IMPROVED CIRCULAR MACHINE FOR HOSIERY AND KNITWEAR AND PROCESS FOR CLOSING AN END OF A TUBULAR MANUFACTURED ARTICLE DIRECTLY ON A CIRCULAR MACHINE

Abstract

A circular machine for producing tubular manufactured articles and a respective process are provided. The circular machine comprises a turner arranged above and axially aligned with a cylinder of the machine and configured to extract the tubular manufactured article from said cylinder. At the same time, turn it inside out, and a transferring apparatus for collecting, from at least one first half of the cylinder needles, the respective stitches and coupling them with the stitches initially arranged on a second half of the cylinder needles. As such, there are two stitches that have to be joined by processing at least one yarn through at least said half of the cylinder needles on each of the needles of one half of the cylinder needles.

Claims

1. A circular machine for producing tubular manufactured articles comprising a plurality of consecutive courses, each in turn comprising a plurality of stitches, wherein the circular machine comprises; a head, at least one cylinder housing a plurality of vertically arranged needles, which are arranged side by side to form a first semicircle and a second semicircle, one or more feeding stations to feed at least one yarn to said needles, wherein said needles are moveable in upward and downward movements to form a plurality of stitches of said at least one yarn, said tubular manufactured article during its production being kept inside said at least one cylinder, and a turner combined with the machine so as to be always axially aligned with said at least one cylinder and configured to extract the tubular manufactured article from said cylinder and, at the same time, turn it inside out while bringing and keeping it above the cylinder and in that it comprises a transferring apparatus for collecting, from at least one first half of consecutive needles of the cylinder needles, the respective stitches of at least one half of the last course of the tubular manufactured article and, with the tubular manufactured article turned inside out, arranging on each of the needles of a half of the cylinder needles two stitches that are joined by processing at least one yarn through at least said half of the cylinder needles, said turner being configured to reposition the tubular manufactured article within the cylinder, after said pairs of stitches of the last course of the tubular manufactured article have been positioned on half of the cylinder needles.

2. The circular machine according to claim 1, wherein: said turner comprises a containing body and a tubular element (19) slidingly mounted in said containing body, a lower end portion of said containing body is joinable to a sleeve combined with the transferring apparatus, said containing body and said tubular element have suction means combined therewith, and the turner is movable between a raised position, in which it is above the head, and a lowered position, in which it is at the transferring apparatus, and vice versa.

3. The circular machine according to claim 2, wherein said tubular element comprises, at a lower end thereof, at least two harpoons emerging from opposite sides, said harpoons being combinable with the tubular element in an extractable manner.

4. The circular machine according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder has a tube combined therewith for housing the tubular manufactured article during its formation, and wherein said tube is moveable upward to push each stitch of the last course below the latch of the respective needle, said tube comprising at an upper end thereof a flared portion.

5. The circular Gidar-machine according to claim 1, wherein said transferring apparatus is movable between a resting position, in which it is shifted sideways with respect to the at least one machine cylinder, and a working position in which it is located at the machine cylinder and vertically aligned therewith, and wherein the head and the at least one yarn feeding station are combined with the circular machine by means of movement means in order to be moved between: an active position, in which they are at the cylinder, in order to contribute to the formation of the tubular manufactured article and to contribute to close an end of the tubular manufactured article, and an idle position, in which they are away from the at least one cylinder, in order to allow the positioning device to be brought into the working position, said head and at least one yarn feeding station being combinable with the transferring apparatus by a mechanical idler, for a synchronous movement.

6. The circular machine according to claim 1, wherein the transferring apparatus comprises: a number of transferring members equal to the number of the cylinder needles, to collect from each needle the stitches of the last course, couple said stitches two by two and position each pair of stitches on a half of the cylinder needles, and a supporting element having at least one fixed portion carrying a plurality of transferring members whose number is equal to half of the cylinder needles and a movable portion carrying the same number of transferring members as the fixed portion, wherein said movable portion is moveable between an initial position, in which it is aligned and coplanar with the fixed portion, and a position rotated by 180 with respect to the initial position, in which each of its transferring members is adjacent or in contact with either a respective transferring member of the fixed portion, and wherein said transferring members are arranged in the same direction as the needles, each above a respective needle, so that their free end can contact the upper part of a respective machine needle and collect the stitch thereon, or wherein said transferring members are arranged perpendicularly to the needles and are moved radially with respect to the cylinder, in order to collect the stitch from a respective needle.

