US2570328A - Dress pattern marker - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 9, 1951 DRn-z 2,570,328

DRESS PATTERN MARKER Filed Sept. 18, 1948 #Trowa/5x6.,

Patented Oct. 9, 1951 DREss PATTERN MARKER Lawrence L. Dritz, Lawrence, N. Y., assignor to John Dritz & Sons, New York, N. Y., a partnership Application September 18, 1948, Serial No. 49,895

(Cl. 1Z0-13) 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to an improved type of dress pattern marker.

Dress making and particularly home dress making is normally carried out by using paper patterns which not only determine the size andshape of the individual dress segments, such as the skirt, bodice, sleeves, etc., but also are provided with indicia at various points on the pattern to guide the dress maker in the carrying out of Various supplementary operations such as darting,vpleat ing, and the like. In normal use, the pattern is placed upon and suitably oriented with respect to the fabric segment which is to be incorporated into the garment and marks are then made through the pattern onto the fabric to indicate the intelligence imprinted or otherwise carried by thepattern. It often occurs that two identical fabric segments are to be employed and it is extremely convenient if, in a single marking operation, both of these fabric segments can be simultaneously marked. Various dress pattern markers have been devised in the past, a few of which are capable of marking two fabric segments at the same time. In most, the marking is accomplished very awkwardly and it is onlyV in the pattern marker described in Claude Schaffner Patent No. 2,448,627 of September 7, 1948, and entitled Dress Pattern Markers that a marker is shown which not only permits accurate and simultaneous placement of the marking units onto fabric segments, but which also causes these marking units to rotate, preferably in opposite directions, so'as to make an easily distinguished mark on theA fabric without harming the latter.

However, the marker of the said patent is subject to a number of disadvantages.' Most serious of these is the fact that it requires two hands'to operate, one hand to press the marking units toward one another and into engagement with the fabric and another hand to rotate the marking for a number of operations, all of which makes v for relative expensiveness of the finished product. Yet another drawback is the fact that rotation of the marking units in a given direction will proceed until certain of the moving parts have jammed by being slid one over the other.v As a result, unless great .care is exercised by the user in rotating the marking units, they will become `stuck in `one extreme position' and will be extremely difficult to move from that position. A further drawback to the construction disclosed in the said patent resides in the fact that the rotating holders for the marking units are extremely inefcient since the marking units must be damaged or partially destroyed in order to be inserted into the holders, are very difficult to remove from the holders, and after having been in the holders for any length of time are no longer securely held therein so as to rotate therewith.

It is the prime object of the present invention to devise a dress pattern marker which avoids the above disadvantages.

A more specific object of the present invention is to devise a dress pattern marker which is extremely easy to manipulate and the operation of which is smooth and positive.

A further object of the present invention is to devise a dress pattern marker the manipulation of which can be carried out with only one hand, thus leaving the other hand free to ensure accurate alignment between the marking units and the dress pattern and fabric.

Yet another object of the present invention is to devise such a marker the holders for the marking units of which are of improved construction.

A still further object of the present invention is to devise a marker having a positive stop limiting the rotation of the marking units and thus making it impossible for the marker to jam.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a marker structure which is of simpler and more expensive construction than comparable markers of the prior art.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a dress pattern marker as defined in the appended claim and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating the marker in use;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof; l

Fig. 3 is a top view showing the moving parts of the marker in one extreme position; v

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in the opposite extreme position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional vview taken along the line B- of Fig. l.

Broadly considered, my dress pattern marker comprises an upper arm A and a lower arm B, one above the other, connected together at one end and having their unconnected and .free ends movable toward one another. Holders generally designated C and Ctadapted to receive marking units are rotatably mounted near the free ends of the arms A and B respectively so as to register with one another when said free ends are moved together. tating the holders C and C', that handle D also being positioned near the free end of one of the arms so that when it is grasped by one hand, it may be pushed down to cause the two arms A and B to come together and may be manipulated so as to cause the holders C and C to rotate. This leaves the other hand of the user free to properly align the holders C and C' with the fabric being marked and with the dress pattern secured thereto. In addition, the mechanism for rotating the holders C and C includes a positive stop E defined by a stationary and a moving part of the marker, these two parts coming into positive abutting Contact at extreme positions of rotation of the holders C and C' and thus limiting their rotation in either direction. Because of the positive abutting contact, no jamming is possible and consequently no care need be exerted by the user in manipulating the handle D.

