Method and system for automatically forming parts for garments, and the like

Claim 1

A method for automatically folding and fastening limp workpieces for forming parts of garments and the like wherein the workpieces are each folded along a predetermined crease line for attachment of the folded sides along a selected attachment line comprising the steps of: feeding planar workpieces to an alignment station, aligning the predetermined crease line with a folding line defined at the convergence of a pair of downwardly merging moving endless conveyors, depositing the aligned workpieces on the merging conveyors with the predetermined crease line in registration with the fold line defined by the converging conveyors to cause the conveyors to fold the deposited workpieces along the predetermined crease line, transporting the folded workpieces between the adjacent conveyors past a pressurizing region to tightly fold the workpieces along the crease line and delivering the folded workPieces between the adjacent conveyors upwardly to an elevated level where the conveyors diverge, said elevated level corresponding to the level of the folding line defined by the merging conveyors, delivering the folded workpiece to a fastening station, and fastening the sides of a folded workpiece to one another along the desired attachment line.

Claim 2

A method for automatically folding and fastening limp workpieces for forming parts of garments and the like wherein the workpieces are each folded along a predetermined crease line for attachment of the folded sides along a selected attachment line comprising the steps of: feeding planar workpieces to an alignment station, aligning the predetermined crease line with a folding line defined at the convergence of a pair of downwardly merging moving endless conveyors, depositing the aligned workpieces on the merging conveyors with the predetermined crease line in registration with the fold line defined by the converging conveyors to cause the conveyors to fold the deposited workpieces along the predetermined crease line, transporting the folded workpieces between the adjacent conveyors past a pressurizing region to tightly fold the workpieces along the crease line and delivering the folded workPieces between the adjacent conveyors upwardly to an elevated level where the conveyors diverge, said elevated level corresponding to the level of the folding line defined by the merging conveyors, delivering the folded workpiece to a fastening station, and fastening the sides of a folded workpiece to one another along the desired attachment line.

Claim 6

A system for automatically folding and fastening limp workpieces for forming parts of garments, and the like, wherein the workpieces are each folded along a predetermined crease line for attachment of the folded sides along a predetermined attachment line comprising: a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors being arranged to move towards one another in a workpiece depositing plane for converging along a fold line, said conveyors being closely spaced after said converging fold line along a path extending generally downwardly and returning upwardly to a generally horizontal folded workpiece delivery plane, with said conveyors arranged to diverge at said delivery plane, means for aligning the predetermined crease line of each workpiece with the fold line formed by the converging conveyors, means for transferring the aligned workpieces to position their predetermined crease line along the fold line of the converging conveyors, means for continuously moving said conveyors at the same speed to fold deposited workpieces along said predetermined crease line as the conveyors converge at their fold line and to transport the folded workpieces to the delivery plane, and fastening means in operative relationship with the delivered folded workpiece to fasten their folded sides to one another along the predetermined attachment line.

Claim 7

A system for automatically folding and fastening limp workpieces for forming parts of garments, and the like, wherein the workpieces are each folded along a predetermined crease line for attachment of the folded sides along a predetermined attachment line comprising: a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors being arranged to move towards one another in a workpiece depositing plane for converging along a fold line, said conveyors being closely spaced after said converging fold line along a path extending generally downwardly and returning upwardly to a generally horizontal folded workpiece delivery plane, with said conveyors arranged to diverge at said delivery plane, means for aligning the predetermined crease line of each workpiece with the fold line formed by the converging conveyors, means for transferring the aligned workpieces to position their predetermined crease line along the fold line of the converging conveyors, means for continuously moving said conveyors at the same speed to fold deposited workpieces along said predetermined crease line as the conveyors converge at their fold line and to transport the folded workpieces to the delivery plane, and fastening means in operative relationship with the delivered folded workpiece to fasten their folded sides to one another along the predetermined attachment line.

Claim 11

A system for automatically folding limp workpieces, such as parts of garments and the like, wherein each of the workpieces in succession are folded along a predetermined crease line comprising: a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors being arranged to move towards one another to define a flat workpiece depositing region and said conveyors being arranged to converge along a fold line beneath said depositing region, registration and transfer means for orienting the workpieces and depositing The workpieces in said depositing region with a predetermined crease line in the workpieces aligned with said fold line, drive means for moving said conveyors to converge for folding the deposited workpiece along said predetermined crease line, guide means for guiding the converged conveyors adjacent to each other with the folded workpiece therebetween and guiding the adjacent conveyors to a workpiece delivery region where the conveyors diverge to deliver the folded workpiece.

Claim 12

A system for automatically folding limp workpieces, such as parts of garments and the like, wherein each of the workpieces in succession are folded along a predetermined crease line comprising: a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors being arranged to move towards one another to define a flat workpiece depositing region and said conveyors being arranged to converge along a fold line beneath said depositing region, registration and transfer means for orienting the workpieces and depositing The workpieces in said depositing region with a predetermined crease line in the workpieces aligned with said fold line, drive means for moving said conveyors to converge for folding the deposited workpiece along said predetermined crease line, guide means for guiding the converged conveyors adjacent to each other with the folded workpiece therebetween and guiding the adjacent conveyors to a workpiece delivery region where the conveyors diverge to deliver the folded workpiece.

