US2972437A - Collar former device - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1961 E. DAVIS ET AL COLLAR FORMER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 51, 1957 G Rm mDAU m wT m S U. E E W CN A RAE uH% Feb. 21, 1961 E. DAVIS ETAL 2,972,437

COLLAR FORMER DEVICE Filed May 31, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N\ ENTOR. E R N EST D AVIS WALLACE F.GAYRING BY HENRY UHLIG COLLAR FORMER DEVICE Ernest Davis, Syracuse, Waliace F. Gayring, Minoa, and

Henry Uhlig, Bouckville, N.Y., assignors to Ward Industries Corporation, Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 31, 1957, Ser. No. 662,693

4 Claims. (Cl. 223-521) more commonly referred to as the neck band or collar band. In the pressing of these shirts, either by the manufacturer or by commercial laundries and the like,'it is customary to first form the collar of the shirt into the desired shape on a collar former. The collar is left projecting its full height above the plane of the finished folded shirt. Depending on the style of the collar, this can be well over an inch. The collar thus rising above the plane of the finished folded shirt increases the bulk of the one end of the shirt. Considerable storage space is thus required in shipping boxes, bureaus, or clothes presses and the like, and extra care must be exercised when placing shirts thus folded on a display shelf in a store. Likewise, much space is wasted. If the collar of a shirt thus folded is pushed down or otherwise flattened to any extent, unsightly wrinkles are caused to appear in the collar which are detrimental to the overall appearance of the shirt, and the yoke of the shirt is likewise rumpled. Those skilled in the art agree generally that the finished appearance of the collar of the shirt constitutes more than a third of the overall quality of the finished shirt.

Accordingly it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a finished, folded shirt in which the collar lies closer to, and in the plane of the folded shirt body, the back of the collar lying at an angle within the range of 55 to 60 degrees. I

It is another object of this invention to form a collar according to the primary object wherein no unsightly wrinkling of the collar or rumpling of the yoke exists.

It is a further object to accomplish the above rapidly, efiiciently and at a minimum of expense, time, and skill on the part of the operator. 7

A further object of the present invention is to form a shirt collar according to the above objects so that the finished shirt is flatter, requires no inserts in the collar, to provide for storing more shirts in a given space or box than possible with previous methods.

These and other objects will be further explained and a better understanding of the invention may be had when the following description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

. Figure 1 is a side elevation of a set of collar forming blocks in accordance with the features of the present invention, the blocks being in a retracted position.

Figure 2 is a frontal elevation of the blocks in retracted position.

sible collar forming blocks mounted thereon.

2,972,437 Patented Feb. 21 1961 plane of a collar forming section 30 of a shirt folding table, not shown, is illustrated having a set of expan- It is understood in the art that the top of the collar forming device lies substantially at the plane of the top of the shirt folding table. The folding machine for which this invention is adapted for use can be any conventional table such as the one disclosed in the Rieck machine, US. Patent Number 2,768,774. vThis being old, no further illustration is required nor provided.

With cross-reference to Figures 1-3, a pairof side blocks 20 are disposed adjacent each other with their bases 21 resting on the folding table 30. A guide slot 32 in the table has suitable studs projecting throughand attached to the bottoms of the side block bases 21. These studs 33 are attached at their lower ends to a suit able mechanism, not shown, for expanding and contracting the blocks laterally, the studs 33 thus being moved along the guide slot 32 for directing the blocks 20. Such a mechanism usually comprises a pneumatic cylinder and suitable linkage actuated thereby for moving the blocks.

A front block 10 is fastened at its base 12 by means of a suitable stud 33 projecting downwardly through I or retracted rearwardly towards thesideblocks 20. it

Figure 3 is a top view of the blocks in the expanded is to be understood that all threeblocks are actuated simultaneously. The front block 10 has a nose piece 11 extending forwardly and downwardly at an angle from a position near the top of the front block in to its base 12. The front block extends backwardly at an angle from the top of the front of the block, and the portion 13, Figure l, is adapted to retain and engage the collar band of a shirt placed thereon. The sides of frontblock 10 extend inwardly from the top down as shown at the angle 14- in Figure 2.

The back of the'side blocks 20, Figure 1, incline at an angle, later to be described in detail, as indicated at 22, and relative to a horizontal plane. The sides of the side blocks 20 also incline at a prescribed angle 23 illustrated in Figure 2.

