US1307907A - Vania - Google Patents

Description

W. LARKIN.

FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. 1917.

l ,307,907. Patented June 24, 1919. I

3 SHEETSSHEET mn Larzwf 5 2116 W. LARKIN.

FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. 1911 1 307,907. Patenflngl June 24, 1919.

3 SHEETS SHE'ET 2.

w. LARKIN. FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

I 7 APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9, 1917. 1,307,907. Patented June 24, 1919.

I x 'J needles only UNITED STATES PATENT onnion.

.WALTER LARKIN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO H. BRINTON COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, IE'ENNfiYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VAN IA.

FRENCH-WELT-KNITTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 24 1919.

Application filed November 9, 1917. Serial No. 201,066.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, WALTER LARK N, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented French-VVelt-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to circular knitting machine, especially whenrelatively fine material is to be knitted and light thread is to be used, whereby breaka e of such thread shall be prevented at the tlme the machine is automatically changing from lmitting the French Welt to knitting ribbed fabric ;the invention also contemplating a novel construction for carrying out the above noted method, whose arrangement of parts shall be such as to cause the thread guide forcertain of the cylinder needles to be operated at the proper times relatively to the raising cam, for the purpose of preventing the tightening and consequent breakage of the thread heretofore occurring under certain conditions.

I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in

which,

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a side eleting machine constructed according to my invention and equipped for carrying out. my improved method of operation;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, showing one of the thread guides and the parts associated therewith in the positions occupied when the yarn is being delivered to the cylinder and dial needles;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section similar to Fig. 3, showing the thread guide and its associated parts in the positions occupied when thread is being delivered to the dial machines of thetypeemployed in making French welts, and has to do more particuviewsillustrating my method of operation.

In operating knitting machines to make French welts, it has hitherto been custom ary, when the Walt Was to be made, to so adjust the raising cam that the cylinder needles on one side of the machine were raised only to thetuck point, and therefore thrown out of action. Immediately thereafter the thread guide adjacent said cylinder needleswascaused to move outwardly so that the thread was delivered to the dial needles only. On the opposite side of the machine the cam controlling the dial needles was so adjusted thatthese were brought to the welt point and were thus also thrown out of action while the adjacent cylinder needles continned to knit.

The continued operation of the machine resulted in the formation of the sides of the welt and whenit was again desired to finish the welt and knit ribbed fabric, the raising cam was first elevated to bring the cylinder needles into action by elevating them to the knitting point and thereafter the thread These objects and other advantageous ends 1 guide was swunginto a position in which thread was delivered to the cylinder needles. Thedial needles on theopposite side of the action.

When however, it was attempted to employ this method in knitting goods such as fine hosiery usingvery light thread, it was almost invariably found that at the time the machine ceased knitting the French welt and began to-knit ribbed fabric, the yarn was so tightly drawn that it broke when the stitches were cast from the dial needles, owing to the fact that .the cylinder needles had previously machine were also caused to again come into cast their stitches and locked the thread so for the purpose of avoiding the above noted I objectionable action, 1 drop the raising cam and swing out the yarn guide as before,in

order to change from knitting ribbed fabric to the knitting of French welt, but when changing back to the knitting of ribbed fabric at. the completion of the welt, first swing in the yarn guide to the position 111 which thread is delivered both to cyllnder and dial needles and thereafter lift the raising cam, with the result that the above described oreakage or injury to the thread or fabric is prevented.

In Figs. 1 to 8 of the above drawmgs, which illustrate a machine constructed to carry out my invention, 1 represents a circular plate mounted on any suitable framework and carrying standards 2 which support a plate 3. This centrally suspends a spindle/1 which carries at its lower end a dial 5 with the associated needles, cams, etc. Rotatably mounted within the stationary plate 1 is a cam ring-6, from which a pair of standards 7 project upwardly for the support of a head 8 and this is provided with'the necessary mechanism for preventing revolution of the dial spindle 1 and of the dial while permitting revolution of certain other parts, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

