Pattern control arrangement for a circular knitting machine

Claim 1

IN A PATTERNING ARRANGEMENT FOR A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION, SUPPORT MEANS; CARRIER MEANS ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORT MEANS; A PLURALITY OF NEEDLE-INFLUENCING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY SAID CARRIER MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND MOUNTED ON THE SAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN INOPERATIVE POSITION AND AN OPERATING POSITION; A PLURALITY OF MOVING MEMBERS CARRIED BY SAID CARRIER MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND BEING AT LEAST PARTLY MOVABLE IN RADIAL DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID CARRIER MEANS FROM AN INNER POSITION THROUGH AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION TO AN OUTER END POSITION, SAID MOVING MEMBERS BEING RESPECTIVELY OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID NEEDLE-INFLUENCING ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESSIVELY MOVING THE SAME TO SAID OPERATING POSITION THEREOF; CAM MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND LOCATED ADJACENT SAID CARRIER MEANS, SAID CAM MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST ACTUATE CAM AND A SECOND ARCUATE CAM, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CAMS DEFINING A GAP BETWEEN EACH OTHER, SAID MOVABLE MEMBERS SLIDING ALONG SAID FIRST CAM DURING ROTATION OF SAID CARRIER MEANS AND BEING HELD BY THE SAME IN SAID INNER POSITION WHEN ARRIVING AT SAID GAP AND THEN SLIDING ALONG SAID SECOND CAM, SAID SECOND CAM HAVING AN INNER ARCUATE CAM SURFACE FOR ENGAGING SAID MOVING MEMBERS IN SAID INNER POSITION, AND AN OUTER ARCUATE CAM SURFACE HAVING A FIRST FACE PORTION ADJACENT SAID GAP FOR ENGAGING MOVABLE MEMBERS IN SAID INTERMEDIATE POSITION AND A SECOND FACE PORTION FOR GUIDING MOVING MEMBERS TO SAID OUTER END POSITION; SO THAT THE RESPECTIVE CORRELATED NEEDLE-INFLUENCING ELEMENTS ARE MOVED TO THE OPERATING POSITIONS THEREOF; ELECTRO-MAGNETIC MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT SAID GAP AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO MOVABLE MEMBERS PASSING SAID GAP TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF SELECTED MOVABLE MEMBERS THROUGH SAID GAP TO SAID INTERMEDIATE POSITION SO THAT THE SELECTED MOVING MEMBERS ARE ENGAGED BY SAID OUTER CAM SURFACE AND MOVED TO SAID OUTER END POSITION WHILE NON-SELECTE MOVING MEMBERS ARE ENGAGED BY SAID INNER CAM SURFACE AND REMAIN IN SAID INNER POSITION; AND RETURN CAM MEANS DISPOSED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS IN THE REGION OF SAID FIRST CAM FOR ENGAGING NEEDLEINFLUENCING ELEMENTS IN SAID OPERATING POSITIONS AND FOR MOVING THE SAME TO SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION BEFORE SAID NEEDLE-INFLUENCING ELEMENTS AND THE RESPECTIVE CORRELATED MOVING ELEMENTS ARRIVE AT SAID GAP DURING ROTATION OF SAID CARRIER MEANS.