Methods and apparatus for elasticizing discrete areas of conformable garments

Apparatus for forming a conformable garment having one or more discrete elasticized areas comprising, in combination:

• means for stretching at least one ribbon of thermoplastic elastomeric material;
• means for immobilizing the stretched material in its extended state;
• means for bonding the immobilized stretched ribbon to a continuous moving web suitable for use in forming a plurality of interconnected, but severable, like conformable garments having at least one selected discrete elasticized area on a high speed production basis;
• and means for heating spaced discrete areas of the immobilized stretched material so as to "kill" the elastic properties thereof in the spaced heated areas while leaving the elastic properties of the intermediate unheated areas thereof unaltered so that upon severing the web a plurality of like conformable garments are formed each having at least one discrete elasticized area contiguous with the unheated areas of the elastic ribbon bonded thereto.

A method for forming a conformable garment having one or more discrete elasticized areas on a high speed production basis comprising the steps of:

• (a) stretching a thermoplastic elastomeric material;
• (b) immobilizing the stretched material in its extended condition;
• (c) heat treating selected spaced zones of the stretched elastomeric material while in the immobilized extended condition so as to "kill" the elastic properties of the heat treated zones while leaving the elastic properties of the intermediate unheated zones unaltered;
• (d) affixing the immobilized extended material to a continuous moving web defining a plurality of interconnected conformable garment components while maintaining both the heated non-elasticized zones and the non-heated elasticized zones of the extended material immobilized with respect to both the transferring means and the continuous moving web;
• and,
• (e) severing the web transversely thereof between adjacent ones of the plurality of interconnected conformable garment components so as to form a plurality of separate garment components each having at least one discrete elasticized area contiguous with the unheated zones of the elastic material affixed thereto.

Apparatus for forming a conformable garment having one or more discrete elasticized areas on a high speed production basis comprising, in combination:

• means for stretching a thermoplastic elastomeric material;
• means for immobilizing the stretched material in its extended condition;
• means for transferring the immobilized extended material toward a moving web;
• means for affixing the immobilized extended material to a continuous moving web defining a plurality of interconnected conformable garment components while maintaining the immobilized extended material in its immobilized extended condition relative to both said transferring means and the web;
• means for heat treating selected spaced zones of the stretched elastomeric material while in the immobilized extended condition so as to "kill" the elastic properties of the heat treated zones while leaving the elastic properties of the intermediate unheated zones unaltered;
• and, means for severing the web transversely thereof between adjacent ones of the plurality of interconnected conformable garment components so as to form a plurality of separate garment components each having at least one discrete elasticized area contiguous with the unheated zones of the elastic material affixed thereto.

Apparatus for forming a conformable garment having one or more discrete elasticized areas comprising, in combination:

• means for stretching at least one ribbon of thermoplastic elastomeric material;
• means for immobilizing the stretched material in its extended state;
• means for bonding the immobilized stretched ribbon to a continuous moving web suitable for use in forming a plurality of interconnected, but severable, like conformable garments having at least one selected discrete elasticized area on a high speed production basis;
• and means for heating spaced discrete areas of the immobilized stretched material so as to "kill" the elastic properties thereof in the spaced heated areas while leaving the elastic properties of the intermediate unheated areas thereof unaltered so that upon severing the web a plurality of like conformable garments are formed each having at least one discrete elasticized area contiguous with the unheated areas of the elastic ribbon bonded thereto.

In a method of elasticizing selected separated discrete areas of a garment or the like wherein a thermoplastic elastomeric material is employed to impart elasticity thereto and including the steps of:

• (a) stretching a thermoplastic elastomeric material;
• (b) immobilizing the stretched material in its extended state;
• (c) transferring the material while maintaining the material in its stretched immobilized condition;
• (d) applying adhesive to at least a portion of the stretched immobilized material;
• (e) adhesively bonding the material to a continuous web defining a plurality of interconnected garments and moving at a relatively high speed while maintaining the material in its stretched immobilized state relative to the web;
• and,
• (f) severing the web intermediate adjacent ones of the plurality of interconnected garments,
• the improvement comprising heating selected spaced discrete areas of the material while maintaining the material in its stretched immobilized condition so as to kill the elastic properties of the material in the spaced heated areas while leaving the elastic properties in the intervening unheated areas thereof unaltered so that upon severing of the web intermediate adjacent ones of the plurality of interconnected garments the unheated intervening areas of the material bonded to the web are permitted to contract and thereby elasticize the contiguous portions of the garment to which the material is bonded.

