Abstract: Cloth stitching apparatus and method for forming a rectangular cloth having stitched rounded corners, such as a wash cloth. Blank pieces of rectangular cloth material are aligned with an overlock sewing machine on the table of the apparatus. The sewing machine trims the cloth edges, folds over the trimmed edge and sews or stitches along one side of the cloth. Each piece of cloth is moved along X and Y axis. Thus, as the cloth is moving along an X axis at a predetermined surface speed, the sewing machine trims, and sews along one side of the cloth. When the cloth is moved along its X axis to a point where the sewing machine is adjacent a corner of the cloth, a switch is activated which starts turning the sewing machine. The cloth stops while the sewing machine turns at the same surface speed of the cloth on the actual radius of the corner of the cloth. The cloth then starts and goes in the opposite perpendicular direction Y while the sewing machine continues at the same surface speed.

Abstract: An installation for linear treatment, such as the edging of textile pieces. It comprises a sewing machine, equipped with a feed dog/presser foot system, a work table which supports the piece during edging, a detection device and two recentering means controlled together or independently of each other by the instructions given by the detection device. The two recentering means consist, on the one hand, of an active guide placed immediately in front of the presser foot and ensuring displacement of that part of the piece located near the presser foot, substantially transversely with respect to the line of stitching, and, on the other hand, of a mobile support placed upstream of the active guide presenting a mobile flat surface, on the same plane as the work table.

Abstract: A sewing machine for the generation of an edge-parallel seam in a workpiece with at least one projecting zone. The sewing machine has an edge-guide member, a supporting surface, a presser foot and a feeding device for the workpiece. The edge-guide has two stop members arranged laterally and in front of and behind the needle viewed with respect to the feed direction. The stop members are relocatable into various positions. At least one of the stop members is additionally relocatable into a lifted position with respect to the supporting surface.

Abstract: Device for aligning automatically the contours of two plies to be sewed one upon the other, consisting of three superimposed blades (1,2,3) hinged to one another at one end by means of a cross pin (4) so as to generally form a double pliers. From the pin (4) onwards the device comprises :elastic means (7) which can be calibrated and tending to press the blade (2) against the blade (1) and the blade (3) against the blade (2); means (8) to vary the angular opening between the blades (1,2,3), means (9) to adjust the maximum and minimum angular opening between the blades (1,2,3), abuting means (28a,28b,28c) to define the alignment position of the contours of the plies (T,t) to be sewed and means to bring the plies to the alignment on an air pad or by friction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are presented for feeding a cloth in an embroidery machine. The method comprises the steps of holding the embroidery area of the cloth in a substantially arcuate manner about a horizontal axis disposed below the needle location and parallel to the Y axis of the Cartesian coordinate system the origin of which is the needle location, and feeding the cloth in the direction of the Y axis, while at the same time, feeding the cloth along the arcuate path about the horizontal axis.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the shape of an elongated flexible spline to substantially match a third order polynomial curve extending between first and second end points where the spline extends along a deformable central axis. A spline support member extends along the central axis. The spline is pivotably coupled to the support member at a first point along said central axis, and is slidingly coupled to the support member at second, third and fourth points along the central axis. The support member establishes a first predetermined distance (L) along a reference line passing through the interior two of said first, second, third and fourth points. A first spline deflector selectively deflects one of the exterior two of the first, second, third and fourth points by a distance D.sub.L in a direction perpendicular to the reference line. A second spline deflector selectively deflects the other of the exterior two of the first, second, third and fourth points by a distance D.sub.

Abstract: An edge guiding device is provided for sewing work with several edges extending at angles to each other, and on which parallel seams are to be formed, e.g., collars. The device has an edge ruler which is formed by a central section and two sections controllable independently of the central section, each with a guide face. During the formation of seams which begin or end at inside corners of the collar or work, the edge ruler is moved synchronously with the work displacement. Thereby, e.g., one-piece collars plus collarbands can be securely guided from the start during the formation of the seam sections beginning or ending at the inside corners of the collars. For guiding at a long side of the collar, which is usually curved, the outer sections of the edge ruler are pulled back and only the central section with its arched guide face is used for guiding the work.

