Band stretch measuring system

In a system for measuring the elastic characteristics of a hosiery article waistband to determine fit:

• a pair of spaced, relatively movable fingers adapted to receive thereover a waistband, means for displacing a first finger of said pair of fingers relative to a second finger of said pair of fingers, control means for regulating said displacement means to move said first finger away from said second finger to apply a predetermined force to said waistband and for actuating said displacing means to retract said first finger relative to said second finger to a first stop position with said first and second fingers spaced a predetermined distance, and means for measuring the compressive force applied by the waistband to said first and second fingers at said first position, each of said pair of fingers terminating in a portion having o-rings which engage inner portions of said waistband, and further including means rotatably mounting one finger of said pair of fingers to permit unequal tensions in the parallel runs of the waistband to equalize.

The method of measuring elastic characteristics of a hosiery article waistband to determine whether the waistband stretch is acceptable comprising the steps of:

• applying a predetermined force to the waistband to stretch the same by displacing a movable finger relative to a fixed finger, retracting the movable finger towards the fixed finger, initiating a signal to stop the movable finger, measuring the distance between the position of the movable finger when the signal was initiated and the stop position of the movable finger, again retracting the movable finger towards the fixed finger, stopping the movable finger at a predetermined position, initiating a signal when the movable finger is at a distance corresponding to said measured distance from the predetermined position, and determining the compression force of the waistband with the movable finger is at the predetermined position.