US3263542A

US3263542A - Strip material feeding and cutting-off apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3263542A
Authority: US
Inventors: John D Langwell
Original assignee: Waldes Kohinoor Inc
Current assignee: Talon Inc; Waldes Kohinoor Inc
Priority date: 1965-01-13
Filing date: 1965-01-13
Publication date: 1966-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 1983-08-02

Description

Aug. 2, 1966 J. D. LANGWELL STRIP MATERIAL FEEDING AND CUTTING-OFF APPARATUS Filed Jan. 13, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Aug. 2, 1966 J. D. LANGWELL STRIP MATERIAL FEEDING AND CUTTING-OFF APPARATUS Filed Jan. L3, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY 2, 966 J. D. LANGWELL 3,263,542

STRIP MATERIAL FEEDING AND CUTTING-OFF APPARATUS Filed Jan. 1.3, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I NVEN TOR JOHN .0.

M/VGWELL,

ATTORNEY J. D- LANGWELL Aug. 2, 1966 STRIP MATERIAL FEEDING AND CUTTING-OFF APPARATUS Filed Jan. L3, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR JOHN 0.

km k llll LH/YGIVEAL) [rllll ATTORNEY Aug. 2, 1966 J. D. LANGWELL STRIP MATERIAL FEEDING AND CUTTING-OFF APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Jan.

United States Patent 3,263,542 STRIP MATERIAL FEEDING AND CUTTING-OFF APPARATUS John D. Langwell, Freeport, N.Y., assignor to Waldes Kohinoor, Inc., Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 425,217 9 Claims. (Cl. 83-241) This invention relates to improvements in strip material feeding and cutting-off apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for intermittently feeding indeterminate-length, continuous strips of gapped strip material, through the use of the gaps in said material, to the action of a reciprocating punch-type cutting-off means and for actuating said cutting-off means in timed relation to the continuous strip feeding thereto so that, in the intervals beween feed steps, it successively severs from said strip predetermined lengths thereof as said lengths feed to a position just in advance of said cutting-off means,

Although usable in any and all applications to which it is or may be found to be suited, the apparatus of the invention was designed for and has proved highly effective in cutting off measured lengths of slide fastener or zipper chain with trouser-fly strips assembled thereto, known in the art as trouseror pants-fly closure units, from long lengths of continuous zipper chain which has been gapped so as to provide element-free short lengths of zipper tapes between successive longer element-studded lengths of the tapes which ultimately provide the individual zipper components of said closure units and to which the slider bottom stops have been applied to one end of each of said element-studded lengths, and which further have sewn thereto two continuous tapes which ultimately provide the fly-piece components of said closure units. For further details as to the nature and manner of production of the continuous gapped zipper chain with continuous fly strip tapes assembled thereto which constitutes the continuous strip material for the feeding and cutting off of measured lengths of which the apparatus of the present invention was designed, reference is had to copending application of George Waldes Serial No. 403,073, filed October 12, 1964, entitled, Art of Producing Trouser-Fly Closure Units, which with the present invention is commonly owned.

Stated broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide practical, effective and thoroughly dependable apparatus for cutting off a succession of individual trouser-fly closure units of desired length from a long length of continuous gapped zipper chain having continuous flystrip tapes assembled thereto.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide fully automatic and cyclically operable apparatus for positively feeding a succession of measured trouser-fly closure unit lengths of continuous gapped zipper chain with continuous plural fly-strip tapes properly assembled thereto, by means including the gaps in said zipper chain, to a reciprocating cut-off punch which on each working stroke thereof cuts off the measured length of said zipper chain and tape assembly which has just previously been advanced to a cut-off position, i.e. a position just forwardly of said punch.

A further object of the invention is the provision of apparatus as aforesaid characterized by a chain and plural tape feeding means of a type which operates through the gaps provided between successive element-studded lengths of the zipper chain.

Another object of the invention is the provision of chain and tape feeding means as above which incorporates simple and highly effective means for adjusting the increment of chain and tape feed to that desired for a particular run 3,263,542 Patented August 2, 1966 of trouser-fly closure units to be produced at any given time.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus as aforesaid and which further incorporates both highly practical manual machine start and stop means and automatic stop means, the latter being operative to stop the apparatus when the supply of the continuous Zipper chain and fly-strip tape assembly to be cut into individual trouser-fly closure unit lengths runs out.

The above and other objects and features of advantage of strip material feeding and cutting-off apparatus according to the invention will appear from or be obvious from the following description thereof, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrative of said apparatus as it has been embodied in commercial form, in which:

FIG. 1 is a broken-away side elevation of the apparatus of the invention as viewed from the drive means side thereof, the view illustrating the strip material feeding means in an intermediate position through which it moves in advancing from left to right in said view;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, with additional parts thereof only fragmentarily shown in FIG. 1 being illustrated;

FIG. 3 is a broken-away, part-sectional and side elevation of the apparatus taken from the side thereof opposite that shown in FIG. 1, i.e. the sprocket chain and carriage side;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the apparatus taken from the right end of FIG. 3, with some parts broken away and/ or shown in section;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary views which illustrate details of the carriage and of the releasable driving connection between the sprocket chain and said carriage, which parts constitute essential elements of the strip material feeding means of the apparatus shown in the preceding view;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are fragmentary views of the endless sprocket chain which illustrate a form of attachment thereon functioning to actuate the carriage component of the feeding means throughout its working stroke;

FIG. 10 is a detail view similar to FIG. 8 but which illustrates the form of an additional attachment on the aforesaid sprocket chain serving to control the actuation of the cutting-off punch;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary part-sectional view illustrating details of the strip material (continuous zipper chain and plural continuous fly-strip tapes assembled thereto) guiding and hold-down means;

FIG. 12 is a section taken generally along line 12-12 of FIG. 11; and

FIGS. 13 and 14 are fragmentary plan and side elevational views of the strip material feeding means, which illustrate details of the means for adjusting the length of the working stroke of the reciprocating carriage and feed finger of the strip material feeding means and thereby the length that the strip material is advanced with each stroke of the feed finger.

