US3062244A

US3062244A - Woven rattan fabric

Info

Publication number: US3062244A
Application number: US144724A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fong Danny Ho
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-10-12
Filing date: 1961-10-12
Publication date: 1962-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1979-11-06

Description

Nov- 6, 196 DANNY HO FONG WOVEN RATTAN FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 12, 1961 FIG. l.

m m P INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Nov. 6, 1962 DANNY HO FONG 3,062,244

WOVEN RATTAN FABRIC Filed Oct. 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3. FIG. 5

DANNY HO FONG:

ATTORJVEY iiite tates a This invention relates to the art of making rattan or similar fabric used in the manufacture of furniture.

Rattan strands used in the manufacture of furniture are usually of random or unequal length. Even if they should be prepared to be of the same length, the ends would not terminate at the same point in the furniture body because the design of the seat, back or arms may Vary in size. Heretofore, it has been customary to anchor the free end of a strand, for example, a weft strand, to a support by fining, knotting, tying, or the like. In some cases where the free end of the strand terminates near a part of the frame, it has also been customary to secure the free end with a nail or similar fastening. In the past, regardless of how the free ends of the warp are secured, even when glued, they tend to come loose after a period of time and not only weaken the entire piece of furniture, but because they protrude beyond the normal surface of the chair, they constitute a hazard to the body and clothing of the user.

As its primary object, the present invention provides a solution to the problem heretofore encountered, by inserting or tucking the free end of a weft strand behind one or more alternate adjacent parallel weft strands and parallel to an available warp strand. In other words, the free end or terminal portion of a given weft strand will be threaded into an interlocked position adjacent a warp strand.

A further object of the invention is to provide the terminal portion of the weft strand with a notch inwardly of its end to facilitate bending the end at right angles to the main axis of the strand.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of a Woven fabric illustrating the terminal portions of certain weft strands all turned or disposed in the same direction at opposite sides of a warp strand.

FIGURE 1a is a detail view of a strand notched to facilitate bending.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a piece of rattan furniture illustrating the manner of weaving and disposing the terminal portions of the strands, as shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the terminal portions of a given strand all turned in the same direction, but in a plane 180 from that shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a portion of woven fabric following the pattern of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a further diagramamtic view showing the terminal portions of adjacent selected strands disposed in opposite directions as well as on opposite sides of the anchoring strands.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the fabric shown in FIGURE 5.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, it will be observed that the Weft strands are all designated generally as A and the 3,952,244 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 warp strands are designated as B. It will, of course, be understood that the strands A and B are moistened or otherwise prepared in the customary manner to render them pliable and manipnlatable to perform the weaving operation.

Assuming that the warp strands B are paired, as shown in various figures of the drawings, the weft strands A when incorporated in the fabric have the end portions trimmed or cut to provide an anchoring portion of suitable length and designated generally as C. To facilitate the bending of the strands, it is preferable to notch the same as inicated at D in FIGURE 1a. This notching is preferably done by a knife in the hand of the weaver; but, if the end of the strand is sufficiently pliable, it need not be notched.

As the weaving operation proceeds, the strands of Varying length are used, and when the free or threading end reaches the most appropriate point to be anchored, the end C is bent at right angles and tucked behind or beneath alternate right angularly disposed weft strands of the fabric so as to be permanently imbedded within the gen eral plane of the fabric with the tips of such strands protected entirely from any projection from the face of the fabric itself.

The location of the notch D when used determines the length of the holding or locking section C. This notch may be made by hand just prior to the time when the terminal portion is to be prepared for insertion into its shielded position.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the terminal portions C are intended to abut or engage the right angularly disposed warp strands B and to lie beneath alternate adjacent weft strands A, all of the ends being disposed in the same direction, that is, toward the bottom, of FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate the ends C all disposed in the same upper direction with respect to the top portion of FIGURE 3. While in this arrangement, the ends are disposed oppositely to that shown in FIGURE 1, nevertheless, the locking effect will be the same. Also, it will be seen from FIGURES 3 and 4 that the length of the locking portion C may be greater than that shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2.

It will now be seen that in FIGURES 1-4, the locking ends C are disposed in tandem at opposite sides of the warp members B.

In FIGURES 5 and 6, the terminal portions C are dis posed in opposite directions to each other, but are still confined to the same general plane of the fabric.

By following the disclosure herein, the disposition of the terminal ends of strands is taken care of in a facile and practical manner at the time of manufacture, and when the fabric becomes set in its finished form, all of the free ends of the weft strands will be completely housed or shielded behind one or more adjacent weft strands.

I claim:

1. Rattan or like fabric for use in the manufacture of furniture, comprising warp strands, and weft strands inter-woven with said warp strands, the said weft strands having their free end portions bent at an angle to their longitudinal axis and parallel to an adjacent warp strand, the bent free end portions of said weft strands disposed behind and concealed by alternate adjacent weft strands.

2. Rattan or like fabric according to claim 1, wherein, the end portions of the weft strands are notched inwardly of their terminal edge to provide a locking leg.

3. Rattan or like fabric according to claim 1, wherein, the adjacent free end portions of the Weft strands are disposed in the same direction.

4. Rattan or like fabric according to claim 1, wherein,

3 4 the adjacent free end portions of the weft strands are References Cited in the file of this patent alternately disposed in opposite directions. UNITED STATES PATENTS 5. A method of making woven rattan furniture including warp and weft strands which consists in, threading 1,707,688 Siebert P 21 1928 the Weft strands about the warp strands, bending the free 5 1,722,264 Bartow July 1929 end of a weft strand at right angles to the body of said FOREIGN PATENTS strand and then insertin said free end beneath one or a 150,536 Great Britain Sept. 9, 1920 more ad acent Weft strands at the location of a warp strand 263,661 I t y Mar. 26, 1929 to hold it permanently in the plane of the said warp strand.