In the form specically here illustrated, the arms A and B are formed of strips 2 and 4 of a suitable structural material, preferably a somewhat resilient material such as spring steel. These strips 2 and 4 are spaced one above the other and are connected at one end by a connecting member 8 which is preferably of the same material as the strips 2 and 4 and may, as shown,

`be integral therewith. If the connecting portion 6 is resilient, it is not necessary that the strips 2 and 4 also be resilient, but for reasons of economy and production it has proved to be eX- tremely advantageous to form the strips 2 and 4 and the connecting portion 8 from the same resilient bendable material, this being done by stamping a long strip from suitable sheet material and then bending that strip to the shape illustrated. The arms A and B may be of any desired length, but it is preferred that they be relatively long, on the order of eight inches, so that any suitable area of the dress pattern with which the marker is used may be reached without having to bend, tear, or otherwise deform the pattern itself.

The holder C and the handle D are both secured to the upper arm A near its free end and preferably as close thereto as is practical. 1n the form here illustrated, the holder C and handle D are in part integrally formed (see Fig. 5), the

holder including a tubular portion 8 which projects through an aperture I9 in the arm A and the handle D being in the form of a knob I2 integral with the tubular portion 8 but having a diameter greater than that of the aperture I0 Yso as not to be passable therethrough. The interior diameter of the tubular portion'8 is preferably slightly greater than the exterior diameter of the marking unit I4 tc be secured therein so A handle D is provided for rothat the tubular portion 8 does not itself grip and hold the marking unit I4, which may take the form of crayon, chalk, or the like, in fixed relation therewith. The tubular portion 8 is preferably slotted as at I6 so that it is somewhat resiliently expandable and a sleeve I8 of resilient material such as rubber is receivable thereover, the sleeve having a lip 2i] which extends over the lower edge of the tubular portion 8 all around its circumference, the internal surface 22 of the lip 20 having a diameter slightly less than that of the marking unit I4. It will thus be apparent that the marking unit I4 will be frictionally Y ter.

gripped by the rubber sleeve I8 and that the sleeve I8 will in turn be frictionally gripped by the tubular portion B. Consequently, the marking unit i4 will be firmly maintained in the holder C by frictional engagement with the lip 28 and when the holder C is rotated, the marking unit I4 will also rotate. However, because engagement with the marking unit I4 is by means of the soft rubber lip 23, the marking unit I4 will not be scratched or otherwise damaged when it is inserted into the holder C and by the same token it may be easily removed therefrom and replaced with another marking unit I4 either of a different color, to indicate a different dressmaking operation, or of the same color when the rst marking unit I4 has become worn. The knob I2 is provided with a bore 24 communicating with the interior of the tubular portion 8 and if the marking unit I4 should for some reason be forced inside the tubular portion 8 or otherwise hard to remove from the holder C, a pin or other implement may be inserted through the bore 24 in order to force the marking unit I4 out from the holder C.

VThe holder C on the lower arm B is slightly different in construction from the holder C. It comprises a tube 8 having a reduced portion 26 passable through the aperture I0 in the arm B and spun over as at 28 on the underside thereof so as to rotatably secure the tube 8' to the arm B. The remainder of the holder construction is similar to that of the holder C. The reduced portion 26 is also provided with a bore 24 for the same purpose as the bore 24 in the knob I2.

Rotation of the handle I2 will, since it is integral with the holder C, cause rotation of the lat- A plurality of interconnected elements must be provided for transmitting rotation of the holder C to the holder C. These elements include members 30 and 30 here shown in the form of fingers secured to the holders C and C respectively and rotatable therewith. The member 38 is made fast to the tubular portion 8 of the holder C just below the arm A and between that arm and the upper edge of the sleeve I8. The member 30 is fast on the tube 8 of the holder C just above the arm B and below the lower edge of the sleeve I8. It will be apparent that each of the members 30 and 38 not only rotate with the holders C and C but also prevent them from sliding out through the apertures I0 and I0 in which they are received.

A lever 32 is pivotally mounted on the underside of the arm A by means of the eyelet 34. One end of the lever 32 is pivotally connected, by means of eyelet 36, to a link 38 the other end of which is pivotally secured, by means of eyelet 4D, to the projecting end ofthe member 30. The projecting end Vof the member 30 is in turn connected, by means of eyelet 42, to one end of link 44 which passes over and across the top of the arm B and is provided with an upwardly reversely bent portion 46 terminating in the part 48 secured by means of eyelet 50 to the lever 32. VAs a result of this interconnection, whenever the handle D is rotated, thev arm 30 is rotated and this in turn causes movement of the link 38, the lever 32, the link 44, and the member 30', thus rotating the holder C simultaneously with but in the opposite direction from the holder C.

It will be noted that since the link 38 is secured to the upper sides of the member 30 and the lever 32, and since the member 30 and the lever 32 are both secured just under the arm A, the link 38 is positioned parallel to and in line With the arm A itself. Consequently, when the knob I2 is rotated in a clockwise direction, such rotation is permitted until the link 38 takes up the position illustrated in Fig. 3, in which it abuts against the side edge of the arm A. No jamming takes place but rotation of the knob I2 and hence of the holders C and C' is positively limited in that direction. When the knob I2 is then rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, rotation is permitted until the link 38 takes up the position shown in Fig. 4, in which it once again abuts against the side edges of the arm A, thus acting as a positive stop in the opposite direction of rotation, limiting the rotation of the holders C and C'.

