Cloth-spreading machine

Claim 2

A cloth-spreading machine including in combination: a spreading table, a spreading carriage reciprocally mounted on said table to reciprocate to-and-fro lengthwise along said table, support means carried by said carriage for supporting each end of a bale of cloth, calender means mounted on said carriage generally vertically below said support means and having two motor driven pull-off rollers between which a web of cloth is pulled off said bale, and a cut-off device below said pull-off rollers, adjustment means for said support means for changing the position of said support means relative to said carriage in a direction parallel to the direction of reciprocation of said carriage, for keeping the web of cloth vertical between its tangentially leaving said bale and its passing through said pull-off rollers, and power means for driving said adjustment means, and sensing means responsive to horizontal changes in position lengthwise of said table of the plane of said web, for activating said power means for moving said support means relative to said pull-off rollers so as to keep said web vertical as said bale unwinds and gets narrower in diameter.

Claim 3

A cloth-spreading machine as claimed in claim 1, having means for adjusting each end of the pull-off roller which bears on the outside of the web of cloth to adjust horizontally toward and away from its companion roller, said means for adjusting comprising an axial shaft for said pull-off roller, journals for said shaft at its opposite ends, said journals being movable horizontally and in th lengthwise direction of said table, and a pair of manually operated eccentric levers mounted on opposite sides of said carriage and secured to said journals for moving them in said lengthwise direction.

Claim 4

A cloth-spreading machine as claimed in claim 1 having as said sensing means a photocell connected to said power means.

Claim 5

A cloth-spreading machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said support means includes a pair of parallel horizontal support rods extending in and adjustable individually by said power-driven adjustment means in the lengthwise direction of said spreading table, there being a pair of said adjustment means and a corresponding pair of said power means, and second sensing means adjustable to scan one edge of said cloth web and able to actuate each of said power means separately to prevent lateral creep of said web in either direction.

Claim 6

A cloth spreading machine as claimed in claim 4 in which each said support rod has a portion of its length telescopically guided in a rectangular-section hollow guide and has at the other end a mounting for one end of a shaft forming part of said support means carrying the bale of cloth.

Claim 7

A cloth-spreading machine as claimed in claim 5 in which a part of the support rod is formed as a rack, and a pinion for adjusting said rod, engaging said rack.

Claim 8

A cloth-spreading machine as claimed in claim 6 having as each said power means a geared motor for driving each said pinion, each said motor being located in said support meanS, and means for adjusting th position of each said motor relatively to said carriage in a horizontal direction transverse to the movement of said carriage.

Claim 9

A cloth-spreading machine as claimed in claim 5 in which said support means includes a frame of rectangular section and, mounted on it, a box-shaped component having opposite walls which carry said hollow guides.

Claim 10

A cloth-spreading machine as claimed in claim 4 including, as said second sensing means, light barrier means for scanning either the folded edge or the open side of a doubled web of cloth.

Claim 11

A cloth-spreading machine including in combination: a spreading table, a spreading carriage reciprocally mounted on said table to reciprocate to-and-fro lengthwise along said table, support means for a bale of cloth carried by said carriage, calender means mounted on said carriage and having two motor driven pull-off rollers and a cut-off device, adjustment means for said support means for changing the position of said support means relative to said carriage in a direction parallel to the direction of reciprocation of said carriage, a photocell responsive to horizontal changes of position lengthwise of said table of the plane of a web of cloth hanging down from said bale and between said pull-off rollers, and power means for driving said adjustment means, controlled by and actuated by said photocell.

Claim 12

A cloth-spreading machine including in combination: a spreading table, a spreading carriage reciprocally mounted on said table to reciprocate to-and-fro lengthwise along said table, support means for a bale of cloth carried by said carriage, calender means mounted on said carriage and having two motor driven pull-off rollers and a cut-off device, adjustment means for said support means for changing the position of said support means relative to said carriage in a direction parallel to the direction of reciprocation of said carriage, a photocell responsive to horizontal changes of position lengthwise of said table of the plane of a web of cloth hanging down from said bale and between said pull-off rollers, and power means for driving said adjustment means, controlled by and actuated by said photocell.

Claim 13

The cloth-spreading machine of claim 10 wherein said calender means is mounted generally vertically below said support means and said photocell so actuates and adjusts said adjustment means that the web of cloth is kept vertical between said bale and said calender means even though the diameter of the bale decreases as cloth is pulled off therefrom.

Claim 14

The cloth spreading machine of claim 10 having a horizontal rod mounted transversely on said carriage, said photocell being supported by said rod and being adjustable thereon.

Claim 15

A cloth-spreading machine including in combination: a spreading table, a spreading carriage reciprocatingly mounted on said table to reciprocate to-and-fro lengthwise along said table, support means for each end of a bale of cloth carried by said carriage, calender means mounted on said carriage and having two motor-driven pull-off rollers and a cut-off device, adjustment means for said support means for changing the position of each said support means relative to said carriage in a direction parallel to the direction of reciprocation of said carriage, light barrier means for scanning either the folded edge or the open side of a doubled web of cloth and for actuating one of said adjustment means if the web shifts laterally to counteract said lateral shift, a photocell responsive to horizontal changes of position lengthwise of said table of the plane of a web of cloth hanging down from said bale and between said pull-off rollers, a horizontal rod on which said photocell and said light barrier are located, said horizontal rod being displaceable in a bearing bush mounted on said carriage, and power means for driving said adjustment means, controlled by and actuated by said photocell and said light barrier means.

Claim 16

A cloth-spreading machine including in combination: a spreading table, a spreading carriage reciprocatingly mounted on said table to reciprocate to-and-fro lengthwise along said table, support means for each end of a bale of cloth carried by said carriage, calender means mounted on said carriage and having two motor-driven pull-off rollers and a cut-off device, adjustment means for said support means for changing the position of each said support means relative to said carriage in a direction parallel to the direction of reciprocation of said carriage, light barrier means for scanning either the folded edge or the open side of a doubled web of cloth and for actuating one of said adjustment means if the web shifts laterally to counteract said lateral shift, a photocell responsive to horizontal changes of position lengthwise of said table of the plane of a web of cloth hanging down from said bale and between said pull-off rollers, a horizontal rod on which said photocell and said light barrier are located, said horizontal rod being displaceable in a bearing bush mounted on said carriage, and power means for driving said adjustment means, controlled by and actuated by said photocell and said light barrier means.