As previously indicated, strip material feeding and cutting-off apparatus of the invention, while not limited thereto, was designed to accept as its starting material to be cut into individual trouseror pants-fly closure unit lengths, a long length of continuous gapped slide fastener or zipper chain having plural continuous fly strip tapes assembled and secured thereto in the manner disclosed and claimed in the aforesaid George Waldes application Serial No. 403,073. By gapped slide fastener or zipper chain as usedherein is meant continuous zipper chain consisting of two long lengths of coupled zipper stringers, i.e. fabric tapes carrying along adjacent edges initially unbroken rows of oppositely disposed interlocking fastener elements and which are secured together by the coupling action of said elements, from which a small number of the fastener elements are removed at a succession of short-length intervals of the chain disposed between individual z ipper lengths of chain proper, the removal of elements which results in gapping" of the chain being for the purpose of providing element-free tape extensions at the end of each individual zipper length of chain which facilitate the sewing of the zipper ends to the trouser waistband and crotch, in the case of the individual zipper lengths being used as a component of a trouseror pants-fly closure. Preferably also, the bottom stops which serve to prevent the sliders of the final zippers from running off the bottom ends thereof have already been applied to the gapped chain and fly-strip tape assembly going to the herein apparatus and, as will hereinafter appear, the gapped zipper chain and fly-strip tapes assembled thereto advancing to said apparatus will have been turned about the longitudinal center line thereof so that the normally under or back side of the zipper chain faces upwardly and will further have been disposed end-toend so that the aforesaid bottom stops are disposed at the rearward or trailing end of each of the individual zipper lengths making up the gapped continuous zipper chain-fly strip tape assembly feeding to the apparatus. With the chain so positioned, a bottom stop will be disposed at the forward end of each chain gap; and thus the bottom stops are capable of providing an abutment surface for a blade-like feed finger insertible into the gaps.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION With the above brief statement of the nature and physical characteristics of the strip material for which the herein apparatus was designed to work upon and which contribute to the proper functioning of said apparatus as intended, there is first given a general description of said apparatus in terms of' the principal physical means or mechanisms making up the same. More particularly, the apparatus of the invention incorporates:

(a) guide and hold-down means capable of accepting strip material in the form of continuous gapped zipper chain and plural continuous fly-strip tapes assembled thereto and of guiding said assembly along a straight-line path of movement, said means also serving to hold the continuous fly strip tapes which normally assume positions in which they respectively overlie and underlie the zipper chain in positions in which they extend laterally thereof;

(b) punch-type cutting-off means disposed astride the path of movement of said chain and tapes assembled thereto;

means for advancing (feeding) the zipper chain and fly-strip tape assembly along said path with a step-bystep motion and in measured lengths or increments corresponding to the length of the individual trouser-fly clo sure units then being produced, past said cut-off means, said advancing or feeding means being of a type depending on the above-described gapping of the zipper chain for its operation; and

(d) means for driving both said feeding means and said punch-type cutting-off means in properly timed relation, i.e. so that the latter means will sever the most forward length of zipper chain and fly strip tape assembly which has just previously been fed past the same, during the interval between each two successive increment-s of feed motion imparted to said chain and tape assembly.

Illustratively, all of the aforesaid means are mounted on or enclosed within a generally rectangular cabinet-type stand adapted to be supported on a building floor. More particularly, the guide and hold-down means are mounted to the upper side of the top plate of the stand, thus to be readily available to the continuous zipper chain and plural fly strip tape assembly moving to the top plate in continuous strip form. The punch type cutting-off means is mounted from said top plate so that it operates through same, and the feeding and cutting-off drive means and their related mechanisms for properly timing their respective operations are enclosed within the housing. Manual control means for starting and stopping the operation of said drive means and thereby of said apparatus as a whole are provided. Upon the apparatus being placed in operation, it continues to operate in successive cycles until manually stopped or until the supply of the continuous zipper chain and plural tape assembly runs out, in which latter event operation of the apparatus is stopped automatically. Said manual control and automatic stop means will be more specifically described under the caption Control Means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The guide and hold-down means The stand 10 on or within which the aforesaid major means or mechanisms of the apparatus of the invention are mounted illustratively comprises a rounded-corner rectangular top plate 11 secured at its corners as by screws to four corner legs 12a-l2d inclusive, which in turn are fastened to a base plate 13 which is supported on but above the floor by vibration mounts 14. Cover plates 15a-15a' (FIG. 2) may be fastened to said corner legs and serve to fully enclose the stand on all four sides.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 11 and 12, the aforesaid con tinuous zipper chain-fly strip tape assembly guide and hold-down means illustratively comprises an elongated chain-guide strip 16 and disposed above same and coacting therewith two elongate chain hold-down

bars

17 and 18 disposed on edge and being laterally spaced from one another by a spacer element 19 (FIG. 2), whereby said bars define an elongate slot 20 whose function will be explained hereinafter. Said guide strip 16 is secured flush against the upper face of the top plate 11 (as by screws not shown) in position such that it coincides substantially with the longitudinal center line of said top plate and its length is such that it extends from the strip feed-in edge of the top plate about two-thirds across the latter. The hold-down

bars

17 and 18 have length generally corresponding to that of the guide strip 16 but, rather than being fixed, are mounted for raising and lowering movement, it being understood that when raised they are in an inactive position and that when lowered they are in their working or hold-down position, in which latter they are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

