Top sheet separating, hold-back-down mechanism

Claim 2

A fabric feeding machine comprising means for supporting a stack of fabric work pieces to be transferred singly to a predetermined position, a pick-up device, mechanism for laterally moving the pick-up device between a pick-up position over the stack and a work release position adjacent to said predetermined position, and a work restraining mechanism for controlling the top and successive plies of the stack, the restraining mechanism comprising a separator means including a baffle disposed at least in part heightwise over the margin of the top ply remote from said predetermined position, mechanism for flowing air along the undersurface of said baffle to loosen and lift the top ply margin from the stack, and a hold-back means movable to restrain the lifted ply margin in cooperation with the baffle.

Claim 3

A fabric feeding machine comprising means for supporting a stack of fabric workpieces to be transferred singly to a predetermined position, a pick-up device, mechanism for laterally moving the pick-up device between a pick-up position over the stack and a work release position adjacent to said predetermined position, and a work restraining mechanism for controlling the top and successive plies of the stack, the restraining mechanism comprising a separator means including a baffle, disposed at least in part heightwise over the margin of the top ply remote from said predetermined position, the baffle including a flat portion substantially parallel to the top ply and an arcuate portion extending heightwise thereof, mechanism for flowing air along the undersurface of said baffle to loosen and lift the top ply margin from the stack, the mechanism for flowing air being adapted initially to direct a higher air speed flow along the undersurface of said flat portion and over the top ply margin and away from the pick-up device, and then a lowered speed air flow to lift the loosened top ply margin into proximity with said arcuate portion of the baffle, a hold-back means movable to restrain the lifted ply margin in cooperation with the baffle, and control mechanism operable to move the hold-back into work restraining relation to the baffle when the lower speed air flow is operating.

Claim 4

A fabric feeding machine comprising means for supporting a stack of fabric workpieces to be transferred singly to a predetermined position, a pick-up device, mechanism for laterally moving the pick-up device between a pick-up position over the stack and a work release position adjacent to said predetermined position, and a work restraining mechanism for controlling the top and successive plies of the stack, the restraining mechanism comprising a separator means including a baffle, disposed at least in part heightwise over the margin of the top ply remote from said predetermined position, the baffle including a flat portion substantially parallel to the top ply and an arcuate portion extending heightwise thereof, mechanism for flowing air along the undersurface of said baffle to loosen and lift the top ply margin from the stack, the mechanism for flowing air being adapted initially to direct a higher air speed flow along the undersurface of said flat portion and over the top ply margin and away from the pick-up device, and then a lowered speed air flow to lift the loosened top ply margin into proximity with said arcuate portion of the baffle, a hold-back means movable to restrain the lifted ply margin in cooperation with the baffle, and control mechanism operable to move the hold-back into work restraining relation to the baffle when the lower speed air flow is operating.

Claim 5

A fabric feeding machine comprising means for supporting a stack of fabric workpieces to be transferred singly to a predetermined position, a pick-up device, mechanism for laterally moving the pick-up device between the pick-up position over the stack and a work release position adjacent to said predetermined position, a work restraining mechanism for controlling the top and successive plies of the stack, the restraining mechanism comprising a separator means including a baffle disposed in part heightwise over the margin of the top ply remote from said predetermined position, mechanism for flowing air along the undersurface of said baffle to loosen and lift the top ply margin from the stack, a hold-back means movable to restrain the lifted ply margin in cooperation with the baffle, a sensor associated with the baffle in its heightwise extending portion and responsive to the presence of the margin of a fabric ply lifted adjacent thereto and a control means including the sensor for discontinuing operation of the machine cycle when the sensor fails to signal the presence of the lifted margin.

Claim 6

A fabric feeding machine comprising means for supporting a stack of fabric workpieces to be transferred singly to a predetermined position, a pick-up device, mechanism for laterally moving the pick-up device between the pick-up position over the stack and a work release position adjacent to said predetermined position, a work restraining mechanism for controlling the top and successive plies of the stack, the restraining mechanism comprising a separator means including a baffle disposed in part heightwise over the margin of the top ply remote from said predetermined position, mechanism for flowing air along the undersurface of said baffle to loosen and lift the top ply margin from the stack, a hold-back means movable to restrain the lifted ply margin in cooperation with the baffle, a sensor associated with the baffle in its heightwise extending portion and responsive to the presence of the margin of a fabric ply lifted adjacent thereto and a control means including the sensor for discontinuing operation of the machine cycle when the sensor fails to signal the presence of the lifted margin.

