Abstract:
A garment portion processing assembly receives uncut material to process the material into a desired shape, such as the shape of a shirt collar, and then organize the formed material into separate stacks. The garment portion processing assembly includes a stack queuing assembly, a garment portion cutting apparatus, and a garment receiving assembly. In operation, the stack queuing assembly prepares the stacks of garment portions to be collected by the garment portion cutting apparatus to be processed. The garment portion cutting apparatus then collects the garment portions and processes the garment portions as desired by the user. The garment portion cutting apparatus includes a folding assembly for precisely folding the garment portion in an even manner, a shaping knife assembly treat is used to trim the garment portion according to the desired pattern, and a width knife assembly that makes sure the garment portion has the proper width. Lastly, after the garment portion is trimmed by the garment portion cutting apparatus, it is delivered to the collar receiving assembly to be stacked with the other processed garment portions for collection by the user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of textiles and more particularly to the field of manufacturing of garments from textiles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a garment portion processing assembly used to cut and notch a garment portion, such as a shirt collar, with respect to a predetermined standard pattern in order to facilitate the sewing of the garment portion to a garment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the garment producing industry efforts have been made to reduce the amount of time consumed in producing garments and the amount of labor required to produce each individual garment. To this end automated sewing devices have been produced which enable the production line to stitch hems and seams of garments in an assembly line like fashion. However, these sewing devices do not provide for the efficient processing of independent garment portions, such as shirt collars, so that the garment portions may be attached to the remaining garment. Such sewing functions are conventionally performed by the personal operator rather than by an automated process, which reduces the efficiency of the production and assembly of the garments. 
     Accordingly, what is needed is a garment portion processing assembly that will prepare a garment portion, preferably a shirt collar, that is available to readily be sewed onto the garment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an automated system to cut and notch garment portions such as shirt collars on a production line without requiring an operator to cut and notch the garment portion. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated system that will collect individual garment portions from a stack of garment portions for the individual garment portion to be trimmed and notched. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated system that will collect an individual garment portion and fold that garment portion such that the ends of the garment portion are positioned adjacent each other. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated system that will trim and shape an individual garment portion according to a design desired by the user with minimal help from that user. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated system that will trim the width of an individual garment portion according to desired dimensions set by the user. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated system that will provide a notch in a garment portion to assist individuals in attaching the garment portion to the garment. 
     It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an automated system that will stack the garment portions that have been cut and notched for users to collect to distribute to additional individuals for attachment to garments. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. The present invention is a garment portion processing assembly that operates to receive uncut material and process the material into a desired shape, such as the shape of a shirt collar. The garment portion processing assembly includes three main components: a stack queuing assembly, a garment portion cutting apparatus, and a garment receiving assembly. In operation, the stack queuing assembly prepares the stacks of garment portions to be collected by the garment portion cutting apparatus to be processed. The garment portion cutting apparatus then collects the garment portions and processes the garment portions as desired by the user. The garment portion cutting apparatus includes a folding assembly for precisely folding the garment portion in an even manner, a shaping knife assembly that is used to trim the garment portion according to the desired pattern, and a width knife assembly that makes sure the garment portion has the proper width. Finally, after the garment portion is trimmed by the garment portion cutting apparatus, it is delivered to the garment receiving assembly to be stacked with the other processed garment portions for collection by the user. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A garment portion processing assembly embodying features of the invention is described in the accompanying drawings which form a portion of this disclosure and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the present invention of a garment portion processing assembly; 
     FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the garment portion cutting apparatus used in the garment portion processing assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a section of the garment portion cutting apparatus used in the garment portion as illustrated in FIG. 2, the present view taken within the line A; 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the garment portion cutting apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a section of the garment portion cutting apparatus used in the garment portion as illustrated in FIG. 4, the present view taken within the line B; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the folding belt assembly used in the garment portion cutting apparatus of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7A is a top perspective view of the upper folding belt used in the present invention; 
     FIG. 7B is a top perspective view of the lower folding belt used in the present invention; 
     FIG. 8A is a sectional view of the upper folding belt used in the present invention; 
     FIG. 8B is a sectional view of the lower folding belt used in the present invention; 
     FIG. 9A is a first top perspective view of the shaping knife assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9B is a bottom perspective view of the shaping knife assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9C is a second top perspective view of the shaping knife assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the shaping knife assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded top perspective view of the shaping knife assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the shaping knife assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of the width knife assembly of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the width knife assembly of the present invention as illustrated in FIG.  13 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present garment portion processing assembly  10  is illustrated in FIGS. 1-5. The garment portion processing assembly  10  includes a stack queuing assembly  12 , a garment portion cutting apparatus  14 , and a garment receiving assembly  16 . The stack queuing assembly  12  is designed to initially hold at least one stack  17  of garment portions  18  (preferably shirt collars) that are to be cut and notched, and the stack queuing assembly  12  is connected to the garment portion cutting apparatus  14  such that the garment portion cutting apparatus  14  may take individual garment portions  18  from the stack  17  for processing. Once processed by the garment portion cutting apparatus  14 , the individual garment portion  18  is then dispensed to the garment receiving assembly  16  so that the trimmed garment portions  18  can be collected by the user. 
