US3448595A - Warp knitted fabric suitable for bandaging and the like - Google Patents

Description

June 10, 1969 3,448,595

WARP KNITTED FABRIC SUITABLE FOR BANDAGING AND THE LIKE E. BALTZER ET AL Filed May 18. 1966 /ofe Sheet Fig. lb

Inventors E. BCL/22er, Na/dorf? w1 H/VG'fC/LIL'ZCL kdna-rcks gain* Av Te @N555 June 10, 1969 E. BALTZER ET ALv 3,448,595

` WAR? KNITTED FABRIC SUITABLE FOR BANDAGING AND THE LIKE Filed May 18. 196e sheet of e 'flnvenors Ea/zer, W. Maydorn 4 H. /Vcchlla MGLLQMMCMX- ATTQYLNESS June 10, 1969 E. BALTZER ET Al- WARP KNITTED FABRIC SUITABLE FOR BANDAGING AND THE LIKE Sheet 3 of' 6 Filed May 18. 1966 MLLMMJAT ATTO YLNESS June 10, 1969 E, BALTZER ET AL 3,448,595

WARP KNITTED FABRIC SUITABLE FOR BANDAGING AND THE LIKE Filed'may 18. 196e sheet 4 of s /nVento/"s E. Bazer) N. Mae/arriva #./Vcic/vLZZG.

B5 okwcLgY ATTOVLN E35 June 10, 1969 E. BALTZER ET AL 3,448,595

WAR? KNITTED FABRIC SUITABLE FOR BANDAGING AND THE LIKE Filed May 18, 196e sheet 5 of e Fig.5

Inventors E. cLZe/j LJ. Maydom mi H. M'Lc/va w @dnas-oh n A'T'TO TLNESS June l0, 1969 E. BALTZER ET AL WARP KNITTED FABRIC SUITABLE FOR BANDAGING AND THE LIKE Sheet Filed May 18, 1966 w @Mdgx- ATTORNEESS United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 66-193 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A warp knit fabric suitable for bandaging and like material including wales of looped, practically non-twisted y thread binding thick, highly-twisted, n-on-elastic walewise extending threads and including sinuously extending transverse threads twisted to a minimum extent and bound in between the thick threads and the looped threads of the wales.

This invention pertains to bandaging and dressing materials or similar textiles and refers more particularly to textiles composed of threads or thread portions which when exposed to moisture from a Wound or the like, expand, shrink or swell in different ways and thereby carry out a relative movement which prevents or diminishes the possibility of their sticking to each other and to the underlying surface.

Bandaging materials of this type which are known in the prior art consist of fabrics having weft threads ex'- tending next to each other and over each other at the warp threads which have different shrinking capacities when receiving moisture from a wound, so that the nonshrinking threads bend relatively to the shrinking ones. The warp threads must also have an elongated preferably oval cross-section so that they will assume inclined positions relatively to the surface of the fabric when the weft threads shrink.

In another known construction of such fabric the threads are coupled within the fabric in such manner that the shrinking thread portions are held at a distance from the surface of the Wound.

An object of the present invention is to improve known fabrics of this type.

Another object is to replace these known fabrics by other textiles which will present greater advantages.

Other objects will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives of the present invention it was found desirable to provide a surgical dressing consisting of a knitted fabric with a thick highly twisted thread bound either along a straight or staggered line with at least one thread forming the wale. Preferably this knitted fabric is made upon a at knitting machine with at least two laying bars. According to one special embodiment of the present invention the knitted fabric is so made that a thick highly twisted thread is bound along a straight or staggered line by other threads twisted to at least a minimum extent, whereby at least one of the last-mentioned threads forms the wale. As far as the threads which are twisted to a minimum extent are concerned, -at least two can be knit in sinuous formation over at least two wales.

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The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a knitting design.

FIGURE la is an enlarged cutout diagrammatic front view of a fabric made in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 1b is a diagram showing a spread-out placing of threads in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 2 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a knitting design.

FIGURE 2a is an enlarged front view of a cutout portion of a fabric made in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 2.

FIGURE 3 is a diagram showing yet another embodiment of a knitting design.

FIGURE 3a is an enlarged front view of a cutout por'- tion of a fabric made in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 3.

FIGURE 4 is a diagram showing still another embodiment of a knitting design.

