Splicing in circular knitting machines

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE INSERTION OF REINFORCING YARN IN A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING A TUBE OF AT LEAST ONE BODY YARN COMPRISING A FEED STATION, A CIRCLE OF KNITTING NEEDLES MOUNTED FOR RELATIVE REVOLUTION PAST SAID FEED STATION, A CIRCLE OF JACKS UNDERLYING SAID NEEDLE CIRCLE AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE JACK FOR EACH NEEDLE TO POSITION THE LATTER, BUTTS ON SAID JACKS DISPOSED AT A PLURALITY OF LEVELS, AT LEAST ONE NEEDLE SELECTION STATION IN ADVANCE OF SAID FEED STATION, INCLUDING JACK SLIDES COOPERABLE WITH SAID JACK BUTTS TO EFFECT SELECTION OF NEEDLES TO DISPOSE THE SELECTED NEEDLES IN AN ELEVATED POSITION ABOVE THE POSITION OF THE NON-SELECTED NEEDLES AND YARN FEED MEANS AT SAID FEED STATION COMPRISING A BODY YARN FEED FINGER POSITIONED BELOW SAID ELEVATED POSITION TO INTRODUCE A BODY YARN INTO THE HOOKS OF BOTH SAID SELECTED AND SAID NON-SELECTED NEEDLES, AND A REINFORCING YARN FEED FINGER POSITIONED ABOVE SAID BODY YARN FEED FINGER AND ABOVE THE POSITION OF SAID NON-SELECTED NEEDLES TO INTRODUCE A REINFORCING YARN INTO THE HOOKS OF ONLY SAID SELECTED NEEDLES, AVOIDING ENGAGEMENT OF THE REINFORCING YARN IN THE HOOKS OF THE NON-SELECTED NEEDLES; THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID JACK BUTTS COMPRISE BUTTS OF A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS, SAID SELECTION STATION INCLUDING CAM MEANS OPERABLE ON SAID JACK SLIDES TO SELECTIVELY ADVANCE SAID SLIDES STEPWISE TOWARD SAID CYLINDER TO SELECTIVELY ENGAGE SAID BUTTS, THE STEPS OF SAID ADVANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF BUTTS.