Patent GB-704843-A (GB)
Title: Circular multi-feed hosiery knitting machine and method of operating same
IPC: D04B9/46
Filed: 1949-04-26
Abstract: 704,843. Knitting. SCOTT & WILLIAMS, Inc. April 26, 1949 [April 26, 1948], No. 11118/49. Class 74 (2) A circular, independent needle hosiery knitting machine, adapted to knit a stocking with reciprocatorily knit heel and toe all by multi-feed knitting during the part of the operation after make-up has a plurality of stitch cams adapted to knit in the forward direction and a plurality in the reverse direction and means associated with the stitch cams whereby the machine is capable of making a turned welt while knitting multi-feed, that is, two or more successive courses on every movement of the needles past the knitting cams. The machine may be used in making split-foot stockings. In the two-feed machine shown, there are a centre stitch'cam 50 and left- and right-end stitch cams 360, 361 and in each direction of knitting, the leading one of these end stitch cams acts as a clearing cam. The lowest point of the double-sided centre stitch cam 50 is separated into two points 53, 54 which cooperate with a hump 55 on cams 56. This arrangement ensures relief to the yarn and gives the sinkers time to come in and hold down stitches before they get above the nebs. Shoulders 57, 58 serve as "check" or "cover" cams when the needles are rising. For makeup, in alternate courses each needle makes a stitch whilst, in the intervening courses, every second wale' has a float. For this purpose a dividing cam 382 directs some needles over the leading stitch cam 361, to clear, and others under the cam, so that they do not subsequently take yarn and knit at the cam 50. Selection may be begun earlier, selected needles being raised somewhat above normal level 30 by selection of pattern jacks 736 and jacks 732 by a trick wheel. Alternatively, a drum-controlled lever may select pattern jacks not to ride up raise cam 741, the others riding up and so raising short jacks 732 and needles N; a cam 743 subsequently pushes down the pattern jacks by action of its face 742 on shoulders 729; and its face 744 raises the short jacks, which are later lowered by cam 746. Cam 382 lowers such needles as were not raised. A cam 23 lowers all needles to a low level C just before projection of transfer jacks to return yarn bights to the needles : cam 41 subsequently raises to the level. 30 all needles not already raised for loop transference. The projection of the transfer jacks to take bights, in welt formation, is delayed until the fifth course, in order to give time for the welt presser to wipe under the transfer dial any vagrant ends of yarn, which may whip themselves into the hooks cf transfer jacks and then to retire. The cam 23 also lowers all long butt needles temporarily while cam 419 raises short butt needles out of action before knitting the heel. Since all needles knit at the second feed immediately after the transfer jacks get their bights of yarn, a cam 27, made operative by a floating ring 28 controlled from the pattern drum, presses jacks radially outwardly to relieve tension. In the heel, the yarn last knitted at one stroke is the first yarn to be knitted at. the next stroke ; thus the heel consists of consecutive groups of two partial courses of the same yarn and tie-across float yarns, as in Fig. 20, are formed. During reciprocation, shoulders 38, 39 on the cam 50 raise idle needles to raise their stitches by friction the sinkers being retracted and so prevent the tie-across floats catching under the nebs of the adjacent sinkers or the yarn being damaged by the sinkers. In selecting the needles for the second gusset of a heel, all the needles are pulled down by a cam 415, the sinkers are temporarily retracted, to allow loops on the inactive needles to get below the sinkers again, and the newly selected needles are then raised by cam 419. Cam 415 and a sinker-retracting cam 391 are inserted concurrently by the pattern drum or by lug 851 on a pattern chain 85. The linkwork from lug 851 includes a safety device comprising two slotted links 510, 511 locked, when necessary, by a latch 512 under the control of a drum cam: the links are latched when making the heel. The edges 562, 563, of the throat plates are sloped upwardly. Both ends of a centre throat plate would be thus sloped. This sloping equalizes the angle between the yarns and the needle hooks after all active needles have passed the throat plates, since the more nearly horizontal yarn will climb the associated slope and the sinker nebs are enabled to get under the yarn. The slope and a lip 564 on the edge of each throat-plate also open any partly closed needle latches. The elevation of up-picks may be adjusted from the cam drum so that they raise one or two needles. Slack stitches are made in the second course after the toe. For this purpose, cam 360 (which knits that course) is lowered, against spring action, by a cam 503 on the pattern drum. Since the cam drum is racked only once in four courses, a pin 469, revolving with the. main shaft, 322, is used to push link 462 off cam 503 at the end of the course. Specifications 282,640, [Class 74 (ii)], and 629,236 are referred to.