FIGURE 4a is an enlarged front view of a cutout portion of a fabric made in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 4.

FIGURE 5 is a diagram showing a further embodiment of a knitting design.

FIGURE 5a is an enlarged front view of a cutout portion of a fabric made in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 5.

FIGURE 6 is a diagram showing a still further ernbodiment of a knitting design.

FIGURE 6a is an enlarged front View of a cutout portion of a fabric made in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 6.

For the sake of clarity of illustration all embodiments have been shown as having a knitting design with four threads. It will be apparent, however, for anyone skilled in the art, that a comparable knitted fabric can be easily produced with a smaller or larger number of threads.

e.. In all illustrated embodiments the same symbols have been used for indicating similarly located' threads, namely,

A broken line with long sections for the thread L.1 with minimum twisting of the size 40/1;

A broken and dotted line for the thread L.2 with minimum twisting of the size 40/1; and

A dotted line for the thread L.4 with minimum twisting of the size 40/1, while f A thick double line is used for thick highly twisted thread L.3 of the size 34/ 2.

It will be noted that in all embodiments the thread L3 extends through the fabric along a straight line or in only slightly shifted formation and that the thread L.1 isy knit in loop formation which binds the thread L3, while the threads L2 and L.4 are generally knit over at least two wales and Iare greatly helpful for the binding of the fabric. In the diagrams of FIGS. l, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 the needles 0, 2, 4, 6, are indicated as screen dots.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, la and 1b, the fabric includes a thick, highly twisted thread L.3, a thread L.1 which is not twisted and which forms a chain stitch, and threads LZ, L.4 which form sinuous` transverse loops and which are bound in at least four locations with the threads L.3 and L.1.

The thread L3 is a thick, highly twisted thread which excludes lengthwise elasticity and supplies adequate strength to the knitted fabric. The thread L.1 is a shortlooped thread twisted to a minimum extent but providing transverse elasticity. The important long looped thread L2 provides high transverse elasticity It is thus apparent that the thick highly twisted thread L.3 extends walewise 2 in a shifted formation. The thin thread L.1 for-ms a chain stitch `and binds the heavy thread L3. The two threads L.2 and LA extend parallel in large windings in a -0, 4-4 stitch pattern and are also bound by the loopforming thread L.1. The laying of the threads L.2 and L.4 can be also described as weft formation. The loops of the thread L.1 bind together the other three threads of the knitted fabric. The thread L.1 is knit in a 2-0, 0-2 stitch pattern as shown in FIGURE 1.

FIG. 1b illustrates separately the knitting of the individual threads L.1 to L.4 in accordance with the diagram of FIG. l, while FIG. la is a top view of a portion of a knitted fabric made in accordance with the diagram vof FIG. l. In the finished fabric al1 threads extend very closely to each other.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 2a, the thick highly twisted thread L.3 extends along a straight line between two wales. The loop-forming thread L.1 which binds this straight thread L.3 is knit in a 2-0, 4-6 stitch pattern. One of the two threads arranged in large windings, namely, the thread L.2 is knit in a 0-0, 4-4 stitch pattern, while the other thread L.4 is knit in a 6-6, 0-0 stitch pattern, whereby the two threads L.2 and L.4 cross each other and are also bound by the loops of the thread L.1. The arrangement attained in this knitted fabric is that the thin threads extend largely at right angles to the thick thread L.3 extending along a straight line.

In accordance with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 3a, the thick highly twisted thread L.3 again extends along a straight line in the wale. The thread L.3 is bound by threads L.2 and L4 which are knit parallel in large windings in a 0-0, 4-4 stitch pattern as shown, the thread L.1 binding the threads L 2 and LA. The thread L.1 is knit in a 2-0, 2-4 stitch pattern as shown in FIGURE 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 4a, the thick l,highly twisted thread L.3 extends in shifted formation in the wale and the loop-forming thread L.1 is knit in a 2-0, 2-4 stitch pattern. The threads L.2 and L.4 are knit in large windings in a 0-0, 6-6 stitch pattern so that they l,crossthevthiclc thread L 3 andv the loop-forming thread v--.L.1 and are boundv by the latter, whilethey themselves also bindthe thick thread L.3.

