US1964083A - Method of and device for wrapping articles - Google Patents

Description

June 26, 1934. H. s. RUBENS METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES Filed June 19. 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l fi 0W June 26, 1934. s RUBENS 1,964,083

METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES Filed June 19, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m Xgwmw *ww Fwy/a Patented June 26, 1934 METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES Harry S. Rubens, Chicago, 111.

Application June 19,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and device for wrapping articles and more particularly to a method of and device for wrapping textile garments or other relatively soft or yielding articles in cellophane or other flexible Wrapping material.

The advantages 0 well known in the art,

f a Wrapping of this sort are but the matter of applying such a wrapping to textile garments or other relatively soft, yielding, or easily impressible articles has presented a difficult practical problem. With the garment folded to the desired form and placed upon a sheet of such wrapping material, it is diiicult, if not practically impossible, to fold the wrapping material directly over the margins of the soft garment without wrinkling or distorting the desired folded form of the garment. As the wrapping is folded over the margins and in over the top of the garment the soft margins of the garment do not present edges of sufficient rigidity to produce uniformity in the individual packages and, as a result, the appearance of the wrapped article is not pleasing. The wrapping is difficult and, if any attempt is made to produce uniformity and the desired appearance of the package, time is consumed and the cost is increased,

Attempts have been made to meet this problem by providing the wrapping material with a backing of cardboard or other relatively stiff material which forms a permanent part and usually one side of the package and which is shaped in conformity with the shape of the garment, but this detracts from the appearance of the package and increases the cost of packaging the garment. It has also been proposed to complete the package except for one side opening, and. then to insert the garment and close the open side, but this is expensive and, again, it is difficult, if not practically impossible, to place the soft folded garment in such a package without wrinkling or distorting the garment from its desired smooth folded form.

My present invention has certain advantages not found in the wrapping methods of the prior art, first of which is its ability to package uniformly soft yielding articles without wrinkling or distorting the same from their desired smooth and even folded form. The method is such as to be readily carried out quickly and at low cost and without particular skill on the part of the wrapper. And the individually wrapped garments are of uniform and pleasing appearance.

I employ a so-called wrapping member having sides conforming with margins of the garment or 1933, Serial No. 676,420

other article. yielding article is placed upo ping material placed upon conform with FFICE The garment or other soft and n the sheet of wrapand the wrapping member is then the article with the sides the margins of the article in regwhich ister with such margins, whereupon the wrapping material is folded over the relatively soft and yielding margins of the article and across the edges of the wrap gether along meeting edges.

ping member, and secured to- The wrapping memher is removed through an open side of the wrapping and the wrapping material is then folded along such side over the margin of the article and secured to the other sides.

Another feature which is of importance in my invention resides in the provision of interchangeable wrapping members adapted for detachable connection to the upon the article.

means sizes depending upon for placing the same This enables attachment of different wrapping members to the means for ticle, and the wrapbe of different forms and the configurations and sizes of the particular articles with which the wrapping members are to be used In order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of carrying out the method of my invention and with a device for practicing such method, I shall now describe, in connection with the accompanying drawings, a specific embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure l is perspective vi away and showing a my present method;

member in place upon the ew partially broken device for use in practicing Flgure 2 1s a plan view showing the wrapping article and in full lines two opposite sides of the wrapping folded over the margins of the article and across the edges of the wrapping member and secured together along meeting edges; Figure 3 is a view similar the third side of the to Figure 2 showing wrapping folded over the third margin of the article and across the outer end of the wrapping mei other sides;

ber and secured to the Figure 4 is a View similar to Figures 2 and 3 showing the manner of removing the wrapped article from the wrapping member; and

Figure 5 'is a perspective view showing the wrapped article and,

in doted lines, the manner of folding the wrapping material along the open side over the margin of the same to the other sides.

Referring to the drawing article and securing s, the device shown iii] comprises a bench, table or other member having a flat horizontal top 5. Screwed fast or otherwise secured at 6 to the top is an angular bracket '7 to which is hinged at 8 a vertically swingable arm 9.

