Apparatus for crocheting a brim on cap
United States Patent [191 Kaminski 1 1 APPARATUS FOR CROCHETING A BRIM ON CAP [75] Inventor:  
 [73] Assignee: Zwicker Knitting Mills, Appleton,  
 Wis.  
 [22] Filed: Mar. 5, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 448,253  
 Tony C. Kaminski, Milwaukee. Wis,  
 [52] US. Cl. 112/116; 112/162; 112/12;  
  1 112/136; 112/235; ll2/121.26 [51] Int. Cl D04b 33/00 [58] Field of Search 112/162, 12, 14, 15, 25,  
 112/139, 235, 254,ll6,121.26,l48,150, 136&#39;, 2/175, 200, 201  
 [ Apr. 8, 1975 Primary Eraminer-Richard J. Scanlan, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James E. Nilles [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for crocheting an outwardly extending relatively stiff brim around the lower edge of the crown of acap comprises a crocheting machine having a stitch tongue, a reciprocably movable standard needle and a reciprocably movable latch hook for operating upon a main first strand of yarn to form a continuous band of crocheted stitches and to secure the band around the lower edge of the crown and then in successive rows to form a brim, a novel eyelet mounted on the machine for guiding a loose second strand of yarn along the stitch tongue and through the stitches formed thereon to provide a binder thread or stay cord, a novel foot attachment to inhibit accidental pushing of the workpiece into the needle area of the machine, and a novel adjustable tensing means for gripping the workpiece being fed into the machine to apply a predetermined amount of tension thereto to control the tightness of the crocheted stitches and thereby regulate the stiffness of the brim being formed.  
 7 Claims, 24 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 81975 3.875.878  
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  1 APPARATUS FOR CROCHETING A BRIM ON CAP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Use This invention relates generally to apparatus for crocheting a brim on a cap.  
 2. Description of the Prior Art It is desirable to manufacture a hat or cap having a relatively flexible knitted crown (formed of a single or double layer of material) and a relatively stiffer but still flexible crocheted brim extending around and outwardly from the bottom edge of the crown. It is possible to form a crocheted brim from a single main strand of yarn by means of a conventional prior art crocheting machine comprising a stitch tongue, a standard reciprocating needle, a latch hook and conventional presser foot such as that shown in US. Pat. No. l,244,l I5, issued Oct. 23, I917 to J. M. Merrow. However, if only one strand of yarn is employed, such a crocheted brim does not have the relative stiffness and bulk required for utilitarian and aesthetic purposes and breakage of the main thread can result in unravelling of the brim. Furthermore, if the tension applied to a workpiece being fed to the machine during the crocheting operation is varied or uneven as a particular brim is being formed, the resultant brim tends to be unduly wavy in appearance. Furthermore, the tension and techniques applied by different machine operators may vary, re sulting in non-uniform products in the production run. Finally, the use of a conventional presser foot in formation of such a brim can result in the already formed relatively bulky cap crown being pushed into interference with the movable standard needle and latch hook thereby resulting in rejected workpieces, jamming of the machine, broken needles and thread, and waste of the machine operators time.  
 SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION Apparatus for crocheting an outwardly extending relatively stiff brim around the lower edge of the crown of a cap comprises a crocheting machine having a horizontally disposed stitch tongue, a standard needle reciprocably movable vertically and a latch hook reciprocably movable horizontally above and below the stitch tongue for operating upon a main first strand of yarn to form a continuous band of crocheted stitches on the stitch tongue and to simultaneously secure the band around the lower edge of the crown and then in successive rows to form a brim, a novel eyelet mounted on the machine, preferably on the corner of the adjustably movable fabric edge guide of the machine for guiding a loosely running second strand of yarn along the stitch tongue and through the stitches formed thereon to provide a binder thread or stay cord from the brim, a novel presser foot attachment having a curved upwardly extending side to inhibit accidental pushing of the workpiece into the needle area of the machine, and a novel adjustable tensing means for gripping the workpiece being fed into the machine to apply a predetermined amount of tension thereto to control the tightness of the crocheted stitches and thereby regulate the stiffness of the brim being formed.  