     Continuing to view FIG. 1, each stack  17  of garment portions  18  is initially positioned on the stack queuing assembly  12  by the user. The stack queuing assembly  12  includes a base plate  20  that is supported by a transportable scaffold  23 . The base plate  20  is surrounded by a series of so garment belts (not illustrated,) that engage a series of rollers  24  rotatably mounted to a driving shaft  25 . The stacks  17  of garment portions  18  are placed on the garment belts and the base plate  20 . The garment belts, as driven by the driving shaft  25 , rotate around the base plate  20  causing the stacks  17  of garment portions  18  to move toward the garment portion cutting apparatus  14 . Moreover, a series of finger slots  26  traverse one end of the base plate  20 , with the finger slots  26  being designed to allow a row of finger members  27  to be raised therethrough to engage the stacks  17  of garment portions  18 . 
     In operation, the stacks  17  are placed on the base plate  20 , slid via the garment belts to a position above the finger slots  26 , and then engaged by the finger members  27  to be elevated for collection by the garment portion cutting apparatus  14 . The garment portion cutting apparatus  14  then lifts one end of a garment portion  18  from the stack  17  located on the automatic stack queuing device  12 . Once the individual garment portion  18  is removed, the stack queuing device  12  raises the stack  17  of garment portions  18  so that as the garment portions  18  are removed, the uppermost garment portion  18  of the stack  17  is maintained at a somewhat constant height for loading. 
     In order to maintain the stack  17  of garment portions  18  at a constant height for engagement by the garment portion cutting apparatus  14 , a light sensor (not illustrated) may be included to monitor the top of the stack  17  of garment portions  18 . The light sensor is able to monitor various colors of garment portions  18  and detect when the height of the stack  17  of garment portions  18  changes, regardless of the color of the material. To facilitate the removal of the garment portions  18  from the stack  17 , a gripper member  38  is set to grip the garment portion  18  at a predetermined height. As a result, the subjacent stack  17  must be incrementally raised on the finger members  27  each time a garment portion  18  is removed from the stack  17 . To accomplish this, the sensor is mounted at a desired height in conjunction with a flexible metallic finger (not illustrated) which carries thereon an upturned vane (not illustrated) and which is moved upwardly by the press of garment portions  18  therebeneath such that the vane blocks an infrared beam directed to a panel (not illustrated) from a light source (not illustrated). When the vane interrupts the infrared light being directed at the stack  17 , a vertical actuator (not illustrated) that lifts the finger members  27  will cease operation and the uppermost garment portion  18  will be at the proper height for removal by the garment portion cutting apparatus  14 . 