7. A method for closing an end of a tubular manufactured article comprising a plurality of consecutive courses, each in turn comprising a plurality of stitches, the method comprising: providing a circular machine comprising: at least one cylinder housing, a plurality of vertically arranged needles, which are arranged side by side to form a first semicircle and a second semicircle, a head, and one or more feeding stations to feed at least one yarn to said needles, wherein said needles are moveable in upward and downward movements to form a plurality of stitches of said at least one yarn, the tubular manufactured article during its production being kept inside said at least one cylinder, wherein, after the steps of producing the tubular manufactured article up to a last course, the method further comprises the steps of: a) extracting, by turner combined with the machine so as to be always axially aligned with said at least one cylinder, the tubular manufactured article from the cylinder and turning it inside out so that its outer part is on the inside and vice versa, b) collecting, by a transferring apparatus, from each needle of at least one half of consecutive needles of the cylinder needles the respective stitch of the last course; c) arranging the stitches of a half of the last course that were collected at step b) on corresponding needles of a second half of said cylinder needles, so that the needles of said second half of the needles carry pairs of stitches of the last course, which were arranged, at first, on opposite cylinder needles with reference to a diameter of the cylinder; d) positioning the tubular manufactured article inside the cylinder; e) feeding the at least one yarn to the cylinder needles; f) joining together said pairs of stitches to close the end of the tubular manufactured article, by processing said at least one yarn with the needles of said second half of the cylinder needles, wherein the steps a) and b) are reversible, can be reversed and wherein the step f) involves the knitting of the stitches together, by processing said at least one yarn by part of the same cylinder needles that contributed to the formation of the tubular manufactured article, without using any specific needle or any linking or sewing device outside the circular machine, or otherwise combined therewith.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the turner comprises a tubular element provided, at a lower end thereof, with at least two harpoons emerging from opposite sides, said harpoons being combinable with the tubular element in an extractable manner and wherein the step a) provides for; inserting said tubular element inside the tubular manufactured article so that said lower end thereof sticks out of the tubular manufactured article, extracting the harpoons to hold the free end of the tubular manufactured article, and moving upward the tubular element so that the tubular manufactured article is dragged therewith and turned inside out.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the cylinder has a tube combined therewith for housing the tubular manufactured article during its formation, and wherein before step a), said tube is moved upward to push each stitch of the last course below the latch of the respective needle, wherein said tube comprises a flared portion at an upper end thereof.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein in step f) the rotating cylinder is rotated in reciprocating motion along at least three semi-rotations, and wherein in the semi-rotations, the needles are brought to a raised position in which they intercept said yarn and in which they bring the pairs of stitches they support to a position to be unloaded from the respective needle.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein said at least one yarn is fed to the needles by a yarn finger of the bottom yarn, which is adapted to feed the yarn to the needles at a first height lower than a height the needles must reach in order to take the yarn fed by the other yarn fingers, and wherein at least one additional yarn is fed to the needles by at least one auxiliary yarn finger arranged in a position preceding the yarn feeding station comprising the yarn finger of the bottom yarn, with reference to a rotation direction of the cylinder.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least one further yarn is fed to the needles, said further yarn being an elastic yarn that is fed to the needles by, a yarn finger of the elastic yarn.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein during at least the first semi-rotation at least two additional needles adjacent a first needle of said second half of the needles which carry said pairs of stitches of the last course or at least two additional needles adjacent the last needle of said second half of the needles which carry said pairs of stitches of the course, are brought to the raised position in which they intercept said yarn.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein one or more semi-rotations, in which tightly-knitted stitches are made, alternate with one or more semi-rotations in which loosely-knitted stitches are made.

