US2158242A - Staple for blind stitching - Google Patents

Description

May 1C, 1939. A. H. MAYNARD STAP-LE FOR BLIND STITCHING Filed Oct. 8, 1936 Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT '.OFFlC STAPLE FOR BLINDSTITCHING Application Qctober 8, 1936, Serial No. 104,688

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method of and fastener for attaching together overlapped layers or plies of material with a blind stitch.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a method of fastening together layers of material whereof a metal fastener is caused to pierce only certain of a plurality of the layers or plies with its legs clinched in the material to form a blind stitch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self-clinching metal fastener so constructed A that its legs will be bent inwardly as they are driven into the work to clinch them in the material and form a blind stitch. l

Still another object of the invention is to provide a self-clinching staple having portions of its legs adjacent their free ends bent inwardly toward each other and the ends of the legs beveled inwardly with respect to the bent portions.

Further objects of the invention are set forth in the following specification which describes the improved method and a preferred form of construction of the fastener,A by way of example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a stick or refill pack of staples incorporating the novel features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a single staple showing the inwardly bent terminal portions of its legs and their beveled ends;

Fig. 3 is a part-sectional view of a portion of a staple-applying implement showing the relationship of the staple to the work at the beginning of the stitching operation;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the staple partially driven into the laminated material and illustrating the initial deformation of its legs caused by the driving;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4 showing the` staple completely driven and its legs clinched in the material to form a blind stitch; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the laminated material showing the driven staple therein.

Although the improved method `and fastener of the present invention may'have other applications, they are particularly adapted for fastening the cuffs to the legs of apparel trousers. The cuffs are originally stitched or tacked to the legs of 'the trousers with thread and when the garment is to be cleansed the stitching is cut or ripped to permit the folded parts to be brushed.

To save the time required to restitch the cuffs to the trouser legs, cleansers have adopted the practice of reattaching the cuis with small safety pins inserted through the inside of the leg of the trousers and through several plies of the cloth of the cud, but Without piercing all of y the plies so that the pin is not visible from the outside.. This practice saves time over the old practice of stitching but requires the use of safety pins liable to become uniastened and lost. In accordance with the present invention the cuffs may be attached to the trouser legs with greater economyof time and with relatively inexpensive fasteners which form a blind stitch. The improved method comprises providing a wire staple having a crossbar and depending legs with portions of the legs adjacent thecrossbar formed straight and parallel and their terminall portions or free ends inclined inwardly toward each other. The ends or points of the staple legs are beveled inwardly with respect to the bent portions to form a series of angularly related sections in the legs which converge in the plane of the staple from the straight parallel portions to the pointed ends. Due to-the bent terminal portions of the staple legs the ends or points pierce the work inwardly from the ends of the crossbar. Application of a driving forceon the crossbar causes the legs to simultaneously penetrate the work and to be bent inwardly toward each other .from their points of joinder with the crossbar; this eiiect being due to the engagement of the ends of' the legs with the work inwardly of the ends of the crossbar and the angular relation of the terminal portions of the legs, as indicated .in Fig. 4

of the present drawing.

Continued application of the driving force on the crossbar of the staple causes the legs to penetrate the work until they have been so deformed that their terminal portions move inwardly toward each other at right angles to the direction of the driving force and finally -bend upwardly toward the crossbar. The angle of the bent terminal portions of the legs with respect to their straight parallel portions is preferably such that the ends or points of the legs will penetrate all of the cloth plies of the cuff except the last or lowermost one'before they move horizontally due to the inward bending of the legs; and this angle maybe varied to accommodate work of any particular type or thickness. Moreover, the bevels on the outer sides of the legs have an important function in assisting the inward deflection of the legs and preventing the ends from piercing through the last layer. It will be observed by reference to the drawing that the work is supported on a rest or platen 9 forming the base 0f the stapling implement and slightly concaved on its upper face. The. cloth is compressed against this rest and the lower layer will therefore offer considerable resistance to penetration by the legs' of the staple so that the bevels at the ends thereof will slide across the material until the points are turned upwardly. That is to say, after the legs have been bent or deflected yt0 such a degree thatythey no longer penetrate the work the application of the driving force causes the ends of the legs to be bent upwardly and clinched in the material to form a blind stitch as indicated in Fig. 5.