The wrapping member is in the form of a thin fiat metal plate 10 which, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is of generally rectangular form. This plate 10 is secured rigidly and, at the same time, detachably by thumb screws 11 to the free end of the arm 9 and swings vertically with the vertical swinging movement of the arm. The plate 10 is of the width of the article to be wrapped, and the outer end 12 is disposed at right angles to the opposite sides 14 and 15. The outer corners may be rounded slightly at 16, although such rounding is not essential.

For the purpose of holding the plate 10 yieldingly in raised position as shown in dotted lines at 18 and to return the plate to this position after each actuation, as will appear, a coiled tension spring 20 is connected at 21 to the arm 9. This spring 20 extends diagonally upwardly to the upper end of a post 22 and is secured at 23 to this post.- The lower end of the post 22 is secured fast to the top 5 at 24. The top 5 has an opening 25 in the plane of swinging movement of the arm 9, and disposed beneath the top 5, as for example, upon the floor, is a foot operated treadle 26. The treadle 26 is hinged or pivoted at one end at 27 to swing vertically, and its opposite end is connected by a chain or other suitable flexible element 28 to the arm 9, one end of the flexible connecting element 28 being connected at 29 to the free end of the foot treadle 26 and the opposite end of the connecting element being connected at 30 to the arm 9.

In wrapping an article in accordance with my present invention, the sheet of thin flexible wrapping material indicated at 32 is first placed upon the top 5 between sheet positioning abutments 33 secured to the top 5 and cooperating with three sides of the sheet 32 as shown. The wrapping material is preferably a thin flat flexible sheet of cellulose material, such as cellophane, but it is to be understood that any other suitable or preferred material may be employed within the scope of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, this sheet 32 is of substantially square or rectangular form, but this may vary widely.

With the sheet 32 positioned as shown, the article 35 is placed upon the sheet. As illustrative of articles for the wrapping of which the present invention is particularly adapted the article shown is a soft yielding textile garment, specifically a childs undergarment, although, of course, the invention is adapted to be used for wrapping any other relatively soft and yielding articles. The garment 35 is folded to generally rectangular or other suitable form and is placed upon the sheet of wrapping material 32 with its opposite sides 38 and 39 lying generally along lines connecting the centers of the sides 40, 41 and 42, 43 of the sheet 32. In the illustrated embodiment, the other sides 44 and 45 of the folded garment 35 lie generally along lines connecting the center of the sides 40, 42 and 41, 43 of the sheet 32. Of course the particular positioning of the folded garment 35 upon the sheet 32 may vary widely within the scope of my present invention.

After positioning the folded garment 35 upon the sheet 32 the foot treadle 26 is operated by pressure of the foot thereon to swing the wrapping member from the raised position shown in dotted lines down upon the folded garment 35 with its opposite sides 14 and 15 in register or substantial register with the soft and yielding margins 38 and 39 of the garment, and with the edge 12 in register 01' substantial register with the soft and yielding margin 45 of the garment. The corners and 51 of the wrapping material are then folded over the soft and yielding margins 38 and 39 and across the relatively stiff edges 14 and 15 of the wrapping member 10, and the overlapping ends are glued or otherwise suitably secured together at 52. The third corner 53 of the wrapping material is folded over the relatively soft and yielding margin 45 of the folded garment and across the relatively stiff edge 12 of the member 10, and is glued or otherwise secured at 54 to the folded portions 50 and 51 along the edges of the folded portion 53 which overlap the edges of the portions 50 and 51.

In wrapping the garment in this manner, the wrapping member 10, by its application upon the folded garment, holds the garment in flat and smooth form upon the top or supporting surface 5, and its edges 12, 14 and 15 being disposed in substantial register and conforming with the soft and yielding margins 45, 38 and 39 of the folded garment present relatively stiff edges over which the wrapping material may be folded without wrinkling or distorting the desired folded form of the garment and without depending upon the soft and yielding and relatively thick edges of the garment to hold the wrapping material as it is folded thereover. As a result, the garments are mapped quickly and at low cost as well as without particular skill on the part of the wrapper, and the individually Wrapped garment as shown in Figure 5 is of pleasing appearance. It is to be understood, of course, that several garments or articles may be Wrapped in the same package in accordance with the present invention. The wrapping method of the present invention assures packages of uniform thickness notwithstanding the soft yielding character and considerable thickness in the folded garment itself, and it assures packages of uniform contour around the edges.

