US2834522A

US2834522A - Pleat forming device

Info

Publication number: US2834522A
Application number: US472361A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ogle Annette Marie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-12-01
Filing date: 1954-12-01
Publication date: 1958-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 1975-05-13

Description

May 13, 1958 A. M. OGLE 2,834,522

PLEAT FORMING DEVICE Filed Dec. l, 1954 United States APatent O 2,834,522 PLEAT FORMING DEVICE Annette Marie Ogle, Fort Dodge, Iowa Application December 1, 1954, Seriali No. 472,361

4 Claims. (Cl. 223-34) This invention relates to clothes forming tools and more particularly to a tool for facilitating the manual forming of pleats in cloth and like foldable sheet material;

Many articles of wearing apparel such as skirts, dresses, shirts, blouses and like have pleats both for decoration and utility. Some such pleats are of the loose variety and must be reformed each time the garment is washed or dry cleaned. Obviously, much time and labor is required to form a plurality of pleats, also the task is most difficult and the usual method is to measure and mark each pleat. This is of course subject to error and the result is that most such pleating is not accurate, is distorted and the pleats are uneven and unsightly.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a simple pleating aid that any one can easily use.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pleat forming tool that creates pleats rapidly and accurately.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a pleat forming device that will selectively make pleats of different widths.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a manually operated pleat forming tool that is economical in manufacture, and durable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my device ready for use,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my pleater being used on a fabric sheet and forming pleats therein,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the device taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and illustrates how one side of the device is flipped over to form a pleat, and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of my pleat former taken on line 44 of Fig. 2 and more fully illustrates its construction.

ln general my device comprises two hinged together leaf portions and 11. These two flat portions may be of any suitable material such as plastic, metal, wood, or even cardboard. I, however, recommend sheet plastic and preferably clear plastic for observation purposes. The two leaf portions 10 and 11 may be hinged together in any suitable manner. In the drawings I show the two leaf portions cast with registering hinge bearings to form a short length of a piano type hinge 12 with the usual hinge pin 13. This hinge 12 is of relatively short length and there is a space or slit 14 between the two leaf portions at each end of the hinge, as shown in Fig. 1.

My device, as shown, will make four different widths of pleats, however, it may be constructed to make more or even less than four sizes. The number of sizes of pleats are determined by the number of step widths of the two 2,834,522 Patented May 13, 1958 leaf portions, `The widest area of the two leaf portions is designated by the numeral 15. It will be noted that these two areas 15 extend laterally (when the device is expanded) equal distance, and their outer straight side edges are in planes parallel with the axis of the hinge 12. The lengths of these portions 15- are much greater than that of the length of the hinge section 12 which secures these two portions 15 in hinged relationship. The next size area portions of the two halves 10, andl 11, are designated by the numerals 16, respectively. These two side portions 16 are integrally connected to the portions` 15, respectively, and are similar to the same, except they are of less width. Connected integrally to the other end of each of the portions 16 are portions of still less width, designated by the numerals 17, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2. On the -other end of the portions 15 are lstill narrower portions designated by the numeral 18. These different width areas are made by stepping down the width of the two leaf portions 10 and 11. As an illustration the portions 18 may be of one-fourth inch width; the portions 15, one and one-half inch width; the portions 16, one inch width; Vand the portions 17, one half-inch width. These widths will determine the width of the pleat to be formed.

The practical operation of the device is as follows:

The sheet material 20 is placed on a llat surface 21. If, say it is desired to form one-half inch pleats, the device is placed to straddle the cloth, i. e., it extends through the slot 14 between the areas 17 as shown in Fig. 2. The area 17 adjacent the last pleat formed, or the edge of the garment for the first pleat to be formed is on top of the cloth or like 20, and the other area 17 of the other leaf is under the cloth. By merely flipping or folding the leaf 11 over and to the left as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, a pleat 25 will be formed, automatically, quickly and easily. The width of the pleat will be the same as the width of the portions 17. By all the areas of the two leaf portions being rectangular, the pleats will not only be uniform but accurate as to length direction and parallel arrangements. The same procedure is used for each pleat. The outer straight edge of the leaf portion on top of the cloth will be placed adjacent the last formed pleat. If one and onehalf inch pleats are desired, the unit of course is slipped on the cloth to bring the portions 15 into play. Thus, the width of pleats will be determined by the position in the slot 14 of the cloth. The forming of a given pleat is caused by the leaf portion being turned over, catching the free side of the cloth, causing the cloth to embrace both of its sides, and then depositing the fold over the fixed side area of the cloth to form the pleat. The user may work from either end of the tool and from any direction of the cloth.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement` of my pleat forming 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.

l claim: j

1. In a pleat forming device, two sheet members sp-aced apart at their inner adjacent sides to provide a slit opening between them for at least a major portion of their lengths, a hinge means hingedly connecting said two sheet members together at a point away from the ends of their inner adjacent edges whereby one sheet member may be laterally folded over the other without moving the other; said two sheet members having straight outer side edges and widths of dierent values.

2. In a pleat forming device, two symmetrically shaped sheet members spaced 4apart at their inner adjacent sides to provide a slit opening between them for at least a major portion of their lengths, a hinge means hingedly connecting said two sheet members together at a point away from the ends of their inner adjacent edges whereby one sheet member may be laterally folded over the other without moving the other; said two sheet members having straight outer side edges and widths of dierent values.

3. In a pleat forming device, two sheet members spaced apart at their inner adjacent sides to provide a slit opening between them for at least a major portion of their lengths, a hinge means hingedly connecting said two sheet members together at a point away from the ends of their inner adjacent edges whereby one sheet member may be laterally folded over the other without moving the other; said two sheet members having straight outer side edges and widths of different values on both of their separate ends.

4. In a pleat forming device, two symmetrically shaped sheet members spaced apart at their inner adjacent sides References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 189,866 Long Apr. 24, 1877 290,129 Smith Dec. 11, 1883 315,842 Schilling Apr. 14, 1885 457,721 Hoefer Aug. 11, 1891 1,632,415 Parsons June 14, 1927