US2259369A - Quick-operating dial adjustment for garment shaping machines - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1941. J. R. FITZGERALD 2,259,369

QUICK-OPERATING DIAL ADJUSTMENT FOR GARMENT SHAPING MACHINES Filed March 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 I7 I 4 Z 27 O O I l I a a 4/ 19 l Z6 Z3 ,47 -Z/ 46 /8 46 If .5? I I 26 f. s7 /9 T I5 /4 T v E 5 /4 55 36 B L 45 Z 35 gfaknjflfz'iz erafl :NVENTOR Oct. 14, 1941.

J. R. FITZGERALD QUICK-OPERATING DIAL ADJUSTMENT FOR GARMENT SHAPING MACHINES Filed March 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Joknfif'iizyeraZa,

ATTORN E s WITN E55 Patented Oct. 14, 1941 QUICK-OPERATIN G DIAL GARMENT SHAP 2,259,369 oFFIcE ADJUSTMENT FOR ING MACHmES John R. Fitzgerald, Harlingen, Tex. Application March 10, 1941, Serial No. 382,623

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a quick-operating dial adjustment for garment shaping machines of the type disclosed in my prior application for patent on Garment stretchers, filed January 31, 1940, Serial No. 316,670; and may beconsidered as an improvement thereon.

Among other objects of the improvement are to provide quickly adjustable settings for the bust, waist and hip measurements, to provide means whereby the machine may be adjusted smaller or larger, even though a dress is in place on the machine, to provide positive locking means, with no possibility of slipping once the dial has been set to proper measurements, and to increase the rapidity of operation by locating the pointer in a fixed position rather than in a movable position, as in the above mentioned copending application.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be formed of a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a garment shaping machine equipped with quick operating dial adjustments constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, drawn to enlarged scale, showing the construction of the quick operating dial adjustments.

Figure 3 is a detail front elevation showing the scale and the stationary pointer on the case for cooperation with the scale.

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional view showing the means for locking the dial in adjusted position and showing the means for securing the bead chain to the dial.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2, drawn to enlarged scale, and showing the toothed cup shaped member of the dial released from the locking means.

In my above referred to prior application, adjusting dials were disclosed which embodied friction locking means secured in proper position by wing nuts. This mechanism, while satisfactory, is slow, and in lieu thereof the present invention provides quick operating adjusting dials for limiting operation of the beaded chains when the lazy tongs are actuated to shape the flexible side stretching bars to the contour of the dress andhold the dress taut while it is being steamed.

' I stretched. A pair Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the garment shaping machine embodies briefly, a base casing I 0 from which steam is supplied into the garment being of foot pedals II are mounted on the casing for actuating the stretching mechanism. A flexible conduit I2 is carried by the upper end of the casing and is provided with a frame l3 at the top to which skirt spreaders M are secured, the skirt spreaders being the subject matter of a separate application filed on even date herewith. A post l5 extends upward from the casing and supports a garment hanger l6 at the top. A system of lazy tongs l1 and P I 8 are associated with the post and support on the conduit the outer ends thereof flexible side stretching bars L! which coact with flexible front and rear stationary stretching bars 20 in holding the dress taut while it is being subjected to steam from l2. The lazy tongs are extended by cables 9 and link mechanism, not shown, attached to the pedals II and are provided with helical springs 2| which maintain the lazy tongs normally retracted. These parts are conventional and are disclosed in my above mentioned prior application.

The mechanism constituting the novelty of the present invention embodies means to be operated prior to the stretching of the garment for limiting movement of the lazy tongs l1 and I8, depending upon the measurements of the garment, and will now be' described.

The lazy tongs limiting mechanism comprises calibrated dials 22, 23 and 24, disposed respectively opposite the bust, waist and. hip portions of the side stretching bars l9, see Figure 1, one of said dials being shown in front elevation in Figure 3. The calibrations of each dial designate predetermined measurements. As also shown in Figure 3, a stationary pointer 25 is displayed on the case 26, which is a conventional part of the machine and houses the inner ends of the lazy tongs, see-Figure 2.

Each dial is fixed to a respective shaft 21 upon which a sleeve 28 is disposed to form a bearing for the shaft in the front wall of the case 26. The rear end of the shaft is journalled in a bearing 29. The bearing 29 is carried by an elongated collar 30' which is integral with the post. The shaft is' slidable endwise in the bearings 28 and 29.

