Needle for automatically handling layers of material

Claim 2

A needle selector assembly for separating one or more layers of material from a pile of a plurality of layers of the material, said assembly comprising first and second hollow curved needles and a container assembly for housing said needles, said container assembly including a single bore and comprising a first, upper container attached to a second, lower container by an adjustable screw, said first container retaining said needles, said second container comprising first and second curved passageways adapted to receive and guide said needles when said containers are moved towards one another by adjustment of said screw, said needles adapted to project outwardly from said bore into said pile of layers of material to comprise means for directing air between material layers.

Claim 3

A needle assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said curved passageways has the configuration of an arc of a circle.

Claim 4

A needle assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said passageways are obliquely positioned with respect to one another and intersect adjacent to said single bore, said single bore being located at the bottom of said second container.

Claim 5

A needle assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said needles are attached to said upper container by screws.

Claim 6

A needle assembly for handling and separating a predetermined number of layers of fabric from a plurality of layers of fabric, said assembly comprising: (a) a lower container having an upper surface, a lower surface and a single bore adjacent a medial portion of said lower surface, said lower container further comprising first and second passageways extending in symmetrically opposite directions from the upper surface of said lower container to a point adjacent to the bottom surface of said lower container and adjacent to said single bore; (b) an upper container fixedly housing first and second hollow, curved needles which are secured to an upper portion of said upper container by screws; and (c) an adjustment screw connecting said first container to said second container and extending beyond an upper surface of said first container, whereby said adjustment screw can be turned so as to selectively bring said first and second containers closer to one another or space them farther apart from one another, so that when said containers are brought towards one another by movement of said adjustment screw, said curved needles will move through respective passageways in said lower container and extend outwardly through said bore beyond the bottom surface of said lower container, such that when layers of material are positioned below said bottom surface of said lower container said needles will penetrate through one or more layers of material, and whereby said needles are adapted to introduce atmospheric air between said layers of material into which said needles penetrate.

Claim 7

A needle assembly for handling and separating a predetermined number of layers of fabric from a plurality of layers of fabric, said assembly comprising: (a) a lower container having an upper surface, a lower surface and a single bore adjacent a medial portion of said lower surface, said lower container further comprising first and second passageways extending in symmetrically opposite directions from the upper surface of said lower container to a point adjacent to the bottom surface of said lower container and adjacent to said single bore; (b) an upper container fixedly housing first and second hollow, curved needles which are secured to an upper portion of said upper container by screws; and (c) an adjustment screw connecting said first container to said second container and extending beyond an upper surface of said first container, whereby said adjustment screw can be turned so as to selectively bring said first and second containers closer to one another or space them farther apart from one another, so that when said containers are brought towards one another by movement of said adjustment screw, said curved needles will move through respective passageways in said lower container and extend outwardly through said bore beyond the bottom surface of said lower container, such that when layers of material are positioned below said bottom surface of said lower container said needles will penetrate through one or more layers of material, and whereby said needles are adapted to introduce atmospheric air between said layers of material into which said needles penetrate.