The members 30 and 30', the lever 32, and the links 38 and 44 are all preferably formed of the same material as the arms A and B and are preferably punched or otherwise formed from the same sheet material, the link 44 thereafter being bent to its proper shape. Since the lever 32 is secured to the arm A at a point relatively close to the connecting portion 6, very little vertical motion of the lever 32 takes place when the free ends of the arms A and B are moved toward one another. Whatever vertical motion does take place is taken up either by looseness in the pivotal connection defined by the eyelets 34, 36 and 50 or by the resilience of the reversely bent portion 46 of the link 44, thus making the structure exceedingly dependable and long-lived.

The use of the device is illustrated in Fig. 1 where a paper pattern 52 is shown'superimposed upon a pair of fabric segments 54 and 56. The pattern 52 is provided with apertures 58 through which the marking unit I4 in the upper holder C is projectable so as to make contact with the upper surface of the fabric segment 54. The arm B is placed upon a table or other supporting surface and the pattern 52 with the fabric segments 54 and 56 attached is inserted between the free ends of the arms A and B so that the aperture 58 is located above the marking unit I4 in the lower holder C. This, of course, can only be done approximately. One hand of the user will then grasp the pattern 52 and attached fabric and the other hand will grasp the handle D and push downwardly thereon so as to cause the free end of the arm A to approach the free end of the arm B. When this is done, the marking unit I4 in the upper holder C will come into registration with the marking unit I4 in the lower holder C'.

vWhen the two marking units I4 are almost in registration, the pattern 52 and attached fabric segments 54 and 56 can then be adjusted precisely until the marking unit I4 in the upper holder C passes through the aperture 58. The upper marking unit I 4 is then pressed down against the upper fabric segment 54, this causing the lower fabric segment 56 to be pressed against the registering lower marking unit I4, and the knob I2 is then rotated briskly clockwise and counter-clockwise to the limits of motion permitted by the positive stop E for a number of oscillations. 'Ihis will cause the marking units I4 to be pressed against the fabric segments and to be rotated thereagainst simultaneously and in opposite directions, thus marking both segments at the same time, the marks being exactly opposite one another. When the knob I2 is released, the arm A will move away from the arm B and the pattern 52 with the fabric segments 54 and 56 attached Vthereto may then be removed from the marker or moved to a new position for a new marking operation.

Because of the fact that only one hand is required for manipulation of the marker itself, the other hand of the user is left free to ensure proper alignment between the marker and the pattern. Because of the positive stop E, it is impossible for the user to jam the device and he can direct all of his attention to obtaining proper alignment without having to worry about how far he rotates the handle D. The marker itself is made from exceedingly inexpensive material, preferably of sheet metal stock, and the parts thereof may be inexpensively formed as by stamping and bending if necessary without having to worry about precise dimensions or close tolerances. The other parts of the marker are screw-machine-made parts with the exception of the sleeves I8 which may be molded or otherwise formed most inexpensively. Assembly of the unit is extremely simple and hence it can be produced by unskilled help. By virtue of the novel construction of the holders C and C', the life of the marking units I4 is materially increasedthey will not be damaged when being inserted in or removed from the holders C and C', and their insertion or replacement is greatly facilitated. The marker presents a neat and functional appearance quite pleasing to the eye.

While but one embodiment of the present invention has been here illustrated, it will be understood that many variations may be made therein, all within the spirit of the invention as deiined in the following claim.

I claim:

A marker comprising an arm having an aperture therein and a holder for marking units rotatably secured on said arm,`said holder comprising a tubular portion projecting through said aperture from the top of said arm to the bottom and having an internal diameter slightly greater than the unit to be secured therein, a knob integral and coaxial with said tubular portion and positioned on the top of said arm, said knob being larger than said aperture so as not to be passable therethrough and having a bore communicating with the interior of said tubular portion, and a sleeve of resilient material received over said tubular portion, said sleeve having a lip projecting inwardly over the bottom of said tubular portion around its circumference, the internal diameter of said lip being slightly smaller than the unit to be secured in said holder, said lip constituting the sole element to make contact with said unit and secure it in position in said holder. Y

LAWRENCE L. DRITZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 737,102 Holt Aug. 25, 1903 795,013 Weiler July 18, 1905 1,260,881 Doty Mar. 26, 1918 1,379,608 Bailey May 31, 1921 1,603,713 Peterson Oct. 19, 1926 2,134,863 Dvorak Nov. 1, 1938 2,187,929 Blanc Jan. 23, 1940 2,352,917 Scott July 4, 1944 2,448,627 Schaffner Sept. 7, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 178,251 Switzerland Feb. 17, 1936

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