US2245961A

US2245961A - Fabric retaining means

Info

Publication number: US2245961A
Application number: US360284A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clay Joseph Burleigh
Original assignee: CLAY EQUIPMENT CORP
Current assignee: CLAY EQUIPMENT CORP
Priority date: 1940-10-08
Filing date: 1940-10-08
Publication date: 1941-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 1958-06-17

Description

June 17, 1941, J, CLAY 2,245,961

FABRIC RETAINING MEANS Filed Oct. 8, 1940 INVENT OR.

Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OLF'FI- CE FABRIC RETAINING MEANS.

Joseph Burleigh Clay, Cedar Falls, Iowa, assignor' to Clay Equipment Corp., Cedar Falls, Iowa, a

corporation of- Iowa Application October 8, 1940, Serial No. 360,284

9'Claims. (Cl. 156-14) beingmade up, for example, in the form. of a,

rectangular. frame, and. in which the. sheet or. fabric.can be installed without tools or other accessory equipment, and with a maximum. of convenience.

. Itis a. further object of my invention to provide a retainer framefor sheet material which will grip the material'firmly even after replacements have been made several times.

A further object is to provide a retainer frame in which the placement of the retainer rod serves to stretch the retained material firmly in the frame.

Another object is to provide a constructionin which the retainer. rod can be easily removed when replacement of the retained material is desired.

With these and. other objects inview my in.- vention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of.-

iny device whereby the-objects'contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a screen frame embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of aportion of the screen frame.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view takenon theline 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary View of a portion of the screen frame, taken as if looking upward at the portion shown in Figure 2.

On the drawing I have used the reference'numeral it! to indicate generally the principal structural member of my device. It consists of a U-shaped channel portion l2, and exten-- sions therefrom which may take any desired form, but which are shown in the drawing as a flange I4, and a lip l6 having a rounded connection at I! to the channel l2. In the form shown the members l4 and [6 are disposed at right angles to each other, so that the entire member ID has the general cross-sectional form of an angle, giving it the desired structural strength.

As seen in Figure 1, members formed in the cross-sectional shape, described and illustrated in Figures 2:; and 3, may be, assembled to form. a

rectangular frame, which. in the present example is shown asa. window screen frame. The screenwire I8 is retained. in theframe by press-.- ing a rod or filler strip 20 intothe channel portion I2, the edgeof the screen [8'- being'interposed between the rod. 20 andthe. inner walls of the channel portion l2, as may be seen in.

Figures; 2-. and 3.

The relative dimensions of the filler rod 20. and the inside-of thechannel 12- are preferably a period of time-since the frictional fitis not sufficiently firm and permanent.

I have found that by indenting one wall of the channel I2 to form'projections 22, a firm,

and permanentfit isobtained. The projections 22 are preferably formed'ona linenear the top of the rod. 20, in its installed position, so, that the projeetionserveslas a stop to maintain. thev rod. and screen. wire in. place, as will be understood by. reference to'Figure 3. The projections: should. extend: into the channel sufiiciently so that the distance, between the inner end. of the projectionand the oppositewall of the channel is slightly less than: the sum of the diameter of the rod ZII-and two thicknesses of the screen l8.

wire, and-consequentlya good-spring fit results. Spacing; of. theprojections; 22 longitudinally of, the; channel has the'virtue thatwhentherrod; 2D issnapped;into. place, .as above described, the.

springing or yielding of the channel is distributed considerably along the portions of the channel adjacent the projection, so that no permanent distortion occurs, and a good spring fit is obtained, even after the rod and the screen wire have been repeatedly removed and replaced.

A further advantage of the construction described lies in the fact that the procedure of installation applies tension to the body of the screen wire, giving a neat and attractive appearance to the assembled screen. This result is attained by reason of the fact that as the rod 20 is pressed into place, it pinches the outer edge of the screen wire against the projection 22 and tends to hold it there as the rod moves on downward into the channel. The rod pulls a loop of the screen down into the channel, thus taking up This means, of course,, that thewalls of the channelv must spring apart somewhat when. therod 20 ispressed into place with the screen.

any slack in the screen wire by drawing it in, over the lip I6 and the rounded edge I! and down into the channel l2.

