US2258927A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14,1941. I A. V. CLARKE 2,258,927

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1937 Q'Sheets-Sheet 1 In venlor Oct. 14, 1941. A v. CLARKE KNITTING MACHINE 9 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Nov. 22, 19:57

mm 8 NE E 3 Oct. 14 1941. v CLARKE 2,258,927

KNI'TTING MACHINE Fil ed Nov. 22, 1937 I 9 Sheets-Sheet s Inventor Au My Oct. 14, 1941. A. VQCLARKE KNITTING MACHINE File d Nov. 22, v1937 9 Sheets-Sheet -4 Fig. 4.

Re E ATTORNEYS 1 0a. 14, 1941. A. v. CLARKE 2,258,927

' KNITTING MACHINE r Filed Nov. 22, 1937 .QSheeits-Sheet 5 Fig.5.

,9. Vi Clarke A TTOANEYS INVENTOI? Oct. 14,1941. v g A 2,258,927

I KNITTING MACHINE I Filed Nov. 22,- 1937 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig.6. v

Inventor Attorney Oct. 14, 1941. CLARKE 2,258,927

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1 937 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 nulllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllll Ilium nilllllllllllllllllllllIlllllllllllll||l|l|||| I "i unlm W, m u H v w I I 0 Inventor filberz KClar/ve,

, Alto ney Oct. 14, 1941. A, v, LARKE 2,258,927

KNITTINGMMACHINE FiledNov. 22, 1957 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 4770mm rs A. v. CLARKE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1937 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Patented Oct. 14, 1941 Albert Victor Clarke, Leicester, England Application November 22, 1937, Serial No. 175,943

In Great Britain November 23, 1936 17 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in orrelating to circular knitting machines, and one of its objects is to provide a machine capable of knitting a tubular length of rib fabric (by which is meant fabric including needleloops drawn in g opposite directions) and, contiguous therewith, a further tubular length of plainfabric (the expression plain being employed as the opposite of rib.) A further object is to provide means whereby the plain fabric may be patterned with equal facilityas in an ordinary plain'knitting machine. In this connection it may be explained that while it is possible to knit contiguous lengths of rib and plain fabric (e. g. a stocking or sOck having 'a ribbed top and a plain leg) on a circular machine of the opposed cylinder type the scope of such a machine, as regards patterning the plain fabric by yarn changes or reverse plating, is very restricted. One disadvantage is that at each yarn change the loose ends are exposed at the outside of the fabric, and another is that floating threads float at the outside of the fabric instead of at the inside.

The invention is based upon the fact that if one of the cylinders (preferably the topone) to apply to the other cylinder a more elaborate and effective arrangement of interchangeable yarn feeders, and therefore the invention pro- 25 is moved to an inoperative position it is possible vides a circular knitting machine of the kind. having opposed cylinders and double ended needles arranged to knit fabric upon needles of both cylinders, and having means for displacing one cylinder to an inoperative position and for knitting plain fabric upon the needles of the other cylinder. If however, one cylinder is to be moved alternately into and out of operative position, so

as to render the machine capable of knitting allternate lengths of rib and plain fabric, such movements must in practice be effected without upsetting the phase relationship between the movements of the needles in the two cylinders. In other words, not only must the needle tricks in the one cylinder be aligned, after such move ment, with the same tricks in the other cylinder ment, but particularly in the case of a rotating cam box machine the knitting cams of the two cylinders must be in the same relation, Otherwise the needles in one cylinder would be prowith which they were aligned before such move- ,iected and retracted in a knitting wave, by the knitting cams, at the wrong location with respect to the thread feeder and the knitting wave of the other cylinder. Therefore the inventionmay be regarded as being broadlyapplicable to a circular'knitting machine of the type comprising a needle bed, relatively movablecams, an instrumentbed for an arcuate series of instruments, instruments in said second bed for coopcrating with the needles, relatively movable cams forsaid instruments, and means for' effecting relative movement between the needle bed' and its cams and between the instrument bed and its cams. and for effecting an in phase movement of said needles and instruments in knitting. Such a machine is hereinafterreferred to in this specification and, in the appended claims as a circular knitting machine of the type specified, and as viewed frornone aspect this invention provides,

in a circular knitting machine of'the type specified, a mounting for the instrument bed and its cams upon which said bed is movable into and out of register with the, needlebed, and means for. maintaining said phase relation subsequent to such movement.

