Patent Publication Number: US-6209469-B1

Title: Apparatus and process for producing pillow shams

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is based on a provisional patent application filed on Nov. 9, 1998 having Ser. No. 60/107,618. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for producing sewn products from a plurality of rolls of material. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and process for automatically forming pillow shams. The pillow shams can be made from various plies of material and can be quilted if desired. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A pillow sham generally refers to an ornamental covering for a bed pillow. In recent years, the popularity of pillow shams has increased. For instance, it is now popular for comforters to be sold in combination with matching pillow shams and curtains in order to tie the decorative features of a bedroom together. 
     Split back pillow shams generally include a face fabric attached to two overlapping plies of backing fabric. A pillow can be inserted and removed from the sham through an opening located where the two plies of backing fabric overlap. Because the plies of fabric overlap, the pillow remains secured within the sham. 
     Currently, split back pillow shams are made in several separate steps. For instance, typically the face fabric and the two overlapping backing fabrics are first cut to an appropriate size. Once cut, each of the two backing fabrics are hemmed along an edge where the fabrics are intended to overlap. Next, the three fabric pieces are assembled and sewn together. Once sewn, the sham is then turned right side out and further enhanced if desired. 
     The above process is typically done manually. Specifically, each step is usually done separately by an individual working at a cutting and sewing station. 
     Due to the amount of time and expense involved in producing pillow shams according to the above process, it would be desirable if a machine could be developed that could automatically form pillow shams from one or more rolls of material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing disadvantages, and others of prior art constructions and methods. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for producing sewn products, such as pillow shams. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an automated process for producing pillow shams. 
     These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an apparatus designed to receive one or more rolls of material. For instance, in one embodiment, three plies of fabric are fed to the apparatus. The plies can include a face fabric and two overlapping back panels for producing a pillow sham. 
     More particularly, the face fabric can be fed to the apparatus such that the two overlapping back panels are superimposed upon the face fabric. The apparatus can include various tension control devices so that the fabrics are fed through the system under constant tension and in a manner so that the fabrics feed together uniformly. 
     As the fabrics are fed through the system of the present invention, various edges of the different fabric sheets are folded and sewn by a hem forming device. In particular, hems are formed into the edges of the back panels, where the back panels overlap to form the pillow sham. Once folded and formed, the hems are sewn together as the different plies of fabric are fed through appropriate sewing devices. 
     After the hems are formed on the back panels and sewn, the verticle edges of the fabric plies (which are the outside edges on a fabric roll) are sewn together. More particularly, one back panel is sewn to the face fabric along a first outside edge, while the other back panel is sewn to the face fabric along a second and opposite outside edge. 
     Next, the fabrics are fed to a cutting table, where the fabrics are cut to a particular size. The cutting table includes a cloth puller which is movably suspended above a table. The cloth puller moves from the downstream end of the cutting table to adjacent a cutting edge for gripping a common edge of the fabrics in order to pull the fabrics over the table. Once the fabrics are pulled over the table, the cutting edge makes a transverse cut. 
     Once cut to a particular size, the fabrics are shifted 90° by a conveyor towards a pair of opposing sewing heads. The sewing heads stitch together the remaining edges of the fabric product (the edges where the fabrics have been cut). 
     Once the remaining edges are sewn, the fabric is engaged by a second cloth puller which stacks the fabric product on a table. 
     Once stacked on the table, the fabric product is turned inside out and is ready for use as a pillow sham. If desired, the pillow sham can be further enhanced by making other stitched lines into the product or by sewing borders or other decorative items on to the product. 
     Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cutting and sewing system made in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of a pillow sham made in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pillow sham illustrated in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a folding device for use in the system of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the folding device illustrated in FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention, which broader aspects are embodied in the exemplary construction. 
     In general, the present invention is directed to a process and to a system for forming fabric products and, in particular, for forming pillow shams. Of particular advantage, the system of the present invention is capable of taking one or more rolls of fabric and automatically and continuously converting the fabric into a pillow sham without having to make the fabric product in a step-wise manner. 
     In the past, the present inventors have developed and invented various folding and sewing devices. For instance, such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,940 entitled “FOLDING AND SEWING APPARATUS”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,304 entitled “LEVEL LINING APPARATUS AND METHOD” which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As will be described in more detail below, various features and aspects of the present inventors&#39; prior work may be incorporated into the system of the present invention for creating various fabric products, such as pillow shams. 
     Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system for producing pillow shams from one or more rolls of material. In the embodiment illustrated, the system has been designed to process three rolls of material  10 ,  12  and  14 . In particular, roll of material  10  is carried on a let off generally  16 , roll of material  12  is carried on a let off generally  18 , while roll. of material  14  is carried on a let off generally  20 . Let offs  16 ,  18  and  20  are all similarly constructed. 
