Method Of Making A Basket Weave Handbag

Abstract

A method for the manufacture of an interwoven wicker, plastic strip basket, handbag or luggage which involves interweaving the wicker or plastic strips to form a body and to form a cover for the body of the basket and then anchoring by means of a tool the protruding ends of the strips of the body and of the cover to channel-shaped rails which rest on removable supports in the body, thus forming the frames of the body and cover.

Description

Heretofore, in the construction of willow baskets and the like, in anchoring the ends of the flexible interwoven strips, each end was individually bent into shape and individually secured in position on a metal wire forming the opening of the basket which procedure is laborious and time consuming. According to the present invention, all of the ends of the protruding strips are shaped and secured in final position in a single continuous operation.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing interwoven baskets whereby the woven strips are instantly and securely attached to the frame to form the body and cover of the basket.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a continuous U-shaped in cross section rail serving as the top frame of the body of the basket and serving as the rail of the cover of the basket, wherein the ends of the strips of the body and cover are anchored.

Various objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification together with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a basket made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a step in the manufacture of the basket, the shaping and anchoring top frame of the basket being shown disassembled in dash lines.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the shaping and anchoring tool in operative position.

FIG. 5 is a reduced top plan view of the shaping and frame supporting block, a part being shown disassembled.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the plane of line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the shaping and anchoring frame.

FIG. 8 is a disassembled perspective view of a modified form of shaping and frame supporting block a part of the shaping and anchoring top frame being shown in dash lines.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the plane of line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view showing the step of removing the central removable section of the shaping and frame supporting block.

FIG. 11 is a disassembled perspective view of another modified from of shaping and frame supporting block, parts being shown broken away.

FIG. 12 is a disassembled perspective view of one side of the block of FIG. 11, parts being shown broken away.

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of line 13-13 of FIG. 12, the parts being shown in assembled position.

FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of line 14-14 of FIG. 11, showing a step in the removal of a side panel in dash lines.

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of a fragment of a modified form of continuous rail.

Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawing, in FIG. 1 a basket 10 made in accordance with one form of the invention is shown. The basket is rectangular in configuration and is formed of interwoven strips of flexible plastic material in simulation of willow strips. The basket has a body 12 and a hinged cover 14 secured to the body by hinge devices 16. The basket is provided with a handle 18 on the cover and with locking mechanism 20 for securing the cover to the body. The body has sidewalls 22, 22, end walls 24, 24 and bottom wall 26. The cover 14 has sidewalls 28, 28 end walls 30, 30 and top wall 32. The body is formed of interwoven warp strips 34 and weft strips 36 of flexible plastic material. The cover is similarly formed of interwoven flexible warp strips 38 and weft strips 40.

In accordance with the present invention, in the manufacture of the basket 10, a rectangular shaped solid sectional block 42 of wood, plastic or other suitable material is used. The block is rectangular in configuration and is sectional with a central separable section 44 substantially triangular shaped separable side sections 46 and substantially triangular shaped separable end sections 48. The side and end sections are reduced at the top as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 providing a continuous shoulder 50 around the block.

A rectangular continuous channel-shaped metallic rail 52 is positioned and supported on the shoulder 50 with its bight portion 54 seated on the shoulder and opening upwardly. The rail fits on the shoulder around the reduced portions of the side and end sections of the block. The block is placed in the preformed boxlike body 12 which has an open top. With the rail 52 in position on the block, the interwoven warp 34 and wefts 36, respectively at the open top of body 12, are wrapped around and over the block 42 as shown in FIG. 2 with the ends 56 of the wefts extending above the rail 52 having first been covered with adhesive 58 on one surface thereof. A suitable tool such as a knife 60 is then used to press the free protruding ends 56 over the top edge of the outer leg 62 of the rail 52 downwardly against the inner surface of said outer leg and over and against the inner surface of the bight portion 54 of the rail and then upwardly against the inner surface of the inner leg 64 of the rail, the adhesive securing the bent ends 56 to the inner surface of the rail 52 is best seen in FIG. 4. A single operation shapes and anchors the ends 56.

The block 42 is then removed section by section, the central section 44 being first removed and then the remaining sections, leaving the body 12 of the formed basket undisturbed with the rail 52 forming the top frame of the body. The cover 14 is similarly manufactured using block of similar height. The body 12 of the basket and cover 14 are joined by means of the hinge devices 16 and are adapted to be locked together by means of the lock mechanism 20.

In FIGS. 8 to 10, inclusive, a modified form of shaping and supporting block 42' is illustrated. The block 42' differs from block 42 in that means is provided for supporting a plurality of metallic shaping and anchoring rails 52' on the block 42'. Each rail 52' comprises an elongated channel-shaped body. Such means includes a rectangular shaped removable cover plate 70 similar in shape to the block 42' and of the same size as the reduced top portion thereof. The plate 70 carries a pair of pins 72, 72 depending therefrom which are adapted to be received in a pair of spaced recesses 74, 74 in the top surface of the central section 44' of the block for holding the plate in seated position. A pair of T-shaped lugs 76 are screwed to and depends from each side and end of the plate 70.

