Apparatus for automatically fabricating individual articles

Claim 2

Apparatus for automatically fabricating individual articles such as blankets and the like from a continuous length of textile material, said apparatus comprising: a. supply means for supplying a continuous length of textile material; b. first interrelated, intertimed feeding means for feeding the continuous length of material from said supply means in an elongate path of travel along a longitudinally extending axis through said apparatus; c. first and second driven stitching means disposed adjacent said supply means in the path of travel of the continuous length of material for applying lines of stitching along the longitudinal edges of the continuous length of textile material; d. cutting means disposed adjacent said first and second stitching means in the path of travel of the continuous length of material for transversely cutting the continuous length of material into a plurality of successive individual articles of a predetermined length; e. turning means disposed adjacent said cutting means for successively turning each individually cut article 90* for continued travel through said apparatus; f. second interrelated, intertimed feeding means operatively associated with said turning means for receiving the individually cut articles from said turning means and feeding them in a continued elongate path of travel along the aforesaid longitudinally extending axis through said apparatus; and g. third and fourth driven stitching means disposed in the path of travel of the individually cut articles for applying lines of stitching along the cut edges of each of the individually cut articles so that each of the articles will be stitched along all four of its edges.

Claim 3

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said first feeding means includes a single motor means and interconnected drive means driven by said motor means and operatively connecteD with various portions of said first feeding means for driving the various portions of said first feeding means in predetermined, interrelated and intertimed relationship for obtaining proper feeding of the continuous length of material through said apparatus, and in which said second feeding means includes a separate single motor means and interconnected drive means driven by said motor means and operatively connected with various portions of said second feeding means for driving the various portions of said second feeding means in predetermined, interrelated and intertimed relationship for obtaining proper feeding of the individually cut articles through said apparatus.

Claim 4

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said supply means comprises a roll stand means for carrying at least one supply roll of a continuous length of textile material, driven feed roll means for feeding the continuous length of textile material from said roll stand means, and a scray means for receiving an excess amount of the continuous length of material from said feed roll means and supplying the continuous length of material to said first feeding means for travel through said apparatus, said scray means including means for stopping operation of said feed roll means when the predetermined excess amount of the continuous length of material has been received in said scray means.

Claim 5

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which at least one of said first and second stitching means comprises a movable sewing machine, carriage means for supporting said sewing machine and for allowing linear forward and reverse movement of said sewing machine in a direction transverse to the continuous length of material and to the path of travel of the material through said apparatus, fluid operated means operatively connected with said carriage means for moving said sewing machine in its forward and reverse directions, and edge sensing means operatively connected with said fluid operated means for sensing the position of one of the longitudinal edges of the continuous length of material and for controlling the operation of said fluid operated means so that said sewing machine will be aligned with the edge of the material for proper stitching thereof.

Claim 6

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, in which said apparatus further comprises a pair of movable, material aligning, nip roll means for receiving the continuous length of material in advance of stitching by said first and second stitching means and for moving back and forth in a direction transverse to the continuous length of material and to the path of travel of the material through the machine for moving the continuous length of material transversely for proper alignment, fluid operated means operatively connected with said nip roll means for moving said nip roll means, and edge sensing means operatively connected with said fluid operated means for sensing the position of the other longitudinal edge of the continuous length of material and for controlling the operation of said fluid operated means to move said nip roll means for aligning the continuous length of material for proper registration with the other of said first and second stitching means for proper stitching.

Claim 7

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said first feeding means includes means for interrupting operation of at least a portion of said first feeding means for stopping the feed of the continuous length of material during operation of said cutting means and during at least a portion of the operation of said turning means to insure an even cutting thereof into successive individual articles of a predetermined length and to insure proper turning of the individual articles.

Claim 8

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said second feeding means includes means for interrupting operation of at least a portion of said second feeding means for stopping the feeding action thereof during at least a portion of the operation of said turning means to insure proper reception of the indIvidually cut articles from said turning means.