Claim 14

A system for automatically folding limp workpieces, such as parts of garments and the like, wherein each of the workpieces in succession are folded along a predetermined crease line comprising: a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors being arranged to move towards one another to define a workpiece depositing region, and said conveyors being arranged to converge along a fold line beneath said depositing region, registration and transfer means for depositing the workpieces in said depositing region with a predetermined crease line in the workpieces aligned with said fold line, drive means for moving said conveyors to converge for folding the deposited workpiece along said predetermined crease line, guide means for guiding the converged conveyors adjacent to each other with the folded workpiece therebetween and guiding the adjacent conveyors to a workpiece delivery region where the conveyors diverge to deliver the folded workpiece, each of said endless conveyors including a plurality of parallel spaced endless belts, said belts being porous, a pair of suction ducts positioned beneath the respective conveyors in said workpiece depositing region, a source of suction connected to each of said ducts, and said ducts having suction apertures positioned beneath said porous belts of the respective conveyors for applying a suction action to the workpieces which are deposited in said region to maintain the sides of the deposited workpieces firmly in contact with the conveyor surfaces as they move towards one another.

Claim 15

A system for automatically folding limp workpieces, such as parts of garments and the like, wherein each of the workpieces in succession are folded along a predetermined crease line comprising: a pair of endless conveyors, said conveyors being arranged to move towards one another to define a workpiece depositing region, and said conveyors being arranged to converge along a fold line beneath said depositing region, registration and transfer means for depositing the workpieces in said depositing region with a predetermined crease line in the workpieces aligned with said fold line, drive means for moving said conveyors to converge for folding the deposited workpiece along said predetermined crease line, guide means for guiding the converged conveyors adjacent to each other with the folded workpiece therebetween and guiding the adjacent conveyors to a workpiece delivery region where the conveyors diverge to deliver the folded workpiece, each of said endless conveyors including a plurality of parallel spaced endless belts, said belts being porous, a pair of suction ducts positioned beneath the respective conveyors in said workpiece depositing region, a source of suction connected to each of said ducts, and said ducts having suction apertures positioned beneath said porous belts of the respective conveyors for applying a suction action to the workpieces which are deposited in said region to maintain the sides of the deposited workpieces firmly in contact with the conveyor surfaces as they move towards one another.

Claim 16

A system for folding limp workpieces, such as parts of garments and the like, comprising a pair of endless conveyors, drive means for moving both of said conveyors at substantially the same speed, a first of said conveyors travelling in a generally triangular pattern as seen in side elevation, said triangular pattern including a downward path, a generally horizontal path moving toward the top of said downward path and an upwardly inclined path, the second of said conveyors travelling in a complex pattern as seen in side elevation, said complex pattern including a downward path closely adjacent to the downward path of said first conveyor, an initial, generally horizontal path moving toward the top of said downward path, said horizontal paths of said first and second conveyors converging and curving downward into said downward paths thereof and defining a workpiece folding line for folding a workpiece deposited on said conveyors in the region where said conveyors converge, said adjacent downward paths of said conveyors being arranged to convey a folded workpiece downwardly therebetween, said second conveyor having an upwardly inclined path adjacent to the upwardly inclined path of said first conveyor for conveying the folded workpiece upwardly therebetween, said second conveyor diverging from said first conveyor at the top of said upwardly inclined path and travelling in a second generally horizontal path for delivering the folded workpiece, and said second conveyor returning to the beginning of said initial geNerally horizontal path.

Claim 17

A system for folding limp workpieces, such as parts of garments and the like, comprising a pair of endless conveyors, drive means for moving both of said conveyors at substantially the same speed, a first of said conveyors travelling in a generally triangular pattern as seen in side elevation, said triangular pattern including a downward path, a generally horizontal path moving toward the top of said downward path and an upwardly inclined path, the second of said conveyors travelling in a complex pattern as seen in side elevation, said complex pattern including a downward path closely adjacent to the downward path of said first conveyor, an initial, generally horizontal path moving toward the top of said downward path, said horizontal paths of said first and second conveyors converging and curving downward into said downward paths thereof and defining a workpiece folding line for folding a workpiece deposited on said conveyors in the region where said conveyors converge, said adjacent downward paths of said conveyors being arranged to convey a folded workpiece downwardly therebetween, said second conveyor having an upwardly inclined path adjacent to the upwardly inclined path of said first conveyor for conveying the folded workpiece upwardly therebetween, said second conveyor diverging from said first conveyor at the top of said upwardly inclined path and travelling in a second generally horizontal path for delivering the folded workpiece, and said second conveyor returning to the beginning of said initial geNerally horizontal path.