GB2189522A - Device for finishing articles of clothing - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for finishing articles of clothing 10 with sleeves 11, 12, and comprises a shaping body 13 onto which the article is drawn and sleeve tensioning bodies 19 which enter the open ends of the sleeves 11, 12 and are expanded to engage and close the open ends. The bodies 19 are supported by adjustable supporting devices 45, 46, 47 whereby the distance of the bodies 19 from and their positions with respect to the body 13 are adjustable to adapt to different articles 10. The bodies 19 have hollow parts 21 which receive 16 compressed air for expansion. Each part 21 has one end fixed to a tubular support 26 and another end connected to a member 32 that is slidable towards the one end against the force of a spring 33 to expand the part 21 as compressed air flowing through the support 26 enters the hollow of the part 21 via apertures 41 in the support 26. The compressed air is controlled by a valve which may be connected to a memory-programmable unit. The body 13 is adjustable in height. The hem 17 is fixed in the hem-holding device 16. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for finishing articles of clothing The invention relates to a device for finishing articles of clothing having sleeves, in accordance with the preamble to claim 1.

Such devices are principally used in the clothing industry for finishing articles of clothing, such as jackets or sport coats, blouses, coats, dresses etc.

The article of clothing is drawn onto the shaping body (steaming dummy). To treat the article of clothing, treatment media are then blown into this (steam and air).

Particular difficulties are presented by the (lower, free) ends of open sleeves, since the treatment medium can escape here if the ends of the sleeves are not closed. For this purpose, these are often simply clipped together.

However, it is also already known to introduce a sleevetensioning body which can be modified with regard to its cross-section into the free end of the sleeve, which then substantially closes the end of the sleeve (German Offenlegungsschrift 2,137,986). In this known solution, individual sleeve-tensioning bodies are introduced by hand into the end of the sleeve while being pressed together. When this pressure is released, the sleevetensioning body expands to approximately the cross-section of the sleeve. This known sleeve-tensioning body thus comprises essentially two tensioning-body parts, which are moved manually towards one another by pressing together spring organs. In this position of reduced crosssection, the individual tensioning bodies can be introduced into the ends of the sleeves.When they are released, the compressed spring element becomes effective and presses the tensioning-body parts against the sleeve.

According to an embodiment of this known device (Figs. 7 and 8 of German Offenlegungsschrift 2,137,986), the sleeve-tensioning body consists of an elastically compressible (cellular material) ball. This is pressed together manually or with the help of wooden rods for introduction into the end of the sleeve. Because of this, this embodiment is also disadvantageous in its handling. Furthermore, only a very limited adaptation to sleeves of different sizes or diameters is possible. This disadvantage also applies to the other embodiments of the known device.

Starting from this state of the art, the invention is based on the object of further developing a device of the type mentioned initially in such a way that handling with regard to the use of the sleeve-tensioning body is simplified and, furthermore, that the best possible adaptation to different articles of clothing or different crosssections of the sleeves is automatically possible.

To achieve this object, the device according to the invention, with the features of the defining part of claim 1, was designed.

Accordingly, in the invention the sleeve-tensioning bodies are a functionally integrated component of the device as a whole for finishing articles of clothing. The sleeve-tensioning bodies are located in a position relative to the article of clothing which is adjustable and functionally suitable, in such a manner that, after positioning of the article of clothing on the shaping body, the sleeves can be brought into a position which is expedient for treatment and suited to the cut of the garment and can be drawn in this position onto the (contracted) sleevetensioning body.

A particularly important area is the new design of the sleeve-tensioning body as such.

According to the invention, the latter can be deformed by a fluid medium, in particular by means of (compressed) air, and in particular it can be expanded or extended to the actual cross-section of the sleeve in each instance.

After drawing the free end of the sleeve onto the tensioning body, a deformable hollow part or bellows, which is a component of the sleeve-tensioning body, is filled with air in such a way that the walls of the hollow part come up against the inside of the sleeve under a predeterminable, sufficient pressure. The cross-section of the sleeve is thus completely and accurately filled.

