Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6386129
-
Patent Number
6,386,129
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, June 19, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 14, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 112 152
- 112 113
- 112 47005
- 112 47033
- 112 129
- 112 47034
- 112 21
- 112 47016
- 112 147
- 112 104
- 112 304
-
International Classifications
- D05B320
- D05B2710
- D05B3506
-
Abstract
There is described a tag feeder that feeds tags one after another from a tag strip comprising numerous tags and having sensor marks and cut lines onto side edges of fabric materials placed on a work table. The tag feeder comprises a pair of feed rolls to pinch and draw in the tag strip, a mark sensor to read the sensor marks on the tag strip, a tag cutter to cut off the tags, a tag pusher to push each tag portion sideways, a tag receiver to receive and sandwich each tag portion with a feed belt. Each sandwiched and separated tag is then fed on a side edge of the fabric material on the work table.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a tag feeding system or tag feeder to be attached to or mounted on an edge stitching machine to feed fabric tags (for indicating fabric material, manufacturer, brand name, washing conditions, etc.) onto a side edge of a fabric product such as a towel or scarf to be sewn thereon.
BACKGROUND ART
A tiny fabric piece (2 cm×4 cm or so) of tag is generally fed and sewn on a side edge of a fabric product such as a towel or scarf concurrently with the hem stitching of the towel or scarf. Such a tag may provide information on the quality, manufacturer, washing conditions, etc. of the fabric product.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 63-125289 teaches a tag feeding system, where tags are provided separately in a pile and fed one by one on side edges of fabric products from the tag pile. Feeding tiny tags 2 cm×4 cm or so one by one accurately is no easy task. An improvement was proposed as shown in
FIG. 13
, where a long train of such tags are prepared to be cut and separated just before their individual attachment onto side edges of fabric products.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-121090 teaches a tag feeder for a sewing machine which utilizes such a train of tags. As
FIG. 15
shows, a train of tags
100
are fed into a tag receiver
20
provided over an edge stitching apparatus
10
of a sewing machine
1
. The train of tags
100
are then cut and individually held by a tag holder
30
provided between the tag receiver
20
and the edge stitching apparatus
10
which includes an actuator
31
having an actuator rod
31
a
where a tag clamp
32
is attached. The tag holder
30
is then turned vertically around a horizontally provided shaft
13
so that the actuator rod
31
a
faces the edge stitching apparatus
10
in order to provide a tag
100
at a time on a side edge of a fabric product.
The tag feeder of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-121090 was conceived with a view to obviating shortcomings of a conventional tag feeding system. Tags must be fed on side edges of fabric products at right moments as an edge stitching apparatus stitches the side edges of the fabric products, for which each tag must wait for its turn above the stitching apparatus in a position and orientation so as not to hinder the sight of or interfere with the stitching operation of the edge stitching apparatus. The actuator rod of an actuator must be held in a retracted position until the tag is required. A problem peculiar to a conventional tag feeding system is that it requires a “considerable” time for the actuator rod to be ready to feed the tag on a side edge of a fabric product at a precise timing and position and that the accurate adjustment of the tag feeding timing and positioning is very problematical and difficult, especially in a “fast” edge stitching operation.
An object of the tag feeder of the above publication 1-121090 is to obviate the problems associated with such a delay in tag feeding and accurate provision of tags. The tag feeder of the publication holds a tag with a tag holder including an actuator having an actuator rod with a tag clamp on the distal end thereof. The tag holder turns vertically and advances the actuator rod having a tag at the tag clamp toward a side edge of a fabric product where the tag is to be sewn. Advancement of the actuator rod is detected by a positioning sensor and controlled on the way.
The tag feeding system according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-121090 is still susceptible to delay in feeding tags as the distance between the stitching apparatus
10
and tag feeder
20
is considerable. And since the tag feeding system is very complicated in structure, the tag feeding system is that much more likely to malfunction, partly due to yarn ravelings or cotton waste produced during the edge stitching operation, especially in a fast-type edge stitching operation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-124356 discloses a tag feeding assistant device to alleviate the foregoing problems. This device facilitates feeding of not only tags but also other product members such as tapes, rubber strings or strips or lace strings to a stitching apparatus of a sewing machine. An aim of this feeding assistant device is to stabilize the feeding amount under a fast stitching operation by preventing excessive feeding through introduction of a one-way clutch. As shown in
FIG. 16
, an intermediate shaft having two eccentric portions with their phase opposite to each other is provided between a main shaft and a feeder roll shaft. Each eccentric portion is provided with a swing arm. The intermediate shaft is controlled by reduction gears to turn at half the turning rate of the main shaft. This system is capable of adequately coping with a conventional fast stitching operation to a certain degree.
