Sara Lee Corporation

Monarch Knitting Machinery Corporation

Consolidated Foods Corporation

Hanes Corporation

Takatori Machinery Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Cecil R Bell

Willie M Lathery

Navin D Patel

George D Nakhle

Jasper R London

Charles R Moyer

Walter R Sizemore

A Russell Edwards

Richard M Porter

Donald G Bell

J Reid London

Thomas J Costello

Lee A Efird

Stephen K Shaw

August A Pike

Kenneth B Silvers

Arthur R Edwards

Richard D Thomas

Gregory S Poole

Harold Setliff

A garment inspecting and grading apparatus and methods of inspecting a garment are provided that preferably have a mounting member arranged to mount a garment thereon. A light emitter is positionally aligned closely adjacent the mounting member to emit light through a predetermined portion of a garment mounted thereon. A light detector is also positionally aligned with the light emitter to detect either the presence or absence of light traveling from the light emitter. A controller is positioned in electrical communication with the light detector and arranged to determine the presence and absence of defects in a predetermined portion of a garment responsive to electrical signals representative of the presence or absence of light received from the light detector. A grader and sorter are positioned downstream from the light emitter and the light detector for sorting an inspected garment into one of a plurality of predetermined quality groups.

Method and apparatus for inspecting and grading garments

A method and apparatus for delivering elongate flexible objects, such as hosiery blanks or pantyhose, in proper orientation for further processing including removing one or more flexible objects from a bundle and presenting a selected end thereof, to ensure proper orientation, to an entry end of a suction tube, transporting the flexible object through the suction tube to an exit and thereof, preparing the leading end thereof for transfer and transferring the leading end of the flexible object onto an object receiving member of a further processing machine.

Apparatus and method of delivering hosiery blanks or pantyhose in proper

An apparatus and method of removing a small number of flexible objects, such as circular knit hosiery blanks from a mass of randomly arranged flexible objects, depositing the flexible objects on a turntable in spaced apart relation, removing individual flexible objects from the turntable, conveying the individual flexible objects to a sensing location, sensing the orientation thereof, returning to the turntable any flexible objects that are not properly positioned for the sensing of the orientation thereof, conveying the flexible objects which have had the orientation thereof determined along one of two alternate paths of travel determined by the orientation that has been sensed and the orientation desired at the delivery point, delivering the properly oriented blanks to a transfer location, transferring the blanks to a further processing apparatus, and further processing the flexible objects.

Apparatus for handling flexible objects

Method and apparatus for handling flexible objects

A hosiery inspecting and grading apparatus and a method of inspecting hosiery are provided that preferably has a boarding member arranged to mount a completed hosiery article thereon. The boarding member preferably is formed of a translucent material. An optical inspecting system is positioned adjacent the boarding form and is arranged to inspect a completed hosiery article mounted on the boarding member. The optical inspecting system preferably includes at least one light emitter positionally aligned with the boarding member to emit light through a predetermined portion of a completed hosiery article mounted thereon and at least one light detector positionally aligned with the at least one light emitter and the boarding member to detect the presence and absence of light traveling from the light emitter and through the predetermined portion of a completed hosiery article mounted on the boarding member so that presence and absence of defects in a completed hosiery article are thereby determined. The apparatus also has a grading and sorting system positioned downstream from the boarding member and the optical inspecting system and in electrical communication with the optical inspecting system to grade and sort a completed hosiery article responsive to electrical signals representative of presence or absence of defects received from the optical inspecting system.

Inspecting and grading apparatus for hosiery and method of inspecting

A system for packaging articles within containers, each container being generally egg shaped and having an open end for receiving the articles and having a generally planar closure applied to the open end thereof to confine the articles therein. The system includes a multi-station intermittently rotatable generally circular turret or carousel carrier disk having a plurality of radial slots, each fixedly mounting a canister for receiving and temporarily confining articles therein fed into the top thereof during partial rotation or indexing of said turret or carousel and for receiving an open container fed into the bottom during the remainder of the rotation thereof. These canisters are open at both ends for systematically receiving the articles and containers in timed relation. Highly polished reciprocatable fingers are selectively positioned beneath the canisters when such are located at prescribed locations to confine the articles therein. At a selected position a container is fed beneath the canister, the fingers retracted and the article falls into a container as the container is fed upwardly into the bottom of the cannister. A flat disk-shaped lid is located on the top of the canister above the now loaded container and a vertically reciprocable pusher finally inserts the lid into the opened end of the loaded container. The loaded container is deflected to a conveyor which directs the same to a boxing or cartoning mechanism.

Packaging system

A system for forming substantially diamond-shaped gussets to be used in the production of panty hose garments wherein the gussets are formed by severing a circular knit tube along a bias angle of approximately 30.degree. subsequently to form strips having a width corresponding to the desired width of a gusset. The strip then is severed along a prescribed angle of approximately 30.degree. to define a gusset wherein the fabric wales extend parallel to a line extending from one point to the diagonally opposite point of the diamond-shaped gusset. The gusset is then transferred and oriented for subsequent sewing to hosiery blanks in the forming of panty hose.

Method and apparatus for forming and presenting bias cut gussets in the

A device for placing articles such as coupons or the like in cartons being conveyed past a work station containing the device. The device includes an upright coupon or the like article supply hopper, a reciprocatory mechanism for inserting the articles into the cartons as they are conveyed past and momentarily stopped adjacent thereto and a reciprocating vacuum or suction mechanism for removing the coupons from the supply hopper and placing them in the path of the inserting mechanism for placement into cartons.

Coupon inserter for cartons

Apparatus for forming and presenting bias cut gussets in the formation

A system for automatically orienting hosiery blanks upon a conveyor, selectively transferring blanks from the conveyor to a turret assembly by means of a pick-up assembly, the turret assembly including a plurality of support units for sequentially conveying a plurality of blanks in an arcuate path to an automatic toe closing machine, everting the blanks and sewing closed the toe portions of the blanks.

Loading system for a toe closing assembly

An improved assembly for facilitating the closing of an end portion of a tubular hosiery blank positioned upon a support assembly includes a tubular unit having a metallic hollow core provided with a molded urethane coating covering the outer portion of the core, and having diametrically opposed urethane fins defining guide slots for supporting and freely slidably receiving therein reciprocable blades. The radially extending urethane fins are tapered outwardly and extend substantially the full length of the core member.

Garment toe closing assembly

A system for automatically closing the toe portions of tubular hosiery blanks includes an automatic loader assembly for receiving, supporting and spreading open an end portion of a hosiery blank, for transporting the blank to a toe closing machine, and for carrying the opened end of the blank over a loading tube of a toe closing machine while everting the blank.

Garment toe closing system

A portable, compact, unitized device for transferring articles by pneumatic means from a processing machine to a collection receptacle includes a chamber divided into two compartments by a perforated plate, and having a releasable closure cap at one end and a trap door at the opposite end. A port in one compartment is coupled to a vacuum source, and a work inlet port in the other compartment communicates with a work processing means. An actuator, completely encompassed within one compartment and mounted upon the releasable closure, includes a shutter moveable axially of the vaccum source port for controlling air flow through the compartments.

Growing community of inventors

Pinnacle, NC, United States of America

Cecil R Bell