Apparatus and method of knitting material into a circular tube

Abstract

The field of the present invention relates, in general, to apparatus and methods of knitting a material into a tubular form, where the length of such tubular form is not dictated by conventional distances between the knitting areas and the catch basins of integrated machines. In short, this invention increases the distal relationship between the needle-equipped element, which performs the knitting function, and the basin that catches the resulting tubular form of the material. The basin rotates synchronized with the rotation of the resulting tubular form. The separation facilitates the continuous production of a length of the resulting tubular form of the material. The tubular form thus can be longer than such length where, as taught in the prior art, the catch basin is fixed—as part of integrated machines—in close proximity with the element that performs the knitting. As an inventive method, the steps include (A) feeding such material into the proximity of a needle-equipped element; (B) knitting such material with such needle-equipped element to produce such resulting tubular form; (C) catching such resulting tubular form in a basin that is physically disconnected from the needle-equipped element and distanced therefrom to produce a desirably longer length of the resulting tubular form; and (D) electronically controlling such feeding step, such knitting step, and such catching step (synchronizing the catching with the rotation of resulting tubular form), whereby the rates of the feeding, knitting and catching produce such resulting tubular form that is unbuckled.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for knitting material in a circular configuration to produce of a resulting tubular form of the material comprising:
 a housing:   a needle-equipped element within the housing that is capable of knitting the material to produce the resulting tubular form;   a feeder system mounted in proximity of the top of the housing through which the material can be rotationally fed and be knitted by the needle-equipped element;   a motor system;   a control system;   means for mechanically connecting the motor system to drive operation of the needle-equipped element;   means for mechanically connecting the motor system to drive operation of the feeder system; and   means for electronically connecting the control system to (a) the motor system to coordinate the feeder system's rate of feeding and (b) the motor system to coordinate the needle-equipped element's rate of knitting, so the rates can be coordinated with the rotation of the basin that is also dictated by the control system.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the resulting tubular form captured by the basin is unbuckled and the variability in the maximum length of the resulting tubular form producible in one run of the apparatus is primarily dictated by (x) the distance between the needle-equipped element and the basin and (y) the length of the resulting tubular form that would result in a tear thereof due its weight. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising at least one roller mounted in the housing to guide the resulting tubular form away from the needle-equipped element and toward the basin. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein (x) the combination of the feeder system and the needle-equipped element is configured and structured to hold the weight of the resulting tubular form and (y) the control system is programmable to discontinue the operation of the apparatus at a predetermined point prior to the weight of the resulting tubular form causing a tear in the resulting tubular form. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  further comprising at least one roller that at least partially guides and holds the weight of the resulting tubular form. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein there is mechanical connection between the motor system and a means for rotating the basin. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 3  further comprising at least one guide with a surface area that increases vertically as the initial portion of the resulting tubular form moves from the bottom of the housing to the top of the basin. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  in which the edge of the guide can be extended to come into contact with the top of the basin, thereby engulfing the portion of the resulting tubular form until it first enters the top of the basin. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a physical connection between the housing and the basin. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the physical connection facilitates the movement of the basin vertically away from the housing thereby accommodating the increasing length of the resulting tubular form as the resulting tubular form is being produced. 
     
     
         11 . A method of knitting a material into a circular configuration to produce of a resulting tubular form of the material comprising the steps of:
 feeding the material into the proximity of a needle-equipped element;   knitting the material with the needle-equipped element to produce the resulting tubular form;   catching the resulting tubular form in a basin that is physically disconnected from the needle-equipped element and distanced therefrom to produce a desirably longer length of the resulting tubular form;   electronically controlling the feeding step, the knitting step, and the catching step, whereby the rates of the feeding, knitting and catching produce the resulting tubular form that is unbuckled.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the variability in the maximum length of the resulting tubular form producible is primarily dictated by (x) the distance between the location in which the material is knitted and the location the resulting tubular form is caught and (y) the length of the resulting tubular form that would result in a tear thereof due to its weight. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising the step of guiding the resulting tubular form away from the location of the knitting and toward the location of the catching. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  13  wherein the weight of the resulting tubular form is held in the location of the knitting and the feeding of the material is discontinued at a predetermined point prior to the weight of the resulting tubular form causing a tear in the resulting tubular form. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising the step of guiding and holding, below the location of the knitting location, of the weight of the resulting tubular form. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the same motor system drives the feeding step and the knitting step, and the motor system rotates the basin that catches the resulting tubular form. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising the step of guiding the resulting tubular form from a location in proximity to the location of the knitting to a location in proximity to the top of the basin. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the element that provides the guiding extends to come in contact with the top of the basin, that the resulting tubular form is engulfed until it first enters the top of the basin. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising the step of moving the basin vertically away from the housing as the resulting tubular form is produced.