Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DOUBLE KNIT FABRIC WITH HOLES THERETHROUGH AND A TWO COLOR
LAMINATED EFFECT FABRIC
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned with a type of double knit fabric of heavy
construction
embodying a considerable number of holes therethrough to allow control of the
body heat with respect to perspiration of the player wearing same, when one is
engaged in an active sport giving rise to many contacts with players or with
equipment such as in, for example, hockey, football, soccer, softball,
baseball,
basketball, volleyball, rugby, broomball and ringuette.
All of these sports are team sports where there is a custom that the players
of
each team wear a distinctive uniform, which most of the time is made of a
specific
color arrangement and which may be, for example, a two color scheme. The
invention relates to the construction of a knitted fabric for such sports.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric made of a double
knit
structure with an arrangement of holes therethrough to provide comfort to the
wearer engaged in an active sport or event.
A further object is to provide a fabric having a two color laminated effect,
said
laminated effect may be readily suitable for a great number of color
arrangements
of uniforms of variable dimensions, taking into account, the different sizes
for
players or wearers of different height or weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This double knit fabric which may be used for sports garments or uniforms,
namely
sweaters and stockings, may include a repeating pattern of predetermined
courses containing wales of consecutive selected groups of tuck and welt
stitches
to form holes in and throughout the knitted fabric. The pattern may be
repeated to
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provide a fabric with a considerable number of holes aligned in a
predetermined
geometrical arrangement and a two different colored effect.
The double knit fabric may be knitted, for example, on a mini-jacquard
knitting
machine which can make knit patterns on two adjacent sets of cylinder wales
and
intermediary dial wales for a certain number of feeds. A wale is defined as a
column of loops in successive courses, which is the product of one needle, and
a
course is defined as a row of loops in successive wales, which is the product
of
one knitting revolution per yarn. The cylinder is the part of the double knit
machine where the needles work in a vertical axis while the dial is the part
of the
double knit machine where the needles work in a vertical axis. The feed is a
mechanism for repeatedly moving the yarn being stitched from one needle
position to the next on a course.
In accordance with a particular aspect of the invention, there is provided for
a
fabric of double knit construction comprising:
a repeating pattern of at least three courses, a first cylinder wale and a
second cylinder wale,
said first cylinder wale comprising
a tuck stitch in one of said three courses so as to form a hole,
a knit stitch in one of the two other remaining courses of said
three courses, and
a welt stitch in the last remaining course of the said three
courses,
said pattern being repeated to form the fabric with a plurality of said
holes,
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a minimum spacing between a pair of adjacent said holes formed
by the tuck stitch including one cylinder wale in a horizontal
direction within the same course as said tuck stitch, two courses
in a vertical direction within said first cylinder wale and one
cylinder wale and two courses diagonally, and
said second cylinder wale comprising two courses with welt stitches
and a course with a knit stitch in the same at least three courses as
said courses having the tuck stitch.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided for a
fabric
of double knit construction comprising:
a repeating pattern of at least three courses, a first cylinder wale and a
second cylinder wale,
said first cylinder wale comprising a course pattern of a tuck stitch, a
knit stitch and a welt stitch, and
said second cylinder wale comprising a course pattern of a welt stitch,
a knit stitch and a welt stitch.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, there is provided
for a
fabric of double knit construction as described here above, wherein the fabric
is
knitted with yarns of a first color on said courses comprising at least one
said tuck
stitch and yarns of a second color for all other said courses so as to provide
a two
color effect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a schematic view, useful for explaining the double knit structure.
FIG. 2 is a different type of schematic view of the double knit structure.
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FIG. 3 is a grid schematic representation of the holes assembly in a
particular
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS 1 and 2 illustrate different representations of a particular embodiment
of the
present invention. Namely, FIGS 1 and 2 represent a pattern of eighteen
courses
and two adjacent sets of nine cylinder wales and intermediary dial wales. Each
course illustrated in FIGS 1 and 2, identified by numbers C1 to C18 inclusive,
has
twelve needles on the cylinder and on the dial, identified by numbers N1 to
N12
inclusive. One skilled in the art may readily observe that cylinder wales N1
to N4
inclusive are duplicates or repeat pattern for cylinder wales N5 to N8 as well
as N9
to N12 inclusive, for the full eighteen courses of this particular embodiment.
From a further examination of FIGS 1 and 2, one may visualize that the hole
construction of the particular embodiment of the invention is repeated. In
order to
give the diagonal linear effect or alignment of the holes in the double knit
fabric of
the invention, the hole configurations of the two sets of courses C1 to C9 and
C10
to C18 inclusive are offset, for example, to the right by two cylinder wales.