15. The method according to claim 7, wherein before step a) it is provided to: move the head and said one or more feeding stations away from the cylinder in order to clear a space above the cylinder, adapted to accommodate the transferring apparatus, and combine a lower end portion of the turner with a sleeve combined with the transferring apparatus, by bringing the turner to a lowered position in which it is at said transferring apparatus, wherein step b) provides the individual collection from each cylinder needle of the respective stitch of the last course of the manufactured article, and wherein step c) provides that said stitches are coupled two by two and each pair of stitches are positioned on a half of the cylinder needles.

16. The method according to claim 7, wherein the stitches of the last course are collected by transferring apparatus which comprises a supporting element having a plurality of transferring members, said transferring apparatus being movable between a resting position, in which it is shifted sideways with respect to the at least one machine cylinder, and a working position, in which it is at the machine cylinder, wherein said supporting element comprises a fixed portion carrying a plurality of said transferring members, each corresponding to a respective needle of a half of the cylinder needles belonging to said first semicircle, and a movable portion carrying a plurality of said transferring members, each corresponding to a respective needle of a half of the cylinder needles belonging to said second semicircle, wherein said movable portion is rotatable in order to be moved from an initial position, in which each transferring member is at a respective needle of a half of the cylinder needles belonging to said second semicircle, to a position rotated by 180, in which each transferring member is adjacent to or at a respective transferring member of said fixed portion, and wherein step c) comprises the steps of: c) moving the stitches present on each transferring member of the movable portion to the corresponding transferring member of the fixed portion, c) returning the movable portion to its initial position, and c) moving the pairs of stitches from the transferring members of the fixed portion to said second half of the cylinder needles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] However, the invention will be better illustrated in the following description with reference to the attached indicative and non-limiting drawings, in which:

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a circular hosiery or knitwear machine provided with a turner and a transferring apparatus according to the present invention, in a normal condition of use, at the end of the production of a tubular manufactured article;

[0049] FIG. 1b shows a detail of FIG. 1, with the machine in a different condition of use;

[0050] FIG. 2 shows the machine of FIG. 1 in a second condition of use;

[0051] FIG. 3 shows the machine of FIG. 2 with a partial cutaway portion, with the turner in a working position;

[0052] FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show an enlarged view of the portion of the machine in the box of FIG. 3, with the turner and the transferring apparatus in different steps of turning the tubular manufactured article inside out and collecting the stitches of one end of the same manufactured article;

[0053] FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show three subsequent steps necessary to couple the previously collected stitches together;

[0054] FIGS. 10 and 11 show the steps necessary to transfer pairs of stitches onto one half of the cylinder needles;

[0055] FIG. 12 shows a view of the machine similar to that of FIG. 1 but with the last stitches of the tubular manufactured article arranged on one half of the cylinder needles;

[0056] FIG. 13 shows a schematic view of the cylinder complete with needles;

[0057] FIG. 14 shows two machine needles in two different positions;

[0058] FIG. 15 shows some machine needles each carrying a pair of stitches;

[0059] FIG. 16 shows the different heights the machine needles can assume when they are in a raised position, in which they intercept at least one yarn;

[0060] FIG. 17 shows two needles of the machine during a processing step for closing the end of the manufactured article; and

[0061] FIG. 18 shows a machine needle in three different conditions during a first step of closing the end of the manufactured article.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] In these drawings, a circular machine for hosiery or knitwear is generically referred to as 1. The machine can be of the type adapted to the production of socks or tights. The figures depict, by way of example, a machine of the single-cylinder type, also known as a mono-cylinder machine, but the machine could also be of the double-cylinder type.

[0063] This circular machine 1 comprises a base 2, a head 3, at least one main or lower cylinder 4, which is combined with the base and susceptible of at least partial rotations referred to as travels, in which a plurality of vertically arranged needles 5 are slidably mounted and arranged side by side so as to form a circle comprising a first semicircle SC1 and a second semicircle SC2, which have the same number of needles, as shown in FIG. 13. The machine can also comprise an upper cylindernot showncombined with the head and mounted above the cylinder 4 and aligned therewith, so that the needles 5 can slide in one or the other of such cylinders so that they can make plain or purl stitches. Each cylinder can be activated to rotate with continuous or reciprocating motion, depending on the production steps.

