Apparatus for artificially giving a worn and creased appearance to items of clothing, and process thereof

Abstract

 An apparatus for artificially ageing new items of clothing, particularly denim trousers, includes: - a supporting frame (102) which defines a loading station (103), an unloading station (103) and an item spraying station (104); - horizontal guiding means (111) which extend between said loading, unloading and spraying stations; - one or more item supporting dummies (6, 106) which are at least partially expandable and slidable along said guiding means; - pneumatic means (140) for inflating and deflating said dummies; - mechanical means (113) for moving said dummies between said loading and unloading stations and said spraying station; - means (130) for the localized spraying of oxidizing and/or bleaching liquids on the items to be treated: - means (132, 133) for translatory motion of said spraying means on preset regions of said items; - means (160) for the automatic control of said movement means, of said spraying means, of said translatory motion means and possibly of said dummy inflation and deflation means; - actuation means (70) which interact with said control means and can be actuated by an operator to actuate said dummy inflation and deflation means.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for artificially giving a worn and creased appearance to new items of clothing, particularly to denim trousers, and process thereof.

[0002] It is known to artificially wear, or age, new items of clothing, with the following operations: washing said items in water at 50-60^o to soften and desize the fabric, then uniformly bleaching the items by washing in water with the addition of chemical oxidizing agents, optionally with the use of stones or gravel, and finally selectively bleaching particular portions of the items by sanding or spraying of oxidizing liquids. The items are finally rinsed, dried and optionally pressed.

[0003] Said known methods have been developed to satisfy the requirements of the market in the specific field of so called "casual" fashion, particularly of items of clothing made of dyed cloth or cotton of the denim type, which have an apparently "aged" appearance when new, i.e. seem to have been worn for a few months. This appearance can be given by means of a more or less marked but uniform bleaching with respect to the original color of the fabric and by means of uneven bleachings localized in selected portions which are more heavily subjected to wear.

[0004] As is known, the first of these effects is normally produced by means of washes in water with the addition of chemical products such as hypochlorites, with or without pumice stone or other equivalent granular materials, commonly termed "stone-washes" or "stone-bleaches".

[0005] The second effect is generally obtained by means of a method perfected a few years ago, which entails the high pressure sanding or the spraying of oxidizing chemical products such as sodium hypochlorite or potassium permanganate on selected portions of the items, for example at the pockets, at the knees and at the seat. A support constituted by an inflatable dummy, i.e. a dummy provided with airtight bags or containers made of flexible material which approximately reproduce the internal shape of the item to be treated, is normally used in this process. The item is initially placed on the deflated dummy, which is subsequently pressurized with air or with another gaseous fluid supplied by an external source, so as to keep the item to be treated uniformly stretched. At this point an operator can spray the sand, the chosen oxidizing chemical product or both, according to the customer's requirements, on the selected portions of the item. Once the treatment is completed, the dummy can be deflated to allow the removal of the trousers and the repetition of the cycle on a subsequent item.

[0006] The above described methods have been so far effective for giving an "aged" appearance which is more conspicuous at given portions.

[0007] However, treatments of this type cannot provide the permanently creased or "wrinkled" appearance which the item normally assumes after it has been worn for a few months, especially due to the movements of the body. In the particular case of trousers, said movements cause, in the course of time, creases, folds or curlings approximately at the level of the articulation of the hip, under the front pockets and toward the crotch. Said deformations of the fabric are normally associated with darker and brighter bands of color due to higher or lower wear.

[0008] Some attempts to manually reproduce this creased appearance have been made, with limited results which are also sharply variable between one item and the next. It is therefore apparent that there is a strong need of reproducing this effect automatically, in a repetitive manner and on an industrial scale.

[0009] The aim of the present invention is to overcome the above described disadvantages of the prior art, by providing an apparatus, and the process thereof, for giving a worn appearance to new items of clothing, particularly but not exclusively of the denim type, in a repetitive manner and with simple and economical means, i.e. in a manner which is reproducible on an industrial scale.

[0010] This aim, and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method and by an apparatus which have the characteristics indicated in the accompanying claims.

