A placeholder positioning and anchor forming assembly, textiles having placeholders therein and related methods

Abstract

A placeholder positioning assembly is configured to mark a position of at least one structural feature in a textile. The placeholder positioning assembly may be configured to operate in cooperation with a textile processing machine and to engage the at least one structural feature in the textile with a placeholder. The assembly includes a placeholder positioning unit configured to engage the at least one placeholder with the at least one structural feature to thereby mark the location of the at least one structural feature; and at least one anchor forming unit configured to form at least one anchor member together with the placeholder, wherein the placeholder positioning unit is further configured to guide the placeholder to engage the at least one structural feature with the at least one placeholder, and the anchor forming unit is configured to receive the placeholder from the placeholder positioning unit and to form the at least one anchor member together with the placeholder.

Description

Attorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOA PLACEHOLDER POSITIONING AND ANCHOR FORMING ASSEMBLY, TEXTILES HAVING PLACEHOLDERS THEREIN AND RELATED METHODSRelated Application^)

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U. S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 743,893, filed January 10, 2025, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Field

[0002] The present invention relates to placeholder positioning apparatus for positioning placeholders in a textile and positioning anchors for holding the placeholders and methods for the same.Background

[0003] Linking is a sewing machine technique that is specialized for the construction of garments from knitted components. A linking machine is a kind of chainstitch sewing machine, augmented with a dial (sometimes crown) or linear arrangement of points (e.g., needles). The sewing mechanism is mechanically geared to the angular spacing of the points, so that exactly one stitch is formed on each point. The linking machine operator is tasked with impaling the workpieces to be joined, one on top of another. Then the sewing head is activated, and the stitch is automatically formed, taking advantage of the point that is holding the place of each stitch to come. As in other sewing processes, the stitch formation is highly automated, fast, accurate, and generally technologically mature.

[0004] Straight bar needle transfers are discussed in German Patent No 685,505. U. S. Patent No. 6089049 discusses directly loading a welt knitted at a first knitting station onto a transfer bar, and to an unloading station such that a knitted welt loaded on the transfer bar can be directly transferred to a knitting head at a second knitting station. Various techniques for linking are discussed in U. S. Patent Nos. 3,340,834, 4846085, 5619940 and 5730075; Japanese Patent Publication No. JPH03258287A, JPS52125052A, JPH063160692 A, JPH05305191A, JPH05305192A, and JPH05305195A, and Japanese Patent Publications CN110685073A, CN113026220B, CN113026219A, CN109457398, CN113026219A, and CN201176508Y.Attorney Docket No. 1701.4. WO

[0005] However, there are still problems in automating many sewing or linking processes for a variety of textile fabrics due to the problem of introducing and accurately locating the workpieces, which are soft, to the machine.Summary

[0006] According to some embodiments, the present inventive concept is directed to an assembly for a positioning placeholders for a textile, including an anchor member forming apparatus for forming anchor member(s) that hold and / or anchor the placeholders on the textile.

[0007] According to further embodiments, the present inventive concept is directed to a method of designating target features in a textile, soft object, or web.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the invention.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art knitting machine.

[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a placeholder positioning unit pulling a placeholder through a structural feature and connecting the placeholder to anchor members to thereby mark or save a structural feature in a textile according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary textile with a plurality of placeholders connected to anchor members according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a reading apparatus for a textile according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0013] FIGS. 5A-5L and FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate schematic images of methods and systems for forming an anchor member and placeholder according to some embodiments.

[0014] FIGS. 7A-7E illustrate a placeholder positioning unit, an anchor member forming device, and a structural feature according to some embodiments.

[0015] FIG. 8 illustrates an anchor member forming device according to some embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 9 illustrates an anchor member forming device including dispensing tubes according to some embodiments.

[0017] FIGS. 10-11 are perspective views of a placeholder positioning assembly and an anchor forming assembly according to some embodiments.Attorney Docket No. 1701.4. WO

[0018] FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of an anchor forming assembly according to some embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 13 is a side view of the anchor forming assembly of FIG. 12.

[0020] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of two anchor forming assemblies according to some embodiments.

[0021] FIGS. 15-16 are perspective views of an anchor forming assembly illustrating operations for forming an anchor member according to some embodiments.

[0022] FIGS. 17-22 are top perspective views of a placeholder positioning assembly illustrating operations for holding a structural feature according to some embodiments.

[0023] FIGS. 21-31 are perspective views of the placeholder positioning assembly and anchor forming assembly illustrating operations for positioning a placeholder in a textile on a knitting machine according to some embodiments.

[0024] FIGS. 32A-32C are side views of a needlebed and an anchor forming assembly illustrating movement of the anchor forming assembly to reduce tangling of the anchor members according to some embodiments.

[0025] FIGS. 33A-33B are side views of a needlebed and an anchor forming assembly illustrating different angles of the anchor forming assembly according to some embodiments.

[0026] FIGS. 34A is a schematic diagram of a textile with an anchor member that may be used to form a seam according to some embodiments.

[0027] FIG. 34B is an illustration of the anchor member of FIG. 34 A.

[0028] FIGS. 35A-35C illustrate various configurations of placeholders positioned in a textile and connected to a pair of anchor members according to some embodiments.Detailed Description

[0029] In some embodiments, a placeholder positioning assembly may be configured to mark a position of a structural feature of a textile with a placeholder. As described herein, the placeholder may be used to place the textile, for example, on a linking machine or to otherwise manipulate the textile for subsequent production and processing.

