US3010623A - Glove forming means and method - Google Patents

Description

1961 R. c. PARRISH ET AL 3,010,623

GLOVE FORMING MEANS AND METHOD Filed Oct. 1, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 u Fl 9'. 1

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INVENTORS WILLIAM B. CRANE (5 BY RUSSELL C. FARR/Sb 4 TTOIPNE Y5 Nov. 28, 1961 c. PARRISH ET AL 3,010,623

GLOVE FORMING MEANS AND METHOD Filed Oct. 1, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I'zy Z 48 w INVENTORS WILL/AM B. CPA/Y5 5 BY #0619561. 6. FARR/8H 4 TTORIYEKS United States Patent 3,010,623 GLOVE FORMING MEANS AND METHOD Russell C. Parrish, Greenville, Ala., and William B.

Crane, Newton, N.C., assignors to Riegel Textile Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 764,544 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-78) This invention relates to the forming or shaping of gloves during the finishing treatment thereof in the course of glove manufacture, and more particularly to an improved means for enhancing the forming disposition of a glove on a form therefor and to an improved forming treatment made possible by this means.

Following the sewing of glove blanks to form a glove structure, the resulting glove structure is normally disposed inside-out and is customarily turned to expose the right side and then shaped on a heated glove fonn. The shaping of the gloves on this form is a finishing treatment designed to round out or set the glove seams after the reversal thereof when the glove structure is turned, and generally to smooth out the glove body and fingers in proper form. I

Briefly described, the present invention is characterized by the use of means in combination with a glove form for pressing a glove on the form at the finger crotches in a manner that tensions the glove fingers and acts to set and round out the finger seams both at the outside and inside of the glove structure and thereby provide a particularly advantageous and consistent forming treatment, as described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a glove turningand forming machine having forming means embodying the present invention arranged for operation in combination therewith;

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation corresponding to FIG. 1 and illustrating further the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a Wiring diagram illustrating the operating control system for the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral indicates generally a forming means, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, arranged according to the present invention for use on a glove turning and forming machine of the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,286,059, for example.

A glove turning and forming machine of this sort normally comprises a plurality of glove forms 12, suitably four such forms, disposed radially in regularly spaced relation about a common axis for indexing to have gloves G placed successively thereon at a first station A, to allow forming treatment of the placed gloves G while indexing past one or more succeeding stations B and C, and to dispose the placed gloves G after forming for removal at a final station D before returning to the first station A.

The glove forms 12 are conventionally of the electrically heated type designed to shape and set the glove structure properly through the application of heat thereto while carried on the forms so as to be subject to the shaping action thereof. According to usual practice, when the placed gloves G reach an upright disposition on the forms 12 at the station B, an operator is commonly assigned the task of manually working the glove structure downwardly on each form 12 during the indexing pause at the station B for the purpose of obtaining a more effective forming disposition. The gloves G thus remain on the forms 12, and subject to the forming heat treatment thereon, while indexing past the station C to the station D at which stripping means, as indicated at 14, in

FIG. 1 acts to remove the formed glove G and press it.

ice

The gloves G are placed on the forms 12 at the station A from turning forms 16, a like plurality of which are arranged comparably for indexing about a common axis so as to dispose reversed glove structures g at a station a for turning and placing on the forms 12 at the station A. The reversed glove structures g are manually disposed on the turning forms 16 by an operator at the station b, from which the turning forms 16 index in timed relation past stations 0 and d for delivery of the glove structures g to the station a in position to be turned and placed on the forms 12 at station A by means (indicated generally in FIG. 1 at 18) operating during the indexing pause thereat for this purpose.

The foregoing operating elements of the turning and forming machine are actuated from a suitable drive, such as an electric motor 20, connected through a countershaft at 22 to provide a driving connection at 24 for the previously mentioned turning means 18, and a further driving connection at 26 running to a shaft 28 carrying the continuously rotating element 30 of a Geneva motion having the intermittently operated element 32 thereof arranged at the common axis 28 of the turning forms 16 for eifecting the above noted indexing thereof. From the shaft 28 a connecting shaft 34 is geared to operate a similar shaft 36 in timed relation for causing a Geneva motion element 38 thereon to rotate continuously in relation to a complementary Geneva element 40 at the common axis 36' of the forms 12 so as to eifect indexing thereof in phase with the turning forms 16. All of the foregoing mechanism of the turning and forming machine follows the familiar prior art arrangement and further reference is made to the previously noted plior US. Patent No. 2,286,059 for additional details.