In such a machine (assuming for the'sakeof convenience in description that the needle bed is a cylinder), there must be a driving connection between the needle cylinder and the instrument bed in the case of a rotating cylinder machine,

or betweenthe cams for the needle cylinderfand the cams. for the instrument bed in the 'case of a rotating cam box machine (in an opposed cylinder machine,it is usual to rotate the cylindersand the connection inclu'des a vertical shaft geared to the two cylinders). According to a subsidiary feature of this invention the phase relationship is maintained by moving the instrument bed without breaking this driving connection, and

this is best effected by moving the instrument bed about a rotatable and/or oscillatable drive member included in said driving connection.

This movement about the drive member may be effected under the driving power of the machine by providing meansfor temporarily preventing or placing restraint upon relative movement between the instrument bed and its cams;

the reaction of the intertooth pressure (if driving gears are employed) then causes the said bed and its cams to swing bodily about the drive member, if they are free to move in this manner.

Advantageously the said means comprises a friction clutch or brake, and a releasable catch is provided to permit such bodily movement only at the desired time. 7

It will not, in general, be found practicable for the instrument bed and its cams to make .a complete revolution about the axis of the gear in moving from operative position and back to it again, but only an oscillating movement, over an arc of a circle. Therefore if the movement is eifected under power, it is desirable that the non-displaceable needle bed, or its cams as the case may be, shall be rotating in one direction during movement of the instrument bed and cams to inoperative position and in the reverse direction during the reverse movement to operative position. Suitable means may be incorporated in the machine for this purpose; more specifically power means may be provided for displacing the instrument bed and cams in one direction during rotational movement and In the reverse direction during reciprocatory movement.

According to an important subsidiary feature 5 of the invention as applied to an opposed cylinder machine, a battery of interchangeable yarn feeders is provided for the non-displaceabl'e cylinder, movable with the displaceable' cylinder into operative association with the first-said cylinder as the displaceable cylinder is moved to inoperative position and vice versa.

In order that the invention may be better understood a preferred embodiment thereof as applied to knitting machines of the opposed g5 cylinder kind will now be described in detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the top portion of said machine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of said machine, looking from the opposite side thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the needle cylinders, 7 showing the top cylinder swung out of' register with the bottom cylinder;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through said cylinders and the driving mechanism therefor,

taken approximately on the plane indicated by a the line 4--4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows, the cylinders however being shown in register;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the machine, with the cylinders out of register as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating certain of the timing mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 5;

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic perspective view of *1 the gearing for driving the cylinders;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional View of the change speed gearing employed;

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevational view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 8, as seen from the right of said figure; and

Fig. 10 is a plan View, on an enlarged scale, of certain of the gearing shown in Fig. 2.

The machine illustrated has two superimposed cylinders I0, I! equipped with sliders whereby I.