[0030] As used herein, a “structural feature” of a textile is any textile feature that is capable of having a placeholder held on the structural feature or in the structural feature. For example, a “structural feature” may include a topological feature of a textile that is configured to hold a placeholder on, in, or near the topological feature, such as a loop or tangle or intersecting points between yams in a woven fabric. A structural feature in a nonwoven fabric, web, leather, orAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOsoft substrate, may be location in the textile, such as a coordinate (x-y) location in the object or textile.

[0031] As used herein, a “loop” of a textile includes needle loops or sinker loops.

[0032] As used herein, a “textile” includes any suitable textile that is configured to engage a placeholder, including a flat weft knit textile, a flat warp knit textile, a crochet textile, a circular weft knit textile, a circular warp knit textile, a straight bar weft knit textile, or a cotton frame textile. A “textile” may be configured as panel, a line, or may have a three dimensional shape.

[0033] As used herein, “crochet” refers to any manipulation of threads that forms the structures described herein, including a flat weft knit, a flat warp knit, a crochet, a circular weft knit, a circular warp knit, a straight bar weft knit, or a cotton frame textile.

[0034] As used herein, a “placeholder” is a structure that may be positioned in or on a structural feature of a textile, such as a loop. A placeholder may be passed through a structural feature, positioned around a structural feature, or otherwise engage with a structural feature of a textile. In some embodiments, a placeholder is held in position with an anchor member. A placeholder may be positioned in one or more structural features.

[0035] As used herein, an “anchor member” is a structure that is configured to connect to a placeholder and is typically elongated. In some embodiments, one or more anchor members may be connected to a plurality of placeholders. In this configuration, the anchor member(s) may hold a sequence of placeholders, for example, for subsequent placement on a linking machine or link transfer machine.

[0036] As used herein, a “thread” may be an elongated member and may include or be formed of natural materials (animal-based, plant-based, fungi-based, including wool, silk, cotton, down, leather, plant fibers, wood, or hemp), thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane (thermoplastic polyurethane), fluoropolymers (ehtylene-chlortrifluorethylene), viscose polymers, glass, mineral fiber, TPX (polymethylpentene), ECTFE, Vectran(TM) Dyneema(TM), metals, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Threads may be used to form various structures disclosed herein.

[0037] Example structures that may be suitable for threads, and which may be incorporated into placeholders or anchor members include monofilament fibers (extruded or drawn), multifilament fibers (yarn, twisted fibers, braided fibers, woven fibers, rivet-based, chain links of regular or irregular pieces, ribbon or tape (extruded, woven, knitted (crochet-knitted, warp-knitted, weft-knitted) or overmolded), mesh (extruded or joined monofilaments orAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOmultifilaments, woven, knotted, inter-braded “knotless,” chemically adhered, hook-and-loop joined, welded or spliced). In addition, a thread may be molded stamped, embossed, or include inlaid features, knotted in features, overmolded features, or features that are chemically adhered.

[0038] PCT Publication Nos. 2025 / 015040 and 2025 / 015028 are incorporated herein by reference and disclose a placeholder positioning assembly and reading apparatus for positioning a placeholder to mark one or more structural features in a textile. The placeholder positioning assembly includes one or more anchor members, which are configured to connect to and hold a placeholder, and the placeholder is positioned to mark a structural feature in the textile. In particular, the placeholder positioning assembly generally included a placeholder dispenser and an anchor dispenser. A holder or hook engages the structural feature in a textile, and a placeholder is dispensed from the placeholder dispenser and fed through the structural feature and / or the anchor member using a needle. The reading apparatus is configured to identify respective locations of the placeholders and corresponding structural features in the textile, and to present the structural features of the textile on to a subsequent device, such as needles on a linking machine.

[0039] Placeholder Positioning Assembly

[0040] FIG. 1 is a prior art knitting machine 10 including a base 20 and needles 30 for forming or manufacturing a textile. During the knitting process, a structural feature may be identified and a placeholder may be inserted into the structural feature. The placeholder may then be connected to one or more anchor members.

[0041] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a structural feature 610 of a textile on the knitting machine of FIG. 1 is held above the needle bed (not shown) and positioned between two anchor members 700 held by anchor dispensers 132. A needle 112 pulls a placeholder 500 through the structural feature 610 and through both anchor members 700. The structural feature 610 may then be released, and additional structural features may be similarly marked using placeholders that are secured by the anchor members 700. The process of positioning a placeholder in a textile may be referred to herein as a saving process such that positions within the textile are marked or saved by the placeholder.

[0042] After a plurality of placeholders 500 are positioned through structural features 610 in a textile, the textile may be removed from the knitting machine. An exemplary textile 600 with placeholders 500 and anchor members 700 securing the placeholders 500 is shown in FIG.3. In this configuration, the placeholders 500 and / or anchor members 700 may be used to identify and manipulate structural features 610 in the textile 600. The placeholders 500 mayAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WObe flexible, malleable, bendable and / or able to be shaped to engage the at least one structural feature. For example, the placeholders 500 may be formed of a thread, e.g., a single, unitary thread.

