US2114983A

US2114983A - Grommet securing mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2114983A
Application number: US120164A
Authority: US
Inventors: Levin Joseph
Original assignee: UMBRELLA MACHINERY CORP Inc
Current assignee: UMBRELLA MACHINERY CORP Inc
Priority date: 1937-01-12
Filing date: 1937-01-12
Publication date: 1938-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 1955-04-19

Description

April 19, 1938 LEV|N 2,114,983

GROMMET SECURING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 12, 1957 INVENTOR. J0 sap/J L E Patented Apr. 19, 1938 GROMMET SECURING MECHANISM Joseph Levin, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Umbrella Machinery Corp, Inc., New York, N. Y.,

a corporation of New York Application January 12, 1937, Serial No. 120,164

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in a topping mechanism for use in the construction and assembling of umbrella covers on the shanks of the umbrellas.

In the construction of umbrella covers it is common practice to form the cover of a plurality of gores. These gores come to a common meeting point at the center of the umbrella cover. At the central point an opening is formed to permit the passage of the umbrella shank. It is common practice in the art to reinforce the umbrella cover about this opening by means of a metallic ring or grommet. A common method of reinforcing the umbrella cover has been by sewing the grommet or reinforcing ring to the umbrella cover. This process has proved to be both costly and time consuming. Furthermore, if it became necessary to repair the umbrella cover, the removal of a damaged gore and replacement by another gore proved to be a difficult task.

Applicant has overcome the objections outlined above by the use of a special grommet construction for reinforcing the central opening in the umbrella cover. The application of this special grommet to the umbrella cover is simple, requires very little skill, and can be done in a minimum of time. Applicant has devised a new method of assembling the umbrella cover and this special grommet structure. The relationship of the parts is such that should it become necessary to replace a damaged gore the same can be done in a few seconds by clipping the grommet, removing the damaged gore, and providing a new grommet in place of the one clipped. Such a replacement process requires but a few minutes of time as compared with prior art devices where hand stitching was necessary to position the reinforcing grommet in the umbrella cover.

Another object of my invention is the provision of special die mechanism which enables the quick assembly of the grommet structure in its relationship to the umbrella cover. The use of these dies for attaching the grommet to the umbrella cover is known in the art as the operation of topping. By the use of these dies and the particular construction of the grommets, it is possible to facilitate this operation of topping considerably over the operation of the prior art.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, an embodiment thereof is shown in the drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of a press for applying the grommets to the umbrella cover;

Fig. 2 is a view in sectional elevation showing the relative positions of the die member and the press member for applying the grommets to the umbrella cover;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a grommet, shown as it is applied to an umbrella cover about its aper ture;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the grommet structure shown in assembled relationship, and;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the ring members comprising the grommet structure before they have been assembled.

In Fig. 1 a pressing machine is shown having a bed i which is adapted to receive' a die, shown generally as 23. The bed I also supports a standard 2 which has attached at one end the sleeve member 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the sleeve member 3 slidably supports the hollow actuating rod 4. The rod 4 has the yoke 6 at its upper end for supporting bearing roller 'l by means of the bearing pins 8. The hollow portion 20 of the rod 4 houses a portion of the pressing member indicated generally as ll. The pressing member H has a narrow tubular stem l2 which extends into the hollow housing Zil, as shown in Fig. 2. The stem i2 is fixedly associated with the rod 4 by means of a set screw I9. I The lower portion of the pressing member l i is enlarged as represented by character l3. The interior of the pressing member 13 is hollow to receive a holding member generally indicated as It. This holding member l4 has a base portion l5 closelyfitting within the hollow space is, and a rod portion 15 which extends through the tubular portion l2 as shown in Fig. 2. The top of the. rod 55 has fixedly attached thereto a nut, indicated as 22. Positioned between this nut and the upper wall. of the rod 4 is a compression spring 2!, which normally retains the holding member It in a projected position as shown in Fig. 2. In contact with the roller l is an actuating cam 9, which when rotated by the actuating. lever l0 lowers the rodi against the compression of the spring 5.

Cooperating with the pressing member H and the holding member I4 is a die member generally, indicated as 23. This die member has a lower portion 24 to be inserted for positional engagement into the bed l of the machine. The upper portion of the die is enlarged as shown by character 25. The die is designed in the form of a channel 28 for a purpose to be later described.

