US1798651A

US1798651A - Apron holder

Info

Publication number: US1798651A
Application number: US397051A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Charles F Berry
Original assignee: Auto Smock & Clamp Co
Current assignee: Auto Smock & Clamp Co
Priority date: 1929-10-03
Filing date: 1929-10-03
Publication date: 1931-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 1948-03-31

Description

March 31, c Y JR h APRON HOLDER Filed Oct. 3, 1929 1 N VEN TOR.

A Z`TORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 31, 1931 CHAELES F. BERRY, JR., OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T AUTO SMOCK &7 CLAMP CO., OF SPRIIGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CI-IUSETTS COEPOBATION OF IVIASSA- APRO I-IGLDER Application filed Gotober 3, 1929. Serial No. 3973051.

This invention relates to an apron holder particularly useful in connection with automobile repair work. Generally speaking, it serves the same purpose as the apron holder according to Patent No. 1,67 2,165 of J une 5,

1928; that is, the holder is to be used-for temporarily and securely clamping a larger piece of paper or similar material over the back of an automobile seat in order to protect the up- 10 holstery from contact with the greasy clothes or hands of the' garage mechanic while he is working in the interior of the car. However, the structure of the holder forming the subject matter of this specification differs materially from the prior structure in a way which constitutes a substantial improvement over the prior device.

The purpose of this invention isto provide an apron holder of the kind mentioned which is formed from a single piece of material such as an elastic wire, so that there is no chance for any parts to become separated or lost,

which can be stripped on and off the apronprotected back of the seat solely by utilizing the elastic properties of the device, thereby rendering its application extremely simple,

and inducing the mechanic to readily avail himself of its advantages, and which, furthermore, can be manufactured and sold at a very low price.

In judging the merits of different devices of this kind the question of their relative usefulness should mainly be determined by the degree of readiness with which the inechanics are found to regularly employ the device. The possible bad efiects, also from a hygienic point of view, of greasy substances left on the seat coverings, are seldom fully realized by the workman and, for thisreason, 49 there prevails a tendenoy on his side to neg lect the application of such protective means, a tendenoy which will be the stronger the more bothersome their application is. In the development of the holder of this invention I have, therefore, made it my task to put device on the market which will be convincing to the garage owner, not merely because of its indubitable advantages for his customers and its low price, but mainly because of 50 the ease with which he will see himself it to' educate his employees to the habit of constantly using these facilties.

How these various ends and other advantages have been obtained will appear from the following description and the drawing pertaining to it.

1 is a side elevation of the device with the lower looped ends slightly eXposed to perspective View for the sake of clearer showing; r

Fig. la gives the correct side-elevational projective dimensions and angular relations of the right-hand loop portion;

Fig. 2 shows the clevice at right angles to the position in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 illustrates the position of the holder when attached to an apron-covered automobile seat; and

Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of the invention. i

Beferring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, it will be noted that the holder is formecl from a single piece of wire, preferably round steel wire with some kind of rust-protective ooating. At the top of the frame there is provided a coiled portion 10 having a number of wire turnsusually from two to three, as shown in Fig. 2. On the left side, the wire coil eX- tends in a straight portion ll with terminal loop 15 and, on the right side, in an arcuate portion 12 which gradually goes over into a straight portion 13 with terminal loop 14:. This latter straight portion l3 and the left hand straight portion 11 enclose'the acute' angle a (see Fig. la) facing the arcuate portion 12. The plane of the left-hand loop 15 is perpendicularto the plane of the turns of the coiled portion 10 and the right-hand loop 14 is arranged above loop 15 and in a parallelly inclined position thereto, forming an angle b between the two loops which may be smaller than the before mentioned angle a between the two straight portions.

The frame or holder may be machine-bent in cold condition from coil wire and, eventually, after bending be normalized. In any event, the cost of manufacture will be very low. i

Fig. 3 illustrates schematically the holder in use when mounted over a seat back 20 of IUU comparatively large dimensions and provided witii a robe rail structure 22. The apron is shown to cover with its front end 23 the entire bottom upholstery 21 and' the front side of the back 20 and with its rear end 24: the entire rear side of the back.

lt will be noted by comparing Fig. l and Fig. 3 that the various portions of the holder in its open or working condition closely follow the contour of the seat and leave suiiicient space te bridge prot'uding cross support, such as the robe rail, near the top of the rear side oi" the seat. This close adaptation to the outlines of the back of the seat is desirable since the space in a closed automobile is already very narrew tor a person working therein. A very desirable and valuable feature of this-holder is the absence of all sharp edges and corners and of projecting portions in which the Clothes of t-he laborer might get aught; all portions of the holder are rounded and smooth.

When the holder is being opened in order to place it on a seat the two extensions or arms that is, front arm ll and

rear arm

12, 13, will move with respect to each other nearly as it they had a common pivotal axis in the center of :the turns of the coil 10. l`he relative angular position of the two terminal loops will, therefore, be difierent to -a certain extent for difierent openings of the holder or different dimensions of the back of the seats. However, I have found that for the usual thicknesses of the seat backs, due to the general yielding properties of the frame, there is always asuflicient tangency or contact obtained between the planes of the loops and the co-acting seat suraces to prevent the formation of lastng impressions on the npholstery. The angle b formed between the two terminal loops is so selected as to insure the best contact for seat dimensions most frequently met with.

