US1871851A - Machine for inserting elastic in knit fabric - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 16, 1932.

K. HOWIE MACHINE FOR INSERTING ELASTIC IN KNIT FABRIC Filed May 8, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet Aug. 16, 1932. K. HOWIE 1,871,851

MACHINE FOR INSERTING ELASTIC IN KNIT FABRIC Filed May 8, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Hill I H lnueniar:

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,B y gauanam v M Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KENNETH HOWIE, OF NORBISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILDMAN IMLFG. (10., OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA MACHINE FOR INSERTING ELASTIC IN KNIT FABRIC Application filed May 8, 1931. Serial No. 585,990.

The invention includes a machine for automatically inserting an elastic strand into a rib knit fabric by simply laying it in successive courses to the extent desired, and without knitting it in, no loops being formed from the elastic thread.

The invention is designed particularly for providing elastic portions of the garment which will serve the purpose of garters particularly in childrens hose, though the invention is not limited in respect to the particular goods produced.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention.

Figure 1a shows parts of Flg. 1 1n 1noperative position.

Figs. 1b and 10 show parts of Fig. 1.

Figure 2 is an elevation of partof the machine embodying the invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a part of the machine.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the cam set for the cylinder needles.

Figure 5 is an elevation of a part of the mechanism comprised in the invention.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of dial cam set and the needles and guide for the elastic thread.

Figure 7 is a diagramshowing the action of the needles in relation to the guide for the elastic thread. 1

Figure 8 is a diagram of the fabric.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the elastic thread laid in a course of rib fabric.

The machine illustrated has a fixed needle cylinder and a revolving cam box, but it will be understood that the invention is not limited to this type as it may be embodied in amachine having fixed ncedle cams and a revolving needle carrier. 1 is the needle cylinder. 1a the revolving cylinder cam box. 2 the dial and 2a the. revolving dial cams. The rubber strand which is preferably of the type having the rubber encased in a textile wrapping is shown at- 3 which passes throughan opening 4 in a guide arm 5 attached to a sleeve 6 turnable about a post 7 fixed to abracket 8 which is attached by screws at 9 around the needle cylinder.

to the cylinder cam box which revolves This sleeve has an arm 10 at its lower end, operable by a cam 11 intermittingly turnable in the direction of the arrow :11 about the pivot bearing 12. In the position of the parts shown in Figure 1 the guide arm 5 for the elastic thread is in. its operative position close to the needle cylinder, and in fact its inner end is substantially in contact with the verge of the dial so that the guide opening 4 is in proper position to feed the elastic strand to the needles. The inner end of this arm has a depending flange having a cam shaped outer face at 13 against which the upper ends of partly elevated cylinder needles will ride so that said needle will be in front of the end of the strand of elastic thread extending from the outlet end la of the guide opening to the clamp 14 revolving with the cam box. This is the condition when the arm 5 is first set inward to begin the feeding of the said thread tothe needles. The elevated cylinder needles which are deflected outwardly at their upper ends to get into a plane on the outside of the guide 4, 4a, and consequently on the outsideof the elastic strand will, as the guide revolves with the cam box in the arrow direction 1 snap off of the trailing end 4a of the guide and engage and hold the end of the elastic strand, and as the movement of the cam box continues in the arrow direction the end of the elastic, now gripped by the elevated cylinder needles, will be drawn from the clamp 14 as said clamp travels forward with't-he cam box.

