Patern mechanism for knitting machines

Claim 2

In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with slots for slidably mounting a circular series of needles and a pattern jack for selectively operating each of said needles, and pattern means for acting on a butt pattern on said jacks, said pattern means including selector levers, a first trick drum having a trick butt pattern for selectively operating said selector levers, first means for indexing said first trick drum, a second trick drum having a trick butt pattern for individually moving said selector levers between active positions in which said selector levers are operated by said first trick drum and inactive positions, second means for indexing said second trick drum, and common means for operating said first and second indexing means in a plurality of indexing movements during a rotation of said cylinder, said common means including a multifaced cam having portions adapted to operate said first indexing means to index said first trick drum in each of said plurality of indexing movements and one of said portions being adapted to operate said second indexing means to index said second trick drum in only one of said plurality of indexing movements.

Claim 3

A machine according to claim 1 in which said first indexing means includes a first ratchet on said first trick drum and a first pawl operated by said common means, and there is means for controlling the movement of said first pawl between an inactive position and an active position to act on said first ratchet to index said first trick drum.

Claim 4

A machine according to claim 2 in which said controlling means for said first pawl includes said second trick drum and a lever operated thereby.

Claim 5

In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with slots for slidably mounting a circular series of needles and a pattern jack for selectively operating each of said needles, and pattern means for acting on a butt pattern on said jacks, said pattern means including selector levers, a first trick drum having a trick butt pattern for selectively operating said selector levers, first means for indexing said first trick drum, a second trick drum having a trick butt pattern for individually moving said selector levers between active positions in which said selector levers are operated by said first trick drum and inactive positions, second means for indexing said second trick drum, common means for operating said first and second indexing means in a plurality of indexing movements during a rotation of said cylinder, said common means including a cam adapted to operate said first indexing means to index said first trick drum in each of said plurality of indexing movements and to operate said second indexing means to index said second trick drum in only one of said plurality of indexing movements, said first indexing means includes a first ratchet on said first trick drum and a fIrst pawl for acting on said first ratchet, said second indexing means includes a second ratchet on said second trick drum and a second pawl acting on said second ratchet, said common means includes a lever on which said first and second pawls are mounted, said lever being operated by said cam, said cam including an opposed pair of high portions for moving said lever and said first and second pawls in an indexing direction, and low portions between said high portions for moving said lever and said first and second pawls in a resetting direction, said low portions acting to reset said first pawl to cause said first pawl to index said first trick drum during movements thereof in said indexing direction by each of said high portions, and said low portions acting to reset said second pawl to cause said second pawl to index said second trick drum during movement thereof in said indexing direction by only one of said high portions.

Claim 6

In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with slots for slidably mounting a circular series of needles and a pattern jack for selectively operating each of said needles, and pattern means for acting on a butt pattern on said jacks, said pattern means including selector levers, a first trick drum having a trick butt pattern for selectively operating said selector levers, first means for indexing said first trick drum, a second trick drum having a trick butt pattern for individually moving said selector levers between active positions in which said selector levers are operated by said first trick drum and inactive positions, second means for indexing said second trick drum, common means for operating said first and second indexing means in a plurality of indexing movements during a rotation of said cylinder, said common means including a cam adapted to operate said first indexing means to index said first trick drum in each of said plurality of indexing movements and to operate said second indexing means to index said second trick drum in only one of said plurality of indexing movements, said first indexing means includes a first ratchet on said first trick drum and a fIrst pawl for acting on said first ratchet, said second indexing means includes a second ratchet on said second trick drum and a second pawl acting on said second ratchet, said common means includes a lever on which said first and second pawls are mounted, said lever being operated by said cam, said cam including an opposed pair of high portions for moving said lever and said first and second pawls in an indexing direction, and low portions between said high portions for moving said lever and said first and second pawls in a resetting direction, said low portions acting to reset said first pawl to cause said first pawl to index said first trick drum during movements thereof in said indexing direction by each of said high portions, and said low portions acting to reset said second pawl to cause said second pawl to index said second trick drum during movement thereof in said indexing direction by only one of said high portions.