More particularly, said hold-down bars adjacent the feed-in end of the top plate are pivotally connected at their relatively rearward (feed-in) ends to a pair of depending,

parallel bracket arms

22, 23, whose upper ends are fast on

rock shafts

24, 25, respectively, extending laterally from and journaled for rocking motion in a mounting block 26 affixed to the upper surface of the top plate 10 to one side of the guide strip 16. A spring 27 encircling the rock shaft 24 exerts clockwise (FIG. 2) turning pressure on the bracket arm 22 (and accordingly on both said bracket arms) and thereby downward pressure on the hold-down

bars

17, 18, which is sufficient as to keep the zipper chain component ZC (FIGS. 11 and 12) of the zipper chain and fly strip tape assembly constituting the strip material being worked upon and which, according to the intended operation of the apparatus, runs along the top of the guide strip 16 in proper position thereon. A ball-type handle 28 affixed to said bracket arm 22 enables the operator to manually swing said bracket arm, and thereby both said

bracket arms

22 and 23 since they are constrained to move in unison, in counterclockwise direction as effects raising of the hold-down bars, when it is desired to insert an end of the zipper chain to he moved along the guide strip between said guide strip and said hold-down bars.

As also seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, the guide strip 16 is provided in its upper face with an upwardly open channel 16a having width substantially equal to the width of two oppositely disposed coupled fastener elements FE of the two rows thereof connected to the fabric Zipper tapes ZT and ZT and which with said tapes make up the aforesaid zipper component of the zipper-chain fly tape assembly, and depth slightly less than one-half of the vertical thickness of said fastener elements. A downwardly opening complemental channel 1611 may be simply provided by cutting away the bottom inside corners of the hold-down

bars

17, 18 as at 17a, 18a to a depth and width corresponding to that of the depth and width of the guide strip channel 16a. Thus there is provided between the guide strip and hold-down bars an elongated guideway closely fitted to two rows of the coupled fastener elements FE of the zipper chain serving to guide the latter along a fixed path of movement. It is to be noted, however, that the bottom edges of the hold-down

bars

17, 18 are spaced a small distance from the upper surfaces of the guide strip 16, thereby to provide slit-opening side openings extending laterally from said guideway for the accommodation of the zipper tapes ZT and 2T Also to be noted at this point of the description is that the aforesaid slot 20 provided by the lateral spacing of the hold-down

bars

17, 18 opens into said elongated guideway through the top side thereof. Preferably also, and as best seen in FIG. 12, the outer bottom corners of the hold-down

bars

17, 18

are cut away, thereby to provide added space for the g accommodation of the continuous fly-strip tapes FT and FT assembled to the zipper chain tapes ZT and ZT according to the aforesaid George Waldes application Serial No. 403,073, when the latter tapes are folded laterally outwardly from their normal positions to their respective positions shown in FIG. 12, which latter positions they occupy during the cutting-off operation.

THE CUTTING-OFF MEANS The aforesaid cutting-off means comprises a standard press generally designated mounted to the stand 10 in an upside down position. More particularly, the press frame 31 is secured upside down to the under face of the top plate 11 as by corner bolts 32 (FIG. 1) in a position such that its cutting-off anvil 33, which is carried by the reciprocating ram 34 of the press and which upon reciprocation of the ram moves upwardly through an anvil guide 35' set into an opening provided therefor in said top plate (FIG. 4), is disposed transversely to the path of feed motion of the strip material, i.e. zipper chain and fly strip tape assembly, moving along the guide strip 16. The reciprocating anvil is adapted to move against a fixed cutting-off blade 36, illustratively a so-called pinking blade, which is disposed above the top plate and, like the anvil 33, transversely of the feed path of said strip material. Illustratively, said cutting-off blade is mounted in a blade-mounting bracket 37 which, together with its cover plate 38, is secured to the top plate 11 by

tie rods

39, 39a, which also rigidly connect said blade-mounting bracket with the press frame 31 disposed beneath the top plate. As best seen in FIG. 1, the anvil 33 and its associated cutting-off blade 36 are disposed relatively forwardly of the guide strip 16 and hold-down

bars

17 and 18, and thus the cutting anvil may partake of its reciprocating motion without interference from said guide strip or hold-down bars.

THE STRIP MATERIAL FEEDING MEANS The strip material (continuous zipper chain and fiy strip tape assembly) feed mean-s in the first instance comprises a reciprocatory, vertically disposed, blade-like finger 42 spring-biased to a position in which its free working end moves into the gaps designated 6 (FIG. 11) of the aforesaid zipper chain component ZC, it being understood that one such gap is disposed between each two individual-length but still connected trouser-fly lengths of chain making up said zipper chain component, and means associated with said finger for actuating same in direction and in amount required to advance the zipper chain (and of course the fly strip tapes FT and FT assembled thereto) a distance corresponding to the length of the trouser-fly closure units being produced, as results in the working end of the reciprocating finger, as the latter is actuated throughout its working stroke, moving against the trailing end, i.e. bottom end, of each trouser-fly length of zipper chain and pushing the same, and thereby the entire chain-tape assembly, forwardly a predetermined distance as aforesaid. To insure good engagement of the working end of the feed finger 42 of the zipper bottom end, the gapped zipper chain moving to the apparatus will preferably have the bottom stops BS, conventionally applied to the bottom ends of most zippers for the purpose of preventing unintentional removal of the slider therefrom, already applied thereto in a preliminary operation, again as disclosed and claimed in the aforesaid George Waldes application Serial No. 403,073.

More particularly, and referring to FIGS. 1, l3 and 14, the feed finger 42 is dependently carried by a bracket 43 affixed to a shaft 44 which extends laterally from a vertically extension bracket 45 mounted on a reciprocatory carriage generally designated 46 disposed below the top plate 11 (and thus within the stand 10) and which is slidable on a pair of horizontal, laterally spaced

slide rods

47, 48 supported at their ends in slide-rod mounting blocks 49, 49A and 5%, 50A afiixed to the under side of the top plate 11. As best seen in FIGS. 4- and 7, said extension bracket 45 extends upwardly from the carriage 46 through a slot-like opening 45a provided therefor in said top plate.

