Automatic angle adjusting sleeve grippers for a garment press

Abstract

A shirt or garment finishing machine with a mannequin or buck for holding the body of the garment or shirt with sleeve holders or grippers mounted on pivoting arms on each side of said mannequin or buck to hold the open end of the sleeve. The pivoting arms with sleeve holders/grippers pivot laterally to support various lengths of sleeves and provide tension to remove wrinkles. The sleeve holders/grippers move vertically on the pivoting arm to support sleeves that are attached to the garment body at a various angles. During either or both of these motions, the sleeve holder/gripper automatically adjusts its angle relative to the garment body to provide even sleeve tension.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A garment finishing machine comprising a mannequin to hold the body of the garment, a pair of pivoting arms located on either side of the mannequin to support and tension the sleeves of the garment, a stable frame on which the mannequin rests, sleeve holders on each of said pivoting arms to hold each sleeve in position during the finishing process, pivot points on the frame, pivoting arms, and sleeve holders to allow for rotation of the pivoting arms around a pivot point, and a slider attached to the sleeve holders to provide vertical motion of the sleeve holders during the finishing process,
 wherein a movement of the finishing arms around its pivot point on the frame of the garment finishing machine provides tension to the sleeves of the garment by increasing the distance between the garment and the position of the sleeve holder,   wherein the movement of the slider causes a proportional movement of the pivot arms and causes the sleeve holder to rotate on its axis, and   wherein the motion of the sleeve holder is in response to the movement of the slider and creates an even tension on the top and bottom portions of a sleeve attached at the sleeve holder.   
     
     
         2 . The garment finishing machine of  claim 1 , comprising a means of automatically adjusting the angle of the sleeve holder, mounted on a pair of pivots, so the sleeve holder faces the shoulder of the buck as the pivoting arm pivots outwardly or inwardly. 
     
     
         3 . The garment finishing machine of  claim 1 , comprising a means of automatically adjusting the angle of the sleeve holder, mounted on a pair of pivots, so the sleeve holder faces the shoulder of the buck as the sleeve holder is raised or lowered. 
     
     
         4 . The garment finishing machine of  claim 1 , comprising a means of automatically adjusting the angle of the sleeve holder so the sleeve holder, mounted on a pair of pivots, faces the shoulder of the buck as the pivoting arm rotates outwardly or inwardly, and as the sleeve holder is raised or lowered. 
     
     
         5 . A garment finishing machine comprising a molded form to support the body of the garment, a pair of pivoting arms located on either side of the mannequin to support and tension the sleeves of the garment, and sleeve holders on each of said pivoting arms to hold each sleeve in position during the finishing process,
 wherein the sleeve holders are configured to rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise on an axis point attached to the pivoting arms to keep the sleeves aligned with a shoulder of the mannequin,   wherein the sleeve holders are configured to move vertically, up or down, and   wherein the motion of the sleeve holder is performed automatically and creates an even tension on the top and bottom portions of a sleeve attached at the sleeve holder.   
     
     
         6 . The shirt or garment finishing machine of  claim 5 , wherein a tilt link attached to the sleeve arm controls the angle of orientation of the sleeve holder. 
     
     
         7 . The shirt or garment finishing machine of  claim 6 , wherein the tilt link is moved based on feedback received from alignment sensors attached to the sleeve holders and a fixed point on the mannequin. 
     
     
         8 . The shirt or garment finishing machine of  claim 6 , wherein the tilt link is moved based on feedback received from a microprocessor which calculates the angle of orientation. 
     
     
         9 . A garment finishing machine system comprising at least two mannequin to hold the body of the garment, at least two frames to support the mannequins, a pair of a pair of pivoting arms located on either side of the mannequins to support and tension the sleeves of the garment, at least two stable frames on which the mannequin rests, sleeve holders on each of said pivoting arms to hold each sleeve in position during the finishing process, pivot points on the frames, pivoting arms, and sleeve holders to allow for rotation around a pivot point, and a slider attached to the sleeve holders to allow for vertical motion of the sleeve holders during the finishing process,
 wherein a movement of the finishing arms around its pivot point on the frame of the garment finishing machine provides tension to the sleeves of the garment by increasing the distance between the garment and the position of the sleeve holder,   wherein the movement of the slider causes a proportional movement of the pivot arms and causes the sleeve holder to rotate on its axis,   wherein the motion of the sleeve holder is in response to the movement of the slider and creates an even tension on the top and bottom portions of a sleeve attached at the sleeve holder, and   wherein at least one of the mannequins holds the garment during the finishing process and at least one of the mannequins holds the garment prior to finishing.