According to a further feature of the invention, the sleeve-tensioning body is designed in such a way that it can be contracted by mechanical organs, in particular by spring organs, while pushing the air out of the deformable hollow part, preferably by means of appropriate stretching of the deformable hollow part in its longitudinal direction. This means that simple insertion of the sleeve-tensioning body into the end of the sleeve or drawing the sleeve onto the sleeve-tensioning body, which is positioned in an appropriate relative position, is facilitated.

Further features of the invention relate to the design of the sleeve-tensioning body and the suitable arrangement of the latter within the device. This is furthermore expediently designed as illustrated and described in German Patent Application P 35 31 954.2.

In the following, one embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail by means of the drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a device for finishing articles of clothing in diagrammatic front view; Fig. 2 shows the essential elements of the device according to Fig. 1 with the article of clothing drawn on in a modified position; Fig. 3 shows a sleeve-tensioning body as a detail of the device in axial section and on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 shows a detail of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale, in axial section.

The device illustrated in the drawings is used for finishing articles of clothing 10 with sleeves 11, 12. Such articles of clothing are sport coats, blouses, coats, dresses or the like. The article of clothing 10 is drawn onto a shaping body 13 (steaming dummy), which is essentially designed here as a shoulder support, that is to say essentially fills the shoulder parts of the article of clothing 10. The shaping body 13 is connected to a base 15 by means of a strut 14. On the base 15 is located a hem-holding device 16, here designed in a particular manner, which holds the lower parts (hem 17) of the article of clothing 10, and in particular clamps them.

The height of the shaping body 13 is adjustable, in particular by means of the telescope-like design of the strut 14. This enables the article of clothing 10, after it has been drawn onto the shaping body 13, and after fixing of the hem 17 in the hem-holding device 16, to be drawn tight in the longitudinal direction and thus finished. The device, which is otherwise preferably designed in accordance with the illustration and description in German Patent Application P 35 31 954.2, is housed in a treatment room 18, which can be designed in the customary known way.

The essential feature of this device is the treatment of the sleeves 11, 12. Each sleeve 11, 12 is assigned a sleeve-tensioning body 19, which fixes the sleeve 11 or 12 in a position suitable for its shape and furthermore fills the cross-section of the lower, open end 20 of the sleeve so that a treatment medium (air, steam) introduced into the article of clothing cannot escape in the region of the ends 20 of the sleeves.

For this purpose, the sleeve-tensioning body 19 is provided with a deformable, bellows-like hollow part 21. This consists of an easily deformable, relatively thinwalled material, in particular a substantially air-tight textile fabric coated (on the inside) with rubber or plastic.

The hollow part 21 thus designed can be modified with regard to its cross-section, in particular to a size and shape filling the crosssection of the sleeve 11 or 12 in the area of the end 20 of the sleeve. In this respect, the solution is chosen so that introduction of a pressurized medium, in particular compressed air, into the hollow part 21 deforms the latter, increasing its cross-section. To draw a sleeve end 20 onto the sleeve-tensioning body 19 or its hollow part 21, and to remove the same from the latter, the hollow part 21 has its cross-section reduced, the (compressed) air escaping. As a result, the hollow part 21 takes on an elongated, slender shape.

In the embodiment shown, the hollow part 21 consists of a cylindrical middle section 22 and conical end sections 23 and 24. These sections of the hollow part 21, which are circular in cross-section, are connected to one another by seams 25.

