Tubular knitted fabrics

Abstract

A closed fabric tube such as a blank for a stocking or similar hosiery article in which a first tubular portion of knitted fabric has a separate tubular portion of knitted fabric closed by constriction and joined to the first tubular portion of fabric by at least one connecting course of knitting. The separate second portion of fabric may be of welt like construction and constricted at the fold of the welt.

Parent Case Text

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 111,208 filed Feb. 1, 1971, (now abandoned) which was a division of application Ser. No. 776,943 filed Nov. 19, 1968, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,726.

Description

This invention is for improvements relating to tubular knitted fabric and is concerned with a knitted tube which has been closed whilst on the machine on which it is knitted, thereby avoiding the need for a subsequent closure operation.

The invention has for an object to provide a closed fabric tube in a case where the tube is first knitted and closure effected at the conclusion of the knitting of the tube.

The invention is of particular use in connection with stockings, socks and other articles of hosiery footwear and may conveniently be employed to form a toe closure at the conclusion of knitting of the foot part of the article.

The invention provides a closed knitted fabric tube comprising a portion of tubular knitted fabric and a separately knitted closure part of tubular knitted structure constricted inwardly at one part to a substantially complete closure and joined at an open part to an end of said portion of tubular fabric by a separate knitted course of joining loops. The tubular knitted closure part may be folded centrally of its length to double ply structure and constricted inwardly at the fold to form the closure (for example by a binding yarn or equivalent means contained in the fold of the two ply closure), the first and last portions of the closure part being joined to the end of said portion of tubular fabric by said course of joining loops which may form part of a knitted band of run resistant fabric.

In practising the invention a stocking may have at least the foot part formed by a knitted fabric tube provided with a separately knitted closure part as just referred to forming the toe end part of the foot.

Certain preferred procedures in forming the closed fabric tube will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic central cross-sectional elevation view of a needle cylinder and dial of a circular knitting machine illustrating the knitting procedure at one stage,

FIGS. 2 and 3 are corresponding views illustrating the knitting procedure at later stages,

FIG. 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic view in cross section of a portion of a knitted fabric tube provided with a closure part forming the toe end of a stocking foot, and

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the fabric in the area where opposite ends of a separately knit length of toe fabric are joined to the end of foot fabric by a joining course.

In the drawing the needle cylinder is shown at 10, the dial at 11, active needles at 12 slidable in tricks in the cylinder 10, lowered inactive needles at 12a, and welt hooks or other loop holding instruments (e.g. needles) at 13.

A stocking is knitted on the machine starting at the welt end, conveniently with a normal turned welt, and continuing through the panel or leg, the heel and the foot up to the toe end. Up to this point all of the needles are active and caused to operate in accordance with an orthodox procedure. Having knitted the final course of the foot and with the stocking indicated at 14 depending from this final course, all of the needles are made to knit anti-run loops to form a terminal band of run resistant fabric and then alternate needles are lowered and made to release their loops and then raised to an active level indicated at 12. The intermediate needles, which are the ones aligned with welt hooks (there being usually approximately half as many welt hooks as needles), are directed to a low inactive track and at this level are indicated at 12a and simply hold the stocking 14 by the remaining loops of the last non-run course.

A separate piece of fabric for the toe portion is now commenced on the empty alternate needles 12 and yarn from a feeder 16 is laid over the welt hooks 13 which are advanced above the low intermediate needles 12a. The sequence of knitting the initial make-up courses of the toe piece can follow known principles except that the intermediate needles 12a remain inoperative and holding the stocking as previously stated. After the make up, knitting is continued on only the alternate needles 12 with appropriate yarn changes to provide a portion of fabric 15, FIG. 1, of reduced density as compared with the fabric of the remainder of the stocking, having only half as many wales as the latter. The object of the reduced density is to minimise the bulk of the fabric at the zone to be constricted. Additionally, a variety of stitch reducing constructions may be employed to reduce still further the bulk of the fabric if desired. FIG. 1 illustrates this stage of the procedure.

