Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~3~t)~
1 The present invention rela-tes generally to a me-thod of
producing knitted underwear and more particularly to an automated
method for the product.ion of the knitted underwear which may be
said to make a comprehensive :Einish oE the related field where
the inventor has focused his mind on the study and development of
skills. The term, "knitted underwear", which i.s used in the pre-
sent invention, includes some parts of girdles and pants, for
example, tights worn on shorts or panties in winter, In a pre-
ferred arrangement the goods produced by this automated method,
for example, tights, are provided with stretch zones around their
knee parts ranging from the leg parts to the thigh parts, whereby
a supporting effect is produced therein. Needless to say, the
products made by this method of the present invention are not
limited to these tights.
Conventionally, the circular-knitting machines producing
knitted fa~rics for knitted underwear are not generally placed in
juxtaposition with the raising machines and their equipped stitch
density adjusting devi.ce is designed to f.irst commence knitting
fabrics for the thighs which.are large in stitch density and to
end knitting fa~rics for the ankles which are small in stitch
density. For this reason the disadvantage caused by the former
arrangement is to produce non-uniformed raising, and unless the
latter preconceived idea ~s done away with, there are the defects
that the knitted yarn ~requently beg.ins to come loose From a
lower part~ That is, the ankle parts of the knltted underwear
come loose.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention
to at least partially overcome these disadvantages by prov.iding
a method conceived in a reverse manner which is in-tended -to
efficiently and au-tornatically produce the desired result,
~ A~
fi~3
In order to produce knltted underwear, mee-tincJ the cur-
rent demand and requiremen-t, which possess the stretch zone
around -their knee par-ts located at the middle par-t, there is a
particular necessity that interaction among a sinker loop device,
stationary brush, inser-tion of elas-tic yarn, and adjus-tment of
stitch density should be au-tomated w.ithout any trouhle,
To this end, in one of its aspects~ the invention pro-
vides a method of producing knitted underwear including a circular
knitting machine comprising at least a sinker loop device, a
mova~le ring rotatably mounted on the upper part in the circular
knitting mach.ine's cylinder, a stationary brush for freely chang-
ing an actuator mounted on the upper part of said movable ring,
and a stitch density adjusting device, a knitted yarn comprising~
a pile yarn constituted by a blended yarn made oE astaple fiber
~elonging to the polyacrylic synthetic fiber family, a staple
fiber ~elonging to the polyamide synthetic fiber family, and a
wool fiber, a ground yarn ~elongin~ to the polyurethane syn-the-tic
fiber family, and, if necessary, a rubber thread or an elastic
yarn belonging to the polyurethane synthetic fiber family, and a
kn~.tted structure cons-tituted by a stretch zone which inserts the
elastic yarn through the pile yarn and the ground yarn, a plain
knitted zone produced by the ground yarn, and a raised zone pro-
duced by the arrangement that a pile is formed by the sinker loop
device for enmeshing the p;le yarn around the ground yarn and,
at the same time, an activating of the stationary brush on the
upper part of the movable ring ~ill knit up the top of the pile
with the circular knitting machine so that the pi.le is raised in
a course direction, eharacterized by mounting the stitch densi-ty
adjusting device at a reverse position of the above~ment~oned cir-
cular knitting machine thereby commencing -to kni-t the lower end
3;~
1 of the knitted underwear cons-tituted by said stretch zone, design-
ing each device to au-tomatically be ac-tuated -to au-tomate the pro-
duction of knitted fabric ~or the knitted underwear, and wi-th said
knitted underwear practically not loosened from a Airection of -the
lower end.
In ano-ther oE its aspects, the invention further pro-
vides a method of producing tights in which at least a lower end
of the ankle portion and an upper part and a lower part of the
knee portion with a stretch zone, and the elastic yarns inserted
through the stretch zones for the upper and lower par-ts of the
knee portion are adapted to maintain a stronger elastic force
than the elastic yarn inserted through the stretch zone for the
ankle portion.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention
will appear from the following description taken together with
the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig, 1 is a perspective view of the inverted tights
pr~duced by the method of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a central and longitudinal section, partially
2~ broken, of the knitting machine used for the producing method of
the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the stitch density adjusting
device;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged structure view of the knitted
fahrics including the lower part to have been first knitted of the
stxetch zone I shown in Fig 9 1;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged structure view of the plain knitted
zone II shown in Fig, l;
Fig, 6 is an enl~rged struc-ture view of raised zone III
sh~wn ~n E'ig. 1.
