US1533728A - Apparatus for separating and unraveling yarns of knitted fabrics - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1925. 1,533,728

H.F.DRENK APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND UNRAVELING YARNS OF KNITTED FABRICS Filed March '7 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l If 5 /o alto: u up /3 ljlvwentoz rank.

April 14, 1925. 1,533,728

/ H. F. DRENK APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND UNRAVELING- YARNS OF KNITTED FABRICS Filed March '7, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l; /fl

In I

J Ill I I/fi T I r 1 I I gnuen roz Henry F Drank- Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. DRENK, 0F RIVERSIDE, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND UNRAVELING YARNS OF KNITTED FABRICS.

Application filed March '7, 1923. SerialNo. 623,419.

r T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. DRENK, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Riverside, 1n the county of Burlington and State of New Jersey, have invented certain knitted fabrics.

The, primary object of this invention is the provision of means for effectively separating and backwinding the different iii tel-knitted yarns of. fabric.

A very important object of this invention is the provision of a device embodying the above characteristics particularly well adapted .for use by hosiery manufacturers for the reclaiming of the yarn of defective hosiery, the improved device including means to eliectively control the splicing yarn thereof, so that the main yarn may be readily separated and unravelled therefrom.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a. relatively simple, practical and highly efficient apparatus, for quickly unraveling knitted fabrics and backwinding the same for reuse.

A furtherobject of this invention is the provision of a device of the above mentioned character including means to quickly and effectively place av splice yarn controlling member upon a fabric article, such as hosiery, from whichthe main yarn is to be separated.

Further objects of the invention are the provision of various cooperating details which may be used in connection with the method and principle of this invention, so that practically any type of; defective fabric or hosiery may have the expensive yarn reclaimed therefrom so that the same may be used, again.

Other objectsand advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure '1 is a side elevationof the improved apparatus, showing the manner in which the details of the same cooperate in separating the splicing yarn from the main" yarn of a piece of hose, so that the main yarn may be unravelled for reclamation purposes.

Figure 2 is, a fragmentary enlarged perspective view, showing the means by which the splicing yarn or other yarn of a fabric article, such as a piece of hose, may be controlled and separated to facilitate the un raveling of the main or other type of yarn therefrom.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the main portion of this invention showing cooperating details thereof.

Figure 4 is aperspcctive view showing the manner in which an operator may quickly and conveniently apply the splice yarn control member upon a piece of hosiery or other knitted fabric, so that the same will operate to maintain the splicing yarn free of the main yarn during unraveling of the latter.

Figure is a longitudinal cross sectional view, taken through the improved device, showing the application of the parts thereof as used with a piece of defective hosiery.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of the manner in which this invention may be used for unravelingyarn from defective fabrics,

even though the splicing yarn therein is mutilated, as is. sometimes the case.

Figurev 7 is, a fragmentary perspective view of a modified detail of this invention.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown but the preferred embodiment of this invention, the letter A generally designates the improved mechanism to separate and unravel knitted yarns of fabrics for reclaiming purposes, which may include the mechanism B for receiving and acting upon the defective fabrics, and

the winding apparatus C, of any approved type; both of said mechanisms 13 and C preferably being supported upon the ma chine base D.

In the manufacture of knitted articles, such as hosiery, underwear, and the like, a

considerable portion of the articles, upon examination, are found to be defective, incident to. ineffective working ofthe machine upon which they are knitted. Especially is this so in hosiery mills. 'Ihis-defective hosiery or other fabric article, if .the same is knitted from single yarn thread without splicing, may be easily reclaimed by backwinding the same in. the manner well known to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. However, in silk ho siery, as now manufactured, a splice runs from the heel to the top of the stocking. The yarn of which this splice is formed is knitted with the silk yarn forming the main portion of the stocking, and if the stocking proves defective the reclaiming of the main yarn from the hosiery is extremely difficult, incident to the knitting of the splicing yarn therein. It has been the practice of manufacturers of hosiery to sell defective hosiery as waste, since the cost of reclaiming the silk yarn from this type of hosiery was heretofore prohibitive.

Referring to the improved mechanism, and in detail to the apparatus B, the same includes the cylindrical shaped fabric holder 10, which in the illustration is cylindrical in formation, although the same may be of any shape to conform to the article which the same is to receive. This cylindrical shaped holder 10 is preferably formed of sheet metal, although the same may be of wood or any analagous material, and is provided with a slot or opening 11 extending longitudinally inward from the outer surface thereof. The cylinder 10 illustrated may be rolled from a single sheet of material until the beaded edges 12 and 13 thereof are in spaced relation to provide the slot or opening 11 of the proper width, and connecting or reinforcing clips 15 may be soldered or otherwise attached within the holder 10, at the upper and lower ends thereof, so that the beaded edges 12 and 13 defining the slot or opening 11 are held in proper spaced relation throughout the height of the holder 10.

