US743034A - Device for preventing hosiery from shrinking. - Google Patents

Description

No. 743,034. PUATENTBD NOV; 3, 190a.

L.E.ROACH.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING HOSIERY FROM SHRINKING.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9, 1901.

no MODEL.

INVENTOI? TNE uonms ms 50.. l-com-ui'na. WASHINGTON, n. c.

NITED STATES iatented November 3, 1903.

l ATENT OFFICE.

LAURA E. ROACH, OF BATHBEACH, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,034, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed December 9, 1901. Serial No. 85,141. (No model.

T at whom it may concerrt:

Be it known that I,-LAURA ELLA ROACH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bathbeach, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Preventing Hosiery from Shrinking, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part thereof, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The subject of the present invention is a device more particularly designed for preventing hosiery from shrinking, and has for its principal objects high efficiency, adj ustability to serve with difierent sizes of stockings and half-hose, lightness, durability, and inexpensiveness of construction.

With the above purposes in view the invention consistsof a form or frame having the general outline of a stocking and equipped with provision whereby the foot and other portions thereof may be increased or diminished in size.

A development of the invention, as more fully disclosed hereinafter, involves a form or frame made from a single piece of stout wire possessing a considerable amount of spring and bent to present an upper suspending-hook, also adapted to serve as a handle, an extended leg portion, and a foot portion, the terminal parts of the wire which occur at the foot portion being so peculiarly disposed as to permit said foot and leg portions to be adjusted to assume one of several sizes and be positively secured to retain the parts in any of said adjustments.

There are other novel features and details connected with the improved form or frame, which are also referred to more extendedly hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view of the improved form or frame. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through parts of the foot portion, the section being taken in the plane indicated by the dotted line a; m of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow 2 and the view showing the parts on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a somewhat similar View, the section in this instance being taken in the plane represented by the dotted line y y of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow 3. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bottom part of the form or frame, and Fig. 5 is a modification.

A section or length of spring-wire is bent at an intermediate point to present the upper hook A, preferably turned to one side and of liberal character, to adapt it for service as a handle in manipulating the device. From the base of this hook extend two horizontal bends a a, which form the top of the leg portion B, constituted by the two extended members b b, shaped, respectively, to impart the desired leg-outline, these members merging into the lower ankle and foot portions 0 D. The terminal parts D D which conjointly form the bottom of the foot portion, are arranged so that they are capable of relative movement to vary the size of the foot portion and are adapted to mutually engage for rigidly interlocking them to maintain the parts in such adjusted position. To provide for such adjustability and locking, the terminal portion D is bent to form the horizontal rearwardly-extending series of vertical loops d with lower contractions d, the said part in addition being provided at its end with a transversely-disposed and somewhat smaller loop d located in a slightly-lower plane than the loops (2 and to one side of the same. The terminal part D passes through and is guided in the loop 61* and extends along one side of the series of loops d, the end of said part being shaped to form the inward and slightly upward inclined small bend d and final vertical turn d As is well known, stockings and half-hose of certain textures after being subjected to wetting in washing or other operation are liable to shrink to such serious extent'as to impair their serviceability. and value.' My,

upper part of the loop at the side opposite to that on which the bend d enters the latter. With the device thus conditioned should it become desirable to alter its capacity to provide for a larger or smaller size stocking, as

. of another loop the part D can be released the case may be, the device is held with one hand and a finger of the other caused to exert a side pressure against the turn d This, on account of the peculiar inclination of the under side of the bend d coacting with the contiguous surface presented by the contractions d of the particular engagedloop d, will cause said bend to ride downwardly and outward on said contracted surface, effecting also such lowering movement of the bend d as will suffice to disengage the same from the upper part of the loop and be moved through and clear of the same at the opposite side thereof, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 4, whereupon the part D can be slid through the guideloop with the accompanied movement of the turn (1 horizontally along the series of loops at, and when the capacity of the device has been increased or diminished to the desired extent with the bend of opposite the opening and the normal spring tendency of the part D? forward of the guide-loop d with the latter serving as a purchase, will result in the turn being automatically sprung through the loop and the inclined under face of the bend d riding upward on the contraction (1, lift and engage the turn (1 at the opposite side tosecurely lock the parts in their adjusted position. The device as thus arranged can be introduced into the wet stocking to hold the same in shape against shrinkage while drying and retaining the fabric under such moderate and uniform tension as will obviate the necessity for ironing the same.

Any number of these devices can be employed, according to requirement, and after theintroduction of each within a wet stocking the hook A can be utilized to suitably suspend the same to promote convenient drylng. V.

The improved device may be made of any suitable material possessing the desired amountofresiliency. When met-alemployed is. liable to rust or corrode, its surface may be protected by electroplating, galvanizing, japanning, or in any other suitable. manner;

By modifying the shape of the device it can be adapted to similarly serve for use in connection with difierent sizes of other articles of apparel made from shrinkable textile fabric.

On account of the lightnessand narrowness of the. improved frame or form stowage and transportationof the same in largequantities is, facilitated.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the particular construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, as changes may be made in the details thereof and the devicestill be within the spirit of my invention.

Instead of the series of vertical loops at (illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive) I may secure to the terminal part D a thin vertical and longitudinally-extending plate D provided with a horizontal series of openings d of hosiery, a frame composed of a single piece of spring-wire, embodying integral leg, ankle and foot portions, one terminal of the bottom of said foot part having a horizontal series of vertical loops and an end guide, and the other terminal part having an end extension bent upwardly,laterally,and again upwardly, said part passing through the said end guide of the other terminal and said enddetachably engaging theloops in said series, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device. for preventing the shrinkage of hosiery, a f rame. composed of a single spring-wire having leg, ankle and foot portions integral with each other, the foot portion having one terminalwith a horizontal series of vertical loops and an end guide, and the other terminal, which is movably extended through said guide, provided with an extension having an ,up ward,lateral and upward extended members comprising leg, ankle and foot portions, all of said parts integral with each other, said foot portion having a part which embodies a horizontal series of vertical loops. and a laterally-projecting end guide, and an extension which movably extends through said guide and is provided with an upward bend, a lateral bend and vertical turn at the end thereof, and with a face inclined to ride on any of the said loops and guide the turn therethrough into engagement therewith, so that in disengaging said end, thesaid end guide operating both as a fulcrum and a bearing, will support the said extension, so that it can be both turned, and bent outward to effect such disengagement, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 30th day of November, 1901.

LAURA E. ROAGH.

Witnesses:

0. E. MCDONALD, BELLE PATTERSON.

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