Forming a tubular knit fabric for a paint roller cover
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, the apparatus comprising:
- a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, and a pile yarn feeding arrangement;
the dial being rotatable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction;
the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein;
the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward from the dial needle body beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track;
the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial;
wherein, the pile yarn is a sliver fiber and the pile yarn feeding arrangement comprises a doffer arrangement having a doffer wheel having a sliver feeding surface thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a sliver-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the dial needles are adapted to receive sliver fiber from the sliver feeding surface of the doffer wheel during operation of the knitting apparatus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller, or the like, having a pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, through use of a dial needle knitting arrangement. A cylinder needle knitting arrangement may be utilized in conjunction with the dial needle knitting arrangement for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having a pile formed from a combination of sliver and yarn fibers in successive courses of the tubular-shaped knitted covering.
69 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, the apparatus comprising:
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a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, and a pile yarn feeding arrangement; the dial being rotatable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward from the dial needle body beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; wherein, the pile yarn is a sliver fiber and the pile yarn feeding arrangement comprises a doffer arrangement having a doffer wheel having a sliver feeding surface thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a sliver-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the dial needles are adapted to receive sliver fiber from the sliver feeding surface of the doffer wheel during operation of the knitting apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, the apparatus comprising:
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a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, and a pile yarn feeding arrangement; the dial being rotatable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward from the dial needle body beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; wherein, the pile yarn is a face yarn and the pile yarn feeding arrangement is a face yarn feeder having an output thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a face-yarn-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the needles are adapted to pull loops of the face yarn fiber from the output of the face yarn feeder during operation of the knitting apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, wherein the covering includes multiple successively knitted courses with two adjacent courses being knitted simultaneously, and the pile yarn being sliver fibers in one course of the two simultaneously knitted courses and the pile yarn being a face yarn in the other course the two simultaneously knitted courses, the apparatus comprising:
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a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, and a pile yarn feeding arrangement; the dial being rotatably mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward from the dial needle body beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; the pile yarn feeding arrangement having a doffer arrangement including a doffer wheel having a sliver feeding surface thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a sliver-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the dial needles can receive sliver fiber from the sliver feeding surface of the doffer wheel during operation of the knitting apparatus for knitting the one of the two simultaneously knitted courses; and the pile yarn feeding arrangement also including a face yarn feeder having an output thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a face-yarn-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the dial needles can pull loops of the face yarn fiber from the output of the face yarn feeder during operation of the knitting apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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7. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, wherein the covering includes multiple successively knitted courses with two or more adjacent courses being knitted simultaneously and the pile yarn being sliver fibers in the two or more simultaneously knitted courses, the apparatus comprising:
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a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, and a pile yarn feeding arrangement; the dial being rotatable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward from the dial needle body beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; the pile yarn feeding arrangement including, a separate doffer arrangement for each of the two or more simultaneously knitted courses; with each doffer arrangement including a doffer wheel having a sliver feeding surface thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a sliver-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the dial needles can receive sliver fiber from the sliver feeding surface of the doffer wheel during operation of the knitting apparatus for knitting the one of the two simultaneously knitted courses. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, the apparatus comprising:
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a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, a pile yarn feeding arrangement and a take down arrangement; the dial being rotatable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward from the dial needle body beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; the take-down arrangement being disposed below the dial for urging the tubular-shaped knitted covering with outwardly extending pile to move substantially downward along the rotational axis from the dial. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, the apparatus comprising:
