Technical Field The introduction of modern"full electronic"circular knitting machines with differentiated diameters has attracted the knitting industry's interest since the versatility of these machines allows to produce a wide range of simple tubular items, such as for instance bras, brassieres, pants, dresses, trousers, skirts, teddies, swimsuits, linings, technical items, and more. As is generally known, said manufactured items are produced individually and separately, and therefore no compound multi-functional tubular manufactured items are present on the market.

Current production of individual and separate tubular manufactured items makes production cycles more complex and expensive, since several cutting and sewing operations are necessary with corresponding scraps, together with additional operations concerning finishing and packaging, which affect general production costs continuously and permanently.

Current lifestyles are more responsive to casual and practical clothes produced with elastomeric yarns, which are therefore light, resistant, wrinkle-proof and without longitudinal seams.

With particular reference to widespread activities such as gymnastics and aerobics or jogging, and other leisure activities, users appreciate knitwear items usually consisting of a close-fitting tracksuit, often provided with upper shoulder straps, with long or short trousers,

onto which additional items can be sewn or worn, such as pants or brassieres, even in a different color, with aesthetic and functional aims.

Aims of the present invention All this stated, the present invention aims at reducing to a high extent or at wholly eliminating some of the above- mentioned manufacturing and functional limitations, so as to produce automatically tubular knitwear items without longitudinal seams, generally consisting of an outer knitted tube provided with inner additional portions of concentric multi-layer tubular fabric, having a sufficient capacity of shaping and anatomic support even for specific portions, with original economical, technical, aesthetic and commercial purposes.

A main aim of the present invention consists in providing a method for the production of compound tubular items with circular knitting machines, said items being provided with additional concentric fabric areas within the outer knitted tube to which they are structurally and functionally connected to shape, wrap and support anatomic portions.

Another aim consists in providing a method for the production of compound tubular items having a plurality of layers or concentric fabrics, which can also at least partially overlap, by means of the fixed and extended selection of alternated needles on the circumference of the needle cylinder.

A further aim consists in providing a method for the production of multipurpose tubular items with several concentric layers or fabrics, at least partially overlapping, by means of the extended selection of alternated needles with respect to groups of non-alternated

needles, preferably on the whole circumference of the cylinder or needle bed.

An additional aim consists in providing a method for the production of the textile items such as frills, belts, pants and bras in particular, with specific areas of dimensionally more stable fabric, so as to create or improve features such as shaping or specific or particular anatomic support.

A final aim consists in providing a method for the production of items consisting of one or more garments, which are structurally connected to the knitted tube and therefore worn onto said knitted tube with the purpose of improving shaping and anatomic support features together with aesthetic and commercial advantages. Further aims will be evident from the description, examples and accompanying drawings, per se or in combination, beyond the final claims.

Disclosure of the invention The above mentioned aims are substantially achieved by a method for producing compound manufactured items of tubular fabric and products obtained thereby, according to the appended claims.

The characteristics of the invention and the advantages resulting thereof will be more evident from the following non limiting description of embodiments provided by way of example, which can be advantageously applied to most circular knitting machines.

Brief Description of the Drawings The description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -figure 1 shows a knitted outer tube provided with two-

layer inner frills, indicated with dashed lines; -figure 2 is a schematic view of the knitted tube of figure 1 ; -figure 3 shows a knitted tube with frills 2 and 3 arranged on the outside of the knitted tube.

-figure 4 shows a knitted tube with a lifted double welt and with inner frills placed in the breasts area and in the ventral area; -figure 5 is a front view of a compound manufactured item consisting of an inner tracksuit, an outer brassiere and an outer pant, continuously produced.

