EP0518184A1

EP0518184A1 - Device for forming socks, stockings and the like

Info

Publication number: EP0518184A1
Application number: EP92109288A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Carmelo Angelo Cortese
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-06-07
Filing date: 1992-06-02
Publication date: 1992-12-16
Also published as: ITBO910203A0; IT1246010B; ITBO910203A1

Abstract

Device for forming socks or stockings including: a supporting element (2) for supporting the socks or stockings which has a vertically elongated shape and which is guidable in a stepwise manner at appropriate treatment stations; a foot element (7) which is shaped according to the contour of the foot and which is pivoted at the top of the supporting element so as to rotate between an angled position and a position which is practically aligned with the supporting element; and at least one tension element (9) which is articulated, at its ends, respectively to the supporting element and to the shaped element, and which is actuatable at its base so as to move between a spaced position and an adjacent position with respect to the supporting element, and so as to actuate the corresponding rotation of the shaped element between the angled position and the aligned position, respectively to form the socks or stockings and to facilitate the fitting and removal of the socks or stockings on and from the device.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for forming men's socks and women's stockings.
It is known that in the manufacture of socks and stockings there are provided forming steps which are usually performed by means of appropriate frames on which the socks or stockings are fitted and stretched. The socks or stockings mounted on the frames are then subjected to appropriate thermal fixing treatments, for example by means of steam in an autoclave, which impart a permanent deformation to the fabric. At the end of these thermal treatments, the socks or stockings have assumed the required shape. The ironing of the stockings or socks can also be performed by means, for example, of infrared ray emitting devices.
The frames used during said forming steps are generally constituted by a template whose contour is substantially the one to be imparted to the sock or stocking. Said template is obtained for example from a metallic plate or from a tubular element which is curved according to the required contour.
In this case, the assigned personnel manually fits the sock or stocking, which is constituted by a practically cylindrical tubular element, onto the frame and then stretches it uniformly.
This operation is not particularly complicated, but requires a considerable effort, due to the shape of the frame. It is in fact necessary to pass over the discontinuity constituted by the bent portion of the frame which corresponds to the foot and to the heel of the sock or stocking. Removal of the sock or stocking from the frame entails the same difficulty. Due to this reason, during this step it is generally necessary to resort to male personnel.
In order to facilitate the above operations, frames have been proposed whose width can be appropriately reduced during the fitting and removal of the socks or stockings. Frames of this kind are constituted for example by a pair of metallic elements which define a respective half of the template and are pivoted at a convergence point, such as the one which constitutes the toe of the foot. The frames are guided in a stepwise manner through a series of successive treatment stations along a line which is provided with appropriate mechanisms suitable to move the two halves of the template mutually closer or further apart; the spaced position obviously corresponds to the position for the forming of the sock or stocking.
However, these frames do not solve the problem of the fitting and removal of the socks or stockings completely, since the discontinuity constituted by the foot of said socks or stockings is not changed significantly.
The fact is furthermore observed that the socks or stockings can be still considerably hot when they are removed, with the risk of burns for the assigned personnel.
Furthermore, the mounting of the socks on the frames can cause damage to the socks themselves, especially when they are made of delicate threads which are generally used for women's stockings and which for example are of a known elastomeric thread type such as Lycra. So called "vanisée" stockings are furthermore known which are made of the above described threads which are externally covered in nylon. Such stockings are easily damaged during the phases of mounting and removal and defective and visible runs can be produced which compromise the quality of the stockings.
The aim of the present invention is to solve the problems encountered in the prior art by providing a device for the forming of socks or stockings which allows to optimally fit and remove said socks or stockings on and from the related fixing frames.
Within the scope of this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a device for the forming of socks or stockings which is simple in concept, safely reliable in operation and versatile in use.
This aim and this object are both achieved, according to the invention, by the present device for forming socks, stockings and the like, which is characterized in that it comprises: a supporting element for supporting said socks or stockings which has a vertically elongated shape and which is guidable in a stepwise manner at appropriate treatment stations; a foot element which is shaped according to the contour of the foot and which is pivoted at the top of the supporting element in a vertical plane thereof, so as to be rotatable between an angled position and a position which is practically aligned with the supporting element; at least one tension element which is articulated, at its ends, respectively to the supporting element and to the foot element, and which is actuatable at its base so as to move between a spaced position and an adjacent position with respect to said supporting element, and so as to actuate the corresponding rotation of said shaped element between said angled position and said aligned position, respectively in order to form said socks or stockings and to facilitate the fitting and removal of said socks or stockings on and from said device.
The details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the device for forming socks or stockings according to the present invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a side view of a device for the forming of men's socks in particular, according to the present invention;
figures 2 and 3 are detail views, respectively in horizontal and vertical cross-section, of an element for retaining the sock or stocking on said device;
figure 4 is a side view of a further embodiment of the device for forming men's socks in particular;
figure 5 is a vertical median sectional view of a further embodiment of the device for forming women's stockings in particular;
figures 6 and 7 are a side view and a median vertical sectional view of a further embodiment of the device, respectively in the forming position and in the position for fitting the socks or stockings;
figure 7a is a detail view of a further embodiment of the device of figure 7;
figures 8 and 9 are corresponding views of a further embodiment of the device according to the invention; and
figures 10 and 11 are median vertical sectional views of a further embodiment of the device respectively in the forming position and in the fitting position.