The hollow part 21 is mounted on a supporting element, in particular on a rod, which in the present case is designed as a supporting tube 26. One end of the elongate hollow part 21 is fixed to this supporting tube 26, while the other end is slidable. Here, a bottom end piece 27 is connected in fixed manner to the supporting tube 26 while a top end piece 28 can be slidably pushed out of the "extended position" shown in continuous lines in Fig. 3, into the holding or tensioning position, shown in broken lines, along the supporting tube 26. The bottom end piece 27 consists of a holding plate 29 connected to the supporting tube 26 and of a spring receiver 30 fixed to the holding plate 29 inside the hollow part 21.The top end piece. 28 is designed in a similar manner, consisting of a clamping plate 31 (for the hollow part 21) and a sliding member 32 which slides (with the clamping plate 31) along the supporting tube 26. The supporting tube 26 is surrounded by a (compression) spring 33 designed as a helical spring, which is arranged inside the hollow part 21, extending along the entire length of the same, and between the bottom end piece 27 and the top end piece 28. The spring 33 presses the top end piece 28 against an end stop 34 on the supporting tube 26. This gives the hollow part 21 an elongated form with a very small, "thin" cross-section. In order to deform the hollow part 21 into a shape (shown in broken lines in Fig. 3) filling the given cross-section, in each case, of the end 20 of the sleeve, compressed air is introduced into the hollow part 21.This exerts a pressure on the hollow part 21 or on the walls of the same in the outward direction. The expanding hollow part 21 moves the top end piece 28 against the pressure of the spring 33 in the direction of the bottom end piece 27 until the hollow part or its middle section 22 comes up against the inside of the sleeve 11 or 12. When the air is released, the action of the spring 33 causes the top end piece 28 to return automatically into its initial position, as shown in Fig. 3.

The required compressed air to deform and expand the hollow part 21 comes in the present case from a central compressed-air source 35, with the interposition of a 3/2-way valve 36 and a pressure-reducing valve 48 with manometer 49 (Fig. 3). The 3/2-way valve can in each case be actuated manually via switches, levers or the like. In the present case, however, the 3/2-way valve is connected to a memory-programmable central processing unit 37, which actuates the sleevetensioning body 19 independently of manual influences, namely in a manner coordinated with the actuation of the entire device, likewise controlled, in particular the shaping body 13 and the hem-holding device 16.

In the present case, the compressed air is introduced into the hollow part 21 via the supporting tube 26. One end 38 of the tube, which runs through the bottom end piece 27, is provided with a line terminal 39 for a compressed-air line 40. The supporting tube 26 is provided with radial bores 41 for the passage of the air into and out of the hollow part 21 respectively (Fig. 4). The bore holes 41 are located in that part of the supporting tube 26 which is within the hollow part 21 even when the latter is extended in the transverse direction.

The supporting tube 26 or the end 38 of the tube is arranged on a tensioning-body mounting, namely, in the present case, on a clamp-type holder 42. This enables the sleevetensioning body 19 to be brought into a suitable position within the device. A clamping screw 43 enables the relative position of the sleeve-tensioning body 19 within the device to be modified and adapted.

The sleeve-tensioning body 19 described above or another, functionally similar embodiment is incorporated in the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2. For this purpose, the device has vertical supporting members 44, which are arranged at the side and, in this case, connected to the base 15. On the supporting members 44 is an adjustably arranged mounting for the sleeve-tensioning bodies 19, in particular a clamping guide 45. This is used to modify the vertical position of the sleeve-tensioning bodies 19. On the clamping guide 45 is arranged a support arm 46, directed obliquely downwards, with a staybar 47 at right angles to it. The support arm 46 can be pivotably fixed (not shown here), so that the angle of the sleeve-tensioning bodies 19 can also be modified. The sleeve-tensioning body 19 is fixed to the staybar 47 by means of the clamp-type holder 42.When the clamp-type holder 42 is loosened, the entire sleeve-tensioning body 19 can be turned or pivoted on the staybar 47, so that a particular angle of the sleeve-tensioning body 19, adapted to the direction of the sleeve, can be set. The arrangement chosen is such that the supporting tube 26 with the hollow part 21 is directed obliquely upwards, that is in the most favorable position for treatment of the sleeves 11, 12 (Fig. 2).