Having completed the toe portion the alternate needles 12 are then directed to the low inoperative track at the levels of needles 12a (the stage illustrated in FIG. 2), whilst yarn 17 is furnished from a feeder 16 (which may be the same feeder as used for knitting the fabric 15) at the appropriate feed position to be wound around the fabric to bind it together so as to provide the constriction to close the toe portion as described in U.S. Pat. application of Harry Wignall et al., Ser. No. 769,840, filed Oct. 23, 1968 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,726. Suitable tension is maintained on the yarn so fed to ensure tight wrapping of the fabric to give proper closure. Alternatively closure may be effected by turning the cylinder 10 through upwards of 180.degree. and preferably 360.degree. relatively to the dial 11 at this stage, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,500.

The toe piece fabric 15 is now joined to the main fabric 14 of the foot by projecting the dial jacks above the low intermediate needles which have been holding the stocking and raising these needles to receive the loops from the dial jacks. The actual closing of the toe is performed by retracting the jacks as shown in FIG. 3 and knitting on all needles firstly a joining course and then a few additional courses to form a band of anti-ravel fabric, after which the stocking is released from the needles.

In an alternative procedure knitting of the welt, leg, heel and foot parts is carried out as above and then immediately before the stage illustrated in FIG. 1 on all needles are lowered to an inactive level and without knitting any anti-run fabric at this time alternate needles which are aligned with the welt hooks 13 are held down out of action whilst intervening needles are raised as at 12 into activity whilst still holding at low level the loops last formed on them. The retention of such loops at low level may be assisted by the use of sinkers having two throats and two draw platforms at different levels and staggered appropriately in the direction radially of the cylinder. Then the separate fabric 15 is commenced by make up courses formed on the active needles 12 with the aid of the welt hooks 13 which hold the start of the fresh fabric 15.

The situation at this stage which is like that illustrated in FIG. 1 is as follows. The stocking, completed except for the toe portion, is held at a low level on all needles. A separate piece of fabric 15 has been commenced on intermediate needles only at the normal level in conjunction with the welt hooks 13 which are projected over the low alternate needles. This separate piece of fabric 13 may be commenced in much the same way as a conventional inturned welt but using only the intermediate needles throughout the make-up and the subsequent knitting of the separate piece. As knitting proceeds the fabric will form a loop or fold between the dial hooks 13 and the needle circle 12, the said fabric being produced as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 above the fabric 14 of the stocking proper which is depending from the needles 12a. At the appropriate time the fold of fabric is constricted to form a closure of the tube midway between the hooks and the needles as already described.

Finally, the loops are transferred from the welt hook 13 back to the alternate needles 12a which are raised to receive them, and the loops which have been at low level are knitted in with the loops at a higher level on all of the needles. This action causes the separately knitted fabric toe portion 15 to be joined to the stocking 14 at all needle wales. Knitting then takes place on all needles in an anti-run sequence to enable the completed hose to be pressed off the needles.

In both procedures just described the toe closure fabric is knitted with only half the number of wales in the fabric knitted before the closure position thereby reducing the bulk of the fabric at the place of constriction. This bulk may be reduced still further by knitting with a suitably varied fabric structure (e.g. a tuck stitch or missed stitch structure) at or near the position of constriction, i.e. across the central part of the toe closure fabric, or by substituting at said central part a lighter yarn than that previously used.

The machine elements by which the welt like fabric providing an end closure to the fabric tube is formed are controlled by machine control means which is largely of orthodox type. The lowering of the needles when required, the movement into and out of action of the feeder 16 by which the constricting yarn is supplied, the projection and withdrawal of the welt dial hooks 13, and the actuation of other machine part movements are effected by instrumentalities brought into action in correctly timed sequence from a main control drum or other equivalent part which is caused to move in steps conveniently by impulses derived from patterning means (e.g. a chain with projections) which is itself moved step by step at regular or other appropriate intervals related to the working of the machine.

