US 12,312,719 B2
Knitting tool
Jörg Sauter, Albstadt (DE); and Roland Simmendinger, Albstadt (DE)
Assigned to GROZ-BECKERT KG, Albstadt (DE)
Appl. No. 18/267,934
Filed by Groz-Beckert KG, Albstadt (DE)
PCT Filed Nov. 17, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/081984
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 16, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/128297, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 23, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 20214742 (EP), filed on Dec. 16, 2020; and application No. 10 2021 119 011.8 (DE), filed on Jul. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0052537 A1, Feb. 15, 2024
Int. Cl. D04B 35/02 (2006.01)
CPC D04B 35/02 (2013.01) 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A knitting tool (1) comprising:
a shank (2), which extends essentially in a longitudinal direction (z) in which the knitting tool (1) is moved during knitting,
wherein the shank (2) has, at every point along its length, a cross-sectional surface (8) which extends orthogonally with respect to the longitudinal direction (z) and along lateral (y) and elevational (x) directions,
wherein each of the cross-sectional surfaces (8) has a centroid (9), through which an imaginary center-of-gravity line (4) runs that interconnects centroids (9) of all the cross-sectional surfaces (8) along the longitudinal direction (z),
wherein the shank (2) has at least one functional portion (5) in which the imaginary center-of-gravity line (4) has a continuously varying height along a length of the at least one functional portion (5), and in which a height dimension of the cross-sectional surface (8) in the elevational (x) direction is smaller at every point along a length of the at least one functional portion (5) than a height of the shank (6) within the at least one functional portion (5), wherein the height of the shank (6) within the at least one functional portion is a distance, in the elevational direction (x), between a lowest point of the shank (2) in the elevational direction (x) and a highest point of the shank (2) in the elevational direction (x) within the at least one functional portion (5), and
wherein the length of the at least one functional portion (5) is more than 20% of a length of the knitting tool (1),
wherein a top surface (10) of the shank (6) in the at least one functional portion (5) has a continuously varying height and/or wherein a bottom surface (13) of the shank (6) in the at least one functional portion (5) has a continuously varying height such that at least one of the top surface (10) and bottom surface (13) of the shank (6) has no portion that extends parallel to the longitudinal direction (z) within the at least one functional portion,
the knitting tool (1) further comprising at least one butt (18),
wherein the at least one functional portion (5) comprises at least two sub-portions (33) in which the imaginary center-of-gravity line (4) has a continuously varying height along a length thereof,
wherein the at least two sub-portions (33) are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (z),
wherein at least one sub-portion (33) of the at least two sub-portions (33) of the at least one functional portion (5) precedes the at least one butt (18) in the longitudinal direction (z) and at least another sub-portion (33) of the at least two sub-portions (33) of the at least one functional portion (5) follows the at least one butt in the longitudinal direction (z).