US3188742A - Tool adaptable to aid in the making of pleats and the like - Google Patents

Description

June 15, 1965 c. F. PEARL 3,188,742

TOOL ADAP'IABLE TO AID IN THE MAKING OF PLEATS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 26, 1962 l7 PIC-3.5 4"

20 l 20 40 I: 4| I 3] i I8 INVENTOR,

7 CURTIS E-PEARL, II BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,188,742 TOOL ADAPTABLE T0 AID IN THE MAKING OF PLEATS AND THE LIKE Curtis F. Pearl, West Englewood, N.J., assignor to Pentapco, Inc., Elizabeth, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 246,922 1 Claim. (Cl. 33-143) The present invention relates to a caliper-type tool atllzapted for use'in the making of pleats, tuck-s and the li e. g The principal'object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved caliper-type tool having graduations on its body member to indicate the distance between the outer edges of its jaws which are here in the form of straight fingers. Further, I provide that by turning a wheel, the slide is shifted on the body member to alter the distance between their fingers and that at each graduated position, the caliper shall be releasably locked automatically.

. A further object thereof is to provide a novel and im proved tool for use in the making of pleats, tucks and the like, which is simple in construction, reasonably cheap in cost to manufacture, easy to use and efiicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For the practice of this invention, one form it may assume is to have a caliper-like tool comprising a body member with a jaw in the form of a straight finger extending normal thereto and co-planar therewith. The graduations are on this body member as well as a series of holes or teats spaced along and corresponding in position to the respective gr-aduations. The line of graduations commences from the outer edge of the finger on this body member. In mid-section, this body has a transverse slot which is parallel to the finger. The slide has marginal lugs extending from its lengthwise edges, which lugs are bent over the lengthwise edges of the body member to provide for the slidable association. This slide also has a finger extending therefrom in parallel relation to the finger of the body member, an accessible, rotatably mounted wheel having a lateral prong which fits in and is slidable along said slot in the body member, and said slide member also has a teat for releasably co-operative engagement with teats or holes in said body member. Suitable stops are provided on the body member to maintain the assembly. In the embodiment illustrated herein, the parts of the tool are sheetmetal stampings.

A detailed description will now be given of the preferred embodiment herein shown.

. In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a front of a tool which is an aid in the making of pleats, tucks and the like, and shows one manner of its use to form a pleat. The tool is here set so that its fingers are furthest apart.

FIG. 2 is a similar view, but here the slide has been set so that the distance between fingers is at the minimum in this tool.

FIG. 3 shows the blank which shall serve as the slide member.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the wheel member in FIG. .1.

FIG. 5 shows .the blank which shall serve as the body member.

FIG. 6 is an end view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an end view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is an end view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a section taken at line 9--9 in FIG. 2.

In the drawing, the tool shown is of the caliper-type and designated generally by the numeral 15, comprises a body member indicated generally by the numeral 16 which includes a jaw, here in the form of a comparatively narrow, elongated finger v17, and a slide member denoted generally by the numeral .18 which includes a jaw, here in the form of a comparatively narrow, elongated finger 19. The edges of said fingers are perpendicular to the direction of movement of the slide member. There is also a wheel 20, which here is positioned between said body and slide members and rotatably mounted on the slide member in a manner that part of such wheel is exposed and hence accessible to be turned by hand. Said Wheel has a laterally extending prong 21 which fits into and is slidable along a slot 22 in the body member; the direction of said slot being parallel to the directions of extension of said fingers.

For a simple construction, the body member may be generally flat and L-shaped, thus constituting an oblong piece 23 with the finger 17 extending laterally therefrom at one end thereof. The slide member 18, is generally flat and of unsymmetrical T-shape which is nearly an L-shape, thus constituting the oblong piece 24 with the finger 19 extending therefrom, from near an end thereof. The length of the oblong body piece 23 is somewhat more than twice the width of the widest pleat 25, the tool 15 will be called upon to aid in the making of. The length of the oblong piece 24- is somewhat more than half the length of the oblong piece 23.

The slide member 18, along its longitudinal edges, has the spaced bendable lugs 26, 27 and 28 which are bent over to lie against the rear surface of the body piece 23 after the wheel 20 is mounted by having its nipple hub 20' set into the hole 30 in the slide member 18. Inward teats 31, 32 on the slide piece 24 serve as spacers to contact the face of the body piece 23. The slide also has a hole 33 therethrough to serve as a window to expose to view, one at a time, the graduations 34 on the body piece 23; such graduations being arranged to indicate the distance between the farthest edges 17, 19 of the fingers. Along said graduations and similarly spaced in said body piece 23, there are teats or holes 35-40, adapted for releasable engagement with the cooperating teat 41 on the slide piece 24, and so arranged that when the reading at the window 3-3 is /2, indicating such distance in inches to exist between the finger edges 17, 19', the teat 41 is in engagement with the teat 35. The lug 27 is then up against the stop 43 on the body member 16. When the slide member 18 is shifted so that the reading at the window 33 is 1% the lug 26 is up against the stop 42 on the body member 16. The position of the slot 22 is midway between said stops 42 and 43. It is to be noted that the track slot 22 is relatively short when compared with the possible travel of the slide 18 and that at midpoint of such travel, the radial line on the operating member 20 to the trackengaging element 21, is parallel to the outer finger edges 17, 19. This permits the device to be of optimum minimum dimensions.

It is evident that upon turning the wheel 20 clock-wise in FIG. 1, the slide 18 will move towards the right to close the caliper, and when turned counterclockwise in FIG. 2, the slide member will move to the left to increase the distance between the fingers 17, 19.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment and use shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patenta'ble novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claim rather than to the specific description herein, to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

In a caliper-type tool adapted to'aid in the making'of pleats and the like, a body member having a jaw extending therefrom, a slide member slidably mountedon said body member and havingajaw extending therefrom; said jaws extending laterally with" respect to the line-along which said slide member is'movable; said jaws being} opposite one another whereby onmovinent ofsaid slide member, the distance between said jaws is altered; each of said jaws being an elongated finger; the edges of saidfingers which are fanthest apart when said fingers are apart; being straight and parallel; said body member having a a track transverse the direction of movement of said slide member, an operating member rotatably mounted to and positioned betweensaidtbody an'd slide' member, saidoperating member having'a portion accessible for manual manipulation and another-portion confined between the 'body member and slide member and said last mentioned portion having an element extending therefrom, engaged by said track for sliding movement therealon'g, the distancelbetween the axis of rotation of the operating member and the track-engagingelement is less than the lateral width of the body member Whereuponturning said. ope-rating member in one direction, said slide member will be shifted so that said jaws will move away from each other and upon turning said operating member in theopposite direction;

said slide member will'be shifted whereby said jaws will move towards each other and cooperative stop means on both said body and slide members, determining the limits of travel of said slide member along said body member; said track being substantially midway between said stop means which arespaced onivsaid body member so that 'when the .slide is at the mid-point of its travel along the bodymem-ber, the'radial-line on'said operating member from the ax-is of rotation fOf said operating member to said 'traek-enga ging element, issubstantially parallel to said parallel edge's of'said fingers.

V References Cited by the Examiner 'UNITED ,STATES PATENTS ISAAC'LISANN, Primary Examiner.

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