US1249228A - Maxh-iias smqdxk - Google Patents

Description

M. SMOLIKJ CLOTHES LINE STRETCHER. APPLICATIQN FILED- JULY 11. 1911.

Patented 1m 4, 1917.

rATENT FFI a M "ie seme re ri ese re-w To azzwhom.aw /whim fBe itknoawn tha-t' L MhqiHiAs SMOLtK, aciti'zen of the United States, and i residing in the city. of Pittsburgh, the .i county of. Allegheny and State of Pennsylvaniaghave.

invented or discotered new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line:Stretchers,---o f vices. for that purpose,'a form of which isshownz'in Letters '-Paten;t :Ofnthe. United States No. 1,223,908,: granted tome" on Aipril= In my; present invention I have:=p.rovided an when the. intermediate-pant ofethe clothes line is'raised,;as by-means of a clothes-pole orprop, the line is not disengaged fromrthe stretcher, as is the lease with .stretchersof this type now on" the market, but the. clamp..-

ing-efiecton the line. is: maintaineds..unifir-. paired. I- .also proivide new andrmproved means: for preventing the-accidental disengagement of the loose, end ofvthe linefrom thBslOWBI end'ofthe clamping lexreri'.

Other novel 1 and useful: features .of .c'on. stnuction and arrangement ,of parts will appear from thef-ollowing descriptions In the acconapanyingqdrawingsr, Figure-1 is a side elevation showing a clothesnltinesecuredvby my, improved: stretcher and, the intermediate portion of the line elevated by a clothes line prop; Fig. 2 is a front elevation -o-f the stretcher; 3 is a bottom plan View of the same, while Fig. 4 is a bottom pla'n view showing a modification, the lower end of the lever beng swung away from-the base plate for the sake of clearness.

I The following is a detailed description of the drawings.

A is a base plate, which may be stamped or a casting, and which may be attached to a vertical surface or support, as the post B, by means of screws 1. The upper portion of said plate is bifurcated, as at 2, and adjacent to their bases the bifurcations 2 are provided with horizontally alined, outwardly extend-- ing bosses 3 i which are pierced by alined pivot pin holes 4.

C is the clamping lever thickened intermediate of its ends and provided with a transverse pin hole 5, and 6 is a headed pin inserted through the pin holes 4 and 5 and i I Speciiicationpf Letters'l ifatq nt.

' Applicationfiled-July 17,1917.- Seria1;No..1$0,'973;.

improved .and cheapened; form -:of. stretcher which includes means whereby,-

QP-Q E I-tiN TREiQH a Patented Dec. 4;, 1 9117,

riveted" atits other end :to. pivotally mount the lever U upon the plate A. Thelower end of ithe-lever is shorter, preferably, than its upper end, and'is provided with an-integral cross bar 7 whose ends,--:wl 1enthelower end of said lever is swung-in toward the plate A, fit between the outwardly extend-- ing flangesS formed integral-with the plate A, thus preventingthe lateral escapeof-the end of-the clothes line fro-m beneath the cross bar 7. Iii-Fig.- I have shown these fianges made integral with the ends of the .cross bar 7,- instead of the plate A, and extending inwardly, so as to inclose the plate A;=between them when the lower endaof the lever isswung inwardly, thus serving the same purpose of preventing the escapeof-the end of the line. w

The upper end of the lever C, whichis preferably the longer end .to give increased downwardly to form a pocket-in which the clothes line is engaged when the stretcher is.in=use.

In practice, theolothes :line is inserted downbetween the fingers 9 and mend-Seats within the curved finger 10 and'thejend-of theline is pulled downwardly the desired degree of .tautness isiinparted tothe intermediate portion of the clothes line, The loose end isthen inserted: under the cross bar 7 and the strain.- hitherto exerted onthe end of the. clothes line released. The strain or tautness of the intermediate portion of the clothes line with-by the'pulzl exerted onthe upper'end of the lever C force the lower end of said lever inwardly, thus clamping the end of the clothes line in such a manner that it will support the intermediate portion of the same without permitting the latter to loosen or slacken.

Were but a simple fork or yoke provided at the upper end of the lever C, the use of a clothes pole or prop D, to raise the intermediate portion of the clothes line, marked E, would lift the line out of engagement with said yoke or fork of the lever, or so lessen the strain, that the lower end of the lever could not longer maintain a tight grip on the end of the line, and thus the clothes line and its burden of washing would be precipitated to the ground. However, the

curved or circular finger 10 so engages and incloses the clothes line, that cannot es cape from the uppefendof the lever, and the raising of the intermediate portion, of the line would not release said line from nga e t Wi hlthp aws but h pp e'ridbf the lever will still be pulled outwardly by the intermediate L'POI'tiOII of the.

. I provided'the cross bar on the lower end of the leverwith pins or lugs which entered sockets in the base plate to prevent the lateral escape of the clothes line end, but my presentform of engagement is much more positive inaction and operation is not impaired by any looseness or play between the lever and its base plate. The method of pivotally-mounting the lever upon the base plate is much-cheaper and the lever is hetmov'ement; he device may be cheaply manufactured tobe sold at a small price, but is strongly constructed so as not to readily break or wear out.

What I desire to claim is l..In a clothes line stretcher of the character described, the combination ofa base plate adapted to be secured to a support, and a clamping. lever pivoted intermediate of its ends to'said plate,"the upper'end of said lever being provided with afinger curved to'form a pocket with a lateral mouth for the line whereby either an upward or downward strain by said line upon the upper end of said lever will draw the same outwardly from-said plate and the lower end of said lever being provided with means for clampter maintained in its proper plane of swingin the end of the line against said plate,

su stantiallyas described.

2. In a clothes line stretcher of the character described, the combination of a base plate adapted to be secured to a support,

Goplos o! this'patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of Patent-s r:

and a clamping lever pivoted intermediate of itsendsto late, the upper end of said lever b'ei'ng bi 'rbated to form a pair of fingers,.one of said fingers being bent inwardly and downwardly to form a pocket for the line whereby either an upward or downward strain by said line upon the upper end of said; lever will draw the same outwardly from said plate while the other finger extends upwardly as a -gu'ide, and the lower end of said lever being provided with means for clamping the end of said line against said" plate, substantially as described. a

3. A clothes line stretcher comprising a base adapted to be attached to a vertical support, and a lever pivotally mountedintel-mediate of its ends on the front face of said support, the upper end of said lever bebase adapted to be attached to a vertical sup 7-5.

port and a-lever pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends on the front face of said support, then per end of said lever being bifurcated to orm two integral fingers, one

of said fingers being curved inwardly and downwardly leaving a "clothes line entrance;- between it and the other finger while. the.- other finger extends upwardl toform-a guide for the insertion of said clothes. line and the lower end of said lever being en larged so as-tqclamp the ends of said clothes line substantially as and for the purposes set iorth.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Penna, this 11th day ofJuly-,1917;

MA'rHIAs sraronirK-Qv Washington, 11:0.

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