[0011] The method according to the invention has the advantage of absolute rapidity and repetitiveness of its essential steps. The apparatus according to the invention is extremely simplified and economically convenient, and can be installed with a very small number of modifications on an existing conventional plants.

[0012] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of the process according to the invention;

figure 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus according to the invention;

figure 3 is a front view of the apparatus of figure 2:

figure 4 is a side view of the apparatus of figure 2:

figure 5 is a front view of the wrinkling device of the apparatus according to the invention in a first embodiment to the left of the center line and in a second embodiment of a detail thereof to the right;

figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of figure 5;

figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-­VII of figure 5.

figure 8 is a front view of an apparatus according to the invention;

figure 9 is a partially sectional side view of the apparatus of figure 8;

figure 10 is a top view of the apparatus of figure 8;

figures 11 and 12 are enlarged-scale detail views of the apparatus of figure 8 in two different operating positions:

figure 13 is a schematic view of an enlarged detail of the apparatus of figures 8 to 10;

figure 14 shows a schematic flow chart of the process according to a second aspect of the invention.

[0013] With reference to the above figures, the process according to the invention comprises the preparatory steps typical of known processes for bleaching items of clothing, which essentially consist of a first washing in water at 50-­ 60^o to soften the item and eliminate the size of the fabric, this step is indicated by the reference numeral 1, followed by a uniform bleaching 2 by means of washing in water with the addition of chemical oxidizing agents such as sodium hypochlorites. As is known, this second step can occur in the presence of abrasive granules or stones, in which case it is termed "stone-wash" or "stone-bleach", inside special washing machines of a per se known type which do not constitute the subject of the invention. By varying the treatment times and the percentage of the additions, the original colour of the fabric can be bleached more or less intensely as required by the customer.

[0014] In the subsequent step 3, the items are subjected to a local bleaching by sanding or by spraying oxidizing liquids, such as sodim hypochlorite or potassium permanganate, which are directed at high pressure on selected portions of the items which are more subjected to wear.

[0015] To give the creased appearance, the method according to the invention comprises a step 4 of temporary wrinkling of selected portions of the items, followed by a step 5 of spraying oxidizing liquids with high bleaching power, such as sodium hypochlorite or potassium permanganate, on the creased regions.

[0016] In particular, the wrinkling according to the invention generates on the items a series of adjacent creases in the regions which are subjected to natural creasing due to body movements. Advantageously, the oxidizing products are furthermore sprayed, by means of guns or appropriate nozzles with a certain inclination with respect to the horizontal, for example with an angle comprised between 40 and 60^o. The bleaching product consequently deposits predominantly on one of the sides and on the top of the wrinkles, exerting thereat its maximum effect and exerting said effect to a lesser extent on the other side.

[0017] At the end of the treatment, after releasing the item, said item has, at the previously wrinkled regions, bleachings with irregular lighter and darker bands which give the item, even after pressing, an appearance which closely resembles that of a naturally creased item.

[0018] The temporary wrinkling can be obtained by initially stretching the item at its surface and uniformly elongating it and subsequently exerting, on its end portions, a longitudinal sliding which tends to move them closer together and is such as to cause the contraction and wrinkling of the fabric only in the required regions.

[0019] The initially uniformly stretched and elongated condition of the items is obtained by expansion from the inside combined with a longitudinal traction which is provided by means of an appropriate apparatus described hereinafter.

[0020] It is noted that the band-wise wrinkling and bleaching treatment described above can be performed both before and after the previously described treatments of general and localized bleaching, since the two processes are independent of one another and their effects add.

[0021] With particular reference to figures 2-7, the apparatus according to the invention, generally indicated by the reference numeral 101 in figures 9-10, comprises a dummy 6, which substantially includes a supporting bracket 7. If the items to be treated are denim trousers or blue jeans, the dummy illustrated in the drawings is constituted by a tubular structure approximately in the shape of a tuning-fork or of an inverted Y, which defines vertical wings or legs 8, 9 and an upper curved connecting portion 10. A supporting column 11 is provided centrally and is connected in an upward position to a carriage 12 which is mounted on wheels 13 and is slidable on a beam 14 which belongs to a more general supporting framework for a plurality of similar devices which is fixed to the floor or to the ceiling of the room. Bags 15, 16 made of nylon or of another natural or synthetic gas-tight material are mounted around the legs 8, 9 of the dummy and delimit sealed chambers together with the upper and lower gaskets 17 and 18. Openings 19 connected to pneumatic lines for the feeding and discharge of air or of another gas are defined on the wall of the legs 8, 9.

