Method and system for automatically assembling limp workpieces, such as garment sections and the like

Claim 1

A method for automatically forming assemblies of limp workpieces, such as workpieces for use in making garments, apparel, headgear, footwear, home furnishings, and the like, to form assemblies of such workpieces comprising the steps of: transporting first limp workpieces on a conveyor surface along a line of advancement with said first workpieces being maintained in predetermined registration relative to said line of advancement, displacing a portion of said limp workpieces away from the conveyor surface while being transported along the line of advancement to provide a clearance space between the displaced workpiece and the conveyor surface, sensing the position of the moving displaced first workpieces, inserting second workpieces between the conveyor surface and the displaced first workpieces with each second workpiece being deposited on the conveyor surface in synchronous relationship with the sensed, moving, displaced first workpiece to obtain predetermined registration in time and place relative to a first workpiece, transporting said first and second workpieces and along the line of advancement to individually merge in registered relationship with one another, with each first workpiece overlying a seCond with said registered relationship, conveying said merged first and second workpieces to an attachment station, fastening said merged workpieces to one another to form an assembly thereof, and including the steps of continuously clamping said first limp workpieces while they are being transported and while they are being fastened to the second workpieces to maintain the first workpieces in accurate registration with respect to the line of advancement and with respect to the second workpieces.

Claim 2

A method for automatically forming assemblies of limp workpieces, such as workpieces for use in making garments, apparel, headgear, footwear, home furnishings, and the like, to form assemblies of such workpieces comprising the steps of: transporting first limp workpieces on a conveyor surface along a line of advancement with said first workpieces being maintained in predetermined registration relative to said line of advancement, displacing a portion of said limp workpieces away from the conveyor surface while being transported along the line of advancement to provide a clearance space between the displaced workpiece and the conveyor surface, sensing the position of the moving displaced first workpieces, inserting second workpieces between the conveyor surface and the displaced first workpieces with each second workpiece being deposited on the conveyor surface in synchronous relationship with the sensed, moving, displaced first workpiece to obtain predetermined registration in time and place relative to a first workpiece, transporting said first and second workpieces and along the line of advancement to individually merge in registered relationship with one another, with each first workpiece overlying a seCond with said registered relationship, conveying said merged first and second workpieces to an attachment station, fastening said merged workpieces to one another to form an assembly thereof, and including the steps of continuously clamping said first limp workpieces while they are being transported and while they are being fastened to the second workpieces to maintain the first workpieces in accurate registration with respect to the line of advancement and with respect to the second workpieces.

Claim 3

A method for automatically assembling limp workpieces, such as for use in making garments, apparel, headgear, footwear, home furnishings, and the like, comprising the steps of: depositing first workpieces made of a limp garment material, and the like, on a conveyor with predetermined registration with respect to a workpiece advancement line extending in a direction parallel with the direction of travel of the conveyor, clamping an end of the workpieces to the conveyor to maintain the workpiece registration, elevating the other end of each successive first workpiece above the moving conveyor to provide clearance space beneath it to allow insertion of a second workpiece of limp garment material, and the like, below the elevated end of the first workpiece, depositing said second workpiece below the elevated end of the first workpiece in predetermined aligned relationship with the line of advancement and with the elevated workpiece, transporting the aligned workpieces towards a merger region and moving the first workpiece directly on top of the associated, aligned second workpiece, transporting the merged workpiece past an attachment station, clamping the merged garment workpieces to the conveyor adjacent the opposite sides of a predermined attachment line, and attaching the merged workpieces to one another along said predetermined attachment line to obtain accurate attachment of the workpieces.

