Abstract: An apparatus installed on a sewing machine for automatically turning over a garment flap during zipper stitching first descends such that a flap lever which turns the flap over is positioned closely beside the flap, and second the flap lever is rotated laterally. The flap lever securely turns over the flap without being lifted unnecessarily higher, and the initial position of the flap lever is high enough to not obstruct the setting work of workpiece. A pneumatic cylinder successively causes the above described actions.

Abstract: A cold weather system for keeping a wearer comfortable in a temperature of about -60.degree. F.-+40.degree. F. and winds up to 100 miles per hour, utilizes a shirt, pants, parka and wind shirt and wind pants. A sleeping bag and moisture handling pad/deicing cloth are compressed in compressor bags and easily transported by the wearer for comfort during sleeping too, and used with a bivvy sack having a tent flap. The shirt and pants are ventable so that they provide comfort over a wide temperature range, the vents being completely closed when maximum thermal protection is desired. The parka includes a windskirt which engages the wearer's legs. The wind garments are made of fine denier 100% synthetic material tightly woven so that they have very low air porosity. The parka and wind shirt can be connected together to provide an emergency bivac sleeping bag.

Abstract: A convertible semiautomated sewing station runs and top stitches cuffs, collars, shirt flaps or decorative pieces. Instead of gripping the sewn fabric blanks as in the prior art, a presser arm pushes the fabric blanks against a work table and slides the blanks from a loading guide to a sewing head and then to a transfer station. A pick up mechanism moves the sewn blanks from the transfer station to a station where the sewn blanks are accumulated. Small apparel manufactures can convert the machine from producing cuffs to producing collars, pocket flaps or decorative pieces, or vice versa, in only a few minutes. The cycle time of the station is less than the prior art because the presser arm does not have to move the sewn blanks all the way to the accumulator station.

Abstract: A quilting method and apparatus for quilting overlying layers of textile material including at least two reel unwind devices to supply at least two webs of the textile of material, a tensioning device to maintain the textile material at a selected tension first and second pairs of nip rollers located in spaced apart generally vertical orientation where the fabric material is fed there between and where a sewing area is defined therebetween, generally horizontally extending sewing machine devices adapted to sew the overlying layers of fabric material together in the sewing area where the nip rollers are carried on a frame means which is capable of moving laterally to the direction of movement of the fabric through the sewing area and where the pairs of nip rollers are rotated in cooperative relation to selectively advance and retract the material in the sewing area so that by proper coordination selected sewn configurations can be provided in the textile material in the sewing area.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting and positioning a chain of stitches for stitching onto material in a sewing machine having a needle and a throat plate, comprising, a cutting knife adapted to sever the chain of stitches after the chain has been sewn onto the material, a device adapted to move the severed chain to a position forwardly of the needle, and a gripping device adapted to be positioned at a level below the throat plate during sewing of the chain stitches onto the material, and to rise up and grip the thus positioned severed chain, and return to below the level of the throat plate to hold the chain, to effect incorporation of the chain during the initial stitches into the seam being formed.

Abstract: A shark protector suit of the invention is a combined rubber suit and helmet to completely cover the body of the wearer, including a face mask for facial protection, and preferably having at least a partial lining of flotation material, such as foam sheet. The suit and helmet have a plurality of spikes extending outward therefrom to prevent a shark from clamping its jaws over the wearer.

Abstract: An embroidery frame supporting device includes a frame member having either a fixing screw or a ferromagnetic plate, a driving mechanism for travelling in a two dimensional plane, a carriage member for supporting the frame members and for transmitting the movement of the driving mechanism to the frame member, a yoke member fixed to the carriage member, a magnetic member fixed to the yoke member, and a recess provided on the carriage member and engaging with the fixing screw. When a large or heavy frame member is fixed to the carriage member, the fixing screw is inserted into the recess. Thus, the large frame member is fixed to the carriage member with a suitable supporting force. Further, when a small frame member is fixed to the carriage member, the small or light frame member is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet member. Thus, the small frame member is fixed to the carriage member with suitable supporting force.

Abstract: A protective garment for protecting the wearer against adverse effects of chemical, biological and like environmental contamination including a body garment defined by a pair of legs, a pair of arms, a body and a hood with the latter including a transparent window and at least two openings, a plurality of ultrasonic welds seaming the components of the garment together, the garment being formed of a laminate including an outer layer defined by an impermeable ply of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric plastic material and an inner ply formed as an admixture of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric plastic material fibers and an adhesive; the plies being fused to each other by the adhesive, the fibers defining a porosity sufficient to function as a filter for relatively large size contaminants in the event the impermeable ply becomes torn, punctured or the impermeable integrity thereof is otherwise damaged; a filter covering one of the openings for filtering contaminated air drawn therethrough as a wearer of the garment i

Abstract: A protective suit has a zipper defining a pass-through opening with one end of the zipper being led over an indirect path about a region of the body which is not easily accessible by the wearer of the suit. The protective suit is improved so that for the purpose of easier opening, especially in emergency situations, the pass-through opening in the region of the indirect path can be opened by the suit wearer by a one-handed pull movement performed from a location within convenient reach and in any desirable direction suitable to the body. For this purpose, the zipper is provided with a slide on which a flexible pulling means acts which is guided along the indirect path.

Abstract: The device herein described comprises a feed roller 12 rotated by a motor 16 and disposed before the presser foot 9 at right angles to the feed advance direction of the workpiece. Individually and selectively acting against the feed roller 12 are two pressure backing rollers 19, 20 each of which engages a respective piece of ribbon-like trimmings to push it against the feed roller which carries out the pulling thereof. The pressure backing rollers 19, 20 are supported by a swinging plate which is caused to oscillate upon the action of a fluid-operated cylinder 30 in order to make the backing rollers selectively engage with the feed roller 12 and therefore selectively feed said ribbon-like trimmings under the pressure foot 9.