double ended needles may be operated from cam boxes associated with either cylinder to form rib or plain loops, and having selecting mechanism to determine which type of loop is drawn machines usually have rotating cylinders and this construction is preferably adopted in the present invention, although the said invention is equally applicable to rotating cam box machines. The stationary cam box I2 of the upper cylinder III is supported from an upper plate 5 ment is adopted. Its outer end is forked to reor flange I3 and the needle cylinder is rotatable inside it. For this purpose the said cylinder I0 is provided with a gear I4 meshing with a pinion I5 adjustable at the upper end of a vertical drive shaft I6, which at its lower end is geared to the bottom cylinder II and to the mechanism I4 and I5 for rotating and reciprocating it. In this manner the two cylinders are rotated and reciprocated in unison. Usually in such machines the top plate is supported upon two diametrically opposed upright pillars. According to the present invention, however, the said plate is not supported directly from these pillars, but rests upon a support ring H which is secured to pillars I8, I9 and I9 and is concentric with the gears of the vertical shaft I6, and the said cylinder I0 and cam box I2, and the feed plate 20' associated therewith, are movable upon the support ring I'I substantially about the axis of the said. shaft I6. The purpose of this arrangement is to permit the upper cylinder and cam box to be swung'laterally to an inoperative position (Fig. 3) after for example the ribbed top of a stocking or the like has been knitted on needles of both cylinders, to expose the bottom cylinder (which is preferably equipped with outside sinkers 2| as in a plain circular machine) and to permit the said bottom cylinder to continue knitting plain fabric such for example as the leg and foot of the stocking or the like.

0 Conventional means indicated at 22 are provided, controlled from the camv drum or chain of the machine, for moving into the bottom cylinder all the needles required for plain work preparatory to displacing the upper cylinder, and at 23 for lowering the sliders of the upper cylinder toan inoperative track. The rocker for operating said means 23 is shown at 23 in Figs. 2 and 3.

Because the top cylinder moves about the axis of the vertical drive shaft I6 its gear I4 is always in meshwith the pinion I5 on the said shaft and the phase relation between the two cylinders Ill, II, is maintained. While this shifting movement may be effected by hand, means may be provided according to this invention for effecting it by power. The said means conveniently comprises mechanism for placing a resilient or frictional restraint upon the rotation of the upper cylinder within its cam box. Secured to the top of the upper cylinder I0 there is a hollow projecting sleeve 24 having rotatabiy mounted thereon members 25 and 25. The member 26 is formed with two diametrically opposed projections 28 received in arcuate slots 27 in a member 21 which is secured to the sleeve 24, each projection 28 being received within the appropriate slot between two compression springs 29 and 30. The periphery of the member 26 is formed at one point with a recess or slot 33, and there is a key or tongue 3I slidably mounted on the member 25 and biassed towards the member by the spring 32. The end of the member 25 is forked at 25I to receive the upper end of the driving shaft I6. Hence, when the tongue 3| is engaged in the slot 5 33 of member 26 a temporary restraint is placed on the rotation of the upper cylinder and the latter is caused to swing. Any shock caused by the engagement of the tongue is taken up by the compression springs, and when the upper cylinder reaches its appointed position and is brought to rest by resilient stops 58 and 59, any delay in withdrawing the tongue merely serves to compress the springs further.

For moving the key 3| the following arrangeceive a flat cam member '34 which is mounted upon a compression spring 35 in the top of the drive shaft l6 and co-operates with'a pin '35 transfixing the forked end of the key. Hence-- when said cam 34 is depressed by means ofa rocker 36 and push rod 31 from the drum 189 of the machine the key 3| is drawn outwards andis disengaged from member'26, and'when said cam 34 is permitted to rise the key moves inwards towards said member 26. Additionally-a locking plunger 40, secured to a rocker 4|,"i's provided for locking the cylinder in either of its two extreme positions. Such plunger is'operated at the appropriate times from the drum I89 of the ma-' chine, by means of push rod M when the top cylinder is in its operative position and by-mea'ns of rocker MI and push rod I41 when the top. cylinder is in itsdisplaced'position. 1 I

