Abstract: A single safety device to automatically stop a conventional circular knitting machine in the event of failure of the belt used to drive a pair of fabric advancing rollers of the machine while the fabric is being knit, and/or to stop the machine in the event of failure to secure the so-advanced fabric to the rotary shaft upon which the fabric is normally rolled to sequentially form individual rolls of fabric on the machine.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatically packaging folded hosiery into a pouch having a pouch closing flap in which a first means automatically forms the pouch and flap of a single sheet of plastic film with one face of a double-faced adhesive tape adhesively attached to the pouch, in which a second means automatically inserts the folded hosiery into the pouch while adhesively attaching the other face of the double-faced adhesive tape already on the pouch to the flap to close the pouch with the hosiery therein and in which a suction transfer arm automatically transfers the pouch and flap as made by the first means to the second means to insert the hosiery into the pouch.

Abstract: Sliding latch needles used in slots of rotary cylinders of circular knitting machines wherein the latches are subject to centrifugal force which moves the latches radially outwardly of the needle slots away from their proper position relative to the needle hooks. The hooks are provided with apertures extending completely through the same and through which the latches extend from the rear side of the hook to abut against the hook and thereby to retain the latches from movement away from the hook.

Abstract: Fine gauge pivoted latch needles having a shank portion, a hook portion and a cheek portion adjacent to the hook portion, a first slot extending through the cheek portion and in which the latch is pivotally supported, a second slot extending through the shank portion in continuation of the first slot, the width of the second slot being less than the width of the first slot. The bottoms of the slots are curvalinear. The combined slots serving to make the extended side walls thereof resilient thereby to absorb the shocks and to dampen the vibrations to which the needles are subjected in use.

Abstract: Self actuating yarn feeding apparatus to feed yarn to a circular knitting machine when the machine makes a demand for the yarn and to cease feeding the yarn when the machine ceases demand for the yarn. The yarn is in variable circumferentially extending drive contact with the periphery of a frictionally surfaced rotating yarn feed wheel to feed the yarn to the machine. The arrangement being such that when there is a lack of demand for the yarn the degree of contact between wheel and yarn is not sufficient to feed the yarn and when there is demand for the yarn the degree of contact between wheel and yarn is sufficient to feed the yarn to the machine. The yarn extending through a yarn eyelet movable back and forth along a circular pathway in response to demand and lack of demand for the yarn by the machine to vary the degree of contact between wheel and yarn.

Abstract: An attachment for use with multi-feed circular knitting machines of the type having a rotary needle cylinder and having yarn striper boxes at the feeds thereof. The boxes serving to change and to cut and clamp the yarns fed to and knit by the machine during the making thereon of coursewise striped fabric. The yarn changing operation resulting in undesirably long unknit terminal portions of the changed yarns extending inwardly from the inner side of the tubular fabric being made. The terminal portions of the yarns having cut ends. The attachment comprising a device having yarn clipping means disposed within the tubular fabric and rotating in unison with the needle cylinder to cut and to shorten the terminal portions of the changed yarns as the tubular fabric continues to be made, whereby the yarns are cut firstly by the striper boxes and secondly by the yarn clipping means.

Abstract: Self actuated positive yarn feeding apparatus for use with circular knitting machines for the positive feeding of yarns to the machines in response to and for the time that a demand for yarn is created by the knitting action of the needles of the machines, and wherein feeding of the yarn is discontinued in response to a lack of demand for yarn by the machines. Wheels having adjacent horizontally extending circumferential zones of high and of low friction surfaces are provided wherein only the high friction surfaces feed the yarn. A movable pair of yarn guiding eyelets is positioned between a fixed pair of yarn guiding eyelets and the wheel with the yarn threaded, in turn, through a fixed eyelet, then through a movable eyelet, then around the wheel, then through the other movable eyelet, and finally through the other fixed eyelet. The movable eyelets acts to shift the yarn between the high and the low friction surfaces in response to demand for yarn by the machines.

Abstract: Improvement in the manufacture of panty hose wherein instead of making the panty portion of the panty hose on one machine, known as a Line Closer, and of closing the open toe foot portions of the panty hose on another machine, known as a Toe Closer, to make the panty hose, the panty hose is now made entirely upon an apparatus which combines the functions of both machines to make the panty hose. The apparatus includes an attachment to be used in conjunction with a Line Closer in which the latter makes the panty portion of the panty hose in the usual way from the welt portions of a pair of hosiery blanks having open welt, leg and open toe foot portions and in which the attachment then automatically transfers the hosiery blanks from the Line Closer to itself and sews closed the open toes of the foot portions to make the panty hose.

Abstract: Two-piece yarn carrier for feeding yarn to the circle of cylinder latch needles of multi-feed circular knitting machines, the carriers comprising a yarn guide having a yarn feeding aperture therein and a guard plate secured to the yarn guide, the guard plate overlapping the yarn guide and being interposed between the yarn guide and the circle of needles. The guard plate overlaps and covers the exit end of the yarn feeding aperture to keep needle hooks and latches out of the yarn feeding aperture. The guard plate also returns prematurely closing latches of needles back to their opened position.

Abstract: Improvement in sliver feeding devices for use with circular knitting machines to make sliver knitted fabric, wherein the device has comber and doffer drums each of which is covered with spirally extending wrappings of card wire cloths, wherein the wrappings on the doffer drum comprises a single individual card wire cloth extending in a single spiral, and wherein the wrappings on the comber drum comprise a plurality of individual card wire cloths extending in a plural spiral.