The device illustrated and described is expediently employed in such a way that the article of clothing 10 is first drawn on to the shaping body 13 and fixed in the region of the hem-holding device 16. Then, the sleeves 11, 12 are drawn onto the appropriate contracted, that is to say "thin" sleeve-tensioning bodies 19. These are then deformed so that, under tension, they fill the cross-sections of the ends 20 of the sleeves, and thus slightly stretch the sleeves 11, 12 in their longitudinal direction. Then, the shaping body 13 is moved upwards somewhat in order to create tension in the article of clothing 10, including the sleeves 11, 12, which are fixed by the sleeve-tensioning bodies 19. Subsequently, air and steam are introduced into the article of clothing 10 in order to treat it.

Claims (15)

1. A device for finishing articles of clothing having sleeves, in particular outer clothing, by means of steam and hot air, having at least one shaping body (steaming dummy) onto which the articles of clothing are drawn and preferably having, underneath, an adjustable holding and clamping device for the hem of the article of clothing (hem-holding device), where a sleeve-tensioning body, which can be modified with regard to its crosssection, can be introduced into the open ends of the sleeves and in the operating position (substantially) fills and closes the cross-section of the sleeve, wherein the sleeve-tensioning body (19) is arranged on a supporting device and its distance from and position with respect to the shaping body (13) are adjustable.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeve-tensioning body (19) is arranged on a guide, in particular on a supporting member (44) with an adjustable clamping guide (45).

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the sleeve-tensioning body (19) is arranged on a support arm (46) which can be aligned with the position of the sleeves (11, 12) during treatment.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 and in one or more of the other claims, wherein, after introduction into the sleeve (11, 12), the sleeve-tensioning body (19) can be expanded or extended by a fluid medium, in particular by compressed air, to the cross-section of the sleeve.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sleeve-tensioning body (19) has a deformable hollow part (21) or bellows, into which compressed air can be introduced to increase the cross-section.

6. A device as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the hollow part (21) can be contracted, and in particular stretched, by mechanical organs, the air escaping and the cross-section being reduced.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 and in one or more of the other claims, which has a (compression) spring (33) acting in the- longitudinal direction of the hollow part (21) and pulling the latter longitudinally.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7 and in one or more of the other claims, wherein the deformable hollow part (21) can. be brought into the tensioning position, by compressed air introduced into the latter against the load of the spring (33), filling the cross-section of a sleeve (11, 12) and simultaneously stretching the same slightly in the longitudinal direction.

9. A device as claimed in claim 5 and in one or more of the other claims, wherein the hollow part (21) is mounted on a longitudinally stretched support organ, in particular on a rod designed as a supporting tube (26), where a bottom end piece (27) of the hollow part (21) is connected to the supporting tube (26) in fixed manner and a top end piece (28) opposite is mounted slidably on the supporting tube (26).

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the (compression) spring (33) is arranged inside the hollow part (21) between the bottom end piece (27) and the top end piece (28), where, by introducing compressed air into the hollow part (21) and increasing the cross-section of the same, the top end piece (28) can slide along the supporting tube (26), thereby compressing the spring (33).

11. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the compressed air can be introduced into the hollow part (21) via bore holes (41) in the supporting tube (26) and escapes via these.

12. A device as claimed in claim 4 and in one or more of the other claims, wherein a multi-way valve, in particular a 3/2-way valve (36) is arranged in a compressed-air line (40) to the hollow part (21), which multi-way valve can furthermore be actuated by a memoryprogrammable central processing unit (37) in a manner coordinated with the device.

13. A device as claimed in claim 3 and in one or more of the other claims, wherein the sleeve-tensioning body (19) is mounted on a support bar (47) which is in turn connected to the support arm (46) and arranged at right angles to the latter.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the sleeve-tensioning body (19) is mounted pivotably on the staybar (47), preferably by means of a clamp-type holder (42).

15. A device for finishing articles of clothing having sleeves, said device being substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.