US2623582A - Pleated drapery - Google Patents

Description

Dc. 30, 1952 o. .1. HANDLEY PLEATED DRAPERY Filed May 7, 1951 Patented Dec. 30, 1952 PLEATED DRAPERY Daniel J. Handley, Mattoon, Ill. Application May'7, 1951, Serial No. 224,875

4 Claims.

This invention relates to pleated drapery, and more particularly, to means particularly for home use in making and hanging pleated drapery.

Briefly, the invention features the use of a pleat-forming strip of stiff material provided with transverse pleat-forming creases. Longitudinally spaced sections of the pleat-forming strip are defined by pairs of apertures, the two apertures of each section being located in creases separated from one another by a plurality of non-apertured creases. The strip of pleat-formin material is stitched flat to a drape adjacent its upper edge. As such, the drape may be readily cleaned and pressed as a flat sheet. The drapery is pleated and hung by folding together in accordion fashion the longitudinally spaced pre-creased sections of the stiffened edge of the drape and inserting spaced prongs on a drapery hook of this invention through each pair of apertures.

The two apertures in the pleat-forming sections of the strip are uniformly spaced apart, and the pairs of apertures are uniformly spaced from one another. Therefore, the apertures act as guides for forming a symmetrical pleating arrangement when the drapery is hung. The drapery hook of this invention comprises a hook-forming member having an elongate shank with a loop at one end. A pair of spaced prongs extend from the shank of the hook-forming member generally parallel therewith for insertion through a pair of the aforementioned apertures, after the pre-creased section of the drapery therebetween has been folded. These prongs extend between the drapery fabric and the pleat-forming strip so as to be hidden from view. Additionally, the hook is provided with pleat-retaining pins directed inwardly between folds of the drapery. One such hook is employed for each pleated section of the drape. Other features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which one of various possible embodiment of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a'partially-unrolled roll of the pleat-forming strip of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of a portion of finished drapery showing the pleat-forming strip secured thereto;

Fig- 7 "is a vertical section taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 5.

Similar reference characters indicate COIlG-a sponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring to Fig. 1 0f the drawing, there is shown at I a pleating stri of relatively stiff but foldable fabric material such as buckram. The strip "is provided with longitudinally uniformly spaced groups or sections S of transverse pleat.- forming creases 3, there being an odd number of creases for each pre-creased section of the strip, and the sections being of uniform width. The outermost creases 3a of each section have apertures 5 therein adjacent one longitudinal margin 1 of the strip. The other margin of the strip is designated 9. .The strip normally is flat, but is adapted to be folded on the crease lines to provide uniformly placed accordion-pleated sections as shown at the left in Fig. 1. It is contemplated that'the pleat-forming strip be sold as an article of manufacture, preferably in a roll (Fig. 1) from which suitable lengths may be out.

In making a drape of this invention, a length of the pleat-forming strip I is pulled from the roll, out off and secured to the rear of .drape' ll As shown in Figs.

adjacent its upper edge l3. 2 and 3, the strip is positioned to extend adjacent the upper edge I3 of the drape with its margin 9 spaced from edge I3. The marginal portion l5 of the drape which lies outward of the margin 9 of the strip is folded over upon the strip, and the stri is stitched to the drape by a line of stitching 1 1 along the folded-over part l5 and by a line of stitching l9 adjacent the margin 1 of the strip outward of apertures 5, i. e., between the apertures and margin 1.

It will be noted that the drape is substantially flat when in the condition shown in Figs. 2 and 3 so that it can be readily cleaned and pressed.

The pleats themselves are not formed until the drape is ready for hanging.

Referring to Fig. 4, there is shown a drapery hook 2| of this invention. The hook comprises a hook-forming member having a loop 23 at one end of an elongate shank 25. Attached to the other end of the shank is a U-shaped member of stiff wire providing spaced elongate prongs 21 extending generally parallel to the hook shank 25 and in slightly divergent relation to one another. Also, a relatively smaller U -shaped member forming pins or extensions 29 is aflixed to the end of the shank. The three separate pieces of wire forming the hook member, the prongs and the pins are secured together as by welding or solder. As shown, the pins 29 project generally transversely with respect to the prongs 2'! in a direction opposite from that of the loop 23.

