WO2000001870A1

WO2000001870A1 - Method and device for automatically sewing curtain hooks into a curtain, and an insertion jaw

Info

Publication number: WO2000001870A1
Application number: PCT/NL1999/000425
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gustav Josephus Eisenkolb
Original assignee: Eisenkolb Confectiemachines B.V.
Priority date: 1998-07-06
Filing date: 1999-07-06
Publication date: 2000-01-13
Also published as: AU4804299A; NL1009573C2

Abstract

For automatically sewing curtain hooks into a curtain, use is made of two or more gripping elements which are fitted substantially parallel to each other and are movable relative to each other in such a way that the distance between them is adjustable. The gripping elements (20) each comprise two jaws (21, 22), which can be brought into engagement with the curtain (25) on either side thereof. A curtain hook (4) placed in a curtain pleat can be sewn into the curtain (25) by means of a sewing machine. According to the invention, means are present for automatically placing a curtain hook in a curtain pleat. These means comprise an insertion jaw (1) which forms one of the jaws of a gripping element (20).

Description

Title: Method and device for automatically sewing curtain hooks into a curtain, and an insertion jaw

The invention relates to a method for automatically sewing curtain hooks into a curtain, comprising: feeding in curtain material substantially in the horizontal direction between gripping elements which are disposed substantially parallel and are movable relative to each other, bringing the gripping elements into engagement with the curtain material, - subsequently moving the gripping elements towards each other, so that a vertical pleat is formed in the curtain, placing a curtain hook in the curtain pleat, rotating the gripping elements, together with the pleat wedged between them, through approximately 90°, - feeding in the pleat containing the curtain hook to a sewing machine, fixing the pleat and the curtain hook with fixing means, moving the gripping elements away from the pleat, and moving them to the initial position, so that they can receive between them a next part of the curtain material, and sewing in the pleat and the curtain hook by means of the sewing machine, - the curtain hook being placed in the pleat by means of an insertion jaw which forms part of the gripping elements.

This method is known from Japanese Patent 10137476 (Brother). According to the known method, a pleat is formed automatically in a curtain material, after which a curtain hook is placed in the pleat. The pleat is then sewn in together with the curtain hook, by means of a sewing machine. In the case of the known method a pleat is formed first of all. This pleat is fed to a sewing machine. A hook is then inserted into the pleat. According to the abovementioned Japanese patent, the hook is fed to the pleat by means of a device for feeding curtain hooks which is known from EP-B-0637345 (Eisenkolb). The insertion of the hook into the pleat takes some time. During this time the sewing machine is not being used. The sewing machine has to wait until the moment when the hook is placed in the pleat. That means that in the case of the device and the method according to the prior art the placing of the hook in the pleat, prior to sewing in the pleat and the hook, involves a loss of time.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device in which the insertion of the hook into a pleat does not extend the production cycle of the sewing of a pleat. That object is achieved according to the invention by the fact that the curtain hook is placed in the insertion jaw prior to bringing the gripping elements into engagement with the curtain material.

The invention is based on the idea that it must be possible to bring the jaws of the gripping elements into contact with the curtain material at any time in a production cycle of a pleat. By using one of these jaws for feeding in the curtain hooks, it can be ensured that the process of sewing a pleat is not extended by the insertion of a curtain hook into a pleat.

According to the invention, it is advantageous for the curtain hook to be placed in the insertion jaw at the moment when the gripping elements are moved away from the pleat, in the direction of their initial position.

By placing the curtain hook in the insertion jaw before the gripping elements are in engagement with the curtain material, preferably at the moment when the gripping elements move away from the pleat in the direction of their initial position, it can be ensured that the curtain hook is placed in the insertion jaw at the moment when the sewing machine is engaged in sewing a previous curtain hook into a curtain pleat. The cycle time of sewing the pleat will then not be extended in any way whatsoever.

The invention also relates to a device, obviously designed for carrying out the method according to the invention, comprising: folding means for automatically folding a pleat in the curtain, which folding means are composed of two or more gripping elements which are fitted substantially parallel to each other and are movable relative to each other in such a way that the distance between them is adjustable, which gripping elements each comprise two jaws which can be brought into engagement with the curtain on either side thereof, a pleat being formed by moving the gripping elements towards each other, - and a sewing machine for sewing a curtain hook placed in a curtain pleat into the curtain, the means for automatically placing a curtain hook in a curtain pleat comprising an insertion jaw which forms part of the gripping elements, which insertion jaw is provided with a recess for accommodating a curtain hook which has been fed in, while feed means are present to guide a curtain hook from a stock of curtain hooks into the recess.