[0022] Appropriately, according to the invention, the wrinkling device 20 associated with the dummy 6 is constituted by a structure the plan shape whereof is similar to that of the dummy and is made of materials which are resistant to oxidizing liquids. The device 20 extends along the entire length of the dummy 6 and is arranged in contact with one of its front surfaces so that upon the insertion of an item P on said dummy the device 20 is interposed between the inner surface of the item and that of the bags 16.

[0023] Advantageously, the device 20 comprises at least one pair of vertical longitudinal elements 21 which extend parallel to the legs 8, 9 and externally to the bags 16.

[0024] More particularly, the longitudinal elements 21 are formed by two separate lower portions 24, constituted by vertical bands of approximately constant width which are connected in an upward position to a single upper portion 25 which is constituted by a transverse band with an approximately trapezoidal shape. A bar 30, preferably made of stainless steel, is fastened to the top of the upper portion 25 and is visible through the holes 31 provided in the fabric. The lower ends of the elements 21 have first connecting elements 22 which can be fastened to corresponding elements 23 which are fixed to the lower end of the legs 8, 9 of the dummy 6. The vertical bands 24 and the horizontal band 25 are both made of a material which is non-extendable and is resistant to bleaching liquids, such as reinforced nylon or stainless steel mesh. The portions 24 and 25 are connected together by resilient intermediate portions 26, also made of materials which are resistant to bleaching agents.

[0025] In the embodiment of figure 6, the resilient intermediate portions 26 are constituted by bands made of rubber or of another elastomeric material and are fastened respectively to the upper and lower portions 25 and 24 by gluing and/or stitching. In figure 7, the resilient intermediate portions 26 are constituted by a series of helical springs 27 the ends whereof are hooked to bars 28, 29 which are respectively retained in the lower and upper portions 24 and 25. The fixed jacket of a pneumatic, hydraulic or electric jack 40 is secured to the upper curved portion 10 of the dummy 6 and its axis is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical axis of symmetry of the dummy 6. A horizontal cross-member 43 is fixed to the free end 41 of the movable stem 42 of the jack 40 and has, at each end, a substantially horizontal rod 44 which is curved at its end so as to form a stop element. Each rod 44 supports and guides a pulley 45 which supports a bracket 46 provided with a lower hook 47. Said lower hook is removably hooked to the bar 30 of the upper band 25 by passing through one of the holes 31. The pneumatic jack 40 is naturally provided with piping for compressed air which is not visible in the drawings, the execution whereof is fully within the grasp of any technician in the field. A first set of pedals 50 controls the feeding and discharge of air into and out of the bags 15, 16, and a second set of pedals 51 controls the actuation of the pneumatic jack 40.

[0026] From what has been described above, the operation of the apparatus is evident. The bags 15, 16 are initially deflated and the jack 40 is in its lower position, so that the wrinkling device 20 is also in idle position with the central portions 26 contracted. An operator then fits a pair of trousers P on the dummy 6 and subsequently actuates, by means of the set of pedals 50, the feeding of compressed air into the bags 15. The operator subsequently actuates the jack 40 by means of the set of pedals 51, and said jack performs an upward stroke s, moving the cross-member 46 and the hooks 47 to the upper extreme position, illustrated in broken lines in figure 4, causing the elongation of the resilient portions 26 of the longitudinal elements 21. In this condition, the trousers P is not only uniformly flattened at its surface but is also completely elongated. By again acting on the set of pedals 51, the operator can again lower the jack 40, allowing the resilient portions 26 of the longitudinal elements 21 to contract. During the strokes of the jack 40, the non-­extendable lower portions 24 of the jack 20 remain practically in their initial position. On the contrary, the upper portion 25 moves respectively upward and downward, and during this last step it drags, by friction, the region of the pair of trousers P which corresponds to the user's pelvis. Therefore, in the region facing the resilient portions 26, the fabric of the trousers wrinkles in the corresponding portion R since it cannot shorten like the underlying resilient material. The operator can thus manually or automatically spray oxidizing liquids by means of the gun 60, which is inclined by an angle α of approximately 40-60^o with respect to a horizontal plane indicated by A.