To facilitate removal of the filler rod 2!] when replacement of the screen is required, I provide a perforation 24 in the bottom wall of the channel I2 adjacent each of the projections 22. Any suitable instrument, such as the nail 26, may be inserted through the perforation to drive out the rod. This is much simpler and more satisfactory than the practice of prying out the rod from the inside of the channel, as has been necessary in certain older constructions. Location of the perforations 24 immediately adjacent the projections 22 permits the force applied for removal to be applied in exactly the right place.

A screen frame made according to the construction which I have shown and described is economical, light and durable. It makes'replacement of the screen wire convenient and simple.

Obviously the same arrangement can be used for'other materials or fabrics than the ordinary screen wire which I have described merely as an example. Cloth, sheet rubber, paper and other pliable materials can be retained and stretched in a similar manner.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure, or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. Screen wire retaining means comprising a channel member, a rod received in said channel, and inwardly extending projections from one wall of said channel, spaced longitudinally thereof, the distance from the point of one of said projections to the opposite wall of the channel being slightly less than the diameter of said rod plus two thicknesses of screen wire.

2. Means for clamping a fabric comprising a channel-shaped member, a rod removably received in said channel, and lugs spaced longitudinally of said channel member and extending from one wall thereof into the channel, said lugs being spaced above the bottom of said channel by approximately the diameter of said rod plus the thickness of the fabric to be clamped.

3. Fabric retaining means including a channel bar, a rod received in said bar, inwardly extending projections fromone side wall of said bar, spaced longitudinally thereof, the distance from the inner end of one of said projections to the opposite side wall of the channel being less than the .7 diameterof the rod plus two thicknesses of the fabric to be retained, and perforations in the bottom of said channel adjacent said projections.

4. A screen wire retainer comprising a channelshaped member, a rod removably received in said channel, lugs spaced longitudinally of said channel member and extending from one wall thereof into the channel, spaced above the bottom of said channel by approximately the diameter of said rod plus the thickness of the screen wire to be clamped, and perforations in the bottom of said channel adjacent said projections.

5. In means for temporarily gripping a fabric, a channel member, a filler member insertible into said channel, said filler member being forced into said channel with the fabric interposed, and frictionally retained therein, and perforations in the bottom of said channel through which an instrument may be inserted fol driving said filler memher out of engagement with said channel.

6. In a fabric clamp, a channel bar, a rod insertible in said channel and stop means on one side wall of said channel, spaced above the bottom of the channel by approximately the diameter of said rod plus the thickness of the fabric to be clamped, the distance from the inner end of said stop means to the opposite side wall of the channel being less than the diameter of the rod plus two thicknesses of the fabric to be clamped.

'7. In a fabric clamp, a channel bar, a rod insertible in said channel, perforations in the bottom wall of said channel, and stop means on one side wall of said channel, spaced above the bottom of the channel by approximately the diameter of said rod plus the thickness of the fabric to be clamped, the distance from the inner end of said stop means to the opposite side wall of the channel being less than the diameter of the rod plus two thicknesses of the fabric to be clamped.

8. In means for supporting and tensioning a fabric sheet, a frame, means on said frame for holding one edge of said sheet, a channel shaped member adjacent the opposite edge of said sheet, a rod removably received in said channel, and projections extending inwardly from one wall of said channel, said projections being located substantially on a line with the top of said rod when said rod is in place in said channel, said opposite edge of said sheet being engaged between said rod and said channel.

9. In a clamp for gripping a fabric sheet, a member having a channel portion, the walls of said channel portion extending substantially perpendicular to the main body of the fabric sheet, a lip extending inwardly from the inner wall of said channel, a rounded connection between said lip and said inner wall, an extension of the outer wall of said channel, perpendicular to said lip, and a rod received in said channel.

JOSEPH BURLEIGH CLAY.