A cup-shaped member 3| is fixed to the shaft and is provided with teeth 32 which extend perpendicular to the cup-shaped member and face the rear surface of the front wall of the case 26. A stop lug 33 projects inwardly from the rear face of the front wall of the case and is interchangeably receivable between the teeth. Preferably, the shaft 21 is square and is received in similarly shaped openings in the dial 24 and chains 46 and 41,

of the operators hand to compress the spring 34 and move the cup-shaped member 3| to dis engage the teeth thereof from the stop lug 33 so that the dial may be quickly rotated to dis-. pose any desired calibration at the respective stationary pointer 25. When pressure of the operators hand is released, the spring 34 forces the dial outwardly and returns the cup-shaped member to receive the stop lug 33 between two of its teeth to lock the dial stationary in adjusted position. i

Mounted on the shaft 21 is a pulley 35, the periphery of which is formed to provide a groove 36 to receive a bead chain 31. One end of the bead chain, see Figure 4, is received in an arcuate socket member 38 which is secured by a screw bolt 39 to the pulley 35. The chain passes around the pulley and through a grommet or guide eye 40 to the exterior of the case 26. The free end of the chain is secured to the pivotal connection 4! between the outer end of the respective lazy tong and the side stretching bar l9, see Figure 1.

The pulley 35 is'rotated by rotation of the respectiveidial when setting the machine for the desired measurements and the bead chain 31 will be slacked off or reeled upon the pulley accord ing to th direction of rotation of the pulley. Subsequently when the foot pedals H are operated to extend the lazy tongs, the lazy tongs will be limited in such movement by the length of the chain which may be drawn taut between the pulley and outer end of the lazy tong.

In practice, it has not been found necessary to employ lazy tongs for stretching the waist portion of the garment since the corresponding portion of the stretching bars I9 will be deformed by actuation of the upper and lower lazy tongs. However, to accurately adjust the waist portion of the stretching bars, the intermediate dial 23, before-mentioned, is utilized. The dial, shaft therefor, compression spring, cup shaped toothed member and stop lug, are identical with the same parts described to control movement of the lazy tongs and hence have been given identical designating numerals, The dial is operated in the same manner as the lazy tong limitingdials, above described. However, the shaft 21 of the waist dial 231s rotatably mounted ina bearing opening 42 in the respective integral collar 43 on the post i5, and is equipped with a grooved pulley 44 on one side of the post and with a grooved pulley 45 on the other side of the post, seeFigure 2. These pulleys receive respective bead which are similar to the bead chains heretofore described, and are connected to the pulleys in the same manner, but the free ends of the chains are connected to the-side stretching bars l9 at the waist portion, see Figure 1. The deforming of the side stretching bars at the waist portion is limited by the chains 46 and 41 in the same manner that the heretofore described chains 31 limit extending movement of the lazy tongs.

From the above description, it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fullyunderstood without further explanation. g "1 What is claimed is;

1. Ina garment: stretching machine having a support, lazy tongs carried by the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried by the lazy tongs, the combination of a spring pressed dial calibrated to indicate dress measurements mounted for rectilinear and rotary movement on the support, locking means between the dial and support holding the dial at predetermined settings released by rectilinear movement of the dial to permit setting of the dial, and means connected to the dial and to the stretching bar limiting extending movement of the lazy tongs to control movement of the stretching bar in accordance with a set position of the dial.

2. In a garment stretching machine having a support, lazy tongs carried'by the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried by the lazy tongs, the combination of a spring pressed dial calibrated to indicate dress measurements mounted for rectilinear movement and rotary movement on the support, a flexible connector connected at the outer end to the stretching bar, a shaft connected to the inner end of the flexible connector responsive to rotary movement of the dial adapted to lengthen or shorten the flexible connector to limit extending movement of the lazy tongs to control movement of the stretching bar in accordance with a set position of the dial, and locking means between the shaft and support holding the dial at predetermined settings released by rectilinear movement of the dial to permit setting of the dial.

3. In a garment stretching machine having a support, lazy tongs carried by the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried by the lazy tongs, the combination of a shaft mounted on th support for rectilinear and rotary movement, a pulley carried by the shaft, a flexible connector connected at one end to the pulley and at the other end to the stretching bar shortened or lengthened by rotary movement of the pulley to limit extending movement of the lazy tongs, a cup-shaped member fixed to the shaft having an annular series of teeth extending toward the support, a stop on the support interchangeable between the teeth to hold the shaft stationary, and a spring pressed dial calibrated to indicate dress measurements fixed to the shaft, rectilinear movement of the dial moving the shaft endwise to disengage the teeth from the stop to permit rotation of the dial to a predetermined set position for adjusting the pulley according to the setting of the dial.

4. In a garment stretching machine having a support, lazy tongs carried by the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried by the lazy tongs, the combination of a sliding and rotatable shaft carried by the support, a calibrated dial fixed to the shaft, a stationary-pointer on the support coacting with the dial, acompression spring between the support and the dial holding the shaft at its outer sliding limit, a toothed member fixed to'the shaft, a stationary stop on the support coacting with the toothed member to lock the shaft against rotation, rectilinear movement of the dial against pressure of the spring moving the shaft endwise to disengage the member from the stop and permit rotation of the shaft and of the dial to indicate predetermined garment measurements, and a flexiblecon nector connected to the shaft and to the stretching bar limiting extending movement of the lazy tongs to control movement of the stretching bar in accordance with the set position of the dial.

' JOHN R. FITZGERALD.

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