METHOD OF AND INSTALLATION FOR CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURE OF UNSEWN ARTICLES OF CLOTHING

• US 3,828,367 A
• Filed: 09/16/1971
• Issued: 08/13/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alain Bourgeois
• Original Assignee: Alain Bourgeois
• Inventors: Bourgeois, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, H. Hampton
• Application Number:
  US05/181,062
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 2/224A,224R,227,243R,243B 112/121-126 156/160,164,217,252,438,494,513
• US Class Current: 2/402
• CPC Class Codes: A41B 9/001 Underpants or briefs specially adapted for men A41B9/02; specially adapted for ladies A41B9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 27/245 made by welding or gluing joining of plastics by welding or gluing B29C65/00; sewing machines for concurrently making thread and welded seams D05B17/00; thermal or chemical fixing of seams and hems D06M
• CPC Class Codes: A41F 9/02 Expansible or adjustable belts or girdles ; Adjustable fasteners comprising a track and a slide member A41F1/008, A41F9/002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15601 the ribbons being applied transversely to the direction of the movement of the webs the diapers are being made of
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/36 Bending and joining, e.g. for making hollow articles B29C53/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1036 Bending of one piece blank and joining edges to form article

Abstract

A method apparatus for installation for the continuous manufacture of articles of clothing constituted by a flexible non-elastic element on which is fixed locally at least one stretched elastic element adapted to confer on the said nonelastic element the faculty of stretching, the elastic element being fixed in position in the stretched condition. The said method comprising essentially the steps of: causing a continuous strip of said non-elastic element to travel, without being subjected to deformation, at a constant speed and always in the same direction; simultaneously causing at least one continuous tape or band of said elastic element to move in the same direction and at the same speed as the said strip, while subjecting said elastic tape to a pre-determined stretch; fixing the said elastic tape in the stretched condition on the said nonelastic strip; and cutting the assembly formed by the non-elastic strip and the elastic tape fixed on said strip, transversely to the direction of travel so as to obtain a continuous series of articles separated from each other; the said non-elastic strip being further subjected at regular intervals to a second cutting operation following a predetermined outline so as to form rough shapes of the articles to be obtained.

Claims

1. A method of continuous manufacture of articles of clothing including a flexible non-elastic fabric on which is fixed at least one elastic element so as to confer on said non-elastic fabric the faculty of stretching, said method comprising the steps of:

causing a continuous strip of said non-elastic fabric to travel without deformation at a constant speed along a linear path;

simultaneously causing at least one continuous tape of said elastic element to move in the same direction of travel as said strip and at the same speed, while subjecting said elastic tape to a predetermined stretch;

fixing said stretched elastic tape on said non-elastic strip;

causing the simultaneous motion of said non-elastic strip and said stretched elastic tape by means of a common gripping means, said common gripping means maintaining the elastic tape fixed on said non-elastic strip in the stretched condition until the assembly formed by said non-elastic strip and the stretched elastic tape is cut;

cutting the assembly transversely to its direction of travel immediately adjacent said gripping means to produce panels of said assembly separated from each other; and

forming said assembly panels into clothing articles.

2. The method of claim 1 including the step of cutting said non-elastic fabric at intervals along a predetermined outline to form rough shapes of the clothing artiCles to be manufactured prior to the cutting of said assembly transverse its direction of travel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of gripping said assembly and cutting said assembly transversely to its direction of travel are accomplished simultaneously by said gripping means.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the steps of cutting said non-elastic fabric along a predetermined outline and the step of fixing said stretched elastic tape on said non-elastic fabric strip are effected simultaneously.

5. The method of claim 3 including the step of folding said cut out panel assembly back upon itself along the line extending in the direction of linear travel of said non-elastic element prior to performing the step of cutting said non-elastic strip transversely to the direction of travel.

6. The method of claim 5 including the step of coating the areas of said non-elastic fabric where the transverse cuts are subsequently to be made with an adhesive material prior to folding said non-elastic fabric back upon itself to permit the completed article of clothing to be joined together along its lateral edges.

7. A method of continuous manufacture of panty briefs having an elastic waist and elastic leg openings comprising the steps of:

causing a continuous strip of non-elastic fabric to travel without deformation at a constant speed along a linear path;

cutting pieces from the central portion of said non-elastic fabric strip at regular intervals therealong to form the outlines of the leg openings of said panty briefs, the lateral edges of said fabric strip being intended to serve as the belt of said panty briefs while the transverse non-elastic fabric tongue separating two successive cut out portions is intended to form the gusset of said panty briefs;

causing at least one continuous elastic tape to move in the same direction of travel as said non-elastic fabric strip and at the same speed, while subjecting said elastic tape to a predetermined stretch;

fixing said at least one continuous elastic tape in the stretched condition along each of the lateral edges and along each of the leg opening outlines of said non-elastic strip;

common gripping means causing the motion of said non-elastic strip and said stretched elastic tape, and said common gripping means maintaining the elastic tape fixed on said non-elastic strip in the stretched condition until the assembly formed by said non-elastic strip and the stretched elastic tape is cut;

cutting said assembly transverse the direction of movement of said assembly at intervals therealong; and

forming the cut portions of said assembly into panty briefs.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of forming said cut assemblies into panty briefs includes the steps of folding said cut assemblies upon themselves and adhesively fastening the lateral edges of said non-elastic strip together at spaced points to form a waistband.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the steps of cutting pieces from the central portion of said non-elastic fabric strip at regular intervals therealong to form the outlines of leg openings and the step of fixing said continuous elastic tape in the stretched condition along each of the leg opening outlines are effected simultaneously.

10. The method of claim 7 including the step of coating the areas of said non-elastic fabric where the transverse cuts are subsequently to be made with an adhesive material prior to cutting said assembly at intervals transverse its direction of movement.

11. A method of continuous manufacture of panty briefs having an elastic waist and elastic leg openings comprising the steps of:

causing a continuous strip of non-elastic fabric to travel without deformation at a constant speed along a linear path;

causing at least one continuous elastic tape to move in the same direction of travel as said non-elastic fabric strip and at the same speed;

cutting pieces from the central portion of said non-elastic fabric sTrip at regular intervals therealong to form the outlines of the leg openings of said panty briefs while simultaneously fixing said continuous elastic tape in the stretched condition along each of said leg opening outlines;

fixing said continuous elastic tape in the stretched condition along each of the lateral edges of said non-elastic fabric strip;

cutting said stretched continuous elastic tapes and said continuous strip of non-elastic fabric transverse the direction of movement of said fabric at intervals therealong; and

forming the cut portions of said assembly into panty briefs.

12. The method of claim 11 including the step of folding said cut out panel assembly back upon itself along the line extending in the direction of linear travel of said continuous strip of non-elastic fabric prior to performing the step of cutting said stretched continuous elastic tapes and said continuous strip of non-elastic fabric transverse their direction of movement.

13. The method of claim 12 including the step of coating the areas of said non-elastic fabric where the transverse cuts are subsequently to be made with an adhesive material prior to folding said non-elastic fabric back upon itself to permit the completed article of clothing to be joined together along its lateral edges.