US3012484A

US3012484A - Method and apparatus for garment marking

Info

Publication number: US3012484A
Application number: US839474A
Authority: US
Inventors: Philip N Braun
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-09-11
Filing date: 1959-09-11
Publication date: 1961-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-12

Description

Dec. 12, 1961 P. N. BRAUN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GARMENT MARKING Filed Sept. 11, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1961 P. N. BRAUN 3,012,484

METHOD AND APPARATUS F OR GARMENT MARKING Filed Sept. 11, 1959 e Sheets-Sheet 2 w 9 cu 9 W 8 Q 8 \S 9 m N qo I Q I w L I Q) L e E i INVENTOR.

Phil/p IV. Braun ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1961 P. N. BRAUN 3,012,484

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GARMENT MARKING Filed Sept. 11, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Phil/)0 N. Braun ATTORN EY Dec. 12, 1961 P. N. BRAUN 3,012,484

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GARMENT MARKING Filed Sept. 11, 1959 e Sheets-Sheet 4 1 N VEN TOR. Philip N. Braun ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1961 P. N. BRAUN 3,012,484

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GARMENT MARKING Filed Sept. 11, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR.

Phi/122 N. Braun ATTORNEY ZIZ 215 Dec. 12, 1961 ZIO P. N. BRAUN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GARMENT MARKING Filed Sept. 11, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. Philip N. Braun ATTORNEY 3,ii12,484 Patented Dec. 12, 1961 3,012,484 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GARMENT MARKING Philip N. Braun, 237 Robineau Road, Syracuse, N.Y. Filed Sept. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 839,474 Claims. (Cl. 93-$8) This invention relates to a garment marking machine to be used in dry cleaning and laundering establishments. Experience has shown that in such establishments the average number of garments brought in by a customer is such that an indentification strip tape having a provision for four separate tags thereon is sufficient to mark both the garments of the individual customer and the invoice so as to enable the garments to be identified and collected together after the completion of the dry cleaning or laundering operations.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a garment marking machine which is relatively simple to Operate and economical to manufacture and which functions to permit the marking for purposes of identification of each of the garments delivered to the laundering or dry cleaning establishment by a customer.

Further, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of marking each of the garments in an individual bundle for processing through a garment processing establishment whereby the garments in the bundle may be identified for segregation and collection, after the completion of said processing, with the proper invoice for the bundle.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is bad to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

In the drawings- FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus comprising the invention with parts broken away for purpose of clarity.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional elevational view similar to FIGURE 1 of the opposite side of the machine.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the machine with parts omitted for purposes of clarity.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 with the parts shown in a second position.

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 illustrating a second operation of the machine.

FIGURE 7 is an illustration of the strip tape utilized in the machine to form the identification tags.

Briefly described the machine comprising the preferred embodiment of this invention functions to feed the strip tape to and past a tag affixing station and into engagement with a stop. A garment is draped over a garment supporting platen and moved into engagement with a means comprising the tag afiixing station. This operation serves to affix the tag to the garment and simultaneously severs the forwardmost tag on the strip from the remainder of the strip. Upon removal of the garment and the attached tag the feed means functions to feed the remainder of the strip tape to and past the tag afiixing' station into engagement with the stop. Means are provided for rendering the tag severing means inoperative whereby the remaining tag or tags and end portion of the tape strip may be at any time afiixed to the garment or bundle invoice so as to facilitate the segregation and collection of the tagged garments upon completion of the laundering or dry cleaning process.

Briefly described the method of the invention comprises feeding a strip tape having a plurality of tags formed thereon to a tag afiixing station, each tag on the tape being provided with the same identification indicia formed thereon, afiixing the first tag on said tape to a garment severing the tag from the tape, aflixing and severing each successive tag formed on the tape to the garments in the same bundle and atfixing the last or remaining tag or tags and end portion of the tape to the bundle invoice.

Referring to the drawings, the machine comprising the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a housing having a bottom wall 10,

side walls

12 and 14, and a rear wall 16 which extends upwardly from the bottom wall 1% and terminates in a curved portion 18 forming a top wall. The bottom wall it) is provided with a plurality of supporting feet 26 for supporting the housing on a stand, or the like.

The apparatus for aflixing the identification tags to the garments comprises a main frame having a bottom plate 22 which is affixed to the bottom wall 10 by means of the

screws

24, 26. A pair of

side members

28 and 30 are formed with legs 32 and 34 affixed to the bottom plate 22 by any suitable manner such as welding, or the like. The

side members

28 and 30 are joined together at their rearward ends by a back portion 36.

A garment supporting platen, or arm 40 is mounted for pivotal movement between the

side members

28 and 30 by means of a shaft 42 to which is aflixed to the inner end of the arm 4t) and the shaft is journalled for oscillation in the

bearings

44 and 46 mounted in the side frame members.