The fabric article E, which in the present instance is a piece of silk hosiery, is slipped over the holder 10 from the top thereof, and the same is drawn taut in engagement with the outer surface of the holder 10, longitudinally thereof. The upper part or top of the hose E, which is ordinarily of cotton and not worth reclaiming, is stuck upwardly within the compartment 15 of the holder 10, as at 16, in Figure 5 of the drawings. The boot or silk part 17 of the hose to be reclaimed is drawn taut upon the holder 10, as is illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings. The splice 18 of the article E is arranged in confronting relation along the slot or opening 11, the same being of just suflicient width to lie inwardly of the beaded edges 12 and 13 of the holder 10, substantially as is illustrated in the drawings. The hosiery is placed upon the holder 10 wrong side out, and the float portions or loose cross strands or threads 20 of the splice 18 are therefore outermost. The splice provided in silk hosiery is ordinarily cotton yarn, and is knitted in with the silk yarn, so that it can readily be understood that it is at best diflicult to backwind the silk yarn for reclaiming purposes, since the cotton splicing yarn becomes entangled therewith incident to the fact that there is no constant force acting upon the same mary purpose of which is that of controlling the splicing yarn during unraveling of the silk yarn from the boot portion 17. This novel member 30 preferably includes a relatively long rod 31, having the upper end 33 a hook shaped head or offset portion 34 arranged in a plane at an acute angle with respect to the portion 33. The extreme lower end of the cylindrical shaped rod 31 T is rounded, as the rod 31 between the splice threads or yarn, as will hereinafter be more fully set forth.

In operation, the knitted fabric article such as the hose E having been placed upon the holder 10, the holder 1.0 is disposed vertically upright upon the machine base or bed D. The operator next grasps the novel splice yarn controlling member 30,"

thereof flattened and provided with so at 35, to facilitate sliding of as is illustrated in Figure 4, and after inserting the rounded end 35 rearward of the topmost loose cross threads 20, and pushing inwardly toward the opening 11 and rod 31 may be against the splice 18, the

readily slid downwardly intermediate the 10 splice and the loose splice threads 20, substantially as is illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. This operation is facilitated incident to the provision of the beaded edges 12 and 13, and the opening 11, and

may be effected without any trouble whatsoever. An aperture 40 is provided in the machine bed or base D through which the lower end of the rod portion 31 extends, so that the member 30 by gravity as the silk yarn is unravelled or back wound fromthe holder 10. The hook portion 34 of the member 30, of course, rests upon the loose strands of the splice yarn, substantially as is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 5 of the drawings. The silk yarn from the boot portion 17 is loosened at the top by the operator, and athread 43 thereof extended toward and about the conis free to descend no ventional guide hook 44, and brought down- C and unravelled from the hose IE, will free the yarnof the splice 18. Asv this yarn of the splice 18 is all connected,rthe member 30 acting by gravity upon the. same. will draw or exert a pull downward upon the same, so that as said splice'yarn is loosened, incident to unraveling of the silk yarn from the main portion of the hosiery or article E,

the. same will be effectively separated and segregated from the unravelled silk yarn and there will be no liability of twisting or the loosened splice yarn upon the head 34 may pass downwardly thereof and fall free from the apparatus B, or the operator may, by his or her finger, remove the same from the upper end of the member 30. As is illustrated in Figure 6, a special type of splice yarn controlling member is provided which is adapted for use when the outer loose cross threads of the splice are mutilated or cut, as at 51. This member 50 provides a rod portion 52 of very small diameter, which can bethreajded between the main threadsand inside splice threads, where the threads of the splice are just, suflicient to permit the rod 52 to be inserted as hereinbefore described. Again, in the reclaiming of yarns from the foot portion of the hosiery, a special type of member 55 will have to be provided, whichincludes a rod portion 56 of ordinary diameter, and a hook'portion 57 providing a very broad inclined arm 58 corresponding to the arm portion 34 of the first mentioned splice yarn controlling member 30. It can readily be appreciated that the feet of'hosiery cannot be unravelled upon the'same type of holder as is provided for the bootportionof the hosiery, since in the former case the slot in the holder will, of necessity, have to be very wide, to accommodate'the' wide double sole provided in practically all types of silk hosiery. In this case, the special control member 55 is used as by the provision of the very broad head portion 57 thereon, the loosened cotton threads which it is desired to separate from the silk yarn will not be pulled to an undue extent, and cannot drop from the arm 58 or in any way get mixed with the silk yarn being unravelled.

From the foregoing description of this invention, it is apparent that a practical apparatus has been provided, and an improved method has been devised, whereby the silk yarn from defective hosiery and other knitted articles may be reclaimed and separated from splice or other yarns interknitted therewith. When it is considered that at present larger manufacturers of silk hosiery and fabric are selling defective hosiery, such as the type E. in the illustration, at four cents a pound thesilk entering the same originally having cost the manufacturer approximately eight dollars and seventy'five-cents a. pound,the fact that the silk yarn may be :reclaimed by means of the improved apparatus B for approximately twenty to thirty'cents a pound will very materially reduce the loss in production from defective articles and a considerable economy resulting thereby both to the -ma=nufacturer and the public.

