Patent GB-556301-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to knitted fabric and hosiery and processes and apparatus for producting the same
IPC: D04B1/26
Filed: 1941-12-22
Abstract: 556,301. Knitting. INTER'WOVEN STOCKING CO. Dec. 22, 1941, No. 16503. Convention date, Jan. 14. [Class 74 (ii)] A sock or other tubular knitted article has one portion, e.g the top T, knitted of uniform rib formation, e.g. IXI rib, and another portion, e.g. the leg L, of other rib or purl formation, and a second thread, e.g. an elastic thread E, is knitted or caught in at all rib wales of the courses in which it occurs of either portion and is floated behind the intervening wales of that portion. The article is knitted upon a double-cylinder machine having two feeds 44, 46 and in which jacks 43 associated with the sliders 3, in the upper cylinder are selected by pattern controlled levers 100 for transferring the corresponding needle to the lower cylinder at one feed, and wherein a radially movable cam 63 is Provided for controlling the sliders 21 of the lower cylinder so that they either knit or remain in a low non-knitting position at the other feed. A shunt cam 54 is associated with the cam 63, and when in operative position ensures that all the needles in the lower cylinder are raised to clearing position and receive thread and are lowered to knit by the stitch cam 74. The cam 63 is movable to positions in which is it inoperative and in which it is operative only on long-butted sliders 21 and to a third position in which it is operative upon all the sliders 21, so that the thread supplied at the feed 46 and knitted by all the needles in the upper cylinder can be floated across all the intervening wales or can be knitted by some of the lower cylinder needles and floated elsewhere. To enable the pattern, e.g. in the leg, to be independent of the rib formation in the top of the sock, two only, 11, 12 of the patterning butts 43b. may be used for transferring the needles for forming the rib top, one butt determining the needles to be arranged in each bed or cylinder, and a cam-controlled lever 118 is provided for holding the selector cams 100 corresponding to these butts 11, 12 inoperative when patterning for the leg is in operation. A second lever, also cam controlled, is provided for holding the selector cams corresponding to the remaining butts 1 ... 10 inoperative during the knitting of the rib top. The selector cams 100 are spring-pressed towards the butts 43 and are moved away from the butts by the stops 104a upon the pattern drum 104. A radially movable shunt cam 85 is provided in front of the second feed so 'that needles in the upper cylinder can either engage a lowering cam 82 and receive thread to be knitted at the stitch cam 92, or can pass along an idling raceway 84. By shortening the lowering cam 82, the needles in the upper cylinder may be made to hold the loop of thread drawn at the first feed, so that it can be cast. off with the thread supplied at the second feed 46 and knitted at the stitch cam 92. A sock having an elastic self-supporting top composed of spaced rib courses separated by plain knitted courses may have the elastic thread caught into spaced wales of the rib courses.