Abstract: An apparatus for aligning a longitudinal edge of a flexible and continuously longitudinally moving web has a support having a longitudinally nondisplaceable face extending transversely across and immediately adjacent the edge and an alignment element having a plurality of parallel and elongated formations engageable with the web. An actuator displaces the element between an aligning position with the formations extending at an acute angle to the edge, pressing the web against the support face, and urging the moving web transversely outward at the edge and a standby position with the formations out of operative engagement with the web.

Abstract: An apparatus for making a pillow or blanket case from a textile strip has a vertically movable gripper engageable with one of the end edges of the strip, a support surface generally below the movable gripper, a conveyor defining a horizontal transport direction opening at an upstream end generally at the support surface, and a vertically and horizontally movable plate above the support surface. Respective actuators connected to the gripper and plate are operated by a controller also connected to conveyor for, after securing the one end edge in the gripper with the other end edge secured underneath the plate and with the strip extending from the movable gripper between the plate and the support surface, first pressing the plate downward against the support surface and thereby pressing the other end edge down against a central region of the strip. Then the plate is pushed into the upstream end of the conveyor to form a fold in the central region and press this fold into the conveyor.

Abstract: A fabric conveyor system for a textile web includes a plurality of guiding rollers pressing against one side of the web, a toothed driven belt pressed against the opposite side the web, and a plurality of pressure pads supporting a toothed side of the driven belt turned away from the opposite side of the web and formed with respective flank portions each providing an unsupported run for a maximum of one tooth.

Abstract: A sewing machine includes two machine halves spaced from one another and each provided with respective tongues capable of displacing pieces of the material web previously cut into pieces on a conveyor, the conveyor being provided with guide rails, one of the rails being formed with a starting portion inclined along and transverse to a travel direction of the conveyor, so that each of the pieces of the web received by the conveyor is delivered to a sewing machine with respective longitudinal edges bent upwardly with respect to a main portion of the web, preventing thereby unraveling the weft upon cutting the web by inherent gravity forces.

Abstract: A device for applying fabric webs includes upper and lower runners each formed with a respective edge facing a pile edge of the web and provided with respective first, second and third segments which are differently shaped and provide aligning of the edge and a seam during hemming and sewing operations.

Abstract: A pile-detecting apparatus is used in a machine wherein a pile fabric is deflected over a smooth surface of a roll to detect the edge between the pile-free portion of the fabric and the portion with the pile, which edge runs parallel to the displacement direction of the fabric over the roll. The apparatus has a support plate, a frame carrying the plate, a plurality of rollers mounted on the frame and riding on the surface of the deflecting roll, and at least one light source on the plate for generating light beams and directing same tangentially of the surface. Respective detectors on the plate receive the respective light beams.

Abstract: A piece of pile-type textile goods having a longitudinal pile-free edge strip of predetermined width is selvedged by moving the goods longitudinally in a transport direction sequentially through four folding stations and then through a stitching station. In the first folding station the outer two-thirds of the edge strip are folded up into a vertical position while the inner third of the edge strip is maintained flat and horizontal so that the edge strip is basically of L-section. Then in the second folding station the outer third of the edge strip is folded inward to a horizontal position while maintaining the inner third flat and horizontal and the middle third upright so that the edge strip is basically of C-section. In the third folding station the outer third of the edge strip is folded down to a vertical position next to and continuous with the middle third while the inner third is maintained flat and horizontal and the middle third upright.

Abstract: A leading edge of a web is fed to an upstream cutting station and is gripped at the cutting station with an upstream clamp which is then advanced downstream away from the cutting station to a middle station and is arrested in the middle station where the leading edge of the web is gripped with a downstream clamp and released from the upstream clamp. The leading edge held by the downstream clamp is then moved downstream to a holding station and the opened upstream clamp is moved along the web to a position slightly upstream of the upstream cutting station. The web is then gripped immediately downstream of the upstream cutting station with an upstream clamping conveyor and immediately upstream of the downstream holding station with a downstream clamping conveyor, and is gripped immediately upstream of the upstream cutting station with the upstream clamp.

Abstract: Pieces are cut off the end of a long web by first impaling the leading end of the web on a crosswise circulating needle bar that is then moved downstream from a cutting to a holding section. Then at the cutting station another such circulating needle bar and a noncirculating needle bar are poked through the web, with the noncirculating bar being downstream (relative to the displacement direction of the web) of the circulating bar. Then the web is cut across between the two upstream bars and the noncirculating bar and the downstream circulating bar are dropped down to transfer the piece thus cut from themselves to a transverse needle-chain conveyor. Then the circulating bar is moved back from the downstream holding station to the upstream cutting station while the second circulating bar pulls another piece of the web downstream across above the transverse conveyor.

Abstract: A conveyor gripper for a substantially flat object, especially a textile web, has two gripping plates forming gripper tongs held in a gripping body. A pressing force which is constant over the entire length of the gripping plates is generated by at least one pressurizable air tube. A plurality of compressable springs distributed over the length of the gripping plates and can act against the pressing force of the air tubes. Also a plurality of safety straps can be located on the gripper body to prevent the spreading out of the gripper body.

