Patent GB-457182-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for supplying loops at the ends of textile articles, for example sanitary towels
IPC: A61F13/15
Filed: 1935-05-23
Abstract: 457,182. Catamenial towels. BRECKNELL, MUNRO, & ROGERS (1928), Ltd., Pennywell Road, and DOLMAN, H. J., Church Road, Staple Hill, both in Bristol. May 23, 1935, No. 15003. [Class 81 (ii)] Loops are provided in the ends of catamenial towels by bringing rings of flexible material, such as rolled stockinette, over the ends of the articles, conveyed transversely to position, and engaging each ring with a piercing instrument which penetrates the article bearing with it part of the ring to form a loop, the remainder of the ring embracing the end of the article and forming therewith a hitch or grip fastening. As shown in Fig. 2, wherein catamenial towels are made by depositing absorbent pads at intervals on a continuous length of gauze the edges of which are then folded over the pads, the folded gauze is delivered through a shoot 1 and is gripped by moving grippers 2 and cut into towels by scissors 5, the towels being deposited by the grippers in trays 3 on an intermittently moving conveyer 4 and the grippers released by a cam 7. Stockinette in continuous tube form is fed by mechanisms 14, 15, over spring jaws 65 moved intermittently on a conveyer ; short lengths are cut off by rotary knives 46 and rolled on the jaws into ring form at points 158. The jaws 65 then move to the points 68 at which the stockinette rings are looped on to the ends of the towel at 9 by mechanisms 12, 13. The completed towels are passed down a shoot 16 and removed on a band conveyer 17. The ring-forming mechanism, Fig. 21, comprises a mandrel of rectangular cross-section enclosed in a tube 18 of stockinette supplied as a continuous web 155 between guide rollers 52, 53. The mandrel is supported on serrated pads 23, 24, on levers 19, 20 ; the levers are pivotally mounted on slides 21, 22, and are adjustable thereon by screws 177, 178. The slides carry pivotally mounted needles 27, 28, which are pressed through the material 18 into grooves in the mandrel on engagement of fingers 44, 45, with adjustable stops 39, 40. The slide 21 is moved to the left by links 29, 30, with slotted ends 35, 36, the needle 27 thereby feeding forward a portion of the tube 18 ; simultaneously the links lift serrated spring-pressed holding fingers 31, 32 from the tube, and a bar 54 on a slide 55 moves into contact with the mandrel to prevent movement thereof; the end of the slide 55 has a V-shape groove at 156 with which spring arms 64, carrying jaws 65, engage, thus moving the jaws toward one another. The slide 22 then moves to the left to feed a portion of tube 18 on to the jaws 65, this portion being cut off by a rotary knife 46. The slides 21, 22, 55 then return to original position, backward movement of the tube 18 being prevented by the fingers 31, 32, and of the mandrel by the rollers 52, 53. The arms 64 and jaws 65 are then conveyed to a rolling mechanism, Fig. 24, comprising a pair of parallel segmental arms 159 revolving on a shaft 160 which engage the stockinette tube on the jaws and roll it into a ring 161. The jaws 65 are then conveyed to the loop-forming mechanism, Figs. 5 and 17, which comprises jaws 69, 70, movable vertically in guides 78, 79 and adapted to be moved forward and expanded to remove the ring 161 from jaws 65; jaws 109, 110 within jaws 69, 70 and moved forward therewith to grip the central portion of the end of the towel, the jaws being then rotated through 180‹ to form a pleat in the towel end ; a spring finger 147 on an arm 145 adapted to engage the underside of the ring 161, remove it from the jaws 69, 70, and move it, whilst surrounding the jaws 109, 110 and the towel end, into the path of a piercing implement 127. The implement 127 pierces the towel end and has a notch 134 which engages the ring 161 and carries a portion thereof through the material, whereupon the finger 147 yields resiliently and releases the remainder of the ring which is drawn tightly around the towel end 172, Fig. 17. A spring mounted table 150 supports the towel end until gripped by the jaws 109, 110 whereafter it is moved aside by a cam-operated, spring returned rod 153. A presser plate 139 descends with the piercer 127 and holds the towel against its support prior to and during the piercing and looping operations. The translational movements of the parts are effected by cams such as 173, 89, Fig. 5, and levers and links such as 96, 95, 93, 86, 136, 135, 143. The jaw-operating mechanism is described below. The jaw guides 78,79 are carried on a slide 77 connected to the jaws 69, 70, by links 73, 74, studs 80, 81, on which are engaged by cam faces 82, 83, on an inner slide 91 to open the jaws. The jaws 109, 110 are mounted on bell-crank levers 107, 108, having a common pivot pin 104 and also pivoted at 111, 112, to lugs on a plunger 113. The pin 104 is carried by lugs on the forward portion of a reciprocable and rotatable shaft 97 having a hollow portion containing the plunger 113. Forward movement of the plunger relative to the shaft to close the jaws 109, 110, is effected by a second plunger 114 of two diameters housed within the plunger 113 and the shaft 97 respectively and compressing a spring 122, the plunger 114 having a cross pin 117 passing through slots 118 in the shaft 97 and engaging an annular groove in an operating slide 94. Shaft 97 is keyed to a pinion 98, rotated, to pleat the towel end when gripped by jaws 109, 110, by a cam-operated toothed sector 123.