A coil spring 51 (FIG. 13) encircling the shaft 44 imposes a downward bias on the working end of the feed finger 42, which insures both that said working end will find its way into any gap G of the Zipper chain disposed below the same and that it will ride over the coupled fastener elements of the next following length of gapped continuous chain when the carriage 46, and hence the extension bracket 45, shaft 44 and said feed finger, together partake of their return or retracting movement, in response to means to be described. At this point of the description, it is explained that the feed finger 42 extends to the zipper element guideway provided by the aforesaid complementary channels 16:! and 16b through the aforesaid slot 20 provided between the hold-down

bars

17 and 18. Thus, while the slot will be formed wide enough to permit the feed finger to operate therethrough freely as intended, said hold-down bars insure against any uncontrolled lateral movement of the feed finger as it partakes of its back-and-forth movement with the carriage 46.

Means such as the stop pins 54, 54a projecting towards one another from the slide-rod mounting blocks 49, 49a serve as back and front stops for the carriage 46 and thus determine the extreme limits of its travel in both directions and thereby the maximum amount or increment that the zipper chain ZC and fiy-strip tapes assembled thereto can be advanced with each feed stroke of the finger 42. However, additional back-stop means of an adjustable nature are provided, such illustratively comprising an adjustable-position back-stop pin 56 disposed in the path of rearward movement of the feed-finger mounting shaft 44, and which is carried by an adjustable-position two-piece bracket 57, the two pieces of which, as best seen in FIG. 13, are screwed together and clamped by a screw 58 to an elongated back-stop slide plate 59 extending between and secured at its ends to the aforesaid mounting block 26 and the cutting blade mounting bracket 37, respectively. The bracket 57 is also provided inwardly thereof with a pointed projection 60 which is adapted to seat in any one of a plurality of holes 61 drilled or otherwise provided in the associated edge of the slide plate 59. Thus, the back-stop bracket 57 may be secured in any desired position along the length portion of the slide plate edge provided with said holes 61, by seating the projection 60 in a selected one of said holes and then tightening the bracket screw 58. The bracket-carried and hence adjustable-position back-stop pin 56 then takes over the function of the fixed hack-stop pin 54 in determining the most rearward position of the feed finger 42 and thereby the length of stroke of said finger and in turn the increment that the zipper chain and fly-strip tape assembly is fed forwardly by said finger on each of its working strokes.

Further adjusting means enabling the adjustment of the lines of cut along the length of the gaps G of the zipper chain and thereby of the length of the element-free tape extensions at the ends of the individual zipper chain lengths being severed from the continuous zipper chain are preferably provided. For this purpose, the opening 43a in the feed-finger or blade-mounting bracket 43 through which the aforesaid feed finger-mounting shaft 44 extends is elongated horizontally (FIG. 14) as permits said bracket to be shifted a small distance backwardly or forwardly along said opening. To locate and lock the bracket 43 in a desired adjusted position, oppositely disposed

set screws

62, 620, whose inner ends extend into the ends of said opening 43a and are adapted to be screwed tight against said shaft 44, are provided.

The means for advancing (and of course retracting) the feed finger 42 includes the aforesaid reciprocatory carriage 42, since motion of the vertical extension bracket 45 and of the finger-mounting shaft 44 carried by said bracket is derived from that of the carriage. According to the invention, said carriage which, as explained in the foregoing is mounted to slide on the slide rods 47, 48 (on ball bushings 47a, 48a, FIG. 6) is positively driven throughout its forward or zipper-chain advancing stroke by means of a powered endless sprocket chain 64 running in a triangular path over two horizontally disposed

idler sprockets

65, 66 mounted intermediate the aforesaid

sliderod mounting blocks

49, 49A, 50 50A, and an intermediate lower-level drive sprocket 67, via a releasable driving connection to be described in detail which the chain makes with said carriage at spaced time intervals through its endless path of travel. Upon release of said driving connection, the carriage is then driven on its return (back) stroke by a spring-biased arm 74 which, as will be described, is itself moved to an energy-storing position by the carriage responsive to its forward movement as aforesaid, and which upon release or deactivation of said driving connection releases its energy to drive the carriage throughout its backward stroke.

Referring to FIGS. 9 inclusive, intended to illustrate the aforesaid releasable driving connection between the endless sprocket chain 64 and the carriage 46, it is first to be noted that the carriage illustratively comprises a bottom plate 68 mounting forward and rearward pairs of laterally spaced

apertured ears

69, 69a and 70, 70a through which the slide rods pass, the carriage thus defining a generally upwardly opening channel in transverse section, and that the channel thus provides a runway for said sprocket chain. As best seen in FIGS. 6-8, the releasable driving connection illustratively comprises laterally outwardly projecting chain attachments 71a, 71b, each consisting of a pair of vertically spaced ears e 2 with rollers r and r mounted on vertical pintles extending between the ears of the pairs, and spring-backed

ball plungers

72a, 72b mounted on the forward pair of

carriage cars

69, 69a in position as to extend into the path of said rollers r r of the sprocket-chain attachments which, with the sprocket chain, move through the channel defined by the carriage 46, and to be abutted by said rollers r and r This arrangement provides, in the first instance, that upon the chain attachments 71a, 71b in their movement through the carriage channel first abutting the springbacked ball plungers 72a, 721), said attachments and plungers coact to provide a driving connection between the chain and carriage, and that upon the carriage having been moved by and along with the chain to a forward position in which it engages against and is held against further forward movement by the aforesaid front-stop pin(s) 54a, the chain attachments overcome the force of the springs backing the