In order to make the whole structure still more pliant and to meet more easily also unusual seat conditions, the design of the holdermay be somewhat changed as shown scheniatically in the; modification of Fig. 4. Instead of only one coil, this Construction proides two coiled portions 30 and 4-0 spaced a suitable distance apart by an intermediate straight or curved portion 35. It is obvious tha t this design will have: the property of ready adaptation to the form of the seat to a still higher degree than the original Construction because there are now, as it were, two pivotal joints.

The two end loops need not, of course, be circular in shape; any loop-like formation as, for instance, a plane spiral or oval shape, would answer the same purpose-that is, to provide a more extended contact between the holder and the seat faces. Such and similar minor changes will be within the scope of 5 `the invention.

It will be understood now that the advantages designated above as the object of this invention are fully incorporated in the described structures. Such advantageous features as cheapness of manufacture, close adaptation to the seat form, absence of clothes-entanglhg portions and separable parte, have been emphasized already. Another feature that deserves mention is the convenience with which a number of such devices may be placed on a wall bracket or the like by means of the ear iormed by the turns of-the coil. Apart from these obvious advantages there exist the other, less tangible, but, to my opinion, more important factors which, reasonably, must be expected to contribute materially to a more general introduction of reliable protective means in connection with ear repairs. The casual loss of holders is a matter of little .concern to the garage ,owner and will not reduce his willingness to replace the holders. The extremely simple application of the device will tend to overcome a natural hesitancy or reluctancy of ,the mechanic to avail himself of a device the importance ,and usefulness of which he is not always sufiiciently aware of. It is, indeed, this double aspect of the situation from the garage owner s and-the mechanids Viewpoint thatmust be taken into consideration in any structure of this kind intended to meet with wide adoption. A so, in 'this respect the present structure is thought to fulfill the requirements in a particularly useful way.

Claim's:

1. An elastic holder' for temporarily securing a protective cover over an automobile seat or the like, consisting of a single piece of elastic material which comprises a plurality of spaced-apart coiled intermediate portions, a straight extension therefrom on one side with a loop-like terminal portion to form the one clamping arm, and an arcuate extension therefrom on the other side continued in a straight portion with a loop-like terminal portion ,to form theother clamping arm, said areuate extension being adapted in clamping condition to bridge protruding seat portions, said stnaight continuation making with the other arni .an acute angle facing the ;arcuate extension, and said two difierent-arm looplike terminal portions being so formed and positioned relative to each other that in clamping condition the planes of the 'loops will lie in substantially parallel contact With the co-acting seat faces.

2. An elastic holder for temporarily securing a protect-iyo cover over an automobile seat or 'the like, consistng of a single piece of elastic material which com-prises a coiled intermediate portion, a straight extension therefrom on one side With a loop-like terminal portion to form the one clamping arm, and an arcuate extension therefrom on the other side `continued in a straight portion with a loop-like terminal portion to form the other clamping arm, said arcuate extension being adapted in clamping condition to bridge protruding seat portions, said straight continuation making with the other arm an acute angle facing the arcuate extension, and said two difierent-arm loop-like terminal portions being so formed and positioned relative to each other that in clamping condition the planes of the loops will lie in substantially arallel contact with the co-acting seat faces.

3. An elastic holder for temporarily secnring a protective cover over an automobile seat or the like, consisting of a single piece of elastic material which comprses a plurality ofspaced-apart coiled intermediate portions, a straight extension therefrom on one side With a loop-like terminal portion in a plane substantially normal to the planes of the turns OI" the coiled portions to form the one clamping arm, and an arcuate extension therefrom on the other side continued in a straight portion with a loop-like terminal portion to form the other clamping arm, said arcuate extension being adapted in clamping condition to bridge protruding seat portions, said straight continuation making with the other arm an acute angle facing the arcuate extension, and said two different-arm looplike terminal portions being so formed and positioned relative to each other that in clamping condition the planes of the loops will lie in substantially parallel contact with the co-acting seat faces.

4:. An elastic holder for temporarily securng a protective cover over an automobile seat or the like, consisting of a single piece of elas-- tie material which comprises a coiled intermediate portion, a straight extension therefrom on one side with a loop-like terminal portion in a plane substantially normal to the planes of the turns of the coiled portion to form the one clamping arm, and an arcuate extension therefrom on the other side continued in a straight portion with a loop-like terminal portion to form the other clamping arm, said arcuate extension being adapted in clamping condition to bridge protruding seat portions, said straight continuation making with the other arm an acute angle facing the arcuate extension, and said two different-arm looplike terminal portions being so formed and positioned relative to each other that in clamping condition the planes of the loops will lie in substantially parallel contact with the co-acting seat faces.

5. An elastic holder for temporarily secui-ing a protective cover over an automobile seat or the like, consisting of a single piece of elastic material which comprises a coiled intermediate portion, a straight extension therefrom on one side with a terminal circular loop 'in a plane normal to the plane of the turns of the coiled portion to form the one clamping arm, and an arcuate extension therefrom on the other side continued in a straight portion with a terminal circular loop to form the other clamping arm, said arcuate extension being adapted in clamping condition to bridge protruding seat portions, said straight continuation making with the other arm an acute angle facing the arcuate portion, and said two different-arm terminal loops being so positioned relative to each other that, under clamping conditions most frequently met with, the planes of the loops will lie in substantially parallel contact with the coacting seat faces.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

CHARLES F. BERRY, J