US2546831A - Method and apparatus for automatically making rectangular sheets of fabric - Google Patents

Description

E. C. -N EWELL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY March 27, 1951 MAKING RECTANGULAR SHEETS OF FABRIC Filed June 21, 1947 18Sheets-Sheet 1 om 00 u.

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0 N A 0 i Patented Mar. 27, 1951 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATI- CALLY MAKING RECTANGULAR SHEETS OF FABRIC Edward C. Newell, Derry Village, N. H.

Application June 21, 1947, Serial No. 756,244

21 Claims. (01. 1122) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically making in sequence from a bolt of flexible sheet material of predetermined width rectangular articles severed from the sheet material and hemmed at their respective severed ends.

More particularly the invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically making in sequence from a continuous web of woven fabric strictly rectangular bed sheets or other rec tangular articles severed from the web of fabric with the severed ends thereof hemmed without manual handling, even though the weft is skewed.

The terms accurately rectangular and/or strictly rectangular are used herein as defining a construction conforming to a commercial standard of accuracy and not necessarily to mathe matical accuracy.

Usual methods of making rectangular bed sheets and like rectangular articles of fabric com prise tearing the web of cloth transversely along a weft thread into suitable lengths for the sheet or other article, folding the section torn from the cloth, piling such sections on hand trucks by which they are transported to suitable benches in proximity to sewing machines, taking the sheets individually from the pile, unfolding them, sew ing. hems along the torn edges thereof when the hems are of different width by separate hemstitching sewing machines, cutting the threads at the end of the sewing operation, then inspecting the sheets or other articles, selecting and marking the imperfect ones as rejects, again piling the sheets which pass inspection upon trucks for transportation to pressing machines, and finally manual operations have been required.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus by means of which accurately rectangular sheets and other articles are successively produced from a bolt of suitable material, the severed endshemmed, the ends of the hems closed, and the sheets or other articles delivered without manual handling ready tobe folded and packaged.

The method of the present invention comprises automatically intermittently forwarding the web of material, from a bolt thereof, in the direction of its length in a horizontal plane, inspecting the traveling web and upon discovery of a removable blemish applying to the portion of the web containing it indicia denoting such blemish, examining the traveling web for flaws, and upon discovery of a flaw automatically severing the flaw-containing portion transversely of the web and discharging such portion, forwarding and measur ing the web of perfect material, measuring a section thereof corresponding to the desired length of the sheet or other article to be hemmed, severing the web, perpendicular to the longitudinal edges of the sheet or other article, to insure accurate rectangularity thereof, transporting the measured and severed section laterally to hemfolding position, arresting it in such position, and simultaneously first-folding the cut marginal end edges upon the body of said section, then folding hems of desired width upon the body of the section with the marginal infolded edge portions therebetween, and permanently securing the hems thus folded to the body of the section and discharging the finished article.

The method of making strictly rectangular bed sheets and other articles of woven fabric also comprises severing the web along a weft thread irrespective of its "angular relation to the longitudinally extending warp threads, straightening the sheet to true rectangular form, spreading the sheet-forming section laterally and longitudinally to remove wrinkles therefrom, and after the folding of the hems forwarding it in the direction of the weft thread, stitching the hems longitudinally and the ends of the hems laterally to close the ends thereof, and cutting the threads connecting successive sections closely adjacent to the ends of the respective hems.

A further object of the invention is to provide suitable apparatus for performing the method above described in which one of the objects is to provide means for automatically inspecting the web of fabric throughout its width as it is drawn from a bolt, preferably in the form of a roll, having means operable upon detection of blemishes, such as soiled spots, to apply to the section of the sheet containing the same means indicative of the necessity of laundering or other treatment.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatically operated means for severing the web transversely along a weft thread irrespective of the angular relation thereof relatively to the 3 longitudinal weft threads if the weft threads are in skewed relation thereto.

A further object or the invention is to provide means for examining the traveling Web to determine imperfections such as faults or flaws in the weave of the fabric which warrant its rejection, and :mean operable thereby to arrest .the web to sever the Section containing the imperfection therefrom and to discharge the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism for automatically measuring from the leading edge of the web to the :seve'ringimeans a distance equal to that required to roduce a hemmed sheet of predetermined length, and severing the sheet at the end of said distance-along a weft thread.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for straightening the severed section .of the web both longitudinally and laterally to true rectangular form.

