Apparatus for the manufacture of sheets bearing display samples

Apparatus for forming fabric samples from a fabric webbing having upper surface portions, to a workstation for application of the samples to a substrate, comprising:

• a first roller and a second roller located adjacent the first roller and the workstation;
• means for rotatably mounting said first and second rollers;
• means for introducing the webbing over at least a portion of said first roller and then the fabric samples over at least a portion of said second roller in a feed direction, with the first roller thereby located upstream of the second roller;
• fabric sample engaging means carried on the second roller for engaging the fabric samples, the fabric sample engaging means movable toward and away from the surface of the second roller for engaging and releasing the fabric samples as they rotatably advance to the workstation;
• advancing means for advancing said fabric sample engaging means towards said fabric sample;
• cutting means including a knife blade carried on the first roller for cutting said webbing to separate fabric samples therefrom;
• means for rotating said first and second rollers to advance said samples to said workstation;
• retracting means for retracting said fabric sample engaging means away from said samples to release said samples thereby completing transfer of said samples to said workstation;
• said fabric sample engaging means comprises a plurality of retractable needles arranged in at least two series with at least two of the series of the needles extending in nonparallel directions, mounting means for mounting the needles in at least two spaced apart linear series, the needles of one series extending nonparallel to the needles of the other series,
• said mounting means comprises at least three longitudinal mounting bars arranged side-by-side with said needles mounted between adjacent mounting bars,
• said mounting bars are double ended and have longitudinal axes and move the needles toward and away from said sample when said mounting bars are moved back and forth from end to end along their longitudinal axes.

Apparatus for forming samples from a fabric webbing having upper surface portions, to a workstation for application of the samples to a substrate, comprising:

• a first roller and a second roller, the first roller having an outer surface, the second roller having an outer surface and located adjacent the first roller and the workstation;
• means for rotatably mounting said first and second rollers;
• means for introducing the webbing over at least a portion of said first roller and then over at least a portion of said second roller in a feed direction, with the first roller thereby located upstream of the second roller;
• webbing engaging means carried on the second roller, movable toward and away from the webbing for engaging and releasing a portion of the webbing;
• cutting means including a knife blade carried on the first roller for cutting said webbing to separate a sample portion therefrom;
• means for rotating said first and second rollers to advance said sample portion to said workstation;
• retracting means for retracting said webbing engaging means away from said webbing to release said sample portion thereby completing transfer of said sample portion to said workstation;
• said webbing engaging means comprises a plurality of retractable needle means retractably mounted in at least one mounting bar carried on the second roller, the plurality of retractable needle means arranged in at least two series with at least two of the series of needles extending in nonparallel directions;
• a travelling backing plate having a concave surface spaced from the outer surface of the second roller for passage of the webbing therebetween;
• and
• means for mounting the travelling backing plate for reciprocal pivotal movement between first and second positions along an arcuate path extending over the outer surface of the second roller, the first position being upstream of the second position, with respect to the feed direction.

Apparatus for forming fabric samples from a fabric webbing having a surface, and delivering the fabric samples to a workstation for application of the samples to a substrate, comprising:

• a first roller and a second roller, with the second roller located between the first roller and the workstation;
• each of the first and second rollers having a peripheral surface;
• means for rotatably mounting said first and second rollers;
• means for introducing the webbing over at least a portion of said first roller and then the fabric samples over at least a portion of said second roller in a feed direction, with the first roller thereby located upstream of the second roller;
• cutting means for cutting said webbing to separate samples therefrom as the webbing rotatably advances around the first roller;
• means for rotating said first and second rollers to rotatably advance said samples from said first roller to said second roller, and from said second roller to said workstation;
• a first webbing engaging means associated with the first roller, the first webbing engaging means including a double-ended pin mounting bar carried on said first roller for movement toward and away from the samples, with the pin mounting bar having a longitudinal axis passing through the ends thereof, said first webbing engaging means further including a plurality of pins mounted in the pin mounting bar and having free ends engageable with the samples, and resilient mounting means at the ends of the pin mounting bar for nonrotatable displacement of the mounting bar and hence movement of the plurality of pins mounted therein, with respect to said first roller, toward and away from the samples;
• at least one stationary camming cylinder adjacent the ends of the pin mounting bar to nonrotatably move the pin mounting bar with respect to said first roller, and hence move the plurality of pins mounted therein, toward and away from the samples as the first roller is rotated, thereby retracting said pins away from said samples to release said samples so as to transfer said samples to said second roller;
• a second webbing engaging means associated with the second roller, the second webbing engaging means including a plurality of retractable needles mounted in a plurality of double ended needle mounting bars carried on the second roller, the needle mounting bars each having a longitudinal axis passing through the ends thereof, the axes of the needle mounting bars being generally parallel to one another, the second webbing engaging means further including at least one stationary camming cylinder engaging the ends of the needle mounting bars so as to reciprocate the needle mounting bars back and forth along their longitudinal axes, to move the plurality of needles toward and away from the samples so as to complete transfer of said samples to said work station, and a needle mounting bar cover plate covering the needle mounting bars, the plate defining needle-receiving apertures which receive and guide the needles as the needles are moved.