The arm 44 is provided intermediate its ends with a pair of arcuately

shaped guide members

48 and 50 which serve to guide the movement of the arm 40 toward and away from a stapler, generally indicated at 52, which is mounted in the frame between the side members 28 and 3h. The outer end of the arm 40* is provided with a pair of

handles

54 and 56 and a forwardly extending garment supporting platen 58 which is afiixed to the arm 40 adjacent the

handles

54 and 56 by screws, or the like 60. The forward end face of the platen 58 is provided with an anvil 62, see FIGURE 3, having staple clinching grooves 64. Mounted for pivotal movement on the platen 58 is a garment supporting member 66. The member 66 is provided with a rearwardly extending handle 68 and the side portions of the member 66 are pivotally mounted on a pair of screws 70. The member 66 is urged to the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 by means of a compression spring 72 received between the upper surface of the platen 58 and the underside of the handle 68.

Also mounted for pivotal movement about the screws is a tag attaching clip or clamp member 74 provided with a rearwardly extending handle 76. A compression spring 78 serves to urge the clamp member 74 into the position shown in FIGURE 1. The purpose of the clamp member 74 is to receive a flag tag which indicates that special attention such as repair, or the like, is necessary on the garment to which the flag tag is attached.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, it will be seen that an upwardly extending plate 80 is afiixed to the main cross shaft 42. The side frame member 30 is provided with a slot 81 through which a pin 83 extends, the pin being affixed to the plate 30. Consequently, plate 80 may move relative to the

side members

28 and 30 of the frame and the rear portion 36 by reason of the pin 83 and slot 81 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The upper end portion of the plate 30 is provided with an outwardly extending L-shaped arm 82, the L-portion 8 of the arm serving as a rearward stop for the stapler 52.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the stapler 52 is removably mounted in the machine in a manner similar to that described more particularly in Patent No. 2,808,767. The stapler 52 is provided at its lower portion with a hooked member 86 which is received in front of the cross shaft 42. A yoke member 88 is afiixed to a cross shaft 90 journalled in the

side frame members

28 and 30. The outer end of the shaft 90 has a handle 92 afiixed thereto and a tension spring 94 is affixed at one end to the handle 92 and at its opposite end to a pin 96 carried on the side frame member 28 whereby the handle 92, shaft 90 and yoke 33 are urged by the spring 94 to the position shown in FIGURE 1 to yieldably maintain the stapler in the housing. As will be apparent, movement of the handle 92 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 1, which movement is limited by the stop pin 97, will permit the hook 86, formed on the stapler, to be disengaged from the shaft 42 to permit removal of the stapler.

The upper end of the stapler, which is conventional, is provided with a reciprocating staple driver 106 which is positioned against a hardened plate member 102, see FIGURE 3, carried by cross member 104, which is suitably affixed to the

side frame members

28 and 30. As will be obvious, when the arm 40 is moved in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 1, into engagement with the stapler, continued movement of the arm 40 will move the plate 80 and the stapler 52 rearwardly on the driver 100, thus urging a staple out of the stapler 52. The plate 89 is normally urged to its forward position by means of a tension spring 106 affixed at one end to the plate 80 by means of a pin 108 and at its opposite end to a pin 119 carried by the side frame member 36.

Affixed to the upper end of the plate 80 adjacent its forward edge is an outwardly extending L-shaped plate 112 as by means of screws, or the like 114. Referring to FIGURE 3, the plate 112 has a V-shaped track or guide 116 mounted on its upper end, which guide is adapted to receive the strip tape. The outer end of the plate 112 is provided with a finger engaging member 113 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The guide 116 has a slide 120 mounted therein for movement along said guide 116. The slide 120 is formed at its rearward end with a finger engaging portion 122 which cooperates with the finger engaging member 118 to facilitate movement of the slide 120 along the track 116 to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 3. The forward portion of the slide 120 is formed with a nose 124 which functions to engage the rearward end of the tape strip when positioned in the guide 116 so as to move the tape strip along the guide 116. Movement of the slide 120 is accomplished by means of a chain 126 atfixed at one end to the rearward end of slide 120 and entrained over a pulley 128 mounted by any suitable means such as a screw 130 on the rear of the plate 112. The chain extends downwardly from the pulley 128 and has a weight 132 affixed to its opposite end and the weight is received in a box-shaped guide channel 134 afiixed by any suitable means such as screws 136 to the side frame member 30. As will he therefore obvious, the weight and chain serve to urge the slide 120 along the guide 116 under the influence of gravity to the right, as viewed in FIGURE 3.

