Automatic apparatus for closing the toe of a seamless stocking

Claim 1

In an automatic toe-closing apparatus having a sewing device for closing an open toe-end portion of a seamless, knitted hose and clamping means for temporarily clamping and holding the open toe-end portion of individual, successive hose for closing by said sewing device, the improvement which comprises: a plurality of angularly spaced holding devices for individually holding thereon open toe hose for sewing and closing an open toe-end portion thereof, each holding device having a suction tube extending therethrough, mounting means mounting said holding devices angularly spaced radially about an axis and for rotating them in fixed relative positions about said axis, suctionapplying means for selectively applying a suction to the individual suction tubes of said holding devices for drawing the open-toe-end portion of individual hose thereinto, each holding device having surfaces over which the invidvidual hose are drawn longitudinally inside-out after being sucked into said suction tube thereof, reversible drawing on and drawing-off means actuated automatically for drawing-on the hose inside-out over said surfaces with open toe-end portion disposed on a free end of corresponding holding device and for later drawing-off the hose from said surfaces by everting them after the open toe-end position is closed, drive means driving said mounting means rotationally about said axis to index and successively position the holding devices with a hose inside-out thereon with said open toe-end portion thereof extending therefrom for clamping thereof by said clamping means while sewn closEd by said sewing device.