US1429608A - Collar case - Google Patents

Description

J. M. MAY.

COLLAR CASE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-26, 1920.

l 42, 9 6G8 D Patented Sept. 19, 1922..

'igji MMIKW yaw @Erazgzyg Patented Sept. 19, i922.

JOSEPH M. MAY, OF EAST MILTON,

-rar* are.

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BYAN-CUSHI'NG- 00., F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

COLLAR CASE.

Application filed April 26, 1920. Serial No. 376,496.

This invention relates to improvements in collar cases. More particularly it is the object of the invention to provide a .device which is suitable for use in carrying soft collars in a traveling bag. No device has thus far been invented, so far as I am aware, whichv is satisfactory for this purpose; as the round boxes commonly used for stiff starched collars do not give satisfaction unless the collars contained are capable of freely slipping past-each other, which is not true of soft collars; while mere paper or cloth wrappers do not hold a stock of collars in good shape. The objects of the invention are to provide a package which shall enclose a supply of fresh laundered soft collars, and maintain them in clean and uncrunipled condition, that the package itself is in the midst of a jumble of other articles of'various shapes, loose or tight, in a traveling bag; that it shall hold a varying number, from which one or other is easily removable without disturbing the remainder; and that it shall be itself expansible and contractable ac cording to the number of collars contained, .so as not to take up more space in the bag than the varying bulk of collars to be protected shall require.

These objects are accomplished by the ex- "tremely simple device of providing a wrap- 410 per having a body portion and flaps, the body portion being adapted tounderlie a stack or stacks of the collars and extending integrally in four directions into the flaps which when folded over it enclose said stack of collars on four sides and on top; coupled with frictionally held bands which, in combination with the enveloping flaps, prevent the individual collars of a stack from so shifting position relative to each other 59 as to destroythe regularity of form of the notwithstanding stack. -The frictional means'thus provided may consist of bands of'woven fabric anchored to he said body portion of the stack and long enough to extend up, beside, over, and down beside the stack, toengaging '55 means by which the length of loop passing over the stack is limited, at will, according to the size of a compressed portion of the stack. Metallic devices being preferably avoided, the frictional holding may consist of an arrangement bywhich the band descending from the top of the stack turns at substantially a right angle to pass under the frictional engaging means, which is preferably of fabric having a friction producing surface. The tension around this right-angled corner applies the friction and holds the band from slipping; but when the band is being fastened, or is to be loosened, the finger of the user can ameliorate the rectangularity of the angle so that the band passes the friction fastening only horizontally, in which case the friction is much less. But when the band has been drawn tight, the elasticity of the stack of freshly laundered soft collars, compressed by the band, maintains the band tightly against said frictional holding, so that the stack and the band each hold the other, as

it were, With' the collars in pre-arranged array within the folded flaps. One illustration of an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings ;but

it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise form here shown; It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawings; a Figure 1 is a plan view of the collar case opened; Figure Q is a fragmentary end elevation in section through a case similar to that of Figure 1 but containing 'one stack of dif- 9 ferent width, the section being as if close beside one of the bands let of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective showing the case closed.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates a stack of soft collars which are to be preserved in condition ready for wear by the device of the invention. Said device comprises a wrapper preferably made of leather, cloth or other material which is stiff enough so that it tends to retainan uncruinpled sheet format-ion, although it should be sufiiciently flexible, especially in its flaps, to bend closely around the contents. It may, for example, be made of soft lcathenwith a silk lining. This wrapper has a back portion 11 side flaps 12, andend flaps l3, and is, as a whole, preferably of such size and shape as will hold a stack of soft collars each of which is folded lengthwise in the usual way, and is folded oncecross-wise at the middle of its back, being thus some nine or ten inches long. The back 11 may be wide enough to hold more than one of such stacks, as illustrated. The bands 14, preferably two in number, are each secured to the back 11 by stitches or other suitable means at different points along the length of the stack, in such locations 15 that the stack can be placed close to their points of fastening and the band can rise approximately perpendicularly beside the stack, from said back,

pass over the top of the stack, and descend substantially perpendicularly to the back, on its other side of the stack to a point close to the stack on that side. At the point of descent, close to the other side ofthe stack, is a frictional holdingdevice 16 around the nearer edge of which, and under which, the band 14: passes. If there is provision for more than one stack. the band rises thence and passes over the next stack likewise, its