ball plungers

72a, 72b and thereby deactivate and render ineffective the driving connection between chain and carriage which existed up to this point of chain travel. Thereupon the chain moves freely through the carriage and the latter is now free to partake of its rearward travel under the action of the aforesaid spring-energized arm 74.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 in particular, said arm 74 illustratively consists of a rod having an elongated vertical portion 740, a lower horizontal mounting and pivot end 741) which, as best seen in FIG. 4, is journaled in spaced pillow blocks 75 and 75a affixed to the base plate 13 of stand 10, and an upper horizontal crank end 740 which is disposed at a level somewhat below that of the aforesaid carriage 46, so as to be engageable by a pin 76 affixed to and depending from the under side of the carriage. Illusrtratively, a coil spring 77 is connected at its ends to said vertical-rod portion 74a of said arm and to a leg on the stand, respectively, so as to be stretched as the arm is swung clockwise (FIG. 1) and counterclockwise (FIG. 3) responsive to the forward travel of said carriage. However, upon release of the releasable driving connection between the carriage and sprocket chain 64 as explained above, the arm 74 is positively swung to its normal position by the energy stored in the spring 77 by the stretching thereof, and in so doing actuates the carriage throughout its return or retracting stroke.

Generally speaking, while the number of the chain attachments 71a, 71b per chain will vary with the length of the chain, two sets of attachments, equally spaced from one another, are provided along the length of the aforesaid chain 64. Thus, for each complete cycle of sprocket chain travel, the carriage 46 is driven throughout two working and return strokes, as in turn results in the continuous zipper chain ZC and fly strip tapes FT and FT assembled thereto being given two feed steps or increments by the feed finger 42.

THE DRIVING MEANS Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, a motor M (or other convenient power source) drives a main drive pulley 85, which latter drives through a belt 86 both a flywheel 87 adapted to drive both the crank shaft 88 of the cutting-off press 30 through a normally disengaged clutch generally indicated at 89, and a pulley 90 associated with the flywheel which in turn drives a clutch pulley 91 disposed upwardly thereof via a belt 92. The clutch pulley 91 is press-fitted to a bushing 93 which rotates on a shaft 94, the bushing being held in place axially on said shaft between a bushing 96 fixed to said shaft by a pin 97 and a suitable retaining means 98 on the outer (right) end, FIG. 4, of said shaft. A spring 99 is tightly wound on the so axially related

bushings

93, 96 in manner such that said bushings and spring together form a well known type of spring clutch serving to transmit drive from drive pulley 85 to the shaft 94 via belt 86, flywheel 87, pulley 90, belt 92 and pulley 91. As will be later explained, said

clutch combination

93, 96 and 99 is of the normally engaged type, but its engagement is controllable by the operator.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the aforesaid shaft 94 extends through the uprights of the press frame 31, being supported in ball-bearing pillow blocks 101, 102 afiixed to the outer sides of said uprights. At its end opposite that mounting the clutch pulley 91, the shaft 94 fixedly mounts the aforesaid drive sprocket 67 for the sprocket chain 64 which drives the carriage 46 as aforesaid. Thus, assuming engagement of the

clutch combination

93, 96, 99, the sprocket chain is continuously driven from the drive pulley 85.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the clutch 89 which transmits drive to the press crank shaft 88 is normally held disengaged by a lock-out pawl 104 whose working end abuts the step or shoulder 105 of a trip cam 106 fast on the driving element of said clutch. Means are provided for deactivating, i.e. releasing, said locking pawl and thereby energizing the clutch 89, as results in the crank shaft 88 of the press 30 being driven throughout a full 360 turn and accordingly in the press ram 34 and its cuttingoff anvil 33 being positively actuated throughout one complete cycle of motion, responsive to travel of the sprocket chain 64. More particularly, such means illustratively comprises a bracket plate 108 affixed to an upright of the press frame which is disposed adjacent the clutch 89, to which the lock-out pawl 104 is pivotally connected for swinging movement by an upper-end pivot 109. Said bracket 108 also provides anchorage for two tie rods 11%, 11012 extending transversely towards the chain side of the apparatus and which provide a mounting for the spaced pillow blocks 112a, 1121) in turn providing bearing for a transversely disposed rock shaft 113.

At its clutch end, said rock shaft rigidly mounts a secondary, i.e. driven, release lever 114 having generally upright disposition, and a link 115 is pivotally connected .to and extends between the upper end of said lever and the lower end of said lock-out pawl 104. A spring 116 operative between said lever 114 and the bracket plate 108 serves to bias said lever in clockwise direction (FIG. 1), as results in said lock-out pawl 104 being normally biased into engagement with the step 105 of the trip earn 106.

At its other or chain end, said rock shaft 113 rigidly mounts a primary (driving) release lever 118 which, by reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 in particular, is vertically dis posed, is contained in the working plane of the endless sprocket chain 64 and is moreover of length such that its upper end is disposed just beneath the lowermost line of motion of said chain as it runs under the chain drivesprocket 6-7.

To enable chain actuation of the lock-out pawl releasing means, the sprocket chain is provided with a pair of chain attachments 120a, 1201) which compare generally with the aforesaid attachments 71a, 71b but which, as is best seen in FIG. 10, extend vertical-1y outwardly from said chain, rather than later-ally outwardly, as did the attachments 71a, 7112. Thus, as the chain moves throughout its course of travel, the attachments 120a, 1211b will at two spaced times during such travel strike the upper end of the primary release lever 118 and thereby rock the shaft 113 and as in turn swings the secondary release lever 114 in counterclockwise direction (FIG. 1). Such results in pull being exerted on the link 115 in direction as to disengage the locking pawl 104 from the step 105 of the trip cam 106. Thereupon, the clutch 89 automatically engages and the press crank shaft 88 is driven for one complete revolution, following which the locking pawl, acting under the bias of spring 116, again locks out said clutch by its repeat engagement with said step 105 of the trip cam.