-figure 6 is a front view of a compound tubular dress provided inside with pant and brassiere, structurally connected to the outer knitted tube; -figure 7 shows a fabric with a central zone having floating yarns FF; -figures 7a, 7b and 7c schematically show some applications of floating yarns, variously manipulated and knitted; -figure 8 is a front view of a fabric having frills Bi made only with odd needles AD, with even needles AP not operating; -figure 8a shows a needle A, usually housed within the bed or cylinder (not shown), on whose stem the underlying fabric and the inner frill Bi are still engaged; -figures 8b, 8c and 8d schematically show respectively an horizontal and two different diagonal arrangements of frills Bi; -figure 9 technically shows the technical pattern for the production of the three-dimensional knit frills Bi; -figure 10 technically shows the technical pattern for the

production of a so-called"embossed"or cellular knitted structure, with an alternated and prolonged sequence of tuck stitches; -figures 11 and lla show the technical pattern for the production of a single"tuck stitch"PT; -figure 12 shows a tuck stitch PT within a knitted structure; -figure 13 is a perspective view of the needles carrying out the sequences for the production of a"tuck stitch" ; -figure 14 is a perspective view of the needles starting the sequences for the production of knit frills Bi, by weaving a single"bridle" ; -figure 15 shows a single"bridle"BR within a knitted structure ; -figures 16 and 16a show the technical pattern for the production of a single"bridle"BR ; -figure 17 is a technical key for the patterns of figures 9,10,11,16.

Description of the Illustrative Embodiments The following description will be with carried out with reference to a circular knitting machine for producing compound tubular knitted items, comprising at least a needle bed and/or rotary cylinder versus fixed cams or vice versa; a complete working feed, provided with one or more yarn feeders; preferably electronic needle selection for controlling the elements involved in the knitting process according to a work cycle and/or a jacquard design; cams for knitting which can also be individually adjusted by means of motors and computer; a device for opening needle latches upon actuation; a fabric pulling system; said machine being also equipped with a dial with selectable

needles or jacks, beyond the usual yarn suction and cutting device. In a first preferred embodiment the invention is firstly carried out by preparing a work cycle and jacquard design, i. e. direct or precluded inputs to needles by means of a graphics workstation and/or control devices or other similar means suitable to said purpose. The production of the manufactured item 1 of figure 1 indifferently starts from B-C-D and goes on with the double welt 5, usually obtained with the dial jacks (not shown), said terms being known the person skilled in the art. The production goes on with all the needles in the needle bed following the direction of the arrows, therefore from bottom to top, as far as the point K where it is modified and partially . interrupted. The invention now provides for the beginning of the knitting process for the two-layer inner frill 3, which engages only alternated needles such as for instance the odd ones, whereas the even needles keep the fabric previously produced. Once said frill 3 has been finished, the work cycle of the knitted tube 1 starts again from K with all the needles in the needle bed as far as the next point Y to produce the inner frill 2, wholly similar to the previous one 3, for which the same procedures are repeated as far as the upper welt 4 and the final inner waste W1, or outer waste W. The excluded needles are re-introduced in the knitting process after an elevated number of stitch courses, for example more than a hundred courses. The manufactured item 1, which is also shown in fig. 2 more schematically, therefore consists of the outer tube 1, substantially produced with all the needles of the needle bed, and of frills which can be folded along arrows F, i. e. the inner areas 2 and 3 of two-layer fabric produced with a

small number of needles. The lower welt 5A and the upper welt 4A are produced with the usual dial jacks or needles or with another needle bed (not shown), whereas welts 5B and 4B are produced only with alternated cylinder needles.

Unusually, during the knitting process, a great part of inputs or commands usually directed to the needles is not sent to a part of the latter, following a given pattern or program according to the original design. This results in the exclusion of the needles without inputs or commands from the knitting process; said exclusion, if total and related to specific zones, produces floating yarns FF of fig. 7 alternated to the knitted fabric M. Said floating yarns FF are then handled by means of a small number of operating needles A, fig. 8, suitably spaced, with the double purpose of reducing the length of floating yarns and to create interesting knitted structures, that is to say the inner three-dimensional frills Bi, fig. 8.

Said frill Bi in front view is produced by only the odd needles AD, whereas the even needles AP, not operating, keep the last previous stitches. Figures 8b-8c-8d schematically show the horizontal and diagonal arrangement of frills Bi, which are repeated in various portions of the manufactured items to achieve structuring, padding or additional comfort effects.