Claim 7

For use in a machine having a pick-up device movable for feeding successive fabric plies singly from the top of the stack and delivering them to a predetermined position, mechanism operable to restrain the margin of the successive plies on the opposite side of the device from said predetermined position, said mechanism including in combination a baffle extending from near the top of the stack and outwardly heightwise thereof over said margin, means for flowing air outwardly of the stack and along the adjacent surface of the baffle to loosen and relatively lift the top ply margin substantially into contact therewith, a hold-back device mounted to move into cooperative work restraining relation with the baffle, the hold-back device including a plurality of pointed work-engageable elements, a movable holder for convexly disposing the pointed elements, and mechanism for causing the holder to move said elements yieldingly into work clamping relation against the baffle each time the air flow has lifted a fabric margin thereagainst, and mechanism for operating the margin restraining mechanism as the pick-up device is about to transfer the top ply from a stack.

Claim 8

For use in a machine having a pick-up device movable for feeding successive fabric plies singly from the top of the stack and delivering them to a predetermined position, mechanism operable to restrain the margin of the successive plies on the opposite side of the device from said predetermined position, said mechanism including in combination a baffle extending from near the top of the stack and outwardly heightwise thereof over said margin, means for flowing air outwardly of the stack and along the adjacent surface of the baffle to loosen and relatively lift the top ply margin substantially into contact therewith, a hold-back device mounted to move into cooperative work restraining relation with the baffle, the hold-back device including a plurality of pointed work-engageable elements, a movable holder for convexly disposing the pointed elements, and mechanism for causing the holder to move said elements yieldingly into work clamping relation against the baffle each time the air flow has lifted a fabric margin thereagainst, and mechanism for operating the margin restraining mechanism as the pick-up device is about to transfer the top ply from a stack.

Claim 9

Mechanism as set forth in claim 4 wherein the hold-back device further includes a movable support for pivotally mounting said holder, mechanism for cyclically moving the support to carry the holder between an inoperative out-of-the-way position and an operative position over the stack, and means associated with the support for releasably retaining the holder in selected angular relation thereon.

Claim 10

Mechanism as set forth in claim 5 wherein the means for releasably retaining the holder is a magnet secured to the support, and a reset cam is disposed to restore the holder into engagement with the magnet when the attractive force of the latter has been overcome by the pick-up device in tensioning and transferring a fabric ply from said pointed elements.

Claim 11

In a machine having a reciprocable pick-up device adapted to deliver successive fabric sheets from the top of a stack to a delivery position, a baffle disposed over the margin of the stack on the opposite side of the pick-up from the delivery position, a nozzle disposed between the baffle and a top sheet of the stack for directing a stream of air outwardly over the margin of the top ply of the stack and lifting said top ply margin against the baffle, a hold-back means for yieldingly restraining the lifted top ply margin and any second ply margin clinging thereto cooperatively with the baffle against tension imparted by the pick-up device, the hold-back means including a biased pointed means mounted for relative fabric clamping movement with respect to the portion of the baffle extending upwardly from the stack, a retarder means acting on the pointed means to cause it to tension the fabric being seized by the pick-up device until a predetermined tension is reached, and a hold-down means for clamping the fabric sheets remaining in the stack.

Claim 12

In a machine having a reciprocable pick-up device adapted to deliver successive fabric sheets from the top of a stack to a delivery position, a baffle disposed over the margin of the stack on the opposite side of the pick-up from the delivery position, a nozzle disposed between the baffle and a top sheet of the stack for directing a stream of air outwardly over the margin of the top ply of the stack and lifting said top ply margin against the baffle, a hold-back means for yieldingly restraining the lifted top ply margin and any second ply margin clinging thereto cooperatively with the baffle against tension imparted by the pick-up device, the hold-back means including a biased pointed means mounted for relative fabric clamping movement with respect to the portion of the baffle extending upwardly from the stack, a retarder means acting on the pointed means to cause it to tension the fabric being seized by the pick-up device until a predetermined tension is reached, and a hold-down means for clamping the fabric sheets remaining in the stack.

Claim 13

A machine as set forth in claim 7 wherein the pointed means is adapted to contact and retain only the ply contacted thereby.

Claim 14

A machine as set forth in claim 7 wherein the retarder means for controlling said predetermined tension in the fabric Is a magnet.

Claim 15

A machine as set forth in claim 7 wherein the baffle is formed with a slot disposed to be covered by a portion of the lifted margin of the top ply, a sensing mechanism is disposed adjacent to said slot, and a control member receivable in the slot in the absence of the top ply margin being raised to cover the slot is effective to cause the sensing mechanism to discontinue or recycle operation of the machine.