     Once the stack  17  of garment portions  18  is substantially depleted, a second stack  17  of garment portions  18  is slidably moved, via the garment belts, into a position above the finger slots  26  and below the first stack  17  of garment portions  18 . A second row of finger members  27  are elevated through the finger slots  26  to engage and lift the second stack  17  of garment portions  18 . The second row of finger members  27  raises the second stack  17  of garment portions  18  to engage the first stack  17  of garment portions  18 , wherein the second stack  17  of garment portions  18  joins the bottom of the first stack  17  of garment portions  18  in such a fashion as to cause no interruption in the functioning of the stack queuing device  12 . The first row of finger members  27  is retracted away from the base plate  20 , with the new combined stack  17  of garment portions  18  resting upon the second row of finger members  27 . 
     The garment portion cutting apparatus  14  is illustrated in FIG. 2, with the stack queuing device  12  and garment receiving assembly  16  detached. The garment portion cutting apparatus  14  includes a frame  15  supporting three general components: a folding assembly  30 , a shaping knife assembly  32 , and a width knife assembly  33 . The folding assembly  30  is used to obtain one garment portion  18  from the stack queuing device  12  and evenly position the garment portion  18  on a garment plate  42  for trimming. The shaping knife assembly  32  receives the garment portion  18  from the folding assembly  30  and trims the garment portion  18  to have the proper aesthetic shape as desired by the user. The shaping knife assembly  32  is further connected to the width knife assembly  33  wherein the width of the garment portion  18  is trimmed according to the desired size. Finally, the width knife assembly  33  dispenses the garment portion  18  to the garment receiving assembly  16  so that the trimmed garment portions  18  may be grouped together. 
     Looking at the enlarged view in FIG. 3, the folding assembly  30  includes the gripper member  38  that is used to engage the uppermost garment portion  18  from the stack  17 . The gripper member  38  is attached to elevating means  40  for vertically raising and lowering the gripper member  38  as desired by the user, with the elevating means  40  preferably being a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder. The folding assembly  30  additionally includes the garment plate  42  that is slidably mounted to the frame  15 , the garment plate  42  being laterally moved to engage the garment portion  18  after the garment portion  18  has been raised by the gripper member  38 . In operation, the gripper member  38  is lowered to engage and lift the uppermost garment portion  18  to a position above the garment plate  42 . The garment plate  42  is then slid between the raised gripper member  38  and the remaining stack  17  so that the free section of the garment portion  18  is peeled off the stack  17 . This results in a portion of the garment portion  18  lying on top of the garment plate  42 . The gripper member  38  then releases the garment portion  18  such that the remaining garment portion  18  will fall on to the garment plate  42 . Generally, the garment portion  18  will fall on the garment plate  42  such that approximately three inches of the garment portion  18  will hang over the edge of the garment plate  42 . 
     Once the garment portion  18  is placed on the garment plate  42 , the sides of the garment portion  18  are aligned by sliding the garment plate  42  carrying the garment portion  18  through a chute comprised of a pair of fixed plates  46  and tapered side guides (not illustrated). The side guides are positioned so that the exit width between the side guides is equal to the width of the garment portion  18 , forcing the top and the bottom of the garment portion  18  into alignment with respect to each other. 
     After alignment on the garment plate  42 , the garment portion  18  is then folded around the edge of the garment plate  42  such that exactly half of the garment portion  18  is on the upper surface of the garment plate  42  and the other half of the garment portion  18  engages the underside surface of the garment plate  42 . This positioning of the garment portion  18  is achieved through the introduction of the garment portion  18  via the garment plate  42  between first and second upper folding belts  50   a ,  50   b  and first and second lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b  (see FIG.  6 ). The upper folding belts  50   a ,  50   b  and lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b  operate to guide the end of the garment portion  18  past a sensor means (not illustrated) to properly fold the garment portion  18 . The sensor means preferably includes a first photoelectric sensor above the garment plate  42  and a second photoelectric sensor positioned below the garment plate  42 . The first sensor is located directly above the lower sensor such that both sensors are in line to monitor the same location on the garment plate  42 . When the lower end of the garment portion  18  reaches the second sensor, the lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b  stop and hold the garment portion  18  in place on the garment plate  48 . The belt speeds of the upper and lower folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b  are varied as necessary to move the garment portion  18  around the edge of the garment plate  42  without introducing either excessive tension or allowing excessive slack in the garment portion  18 . When the top end of the garment portion  18  reaches the first sensor, the precise alignment of the garment portion  18  on the garment plate  42  is complete. 