.,Inaccordance with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 5a,l the'thick highly twisted thread L.3 extends along a straight lineibetween the wales. The loop-forming athread L.1 is knit in a 0-2, 0-2, and binds the two threads L2 and L.4, which are knit in large windings in a 0-0, 4 4 stitch pattern and extend parallel. The threads L.2 and L.4V bind the thick thread L.3.

-- yIn.l the` embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 6a, the thick -fjhig'hly twisted thread L.3 again extends in a straight line betweenthe wales and the threads L.2 and L.4 are knit parallel about the needle rows Z and 4 in large windings.

.'Ihe-,loop-forrning.,thread L.1 which binds the other l threads isknit in a 210, 0,-2, 2 4, 4-2 stitch pattern.

.v .ItiisV apparent from the above-described embodiments of 5the,.presen t invention that the thick highly twisted thread L. 3 extends in thev knitted lfabric substantially alpong astraight-eline orA only slightlyshifted and is bound by the loop-forming thread, whereby the loops of that :threadjvalso bindadditional threads L2 and LA, which florrmaconnection Vto the next wale and to the thick highly `,twisted thread associated therewith. y

large angle to the thick thread and there are considerably less intersections between the thin threads and the Thus the thin'threads of the knitted fabric extend at a thick thread than in a fabric wherein the thick thread is compressed at all intersections, thereby limiting its absorbing capacity and freedom of movement. This is not the case with the knitted fabric of the present invention; furthermore, since the thick thread extends along a straight line or only with small windings, considerably less material is consumed than in the cases of a woven material. The thick heavy thread is shortened in the knitted fabric only to a small extent, so that this knitted fabric can be produced much more economically than a woven fabric. Furthermore, the knitted fabric of the present invention is produced on knitting machines which operate'much more quickly than weaving machines, thus providing additional economy in the manufacture.

The particular thread arrangement in the knitted fabric of the present invention provides not only better movement possibilities for the highly twisted thick thread when sucking in liquid emerging from a wound, but also enables it to absorb more liquid, since the thread is not compressed at intersection locations. On the contrary, the formation of loops and the location of the thin threads provide further capillary spaces which absorb the liquid. Furthermore, the knitted fabric of the present invention due to its specific thread formation transmits air much more freely than prior art woven fabrics, so that a wound can better dry up and heal. When liquid penetrates, the fabric is lifted offthe wound, so that the bandage bends itself outwardly away from the wound; this takes place dueto the greater elasticity of the knitted fabric even when the surgical dressing was firmly bound upon the wound. The surgical dressing made of the fabric of the present invention is fixed firmly and securely outside of the edges of the wound and cannot shift, while above the wound it forms an outwardly domed boss below which air can reach the wound. The surgical dressing can not glue itself to the surface of the wound and the healing processis improved by the penetration of air to the wound surface.

The knitted fabric of the present invention has the additional general advantage in comparison to known woven surgical dressings for wounds, in that it is more elastic and more stretchable in different directions, so that it can be better applied as a wound surgical dressing and will hold considerably better upon the applied location. Furthermore, the knitted fabric of the present invention can be produced so that it will not tear or frazzle at the edges irrespective as to how it is cut. Thus a surgical dressing can be cut in several strips. Therefore, it is not necessary to store a supply of surgical dressings of different widths. The knitted fabric of the present invention can be produced in wide lengths and then cut into strips of the desired generally used widths.

It is apparent that the examples described above have been given solely by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that they are'subject to many variations yand modifications within the scope of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A knitted fabric for use as a surgical bandaging and dressing material, comprising a plurality of walewise parallel chains, each chain having a thick highly twisted longitudinal binding thread of little elasticity adapted to extend substantially longitudinally in linear contact with a wound along lengthy stretches, -another nearly nontwisted thread consisting of loops having a parallel walewise chain configuration and binding said thick thread,

and pairs -of parallel cross filling long looped threads of the long looped threads of sinuous configuration form capillary spaces for absorbing the liquid of a wound and for providing air access to the Wound.

2. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said thick thread extends along a straight line.

3. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1, where in said thick thread extends in a shifted formation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT R.

3/ 1940 Kappler 66-192 9/1953 Weinberg 66-193 4/1955 Gross et a1. 66-193 5/1965 Riehl 66--193 7/1966 Formenti 66-193 3/1967 Gross 66--195 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 4/ 1954 Austria.

8/ 1965 France.

5/ 1962 Great Britain.

MACKEY, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R.

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