The top plate i3 may be pivoted upon the'vertical drive shaft Hi. This, however, introduces difliculties when-it is desired to adjust themesh of the drive gears l4 and i5. In'the construction illustrated the drive shaft is housed within -'a ver-' tical standard I40 having at its upper' end a journal It! upon whichthe top plate l3 takes a pivotal bearing. The upper'end of the standard is bored concentrically with thejournal M1 and accommodates a bush I G2 which bush'forms a bearing for the drive shaft. The said bush is, however, a clearance fit in its bore in the standard. It has a flange 142 provided with two diametrically opposed slots I43 through which's et screws I44 extend into'the material of the standard. Hence by slackng off the set screws, the bush M2 may be moved in'the standard, and the upper end of the drive shaft may be'caused to approach or recede from the upper cylinder to adjust'the mesh of the gear teeth without anyvariation in the distance between the axis of the cylinder and the axis about which the latter is' displacing. The virtue of this arrangement is thatirr'e'spective of the drive shaft adjustment the cylinders will always register themselves accuratelyand the tricks will always be in alignment when the top cylinder is in the operative position. The adjustment may be governed by screw [45.

A similar adjustment may be provided for the gears of the drive shaft and the'bottom cylinder as illustrated in Fig. 4. 1

As is usual in opposed cylinder machines a feeder plate 20 is provided atta'chedto the cam box l2 of the top cylinder, and the arrangement according to this invention is such that movement to the inoperative position carries this feeder plate away from the bottom cylinder ll.

Movement of the top cylinder such that the feeder plate would pass across the bottom cylinder is impracticable, for in such movement the feeder plate would foul the needles of the bottom cylinder. Y

Viewed in plan the rotation of the cylinders is anti-clockwise, but the movement of the top cylinder to inoperative position is anti-clockwise also. Therefore while it is possible to move the top cylinder into the operative position during rotational movement it is not possible to move it to inoperative position during rotational movement. For this purpose the clutch aforesaid and the release mechanism are so timed from the drum or other control of the machine that the cylinder is moved to the inoperative position during the clockwise swing of the bottom cylinder as in reciprocating knitting. Actually, knitting is suspended while the top cylinder is being moved. Assuming that the product, such as a rib top stocking, is knitted from the top downwards, the top cylinder is moved into register after the finish of the toe of the preceding article and at the commencement of the rib top. It is moved to the inoperative position at the termination of the 1 x 1 orother ribbed top andafter the rib needles have been transferred down from the top cylinder to the bottom and after all the needles have been taken down to an idle track in the bottom cylinder.

Preparatory to moving the top cylinder to inoperative position the needles in the bottom cylinder that are required for plain knitting are retracted to a low track and hold their loops. The thread running throughthe feeder-plate 20 to the last-formed loop on said needles is carried round by rotation of the bottom cylinder and is swept into a trapper and cutter contained in the interior of the top cylinder (and indicated at 42). As the feeder plate is thus rendered inoperative upon displacement of the top cylinder it is necessary to provide at least one other feeder for plain knitting. According to a feature of this invention a battery l3'of interchangeable feeders is provided. These feeders are pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis attached to a support 45 which is swung into the operative position when the top cylinder isswung to the inoperathe top cylinder 10. A stop 48 is provided for operating each with a row of pins or studs in a pin drum 50 or its equivalent, the said pin drum being 'rackedby suitable mechanism at the appropriate intervals to raise and lower the feeders selectively into and out of operation to pattern the plain fabric produced on the bottom cylinder. According to an important subsidiary feature of this invention the feeders are so arranged that when in the raised non-feeding position their yarn-guiding eyes lie to the inside of the needle circle, and in downward movement to the feeding position the eyes swing outwards across the needle circle. Thus in making intricate patterns by yarn changes, the floating threads extend at the inner 'face of the fabric, as'in a plain knitting machine, and loose ends (produced if the yarn is trapped and out) are exposed at the inside and not at the outside. Trappin'g and cutting mechanism 5! is mounted on' the latch guard ring 45. 9