The feeding assistant device of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-124356, however, will not be able to cope with a very fast hem stitching system. The applicant has previously proposed a towel hem stitching apparatus which is automatic and capable of coping with a very fast hem stitching. The feeding assistant device of the foregoing publication cannot be utilized in the applicant's very fast hem stitching apparatus.
The hem stitching apparatus proposed by the applicant is partially shown in
FIG. 14. A
towel material
211
is placed on a table
200
with a tag
220
fed precisely along an edge of the towel material
211
. The tag
220
and the towel material
211
are pressed against the work table
200
with a press disk
230
. The press disk
230
turns on the work table
200
so that, as the four side edges of the towel material
211
are stitched, the tag
220
is sewn concurrently.
FIG. 12
shows in more detail how tags are sewn on side edges of towel materials
210
with the hem stitching apparatus of the applicant, FIG.
12
(A) showing stitching of a dual type tag and FIG.
12
(B) showing stitching of a single type tag. Such tag sewing requires a precision tag feeding apparatus for quick but accurate positioning and orientation of tags
220
on the towel materials
210
as shown in FIG.
14
.
Conventional tag feeders such as shown in
FIGS. 15 and 16
require very troublesome and time-consuming adjustment for precise positioning and orientation of tags each time the shape and/or size of tags or fabric products are changed. In addition, such conventional tag feeders will likely interfere with operation of hem stitching apparatus such as introduced by the applicant, rendering utilization of such a conventional tag feeder on the applicant's very fast type hem stitching machine to be very difficult, if not impossible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tag feeder that can be utilized in a very fast and precise tag/edge stitching operation.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a simple and easy-to-adjust tag feeder as claimed in claim
1
, which is capable to smoothly feed tags at a high speed and to be easily adjusted according to the size and/or shape of the tag.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a tag feeder as claimed in claim
2
, which possesses an additional feature of very accurately feeding tags without interference with an edge stitching machine.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A tag feeder of the present invention is described hereunder using the attached drawings for convenience of description and to assist understanding of the invention.
A tag feeder
100
(as claimed in claim
1
) cuts off each tag
220
from an elongated tag strip
220
a
, feeds the tag
220
on a work table
200
mounting a fabric material
211
, and makes the tag
220
ready to be sewn on a side edge of the fabric material
211
.
As best shown in
FIG. 5
, the tag feeder
100
comprises a pair of feed rolls
10
for initially drawing the tag strip
220
a
, a mark sensor
20
which reads sensor marks
221
provided at equal intervals on the tag strip
220
a
, a tag cutter
30
which cuts off and separates individual tags
220
from the tag strip
220
a
, a tag pusher
40
which pushes the tag strip
220
a
sideways, and a tag receiver
50
which receives a pushed portion of the tag strip
220
a
and sandwiches the tag portion with a feed belt
51
provided above the tag receiver
50
.
The tag feeder
100
set forth above places a tag portion
220
onto the tag receiver
50
as pushed by the tag pusher
40
and then cuts off the tag portion
220
from the elongated tag strip
220
a
with the tag cutter
30
. The tag portion
220
is then sent toward a fabric material
211
on the work table
200
with the feed belt
51
and accurately positioned on a side edge of the fabric material to be sewn thereon.
The tag feeder
100
of the present invention is described in more detail hereunder. Tags
220
may be attached to fabric products
210
in a double-ply form as shown in FIG.
12
(A) or a single-ply form as shown in FIG.
12
(B). The tag feeder
100
of the invention is described first in the case of a double-ply form and then in the case of a single-ply form.
(Double-Ply Form)
There is shown in
FIG. 1
a tag feeder
100
for feeding double-ply form of tags which is installed on a hem or edge stitching machine (not shown) proximate to the stitching portion (not shown) or a work table
200
of the edge stitching machine that receives fabric materials
211
to be edge treated. As shown in
FIG. 14
, the fabric material
211
on the work table
200
is sandwiched and pressed together with a double-ply tag
220
provided on a side edge thereof with a press plate
230
, which turns the fabric material
211
on the work table
200
so that all side edges of the fabric material
211
are processed and the double-ply tag
220
is sewn on the side edge concurrently as shown in FIG.