Claim 9

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said turning means comprises a movable suction box means mounted adjacent said cutting means above the individual articles cut thereby for reciprocating forward and reverse movement in a linear path of travel along the aforesaid longitudinally extending axis through said apparatus while rotating 90* during each of the forward and reverse strokes of its path of travel, and actuating means for creating a suction in said suction box means during the forward stroke of its reciprocating movement and for releasing the suction during the reverse stroke of its movement, so that each of the individually cut articles will be sucked onto said suction box means and rotated 90* during the forward stroke of said suction box means and released therefrom in the turned position during the reverse stroke of said suction box for continued feeding through said apparatus by said second feeding means.

Claim 10

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 8, in which said first feeding means for feeding the continuous length of material includes a driven conveyor means at the terminating end thereof which is disposed adjacent said cutting means and beneath said turning means in its rearward position for feeding the continuous length of material past said cutting means to allow cutting thereof and for presenting the cut article to said turning means for the turning thereof, and in which said second feeding means for feeding the individually cut articles includes a driven conveyor means at the beginning end thereof which is disposed adjacent said conveyor means of said first feeding means and beneath said turning means in its forward position for receiving the turned individually cut articles from said turning means and feeding them therefrom.

Claim 11

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said turning means comprises a movable suction box means mounted adjacent said cutting means above the individual articles cut thereby for reciprocating forward and reverse movement in a linear path of travel along the aforesaid longitudinally extending axis through said apparatus while rotating 90* during each of the forward and reverse strokes of its path of travel and actuating means for creating a suction in said suction box means during the forward stroke of its reciprocating movement and for releasing the suction during the reverse stroke of its movement so that each of the individually cut articles will be sucked onto said suction box means and rotated 90* during the forward stroke of said suction box means and released therefrom in the turned position during the reverse stroke of said suction box means for continued feeding through said apparatus by said second feeding means; in which said first feeding means for the feeding the continuous length of material includes a driven conveyor means at the terminating end thereof which is disposed adjacent said cutting means and beneath said turning means in its rearward position for feeding the continuous length of material past said cutting means to allow cutting thereof and for presenting the cut article to said turning means for the turning thereof, said first feeding means including means for interrupting operation of said driven conveyor means forming a part thereof for stopping the feed of the continuous length of material during operation of said cutting means and during at least a portion of the operation of said turning means to insure an even cutting thereof into successive individual articles of a predetermined length and to insure proper sucking of the individually cut articles onto said turning means for the turning thereof; and in which said second feeding means for feeding the individually cut articles includes a driven conveyor means at the beginning end thereof which is disposed adjacent said conveyor means of said first feeding means and beneath said turning means in its forward position for receiving the turNed individually cut articles from said turning means and feeding them therefrom, said second feeding means including means for interrupting operation of said driven conveyor means forming a part thereof for stopping the feeding action thereof during at least a portion of the operation of said turning means to insure proper reception of the individually cut articles from said cutting means when the suction thereof is released and the individually cut articles are released therefrom.

Claim 12

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said third and fourth stitching means each applies a line of stitching along the cut edge of the spaced-apart individually cut articles with a connecting chain of stitches therebetween, and in which said apparatus includes cutting means associated with each of said third and fourth stitching means for cutting the connecting chain of stitches at the trailing and leading transverse edges of the individually cut articles for separating same.

Claim 13

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 11, in which each of said cutting means comprises a first cutter for cutting the connecting chain of stitches at the leading end of the individually cut articles passing thereby, edge sensing means for sensing the leading end of the individually cut articles and for actuating said first cutter, a second cutter for cutting the connecting chain of stitches at the trailing end of the individually cut articles after cutting thereof by said first cutter, and suction means for receiving the connecting chain of stitches after cutting by said first cutter and for positioning the chain of stitches for cutting by said second cutter.

Claim 14

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 12, in which said first cutter comprises a scissors-type cutter, said edge sensing means comprises photoelectric cell sensing means, said second cutter comprises a pair of superimposed, circular, continuously operating rotary cutter wheels, and said suction means comprises an elongate hollow conduit having an open end positioned adjacent said cutter wheels for sucking the cut end of the chain of stitches therein so that the uncut end will pass through said cutter wheels as the individual articles are fed forwardly through said apparatus.

Claim 15

Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, in which said apparatus comprises a stacking means at the terminating end thereof for stacking the individual fabricated articles for removal by an operator.