  Generally considered, the crocheting machine comprises a support frame and a flat horizontal work plate and the needle area toward and through which the workpiece is fed across said work plate along a path in a predetermined direction. The tensioning device applies adjustable predetermined pressure on the workpiece as it moves in the predetermined direction along the path. The tensioning device generally comprises an adjustment plate or bracket rigidly secured to the support frame and a swing plate pivotably connected to said bracket and movable between one position wherein it rests on said work plate in said path of said workpiece and another position clear of said path. A tension screw support plate or member is rigidly mounted on the swing plate in spaced apart relationship therefrom. A tension plate is mounted between the swing plate and the tension screw support member and is pivotably connected to the tension screw support member. The tension plate and swing plate define a space in the path of the workpiece when said swing plate is in the said one position through which a portion of said workpiece passes. A tension screw is adjustably supported on the tension screw support member and is engageable with the pivotable tension plate to limit the spacing between the tension plate and the swing plate to thereby adjustably control the amount of tension applied to the workpiece.  
 CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is related to US. Ser. No. 448,252, filed Mar. 4, 1974, by Donald Zientara and Richard A. Smith, entitled Cap Having Knitted Crown and Crocheted Brim and Method for Making the Same and having the same assignee as the present application.  
 DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cap or hat in accordance with the invention;  
  FIG. 1A is a top plan view of the hat or cap shown in FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-section view of a cap such as shown in FIG. 1 but having a single-layered crown;  
  FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a cap having a double-layered crown;  
  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sleeve used to make a hat such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;  
  FIG. 5 is an enlarged crosssection view of the bottom portion of the crown of the hat shown in FIG. 2 and the brim attached thereto;  
  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a sleeve used to make a hat such as shown in FIGS. I and 3;  
  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the sleeve shown in FIG. 6, showing a portion of the sleeve inwardly folded as during one step of manufacture;  
  FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-section view of the bottom portion of the crown of the hat shown in FIG. 3 and the brim attached thereto;  
  FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the knitting stitches that may be employed on either side of the fold line in the sleeve shown in FIG. 6;  
  FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the crocheting stitches forming the brim and showing their association to the bottom edge of crown such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9;  
  FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a crocheting machine modified in accordance with the invention to include a presser foot attachment, a tensioning attachment and a fabric edge guide and binder thread feed in accordance with the invention;  
  FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. 11;  
  FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the fabric edge guide and binder thread feed shown in FIG. 12;  
  FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the portion of the ma chine shown in FIG. 12 and showing a cap brim being crocheted thereon;  
  FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of the left end of the machine shown in FIG. 11;  
  FIG. 16 is a front elevational view of the left end of the machine shown in FIG. 11;  
  FIGS. 17, 18, 19 and 20 are views of the top, left side, front and right side, respectively, of the presser foot attachment in accordance with the invention shown in FIGS. 11,l2,14,15 and 16; and  
  FIGS. 21, 22 and 23 are views of the top, left side and right side, respectively, of the tensioning attachment in accordance with the invention shown in FIGS. 11, l2, l4, l5 and 16.  
 DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The Cap and Method for Making Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral designates a hat or cap having a knitted relatively flexible crown 11 and a relatively stiffer but still flexible crocheted brim 12 in accordance with the invention. Crown 11 may take the form ofa single layered crown 11A comprising a single layer of knitted material, as shwon in FIG. 2, or may take the form of a double-layered crown 11B comprising a double layer of knitted material, as shown in FIG. 3.  
  Single-layered crown 11A is formed of a tubular cloth sleeve 15, shown in FIG. 4, which is fabricated, for example. of yarn and formed by a suitable knitting stitch on a conventional tubular knitting machine. The upper open end of sleeve 15 is gathered and sewn closed by thread in a conventional six-way sew as indicated by numeral 16 in FIGS. 1, 1A and 2.  