Claim 4

A method for automatically assembling limp workpieces, such as for use in making garments, apparel, headgear, footwear, home furnishings, and the like, comprising the steps of: depositing first workpieces made of a limp garment material, and the like, on a conveyor with predetermined registration with respect to a workpiece advancement line extending in a direction parallel with the direction of travel of the conveyor, clamping an end of the workpieces to the conveyor to maintain the workpiece registration, elevating the other end of each successive first workpiece above the moving conveyor to provide clearance space beneath it to allow insertion of a second workpiece of limp garment material, and the like, below the elevated end of the first workpiece, depositing said second workpiece below the elevated end of the first workpiece in predetermined aligned relationship with the line of advancement and with the elevated workpiece, transporting the aligned workpieces towards a merger region and moving the first workpiece directly on top of the associated, aligned second workpiece, transporting the merged workpiece past an attachment station, clamping the merged garment workpieces to the conveyor adjacent the opposite sides of a predermined attachment line, and attaching the merged workpieces to one another along said predetermined attachment line to obtain accurate attachment of the workpieces.

Claim 5

A system for automatically assembling limp workpieces made of garment material and the like to form assemblies for garments and the like comprising means for transporting first limp workpieces along a line of advancement with said workpieces maintained with preselected registration with respect to said line of advancement; means for displacing a portion of each of said transported first workpieces in succession from the transporting means to form a workpiece receiving recess between the displaced portion of the first workpiece and the transporting means; said transporting means comprising a pair of endless laterally spaced conveyor belts operating in a common plane; said clamping means comprising an endless clamping belt operatively disposed in clamping relationship with one of said belts to grip transported workpieces therebetween, to maintain each of said first workpieces in said preselected registration throughout said displacement thereof; means for depositing limp second workpieces in said recess on said transporting means with each of said second workpieces in preselected alignment with a displaced portion of a corresponding first workpiece; said displacing means being shaped to return said displaced limp workpiece portion to the transporting means in overlying relationship with the corresponding second workpiece, means in alignment with the transporting means for attaching each of said first and second workpieces to one another along a desired attachment line to form said assemblies; and said transporting means further comprising a pair of spaced endless conveying belts operatively aligned with the other of said pair of conveyor belts to convey the merged workpieces past the attaching means, with the gap between the latter conveying belts being located in alignment with the desired attachment line of said merged garment workpieces.

Claim 6

A system for automatically assembling limp workpieces made of garment material and the like to form assemblies for garments and the like comprising means for transporting first limp workpieces along a line of advancement with said workpieces maintained with preselected registration with respect to said line of advancement; means for displacing a portion of each of said transported first workpieces in succession from the transporting means to form a workpiece receiving recess between the displaced portion of the first workpiece and the transporting means; said transporting means comprising a pair of endless laterally spaced conveyor belts operating in a common plane; said clamping means comprising an endless clamping belt operatively disposed in clamping relationship with one of said belts to grip transported workpieces therebetween, to maintain each of said first workpieces in said preselected registration throughout said displacement thereof; means for depositing limp second workpieces in said recess on said transporting means with each of said second workpieces in preselected alignment with a displaced portion of a corresponding first workpiece; said displacing means being shaped to return said displaced limp workpiece portion to the transporting means in overlying relationship with the corresponding second workpiece, means in alignment with the transporting means for attaching each of said first and second workpieces to one another along a desired attachment line to form said assemblies; and said transporting means further comprising a pair of spaced endless conveying belts operatively aligned with the other of said pair of conveyor belts to convey the merged workpieces past the attaching means, with the gap between the latter conveying belts being located in alignment with the desired attachment line of said merged garment workpieces.

Claim 7

A system for automatically forming assemblies of limp workpieces for use in manufacturing garments, and the like, from such workpieces comprising a conveyor system for transporting first limp workpieces along a line of advancement, with said wOrkpieces being located on the conveyor system with predetermined registration with respect to the advancement line, said conveyor system including first and second endless parallel transporting belts spaced laterally from one another with a gap between them, said first workpieces resting on the belts and spanning across the gap between the belts; ramp elevating means inclined upwardly with respect to said conveyor belts for elevating above the first conveyor belt a portion of each successive first workpiece, said ramp elevating means including an upstream end emerging from said gap in an upwardly slanted direction, said ramp elevating means expanding laterally over said first conveyor belt to support the first workpiece portions in an elevated position above said first conveyor belt, inserting means for inserting second workpieces onto said first conveyor belt below said ramp elevating means; clamping holddown means extending along over the second of said conveyor belts adjacent to said ramp elevating means to grip the first workpieces against said second conveyor belt for preserving workpiece registration relative to said line of advancement; and said first and second workpieces being conveyed by the conveyor system toward a merger region where said ramp elevating means terminates to enable the elevated first workpiece portions to merge onto the respective second workpieces on said first conveyor belt with desired registration.