In the operation of the collar former, the operator prepares a shirt for folding by placing the shirt, front down, on the shirt folding table with the collar being placed over the collar former blocks. These blocks are first retracted either by spring action in the actuating mechanism, or by a pneumatic cylinder actuated by the operator. his to be understood that the collar button 36 must first be buttoned. After buttoning the collar button 36, the neck band or collar band 37 of the shirt collar, indicated by the dotted lines 35, is placed so that the portion 13 of front block 10 may be engaged thereat.

The operator then actuates the mechanism, or as the case may be, releases the mechanism, not shown, causing the collar forming blocks 10 and 26 to expand. The front block 14} moves forwardly, the portion 13 thereof engaging the collar band 37 of the shirt collar 35, and the side blocks 20 move sidewardly, engaging the back portion of the collar 35. This back portion 39. of the collar 35 is thus caused to assume the angle shown at 22 in Figure 1. This angle 22 lies within the range of 55 to 60 degrees. The side portions of the collar 35 are caused to incline at the angle 23 in Figure 2; This angle is also within the range of 55 to 60 degrees. The angle 14 of front block 1t while not being critical, is sufiicient to follow the contour of the collar 35 formed by the side blocks 20. It is therefore seen that the portion 13 of front block 10 and the inwardly inclining angles 23 of side blocks 20 hold the shirt collar 35 on the blocks when the blocks are expanded.

aware? Figure 3 illustrates the shirt collar 35 being stretched slightly, or tensioned by the front block and the side blocks 20 being forced outwardly against the collar 35 when the blocks are expanded. The back 39 of the collar 35 is outlined by dotted lines around the side blocks 20, and the front of the collar lies around the portion 13 of front block 16. caused to lie fiat against the shirt.

It has been found that a shirt properly positioned on the collar former will have the collar 35formed in accordauce with the objects of the invention, and that the yoke will not in any way be wrinkled or rumpled. The collar will lie substantially flat along the plane of the finished folded shirt, allowing the operator to fold the shirt in such a manner that when finished, the collar takes up less space than in previous methods of collar forming. Thus, a shirt may be placed in a box or other confined space with other shirts, allowing more shirts to be placed therein, and with less chance of wrinkling or other damage to the appearance of the shirts therein.

While a particular modification of the invention has been illustrated, it is to be understood that further modi- The collar points 38 are fications and changes to the device may be made which do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a collar molding machine, in combination a front block and a pair of side blocks for forming a collar placed thereon, said blocks being adapted to be expanded and retracted for tensio-ning'said collar, a portion of said front block being adapted to engage the collar band of a collar placed thereon for holding said collar on said blocks, portions of said side blocks being inclined at an angle within the range of 55 to 60 degrees for forming portions of said collar at an angle of 55 to 60 degrees, said collar being placed on said blocks, said blocks being 4 expanded for forming said collar whereby said collar lies substantially within the plane of a finished folded shirt.

2. In a collar forming machine according to claim 1, said front block having a portion at the front of said block inclining backwardly at an angle downwardly from the top of said block.

3. Collar forming blocks for a collar forming machine comprising a front block, a pair of side blocks, said front block adapted to be guided forwardly and backwardly in said machine, said side blocks being adapted to be guided laterally in said machine, the sides of said front block and said side blocks being formed to extend inwardly and downwardly at an angle from the top of said blocks, a portion of the front of said front block being formed to extend backwardly and downwardly at an angle from the top of said block, the backs of said side blocks being formed to extend outwardly and downwardly at an angle from the top of said blocks; whereby a collar formed on said blocks lies substantially within the plane of a finished, folded shirt.

4. Collar forming blocks according to claim 3, the angle of said sides of said side blocks lying within the range of to degrees, the angle of said backs of said side blocks lying within the range of 55 to 60 degrees; "whereby portions of a collar formed on said blocks .lie

at an angle within the range of 55 to 60 degrees.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,504,934 Luke Apr. 18, 1950 2,768,774 Rieck Oct. 30, 1956 2,769,585 Goldstein Nov. 6, 1956 2,829,809 Freeman Apr. 8, 1958 2,847,150 Neckel Aug. 12, 1958 fla

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