In using the block 42' a channel-shaped rail 52' is placed on the shoulder 50' on each side thereof and on each end thereof. The cover plate 70 is mounted on the top of the reduced top portion of the block 42' with its pins 72, 72 inserted in the recesses 74, 74 and with its lugs 76 inserted in the recesses 74, 74 and with its lugs 76 inserted into the channels in the rails 52' leaving a space 78 between each lug 76 and the adjacent inner leg 64' of the rail. The plate 70 thus holds the rails 52' in position on the shoulder of the block. The body 12' of the basket is wrapped over the block 42' with the ends 56' of the wefts 36' protruding above the rails 52' whereupon a tool, such as the tool 60, is used to press the protruding ends over the edge of the outer leg 62' and downwardly into the channels of the rails for anchoring the plastic body of the basket to the rails 52', the rails serving as the top frame of the body of the basket.

The cover for the body 12' of the basket is similarly manufactured and similarly attached to the body.

In FIGS. 11 and 14, inclusive, another modified form of the invention is illustrated. In this form, instead of the wooden blocks 44 and 46, sidewall panels 80, 80, end wall panels 82, 82, and a bottom plate 84 are provided forming a hollow compartment 94 closed by a removable top cover 96 having a pair of holes 74" to receive the pins 72 of the plate 70 as shown in FIG. 8. Instead of a continuous rail such as rail 52, a plurality of metallic shaping and anchoring rails 52" are seated removable on the top edge of the panels and are interlocked thereto by means of lugs 90 outstruck from and depending from the outer leg 62" thereof at the center and by means of lugs 92, 92 depending from the inner leg 64" thereof at the ends. Each rail 52" comprises an elongated channel-shaped body.

In using the panels 80 and 82 with the rails 52" supported thereon by means of the alternate position of the lugs 90 and 92, the body of the basket is formed with the ends 56" of the wefts 36" protruding above the rails 52", whereupon a tool such as a tool 60 is used to press the protruding ends over outer leg 62" and into the channels of the rails for anchoring the plastic body of the basket to rails 52". The top cover 96 is removed and then the bottom plate 84 is forced up by flexing the bottom and sides of the woven basket body. This exposes the side and end panels 80, 82 which are then removed one at a time by flexing the bottom and sides of the basket body leaving the rails to serve as the top frame of the body of the basket 10".

A modified from of continuous rail 52a is shown in FIG. 15 which is adapted to be used with the panels of FIG. 11. The rail 52a has integral outstruck lugs 90a depending from the outer legs 62a at the ends thereof, and integral outstruck lugs 92 depending from the inner leg 64a thereof, the lugs adapted to interlock with the top edges of the panels.

Claims

We claim:

1. A method of manufacture of a basket, comprising the steps of interweaving strips of flexible material forming a boxlike, open top body of weft and warp strips; assembling a rectangular shaped solid sectional block; placing a channel-shaped rail having spaced parallel sides and ends loosely on top of the block with its channel opening upwardly, with one side of the rail facing the block and with the other side of the rail facing outwardly; placing the block and rail in said body; enveloping the sides and ends of the rail by warp and weft strips of said body, with the free ends of the weft strips protruding above the opening in the rail; pressing said free ends over the outer side of the channel-shaped rail and downwardly into the channel of the rail; and removing the sections of the block.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein one surface of the protruding weft strips is covered with adhesive.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the free ends of the weft strips are bent upwardly along the inner surface of the inner leg of the rail.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the free ends are pressed over the outer leg of the rail, downwardly into the channel of the rail and upwardly along the inner surface of the inner leg of the rail by means of a knife.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, and the further steps of interweaving strips of flexible material forming a cover for the body having weft and warp strips, shaping the interwoven cover around the sides and ends of a shaped solid sectional removable other block having a height less than the height of the first named block supporting the body of the basket, placing a rectangular channel-shaped rail loosely on top of the first named block, with its opening upwardly, enveloping the sides and ends of the rail with the plastic strip cover with the free ends of the weft strips protruding above the opening in the rail, manually pressing said free ends over the outer leg of the channel-shaped rail and downwardly into the channel of the rail, and hingedly connecting one side of the cover to one side of the body.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the rail is formed of a plurality of sections, placing a removable plate with depending lugs over the sections with the lugs inserted in the channels of the sections to hold the sections and to form the desired basket shape.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the rail is formed of a plurality of sections with lugs depending therefrom at the center and ends thereof, and wherein the block is provided with removable side and end panels, alternately formed lugs protruding from the rail sections and holding the rail sections on the panels to form a basket shape.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the rail is sectional, a rail-retaining plate removably mounted on the top of the block body, said plate having depending lugs engaging in the channels of the rail sections for holding the sections in place on the top edges of the block on alternate sides thereof.

9. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein bottom, said and end panels from a support for a continuous rail having integral spaced lugs depending from the outer leg thereof and having integral spaced lugs depending from the inner leg thereof, said lugs adapted to interlock with the top edges of the panels on alternate sides thereof and due to their alternate positions on both sides of said panels, form the desired shape of the basket.