  Double-layered crown 11B is formed of a tubular cloth sleeve 20, shown in FIG. 6, which is fabricated. for example, of yarn and formed by a suitable knitting stitch or stitches on a conventional tubular knitting machine. Sleeve 20 comprises an upper sleeve portion 21 and an integrally formed lower sleeve portion 22, which portions may comprise knitting stitches of the same -type or of different types. FIG. 6, for example, shows portions 21 and 22 of sleeve 20 as comprising different types of knitting stitches on either side of a fold line 24. The stitches in portion 21 comprises two strands of yarn 23 and 25 and those in portion 22 comprises only strand 23, as FIG. 9 shows. Thus, the stitches in upper portion 21 might typically be more decorative than those in portion 22 of sleeve 20. As FIG. 7 shows, the lower sleeve portion 22 of sleeve 20 is folded upwardly and inwardly of upper sleeve portion 21 along the fold line 24 to form the crown 11B having an inner crown portion and an outer crown portion 31, respectively, and a folded lower edge 34 or 24. The upper open ends of sleeve 20 shown in FIG. 7 are gathered and sewn closed by thread in a conventional sixway sew as indicated by numeral 16 in FIGS. 1, 1A, 2 and 3.  
  Single-layered crown 11A and double-layered crown 11B are provided at their bottom edges with the mo cheted brim 12 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, respectively. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the manner in which the stitches forming crocheted brim l2 typically engage the bottom edge of double-layered crown 11B and it is to be understood that single-layered crown 11A is engaged by the crocheting stitches in a similar manner.  
  As FIGS. 1A, 5, 8 and 10 show, the brim 12 comprises nine row of crocheted stitches designated by the numerals 40 through 48. However, a greater or lesser number of rows may be provided, depending on the brim width desired for a particular cap 10. As FIGS. 1A and 10 show, the rows are formed by a continuous band of crocheted stitches, with the first row of band 40 being secured to and around the bottom edge of the crown 11A or 11B, and each successive row being se cured to the preceding row. As is apparent, each successive row is of greater diameter and therefore contains a greater number of successive stitches than a preceding row.  
  As FIG. 14 shows, the continuous band of crocheting is formed on or by a conventional crocheting machine such as is described in US. Pat. No. l,244,l l5 to .l. M. Merrow issued Oct. 23, 1917 and in a bulletin published by The Merrow Machine Company, 23 Laurel Street, Hartford, Conn., entitled The Merrow Plane Crochet Blanket I-Iemming and Edging and Shell Stitch Machines,&#34; describing a Style 22F machine, hereinafter described, which is modified in accordance with the present invention in three ways as hereinafter explained to provide a crocheted band embodying two strands of yarn 61 and 62, to maintain a predetermined tension on the crocheted band as it is being formed and applied, and to maintain the cap fabric clear of interference with the machine mechanism. The strand of yarn (or needle thread) 61 which forms the main crocheted stitch is maintained under greater tension by the tension discs 65 as it is supplied, as FIG. 15 show, from its cone 63, than the tension imposed by the tension discs 66 on the supplemental strand of yarn 62 which runs from cone 64, which serves as a binder thread or stay cord, and extends through each stitch formed by strand 61, as FIG. 10 shows. If preferred, strand 62 could run free and by-pass the tension discs 66. The stay cord 62 serves to stiffen the brim 12 (by increasing its bulk) and prevent unraveling if a stitch of strand 61 is cut or broken when the cap is being manufactured or in use. The degree or amount of tension applied to the crocheted band as it is formed is also a factor in the stiffiness of brim l2, i.e., the greater the degree of tension, the stiffer the brim 12, and vice-versa.  
  To summarize, a cap or hat comprises a knitted crown (formed of a single or double layer of material) closed at the top and a relatively stiff crocheted brim extending entirely around and outwardly from the bottom edge of the crown. The method of forming a cap with a single-layered crown comprises the steps of knitting a tubular sleeve, sewing the top end of the crown closed, and crocheting two strands of yarn into a continuous band first to and around the entire bottom edge of the crown and then in successive rows outwardly from the bottom edge of the crown. The method of forming a cap with a double-layered crown comprises the steps of knitting a tubular sleeve, folding said sleeve to form an inner crown portion and an outer crown portion having a folded lower edge, sewing the top end of the crown closed, and crocheting the brim to the bottom edge of the crown in the aforesaid manner.  