[0064] For the sake of simplicity, the following description will refer to a mono-cylinder machine, therefore a machine provided with only one cylinder, without thereby excluding that what is described below can also be applied to a machine of the double-cylinder type, therefore provided also with an upper cylinder.

[0065] At least one yarn feeding station 6 is combined with the head, to feed the needles with at least one yarn 7 to be processed, also referred to as bottom yarn, for the production of a tubular manufactured article 8 consisting of a sequence of stitches of at least said yarn, which form a plurality of consecutive courses. The wording course refers to stitches made in one travel, i.e. in a total or partial turn of the cylinder. Normally, at least one second yarn, referred to as main yarn, and possible yarns of other types, such as so-called colour yarns, are fed to the machine needles to produce patterns, drawings or writings and elastic yarns or of various types.

[0066] For the production of the stitches, usually the needles can comprise a portion referred to as hook 5 for catching and holding the yarn to be processed and a latch 5 for closing the hook during the formation of the stitch. Each needle can be selectively brought to: [0067] a lowered position, in which the hook does not intercept the yarn but unloads the stitch made in the previous travel, [0068] a raised A or unloaded position, in which the hook intercepts the yarn and brings the stitch made in the previous travel below the latch, as shown in FIG. 14, to be able to unload it when the needle is brought to the lowered position, or [0069] an intermediate position, defined as a retained position B, in which the hook holds the stitch made in the previous travel above the latch, as shown in FIG. 14, and intercepts the yarn.

[0070] Specifically, the tubular manufactured article may be a sock and is made starting from an edge portion thereof, followed by a leg portion, if any, to be worn on at least part of a user's leg, then by a foot portion, and ending with a toe portion to be worn on the user's toes. At the end of the production of the manufactured article, the stitches 8 which form the last course 8 of the manufactured article, i.e. the round of knitting which constitutes the terminal end of the manufactured article, are on the cylinder needles.

[0071] The tubular manufactured article remains in the cylinder 4 of the machine during its formation and is kept sucked downwards by means of suction means normally provided on the machines of the type object of the present invention. This allows not to make any modifications to the machine, except those strictly necessary for closing the end of the tubular manufactured article and, in particular, for closing the toe of a sock.

[0072] According to the invention, the machine comprises a turner 9 configured to operate directly above the cylinder 4 of the machine and to be always arranged in axis with the at least one cylinder. The turner is structured to overturn the tubular manufactured article once it has been formed, so as to turn it inside out. Preferably, the turner comprises a frame 10 for its fixing to the base of the circular machine and can be movable from the top downwards, and vice versa, to be moved closer to or away from the cylinder. For this purpose, the turner can be constrained to the supporting frame by supporting means 11 which can slide with respect to the frame, such as slides. Advantageously, the supporting means can be motorised in order to be able to perform their descending and ascending travels automatically.

[0073] The machine can also be combined with a transferring apparatus 12 adapted to collect, from at least one half of consecutive needles of the cylinder needles 5, i.e. from at least one first semicircle SC1, the respective stitches of at least one first half of the last course 8, and to position the collected stitches on the other half of the cylinder needles, i.e. on the other semicircle SC2, or vice versa, so that each of these needles supports a pair of stitches instead of a single stitch, one of which belonging to the first half of the last course and the other to the second half of the last course.

[0074] Preferably, the transferring apparatus is combined with the base by means of a support 13 having an arm 13 rotatable around the same support, to move the transferring apparatus between a resting position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, in which it is shifted sideways with respect to the at least one cylinder of the machine, and a working position shown in FIGS. 2-11, in which it is located at the cylinder of the machine and aligned therewith.

[0075] Through the transferring apparatus, the stitches initially arranged on the needles belonging to the first semicircle SC1 and forming the first half of the last course, are arranged on the needles belonging to the second semicircle SC2, together with the stitches originally supported by the needles of such second semicircle and constituting the second half of the last course, so that two stitches 8, which were initially in positions opposite each other with reference to a diameter D which divides the two semicircles, are on the same needle belonging to the second semicircle, as shown in FIGS. 14, 15, 17 and 18. The wording needles in positions opposite each other with respect to a diameter of the cylinder refers to needles that are axially symmetrical with respect to said diameter. This operation is often referred to as overturning of the stitches and allows the first and second halves of the last course to be brought closer to each other, i.e. the two knit semicircles that constitute one end of the tubular manufactured article.

