Collar and sleeve shaping method and apparatus

Abstract: The apparatus includes upwardly curved lower cuff irons (3) on either side of an upwardly curved lower collar iron (2) and an upper iron (4) with complementarily curved downwardly displaceable intermediate iron members (9, 10). At each side of each lower iron (2,3) a stretching mechanism (20) is provided comprising a gripping tool (21) having holding pieces (24a) and a drive mechanism (22) for stretching a pre-heated collar (5) or cuff (6) over the collar iron (2) or a cuff iron (3) respectively. During stretching, ends of the collar or cuff are moved obliquely downward in a direction aligned with that of edge regions of the relevant lower iron (2, 3). The stretching mechanism for each complementary upper and lower iron may comprise centrally positioned main body members between which the collar (5) or cuff (6) is pressed and upper and lower outwardly movable members on each side of the main body members between which end portions of the collar and cuffs can be gripped.

Description: The present invention relates to a technique for finishing the collar and sleeves of a shirt after washing. The collar and sleeves of a shirt are composed of face and back cloths, and a thin adhesive padding cloth inserted between them, which are pressed by a high pressure press. The adhesive padding cloth shrinks when washed. It usually shrinks by about 10 to 15%. As a result, the surface is creased and the size is reduced. The existing apparatuses are designed to press instantly at a high pressure because the working efficiency is most important, and are not designed to correct the shrunk state. Being finished in the shrunk state, the size is reduced and creases are formed. A prior art ironing machine (on which the preamble of the independent claims are based) is described in Patent US 2561463. The machine includes a pair of lower press members which are forced away from each other by a wedge member positioned therebetween so as to press a garment cuff against an inner surface of a complementarily shaped steam chamber so as to effect heating and pressing simultaneously. It is hence a primary object of the invention to straighten the shrinkage of padding cloth easily even when finishing by machine. That is, it is intended to present a collar and sleeve shaping method comprising a heating step for heating the cloth, and a stretching step for stretching the cloth heated at the heating step, before the press stage. It is also intended to present a collar and sleeve shaping apparatus comprising a stretching mechanism for catching the end of a cloth before the press stage and pulling in the cloth stretching direction, between an upper iron and a lower iron. It is other object of the invention to stretch uniformly and finish homogeneously in an easy operation, by stretching at the stretching step by means of a stretching mechanism installed between an upper iron and a lower iron, in this collar and sleeve shaping method. That is, according to the above objects, before the press stage, the cloth put on the lower iron is pulled and stretched at the stretching step and by the action of the stretching mechanism. Accordingly, even in machine finishing where high working efficiency is demanded, the cloth can be pressed in a stretched state, and a favorable finishing state similar to a brand-new product free from shrinkage or crease may be obtained. Other objects of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of the embodiments. The embodiments are described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying Figures in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of a collar and sleeve shaping apparatus of the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a lower iron of the apparatus in Fig. 1 with a cloth put thereon. Fig. 4 is a sectional of a stretching mechanism of the apparatus in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front view of the apparatus in the state in which the cloth is held by a gripping tool of the stretching mechanism. Fig. 6 is a front view of the apparatus in the cloth heating state. Fig. 7 is a front view of the apparatus in the hot pressing state after stretching the cloth. Fig. 8 is a front view of a collar and sleeve shaping apparatus of another embodiment. Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing an essential structure of the apparatus in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a plan view of a lower iron of the apparatus in Fig. 8 with a cloth put thereon. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the apparatus in a cloth heating state. Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the apparatus in a cloth stretching state. A collar and sleeve shaping apparatus 1 (hereinafter called apparatus) is a hot pressing apparatus for a collar 5 and sleeves 6 and functions by lowering an upper iron 4 onto lower irons 2, 3, 3. Fig. 1 shows a confronting state of the lower irons 2, 3, 3 and the upper iron 4. In order to press the collar 5 and sleeves 6 simultaneously, there is one lower iron 2 for the collar having a smoothly curved upper surface, two lower irons 3, 3 for the sleeves of a nearly triangular shape in a front view, and three press faces 4a, with shapes corresponding to the press faces 2a, 3a of these lower irons 2, 3, 3 which conform to the shape of the upper iron 4. The lower irons 2, 3, 3 are of known structure, and they are supported at a specified height by means of support columns 8 on the upper surface of a base 7. The upper iron 4 incorporates known heating means (not shown) , and hot plates (not shown) are mounted on the press faces 4a, .... The press faces 4a, ... are divided in three sections in the lateral direction, and only upper iron intermediate members 9, 10, 10 positioned in the middle thereof are allowed to move vertically. The upper iron 4 is fixed to the leading end of two right and left oscillating arms 11, 11 supported to the back side of the base 7, and the upper iron 4 is oscillated from the backward inclined position indicated by solid line in Fig. 2 to the position confronting the lower irons 2, 3, 3 as indicated by broken lines. This oscillation is executed by a first air cylinder 12 coupled to the lower end of the oscillating arms 11, 11. The two oscillating arms 11, 11 and upper iron 4 are fixed through a piston rod 14a of a second air cylinder 14 set up on a coupling plate 13 for coupling the oscillating arms 11, 11. Interposing plates 16, 17 are vertically set up at both front and rear edges of a first support plate 15 fixing the leading end of the piston rod 14a of the second air cylinder 14, and a second support plate 18 parallel to the first support plate 15 is provided at the lower end of these interposing plates 16,17. Three third air cylinders 19, ... are set up on the second support plate 18, and the leading ends of piston rods 19a ... are fixed on the upper surface of the upper iron intermediate members 9, 10, 10. Between the lower irons 2, 3, 3 and upper iron 4, a stretching mechanism 20 is provided for stretching the cloth put on the lower irons 2, 3, 3 as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the stretching mechanism 20 is disposed at both sides of each one of the lower irons 2, 3, 3. That is, the stretching mechanism 20 comprises, as shown in Fig. 4, a gripping tool 21 for gripping the end of the cloth (collar 5, sleeves 6), and a drive mechanism 22 for moving the gripping tool 21 in the cloth stretching direction. The gripping tool 21 includes a fixing piece 23a extended obliquely upward from the upper end of a square-shaped support frame 23, and a holding piece 24a of a holding member 24 rotating so as to contact with and depart from the fixing piece 23a, being supported on the upper end of the support frame 23. A coupling rod 24b of the holding member 24 is connected to the leading end of the piston rod 25a of the gripping air cylinder 25 which is supported at its lower end by the inner side of the support frame 23, and the holding piece 24a is rotated by driving the gripping air cylinder 25. That is, by projecting the piston rod 25a, the holding member 24 rotates and the holding piece 24a is pressed to the fixing piece 23a. The drive mechanism 22 is composed of a pulling air cylinder 26. That is, the pulling air cylinder 26 is supported on the base 7 by a support stand 27 at a specified angle conforming to the inclination of the press faces 2a, 3a of the lower irons 2, 3, 3, and the leading end of the piston rod 26a of the pulling air cylinder 26 is fixed from inside to the upper end of the support frame 23 of the gripping tool 21. The pulling distance of this pulling air cylinder 26 is set so that the holding piece 24a and fixing piece 23a may retreat so as not to contact with the upper iron 4 when hot pressing by lowering the upper iron 4 as shown in Fig. 7. If sufficient gap is not provided between the lower iron 2 for the collar and the lower irons 3, 3 for the sleeves, the stretching mechanism 20 may be displaced by shifting its position in the longitudinal direction. In the apparatus 1, the collar 5 and the sleeves 6 of a shirt are shaped and finished in the following operation. First, as shown in Fig. 3, the collar 5 and sleeves 6 are spread and put on the lower irons 2, 3, 3 and the gripping air cylinders 25 are driven to project the piston rods 25a, and the holding pieces 24a of the holding members 24 are pressed from above onto both ends of the cloth which are gripped by the fixing pieces 23a. In succession, driving the first air cylinder 8, the upper iron 4 is set opposite to the lower irons 2, 3, 3 (see Fig. 5). Driving the third air cylinders 19, ..., the upper iron intermediate members 9, 10, 10 heated to a proper temperature are lowered to press the cloth lightly (see Fig. 6). After a specified time allowed for loosening the adhesive padding cloth of the