[0043] For example, a reading apparatus 1000 for a textile 600 according to embodiments of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. The reading apparatus 1000 is configured to identify respective locations of the placeholders 500 (and corresponding structural features 610) in the textile 600 to assist in further marking the location of the corresponding structural features 610. When coupled with the textile 600, the anchor member(s) 700 and placeholders 500 may facilitate the handling and manipulation of the textile 600 by people or machines (z.e., by manipulating or identifying the structural features 610 marked with respective placeholders 500) and may allow for easier linking with another textile 600 and / or attachment to another machine (e.g., a linking machine).

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the reading apparatus 1000 includes a needle assembly 1002, and the needle assembly 1002 may be part of an existing linking machine (not shown), such as a linking machine for a knitted garment In some embodiments, the needle assembly 1002 has a base 1004 having one or more points 1006 e.g., needles) positioned around a periphery of the base 1004. As illustrated, the anchor member(s) 700 are fed through the reading apparatus 1000, and the placeholders 500 are used to align the corresponding structural features 610 with elements of the reading apparatus 1000, such as needles or points 1006.

[0045] Various systems and methods for placing the placeholder(s) at identified structural features in a textile and / or connecting the placeholders to anchor members are referred to as “saving” systems, apparatuses, and methods and are described in PCT Publication Nos.2025 / 015040 and 2025 / 015028. Additional systems and methods for using the placeholder(s) and anchor members to position and manipulate the structural features of the textile with respect to another needle assembly, such as a linking machine, are also described in PCT Publication Nos. 2025 / 015040 and 2025 / 015028.

[0046] Anchor Forming Structures

[0047] In some embodiments, the placeholder positioning assembly may utilize an anchor that is formed by an anchor forming structure. The anchor forming structure may include a needle or other structure configured to form the anchor from a thread. For example, the anchor member may be a crocheted or warp knit elongated textile, and the anchor forming structure may form the anchor during the knitting process. The placeholder may be a thread that is held adjacent the anchor member or the placeholder thread may be knit or crocheted into the anchorAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOas part of the anchor forming process. The placeholder positioning unit is configured to separate or grab the placeholder thread from the anchor member and engage the placeholder thread with the structural feature in the textile.

[0048] In this configuration, the piaceholder(s) may be formed of a continuous thread that may be supplied continuously to the assembly. The placeholder may be a thread that is not cut, for example, until the end of the seam, and a single thread may be used to form a plurality of placeholders. The geometry of the anchor members and placeholder assembly may be controlled by the thread crochet or knitting formation. Because crochet-type anchor members are not planar, these anchor members may be easier to manipulate.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 5A-5L, the anchor members 1700 may be formed by an anchor forming device, which may include a needle or crochet hook 1810. The placeholder 1500 is positioned adjacent to one of the anchor members 1700. As shown in FIGS. 5A-5L, the placeholder 1500 is a continuous thread that is positioned adjacent the anchor members 1700, knit or crocheted into the anchor members 1700, and engaged with a structural feature 1610. As shown in FIG. 5B, the structural feature 1610, such as a loop in a knitted textile, is held between the anchor members 1700 by a holder as described herein (not shown in FIG. 5B). As illustrated in FIG. 5C, the placeholder 1500 is pulled through the structural feature 1610 with a placeholder positioning unit as described herein (not shown in FIG. 5C). In FIGS. 5D-5E, the crochet hooks 1810 form the anchor members 1700 together with the placeholder 1500. Additional crochet knots are formed in the anchor members 1700 in FIG. 5F, and in FIGS. 5G-5H, the placeholder 1500 is further knit into the anchor members 1700. The placeholder 1500 is released in FIG. 51, and an additional length of the anchor members 1700 is formed by the crochet hooks 1810 in FIGS. 5J-5L. It should be understood that the steps illustrated in FIGS.5A-5L may be repeated with additional structural features 1610 such that a plurality of placeholders may be provided as a single continuous thread or placeholder 1500.

[0050] Anchor members 1700 are illustrated in FIG. 6A-6D. As shown in FIG. 6B, the anchor members 1700 may hold multiple placeholders 1500, which may be provided as a single strand or a multiple strands. The placeholder 1500 may be crocheted along with the anchor member 1700. Structural features 1610 are illustrated in FIGS. 6C-6D. The anchor members 1700 may be formed with one or more supplies of thread. The anchor members 1700 may be warp knitted, weft knitted or formed of a chainstitch or lockstitch The placeholder 1500 may be a thread or could be provided as one of the anchor threads. In some embodiments, the placeholder 1500 and the anchor members 1700 may be formed from the same thread, and in particular embodiments, the placeholder and anchor member 1700 may be formed of the same,Attorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOsingle thread. The placeholder 1500 may be trapped or held in one cell of a crocheted elongated textile. In some embodiments, the placeholder 1500 may participate or be knit or crocheted into the anchor member 1700. For example, the placeholder 1500 may be included in several stitches of the anchor member 1700 to lock it into place and reduce or prevent the placeholder slipping relative to the anchor, or the loops formed by the placeholder from increasing or decreasing in size. The distance between the positions in which the placeholders 1500 cross from one anchor member to the other may be varied (i.e., any suitable distance may be used), and the distance between placeholder 1500 and structural features 1610 may also be varied.

[0051] Accordingly, in forming the knit or crocheted anchor members 1700, various structures may be used, including thread or yarn feeders or dispensers that are positioned along and are movable with the carriage axis of a knitting machine. The anchor forming device may include a loop forming tool, such as a latch or compound needle or crochet hook (illustrated as the hook 1810 in FIGS. 5A-5L). A lapping tool may be used as the feeder or dispenser of the primary crochet yam for forming the anchor member 1700. An optional second lapping tool and / or placeholder thread supply may also be provided.

