, returning the needle to the inactive track for at least one course, so that it retains the thread, and then introducing the needle and its sinker into knitting activity. About half the needles 2 are instep needles with long butts 5L and the remainder are heel needles with short butts 5S, except that in the sub-group SG, centrally disposed, in the short-butt group, alternate fashioning needles have extra-short butts 5F. Associated with the fashioning needles are sinkers 4f and associated with similarly spaced (e.g. alternate) ones of the non-fashioning group are sinkers 4b; the relative loop-drawing movements of sinkers 4f, 4b and their needles are somewhat greater than those of the remaining needles and their sinkers 4a. Jacks 9, sliding in tricks aligned with the fashioning needles, can be selected and raised, by movable selecting cams, 16-19, and raising cam 15 acting on corresponding selecting butts 11-14 and raising butts 10 and so, firstly, raise fashioning needle butts 23 into the field of action of a cam 26, to raise the corresponding needles into the knitting track; and, secondly, raise the butts 42f of the corresponding sinkers 4f into the path of sinker advancing cams through rockable bits 41 and slidable blades 43, each of which forms one wall of the corresponding fashioning needle trick. After a fashioning needle has been introduced, the associated bit 23 is lowered, in each course, by a cam 29 and must be re-introduced each course, as necessary, by the appropriate jack selecting cam. After completion of a stocking, a cam 39 is inserted to clear the fashioning needles; and a following downthrow cam 40, which lowers all needles, causes the cleared loops to be pressed off the fashioning needles. The distance between the rear of butts 42f, 42b and throats 45f, 45b is the same and is greater than that between the rear of butts 42a and throats 45a; moreover, sinkers 4b, 4f are given a greater knocking over advance than sinkers 4a. The sinkers 4f are pressed down to their inoperative position by a cam 49, as they are retracted, the blades 43 being lowered by a cam 54. The sinkers 4a may be urged inwardly by a spring band 57. The fashioning and non-fashioning needles may recur in, for example, a1 Î 1, 1 Î 2, 2 Î 1 or 2 Î 2 sequence and may differ from one another in gauge. Specifications 323,582, 326,465, 327,120, [all in Class 74 (ii)], and 723,302 are referred to.