Abstract: A microprocessor-controlled machine and method for automatically removing adjacent pieces from a stack of fabric plies, properly orienting these pieces adjacent one another, and joining these pieces by sewing at least one stitch or seam, to form a partially sewn garment such as a T-shirt sewn at the shoulder seams. The machine includes fabric positioning and engaging mechanisms, and a transport means for engaging and conveying fabric pieces while maintaining engaged portions thereof in predetermined alignment.

Abstract: A device for the finishing of at least one lengthwise edge of a sheet of material, which at least on the one lengthwise edge has a lengthwise strip which is thinner than the remainder of the sheet of material, in that the finished lengthwise edge runs parallel to the lengthwise edge of the sheet to the side bordering the different material thicknesses, and at least two scanning devices are provided, responsive to the variations of thickness of the sheet. One scanning device is arranged to scan the lengthwise strips of the sheet which are thinner and the other scanning device is arranged to scan the sheet in its area of greater thickness. The two scanning devices are positioned transverse to the direction of movement of the sheet and are spaced so that they normally scan the sheet close to the lengthwise edge thereof, on the side bordering the different material thicknesses.

Abstract: A folding machine has workpiece sensing means including an emitter by which an "outside" corner in the workpiece edge approaching the operating locality of the machine can be sensed, such sensing causing the feed length by which the workpiece is advanced step-by-step through the operating locality to be reduced; this conventionally causes pleating in the folded over edge portion. In addition, delay means is provided by which, after the emitter has been re-covered by the workpiece, the feed length reduction continues for a given number of further feed steps.

Abstract: Cloth stitching apparatus and method for forming a rectangular cloth having stitched rounded corners, such as a wash cloth. Blank pieces of rectangular cloth material are aligned with an overlock sewing machine on the table of the apparatus. The sewing machine trims the cloth edges, folds over the trimmed edge and sews or stitches along one side of the cloth. Each piece of cloth is moved along X and Y axes. Thus, as the cloth is moving along an X axis at a predetermined surface speed, the sewing machine trims, folds and sews along one side of the cloth. When the cloth is moved along its X axis to a point where the sewing machine is adjacent a corner of the cloth, a switch is activated which starts turning the sewing machine. The cloth stops while the sewing machine turns at the same surface speed of the cloth on the actual radius of the corner of the cloth. The cloth then starts and goes in the opposite perpendicular direction Y while the sewing machine continues at the same surface speed.

Abstract: A sewing device having a sewing head including a rotary housing and a control device for controlling the rotary movement of the housing and for generating a two-axis-relative movement between the workpiece to be sewn and the rotary housing. The latter is tiltable about the needle axis and pivoted by means of a hollow shaft. Within the rotary housing there are arranged a needle bar with a needle reciprocatingly driven by a crank, a thread take-up lever for handling a needle thread and drive means for operably moving up and downwardly a presser foot and occasionally a thread tensioner. In order to supply the required drive means inside of the rotary housing with energy without obstruction of the rotatability of the rotary housing there is provided a rotary coupling concentrically arranged with respect to the hollow shaft, at which the rotary coupling is also formed with an coaxial bore for the needle thread.

Abstract: A sewing machine has a first transporting device for transporting the material to be sewn while a straight seam is being sewn and a second transporting device for transporting the material to be sewn while a curved seam is to be sewn. The second transporting device is mounted on a rotatable axis and is capable of rotating the material to be sewn. A control device having a sensor scans the seam to be sewn and changes the mode of the sewing machine from the first transporting device to the second transporting device when appropriate.

Abstract: The machine includes a stationary bridge frame having a sewing head mounted thereon, an upper carriage which carries the quilt, and a lower carriage. The lower carriage rides on track rails on the floor running in one direction, and the upper carriage rides on track rails on the lower carriage running in transverse direction. A drive unit is mounted on the upper carriage and has a drive wheel engaging the floor. The drive is produced by running the drive wheel, and rotating the drive unit about a vertical axis, to trace out a predesigned pattern. The drive wheel can be driven forward, stopped, and reversed. The drive wheel is driven a constant speed, and different kinds of elements of the pattern are produced by turning the drive unit a lesser or greater amount about its vertical axis. A computer unit is utilized, and instructions entered thereinto to turn the drive unit about is vertical axis at predetermined points.