[0052] In particular embodiments, a “takedown” mechanism may be used. This mechanism may include a clamp and a traction device, which may be a foot, roller or moving pincher for holding the thread in position during the anchor and placeholder forming operations. It should be understood by one of skill in the art that mechanical actuators for the operations described herein and a control unit including a microprocessor for controlling the anchor and placeholder manipulating elements may be used. The actuation may be electric and provided by solenoids or electric motors or other actuators, and may be located on the thread feeder or dispenser. In some embodiments, the actuators may be provided on the knitting carriage, and the carriage may transiently couple to the anchor / placeholder feeders when the feeder is in operation, which clutches, such as dog clutches. In this configuration, electric pneumatic or other control or motive power / signal connections to each feeder may not be required, which may reduce the need for cable management and also may utilize fewer actuators.

[0053] Example embodiments of an anchor forming device 1800, placeholder positioning unit 1512, and structural feature holder 1520 are illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7D. It should be understood that the anchor forming device 1800, placeholder positioning unit 1512, and structural feature holder 1520 may be positioned above a knitting assembly and attached to a removable frame or other structure (not shown) to position the feature holder 1520 to form the anchor members and position the placeholder in a knit fabric during a knitting process. AsAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOshown in FIG. 7A, the structural feature 1610 (e.g, a loop from a fabric (not shown)) is held above the fabric by a knitting needle 220A The structural feature holder 1520 includes an end 1522 that may be moved into a position with respect to the knitting needle 220A for grasping and holding the structural features 1610 as shown in FIG. 7B. As shown in FIGS. 7C-7D, the end 1522 may include two prongs that separate from one another to spread the structural feature 1610 into a wider loop shape (FIG 7D). The end 1522 may be then moved into a position with respect to the anchor forming device 1800 and placeholder positioning unit 1512 to position a placeholder in the structural feature 1610 as shown in FIG. 7E.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the anchor forming device 1800 may include a body 1802, an anchor forming structure, such as a crochet hook 1810, for forming the anchor members 1700. Although some embodiments are illustrated with respect to a crochet hook, it should be understood that any suitable anchor forming structure may be used, such as a latch needle, a compound needle, or a bearded needle). The anchor members 1700 may be held in position with holders, such as rollers 1820 mounted on the body 1802 of the anchor forming device 1800. The anchor forming device may include dispensing conduits or tube feeders 1830, 1832 that are configured to feed one or more threads to the anchor forming device 1800, and more specifically, to position the threads to be formed into either the anchor member 1700 or placeholder 1500.

[0055] In this configuration, and as shown in FIG. 8, the hook 1810 forms the anchor member 1700 using a crochet or other suitable forming stitch, and the formed anchor member 1700 is held in position by the roller 1820. The placeholder 1500 is held adjacent to the anchor member 1700 or may be crocheted or stitched together with the anchor member 1700 as described herein. The placeholder positioning unit 1512 includes a hook end that is configured to grasp the placeholder 1500 and separate the placeholder 1500 from the anchor member 1700. The placeholder positioning unit 1512 is configured to pull the placeholder 1500 away from the anchor member and through the structural feature 1610, which is illustrated as a knit loop of a knitted fabric. The anchor forming hook 1810 is configured to form a number of crochet loops (e.g., as programmed by an automated crochet program or by instructions in the knitting machine control data). The number of crochet loops may be set by programming instructions or by a feedback loop based on inputs or sensor data from the knitting machine. When the desired number of crochet loops is completed to form a portion of the anchor member 1700, the placeholder positioning unit 1512 releases or disengages the placeholder 1500, and the anchor forming hook may incorporate or crochet the placeholder 1500 into the anchor memberAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WO

[0056] As shown in FIG. 9, the dispensing conduits or feeders 1830, 1832 may feed the placeholder thread and anchor thread, respectively; however, it should be understood that any suitable number of feeders may be used. In some embodiments, a single feeder may be used to feed a combined placeholder and anchor thread such that the anchor member 1700 and the placeholder 1500 are formed of the same thread. The feeders 1830, 1832 may be configured to rotate substantially coaxially with the needle or hook 1810, which facilitates wrapping to form crochet or warp knit stitches in the anchor member 1700. In some embodiments, the feeders 1830, 1832 may move parallel to the axis of the needle or hook 1810 in order to release the placeholder 1500 or to provide space for the knitting needles on the knitting machine bed.

[0057] The anchor member 1700 may further include knots at the beginning and / or end of the anchor member 1700 for increased stability. In some embodiments, a separate knotting machine may be used to form the ends of the anchor member 1700. In some embodiments, the crochet anchor member 1700 may include a plurality of loops at the end of the anchor member 1700 to provide additional stability to the anchor member 1700.

[0058] As illustrated in FIGS. 10-13, embodiments of a placeholder positioning assembly 2100 and an anchor forming assembly 2800 are shown. The anchor forming assembly 2800 includes an anchor former or crochet hook 2810 for forming a cross-stitch anchor member. The anchor forming assembly 2800 further includes a thread dispenser 2830 including an anchor thread dispenser 2832 and a placeholder thread dispenser 2834. The dispensers 2832 and 2834 may be conduits or tubes, and a spool or other source of thread may be used to feed the strands or threads through the dispensers 2832 and 2834. An anchor feeder 2840 is positioned and configured to hold the anchor member (not shown) and to feed the anchor member and / or placeholder to the placeholder positioning assembly 2100. As illustrated in FIG. 11, which illustrates the anchor feeder 2840 with the housing removed, the anchor feeder includes a series of gears 2842, a lowermost gear 2844, and a passageway 2846. In this configuration, a crocheted anchor member may be fed from the crochet hook 2810 through the passageway 2846 and fed by the lowermost gear 2844 when the gears 2842 are rotated by an actuator (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 12-13, the anchor forming assembly 2800 may be positioned at various angles.