Within the cam ring 6 is mounted the needle cylinder 10 with its needles 11 and in the present instance said cylinder is shown as stationary While the cam cylinder and its associated parts rotate. Obviously however the invention may be applied to machines of the rotary cylinder type without requiring material change. The needle raising cam 12 (Fig. 8) is connected to a spindle 13, vertically guided in the body of the cam ring and normally acted on by a spring 141 so that it tendsto remain in or return to such a position that the needles are not raised above the tuck point. In the present instance the spindle 13 has its lower end extended laterally outward in the form of an arm 15. projecting beyond the outer wall of the cam ring, in addition to which it also has a finger 16 projecting within the body of said ring. Said finger is designed to rest upon a shoulder 17 on an arm 18.

mounted on a vertical pivot 19 so as to swing toward and from the cam cylinder,

and there is a spring 20 operative upon this 7 arm to normally press it outwardly.

The projecting arm 15 has its under side beveled to permit of its being raised by the action of an arm 32 on a rod 31 which is mountedin the plate 1 so that its arm strikes said arm 15as the cam ring is turned. When so raised the arm 18 is free to move outcam 12in their elevated positions. When however the arm 32' strikes the projecting portion of the arm 18 and forces it inwardly,

its shoulder 17 is thereby moved from under the finger 16, with the result that the arm 15 with the spindle 13 are moved downwardly by the spring 1 1, bringing the cam 12 to its lowermost position.

The thread guide 22 is shown as mounted on a vertical spindle 23 rotatably carried by the cam ring and having fixed to it projecting arms 24 and 25. The latter of these is designed to beheld in an inner position against the action of a coil spring 26, with the thread guide 22 in position to deliver thread both to the cylinder and dial needles, by means of a hooked arm 27 mounted on a spindle 28 and normally pressed toward said arm 25 by a spring 29.

When however, the projecting end of this arm 27 is engaged by the arm 32 and moved away from the arm 25 against the action of the spring 29, said arm 25 is re- 85 leased, thereby allowing the spindle 23 to turn and swing the thread guide 22 from the position shown in Fig. 3, to that shown in Fig. 4:, where it is held by reason of the engagement of a third arm 30 on the spindle 23, with a part of the arm 27.

For moving the arm 24 to turn the spindle 23 in one direction I mount on the plate 1 a vertically adjustable roller 21 so placed as to strike the arm 21, thereby so far rotating the spindle 23 as to cause its arm 25 to be engaged and held by the arm 27 with the thread guide in position to deliver thread to the cylinder as well as to the dial needles.

With the above described arrangement of parts, if the thread guide 22 is in the position shown in Fig. 3, and the raising cam 12 is in that shown in Fig. 8, the machine will knit a ribbed fabric in the well understood manner. When it is required to form a French welt, the arm 32 is vertically adjusted, by mechanism forming no part of this invention, to such a position that as the cam ring is turned, it is struck by the projecting portion of the arm 18 which is swung inwardly against the action of the spring 20, and causes the shoulder 17 to be moved from under the finger 16. Under the action of the spring 14, the spindle 13 is thus caused to drop and the cam 12 is moved to such position that the cylinder needles are raised only to the tuck point at which they do not cast ofi. their stitches.

As soon as all of the needles which have been left at the knitting point by the dropping of the cam 12, have passed the yarn guide 22, and have been supplied with yarn thereby, the arm 32 strikes the projecting portion of the hook 27 and moves it inwardly a distance sufficient to release the arm 25 which thereupon swings out under the action of the spring 26 on the spindle 23, and at the same time moves the thread guide 22 to the position shown in Figs. 4; 130

and 9, in which the thread leads toward the cylinder at such an angle that it is delivered to the dial needles 33 but not to the cylinder needles 11. y j

Thereafter said dial needles continue to knit while the cylinder needles adjacent thereto remain idle ;-it being understood that on the opposite side of the machine the dial needles are thrown to the welt point by suitable mechanism forming no part of the present invention, while the adjacent cylinder needles continue to knit. There are thus formed two parallel lengths of plain knitted fabric constituting the body or sides of a French welt, and when these have attained suitable dimensions, instead of the" cam 12 being moved to a position in whichthe cylinder needles are raised to the knitting point, the roller 21 is raised by suitable mechanism so that it engages and turns the arm 24 with the spindle 23, thereby swinging the thread guide 22 inwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. 10, in which thread is caused to lead at such an angle that it is delivered to the cylinder as well as to the dial needles.