While it is possible so to arrange the pin levers 49 that they do not obstructthe movement of the top'cylinder into and outof operative position the arrangement of the feeders and their movement en ,masse into operative association with the levers is facilitated if the ends of said pin levers that engage thefeeders. project upwards to a level some little distanceiabovethe sinker ring. In this'position the said .pin levers do obstruct the movement of the top cylinderandtherefore means indicated at52 are provided, operated at the appropriate times from the drum of the machine, for pulling all the pin levers down when it is desired to move the top cylinder (such movement of the levers lifting their pin-engaging ends away from the pin drum) In superimposed cylinder machines the vertical drive shaft usually rotates at twice the speed of the cylinders. For the purposes of this invention the gearing is such that the drive shaft [6 rotates 1 times the speed of the cylinders so that the angular speed of movement of the top cylinder to and from the inoperative position is 1 times the angular speed of the bottom cylinder about its own axis. Even so, at the ordinary knitting speed which is conveniently in the order of 180 R. P. M, this movement is more rapid than is desirable and therefore means are provided for effecting a reduction of the driving speed for moving the top cylinder, and the appropriate speed changes are controlled by the control mechanism of the machine.

In the preferred construction evolved for this purpose the main shaft 60, which carries a bevel gear 68' driving the bottom cylinder, is driven through equal gears 81, 88, see Figs. 7 and 10, from a lay shaft 6|, and on this lay shaft there is an epicyclic change-speed gear (Fig. 8). This lay shaft 6! carries a sleeve 62 freely rotatable thereon and formed with a sun wheel 63 at one end; at the other end of the sleeve there is a small pinion 64. Also rotatable upon this sleeve there is a belt pulley 65, having a set of dogs 66 by which it may be connected to the sleeve 62 by the sliding member 61 of a dog clutch, the said member being keyed to the sleeve and movable by hand lever IG'I. It is to this belt pulley that the drive from the electric motor or the like employed to drive the machine is appliedand according to the position of, the clutch member 61 the pulley 65 rotates idly or is dogged to the sleeve.

Freely rotatable upon the lay shaft Bl there. is

a disc 68 carrying a stub or. journal'69 upon which is mounted a planet pinion l meshing with the sun wheel 63 and, fixed to the planet pinion, a smaller planet gear H. meshes with a sun wheel 12 keyed to the lay shaft 6|. At the remote side of the disc from the gears just mentioned there is a ratchet wheel 13, also keyed to the lay shaft 6|, while upon the latter there is a sliding bluff M which blufi consists of a drum having a portion of its periphery cut away so that, according to its axial position on the lay shaft, it either covers or uncovers the ratchet teeth and either permits a pawl 15 on the disc to engage therewith or prevents it from engaging. Looking upon the right hand end of the lay shaft in Fig. the direction of rotation of the belt pulley B5 is clockwise as indicated by the arrow and the pawl points in an anti-clockwise direction. Additionally the periphery of the disc is provided with a projection 16 with which a catch 11, see Fig. 2, is adapted to be engaged to prevent rotation of the disc in a clockwise direction.

Except when the machine is idle or is being turned by hand, the belt pulley 65 is dogged to the sleeve 62. For direct drive employed in rotational knitting and desirably giving a cylinder speed of 180 R. P. M. the pawl is permitted to engage with the ratchet 13. Hence the epicyclic gear rotates as a solid unit. For reciprocatory knitting as in the production of the heel and toe pouches, and for transferring selected double-ended needles from one cylinder to the This latter other to change the structure of the fabric during rotational knitting, a lower speed is required desirably approximately half. This lower speed is obtained by blufling the pawl 15, and restraining the disc from rotation by means of the catch. For swinging the top cylinder a still lower speed is required and this is obtained by releasing the disc; the epicyclic gear is therefore rendered inoperative and the belt pulley 65 drives the small pinion, 64. This pinion 64 is connected by an idler toa large pinion 19 on shaft 88 below the lay shaft, and this shaft is in turn connected by a pinion to the large gear 8| that carries the crank 82 for oscillating the quadrant 83. The said gear 8| also meshes with the gear 84 on the lay shaft 6|. The quadrant 83 meshes with the pinion 85 freely rotatable upon the main shaft 80. Upon this main shaft there is a dog clutch 86 by which either the pinion 85 or the gear 8'! previously mentioned (by which the main shaft 60 is arranged to be driven from the lay shaft 6i) may be dogged to the main shaft according to whether rotation or reciprocation is required. This dog clutch is moved by means of a lever 88' and a cam track on the drum 89.