[0076] Once the stitches have been collected from the first half of the cylinder needles, these needles can be brought to the lowered position so as not to interfere with the subsequent processing steps.

[0077] Preferably, the transferring apparatus is designed to collect the respective stitches of the last course 8 from all the cylinder needles, to couple said stitches two by two and to position each pair of stitches on the needles belonging to the first or second semicircle.

[0078] The transferring apparatuses are known per se. Specifically, the transferring apparatus 12 can comprise a supporting element 14 preferably having an annular shape and carrying a plurality of transferring members 15, equal in number to the machine needles, to collect all the stitches present on the machine needles. The transferring members may be arranged in the same direction as the needles, each above a respective needle as shown in the figures, so that the free end 16 of each of them can come into contact with the upper part of a respective machine needle and collect the stitch present thereon. Alternatively, the transferring members can be arranged perpendicular to the needles and moved radially with respect to the cylinder to be able to collect the stitch from a respective needle.

[0079] Prior to or following the transfer of the stitches of the last course to respective transferring members, the turner 10 overturns the tubular manufactured article so as to turn it inside out, before coupling the opposite stitches to each other and arranging the pairs of stitches on half of the cylinder needles. Subsequently, the turner repositions the tubular manufactured article inside the lower cylinder to close the end.

[0080] Preferably, before turning the tubular manufactured article inside out, the turner is shifted from a raised or idle position, in which it is moved away from the positioning device, to a lowered or active position, in which a lower portion thereof is at the positioning device, as shown in FIGS. 3-11.

[0081] The transferring apparatus can comprise a sleeve 12 combined with an upper portion thereof, to ensure the correct coupling with the turner, when arranged in the lowered position.

[0082] After having turned inside out and repositioned the tubular manufactured article in the cylinder, the turner is advantageously returned from the lowered position to the raised position.

[0083] Therefore, the transferring apparatus is configured to collect the stitches of the last course and position them on one half of adjacent needles of the machine needles, while the turner is structured to extract the tubular manufactured article from the cylinder of the machine and to turn the same tubular manufactured article inside out, while remaining above the cylinder, and then to reposition it in the cylinder.

[0084] In a preferred solution, the supporting element 14 of the transferring apparatus comprises a fixed portion 14 and a movable portion 14, each carrying the same number of transferring members. The fixed portion and the movable portion are combined with each other by means of a joint 17 which allows to move said movable portion between an initial position, in which it is aligned and coplanar with the fixed portion, as shown e.g. in FIGS. 1-7, and a position rotated by 180 with respect to the initial position, so that each transferring member 15 of said movable portion is close to or in contact with a respective transferring member of the fixed portion, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The transferring apparatus also comprises means for shifting the stitches from the cylinder needles to the transferring members, possibly from the transferring members of the movable portion to those of the fixed portion and from the transferring members of the fixed portion to the cylinder needles. The means for shifting the stitches may comprise hooks and/or pusher elementsnot shownhoused in the transferring apparatus.

[0085] Preferably, the tubular manufactured article is turned inside out by the turner before transferring the stitches of the last course onto the transferring members of the positioning apparatus.

[0086] The turner 10 comprises a containing body 18, or fixed tube, in which a tubular element 19 is slidably mounted. A mouth 20 may be combined with the containing body and suction meansnot shownmay be combined therewith. Suction means, not shown, may also be combined with the tubular element.

[0087] Advantageously, a lower portion of the containing body is inserted into the sleeve 12 when the turner is arranged in the lowered position. This allows centring the containing body with respect to the positioning apparatus and defines a sealing connection, to ensure a correct suction. In a first turning step, the stitches of the last course are pushed upwards by the upward shift of a tube 21, which is defined as the cylinder tube, normally arranged inside the cylinder 4 of the machine to house the tubular manufactured article during its formation. This way, each stitch of the last course is pushed below the latch 5 of the respective needle. In order to facilitate this operation, the tube 21 can comprise a flared portion 21 at its upper end.