cloth, the pulling air cylinder 26 of the stretching mechanism 20 is driven, and the piston rod 26a is drawn back, and the gripping tool 21 is pulled obliquely downward. By this pulling action, the cloth is stretched on the lower irons 2, 3, 3 (see broken lines in Fig. 3), and at the stretching limit, the holding piece 24a and fixing piece 23a depart from the cloth, and are positioned at specified position lower than the lower end position of the lower irons 2, 3, 3. Then, driving the second air cylinder 14, the piston rod 14a is projected and the upper iron 4 is lowered, and the third air cylinders 19, ... are driven to retract the piston rods 19a, and the cloth on the lower irons 2, 3, 3 is hot pressed strongly by the press faces 4a, ..., and become flat (see Fig. 7). After pressing for a specified time, the apparatus returns to the initial state. Thus, since the cloth is stretched before the finish pressing stage, the cloth shrinking by washing can be restored to the original size, and pressed and finished in this state. Therefore, even in machine finishing where a high working efficiency is demanded, the cloth can be pressed in a stretched state, and is finished in a brand-new state being free from shrinkage or creases. In other words, the collar and sleeves, the important parts of a shirt, can be freshly regenerated. Moreover, since the stretching process for returning the cloth to the original size is done mechanically by the stretching mechanism 20, the operation is simple, and stretching is uniform, and a homogeneous finished state is obtained. Still more, when the stretching mechanism 20 is constituted as in this case, the structure of the apparatus is relatively simplified, and the cost is reduced. The fixing piece 23a may not be formed in the gripping tool 21, and the cloth can be gripped by the holding piece 24a and the press faces 2a, 3a of the lower irons 2, 3, 3, and the cloth may be stretched only by movement of the holdings pieces 24a. Fig. 8 is a front view of an apparatus 1 in other example, and in this apparatus 1, the stretching mechanism 20 is formed in the lower irons 2, 3, 3 and upper iron 4. That is, it is disposed at both sides of the lower irons 2, 3, 3 and the upper iron 4, and is composed of movable members 29, 29 contacting with and departing from the main body member 28 at the intermediate position of each iron, and a drive mechanism 30 for moving these movable members 29, 29 so as to contact with and depart from the main body member 28. The lower irons 2, 3, 3 are divided in three sections in the lateral direction, comprising the main body member 28 at the intermediate position, and the movable members 29, 29 at both sides. In the lower iron 2 for the collar, the main body member 28 is fixed on the support column 8, the movable members 29, 29 are supported by second support columns 31 projecting upwardly from the lower side of the base 7, and they are designed to contact with or depart from the main body member 28 in the horizontal direction by the lateral movement of the second support columns 31. The drive mechanism 30 for driving the second support columns 31 laterally may be realised by a mechanism as shown in, for example Fig. 9 From the lower end of the right and left second support columns 31, horizontal extensions 32 are formed extending towards the support column 8, and the extensions 32 are designed to overlap vertically for a specific distance. At the confronting side of the overlapping portion, a rack 32a is formed, and a pinion 33 is placed between the racks 32a. One extension 32 is coupled to a piston rod 34a of a horizontally disposed first air cylinder 34. By driving the first air cylinder 34 for pulling, the right and left movable members 29, 29 simultaneously contact with and depart form the main body member 28. As shown in Fig. 10, the space between complementary movable members 29, 29 is narrower than the width in the longitudinal direction of the associated main body member 28, and a guide structure (not shown) is formed between the main body member 28 and the front and rear ends of the movable members 29, 29 so that the movable members 29, 29 may move only in the horizontal direction. The lower irons 3, 3 for the sleeves are designed to move reciprocally obliquely downward along the slope of the press faces 3a on the movable members 29, 29 owing to their specific shape. Accordingly, the structure of the drive mechanism 30 by the support column B. The space between complementary movable members 29, 29 is narrower than the width in the longitudinal direction of the main body member 28, and supported by the main body member through a guide structure (not shown) so as to slide only downward obliquely. The lower faces of these movable members 29 are supported by two coupling rods 36 formed in a bifurcated form on one piston rod 35a of a second air cylinder 35 for pulling, fixed at the lower side of the support column 8 in the base 7. The upper