GB2126261A

GB2126261A - Garment transfer apparatus for tights and the like

Info

Publication number: GB2126261A
Application number: GB08322601A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vinicio Gazzarrini
Original assignee: Solis SRL
Current assignee: Solis SRL
Priority date: 1982-08-30
Filing date: 1983-08-23
Publication date: 1984-03-21
Also published as: IT1192498B; GB8322601D0; IT8209501A0

Abstract

Transfer apparatus for transferring garments (e.g. tights) comprises a first form (3), a second form 5, and at least one pair of cantilevered post members (16). The members 16 are adapted to be moved first longitudinally of the first form (3) to doff the garment therefrom, then moved toward the second form 5, and thereafter moved along the second form to don the garment thereon. The garment is stretched during the transfer. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Garment transfer apparatus for tights and the like The present invention relates to transfer apparatus for auxiliary machines for use in the production of cylindrical items such as stockings and tights for women, and for equivalent uses.

Such machines are of the type which include a drawing unit, in the majority of cases with hot forms which travel between a fitting station and a removal station, moving through treatment stations. These machines also have an inspection station for checking the garments, with forms prearranged to receive the garments to be inspected.

the inspection station is in the majority of cases associated with the fitting station served by the hot drawing forms. Accordingly, means must be provided for the automatic transfer of the garment inspected by the inspection forms to the drawing forms which are situated instantaneously in the fitting station.

In a known solution (Italian Patent Application No. 9457 A/81 of 20 th June 1981,and corresponding French Application No. 82-10816; Fed. Rep. German Application No. P 32 22 330.1 and U.K. Application No. 82.181 61(21 04564A)) an assembly of members are provided for the removal of the garment from the inspection forms, for guiding the free ends of the garment to a position suitable for transfer, for transfer from the inspection forms to the drawing forms situated at the fitting station, and for the fitting and arrangement in the most even manner of the garment on said drawing forms. This known solution is relatively complex and not always reliable as regards both the orientation of the free ends of the garment and the positioning of the garment on the drawing forms. The required sequence of movements is also relatively complex.

The present invention provides apparatus for the transfer of garments from a first form to a second form comprising first and second forms, and at least one pair of cantilevered post members which are adapted to be moved longitudinally along and relative to said first form, in order to slip the garment off said first form, and collect it on said post members, and which post members are further adapted to be aligned with the second form which is to receive the garment, and to be moved relative to, and along said second form to fit the garment thereon as it is being stretched.

In a preferred embodiment the first form has at least one longitudinally extending depression defined therein to receive the post members and keep them protected. These depressions may be arranged to receive the post members from opposite sides or, preferably, from the same side.

The invention further includes apparatus for the inspection and transfer of hosiery garments comprising a first inspection form for carrying the garment, said form being an elongate plate having a U-shaped cross-section defining a recess, a pair of post members mounted in an upstanding manner on a support, a second form for transporting the garment, means for moving said support transversely to align the post members with said recess in said first form, means for moving said post members vertically within said recess to remove the garment on said form onto said post, means for moving said support transversely to align the post members above said second form and means for lowering said post members to fit said garment over said second form.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective fragmentary view of transfer apparatus in a position for removal of the garment from the inspection forms; Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus in the position of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective fragmentary view of the transfer apparatus in a position for fitting of the garment onto the drawing forms; Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus in the position of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows an enlarged detail of Figure 2; and Figure 6 shows a partial section of an example of a control system.

A support 1, 1 A for a pair of inspection forms 3 is illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. These forms 3 are paired to receive a garment which is either tights or a pair of stockings. The forms 3 have an upper shaping 3A rounded off for adapting to the shape of the toe. They also have at least in a certain longitudinal area a depression 3B or a pair of depressions to receive removal means. In the drawing there is provided a single depression 3B delimited between two vertical longitudinal wings of each of the forms 3.

Alternatively, two longitudinal depressions could be provided in each form for the purposes of garment removal which will be explained in more detail below.

