APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED SHADE MANUFACTURING

Abstract

An apparatus for stitching a fabric and/or attaching guide rings to the fabric for possible use in a covering for an architectural opening includes a lift bar to which a top edge of the fabric is connected so the fabric can hang into an underlying housing where a plurality of individually operated clamps are positioned. The clamps can manipulate the fabric as the lift bar is raised or lowered while horizontal tucks are formed in the fabric with a reciprocating tucker blade. A pair of traversing sewing machines are used to stitch and/or attach guide rings to the tuck in an automated operation. After all operations are complete on a tuck, the fabric is raised a predetermined amount so that a repeated operation can be applied to the fabric at a predetermined distance below the first operation where by the fabric can be provided with rows of tucks forming tunnels to which guide rings are attached. Hobbles can also be formed in a front panel of the fabric by gathering segments of the front panel in a vacuum chamber as tucks are being formed in the fabric so that hobbles are formed in the front panel between tucks.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an apparatus used to automatically attach rings to fabric.

FIG. 2A is perspective view of a ring feeding mechanism utilized in conjunction a first sewing machine on the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a top view of a clamping assembly utilized in conjunction with the ring feeding mechanism of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is a front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and further shows the positioning of a fabric material prior to the attachment of rings thereto.

FIG. 3C is a front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and further shows the positioning of a fabric material to which a plurality of rings and seams for tunnels and/or hobbles have been attached.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A of FIG. 3B which shows the ring attachment station of the apparatus of FIG. 1 prior to the fabric being vertically clamped and tucked.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A of FIG. 3B which shows the ring attachment station of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the fabric vertically clamped and awaiting tucking.

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A of FIG. 3B which shows the ring attachment station of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the fabric vertically clamped and tucked.

FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A of FIG. 3B which shows the ring attachment station of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the fabric vertically clamped, tucked, and horizontally clamped.

FIG. 4E is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A of FIG. 3B which shows the ring attachment station of the apparatus of FIG. 1 after activation of a vacuum plenum so as to bunch a front sheet of fabric and prior to vertical clamping of a back sheet of fabric, as used for one application of the apparatus to create a hobbled roman shade.

FIG. 5 is a close-up sectional view of the ring attachment station, in a ready to sew position, for the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a close-up sectional view of tunnel stitching machine for use in another embodiment of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7A is a close-up sectional view of the ring attachment station, with a plurality of stitches having been sewn inside the ring, for the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7B is a close-up sectional view of the ring attachment station, with a plurality of stitches having been sewn outside the ring, for the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7C is a close-up sectional view of the ring attachment station, after a predetermined number of rings, for a given span of fabric, have been attached to the fabric and the horizontal clamp released and withdrawn so that the fabric can clear, with rings attached, the ring attachment station, for the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A of FIG. 3B which shows the ring attachment station of the apparatus of FIG. 1, after a row of rings have been attached to the fabric, the clamps released and the tucker blade withdrawn.

FIG. 8 is a rear dissected view showing of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 identifying the timing belt drive mechanism used to relocate the ring attachment station and the tunnel stitching station.

FIGS. 9A-9D are a flow chart illustrating a process flow for attaching and stitching fabric with rings only, rings with a slouch, rings with tunnels and rings with a hobbled fabric effect for one embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. The combination of a fabric and an apparatus for stitching and/or attaching rings to the fabric comprising in combination: a vertically adjustable lift bar to which said fabric can be attached and suspended substantially vertically,a housing including a lower clamp for releasably securing a portion of said fabric beneath said lift bar, a generally horizontally reciprocable tucker blade for selectively engaging and forming a tuck in said fabric when said tucker blade is extended, a second clamp for releasably gripping said tuck in said fabric, andfirst and second individually movable and operable sewing machines mounted on said housing for traversing movement across the width of said fabric, with said first sewing machine for stitching said tuck and said second sewing machine designed for attaching rings to said tucks.

2. The combination of claim 1 further including a vacuum chamber in said housing for selectively gathering at least a portion of said fabric.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said fabric includes two panels and only one of said panels is gathered in said chamber when tucks are formed in said fabric.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tucker blade is selectively removed from said second clamp when said second clamp is releasably gripping said fabric.