Abstract: A sewing machine for automatically making edge-parallel seams comprises a scanning device for recognizing the geometric form of the workpiece edge and a pressure piston lowerable laterally of the stitch formation point. For straight workpiece edges extending at an angle to each other, the pressure piston, having been lowered onto the workpiece with the sewing machine stopped, is rotated around the needle which is inserted in the workpiece, the workpiece being taken along accordingly. For a convexly arcuate edge pattern, first the lateral distance of the pressure piston from the needle is readjusted in such a way that it corresponds to the radius of the edge arc (e.g. scallop). Thereafter, with the sewing machine continuing to run, the pressure piston is lowered, whereupon the feed dog of the sewing machine rotates the workpiece around the pressure piston.

Abstract: A sewing assembly equipped with a feed mechanism comprises a work holder which is supported by two swing arms hinged to each other, and moved by two stationary positioning motors. Each of the positioning motors is in positive drive connection with a slide carrying one of the swing arms. The swing arm directly carrying the work holder comprises a non-buckling center bar, a cross bar, and two prestressed spring steel strips by which the ends of the cross bar are connected to the end close to the swing axis of the center bar. The two member linkage with the stationary motors and the light-weight and yet non-bending swing arm result in a very low inertia of the feed mechanism.

Abstract: A sewing machine with a guiding device for the automatic sewing of a curved seam parallel to the edge. Provided are an edge guide ruler and a device with a first setting means to raise and lower a pressure pad disposed at a lateral distance from the needle and exerting a braking force on the workpiece and effecting, in interaction with the material feeder, the workpiece alignment motion. For more precise control the pressure pad is movable transverse to the workpiece direction by a second setting means to vary its lateral distance from the needle, and the setting means is controllable as a function of predeterminable part sections of the entire seam. This makes it possible to cause the pressure pad to contact the workpiece in the respective center of rotation of outside curves.

Abstract: A sewing machine has a feed for the workpiece which is to be sewn. A workpiece conveyor performs a skipping feed movement below the workpiece. Above the workpiece a turning device enables the workpiece to be turned about an axis which is coincident with the needle. In order to sew in an edge-parallel manner with an automatic guidance, workpieces made from soft materials with curved or angular seam courses, may be turned responsive to air nozzles directed in acutely-angled manner on to the supporting plate. The air nozzles are arranged tangentially, and in spaced manner, with respect to the needle.

Abstract: Sewing apparatus includes a manipulator for manipulating the workpiece on the sewing table with respect to the sewing head, the manipulator including a first arm rotatably mounted to the main frame about a first vertical axis, a second arm rotatably mounted to the first arm about a second vertical axis, a manipulatable head rotatably mounted to the second arm about a third verticle axis, and a plurality of rotary motors for rotating the first and second arms and the manipulator head about their respective axes. The manipulator head is a suction head, and the table is formed with apertures for selectively applying either positive or negative fluid pressure to its upper face in order to selectively produce either suction for holding the workpiece, or an air cushion for facilitating moving the workpiece by the manipulator. According to a still further feature, the apparatus also includes a workpiece detector continuously monitoring the location of the edge of the workpiece with respect to the sewing head.