[0088] Subsequently, with the turner arranged at the transferring apparatus, the tubular element is shifted downwards so that a portion thereof is inside the tubular manufactured article.

[0089] In a particularly preferred solution the tubular element, in the proximity of one lower end thereof, can be provided with at least one pair of harpoons 19 which can be combined with the tubular element in an extractable manner, so that they can be moved between an idle position, in which they are inside the tubular element, and an active position, in which they come out of the tubular element, as shown in FIG. 3. These harpoons can be used as an alternative or in addition to suction means combined with the tubular element, to hold the manufactured article on the tubular element when turning it inside out. It has been observed, in fact, that particularly in case of long manufactured articles, the suction may not be sufficient to keep it correctly combined with the tubular element in its ascending step. The tubular element is therefore configured and moved to be inserted into the tubular manufactured article, so that its lower end comes out thereof. The harpoons, once brought to the active position, prevent the lower end of the tubular manufactured article, normally the edge if the tubular manufactured article is a sock, from slipping out of the tubular element.

[0090] To limit the height of the turner, the tubular element can be telescopic.

[0091] Once turned inside out, the tubular manufactured article is in the containing body 18 or fixed tube and can be kept in the correct position by the suction means combined with the mouth 20.

[0092] Advantageously, the fact of having a turner combined with the machine, so as to be arranged above the cylinder and axially aligned thereto, allows to carry out all the operations necessary to bring the tubular manufactured article to the condition suitable to close one of its ends directly at the machine cylinder. In addition, unlike some solutions of the known art, the presence of means for turning the tubular manufactured article inside out allows to produce it in its normal configuration and to keep it in the cylinder of the machine, and to be able to turn it inside out at the end of its production, with the additional advantage of not having to shift it sideways with respect to the cylinder. In addition, since the turner has a considerable extent in the vertical direction, it is particularly advantageous that it is always arranged above the cylinder, thus avoiding having to move it sideways. Even more advantageously, in order to be able to keep it always above the cylinder, the turner can be provided with means for its vertical movement, so as to keep it above the head of the machine during the production of the tubular manufactured article and to move it closer to the cylinder during the steps of turning the tubular manufactured article inside out and transferring the stitches 8.

[0093] In order to allow the operations necessary for overturning the tubular manufactured article by the turner and to be able to arrange the positioning apparatus at the cylinder of the machine, the head 3 of the machine and the feeding stations 6 are combined with the same machine 1 so as to be able to be shifted between an active position, in which they are in the proximity of the cylinder and contribute to the formation of the tubular manufactured article, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, and an idle position, in which they are moved away from the cylinder, to completely free the space above it, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0094] For this purpose, the head 3 and the feeding stations 6 are carried by movement means, preferably of the motorised type, comprising a fixed element 22 and a supporting element 23 which is susceptible of movements with respect to the fixed element. Specifically, the supporting element can be rotated upwards or sideways with respect to the active position by an angle suitable for freeing a space above the cylinder sufficient to receive the transferring apparatus and to allow the turner to move to the lowered position, without them interfering with the head and with the feeding stations of the yarn. Preferably, the angle is at least 45 but more preferably it is about 90, to leave the space above the cylinder completely free.

[0095] Once the transfer of the pairs of stitches on one half of the cylinder needles, the turning of the tubular manufactured article inside out and its subsequent positioning in the cylinder have been completed, the transferring apparatus is returned to the resting position, the turner is brought to the raised position and the movement means return the head and the yarn feeding stations from the idle position to the active position, so that they can contribute to close the end of the tubular manufactured article.

