Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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11455810
TITLE: PRO~UCTION OF KNITTED GA~ENTS
This invention is concerned with the production of
knitted garments and is particularly, but not exclusively,
concerned with the production of vests briefs, T-shirts, shorts,
jumpers, pyjamas and sleeping suits.
British Patent No. 1279552 discloses a method of
producing a T-shirt or the like wherein a seamless
tubular blank is first produced. The blank is flattened
and an end thereof is shaped by cutting to form two
identical superimposed portions. After cutting, the
blank is centre-crease turned, i.e. refolded so that
longitudinal centre lines of the superimposed portions
become edges of the blank, and parts of the shaped end
which were previously on the same one of the superimposed
portions are joined together. Although avoiding side
seams, garments produced in this manner must still be
hemmed at the waist, and the addition of trimmings for
the neck and/or the sleeves involves further seaming.
These factors combine to complicate the overall make-up
of the garment and reduce wearer comfort.
British Patent No. 978810 discloses a method of producing
knitted briefs or the like which also involves shaping
and centre-crease turning of the blank. In this method,
the blanks are produced integrally in succession by
circular knitting, and are cut to length prior to shaping
and turning. Each blank includes an integrally knitted
elasticated portion which is destined to form an elasticated
waistband in the finished garment, but this portion
is twice the walewise dimension of the desired waistband
and must be turned and seamed. once again, this
increases the make-up of the garment and reduces the
wearer comfort.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
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method of producing knitted garments which involves a
minimum number of finishing operations, so that the overall
make-up of the garment can be simplified and wearer comfort
can be improved due to the general lack of seams and hems.
According to the present invention, such a method comprises
knitting on a cylindrical knitting machine a succession of
integrally joined tubular blanks each having at one end
thereof an integrally knitted welt or selvedge which is
separated from the next succeeding blank by a draw thread,
separating adjacent blanks by means of said draw thread,
flattening each tubular blank and shaping an end thereof
remote from the welt or selvedge at least partially while
the blank is thus flattened to form two identical and
superimposed portions, refolding the blank so that
longitudinal centre lines of said superimposed portions
become edges of the blank, and joining together parts of
said remote end of the blank which were previously on the
same one of said superimposed portions.
Because each blank is knitted with a finished welt or
selvedge, no seaming or hemming is necessary after the
blanks have been separated. Moreover, because draw threads
are employed for such separation, a separate cutting operation
such as that employed in British Patent No. 978810 is
unnecessary. In addition, if the draw threads are water-
or steam-soluble, the blanks can be separated at the same
time as they are subjected to steam treatment to press and ~elax them,
thereby further reducing thé number of finishing operations
required. Conventional draw threads may be used, but the
use of water- or steam-soluble ones is preferred because this
avoids the need for a thread-clipping operation.
Desirably, the welt or selvedge of each blank is separated
from the next succeeding blank by more than one draw thread.
For example, a draw thread construction can be employed
comprising a first draw thread, at least one course of
waste yarn and a second draw thread. Where the draw threads
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are steam-soluble, such a construction not only enables
complete separation of the blanks without thread clipping
but also reduces the amount of residual draw thread material
which is deposited on the blanks during steam-dissolving due
to the interposition of the waste yarn courses between the
draw threads.
Although the welt or selvedge of each blank may
be non-elastic, it preferably forms part of an integrally
knitted elasticated portion adjacent said one end of the
blank, the walewise dimension of the elasticated portion
being equal to that of a desired elasticated band in the
finished garment so that the elasticated portion is economical
both of material and knitting time. The elasticated portion
may derive its elasticity from its specific construction
(e.g. 2 x 1 rib), or alternatively may be produced by laying-
in or knitting-in an elastic or elastomeric yarn. For certain
applications, the whole of the blank may be knitted from
elastic or elastomer-c yarn. Where the elastic cr elastomeric
yarn is knitted-in, the elasticated portion is preferably
knitted to a different construction from that of the remainder
of the blank. Advantageously, the elastic or elastomeric
yarn and a non-elastic yarn are selectively striped in at
one or more feeders of the cylindrical knitting machine, so
that courses of the elastic or elastomeric yarn can be knitted-
in at intervals which are not necessarily dependent upon the
feeder sequence of the machine. In addition, the elastic or
elastomeric yarn is desirably knitted-in at different wales
in successive courses. This is to be contrasted with the
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method disclosed in British Patent No. 978,810, wherein
the tubular blanks are knitted in the same construction
throughout, and the elasticated portions are produced by
knitting-in courses of elastic or elastomeric yarn at
regularly spaced intervals as determined by the feeder
sequence, the yarn being knitted-in only at regularly
spaced wales, such as rib wales.