     As shown with respect to let off  16 , each let off includes a pair of idle rollers  22  and  24  which permit the roll of cloth  10  to be rotated when the cloth is pulled by a power driven roll  26  which has a friction covering thereon. Power driven roll  26  is driven by an electric motor  28 . In particular, electric motor  28  is a variable speed driven motor which is under the control of a dancer roll  30 . Dancer roll  30  is permitted to move up and down responsive to variations in tension in the cloth extending therearound. As dancer roll  30  moves up and down, it varies the adjustment on a potentiometer that in turn varies the voltage applied to the motor drive board for varying the let off speed of the cloth. 
     In order to ensure that fabrics  10 ,  12  and  14  are fed to the system simultaneously and under constant tension, let offs  16 ,  18  and  20  can be equipped with a level lining apparatus as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,304 as referenced above. 
     For instance, in order to ensure that fabrics  10 ,  12  and  14  are each fed into the system under constant tension and uniformly, the dancer rolls (such as  30 ) can have a predetermined weight. For instance, each dancer roll can weigh 10 pounds which is then supported by each respective cloth. 
     Some or all of the let offs  16 ,  18  and  20  can further include a second power driven roll  32 ,  34  and  36  respectively. Each power driven roll is in operative association with a torque supplying device. For instance, power driven roll  32  is in association with a torque supplying device  34 . Each torque supplying device selectively supplies a predetermined amount of torque to each corresponding power driven roll. The power driven roll in combination with the torque supplying device is added to each let off in order to adjustably place each corresponding fabric under a different tension in comparison to the other fabrics being fed to the system for feeding the fabrics simultaneously and in alignment. 
     In this arrangement, the power driven rolls can apply a continuous torque to the fabric for placing in equilibrium the rate at which the fabrics are fed to the system. The torque supplying device works in combination with the weighted dancer roll for adjustably placing a particular total amount of tension in the fabric. In particular, the torque supplying device, which is fully adjustable, compensates for the amount of tension being applied to the fabric by the dancer roll. 
     The level lining apparatus as described herein feeds all of the fabrics at a constant tension. However, different amounts of tension are applied to each fabric in comparison to the other fabrics in order to compensate for differences in the makeup of the fabrics (such as weight, denier, texture, etc.) and for the different effects that the sewing and cutting apparatus have on the fabrics. 
     One type of torque supplying device that can be used in the present invention includes an electric motor in operative association with a hysteresis clutch. A belt can be used to interconnect the motor with the hysteresis clutch while a similar belt can interconnect the clutch with the power driven roll. The hysteresis clutch can include an adjustable control device for increasing or decreasing the amount of torque applied to the roller. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the system includes three let offs  16 ,  18  and  20 . It should be understood, however, that the system can accommodate more let offs if desired. For instance, in an alternative embodiment, further let offs can be included for inserting a quilted inner lining material into the pillow sham. 
     As fabrics  10 ,  12  and  14  are fed to the system of the present invention, edge cutting devices can be included for cutting each fabric to a desired width. Alternatively, the fabrics can be pre-sized prior to being fed to the system. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, as the fabrics are fed to the system, the first operation that takes place is for a hem to be formed along an edge of fabric  10  and along an edge of fabric  12 . In particular, hems are formed along the inside edges of fabric  10  and fabric  12  where fabric  10  and fabric  12  overlap as will be described in more detail hereinafter. 
     Not shown, in order to form a hem in fabrics  10  and  12 , the system can include edge folding and positioning stations which are illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,940 as referenced above. The purpose of the edge folding and positioning stations is to uniformly fold each edge of both fabrics so that a straight and uniform width hem can be subsequently sewn into the edges of both cloths. 
     Once the inner edge of fabric  10  and the inner edge of fabric  12  are folded, each fabric is fed to separate sewing heads  38  and  40  respectively. Sewing heads  38  and  40  can be combined with a cloth advancer that feeds each fabric through the sewing head. Preferably, each sewing head is designed so that the fabric is only pulled through the sewing head when a needle contained in each sewing head is out of the fabric. Again, such sewing heads are disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,940 referenced above. 
     Once hems are stitched into fabrics  10  and  12 , the fabrics are superimposed upon each other for further processing. In particular, as shown, back panels  10  and  12  are superimposed onto face fabric  14 . Further, back panel  10  overlaps a portion of back panel  12 . 