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a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, a pile yarn feeding arrangement, and a cylinder needle knitting arrangement; the dial being rotatable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward from the dial needle body beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; the cylinder needle knitting arrangement having a cylinder, a plurality of cylinder needles operatively disposed in the cylinder, and a cylinder cam box disposed adjacent to the cylinder and operatively connected to the cylinder needles; the cylinder being rotatably mounted for rotation about the vertical axis of rotation, having a radially outer periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially axially directed needle slots opening in an upward direction at an upper end of the cylinder; the cylinder cam box being non-rotatably mounted about the cylinder, and having a radially inward facing and opening cylinder needle cam track therein; the cylinder needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective cylinder needle slot of the plurality of cylinder needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is upwardly extendable beyond the upper end of the cylinder, and a cylinder needle cam lobe extending radially outward beyond the cylinder needle slot and into sliding engagement with the cylinder needle cam track, such that rotation of the cylinder causes the cylinder needles to be selectively movable axially within the cylinder needle slots through interaction of the cylinder needle cam lobes with the cylinder needle cam track; the cylinder and dial being operatively connected for synchronized rotation with respect to one another about the axis of rotation; and the dial being disposed axially along the axis of rotation above the upper end of the cylinder. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, the apparatus comprising:
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a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, a pile yarn feeding arrangement, and a take-down arrangement, all operatively mounted on a frame and driven through a drive arrangement by a common drive motor; the frame defining a main vertical axis of rotation and including an upper main bed and a lower main bed connected to and spaced axially from one another by a main bed support; the drive arrangement including an upper rotatable plate operatively attached to the upper main bed for rotation about the main axis of rotation, a lower rotatable plate operatively attached to the lower main bed for rotation about the main axis of rotation and a main drive shaft rotatably mounted for rotation about a second axis of rotation extending substantially parallel to the main axis of rotation, with the main drive shaft being operatively connected to the upper and lower rotatable plated for urging synchronized rotation of the upper and lower rotatable plates with one another in a fixed relationship to rotation of the main drive shaft, with the common drive motor being operatively coupled to the main drive shaft for rotatably driving the main drive shaft about the second axis of rotation; the dial being attached to and axially disposed below the upper rotatable plate for rotation about the main axis of rotation, and having a periphery thereof disposed about the main axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; the dial cam box being non-rotatably mounted to the upper main bed above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements being operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; the take-down arrangement being mounted to and axially disposed below the lower rotatable plate and lower main bed, and including a take-down drive roller operatively connected to be rotated by relative rotation between the lower rotatable element and the lower main bed. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, using an apparatus comprising a dial needle knitting arrangement having a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, and a pile yarn feeding arrangement, wherein,
the dial is rotatably mounted for rotation about a vertical axis of rotation, having a periphery thereof disposed about the axis of rotation, and having a plurality of substantially radially directed dial needle slots opening in an upward direction; -
the dial cam box is non-rotatably mounted above the dial, and having a downwardly facing and opening dial needle cam track therein; the dial needles each having a body thereof disposed in a respective dial needle slot of the plurality of dial needle slots, a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial, and a dial needle cam lobe extending upward beyond the dial needle slot and into sliding engagement with the dial needle cam track, such that rotation of the dial causes the dial needles to be selectively movable radially within the dial needle slots through interaction of the dial needle cam lobes with the dial needle cam track; the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements are operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial; the covering includes multiple successively knitted courses, with two adjacent courses being knitted simultaneously, and the pile yarn being sliver fibers in one course of the two simultaneously knitted courses and the pile yarn being a face yarn in the other course the two simultaneously knitted courses, and the pile yarn feeding arrangement further comprises; a doffer arrangement including a doffer wheel having a sliver feeding surface thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a sliver-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the dial needles can receive sliver fiber from the sliver feeding surface of the doffer wheel during operation of the knitting apparatus for knitting the one of the to simultaneously knitted courses; and a face yarn feeder having an output thereof operatively disposed adjacent to a face-yarn-feed segment of the periphery of the dial in such a manner that the hooked ends of the dial needles can pull loops of the face yarn fiber from the output of the face yarn feeder during operation of the knitting apparatus; and the method comprises; knitting a length of tubular-shaped fabric with the dial needles in such a manner that the backing yarn is exposed on an interior surface of the length of tubular-shaped fabric and the pile extends outward from an exterior surface of the length of tubular-shaped fabric; and manipulating the base fabric and sliver fibers solely with the dial knitting arrangement, and manipulating the face yarn with both the dial and cylinder knitting arrangements to form the covering having multiple successively knitted courses, with two adjacent courses being knitted simultaneously, and the pile yarn being sliver fibers in one course of the two simultaneously knitted courses and the pile yarn being a face yarn in the other course the two simultaneously knitted courses, and the pile yarn feeding arrangement.
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Specification