# US 11,028,508 B2 · Method for making assembled textile products > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,028,508 B2 - Document ID: US11028508B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/549,129 - Filed: 2016-01-25 - Published: 2018-02-01 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-06 - Assignees: Lonati S.p.A. - Applicants: Lonati S.P.A. - Inventors: Sergio Salvetti - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028508B2 ## CPC - D04B 1/246: {Upper torso garments, e.g. sweaters, shirts, leotards} - A41H 43/005: {Cloth spreading or piling apparatus in view of its cutting (folding webs transversely B65H45/10)} - A41H 43/04: Joining garment parts or blanks by gluing or welding (mending garments by adhesives or adhesive patches A41H27/00) {; Gluing presses} - D06C 5/005: {of articles, e.g. stockings} - A41H 42/00: Multi-step production lines for making clothes - D04B 21/207: {Wearing apparel or garment blanks} - D06C 5/00: Shaping or stretching of tubular fabrics upon cores or internal frames - D04B: KNITTING - A41H: APPLIANCES OR METHODS FOR MAKING CLOTHES, e.g. FOR DRESS-MAKING OR FOR TAILORING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - D06C: FINISHING, DRESSING, TENTERING OR STRETCHING TEXTILE FABRICS ## Abstract A method for making assembled textile products including the following steps: arranging open piece of fabric, made by producing tubular knitted fabric by means of circular knitting machine for hosiery or for knitwear, by pulling tubular fabric over support so as to stretch tubular fabric, by applying heat adhesive material onto at least first portion of an outer surface of tubular fabric pulled over support letting heat adhesive material firmly adhere under heat onto tubular fabric, and by cutting tubular fabric onto which heat adhesive material has been applied, so as to obtain open piece of fabric; cutting open piece of fabric according to predefined cutting lines for making one or more parts of textile product to be assembled, and assembling plurality of parts obtained from open piece of fabric or from plurality of pieces of fabric for obtaining assembled textile product. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for making assembled textile products, the method comprising steps of: arranging an open piece of fabric, the open piece of fabric being made by: (i) producing a tubular knitted fabric by means of a circular knitting machine for hosiery or by means of a circular knitting machine for knitwear, (ii) pulling the tubular fabric produced by the knitting machine over a support so as to stretch the tubular fabric and such that a least a portion of an inner surface of the tubular fabric contracts the support and an outer surface of the tubular fabric faces away from the support, (iii) applying a heat adhesive material onto at least a first portion of an outer surface of the tubular fabric pulled over the support such that the heat adhesive material firmly adheres onto the tubular fabric, and (iv) cutting the tubular fabric onto which the heat adhesive material has been applied, so as to produce the open piece of fabric; cutting the open piece of fabric according to predefined cutting lines to obtain one or more parts of a textile product to be assembled; and assembling a plurality of parts, which includes the one or more cut parts, obtained from the open piece of fabric or from a plurality of pieces of fabric to result in an assembled textile product. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of arranging the open piece of fabric includes the following steps: arranging the tubular knitted fabric produced by the circular knitting machine for hosiery or by the knitting machine for knitwear, or producing the knitted tubular fabric by the circular knitting machine for hosiery or by the knitting machine for knitwear; pulling the tubular fabric produced by the knitting machine onto a support so as to stretch the tubular fabric with a predefined amount of tensioning of the fabric, such that at least part of an inner surface of the tubular fabric contacts the support and the outer surface of the tubular fabric remains accessible; applying the heat adhesive material onto at least the first portion of the outer surface of the tubular fabric pulled over the support, and firmly adhering the heat adhesive material under heat onto the tubular fabric so as to stabilize the first portion of fabric reducing an elasticity or a deformability of the first portion; and cutting the tubular fabric onto which the heat adhesive material has been applied, so as to result in the open piece of fabric. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the circular knitting machine has a diameter of 3.5 to 22 inches. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein: the heat adhesive material is shaped as a sheet or as a membrane, and the step of applying the heat adhesive material onto the outer surface of the tubular fabric pulled over the support is performed by: placing the sheet of heat adhesive material or the membrane beside and in contact with the tubular fabric, so as to obtain a tubular fabric coated with the heat adhesive material only, or the heat adhesive material is shaped as a sheet and is mated with a coating fabric, and placing the sheet of heat adhesive material and the coated fabric beside and in contact with the tubular fabric, so as to result in a tubular fabric coated with the coating fabric and firmly mated with the coating fabric by the heat adhesive material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of pressing the heat adhesive material onto the tubular fabric at least during or after a step of heating the heat adhesive material, or a step of mating the support over which the tubular fabric is pulled with at least one pressure element matching a shape of the support, so as to press the heat adhesive material onto the tubular fabric at least during or after a step of heating the heat adhesive material causing a predetermined uniform adhesion of the heat adhesive material to the tubular fabric. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of applying the heat adhesive material onto the outer surface of the tubular fabric pulled over the support is carried out by coating an entire outer surface of the tubular fabric and by stabilizing the entire tubular fabric, or by coating a majority of the outer surface of the fabric. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the support is a template or textile form having a flat shape or a pair of flat elements to be positioned at an adjustable distance. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the support is a supporting roll or a tubular supporting element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of heating the heat adhesive material applied onto the tubular fabric so as to permanently adhere the heat adhesive material to the tubular fabric or a step of heating the heat adhesive material before applying the heat adhesive material onto the tubular fabric or the step of heating the heat adhesive material applied onto the tubular fabric so as to permanently adhere the heat adhesive material to the tubular fabric by heating the support over which the tubular fabric is pulled or by mating the support with a heated element or a heated plate or a heated roll with the support for a predefined time or a step of cooling the heat adhesive material previously heated and applied onto the tubular fabric or allowing the heat adhesive material cool down. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the circular knitting machine has a diameter of 5 to 13 inches. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the tubular fabric is carried out by producing a weft knitted tubular fabric. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the tubular fabric is carried out by automatically forming at least one jacquard pattern onto the tubular fabric by a stocking stitch technique using a trimming knife. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the tubular fabric is carried out by using the circular knitting machine for knitwear having only one needle-bed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the tubular fabric is carried out by using the circular knitting machine for knitwear having two needle-beds. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the tubular fabric is carried out by using only one needle-bed. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the tubular fabric is carried out by using two needle-beds. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of parts of the textile product to be assembled, which are obtained from the open piece of fabric, are wholly made from a length of the fabric mated with the heat adhesive material on a surface of the fabric. ### Claim 18 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein a pressure element is, or two pressure elements are, configured to press the heat adhesive material onto the tubular fabric at least during or after the step of heating the heat adhesive material, and the pressure element is, or the two pressure elements are, a pressure plate counter-shaped to the support. ### Claim 19 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein a pressure element is, or two pressure elements are, configured to press the heat adhesive material onto the tubular fabric at least during or after the step of heating the heat adhesive material, and the pressure element is, or the two pressure elements are, a pressure roll.