Sara Lee Corporation

Other

Consolidated Foods Corporation

Joel C Rosenquist

Wayne G Foster

John R Everhart

Ken J Thompson

Kenneth J Thompson

Erik D Moore

Michael D Hines

David S Trotter

Mike D Hines

David S Ketner

A fabric cutting system for cutting a pre-selected pattern from a fabric stock and transferring the cut fabric piece to a workstation. The system includes a cutter assembly for cutting the preselected pattern from the fabric stock. A configurable pickup assembly is located between the cutter assembly and the workstation and adapted to pick-up and transfer the cut fabric piece to the workstation. A hold down table adjacent to the cutter assembly maintains the position of the fabric stock in a determinable relationship to the position of the cutter assembly and the configurable pickup assembly. In the preferred embodiment, the hold down table is vacuum operated and includes a moving mesh belt on which and the fabric stock is moved downstream towards the pickup assembly as the fabric piece is being cut by the cutter assembly. This arrangement results in substantially higher throughput through the fabric cutting system.

Automated garment piece cutter

An apparatus for inserting a cuff into a sleeve of a garment. The apparatus includes a holding fixture for holding the cuff in a generally open configuration. A sleeve opener opens the sleeve of a garment sufficient to allow insertion of the cuff into the sleeve. The sleeve opener includes a support surface for supporting the sleeve and a pick-up head for engaging an upper layer of the sleeve. The pick-up head is mounted for vertical movement relative to the support surface to lift the upper layer of the sleeve and includes means for effecting relative movement between the holding fixture and the sleeve opener to insert the cuff into the sleeve.

Cuff inserting apparatus

An apparatus for making a cuff from a continuous supply of tubular material. The apparatus includes a material feed for advancing the tubular material. A cutter is disposed adjacent the material feed for severing the tubular material to form a circular band. A holding fixture receives and holds the circular band severed from the tubular cuff material in an open position. The holding fixture includes gripping means formed in the holding fixture for gripping the circular band between the ends thereof. A folding mechanism folds the circular band on the holding fixture upon itself to form a double-layer cuff which is subsequently attached to the garment either automatically or manually.

Cuff making apparatus

An apparatus for automatically inverting a garment piece for a sweat suit or the like. The apparatus includes an elongated tube for receiving the garment piece over the front end of the tube. A gripper arm is located adjacent to the rear end of the tube and axially aligned with the tube. The gripper arm includes an elongated arm attached to a frame at one end; gripping means attached to the other end of the elongated arm; and means for moving the arm and the gripping means from a first position away from the garment piece to a second position adjacent to the garment piece. A spreader engages the garment piece adjacent to the front end of the tube to position the garment piece for the gripper means. The gripper means and arm are operable to grasp and withdraw the garment piece through the front end of the tube to the rear end of the tube to automatically invert the garment piece.

Automatic sleeve invertor

A garment stacker for stacking garments in a garment stack. The apparatus includes a stacking tray having a support tray for supporting garments placed thereon in a garment stack and a tray actuator for adjusting the position of the support tray. A rotary stacker is positioned adjacent the stacking tray, wherein the rotary stacker repeatedly moves between a loading and an unloading position to successively stack garments on the stacking tray in a garment stack. A controller directs the tray actuator to position the support tray upwards when the rotary stacker is in the unloading position so as to press the garment stack between the stacking tray and rotary stacker. An unloader moves the garment stack from the stacking tray after a garment stack has been formed thereon.

Garment stacker

An apparatus for automatically forming a finished sleeve or pant leg for a sweat suit or the like is disclosed. The invention consists of six sub-assemblies: 1) a garment piece positioner and seamer; 2) a cuff making apparatus; 3) a cuff inserting apparatus; 4) an automatic cuff setter; 5) a sleeve invertor; and 6) a garment stacker.

Automatic garment manufacture

A pocket-folding device for folding a pocket blank and securing the folded pocket to a pocket-carrying article, the device having a locating fixture supported by a frame to receive the unfolded pocket blank, a top die and movable bottom die supported by the frame, and a vacuum hand associated with the frame selectively moving to pick up the unfolded pocket blank from the locating fixture and carry it and release it over the pocket form to form side and bottom-draped edges. The pocket form and pocket blank move up to mate with the top die. The bottom die then moves up to mate with the top die to form a die cavity around the pocket form and pocket blank while selectively directed air flows into the top die and folds the draped pocket edges around the pocket form. Heat is applied to the folded pocket edges to set pocket edge creases therein, and the pocket form, pocket and bottom die move downwardly to the original bottom die position with the pocket-folded edges held between the pocket form and the bottom die. The pocket form is moved away from the pocket and bottom die. The vacuum hand moves to secure the folded edge pocket and position it at a pre-selected location on a pocket-carrying article. Appropriately programmed sewing means may subsequently sew the folded pocket to the article.

Pocket-folding device

An apparatus for securing the free ends of an elongated strip of flexible material to form a band, such as an elastic band, for various types of apparel. The machine includes a securing station, such as a sewing station including a sewing machine, and an apparatus for drawing a strip of flexible material longitudinally beneath the securing station in a measuring path. An adjustable measuring device deflects a predetermined length of the strip downward away from the measuring path to form a measured open loop. A knife mechanism cuts the trailing end portion of the loop. Loading and clamping mechanisms position the free ends of the loop in the securing station for attachment, such as by stitching. An extraction and transfer mechanism withdraws the finished loop from the sewing station and transfers it to a label application station. The label application station includes upper and lower heat platens between which a portion of the loop is placed for heat sealing a label or the like thereon. A pivotally mounted kick-off assembly partially embraces the lower heat platen for moving the just labeled loop therefrom and on to a carousel-type receiving and accumulating mechanism therebelow.

Fabric band making and label applying machine

A material handling system includes an assembly for feeding, directing and sewing fabric materials, an assembly for cutting fabric, and an assembly for stacking fabric. The feeding and sewing assembly folds a reinforcing binding web over the edge of a garment panel and sews the two together before they are advanced by the binding to the cutter assembly. The cutting assembly includes angularly disposed blades for simultaneously severing the binding web intermediate adjacent garment panels. The stacking assembly includes a conveyor for sequentially advancing severed garment panels to an elevator mechanism for receiving the panels.

Material handling system

A rundown detector system for controlling operation of the cylinder of a circular knitting machine includes a photoelectric circuit, including fiber optic means and a sensor for sensing predetermined extended periods of low reflected light level and emitting signals to a logic circuit. The logic circuit includes a timer and counting mechanism for stopping rotation of the machine cylinder if a predetermined number of signals are emitted to the logic circuit within a predetermined time period. The timer mechanism also prevents stopping of the machine cylinder, upon start-up of the machine, until a predetermined amount of knit fabric absent of defects has moved past the sensor.

Growing community of inventors

Kernersville, NC, United States of America

Joel C Rosenquist