Conveniently, shaping of said remote end of each
blank is performed at least partly (and preferably wholly)
by cutting. Where the garment is a pair of briefs for ex-
ample, such that said parts of the remote end of the blank
are jointed together by a gusset, the gusset can be cut out
from the blank at the same time as said end is cut to shape.
Where the garment is a T-shirt or the like, sleeve
inserts can be joined to each blank which are produced on a
cylindrical knitting machine as a succession of integrally
joined sleeve blanks each having at one end thereof an
integrally knitted welt or selvedge which is separated from
the next succeeding sleeve blank by a draw thread. In this
way, the sleeve inserts are produced with finished welts or
selvedges in the same manner as the body blank, once again
decreasing the number of finishing operations required
and improving the wearer comfort.
The present invention will now be further described,
by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knitted tubeproduced as a first step in a method according to the present
invention;
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Figure 2 illustrates a steam-treatment operation
to which the knitted tube is subjectedi
Figures 3 to 5 illustrate further steps in the
production of a T-shirt or the like according to the present
invention;
Figures 6 to 8 illustrate further steps in the
production of a pair of briefs or the like according to
the present invention;
Figure 9 is a loop structure diagram of part of
the knitted tube shown in Figure l; and
Figure 10 is a loop structure diagram showing a
modification of said part.
Referring first to Figure 1, as a first step in
the manufacture of a knitted garment according to the
invention, a seamless knitted tube 10 is produced by
circular knitting on a cylindrical knitting machine (not
shown) such as a single-cylinder, double-cylinder or cylinder
and dial machine. The tube 10 comprises a succession of
integrally joined tubular blanks 11 each having at one end
thereof a welt or selvedge 12 forming part of an elasticated
portion 13, the welt or selvedge 12 being separate from the
next succeeding blank by a steam-soluble draw thread 14.
Preferred constructions of the blanks 11, welts or selvedges
12 and elasticated portions 13 will be described later.
From the knitting machine, the seamless knitted
tube 10 is fed by way of variable speed rollers 15 to
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steam-treatmentapparatus shown in Figure 2, where a variable
speed endless belt conveyor 16 transports the tube successively
to first, second and third steaming zones 17, 18 and 19
respectively. At the first and second zones, the tube 10
is steamed under a respective canopy 20 and is vibrated by
a respective vibrator 21 in order to flatten the tube and
pre-shrink or relax the knitted fabric. At the third zone,
steam is applied to the tube 10 locally in the vicinity of
the draw threads 14 in order to dissolve the latter, enabling
successive blanks 11 to be separated from one another. The
thus separated blanks are then transported by the conveyor
16 to a drying zone 22. Reference numeral 23 denotes variable
speed rollers which assist in transporting the tube from the
second zone 18 to the third zone 19 and which flatten the
tube, and reference numeral 24 designates an extractor hood
at the third zone.
The flattened and separated blanks are then trans-
ferred to a cutting machine (not shown) which shapes an end
of each blank remote from the respective elasticated portion
13 and the welt or selvedge 12. More particularly, the cutting
machine performs a single cutting operation onthe two thick-
nesses of the flattened tube so as to produce two identical
and superimposed portions which are integrally joined to-
gether along opposite edges thereof. In the production of
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a vest, T-shirt or the like, the end of the blank is shaped
as shown in Figure 3, namely so that each of the superimposed
portions has a curved edge part 25 destined to form one half
of the front of a neck opening in the finished garment, a
curved edge part 26 destined to form a respective arm hole,
a curved edge part 27 destined to form one half of the back
of the neck opening, and two substantially straight edge
parts 28 and 29 disposed between the curved edge parts 25,
26 and between the curved edge parts 26,27, respectively.
The area of the blank which is removed by the cutting
operation is indicated by hatching in Figure 3.
After cutting, the blank is centre-crease turned,
i.e. it is refolded so that longitudinal centre lines 30
of the superimposed portions of the flattened blank become
edges of the refolded blank, as shown in Figure 4. The
straight edge parts 28 and 29 which were previously on the same
one of the superimposed portions are then joined together by
sewing or, where the tube fabric is made of thermoplastics
yarn, by producing a welded seam. The vest, T-shirt or the
like is finished off by adding sleeve insertions 31 and a
neck bank 32 as shown in Figure 5. The sleeve insertions,
like the body part of the vest, are produced by a
circular knitting or a cylindrical knitting machine as a
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succession of integrally joined tubular blanks, each
blank having at one end thereof a welt or selvedge 33
forming part of an elasticated portion 34, the welt
or selvedge being separated from the next succeeding
blank by a draw thread : in this respect, the sleeve
insertion blanks before separation from one another
form a seamless knitted tube similar to that shown in
Figure 1. The draw threads are preferably steam-
soluble so that the sleeve insertion blanks can be separated
from one another in the same operation as they are
pre-shrunk or relaxed, in the same manner as described
above in relation to the body blanks 11.
