Jet Sew Technologies, Inc.

Fruit of the Loom, Inc.

Hadi M Hamid

Timothy G Clapp

Robert J Beasock

An apparatus for transferring workpieces to a stack from an endless conveyor having a plurality of forward traveling flights in a defined path. The conveyor being composed of a series of flights spaced at intervals there along. Each flight being constructed for carrying one of the workpiece 3. The apparatus and method include using a stacking mechanism for supporting a stack of limp materials removed from the forward advancing flights positioned below the path of the traveling flights. The stacking mechanism works in combination with a holding mechanism which determines the position of the upper most ply in the stack. A transfer mechanism is used for removing each ply from a forward advancing flight of the conveyor for transfer to the stack supported by the stacking mechanism. The transfer mechanism includes a rotatable engaging mechanism for engaging individual workpieces against the upper surface of a forward moving light so that the rotational speed of the rotatable engaging member substantially assumes the longitudinal speed of the forward advancing flight. At a predetermined time, a braking mechanism is used for stopping the rotation of the rotatable fabric engaging mechanism for stopping the forward movement of the workpiece as the forward moving flight continues out from under the for dragging it onto the supported stack.

Roller type stacker and method for stacking pieces of limp material

A transfer mechanism for transferring a limp workpiece from a first conveyor traveling at a first speed to a second conveyor traveling at a second speed different from the first speed or running at the same speed, includes a sensor for initially sensing a leading edge of the workpiece and a controller for controlling inhibiting of the workpiece a predetermined time after detecting the leading edge of the workpiece. Further, the transfer mechanism includes a suction device for supplying air flow to create a pressure differential and transfer the sensed leading edge of the workpiece from the first conveyor to a transfer mechanism, with the transfer mechanism traveling at the second speed. The transfer mechanism thereafter conveys at least the leading edge of the limp workpiece to the second conveyer and clamps the leading edge of the limp workpiece between both the transfer mechanism and the second conveyor. Subsequent to the workpiece being clamped between both the transfer mechanism and the second conveyor, the transfer mechanism then terminates air flow from the suction device and applies necessary compressed air. This drops the workpiece between the first and second conveyor to remove unnecessary wrinkles therefrom. The workpiece is thereafter conveyed on the second conveyor.

Automatic suction type transfer of limp material on conveyors

There is disclosed an improved fabric picking device having a circumferentially toothed picking wheel carried at one end by an elongated inner frame, a shoe adjacent thereto carried by an outer frame, the inner and outer frames being hingedly connected for limited relative movement at their ends opposite the wheel and shoe, of the wheel being responsive independently to controlled spring pressure such that the gap for receiving and pinching fabric between wheel and shoe is rendered self-adjusting for an infinitely variable range of fabric thickness.

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New Hartford, NY, United States of America

Hadi M Hamid