Adjacent to the channel at one extremity is a seat 29, whereas at the other extremity of the channel there is a seat 21. Extending upwardly from the seat 21 is a guide pin 26 for cooperative engagement with a recess I! in the releasing member l4.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show my specific construction of the reinforcing grommet which is used with the umbrella construction. As shown in Fig. 5 this grommet comprises two

metallic ring members

30 and 3|. The ring member 3!! has extended therefrom the prongs 32. The interior diameter of the ring member .3! is of such a diameter that the ring may be slipped over the prongs. When the grommet structure is in assembled relationship with respect to the umbrella cover, the prongs 32 pierce the material of the umbrella. As shown in Fig. 3, said prongs are bent beneath the lower ring 3|,so as to maintain the lower ring 3| in clamping engagement with the upper ring 35. The material of the umbrella cover 33 is thus clamped between the rings 36 and 3|, and is also maintained in position by the piercing prongs 32 as shown in Fig. 3.

The operation of applying the reinforcing grommets to the umbrella cover is known in the art as topping. This operation is simplified in applicants case by a new method of assembling the grommet with respect to the umbrella cover.

As shown in Fig. 2, the lower ring 3| of the grommet structure is positioned on the seat 29 of the die 23. The upper pronged ring 3!! of the grommet structure is then slipped over the projected holding member Hi. The dimensional relationship of the ring 38 and the holding member I4 is such that the ring 38 is frictionally held in position as shown in Fig. 2. The conventional umbrella cover comprising a plurality of gores with a common central opening to receive the shank of an umbrella, is then positioned over the die 23 and the seated lower ring 3|, so that the material of the cover 33 completely covers the ring 3|. The operator then actuates the lever Ill in a counter-clockwise direction and through the medium of the actuating cam S and roller 1 the pressing element H is lowered. The pressing member H, the releasing element M and the pronged ring 30, are lowered as a unit until the holding member it engages upon the seat 21 of the die 23. When this position is reached, the guide finger 26 is completely housed within a recess H. A subsequent downward movement of the rod l then causes the pressing member I i to continue its downward movement, whereas the holding member M remains relatively stationary and becomes housed within the space l8 of the pressing mernber H. When the holding member is completely housed within the space IS, the pronged ring 30 is released. During this operation the prongs 32 have pierced the umbrella cover 33 which extends interiorly of the lower ring 3| and have been brought into direct engagement with the curved surface 28 of the die 23. The surface is of such a design that the prongs 32 are spread outwardly due to the pressure exerted by the downwardly moving pressing element As the prongs 32 spread outwardly their extremities engage beneath the lower ring 3 1. Thus it is seen that as the upper ring 30 moves down into engagement with the lower ring 3!, the

prongs 38 pierce through the intermediate material of the umbrella cover 33, engage the curved surface 28 of the die, and are spread into engaging position with the undersurface of the lower ring 3|. At the same time the upper ring 30 has been completely released from the holding member l4 due to the retraction of the member l4 into the hollow housing l8.

My operation is exceedingly simple and rapid and doesnot require the services of skilled operators. signed for the method of assembly as disclosed, so that the upper ring 39 might become automatically released when it is brought into cooperative relation with the lower ring 3|. The processes heretofore employed of attaching the grommet structure to the umbrella cover by means of stitching require considerably more time. 'With my construction, the repair of theumbrella cover 33 which necessitates the removal of a grommet can readily be accomplished by clipping the lower ring 3| and removing the same. The material 33 of the umbrella cover is'then slipped off of the prongs 32 and repaired. The repaired cover 33 is then given a new reinforcing grommet memher by the process disclosed above. 7

While I have disclosed my invention in but a single embodiment, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that other equivalent structures might readily be employed. The scope of my invention is defined by the following claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a topping mechanism for the purpose set forth, a vertically movable, suspended, spring enclosing hollow element closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, a pressing member bodily carried with said element and having an enlarged,

cup-shaped lower portion, a suspended, spring controlled holding member extending through the pressing member and being normally projected from the lower portion of the said latter member, said holding member being formed with a stop coacting with the pressing member for limiting the projected movement of the holding member relative to the pressing member, said holding member having its lower end axially thereof formed with a tapered socket, and a stationary element aligning with and normally spaced from said members, said stationary element having its 7 top formed respectively with a tapered guide pin axially thereof for passage into said tapered socket, an inner, annular, flat seat surrounding the lower end of said pin, an outer, annular, fiat seat arranged below and spaced from the inner seat and an annular channel arranged between said seats, the side walls of said channel being of different heights, the side wall of greater height merging into the outer side of said inner seat, the

side wall of smaller height merging into the inner side of the outer seat, and actuatable cam means engageable with the top of said hollow element for lowering the latter and the members associated therewith relative to the stationary element.

JOSEPH LEVIN.

The dies employed are particularly de-