In an alternative arrangement (not shown), the sleeve
insertions 31 are omitted. In addition, instead of being
provided with a neck band, the neck opening can have a
neck insertion joined thereto. The neck opening can be made
in any desired shape, such as V-shaped, round, slash --
or crew.
In the production of a pair of briefs or the like according
to the invention, the aforementioned cutting machine
shapes the end of each blank as shown in Figure 6, so
that each of the identical superimposed portions thereof
has two substantially straight edge parts 35 and 36 with
a curved edge part 37 therebetween. The edge part 35 -
is destined to form one half of a lower edge of a rear
part of the finished briefs, while the edge part 36 is
destined to form one half of a lower edge of a front part
of the briefs and is therefore located higher on the blank
than the edge part 35. The edge part 37 is destined to
form a respective leg opening in the finished briefs.
At the same as shaping the end of the blank, tl1e cutting
machine also cuts out a gusset 38 of double thickness.
As in Figure 3, the area of the blank which ls removed by
the cutting operation is indicated by hatching.
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After cutting, the blank is centre-crease turned
so that the longitudinal centre lines 39 of the superimposed
portions of the flattened blank become edges of the refolded
blank, as shown in Figure 7. The edges 35 and 36 are then
joined by means of the double-thickness gusset 38, which
thus forms a crotch portion of the briefs. The ~oining
can be performed by sewing, or by producing a welded seam
where the knitted fabric is made of thermoplastics yarn.
The briefs are finished off by adding leg bands 40 as shown
in Figure 8, or alternatively can be finished off by adding
strips of knitted fabric, elastic lace, etc. to the leg
opening.
In an alternative embodiment, the blank is suitably
shaped (for example as indicated by broken line in Figure 6)
so that the briefs can be produced by joinin~ together the
edge parts 35 and 36 directly, thereby omitting the gusset
38. In this case,the edge parts 36 on the front of the
briefs will be disposed lower on the blank than the ed~e
parts 35 on the rear thereof.
In the embodiments described above, the elasticated
portion 13 of each blank 11 forms an elasticated waistband
in the finished garment. Because the portion 13 as knitted
is of the same walewise dimension as the desired waistband,
it is economical in terms of both knitting time and materials.
Moreover, the portion 13 as knitted incorporates a finished
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welt or selvedge 12, so that no separate finishing
operation such as hemming is required: this is of course
also true of the elasticated portions 33 cf the sleeve
inserts 31 in the vest or T-shirt shown in Figure 5. This,
plus the absence of any side seams, reduces the overall
make-up of the garment and improves wearer comfort. More
particularly, the only finishing operations re~uired for
the vest or T-shirt of Figure 5 are the joining of the edge
parts 28 and 29, the joining of the sleeve insertions 31
to the body blank, and the addition of the neck band 32 or
the like. In the case of the briefs illustrated in Figure 8
the only finish~g operations necessary are the joining of
the gusset 38 to the edge parts 35, 36 and the addition
of the leg bands 40. The use of pre-dyed yarn is preferred
since this avoids the need for dyeing and/or wet processing
of the knitted tube before cutting or of the garment after
assembly. The make-up of the garment is further reduced
by the use of steam-soluble draw threads which enable the
tubular blanks to be flattened, pre-shrunk and separated
all in a single operation, as indicated in Figure 2. More-
over,the centre-crease turning and shaping of the separated
blanks can also be performed in a single operation.
The portion 13 of each blank can obtain its
elasticity from elastic or elastomeric yarn which is either
merely laid-in or incorporated within the knitting construc~ion
(i.e. knitted-in). Indeed, the whole of the blank may be
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knitted from elastic or elastomeric yarn, either alone or
in combination with a ground yarn. In all cases, extra
elasticity can be imparted to the portion 13 by varying
its construction from that used for the remainder of the
blank, e.g. 2 x 1 rib as compared with 1 x 1 rib for the
rest of the blank. Alternatively, the portion 13 can
derive its elasticity solely from its construction, with
no elastic or elastomeric yarns being included. The
portion 13 may include colours, jacquard designs, motifs
etc., and can be patterned-similarly to or independently
of the remainder of the blank. Such patterning is achieved
using pre-dyed yarns, by tucking, loop transfer of changing
yarns, for example.
One example of a construction which can be employed
for the elasticated portion 13 and the welt or selvedge 12
is shown in Figure 9, which also illustrates a preferred
draw thread construction. In this example, the main part
of the blank is knitted in 1 x 1 rib, a final course of the
proceeding blank being indicated by reference numeral 41.
