Textiles: knitting – Needles – Shanks
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-23
2001-10-09
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3741)
Textiles: knitting
Needles
Shanks
C066S116000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298692
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to knitting machines and more particularly to knitting instrumentalities for such knitting machines, in particular circular knitting machines and method of forming such knitting instrumentalities.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Knitting machines, and in particular circular knitting machines, employ knitting instrumentalities to produce the knitted fabric. In a circular knitting machine, a rotating needle cylinder has a multiplicity of vertical grooves in the outer periphery formed by insert pieces which are stationary or fixed. These vertical grooves receive latch needles, intermediate jacks, patterning jacks and possibly other movable knitting instrumentalities for high speed reciprocation. A lubricating oil is sprayed in mist form onto these knitting instrumentalities to ensure smooth and uninterrupted reciprocation.
However, as knitting speed increases, these knitting instrumentalities tend to adhere to the insert pieces causing the lubricating oil to be expelled from the grooves and the movable knitting instrumentalities to move sluggishly. An abnormal load is applied to the knitting instrumentalities, particularly the butts of the latch needles and, if the condition persists, such abnormal loads frequently result in breakage of the knitting instrumentalities. Such breakage may cause a chain reaction of breakage of other knitting instrumentalities or peripheral parts of the knitting machine.
Attempts have been made to solve this problem with some success, but at substantially increased manufacturing costs because of the complicated processes required to produce the knitting instrumentalities. One example of such movable knitting instrumentalities is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.560-127387 (1985). Such knitting instrumentalities are provided with cutouts on opposite side faces with the cutouts on one face being positioned alternately with the cutouts on the other face. Another example is found in Japanese Utility Model Publication H-43419 (1989) in which the movable knitting instrumentalities are provided with projections on their side faces and bottoms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide knitting instrumentalities which are easy and less expensive to manufacture in large quantities while maintaining stable quality and which obviate the deficiencies and disadvantages of prior knitting instrumentalities.
This object of the present invention is accomplished by providing knitting instrumentalities that may be manufactured by stamping such instrumentalities from sheet metal in which a fine concave-and convex pattern has been formed to reduce the frictional forces on such knitting instrumentalities and substantially eliminate the tendency thereof to adhere to the insert pieces. In accordance with the present invention, such knitting instrumentalities include both movable and fixed elements capable of being formed by a metal stamping operation and which have surfaces rubbing against other surfaces. Examples of such movable elements are latch needles, intermediate jacks, patterning jacks, etc. and of such fixed elements are insert pieces, etc. Further, examples of such fine concave-and-convex patterns include multiple spaced-apart indentations on at least one surface of the knitting instrumentalities; several continuously formed indentations in at least one surface thereof; an undulating or sinuous shape for at least a portion of the length of the instrumentality; and a cross-sectional shape having thick and thin portions.
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Kawase Yuji
Koyama Isao
Kuroda Kazuaki
Alston & Bird LLP
Fukuhara Needle Co., Ltd.
Worrell Danny
LandOfFree
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