The forward end of the guide 116 is positioned in registration with a notch formed in a block 140 afiixed to the upper end of the plate 80 whereby a tape strip which is positioned in the guide 116 may be fed to and through the block 140. Referring to FIGURE 3, an

L-shaped stop member, generally indicated at 142, is mounted at one end on the plate 89 and is provided with a portion 144- positioned in the path of movement of the tape strip so as to serve as a stop therefor whereby when the slide urges the tape through the member and into engagement with the stop 144 further movement of the tape will be halted. As best seen in FIGURE 4, the lower end of the member 142 is provided with a for- Wardly extending portion 146 which is mounted for pivotal movement about a pin 148. The forward end of the portion 146 is provided with a slot 150 through which a screw 152 is received and threaded in the side frame member 30 whereby to limit the pivotal movement of the member 142, all whereby the member 142 may be oscillated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG- URES 1 and 4, to a position where the stop 144 is out of the path of movement of the tape strip.

Means are provided for severing the forwardmost tag formed on the tape strip from the strip after it has been stapled to a garment supported by the platen 58 on the arm 45 in order to permit removal of the garment and stapled ta from the machine and tape strip. The severing means comprises an L-shaped arm 156 which is pivotally mounted about a pin 158 aifixed to the member 40. The forward end portion of the arm portion 156 is formed with a knife edge 160 which cooperates with a plate forming a fixed knife 162 afiixed to the block 140 whereby when a strip tape has been fed through the guide opening 162 formed in the block 140 clockwise movement of the arm 156, as viewed in FIGURE 4, will cause the knife edge 16!) to sever the forwardmost portion of the tape in cooperation with the fixed knife 162.

Movement of the arm 156 about the pivot 153 is limited by a stop pin 166. The rearward end of the arm 156 is pivotally connected, as at 168, to a downwardly extending link 170. The lowermost portion of the link is slotted to provide a forward guide track 172 and a rearward guide track 174 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Movement of the link 170 in a downward direction so as to oscillate the arm 156 is accomplished by means of an arm 176 which is affixed to the rear portion of the arm 40 on the rear side of the shaft 42. The arm 176 is provided at its outer end with a headed pin 178 which, in the position shown in FIGURE 4, rides downwardly in the track 172 to the point shown in FIGURE 5 where continued movement of the the arm 40 causes the pin 178 to engage the lowermost portion 179 of the track 172 to move the link 170 downwardly, thus oscillating the arm 156 to effect the severing action, as previously described. Return movement of the arm 40 causes the pin 178 to engage the upper or top edge 180 of the slot, thus returning the link 170 and the arm 156 to the position shown in FIGURE 4. A tension spring 182 affixed at one end to the link 170 and at its opposite end to a bracket 184 suitably mounted as by screws 186, or the like, on the rear wall 36 of the frame serves to aid the return movement of the link 170 and the arm 156.

The link member 170 is provided intermediate its ends with a right angle bracket affixed by screws, or the like, 192 to the link 170. Upon downward movement of the link 170, the bracket 190 moves out of engagement with the lower end of the pivotal stop member 142 to permit the stop 144 to be moved out of the path of movement of the strip tape to facilitate removal of the garment and attached tag from the tape. Return movement of the link 170 to the position shown in FIGURE 4, serves to return the stop member 142 to its normal position by the engagement of the bracket 190 with the member 142, as best seen in FIGURE 4.

In operation, a strip tape 200, see FIGURE 7, having four tag forming portions, 202, 204, 206 and 208 and an end portion 210, is mounted in the feed track 116 after the slide 121) has been moved to its outermost position in the track 116. The engagement of the nose 124 of the slide 125? with the end of the portion 210 of the tape 2% moves the tape 2%!) along the track 116 and through the guide notch 164 formed in the member 140' to a point where the forewardmost portion of the tape adjacent the first tag forming portion 208 engages the stop 144. When a garment is draped over the platen 58 and the arm 40 is moved into engagement with the stapler, a staple is ejected through the tag forming portion 208 juxtaposed over the stapler head and the garment and the legs of the staple are clinched by the staple clinching grooves 64 formed on the anvil 62. This stapling is effected by the movement of the plate member 8% in the frame and the movement of the stapler head with respect to the driver 1% which is held against movement by its engagement with the plate 102.

As just described, this movement additionally serves to sever the tag forming portion 268 from the tape 200 whereby the garment has an identification tag having identification indicia formed thereon, such as is indicated at 215 in FIGURE 7 attached to the garment. The identification indicia 215 may be comprised of heavily shaded characters 212 to indicate a lot number and lighter shaded characters 214 to indicate a bundle numher, or the like. As will be obvious, the tape 200 may be provided with any identification indicia which is desired. It will also be obvious While the tape 200' has been shown as provided with four tag forming portions, as many, or as few such portions may be provided as is necessary. The number, four, has been selected as experience has indicated that the average customer has no more than two or three garments which he desires to have laundered or dry cleaned.

