Ark Limited

William R Cole, Jr

Timothy G Clapp

Charles H Sanborn, Iii

Joel D Clanton

J Dwight Clanton

A method of and apparatus for separating and feeding workpieces of limp material one at a time and one another from the bottom of a stack of the workpieces wherein the stack is supported at the bottom with a gap in the support for exposing a portion of the bottom surface of the bottom workpiece, the support being movable to move the gap away from and back to a forward position. The portion of the bottom workpiece exposed in the gap in the forward position is fed rearward to form a loop in the bottom workpiece, the loop being gripped and pulled down which the support is moved to move the gap away from its forward position, the support then acting to peel the bottom workpiece away from the next workpiece above, followed by the release of the grip on the loop to release the bottom workpiece for being carried away.

Method of and apparatus for separating and feeding workpieces of limp

An automatic feeder for feeding workpieces of limp material one after another from a stack of workpieces, the feeder includes a moving support mechanism for supporting the stack, and a gripper located generally underneath the stack and the moving support mechanism. The gripper has a multiplicity of needles on it for gripping the bottom workpiece, and the support mechanism has an opening in it for exposing the bottom workpiece in the stack to the needles. A motor actuates relative motion between the support mechanism and the stack and the gripper and the stack such that the opening in the support mechanism and the gripper pass conjointly under the stack in a direction generally from one end of the stack to the other thereby to progressively present areas of the bottom workpiece over the opening. The needles of the gripper progressively and successively grip at least a portion of areas of the bottom workpiece as they are exposed to the needles over the opening in the support mechanism to peel the area of the bottom workpiece generally downwardly away from the stack. The gripper releases the area peeled away to separate the bottom workpiece from the stack.

Automatic feeder for workpieces of limp material

Apparatus for automatically inverting workpieces of limp sheet material, such as fabric sheet material, including an endless primary conveyor having a forward-traveling reach for conveying workpieces in a forward direction, each workpiece having a leading edge and a trailing edge. A gripper engages a portion of the workpiece generally adjacent its leading edge as the workpiece travels on the primary conveyor and holds the leading edge portion stationary. The primary conveyor includes a series of flights spaced at intervals therealong with openings between the flights. The trailing edge of the workpiece and the adjacent trailing edge portion drop through an opening between a leading flight and a trailing flight after the gripper engages and holds stationary the leading edge portion. A pushing mechanism acts on the trailing edge portion of the workpiece for pushing the trailing edge portion forardly to invert the trailing edge portion as the leading edge portion is held stationary by the gripper. The leading edge portion of the workpiece is released from the gripper after the trailing edge portion of the workpiece has been inverted, whereupon the workpiece is in a generally flat, inverted position in which the leading edge is rearward of the trailing edge.

Apparatus for automatically inverting workpieces of limp sheet material

Apparatus for perforating paper including a roll for holding a supply of paper to be perforated, and a roll for taking up paper from the supply roll. The apparatus moves the paper in a forward direction along a reach extending between the supply roll and the take-up roll at a selected speed so that a perforating roller between the supply roll and the take-up roll can perforate the paper in the reach from edge to edge. The perforating roller is rotated so that its teeth travel in the same direction as the paper at the location of engagement with the paper, but the perforating roller is rotated at a rate such that the speed of the teeth is less than the speed of the paper in the forward direction along the reach. Therefore, the paper moves forward relative the teeth after penetration of the paper so that the teeth form elongate openings extending rearwardly of their points of penetration, tearing away flaps of the paper to form the openings, which flaps remain connected to the paper at the rearward edge of the openings.

Method and apparatus for perforating material

Apparatus for handling workpieces of limp sheet material including an endless conveyor having a forward-traveling upper reach for conveying workpieces in a forward direction, each workpiece having a leading edge and a trailing edge. An airfoil extends transversely across the upper reach of the conveyor and a manifold rearward of the airfoil may deliver a jet of air in a generally forward direction between the conveyor and the airfoil as the workpiece travels forwardly under the airfoil such that the leading edge portion of the workpiece raises up from the conveyor toward the airfoil. A clamping mechanism forward of the airfoil receives the leading edge portion of the workpiece. A sensor detects the presence of the leading edge portion between the clamping members and sends a signal in response to which the clamping mechanism is activated to clamp the leading edge portion.

Apparatus for handling workpieces of limp sheet material

Apparatus is disclosed for automatically inverting workpieces of limp sheet material, such as fabric sheet material. The apparatus includes an endless conveyor having a forward-traveling upper reach for conveying workpieces in a forward direction. A gripper grasps a portion of the workpiece adjacent its leading edge as the workpiece travels on the conveyor, and lifts the leading edge portion of the workpiece off the conveyor. The gripper holds the leading edge portion stationary with a trailing portion of the workpiece extending downwardly from said pick-up means. A pushing mechanism acting on a generally rearwardly facing surface of the trailing portion of the workpiece pushes the trailing portion forwardly to effect complete inversion of the trailing portion as the leading edge portion is held stationary by the gripper. The gripper releases the leading edge portion of the workpiece after the trailing portion of the workpiece has been inverted. The leading edge of the workpiece drops to the conveyor so that the trailing edge of the workpiece leads the remaining portions of the workpiece and the leading edge trails the remaining portions of the workpiece.

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Shelbyville, TN, United States of America

William R Cole, Jr