According to the present invention, the forming means 10 is arranged on the turning and forming machine to act on the gloves G while carried on the forms 12 during the indexing dwell thereof at the station B. As seen in FIG. 1, station B is the position at which the forms 12 extend upwardly with the turned gloves G carried thereon, and it is at this position, as previously mentioned, that it has heretofore been common to station an operator for manually working the gloves G downwardly on the forms 12 to a more eifective forming disposition thereon. The forming means 10 of the present invention not only accomplishes this purpose so as to eliminate the manual labor previously required therefor, but also accomplishes it a great deal more effectively and provides forming results that are not possible by manual manipulation, as will appear more fully from the detailed description of this forming means 10 that follows.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, and in FIG. 2, the forming means 10 comprises a set of flat prong elements 42 that are spaced sidewise in parallel relation for extension lengthwise between the finger portions of the forms 12 toward the hand portion thereof, and that are shaped to bear when so extended at the finger crotches of the gloves G carried by the forms 12. The prong elements 42 are arranged in this manner at the extending end of a piston rod element 44 of an air motor 46 incorporating a doubleacting air cylinder actuated through an electrically-controlled air valve, as indicated at 48, to extend and retract the piston rod element 44- so as to apply the forming action of the set of prong elements 42 to the gloves G in timed relation to the indexing motion of the forms 12; the air motor 46 being supported by a framing upright 50 and brace 52 to position the prong elements 42 in operating alignment with the forms 12 at the station B.

lar outline with electrically operated elements 54 and 56- thereof arranged, respectively, for admitting compressed air to the air motor 46 for selectively extending and retracting the piston rod element 44 that carries the prong elements 42.

' cessible for inactivating the forming means readily whenever desired.

Beyond the cutoff switch 64, the line circuit runs in parallel to a step-down transformer at 66 providing 10 volt power, a second step down transformer at 68 providing 24 volt power, and a protective relay at 70 having normally open contacts. The low voltage circuit from the first of the above noted transformers 66 has one leg 72 thereof connected in common to therespective elements 54 and 56 of the air valve 48, while the other leg 74 of this circuit is connected first through the contacts of the protective relay 70 so as to open the circuit protectively in the event of a low voltage condition or loss of power in the line 58. Similar protection is provided against failure of the operating air supply by an air pressure switch at 76 having normally open contacts connected serially in the control circuit leg 74. In addition, further normally closed contacts at 78 are serially connected in the circuit leg 74 for opening. to inactivate the forming means 10 automatically in the event that a form 12 reaches the station B without carrying a glove thereon,

as will be explained further presently.

Beyond these protective devices, the control circuit leg 74 is finallyconnected in series through two double pole, double throw, limit switches 80 and 82, both of which are normally closed to the right as seen in FIG.

3 to complete a circuit through a connection 84 from the limit switch 82 to the air valve element 54 for actuating extension of the prong elements 42, while a parallel connection 86 runs from the other pole of the limit switch 82 to the other air valve element 56 provided for retracting the prong elements 42. Thme two limit switches 80 and 82 are operated, respectively, by cams 88 and 90 carried on one of the shafts 28 or 36 for the continuously 'rotating Geneva motion elements and 38 through .which the turning forms 16 and forms 12 are indexed,

and arranged for actuating operation of the forming means 10 during the indexing dwell of the forms 12 at the station B.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the earns 88 and 90 are indi .cated as being mounted on the Geneva motion shaft 28 and are shown at the positionin which they would previously have caused retraction of therforming means allowed the limit switch 82 to close on the connection 84 therefrom to the air valve element 54 so that the form- .ing means 10-will be activated to extend the prong elements .42 thereof in relation to a glove G carried on a form 12 at the station B, as soon as the indexing dwell thereat commences and the continued rotation of the cam 88 allows the limit switch 80 to close.

The forming means prong elements 42 will thereupon remain extended in active relation to a glove G on a form 12 at the station E until continued rotation of the cam 90 results in throwing the limit switch 82 to the pole thereof from which the connection 86 runs to the retracting air valve element 56. The cam 90 is arranged to throw the switch 82 in this manner sufliciently in advance of the end of the indexing dwell to clear the form 12 for its next indexing movement. Retraction of the forming means prong elements 42 having been effected in this manner, the cams 88 and 90 are relatively arranged so that the limit switch 80 is caused to open and thereby maintain the forming means inactive during the period of indexing movement, while the limit switch 82 is allowed to close and thereby set the control system for a succeeding extension of the forming means prong elements 42, in the manner described above, as soon as the next indexing dwell commences.