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1 In the following description and draw:ings, K is the
circular knitting machine. S is -the sinker loop device. R is a
movable ring equipped at the upper part in a circular knit-ting
machine's cylinder. An upper corner of said movahle ring R is
equipped with a round part r which is adap-ted to be rotatably
united in one with a cylinder oven K by bevel gears 1 and 2. The
stationary brush B, capable of changing the actua-tion so as to
effect the operations by a spring, is provided over the above-
mentioned movable ring R. The surface of a control drum D is
equipped with the stitch density adjusting device 4, which is
des~gned to be operated in the arro~ direction, as shown in Fig.
3 fro~ -the fabrics for the ankle parts which are small in stitch
density 4a to the fabrics for the thigh parts which are large ini
stitch density 4~, namely in se~uence of first commencing to knit
the fabrics from the ankle parts and finally ending it at the
thigh parts, while gradually widening the knitted fabrics with
- advancement from the former par-ts to the latter parts,
When the knitting station faces up to the stitch density
adjusting device 4 mounted on the surface of the control drum D,
feed of a rack wheel 5 is commenced through a lever (not shown)
touchin~ the fabrics so that change in knitting yauge is made from
small ~titch density in the fabrics for ankle parts 4a to large
stitch density in the fabrics for thigh parts 4~, following a cam-
shaped form of the stitch density adjusting device 4,
Generally, i~ the cams are arranged on the stitch den
sity adjusting device 4 in a manner that the knitting process ends
at the position of fa~rics, for example, toe parts of conventional
socks~ which are small tn stitch density, after it had commenced
from the position thereof, which are large in stitch density, the
adjustment can be easily made. The arxangement of the present
33~
1 invention, however, in which the cc~m on the sti-tch densi-ty device
4 i5 placed in order to set the commencemen-t point of kni-t-ting to
ankle parts which are small in stitch density and! fur-thermore,
to make the stitch density larger as the knitting process comes
more closely to the thigh parts oEEers technically an extreme
difficulty. For this reason the inventor desires -to completely
have the cam surface of the stitch density adjusting device able
to perform a gentle adjustment in various degrees, as set for-th
in the presen-t embodiment.
Three kinds of yarn are used for the knitting yarn:
Pile yarn P and ground yarn F are used as plaiting through one
knitting needle and/ in addi-tion, elastic yarn E is inserted
through the Eormer yarns, when knitting a rib stitch type of
stretch zone. The blended yarn used as pile yarn P consists of
staple fiber belonginy to the acrylic synthetic fiber family
(75% in blend levell, staple fiber belonging to the polyamide
synthetic fiber family (20%~ and wool fiber (5%1. The ground yarn
; is long covered staple belonging to the polyurethane synthetic
er family~ In the present embodiment, the elastic yarns El
and E2 employ polyurethane synthetic long ~iber, small in count.
El~ thicker, i~ applied with stronger tension, ~hereas E2, thinner
is applied with weak tension. The ground yarn F' illustrated in
Fig, 2 ~s preparatory ra~ yarn,
FigO 1 is a perspective view illustrating the state in
which the tigh-ts of the present invention is turned over, I is
the stretch zone for ankle part, Fig. 4 is a structure Yiew
illustrating the state in whIch a lower end of the above zone
staxts to be knitted, II is a plain knitted zone for lower part
of leg and the structure in which it is knitted is illus-trated
in F~g. 5. III is a r~ised zone tor thiyh par-ts and the s-truc-ture
3~6~
1 in which it is kni~.ted i5 illustrated in F:ig1 6. I' is a lower
part o:E the knee anc1 I" is an upper par-t of the knee. Their
knitted struc-tures employ the same stretch zone as -that for -the
ankle part I. II' is a gusset and its knitted struc-ture employs
the same plain knitted zone as that for the lower part o~ lecJ II.
Furthermore, III' is an upper part of the leg, III" is a knee
part and their knitted s-tructure employs the same raised zone as
that for the thighs III~
The ~round yarn F and the pile yarn P, which serve as
plaiting, and the rib stitch structure through which the elastic
yarn is inserted constitute the stre-tch zones I, I', and I". On
the other hand the stretch zone for the ankle part I fastens the
: lower part of the tights by means of applying weaker tension to
the elastic yarn E2 which is large in count, whereas the stretch
zones on the upper and lower parts of knee are a~ap-ted to firmly
fasten them to the extent of tightening spots on them so as to
produce the supporting effect.