iron 4, as the lower irons 2, 3, 3, is formed by dividing the press faces 4a, ... in three sections in the lateral direction, and the movable members 29, 29 at right and left sides are formed to contact with and depart from the main body member 28 at the intermediate position. In the case of the middle press face 4a for the collar, the movable members 29, 29 are designed to move in the horizontal direction, and in the case of the press faces 4a for the sleeves at both sides, the movable members 29, 29 are designed to move obliquely downward along the slope of the press faces 4a, by the same configuration of the lower irons 2, 3, 3 as mentioned above. The specific structure is same, and the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted. In the apparatus 1, the collar 5 and sleeves 6 of a shirt are shaped and finished in the following procedure. First, as shown in Fig. 10, the cloth (collar 5 and sleeves 6) is spread and put on the lower irons 2, 3, 3. Driving the second air cylinder 14, the piston rod 14a is extended, and the upper iron 4 is pressed against the cloth (see Fig. 11). By the heat of the upper iron 4, the adhesive padding cloth of the cloth is loosened, and each drive mechanism 30 is driven so as to straighten shrinkage of the cloth, and the movable members 29, 29 are moved in the direction of departing from the main body member 28. At this time, the upper and lower confronting movable members 29 grip the end of the cloth, and pull laterally and obliquely downward, so that the cloth is stretched (see Fig. 12). Once the cloth is stretched, the upper iron 4 is raised, and each drive mechanism 30 is restored to the initial state. Shaping the cloth as required, the upper iron 4 is lowered again, and pressed strongly to finish. In this way, by the stretching mechanism of the cloth by the iron itself, it is not necessary to have other members, such as clips for gripping both right and left ends of the cloth, and there is no obstacle on the base 7. Without troubles such as catching of the shirt during work, the ease of work is assured.

Claims: A collar (5) and sleeve (6) shaping method for hot pressing of a cloth put on lower irons (2,3) by an upper iron (4), including heating the cloth and loosening adhesive padding cloth of the cloth characterised in that the heating constitutes a heating step which is carried out before a pressing stage, and the method further comprises a stretching step which involves stretching the cloth heated in the heating step wherein the stretching step is done before the pressing stage by a stretching mechanism (20) gripping an end of the cloth and pulling the end of the cloth in a cloth stretching direction. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stretching mechanism (20) is installed or is selectively locatable between the lower irons (2,3) and upper iron (4). The method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the upper iron (4) is laterally divided into three sections and the heating step is done by upper iron intermediate members (9, 10) which are vertically moveable and positioned in the middle of the three sections. The method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the stretching step is done by stretching mechanisms (20) gripping opposite ends of the cloth and stretching it over one of the lower irons (2,3). The method according to any preceding claim wherein the stretching step involves stretching the cloth over the lower irons (2,3), which are upwardly curved. A collar (5) and sleeve (6) shaping apparatus (1) for hot pressing of cloth (5,6) put on lower irons (2,3) by an upper iron (4) characterised by : a stretching mechanism (20) for gripping an end of the cloth before a pressing stage and pulling the end of the cloth in a cloth stretching direction. The apparatus (1) according to claim 6 wherein the stretching mechanism (20) is installed or selectively locatable between the lower irons (2,3) and the upper iron (4). The apparatus (1) according to claim 6 or 7 wherein said stretching mechanism (20) is composed of gripping tools (21) disposed at both sides of the lower irons (2,3), and drive mechanisms (22) for moving the gripping tools (21) in the cloth stretching direction. The apparatus (1) according to claim 6 wherein said stretching mechanism (20) is composed of movable members (29) disposed at both sides of the lower irons (2,3) and upper iron (4) for contacting with or coming close to and departing from a main body member (28) in an intermediate position of each iron (2,3,4), and a drive mechanisms (30) for moving these movable members (29) so as to contact with or come close to and depart from the main body member (28). The apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein the lower irons (2,3) are upwardly curved.

Inventors: MIYATA YUKIO, MIYATA, YUKIO
Applicants: MIYATAKOKI CO LTD, MIYATAKOKI CO., LTD.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: D06F71
IPC codes: D06F71