Abstract: A succession of like textile fabric pieces is placed in a series on a conveyor which runs through an automated sewing station. There is some space between individual pieces. Immediately prior to the sewing station, the lateral disposition of a critical site on the piece about to be sewn and then being sewn is automatically sensed and, if necessary, automatically shifted to a uniform disposition. Preferably any error in original placement of the pieces is in placing the edge too far over in one lateral direction, so that if any adjustment is necessary, it takes the form of pushing the respective fabric piece edge margin laterally of the conveyor toward the opposite edge of that fabric piece. Thus, it is generally not necessary to laterally drag the whole fabric piece laterally of the conveyor, but only necessary to move a small marginal portion of the fabric piece.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for acting upon cloth in a particular manner, most particularly for automatically forming a shirt sleeve from a sleeve blank. The blank is conveyed by a conveyor in a first direction and a hem is automatically formed along a first edge thereof. The hem is ironed, and then the hemmed sleeve blank is automatically picked up off the conveyor and folded about an axis substantially transverse to the first direction. The folded hemmed blank is dropped on a second conveyor which conveys the blank in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction. A seam is automatically formed along a second edge of the blank as it is being conveyed by the second conveyor, to form a shirt sleeve. A roller moving at a speed different than the speed of the second conveyor preferably engages the blank as it is being conveyed by the second conveyor and effects movement of it so that the seam along the second edge includes at least a portion which is arcuate.

Abstract: A sewing machine with guide mechanism for automatically producing a curved edge parallel seam comprises a scanning unit for scanning the edge of a workpiece and sensing when the edge of the workpiece moves away from an edge guide which indicates the presence of a curved edge, a workpiece feeder for feeding the workpiece along the guide edge, a workpiece pressure stamp for applying pressure on the workpiece at a point spaced from the guide to cause rotation of the workpiece about the point when the pressure stamp is activated and a circuit connected between the scanning unit and the pressure stamp for intermittently activating the pressure stamp when the scanner senses the presence of a curved edge area of the workpiece.

Abstract: A feeding device for an automatic sewing arrangement for producing a seam of a predetermined contour, in which a link system is provided with two levers and an output lever. To the free end of the output lever there is tiltably mounted a workpiece clamp. The two levers are pivotably supported about a stationary axis in order to be swingably driven. In order to allow universal displacement of the workpiece clamp, the displacement of which is only restricted by the size of the link system, driving devices engage independently from one another the levers. Furthermore, the workpiece clamp may be swingably driven by an electric motor.

Abstract: Two carriage systems, X and Y, are provided with the X carriage system being carried by the Y carriage system. Each system includes a carriage which via two sets of rollers is capable of movement along a guide rail set. Flex hinges are provided in each carriage to seat the rollers in the guide rails. The hinges are generally rigid in a first plane and flexible in a second such that the carriage is stiff yet the distance between the rollers can vary to compensate for absolute distance changes in the rails, due, for example, to high or low spots in the roller contacting surface.

Abstract: Two workpiece plies, placed on one another, of which the lower one is larger in width than the upper one, are to be sewn together with their edge contours aligned with each other. The device used for this purpose comprises a cutting mechanism provided ahead of the sewing machine in a workpiece feed direction, and following the contour of the upper work ply by means of guide unit for sensing this contour, so that the projecting portion of the work ply is cut off. To prevent the work plies from mutual displacement during their feeding toward the sewing machine, they are secured to each other by spot sealing at some locations wherefor a sealing tape is introduced between the plies.

Abstract: A monogram sewing system comprising a monogram sewing machine capable of needle feeding as well as underbed feed dog feeding of the work piece, an articulated presser foot, and a work holding frame for constraining feeding motion of the work piece to translatory motion.

Abstract: Sewing machines comprising automatic guide apparatus for the piece, have a presser foot adapted to bear against the piece during operation so as to turn the piece, this bearing of the presser foot being controlled by a detector. A device for regulating the stitch length and a device for regulating the speed of operation of the machine are provided, and the control device for stitch length and the control device for the speed of driving of the piece are actuated by application of the guiding presser foot so as to increase the stitch length and reduce the speed as long as the presser foot is applied, that is, so long as the machine is stitching around a curve.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for providing stitching along the edges of material panels on a semi-automatic basis includes a sewing machine (28) and a material locator assembly (30). The locator assembly (30) incorporates a guide member (62) with a predetermined guide edge for engaging the edges of the material panels prior to sewing. Sensor (46) senses the presence of a material panel in proximity with the sewing machine (28). Sensor (70) senses engagement with guide member (62) by a material panel. A clamp assembly (122) selectively immobilizes each material panel after sewing and before collection by stacker assembly (34). Preferably, air flow is directed through ports (50) formed in a portion of the working surface adjacent to the sewing machine (28) to facilitate advancement of each material panel.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in automatically sewing articles along a symmetrical, open-ended path. The articles can be sewn from either end of the path. The apparatus employs a cam means which corresponds to the open-ended path and control and operating means for automatically driving the cam means in either direction.