 THE APPARATUS The apparatus in accordance with the invention (comprising machine 60 and the hereinafter described attachments and modifications) for providing a crocheted brim 12 for a cap in accordance with the invention is shown in FIGS. 11 through 23. As FIG. 11 shows, machine 60 generally comprises a supporting frame or housing 70 on which a needle lever 71 is pivotally mounted for reciprocating movement, being driven by an eccentric rod 72 which, in turn, is driven by a motor driven drive belt 73. Lever 71 is connected to impart reciprocating vertical movement to a needle bar 74. Housing 70 also encloses other conventional components necessary to operate a feed dog not visible), a stitch controller carrier cap 75. a latch hook 87, and a spreader needle 76 on the end of a rocker shaft 77. Machine 60 further comprises a flat horizontal work plate 81 and a needle plate 79 upon which the workpiece (i.e., the cap crown 11A or 11B) lies and is fed (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 14) by the operator. A flat, removable stitch tongue or finger plate 82 lies flush with the upper surface of plate 81 and has a tapered projection 83 around which the crocheted stitches are formed and off of which the stitches slide as the work progresses. A standard driven eye pointed needle 84 having an eye 85 at its lower end through which main strand 61 extends, is reciprocably movable in a vertical path through the workpiece and through an opening 86 in needle plate 79 at the left side of finger plate 82. A presser foot attachment 88 is provided to prevent upward movement of the workpiece from needle plate 79 as the needle 84 pierces and is then withdrawn from the workpiece. Presser foot attachment 88 comprises a hollow shank 89 which adapts it for attachment to the presser foot lifter 90 and further comprises a curved upwardly extending side portion 91 to prevent portions of the workpiece from accidentally being pushed into the path of needle 84 or other movable components. Presser foot 88 comprises a flat base portion 88A which is notched at one side as at 888 to accommodate standard needle 84. The curved portion 91 is shaped so as to prevent it from snagging or catching on cloth materials pushed thereagainst. A standard driven latch hook or latch needle 87 mounted in a movable carrier (not shown) for engagement with main strand 61 is disposed for reciprocating movement in horizontal paths (toward and away from the path of needle 84) alternately above and below finger plate 82. A driven curved spreader needle 76 is provided at the left of needle 84 to ensure appropriate engagement of and disengagement of main strand 61 from the latch hook 87. A cast off horn 97 movable in a generally circular path is provided to maintain the formed stitches on stitch tongue 82 out of the path of movement of other components. A generally L-shaped fabric edge guide 96 is adjustably mounted above and to the right of the stitch tongue 82 by means of a screw 92 which extends through an elongated slot 92A in the shank in the edge guide 96 and engages frame cap 93 and determines the extent to which the workpiece may be moved laterally into the machine.  
  In accordance with the invention, edge guide 96 is provided with a hollow cylindrical binder cord eyelet 95, preferably welded thereto at the outside corner thereof, having a hole 95a through which the binder cord 62 extends and by which cord 62 is directed along the upper surface of the stitch tongue 82 and through the stitches formed thereon. As edge guide 96 is moved or adjusted, the eyelet 95 is also correspondingly moved or adjusted so that the stay cord is directed in the proper path to enable it to pass along the upper sur&#39; face of the stitch tongue 82 and through the stitches being formed thereon.  
  In further accordance with the invention, a tensioning device or assembly 100 is provided to maintain a preceding crocheted row and the next successive row is being formed and attached thereto under desired tension.  
