Patent GB-702902-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to circular knitting machines
IPC: D04B9/00
Filed: 1950-03-06
Abstract: 702,902. Knitting. STIBBE & CO., Ltd., G., STIBBE, E. V., and BROWN, A. M. March 2, 1951 [March 6, 1950], No. 5576/50. Class 74 (2) Needle selecting elements 3, housed in longitudinal tricks in a rotatable unit 1 are engaged by butts 41 on the needles or associated jacks to rotate the unit and, during such rotation, the bits are rocked about their ends 3a, and against the action of spring bands, by a stationary edge cam 15, so that lugs 3d on the opposite ends 3b of certain elements engage the lower edges of the butts 4<1> and raise the associated needles to divide the needles into two groups. The unit may be arranged to provide a 1 x 1 selection of the needles or to vary this selection; certain members 16 of the elements may lack the lugs 3d and merely assist in driving the unit, the axis of rotation of which may be at right angles or parallel to the needle cylinder axis. As shown, the device is used to incorporate elastic yarn T in a sock top. The unit is located at an auxiliary feeder F (spaced from a knitting location K) at which the yarn is fed through a pivoted guide 17. This guide is urged to the operative position by a spring 20 secured at one end to a pin 19, and is moved therefrom by an automatically operated spring-influenced rod 21 bearing a contact piece 22 to coact with the pin 19. The unit is carried on an arm 25 swung to and from operative position by a control drum or chain acting through connections including link 28, lever 27 and pin and slot connection 29, 30. The unit 1 may function at the location at which needles are extracted from the needle cylinder and, to enable the unit to be swung away from the cylinder for this purpose, the lever 27 is depressible, against the action of a spring 32 to clear the pin 29. The device may be used with a needle bed having an odd number of tricks so that alternate needles will be selected at one revolution and the remaining needles at the next revolution. Operating with the unit are a sinker cam which moves the sinkers out and then in, to facilitate running in of the yarn, and a latch opener 38. A cam part 23a located immediately in advance of the unit, lowers all needles slightly from normal non-clearing height to a height M. The unit 1 then raises alternate needles to a height O at which, under guard cam part 23c, they take the rubber thread T, without being cleared: adjacent to this point, the sinkers or web-holders are withdrawn seriatim and again advanced after the needles have been lowered by a cam part 23b to a height only slightly above stitch cam height. The rubber thread is thus held under the nibs and in the throats of the sinkers and is laid in the hooks of alternate needles 5<1>, to be cleared with previously drawn loops of ground yarn Y, and behind intervening needles 5. The rubber thread may be fed for a number of courses without the needles being cleared, a knitting location or locations then being brought into operation and feeding of the rubber thread continued for as many revolutions as desired. All needles may be retracted before selection and selected needles advanced. There may be combined with the unit a clearing cam, a stitch cam and an intervening guard cam. The device can be used to select needles to take and knit a yarn missed by the remaining needles and may select cylinder or dial needles. Specification 417,472 is referred to.