Initially with reference to figures 1, 2 and 3, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a frame for men's socks in particular, which is suitable to be guided in a known stepwise manner at appropriate treatment stations in which the treatments for forming said socks are performed; in particular the frame 1 is ideal for performing both the fixing and ironing of socks or stockings . The frame 1 is provided with a supporting element 2 which is vertically elongated and on which the socks to be formed are meant to be fitted; the supporting element 2 is fixed, at its base, by means of a coupling 3, to a transfer platform 4.
The supporting element 2 is actually constituted by two symmetrical plates 2a and 2b which are fixed side by side. Said plates have, on their facing sides, a portion which has a reduced thickness at the top, so as to define a slot 5, and a portion with reduced thickness along a vertical side, so as to define a groove 6.
A shaped foot element 7 is inserted in the slot 5 and pivoted to the supporting element 2 so that it can rotate on the plane which is vertically median with respect to the supporting element 2; said shaped element is constituted by a plate which substantially has the contour of the foot of the sock. The shaped foot element 7 is pivoted about a pivot 8 at the top of the supporting element 2, so as to rotate between an angled position and a straight position, shown by the broken line 7a, which is practically aligned with said supporting element.
A tension element 9 is instead guided in the groove 6 and is constituted by a rod which is articulated, proximate to its ends, to the supporting element 2 and to the foot element 7. More precisely, the rod 9 is articulated to the supporting element 2 by means of a connecting rod 10 which is arranged at an enlarged portion 6a of the groove 6, and is pivoted to the foot 7 by means of a pivot 11 which is spaced from the pivot 8 for the pivoting of said foot by an extent which corresponds to the center distance of articulation of the connecting rod 10.
The rod 9 is arranged along the front side of the frame with respect to the shape of the sock defined by the foot element 7.
At its lower end, the rod 9 passes through an opening 12 of the platform 4 and is provided with a rotating roller 13 by means of which it can engage appropriate cam means for actuation which are not shown in the drawing. Said cam means are suitable to actuate the reciprocating vertical movement of the roller 13 so as to cause the movement of the rod 9 between a lowered position of extraction or spacing from the supporting element 2 and a raised position, partially shown by the broken lines 9a, in which it is retracted or arranged adjacent to said supporting element. A spring 14 which is coupled to the supporting element 2 returns the rod 9 to the lowered position.
The tension rod 9 therefore defines an articulated quadrilateral, one side of which is constituted by the foot element 7. The rise of said rod into the retracted position 9a causes the corresponding rotation of the foot element 7 into the alignment position 7a. In this configuration, the frame 1 is suitable to receive the sock to be formed in an appropriate fitting station. The fitting of the sock is in fact made very easy by virtue of the fact that the frame 1 has a reduced width, practically equal to that of the supporting element 2 alone, and has no discontinuities, since the foot 7 is aligned with said supporting element 2.
Vice versa, the return of the rod 9 to the extracted position, with consequent rotation of the foot 7 into the angled position, applies tension to the sock and gives it the required shape. Naturally, in order to remove the sock from the frame 1, at the end of the forming treatments, the rod 9 is again raised to the retracted position 9a.
The frame 1 furthermore has a sock retention element which is generally designated by the reference numeral 15. Said retention element is constituted by a pair of elastic laminae 16 which are carried by respective plates 17 on the opposite faces of the supporting element 2, as shown in detail in figure 3. The elastic laminas are inclined, from the top downward, toward the supporting element 2, so as to allow to engage and retain the edges of the sock. The plates 17 are rigidly associated with related half-shells 18 which are fixed to one another by means of screws 19 so as to surround the frame 1.
In the embodiment shown in figure 4, which is equally intended for fixing and ironing particularly men's socks and which is conceptually similar to the one described above, the element which defines the contour of the foot is constituted by two portions 20 and 21 which are arranged on adjacent vertical planes; in the angled position, said portions define along one edge respectively the upper contour and the lower contour of the foot and partially overlap along their opposite edges.
The portions 20 and 21 of the foot are pivoted to the supporting element 2 and to the tension rod 9 respectively about the pivots 22, 23 and 24, 25 independently of one another. Therefore, the raising of the rod 9 into the retracted position causes a different rotation of the two portions 20 and 21 of the foot. In particular, said portions 20 and 21 overlap one another to a large extent in the raised position, thereby reducing, in the straight position of alignment with the supporting element 2, the width of the shape of the foot which facilitates the fitting and removal of the sock.
Furthermore, in this embodiment the rod 9 is provided, in a downward position, with a pin 26 which protrudes transversely to rest, in the extracted position, on an abutment 27 which is rigidly coupled to the supporting element 2.
The embodiment of figure 5, which is intended in particular for women's stockings, has a configuration which is fully similar to the embodiment shown in figure 1. The supporting element 2 of this embodiment, however, is provided with a shaped portion 2c along its rear edge; said shaped portion is suitable to approximate the shape of the leg, since it in fact defines an enlarged part of the element 2 starting from the pivoting region of the foot 7. The rod 9 furthermore engages the cam actuation means by means of a ball element 28 which is supported so as to protrude at its lower end.
The embodiment illustrated in figures 6 and 7, which is intended in particular for the fitting of women's stockings, differs due to the presence of a second tension element 29 which is arranged along the rear side of the frame. Said second tension element is constituted in turn by a second rod which is guided in a second vertical groove 30 which is provided in the supporting element 2 and which is articulated, proximate to its ends, to said supporting element 2 in the shape of an articulated quadrilateral.