The improved staples may be preformed in the process of manufacture or they may be shaped as they are driven in any suitable implement provided with means for this purpose. As illustrated in the drawing, the staples are preformed and connected in parallel, contiguous relationship by means of a suitable adhesive to provide a stick of any desired length which serves as a refill for the stapling implement. Each staple of the stick has a crossbar 2 with opposite dependinglegs 3 extending at right angles to the crossbar. A portion of thelegs 3 adjacent the crossbar 2 are straight and parallel while the lower terminal portions 4 of the legs are bent inwardly toward each other. 'I'he angle of inclination of the inwardly-directed end portion 4 with respect to the parallel portion of each leg 53, indicated at a in Fig. 2, may be varied between thirty and sixty degrees to accommodate different thicknesses of work.` It has been found that a staple will properly operate on the cuffs of trousers of average textile material when this angle is approximately forty degrees.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention the ends or points of the legs are beveled inwardly toward each other as indicated at 5. points are beveled on opposite sides preferably to form an angle, indicated at b, of approximately thirty degrees so that the lower sides of the points of the staple legs project at an angle, indicated at c, of twenty degrees with respect to theI work. It will be understood, however, that the bevels 5 may be of greater or less angular inclination or may extend wholly from the outside to the inside of the staple leg in one continuous plane.

'I'he essential elements of an implement for driving the preformed staples, preferably a handoperated tool or a pair of pliers, are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing as comprising a head 6, a core 'l for supporting a stick of the staples, means, not herein shown, for feeding the staples into the head, and a work-rest or platen 9. The work w is held between' the head 6 and platen 9 and the foremost staple of the stick is adapted to be driven into the work by a staple-driver 8 mounted for reciprocation in the head.

As herein illustrated, the ends or In attaching the cuffs to the legs of a pair of trousers, or in fastening together any other overlapped layers of material, the work is rst compressed between the head 6 and platen 9. rI'he stick of staples supported on the core 'l is fed therealong by suitable means to advance the foremost staple into a throat at the end of the head to be driven into the work by thestapledriver 8. As explained above, thestaple legs 3 are automatically bent inwardly toward each other as they are driven into the work w and inuenced by their beveled ends to cause them to penetrate only a predetermined number of the layers or plies of cloth and to be self -clinched by the driving force applied thereto.

The improved method of blind stitching and the novel form of fastener therefor having now been described, it will be observed that the invention provides for stitching or tacking the cuffs to the legs of trousers with a blind stitch,

be made in its shape and the angular relationship of the different portions of the staple legs without departing from the spirit or scope of.

the invention. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

l. A self -clinching staple of readily deformable wire for forming a blind stitch comprising a crossbar and depending legs having parallel p0rtions adjacent the crossbar, straight portions adjacent their free ends inclined inwardly tpward each other, and the ends beveled to direct the points inwardly toward each other when the staple is applied to the work. 1

2. A self-clinching staple of readily deformable wire for forming a blind stitch comprising a crossbar and depending legs having parallel portions adjacent the crossbar extending at right angles thereto and portions adjacent their free ends inclined inwardly from the parallel portions at an angle greater than thirty degrees and less than sixty degrees.

3. A self-clinching staple of readily deformable wire for forming a blind stitch comprising a crossbar and depending legs having parallel portions adjacent the crossbar extending at right angles thereto, and portions adjacent their free ends bent inwardly from the parallel portions at an angle greater than thirty degrees and less than sixty degrees with the ends of the legs beveled to direct the points inwardly toward each other when the staple is applied to the work.

ARTHUR H. MAYNARD.

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