Method of knitting a warp structure on a flat knitting machine
AssigneeFabdesigns, Inc.
InventorsBruce Huffa, Concetta Maria Huffa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
System and method of manufacturing a unitary construction of a weft knit article with one or more warp insert in an integrated knitting process by using a weft knit machine. The unitary construction comprises one or more yarn materials which are incorporated into one or more weft and warp stitch structures. The knitting machine is equipped with a warp feeder assembly, including a weft knit warp feeder, a warp knitting guide needle block operable to hold a plurality of warp strands, a strand guide bar configured to guide the plurality of warp strands to the weft knit warp feeder, and a cam box. The cam box includes at least a weft stitch cam, a weft guard cam, a warp stitch cam, and a warp guard cam.
Claims21
A knitting process of producing a textile article using a knitting machine to introduce at least one warp structure, the knitting process comprising:
- knitting a first set of strands that results in a weft knitted fabric base that comprises weft strands, while simultaneously during the knitting process, introducing one or more second strands for attaching or embedding the one or more second strands into the weft knitted fabric base using a knitting machine feeder for creating the at least one warp structure;
- wherein the introducing of the one or more second strands for the creating of the at least one warp structure comprises:
- raising selected needles on the knitting machine to a warp height using a warp guard cam;
- carrying the one or more second strands in feeder tips of the knitting machine feeder to the selected needles;
- lowering the knitting machine feeder to the warp height and laying the one or more second strands into hooks for the selected needles;
- and
- creating the at least one warp structure using the selected needles;
- wherein the at least one warp structure is formed by knitting, floating, tucking and/or inlaying the one or more second strands in the knitting process, wherein at least one strand of the one or more second strands is held in the weft knitted fabric base by weft knitted stitches that are generated in the knitting process, wherein the first set of strands comprises one or more strands.
A knitting process of producing a textile article using a knitting machine to introduce at least one warp structure, the knitting process comprising:
- knitting a first set of strands that results in a weft knitted fabric base using the knitting machine, and while at the same time and in the same knitting process, introducing one or more second strands by attaching or embedding the one or more second strands in the weft knitted fabric base, and forming the one or more second strands by knitting, tucking, inlaying and/or floating the one or more second strands by using the knitting machine thereby creating the at least one warp structure wherein the creating of the at least one warp structure comprises:
- raising selected needles on the knitting machine to a warp height using a warp guard cam;
- carrying the one or more second strands in feeder tips of the knitting machine to the selected needles;
- and
- lowering the feeder tips of the knitting machine towards the selected needles and laying the one or more second strands into hooks for the selected needles;
- wherein at least one strand of the one or more second strands is held in the weft knitted fabric base by loops and/or underlap of weft knitted course and/or wale stitches that are generated in the knitting process.
A knitting process of producing a textile article using a knitting machine to introduce at least one warp structure, the knitting process comprising:
- knitting a first set of strands that results in a weft knitted fabric base using the knitting machine;
- and
- simultaneously with the knitting of the first set of strands, knitting the at least one warp structure using at least one second set of strands by using a weft knit warp feeder of the knitting machine, wherein the at least one second set of strands is held in the weft knitted fabric base by loops and/or underlaps of weft knitted wale and course stitches that are generated in the knitting process, wherein the knitting of the at least one warp structure comprises:
- raising selected needles on the knitting machine to a warp height using a warp guard cam;
- carrying the at least one second set of strands in feeder tips of the knitting machine to the selected needles;
- lowering the feeder tips of the knitting machine towards the selected needles and laying the at least one second set of strands into hooks of the selected needles;
- and
- creating the at least one warp structure using the selected needles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.