While it is stated in the foregoing that the chain attachments 120a, 12% are two in number, it should be understood that such follows from the fact that the number of said attachments corresponds to the number of the horizontally projecting attachments 71a, 7117; that is to say, the number of the chain attachments 120a, 1201) is always the same as the number of the chain attachments 71a, 71b. Also to be noted and understood is that the attachments 1200, 120b trail the attachments 71a, 711), respectively, by equal lengths of sprocket chain which are such as to properly time the actuation of the cutting-off punch to occur during the interval that the carriage 46 is moving on its backward stroke, during which interval the zipper chain and fly-strip tape assembly, after having been fed forwardly a distance corresponding to the length of the closure units, is being held stationary with respect to the top plate 11 by the action of the aforesaid holddown bars 17, 18. At this point in the description, reference is also had to the fact that with each stroke of the carriage-propelled feed finger 42, the chain and tape assembly is advanced to a position that the predetermined 19 length thereof to be severed is disposed forwardly of the cutting-off blade 36 of the press, and since said press is disposed relatively forwardly of the guide strip 16 and hold-down

bars

17 and 18, forwardly of said latter parts, unimpeded operation of the press is achieved.

THE CONTROL MEANS Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 in particular, manual control means for initiating and stopping the operation of the herein apparatus are provided, such illustratively comprising a vertically disposed rod 124 extending between the top and base plates 11, 13 of the stand 10 and being mounted for turning movement therein. The upper end of said rod projects through the top plate 11 and mounts a ball handle 125 which normally rests in a stop position against an upwardly projecting pin 126 set into said top plate, but it may be moved to a start position in which it rests against a similarly mounted pin 127. In its intermediate length portion, the rod 124 mounts a laterally projecting pin 128 serving as a lock-out pin for the aforesaid

clutch combination

93, 96 and 99. That is to say, in the stop position of the ball handle 125, said lock-out pin 128 is disposed beneath a tangential extension 99a of the clutch spring thereby to hold the latter in a position such that it exercises no clutch-engaging function on the driving bushing 93, and thus said bushing turns freely on the driving shaft 94. However, when the ball handle is turned 90 in direction as to rest against the pin 127, the clutch lock-out pin 128 is turned in its plane to a position in which it clears the spring extension 99a, whereupon the spring 99 operates to effect engagement of said

clutch bushings

93, 96, and drive is transmitted to the chain-driving sprocket 67 via the shaft 94. Conversely, turning of the ball handle in the reverse direction against the stop pin 126 returns the clutch lock-out pin 12 8 to a position beneath the clutch spring extension 99a, as results in disengagement of the said clutch.

In addition to the aforesaid manual control, there is provided a supervisory control serving not only to deactivate the machine in the event the supply of zipper chain and fly-strip tape assembly runs out but also to prevent starting of the machine should there be no supply of zipper chain and tape assembly available to the machine. Again referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, such means illustratively comprises a collar-form disc 130 affixed to the lower end of the vertical control rod 124 and to which is affixed a biasing spring 131 serving, in the first instance, normally to position the ball handle 125 against the stop pin 126. Said disc is provided in its peripheral surface with a V-notch 130a adapted to receive the pointed end of a solenoid-plunger 132a, which is spring- -loaded so as normally to move against the disc, when said disc is turned (with the rod 124) to the start position by movement of the ball handle 125 to that position, such arrangement providing that the plunger 132a will hold the disc, rod and ball handle in their respective start positions when said parts are manually turned to such position. However, energization of the solenoid 132 will result in retraction of its said plunger 1320: and thereby release of the disc 130, and thus it will be seen that whenever the solenoid is energized, said disc, the rod 124 and the ball handle 125 will return to the stop position under the bias of spring 131.

According to the invention, energization of the solenoid 132 occurs only upon closing of a normally closed switch generally designated 134 mounted from a bracket 135 affixed to the feed-in side of the top plate 11. Said switch incorporates a strip-material sensing arm 13401 which, in its lowered position (in which it is held by the strip material moving over same), maintains said switch open. However, should the supply of the strip material becorne exhausted, the arm 134a raises to a switchclosing position, whereupon the solenoid 132 is energized and effects retraction of the solenoid plunger 132a from the notch 131, as results in the disc, rod and ball handle returning to their respective stop positions under the bias of the spring 131. In the event no Strip material is running over the switch arm 135 when the ball handle 125 is turned to the start position, said handle will similarly return to its Stop" position under the bias of disc-attached spring 131, since under this condition the solenoid plunger 132a is in its retracted position in which it lacks disc-holding ability.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a preferred feed-in arrangement according to which the strip material, i.e. the zipper chainfiy strip tape assembly, is guided in its movement toward the strip-material supply sensing switch 134 by the outer looped end 133 of a guide rod whose inner or machine end is affixed to the aforesaid mounting block 26. Another feature of convenience is that provided by a catch tray 140 for receiving the individual zipper lengths of chain and fly tapes severed from the continuous chain and fly tape assembly by the aforesaid cutting-off press 30, it being observed that said tray or catch basket is supported beyond the forward or dis charge side of the top plate 11 by a rod 141 whose inner end extends over the top plate and is affixed to the blademounting bracket 37.

