Textiles: knitting – Independent-needle machines – Straight
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-20
2004-02-10
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3765)
Textiles: knitting
Independent-needle machines
Straight
C066S148000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06688140
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a flat knitting machine with transfer mechanism comprising a transfer jack bed (hereinafter it is referred to as “TRJ bed”) in which a number of transfer jacks (hereinafter they are referred to as “TRJ”), each having a loop retaining portion at a front end thereof, are arranged in series and which is arranged over needle beds, and a transfer cam mechanism for transferring the loop between the TRJ of the TRJ bed and the knitting needles of the needle beds, and to a transfer method.
BACKGROUND ART
There exists a flat knitting machine comprising a pair of front and back needle beds holding knitting needles in such a manner as to be advanced and retracted in needle grooves formed on upper surfaces of the needle beds, at least one of which is racked horizontally with respect to the other needle bed, and a TRJ bed located over the at least one needle bed and holding TRJ in such a manner as to freely advance and retract in the grooves formed on an upper surface thereof. This type of flat knitting machine has the capability of transferring a loop between knitting needles of the front and back needle beds as well as between a knitting needle and TRJ, as disclosed, for example, by Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 6(1994)-257039.
FIG. 5
illustrates the motions of the knitting needle and TRJ at each stage of transferring a loop from TRJ to a knitting needle. In this figure,
101
denotes the knitting needle,
103
denotes the TRJ, and
105
denotes the loop.
FIG. 5A
illustrates the state immediately prior to the course knitting, in which the TRJ
103
, after having received the loop
105
from the knitting needle
101
, is advanced to a position over a needle bed gap. In this advanced position of the TRJ, the loop
105
retained on a loop retaining portion
103
a
formed at a front end portion of the TRJ is allowed to be transferred from the JRJ to the knitting needle.
In
FIG. 5B
, the knitting needle
101
of the front needle bed is advanced and inserted into the loop
105
retained on the loop retaining portion
103
a
of the TRJ
103
, to receive the loop
105
. Then, as shown in FIG.
5
C and
FIG. 5D
, the TRJ
103
is retracted from the advanced position, to release the loop
105
from the TRJ
103
and put the loop
105
on the knitting needle
101
.
FIG. 5E
shows the state in which the transfer of the loop
105
is completed as a result of the knitting needle
101
being retracted and thereby the loop
105
being captured by a needle hook
101
a
of the knitting needle
101
.
In some cases, when the TRJ
103
retracts from the state shown in FIG.
5
C and
FIG. 5D
, the loop
105
is sometimes slid closer to the retracting TRJ
103
, so that when the knitting needle
101
is retracted in the condition shown in
FIG. 5E
, the needle hook
101
a
sometimes fails to capture the loop
105
to produce a drop stitch
105
a
. There are some probable factors for the drop stitch. For example, in the case where the TRJ has some shape to hinder the loop
105
from being released smoothly from the loop retaining portion
103
a
, the loop
105
is easily slid closer to the TRJ when retracted. Particularly in the case where a knitting yarn of low stretch is used to knit a fabric, once the loop
103
is slid closer to the TRJ
103
, the loop
105
is kept in such a deformed shape without retuning in its original shape even after the TRJ is pulled therefrom and, as a result of this, the drop stitch is produced.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To solve the drawbacks mentioned above, the present invention provides a flat knitting machine with a loop transfer mechanism comprising a pair of front and back needle beds, on which knitting needles, each comprising a needle body having a needle hook at a front end thereof and a slider movable relative to the needle body to close the needle hook, are held in such a manner as to freely advance and retract, and at least one of which is racked laterally with respect to the other needle bed, and a TRJ bed, provided over the at least one needle bed and holding TRJ in such a manner as to freely advance and retract, the flat knitting machine with the loop transfer mechanism further comprising: a needle body control portion for controlling the needle body in such a manner that when a loop retained on the TRJ is transferred to the knitting needle of a lower needle bed, the needle body can be advanced to insert the needle hook of the knitting needle into the loop held on the loop retaining portion of the TRJ; a TRJ control portion for controlling the TRJ to move forward so that the loop retained on the loop retaining portion of the TRJ can be pushed to be placed in an advancing and retracting track of the needle hook of the knitting needle; and a slider control portion for controlling the slider to move forward so that the needle hook can be closed by the slider to capture and keep in the needle hook the loop retained on the loop retaining portion of the TRJ pushed by the TRJ control portion.
Also, the present invention provides a transfer method for transferring a loop from TRJ to a knitting needle by using a flat knitting machine with a loop transfer mechanism comprising a pair of front and back needle beds, on which knitting needles, each comprising a needle body having a needle hook at a front end thereof and a slider movable relative to the needle body to close the needle hook, are held in such a manner as to freely advance and retract, and at least one of which is racked laterally with respect to the other needle bed, and a TRJ bed, provided over the at least one needle bed, for holding TRJ in such a manner as to freely advance and retract, wherein when a loop is transferred from the TRJ to the knitting needle of a lower needle bed, the needle hook of the knitting needle is inserted into the loop; then the TRJ is moved forward so that the loop retained on the TRJ can be pushed to be placed in an advancing and retracting track of the needle hook of the knitting needle; and the slider is moved forward so that the needle hook can be closed by the slider to capture and keep the loop in the needle hook.
According to the present invention, when the loop retained on the TRJ is transferred to the knitting needle of the lower needle bed, the needle body of the knitting needle on the loop receiving side is moved forward so that it can run through the loop retained on the loop retaining portion of the TRJ. Sequentially, the TRJ is moved forward by the TRJ control portion so that the loop can be pushed to be placed in the advancing and retracting track of the needle hook. With the loop held in the advancing and retracting track of the needle hook, the slider is moved forward by the slider control portion so that the needle hook can be closed by the slider. As a result of this, even when the loop is slid closer to the TRJ when sequentially retracted for completion of the transfer of loop, since the loop is captured and kept in the closed needle hook, the loop is prevented from being slipped off from the needle hook when the needle is retracted sequentially. Thus, generation of the drop stitch is prevented.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5398527 (1995-03-01), Hirai et al.
patent: 5469717 (1995-11-01), Shibuta et al.
patent: 5992184 (1999-11-01), Shibuta
patent: 6079231 (2000-06-01), Shima
patent: 6109067 (2000-08-01), Shibuta
patent: 1236031 (1999-11-01), None
patent: 955402 (1999-11-01), None
patent: 959162 (1999-11-01), None
patent: 11-323703 (1999-11-01), None
patent: 2995464 (1999-12-01), None
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
Shima Seiki Mfg. Ltd.
Worrell Danny
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