In applying the drapery hook to the drape, the

sections S of the pleat-forming strip l between the pairs of apertures are gathered together or pleated to form pleats which stand out from the front of the drape, the two apertures of each section being brought together at. the rear of the drape. The two elongate prongs 21' of a hook are then inserted through the two apertures 5; of; a. pleated section S between the pleat-forming strip l and the fabric H in a generally upwardly direction. on opposite. sides of the outermost folds 3| (Fig. 5). As such, these prongs tend to maintain the pleated section folded, a slight spreading apart at the upper portion thereof being permitted by the divergent nature of the prongs 21. The pins 29 are fitted immediately inside of the two outermost pleats 3| to secure the inner folds 3-3 in closely assembled relation. Therefore, the pins 29 function as pleat-retaining and spacing members for the lower portion of the pleated section.

It will be understood the pre-creased pleatforming strip readily facilitates the formation of even uniform pleats. The uniform spacing of each. pair of apertures insures a uniform size of pleated section, and the uniform spacing between pairs of apertures insures uniform. spacing of the pleated sections of the drape. Moreover, the drapery hook so constructed as to give supportto and generally hold the, shape of a pleated section of the drape. A hook, of course, would be applied to each pleated. section of the drape and the hooks are hooked over a rod to han the drape.

To. summarize, the drape of this invention is readily made, it is readily cleaned and pressed, and; 4 neat symmetrical pleated-sections are readily formed and maintained.

Reference is here made to my copending improvement application Serial No. 252,923, filed October 24, 1951, for Drapery Hook.

In View of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a. limiting sense.

I claim:

1 A pleat-forming drapery hook comprising a hook-forming member having an elongate shank and a loop at one end of the shank adapted for cooperation with a drapery hanging rod, a pair of spaced elongate prongs extending from the other end of the shank in generally parallel spaced relation with one another and with the shank, pleat-retaining extensions projecting in spaced relation generally transverse to the shank and in a direction opposite that of the loop, said pleat-retaining extensions being spaced less than the spacing between the prongs, whereby said extensions may be inserted transversely to a pleated section of drapery to retain several of its intermediate pleated portions in folded positions, and whereby said prongs may be inserted into and substantially parallel to lateral pleated portions to hold the. latter against the. outsides of said extensions and against said intermediate pleated portions.

2. As an article of manufacture a pleating strip adapted for attachment to a drapery and the like, comprising a strip of relatively stiff pleatforming material adapted to have one edge fastened. near a margin of the drapery and the other edge spaced from said margin, said pleatforming, material having spaced groups of transverse pleat-forming creases extending across the strip, spaced groups. of said, pleat-forming creases lying between uniformly spaced, pairs. ofv apertures adapted for receivingprongs. of hooks, said apertures being located on the outermost. creases of a group and adjacent the edge of. the strip which is spaced from. the margin of the drapery when attached thereto.

3. An article of manufacture made. according to claim 2, wherein the. creasesbetween those. on which the apertures are located are non-apertured;

4. A pleated construction comprising. a drape, a pleat-formingstrip of relatively stiff material. stitched to the drapeonly along both edges of the strip, one of which edges. is adjacent the margin of the drape and the other spaced therefrom, said strip having uniformly spaced pro-creased pleatfroming sections and pairs of uniformly spaced apertures located on the outermost creases andadjacent the edge of the strip. which is. spaced from the margin of the drape, the resulting stiffened margin of the drape beingv folded along said pleat-forming creases to bring. toward one another the apertures of each pleat-forming section, and a. drapery hook. having spaced elongate prongs insertablethrough the two apertures and between the pleat-forming strip and the drape, said hookincluding projections extending transversely to said prongs but more closely spaced than said prongs, said projection holding intermediate portions of the pleated section between said prongs, said prongs in the apertures holding end portions of the pleated section against said projections and said intermediate portionsv of the pleatedsection.

DANIEL J. HANDLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 834,188 'Carr Oct. 23, 1906. 2,012,734 Steiner Aug. 27, 1935 2,124,650 Chessler July 26, 1938 2,183,188 French Dec. 12, 1939 2,422,963 Hess June 24, 1947 2,527,360 Hess Oct. 24, 1950 2,552,922 Andreou May 15, 1951

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