It is an important feature of the invention that the large gear 19 is provided with a free wheel device. This'is because when the knitting speed is reduced for transferring or reciprocatory knitting the shaft 80 on which the large gear is mounted tends to rotate in the same direction as said gear but at a. higher speed.

The sliding bluff l4 and the catch 11 are operated by control surfaces mounted on a disc 90 at the end of the drum shaft 9|. Two series of control surfaces are provided, an inner series and an outer series, the outer series consists of three projections 92 protruding from the face of the disc and arranged to engage a pin 93 at the end of a lever 94 and to rock that lever about a vertical axis. This lever engages with the bluff M and therefore slides it along the lay shaft iii. The inner series consists of two projections 95 adapted to engage a pin 96 at the end of another lever 91 and to rock that lever about a horizontal axis; this lever is integral with the catch 11 and therefore moves it to hold the disc 58 or to free it. Additionally, upon the first lever 94 there is a ramp 94 so arranged that when that lever 94 is moved by one of the projections of the outer series it depresses the end of the other lever 91, the arrangement being such that whenever the bluff 14 is moved to permit the pawl 15 to engage the ratchet wheel 13 the catch 11 is moved to free the disc. The arrangement is also such that throughout the major portion of the period during which the ratchet wheel is bluifed the catch 11 is engaged with the disc 68 but is released at appropriate intervals by the projections of the second series.

The movements imparted to these levers by the projections on the disc are of course co-related with the movements imparted to the dog clutch 86 upon the main shaft 60 because while the lowest speed is necessary during rotational knitting to move the top cylinder into operative position it is also necessary during oscillation of the bottom cylinder to move the top cylinder to the inoperative position. The disc 90, which is fixed to the drum shaft 9|, is provided with ratchet teeth I02 and is racked by means of the pawl I82. This pawl comprises a part that is slidable in a member I03 pivoted about the axis of the crank 82. Securedto said crank 82 and to the gear 8| there is a cam I04 which propels ease-92v the pawl I02 in the member I03 so that the pawl pushes the ratchet disc. 90 round instead of hooking it round, the inner end of the pawl being biassed into engagement with the cams I04 by a spring I04. The racking of the disc is controlled by a bell-crank-lever IOI co-operating with the chain I00, which chain is mounted on a sprocket I05 at the outer end of the drum shaft 9| where it is readily accessible. The drum itself is racked by a pawl I06 connected to the quadrant shaft and co-operating with a drum ratchet I01. The chain is racked by a like pawl which co-operates with a chain ratchet I09. Alongside said chain ratchet I09 there is a buffing disc IIO for ensuring that the chain is not racked'at every motion on the pawl I08.

The machine is provided with a trap door I3I (Fig. 1) in the cam box through which the sliders may be inspected or withdrawn. This trap door is diametrically opposite the knitting point. A handle I32 is also provided so that the machine may be turned over by hand. In previous machines this handle has been placed at the right hand side; for example, the outer 'end of one of the shafts shown in Fig. 2. Such a location renders it impossible for the operator while turning the handle, to see both the knitting point and the inspection trap for the purposes of examination while the machine is being turned over manually. In the present machine the handle I32 is located at the front of the machine (Fig. 5) so that while it is being used the operator may inspect with the utmost facility either the trap or the knitting point. The said handle is secured to the front end of the horizontal shaft I33 which is geared by bevel gearing I34 and I35 to the shaft 00, which shafthas a constant direction of rotation. In order that the handle shall not rotate while the machine is being driven by power a free wheel device indicated at I38 is included in the bevel gear,l.35.