The device according to the invention is characterized in that the feed means can feed a curtain hook into the recess of the insertion jaw before the folding means form a pleat in the curtain.

It is advantageous here that the gripping elements can be tilted from a substantially vertical position, in which the jaws are placed one above the other, to a substantially horizontal position, in which the jaws of the respective gripping elements are placed next to each other, the jaws being movable into the horizontal position in the direction of the feed means for a curtain hook, all the above occurring in such a way that the movement path of the feed means connects to the insertion jaw.

By these measures it is ensured that the curtain hook is inserted into a pleat at the moment when the gripping elements are moved away from a folded pleat. This means that the gripping elements are, as it were, made ready for forming the following pleat. The placing of a hook in the gripping elements therefore does not add to the production time. Furthermore, it is ensured that the curtain hook is positioned accurately in the pleat. Curtain hooks are generally made of a flexible material such as plastic. When these curtain hooks are inserted into a pleat which has been formed in the meantime, the positioning of the hook in the pleat can deviate from a desired position, because the curtain hook itself can bend.

When the curtain hook together with the gripping elements is brought into engagement with the curtain material, a positioning of the hook relative to the curtain material is ensured. For in that case the hook is placed on the material together with the gripping elements. Such gripping elements are generally made of metal and are therefore relatively stiff.

The invention further relates to an insertion jaw for the device according to the invention. The jaw is characterized in that it comprises a central plate with recess for accommodating a curtain hook, and a side plate fitted on either side of the central plate. The present invention will be explained further with reference to drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of an insertion jaw according to the present invention, with a curtain hook placed therein; Figure 2 is a view of four gripping elements disposed next to each other with the curtain material between them;

Figure 3 is a cross section of the gripping elements with the formed pleat between them, in a horizontal position; Figure 4 is a top view of a gripping element with a curtain hook placed therein;

Figure 5 shows diagrammatically the placing of a curtain hook in the insertion jaw.

The insertion jaw according to the present invention can be seen in Figure 1. The insertion jaw 1 forms one of the jaws of the gripping elements 20 which are used in a device for automatically making pleats in curtain material. The insertion jaw comprises a central plate 2, which is provided with a recess 3 in which a curtain hook 4 can be placed. The recess 3 is freely accessible from the left side in the drawing (arrow C). That means that the curtain hook 4 can be moved out of the insertion jaw 1 in the direction opposite to that of arrow C. The insertion jaw 1, like the other gripping elements 20, comprises two side plates 5, whose function will be discussed with reference to Figure 2. The side plates 5 are provided on one of their sides with bevels 6, which serve to guide a hook 4 placed in the insertion jaw 1. Furthermore, the side plate 5 which is the lower one in the drawing is provided with guide lugs 7, which also ensure good guidance of the hook 4 when the latter is placed in the insertion jaw 1. A stop 8 is fitted in order to ensure that the hook 4 cannot move back out of the insertion jaw with the aid of an insertion element (not shown). Said stop 8 can be movable in a vertical direction (shown in the drawing). This means that the stop 8 moves downwards when the hook is being fixed in the insertion jaw, and said stop springs back to a stop position when the hook has been moved fully past the stop 8. Because the material of a curtain hook 4 is generally flexible, it is also possible to fix this stop to the insertion jaw 1. In that case the curtain hook 4 deforms when passing the stop 8. After passing the stop 8, the deformed hook 4 springs back into the initial position, and the hook is held in position behind the stop. The upper and lower side plates are also provided with recesses 9 in their top edges. The functioning of these recesses 9 is explained further with reference to Figure 3.

Figure 2 shows the functioning of the gripping elements 20. Said gripping elements 20 comprise an upper jaw 21 and a lower jaw 22. In Figure 2 the second gripping element from the left is provided with the insertion jaw 1 on the underside. The functioning of the gripping elements 20 is as follows. The gripping elements 20 are placed substantially parallel to and at a distance from each other. A part of a cloth, such as a curtain 25, can be clamped between said gripping elements. The side plates 5 of the various jaws 22 are designed in such a way here that said side plates project slightly above the central plates 2 of the jaws. The pressure of the upper jaw 21 on the lower jaw 22 will already to some extent force the curtain 25 into the "pleated position". With the gripping elements 20 in engagement with the curtain 25, said gripping elements are then moved towards each other. As a result, pleats are formed between the gripping elements 20.

Since a hook 4 is already present in the insertion jaw 1, when the pleat concerned is formed this means that a hook will already be present in said pleat.