[0059] As illustrated in FIG. 14, a pair of anchor forming assemblies 2.800 may be positioned across from one another to form cooperating anchor members 2700 and placeholders 2500. As illustrated, the crochet hook(s) 2810 and / or the anchor feeder(s) 2840 may be moved by actuator(s) 2812 to form a chain stitch or crochet anchor member 2700. The placeholder 2500 is formed from a placeholder thread 2500T that exits the placeholder threadAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOdispenser 2834. And the anchor member 2700 is formed from an anchor member thread 2700T that is fed through the anchor thread dispenser 2832. The placeholder thread 2500T may be chain stitched by the hook 2810 together with the anchor member thread 2700T to form a portion of the anchor member 2700. The placeholder thread 2700T may also be manipulated during the chainstitching process for forming the anchor member 2700 to extend between the anchor members 2700 (and through a feature of a textile (not shown)) and form placeholders 2500. The anchor member 2700 is fed through the passage 2846 and is dispensed by the lowermost gear 2844, which provides a takedown mechanism for feeding the anchor member 2700 to the knitting machine or to a placeholder placement assembly. The speed and / or spacing of the gear tines may be used to control the speed at which the anchor member 2700 is dispensed.

[0060] In this configuration, the anchor forming assemblies 2800 may be positioned on both sides of a needle bed, such as the needles 30 of the knitting machine 10 of FIG. 1. During a knitting process, the anchor members 2700 may be knit by the anchor forming assembly 2800. The placeholder thread 2500T may be stitched together with the anchor member thread 2700T to form a portion of the anchor member 2700. Other portions of the placeholder thread 2500T may be separated from the anchor member 2700 and pulled between the anchor members 2700 to form a placeholder 2500, which is passed through a structural feature of a textile.

[0061] For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 15-16, the thread dispenser 2830 is rotated around the crochet hook 2810 to move the anchor member thread 2700T to form the anchor member 2700 above the needles 30 of a knitting machine. As shown in FIG. 15, the anchor thread dispenser 2830 is positioned in front of or obscuring a portion of the anchor member 2700, and the anchor thread 2700T is stretched over the crochet hook 2810. In FIG. 16, the thread dispenser 2830 moves in the direction of arrow A to manipulate the anchor thread 2700T with respect to the crochet hook to form another loop of the chain stich of the anchor member 2700. It should be understood that, although some embodiments are described with respect to movement of the thread dispenser 2830, the crochet hook 2810 may be moved with respect to the thread dispenser 2830 or both the crochet hook 2810 and thread dispenser 2830 may move with respect to each other to thereby form the chain stich of the anchor member 2700.

[0062] The process of positioning a placeholder into a structural feature includes engaging a structural feature of the textile as shown in FIGS. 17-22. As illustrated in FIGS. 17-22, a holder unit 2110, which can be provided as part of the placeholder positioned assembly 2100 of FIGS. 10-11. The holder unit 2110 includes a retractable pair of arms 2112 and each armAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WO2112 has a prong 2114 that extends away from the arms 2112. It should be understood, however, that a single prong may be used to hold the structural feature 2610. The holder unit 2110 is in the retracted position in FIG. 17. In FIG 18, the holder unit 2110 is moved by a motor or actuator (not shown) to an extended position over the textile being knit by the needles 30. A needle 30A is extended to select a structural feature 610 from the textile. In FIG. 19, the needle 30A moves downward, and in FIG. 20, the arms 2112 rotate and thereby position the prongs 2114 into the loop formed by the structural feature 610. In FIG. 21, the needle 30A retracts, and the structural feature 610 remains extended from the textile on the prongs 2114. In this position as shown in FIG. 21, the placeholder (not shown) may be positioned through the loop-shaped structural feature 610. In FIG. 22, the needle 30A extends to retrieve the structural feature, and the holder unit 2110 moves again to the retracted position.

[0063] The positioning of the placeholder 2500 in a structural feature 2610 of the textile is illustrated in FIGS. 23-31. As shown in FIG. 23, two anchor forming assemblies 2800A, 2800B are positioned on opposing sides of the bed of needles 30 of a knitting machine. The prongs 2114 of the holder unit 2110 engage a structural feature 610 in the position shown in FIG. 21 and using the process shown with respect to FIGS. 17-22. While the anchor member 2700 is being formed by the crochet hook 2810 on the anchor forming assembly 2800B, a placeholder thread 2500T is dispensed from the placeholder thread dispenser 2834 of the other anchor forming assembly 2800A. A placeholder thread positioning tool 2400 pulls the placeholder thread 2500T that is dispensed from the placeholder thread dispenser 2834 in a downward direction. A guiding needle 2120 is moved by a needle actuator 2122 through the structural feature 610 and towards the placeholder positioning assembly 2100 and the anchor forming assembly 2800A. The guiding needle 2120 engages the placeholder thread 2500T as shown in FIG. 24. The guiding needle 2120 guides the placeholder thread 2500T through the structural feature 610 as illustrated in FIG 25.