[0027] With reference now to figures 8-14, the apparatus according to the invention further comprises a supporting frame 102 made of strong profiled elements made of steel and metal plate which defines a station 103 for the loading and unloading of the items to be treated, for example denim trousers P, which comprises a platform 103′ for the operator or operators and a treatment station 104, for spraying oxidizing and bleaching chemicals, of a per se known type.

[0028] The items P to be treated are supported by one or more dummies 6, 106, which may be fitted with the wrinkling device 20.

[0029] In the embodiment of the apparatus illustrated in the drawings there are two dummies 106, 6 which have respective upper substantially tubular portions 107, 108 which are coupled to a respective trolley 109, 110 so as to be able to rotate about a substantially vertical axis. The dummies can be rotated by means of respective actuators 107′ and 108′ rigidly associated with the trolleys.

[0030] The trolley 109 of the first dummy 106 can slide along guiding means constituted by a first pair of rails 111 which extend longitudinally from the loading and unloading station 103 to the spraying station 104. The trolley 110 of the second dummy 6 can similarly slide along a second pair of rails 112 which are substantially parallel but laterally offset with respect to the first ones. Means 113 for the movement of the trolleys are furthermore provided and are constituted by a continuous belt 114 which is stretched by two end pulleys 115, 116; the latter pulley is motorized by means of a motor reduction gear 117 which is actuated in a step wise manner. The trolleys 109, 110 are fixed to the belt 114 by means of respective coupling points 118, 119 so as to be pulled during the rotation of the belt 114 at preset intervals. Thus both dummies 106, 6 are moved with a back-­and-forth movement between the unloading and loading stations 103 and the spraying station 104 at regular and preset intervals.

[0031] The first dummy 106 is supported by the respective trolley 109 by means of an intermediate slider 120 which can slide transversely with respect to the direction of advancement of the trolley along guides or rails 121 which are fixed to the trolley 109. The dummy 106 can thus perform a transverse translatory motion through an opening 122 of the adjacent rails 111 and 112 so that its axis is moved closer to the spraying means and coincides with the preset spraying position.

[0032] The spraying station 104 comprises a booth 123 which is laterally and frontally open to allow the dummies to pass and be exposed to the spraying means. A device for the elimination of the sprayed liquids is provided on the bottom of the booth 123 and is constituted by a sprinkling chamber 125 with upper nozzles 125 and a collecting bottom 126 for the drainage of the percolates through a line 127. The sprayed liquids are drawn into the sprinkling chamber 124 by means of an aspirator 128 which discharges the air outside by means of the tube 129.

[0033] Spraying means, generally indicated by the reference numeral 130, are arranged in the front part of the booth 123. Said means comprise at least one gun or nozzle 131 supported by a movable element constituted by a rod 132 which, in idle position, is approximately vertical. The rod 132 is slidably supported by a coupling plate 133 with which a motor reduction gear unit 134 with a pinion 135 is fixed. Said pinion meshes on a lateral set of teeth formed on the rod 132 so as to cause the upward and downward movement of said rod and therefore of the nozzle 131. The supporting plate 133 is pivoted at 136 to the supporting frame 102 so as to be able to oscillate in a vertical plane about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the dummies.

[0034] The oscillating motion of the supporting plate 133 is actuated by an actuator 137 of a pneumatic, hydraulic or electric type. Therefore the actuation of the motor reduction gear unit 134 and of the actuator 137 causes the oscillation of the rod 132 from a first position which is parallel to one leg of the dummy to a second position which is parallel to the other leg of the dummy, and furthermore causes the spraying of the liquid from the top downward in preset positions, with the aid of limit stop 138 which interacts with sensors 139.