Another object of the invention is-to :provide .means for transferring the sectioniof fabric,-thus straightened, laterally in the direction of the weft to suitable mechanism, operable simultaneously,

for folding both of the-cutends-of the-web to form thereupon hems, which desirably are-of-different widths.

A further object of the invention is tovprovide means for advancing the-section of the web in the direction of the wefts thereof and fixedly securing'the folded hem portions upon the body of "said section.

Another'object of the invention is-tc provide means for automatically stitching-during said forwarding movement, the longitudinal edges of the hems to-the *bodyportion-o-f :the sheet, together with'means for stitching the 'open'ends of thehemsto the body of the sheet during'the travelingmovement thereof.

'Another object of the invention isto-provide mechanism for severing the stitching threads connecting adjacent ends of successive sheets closely to the respective end ofthe sheets thereby toproduce a complete hemmed sheet.

Another objectof the invention is to provide alternative means for automatically .cemen ting the hems to the body of the sheetin place of stitching above described.

.Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for performing the metho'd above described in which the timing of the operations of the respective mechanisms are controlled and co-ordinated by suitable photoelectric .mechanisms of a usual commercial type such as may be obtained from the General Electric Company, Photoswitch, Incorporated, or othermanufacturers of such photoelectric apparatus and which need not be illustrated.

These and other objects and'features of the invention will more fully appear from the fol lowing description and the accompanying drawings and'willbe particularly pointed out in the claims.

A suitable apparatus thus oontrolled'byphotoelectric means for making bed sheets and like articles is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. lis'a general diagrammatic plan view illustrating essential portions'of the associated mechanisms for inspectingatraveling web of fabric as it is fed from a cylindrical bolt, mechanism for'measur ing and straightening the severed-sections, means for delivering the straightened section to the hem-folding imechanism, the mechanism for stitching and closing the hems, and

means for severing the threads connecting 'su cessive sheets;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of the mechanism for inspecting and examining the traveling web, the cutter mechanism for severing the sheet transversely, the means for positioning the cutter mechanismdn parallelism with ,the'weft thread, and apportion of the mechanisms the cutting'mechanism on line 33 Fig. 2, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow; Fig. 3a is a detail vertical sectional view on line 3a-3a Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view on .line 4-4 Fig. 3, .viewed .in .thedirection .of .the

arrow;

Fig. 5 is an-end elevationof the-construction shown in Fig. 1, illustrating themannerin a cylindrical bolt of material issupported on the frame of the machine and diagrammaticallyillu'strating the inspection and examiningphoto'l'e'otrio mechanism, the cutting mechanism, and

mechanism for forwardingthe webandthemechanism for straightening laterallythe severed portion of said section;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail diagrammaticplan yiew of the mechanismioriorwarding and. measuring a section of the webof desired .length..'the photoelectric mechanism for arresting the web and severing the measured section therefrom, the mechanismfor. spreading itllaterally andil'ongitudinally, and a portion of themechanismfor forwarding the severedsectionito.fdlding mecha- .nism;

Fig. 6a is an enlarged fdtail vertical sectional view on line, 6a6a Fig. .6 showing in elevation the lower endless belt mechanism "for forwarding the web of material to measuring position and the means for raisingandjlowerin tlre same and alsoshowing mainly in elevationandpartly in vertical section the upper-endless beltme'chanismextending transversely thereof, themeans for spreadin the webilongitudin'ally after it Zis severed, and the means .for actuating the upper endless belt;

Fig. 6b is an .enlargeddetail vertical sectional view on .line lib-56b and Figure 6 particularly illustrating the individual mechanisms for driving the respective lower forwardingl'belts and'the means for actuating the same to spread the Web laterally; I

Fig. .7 'is a side elevation of the hemffold'ing and art of the them completing portion-of the machine, a portion of the frame being broken away to show the mechanism for supporting and actuating the folder mechanism, and also illustrating the endless belt forwarding mechanism for positioning the severed sheet forming section in folding position;

Fig. 7a is anenlarged detail view ofsone end portion of the hem folding mechanismshowing in section a platefor supporting asheet between adjacent short forwarding belts;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail .VieWofthe-sheetsupporting plate shown in :Fig. 37d; 7

Fig. 9 is an enlarged .detail .vertical sectional view of one of the =folder mechanisms :and the mechanism for .actuating the same, the [folder mechanism being shown in initial position ;preparatory to the hem folding operation and illus-

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