Textiles: knitting – Independent-needle machines – Circular
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-31
2001-03-13
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3741)
Textiles: knitting
Independent-needle machines
Circular
C066S017000, C066S148000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199409
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the knitting of fabrics and more particularly to a knitting machine for and method of knitting high density fabrics.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The knitting of fabrics on two needle beds is well known for the formation of fashioned knit products. In such knitting, it is common to transfer stitch loops from the needles of one of the needle beds to needles of the other needle bed to form a predetermined knit pattern.
When such knitting is performed on a circular knitting machine, commonly referred to as a double-knit circular knitting machine, the transfer may be from dial needles on the dial needle bed to cylinder needles on the needle cylinder and vice-versa. Because of the transfer pockets on such transfer needles, and the concomitant thickness of such needles, the needle grooves in such dial and cylinder are commonly of a gauge of 14 or smaller (the smaller the gauge number, the wider the needle groove), with a gauge of 18 being currently considered to be the limit. This constraint is dictated by the requisite strength and durability of the transfer needles, i.e. a finer gauge needle would not possess these requisite characteristics for practical, commercial use. Heretofore, because of the constraint on the gauge of the transfer needles and the needle grooves in the dial and cylinder needle beds,. it has been difficult and impractical to knit high density fabrics, especially thin, light-weight, high density fabric.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine for and method of knitting high density fabrics, including thin, lightweight, high density fabrics, without the difficulties and disadvantages heretofore encountered.
This object of the present invention is accomplished by providing a circular knitting machine having a cylinder and a dial, i.e. a double-knit circular knitting machine, in which one of the two needle beds has transfer needles therein and the other has ordinary needles with no transfer function arranged in a density twice the density of the needle bed having the transfer needles therein. In a preferred embodiment, the needle bed having the transfer needles therein is the dial and there is a swing mechanism for transferring stitch loops, one after another, from the dial transfer needles to the cylinder needles.
The method of the present invention includes providing the above-described arrangement of transfer needles in one needle bed and double-density ordinary needles in the other needle bed and operating the knitting machine to prepare for stitch loop transfer by raising selected ordinary needles in the second needle bed to the tuck position and opening the latches thereon; transferring stitch loops from corresponding transfer needles in the first needle bed to the selected ordinary needles in the second needle bed; and knitting high density knit fabric using the needles in the two needle beds in accordance with any one of a number of predetermined patterns.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4028910 (1977-06-01), Wignall et al.
patent: 5727400 (1998-03-01), Lonati et al.
patent: 5761931 (1998-06-01), Liberman et al.
patent: 5924310 (1999-07-01), Conti
patent: 6040668 (2000-03-01), Huynh et al.
Alston & Bird LLP
Precision Fukuhara Works, Ltd.
Worrell Danny
LandOfFree
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