Sewing – Special machines – Positionable work carrier
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-07
2001-03-06
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3724)
Sewing
Special machines
Positionable work carrier
C112S475030, C271S227000, C493S405000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196147
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing finished sewn products from a roll of cloth. More particularly, the method and apparatus pertains to cutting predetermined lengths of fabric from a large roll of fabric and then performing various sewing operations on the fabric to produce articles such as lined drapes, sheets, valances, etc.
Heretofore, one of the major expenses in producing valances was cutting lengths of fabric to precise lengths and then sewing folded hems on the edge of the fabric prior to performing additional sewing operations. Such has been time consuming and labor intensive adding considerable cost to the finished products.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for efficiently cutting fabric into predetermined lengths and automatically performing sewing operations thereon.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically cutting fabric from a large roll and then automatically folding the edges of the fabric. The folded edges are then sewn into hems, and the fabric is transported to a folding station. After the fabric has been folded at the folding station, it is then transported to another sewing station for performing sewing operations thereon.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide an efficient and automatic system for folding and sewing sheet material.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide an efficient method and apparatus for automatically producing sewn valances from a roll of cloth.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for automatically producing hemmed fabric for subsequent manufacture into drapes and the like.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for cutting fabric in predetermined lengths, folding the edges of the fabric to produce precise hems and then transporting said fabric to a receiver.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for precisely folding fabric of a predetermined length into a desired folded pattern for subsequent sewing.
Still another important object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically sewing sockets and pockets into a folded fabric to produce valances.
Additional objects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the apparatus of the present invention comprises a let off device which carries a large roll of fabric that is to be used for producing the finished product. The fabric is unwound by the let off device which is under the control of a dancer so as to maintain uniform tension in the fabric as it leaves the let off device. The open fabric then passes under a pair of spaced edge cutters which trim opposed edges of the fabric to a predetermined width.
After the fabric has been trimmed, the edges of the fabric are folded in by a hem forming and hem width control device. The folded edge of the fabric is maintained at a precise location by means of a photoelectric sensor and a hem shifting device. The photoelectric sensor includes a pair of laterally spaced photosensors which generate signals indicating when the edge of the fabric is at the precise location in between the two photodetectors. The photodetectors in turn control the hem shifting device to keep the edge of the hem properly aligned. After the hem has been folded onto the edges of the open cloth, the hem then passes through a curling device which curls the outer edge of the hem under so as to produce a double layer hem. This curl portion is then passed under a sewing head which advances the cloth and sews the hem into the edges of the fabric. The fabric is then fed into an accumulator which accumulates a predetermined length of fabric.
Following the accumulator is a length cutter which makes a transverse cut across the fabric to cut the fabric into predetermined lengths.
In order to cut the fabric into predetermined lengths, a cloth puller moves from the downstream end of the machine to adjacent the cutting head for gripping the edge of the fabric in order to pull the fabric from the accumulator when the cloth puller is moved back towards the downstream end of the machine. After the cloth puller pulls the cloth back towards the end of the machine, a predetermined length of cloth rests on a folding table and is ready for being folded into a desired pattern. In one particular embodiment, the apparatus is used for making valances. At the folding table it is desired to fold the open fabric so that it can be subsequently sewed with elongated stitching to produce the final product.
In order to fold the open length of fabric on the folding table, a pair of spaced dies are lowered down on top of the fabric. The dies are spaced a distance that corresponds to the ultimate width of the valance.
Once the dies are lowered onto the fabric carried on the folding table, the cloth puller which is still gripping the leading edge of the fabric is moved back towards the front end of the machine, folding the fabric over a first die. It then releases the leading edge of the cloth and moves back adjacent the end of the machine. The trailing edge of the cut cloth is then folded up over the second die and overlaps the edge of the cloth that was previously folded.
The cloth in this folded position is then transported to a sewing station wherein two sewing heads are provided for sewing a pair of elongated spaced stitching so as to form a socket in the folded fabric for receiving a curtain rod as well as a pocket in the fabric. This completes the construction of the valance.
The apparatus and machine can also be used for producing lined draperies. When being used to produce lined draperies, a second roll of fabric is carried on a second let off above the first let off which carries the facing layer of fabric. The fabrics are superimposed on each other under uniform tension. The superimposed liner and facing are then passed through the cutting and hem forming device as described above. The cloth puller is used for pulling the sewn liner and facing from an accumulator so that they can be cut to a desired length.
The folding operation discussed above takes place in a similar but wider spaced configuration when producing lined draperies.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principle of the invention.
It is to be understood that the invention is made up of a plurality of various elements. It is understood of course that equivalent components could be substituted for the elements shown in the drawings and described hereto in the specification without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
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Burton Perry E.
Noonan John V.
Dority & Manning P.A.
Nerbun Peter
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