     Additionally, when the lower end of the garment portion  18  passes the first sensor, a small edge guide shoe (not illustrated) is lowered onto the end board corner of the garment portion  18 , and a clutch (not illustrated) is engaged allowing the guide shoe to travel along beside the end of the garment portion  18 . As the garment portion  18  advances, a cam (not illustrated) causes the guide shoe to pull the corner of the garment portion  18  perpendicular to the direction of travel of the garment portion  18  until the garment portion  18  engages a stationary edge stop (not illustrated). Additional guide motions simply result in the guide shoe slipping on the surface of the garment portion  18 . A similar mechanism engages the top end of the garment portion  18 , with the result being precise width alignment of the ends of the garment portion  18 . 
     Once the garment portion  18  is folded, the upper folding belts  50   a ,  50   b  and the lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b  are then run at the same speed in order to transport the garment portion  18  to the first of two cutting operations. Due to the inherent curvature and stiffness of the garment portion  18 , there is a tendency for it to spring back to its original shape during transportation. Tight clamping by the upper and lower folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a  and  52   b  is required to prevent this spring back action of the garment portion  18 . A pneumatic loading mechanism (not illustrated) allows a high clamp force to be applied to one section of the folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a  and  52   b  holding the garment portion  18 , while applying no belt contact force to other sections of the folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a  and  52   b . Such an arrangement is allowed in the actual upper and lower folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b  that are used with the present invention. 
     Continuing to view FIG. 6, each folding belt  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b  is driven by a motor and a set of pulleys. The first upper folding belt  50   a  is driven by first upper pulley  54  that is connected to a first upper motor  51 . The first lower folding belt  52   a  is driven by a first lower pulley  56  that is connected to a first lower motor  53 . The second upper folding belt  50   b  is driven by second upper pulley  59 . Similarly, the second lower folding belt  52   b  is driven by a second lower pulley  58 . 
     Looking at FIGS. 7A,  7 B,  8 A, and  8 B, all of the folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b  are designed with longitudinal grooves  60  that are machined between a series of ridges  62 . The upper folding belts  50   a ,  50   b  have two machine longitudinal grooves  60  resulting in three small ridges  62  (see FIGS.  7 B and  8 B). The lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b  have three grooves  60 , resulting in two ridges  62  (see FIGS.  7 A and  8 A). The lower ridges  62  are located so as to fit between the upper ridges  62 , allowing the belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a  and  52   b  to move relative to each other while tightly engaging the garment portion  18  (the belts of the prior art machines frequently lock during operation). The lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b  are supported on a rigid belt guide (not illustrated) with shallow side walls. The upper folding belts  50   a ,  50   b  are supported by a flexible plastic guide (not illustrated), which is forced downward by the pneumatic bladder (not illustrated). Guide ridges (not illustrated), which run down both sides of the flexible plastic guide (not illustrated), limit the downward motion of any section of the plastic guide (due to the bladder). When one guide ridge encounters its lower stop ledge, the stop resists the bladder&#39;s downward force, and no further motion is possible. This travel limit is set so that the belt ridges  62  do not come into contact with each other such that the upper folding belts  50   a ,  50   b  experience no contact force with the lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b  unless a garment portion  18  is positioned between the upper folding belts  50   a ,  50   b  and the lower folding belts  52   a ,  52   b . Introduction of a garment portion  18  between the folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b  requires that the ridges move apart, forcing the plastic guide off the stop and transferring the force of the bladder back to that section of the belt  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b . 
     Referring back to FIG. 6, the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises split top and bottom folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b  so that the production speed may be increased as well. These split folding belts  50   a ,  50   b ,  52   a , and  52   b  allow the previously described functions to operate independently in a pipeline arrangement. However, a single top folding belt  50   a  and a single bottom folding belt  52   a  may be implemented as desired by the user. 
