Fabric handling apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING PIECES OF MATERIAL TO A MOVABLE SURFACE IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID MOVABLE SURFACE WHEREIN THE PIECES OF MATERIAL MUST BE POSITIONED WITH THE CENTER OF THEIR AREAS AT PREDETERMINED EQUALLY SPACED POSITIONS ON THE MOVABLE SURFACE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, AN ENDLESS FEED CONVEYOR DRIVEN AT A VELOCITY EQUAL TO THE VELOCITY OF THE MOVABLE SURFACE INCLUDING A PICKUP END AND A DELIVERY END, AND A PLURALITY OF MATERIAL GRIPPING MEANS CARRIED AT EQUALLY SPACED INTERVALS ALONG SAID FEED CONVEYOR, A MATERIAL FEED TABLE POSITIONED AT SAID PICK-UP END OF THE FEED CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY MOVING SAID FEED TABLE AND THE EDGE OF THE MATERIAL PRESENT THEREON INTO CONTACT WITH SAID GRIPPING MEANS IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID FEED CONVEYOR, WHEREBY THE GRIPPING MEANS ENGAGE AN EDGE OF THE MATERIAL, ACTUATING MEANS POSITIONED AT SAID PICK-UP END OF THE FEED CONVEYOR FOR ACTUATING SAID GRIPPING MEANS TO GRIP THE MATERIAL PRESENT ON THE FEED TABLE, DEACTUATING MEANS POSITIONED AT SAID DELIVERY END OF THE FEED CONVEYOR FOR DEACTUATING SAID GRIPPING MEANS TO DISENGAGE THE MATERIAL TO DEPOSIT THE MATERIAL ON THE MOVABLE SURFACE, CLUTCH MEANS FOR REPOSITIONING THE MATERIAL GRIPPING MEANS OF SAID FEED CONVEYOR WITH RESPECT TO THE MOVABLE SURFACE WHEREBY PIECES OF MATERIAL VARYING IN SIZE CAN BE POSITIONED WITH THE CENTER OF THEIR AREAS AT THE PREDETERMINED EQUALLY SPACED POSITIONS ON THE MOVABLE SURFACE, AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR VARYING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID MATERIAL FEED TABLE AND THE FEED CONVEYOR WHEN THE MATERIAL GRIPPING MEANS HAVE BEEN REPOSITIONED SO THAT THE GRIPPING MEANS CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THE EDGE OF THE MATERIAL.