, end being free beyond the last frictional fastening strap. This band should have sufficlent length to allow of its holding a stack or stacks of desired maximum size and yet to have a projecting end long enough to be comfortably grasped and pulled. on the remote side of the last frictional holder. The frictional holder 16 may preferably be a simple strap of material, whose ends are sewed down, lying flat upon the back between these ends, and having an under surface of such character as to co-operate with the top surface of the band by opposing the slipping of the band across that surf-ace whenthe band is pressed tightly against it,

'yet such as to permit the easy slipping of the band when the pressure between those two surfaces is slight. Such an effect may, foiiexample, be attained by making both the band i l and the strap which composes the frictional fastenii'ig 16 of grosgrain silk. Two pieces of this material slip readily across each other when the pressure between them is slight, and slip only with considerably more difficulty when the pressure is somewhat increased.

The drawings illustrate apparatus for erovision for two such stackslO of collars,

Leas es .to its wear resisting exterior and interior lining. The latter 11" may be grosgrain, thus co-operating with the bands in holding the stack. The flaps are relatively flexible for the first two or three inches of their length as indicated at 17 which when in use will be upstanding beside the stacks and more or less bent over the top, and are made relatively stiff by the insertion of-card-board as shown in the back 11 for the remaining four or five inches of their length, which when in use lie upon the top of the stacks of (:OlldlS, with edges located as indicated at 18. Furthermore, the portions-18 of the side flaps 12 may preferably have pockets J9 made of the lining and containing cardboard to stiffen their-outside walls, these serving as receptacles for collars that have been soiled by wear.

In use, a stack of fresh collars having been put in position with the bands 14 passing loosely over it, the user may place his finger against the outside of the band, close to the back 11 and ust where the band comes down to its frictional fastening 16; and then by pressing horizontally toward the stack of collars may relieve pressure between the band 14 and the strip 16 under which it passes; and may then pull the'band tight, in the course of which the band slips easily around the rounded and firm corner made by his finger. The loop of the band, when thus 105 drawn, compresses the stack of collars; and the stack, reacting elastically, presses out-- ward on the loop of the band, and continues to press thus when the users finger is removed. This pressure of the stack is ap- 110 plied by the band as a pull on the inner edge of the. strap 16, twists that strap a little and results in a static or holding friction which is sufficient under ordinary circumstances to prevent the band from slipping. Thusthe 11F,- staek is held. So long as-it stays-thus, the collars individually will be held securely in their relative positions in the stack because of the friction between them. The flaps being then folded over, the stiffened portions 12o of, the end flaps and of the side flaps consti tute struts which lie flat over the top of the flap and transmit any pressure, to which the package may be subjected in either direction at its edges, instead .of allowing that pres. 12': sure to be imposed directly on the stack within, as it would be if the flaps merely constituted a flexible covering of negligible stiffness. This effect is heightened by such contents as there may be of soiled collars in i .to the back,

eaaeos of the side flaps, which make stronger because more The outer pair of flaps the pockets those members even resistant to bending. are to be fastened by snap fasteners 20 or any other convenient rigid means, which makes the two side oppositely attached flaps into one, as it Were, with the result that the top of the package is not slazy nothwithstanding the extreme flexibility of the two inches or so of soft leather attaching each which constitute the vertical walls of the package, and which but for this rigid securing of the gether would permit each flap of itself to twist when pushed endwise with respect to the base' To remove a collar, the bands can be loosened by direct pull upon the loop, the friction holding at 16 being not sufficient to prevent this; or they may preferably be loosened by a reversal of the procedure by which they were made tight; and after the removal of one or more collars the smaller stack remaining is fastened with equal security by the same simple method.

