Patents Assigned to SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
  • Patent number: 12312183
    Abstract: Material moving apparatus, systems and methods are presented which can include an air material mover. Airflow through orifices can create a localized vacuum such that the uppermost or top layer of material can be separated from the stack of material. The airflow can interact with the material to produce flutter, which assists in separating lower layers from the uppermost layer. A material gripper can grip the uppermost or top layer of material for removal from the stack and repositioning in a work area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION INC.
    Inventors: D. Keith Appel, Michael J. Baker, Jeremy Nagorka
  • Patent number: 12157222
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to end effectors for use in, e.g., automation of sewing robots. In one example, among others, a compliant perimeter end effector includes a mounting bracket having a contact mounting flange, a plurality of compliant material contact elements coupled about a perimeter of the contact mounting flange. The mounting bracket can couple to a manipulator including, e.g., an industrial robot or other manipulation assembly. The compliant material contact elements can include a contact interface that can engage with a piece of material. The compliant material contact elements can precisely transfer material on a workspace with surface irregularities while equally distributing force to the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventors: D. Keith Appel, Michael J. Baker, Luther Lloyd, III
  • Patent number: 11787065
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to attachment of bands such as, e.g., collar or neck bands, sleeve bands, wrist bands, waist bands and ankle bands, etc. to a garment opening. In one example, among others, a band can be attached to a garment by loading the band between rollers in a joining position, positioning an opening of a garment extending between control surface mandrels over the band, and attaching the band to the garment along the edge of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventors: Michael J. Baker, Luther Lloyd, III
  • Patent number: 11781256
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to transporting and sewing material in, e.g., automation of sewing robots. Multiple pieces of layered materials can be transported on a flat planar surface while maintaining the material layer's position and orientation relative to one another during a sewing procedure of these materials along any arbitrary seam shape. In one example, among others, a method includes positioning a second piece of material on a first piece of material located on a sewing plane, positioning a material holding apparatus over the pieces of material to secure position and orientation between the pieces of material, locating the pieces of material with respect to an automated sewing machine by repositioning the material holding apparatus, and sewing the second piece of material to the first piece of material. The methods can eliminate the need of custom-made templates for sewing arbitrarily shaped seams with an automated sewing machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION INC.
    Inventors: Michael Baker, Wael Saab
  • Patent number: 11718937
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to transporting and sewing material in, e.g., automation of sewing robots. Multiple pieces of layered materials can be transported on a flat planar surface while maintaining the material layer's position and orientation relative to one another during a sewing procedure of these materials along any arbitrary seam shape. In one example, among others, a system includes a sewing machine including a sewing needle, a material holding assembly and a translation system. The material holding assembly can include mechanical fingers that can contact material on a sewing plane adjacent to the sewing needle and a structural grounding system supporting the mechanical fingers. The translation system can reposition the material on the sewing plane via the mechanical fingers. Clearance around the sewing needle can be provided by repositioning individual mechanical fingers around the sewing needle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION INC.
    Inventors: Michael Baker, Wael Saab
  • Patent number: 11707099
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to attachment of tape or strips of material along a seam of a garment or other material. In one example, among others, a robotic system includes a joining device that can attach a tape or strip of material across a seam, a loading system that can position material with the seam for attachment of the tape or strip of material, a seam feed system that can adjust positioning of the material for attachment, and a tape handling system that can supply the tape or strip of material to the joining head of the joining device for attachment across the seam. A tape handling system can include a tape joining assembly that can receive tape or strip of material from a current tape cartridge and bond it to the tape or strip of material clamped by the tape joining assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventors: Edgar Aguilar, Michael J. Baker, Scott Coleman, John Casey Edgerton, Jason Franklin, Luther R. Lloyd, III, Louis Marion Mieszkowski, Jorge Augusto Parra
  • Patent number: 11547164
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to processing and handling of products. In one example, among others, a material product holding system includes a product holding assembly and a structure supporting the product holding assembly, the structure coupled to the positioning assembly. The product holding assembly can include support arms and a positioning assembly that can adjust positioning of the support arms with respect to each other to engage with at least a portion of a product supported by the support arms. In another example, a method include engaging support arms with a surface of at least a portion of a product, the support arms tensioning the product, positioning the support arms to load the product on a workstation, contracting the support arms to remove the tension, processing the product, re-engaging the support arms after completion of the processing, and unloading the product from the workstation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventors: Michael J. Baker, Dylan Hutcheson, Andrew Jackson, Luther Lloyd, III, Stephen Ruderman, Wael Saab
  • Patent number: 11524411
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to automation of pallet loading. In one example, a method includes positioning, by a material manipulator, an opening of a product; inserting a product loading assembly of a pallet loading system through an opening of the product, where the product loading assembly can hold the product during manipulation of the product and the pallet loading system can position the product for loading on a pallet; and transferring the product onto the pallet using the product loading assembly. The product can be a portion of a product or a garment or portion of a garment. The product can be smoothed on a surface of the pallet. The pallet can secure the product to the pallet by a pallet clamp. The product on the pallet can be embellished by processing equipment or workstation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventor: Michael J. Baker
  • Patent number: 11499257
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to transporting and sewing material in, e.g., automation of sewing robots. An automated sewing process feed control system is disclosed in which a material aligner is utilized. An omni-chain material aligner can include a circular roller chain in which the rollers allow for a controlling force to be applied to a material. An omni-belt material aligner can include a belt with attached perpendicular rollers which allow feed control and active motorized steering control. The material aligner can control the pressure applied onto the material to facilitate control of feeding the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventors: David Otto Konrad Mikolajewski, Luther Lloyd, III, Michael J. Baker
  • Patent number: 11328408
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to face identification of material. An image can be captured by a vision system and feature parameters determined and compared to a material feature database to determine which face of the material is being presented. The vision system can employ a set of parameters for configuration to acquire the image. The system can communicate the identification to downstream processes in real time. A near-universal, color agnostic, angular orientation independent identification of material faces can be determined without the need for physical manipulation of the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventors: Michael J. Baker, Alexander Ren Gurney, Senthil Ramamurthy
  • Patent number: 9938651
    Abstract: A feed mechanism that advances fabric comprises at least one dog that mechanically advances the fabric toward a sewing head and at least one actuator that is coupled to and actuates the at least one dog in a servo controlled motion so that the sewing head sews the fabric at a desirable position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: SOFTWEAR AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventor: Stephen Lang Dickerson