12
.
Each tag
220
is to be cut off along a cut line
223
from a tag strip
220
a
as shown in FIG.
13
(A) and to be folded along a fold line
224
. The tag strip
220
a
is preferably reeled and housed in a tag storage box
60
shown in FIG.
1
. An end portion of the tag strip
220
a
is drawn from the storage box
60
, run along a machine frame
70
, and passed and pinched between a pair of feed rolls
10
as shown in
FIG. 6
mounted on an upper portion of the machine frame
70
. One of the feed rolls
10
is driven by a pulse motor
11
via a belt means. The pulse motor
11
is controlled by a mark sensor
20
to be described in detail later. The feed rolls
10
are pressed against each other with a pressure cylinder
12
such that the tag strip
220
a
may be smoothly sent forward between the feed rolls
10
without deformation.
The tag strip
220
a
is provided with sensor marks
221
at equal intervals as shown in FIG.
13
(A). When a mark
221
is sensed by a mark sensor
20
, a signal is generated and transmitted at an appropriate timing to the pulse motor
11
to stop the feed rolls
10
. It is preferred that the sensor marks
221
are provided on the cut lines
223
as shown in FIG.
13
.
The processes of the tag cutting and folding are described in more detail using
FIGS. 6-10
. As the tag strip
220
a
is sent forward (downward) with the feed rolls
10
as shown in
FIG. 6
, the foremost (lowest) sensor mark
221
is detected by the mark sensor
20
and the tag strip
220
a
stops at the position shown in FIG.
7
. The cut line
223
and the sensor mark
221
thereon are positioned between a pair of blades of a tag cutter
30
to be cut off therealong.
Then a tag pusher
40
presses the tag strip
220
a
along the fold line
224
and pushes a distal tag strip portion
220
sideways between a tag receiver
50
and a feed belt
51
provided on the tag receiver
50
as shown in
FIG. 8
while the tag strip
220
a
is held firmly between the feed rolls
10
which are pressed toward each other by the pressure cylinder
40
.
When the tag portion
220
is adequately pushed forward (leftward) with the tag pusher
40
and held firm between the feed belt
51
and the tag receiver
50
, the tag pusher
40
retracts and the tag cutter
30
cuts off the tag portion
220
from the tag strip
220
a
along the cut line
223
as shown in
FIG. 9
, leaving the cut and folded tag
220
between the tag receiver
50
and the feed belt
51
. It is noted that the surfaces of the tag receiver
50
and the feed belt
51
are appropriately textured to firmly hold the tag
220
between the feed belt
51
and the tag receiver
50
when the tag pusher
40
retracts in order to prevent dislocation or deformation of the tag
220
.
When the tag pusher
40
fully retreats from between the tag receiver
50
and the feed belt
51
, and the tag
220
is cut off from the tag strip
220
a
, a rotary cylinder
55
provided in the vicinity of the feed belt
51
drives the feed belt
51
via a belt means to send the folded tag
220
toward the tag sewing section as shown in FIG.
10
. The tag
220
is to be finally placed on a side edge of a fabric material
211
placed on the work table
200
shown in FIG.
1
.
The distance that the tag pusher
40
can travel forward to push the tag portion
220
on the tag receiver
50
is controlled by a threaded stopper
45
provided under the tag pusher
40
which restricts the movement of the tag pusher
40
at a set position. The stopper
45
is in thread engagement with a threaded stroke controller
44
which extends below and along the tag pusher
40
. The rear end of the stroke controller
44
is exposed from the machine frame
70
and provided with a knob so as to be turned with fingers and move the stopper
45
back and forth. Thus, the distance that the tag pusher
40
travels forward can be easily adjusted by turning the knob of the stroke controller
44
according to the shape and/or size of the tag
220
or the position of the work table
200
in relation with the tag feeder
100
.
(Single-Ply Form)
When the tag
220
is to be sewn in a single-ply form on a fabric material
211
as shown in FIG.
12
(B), the tag feeder
100
functions as shown in FIG.
11
. As the single-ply tag
220
(FIG.
13
(B)) is shorter than or roughly half the double-ply tag
220
(
FIG. 13
(A)), the single-ply tag
220
will eventually be provided in a singly-ply form between the tag receiver
50
and feed belt
51
when pushed therebetween with the tag pusher
40
as shown in FIG.
