US2881963A

US2881963A - Clamp assembly for garment finishing machines

Info

Publication number: US2881963A
Application number: US676294A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nolan C Jackson
Original assignee: Wichita Precision Tool Co Inc
Current assignee: Wichita Precision Tool Co Inc
Priority date: 1957-08-05
Filing date: 1957-08-05
Publication date: 1959-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 1976-04-14

Description

April 14; 1959 N; cfJ cKsoN CLAMP ASSEMBLY FOR GARMENT FINISHING MACHINES Filed Aug. 1 5, 1957 INVENTOR.

Jackson United States Patent 2,881,963 Patented Apr. 14, 1959 CLAMP ASSEMBLY FOR GARMENT FINISHING MACHINES Nolan C. Jackson, Wichita, Kans., assignor to Wichita Precision Tool Company, Inc., Wichita, Kans., a corporation of Kansas Application August 5, 1957, Serial N 0. 676,294

Claims. (Cl. 223-70) This invention relates to garment finishing machines and the most important object is to provide a clamp assembly which is employed in garment finishing machines for holding the garment in place against an inflatable bag over which the garment is draped.

It is another important object of the present invention to provide an improved clamp assembly for garment finishing machines having novel locking means as a part thereof for quickly and easily clamping a garment-engaging member in place at commencement of the garment finishing operations.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide locking means in a clamp assembly of the aforementioned character that is easily and quickly adjusted so as to accommodate garments of various thicknesses.

A further important object of the instant invention is the provision of a clamp assembly for garment finishing machines that utilizes a past-center principle between a pair of relatively swingable elements through the medium of a short link to the end that the elements will snap into locking position as soon as the garment-engaging member is moved into place against the garment.

Another object of the present invention relates to the way in which one of the aforementioned swingable elements is also adapted to rotate and thereby efiect the adjustment above referred to.

A preferred embodiment of the instant invention is illustrated in the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational view partially schematic showing a garment finishing machine having a clamping assembly made pursuant to the instant invention operably mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view partially broken away and in section revealing the clamp assembly per se.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on irregular line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed, crosssectional view taken on line IV--IV of Fig. 2.

The nature and operation of the garment finishing machine illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, forms no part of the instant invention.

In such machines there is provided means within hollow base 12 and/ or forming a part thereof, for directing steam and heated air in proper succession to a garment (not shown) to be draped over an inflatable bag 14 made of permeable material to the end that the air and steam are forced outwardly through the bag 14 and the garment thereon.

Bag 14 is supported by framework 16 therewithin carried by the base 12 and more particularly, by a neck element 18 secured to the upper end of the frame 16. Neck element 18 is additionally supported or stabilized by a backing strip 20 carried by turntable 22 on base 12.

Take-up means (not shown) at zones 24 and 26 for controlling distention of the bag 14 and one or more manual controls 28 therefor, likewise form no part of the instant invention, but it is to be pointed out that the supports for the controls 28 are mounted on the rotaable means 22 as is a second shorter backing strip 30 within the bag 14. The open bottom of the bag 14 has attachment with the rotatable means 22 and communicates with the base 12.

Elongated garment-engaging member 32 cooperates with backing strip 20 in clamping a garment therebetween after such garment is draped over the bag 14. Further, there is provided a suitable support 34 for the member 32, which support 34 extends radially outwardly and thence upwardly and outwardly at an angle from the rotatable part 22 of the base 12. By way of clarity, the element 36 seen in Fig. 1, is separate from the support 34 and constitutes a part of one of the controls 28 that has been broken away to show the support 34.

The structure for mounting the member 32 on the support 34 forms the subject matter of the instant invention and includes a pair of'relatively

movable elements

38 and 40, the element 38 being made up of a rod 42 and a block 44, the latter of which extends into the hollow support 34 and is swingably secured thereto by horizontal pivot pin 46.

Rod 42 extends into a socket 48 formed in the block 44 for free rotation therein and is held in place by a cross pin 50 in block 44 that is received by an annular groove 52 in rod 42, all of which is clear in Fig. 4.

