Apparatus for attaching fusible backing pieces to textile pieces

Claim 2

Apparatus for use in attaching to a piece of textile material a backing piece having a fusible thermoplastic material on at least one of its two sides, the apparatus comprising two cooperating pressure rollers, means biasing at least one of said rollers towards the other, heating means and conveying means for conveying through said heating means superimposed textile and backing pieces and for thereafter passing the superimposed textile pieces through the nip of said two cooperating pressure rollers, whereby said superimposed pieces are pressed together between said rollers, said conveying means having an entrance end and an exit end, said conveying means comprising two endless conveyer belts, means driving said conveyer belts and means guiding said conveyer belts to follow a common path from said entrance end to said exit end, and to follow different paths from said exit end to said entrance end of the conveying means, said heating means comprising a plurality of elongated elements extending along parallel axes transverse to said conveying path, said elements being spaced apart along said conveying path and alternate said elements along said path being on opposite sides of said conveying path, said elements being disposed so that said conveyer belts are deflected by each said element along the conveying path, whereby effective contact of said belts with said elements is ensured.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, including individual heating means for each of said elongated elements.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2, wHerein said elongated elements are arranged in a plurality of successive groups along the conveying path, and wherein said apparatus includes control means for said heating means operable to maintain the elements of the last group at a predetermined temperature equal to the desired temperature of the said thermoplastics material before pressing said superimposed pieces together and to maintain the rollers of the first group at a predetermined lower temperature.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said elongated elements are rollers rotatable about said parallel axes.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said elongated elements are fixed units in the form of hollow beams of uniform cross-section perpendicular to said axes and provided with deflecting surfaces over which said conveyer belts pass in contact in passing along said common path.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said deflecting surfaces are outwardly convex or angled in cross-section.

Claim 8

Apparatus for use in attaching to a piece of textile material a backing piece having a fusible thermoplastic material on at least one of its two sides, the apparatus comprising two cooperating pressure rollers, means biasing at least one of said rollers towards the other, heating means, conveying means for conveying through said heating means superimposed textile and backing pieces and for thereafter passing the superimposed textile pieces through the nip of said two cooperating pressure rollers, whereby said superimposed pieces are pressed together between said rollers, said conveying means having an entrance end and an exit end, said conveying means comprising two endless conveyer belts, means driving said conveyer belts, and means guiding said conveyer belts to follow a common path from said entrance end to said exit end, and to follow different paths from said exit end to said entrance end of the conveying means, a counter roller on the upstream side of said pressure rollers, and means biasing said counter roller against one of said pressure rollers, said means guiding said conveyer belts operating to cause said conveyer belts, in following said common path and prior to passing through the nip of said pressure rollers, to pass first in an arc around said counter roller and in contact with a substantial part of the circumference of said counter roller, subsequently through the nip between said counter roller and said one pressure roller, then in an arc of opposite curvature around and in contact with a substantial part of the circumference of said one pressure roller, said last mentioned part extending from the nip between said one pressure roller and said counter roller to the nip between said pressure rollers.

Claim 9

Apparatus for use in attaching to a piece of textile material a backing piece having a fusible thermoplastic material on at least one of its two sides, the apparatus comprising two cooperating pressure rollers, means biasing at least one of said rollers towards the other, heating means, conveying means for conveying through said heating means superimposed textile and backing pieces and for thereafter passing the superimposed textile pieces through the nip of said two cooperating pressure rollers, whereby said superimposed pieces are pressed together between said rollers, said conveying means having an entrance end and an exit end, said conveying means comprising two endless conveyer belts, means driving said conveyer belts, and means guiding said conveyer belts to follow a common path from said entrance end to said exit end, and to follow different paths from said exit end to said entrance end of the conveying means, a counter roller on the upstream side of said pressure rollers, and means biasing said counter roller against one of said pressure rollers, said means guiding said conveyer belts operating to cause said conveyer belts, in following said common path and prior to passing through the nip of said pressure rollers, to pass first in an arc around said counter roller and in contact with a substantial part of the circumference of said counter roller, subsequently through the nip between said counter roller and said one pressure roller, then in an arc of opposite curvature around and in contact with a substantial part of the circumference of said one pressure roller, said last mentioned part extending from the nip between said one pressure roller and said counter roller to the nip between said pressure rollers.