The inspection forms 3 are disposed facing an inspection station placed in front of, and adajacent to, a station of the fitting of the garment(s) onto drawing forms which during every circle of the machine arrive at said fitting station. These drawing forms are denoted by 5 and may generally be hot forms and/or forms able to travel through a hot zone for drawing and fixing the garments on the forms. The garments have to be transferred onto these forms 5 from the inspection forms 3 and there they must be adapted and stretched in a manner which is as controlled as possible to impart the desired position both to the reinforcement of the toe of the garment and to any pocket and/or any reinforcement that may be provided for the heel.

The transfer apparatus to be described fulfils this function.

The transfer apparatus which co-operates with the forms 3 and 5 has a support member 7 which may be designed as a cross-bar and which is adapted to be moved vertically in the direction of the arrow f, and transverse in the direction of the arrow tt. The vertical movements can be performed along the forms 3 and along the forms 5, both for raising and lowering. In one design the movement of the member 7 is provided by pairs of arms 9 which form an articulated parallelogram joint with a cross-bar 10 provided at each end of the member 7. The arms 9 can be shifted angularly and thereby made to raise and lower the support member 7. The angular displacement of arms 9 is produced by the equal displacement of carriages with which the pairs of arms are articulated.In this way the movements according to ft and f, are obtained. The arrangement is similar to that provided for in U.K. 21 04564A referred to above.

Two pairs of cranks 12 are hinged to the support member 7 at 14 by one of their ends.

Each pair of cranks 12 is adapted to be moved symmetrically between the positions illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and the positions shown in Figures 3 and 4. At the mobile end of each crank 12 opposite the articulation 14, a vertical post member 16 having a cross-section in the form of a segment of a circle is mounted. These post members 1 6 have their bases disposed.slantwise relative to the orientation of the respective cranks, with an arrangement such that in the position represented by Figures 1, 2 and 5 the post members are completely inside the depressions 3B of the inspection form 3 (two post members in the depression 3B of each form 3).It is also possible to provide two longitudinally extending channels or depressions in each form opening towards the two post members 16 which must be received within the overall profile of the form 3. In each case it must be possible to cause the support member 7 to move upwards vertically with the post members 16 inside the depressions 3B or the like. In the construction illustrated the post members 1 6 are of the circle segment type and have flat side surfaces which lie substantially in the same plane and substantially parallel with the back of the depressions 3B as shown in Figures 2 and 5.In the rotated position illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 the post members 1 6 have moved relative to one another in such manner that the distance between the post members measured perpendicularly to their longitudinal extent increases relative to. the position illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 5.

With the apparatus in the position shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 it is possible to fit on the inspection forms 3 a garment as shown in Figure 1, which is to be inspected. The fitting and the setting of the garment on the form 3 may be effected manually. The operator can set the reinforcements for the toe on the ends 3A of the forms 3, as he can also set in the correct manner any reinforcements and/or pockets for the heel.

The form 3 is preferably made of a transparent material to allow both sides of the garment to be inspected at once. Alternatively the form may be tiltable about a vertical axis. After the operator has inspected the garment, the go-ahead is given to the raising of the support member 7 in direction fv With the raising of the member 7 and of the cranks 12 the garment is collected from the elastic edge, wrinkling it as the member 7 lifts and drags with the cranks 12 the edge of the garment. When the apparatus 7, 12, 16 has, as it rises, gone beyond the upper end profiles 3A, the garment is positioned as shown in Figure 3, collected and turned up on the post members 1 6, and firmly held on these.At this point there is effected a horizontal transfer in the direction 4 of the member 7 and also a rotation of the cranks 12 from the position of Figure 2 to the position of Figure 4. These two combined movements which may be carried out more or less out of phase or simultaneously are such that the garment is stretched apart, i.e. stretched between the post members 1 6 which move away from one another.