[0035] Pneumatic means, generally indicated by the reference numeral 140, are provided in order to inflate and deflate the legs of the dummies 106, 6 and comprise respective flexible hoses 141, 142 suitable for connecting the expandable legs of the dummies to a compressor 143 or to an aspirator 144 which are either external or belong to the apparatus. The connection is performed by virtue of valve means essentially constituted by a slide valve 145, which is schematically illustrated in figures 4(a) and 4(b).

[0036] In particular, the slide valve 145 comprises a first fixed part 146, with three ports 147 which are connected by means of tubes 148 to the compressor 143 and by means of tubes 149 to the aspirator 144, and a second movable part 150, which has two ports 151 connected respectively to the flexible ducts 141, 142. The movable part 150 can perform a translatory motion with respect to the fixed part by virtue of actuators 152 so as to connect the ducts 141, 142 respectively to the tubes 148 or 149, so as to cause the selective inflation and deflation of the legs of the dummies.

[0037] A microprocessor-based electronic control unit 160 is provided in order to control the operation of the system, has timing relays and is connected to position sensors which are distributed along the path of the dummies. By means of said control unit, the functions of the dummy movement means, of the spraying means, including the means for the translatory motion of said spraying means, and possibly of the means for inflating and deflating the dummies are kept under automatic control. As an alternative, this last operation can be actuated by an operator by means of a set of pedals 70 or of other equivalent actuation means. Figure 14 shows a block diagram of the process for artificially giving a worn appearance to items of clothing, by means of the apparatus 101, which comprises the steps of: (a) deflating a first supporting dummy which is in the loading/unloading station and fitting thereon of a new item to be treated; (b) inflating said dummy to stretch the item to be treated; (c) moving said dummy toward the spraying station; (d) actuating the spraying means on the front part of the item with a back and forth motion; (e) rotating said first dummy about its vertical axis for spraying the item's rear part; (f) movement of said first dummy toward the unloading station; (g) deflating said first dummy to remove the treated item.

[0038] It has been observed in practice that the apparatus according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, is adapted to give a worn and creased appearance to new items of clothing in an effective and repetitive manner, using an extremely simple and economical structure. It is furthermore apparent that the wrinkling device can be provided in various dimensions and/or in various shapes so as to adapt to different items or to sets of sizes of said items without abandoning the scope of the invention.

[0039] The apparatus and the process thus conceived are susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept; all the details may furthermore be replaced with technically equivalent elements.

[0040] In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and to the state of the art.

[0041] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. Apparatus for artificially ageing new items of clothing, particularly denim trousers, characterized in that it comprises:
- a supporting frame (102) which defines a loading station (103), an unloading station (103) and an item spraying station (104);
- horizontal guiding means (111) which extend between said loading, unloading and spraying stations;
- one or more item supporting dummies (6, 106) which are at least partially expandable and slidable along said guiding means;
- pneumatic means (140) for inflating and def lating said dummies;
- mechanical means (113) for moving said dummies between said loading and unloading stations and said spraying station;
- means (130) for the localized spraying of oxidizing and/or bleaching liquids on the items to be treated;
- means (132, 133) for translatory motion of said spraying means on preset regions of said items;
- means (160) for the automatic control of said movement means, of said spraying means, of said translatory motion means and possibly of said dummy inflation and deflation means;
- actuation means (70) which interact with said control means and can be actuated by an operator to actuate said dummy inflation and deflation means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each supporting dummy (6, 106) comprises a structure (7) substantially in the shape of an inverted Y with expandable legs, mounted on a trolley (109, 110) which is slidable along said guiding means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said guiding means comprise at least one first pair of rails (111) or similar elements which are substantially rectilinear and are fixed above said frame to guide a first dummy.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said guiding means furthermore comprise a second pair of rails (112) or similar elements which are substantially parallel and laterally offset with respect to the first ones to guide the trolley of a second dummy.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said dummy is rotatably supported by said trolley by means of a substantially vertical axis of rotation to orientate the front part and the rear part of the item (P) to be sprayed.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said trolley has actuation means (107′, 108′) for the automatic rotation of said dummy about its vertical axis for an extent of approximately 180^o.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that it has a single loading and unloading station (103) which comprises a lower platform (103′) fixed to a lateral portion of said frame and a limit stop for said first and second pairs of rails.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the first one of said dummies is coupled to the respective trolley by means of an intermediate slider (120) which is movable along a third pair of rails (121) which are substantially perpendicular to the first two, to allow the translatory motion of said first dummy from the center line of said first pair of rails toward the center line of said second pair of rails and vice versa, when said first trolley is in a position which faces said spraying means.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said means for the movement of the dummies comprise a continuous belt (114) or the like which has portions which are substantially parallel to said first and second pair of rails and are stretched by at least one pair of end pulleys (115, 116), one of said pulleys (116) being actuated in a step wise manner by an appropriate motor reduction gear (117), means being provided for the point-wise coupling between said continuous belt and said trolleys in such positions that, during the temporary stopping of the belt, the dummies are located in the loading and unloading stations, in the spraying station or in intermediate positions.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said spraying station essentially comprises a booth (123) which is arranged above said frame in a position which is adjacent to said loading and unloading station, the front wall of said booth being open so as to accommodate said spraying means in a substantially central position.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that means for the elimination of the sprayed liquids are provided proximate to the back wall of said spraying booth and comprise at least one aspirator (128) and one or more sprinkling chambers (125) connected to a discharge duct (129) and to a percolate disposal apparatus (126, 127).

12. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said spraying means comprise one or more nozzles (131) or automatic guns arranged in a position which faces said dummies at a preset and adjustable distance with respect thereto, said guns being connected by means of appropriate tubes to a tank of oxidizing and/or bleaching liquid and to a source of compressed air which can be controllably actuated, and being movable with respect to the outer surface of the dummies by means of said translatory motion means.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises a single nozzle or gun mounted on said translatory motion means which comprise at least one rod (132) which is alternately movable downward and upward along directions which are substantially parallel to the legs of the dummies.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said rod is slidably mounted in a supporting plate (133) which is fixed to said spraying booth, said rod being laterally provided with a longitudinal set of teeth which meshes continuously with a toothed pinion (135) actuated by a motor reduction gear unit (134) adapted to move said rod alternatively with a downward and upward motion, limit stops (138) being provided and being arrangeable on said rod to define upper and lower extreme positions of said spraying means.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that said supporting plate is mounted so as to be able to oscillate about an axis which is substantially horizontal and perpendicular to said guiding means, an actuator (137) being provided which acts on said plate to rotate it so as to selectively orientate said rod in a direction which is substantially parallel to each of the legs of the facing dummies.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it furthermore comprises a wrinkling device (20) for wrinkling at selected spots said item to be treated, said wrinkling device comprising at least one pair of longitudinal elements (21) which extend along the entire length of said dummy and are interposed between said dummy and the item to be treated, each of said elements comprising at least one resilient intermediate portion (26) which is arranged facing the regions of the item to be wrinkled, and being fixed to a corresponding end of said dummy with one of its ends, and to a traction element, which acts in the longitudinal direction of said items, with its other end.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that each of said longitudinal elements comprises an upper portion (25) and a lower portion (26) made of non-extendable material which are mutually connected by said resilient intermediate portion.

18. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that each of said lower portions (26) comprises a vertical band (24) which is slightly shorter than the legs of said dummy and is provided, in a downward position, with a first coupling element which can be connected to a lower end of said dummy.

19. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said elements comprise a common upper portion which is formed by a single transverse band (25) which extends approximately at the pelvic region, the upper edge of said transverse band being stiffened by a substantially horizontal rigid bar (30).

20. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said resilient intermediate portions (26) comprise planar bands made of elastomeric material which are coplanar to said upper and lower portions.

21. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said resilient portions comprise a plurality of helical springs (27) the average diameter whereof is approximately equal to the thickness of said upper and lower portions.

22. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said traction element comprises a jack (40) of a pneumatic, hydraulic, electric or equivalent type, the axis whereof is approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of said dummy, the fixed jacket of said jack being rigidly secured to the upper central portion of said dummy.

23. Apparatus according to claim 22, characterized in that said jack is a pneumatic jack comprising a movable stem (42), a horizontal cross-member (43) being welded to the top of said stem, a transverse rod (44) being fixed to each end of said cross-member and defining a sliding guide for a second movable connecting element which can be coupled to said stiffening bar of said upper portion.

24. Apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that said movable connecting element is formed by a hook (47) which is provided, in an upward position, with a sliding element such as a wheel or a ball-bearing sleeve supported by said transverse rod.

25. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said pneumatic means comprise, for each dummy, an air feed duct (141, 142) suitable for selectively connecting the inflatable legs of said dummy to the discharge outlet of a compressor (143) or to the suction inlet of an aspirator through actuatable valve means.

26. Apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that said actuatable valve means are constituted by a slide valve (145) formed by a fixed part (146) and by a movable part (150), said fixed part having ports (147) connected to said discharge outlet of said compressor (143) and a central port connected to the suction inlet of said aspirator (144), said movable part having a certain number of ports connected to the respective feed ducts of the dummies, actuation means being provided and being suitable for moving said movable part with respect to said fixed part to selectively align the respective ports.

27. Apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said automatic control means (160) comprises an electronic circuit which is microprocessor-based or based on standard components, has a plurality of timing and enabling relays and is connected to position sensors located along the various stations of the apparatus to automatically actuate said mechanical means for the movement and rotation of said supporting dummies, of said means for the actuation and translatory motion of said spraying means according to a preset sequence, and possibly of said pneumatic means for the inflation and deflation of the dummies.

28. Apparatus according to claim 26, characterized in that said actuation means comprise a set of pedals or the like which can be actuated by an operator to actuate the inflation and deflation of a dummy arranged in the loading and unloading station.

29. A process for artificially ageing new items of clothing, particularly denim trousers, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

a) deflating a first supporting dummy which is in the loading/unloading station and fitting a new item to be treated thereon;

b) inflating said dummy to stretch the item to be treated;

c) moving said dummy toward the spraying station;

d) actuating the spraying means on the front part of the item with a back and forth motion;

e) rotating said first dummy about its vertical axis to perform the spraying on the item's rear part:

f) moving said first dummy toward the unloading station;

g) deflating said first dummy to remove the treated item.

30. Process according to claim 29, characterized in that during the step of spraying said item on the first dummy another item is fitted on a second dummy which is located proximate to the loading station and is then sent toward the spraying station while the first dummy is conveyed toward the unloading station.

31. Process, according to claim 29, further comprising the steps of:

a) washing in water at 50-60^o to soften and desize the fabric;

b) uniform bleaching by means of washing in water with the addition of chemical oxidizing agents, possibly in the presence of stones;

c) local bleaching by means of localized sanding or spraying of oxidizing liquids in particular regions which are naturally subject to wear;

d) temporary wrinkling selected spots of the items which are subjected to creasing due to the movements of the body;

e) spraying oxidizing liquids on the regions thus wrinkled by means of jets which are inclined with respect to the surface of the items, so as to provide bleachings with irregular lighter bands alternated with darker bands, with an overall optical effect similar to that of an actually creased item.

32. Process according to claim 31, characterized in that said spots subjected to creasing are wrinkled by performing on the initially uniformly stretched and elongated items a partial approach, in a longitudinal direction, of the end regions, causing the contraction and wrinkling of the fabric exclusively in said spots subjected to creasing.

33. Process, according to claim 29, characterized in that said items are initially uniformly stretched and elongated by expansion from the inside and longitudinal traction, both of which are performed hy means of an appropriate apparatus.

34. Process, according to claim 29, characterized in that said wrinkling is localized, in the particular case of denim trousers or blue jeans, in regions which correspond to the creases of the articulation of the hip, approximately comprised between the pockets and the crotch of the trousers.

35. Process, according to claim 29, characterized in that said jets are inclined by an angle comprised between 40^o and 60^o with respect to a horizontal plane.

36. Process, according to claim 31, characterized in that said temporary wrinkling step d) and said step c) of spraying oxidizing liquids on the wrinkled regions can be performed ahead of steps a), b) and c).

37. Items of clothing, particularly denim trousers or blue-jeans, having a locally bleached and optionally wrinkled appearance, characterized in that they are obtained by means of the apparatus according to one or more of claims 1 to 28 and by a process according to claims 29 to 36.

Drawing