Machine for joining knitted fabrics

Claim 1

IN A LOOPING MACHINE FOR HOSIERY HAVING SUPERPOSED LOOPING COURSES WHICH ARE TO BE HINGEDLY INTERCONNECTED AND INCLUDING A ROTARY DIAL HAVING RADIALLY EXTENDING AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISPOSED DIAL POINTS OVER WHICH SAID LOOPING COURSES ARE ADAPTED TO BE IMPALED MANUALLY, MEANS MOUNTING SAID ROTARY DIAL FOR ROTARY MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICALLY EXTENDING DIAL AXIS, MEANS AT A FIRST CIRCUMFERENTIAL LOCATION FOR CUTTING THE SELVAGE OF SAID HOSIERY ABOVE SAID LOOPING COURSE WHICH IS IMPALED ON SAID DIAL POINTS, AND A DRIVE FOR ROTATING SAID DIAL AND FOR OPERATING THE MEANS AT SAID FIRST LOCATION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING STITCHING MECHANISMS IN ADVANCE OF SAID FIRST CIRCUMFERENTIAL LOCATION FOR INTRODUCING A BARRIER THREAD ALONG AT LEAST SAID SUPERPOSED LOOPING COURSES, SAID STITCHING MECHANISMS INCLUDING A NEEDLE POINT, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID STEM AND MOUNTING SAID NEEDLE BODY FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT ABOUT A NEEDLE-ROCKING AXIS TO ADVANCE SAID NEEDLE POINT ALONG A PENETRATING STROKE DISPOSED IN RELATION TO SUCCESSIVE DIAL POINTS TO ADVANCE SAID BARRIER THREAD THROUGH SAID HOSIERY AND INTO A PICKUP POSITION OUTWARDLY THEREOF, A THREAD LIFTER HAVING A LIFTER STEM AND A LIFTER BODY, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID LIFTER STEM AND MOUNTING SAID LIFTER BODY FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT ABOUT A LIFTERROCKING AXIS EXTENDING ANGULARLY OF SAID NEEDLE-ROCKING AXIS TO ADVANCE SAID LIFTER BODY INWARDLY TOWARD AND BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE DIAL POINTS, SAID LIFTER BODY ENGAGING SAID BARRIER THREAD IN SAID PICK-UP POSITION FOR IMPALING SAID BARRIER THREAD OVER SAID DIAL POINTS, AND RESPECTIVE ACTUATING MEANS CONTROLLED FROM SAID DRIVE FOR ROCKING SAID NEEDLE AND SAID THREAD LIFTER IN TIMED RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE ROTATION OF SAID DIAL.