Since said cylinder needles are still at the tuck point, these loosely engage and draw down the thread as shown in Fig. 11, without casting off their stitches, and immediately thereafter the arm 32 engages and raises the projecting end of the arm 15, with the spindle 13, and moves the cam 12 to a position such that the cylinder needles are raised to the knitting point. Since however the drawing down of the thread by said cylinder needles has formed one or more loops and therefore provided a certain amount of slack therein, said thread is not locked as it would be if the cylinder needles had begun to knit before the thread guide was thrown in, but is free to be drawn through these needles to allow of the dial needles forming and casting off their stitches without subjecting it to objectionable tension. When therefore the cylinder needles do begin to knit and lock the thread, the tension thereon by reason of the continued opera tion of the dial needles is not abnormal nor dangerous, so that the machine will form ribbed fabric without tending to break the thread or in any way injure said fabric.

I claim 1. The step in the operation of knitting a French welt which consists in drawing slack in the thread immediately before causing the cylinder needles to cooperate with the dial needles to knit a rib fabric after the completion of the two walls of the welt.

2. The method which consistsin operating on two threads to knit a rib fabric; thereafter operating on the threads to knit two plain portions constituting the walls of a French welt; drawing slack in one of the threads; and immediately thereafter operating on said thread to again knit a rib fabric. i i

3. The method which consists in operating on a plurality of threads by two sets of needles to knit a rib fabric; rendering the needles of one set inoperative at each of the points at which the threads are knitted, to form two concentric bodies of plain fabric; drawing slackin one of the threads; and immediately thereafter causing both sets of needles to become operative on said thread to again knit rib fabric. 1

4. The method which consists in operat ingon a plurality of threads toform a rib fabric; thereafter continuing operation on said threads to form two independent bodies of plain fabric; drawing at least one loop in one of the threads to slacken the same; and thereafter operating on said threads to again knit rib fabric.

5. The combination in a rib knitting machine for making French welts of a needle raising cam; a thread guide delivering thread to the cylinder and dial needles; with mechanism arranged to successively move the raising cam to a position in which it brings the needles to the tuck point and then move the thread guide into a position in which it delivers thread to the dial needles only, then after a predetermined time first operate on the thread guide to return it to a position in which it delivers thread to the cylinder and dial needles, and finally elevate the raising cam to a position in which it brings the needles to the knitting point.

6. The combination. in a rib knitting machine .of a raising cam for the cylinder needles; a thread guide mounted to deliver thread to the cylinder and dial needles when in one position andto the dial needles alone when in another position; means for dropping the raising cam; means for moving the thread guide to a position in which it delivers to the dial needles only; means for thereafter returning said thread guide to its normal position; and means for finally again lifting the raising cam.

7. The combination in a rib knitting machine of a raising cam for the cylinder needles; a thread guide mounted to deliver thread to the cylinder and dial needles when in one position and to the dial needles alone when in another position; means for dropping'the raising cam; means for rotating the thread guide away from the cylinder to a position in which it delivers to the dial needles only; means for thereafter returning said thread guide to its normal position; and means for finally again lifting the raising cam.

8. The combination in a rib knitting machine of a raising cam for the cylinder needles; a thread guide mounted to deliver thread to the cylinder and dial needles when in one position and to the dial needles alone when in another position; means for dropping the raising cam; means for moving the thread guide away from the cylinder to a position in which it delivers to the dial needles only; means for thereafter returning said thread guide to its normal position; and means for finally again lifting the raising cam.

9. The combination in a rib knitting machine of a raising cam for the cylinder needles; a thread guide mounted to deliver thread to the cylinder and dial needles when in one position and to the dial needles alone When in another position; a member mounted to cause, first lowering of the cam, and second, a movement of the thread guide away from the cylinder into a position in which it delivers thread to the dial needles only; means coacting with said member for causing the thread guide to return to a position in which it delivers thread both to the cylinder and dial needles; and a second member mounted to thereafter cause movement of the cam to a position in which the needles controlled thereby are caused to knit.

In Witness whereof I affix my signature.

WALTER LARKIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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