The transversely U-shaped element 40 embraces a lateral extension 54 on the support 34 and is swingably secured thereto by a horizontal pivot pin 56 parallel with pin 46. The element 40 carries the member 32 through the medium of an L-shaped bracket 58 rigid to the outer face of the bight of element 40 and having an elongated strap 60 mounted thereon. The upwardly and inwardly extending strap 60 is preferably made from yieldable material such as spring steel and has a small bracket 62 secured to the uppermost end thereof embracing the member 32 intermediate the ends of the latter and secured to member 32 by a horizontal pivot pin 64 that is parallel with the

pins

46 and 56.

Rod 42 is provided with screw threads 66 intermediate the ends thereof receiving a nut 68 held in place by a lock nut 70 on rod 42. Past-center link means pivotally interconnects the

elements

38 and 40 and includes a pair of triangular links 72 which embrace the nut 68 and extend upwardly therefrom.

Pivot pins

74 and 76 parallel with

pivot pins

46, 56 and 64, connect the links 72 with nut 68 and the legs of element 40 respectively, it being noted that such legs embrace the links 72 and that the latter are adjacent the inner face of the bight of element 40 when the assembly is in the position illustrated by Fig. 2.

In operation, a garment may be placed on the bag 14 in the usual manner when the member 32 is retracted away from bag 14 as illustrated in Fig. 1. The clamp assembly is placed in use by manually grasping knob 78 on the upper end of rod 42 to swing the latter inwardly toward the garment on the bag 14 about the axis of pivot pin 46. This also swings the element 40 inwardly about the axis of pivot pin 56 to bring the member 32 into engagement with the garment.

Pivot pin 64 permits the member 32 to engage the garment throughout the length thereof, clamping the latter together with the bag 14 against the backing strip 20, irrespective of the variances in the thicknesses of the garment along the length of member 32. When the member 32 has clamped the garment tightly against the strip 20, additional inward movement of the knob 78 will swing the rod 42 relative to the element 40 and thereby swing the links 72 inwardly from the position shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 2. Note that during the inward swinging movement of the links 72, the pivot pin 74 aligns with the

pivot pins

46 and 76 on line 80 and thereupon moves past center line 80 between the latter and the bight of element 40 as illustrated in Fig. 2. This action on the part of the links 72 'eflectively locks the clamping assembly in place and yieldably holds the member 32 against the garment by virtue of the resilience inherent in the strap 60. During release of the clamping assembly, an outward pull on the knob 78 snaps the links 72 outwardly to position the pivot pin 74 on the opposite side of the center line 80 as-shown in Fig. 1.

In order to adjust the clamp assembly to accommodate garments of differing thicknesses, it is but necessary to loosen the lock nut 70 and rotate the rod 42 with respect to the block 44. This causes movement of the against said strip comprising a support spaced from the strip; an elongated handle extending upwardly from the support; a first pivot pin at the lowermost end of the handle mounting the latter on the support for horizontal swinging movement toward and away from said strip;

an elongated standard between the handle and the strip and'extending upwardly from the support; means at the lowermost end of the standard mounting the same on the support for swinging movement toward and away from said strip, the handle and the standard being relatively swinga'ble toward and away from each other; a

garment engaging member secured to the standard be tween the latter and the strip; a link between the handle and the standard and engaging the latter when the memher is against the garment; a second pivot pin at the uppermost end of the standard and the link mounting the latter on the standard for swinging movement toward and away from the standard; and a third pivot pin at the lowermost end of the link attaching the latter to the handle, said third pin being disposed on one side of a line extending between the first and second pins when the member is against the garment, and on the other side of said line when the handle is swung away from the strip to release the member from the garment.

2. The invention of claim 1, there being a fourth pivot pin at the-lowermost end of the standard attaching the latter to the support and spaced from the first pivot pin whereby the handle and standard converge toward the link when the member is against the garment, the pin being in horizontal parallelism whereby the handle, the standard and the link swing within a substantially common vertical plane as the handle is moved toward and away from the strip.

, vice.

4. The in vention of claim 1, said handle having screw threads, said device comprising a nut in mesh with the screw threads.

5. The invention of claim 4, the handle comprising a rod and a block, the first pin attaching the block to the support, the screw threads being on the rod and said rod being rotatably secured to the block whereby the distance between the block and the nut may be varied by rotating the rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,412,172 Pettit Dec. 3, 1946 2,574,281 Olson Nov. 6, 1951 2,592,903 Jackson Apr. 15, 1952