[0064] The guiding needle 2120 then pulls the placeholder thread 2500T towards the anchor forming assembly 2800B in FIG. 26 and onto the crochet hook 2810 of the anchor forming assembly 2800B in FIG. 27. The guiding needle 2120 is then retracted as shown in FIG. 28. Next, the crochet hook 2810 continues to chain stitch the anchor member 2700 together with the placeholder thread 2700T as shown in FIGS. 29-30. As illustrated in FIG.31, the placeholder thread 2500T is positioned in the structural feature 610 to form a placeholder 2500. In some configurations, the placeholder thread 2500T may extend from an anchor member 2700 formed by the anchor forming assembly 2800A to another anchor member 2700 formed by the other anchor forming assembly 2800B. Accordingly, anchorAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOmembers and placeholders may be formed to mark structural features in a textile, such as illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0065] FIGS. 23-31 illustrate a placeholder 2500 from an anchor forming assembly 2800A on one side of the knitting machine being passed or guided through a structural feature 610 and chain stitched into an anchor member on the other anchor forming assembly 2800B on an opposite side of the knitting machine. However, it should be understood that anchor members 2700 may be formed by both anchor forming assemblies 2800A, 2800B and additional placeholders may also be provided. A placeholder 2500 may be passed from the anchor forming assembly 2800B through the structural feature 610 and to the other anchor forming assembly 2800A. In this configuration, a pair of anchor members may be used with one or more placeholders marking or saving structural features in the textile.

[0066] It should be understood that the placeholder positioning assembly 2100 and the anchor forming assembly 2800 may be removably attached to a knitting machine, and the position of the placeholder positioning assembly 2100 and the anchor forming assembly 2800 may be adjusted by a motor or actuator connected to the placeholder positioning assembly 2100 and / or the anchor forming assembly 2800 to move the placeholder positioning assembly 2100 and / or the anchor forming assembly 2800 during a knitting process to place the anchor members 2700 and placeholders 2500 with respect to a textile structure. In some embodiments, the placeholder positioning assembly 2100 and / or the anchor forming assembly 2800 may be moved with respect to the needles 30 to increase efficiency. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 32A-32C, the position of the anchor forming assembly 2800 may be moved horizontally to the right (FIG. 32A), to the left (FIG. 32B) or vertically up or down (FIG. 32C) with respect to the needles 30 of a knitting machine in order to reduce tangling of the anchor member 2700. Moreover, as illustrated in FIGS. 33A-33B, the angle of the crochet hook 2810 and anchor forming assembly 2800 with respect to the thread dispenser 2830 and needles 30 may be modified.

[0067] As shown in FIGS. 34A-34B, a textile 2600A is shown that is shaped to form a front or back of a shirt. The anchor member(s) 2700 and corresponding placeholders (not shown) are positioned around the seams of the textile 2700A. In some configurations, the anchor member 2700 may include crocheted portions 2700C along the seams to hold the placeholders, and a non-crocheted portion 2700N between the seams. Accordingly, the crocheting of the anchor member 2700 may be temporarily paused when there is a gap between placeholders for faster anchor member formation.Attorney Docket No. 1701.4. WO

[0068] The shape and configuration of the placeholders 2500 may be modified. In some embodiments, a placeholder thread 2500T may be dispensed from one side of the needles 30 of the needle bed and chain stitched with or attached to anchor members 2700 on both sides of the needles 30 as shown in FIGS. 23-31. However, in some cases, two placeholder threads may be dispensed from opposite sides of the needles 30, and the two placeholder threads may be with the anchor member on the same side that the placeholder thread is dispensed or the placeholder thread may be chain stitched with the anchor member on the opposite side of the that the placeholder thread is dispensed. Various configurations of placeholders 2500 are illustrated in FIGS. 35A-35C, including rectangular-shaped placeholders 2500 (FIG. 35A), triangle-shaped placeholders 2500 (FIG. 35B), and crossed placeholders 2500 that are similar to the rectangular-shaped placeholders 2500 of FIG. 35A, but with the placeholders crossing over one another.

[0069] Although some embodiments described herein include engaging the placeholder with two anchor members 2700 such that the placeholder 2500 extends between the structural feature 610 and each of the two anchor members 2700 to mark the position of the structural feature 610, it should be understood that other configurations may be used. For example, in some embodiments, one or both of the anchor members are omitted, and the placeholder is used to mark the location of the structural feature(s).

[0070] Although the anchor member, the textile, and the placeholder s) described herein may be any suitable size, in some embodiments, the anchor member has a width that is less than that of the textile, optionally by less than 20%, or less than 10%. Although illustrated schematically herein, it should be understood that the anchor members are formed of knitted or crocheted stitches. In specific embodiments, the one or more anchor members are connected to the textile only by the placeholder.

[0071] In this configuration, the placeholder(s) and / or anchor member(s) may be configured to be removable, for example, using a cutting process to remove the placeholder s) and anchor member(s) from the textile. For example, after additional manufacturing processes, such as positioning the textile onto a reading apparatus, such as a linking machine, the placeholder or anchors are configured to be removed or altered during subsequent processing or by an end user. Other examples of textile processing machines include a flat weft knitting machine, a flat warp knitting machine, a crochet machine, a circular weft knitting machine, a circular warp knitting machine, a straight bar knitting machine, or a cotton frame.