  Generally considered, the crocheting machine 60 comprises support frame and the flat horizontal work plate 81 and the needle area toward and through which the workpiece is fed across said work plate along a path in a predetermined direction. The tensioning device applies adjustable predetermined pressure on the workpiece as it moves in the predetermined direction along the path. The tensioning device 100 generally comprises an adjustment plate or bracket rigidly secured to the support frame 70 and a swing plate 108 pivotably connected to said bracket and movable between one position wherein it rests on said work plate in said path of said workpiece and another position clear of said path. A tension screw support plate or member is rigidly mounted on the swing plate 108 in spaced apart relationship therefrom A tension plate 112 is mounted between the swing plate 108 and the tension screw support member 110 and is pivotally connected to the tension screw support member 110 and is pivotably connected to the tension screw support member. The tension plate 112 and swing plate 108 define a space in the path of the workpiece when said swing plate is in the said one position, through which a portion of said workpiece passes. A tension screw 114 is adjustably supported on the tension screw support member 110 and is engageable with the pivotable tension plate 112 to limit the spacing between the tension plate 112 and the swing plate 108 to thereby adjustably control the amount of tension applied to the workpiece. More specifically considered, the tensioning device 100 comprises an L-shaped attachment plate 102 having a vertical portion 103 and a horizontal portion 104. Portion 103 is rigidly secured to a rigid portion of machine 60 such as the frame cap 93, as by bolts or screws 101. An adjustment plate or bracket 105 having elongated botl-receiving slots 106 is secured to portion 104 of plate 102 by bolts 107. A pivotable bottom or swing plate 108 is pivotably connected to adjustment plate 105 by a hinge pin or pintle 109 and is swingable out of the way when not in use. Tensioning device or assembly 100 further comprises a top screw support plate or member 110 which is rigidly supported on and in spaced apart relationship from swing plate 108 by a side bracket 11 welded therebetween. A movable tension plate 112 is disposed between the swing plate 108 and top plate 110 and has its rear edge pivotally connected to the rear edge of top plate 110 by a hinge pin or pintle 113. An adjustable threaded tension screw 114 extends through a threaded collar 115 rigidly secured to the upper side of top plate 110 and through a hole 116 in top plate 110 into engagement with the upper surface of movable tension plate 112. The work piece being crocheted is fed between swing plate 108 and tension plate 112 and the extent to which screw 114 is turned in or out determines the position of tension plate 112 and, thus, the tensioning force applied to the workpiece. Thus, feeding of work under constant desired tension is possible despite the fact that the machine is being operated by different personnel who may otherwise apply different degrees of tension under conventional hand feeding.  
  To summarize, apparatus for crocheting an outwardly extending relatively stiff brim around the lower edge of the crown ofa cap comprises a crocheting machine having a stitch tongue. a reciprocably movable standard needle and a reciprocably movable latch hook for operating upon a main first strand of yarn to form a continuous band of crocheted stitches and to secure the band around the lower edge of the crown and then in successive rows to form a brim, a novel eyelet mounted on the machine for guiding a loose second strand of yarn along the stitch tongue and through the stitches formed thereon to provide a binder thread or stay cord. a novel foot attachment to inhibit accidental pushing of the workpiece into the needle area of the machine, and a novel adjustable tensing means for gripping the workpiece being fed into the machine to apply a predetermined amount of tension thereto to control the tightness ofthe crocheted stitches and thereby regulate the stiffness of the brim being formed.  
 I claim:  
  1. Apparatus for crocheting a continuous band of stitching to and around an edge ofa tubular crown and a preceding row of stitching to form an outwardly extending brim for a cap comprising: a crocheting machine having a support frame, a work plate on said frame, a presser foot for holding a portion of said cap against said work plate as said brim is being formed, a stitch tongue, a standard needle, and a latch hook, said stitch tongue, said standard needle and said latch hook cooperating to act upon a main strand of yarn to form and connect said band of stitching to said lower edge and to said preceding row as said machine operates, an adjustable farbic edge guide mounted on said frame, an eyelet supported on said edge guide for directing a loosely running second strand of yarn along said stitch tongue and through said stitches formed thereon to serve as a sty cord, means on said presser foot comprising an upwardly extending side portion for preventing said crown from being pushed laterally into interference with said standard needle, and means on said support frame for applying tension to said cap as it advances through said machine and said brim is being formed to provide a brim having uniformly tensioned stitches, said means for applying tension comprising a pair ofvertically spaced apart relatively movable plates and adjustable means for maintaining said plates in predetermined spaced apart relationship in order to apply predetermined tension to material of said cap passing therebetween.  