Figure 4 shows the situation in which the pleats formed in accordance with Figure 2 are being fed to a sewing machine. The needle of the sewing machine will generally be positioned vertically, which is why the gripping elements 20 are moved into a horizontal position first of all, before a sewing operation can be carried out. It can be seen clearly in Figure 3 that by means of the device and method according to the present invention the hook 4 will already be present in a pleat during the sewing. In order to be able to carry out a sewing operation subsequently, the various upper and lower jaws 21, 22 and the insertion jaw 1 must be disengaged from the material of the pleated curtain. In order to ensure that the pleat does not fall apart, said pleat is first fixed by means of a piercing element 30. As an alternative or simultaneously, a pressure element 31 can also be used.

The insertion of piercing elements 30 through the pleated curtain material and simultaneously through the hook 4 is also shown in Figure 4. When the pleat and the hook placed therein have been fixed in this way, the lower jaws 22, the insertion jaw 1 and the upper jaws 21 can then be moved away without the pleats falling apart. The pleat provided with a hook 4 can then be sewn in, using a sewing machine. The various jaws are moved away in the direction A, as shown by the arrows in Figure 4. Figure 5 then shows the case where the jaws 21, 22 and 1 respectively are disengaged from the material of the curtain 25. In order to move the jaws completely clear of the material of the curtain 25, the jaws are moved not only in the direction A, but also in the direction B. These jaws can then be rotated into their vertical position. At the moment when these jaws are moved in the direction B, as shown in Figure 5, a next curtain hook 4 can be positioned according to the prior art in the insertion jaw 1 by means of feed means (not shown). The movement in the direction of the arrow B must be made by the jaws, including the insertion jaw 1. Placing a hook 4 in the insertion jaw 1 at this precise moment in the cycle ensures that the hook 4 is placed in the insertion jaw without any time being lost.

It must be understood that with the method and the device according to the present invention it is ensured that the hook 4 is placed in the insertion jaw 1 prior to the engagement of the various hooks with the material of the curtain 25. In other words, the hook 4 is placed in the insertion jaw 1 prior to a new cycle of making curtain pleats.

Claims

1. Method for automatically sewing curtain hooks into a curtain, comprising: feeding in curtain material substantially in the horizontal direction between gripping elements which are disposed substantially parallel and are movable relative to each other, bringing the gripping elements into engagement with the curtain material, subsequently moving the gripping elements towards each other, so that a vertical pleat is formed in the curtain, - placing a curtain hook in the curtain pleat, rotating the gripping elements, together with the pleat wedged between them, through approximately 90┬░, feeding in the pleat containing the curtain hook to a sewing machine, fixing the pleat and the curtain hook with fixing means, - moving the gripping elements away from the pleat, and moving them to the initial position, so that they can receive between them a next part of the curtain material, and sewing in the pleat and the curtain hook by means of the sewing machine, the curtain hook being placed in the pleat by means of an insertion jaw which forms part of the gripping elements, characterized in that the curtain hook (4) is placed in the insertion jaw (1) prior to bringing the gripping elements (20) into engagement with the curtain material (25).

2. Method according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the curtain hook (4) is placed in the insertion jaw (1) at the moment when the gripping elements are moved away from the pleat, in the direction of their initial position.

3. Device, obviously designed for carrying out the method according to Claim 1 or 2, comprising: folding means for automatically folding a pleat in the curtain, which folding means are composed of two or more gripping elements which are fitted substantially parallel to each other and are movable relative to each other in such a way that the distance between them is adjustable, which gripping elements each comprise two jaws, which can be brought into engagement with the curtain on either side thereof, a pleat being formed by moving the gripping elements towards each other, and a sewing machine for sewing a curtain hook placed in a curtain pleat into the curtain, the means for automatically placing a curtain hook in a curtain pleat comprising an insertion jaw which forms part of the gripping elements, which insertion jaw is provided with a recess for accommodating a curtain hook which has been fed in, while feed means are present to guide a curtain hook from a stock of curtain hooks into the recess, characterized in that the feed means can feed a curtain hook (4) into the recess (3) of the insertion jaw (1) before the folding means form a pleat in the curtain (25).

4. Device according to Claim 3, in which the gripping elements can be tilted from a substantially vertical position, in which the jaws are placed one above the other, to a substantially horizontal position, in which the jaws of the respective gripping elements are placed next to each other, characterized in that the jaws (21, 22, 1) are movable into the horizontal position in the direction of the feed means for a curtain hook (4), all the above occurring in such a way that the movement path of the feed means connects to the insertion jaw (1).

5. Insertion jaw for a device according to Claim 3 or 4, comprising: a central plate (2) with recess (3) for accommodating a curtain hook (4), and a side plate (5) fitted on either side of the central plate (2).