For
example, in reference to FiG. 1, and comparing courses C1, C4 and C7 with
courses C10, C13 and C16 wherein the three tuck stitches on the cylinder of
courses C1, C4 and C7 are positioned at cylinder wales N1, N5 and N9 while in
courses C10, C13 and C16, they are positioned at cylinder wales N3, N7 and
N11.
All dial stitches are welt stitches except for courses C1, C4, C7, C10, C13,
C16
and C18 where they are knit stitches.
In this fashion, for this particular embodiment, the repeat pattern for the
holes is of
two consecutive groups of nine courses each in the vertical axis, while on the
horizontal axis, it is of four cylinder wales each. It may be appreciated that
these
holes may be relocated in the fabric to give a straight linear vertical and
horizontal
arrangement, a diagonal effect or other geometrical arrangement.
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color yarns
on the feeds of courses C1, C4, C7, C10, C13 and C16, and setting the back
color
yarns on the feeds of courses C2, C3, C5, C8, C9, C11, C12, C14, C15, C17 and
C18. The front color effect may be achieved by the knit stitches on the dial
and
the tuck stitches on the cylinder of the courses where the feed is set with
the front
color yarn white the back color effect may be achieved by the knit stitches on
the
cylinder of the courses where the feed may be set with the back color yarn.
This
way, the back color only shows up on the front of the fabric where the holes
are
located. Furthermore, on courses C2, C5, C8, C11, C14 and C17, the back color
yarn may be full knitted on cylinder needles N1, N2 and N4 to make a balanced
back tension on each side of the hole. Also, on courses C3, C6, C9, C12, C15
and C18, the back color yarns may be full knitted on cylinder needle N3 and
may
be only a welt stitch on the other cylinder needles. This welt effect has the
property of improving the hiding of the back color when the front color is
making a
tuck movement.
In this particular embodiment, the alignment of the holes may be such as to
make
diagonal lines with a repeat at every two groups of nine courses and every
group
of four cylinder wales as illustrated in FIG. 3. In an alternate embodiment,
the
distance between the holes can be closer or greater than in the particular
embodiment. The result may be in having a greater or lesser number of holes
and
disposition thereof in the fabric. For example, the holes may be knitted
closer
together, therefore instead of having tuck stitches at cylinder wales N1, N5
and N9
for the first set of courses and at cylinder wales N3, N7 and N11 for the
second set
of courses, they may be closer such as at cylinder wales N1, N4, N7 and N10
for
the first set of courses at cylinder wales and N3, N6, N9 and N12 for the
second
set of courses. As well, the holes may be knitted farther apart, therefore
instead
of having tuck stitches at cylinder wales N1, N5 and N9 for the first set of
courses
and at cylinder wales N3, N7 and N11 for the second set of courses, they may
be
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farther such as at cylinder wales N1, and N7 for the first set of courses and
at
cylinder wales N3 and N12 for the second set of courses.
It may even be possible to group together three consecutive groups of six
courses
each, instead of two groups of nine courses each, resulting in a shorter hole.
Thus, to preserve the diagonal linear effect or alignment of the holes in the
double
knit fabric, the hole configurations of the three sets of courses C1 to C6, C7
to C12
and C13 to C18 inclusive are offset to the right one in relation to the lower
one, by
two cylinder wales. Comparing courses C1 and C4 with courses C7 and C10
wherein the three tuck stitches on the cylinder of courses C1 and C4 are at
wales
N1, N5 and N9 while in courses C7 and C10, they are at wales N3, N7 and N11.
Similarly, comparing courses C7 and C10 with courses C13 and C18 wherein the
three tuck stitches on the cylinder of courses C7 and C10 are at wales N3, N7
and
N11 while in courses C13 and C18, they are at wales N1, N5 and N9. All dial
stitches are welts except far courses C1, C4, C7, C10, C13, C16 and C18 where
they are knit stitches.
It can be appreciated though, that many modifications to the hole knitted
construction may be made without departing from the invention.
It can also be appreciated that, in order to maintain the laminated effect in
an
alternate embodiment, the feeds corresponding to the courses containing tuck
stitches are set with the front color yarns and the yarn is full knitted on
the dial and
tucked on the cylinder, while the other feeds are set with the back color
yarns and
the yarn is full knitted on the cylinder only.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in using the invention for
making a
double-knit fabric with a two color laminated effect and carrying the process
hereinafter described, one may use different yarns, of different colors, made
of
synthetic or natural fiber and of different sizes.
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Reasonable variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the
foregoing disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims to the invention.