The draw thread construction is obtained by continuing the
1 x 1 rib knitting through a course 42 of steam-soluble yarn,
an intermediatecourse 43 of waste yarn such as nylon or
cotton, and a further course 44 of steam-soluble yarn. The
interposition of the course 43 of waste yarn between the
courses 42 and 44 of steam-soluble yarn has the effect of
reducing during the above-described steam treatment the
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amount of the steam-soluble yarn which is deposited on the
edges of the successive blanks which they separate. At the
same time, the use of steam-soluble draw threads allows
complete separation of adjacent blanks without the need to
clip the threads which join the latter.
The elasticated portion 13 is composed of a repeated
sequence of four courses 45 to 48, only one such sequence
being illustrated. The course 45 is composed of non-elastic
yarn such as cotton or nylon, whereas the courses 46 to 48
are composed of elastomeric yarn, typically nylon-covered
LYCRA. The construction of the portion 13 repeats itself
every eight wales in the coursewise direction. The course
45 is knitted with the course 46 in wales Wl, W9.........
and in the intervening wales is knitted alternatively with
the course 47 and the course 45 of the next sequence.
Course 4~ is knitted with the course 48 in wales Wl, W9.....
and is floated across the intervening wales. Course 47 is
knitted with the course 45 of the next sequence in even-
numbered wales and is floated across odd-numbered wales.
Course 48 is knitted with the course 45 ofthe next sequence
in wales Wl, W9........ and is floated across all of the
intervening wales.
Typically, the sequence formed by courses 45 to
48 will be repeated six times to produce a plain waistband for
ladies or girls briefs. Alternatively, it may be repeated,
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say three times on each side of a narrow decorative band
incorporating a jacquard design in coloured yarns, a
transfer stitch pattern for a tuck-stitch pattern, for
example.
A further example of a construction which ean be
employed for the elasticated portion 13 is illustrated in
Figure 10. As with the example shown in Figure 9, the
main part of the blank is knitted in 1 x 1 rib (reference
numeral 50 denoting a final course of the preceding blank),
and the draw thread construction is formed by continuing
the 1 x 1 rib knitting for a course 51 Gf steam-soluble
yarn, an intermediate course 52 of waste yarn such as
cotton or nylon, and a further course 53 of steam-soluble
yarn. Once again, the elasticated portion 13 is composed
of a repeated sequence of four courses 54 to 57 with the
pattern repeating itself every eight wales in the coursewise
direction: in Figure 10, however, the courses 54 ard 56 are
composed of a non-elastic yarn (such as cotton or nylon)
and the courses 55 and 57 are composed of an elastomeric
yarn (such as nylon-covered LYCRA).
The course 54 is knitted with course 55 in wales
W2, W4, W8.. ......., with course 56 in wales Wl, W5, W6, ~9
and with course 57 in wales W3, W7........ Course 55 is knitted
with course 56 in wales W2, W4, W8........ and is floated
across all other wales. Course 56 is knitted with the
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course 54 of the next sequence in all but wales W3, W7.......
where it is floated. Course 57 is knitted with the cOurse
54 of the next sequence in wales W3, W7....... and is
floated across all other wales.
Typically, the sequence of courses 54 to 57 will
be repeated 12 times to form the waistband of boys or mens
briefs. Alternatively, however, three or more sequences
may be knitted on either side of a knitted decorative band
incorporating a jacquard design, stitch effect or coloured
stripe, for example. The course 54 and 56 can be knitted
in yarns of different colours to produce a decorative
effect.
For the sake of clarity, the courses of elastomeric
yarn are indicated in both Figure 9 and Figure 10 by strippling.
Where the knitting constructions shown in these figures are
produced on a cylinder and dial knitting machine, odd-numbered
wales are knitted by the cylinder needles while even-numbered
wales are knitted by the dial needles. The various yarns
employed i.e. coloured yarns, elastic or elastomeric yarns
and steam-soluble yarns can be striped inand out selectively
at the feeders of the knitting machin~ so that their wale-
wise sequence is not necessarily determined by the disposition
of the feeders around the machine. Moreover, as is apparent
from Figures 9 and 10, the elastic or elastomeric yarns are
knitted-in at different wales in successive courses.
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Although the invention has been described above
in relation to the productlon of vests, T-shirts and briefs,
it will be manifest that the method can be used to manufacture
many other types of knitted garments, such as jumpers, shorts,
pyjamas and sleeping suits. The diameter of the cylindrical
knitting machine is arranged to be substantiall~ equal to
that of the wearer of the garment, and therefore it is
necessary to provide knitting machines of different diameters
for different sizes of garment, for example narrow diameter
garments for children and wider diameter garments for adults.
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