The direction in which the knitting process commences
to be.performed frc~m the low.er end of ankle is sho~n by b in Fig.
4 and an upper position toward which an advancement of the knitt-
ing is made is shown by t~ Three strands of E, E', and E" are
used as elastic yarns which are inserted throug~ the part to be
kn~tted on the lower end of the ankle thereb~ making it difficult
for the fabrics about it to be loosened.
The plain knitted zones II and II' are composed of a
~nitted combination between the ground yarn F and the pile yarn
P which serve as plaiting, A back sur~ace of the plain knitted
zone for the gusset III is permitted to employ such a knitted
structure as a raised zone,
Fiy. 6 illustrates the knitted struc-ture o~ the raised
zones III, III'~ III", C is a course direction in which a
1 knitting machine rotates and W is a vertical row in w.hich knitting-
up .is performed, The sinker loop device S shown in Fig~ 2 adopts
the structure in which ~ thin steel sinker 6 is inserted through
the needle groove (no-t shown~ of a sinker ring 8, provided rad-
ially with respect to the center of the movable ring R of -the
sinker, and sinker cam ring 9, located a-t -the rear and upper end
of the sinker 6, is equipped with a projec-tion part 9a in-terlocked
with the sinker b at the top end thereof, whereby an advancement
and a retreat of the sinker cam ring 9 shall permit the sinker 6
~o to move forward and backward respectively.
A nib 6a is mounted on the top end of the sinker 6.
The ground yarn F i.s put on the lower part of the nib 6a and the
pile yarn is put on the upper part of the nib 6a so that the pile
system P forms a pile on the inner surface oE the knitted fabrics.
At that time, if a spring 3 and the stationary brush are actuated
on the inner surface of -the knitted fa~ric~ made on the upper
part of the movable ring R, the top part of the pile produces the
.raising phenomenon N in the course direc-tion C. This method
solves the defect of the conyenti`onal process that the fabrics,
remoyed from the knitt~ng machine, which is raised hy a separate
raising machine, gets its raising in a vertical row non-uniformed
and disappearing due to being caught wi-th a loop, and can obtain
the raising N which is long in pile and without stripel
The method of the present invention i5 to be advanced
in the sequence of first commencing to knit that ankle part at
the stitch.density for the ankle 4a, continuing to perform knitt-
ing hy means of rotating a control drum D in the arrow direction
shown in Fig, 3, and finally finishing to kni-t ~he thigh part III
a,t the stitch density for the thigh 4b, In addi.tion to the
stitch density adjus-tment during the above-mentioned knitting
336(~
1 process the control for insertion and removal of the yarns El and
E2, ~oxward and ~ackward mo-tion and stop of sinker loop device S,
and actuation and removal of the s-ta-tionary brush B is provided
on the surface of the control drum D and a timing chain lO, a
chain ratchet 11, a clutch drum 12, a rack wheel 5, and a belt
shifting drum 13 for auto~ati.c knitting are provided on the right
and lower part of the knitting machine, -thereby being controlled
to make the au-tomatic kni.tting possible,
The actua-ting effect introduced ~y the method of the
present invention, partially referred -to in the above description
of the embodiment, has b~en devised by the inventor for a long
t~me, is achi~ved by a combinati.on with an inverted knitting
system in formation of the tights possessing mohair tone of uni-
form raised zone with not only a long pile but loops by means of
completely knitting in a course direction with one knitting
~ach;ne and cannot ~e applicable to the production of the socks.
Since the above knitting process is efficiently auto-
mated, this method is to ~omplete a controlling technology of a
smooth change among the knitting processes for stretch 70ne~ plain
kn~tted zone, and raised zone~ Furthermore, it presents, as a
preferred embodiment, a method of production of the tights poss-
essing the supportin~ effect ~hich mee-ts the current demand.
Due to the fact that three strands of rubber thread are
inserted through the lo~er end of the part to have been first
knitted, and the knitted undexwear commenced to be ~irs-t knitted
fro~ the lower end thereoE, this method has a marked advantage
that the knitted yarns have less opportunity -to ~ecome loose from
the direction of the lower end, even when the position of each
stretch is first cu-t for reconditioned utilization o:E such under-
wear,
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1 This method produces a further efEect in that it will
scarcely have the knittecl yarns on the stretch zone of the knitted
underwear loosened particularly to insert the rubber thread
through the ~tretch zone, rrhereEore, there is an advantage of
making it possible to cut the part lower -than the s-tre-tch zone
for the reconditioned utilization thereof.