With the garment wrapped, as thus far described, one side of the wrapping member 10 projects from the side 44 of the garment, the wrapping along this side being left open until the wrapped garment is removed from the member 10. Then, with the portions 50, 51 and 53 of the wrapping material folded over and secured together, the garment, as thus far wrapped, is removed from the wrapping member 10 by slipping it longitudinally therefrom in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4. The member which holds the folded garment fiat and smooth and which presents the folding edges in wrapping the garment, therefore, does not constitute a part of the package, but is removed. Then after removing the member 10 from the open side of the package from which said member or portion. of the wrapping material is folded in over the adjacent margin of the garment 35 and glued or otherwise secured to the other portions 50, 51 and 53 at 62.

In wrapping the article, the foot treadle 26 is held depressed from the time it is operated to place the wrapping member 10 down into position upon the article 35 until the article and wrapping are ready for removal from the member 10. The treadle is then released and the projects, the fourth corner spring 20 operates to raise the member 10 to its dotted line position (Figure 1). As or when the member 10 is raised, the article and wrapping are removed from this member as already described.

The detachable mounting of the wrapping member or plate 10 upon the arm 9 at 11 enables this plate to be removed and replaced at will whereby said plate and another or other wrapping plates of difierent sizes and configurations may be interchanged for use with articles of different sizes or shapes, or articles which are folded to different sizes or configurations.

I do not intend to be limited to the particular etails shown or described.

I claim:

1. In combination, a member for supporting a sheet of wrapping material with an article in position thereon, a bracket secured to said supporting member, an arm hinged to said bracket, a wrapping plate of a width corresponding to the width of the article detachably connected to said arm to be interchanged with other plates of different widths for articles of diiferent widths and adapted to be swung down into position upon the article with the end of said plate coinciding with one margin of the article and the opposite side edges of the plate coinciding with other margins of the article to permit folding the wrapping material over the margins of the article and across the edges of the wrapping member, means for swinging said wrapping member down upon the article, and spring means for returning said wrapping member to raised position after each operation of said last means.

2. The method of wrapping a soft and yielding article in a thin flexible wrapper which comprises laying the wrapper out in the form of a flat sheet, placing the article upon said sheet with the margins of the sheet extending from position beneath the article and lying in the plane of the portion of the sheet disposed beneath the article, placing upon the article with the sheet in fiat position a relatively stiif wrapping member extending from one margin of the article and having edges coinciding with the other margins of the article, thereafter folding the extending margins of the sheet over the margins of the article with which edges of the wrapping member coincide and across said coinciding edges of the wrapping member, securing said folded margins of the sheet directly together free of said wrapping member, removing the wrapping memher in a direction away from the margin of the article from which said member extends, and folding the margin of the sheet along the margin of the article from which said wrapping member is removed over the adjacent margin of the article and securing same directly to the other folded and secured portions of the sheet.

3. Tthe method of wrapping a relatively soft and yielding textile article in a thin flexible and generally rectangular wrapper which comprises laying the wrapper out in the form of a fiat sheet, placing the article upon the sheet with diagonals of the article intersecting diagonals of the sheet and with generally triangular extensions of the sheet beyond the margins of the article, placing upon the article with the sheet in fiat position a relatively stiff wrapping member extending outwardly from one margin of the article and having edges coinciding with the other margins of the article, thereafter folding the triangular extensions of the sheet over the margins of the article with which the edges of the wrapping member coincide and across said coinciding edges of the wrapping member, securing said folded margins of the sheet directly together free of said wrapping member, removing the wrapping member in a direction away from the margin of the article from which said member extends, and folding the margin of the sheet along the margin of the article from which said wrapping member is removed over the adjacent margin of the article and securing same directly to the other folded and secured portions of the sheet.

HARRY S. RUBENS.

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