Patent GB-601252-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to knitting machines, and to methods of knitting
IPC: D04B9/18
Filed: 1944-12-29
Abstract: 601,252. Knitting. LOMBARDI, V. Dec. 29, 1944, No. 26129. [Class 74 (ii)] An independent needle knitting machine has a yarn guide swingable, in at least a partial rotation, through an arc having a portion lying in front of the position of a plurality of the needles and extending at both ends to the rear of the needles, and means to selectively impart arcuate swing- ing movement to the yarn guides. Yarn guides 19, additional to the main feeders, are swung in an arc from a position behind the line of needles, in front of a group of the needles or behind the needle line; the guides (which may be given one or two complete revolutions) are fixed on shafts carrying pinions 50 at their upper ends; and are swung one way or the other by brackets 51, 53, themselves swung by cams 58, 59, each arranged in groups of four and rotating with the cam ring. The cams of each group of four are selectively advanced by levers 68 and cam discs 73. The discs are interchangeable and relatively rotatable; and the complete assembly is stepped round by a ratchet 75 and a pawl 76 actuated through link work from a pattern chain. In a modification, Fig 8, only one bracket 103 is provided, it being swung in one direction by cams 59a and returned by a spring 104. An additional contrasting yarn 106 may be fed through the hollow shaft 36a and tied in by a yarn 105. In either case, the rail 56, 57 or 57a of each bracket is divided into four frangible parts corresponding to the four cams 58, 59, or 59a of each group; and by breaking away one or more of these parts, it is possible to determine whether or not the bracket shall be swung when it passes a group of cams the members of which have been selectively positioned by the action of the cam discs. Each disc 73 has short nubs which will move in the cam 58 or 59 to an intermediate position to give one revolution to the yarn guide and long nubs which will move the cam in fully to give the yarn guide two revolutions. In a further modification, Fig. 9, two yarn guides 208, 210 are provided at each station and these are swung by racks 216, 219. A drum 238, stepped round by pawl and ratchet actuated by an abutment under the influence of a pattern drum, carries pins 236 which selectively push down selector cams 234. These cams, in turn, selectively act on teeth 231 carried by rockers to raise the forward ends 222 of some of them. These raised ends 222 are then engaged by one of a number of cams 223 and the associated rack 216 or 219 is thereby moved outwardly sufficiently to divert a butt 225 thereon from a cam track 226 into a track 227, thus imparting an in and out movement to the rack and, therefore, a two-directional swing to the associated yarn guide. The swinging yarn guide may have a relatively thick central portion, having drilled therethrough a yarn passage 267, and thin edges 268, 269, which can enter easily between the needles. When the yarn guides are swung about needles which are fully advanced, removably mounted units each comprising an arcuate arm strip 274 and a plate 275, may be provided to prevent the yarn getting beneath and behind the latches. Where the swinging yarn guide passes in front of a group of needles in the direction opposite to that of the main feed, the needle last passed by the guide will be the first retracted and will bind the yarn into the fabric at that point. In order to provide slack for the formation of stitches by the needles last retracted, the arm 274 may be replaced by an arm 278 the free end of which is urged inwardly away from the needles by its own resilience or by a spring: as the yarn is formed into stitches, the arm is pulled in towards the needle, giving up the slack in the bight around it. Design yarns may be laid in, knitted in with or in place of the weft yarn or caught in at certain points and floated between them. Polka dots, circles, squares, diamonds, diagonal stripes, and a plaid design, Fig. 7, (not shown), may, for example, be produced. The yarn 106 may be elastic, or differ from the other yarns.