     Once the garment portion  18  has been precisely aligned by the folding assembly  30 , the first upper and lower folding belts  50   a  and  52   a  transport the garment portion  18  to the shaping knife assembly  32  to be trimmed according the style desired by the user. Looking at FIGS. 9A-12, the shaping knife assembly  32  includes a clamping means  64  having a pair of arms  68  attached to the ends of a clamping member  66 . The clamping means  64  is pivotally attached between two end plates  65 , with a cover plate  65   a  additionally connected between the end plates  65  for protection of the motors and a first cutting member  76  used in the shaping knife assembly  32 . Moreover, a clamping plate  67  is connected to the uppermost surfaces of both end plates  65 . The clamping means  64  is pivotable to secure the garment portion  18  to the clamping plate  67  to prevent the garment portion  18  from curling while being trimmed. 
     The shaping knife assembly  32  further includes a lateral placing means  35 , which typically includes a primary motor  37  and a worm screw assembly  39  (see FIG.  9 B). A swivel member  41  is attached to the end of the lateral placing means  35 , with the first cutting member  76  being attached to the swivel member  41 . The lateral placing means  35  will extend and retract the swivel member  41  to vary the degree that the first cutting member  76  engages the garment portion  18 . Moreover, the shaping knife assembly  32  further includes a secondary motor  43  to which the first cutting member  76  is also attached. The secondary motor  43  is attached to a swivel member  41  to angularly move the first cutting member  76  to cut the desired pattern in the garment portion  18 . Additionally, an access door  81  is attached to the cover plate  65   a  to provide access to the first cutting member  76  by the user if required. 
     Looking at FIG. 10, a track  69  is mounted between the end plates  65 , with the track  69  providing a means for laterally moving the first cutting member  76 . A carriage member  71  is positioned on the track  69 , and the first cutting member  76  is mounted to the carriage member  71 . A track driving means (not illustrated), such as a hydraulic cylinder, worm gear, or similar driving mechanism known in the art, is surrounded by the track  69  and further is attached to the carriage member  71  to drive the carriage member  71  along the track  69 . Therefore, the carriage member  71  will move along the track  69  while the first cutting member  76  is operating such that the first cutting member  76  will be able to trim the garment portion  18  as desired. 
     In operation, the clamping means  64  is pivoted between an open and shut position with respect to the clamping plate  67 . In the open position, the clamping member  66  is positioned away from the clamping plate  67  such that the garment portion  18  may travel along the clamping plate  67 . The garment portion  18  is carried via the first upper and lower folding belts  50   a ,  52   a . Once the garment portion  18  is positioned as desired on the clamping plate  67 , the clamping means  64  is pivoted to the shut position such that the clamping member  66  will engage the garment portion  18  to secure the garment portion  18  to the clamping plate  67 . The first cutting member  76  is then driven along the track  69  such that the first cutting member  76  will engage and trim the garment portion  18 . 
     The shaping knife assembly  32  additionally includes notching means  70  that is used to contact the garment portion  18  to provide a notch mark on the garment portion  18 . The notching means  70  includes an arm member  72  pivotally attached to the clamping member  66 , with a heated element  74  attached to the free end of the arm member  72 . The heated element  74  is heated to an extent that contact by the heated element  74  to the garment portion  18  will cause a burn mark or notch to appear on the garment portion  18 . As a result, after the first cutting member  76  has trimmed the desired shape in the garment portion  18 , the arm member  72  is pivoted such that the heated element  74  of the notching means  70  is brought into contact with one edge of the garment portion  18 , creating a burn mark or notch in the garment portion  18 . The notch mark in the garment portion  18  serves as a visual guide for the person sewing the garment portion  18  onto the rest of the garment. The notching means  70  is protected by a heat shield  78  (see FIG. 9A) attached to the clamping means  64 . The heat shield  78  helps to prevent the user from making undesired contact with the heated element  74 . Moreover, a jet  80  (see FIG. 9C) may additionally be attached to the clamping means  64  to blow waste out of the way of the notching means  70  so that the heated element  74  does not come into contact with the waste material. 