OPERATION While it is believed that the operation of the apparatus as described in the foregoing will be understood by persons skilled in the particular art, it is briefly summarized as follows:

With the ball handle 125 in its stop position, one end of an indeterminate length of continuous gapped zipper chain and plural fly-strip assembly, faced and endwise disposed as illustrated in FIG. 11, is threaded through the outer looped end of the guide rod 138, is thence drawn forwardly over the switch 134 which it deenergizes by its engagement with the switch arm 134a, and thence, by depression of the ball handle 28 which raises the hold-down

bars

17, 18, is inserted between said bars and the guide strip 16 in position such that the chain of zipper or fastener elements FE seat in the guide-strip channel 16a, and further that the fly-strip tapes FT, and FT are folded laterally outwardly from the zipper chain ZC proper, as in FIG. 12. Thereupon, the ball handle 28 is released, and the hold-down bars thereafter act to hold the chain-fly strip tape assembly in place on the guide strip 16. The extent of the initial advancement of said chain-tape assembly along the guideway defined by the guide strip and hold-down bars will be such as to dispose the working end of the feed finger 42, then in its most rearward position, in the most advanced zipper gap, into engagement with the correspondingly most advanced bottom stop BS. However, as previously explained, the aforesaid most rearward position of the feed finger 42 will be adjusted in accordance with the length of the closure-fly units to be severed and this adjustment is achieved by loosening of the bracket holding screw 58, which releases the bracket 57 from the slide plate 59, and sliding said bracket either back or forward along said plate as establishes the length of stroke of the feed finger, as will result in a feed increment of chaintape assembly as in turn will yield the desired length of closure-fly unit. Upon the correct position of the bracket 57 having been established, it is held in that position along the guide plate 59 by the projection 69 upon retightening of the screw 58.

While normally the line of cut made by the cutting-off press 30 is disposed equidistantly from the ends of each chain gap G presented to it, such is also subject to adjustment, thereby to increase or decrease the length of the element-free tape extension at the top and/or bottom ends of the severed closure-fly units (which the gaps G ultimately provide). This latter adjustment is effected by means of the set screws 62, 62a whose turning in opposite directions effects limited adjustment of the feed- 12 finger mounting bracket 43 with respect to the carriageactuated shaft 44 to which said bracket is mounted.

Upon the aforesaid preliminary adjustments having been made, the apparatus is now placed in operation simply by manually actuating the ball handle 125 through a turn to its start position, i.e. against the pin 127, in which it is held by seating of the spring-biased solenoid plunger 132:: in the notch of the disc 130. As previously explained, turning of the control rod 124 by said ball handle effects engagement of the

clutch elements

93, 96, whereupon drive is transmitted to the endless sprocket chain 64. Up to this time, the carriage 46 has been held stationary in its retracted position by the bias of spring 77 acting through rod 74, and the cutting-off press has been maintained deactivated by trip cam and its biasing spring 116. However, upon chain drive being initiated, the carriage 46 is moved forwardly by the chain via the aforesaid releasable driving connection therebctween, and actuates the feed finger throughout its forward stroke, as results in said finger advancing the zipper chain-fly strip assembly a distance corresponding to the length of the fly-closure unit to be severed from said assembly and to a position such that said length to be severed is disposed just forwardly of the cutting blade 36 of the cutting-off press 30.

Upon the carriage 46 arriving at the limit of its forward motion, as determined by its engagement with the frontstop pin 54a, its forward motion is stopped, whereupon the releasable driving connection between chain and carriage gives away without interrupting continuous chain travel. The carriage is now actuated throughout its back or return travel, as effects return stroke of the feed finger, by said spring 77 acting through the rod 74.

During the course of the return motion of the carriage, the chain attachment a, or 120, which follows the carriage driving attachment 71a71b which has just released the carriage, engages the primary clutch release arm 118 of the means controlling engagement of the normally disengaged clutch 89 in the drive to the cutting-off press. Consequent to this engagement, drive to the press is initiated, as results in the press ram and its anvil 33 moving upwardly from their neutral position (in which the upper edge of said anvil is flush with the top surface of the top plate 11FIG. 4) against the lower edge of the pinking, i.e. outing-off, blade 36, thereby to cut off said most forward closure-unit length of zipper and fiy-strip from the following continuous zipper chain, plural fiy-strip assem- 'bly. Upon one single revolution of the press cam shaft having been completed, the lock-out pawl 104 will reengage the cam step 105, thereby disengaging the clutch 89 as results in the press ram and anvil being again disposed in the neutral position.

The above represents but a single cycle of operation of the herein apparatus, and it is to be understood that this cycle will be repeated over and over again until operation of the apparatus is stopped either by manually returning the ball handle to its stop position against pin 126 or until the supply of zipper-fly strip tape assembly runs out, as will result in closing of the switch 134 and retraction of the solenoid plunger 132a from its holding engagement with the disc 139.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cutting off a succession of trouser-fly closure unit lengths of zipper chain and fly-strips assembled thereto from an indeterminate length of an assembly of continuous gapped zipper chain and continuous fly-strip tapes sewn thereto comprising, in combination: an upright stand including a top plate; zipper-chain guide and holddown means for guiding said gapped zipper chain and flystrip tape assembly in a straight-line path of motion which extends generally across the upper surface of said top plate; a cutting-off means mounted to said top plate and being disposed astride said path of motion and in position as to sever individual closure-unit lengths of zipper chain and fly strips sewn thereto from the advancing end portion of said assembly traveling thereunder; means for intermittently feeding said gapped zipper chain and fly-strip assembly along said path of motion in increments of length corresponding to the length of the trouser-fly closure units being produced at any given time, said means including a reciprocatory feed finger mounted above said path of motion and being biased for movement into the gaps of the continuous zipper chain of the assembly as said gaps are successively disposed thereunder responsive to movement of said assembly along said path of motion and being operative on each forward stroke to abut the rearward closed end of each next forwardly disposed closure-unit length of zipper chain and thereupon to push the same and thereby said chain and fiy-strip tape assembly forwardly a distance corresponding to the length of said stroke, and means for imparting reciprocatory motion to said finger including a powered endless chain and means for translating chain travel in uniform direction into forward and re turn motion of said finger; and means for translating chain travel as aforesaid into properly timed operation of said cutting-off means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for translating chain travel in uniform direction into forward and return motion of said finger also includes a reciprocatory carriage to which said finger is mounted, and a releasable driving connection between said endless chain and carriage, said connection being effective to drivingly connect the chain to the carriage upon the latter being disposed in a first stop position as in turn disposes the finger at the beginning of its assembly-feeding stroke and to disengage the chain from the carriage upon said carriage arriving at a second stop position as in turn disposes the feed finger at the end of its assembly-feeding stroke.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, and further including means energized by the motion of the carriage when it is so connected to said driving chain and being operative upon release of said driving connection for effecting return travel of the carriage to its first position and thereby mo tion of the feed finger throughout its rearward stroke.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, including means for pre-setting said first position of the carriage longitudinally along said path of motion thereby to adjust the extent of travel of the carriage and the length of the stroke of the feed finger to the length of the trouser-fly closure unit to be severed.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said releasable driving connection comprises projecting means on the chain and retractible means on the carriage normally providing an abutment engageable by said projecting means but which retracts to an inactive position when forcibly pressed against by said projecting means, as occurs when said carriage arrives at said second stop position.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said carriage has upwardly open channel configuration and said driving chain runs through the channel thereof, and wherein said releasable driving connection comprises laterally projecting attachments on the chain and retractible means mounted on said carriage in position to extend inwardly into said channel and thereby into the path of motion of said projecting means, said retractible means normally providing an abutment against which said projecting means engages and thereby transmits drive to the carriage from the chain but being capable of retracting and thereby releasing the chain from the carriage when forcibly pressed against by said projecting means, as occurs when said carriage arrives at its said second stop position.