Abstract: The sewing machine herein described comprises a hem folder 9 arranged to introduce an elastic band into the folded edges of a workpiece and a feed guide 16 arranged to apply ribbon-like trimmings along the edges of the same workpiece. The hem folder is oscillatably connected to the machine bed 2 and is movable, upon command of a fluid-operated cylinder 15, from a working position in which it is disposed flush with the workpiece supporting table 3 and before the presser foot 7 to a rest position in which it is tilted in front of the bed and disposed at a lower position than the supporting table. The feed guide which is connected to the machine bed by a rotary fluid-operated cylinder 20, is movable from a rest position in which it is spaced apart sideways from the supporting table 3 to a working position in which it has a free end 16a disposed before the presser foot.

Abstract: The invention consists in manually inserting a first piece of fabric (49) into the bottom portion of an edge guide comprising three superposed plates (2, 3, 4). The piece of fabric is pushed towards the end of the edge guide by means of jets of air until the side (51) of the piece along which sewing is to be performed is aligned with an end abutment. A dog (17) placed beneath the bottom plate (2) presses the piece of fabric (49) against the bottom face of the middle plate (3) and then displaces it along the sewing line direction until the other side (52) of the corner has reached a reference line (53). A second piece of fabric (54) is manually inserted and is positioned in the same way as the first by means of a dog (18) placed above the top plate (4). Once both of the pieces of fabric (49 and 54) are exactly superposed, the dogs (17, 18) drive them simultaneously at the same speed under the presser foot (47) of the sewing machine.

Abstract: A protective garment is described that is particularly suitable for application such as spray painting and the like. The garment includes a top with a "Z" closure front opening and a separate bottom. The front of both the top and bottom is made from a nonwoven having a smooth calendered outer surface and an uncalendered inner body facing surface, and the back of both the top and bottom is made from a breathable material. The result is a very high degree of comfort and protection from contamination, as well as reduced pilling and release of fibers from the garment.

Abstract: Novelty wearing apparel fabricated from, or fabricated to have the appearance of, a man's lower torso tight-fitting underwear known as briefs inverted. The leg openings of the brief function to receive a wearer's arms, the waist of the briefs extends downwardly over the upper torso toward the waist, and the crotch of the briefs includes a neck aperture to receive the wearer's head and neck passing therethrough. The flyfront of the briefs may be adapted, by the orientation and shape of the neck, to be positioned against the chest or the back of the wearer as desired.

Abstract: A workpiece holding device for a sewing machine is disclosed. When a workpiece holder is connected to a supporter, a connecting rod having a peripheral groove and extending from the workpiece holder is inserted into a horizontal hole formed in the supporter. In this case, the peripheral groove of the connecting rod is positioned to communicate with a vertical hole formed in the supporter. A piston rod slidably provided in the vertical hole is actuated by an air cylinder mechanism to be engaged with the peripheral groove of the connecting rod. In order to firmly engage the connecting rod and the piston rod, spring mechanism is also provided in addition to the air cylinder mechanism. Thus, the workpiece holder can be fixedly connected to the supporter, and easily detached from the supporter without tools and troublesome operations.

Abstract: With the carcass of a mattress or with the aid of a template and the use of beaders, the cover or sheath is formed with transit and dwelles; on at least a loading bench; in at least a first beader, in order to bead a perimetral valance to a sheath bottom; in at least an overturning device; in at least a second beader; on at least a bench for the unloading and possible withdrawal of template.

Abstract: The disclosed method and apparatus for setting a workpiece correctly on a skirt-zipper sewing machine provides a pair of pressing plates which are positioned at the center of a zipper when the plates are lowered and which press the material of the workpiece and the zipper to be sewed to it.Each pressing plate works as a guide to set the to-be-sewn section of the workpiece at the center line of the zipper. The plates are then rasied and again lowered to press the workpiece so that shrink marks that occur in bias curved sections of the workpiece are stretched. In this manner, a zipper is sewed to the workpiece without shrink marks.

Abstract: A folding device for an automatic sewing machine has a carrier plate for a first workpiece, a sword which is movable in the longitudinal direction thereof to receive a second workpiece and an outer frame having creasing devices for folding the second workpiece around the sword. The outer frame is pivotable into a total of three different working positions. In addition, it is movable out of its working positions into a retracted position. The purpose of this measure is to improve the field of vision for the operator while at the same time reducing the risk of an accident.

Abstract: A protective coat for firefighters comprises an outer shell, an inner liner and a flap. The outer shell has a front and back portion defining a neck opening and right and left sleeve openings, and right and left sleeves attached to the right and left sleeve openings, the back portion having a lower edge. The inner liner also has a front and back portion defining a neck opening and right and left sleeve openings, and right and left sleeves attached to the right and left sleeve openings, the back portion having a lower edge. The sleeves of the inner liner are insertable within the sleeves of the outer shell and the neck openings are coincident so that the inner liner is secured within the outer shell. The flap is extendable downwardly in a first position below the lower edge of the back portions of the outer shell and inner liner and is foldable upwardly in a second position thereabove to provide a visual indication that the inner liner is missing.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for supplying a secondary fabric to a fabric processing machine. The movement of the primary fabric to the fabric processing machine is interrupted and the primary fabric is clamped at spaced points. The primary fabric is severed at a point between the clamping points and the tail end of the primary fabric is aligned with the head end of the secondary fabric and the two are sewn together by a sewing machine which traverses the widths of the fabrics. The head end of the primary fabric is moved to a holding position. The clamp for the head end of the secondary fabric and the clamp for the tail end of the primary fabric are released and the feeding means for feeding the fabric is restarted to feed the secondary fabric to the fabric processing machine.