     Looking at FIGS. 2,  4 ,  6 ,  13 , and  14 , the garment portion  18  next travels from the shaping knife assembly  32  to the width knife assembly  33  via the long upper and lower folding belts  50   a ,  52   a . Since garment portions  18  are often wider than required for the garment, it is beneficial and often necessary to be able to reduce the width. Looking at FIGS. 13 and 14, the width knife assembly  33  includes a second cutting member  82  that is positioned proximate a support plate  88  and auxiliary plate  90 . In the preferred embodiment, both the first cutting member  76  and the second cutting member  82  are razor disks, although many other cutting devices may be employed to achieve the desired cut (for example, scissors, a crush cut blade, and other embodiments of blades). The width knife assembly  33  further includes a series of positioning belts  86  and timing pulleys  87  that are connected to the second cutting member  82  to control when the second cutting member  82  engages the garment portion  18 . 
     In operation, the garment portion  18  is directed from the shaping knife assembly  32  onto the support plate  88  via the long upper and lower folding belts  50   a ,  52   a . The positioning belts  86  provide the required clamping action adjacent to the second cutting member  82  such that the garment portion  18  is pulled smoothly through the width knife assembly  33  and the second cutting member  82  (which is driven by a second motor  83 ) cuts the garment portion  18 . The section of the garment portion  18  that is cut from the desired garment portion  18  is discharged through a cloth chute  99  (see FIG.  1 ), and the remaining garment portion  18  is sent to the garment receiving assembly  16 . 
     To control the operation of the various elements of the garment portion cutting apparatus  14  described above, a control means  100  is additionally provided, as illustrated in FIG.  1 . The control means  100  preferably comprises a central processing unit (not illustrated) having a touch-screen monitor  102  to allow easy interaction for the user to input the desired pattern for the garment portion  18  to be cut. The central processing unit of the control means  100  is programmed with a control algorithm that calculates the various times in which the garment portion  18  should be stopped for trimming to take place in the shaping knife assembly  32  and the width knife assembly  33 . The control means  100  is used to control the precise stopping location of the garment portion  18 , which is necessary to provide the proper shape for the garment portions  18  as required. The control means  100  also allows the burn mark to be placed in a precise location on the garment portion  18  for future clothes assemblers. Moreover, the control means  100  is also used to control the shaping knife assembly  32  and the width knife assembly  33  so that the first and second cutting members  76 ,  82  are positioned to provide the desired cut. Based on the precise stopping location of the garment portion  18  for the angle cut, the control algorithm further calculates edge position of the garment portion  18  and tracks this location in order to initiate the required clamping action of the positioning belts that pull the garment portion  18  smoothly through the width knife assembly  33  as the width cut is made, as illustrated in FIG.  13 . 
     As stated above, the garment portion  18  is transported to the garment receiving assembly  16  (as illustrated in FIG. 1) after it is processed by the width knife assembly  33 . The garment receiving assembly  16  serves to stack the trimmed garment portion  18  in a group with other previously trimmed garment portions  18 . The garment portion  18  is ejected from the width knife assembly  33  on to a collector member  91 , which can be a bar or series of fingers that are pivotally mounted proximate a receiving plate  92 . Once the garment portion  18  is positioned on the collector member  91 , the collector member  91  is rotated. The garment portion  18  is then pushed into engagement with a support member  94 , which is resiliently attached to the receiving plate  92 . As additional garment portions  18  are pushed into engagement with the support member  94 , the support member  94  will also be pushed backward on the receiving plate  92 . This will allow a stack of garment portions  18  to be arranged on the receiving plate  92 . 
     An advantage to the invention described above is the efficiency in producing garment portions  18  for further garment production. The design described above can produce more garment portions  18  than other known devices or methods for producing garment portions  18 . For example, the present invention can produce approximately 4330 garment portions in one eight-hour shift. Moreover, the present invention reduces the requirement for actual workers in that only one worker is required during operation to maintain consistent and steady operation of the invention. 
     It is to be understood that the form of the GARMENT PORTION PROCESSING ASSEMBLY described is a preferred embodiment thereof and that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope as defined in the following claims.