Apparatus for making heel or toe pouches on circular knitting machines

Claim 1

A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR THE KNITTING OF TUBULAR GOODS AND ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY WORK POUCHES INTO THE GOODS BY VARIATION OF THE LONGITUDINAL LENGTH OF THE KNIT LOOPS WHILE THE MACHINE IS IN CONTINUOUS ROTARY MOTION, SAID KNITTING MACHINE COMPRISING: (A) A CYLINDER HAVING NEEDLES DISPOSED AXIALLY ABOUT THE CYLINDER AND MOUNTED THEREON FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREOF WITH RESPECT TO THE CYLINDER FOR KNITTING OPERATION, SAID NEEDLES HAVING NEEDLE BUTTS FOR ACTUATION OF THE NEEDLES; (B) A STITCH CAM FOR COOPERATION WITH THE NEEDLE BUTTS TO ACTUATE SAID NEEDLES FOR THE KNITTING OPERATION; (C) MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CYLINDER RELATIVE TO SAID STITCH CAM FOR COOPERATION OF THE STITCH CAM WITH THE NEEDLE BUTTS TO PROVIDE THE KNITTING OPERATION OF THE NEEDLES; (D) A POUCH WORKING CAM AND MEANS FOR ROTATING THE POUCH WORKING CAM IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE SAID MOVEMENT OF THE NEEDLE CYLINDER; (E) A CAM FOLLOWER FOR COOPERATION WITH THE POUCH WORKING CAM; (F) MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID CAM FOLLOWER AND STITCH CAM AND EFFECTIVE TO MOVE THE STITCH CAM AXIALLY RELATED TO THEE NEEDLE CYLINDER IN RESPONSE TO ACTION OF THE POUNCH WORKING CAM ON THE CAM FOLLOWER, WHEREBY TO VARY THE AXIAL STITCHING MOVEMENT OF NEEDLES, AND THEREFORE THE LONGITUDINAL LENGTH OF THE KNIT LOOPS; (G) CONTROL MEANS FOR THE POUNCH WORKING CAM FOR CHANGING THE WORKING HEIGHT OF SAID CAM WHEREBY THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CAM ACTION ON SAID CAM FOLLOWER CAN BE CHANGED AND IN TURN AXIAL STITCHING MOVEMENT OF THE NEEDLES CAN BE CHANGED; AND (H) PROGRAMMING MEANS FOR COORDINATING OPERATION OF THE SAID CONTROL MEANS WITH ROTATION OF THE NEEDLE CYLINDER TO PROVIDE LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED STITCHES OVER AN AREA OF THE KNIT GOODS TO PROVIDE A POUNCH THEREIN.