[0096] In a particularly preferred solution, the head with the yarn feeding stations are rotated sideways with respect to the active position by an angle of at least 45, preferably it is about 90. To ensure the correct centring of the transferring apparatus with respect to the cylinder and the synchronization of the various movements, the transferring apparatus can be connected to the head by means of mechanical idler means 24, so that the shift of the head in a first direction, to move it away from the cylinder, corresponds to a shift of the transferring apparatus, so that it is at the cylinder of the machine and that, vice versa, the shift of the head in a second direction opposite the first one, in order to bring the head at the cylinder, corresponds to a shift of the transferring apparatus, so as to move it away from the cylinder. Preferably, the mechanical idler means 24 are pivoted, on one side, to the arm 13 carrying the transferring apparatus and, on the other side, to the supporting element 23 of the head and of the yarn feeding stations.

[0097] After positioning on one half of the cylinder needles pairs of stitches of the last course of the tubular manufactured article, after repositioning the tubular manufactured article in the cylinder 4 and after returning the head and the yarn feeding stations to their active position, at least one yarn 7 is fed again to such needles so as to join the stitches, by knitting them directly to each other by means of this yarn fed to said needles. In order to carry out this operation, the cylinder is rotated with reciprocating motion, in order to carry out at least three, preferably at least five and specifically seven semi-rotations in opposite directions and the needles are brought to different positions to make the stitches necessary to knit the stitches 8 of the two halves of the last course 8 to each other. This allows to join the two half-courses of the end of the tubular manufactured article and, in particular, of a sock, directly in the machine and by using the same cylinder needles used to produce the manufactured article.

[0098] In a preferred solution, during the step of transferring the stitches onto half of the cylinder needles, said needles are kept in the raised position A. This allows to reduce the time for performing the seam and to improve the same seam, in particular when carried out with a single yarn.

[0099] Preferably, during the at least three semi-rotations, the at least one yarn 7 is fed to the needles brought to the raised position A.

[0100] The yarn feeding stations are each provided with one or more yarn fingers to bring the yarn to a position in which it can be intercepted by the needle when brought to the raised position A.

[0101] Advantageously, the at least one yarn 7 is fed to the machine by means of a yarn finger referred to as the yarn finger of the bottom yarn 25, since it feeds the yarn in a lowered position with respect, for example, to the yarn finger which normally feeds the so-called main yarn or the so-called colour yarn. This way, in order to intercept the yarn 7, the needle is brought to a first height h, with respect to a plane P, lower than the heights h and h which it must reach to intercept the main yarn and the colour yarn, respectively.

[0102] Preferably, at least for the first semi-rotation, at least one additional yarn 7 is fed to the needles by means of at least one auxiliary yarn finger 25, which could be a yarn finger normally used to feed the colour yarn, arranged in a position prior to the yarn feeding station comprising the yarn finger of the bottom yarn 25, with reference to the rotation direction R of the cylinder. Since the cylinder rotates with reciprocating motion, it is also susceptible of rotations in a second rotation direction R opposite the rotation direction R, as shown by the arrows of FIG. 17. Therefore, an auxiliary yarn fingernot showncould be arranged in a position prior to the yarn feeding station comprising the yarn finger of the bottom yarn 25, with reference to the rotation direction R of the cylinder.

[0103] A further yarn can be fed to the machine needles as an alternative or in addition to the at least one additional yarn. Specifically, this yarn can be an elastic yarn fed by means of a so-called elastic yarn finger belonging to the elastic selecting assemblynot shownnormally present in circular machines for knitwear or hosiery. This way, a further knitted reinforcing yarn is added to the main yarn, thus making the seam even more robust and, therefore, particularly suitable for sports or work socks which are subjected to high stresses during their use.

[0104] Advantageously, during at least one semi-rotation of the cylinder, at least two, preferably at least four needles adjacent and prior to the half of the cylinder needles, which carry the pairs of stitches of the last course of the tubular manufactured article, and/or at least two, preferably at least four needles adjacent to and following half of the cylinder needles, which carry the pairs of stitches of the last course of the tubular manufactured article, are brought to the raised position. This allows to form two small stitch segments at the ends of the seam which prevent the yarn from slipping out when the closed end of the tubular manufactured article is subjected to stresses in different directions.

[0105] Preferably, the seam is made by means of at least three, preferably at least five semi-rotations in opposite directions, in particular seven semi-rotations, depending on the type of manufactured article and the type of yarn by which it is made.