11
.
The tag pusher
40
is then drawn out from between the tag receiver
50
and the feed belt
51
, leaving the single-ply tag
220
therebetween. The tag cutter
30
cuts off the tag portion
220
from the tag strip
220
a
along a corresponding cut line
223
. There will be no wrinkling on the single-ply tag
220
as there is provided an appropriate measure on the surfaces of the feed belt
51
and the tag receiver
50
to prevent deformation of the tag
220
.
The single-ply tag
220
is sent onto the work table
200
by the feed belt
51
and accurately placed on a side edge of a fabric material
211
to be pressed with the press plate
230
together with the fabric material
211
.
The tag pusher
40
facilitates feeding of either a single-ply tag
220
or a double-ply tag
220
onto a fabric material
211
. Simple adjustment of the forward movement of the tag pusher
40
by means of the stopper
45
and the stroke controller
44
provides adjustment of the tag feeder
100
in accordance with the size and shape of the tag
220
.
In addition, by adjusting the lengths as appropriate of the tag receiver
50
and the feed belt
51
as well as the driving range of the rotary cylinder
55
which drives the feed belt
51
, the distance that the tag
220
is carried from the tag receiver
50
to a side edge of a fabric material
211
can be adjusted as desired. If desired, the tag receiver
50
and the feed belt
51
may be extended to provide a “long” distance between the work table
200
and the tag receiver
50
so as to prevent any interference between the tag feeder
100
and a hem stitching machine.
A further improvement the tag feeder
100
of the present invention is proposed. In a tag feeder
100
as claimed in claim
2
, the tag receiver
50
slants downward toward the work table
200
after the tag portion
220
is cut off from the tag strip
220
a
as shown in
FIG. 2
so that the distal end of the tag receiver
50
approaches the work table
200
to more reliably and accurately provide the tag
220
onto a side edge of a fabric material
211
.
In the tag feeder
100
shown in
FIG. 2
, the tag receiver
50
together with the feedbelt
51
is pulled downward by a tilting cylinder
54
such that the tag receiver
50
pivots and slants downward distally. The tag feeder
100
can then feed a tag
220
, either a single-ply or double-ply tag
220
, on a side edge of a fabric material
211
very reliably.
An advantage expected of such a slanting feature of the tag receiver
50
is that the work table
200
can be held clear of any interference with the tag feeder
100
, where without the reclining feature the relative orientation of the distal end of the tag receiver
50
and the work table
200
will more likely generate interference in operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a partially sectioned side view of a tag feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a partially enlarged sectional view of the tag feeder, where a tag receiver is shown reclining;
FIG. 3
is a partially sectioned front view of the tag feeder;
FIG. 4
is a partially sectioned back view of the tag feeder;
FIG. 5
is a schematic view partially showing the structure of the tag feeder;
FIG. 6
is a schematic view showing an initial stage of the tag feeder operation for a double-ply tag;
FIG. 7
is a schematic view showing another stage of the tag feeder operation;
FIG. 8
is a schematic view showing another stage of the tag feeder operation;
FIG. 9
is a schematic view showing still another stage of the tag feeder operation;
FIG. 10
is a schematic view showing another stage of the tag feeder operation;
FIG. 11
is a schematic view showing a stage of the tag feeder operation for a single-ply tag;
FIG. 12
shows a double-ply tag as sewn on a fabric material (FIG.
12
(A)) and a single-ply tag as sewn on a fabric material (FIG.
12
(B));
FIG. 13
shows a double-ply tag strip (FIG.
13
(A)), and a singly-ply tag strip (FIG.
13
(B));
FIG. 14
is a partially sectioned view showing how a tag is placed and pressed with a press plate on a fabric material;
FIG. 15
is a perspective view of a conventional tag feeder; and
FIG. 16
is a perspective view of another conventional tag feeder.
The following is the definition of the numerals used throughout the drawings and the specification.
100
. . . tag feeder
10
. . . feed rolls
The following is the definition of the numerals used throughout the drawings and the specification.
