Apparatus for manufacturing pants and tights

Claim 2

Apparatus for producing a textile structure of a pair of tubular members of stretchable material having at least one open end comprising in combination: two support devices mounted in substantially parallel relationship for supporting thereon the pair of tubular members and each having two support portions of substantially equal configuration, means connecting said support portions along one edge thereof to enable said support portions to be moved relatively to each other between an article receiving position substantially folded upon each other and an article spread-out position substantially in alignment with each other, means for cutting through said stretchable material when positioned on said support devices in the article receiving position thereof along a predetermined path of said material, control means for moving said support devices and said cutting means relatively to each other between a position in which said cutting means is inoperative and a position in which said cutting means is operative, means for keeping the cut edges of said stretchable material in substantially peripheral alignment with said support portions during the movement thereof into and in the article spread-out position, and means for joining the peripheral portions of said stretchable material along a substantially continuous joint.

Claim 3

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the support portions are in the form of a pair of leaves hingedly connected along a substantially linear portion and having peripheral portions of substantially circular configuration to provide a substantially circular path of the periphery of the stretchable material.

Claim 4

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 having control means for moving the portions of the support structures between the article receiving position in spaced relationship relatively to each other to a position in surface-to-surface relationship of the articles positioned on the support structures.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which means is providing for turning the support devices about a geometrical axis through the center of their circular periphery.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for keeping the cut edges of the stretchable material in substantially peripheral alignment with the support portions during their movement into and in their article spread-out position is in the form of frictional material with a physical property enabling it to adhere to the stretchable material.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for keeping the cut edges of the stretchable material in substantially peripheral alignment with the support portions during their movement into and in their article spread-out position is in the form of means movable between a retracted inoperative position and a projecting operative position.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said last mentioned means aRe in the form of arcuate members of a peripheral configuration corresponding to the peripheral configuration of the support portions having a plurality of tiny tooth-like peripheral projections and being movable between a retracted position inside the periphery of the support portions and a projecting position outside the periphery of the support portions.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the support devices are mounted for turning about a stationary shaft and the cutting device as well as the joining device is movable relatively to the periphery of the support devices between an inoperative retracted position and an operative projecting position.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which only one of the portions of the support devices is movable through an angle of substantially 180* .

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 having means operable to render the cutting means effective during turning of the support devices in one direction in their article receiving position whereafter following the completion of the cutting, the portions of the support devices are moved to their article spread-out position whereafter the joining is effectuated during turning of the support devices through a return movement.

Claim 12

Apparatus for producing a textile structure of a pair of tubular members of stretchable material having at least one open end comprising in combination: two support devices mounted in substantially parallel relationship for receiving the pair of tubular members and each having two support portions of substantially equal configuration, means connecting said support portions along one edge thereof to enable said support portions to be moved relatively to each other between an article receiving position substantially folded upon each other and an article spread-out position substantially in alignment with each other, means for cutting through said stretchable material when positioned on said support devices in the article receiving position thereof along a predetermined path of said material, control means for moving said support devices and said cutting means relatively to each other between a position in which said cutting means is inoperative and a position in which said cutting means is operative, means for keeping the cut edges of said stretchable material in substantially peripheral alignment with said support portions during the movement thereof into and in the article spread-out position, means for keeping the slit edge zones of the stretchable article in a position extending beyond the periphery of the support devices, and means for joining the peripheral portions of said stretchable material along a substantially continuous joint.

Claim 13

Apparatus for producing a textile structure of a pair of tubular members of stretchable material having at least one open end comprising in combination: two support devices mounted in substantially parallel relationship for receiving the pair of tubular members and each having two support portions of substantially equal configuration, means connecting said support portions along one edge thereof to enable said support portions to be moved relatively to each other between an article receiving position substantially folded upon each other and an article spread-out position substantially in alignment with each other, means for cutting through said stretchable material when positioned on said support devices in the article receiving position thereof along a predetermined path of said material, control means for moving said support devices and said cutting means relatively to each other between a position in which said cutting means is inoperative and a position in which said cutting means is operative, means for keeping the cut edges of said stretchable material in substantially peripheral alignment with said support portions during the movement thereof into and in the article spread-out position, means for keeping the slit edge zones of the stretchable article in a position extending beyond the periphery of the support devices, and means for joining the peripheral portions of said stretchable material along a substantially continuous joint.