Therefore, the invention is at least partially carried out by using differently said floating yarns FF resulting from the fact that between the stitches M and M1 the usual knitting process of fabric M is interrupted, and the latter is replaced by the above-mentioned floating yarns variously placed or crossed: free floating yarns FFL as in fig. 7A; woven floating yarns FFI as in fig. 7B, or laid-in floating

yarns FFT as in fig. 7C, for some embodiments; or by transforming said floating yarns FF into knitted fabric, the latter being produced only with a part of the needles which are present in the concerned areas or zones, such as Bi in said fig. 8. For instance only even needles AP, fig.

8, will be excluded, or alternated pairs of needles; i. e. three-needle operating groups followed by one or more excluded needles, and so on. The simultaneous presence of operating needles alternated with excluded needles, figs.

8-9-14, in specific zones and for an even relatively long time (corresponding to a large number of knitted courses, figs. 8-9), is the sufficient and necessary condition for the manufacture of an original three-dimensional knitted fabric, built by operating needles AD and corresponding stitches, though interrupted and still crossed to excluded needles and stitches AP, fig. 8, so as to produce the closed knitted frill with two layers or fabrics Bi, fig. 8, within the usual knitted tube TM. Such inner frill Bi is characterized on the plain side (or outside) of the knitted fabric by a regular seam due to the stretching of the loops or stitches of non-operating needles AP, which are therefore excluded from the production of said frill Bi, whose height and width are repeatable or variable. Said three-dimensional frills Bi are particularly efficient in horizontal and diagonal directions; therefore, if suitably stretched and placed according to the invention, they work as additional portions of two-layer tubular fabric which can be used for several aims: linings, brassieres, pants and inner and outer pockets, are obtained by arranging a small group of adjacent needles, for instance 30-60 units, in one or more cylinder portions in which other needles

work only alternately. The additional shoulder straps 14 of fig. 5 are obtained in at least two ways: automatically, by the programmed discharge of a suitable number of stitches by the needles and then by taking up again the knitting process by means of said needles on arrows Fl in fig. 3.

Or, during the cutting/sewing operation to complete the open manufactured item 1, on arrows Fl short before the upper welt 4 of fig. 3. Besides said frills 2 and 3 can also be produced with the usual dial jacks. Substantially they become double welts, as 4 and 5 in fig. 1, greatly extended. Fig. 4 shows within the knitted tube 1 the lower frill 3 for whole or reduced pants, and the upper frill 2 working as a brassiere. Such frills 2 and 3, produced according to the invention and indicated with a dashed line, are placed between the breasts on the central area AC and ventral area AV, and have been further developed by adding suitable knitted structures graphically shown in figures 7, 7a, 7b, 7c, 8 and in particular in figure 10, to provide a higher dimensional stability and anatomic support. Figure 4 shows also an upper double edge 4 partially open and lifted according to arrows F with respect to the knitted tube 1. Figures 5 and 6 show two preferred embodiments of the invention in a more realistic way. Fig. 5 shows the tracksuit 1 provided with upper shoulder straps 14, obtained from the above-mentioned welt 4, with short trousers with double lower welt 5 and inner W1 or outer W waste. This compound garment consists of two continuously produced concentric fabrics, the inner one 1 having the function of tracksuit, whereas the frills 2 and 3, placed on the outside of the tracksuit 1, respectively have the function of brassiere 2 with folded elastic upper

welt BE, and pant 3 with diagonal reduction, successively completed and only partially covering the manufactured item 1 lying below. According to different manufacturing and commercial needs, said brassieres and pants can be very different as far as length, colour, yarn, structure (also open-work) are concerned. In fig. 6 the tubular dress 1 is provided with a collar 4, with openings for arms 7, with the pant 3 and with the brassiere 2, indicated with dashed lines. Said tubular items can be worn and therefore shown both normally and inside out, also in order to stress the transparent effect between the bottom fabric, which is sometimes different from the one lying above as far as yarn, color or structure are concerned, and the top fabric consisting also of said open-work or transparent structures. The present description, though necessarily limited, provides people skilled in the art with wide possibilities of novelty falling within the framework of the invention.