More precisely, the rear rod 29 is articulated in an upward position to a connecting rod 31 which is arranged at an expansion 30a of the groove 30 and, in a downward position, to a rocker lever 32 which is pivoted centrally to the element 2 about a pivot 33 and which is pivoted, at its opposite end, to the front rod 9; said lever 32 thus also constitutes the element for the articulation of the front rod 9 to the supporting element 2. The rocker 32 is arranged at an opening 34 which connects the opposite grooves 6 and 30 of the element 2.
Therefore, when the front rod 9 is in the extracted position, for the forming of the stocking, the rear rod 29 is in turn raised in extracted position and contributes to define the rear profile of the leg of the stocking (figure 6). In particular, it should be noted that the upper part of said rod 29 has a portion 29a which is shaped so as to continue the shaped portion 2c of the supporting element 2.
Vice versa, the rise of the front rod 9 into the retracted position 9a causes a corresponding lowering of the rear rod 29 into a position which is retracted inside the groove 30 of the element 2, as shown in figure 7. In this configuration, the foot 7 is rotated in the straight position for alignment with the element 2, in the described manner, for fitting and removing the stocking.
Conveniently, in order to remove the stocking from the frame, the foot 7 is crossed longitudinally by at least one hole 35 which is conveniently divided into a plurality of branches 35a at the toe of said foot. As can be seen in figure 7, the hole 35 is suitable to be connected, in the straight position of the foot, to a channel 36 which is defined longitudinally with respect to the supporting element 2 and which is connected to conventional compressed-air supply means.
In this manner, proximate to the removal station, simultaneously with the width reduction and the straightening of the frame, it is possible to make a jet of compressed air reach the foot element 7. Said compressed air jet which exits from the hole 35 stretches the end of the stocking upward, and said end can thus be guided toward mechanical removal means, conveniently constituted by a pair of conveyor belts which are suitable to move apart in order to receive said stocking; in a clamped position, said conveyor belts are instead actuated in step to take the stocking away. It should be noted that the clamping of the stocking between said removal and transfer belts contributes to keep said stocking in shape.
The leg of the stocking is furthermore conveniently gripped by a pair of grip arms which are actuated like pincers at said station; said arms are then moved upward so as to follow the removal of the stocking from the frame.
Alternatively, it is possible to provide the compressed air supply by means of an inlet 35b which is transverse to a face of the foot element 7 and which is connected to the branches 35a, as shown in the detail view of figure 7a. Said transverse inlet 35b is suitable to be connected, in the removal station, to an appropriate blower outlet; in this case the jet of compressed air passes through the stocking which is interposed between the inlet 35b and said blower outlet.
The embodiment illustrated in figures 8 and 9, which is also intended in particular for forming women's stockings, is equally provided with a double tension element, constituted by the front rod 9 and by the rear rod 29, and its element which defines the contour of the foot is divided into two portions, again designated by 20 and 21 for the sake of clarity. In this case, in the stocking fitting position there is a double width reduction of the frame which relates both to the leg and to the foot, in addition to the straightening of said foot.
It should be noted that figure 9 clearly shows the overlap of the portions 20 and 21 of the foot in the stocking fitting position.
The embodiment shown in figures 10 and 11, which is also intended in particular for forming women's stockings, is provided with a singular rear tension element 37 which defines or forms the rear leg profile of the stockings. Such tension element 37 is guided in a vertical grove 38 provided rearwardly in the support element 2; the tension element is also articulated to support the element 2 to thereby form a quadrilateral articulation.
More precisely, the tension element 37 is articulated, in proximity to its upper and lower ends, to a pair of connecting rods 39 and 40 provided at corresponding enlargements of the groove 38. An end of a tension rod 43 is pivoted centrally to the upper connecting rod 39 while the opposite end of the tension rod 43 is pivoted to the foot element 7.
A transverse protruding pin 44 is provided centrally at the lower connecting rod 40 which is slidably engaged in a slot 45 at a rocker lever 46. The rocker lever 46 is in turn pivoted at a pivot 47 to the support element 2 and it is furthermore provided with a protruding portion, which extends through an opening 48, so as to be engaged by appropriate cam actuating means.
The oscillation imposed by said cam actuating means upon the rocker lever 46 is such so as to provide a movement of the tension element 37 between a lowered position thereof (figure 10) in which such element is extracted or extended from the support element 2 and the foot element 7 is in its foot forming position, and a raised position thereof (figure 11) in which such tension element is accommodated in the groove 38 of the support element 2 and the foot element 7 is arranged parallel with the extent of the support element 2. This particular aspect of the present invention allows to provide a notable amplitude of oscillation of the tension element between the above described positions. The amplitude of such oscillation can in fact be regulated and can be on the order of 50 mm.
To conclude, the described device allows to optimally fit and remove socks or stockings on or from the related fixing frames. At the sock or stocking fitting and removal stations, appropriate cam means in fact actuate the tension rods of the frames, causing the narrowing and straightening of said frames. This allows to avoid runs and/or thread damage during the fitting and removal operations, and the device is particularly ideal for use with long stockings made of delicate threads such as elastomeric or similar types. The frames are then moved apart in order to apply tension to the socks or stockings before the thermal fixing and/or ironing treatments begin.
The device furthermore allows to mechanize the operations for removing and subsequently taking away the formed socks or stockings, by preparing them, by means of a jet of compressed air, for the action of appropriate grip means. The problems described in the manual removal of the socks or stockings from the frames are thus overcome.
In the practical embodiment of the invention, the materials employed, as well as the shape and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