During the operation of the control system for extending and retracting the forming means prong elements 42 in relation to the'indexing forms 12, it is desirable to avoid extension of the prong elements 42 in relation to any form 12 that reaches the station E without having a glove G placed thereon, as will be the case on occasion when regular feeding of reversed or unturned gloves g to the turning forms 16 is interrupted for one reason or another. For this purpose, a further low voltage circuit is arranged from the previously mentioned second step-down transformer 68 with one leg 91 thereof directly grounded and the other leg 92 connected through a relay 93, controlling the normally closed contacts 78 in the control circuit for the air valve 48, and then running to a micro switch 94 from which a feeler arm 95 extends in the indexing path of the forms 12 for feeling contact therewith at the station B (compare FIGS. 2 and 3).

When a form 12 reaching the station B carries a glove G thereon, the glove structurewill insulate the form 12 in relation to the feeler arm 95 so that operation of the forming means 19 will take place unaffected by the relay 93. If a form 12, however, reaches the station B without a glove G thereon, the feeler arm 95 will be grounded through direct contact with the form 12 and will thereupon complete the low voltage circuit through leg 92 to energize relay 93 and thereby open contacts 78 to inactivate the forming means v10 until a subsequent form 12 reaches station B with a glove thereon.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

V 1. In combination with a glove form having a hand portion, finger portions and crotch portions, means for enhancing the forming disposition of a glove on said form comprising a set of flat prong elements each being in a lengthwise plane substantially perpendicular to the width of said glove form and being spaced sidewise in parallel relation for extension lengthwise parallel to and between the finger portions of said form toward the hand portion thereof, and selectively operable means for resiliently extending said set of prong elements between the finger portions of said form to bear resiliently at the finger crotches of a glove thereon.

2. In a glove forming machine of the type incorporating a plurality of glove forms having hand portions,

finger portions and crotch portions and being disposed radially in regularly spaced relation about a common axis for'indexing to have gloves placed successivelythereon at a first station, to allow forming treatment of said placed gloves while indexing past at least one succeeding station, and to dispose said placed gloves after forming for removal at a final station before returning to said first station, the improvement which comprises means at one of said at least one succeeding station for enhancing the forming disposition of said placed gloves as said forms are successively indexed at said station, said means comprising a set of flat prong elements each being in a lengthwise plane substantially perpendicular to the width of said glove form and being spaced sidewise in parallel relation for extension lengthwise parallel to and between the finger portions of said forms toward the hand portion thereof, and means carrying said set of prong elements on said machine for resiliently extending said prong elements between the finger portions of a form indexed at said succeeding station to bear resiliently at the finger crotches of a placed glove during the indexing dwell at said succeeding station.

3. In a glove forming machine of the type incorporating a plurality of glove forms having hand portions, finger portions and crotch portions and being disposed radially in regularly spaced relation about a common axis for indexing to have gloves spaced successively thereon at a first station, to allow forming treatment of said placed gloves while indexing past at least one succeeding station, and to dispose said placed gloves after forming for removal at a final station before returning to said first station, the combination with said machine of means operating at said succeeding station for enhancing the forming disposition of said placed gloves as said forms are successively indexed at said succeeding station, said means comprising a set of flat prong elements spaced sidewise in parallel relation for extension lengthwise between the finger portions of said forms toward the hand portion thereof, selectively operable means carrying said set of prong elements on said machine at said succeeding station for resiliently extending said prong elements between the finger portions of a form indexed thereat, and means actuating said selectively operable means in relation to the indexing motion of said forms for extending said set of prong elements to bear resiliently and exteiiorly at the finger crotches of each placed glove during the indexing dwell of said forms at said succeeding station, and feeler means for detecting the absence of a placed glove on any of said forms at said succeeding station and thereupon rendering said actuating means inoperative.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,038,596 Kellogg Sept. 17, 1912 1,538,263 Ackerman May 19, 1925 2,286,057 Brownstein June 9, 1942 2,286,059 Brownstein June 9, 1942 2,431,209 Suftko Nov. 18, 1947 2,436,121 Primus Feb. 17, 1948 2,511,455 Boldizzoni June 13, 1950 2,511,456 Boldizzoni June 13, 1950 2,649,943 Meyers Aug. 25, 1953 2,716,241 Goodman Aug. 30, 1955

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