  2. Apparatus for crocheting a continuous band of stitching to and around an edge of a cap crown and a preceding row of stitching to form an outwardly extending cap brim comprising: a crocheting machine including a support frame and a work plate and having a stitch tongue upon which stitches are formed from a main strand of yarn, an adjustable fabric edge guide on said machine, an eyelet mounted on said fabric edge guide for directing a loosely running second strand of yarn along said stitch tongue and through said stitches, and means on said machine for applying tension to said cap as it advances across said work plate through said machine as said brim is being formed to provide a brim having uniformly tensioned stitches.  
  3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means for applying tension comprises a bottom plate and an adjustably movable tension plate mounted in spaced apart relationship from said bottom plate.  
  4. In combination: a crocheting machine having a support frame and a flat horizontal work plate and a needle area toward and through which a workpiece is fed across said work plate along a path in a predetermined direction, and a tensioning device for applying adjustable predetermined pressure on said workpiece as it moves in said predetermined direction, said tensioning device comprising: an adjustment bracket rigidly secured to said support frame, a swing plate pivotably connected to said bracket and movable between one position wherein it rests on said work plate in said path of said workpiece and another position clear of said path, a tension screw support member rigidly mounted on said swing plate in spaced apart relationship therefrom, a tension plate mounted between said swing plate and said tension screw support member and pivotably connected to said tension screw support member, said tension plate and swing plate defining a space in said path of said workpiece when said swing plate is in said one position, through which a portion of said workpiece passes, and a tension screw adjustably supported on said tension screw support member and engageable with said tension plate to limit the spacing between said tension plate and said swing plate to thereby adjustably control the amount of tension applied to said workpiece.  
  5. In combination: a crocheting machine having a support frame and a flat horizontal work plate and a needle area toward and through which a workpiece is fed across said work plate along a path in a predetermined direction, and a tensioning device for applying adjustable predetermined pressure on said workpiece as it moves in said predetermined direction, said tensioning device comprising: a swing plate pivotably connected to a portion of said machine and movable between one position wherein it rests on said work plate in said path of said workpiece and another position clear of said path, a tension plate movably mounted on said swing plate, said tension plate and swing plate defining a space in said path of said workpiece when said swing plate is in said one position, through which a portion of said workpiece passes, and means adjustably supported on said swing plate and engageable with said tension plate to limit the spacing between said tension plate and said swing plate to thereby adjustably control the amount of tension applied to said workpiece.  
  6. In combination: a crocheting machine having a support frame and a flat horizontal work plate and a needle area toward and through which a workpiece is fed across said work plate along a path in a predetermined direction, and a tensioning device for applying adjustable predetermined pressure on said workpiece as it moves in said predetermined direction, said tensioning device comprising: a swing plate pivotably connected to a portion of said machine and movable between one position wherein it rests on said work plate in said path of said workpiece and another position clear of said path, a tension device support member rigidly mounted on said swing plate in spaced apart relationship therefrom, a tension plate movably mounted between said swing plate and said tension device support member, said tension plate and swing plate defining a space in said path of said workpiece when said swing plate is in said one position, through which a portion of said workpiece passes, and a tension device adjustably supported on said tension device support member and engageable with said tension plate to limit the spacing between said tension plate and said swing plate to thereby adjustably control the amount of tension applied to said workpiece.  
  7. In combination: a crocheting machine having a support frame and a flat horizontal work plate and a needle area toward and through which a workpiece is fed across said work plate along a path in a predetermined direction, and a tensioning device for applying adjustable predetermined pressure on said workpiece as it moves in said predetermined direction, said tensioning device comprising: a swing plate pivotably connected to a portion of said machine and movable between one position wherein it rests on said work plate in said path of said workpiece and another position clear of said path, a tension device support member rigidly mounted on said swing plate in spaced apart relationship therefrom, a tension plate mounted between said swing plate and said tension device support member and pivotably connected to said tension device support member, said tension plate and swing plate defining a space in said path of said workpiece when said swing plate is in said one position, through which a portion of said workpiece passes, and a tension device adjustably supported on said tension device support member and engageable with said tension plate to limit the spacing between said tension plate and said swing plate to thereby adjustably control the amount of tension applied to said workpiece.