The separation of the post members is increased as their back planes move from a coplanar orientation to relative inclination. Finally the extended garment is positioned above the forms 5 which have reached the receiving position at the fitting station. It will be noted that the manner of gathering the garment as described above permits the reinforcement of the toe and also any reinforcements and/or side pockets for heels to be held in predetermined positions. The apparatus in the above-mentioned position above forms 5 (Figs. 3 and 4) is lowered along the forms 5 in such a way as to distribute with efficient regularity the garment over the forms 5 as the post members are lowered.The toes of the garment set themselves on the ends of the forms 5 and the garment suitably stretches itself as the elastic E of the edge of the tights, or the edge of the stocking, is securely held at the base of the post members (in particular qn the external post members in the case of tights), both as a result of the greater consistency and resistance to expansion of such edge, and as a result of the presence of suitable shapings or corrugations on the base of the posts. It follows from this that the edge offers some resistance to slipping off, greater than that of the remainder of the lighter garment. Accordingly, a suitable pulling or stretching of the garment takes place as it is gradually fitted on the forms 5, until the moment when the edge E slips off the post members 16, either because of the resistance the garment offers to greater stretching or as a result of the action of a shoulder member 5A which is fixed in an adjustable position relative to the forms 5.

With the lowering, against said shoulder member, the edges of the elastic set themselves and stop, thus causing the elastic edge to slip off the post members 1 6 which continue their downward movement. However, the lowering of the support member 7 and therefore of the post members 1 6 effects a proper fitting of the fabric onto the forms 5 for the stretching and stabiiization of the shape.

The setting is the proper one as the garment was properly set in the forms 3.

It will be noted that the arrangement described adapts itself to the handling both of a garment of the tights type fitted onto a pair of forms 3 or of two individual stockings which may be handled in pairs, each being fitted to one of a pair of forms 3.

The garments are collected from the forms 3 with the post members 1 6 and the cranks 12 in either case, and are similarly fitted together onto a pair of forms 5.

After the apparatus has performed its run along the forms 5 to fit and stretch the garment(s), it is moved to return it to the position preceding an extraction run along forms 3.

For the control of the cranks 12 there may be provided on the cross-bar 7 a single control, e.g.

with a cylinder-piston system 22 (see Fig. 6), with a movable cylinder box arrangement 24 which has rack segments 26 disposed on alternate sides which engage with pinions or toothed segments 1 4A solid with the hinge pins 14 of the cranks 12 which are thus simultaneously controlled.

As a variation, it is possible to dispense with one or the other, or both the relative movements of the cranks 12 of a pair of post members 1 6.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the transfer of garments such as tights or similar garments from a first form to a second form, comprising first and second forms, and at least one pair of cantilevered post members which are adpated to be moved longitudnially along and relative to said first form, in order to slip the garment off said first form, and collect it on said post members, and which post members are further adapted to be aligned with the second form which is to receive the garment, and to be moved relative to, and along said second form to fit the garment thereon as it is being stretched.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said first form has at least one longitudinally extending depression defined therein to receive the post members and keep them protected.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in which said post members are adapted to be moved away from each other after the garment has been removed from said first form, to stretch the garment.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in which said post members each have an elongate cross-section and that they are adapted to be angularly shifted about a longitudinal axis before being aligned with and moved relative to the second form, to stretch the garment.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3, further including a respective crank for supporting each post member, said cranks being adapted to be symmetrically rotated to produce said movement away from one another.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. in which the forms are arranged in pairs, to receive a pair of tights or two separate stockings, and in which the apparatus includes two pairs of post members, one for each form of the pair.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a shoulder is provided on the second form to ensure the release of the garment being fitted thereon, said shoulder ensuring the timely release of an edge of the garment.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which the shoulder is adjustably mounted on said second form.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the post members have a cross-section substantially in the shape of a segment of a circle.

1 0. Apparatus for the inspection and transfer of hosiery garments comprising a first inspection form for carrying the garments, said form being an elongate plate having a U-shaped cross-section defining a recess, a pair of post members mounted in an upstanding manner on a support, a second form for transporting the garment, means for moving said support transversely to align the post members with said recess in said first form, means for moving said post members vertically within said recess to remove the garment on said form onto said posts, means for moving said support transversely to align the post members above said second form, and means for lowering said post members to fit said garment over said second form.

1 Apparatus according to claim 10, further including crank means for moving said post members away from one another to stretch said garment when supported on said post members.

12. Apparatus for the transfer of a garment substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.