Method for manufacture of stocking toes

Claim 1

A method of knitting a closed toe portion of an article of knitted footwear in a circular knitting machine including a needle cylinder with needles sliding in longitudinal grooves of the cylinder and a hook platen with hooks sliding in radial grooves of the platen, comprising the steps of knitting a main portion, knitting to said main portion a first layer of a knit annular section pouch, knitting to said first layer a first edge of a second layer of said pouch, each said layer being knitted on a lesser number of needles than the main portion, forming retaining loops on the hooks at an edge of said second layer removed from the said first edge, forming a first end flap of fabric after the loops between the hooks and needles and contiguous with the said second layer, disengaging said first end flap from the needles and keeping it engaged to the hooks through the intermediary of said loops, centrally collecting the two layers of the pouch to close the fabric to form a closed toe, transferring the retaining loops to needles, and knitting further courses of stitches to produce a second final flap.

Claim 2

A method of knitting a closed toe portion of an article of knitted footwear in a circular knitting machine including a needle cylinder with needles sliding in longitudinal grooves of the cylinder and a hook platen with hooks sliding in radial grooves of the platen, comprising the steps of knitting a main portion, knitting to said main portion a first layer of a knit annular section pouch, knitting to said first layer a first edge of a second layer of said pouch, each said layer being knitted on a lesser number of needles than the main portion, forming retaining loops on the hooks at an edge of said second layer removed from the said first edge, forming a first end flap of fabric after the loops between the hooks and needles and contiguous with the said second layer, disengaging said first end flap from the needles and keeping it engaged to the hooks through the intermediary of said loops, centrally collecting the two layers of the pouch to close the fabric to form a closed toe, transferring the retaining loops to needles, and knitting further courses of stitches to produce a second final flap.

Claim 4

A method for the formation on a circular knitting machine having a cylinder with needles and a platen with hooks of a closed toe portion of a stocking, said toe portion having the form of an annular section pouch with a double layer of knit fabric and a central throttling between the two layers substantially at the center of the pouch, said method comprising the steps of knitting a main portion of the fabric with all of the needles, excluding from operation a proportion of the needles of the machine, said excluded needles retaining said main portion, forming the pouch with a first edge contiguous with the main portion with operative needles interposed between the excluded needles, forming yarn loops on the a second pouch edge and retaining said loops on the hooks of the machine platen, knitting courses of a first end flap of fabric knitted beyond said loops and contiguous with said second edge with operative needles and disengaging said first end flap of fabric from said operative needles, centrally throttling the layers of fabric of the pouch to close the toe, transferring the loops from the hooks on to needles, and knitting a second final end flap contiguous with said pouch and said main portion with a plurality of end courses being knitTed with all of said needles.

Claim 5

A method for the formation on a circular knitting machine having a cylinder with needles and a platen with hooks of a closed toe portion of a stocking, said toe portion having the form of an annular section pouch with a double layer of knit fabric and a central throttling between the two layers substantially at the center of the pouch, said method comprising the steps of knitting a main portion of the fabric with all of the needles, excluding from operation a proportion of the needles of the machine, said excluded needles retaining said main portion, forming the pouch with a first edge contiguous with the main portion with operative needles interposed between the excluded needles, forming yarn loops on the a second pouch edge and retaining said loops on the hooks of the machine platen, knitting courses of a first end flap of fabric knitted beyond said loops and contiguous with said second edge with operative needles and disengaging said first end flap of fabric from said operative needles, centrally throttling the layers of fabric of the pouch to close the toe, transferring the loops from the hooks on to needles, and knitting a second final end flap contiguous with said pouch and said main portion with a plurality of end courses being knitTed with all of said needles.

Claim 7

A method of forming and closing one end of a fabric tube on a circular knitting machine having a circle of needles adapted for rotary operation, a circle of dial bits cooperating with alternate needles of said circle and means for feeding yarns to said circle of needles including the steps of a. knitting yarn fed to said circle of needles and forming courses of said fabric tube including a terminal course thereof, b. inactivating alternate needles of said circle of needles with stitches of said terminal course of said tube suspended thereon, c. knitting yarn fed to needles of said circle intermediate said alternate needles and forming courses of a first ply at said one end of said tube including an inner terminal course having stitches connected to stitches of said terminal course of said tube and an outer terminal course, d. knitting yarn fed to said intermediate needles and forming courses of a second ply including an outer terminal course connected to said outer terminal course of said first ply and an inner terminal course, said outer terminal courses of said first and second plies defining the outer end of said one end of said fabric tube, e. engaging said dial bits with bights of yarn connecting the stitches of said inner terminal course of said second ply, f. knitting yarn fed to said intermediate needles and forming courses of a first fabric tab including a terminal course at one end thereof connected to said inner terminal course of said second ply and a terminal course at the other end thereof, g. casting said terminal course at said other end of said first tab from said intermediate needles, h. gathering said outer terminal courses of said first and second plies into a bunch to close said outer end of said one end of said fabric tube, i. transferring said yarn bights engaged by said dial bits to said alternate needles and enclosing said first tab within said first and second plies, and j. knitting yarn fed to said alternate and intermediate needles and forming a first course of a second fabric tab to connect said stitches of said terminal course of said tube and said yarn bights of said terminal course of said second ply on said alternate needles.

Claim 8

A method of forming and closing one end of a fabric tube on a circular knitting machine having a circle of needles adapted for rotary operation, a circle of dial bits cooperating with alternate needles of said circle and means for feeding yarns to said circle of needles including the steps of a. knitting yarn fed to said circle of needles and forming courses of said fabric tube including a terminal course thereof, b. inactivating alternate needles of said circle of needles with stitches of said terminal course of said tube suspended thereon, c. knitting yarn fed to needles of said circle intermediate said alternate needles and forming courses of a first ply at said one end of said tube including an inner terminal course having stitches connected to stitches of said terminal course of said tube and an outer terminal course, d. knitting yarn fed to said intermediate needles and forming courses of a second ply including an outer terminal course connected to said outer terminal course of said first ply and an inner terminal course, said outer terminal courses of said first and second plies defining the outer end of said one end of said fabric tube, e. engaging said dial bits with bights of yarn connecting the stitches of said inner terminal course of said second ply, f. knitting yarn fed to said intermediate needles and forming courses of a first fabric tab including a terminal course at one end thereof connected to said inner terminal course of said second ply and a terminal course at the other end thereof, g. casting said terminal course at said other end of said first tab from said intermediate needles, h. gathering said outer terminal courses of said first and second plies into a bunch to close said outer end of said one end of said fabric tube, i. transferring said yarn bights engaged by said dial bits to said alternate needles and enclosing said first tab within said first and second plies, and j. knitting yarn fed to said alternate and intermediate needles and forming a first course of a second fabric tab to connect said stitches of said terminal course of said tube and said yarn bights of said terminal course of said second ply on said alternate needles.