US3106390A

US3106390A - Supporting device

Info

Publication number: US3106390A
Application number: US234076A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert A Gleason
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-10-30
Filing date: 1962-10-30
Publication date: 1963-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1980-10-08

Description

Oct. 8, 199163 R. A. GUEASON 3,106,390

fSUP-PORTING DEVICE Fimefi Oct. so, 1962 INVENTOR.

ROBERT A. GLEASON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,106,390 SUPPORTING DEVICE Robert A. Gleason, 2249 Northland Ave, Lakewood, Ohio Filed Oct. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 234,076 3 Claims. (Cl. 269254) This invention relates to needle-working devices for holding cloth, leather or any other similar type of material while a sewing, embroidering, or tooling operation is performed thereon.

The object of this invention is to provide a needle-work device that is designed for extreme simplicity of operation and more particularly, for use by a person who has been handicapped by the loss of the use of one hand.

The preferred embodiment is described below in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the device showing the hoop in its material-clamping position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device, showing the hoop in a position which allows material to be placed over the work support.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the hoop in its normal position.

FIG. 4 is a partial plan View of the hoop, on enlarged scale, showing the hoop expanded.

FIG. 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the needlework device comprises a work support 11 which is firmly fastened to one leg 12 of the L-shaped base 13. A hoop 14 is attached to the other leg 15 of the base 13 by a hinge 16, which allows the hoop 14 to be swung into and out of a work support-encircling position.

The upper end of the work support 11 is formed into a convex working surface 17. This working surface terminates at a cut-away portion 18 and a flange 19, both of which encircle the work support.

The hoop, when in its work support-encircling position, is normally adapted to engage the work support about the cut-away portion 18 and be supported by the flange 19.

The convex working surface 17 makes practical the use of ordinary straight needles or tools to sew, embroider or tool design on or in the material using only one hand for the entire operation. However, the invention is not limited to a convex working surface since this surface may be of any shape, curvature or contour desired.

As shown in FIGS. '3-5, the hoop is a split metal band 21, having a pair of handles 22 that are attached to and extend from each end thereof. A coil spring 23 is also attached between the ends of the band 21 and arranged to contract the hoop. When the hoop is in the FIG. 1 position, the spring 23 causes hoop 14 to clamp the material being worked against the work support 11. The handles 22 are arranged so that when they are pressed toward one another, the band 21 expands against the bias of the spring 23. This expansion allows the hoop to be lifted clear of the working surface -17 as shown in FIG. 2.

The hinge 16 is brazed to the hoop 14 and is pivoted about the leg '15 of the base 13. The hinge 16 is provided a with expansion loop 16' which allows limited, linear, relative movement between the hoop and the leg 15. This relative movement compensates for variations in the thickness of the needlework materials which can be used with this device. 1

It should be noted that the cross-sectional shape of the work support and of the hoop are not critical. In fact,

as long as there is sufficient correspondence between the shape of the hoop and the shape of the Work support to permit clamping of the material to be worked, the work support and the hoop can assume any number of different shapes depending on the use to which the device is put.

The operation of this device is extremely simple and within the capabilities of a person who is handicapped by the loss of the use of one hand. When the handles 22 are pressed together, the hoop can be lifted clear of the work support 1 1. The material to be worked is then placed over the working surface 17 and the hoop 14 brought back to the FIG. 1 position in which it abuts the flange 19. The handles 22 are now released, thus allowing spring 23 to contract hoop l4 and clamp the material tautly over the convex working surface 17 Thereafter, any sewing operation can easily be performed with an ordinary straight needle.

As stated previously, the drawing and the description relate only to the preferred embodiment of the invention. Since many changes can be made in the structure of this embodiment without departing from the inventive concept, the following claims should provide the sole measure of the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A needlework-securing device comprising a. a base plate;

b. a work support connected with the base plate and having a convex working surface and a cylindrical clamping surface;

c. a material-clamping band comprising a split hoop conforming generally to the contour of the clamping surface of the work support;

d. hinge means connecting the band with the base plate and permitting pivotal movement of the band relatively to the base plate between an active position in which the band surrounds the clamping surface of the work support and an inactive position in which the band is clear of the work support so that needlework can be laid on or removed from the working surface; and

e. means forming an integral part of the hoop to expand and contract the hoop.

2. The needlework-securing device defined in claim 1 in which the means for expanding and contracting the hoop includes a. a spring interconnecting the ends of the hoop and arranged to contract the hoop; and

b. a handle attached to each end of the hoop, the handles being so arranged that when they are pressed toward each other the hoop is expanded.

3. The needlework frame defined in claim 1 in which the connection between the base and the hoop also per- 5 mits relative linear movement therebetween in a direction normal to the axis of the hinge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 219,025 Skardon Aug. 26, 1879 892,961 Kohler July 7, 1908 963,085 Smith July 5, 1910 1,473,622 Gosch Nov. 13, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS 579,740 Germany Apr. 5, 193 1

Claims

1. A NEEDLEWORK-SECURING DEVICE COMPRISING A. A BASE PLATE; B. A WORK SUPPORT CONNECTED WITH THE BASE PLATE AND HAVING A CONVEX WORKING SURFACE AND A CYLINDRICAL CLAMPING SURFACE; C. A MATERIAL-CLAMPING BAND COMPRISING A SPLIT HOOP CONFORMING GENERALLY TO THE CONTOUR OF THE CLAMPING SURFACE OF THE WORK SUPPORT; D. HINGE MEANS CONNECTING THE BAND WITH THE BASE PLATE AND PERMITTING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE BAND RELATIVELY TO THE BASE PLATE BETWEEN AN ACTIVE POSITION IN WHICH THE BAND SURROUNDS THE CLAMPING SURFACE OF THE WORK SUPPORT AND AN INACTIVE POSITION IN WHICH THE BAND IS CLEAR OF THE WORK SUPPORT SO THAT NEEDLEWORK CAN BE LAID ON OR REMOVED FROM THE WORKING SURFACE; AND E. MEANS FORMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HOOP TO EXPAND AND CONTRACT THE HOOP.