I claim:

1. In a knitting machine having a needle bed and needles therein; relatively movable cams for actuating said needles, aninstrument bedprovided with instruments arranged for cooperation with the needles, relatively movable means for operating said instruments, and driving means for effecting relative movement between the needle bed and its cams and between the instrument bed and the instrument-moving means, wherein the instrument bed is displaceable into and out of operative association with the needle bed under power applied through said driving means, means for placing a restraint upon the relative movement between said instrument bed and the instrument-moving means, for effecting said displacement.

2. In the combination claimed in claim 1, tw relatively movable members one of which partakes of the relative movement between said instrument bed and instrument-moving means, spring-means interposed between said members, and means for restraining said other member from moving with the first and forthereby stressing said spring means.

3. In a circular knitting machine having two needle beds, cams therefor, and means foreffecting relative movement between each needle bed and its cams in knitting, and wherein one needle bed is movable under power into and out of register with the other, the combination of means for placing a temporary restraint upon the relative movement of said displaceable bed and able locating means for locating the displaceable .bed in its displaced position, and timing mechanism for terminating said restraint when the locating means is brought into operation and for releasing said locating means when the restraint is applied.

4. In a circula'r'knitting machine of the type comprising ,a needle bed provided with needles, actuating cams for said needles, an instrument bed, having an arcuate series of instruments arranged for cooperation with said needles, actuating cams for said instruments, and means for effecting relative movement between the needle bed andits cams and between the instrument bed and its cams to produce cooperating movements of said needles and instruments; a mounting for the instrument bed and its cams upon which said bed is, movable into and out of register with the needle bed; driving connections for effecting the aforesaid relative movements, which driving connections are unbroken during displacement of the instrument bed; at least one thread feeder for feeding thread to the needles of the needle bed when the instrument bed is in its displacedposition, which feeder has a feeding eye; and means for moving said feeder between a feeding position in Which said eye lies at one side of the needles and a non-feeding position in which said eye lies at the other side of said needles.

5. In a circular knitting machine of the type comprising a needle bed provided with needles, actuating cams for said needles, an instrument bed having an arcuate series of instruments arranged for cooperation with said needles, actuating cams for said instruments, and means for eifecting relative movement between the needle bed and its cams and between the instrument bed and its cams to produce cooperating movements of said needles and instruments; driving connections for effecting the aforesaid relative movements, which connections include a drive membeer for making movements of at least partial rotation; a mounting for said instrument bed on which the latter is displaceable into and out of register with the needle bed about the drive member; a latch guard for the needles, means for moving said latch guard to operative position as the instrument bed is displaced out of regisits cams, thereby to efiect displacement, rel'easter and for, moving it to an inoperative'position as said bed is moved into register; and means for feeding yarn to the needles when said instrument bed is out of register, said machine being arranged to knit both when the instrument bed is in register and while it is out of register.

6. A machine according to claim 4, wherein'the driving connections include means for displacing the instrument bed. r

7. In a circular knitting machine having a needle bed provided with needles, relatively movable needle-operating cams therefor, an instrument bed provided with an arcuate series of instruments, relatively movable instrument operating cams, a mounting for the instrument bed and its cams on which said bed is movable out of and into operative association with the needle bed; thread-feeding means arranged to feed thread to the needles of the needle bed when said-instrument bed is in its operative position and when it is displaced; means for producing relative movement between the needle bed and its cams in knitting when the instrument bed is in its operative position and also when it is displaced; means for producing relative movement between the instrument bed and its cams when said bed is in its operative position and for thereby effecting. co-cperating movements, in timed relation, between the needles and instruments, and means for placing a temporary restraint upon relative movement between the instrument bed and its cams and for thereby effecting said displacement of the instrument bed.

8. In a circular knitting machine according to claim 4, means for driving at a lesser speed when moving the instrument bed than when knitting.

9. In a rib knitting machine of the type comprising a pair of alined needle beds each provided with a series of needles, cams for actuating each series of needles, and means for effecting relative movement between said needle bed and their cams to produce co-operating movements between the two series of needles, the combination of means for displacing one needle bed but of register with the other; means for then knitting plain fabric on the needles of said other bed; and a battery of interchangeable yarn feeders for said other bed.

