Patent ID: 6804940
Filing Date: 2004-10-19
Classification: B68G,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for inserting, through a mattress, tuft assemblies constituted by a flexible tension element that has, at opposite ends thereof, retention elements shaped as two bars arranged in a T-shaped configuration adapted to abut, with protective elements interposed, providable as a first disk and a second disk, against the opposite faces of the mattress, the apparatus comprising: a structure for locking the mattress composed of two walls, which are flat and mutually parallel and delimit a space for accommodating the mattress for compression thereof to a thickness that is shallower than a length of the tuft assemblies; a first carriage, which is supported by one of said walls and is provided with a first disk feeder and an insertion device for inserting tuft assemblies through said mattress; a second carriage which is supported by the second one of said walls and is provided with a second disk feeder; actuation means for actuating said first and second carriages along a preset path;wherein said insertion device comprises: a tuft assembly loader; a needle that is guided at right angles to said mattress and has a tip that is provided with a seat adapted to receive a first one of said two bars of a tuft assembly that is fed by said loader; and needle actuation means for actuating said needle through said mattress between a position in which said tip is upstream of the mattress, in order to receive said first bar in said seat, and a position in which said tip is downstream of the mattress, in order to release said first bar from said seat; first picking means, mounted on said first carriage, for picking up a disk from said first feeder and placing the disk upstream of said mattress and in alignment with said needle; and second picking means, mounted on said second carriage, for picking up a disk from said second feeder and placing the disk downstream of said mattress and in alignment with said needle; and wherein each one of said first and second disk feeders comprises: a disk magazine supported on a respective one of said first and second carriages and containing disks arranged to form a stack that is perpendicular to said mattress; and pusher means that act on said stack in order to keep a front disk of said disk stack in a pick-up position; and wherein each one of said picking means comprises a transfer element supported by a respective one of said first and second carriages and is actuated so as to pick up the front disk from said magazine and transfer the disk in alignment with said needle.