     In order to better understand the manner in which the fabric plies are combined, reference is now made to FIGS. 2 and 3 in which an example of a fully constructed pillow sham generally  42  made in accordance with the present invention is shown. Referring particularly to FIG. 2, face fabric  14  is shown in combination with back panels  10  and  12 . As shown in FIG. 3, pillow sham  42  generally has a rectangular shape and has a size sufficient to receive a pillow. Specifically, a pillow is inserted between back panels  10  and  12  where the panels overlap. The overlapping portion thus provides a place for the pillow to be inserted into the sham while at the same time preventing the pillow from being released. 
     Referring back to FIG. 1, in order to form a pillow sham as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the system next can include a first edge folding and positioning station  42  and a second edge folding and positioning station  44  positioned on opposite edges of the layers of fabric  10 ,  12  and  14 . Edge folding and positioning stations  42  and  44  are as described above and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,940 and can be added for placing a fold in the edge of the fabrics. Edge folding and positioning stations  42  and  44  are optional and can be added to the system if desired. 
     From edge folding and positioning stations  42  and  44 , the plies of fabric are then fed to sewing heads  46  and  48  respectively. Sewing heads  46  and  48  stitch together the vertical or outer edges of the fabrics. In particular, sewing head  46  stitches together face fabric  14  to back panel  12 , while sewing head  48  stitches together face fabric  14  to back panel  10 . 
     Once the back panels have been stitched to the face fabric, the superimposed fabrics are then fed to an accumulator generally  50 . Accumulator  50  accumulates a fabric reserve which is fed to a cutting table  52 . 
     Provided on cutting table  52  is a length cutter  54  which cuts the fabric layers from one side to the other. Cutting table  52  also includes a cloth puller  56 , which is suspended above cutting table  52  on a pair of guide rails. 
     One example of a length cutter  54  and a cloth puller  56  are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,940 as referenced above. During operation, cloth puller  56  grips the end of fabrics  10 ,  12  and  14  and pulls the fabrics a predetermined distance over cutting table  52 . Once cloth puller  56  reaches a predetermined length, length cutter  54  cuts the fabrics. Once cut, the plies of fabric are allowed to rest on top of table  52 . 
     From cutting table  52 , in one embodiment, the cut fabric plies are then shifted 90° by a conveyor  58  through sewing heads  60  and  62 . Sewing heads  60  and  62  stitch together the remaining free edges of the pillow sham. If desired, further edge folding and positioning stations can also be placed on the system prior to sewing heads  60  and  62  for forming a hem into the remaining edges of the fabric plies. 
     Of particular importance and advantage, the system of the present invention is designed so that back panel  10 , which overlaps back panel  12 , is fed first through sewing heads  60  and  62 . For instance, referring to FIG. 2, the arrow indicates the direction in which pillow sham  42  is transferred through sewing heads  60  and  62 . In this manner, back panel  10  remains folded over back panel  12  as pillow sham  42  is fed through the sewing machines. If pillow sham  42  are fed through sewing machines  60  and  62  in a reverse direction, there may be a tendency for back panel  10  to flip over and not become stitched to face fabric  14 . 
     Once the remaining edges of the pillow sham are stitched together, a second cloth puller  66  then grabs an end of the pillow sham and places it upon a collection table  64 . Once collected on table  64 , the pillow sham can be turned inside out and used as desired or can be fed through further finishing stations in order to further embellish the appearance of the pillow sham. For instance, further stitch lines can be sewn into the pillow sham or borders and other decorative items can be stitched to the sham. For instance, attached ruffles or other edge enhancement materials may be sewn to the pillow sham. In one embodiment, for instance, all sewing heads may not be activated in the system so that the edges of the sham can be sewn together with edge enhancement techniques, such as cord piping. In this embodiment, instead of collecting the pillow sham on table  64 , the sham can be fed directly across the transfer area to a table/stacker  65  and collected. 
     The above described system is generally directed to processing multiple rolls of fabric and forming a pillow sham. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, however, only a single roll of material is used to form the sham. In this embodiment, instead of separate back panels being superimposed upon a face fabric, a roll of material is folded into a tube as it is processed through the system for forming the sham. 
     For instance, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a fabric folding station generally  68 , which can be included in the system, is illustrated that receives and folds fabric  10 . Specifically, fabric folding station  68  would be positioned within the system as illustrated in FIG. 1 prior to accumulator  50 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, fabric folding station  68  includes a folding die  70  that is angularly shaped. Fabric  10  is fed underneath and then around fabric die  70 . A pair of folding rods  72  and  74  are positioned so as to guide and fold the edges of the fabric. In particular, the edges of the fabric are folded over folding die  70  so as to overlap, similar to the manner in which back panel  10  overlaps back panel  12  as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     In this embodiment, edge folding and positioning stations  42  and  44  and sewing heads  46  and  48  are optional. 
     These and other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention as described above.