'7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a common power source is drivingly connected to said chain and said cuttingcff means by individual drive connections each including a normally disengaged clutch, wherein the clutch in the drive connection to said chain is manually engageable, and wherein the drive conection to the cuttingoff means includes a normally inactive means for engaging the clutch in the driving connection thereto and said chain mounts means responsive to chain travel for rendering said last means active.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cuttingoff means comprises a cutting-off press having a frame mounted in upside down relation to the under side of the top plate, a reciprocatory ram carried by said frame, a cutting anvil actuable by said ram upwardly from and downwardly to a neutral position in which its working end is flush with the upper surface of said top plate, and a cutting blade fixedly mounted to the top plate above the same and in position as to be struck by said cutting anvil during the course of its upward movement.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the endless chain and the means for translating chain travel in uniform direction into forward and return motion of the feed finger and into properly timed actuation of said cutting-off means are mounted to and contained within the stand, and wherein said cutting-off means comprises a cutting-off press secured in upside down relation to the under face of the top plate of said stand and including a reciprocatory ram, a cutting anvil actuable by said ram upwardly from and downwardly to a neutral position in which its working end is fiush with the upper surface of said top plate, and a cutting blade disposed above and fixedly mounted to the top plate in position as to be struck by said cutting anvil during the course of its upward movement, the construction and arrangement being such that the press proper is also contained within the stand.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,931,760 10/1933 Her-mansdorger 83-268 2,779,590 1/1957 Seastrom 83-278 WILLIAM W. DYER, 111., Primary Examiner.

L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OFF A SUCCESSION OF TROUSER-FLY CLOSURE UNITS LENGTHS OF ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLY-STRIPS ASSEMBLED THERETO FROM AN INDETERMINATE LENGTH OF AN ASSEMBLY OF CONTINUOUS GAPPED ZIPPER CHAIN AND CONTINUOUS FLY-STRIP TAPES SEWN THERETO COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AN UPRIGHT STAND INCLUDING A TOP PLATE; ZIPPER-CHAIN GUIDE AND HOLDDOWN MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID GAPPED ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLYSTRIP TAPE ASSEMBLY IN A STRAIGHT-LINE PATH OF MOTION WHICH EXTENDS GENERALLY ACROSS THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID TOP PLATE; A CUTTING-OFF MEANS MOUNTED TO SAID TOP PLATE AND BEING DISPOSED ASTRIDE SAID PATH OF MOTION AND IN POSITION AS TO SEVER INDIVIDUAL CLOSURE-UNIT LENGTHS OF ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLY STRIPS SEWN THERETO FROM THE ADVANCING END PORTION OF SAID ASSEMBLY TRAVELING THEREUNDER; MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY FEEDING SAID GAPPED ZIPPER CHAIN AND FLY-STRIP ASSEMBLY ALONG SAID PATH OF MOTION IN INCREMENTS OF LENGTH CORRESPONDING TO THE LENGTH OF THE TROUSER-FLY CLOSURE UNITS BEING PRODUCED AT ANY GIVEN TIME, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A RECIPROCATORY FEED FINGER MOUNTED ABOVE SAID PATH OF MOTION AND BEING BIASED FOR MOVEMENT INTO THE GAPS OF THE CONTINUOUS ZIPPER CHAIN OF THE ASSEMBLY AS SAID GAPS ARE SUCCESSIVELY DISPOSED THEREUNDER RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID ASSEMBLY ALONG SAID PATH OF MOTION AND BEING OPERATIVE ON EACH FORWARD STROKE TO ABUT THE REARWARD CLOSED END OF EACH NEXT FORWARDLY DISPOSED CLOSURE-UNIT LENGTH OF ZIPPER CHAIN AND THEREUPON TO PUSH THE SAME AND THEREBY SAID CHAIN AND FLY-STRIP TAPE ASSEMBLY FORWARDLY A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE LENGTH OF SAID STROKE, AND MEANS FOR IMPARTING RECIPROCATORY MOTION TO SAID FINGER INCLUDING A POWERED ENDLESS CHAIN AND MEANS FOR TRANSLATING CHAIN TRAVEL IN UNIFORM DIRECTION INTO FORWARD AND RETURN MOTION OF SAID FINGER; AND MEANS FOR TRANSLATING CHAIN TRAVEL AS AFORESAID INTO PROPERLY TIMED OPERATION OF SAID CUTTING-OFF MEANS.