Patent GB-848702-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to straight bar knitting machines
Inventor: START ERNEST
IPC: D04B11/00
Filed: 1956-01-20
Abstract: 848,702. Knitting-machines. COTTON Ltd., W. Jan. 3, 1957 [Jan. 20, 1956], No. 2073/56. Class 74 (2). A straight-bar machine is provided with mechanism whereby either a preformed fabric portion may be transferred to the needles of the machine prior to the machine operating to knit the rest of a garment, or a turned welt may be knitted on the machine following which the machine continues to knit the rest of the garment. For this purpose the machine is provided with point bar carrier mechanism-as described in Specification 813,435 and which is capable of accommodating either a point bar carrying a preformed fabric portion or a welt bar in which the welt points co-operate with the needles to receive the initial course. The control mechanism which is similar to that described in Specification 813,435 is modified, however, whereby the manual control-lever when manipulated causes the machine to operate to effect either the transfer of the preformed fabric portion or the knitting of a turned welt. The control-rod 33 connected to the manual control lever, in this instance, carries a fixed collar 75 having a plunger 74 which may be inserted in either of two holes in a member 62 slidably mounted on the rod 33 and embracing the cone collar 59. By positioning the plunger 74 in one or other of the two holes the position of the cone collar 59 can be adjusted relatively to the rod 33 and manual control lever, so that in order for the trip mechanism 57 to function it is necessary for the rod 33 to be moved to a greater extent with the plunger in one position than when it is in the other. A latch 79 is associated with the lever 65 of the second trip mechanism 58 but only functions when the machine is producing a turned welt. The effect of providing the adjustments to the control mechanism is that when the plunger is set for the machine to operate so that the needles receive a preformed portion of fabric, the manual operation of the lever shogs the truck 27 on to a cam 21, which will advance the point bar carrier mechanism and points and simultaneously restrict the manual adjustment of the speed of the machine to a predetermined limit. The advance of the point bar carrier mechanism also causes a modified motion of the needles, as described in Specification 813,435. When the plunger is set for the machine to produce a turned welt, the control-rod is given an additional movement which causes the truck 27 to be shogged on to an additional cam 73 which causes the carrier mechanism to advance with the welt hooks to a position where the hooks extend between the needles. Auxiliary take-up mechanism consisting of a weight wt on a cord attached to a draw-off roller 19 having straps 15 secured to the carrier mechanism is wound up on advance of the welt hooks and momentarily held inoperative whilst the initial welt course is laid, after which it is released to tension and take-up the welt. A heavy welt rod is eventually laid on the fabric to further assist the take-off of the fabric and eventually the welt bar is removed from its carrier and transferred to verticallydepending arms 101, 102, which are operated in conjunction with the motion of the needles to transfer the initial course of loops back to the needles. The trip mechanisms 57, 58 function in similar manner when forming a turned welt on the machine as when transferring a preformed portion of fabric to the needles. Specification 797,871 also is referred to.