APPARATUS FOR DEFECTS CONTROLLING OF STOCKINGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES

Abstract: The apparatus for defect controlling of stockings (20) and the like comprises a light source (17) placed at the back of a control station (10), to which a series of molds (2) is moved, each one of which carries respective stockings (20) to be treated, in a way that stockings (20) are illuminated from the back. Molds (2) are respectively made of bodies of solid transparent material, such as glass.

Description: APPARATUS FOR DEFECTS CONTROLLING OF STOCKINGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the technical field concerned with the apparatuses for treating of stockings. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for defects controlling of woman stockings, of the type of tights or the like. BACKGROUND ART It is known that, in manu acturing of woman stockings, the same are usually submitted, after the painting phase, to a thermal fixing treatment by means of steam, and to a drying phase; stockings are then submitted to a suosequent phase of controlling for the presence of defects, in order to discard the defective stockings. .apparatuses for controlling, fixing and drying of stockings are known, which generally comprise a rotating turret, able to transport suosequently the stockings to be treated up to the various operating stations, comprising a stockings inserting station and a stockings extraction station. The stockings are inserted on suitable molds, which are usually constituted by curved tubular members, defining the stockings profile. The moulds are held at the rotating turret periphery, and they are regularly spaced. Apparatuses like those described above can be found, e.g., in Italian patent N. 1231352 and in Italian patent applications N. B091A 000339 and N. FI91A 000233. In the above cited apparatuses the defects controlling is made by examining the stockings against the light, with the help of suitable light generating devices, placed behind the molds staying in the control station. Such light generating devices are formed with a light source placed inside a translucid box, that lights the stockings from their back, in order to allow a visual inspection. The use of molds made of curved metallic tubes allows to easily accomplish the said visual inspection of stockings, for controlling them for the presence of some defects. However, the metallic tubes act as a noii-uniformity elements daring the thermal treatments of stockings, and they can then determine a decay in the stockings quality, by example because said metallic tubes can lead to forming of stains, marks or the like. Indeed, the stockings areas which come in a direct contact with the metallic tubes are subject to the same thermal sudden changes whicha are beared by the molds, when they are submitted to the fixing and drying treatments. It is also evident that, in the above mentioned areas which are in contacts with the metallic tubes, it is not possible to perform any visual control; thus, any defect which is located in those areas cannot easily identified. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to make an apparatus that allows to perform the defects controlling of stockings and the like by the using of molds made in a way that they do not cause a decay in the stockings manufacturing quality. The above mentioned object is achieved, according to the Claims contents, by an apparatus for defects controlling of stockings or similar articles, comprising a light source 17, placed at the back in a control station 10, at which a series of molds 2 are carried in sequence, the said molds 2 carrying respective stockings 20 to be treated, in a way that said stockings 20 are lighted from the back, and in that the said molds 2 consist of bodies of solid transparent material . More particularly, the said molds 2 are made of glass bodies. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The characteristic features of the invention are set out in the following, with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic plain view cf an apparatus for treating of woman stockings, of the type of tights; Figure 2 shows a corresponding side view of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Figure 3 shows a side view of a pair of molds belonging to said apparatus; - Figure 4 shows the same pair of molds staying at the station for defects controlling of stockings; Figure 5 shows a section view about the plane V-V of Fig . 4 . BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With reference to the aforesaid Figures, 1 indicates an apparatus for controlling, steam fixing and drying of woman stockings of the type of tights or the like. The apparatus 1 carries and moves in an intermittent way, according to a ring path, a series of molds 2, arranged in pairs and fit to inserting on each of them corresponding stockings to be treated. Molds 2 are made of suitably shaped solid glass bodies. More particularly, as it is shown in details in Fig. 3, molds 2 have a flattened shape, and an outline getting narrower towards their free end, which substantially corresponds to the stockings feet. Holds 2 are turned downwardly, in order to allow stockings to be inserted from down upwards, and they are held upwardly, by means of respective stems 3, by a pair of chains 4, defining the said ring path. The ring path extends along a longitudinal direction defined by a fixed frame 5. The chains 4 wrap around a pulley 6 at one end of the frame 5, and around a corresponding pair of reels at the opposite end of the same frame 5. Pulley 6 is operated by an engine member 8, for intermittently forward the molds 2. Operating the engine 8 allows to move the molds 2 successively to a station 9 for loading the stockings to be treated; to a station 10 for controlling said stockings for defects; to first station 11 and to a second station 12 for discarding defective stockings; to a station 13 for fixing the non-defective stockings into a suitable steam chamber; to a drying station 14; and finally to a station 15 for extracting stockings and for driving away them. The pairs of molds 2 are suitably rotatable, one with respect to each other, about a hinging pivot 16, so that one of the molds can go near the other one . Said rotation is made with known means, not shown in the drawings, downstream of the said drying station 14, to allow the subsequent extracting operation of stockings in the station 15. In order to allow that, only one of the two molds 2 in a pair is stiffly constrained to the chains 4, by means of stem 3, in a fixed position, while the other mold 2 is rotatable about the hinging pivot 16. Molds 2 are carried back to their spreaded position upstream of the loading station 9. The station 10 for controlling of defects comprises a light source 17, placed inside a case 18 which is f ont lly closed by a panel 19, preferably made of a translucid material (see Fig. 5) . The light source 17 is placed on the behind with respect to the molds 2 staying at the control station 10, thus lighting stockings 20 from the back and allowing a visual inspection of them (see Fig. 4) . That visual inspection is made possible because the rear light source 17 is used in a combination with the molds 2, which are made of bodies of solid transparent material, particularly of glass, thus allowing the stockings 20 to be observed against the light. Moreover, it is to be noted that the glass molds 2 allow to visually inspect all the stockings surface; this is not possible in any case by using the traditional molds which are made of metallic tubular members. An important advantage that can be achieved with the present technical solution is that, unlike the molds made of metallic tubular members, the above mentioned glass molds 2 lead stockings 20 to an homogeneous heating during the thermal treatments . For this reason, any risk of causing stains or marks on the stockings is avoided. The present description has been made for exclusively illustrative and non limiting purposes, and it is therefore obvious that all the modifications or variants can be applied to that description, which are suggested by any practical carrying out and which are however included in the field of the following claims .

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for defects controlling of stockings or the like, characterized in that it comprises a light source (17) , placed at the back in a control station (10) , at which a series of molds (2) are carried in sequence, the said molds (2) carrying respective stockings (20) to be treated, in a way that said stockings (20) are lighted from the back, and in that the said molds (2) consist of bodies of solid transparent material. 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said molds (2) are made of glass.

Inventors: GUCCINI LUIGI, GUCCINI STEFANO, GUCCINI, LUIGI, GUCCINI, STEFANO
Applicants: GUCCINI LUIGI, GUCCINI STEFANO, LAMEC LAVORAZIONI MECCANICHE D, GUCCINI, LUIGI, GUCCINI, STEFANO, LAMEC-LAVORAZIONI MECCANICHE DI GUCCINI LUIGI & C.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: D06H3
IPC codes: D06C5, D06H3