The apparatus by means of which theinethod herein described and claimed is ef fected maybe altered considerably to conform to the requirements of various articles 'to be reclaimed of valuable yarn therein.

Various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing f'rom the spirit of the invention or the scopeof'the claims.

I claims 7 1. An apparatus for separating and unraveling the main and splice yarns of hosiery comprising a hosiery holder, backwind- 'i ng means for the main yarn of the hosiery,

and a weight supported by the spliceyarn to exert a constant pull on the same during unraveling of the main yarn to separate it therefrom.

2. An apparatus for separating and unraveling the main and splice yarns 10f hosiery comprising a hosiery holder,backwi=nding means for the main yarn of the hosiery,

weight means for controlling thesplice yarn including a rod portion extending through thesplice intermediate the yarn thereof and the main yarn, and ahead for engagin the splice yarn at the unraveling end the hosiery.

3. As an article of manufacture, a fabric holder for yarn unraveling apparatus formed of sheet metal having the longitudinal edges thereofbeaded, said holder being rolled so that said edges are in spaced substantially parallel relation, and means connecting said edges in spaced relation to provide a longitudinal opening inwardly of the side of the holder.

4. Apparatus for separating and unraveling main and splice yarns from hosiery, comprising a hosiery supporting member having an opening inwardly of the outer surface thereof and extending longitudinal.- ly thereof to receive the splice of the hosiery in confronting relation therealong, a member adapted to be supported by hosiery in said opening for engaging and pulling upon the splice yarn, and unraveling means for the main yarn.

5. Apparatus for separating and unraveling main and splice yarns from defective hosiery, comprising a hosiery holder adapted to receive the hosiery thereon, and a gravity member threaded through the loose splice yarn longitudinally of the hosiery to act upon said splice yarn while the main yarn is being unravelled from said hosiery whereby the latter may be unravelled free of entangling with the splice yarn.

6. Apparatus for separating and unraveling main and splice yarns from hosiery comprising a holder for tautly receiving the hosiery, said holder having an opening inwardly of the side thereof extending longitudinally thereof along which the splice yarn is adapted to be placed, and a rod member having a hooked end, said rod being adapted for threading through the splice yarn with the head thereof resting upon the uppermost cross strands of the splice yarn, so that during unraveling of the main yarn from the hosiery said member will act by gravity to pull the splice yarn free of the main yarn.

7 Apparatus for separating and unraveling main threads from splice threads of fabricwhere the splice threads have float portions comprising means to support the fabric, means for unraveling the main thread, and means acting on the float portions of the splice thread to exert a force thereon tending to maintain the spllce thread free from the raveling edge of the fabric as the splice thread is loosened incident to unraveling of the main thread.

8. Apparatus for separating and unraveling main and splice yarns of fabric garments where the splice yarns have float portions loosely outstanding from the main yarn comprising a holder for receiving the garment tlhereon providing a way therealong which the splice faces, and a weight member adapted to extend along said way between the main yarn and the float portions of the splice and acting by gravity on the float portions of the splice yarn at the raveling edge of the garment whereby to draw the splice yarn free of the main yarn as the latter is unravelled.

9. Apparatus for unraveling and separating yarns comprising a holder adapted to receive the article to be unravelled, and an elongated member adapted to be supported by the article in movable relation with respect to the holder to bearby gravity on a certain yarn in the article to permit unhampered unraveling of another yarn in the article substantially as described.

10. In apparatus for separating and unraveling the splice threads from the main yarn of hosiery the combination of a substantially cylindrically shaped support adapted to receive the hosiery in taut relations, whereby incident to unraveling of the main yarn the splice threads will be drawn by said member away from the raveling edge of the hosiery.

11. Apparatus for separating and unraveling the main and splice yarns of a garment comprising means to receive the garment thereover including a way along which the splice yarn is disposed, and means acting along said way on said splice yarn to pull the said splice yarn away from. the raveling edge of the garment as the main yarn is unravelled from the garment' 12. Apparatus for separating and unraveling main threads from splice threads of fabric where the splice threads have float portions, comprising means to support the fabric, means for unraveling the main thread, and a splice thread controlling member including a rod portion adapted to extend between the float portions of the splice threads and the adjacent portions of the fabric and including a substantially hookshaped head adapted to rest by gravity on the float portions of the splice thread adjacent the raveling edge, said hook-shaped head being bent to provide an inclined end portion arranged substantially at an acute angle with respect to the length of the rod portion whereby to carry the splice thread portions which are loosened away from the raveling edge of the fabric.

HENRY F. DRENK.

Images