Abstract: A device for tensioning and aligning a fabric includes a support member to which a plurality of tensioning segments are connected such that each of the segments in automatically lifted when a longitudinal hem of the fabric passes thereunder. The support member is provided with a guide plate at each vertical end which guide plates face each other and project into associated slots provided at the vertical ends of the segments with a play so as to allow a limited vertical movement as well as a limited horizontal movement of the segments along the guide plates. Each of the segments has a main body which is provided with a finger-like step-shaped extension so as to define a projection facing the fabric and a space which embraces the respective edge of a nap zone with a certain clearance.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for automatically producing a fabric with aligned nap zone and napless zone includes a conveyor along which the fabric is transported in such a manner that its nap zone is located at one side of a press pad and the napless zone is located under and at the other side of the press pad. A clamping device can be lowered on the napless zone to pull the latter transversely to the conveying direction of the fabric so that the edge of the nap zone is forced towards the press pad and to be aligned parallel thereto. Through cutting the napless zone in conveying direction after the nap zone is urged to lie against the press pad parallel to the edge of the nap zone an exact alignment of the napless zone to the nap zone is achieved.

Abstract: An arrangement for folding and reinforcing an edge portion of a fabric includes at least two pairs of press rolls and a folding unit therebetween. The folding unit is provided with a conveyor whose upper extension projects beyond the plane along which the fabric is forwarded. Thus, the edge portion will be lifted when engaged by this conveyor while the remaining portion of the fabric is downwardly pressed by a stationary press pad. Cooperating with this conveyor is a further conveyor which has a section inwardly directed toward the edge portion so that once the edge portion is lifted by the one conveyor, the other conveyor will fold the edge portion through the inward motion.

Abstract: An apparatus for putting ribbon pieces on a textile fabric's edge comprising a ribbon folding apparatus with a fold plate having two long sides with slanting, converging fold edges and two fold plate stops engageable by the slanting fold edges and a fold edge on its front side lying parallel to the textile fabric's feed direction which is engageable with the ribbon alternatively to the slanting fold edges so as to make ribbon pieces that are V-shaped or simply folded over on themselves; and a ribbon feed apparatus having a ribbon oriented transverse to and adjustably perpendicular to or at an acute angle to the textile fabric's plane of motion, a ribbon-holding clamp positioned above the fold edge's point of engagement with the ribbon to support the ribbon prior to engagement with the fold plate, and a ribbon cutting apparatus mounted in the feed direction above the place of engagement of the ribbon by the fold plate.

Abstract: A stitching assembly for a sewing machine has a stationary stitch plate having a flat upper face defining a stitching location, provided on the face adjacent the stitching location with an upstanding edge guide extending in and defining a transport direction, and formed with an upwardly open elongated groove extending upstream in the transport direction from the stitching location and having an outer flank turned toward and mainly parallel to the edge guide and an inner flank turned away from and mainly parallel to the edge guide. A presser foot has a sole plate with a lower face turned toward and confronting the upper face of the stitch plate at the stitching location and provided on its lower face with a downwardly projecting guide ridge that extends in the transport direction and that has an inner flank turned toward and generally parallel to the edge guide and an outer flank turned away from and generally parallel to the edge guide.

Abstract: An automatic selvedger has a pair of longitudinally spaced and transversely throughgoing main rolls rotatable about respective parallel axes and guides and a drive that pass the web longitudinally and continuously from one of the main rolls to the other main roll in a travel direction perpendicular to the roll axes and with the web spanned tightly longitudinally between the main rolls and lying generally in a plane with its edges generally parallel. The web edges are folded over between the upstream and the downstream main roll and then are stitched together. A feed device has at least one straight guide spaced upstream from and substantially parallel to the upstream main roll. The web passes over the guide and thence to the upstream main roll. A support between the guide and the upstream roll is pivotal about an axis transverse to a plane defined by the straight guide and upstream main roll axis.

Abstract: An apparatus for folding over and stitching the longitudinally extending and transversely spaced edges of an elongated textile web has a pair of longitudinally spaced and transversely throughgoing main rolls rotatable about respective parallel axes and operated by guide and drive means that pass the web longitudinally and continuously from one of the main rolls to the other main roll in a travel direction perpendicular to the roll axes and with the web spanned tightly longitudinally between the main rolls and lying generally in a plane with its edges generally parallel. Respective stretchers transversely confronting each other between the main rolls engage the web edges for urging same transversely apart and thereby transversely stretching the web. Folders between the stretchers and the downstream main roll fold over the edges of the web and sewing devices between the folding means and the downstream main roll stitch together the folded-over web edges.

Abstract: A pile-gap detector has an elongated plate adapted to ride upon the pile of a carpet web displaced past the detector. A sensor is movable in a window of this plate and drops into the pile-free gap to operate a signal generator. The support from the signal generator, plate and sensor is floatingly mounted so that the device rides freely upon the pile.

Abstract: A piece of loose textile with a spread cut edge is fed to a stitching location in accordance with a method wherein the piece is gripped at an interior location spaced from the edge and this interior gripped location is advanced continuously at an intermediate transport speed in a transport direction parallel to the edge toward the stitching location. Thus relative to the direction the edge has a leading portion and a trailing portion that are successively displaced past a speed-change location. This leading portion of the edge is advanced in the direction toward the stitching location at a relatively slow transport speed slower than the intermediate speed and the trailing portion of the edge is advanced in the direction toward the stitching location at a relatively fast transport speed faster than the intermediate speed. This system therefore automatically rectifies the edges of the piece.