It will be evident that the procedure described above can be performed on a dial and cylinder knitting machine having needles instead of welt hooks in the dial, and also on an opposed needle cylinder type of machine in which case needles transferred to the top cylinder would operate as holding elements in place of the welt hooks.

FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically in cross section a portion of a fabric tube provided with a separately knitted closure part in accordance with the procedure herein described. The fabric and closure part are shown as a foot part and toe end part of a stocking or other article of knitted hosiery footwear and are indicated respectively at 14 and 15 as being the items bearing these reference numbers in the earlier Figures. It will be seen that the separately knitted closure part 15 is of tubular knitted structure which has been folded centrally of its length to double ply structure and constricted inwardly at one part, being the fold of the double ply structure, to form the closure by means of the wrapping yarn 17. This is coiled as indicated at 17a to constrict the fold to a substantially closed condition at the point 18. The closure part 15 is joined at its open ends to an end of the fabric portion 14 by a separate knitted course of joining loops along the line 19 serving to join the first and last portions of the closure part 15 to the end of the fabric part 14. The separate knitted course of joining loops along the line 19 forms part of a knitted band of anti-ravel fabric indicated at 20 serving to finish the knitted structure and permit it to be cast off the needles. When formed by the first method described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a small terminal band 21 of anti-ravel fabric is formed at the end of the fabric tube 14 adjacent to the join line 19. The band 21 is however not present when the alternative method of procedure is used.

FIG. 5 illustrates schematically the structure of the joined fabric parts produced by the first method herein described. It shows in developed view the fabric structure in eight wales indicated at W1 through W8 including fabric portions A, B, C and D and a joining course 30 of plain knitted loops indicated at 30a and 30b. Fabric portion A is a first piece of tubular knit fabric representing foot fabric being knitted in all wales and containing plain knitted courses A 10, A 11 and A 12 followed by the aforementioned terminal band of run resistant fabric comprising courses A 13 and A 14 of 1.times.1 cross tuck fabric (which may if needed be repeated in alternate sequence) providing a run resistant end part of fabric portion A. Alternate needle loops 31 in course A 14 at wales W1, W3, W5 and W7 have been dropped i.e. cast off, while at the remaining wales W2, W4, W6 and W8 course A 14 has tuck loops 32 which are combined with held needle loops 33 in course A 13. These loop combinations 32, 33 interloop with loops 30b of the joining course 30. Fabric portions B and C of a second separately knit piece of tubular knit fabric are both knitted only in alternate wales W1, W3, W5 and W7 and provide the opposite end portions of the doubled toe closure fabric of turned welt-like construction. Portion B has setting up courses B1, B2, B3 and B4 which in known manner form a starting selvedge and provide what may be termed dial point loops 34 (akin to sinker loops) in course B3 reaching across three wales and impaled by loops 30b of joining course 30. The courses B1 to B3 provide anchorage for a row of needle loops 35 in course B4, from which later course, courses B5 onwards extend in fabric portion B. Since the welt-like closure fabric is doubled, its other end portion C terminating in courses C38 to C40 has needle loops 36 which as seen in FIG. 5 extend oppositely to loops 35 and which form courses of plain fabric knitted in wales W1, W3, W5 and W7. The needle loops 36 in course C40 are interlooped with loops 30a of joining course 30 which, having a loop in every wale, connects together fabric portions A, B and C because the loops 30a penetrate loops 36 in the final course C40 of fabric portion C, whilst the loops 30b penetrate both the combined tuck and held loops 32, 33 in cources A 14 and A 13 of fabric portion A and the dial point loops 34 in course B3 of fabric portion B. The fabric portion D constitutes the aforesaid band of anti ravel fabric knitted to follow and extend as a continuation from the joining course 30 and includes a starter course D1 of plain loops and following courses D2, D3 and 1.times.1 cross tuck fabric. The last two courses may be repeated in alternating sequence as often as desired.