The fourth tag forming portion, in this case 202, is provided for attachment to supplementary identification indicia such as the bundle invoice to facilitate the identification of the respective garments with the invoice, Assuming, for example, that in a particular bundle three garments have been marked, tags 208, 206, 264 are attached to the garments, as just described, and the tag 202 is attached to the bundle invoice in a manner to be next described.

The plate 112 is provided with an auxiliary guide track 220 which is affixed to the plate 112 by any suitable means. The track 220 is positioned in angular relationship with respect to the track 116, as i best seen in FIGURE 3. The invoice is positioned in the track 220 and moved into juxtaposition with the stapler head and the last tag forming portion 202 which is engaging the stop 144. The tag severing knife 160 is rendered inoperative by a manner to be hereinafter described and the arm 40 is moved forwardly in the manner previously described whereby to ailix the remainder of the tape to the invoice,

The means for rendering the tag severing knife inoperative comprises an operating arm 2.24 which is pivotally mounted on the side member 28, as at 226, by any suitable means such as a nut and bolt, or the like. The lower end of the arm 224 is pivotally connected to a link 228, as at 230, see FIGURE 6. As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the opposite end of the link 228 is pivotally connected at its outer end, as at 232, to a yoke member 234 having its

legs

236 and 238 pivotally mounted on screws or the like, 240, carried by the

side frame members

28 and 30. Referring now to FIGURE 2, the leg 238 of the yoke member 234 is posiitoned adjacent a lever 242. The lever 242 is formed at its inner end with an elongate slot 244 through which a screw 246 is received, the inner end of the screw 246 being threadedly received in the side frame member 30 whereby the lever 242 is free to move about the screw 246 by reason of the slot 244. The outer end of the member 242 is pivotally connected, as at 250, to a pin 252 which is in turn connected to the rearward portion of the link 170 adjacent the slot 174, all whereby movement of the yoke member 23% in a counter-clockwise position, as

6 shown in FIGURE 2, will move the lever 242 and link 170 also in a counter-clockwise direction, whereby to align the slot 174 in the link 170 with the pin 178 carried by the arm 175. As will be seen, the slot 174 extends downwardly in the link 179 further than does the slot 172, whereby when the pin 17% moves in the slot 174 no vertical movement of the link 17th will take place thus eliminating any oscillation of the arm 156 and rendering the knife edge inoperative.

The yoke member 234 is moved in the counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2, by movement of the handle 224 from the dashed line position illustrated in FIGURE 6 to the solid line position. Consequently, the end portion of the tape 210 will not be severed from the remaining tag forming portion 202. As will also be obvious, this feature also has the advantage that if there is only one garment in a bundle only the forewardmost tag forming portion 208 on the tape strip 2% need be severed from the strip and attached to the single garment. Thereafter by rendering the tag severing means inoperative, as just described, the remainder of the tape strip may be attached to the invoice.

As will be obvious, this invention provide both a method and apparatus for the simple and economical marking for identification purposes of the garments in a bundle for processing through a laundering or dry cleaning establishment.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for afiixing identification indicia to garments, or the like, comprising a garment supporting arm, means for afiixing identification tags to a garment supported by said arm upon relative operative movement between said arm and said means, means for feeding a strip of identification tags to and past said affixing means into engagement with a stop member whereby the forwardmost tag is positioned in the path of movement between said garment supporting arm and said afiixing means, and means operable during said operative movement to sever said forewardmost tag from said strip, and means operable to render said severing means inoperative.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said last mentioned means comprises a manually operable lever connected to said severing means and operable when actuated to render said severing means inoperative during said operative movement between said garment supporting arm and said tag aflixing means.

3. An identification marking machine for feeding a plurality of garment marking tags in strip form to a tag affixing station comprising a garment supporting arm and tag afiixing means mounted for relative movement toward and away from each other, tag strip guide means for gmiding the feeding of said strip of tags into the path of movement between said arm and said tag affixing means to affix the forwardmost tag of said strip to a garment supported on said arm during operative movement between said arm and said tag affixing means, means for feeding said strip transversely to the path of said operative movement and stop means positioned adjacent said tag affixing means to limit the feed of said strip, and tag severing means operable during said operative movement to sever said forwardmost tag from said strip.

4. Claim 3, wherein said machine is provided with manually operable means for selectively rendering said severing means inoperative.

5. An identification marking machine for feeding a plurality of garment marking tags in strip form to a tag affixing station comprising a garment supporting arm and tag ailixing means mounted for relative movement toward and away from each other, tag strip guide means for guiding the feeding of said strip of tags into the path of movement between said arm and said tag affixing means to aflix the forwardmost tag of said strip to a garment supported on said arm during operative movement between said arm and said tag affixing means, means for strip and the remainder of said strip may be afiixed to supplementary identification data positioned in said auxiliary guide means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Erickson Mar. 11, 1952 Long Jan. 28, 1958 Filsinger et al. July 21, 1959