The invention relates to a device for automatically feeding curtain hooks, each consisting of a strip and a hook connected thereto, 5 to a sewing machine which can sew the strip of an infed curtain hook onto a curtain pleat, comprising a storage holder for the curtain hooks and movement means for moving one curtain hook at a time from the storage holder to a desired position for sewing on the strip of that curtain hook. 10 Such a device is known from EP-A-029010-4.

The movement means of this known device comprise a gripping ^• element with two claws which are movable relative to each other, and pneumatic cylinders to permit movement of the gripping element in two directions at right angles to each other. The gripping element is first 15 moved from an initial position to the storage holder, for the purpose of picking up a curtain hook, and is then moved back to that initial position. The gripping element with curtain hook clamped therein is then moved to a position above the curtain, and the gripping element is subsequently moved to a position where the strip of the curtain hook 20 clamped by the gripping element is lying below the pressure foot of a sewing machine. Finally, the gripping element is moved back to an initial position. As a result of the complicated movement of the gripping element, this known machine is complex and expensive, and the device works relatively slowly. 25 The object of the invention is to overcome this drawback and to provide a device of the type described in the preamble, by means of which curtain hooks can be sewn to pleated curtains at great speed in an accurate position, and in the case of which the curtain hooks are moved by the movement means in only one direction, without the curtain hooks 30 having to be clamped by said movement means.

According to the invention, the device mentioned in the ^*• preamble is characterized:

* in that the movement means can move the curtain hooks only in one

■ straight line;

35 i ⁿ that the storage holder is in the form of a vertical tube in which the curtain hooks can be stored stacked on top of one another; in that the bottom end of the storage holder lies in or just above the straight movement path of the moving part of the movement means, so that

said moving part can pick up the bottom hook in the storage holder; and in that the moving part of the movement means can return to the initial position during sewing on of the strip of the curtain hook held in position by the pressure foot of a sewing machine. With the device according to the invention, a curtain hook can be taken directly from the storage holder in one straight movement to the throat plate of the sewing machine, where the lowered pressure foot clamps the curtain hook, so that the movement means can return immediately afterwards in order to move the next curtain hook. In order to be able to position a curtain pleat correctly for sewing to the strip of a curtain hook, it is preferable to provide the device with a stop element which can be moved up and down, and against which a curtain pleat can be pushed in a desired position below the sewing machine, means being present for moving the stop element downwards as soon as a curtain hook is moved into a desired position. The fact that the stop element can be moved up and down means that it need not be in the way during the sewing on of the curtain hooks.

If the hook of each curtain hook is connected to the strip, it is preferable to provide the device with means for setting the hook of a curtain hook in a desired height position relative to the strip. These means can preferably consist of a cam which can be tilted against a certain moment, and which can engage in an opening in a strip of a curtain hook in order to retain said strip temporarily, a pushing element which can move the hook relative to the temporarily retained strip, and a stop which is fixed to the pushing element and can strike against an adjustable pin.

The curtain hook can be prevented from tilting away or sliding away if the moving part of the movement means for moving the curtain hooks is provided with two fingers which can engage around a strip of a curtain hook, and with a cam which is fixed on the moving part and can strike against a switch for operating the movement means of said stop element.

The storage means preferably consist of a tubular part for the accommodation of the hook part of the curtain hooks, and a U-shaped part for the accommodation of the strip of the curtain hooks, and the strips project from the U-shaped part and can be of any desired length, while an opening to allow through the connecting piece between hook and strip is provided in the common leg of the tubular part and the U-shaped part. The storage holder is preferably detachably fixed to the

baseplate of the device.

The invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference to the figures.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an important part of the device.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view on a larger scale of a part of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a horizontal section through the storage holder in a neutral position of the hook-positioning means. Figure 4 shows a horizontal section comparable to Figure 3. but in this case in the position in which the hook is positioned.

Figure shows a section which is comparable to Figure 3. in which a curtain hook is moved to the desired position below a sewing machine. Figure 6 shows a detail in horizontal section by means of which the positioning of the hook relative to the curtain hanging strip and the movement of the entire curtain hook can be made clear.

Figure 7 shows a view of a part of the automatic feed device and of the sewing machine. Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the folded top edge of a curtain with curtain hooks fitted therein.

The device shown is intended for conveying curtain hooks automatically to a desired position below a sewing machine, in which position a curtain pleat is pushed over an infed curtain hook, and said curtain pleat is sewn to the curtain hook.

Each curtain hook consists of an elongated plastic strip 1, having a serrated profile 2 on two sides and an end flange 3 along which a slide 4 with hook 5 can be slid. Two barbed pins 6 projecting from the slide 4 can engage in the serrated profiles in such a way that the slide 4 with hook can be slid only in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4, and not in the opposite direction.

The feed device comprises a baseplate 1 , pneumatic cylinders 8 and 9 fitted thereon for adjustment of the hook relative to the strip 1 and for movement of the curtain hook to a position below a sewing machine respectively, and a profiled block 11 into which a storage holder 12 for the curtain hooks can be pushed. Figure 1 shows how the curtain hooks lie stacked on top of one another in the holder 12. The bottom curtain hook of the stock lies on the baseplate 7. while a cam 13 on the baseplate which can tilt against a certain moment engages in an opening 14 of the

strip 1 of the hook and temporarily holds the curtain hook in place.

The pneumatic cylinder 8 has a piston rod 18 which has a strip 19 with rounded front end 21 welded to it at one side and a cam 22 welded to it at the other side. Next to the movement path of the cam 22 is a box 23 which is fixed on the plate 7 and has adjacent openings into which a pin 24 can be inserted. When the piston rod 18 is sliding out the cam 22 can come into contact with the pin 24 and thus limit the length of slides. As soon as the piston rod 18 slides out of the cylinder 8, the bent front end 21 of the strip 19 picks up the hook 5 and slides said hook forwards until the cam 22 comes into contact with the pin 24. The hook has then reached a position relative to the strip 1 which is determined by the choice of hole into which the pin 24 is inserted in the block 23-

The pneumatic cylinder 9 is then operated, as a result of which a rod 25. which is connected by way of a magnet 20 to the piston of said cylinder, is slid out, which rod 25 is provided at its front end with two fingers 26 which come to rest around the strip 1 of a curtain hook. The curtain hook is pushed forward until a cam 27 welded on the piston rod 25 strikes against a switch 28, which operates a pneumatic cylinder 29 (Figure 7) . as a result of which a stop element 31 connected to the piston rod of said cylinder is moved into the downward position shown in Figure 7- The end of the element 31 is fork-shaped and falls over the end of the rod 25.

A curtain pleat is moved in such a way by an operative that the flat strip part of the infed curtain hook 1 to 6 falls into the pleat. The stop element 31 serves as a positioning element for the curtain pleat. As soon as said pleat has taken up the desired position relative to the curtain hook, the operative operates the pressure foot of the sewing machine in order to fix material and curtain hook, and a signal is given so that the rod 25 returns to its initial position, the stop element 31 is moved up by the cylinder 29. and the sewing machine 3 sews the curtain hook to the curtain pleat. The result of this operation can be seen in Figure 8.

The device described makes it possible to set the height position of the hook 5 relative to the top edge of the curtain fully automatically and to sew the curtain hook to the curtain at high speed and with constant positioning accuracy. The cost of the operation will be relatively low.