The action of gripping or embracing the end of the elastic strand to initiate the laying in of the said strand between the cylinder and dial-needles also may involve the advance of the dial needles d to overlie the elastic yarn. This advance of the dial needles takes place at the trailing end of the elastic yarn guide 4, 411, so that we have two needle actions at this point one of these being the deflection outwardly of the upper end of the elevated cylinder needles. to get in a plane outside the end portion of the elastic yarn and the other needle action being the advance of the dial needles to overlie the said elastic thread. The action of the cylinder needles, as above indicated, may involve a snapping action to grasp the end of the elastic thread as said partly elevated cylinder needles leave the trailing end of the cam shaped elastic thread guide. Shortly after, the elastic thread is embraced by the needles, and by the snapping action of the cylinder needles if this latter action is employed as above set forth, tension is applied to the elastic thread so as to lay it in the fabric under proper tension so that a smooth fabric is produced free from puckers. For automatically applying this tension and for automatically timing this action the tensioning means is controlled by a cam 16 turnable about the axis 12 and moving with the cam 11 which controls the setting inwardly to feeding position of the elastic thread feeding arm 5 under the action of its spring 17. Figure 1 shows the cam 16 in position with the tension applied. This application takes place when the arm 18 of tension controllingyoke 19 drops off of the end 16a following the drop 11a of cam 11 which allows arm 10 to swing inwardly under tension of spring 17 to set the guide arm 5 in feeding position. The dropping of arm 18 off from cam shoulder 16a releases the yoke- 19 and then the spring 20 exerts its force and presses the grooved collar 21 which up to now has been held retracted by the yoke and cam 16. This pressure on the collar sets it in towards the axial center of the machine and therefore the disc 22 is set against the strand of elastic thread and presses the same between itself and the opposing friction disc 22a, thus exerting sufficient restraint to the free movement of said elastic thread to place the same under the desired tension so that when the fabric assumes its prescribed diameter after leaving the needles and reducing from a large to its small diameter, the elastic thread will correspondingly relax to prevent puckering of the fabric. The yoke 19 is at the upper end of a lever or arm 19a which may be made conveniently of a twisted flat piece of metal. This arm is pivotally mounted at 24 on a post 23 fixed to and extending up from the bracket-'8 which is attached to and rotates with the cam box. The arm 18 which bears on cam 16 is a part of the yoke arm 19a and is bent laterally from the lower end of the same.

The end portion of the elastic thread now having been laid in the fabric and gripped by the needles the revolution of the cam box with the elastic thread feeding finger proceeds to lay the said elastic thread in place for any desired number of courses. The knitting of the regular yarn goes on at the ordinary feed and the elastic thread is encased by the knitted web until at the prescribed time pattern mechanism raises the striker cam piece 24% into line with the arm 25. This striker cam has a fixed location. It is supported on a rod 26 mounted for vertical sliding movement on the fixed frame. 27 indicates a part of the lever which is operated by pattern mechanism for raising and lowering the said striker cam into and out of the path of the said arm 25 which revolves with the cam box. This arm carries on its under side a pawl 25w which operates a ratchet wheel 28 one sixth of a revolution for each movement of the arm 25. et is connected with a gear wheel 29 which meshes with a smaller gear 30 which rotates the cams 11 and 16 before mentioned. This movement of the cam 11 retracts the guide 5 for the elastic thread by acting on the arm 10 and against the tension of the spring 17 to move the arm 10 to the right, Fig. 1, and thus withdraw the yarn guide 5 with the elastic thread from the needles. In this withdrawing action the said elastic thread extending from its point of attachment to the fabric to the retracted guide 5 will extend into the shears composed of a fixed blade 31 and a movable blade 32. These blades will be open at the moment now being considered and they will straddle the strand of elastic thread due to the fact that said shears are traveling around the needle bed with the cam box. During this onward movement the cam 33 will be rotated, it being attached to or formed with the cam 11, 11a, so as to rotate therewith as a consequence, as above described, 0f the striker cam 24% being now in position to operate the arm 25. This cam 33 consists of a rim or flange extending up from the main base portion 84:, said flange having an upward cam incline 35. This acts upon the arm 32a of the movable shear blade and lifts the same to cutthe elastic thread soon after it is withdrawn from feeding position by the retraction of the guide arm 5. The rise of the movable shear blade not only cuts the elastic thread but tucks its free end between itself and the clamp blade 14L so that this loose end will be firmly held until the elastic thread is again to be introduced with the fabric to be encased by the regular rib web and without being knitted or looped in.

The rotation of the central cam set about the pivot 12 as a consequence of the movement of the arm 25 has another effect, namely, the relieving of the grip or pressure of the tension applying discs 22, 22a upon the elastic thread so that when the said thread is again introduced into the fabric, it at the outset will be free from tension and will remain so until after the said thread is gripped by the snapping action of the partly elevated cylinder needles upon leaving the cam 4, 4a.