The method of elasticizing selected spaced discrete areas of a garment or the like comprising the steps of:

• (a) feeding a ribbon of thermoplastic elastomeric material of the type which loses its elastic properties when subjected to heat towards a high friction surface;
• (b) stretching the ribbon of thermoplastic elastomeric material;
• (c) frictionally engaging the ribbon of thermoplastic elastomeric material while in the stretched state with the high friction surface so as to immobilize the material relative to the surface;
• (d) heating selected spaced areas of the stretched immobilized ribbon of thermoplastic elastomeric material so as to kill the elastic properties thereof relative to the underlying high friction surface in the heated areas while leaving the elastic properties thereof in the unheated areas unaltered;
• (e) applying adhesive to at least portions of the stretched immobilized ribbon;
• (f) adhesively bonding the stretched ribbon to a continuous web defining a plurality of interconnected garments and moving at a relatively high speed while maintaining the ribbon in its stretched immobilized state relative to the web;
• and,
• (g) severing the web intermediate the plurality of interconnected garments so as to permit the unheated areas of the material to contract and thereby elasticize the continguous portions of the garments to which the material is bonded.

The method of elasticizing selected spaced discrete areas of a garment or the like comprising the steps of:

• (a) feeding a pair of ribbons of thermoplastic elastomeric material of the type which loses its elastic properties when subjected to heat towards a high friction surface;
• (b) stretching the ribbons of thermoplastic elastomeric material;
• (c) frictionally engaging the ribbons of thermoplastic elastomeric material while in the stretched state with the high friction surface so as to immobilize the material relative to the surface;
• (d) heating selected spaced areas of the stretched immobilized ribbons of thermoplastic elastomeric material so as to kill the elastic properties thereof relative to the underlying high friction surface in the heated areas while leaving the elastic properties thereof in the unheated areas unaltered;
• (e) applying adhesive to at least portions of the stretched immobilized ribbons;
• (f) adhesively bonding the stretched ribbons to a continuous web defining a plurality of interconnected garment components and moving at a relatively high speed while maintaining the ribbons in their stretched immobilized state relative to the web;
• and,
• (g) severing the web intermediate the plurality of interconnected garment components so as to permit the unheated areas of the material to contract and thereby elasticize the contiguous portions of the garment components to which the material is bonded.

Apparatus for forming an elasticized conformable garment on a high speed production basis comprising, in combination, a frame, means carried by said frame for conveying a continuous web comprising a plurality of interconnected garment components, spool means carried by said frame for holding n (where n equals any whole integer) spools of thermoplastic elastomeric material in continuous ribbon form, first drive means for unwinding the n ribbon(s) of elastomeric material from said n spool means, an adhesive applying means for applying adhesive to the n ribbon(s) of elastomeric material and second drive means for delivering the n ribbon(s) of elastomeric material into intimate face-to-face contact with the web, means for driving said first drive means, means for driving said second drive means at a velocity higher than the velocity of said first drive means so as to stretch the n ribbon(s) of elastomeric material, means for immobilizing the n stretched ribbon(s) of elastomeric material, and means for selectively heating spaced discrete areas of the n ribbon(s) of elastomeric material so as to kill the elastic properties thereof in the heated areas while leaving the elastic properties thereof in the non-heated areas unaltered so that upon severing the web transversely intermediate the plurality of interconnected garment components, the non-heated areas of the n ribbon(s) of elastomeric material are free to contract and thereby elasticize the contiguous areas of the garments to which the n ribbon(s) of elastomeric material is attached.