Device for forming socks, stockings and the like, characterized in that it comprises: a supporting element (2) for supporting said socks or stockings which has a vertically elongated shape and which is guidable in a stepwise manner at appropriate treatment stations; a foot element (7) which is shaped according to the contour of the foot and which is pivoted at the top of said supporting element in a vertical plane thereof, so as to be rotatable between an angled position and a position which is practically aligned with said supporting element; at least one tension element (9,29,37,43) which is articulated, at its ends, respectively to said supporting element and to said foot element, and which is actuatable at its base so as to move between a spaced position and an adjacent position with respect to said supporting element, and so as to actuate the corresponding rotation of said shaped element between said angled position and said aligned position, respectively in order to form said socks or stockings and to facilitate the fitting and removal of said socks or stockings on and from said device.
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said foot element which is shaped according to the contour of the foot is constituted by two portions (20,21) which define respectively the upper portion and the lower portion of said contour, said portions being arranged along adjacent vertical planes and being both pivoted to said supporting element and to said tension element, independently of one another, the actuation of said tension element creating a different rotation of said portions so as to overlap said portions in the position for alignment with said supporting element.
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a first tension element (9) and a second tension element (27) which is arranged along a vertical side which is opposite to said first tension element and which is articulated at its ends to said supporting element, so as to move in turn between a spaced position and an adjacent position with respect to said supporting element, in step with the actuation of said first tension element.
Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said first and second tension elements are mutually articulated by means of a rocker lever (32) which is pivoted centrally on said supporting element.
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said foot element has a hole (35) which leads out at the toe thereof and which is connectable, upon the rotation of said shaped element into said aligned position, to compressed-air supply means, the jet of compressed air which exits from said hole being intended to stretch the end of the sock or stocking toward means for its mechanized removal.
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a sock or stocking retention element (15) which is constituted by a pair of elastic laminae (16) which are carried on the opposite faces of said supporting element and are inclined, from the top downward, toward said supporting element, so as to allow to engage and retain the edges of the sock fitted on said device.
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting element has, on its longitudinally median plane, an upper slot (5), in which said foot element is pivoted, and at least one groove (6) along one vertical side, in which said tension element is suitable to enter in said adjacent position.
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a first tension element (37) is guided in a vertical groove (38) provided rearwardly in said supporting element, said first tension element (37) being pivoted to said supporting element by means of a pair of connecting rods (39,40) thereby to form a quadrilateral articulation, the device further comprising a second tension element (43) being pivoted at one end thereof to said foot element and at another end thereof to a middle portion of an upper one (39) of said pair of connecting rods.