Abstract: A device for the automatic guiding of a workpiece on a sewing machine to produce a curved edge parallel seam operates in conjunction with a sewing machine having a reciprocating needle and a presser foot engageable with the workpiece and a feed member engageable with the workpiece to move it relative to the needle. The sewing machine also includes a guide roll disposed in spaced relationship to the needle for guiding the edge of the workpiece and a scanner for scanning the workpiece edge for sensing its position. In accordance with the position sensed, a plunger is mounted above the workpiece and is movable into the engagement with the workpiece to hold the workpiece at a selected point so as to turn the workpiece during the feeding movement of the workpiece by this feed member.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in automatically sewing articles along a symmetrical, open-ended path. The articles can be sewn from either end of the path. The apparatus employs a cam means which corresponds to the open-ended path and control means, including a selector valve for automatically driving the cam means in either direction.

Abstract: A sewing machine having an edge guide for producing a stitched seam along an edge of a workpiece terminating at another edge forming an angle with the first has an optical device for directing a pencil or beam of light toward a reflective surface which underlies the workpiece and is covered thereby until the movement of the workpiece exposes the reflective surface at this other edge. The optical detector then produces a signal for initiating a control function, e.g. the change of stitch pattern to tie off the end of the previously sewn seam or to lodge the needle in the fabric so that the workpiece may be turned to bring the other edge into contact with the edge guide. The control system can include a programmer for the successive stitching operations which are initiated in succession in response to the optical sensor.

Abstract: A work feeding mechanism for sewing machines including a feed dog with two pair of mutually orthogonal serrated teeth to drive a fabric past a stitch forming area in directions defined by mutually orthogonal axes. The feed dog is slidably mounted to a bracket which in turn is pivotally fastened to one extremity of a feed bar whose opposite extremity is suspended by gimbals carried in the bed. Means are disclosed to selectively impart oscillations of a varying amplitude and direction to the slidable feed dog in timed synchronization to the work feeding mechanism to drive the feed dog in lateral and longitudinal directions of fabric feeding motion which extend along the length of the sewing machine bed and normal to the length of the bed. Fabric feeding information for the work feeding mechanism may be stored in an electronic memory to permit the production of ornamental stitch patterns.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the orientation of a fabric work piece being sewn by mechanically following the fabric work piece orientation, connecting a detector to move in response to a change in the fabric work piece orientation, moving a pattern representing a desired stitching pattern past the detector in synchronism with the rate of feed of the fabric work piece through the sewing machine and reorienting the fabric work piece in a manner to cause the detector to accurately follow the pattern of the desired stitching.

Abstract: A work feeding mechanism for sewing machines including a feed dog with two pair of mutually orthogonal serrated teeth to drive a fabric past a stitch forming area in directions defined by mutually orthogonal axes. The feed dog is pivotally fastened to one extremity of a feed bar whose opposite extremity is suspended by gimbals from a slidable member carried in the bed. Means are disclosed to selectively impart oscillations of a varying amplitude and direction to the slidable member in timed synchronization to the motion imparted to the feed dog, to drive the feed dog in lateral and longitudinal directions of fabric feeding motion which extend along the length of the sewing machine bed and normal to the length of the bed. Fabric feeding information for the work feeding mechanism may be stored in an electronic memory to permit the production of ornamental stitch patterns.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically sewing workpieces along edges of each workpiece extending in different directions, in which a workpiece is automatically turned when it has been stitched along one edge for stitching it along the next edge, by blowing air on the workpiece to swing it around, using the needle of the sewing machine as a pivot, and in which workpieces are automatically entered in the sewing machine for being stitched and automatically removed after they have been stitched.