Device for closing the toe at the end of tubular hosiery articles

A process for closing the end of hosiery articles on a circular machine that produces the hosiery articles, by means of transfer of stitches formed by a first needle arc to the needles of a complementary opposed second needle arc, the process comprising:

• providing a plurality of U-shaped fork projections, each of said plurality of U-shaped fork projections having a base and two leg portions, said two leg portions having ends diametrically opposite said base, each said base defining a stitch engaging recess, each said ends of said two leg portions each defining a stitch engaging recess;
• engaging an end stitch of each of the needles of a first needle arc on a respective said U-shaped fork projection, each said base of said U-shaped fork projections radially rearwardly flanking one of said needles of the first needle arc;
• raising the needles of the first arc to unload the end stitches, said needles of said first arc engaging said end stitches onto said stitch engaging recesses of each of said U-shaped fork projections;
• providing a sector on which said U-shaped fork projections are mounted;
• rotating said sector through approximately 180° such that the stitches engaged on said U-shaped fork projections correspond with needles of the second arc;
• and
• raising said needles of the second arc to a retained level of a last stitch thereof such that said needles of said second arc engage corresponding stitches and disengage said stitches from said U-shaped fork projections to form ranks of double closing stitches.

A device for closing an end of a tubular hosiery article on a circular needle machine that produces the tubular hosiery article, the device comprising:

• a needle cylinder;
• a plurality of needles forming a first needle arc arranged in said needle cylinder;
• another plurality of needles forming a second needle arc arranged in said needle cylinder, said second needle arc being arranged opposite said first needle arc;
• a substantially semicircular sector to transfer stitches from said first needle arc to said second needle arc, said sector being arranged on one end of said needle cylinder;
• a plurality of radially projecting appendages arranged in said sector, each of said radially extending appendages having an end with two shaped elements which form a bifurcation, said each of radially projecting appendages being movable into and out of an engagement position where a respective said two shaped elements of one of said appendages flank a different one of said needles of said first needle arc;
• a U-shaped fork projection arranged on each of said radially projecting appendages, each said projection extending from respective said two shaped elements in a direction transverse to a bifurcation plane of said respective two shaped elements, said each U-shaped fork projection wrapping around from one of said respective shaped elements along a base of said bifurcation to the other of said respective shaped elements, said each U-shaped fork projection defining a radially inward recess and two radially outward recesses shaped for engaging an end stitch formed by said needles of the first needle arc when said plurality of radially projecting appendages are moved into and out of said engagement position;
• a first needle moving device raising and lowering said needles of said first needle arc to transfer the end stitch from said needles of said first needle arc to respective said U-shaped fork projections;
• a sector moving device rotating said sector about a diametrical axis of said needle cylinder and taking the end stitches from said needles of said first needle arc and engaged on said recesses of said appendages, into correspondence with said needles of said second needle arc;
• a second needle moving device raising said needles of said second needle arc to a level to maintain a stitch formed by each of said needles of said second needle arc and for engaging the corresponding end stitch engaged on said recesses of said appendages, and for forming a rank of double closing stitches with said needles of said second needle arc.