It will thus be seen that loops of the joining course 30 interloop with (1) needle loops 32, 33 of the terminal course of the first piece of fabric A, (2) with dial point-loops 34 of the selvedge end portion B of the second separately knit piece of fabric, (3) with needle loops in the final course C40 of the other end portion C of the second piece of fabric and (4) with loops of the first course of the band of anti-ravel fabric D. As applied to hosiery, the first piece of fabric provides a single ply foot portion while the second separately knit piece of fabric comprising fabric portions B and C provides a two ply toe portion. The construction in accordance with the invention makes it possible to knit a stocking in the direction of top to toe without the problem of the toe portion being constricted around a portion of foot fabric when closing the toe.

The structure of the joined fabric parts produced in practicing the alternative method herein described differs from that shown in FIG. 5 by having in fabric portion A plain knitted loops instead of tuck fabric in its final courses which replace courses A 13 and A 14, and by having normal plain knitted loops of the last-knitted one of such replacing courses interlooped with the loops 30a and 30b of joining course 30. Thus the structure formed by the alternative method has no dropped stitches such as 31 in wales W1, W3, W5 and W7 and plain loops instead of tuck and held loop combinations such as 32, 33 interlooped with the joining loops 30b in wales W2, W4, W6 and W8.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. A closed knitted fabric tube comprising a first piece of tubular weft knit fabric having at one end a terminal course comprising needle loops, a second separately knit piece of tubular weft knit fabric having at one end a selvage including dial point loops and at the other end a terminal course comprising needle loops, said second piece of tubular fabric being constricted inwardly of its central part to a substantially complete closure, a separately knit course of joining loops interlooping with rows of loops at three different end parts of fabric, namely (1) with needle loops of said terminal course of said first piece of fabric, (2) with dial point loops of said selvage end of said second piece of fabric and (3) with needle loops of said terminal course at said other end of said second piece of fabric so as to join said one end of said first piece of fabric to both ends of said second piece of fabric, said separately knit course of joining loops being the sole connection between said first piece of fabric and said second separate piece of fabric, and a plurality of courses forming a band of anti-ravel fabric extending as a continuation from said source of joining loops, said course of joining loops further interlooping with a first course of said band of anti-ravel fabric.

2. A closed knitted fabric tube according to claim 1, wherein said second piece of tubular fabric is centrally constricted by binding means wound around said second piece of tubular fabric.

3. A closed knitted fabric tube according to claim 1, wherein the said first piece of tubular knit fabric includes at said one end a terminal band of run-resistant fabric and said course of joining loops is intermeshed with loops in the terminal course of said run-resistant band.

4. A closed knitted fabric tube according to claim 1, wherein said second piece of fabric has only half as many wales as said first piece of fabric.

5. A closed knitted fabric tube according to claim 1, wherein at least the central part of said second piece of fabric is knitted of lighter yarn than said first piece of fabric.

6. A closed knitted fabric tube according to claim 1, wherein a turned welt is provided at the end of said first piece of fabric opposite that to which said second piece of fabric is joined.

7. An article of hosiery comprising a first piece of tubular weft knit fabric forming leg and foot portions of said article, said foot portion terminating in a terminal course comprising needle loops, a second separately knit piece of tubular weft knit fabric forming a toe portion of said article and having at one end a selvage including dial point loops and at the other end a terminal course comprising needle loops, said second piece of tubular fabric being constricted inwardly at its central point to a substantially complete closure, a separately knit course of joining loops interlooping with rows of loops at three different end parts of fabric, namely (1) with needle loops of said terminal course of said foot portion of said first piece of fabric, (2) with said dial point loops of said selvage end of said second piece of fabric and (3) with needle loops of said other end of said second piece of fabric so as to join said terminal course of said foot portion with both ends of said second piece of fabric, said separately knit course of joining loops being the sole connection between said first piece of fabric and said second separate piece of fabric, and a plurality of courses forming a band of anti-ravel fabric extending as a continuation from said course of joining loops, said course of joining loops further interlooping with a first course of said band of anti-ravel fabric.