Although the device is herein described as it may be applied for holding soft collars, the same principle may be utilized in holding other compressible strip-shaped objects. Moreover, although the device has been herein described as used for holding stacks which are definitelycompressible, very simi-' lar efi'ects are observed where! the compression' is not so obvious. The band being drawn tight around the stack, any tendency of the stackto move is resisted inthe first place by the frictional covering of the base and in the next place, assuming that to be overcome, it will be observed that the movement cannot take place without lengthening the bight of the band 14 between. the two straps 16 or between the strap 16 and the fastening 15, and this cannot happen without pulling some of the band under one of the frictional holding straps 16, so that a similar result is attained. Any considerable dislocation is prevented by the fact that to accomplish it the stack has to be pushed out over the fastening 15, which is prevented by the proximity of the folded up flap, or to be pushed in the other direction over the strap 16 which bends the band at such a sharp acute angle that the resistance is greatly increased and. when there are two bands, one at each end as illustrated, it is sufficient for all ordinary circumstances, even when the flaps lie unfolded. It is found in practice that the presence of a stack in the compartment nearer the end of the bands adds sufficient friction so that anything contained in 3 the compartment nearer the fastening 15 is practically immovable; and if, as indicated in Figure 2, the stack free end of the band be fully as broad as the space between the straps 16, or even sometwo opposite flaps to-.

of collars nearer the.

what wider, the friction caused by the sharp turn around the edge of each strap 16 is much enhanced and holds the stack very firmly. In this case, the loosening of the band, to relieve the stack, is effected by pushing ones finger into the base of the stack itself, incidentally lifting that side of the stack a little; or, of course, it may be effected by a simple pull powerful enough to overcome the friction.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A travelers case comprising a stiff base whereon a resilient stack of cloth articles may rest, combined with a band, secured to the said base and passing over the top of the stack and down approximately perpendicularly to the base beyond the stack; nonmetallic frictional engaging means under which the band next passes, adapted to hold the band against an upward pull thereon and to let the band slip readily 'on a pull approximately in parallelism with the sur-- face ofsaid base; and flaps attached to the edges of the stiff base and adapted to fold over it to encase and protect said stack and band, means tained wholly within is closed.

being of textile fabric and being conthe case when the case 2. 1} travelers case comprising a stiff base having a frictional surface whereon a res1l1- ent stack of cloth articles may rest and be held by friction combined with a frictional band, secured to the base and passing over the top of the stack and down approximately perpendicularly to the base beyond the stack; and flat non-metallic strips having frictional under surfaces under which the band next passes, close to the edge of the stack, having suflicient flexibility to twist slightly when pulled by the band so arranged and so to. hold it frictionally.

3. A travelers case comprising a stiff base having a ent stack of cloth articles may rest and be held by friction combined with a band, se-

cured to the base passing over the top of the stack and secured to the base beyond the stack, and means so securing it; and encasing means including said base made rectangular and-of stiff material, and includin flaps extending from the four edges of sai base with flexible portions close to the base, and stiff portions remote therefrom substantially equal in breadth to the length of side of the base from which they extend; one pair of opposite flaps having pockets adapted to receive strip-form articles, whereby the articles so contained add to the stiffness of the cover.

4. A case for resilient strip-form articles, comprising a stiff fiat base having a frictional surface adapted to engage the base of a stack of such articles, a band having fricsaid band and frictional engaging frictional surface whereon a resil1- tional under and upper surfaces, fast at one is drawn taut; and flaps extending from the end to said base and adapted to pass over edges of the base and adapted to enclose the the stack, and n0n-meta11ic means having a stack and band.

frictional under surface, under which the Signed at Boston Massachusetts, this 20th 5 band passes after passing over the stack; day of April 1920.

the whole being organized to hold a stackin place on the base by friction when the band J OSEIH M. MAY.

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