Claim 8

A system for automatically forming assemblies of limp workpieces for use in manufacturing garments, and the like, from such workpieces comprising a conveyor system for transporting first limp workpieces along a line of advancement, with said wOrkpieces being located on the conveyor system with predetermined registration with respect to the advancement line, said conveyor system including first and second endless parallel transporting belts spaced laterally from one another with a gap between them, said first workpieces resting on the belts and spanning across the gap between the belts; ramp elevating means inclined upwardly with respect to said conveyor belts for elevating above the first conveyor belt a portion of each successive first workpiece, said ramp elevating means including an upstream end emerging from said gap in an upwardly slanted direction, said ramp elevating means expanding laterally over said first conveyor belt to support the first workpiece portions in an elevated position above said first conveyor belt, inserting means for inserting second workpieces onto said first conveyor belt below said ramp elevating means; clamping holddown means extending along over the second of said conveyor belts adjacent to said ramp elevating means to grip the first workpieces against said second conveyor belt for preserving workpiece registration relative to said line of advancement; and said first and second workpieces being conveyed by the conveyor system toward a merger region where said ramp elevating means terminates to enable the elevated first workpiece portions to merge onto the respective second workpieces on said first conveyor belt with desired registration.

Claim 9

A system for automatically assembling limp workpieces made of garment material and the like to form assemblies for garments and the like comprising means for transporting first limp workpieces along a line of advancement with said workpieces maintained with preselected registration with respect to said line of advancement, said transporting means including first and second conveyor belts positioned in spaced parallel coplanar relationship defining a gap therebetween; means for displacing a portion of each of said transported first workpieces upwardly away from the first conveyor belt to form a workpiece receiving recess between the displaced portion of the first workpiece and the first conveyor belt, said means for displacing a portion of each of said transported first workpieces including a ramp having a leading end extending down into said gap, said ramp becoming wider and extending upwardly over said first conveyor belt in the direction of advancement for elevating the displaced portion of each of said workpieces to form said recess; means for depositing limp second workpieces in said recess on said first conveyor belt with each of said second workpieces in preselected alignment with the displaced portion of a corresponding first workpiece; said ramp being shaped to return said displaced limp first workpiece portion to said first conveyor belt in overlying relationship with the corresponding second workpiece; and means in alignment with the transporting means for attaching each of said first and second workpieces to one another along a desired attachment line to form said assemblies.

Claim 10

A system for automatically assembling limp workpieces made of garment material and the like to form assemblies for garments and the like comprising means for transporting first limp workpieces along a line of advancement with said workpieces maintained with preselected registration with respect to said line of advancement, said transporting means including first and second conveyor belts positioned in spaced parallel coplanar relationship defining a gap therebetween; means for displacing a portion of each of said transported first workpieces upwardly away from the first conveyor belt to form a workpiece receiving recess between the displaced portion of the first workpiece and the first conveyor belt, said means for displacing a portion of each of said transported first workpieces including a ramp having a leading end extending down into said gap, said ramp becoming wider and extending upwardly over said first conveyor belt in the direction of advancement for elevating the displaced portion of each of said workpieces to form said recess; means for depositing limp second workpieces in said recess on said first conveyor belt with each of said second workpieces in preselected alignment with the displaced portion of a corresponding first workpiece; said ramp being shaped to return said displaced limp first workpiece portion to said first conveyor belt in overlying relationship with the corresponding second workpiece; and means in alignment with the transporting means for attaching each of said first and second workpieces to one another along a desired attachment line to form said assemblies.