[0106] Advantageously, semi-rotations in which tightly-knitted stitches are made, are alternated with semi-rotations in which loosely-knitted stitches are made.

[0107] The method according to the invention therefore provides for closing the end of a tubular manufactured article and, in particular, the toe of a sock, directly on the circular machine, without the aid of any linking or sewing device to be combined with the machine. This closure can be achieved by turning the tubular manufactured article inside out, positioning, on one half of the cylinder needles, pairs of stitches of the last course, each comprising a stitch initially carried by a needle belonging to one half of the cylinder needles and a stitch initially carried by a needle opposite the other half of the cylinder needles, with reference to a diameter D of the cylinder, and joining such stitches by processing at least one yarn with the cylinder needles carrying such pairs of stitches. Therefore and advantageously, the end of the manufactured article and, specifically, the toe if it is a sock, is closed or joined by means of a part of the cylinder needles, which have contributed to the formation of the remaining part of the manufactured article, with the manufactured article turned inside out, in order to achieve a seam that remains therein and after having made the manufactured article in a traditional manner, by keeping it positioned and sucked in the lower cylinder 4 of the machine during its formation, as usual.

[0108] Preferably, the stitches of the needles of the first semicircle SC1 are positioned on the needles of the second semicircle SC2 but this does not exclude that pairs of stitches originally supported by opposite cylinder needles are combined with each other and then rotated by a desired angle before each is arranged on a needle of one half of adjacent cylinder needles.

[0109] In order to achieve the joining of the end of the article, the cylinder is rotated to carry out at least three, preferably at least five rotations, preferably with reciprocating motion to carry out at least three semi-rotations in opposite directions, advantageously from five to seven semi-rotations in which, at the yarn feeding station, the needles are brought to the raised position to knit at least one yarn with each pair of stitches being carried by each needle of one half of the cylinder needles.

[0110] At the end of the step of joining the stitches of its end, the manufactured article is unloaded from the machine with one end thereof already closed. Therefore, this method allows the manufactured article to be made in the traditional way, starting from an end thereof, i.e. the edge in the case of a sock, which is intended to remain open, and ending with the opposite end which is closed directly by the machine needles, at the end of the production of the manufactured article.

[0111] In order to allow the transferring apparatus to be arranged above the cylinder and the turner to move closer to the transferring apparatus during the turning, collecting and positioning steps, the head and the yarn feeding stations are moved to an idle position, either by overturning or lateral shift.

[0112] After the turning the tubular manufactured article inside out and extracting it from the cylinder, half of the stitches of the last course are collected by the transferring members of the movable portion and the other half is possibly collected by the transferring members of the fixed portion. In this case, the stitches are coupled to each other, by overturning the movable portion onto the fixed portion and pushing or pulling the stitches present on the movable portion so that they pass on the fixed portion. In an alternative solution, the turning of the tubular manufactured article inside out can take place after the stitches are collected from the cylinder needles.

[0113] Finally, the stitches thus coupled are shifted from the fixed portion, after moving the movable portion away, halfway through the cylinder needles, by suitable means. In the event that only one half of the stitches are collected, at the end of the collection, the movable portion is overturned directly on the needles of the second half of the cylinder and the stitches supported by it are carried onto such needles. Subsequently, the tubular manufactured article is positioned inside the cylinder.

[0114] At this point, the head and the yarn feeding stations are returned to the active position to contribute to close the end of the manufactured article, by processing the yarn by means of the half of the cylinder needles on which the stitches are arranged.

[0115] The invention is therefore based on this concept: turning the tubular manufactured article inside out, collecting at least half of the stitches of the last course of the tubular manufactured article, which are arranged on adjacent cylinder needles, shifting the collected stitches so that pairs of stitches originally arranged on opposite cylinder needles are on one half of the cylinder needles, and joining the stitches by processing a yarn fed at least to the needles of said other half of the needles, so that the end of the tubular manufactured article is closed directly by the same needles that have contributed to the formation of the manufactured article. Therefore, in order to meet contingent and specific needs, a person skilled in the art can make numerous changes and modifications to the present invention or embodiments depicted and described, all thereby comprised in the protection scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.