Abstract: Yarn feeding and changing apparatus for multi-feed sinker top circular knitting machines having a single circle of needles, wherein a yarn striper box is placed within the needle circle at each feed of the machine to provide a circle of boxes, and wherein a remotely programmed yarn selector is provided within the circle of boxes, the yarn selector and the circle of needles rotating in unison relative to the circle of yarn boxes. Each striper box is provided with a plurality of yarn feeding fingers and with a rocker, a control jack, and a clamp and cutter individual to each finger, the jacks controlling the rockers to move the fingers between feeding and idle positions. The yarn selector acts on the jacks to provide a yarn selection individual to each of the boxes. Each clamp and cutter is partially opened by its related rocker when its related yarn finger is moved to idle position and is thereafter fully opened and closed by the yarn selector.

Abstract: Tubular knitted high pile fabric of indefinite length is formed in a novel manner so that after walewise split lengths of the tubular fabric are coursewise seamed together to form an indefinite length of flat high pile fabric, the seam can be so formed that the flat fabric is able to pass through the fabric finishing apparatus without damage to the apparatus by the seam and without special control of the apparatus to permit the seam to pass therethrough. The novel tubular knitted high pile fabric is specially formed with the pile omitted at walewise spaced courses thereof to form walewise spaced bands of non-pile fabric, and the seam is then formed in the non-pile fabric.

Abstract: A pivoted latch needle having a concave shaped seat formed in the stem portion thereof to receive therein the spoon end of the latch when the latter is moved to its opened position, the shape of the surface of the seat conforming to the curvature of the exterior surface of an arcuate section of a right circular cone the axis of which extends lengthwise of the needle, the curvatures of the surface of the convex side of the spoon end of the latch and of the surface of the seat being similar so that there is surface to surface contact therebetween, and a method of forming the seat by the use of an end milling cutter of cone shape to remove predetermined material from the stem of the needle.

Abstract: A knitted undergarment as formed from a knitted blank made entirely by rotary knitting upon a circle of needles of a circular knitting machine by first knitting a seamless tubular elastic waist encircling turned welt upon all of the needles, then knitting a seamless tubular body section in continuation of the welt upon all of the needles, and then knitting spaced seamless nontubular front and rear narrowed panels in continuation of correspondingly spaced portions of the body section upon correspondingly spaced groups of the needles, the yarn being introduced to the needles for the knitting of each course of the panels and being cut and clamped after the knitting of each such course, so that each course of the narrowed panels is knit of a separate length of yarn. The knitted undergarment is completed by joining the terminal end portions of the panels. The narrowed edges of the spaced panels then delineate spaced leg openings therebetween.

Abstract: Improvement in apparatus used for the continuous inspection of the moving circle of needles of a circular knitting machine to detect faulty needles which comprises a first group of optical glass fibers to guide light from a light source to the needles and a second group of optical fibers to guide reflected light from the needles to a photoelectric sensing member, the end portions of said groups of optical glass fibers at the needles being intermingled to form a single bundle of such intermingled fibers.

Abstract: A knitted undergarment as formed from a knitted blank made entirely by rotary knitting upon a circle of needles of a circular knitting machine by first knitting a seamless tubular elastic waist encircling turned welt upon all of the needles, then knitting a seamless tubular body section in continuation of the welt upon all of the needles, and then knitting spaced seamless nontubular front and rear narrowed panels in continuation of correspondingly spaced portions of the body section upon correspondingly spaced groups of the needles, the yarn being introduced to the needles for the knitting of each course of the panels and being cut and clamped after the knitting of each such course, so that each course of the narrowed panels is knit of a separate length of yarn. The knitted undergarment is completed by joining the terminal end portions of the panels. The narrowed edges of the spaced panels then delineate spaced leg openings therebetween.

Abstract: A feeding device for each of the card units of the circular pile fabric knitting machines, characterised in that it comprises selective feed means for two types of fibers, either alternately with a predetermined output, or simultaneously with a delivery reduced by half for each of them, so that the mean density of the product obtained remains constant.

Abstract: Electronic means for selective raising of the needles in circular knitting machines by the selective raising of jacks individually related to the needles in the cylinder needle slots, the jacks being of the rocking type having a fulcrum butt intermediate their ends. Alternate jacks are mechanically rocked to non-needle raising position while intervening jacks are mechanically rocked to needle raising position. A first electromagnet when selectively energized acts upon the intervening jacks at a point above their fulcrum butts to selectively rock selected ones of such jacks to non-needle raising position, while a second electromagnet when selectively energized acts upon the alternate jacks at a point below their fulcrum butts to selectively rock selected ones of such jacks to needle raising position.

Abstract: Multi-feed circular knitting machine having three level selecting means for lever operated needles. The needles have radially extending pivotally movable levers individually associated therewith in such manner that rocking movements of said levers act to raise and to lower the needles, and there are movable control members individually associated with the levers to rock the same in one direction to raise the needles from welt to tuck and to knit levels. There is a needle raise cam engageable with the control members to lower the same thereby to rock the levers to raise the needles and there is a needle lowering cam engageable with the levers thereby to rock the same in the opposite direction to lower the needles. The levers act to multiply the movement imparted to them by the needle raise and lowering cams thereby to move the needles along pathways which are steeper than the cam faces.