US2529125A

US2529125A - Inflatable display form

Info

Publication number: US2529125A
Application number: US791205A
Authority: US
Inventors: Barbera Edmund
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-12-12
Filing date: 1947-12-12
Publication date: 1950-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 1967-11-07

Description

INFLATABLE DISPLAY FORM Filed Dec. 12, 1947 INVENTOR. EDMUND BARBERA ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1 950 UNITED STAT ES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim. (01. 22367) f This invention relates to inflatable display forms. 1' V p Broadly, it is an object of my invention to provide an inflatable form upon which dresses, gowns, negligees, blouses and. other types of garments can be displayed. I V U 3 More particularly, it is an object of my invention toprovide a mannikin, preferably made of plastic film material which can be easily'inflated by lung pressure, pump, hair blower, vacuum cleaner or other similar device, and which can be deflated to a compact size for easy storage or carrying, such as by travelling salesmen for display purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inflatable device or form which can be used for floor andiwindow display, which is comparatively inexpensive, light and easy to handle and eventof damage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a swivel hanger which will permit the mannikin to rotate by a slight breeze provided by a fan so that dresses and the like may be displayed in their third dimensional form to make them more attractive to customers.

Heretofore, dresses and the like have been displayed in showrooms and in hotels by travelling salesmen upon flat hangers which do not show the garments to best advantage. Third dimensional display mannikins made of papier-mach or plaster are expensive, cumbersome, hard and costly to repair and cannot be stored without taking up expensive space. In many show rooms live models are used and in many instances, travelling men take live models with them or hire live models in the diiferent towns along their which can be easily and cheaply repaired in,the,

itinerary. Such means to display garments are,

exceedingly expensive. By my inflatable form the same result is achieved at a far smaller cost at the same time providing automatic movement by permitting the mannikin to rotate in a slight fan breeze.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is had to the following detailed description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the inflated form.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the form shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the vertical central diaphragm partially broken away.

Fig. 4 is a section taken through line 4-4 of Fig. 3. r

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the upper part of the form showing the diaphragm valve and the rotatable hanger.

Referring to the drawing, numeral Ill represents an inflatable form or mannikin, preferably made of a plastic film material, such as a vinyl plastic which can be readily sealed by heat and pressure along its ribs or joints to prevent air or gas from leaving the form except through its valve ll.

The form is made of eight vertical shaped pieces comprising opposed front pieces I2 and 13, two front side pieces l4 and I5, two rear side pieces lfiand I1 and two opposed back pieces I8 and I9. These eight vertical pieces are'heat sealed providing front inner ribs 20, 2| and 22 and

front seams

23, 24 and 25, side ribs 26 and 2'! and

side seams

28 and 29, rear ribs 30, 3| and 32 and rear seams 33, .34 and 35. A bottom 36 is heat sealed to the lower ends of the eight vertical pieces providing a circular rib 31. Of course, the vertical pieces may be made longer at the bottom to eliminate the circumferential rib 31 and the ends heat sealed together so that the ends of the vertical pieces flow into the bottom in the form of a semi-circular base to give the bottom a streamlined effect.

At the upper or neck portion 38, the upper ends are turned in to provide a flange 39. A circular top 40 is heat sealed against the inside of flange 39 to effectively seal the top, except for the diphragm valve H of the type well known in the art, which is heat sealed in the center of top 40. Of course, the valve H may be placed anywhere in the mannikin, such as in the bottom or back.

In order to give the resulting form a natural effect, that is, to give it standard dimensions for a predetermined size, I have provided not only shaped vertical pieces but three diaphragms.

These diaphragms are shaped so that the form is prevented from expanding at certain places to prevent giving it a sausage-like appearance when diaphragms 42 have been provided: 7 These dia- 2 phragms are attached by heat sealing at their narrow ends at the back to rear ribs 30 and 32 and at their wide ends to

front ribs

20 and 22,

slightly above the breasts as shown best in Fig. 3. The air can flow all around these diaphragms. The shoulders 43 are somewhat accentuated to give the effect of padded shoulders which are the vogue at the present time.

Attached to top 40 is a bracket 45 with a-hole therein through which the terminal 45 is passed.

-Termina1 45 is attached to .a chain 46 which in turn is attached to a hook i! for hangin the ,form I0. This arrangement permits the form J to revolve either .by manually turning it or by blowing a stream of air at one side of it as with a fan.

Of course, the figure or form It] can be stylized from time to time as the vogue changes, that is Jdifierent portions may be accentuated to keep abreast of the vogue, such as the so called hour glass figure of the Gibson Girl era when the waist line was narrow and the hips large, or the -boyish form era when it was stylish to have narrow or boyish hips.

j It is also within the realm of my invention to ,providea half-form constructed with the same ltype'of'material and on the sameprinciples above 'stated'for the display of blouses and brassieres @for which an'upper-half would be used; for corsets, panties, shorts, bathing trunks and the like, 1a lower-half would be used. For the display of hosiery-and shoes, leg forms would be used; and for the display of gloves and hats, hands and Lheadforms' would be usedyall constructed on the same ,principles'as above stated. In the head form, a metallic cone could be attached at the bottom with the vortex within the head. The vortex of the cone would rest upon an elongated pin attached to a base so that the head could revolve upon the pin.

It is also obvious that various changes and modifications could be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of the invention.

I claim:

An inflatable display form of described having breast portions, said form comprising eight irregularly shaped pieces of plastic film vmaterial consisting of two opposed front pieces, two front side pieces, two rear side pieces, two opposed back pieces, said eight pieces heat sealed along their edges forming ribs, a bottom portion heat sealed to the lower ends of said eight pieces, a substantially circular top portion heat sealed at the neck, a valve in said display form .for inflating anddeflating said form, diaphragms in said form, said'diaphragms includin a longitudinal central diaphragm attached to the front and back portions of said form, a pair ofsmaller opposed diaphragms attached to the upper back portion and above the breast portions, said cen- EDMUND BARBERA.

REFERENCES CITED 7 1 The following references are of record in the 'fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I i Name Date. 532,602 Smith Jans15, 1395 839,431 smith Dec. '25, 1906 11,066,551 Swallie July 8, 1913 1,165,045 Uff0rd, Dec. 21, 1915 .Heighway "-Mar. 13, 1934 the character 7