US3032241A - Necktie stretcher - Google Patents

Description

May 1, 1962 G. BROWN NECKTIE STRETCHER Filed Dec. 25, 1960 LEM UAL G. BROWN INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY nite State 3,032,241 NECKTIE STRETCHER Lemual G. Brown, Box 8777, Britten, Okla. Filed Dec. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 78,157 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-65) atent and varied styles or forms of necktie stretchers and shapers referred to as pressers, stretchers, shape restorers and so on. Often these prior patents reveal constructions which are more or less complicated and require considerable machine work for their production, thus resulting in a relatively expensive device which, it is presumed, is one reason that they have not come in widespread use.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the instant invention to structurally and functionally improve on the prior art constructions to provide a feasible and practicable tie stretcher device in which the manufacturer and user will find their needs more conveniently met.

Another object is to provide a device of this class which is of relatively small size, of light weight and is easily operated.

Another object is to provide a necktie stretcher which features an expansible and contractible form adapted to fit a plurality of sizes of neckties.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stretcher form which may be safely inserted within and removed from a necktie which renders itself to practicable use during the period in which the tie is Washed or cleaned and will restore and maintain the desired shape of the tie until the latter is ready for use.

A further object is to provide a device of this class wherein the component parts are all interconnected and which requires no manual manipulation of individual parts of the device to position the latter in tie stretching position.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by forming a frame comprising a pair of elongated stretcher bars which are spring biased toward a desired tie stretching position.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the device illustrating, by dotted lines, its relationship to a four-in-hand tie held in stretching position; and

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view, to an enlarged scale, taken substantially along line 22 of FIG. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates a substantially A-shaped frame or form, as a whole, comprising a pair of elongated coplanar stretcher bars 12 and 14. The stretcher bars are identical in construction, being formed of light weight but strong rustproof metallic material, and are each channel or U-shaped in cross-section with the longitudinal edge or bight portion 16 of each U-shape disposed oppositely outward. The bars 12 and 14 are each tapered longitudinally toward their upper ends as seen in FIG. 1. The respective ends of each bar are rounded off, as at 13 and 15, for the purposes which will presently be apparent. The leg portions 18 and 20 of each U-shaped bar are pressed throughout their length to a converging relation in a manner and for the purposes which will be more fully explained hereinbelow.

An endless spring member 22, substantially ovate in ice plan view, extends between the bars 12' and 14 adjacent the bottom or wide portion of the frame. The spring 22 is preferably circular in cross section and is secured at its minor axis between the legs 18 and 20 of the respective bar by a clamp member 24 thus positioning the major axis of the ovate shape longitudinally of the frame. Diametrically the spring 22 is of such size with respect to the spacing between the longitudinal free edges of the converging leg portions of the bars 12 and14 that the spring is freely received therebetween. The clampmembers 24 comprise relatively short sections of substantially U-shaped metallic material interposed between the legs 18 and 20 with the bight portion of the clamp adjacent the inner surface of the bight portion 16. A portion of the spring 22 is positioned between the legs adjacent the inner surface of the bight portion forming the U-shaped clamp member 24. The bars 12 and 14 are each pressed from opposing sides at the location of the clamp member 24 adjacent but spaced inwardly of the adjacent portion of the spring. The pressing action, indicated at 26, is applied with such force that the leg members of the respective clamp member 24 are forced inwardly toward each other thus impinging that portion of the spring 22 within the clamp member. This securely holds both the clamp member 24 and spring 22' against longitudinal movement of either of the latter with respect to the respective bar 12 or 14. One end portion 23 of the spring member 22 projects beyond the adjacent ends of the bars 12 and 14 to provide a means of engagement with a wall hook or the like, not shown, to support the frame.

A similar ovate spring member 28 is'secured in a similar manner to the opposite or converging end portion of the bars 12 and 14 by clamp members 24 and pressing action at 26. The spring member 28 is substantially smaller than the spring member 22. The spring members 22 and 28 are formed of sufiiciently resilient metallic material, preferably stainless steel wire, so that the spring members maintain the bars in coplanar relation and normally bias the bars outwardly opposite each other. The size of the frame It! is preferably such that it may be used in either end portion of a four-in-hand tie.

Operation In operation the stretcher or frame bars 12 and 14 are manually forced together or toward each other by compressing the ovate spring members 22 and 28. When the inward longitudinal edges of the bars are juxtaposed, substantially all of each spring member 22 and 28 is positioned between the leg portions of the respective bar. The smaller or converging end 30 of the frame is inserted into the open end of a four-in-hand tie 31. The opposite or transversely wider end of the frame, defined by the bars, is disposed adjacent the end of the lateral folds of the tie as defined by the converging tip end 32 of the apron portion of the tie. Obviously if the device 10 is of greater length than the tie, as when using the device in a relatively narrow tie, any portion of the frame may be permitted to extend beyond the apron portion 32 of the tie. The bars 12 and 14 are released and are biased outwardly by the resilience of the spring members 22 and 28 so that the bight portions 16 of each stretcher bar contacts the respective inward surface of the tie fold as may be seen from an examination of FIG. 2. The inwardly converging longitudinal free edges of the stretcher bar legs 18 and 20 are disposed in spaced relation with respect to the inner surface of the tie so that no crease or ridge will result or be evident when the device is removed from the tie. The fabric material of the tie is usually such that when subjected to the lateral stretching force applied by the device the end result will be a removal or elimination of all wrinkles or creases in the apron portion of the tie after leaving the device in 3 the tie for a relative short period of time. Undesirable wrinkles or creases may be more easily removed from the tie after positioning the device in place by holding the tie over a steam jet or the like. 7

Obviously the device may be used as a stretcher for reshaping the tie while drying after the same has been cleaned as by washing.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A removable stretcher frame for a four-in-hand necktie, comprising: a pair of elongated coplanar bars, each said bar being transversely relatively narrow with respect to its length and substantially U-shaped in cross section and having a longitudinal outwardly disposed arcuate bight portion with the longitudinal leg portions of the respective U-shaped bar projecting toward the leg portions of the opposite said bar and converging to ward each other; a pair of endless substantially ovate shaped spring members extending between and connected in space relation, adjacent their minor axes, to said U- shaped bars between the legs thereof; and U-shaped clamp members interposed between the leg portions of each said bar surrounding an adjacent portion of each said spring member in gripping relation.

2. A removable stretcher frame for a four-in-hand necktie, comprising: a pair of elongated longitudinally tapered bars, each said bar being U-shaped in cross section and having an arcuate bight portion with the leg portions of the respective U-shaped bar projecting toward the opposite said bar and converging toward each other; a plurality of endless substantially ovate shaped necktie, comprising: a pair of elongated coplanar bars, each said bar being transversely relatively narrow with respect to its length and substantially U-shaped in crosssection and having a longitudinal outwardly disposed arcuate bight portion with the longitudinal leg portions of the respective U-shaped bar converging toward each other to define a longitudinal inwardly disposed edge for each bar of less thickness than the arcuate longitudinal bight portion thereof; a pair of rod-like substantial- 1y ovate shaped endless spring members extending between and connected in spaced-apart relation, adjacent their minor axes, to the respective end portions of said U-shaped bars between the legs thereof; and relatively short U-shaped clamp members interposed between the leg portions of each said bar and surrounding an adjacent portion of each said spring member in gripping relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 850,046 Pearson Apr. 9, 1907 859,051 Dorward July 2, 1907 2,652,956 Rieck Sept. 22, 1953

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