This release of the pressure of disc 22 is effected by operating the yoke 19 to retract slightly the collar 21 against the tension of the spring 20. For this purpose cam incline 16b comes into play against the arm 18 at This ratch the lower end of the yoke lever to move said arm towards the center of the machine so that the upper or yoke end of said lever will move away from the needle carrier. The parts will remain in this position for the prescribed number of revolutions of the machine for which the pattern mechanism is set, that is to say the clamp 14 will be holding the loose end of the elastic thread extending through the retracted guide arm 5 thereto, and the tension on the said thread will be off.

Now when the elastic thread is again to be introduced into the fabric the striker cam 24 is again adjusted by the pattern mechanism into line with the arm 25, which when operated will, through the pawl and ratchet and gearing, give the prescribed degree of rotary movement to the central cam set 11, 16, 33 so that arm 10 will drop off of abrupt shoulder 11a, thus allowing spring 17 to set the guide arm 5 close against the dial for directing the thread to the needle and to bring on the snapping action of the cylinder needles upon the outer side of the said thread. The arm 32a of the movable shear blade will drop ofi of abrupt should er 35a of cam rim 33, thus releasing the loose end of the thread and the tension on the thread will be applied when the arm 18 at the lower end of the yoke lever drops ofi of ca1n shoulder 16a thus allowing spring 20 to press the disc 22 against the thread to exercise restraint thereon.

The dial needles are advanced just after the cam 13 passes them by a cam 37 in the dial cam, so that the elastic thread is covered by these advanced dial needles, which action together with the gripping of the thread by the partly advanced cylinder needles insures that the elastic thread will be properly placed and will be encased by the rib knit fabric. The regular dial needle advancing cam is of ordinary form shown at 38 and the dial stitch cam is shown at 39. The cylinder cam set includes the advancing cam 40, regular stitch cam 41, the clearing course cam set 42 and 43 and a special cam 45 for partly elevating those needles which are to be used for trapping the elastic thread by passing their upper ends on the outside of the cam 13, and then allowing them to snap against the thread. The needles which are to be elevated part way to pass on the outside of cam 13 are provided with long butts as shown at 44 to be acted on by the special cam 45, those needles which are to pass under said cam 13 having ordinary length butts to engage the lower level 15a of this special cam. About three or four of the long butt needles may be used for trapping the elastic thread though the invention is not limited in this respect and indeed most all the needles may travelat substantially their normal or intermediate level except the few which are lowered to allow the feed arm 5 carrying the cam 13 to swing into feeding position. With the cam set as shown those needles having the short butts, after passing along the lower cam surface 45a will be lifted to normal level bythe cam incline 46.

Referring to Fig. 4, the retracting cam 43 of the clearing course set is normally positioned in a more elevated location than usual so as to avoid retracting the cylinder needles below their normal plane. This safeguards the maintenance of the insert thread at this point. The post of the advancing cam 42 of this clearing course set is adapted to operate a lever 43w pivoted at 43a, said lever having contact at 43?) with the post of the retracting cam 43. When, therefore, the advancing cam portion 42 is raised, the retracting section 43 of this cam set will be depressed to the position shown in dotted lines so that then the cylinder needles willbe retracted far enough to drop their stitches.

In Figure 4 the arrow accompanied by the word needles is intended to indicatethat there is a relative movement between the needles and the cam box as though the needles were moving in the direction of the arrow.

I claim: p

1. A knitting machine having means for feeding an elastic thread and means for operating needles to clamp the said thread in place to be embraced by the cylinder and dial loops, said feeding means and the needles having relative movement to lay said thread in the courses, substantially as described.

2. A knitting machine according to claim 1, having means for operating the feeding means for automatically presenting said thread to and withdrawing it from the needles.

3. A rib knitting machine having means for feeding an elastic thread to and withdrawing it from position where it will lay in the courses without vbeing knitted into the fabric, and means for automatically restraining the free flow of said thread for stretching the same when it is being laid in the courses and for automatically relieving said thread from said restraint when it is withdrawn from the fabric and while it is being reintroduced to the fabric, substantially as described.

4. A.rib knitting machine having means for delivering an elastic thread to lay in the courses without being knitted in and for withdrawing said thread from the courses, means for operating needles to grip the end of the thread when delivered to the machine and means for automatically applying tension to the thread when laid into the courses and for automatically releasing said thread from tension when withdrawn from the fab ric, substantially as described.

