Textiles: knitting – Independent-needle machines – Straight
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-21
2001-04-17
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3741)
Textiles: knitting
Independent-needle machines
Straight
C066S174000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216494
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for producing a knitted article with a spatial main knitted element and at least one spacial partial knitted element, on a flat knitted machine with at least two oppositely located needle beds, a needle bed racking (displacing) device and a loop suspending device.
It has been possible to connect flat partial knitted elements of any geometry on a flat knitting machine directly with one another. Spatial partial knitted elements which are knitted separately, such as for example the hand part and the thumb of a glove must be connected with one another by sewing or linking manually after removal of the parts from the knitting machine. These manual post-treatment steps are however time consuming and expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a knitted article which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated in a method of producing a knitted article, in which the main knitted article and at least one partial knitted article are produced parallel on the machine until the at least one partial knitted article is finished and the main knitted article reaches a point of coupling with at least one partial knitted article, and then the loops of the main knitted element and the loops of the at least one partial knitted element are connected with one another by a suspension-linking technique after the loops of the at least one partial knitted element are arranged by the needle bed displacement device on one needle bed opposite to the loops of the main knitted element on the other needle bed, with which they must be connected.
When the method is performed in accordance with the present invention, first of all it is possible to produce knitted articles which are composed of several, mutually connected spatial partial knitted elements, completely on a flat knitting machine. Manual post-treatment steps are required only for cleaning. Preferably, at least immediately before the connection, the at least one partial knitted element and the main knitted element are knitted with at most each second needle of one needle bed, and an empty needle of the other needle bed is located opposite to a knitting needle of the one needle bed. Then, sufficient empty needles are available for the loop suspension step.
Depending on the type of the knitted article to be produced, the main knitted element and the at least one partial knitted element can be connected with one another so that the main knitted element at the connecting point with the at least one partial knitted element has an opening in its outer surface, whose cross-sectional area corresponds in shape and size to the connecting cross-sectional area of the at least one partial knitting element. When the knitted article however must have at the connecting point a draping or a pattern-like protruberance, this can be achieved by a deviation of the cross-sectional area of the opening of the main knitted element in shape and size from the connecting cross-sectional area of the at least one partial knitted element.
The main knitted element and/or the at least one partial knitted element can be formed as single or double-layer knitted articles. The main knitted element and the at least one partial knitted element can be knitted both as open or as also close hollow bodies. In order to produce them, it is advantageous when the main knitted element and the at least one partial knitted element are knitted with separate thread guides.
Further advantages are obtained when the main knitted element and the at least one partial knitted element are knitted closely to one another on the flat knitting machine, since then the required displacement movements of the needle beds for connecting the partial knitted element to the main knitted element are minimized. With several partial knitted elements, those partial knitted elements which must first be connected with the main knitted element are formed closer to the main knitted element than those partial knitted elements which can be connected later. During displacement of the inwardly located partial knitted article in direction of the main knitted element, the outer partial knitted element can be moved also further to the main knitted element, so that later during its connection to the main knitted element only small needle bed displacement movements are needed.
For obtaining lowest possible knitting times, the main knitted element and the at least one partial knitted element are formed in the same sliding direction. Moreover, the main knitted element and the at least one knitted element can be formed with a knitting technique with shortest possible sliding block reverse times.
The at least one partial knitting element can be connected at any vertical and peripheral position to the main knitted element. If at least one partial knitted element must be connected at the point located at the edge of the main knitted element and extending over both needle bed planes, the main knitted element can be turned by advancing loop transfer, until the connecting point is located only in one needle bed plane before the at least one partial knitted element is connected.
The present invention also deals with a knitted article with is produced by the inventive method. The connection opening of the knitted article between the main knitted element and the at least one partial knitted element can have any shape and can be arranged at any angle to the knitting direction. Moreover, the at least one partial knitting element can form any angle with the outer surface of the main knitted element. The knitted article can be for example a glove with a knitted thumb or a technical knitted article.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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patent: 5444995 (1995-08-01), Benetton
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patent: 5987930 (1999-11-01), Nakai
patent: 6065311 (2000-05-01), Essig et al.
patent: 6085553 (2000-07-01), Schmidt et al.
patent: 1 277 782 (1972-06-01), None
patent: 2 183 264 (1987-06-01), None
Essig Horst
Vogt Oliver
H. Stoll GmbH & Co.
Striker Michael J.
Worrell Danny
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