Claim 14

Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 in which said means for keeping the edge zones extending is in the form of means providing an air stream.

Claim 15

Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which said means is in the form of air jets.

Claim 16

Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which said means is in the form of vacuum responsive means.

Claim 17

Apparatus for producing a textile structure of a pair of tubular members of stretchable material having at least one open end comprising in combination: two support devices mounted in substantially parallel relationship for receiving thereon the pair of tubular members and each having two support portions of substantially equal configuration, means connecting said support portions along one edge thereof to enable said support portions to be moved relatively to each other between an article receiving position substantially folded upon each other and an article spread-out position substantially in alignment with each other, control means for moving said support portions between said two positions, positioning means on each of said support devices for determining the position of the open ends of the stretchable articles relatively to at least one of the edges of said support devices in the article receiving positions thereof, Means for cutting through said stretchable material when positioned on said support devices in the article receiving position thereof along a predetermined length of said support devices, control means for moving said support devices and said cutting means relatively to each other between a position in which said cutting means is inoperative and a position in which said cutting means is operative, means for keeping the cut edges of said stretchable material in substantial peripheral alignment with said support portions during the movement thereof into and in the article spread-out position, means operable to extend the slit edges beyond the periphery of the support devices in their article spread-out position, and means for joining the peripheral extending portions of the stretchable articles substantially continuously.

Claim 18

Apparatus for producing a textile structure of a pair of tubular members of stretchable material having at least one open end comprising in combination: two support devices mounted in substantially parallel relationship for receiving thereon the pair of tubular members and each having two support portions of substantially equal configuration, means connecting said support portions along one edge thereof to enable said support portions to be moved relatively to each other between an article receiving position substantially folded upon each other and an article spread-out position substantially in alignment with each other, control means for moving said support portions between said two positions, positioning means on each of said support devices for determining the position of the open ends of the stretchable articles relatively to at least one of the edges of said support devices in the article receiving positions thereof, Means for cutting through said stretchable material when positioned on said support devices in the article receiving position thereof along a predetermined length of said support devices, control means for moving said support devices and said cutting means relatively to each other between a position in which said cutting means is inoperative and a position in which said cutting means is operative, means for keeping the cut edges of said stretchable material in substantial peripheral alignment with said support portions during the movement thereof into and in the article spread-out position, means operable to extend the slit edges beyond the periphery of the support devices in their article spread-out position, and means for joining the peripheral extending portions of the stretchable articles substantially continuously.

Claim 19

Apparatus as claimed in claim 15 in which the stretching of the material after the slitting is effectuated by means operable to move one of each of said support portions of each of said support devices through an angle of substantially 180* .

Claim 20

Apparatus as claimed in claim 15 in which the support portions are in the form of a pair of leaves hingedly connected along a substantially linear portion and having peripheral portions of substantially circular configuration to provide a substantially circular path of the periphery of the stretchable material during the cutting as well as during the joining operation.

Claim 21

Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 having control means for moving the support leaves in their article receiving position between a position in spaced relationship to a position in surface-to-surface relationship of the stretchable material received thereon.

Claim 22

Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 in which control means is provided for turning the support leaves about a geometrical axis through the center of their circular periphery.

Claim 23

Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 in which the means for keeping the cut edges of the stretchable material in substantially peripheral alignment with the support portions is in the form of arcuate members of a peripheral circular configuration corresponding to the peripheral configuration of the support portions having a plurality of tiny tooth-like peripheral projections and being movable between a retracted position inside the periphery of the support portions and a projecting position outside the periphery of the support portions.

Claim 24

Apparatus as claimed in claim 15 in which means is provided for keeping the edge zones of the stretchable article in a position extending beyond the periphery of the support devices during the joining operation.

Claim 25

Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 in which said means is in the form of means providing an air stream providing a suction action.

Claim 26

Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 in which control means is provided operable to render the cutting means effective during turning of the support devices in one direction and upon completion of the cutting to render the cutting means ineffective and thereafter move the support leaves to their article stretching position and effectuate the joining operation during turning of the support devices through a return movement.