Embroidery Frame

Abstract

An embroidery frame, which is in an annular shape and consists of an inner ring and an outer ring, the inner ring comprising a flange formed around its lower edge, ratchet-shaped slowly curving shoulders being provided on the external periphery of the inner ring, a protruding ridge being further provided in the circumferential direction on the thick part of each shoulder, the outer ring fitting into the inner ring with embroidery cloth interposed therebetween, slowly curving ratchet-shaped shoulders being similarly formed on the internal periphery of the outer ring, a groove of a fixed length being provided in the circumferential direction on the outside of each shoulder so that each of the protruding ridges of the outer ring will slidably fit into each of said grooves. This embroidery frame enables to securely stretch embroidery cloth between the inner and outer rings by fitting the outer ring into the inner ring with the cloth interposed therebetween and then slightly revolving either of said two rings.

Description

This invention relates to an embroidery frame for use to insert and stretch cloth in case embroidery is to be effected thereon.

One of the objects of the invention is to enable to insert and securely stretch cloth, whether thick or thin, between an inner ring and an outer ring of the embroidery frame by slightly revolving either of said rings, thereby exceedingly facilitating the embroidering operation.

Another object of the invention is to enable to dismount the cloth with ease, in case the cloth stretched between the inner and outer rings is to be dismounted from the frame, simply by revolving either of the two rings in the direction opposite to the case of mounting.

For the conventional embroidery frame, both inner and outer rings were annular, embroidery being effected on the cloth inserted and tightened between said two rings.

However, if both the inner and outer rings are of a fixed size, the thickness of the cloth to be inserted and tightened between the two rings was necessarily limited.

In order to overcome this difficulty an improvement has been introduced in the device of the outer ring by severing open a part thereof, a pair of clasps being provided at the severed portion, a screw being fitted between said clasps, the diameter of the outer ring being appropriately controlled by widening or narrowing the gap between the clasps making use of the screw, thereby enabling to insert cloth of any thickness between the inner and outer rings.

However, in case embroidery is effected making use of the above-mentioned outer ring, i.e. when the embroidery thread is thrust up and down through the cloth, the thread is liable to be entangled with the screw or the clasps of the outer ring, the efficiency of the embroidering operation being decreased as a result. Moreover, when the cloth inserted between the inner and outer rings is thick, it becomes necessary to expand the clasps to the furthest extreme, and in such a case the screw which holds the two clasps together is liable to come off and be lost, as a result of which much trouble is involved in the mounting operation of cloth to the detriment of the embroidering efficiency.

The foregoing defects of the conventional embroidery frame has been obviated by the invention, the details of which will be described hereunder in reference to the drawing, of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan of an conventional embroidery frame consisting of an inner ring and an outer ring of the known structure;

FIG. 2 is a plan of an inner ring according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken across the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken across the line IV-IV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan of an outer ring according to the invention, the right-hand half thereof revealing the ratchet-shaped shoulders inside by omitting the flange;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken across the line VI-VI in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken across VII-VII in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a sectional plan showing the state wherein the outer ring is fitted into the inner ring;

FIG. 9 is a sectional plan showing the state wherein cloth is securely tightened between the inner and outer rings by revolving the outer ring in the direction of arrow in the state as shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken across the line X-X in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken across the line XI-XI in FIG. 9;

FIG. 1 shows an embroidery frame consisting of an inner ring 1 and an outer ring 2 of the conventional type, the outer ring 2 being provided with a severed portion 3 on a part thereof, clasps 4,5 being provided at both ends of said severed portion 3, a screw 6 being fitted between the clasps 4,5 the diameter of the outer ring 2 being increased or decreased by loosening or tightening the screw according to the thickness of the cloth inserted between the inner ring 1 and the outer ring 2. However, this device of providing clasps 4,5 with a screw 6 on the outer ring 2 necessarily involved various defects to the detriment of the embroidering operation as described above.

The embroidery frame according to the invention consists of an inner ring as shown in FIG. 2 and an outer ring as shown in FIG. 5, both the inner and outer rings being composed of synthetic resin material.

FIG. 2 shows a plan of the inner ring 11, which is in an annular shape. Around the lower edge of the inner ring is formed a flange 12, the peripheral part of said flange 12 being formed into wavelike undulations 13 so as to prevent the fingers from slipping when the inner ring is revolved. Along the internal edge of the flange 12 is provided an annular protrusion 14, on the external periphery thereof being provided a required number (six in case of the embodiment of the invention) of ratchet-shaped shoulders 15 each having an easy gradient, a protruding ridge 16 being provided on the thick part of each of said shoulders 15.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show sectional views respectively taken across the lines passing through the center of the inner ring as illustrated in FIG. 2, the identical figures being given to the identical parts.

FIG. 5 is a plan of the outer ring 21, the right-hand half thereof disclosing an internal annular protrusion 24 by omitting the flange 22, on the internal periphery thereof being provided a required number (six on the entire inner periphery in case of the embodiment of the invention) of racthed-shaped shoulders each having an easy gradient.

The outer ring 21 has an annular shape, a flange 22 being formed on the upper edge of said outer ring 21, wavelike undulations 23 being continuously formed on the periphery of the flange 22 so as to prevent the fingers from slipping at the time of revolving the outer ring.