10. In a circular knitting machine of the type comprising a pair of normally alined needle beds each provided with a series of needles, actuating cams for each series of needles, and means for effecting relative movement between each needle bed and its cams to produce co-operating movements between the two series of needles, the combination of means for displacing one needle bed register; and means for making selections from 1 among said feeders of the battery when the latter is in said operative association.

11. In a rib knitting machine of the type comprising a pair of normally superposed needle beds each provided with a series of needles, actuating cams for each needle series, and means'for effecting relative movement between each nee'dle bed and its cams to produce cooperating move ments of said needles; the combination'means for displacing one needle bed out of register with the other; means for feeding a plurality of'yar-ns to the needles of said other bed; means for operating said needles to knit non-rib fabric while said one bed is out of register; and means for patterning said fabric while being produced.

12. In a circular knitting machine, a needle bed provided with a series of needles; a" second needle bed also provided with a series of needles, and mounted for movement into and out of register with said first bed; actuating cams for each series of needles; means for effecting relative movement between each needle bed and its cams to produce co-operating movements of the needles of the two series when said beds are in register; a feeder having a thread guide, arranged to feed thread to the needles of said first bed; a displaceable mounting for said feeder, arranged to move it between a position away from said first needle bed and a position in which it is in operative association with said first bed when said second bed is out of register; and means for moving said feeder, when in said operative a.- sociation, to carry its guide from a non-feeding position at the back of, to a feeding position at the front of, the needles of said first bed.

13. A circular knitting machine according to claim 10, having trapping and cutting mechanism displaoeable with the second needle bed, and other trapping and cutting mechanism displaceable with the battery of feeders.

14. In an opposed cylinder circular knitting machine having two opposed needle cylinders provided with needles, cams for operating said needles, and a drive member establishing a driving connection for effecting relative movements between the cylinders and their cams, wherein one cylinder is capable of displacement into and outof register with the other cylinder about said drive member while maintaining the driving connection unbroken, said machine being arranged to knit fabric upon the needles of said other cylinder while the first is displaced, the combination. of .a battery of interchangeable feeders for the needles of the non-displaceable cylinder; means for moving said feeders into operative association with said non-displaceable cylinder as the first cylinder is displaced out of register, and vice versa; means for effecting selections from among said feeders when in said association; trapping and cutting mechanism for said feeders; external sinkers for the needles of the non-displaceable cylinder; a mounting for said sinkers; and means for operating them.

15 In an opposed cylinder circular knitting machine having two opposed nedle cylinders provided with needles, cams for operating said needles, and a drive member establishing a driving connection for effecting relative movements between the cylinders and their cams, wherein one cylinder is capable of displacement into and out of register with the other about said drive member while maintaining the driving connection unbroken, which machine is organized to knit fabric upon the needles of said other cylinder while the first is displaced, the combination of a battery of interchangeable feeders for the needles of theno'n-displaceable cylinder; means for moving said feeders into operative association with said non-displaceable cylinder as the first cylinder is displaced out of register, and vice versa; means for effecting selections from among said feeders when in said association; trapping and cutting mechanism for said feeders; and means for movingthe drive member at a less speed in displacing the cylinder than in knitting.

16 In a machine according to claim 15, capable of knitting by rotation and by reciprocation and wherein the first-said cylinder is displaceable under power applied by said drive member and the cylinders are equipped with double ended needles transferable between the cylinders when the latter are in register, means for displacing the first cylinder in one direction during rotation of the non-displaceable cylinder and for moving it in the reverse direction during reciprocation of the non-displaceable cylinder.

17. In a circular knitting machine of the kind having opposed needle cylinders and double ended needles therein and arranged to knit fabric upon needles of bothcylinders, the combination with a mounting for one cylinder upon which said cylinder is displaceable out of register with the other, of means for knitting plain or'fnonrib fabric upon the needles of the other cylinder while said one cylinder is out of register-therewith.

A. V. CLARKE.

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