[0072] In some embodiments, methods of saving / marking a plurality of structural features in a textile panel include a) identifying a structural feature of the plurality of structural featuresAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOin the textile panel; b) forming at least one anchor member adjacent the textile panel by knitting or crocheting; c) positioning a placeholder adjacent the at least one anchor member; and d) engaging the structural feature with the placeholder. Accordingly, the structural feature(s) may be marked with the placeholder(s), and the anchor member(s) may be used to support the placeholders and / or manipulate the placeholders to position the structural features in a reading apparatus, such as a linking machine. The placeholder and anchor member may be further connected via knitted or crocheting. In particular embodiments, the placeholder and anchor member may be formed during a knitting process, and the placeholder may be positioned at a location or structural feature in the textile during textile formation. The textile may therefore be formed around the placeholder.

[0073] As illustrated, the placeholders are illustrated as a yam or thread; however, other configurations of placeholders may be used. For example, a placeholder may be an elongated piece with an anchor or expanded section for holding the placeholder in a structural feature of the textile. Moreover, the placeholder is illustrated as extending through the structural feature; however, the placeholder could instead near the structural feature, or at a strategic location with respect to the structural feature. Placeholders may be formed of an elastomeric material, a thermoplastic material, a multifilament yarn, a braid, a woven tape, a crochet- or warp-knitted tape, a weft-knitted tape, a tubular knitted cord, a flat plastic tape, a chain of rigid elements, a monofilament yam, a twisted yam, an embossed sheet, a flexural non-plastic sheet or tape or combinations thereof. In addition, the structural feature is illustrated as a loop in a knitted textile; however, other structural features may be used, including intersection points or other features that may be marked or saved with a placeholder.

[0074] In some embodiments, the anchor member is between about 1 millimeter and about 25 millimeters wide, and between about 0.05 millimeters and about 1 millimeter thick.

[0075] Example materials that may be used for either anchor member(s) or placeholder(s) include natural materials (animal-based, plant-based, fungi-based, including wool, silk, cotton, down, leather, plant fibers, wood, or hemp), thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane (thermoplastic polyurethane), fluoropolymers (ehtylene-chlortrifluorethylene), viscose polymers, TPX (polymethylpentene), ECTFE, Vectran(TM) Dyneema(TM), metals, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

[0076] Example structures that may be suitable for either the anchor member(s) or placeholder(s) include monofilament fibers (extruded or drawn), multifilament fibers (yarn, twisted fibers, braded fibers, woven fibers, rivet-based, chain links of irregular pieces, ribbon or tape (extruded, woven, knitted (crochet-knitted, warp-knitted, weft-knitted) or overmolded),Attorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOmesh (extruded or joined monofilaments or multifilaments, woven, knotted, inter-braded “knotless,” chemically adhered, welded). In addition, the anchor member(s) or placeholder(s) may be molded stamped, embossed, or include inlaid features, knotted in features, overmolded features, or features that are chemically adhered.

[0077] The present inventive concepts are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, in which embodiments are shown. Additional embodiments may take on many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concepts to those skilled in the art.

[0078] Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0079] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting thereof. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.” The term “about” should be understood to include variations of up to 20%.

[0080] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and / or clarity.

[0081] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,” “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting,” etc., another element, it may be directly on,Attorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOattached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on,” “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

[0082] Spatially relative terms, such as “under,” “below,” “lower,” “over,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature’s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” may encompass both an orientation of “over” and “under.” The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly,” “downwardly,” “vertical,” “horizontal” and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0083] It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a “first” element discussed below could also be termed a “second” element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0001] Operations and methods as described herein may be performed, in whole or in part, by a controller including a processor and programmed with respect to knitting machine control data, or data from the devices described herein. The controller may utilize computer program instructions that may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, and / or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer and / or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts described herein.

[0084] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus toAttorney Docket No. 1701.4. WOfunction in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / acts described herein.

[0085] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the operations and function / acts described herein.

[0086] Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in hardware and / or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable non-transient storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system.

[0087] The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM).

[0088] The foregoing is illustrative of the present inventive concept and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few example embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings of this inventive concept. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this inventive concept as defined in the claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present inventive concept and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Attorney Docket No. 1701.

4. WOWHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A placeholder and anchor forming assembly configured to mark a position of at least one structural feature in a textile, the placeholder positioning assembly being configured to operate in cooperation with a textile processing machine and to engage the at least one structural feature in the textile with a placeholder, the assembly comprising:a placeholder positioning unit configured to engage the at least one placeholder with the at least one structural feature to thereby mark the location of the at least one structural feature; andat least one anchor forming unit configured to form at least one anchor member, wherein the placeholder positioning unit is further configured to guide the placeholder to engage the at least one structural feature with the at least one placeholder, and the anchor forming unit is configured to receive the placeholder from the placeholder positioning unit and to form the at least one anchor member together with the placeholder.

2. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 1, wherein the placeholder positioning unit comprises a holder unit configured to engage the at least one structural feature in the textile during placement of the at least one placeholder at the at least one structural feature.

3. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one placeholder is flexible, malleable, bendable and / or able to be shaped to engage the at least one structural feature.

4. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one placeholder is temporary, and is removed before the textile processing is complete or by the end user.

5. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one anchor forming unit comprises a crochet needle configured to form the at least one anchor member as an elongated crocheted textile.Attorney Docket No. 1701.