An annular protrusion 24 is provided along the external periphery of the flange 22, ratchet-shaped shoulders 25 each having an easy gradient being provided on the internal periphery of the annular protrusion 24 in the identical number with that of the ratchet-shaped shoulders 15 of the inner ring. Furthermore, grooves 26 are provided on the internal periphery of the outer ring 21, it being so arranged that, when the inner ring 11 and the outer ring 21 are fitted together, the protruding ridges 16 of the inner ring 11 will fit into said grooves 26 respectively and will be capable of moving therein to a certain extent.

Besides, by means of giving a fine-grained rough finish or providing a plurality of slender ridges on the respective surfaces of the protruding ridges 16 of the inner ring 11 and those of the grooves 26 of the outer ring 21 to increase the friction therebetween, even very thin cloth can securely be extended with ease between the inner ring 11 and the outer ring 21.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views respectively of the outer ring shown in FIG. 5, the identical parts being indicated by the identical figures. FIG. 8 shows the state wherein embroidery cloth A is placed on the inner ring 11 and then the outer ring 21 is fitted into the inner ring 11 with the cloth A interposed therebetween, part of the drawing being shown as a sectional view.

In this case, the shoulders 15,25 of the inner ring 11 and the outer ring 21 are close to each other respectively, large space being left between the external periphery of the inner ring 11 and the internal periphery of the outer ring 21. As a result, the cloth A interposed between the inner ring 11 and the outer ring 21 is not yet securely fastened.

In the state shown in FIG. 8, if either the inner ring 11 or the outer ring 21 is revolved in the arrow-indicated direction, the protruding ridges 16 provided on the ratchet-shaped shoulders 15 slide in the grooves 26 gradually from the thin parts a of the annular protrusion 24 toward the thick parts b of the ratchet-shaped shoulders 25.

Consequently, the protruding ridges 16 provided on the ratchet-shaped shoulders 15 of the inner ring 11 are brought into pressure contact with the bottom surfaces of the grooves 26 according as the outer ring 21 is revolved toward the direction indicated by arrow. This pressure contact enables the inner ring 11 and the outer ring 21 to securely hold the cloth A interposed therebetween.

Since the external periphery of the inner ring 11 and the internal periphery of the outer ring 21 are both provided with ratchet-shaped shoulders having an easy gradient, if the outer ring 21 alone is revolved in the arrow-indicated direction with the inner ring 11 left stationary at a fixed position, the protruding ridges 16 of the inner ring 11 gradually move from the thin part a toward the thick part b of the outer ring. This movement from the thin part a toward the thick part b has the same significance that the internal diameter of the outer ring 21 gradually decreases.

FIG. 10 shows the state wherein cloth A is placed on the inner ring 11 and then the outer ring 21 is fitted into the inner ring 11, space being left between the protruding ridges 16 of the inner ring 11 and the internal periphery of the annular protrusion 24 of the outer ring 21.

FIG. 11 shows the state wherein the outer ring 21 is revolved until the protruding ridges 16 of the inner ring are brought into pressure contact with the bottom surfaces of the grooves 26 of the outer ring with the inner ring 11 left stationary in the state of FIG. 10, the cloth A being securely stretched by the protruding ridges 16 of the inner ring and the bottom surfaces of the grooves 26 of the outer ring.

As described heretofore, the embroidery frame according to e invention enables to securely stretch even very thin cloth A, since the cloth A interposed between the inner and outer rings is held by the ratchet-shaped shoulders having an easy gradient of the inner and outer rings respectively and then securely fastened between the protruding ridges of the inner ring and the grooves of the outer ring if either the inner ring or the outer ring is slightly revolved. It is needless to mention that the cloth can be dismounted from the frame simply by revolving either of the rings in the direction opposite to the case of mounting it.

The embroidery frame of the invention is characterized in that mounting and dismounting of the cloth on and from the frame can be effected with extreme ease and even very thin cloth can be securely held in the frame, since the cloth, regardless of its thickness, can be fastened to the frame by a simple operation of revolving either of the inner and outer rings thereof.

Furthermore, since the frame body is made of synthetic resin material which can be dyed in any color according to the user's liking, the embroidery frame of the invention is not only beautiful and of great commercial value but producible on a large scale at a low cost.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. An embroidery frame consisting of a combination of an inner ring and an outer ring:

a. said inner ring being annular, and having a flange around the lower edge thereof, ratchet-shaped shoulders each having an easy gradient being provided on the external periphery of said inner ring, and a protruding ridge on the thick part of each said shoulders,

b. said outer ring being annular and fitting into the inner ring with cloth interposed therebetween,

c. ratchet-shaped shoulders each having an easy gradient formed on the internal periphery of a said outer ring, grooves on the shoulders of said outer ring so that the protruding ridges of the inner ring will fit thereinto an slide from the thick parts toward the thin parts of said shoulders.

2. An embroidery frame as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface of each protruding ridge of the inner ring is given a fine-grained rough finish.

3. An embroidery frame as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal surface of each groove of the outer ring is given a fine-grained rough finish.

4. An embroidery frame as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body thereof consists of synthetic resin material.