Abstract: A skin-contacting fabric underlay for use beneath a therapeutic or prosthetic device on a human or animal body part is formed as a tube of knitted fabric. The yarns forming the fabric have a core of elastic material surrounded by moisture-transporting filaments of substantially non-elastic material, the yarn having elasticity, the fabric having a warp-knitted structure characterized by an artificial terry surface on an inner skin-contacting surface of the tube. The artificial terry surface is formed by underlaps of the yarn, in which the elasticity of the yarn causes the underlaps to draw up and form artificial terry loops that contact the skin of the body part about which the tube is sleeved. The artificial terry loops serve to space overlaps of the yarn from the skin and to move moisture away from the skin.

Abstract: An enhanced knit fabric fire barrier for mattresses and method for making same, the fabric barrier including a looped terry knitted fabric with a jersey side and a looped terry side; the jersey side including a fire retardant yarn and a melting yarn; the looped terry side including a fire retardant yarn; the loops in the jersey side are very high loops between about 4 mm and about 8 mm which char to provide a fire barrier for latex and highly volatile foams in mattresses. Also a double knit construction and method for making same, the fabric providing improved performance with the addition of a fire retardant yarn on the outside of the loops. Also, an enhanced fire-resistant full-foam mattress.

Abstract: Apparatus for use in a spring needle circular knitting machine utilizing a lay-in concept wherein one or more strands of lay-in yarn are combined with tie yarn and stitch yarn to create a limitless number of fabric surface effects. A combination tie presser and lay-in raising wheel is placed in close face to face relationship in each feed station with a tie stitch sinker burr. The combination presser and raising wheel has a camming surface that acts in concert with blade elements that mesh with the needles of the rotating needle cylinder. The camming surface closes the beards of the needles over the tie stitch yarn almost immediately after the sinker burr has inserted the tie yarn thereunder and holds the beards closed as the blades of the wheel raise the lay-in yarn over the closed beards. The camming surface then releases the beards allowing them to spring open to land the lay-in yarn over the tips of the needles.