Pleating method and apparatus
AssigneeMIM Industries, Inc.
InventorRicky J. Frye
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for forming pleats in fabric includes a vertically movable head which can accommodate one centrally located rod, or alternatively, two spaced apart rods. One rod is used to form two pleats and the rod is movable towards a work surface to a position where the rod traps fabric between a work surface and the rod. Two gripping arms are laterally movable and grip the fabric and move towards the central rod. If three pleats are desired, the two spaced apart rods are used, and a vertically movable blade positioned below the work surface can be actuated, which moves the blade upwardly intermediate the two spaced apart rods, carrying the fabric with it, forming a first pleat. The same laterally movable arms can be actuated which grip the fabric and move it inwardly towards the central rod, to form the other two pleats.
Claims20
An apparatus for gathering pleats in fabric, the apparatus comprising:
- a rigid base member having an upper work surface fixed thereto for supporting the material to be pleated;
- a head member fixed above said work surface, said head member being vertically movable upwardly and downwardly relative to said upper work surface, between upper and lower positions;
- means to move said head member between said upper and lower positions;
- at least one holding rod retained and carried by said head member, said holding rod being movable with said head member between said upper and lower positions, said upper position allowing the material to be slidably placed between said holding rod and said work surface, and said lower position pressing the material to said work surface;
- means to retain said rod to said head member;
- two gripping arms vertically movable towards and away from said work surface, from a first position allowing the material to be slidably received between said arms and said work surface, to a second position adapted to grip the material;
- and
- means to move said gripping arms laterally towards said holding rod to carry the material inwardly, thereby forming a pleat on each side of said holding rod.
An apparatus for forming pleats in fabric, the apparatus comprising a rigid frame member, a work surface fixed to said frame member having a slot therethrough, two rods positioned above said work surface flanking said slot, a blade member positioned below said work surface and laterally aligned with said slot, said blade member being movable from a position below said work surface, to a position above said work surface intermediate said rods, means for raising said blade member through said slot,
- whereby, when fabric is inserted above said work surface and below said rods, said blade member is actuable to pull the fabric upward between said rods to form a pleat.
A method of forming pleats in fabric material, comprising the steps of:
- placing a marginal portion of the fabric to be pleated on a horizontal work surface located over a central pleat forming position on such surface;
- pressing a narrow band across the marginal portion of the fabric against the work surface at the central pleat forming position;
- the fabric along lines parallel with, and equidistant from, said central pleat forming position;
- and
- shifting the pressed fabric along the work surface towards said central forming position, thereby folding the marginal portion of the fabric into pleats on opposite sides of and parallel to the narrow band.
A method of forming pleats in fabric, comprising the steps of:
- positioning a marginal portion of the fabric to be pleated along a generally horizontal plane;
- retaining the fabric along a narrow band across the marginal portion defined by two lateral side-by-side lines across the upper surface of the marginal portion of the fabric;
- and
- thereafter pushing the marginal portion of the fabric upwardly from a lower surface of the fabric through and medially of the two said lines thereby forming a first folded pleat.
An apparatus for forming a selected multiple number of pleats in fabric, the apparatus comprising:
- a work platform having an upper support surface, and a slot extending through said work platform and defining a central position of the apparatus;
- a blade positioned below said platform and aligned with said slot;
- means for moving said blade upwardly through said slot above said work surface;
- a vertically movable head and means supporting said head for movement at said central position toward and away from said surface along a plane coincident with said slot,
- said head having three receptacle positions for pressing members, namely a central position aligned with said slot and two positions flanking said slot;
- rod-like pressing members insertable into said head into selected receptacle positions, a single pressing member being insertable into said central position and a pair of cooperating pressing members being insertable into said flanking positions, said pair of pressing members in said flanking positions being used for making three pleats and said single pressing member in said central position being used for making two pleats;
- means connected to said head for moving said head between a raised position above said surface and a lowered position at which pressing members received in said head pressing the fabric against said support surface beneath said head,
- means for selectively actuating said blade moving means to cause said blade to rise between two pressing members to pull the fabric upwardly beneath and between the two pressing members to form a first pleat,
- gripping arms movable towards and away from said upper work surface into gripping arrangement with the fabric on opposite sides of and spaced along said surface from said central position;
- means to move said gripping arms laterally towards said central position when said head is located at its lowered pressing position to form two lateral pleats intermediate the gripping arms and the pressing member received in said head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.