Claim 7

In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with slots for slidably mounting a circular series of needles and a pattern jack for selectively operating each of said needles, and pattern means for acting on a butt pattern on said jacks and for controlling operations of said machine, said pattern means including selector levers, a first trick drum having a trick butt pattern for selectively operating said selector levers, first means for indexing said first trick drum, a second trick drum having a trick butt pattern for individually moving said selector levers between active positions in which said selector levers are operated by said first trick drum and inactive positions, second means for indexing said second trick drum, and common means for operating said first and second indexing means in a plurality of indexing movements during a rotation of said cylinder, said common means being adapted to operate said first indexing means to index said first trick drum in each of said plurality of indexing movements and to operate said second indexing means to index said second trick drum in only one of said plurality of indexing movements, said second indexing means includes a second ratchet on said second trick drum and a second pawl operated by said common means, and there is means for controlling the movement of said second pawl between an inactive position and an active position to act on said second ratchet to index said second trick drum, and said controlling means for said second pawl includes a lever, a first means operated by said pattern means for operating said lever at times to control the movement of said second pawl between said inactive and active positions, and a second means operated by said second trick drum for operating said lever at other times to control the movement of said second pawl between said inactive and active positions.

Claim 8

In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with slots for slidably mounting a circular series of needles and a pattern jack for selectively operating each of said needles, and pattern means for acting on a butt pattern on said jacks and for controlling operations of said machine, said pattern means including selector levers, a first trick drum having a trick butt pattern for selectively operating said selector levers, first means for indexing said first trick drum, a second trick drum having a trick butt pattern for individually moving said selector levers between active positions in which said selector levers are operated by said first trick drum and inactive positions, second means for indexing said second trick drum, and common means for operating said first and second indexing means in a plurality of indexing movements during a rotation of said cylinder, said common means being adapted to operate said first indexing means to index said first trick drum in each of said plurality of indexing movements and to operate said second indexing means to index said second trick drum in only one of said plurality of indexing movements, said second indexing means includes a second ratchet on said second trick drum and a second pawl operated by said common means, and there is means for controlling the movement of said second pawl between an inactive position and an active position to act on said second ratchet to index said second trick drum, and said controlling means for said second pawl includes a lever, a first means operated by said pattern means for operating said lever at times to control the movement of said second pawl between said inactive and active positions, and a second means operated by said second trick drum for operating said lever at other times to control the movement of said second pawl between said inactive and active positions.

Claim 9

In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with slots for slidably mounting a circular series of needles and a pattern jack for selectively operating each of said needles, and pattern means for acting on a butt pattern on said jacks and for controlling operations of said machine, said pattern means including selector levers, a first trick drum having a trick butt pattern for selectively operating said selector levers, first means for indexing said first trick drum, a second trick drum having a trick butt pattern for individually moving said selector levers between active positions in which said selector levers are operated by said first trick drum and inactive positions, second means for indexing said second trick drum, common means for operating said first and second indexing means in a plurality of indexing movements during a rotation of said cylinder, said common means being adapted to operate said first indexing means to index said first trick drum in each of said plurality of indexing movements and to operate said second indexing means to index said second trick drum in only one of said plurality of indexing movements, first means for inactivating said first indexing means to Idle said first trick drum and for activating said first indexing means to permit operation thereof by said common means to index said first trick drum, second means for inactivating said second indexing means to idle said second trick drum and for activating said second indexing means to permit operation thereof to index said second trick drum, said first means for inactivating and activating said first indexing means includes a first member operated by said second trick drum, and said second means for inactivating and activating said second indexing means includes a second member in part operated by said pattern means and in part operated by said second trick drum.

Claim 10

In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with slots for slidably mounting a circular series of needles and a pattern jack for selectively operating each of said needles, and pattern means for acting on a butt pattern on said jacks and for controlling operations of said machine, said pattern means including selector levers, a first trick drum having a trick butt pattern for selectively operating said selector levers, first means for indexing said first trick drum, a second trick drum having a trick butt pattern for individually moving said selector levers between active positions in which said selector levers are operated by said first trick drum and inactive positions, second means for indexing said second trick drum, common means for operating said first and second indexing means in a plurality of indexing movements during a rotation of said cylinder, said common means being adapted to operate said first indexing means to index said first trick drum in each of said plurality of indexing movements and to operate said second indexing means to index said second trick drum in only one of said plurality of indexing movements, first means for inactivating said first indexing means to Idle said first trick drum and for activating said first indexing means to permit operation thereof by said common means to index said first trick drum, second means for inactivating said second indexing means to idle said second trick drum and for activating said second indexing means to permit operation thereof to index said second trick drum, said first means for inactivating and activating said first indexing means includes a first member operated by said second trick drum, and said second means for inactivating and activating said second indexing means includes a second member in part operated by said pattern means and in part operated by said second trick drum.