Method and apparatus for sewing panty hose with backpanel-like gusset inserted

A method of fabricating panty hose, having a panty portion and a pair of leg portions, from a pair of circular knit hosiery blanks having a welt end and a toe end and from a panel of knit fabric inserted in the panty portion of the panty hose, said method comprising:

• a) positioning welt end portions of a pair of hosiery blanks on respective upper and lower pairs of spaced apart clamping members with the welt end portions in position to be formed into the panty portion of the panty hose,
• b) providing upper and lower pairs of spaced apart, middle clamping members between the upper and lower pairs of clamping members,
• c) clamping the welt end portions of the pair of hosiery blanks respectively between the upper pair of clamping members and the upper pair of middle clamping members and between the lower pair of clamping members and the lower pair of middle clamping members,
• d) cutting the welt end portions of the hosiery blanks from the welts longitudinally for a predetermined distance medially between the clamping members such that the respective cut edges project outwardly from the clamping members,
• e) partially inserting a folded panel of knit fabric having a welt end and a crotch end between the pairs of upper and lower middle clamping members,
• f) detecting the position of the welt end of one of the cut welt end portions of the hosiery blanks and the position of the welt end of the folded panel,
• g) aligning the welt end of the folded panel with the welt end of the hosiery blank while completing the insertion of the folded panel between the pairs of middle clamping members to position the side edges of the folded panel relative to the cut edges of the welt end portions of the hosiery blanks for attachment thereto, and
• h) sewing the side edges of the folded panel to the cut edges of the welt end portions of the hosiery blanks from the welt ends to and through the crotch of the panty portion and sewing the remainder of the cut edges of the welt end portions together to complete the panty portion.

Apparatus for fabricating panty hose from a pair of circular knit hosiery blanks, having welt ends and toe ends, and from a panel of knit fabric, said apparatus comprising:

• a) spaced apart upper and lower pairs of spaced apart clamping members, each of said pairs of clamping members being adapted to receive a welt end portion of a hosiery blank thereon,
• b) spaced apart upper and lower pairs of spaced apart middle clamping members mounted between said upper pair of clamping members and said lower pair of clamping members and in alignment therewith, at least one pair of clamping members of said upper pair of clamping members and said upper pair of middle clamping members and at least one pair of said lower pair of clamping members and said lower pair of lower middle clamping members being movable toward and away from the other of said pairs to clamp the welt end portions along spaced apart areas longitudinally thereof from the welt ends thereof for a predetermined distance,
• c) cutting means for cutting the clamped welt end portions of the hosiery blanks medially of said spaced apart clamping member from the welt ends thereof longitudinally for a predetermined distance substantially equal to the distance from the waist to the crotch of the panty portion of the panty hose to form cut edges in the clamped welt end portions that are aligned for attachment by sewing,
• d) means for inserting a folded panel of knit fabric, having a welt end and a crotch end, between said upper and lower pairs of middle clamping members and for aligning the welt end of the panel with the welt end of at least one of the hosiery blanks to position the panel with side edges thereof for attachment by sewing the cut edges of the welt end portions of the hosiery blanks, and
• e) means for sewing side edges of the panel to cut edges of the welt end portions of the pair of hosiery blanks from the welt end to and through the crotch and for sewing the remainder of the cut edges of the welt end portions of the hosiery blanks together to complete the formation of the panty portion of the panty hose.