11
. . . pulse motor
12
. . . pressure cylinder
20
. . . mark sensor
30
. . . tag cutter
31
. . . cutter cylinder
40
. . . tag pusher
41
. . . carriage table
42
. . . rotation cylinder
43
. . . driving belt
44
. . . stroke controller
45
. . . stopper
50
. . . tag receiver
50
a
. . . spring
50
b
. . . guide pin
51
. . . feed belt
52
. . . support plate
53
. . . cylinder housing
54
. . . tilting cylinder
55
. . . rotary cylinder
56
. . . pivot shaft
60
. . . tag storage box
70
. . . machine frame
71
. . . opening
200
. . . work table
210
. . . fabric product
211
. . . fabric material
220
. . . tag
220
a
. . . tag strip
221
. . . sensor mark
222
. . . tag information
223
. . . cut line
224
. . . fold line
230
. . . press plate
BEST MODE TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION
Before a tag feeder
100
according to an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail, a tag
220
and tag strip
220
a
used according to the present invention are described in detail.
Tags
220
are provided as an elongated tag strip
220
a
as shown in FIG.
13
(A) , for example, which are for double-ply ones. The tag strip
220
a
is reeled and housed in a tag storage box
60
as shown in FIG.
1
. Each tag
220
carries tag information
222
and is cut off along a cut line
223
with a tag cutter
30
.
As FIG.
13
(A) shows, the tag strip
220
a
carries a number of double-ply tags
220
. Each cut line
223
is provided with a sensor mark
221
thereon to be detected by a mark sensor
20
. The mark sensor
20
stops the tag strip
220
a
so that the tag cutter
30
can cut the tag strip
220
a
along the cut lines
223
. The double-ply tags
220
are folded along the fold lines
224
by a tag pusher
40
, where the distal edge of the tag pusher
40
contacts.
The tag strip
220
a
shown in FIG.
13
(B) carries numerous single-ply tags
220
, which are half the size of the double-ply tags
220
, and has only cut lines
223
on which sensor marks
221
are provided. The single-ply tags
220
a re cut with the tag cutter
30
as explained in connection with the double-ply tags
220
but the single-ply tags
220
are not folded.
A tag feeder
100
is comprised of, as shown in
FIGS. 1-4
, a pair of feed rolls
10
which pinch and draw in the tag strip
220
a
, a mark sensor
20
which reads the sensor marks
221
on the tag strip
220
a
, a tag cutter
30
which cuts off the tags
220
from the tag strip
220
a
along the cut lines
223
, a tag pusher
40
which pushes each tag portion
220
sideways onto a tag receiver
50
under a feed belt
51
. The feed rolls
10
, mark sensor
20
, tag cutter
30
, tag pusher
40
and tag receiver
50
are all mounted on guide pins
50
b.
The feed rolls
10
consist of two rolls, one on the left and one on the right in
FIG. 1
, which are provided on an upper portion of a machine frame
70
as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 5
. The left roll
10
is driven by a pulse motor
11
, and the right roll
10
is pressed toward the left roll
10
with a pressure cylinder
12
. The tag strip
220
a
is drawn out of the tag storage box
60
provided at a lower portion of the machine frame
70
and drawn into the feed rolls
10
from behind the machine frame
70
and held firmly between the feed rolls
10
.
The mark sensor
20
controls the pulse motor
11
for the left roll
10
by optically reading each sensor mark
221
provided on the tag strip
220
a
. The mark sensor
20
functions to stop the pulse motor
11
, which stops movement of the left roll
10
so as to stop movement of the tag strip
220
a
with a delay such that the cut lines
223
are cut along by the tag cutter
30
.
The tag cutter
30
may consist of two blades such as shown in FIG.
5
. In this embodiment, the left blade may be fixed on the machine frame
70
, while the right blade is reciprocally moved by a cutter cylinder
31
.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, below the reciprocally moving cutter blade is provided the tag pusher
40
, which is fixed to a carriage table
41
fixed on the machine frame
70
. The carriage table
41
receives reciprocal driving forces through a driving belt
43
from a rotation cylinder
42
provided below a stroke controller
44
. The carriage table
41
moves together with the tag pusher
40
as driven by the rotation cylinder
42
. The forward protrusion movement of the tag pusher
40
from the carriage table
41
is restricted by a stopper
45
, whose position is adjusted by the stroke controller
44
.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the tag pusher
40
is provided on the carriage table
41
which is driven by the rotation cylinder
42
. The carriage table
41
is provided with a hole, where the stroke controller
44
is inserted. The stopper
45
is provided along the stroke controller
44
in thread engagement therewith.
The stopper
45
moves forward or backward along the stroke controller
44
as the stroke controller
44
is turned clockwise or counterclockwise to stop the forward movement of the tag pusher
40
at a desired distal position.
