Hosiery Manufacture

Claim 2

Everting apparatus for hose-making plant, comprising a suction tube, roller means for drawing hose welt-first onto said tube to dispose a toe portion of the hose in engagement with the end of said tube, said roller means thereupon being operable to exert and maintain a presettable tension on the hose with the toe end thereof in engagement as aforesaid, and means for applying suction to said tube and for relieving said tension exerted on the hose, whereby the hose is sucked toe-first into said tube and accordingly is caused to be everted.

Claim 3

Everting apparatus according to claim 1, including flattening means operable to flatten a hose toe seam, said flattening means being operable while said tension is maintained on the hose.

Claim 4

Everting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said flattening means comprises a reciprocal tubulaR member movable telescopically within said suction tube.

Claim 5

Everting apparatus according to claim 3, including ram means for forcing the tubular member to protrude from the said end of said suction tube to flatten a hose toe seam.

Claim 6

Everting apparatus according to claim 1, including roller drive means comprising a presettable slipping clutch to govern the tension exerted by said roller means.

Claim 7

Everting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller means comprises a pair of contra-rotatable rollers disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said tube for gripping the hose to be everted to said tube.

Claim 8

Everting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said rollers are mounted for movement between an idle position out of engagement with said tube, and an operative hose-drawing position in engagement with a hose disposed on said tube.

Claim 9

Everting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the means for relieving said tension includes means to move the rollers to the idle position.

Claim 10

Everting apparatus according to claim 1, further including reciprocable and releasable clamp means movable lengthwise along said tube to draw hose to be everted partly onto said tube.

Claim 11

Everting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said clamp means is adapted to push the hose along said tube whilst suction is applied to assist in transferring the hose into said tube.

Claim 12

Everting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said clamp means comprises an arcuate shoe, a leg bearing said shoe at one end, and a carriage movable lengthwise with respect to said tube, said leg being pivotally mounted to said carriage to allow said shoe to be moved towards and away from a clamping position against the tube.

Claim 13

Everting apparatus according to claim 9, including camming means to control the operation of said roller means in timed response to lengthwise movements of said clamp means.

Claim 14

Everting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said roller means comprises a pair of driven rollers journalled on rockably-mounted arms for rocking movement towards and away from said tube, and said clamp means comprises an arcuate shoe, a leg bearing said shoe at one end and a carriage movable reciprocally lengthwise with respect to said tube, said leg being pivoted to the carriage to allow said shoe to be moved towards and away from said tube, and the said camming means comprising a cam interconnection between said roller means and said clamp means to move said roller arms whereby the two rollers engage with a hose on said tube after operation of said clamp means to draw the hose partly onto the tube.

Claim 15

Everting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said cam interconnection comprises a pivoted cam, associated cam followers which are carried on the roller arms and a lost-motion connection between said cam and said carriage for pivoting said cam in response to carriage movement, said cam having dwells serving to establish timed movement of said rollers with respect to the operation of said clamp means thereby to allow said clamp means to draw the hose partly onto said tube before said pivoting cam moves said rollers into engagement with said tube.

Claim 16

Everting apparatus according to claim 13, including a clamp cam to which said pivoted clamp leg is coupled for moving said clamp shoe between clamping and releasing positions, said clamp cam having an elongated dwell to maintain said shoe in its clamping position during a major part of the carriage movement and cam rises at the ends of said dwell to move said shoe between its clamping and releasing positions.

Claim 17

Everting apparatus according to claim 15 including a clamp ram to move the clamp cam longitudinally and a carriage ram to reciprocate said carriage, said rams being operable to effect the following sequence of events, namely: i. the clamp ram is initially actuated, while said clamp shoe is in a released, ready position adjacent the said end of said tube, to shift said clamp cam and cause a first cam rise thereOn to move the shoe to the clamping position. ii. the carriage ram is actuated to move the carriage and the shoe through a hose-drawing stroke, a second cam rise of said clamp cam being operative at the end of the stroke to move said shoe to its releasing position, iii. said clamp ram is operated a second time after hose-tensioning by said rollers to shift said clamp cam once again whereby said second cam rise is operable to return the shoe to its clamping position, and iv. said carriage ram is operated a second time to return said carriage and said shoe to the said end of said tube.

Claim 18

Everting apparatus according to claim 16, further including seam flattening means and a drive ram therefor, and the carriage is operable during a hose-drawing stroke thereof to actuate drive means for the rollers and to start a timer, said timer being operatively associated with said flattening ram to actuate the latter after a preset time has elapsed whilst tension on the hose is maintained by said rollers.

Claim 19

Everting apparatus according to claim 17, including a valve, associated with said flattening means, which is switchable when said flattening means has been actuated to return the flattening ram and the flattening means to an idle position, to de-activate said roller drive means, and to actuate said carriage ram for returning said carriage.

Claim 20

Everting apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said clamp ram is further operable i. during the carriage return movement to shift said clamp cam to hold said shoe in its clamping position until the the end of said carriage return movement, and ii. at the end of this movement to shift the clamp cam whereby the first cam rise moves the shoe to its released, ready position.

Claim 21

Everting apparatus according to claim 17, including valving actuatable by said carriage during reciprocal movement thereof to control the said rams.

Claim 24

A method according to claim 21, including the step of punch-flattening a toe seam of the hose whilst the hose is maintained under tension and prior to sucking the hose into the tube.