4. WO6. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 5, wherein the at least one anchor forming unit comprises an anchor thread dispenser configured to dispense an anchor thread and a placeholder thread dispenser configured to dispense a placeholder thread.

7. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 5, wherein the crochet needle is configured to receive the anchor thread from the anchor thread dispenser, and at least one of the crochet needle or the anchor thread dispenser is configured to move relative to the other of the crochet needle or the anchor thread dispenser to thereby form a chain stitch using the anchor thread that comprises the anchor member.

8. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claims 5-7, wherein the at least one placeholder comprises a placeholder thread that is dispensed by the placeholder thread dispenser and received by the crochet needle, wherein the crochet needle is further configured to crochet the placeholder thread and the anchor thread to thereby form the at least one anchor member.

9. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 8, wherein the placeholder positioning unit is configured to engage the placeholder thread, to separate the placeholder thread from the at least one anchor member, to engage the placeholder thread with the at least one structural feature to form the at least one placeholder.

10. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 9, wherein after engaging the placeholder thread with the at least one structural feature, the placeholder positioning unit is configured to position the placeholder thread adjacent the at least one anchor forming unit, and the at least one anchor forming unit is configured to engage the placeholder strand and further form the at least one anchor member together with the anchor thread.

11. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 9, wherein the at least one anchor forming unit comprises a first anchor forming unit on a side of needles on a knitting machine, and a second anchor forming unit on an opposite side of the needles.

12. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 11, wherein after engaging the placeholder thread with the at least one structural feature, the placeholderAttorney Docket No. 1701.

4. WOpositioning unit is configured to move the placeholder thread from the first anchor forming unit, to engage the placeholder thread with the at least one structural feature, and to position the placeholder thread adjacent the second anchor forming unit, and the second anchor forming unit is configured to engage the placeholder strand and further form the at least one anchor member together with the strand.

13. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 12, wherein the placeholder positioning unit comprises a needle or hook that is configured to pass through the structural feature comprising a loop in the textile, to engage the placeholder thread at the first anchor forming unit and to pass the placeholder thread through the loop in the textile and to subsequently position the placeholder thread on the crochet hook of the second anchor forming unit.

14. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 13, wherein the placeholder positioning unit comprises a placeholder thread positioning tool that is configured to engage the placeholder thread as the placeholder thread exits the placeholder thread dispenser such that placeholder thread is separated from the anchor forming unit and the needle or hook of the placeholder positioning unit grasps the placeholder thread.

15. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein at least one anchor member is formed of a same strand or thread with the placeholder.

16. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the placeholder is formed of a single unitary strand and engages with a plurality of structural features.

17. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one anchor member is flexible.

18. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the placeholder comprises an elastomeric material, a thermoplastic material, a multifilament yam, a braid, a woven tape, a crochet- or warp-knitted tape, a weft-knitted tape,Attorney Docket No. 1701.

4. WOa tubular knitted cord, a flat plastic tape, a chain of rigid elements, a monofilament yarn, a twisted yarn, an embossed sheet, a flexural non-plastic sheet or tape or combinations thereof.

19. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one anchor member comprises an elastomeric material, a thermoplastic material, a multifilament yam, a braid, a woven tape, a crochet- or warp-knitted tape, a weft-knitted tape, a tubular knitted cord, a flat plastic tape, a chain of rigid elements, a monofilament yam, a twisted yarn, an embossed sheet, a flexural non-plastic sheet or tape or combinations thereof.

20. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the placeholder positioning assembly is mounted on the textile processing machine.

21. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the placeholder positioning assembly and / or anchor forming assembly is configured to be removably positioned adjacent the textile processing machine.

22. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the textile processing machine comprising a flat weft knitting machine, a flat warp knitting machine, a crochet machine, a circular weft knitting machine, a circular warp knitting machine, a straight bar knitting machine, or a cotton frame.

23. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the structural feature of the textile comprises a topological feature of the textile that is configured to hold a placeholder on, in, or around the topological feature.

24. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 19, wherein the topological feature comprises a loop or tangle or intersecting points between yarns in the textile.

25. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of Claim 20, wherein the loop comprises needle loops or sinker loops.Attorney Docket No. 1701.

4. WO26. The placeholder and anchor forming assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the textile comprises a textile panel.

27. A textile comprising a plurality of structural features that are marked for positioning on a second machine, the textile comprising:at least one anchor member formed as a crocheted or knitted material; andone or more placeholders configured to engage corresponding ones of the plurality of structural features and to connect to an anchor member to thereby mark the plurality of structural features.

28. The textile of claim 27, wherein the anchor member is has a width that is less than the textile, optionally by less than 20%, or less than 10%.

29. The textile of any of claims 27-28, wherein the at least one anchor member is connected to the textile only by the one or more placeholders.

30. The textile of any of claims 27-29, wherein the one or more placeholders and / or the at least one anchor member is configured to be removable.

31. The textile of any of claims 27-30, wherein the placeholder or anchors are configured to be removed or altered during subsequent processing.

32. A method of saving / marking a plurality of structural features in a textile panel, the method comprising:a) identifying a structural feature of the plurality of structural features in the textile panel; andb) forming at least one anchor member adjacent the textile panel by knitting or crocheting;c) positioning a placeholder adjacent the at least one anchor member; andd) engaging the structural feature with the placeholder.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the placeholder and anchor are further connected via knitted or crocheting.

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