5. A rib knitting machine having means to intermittently deliver an elastic thread to lay in the courses, and to withdraw said thread from the fabric and means for automatically and intermittingl'y applying tension to said elastic thread, the tension applying periods according substantially with only the periods of laying the elastic threads into the fabric, substantially as described.

6. A rib knitting machine having means for feeding an elastic yarn thereto to lay in the courses without being knitted in, means for advancing needles, means for deflecting said advanced needles to overlie the thread and for causing them to grip the thread while said feeding means lays the said thread in the courses, substantially as described.

7. A rib knitting machine having means for delivering an elastic thread to be laid in the courses, means for advancing cylinder needles, means for deflecting said advanced needles to overlie the thread and for allowing said advanced and deflected needles to snap back to normal from their deflected position to grip the thread to hold the same while it is being laid in the courses.

8. A knitting machine according to claim 7 in which the means for deflecting the cylinder needles consists of a cam member against which the upper ends of the needles ride to lie on the outside of the thread. said deflected needles when they drop off the cam member gripping the thread against a needle bed, substantially as described.

9. A rib knitting machine having means to feed an elastic thread to a needle to be laid into the courses, means for advancing the needle, means for deflecting the advanced needle, said feeding means delivering the thread at the back of the advanced deflected needle to be gripped thereby when the needle assumes normal position, substantially as described.

10. In a rib knitting machine means for advancing a. cylinder needle and a dial needle, means for'deflecting and thereafter releasing one of said needles when advanced, outwardly in relation to a thread clamping portion on the machine means for delivering an insert thread to be laid into the courses at the back of the deflected needle and between the same andsaid thread clamping portion, said deflected needle when released clamping the thread between its back and said clamping portion, substantially as described.

11. In combination with a rib knitting machine, a cam piece, means for advancing a needle to be deflected by said cam piece, said cam piece having a yarn guide eye for directing the yarn at the back of the advanced deflected needle, so that said needle, when it assumes normal position, will grip the thread, substantially as described.

12. In combination in a rib knitting machine, means for advancing a cylinder needle, means for deflecting: said needle outwardly, and means for directing an insert thread at the back of the deflected needle,

said machine having a thread clamping portion cooperating with the back of the deflected needle when the latter is released from its deflected position to clamp the insert thread substantially as described.

13. In a machine according to claim 12, means for advancing a dial needle to overlie the insert thread at the point of its introduction to the fabric, substantially as described.

14. In combination with a rib knitting machine, an arm having a guide for an insert thread, tension means for applying tension to said thread, a cutter and clamp for the thread, cam means for moving the said thread guide arm to and from the needles, and for-operating the tension means to intermittently apply tension to the thread when it has been introduced into the fabric, and to release said tension when the yarn guide arm removes the thread, said cam means also controlling the operation of the cutter, substantially as described.

15. In a. rib knitting machine according to claim 14, in which the cams for operating the yarn guide arm, the tension means, and the cutters, are mounted upon a rotatable body, and means for rotating said body intermittingly, substantially as described.

16. In combination in a rib knitting machine, a guide arm for directing an insert thread to the needles, said arm having a cam portion for deflecting outwardly a cylinder needle, means for advancing said cylinder needle to engage said cam, whereby said needle is positioned for allowing the thread to be delivered at its back, and when released, to assume normal position, will grip said thread, means for automatically applying tension to the thread, when it has been gripped by the said needle, means for retracting the guide arm from the needles, and relieving said tension, and a cutter and clamp rendered operative when the yarn guide arm is retracted from the needles, substantially as described.

- 17 In combination with a rib knitting machine, a guide arm to deliver an insert thread to the needles, tension means for the thread, a clutter and clamp means, a rotary cam member arranged upon a Vertical axis, means for operating said cam member intermittingly for moving the yarn guide arm to and from the needles, for applying and relieving the tension on the yarn, and for operating the cutter, substantially as described.

18. In a rib knitting machine. a clearing course cam set in which the needle lowering cam is set initially abnormally high and is automatically adjusted into a retracted position when the advancing cam of said set is adjusted to its advanced position.

19. A rib knitting machine having means to lay an insert thread in the courses and a clearing course cam set in which the wee dle retracting cam is set initially abnormally high and is automatically adjusted to its needle retracting position when the advancing cam is set in position to advance the needles for making the clearing course.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

KENNETH HOWIE.

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