The tag receiver
50
is provided to receive a tag portion
220
as pushed by the tag pusher
40
as shown in FIG.
5
. The tag receiver
50
is provided moveable vertically to adjust itself to the varying thickness of the tag
220
by means of a coil spring
50
a
and guide pins
50
b
provided on the support
52
shown in FIG.
3
.
A feed belt
51
is provided over the tag receiver
50
so as to sandwich the tag portion
220
as pushed in by the tag pusher
40
. The feed belt
51
is driven by a rotary cylinder
55
provided below the tag receiver
50
to carry forward the tag
220
cut from the tag strip
220
a
by the tag cutter
30
in order to feed the folded double-ply tag or unfolded single-ply tag
220
onto a side edge of a fabric material
211
placed on the work table
200
.
The tag receiver
50
and the feed belt
51
shown in
FIG. 1
protrude only slightly from the cylinder housing
53
, however, the degree of their protrusion can be adjusted as desired.
The cylinder housing
53
houses the rotary cylinder
55
and mounts the feed belt
51
and the tag receiver
50
, which is pivotally provided about a pivot shaft
56
as shown in FIG.
1
. The cylinder housing
53
pivots about the pivot shaft
56
together with the feed belt
51
and the tag receiver
50
as pulled by a tilting cylinder
54
so that the feed belt
51
and the tag receiver
50
incline forwardly as shown in FIG.
2
.
INDUSTRIAL UTILIZATION OF THE INVENTION
The tag feeder
100
as claimed in claim
1
cuts off each tag
220
(double-ply or singly ply) from a tag strip
220
a
and sends the cut tag
220
one after another onto a work table
200
where a fabric material
211
is placed one after another to be edge treated or stitched. Each tag
220
is concurrently sewn on a side edge of the fabric material to produce a final fabric product such as a handkerchief, towel, etc.
The tag feeder
100
of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a pair of feed rolls
10
to pinch and draw in a tag strip
220
a
comprising numerous tags
220
, a mark sensor
20
to detect sensor marks
221
provided on the tag strip
220
a
at equal intervals, a tag cutter
30
to cut off the tags
220
individually, a tag pusher
40
to push each tag portion sideways onto a tag receiver
50
before its cutting off, and a feed belt
51
to sandwich the tag
220
with the tag receiver
50
.
The tag feeder
100
of the present invention can smoothly and speedily feed tags
220
and is adjustable according to the size and/or shape of the tag or fabric material.
The tag feeder
100
as claimed in claim
2
can recline the tag receiver
50
together with the feed belt
51
just before the tag
220
is fed onto a side edge of a fabric material
211
on the work table
200
. The tag feeder
100
thus constituted can more accurately and reliably feed tags
220
than the one claimed in claim
1
, and effectively eliminate physical interference between machine elements.
Claims
- 1. A tag feeder to cut off tags one after another from a tag strip having sensor marks and cut lines, and feed the cut tags one after another onto side edges of fabric materials placed one after another on a work table so as to be sewn on the side edges as said edges of the fabric materials are stitched, comprising:a pair of feed rollers to pinch and draw in a tag strip a; a mark sensor to read sensor marks provided on the tag strip at equal intervals; a tag cutter to cut off tags along cut lines provided on the tag strip at equal intervals, a tag pusher to push a distal tag portion of the tag strip sideways, a tag receiver to receive said distal tag portion pushed sideways by said tag pusher, and a feed belt provided over said tag receiver to sandwich the tag portion with said tag receiver, the feed belt feeding the tag cut off from the tag strip onto a side edge of a fabric material to be edge treated.
- 2. The tag feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tag receiver inclines downward toward a fabric material placed on a work table just before the feeding the tag onto a side edge of the fabric material.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9/222462 |
Aug 1997 |
JP |
|
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/JP98/03565 |
|
WO |
00 |
Publishing Document |
Publishing Date |
Country |
Kind |
WO99/09240 |
2/25/1999 |
WO |
A |
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Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
3792672 |
Friedman et al. |
Feb 1974 |
A |
4287841 |
Rovin |
Sep 1981 |
A |
4706585 |
Schuurmans |
Nov 1987 |
A |
4813361 |
Yunoki |
Mar 1989 |
A |
6209468 |
Marcangelo et al. |
Apr 2001 |
B1 |