Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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'~ BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
;~ Field of the Invention
1' This invention relates generally to an apparatus for
Z applying fastening elements such as cooperating hook and eye
members onto garment articles like slacks, shirts and the
like. The invention relates more particularly to a backing
plate retainer means used in such apparatus.
Prior Art
~; Assembling of hook and eye fasteners in textile
materials such as for example of slacks is usually effected
with use of a retainer plate carrying thereon a backing
plate and adapted to be inserted through an opening or
pocket formed between a waistband and a fly strip, in which
`~ instance the hook or eye member is brought into clamping
engagement with the backing plate to secure the textile
material therebetween by means of a punch and die unit.
Typical examples of a retainer plate of the type
described are disc1Osed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model
Publications Nos. 61-180125 and 58-110022.
Since belts for slacks widely vary in size,
particularly~in width and hence waistbands vary accordingly,
it is necessary to change the retainer plates each time to
fit with the particular waistband so as to ensure proper
" ~ positioning of the hook or eye member thereon.
`~; The retainer plates disclosed and taught in the
aforementioned prior art devices are fixedly connected to
` ~ their support frames and therefore tedious and
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time-consuming procedures are required to remove existing
retainer plates from and assemble new ones on the machine
each time the hook or eye members are applied to waistbands
of different widths.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object oE the present invention to
provide an improved backing plate retainer means for use in
c the assembling of fastening elements such as hook and eye
!,~' ~ ' members on garments which will eliminate or alleviate the
~, r~ foregoing drawbacks of the prior art.
More specifically, the present invention seeks to
provide an improved backing plate retainer means which
incorporates such structural and functional features that
will enable replacement of retainer means with utmost ease
and efficiency.
Accordlng to the invention, there is provided a
~ backing plate retainer means for use in applying fastening `~
;~ elements onto garments which comprises a generally
rectangular retainer plate having a recess for retaining
therein a backlng plate and an adapter strip removably
attached to and along at least one of opposite longitudinal
edges of the retainer plate.
` The above and other objects and features of the
invention will appear clear from the following detailed ~ -~
` description taken with reference to the accompanying
drawings which illustrate by way of example a preferre~d
embodiment. Like reference numerals refer to like or
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corresponding parts throughout the several views.
~RIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`~3~ FIG. 1 is a plan view of a retainer means embodying
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the invention for use in applying a hook component of a
fastener;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the retainer means of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the retainer means shown
~, ~ mounted in a hook applying apparatus;
j, FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the same;
FIG. 5 iS a plan view of a retainer means embodying
~ the invention for use in applying an eye component of the
?' ~ fastener;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the retainer
~A' means shown mounted in an eye applying apparatus;
,~j FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a waistband portion of
a garment showing a hook attached thereon;
FIG. 8 iS a plan view o~ a waistband portion of a
~i~ ; garment showing an eye attached thereon; and
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view on enlarged scale of
the waistband portion shown in FIG. 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
~ i Referring now to thé drawings and firstly FIGS. 3 and
`:: 4, there is schematically shown an apparatus 10 for applying
: a hook component H of a fastener onto a stacks waistband W. ;
:~;: The apparatus 10 comprises a pedestal 11, a backing plate
retainer means 12 and a crank arm 13 having one of its ends
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pivotally connected by pin 14 to the pedestal 11 and the
opposite end fixedly connected to one end of the retainer
means 12. The apparatus 10 further includes a punch 15 and
a die 16, the punch 15 being vertically movable to clamp and
anchor the hook component H together with a backing plate B
in the textile materlal of the waistband W in a manner well
known in the art as depicted in FIG. 4. :~
The retainer means 12 embodying the invention for use ~;
in applying the hook component H, as shown in FIG. 1, is in
the form of an elongated rectangular retainer plate 17 :
having a connecting end portion 12a connected to the crank
arm 13 and a free end portion 12b adapted to be inserted
into an opening or pocket 18 (FIG. 7) formed between the
waistband W and an underlying fly strip F of slacks S.
The retainer plate 17 has both of its opposite
longitudinal edges 12c, 12c recessed or offset as at 12d,
12d from the side surfaces of the connecting end portion 12a
and inwardly canted at the free end portion 12b to provide
tapered corners 12e, 12e which serve to facilitate the i
insertion of the retainer means 12 into the pocket 18 of the : :
~waistband W. Although the longitudinal edges 12c, 12c of
the retainer plate 17 are thus shown preferably to be
recessed or offset, they may be coextensive with respective ~:
longitudinal edges of the connecting end portion 12a. ~:
The retainer plate 17 is provided in its upper surface
with a receiving recess or cavity 12f for temporarily :
accommodating a backing plate B (Fig. 2) until it is clamped
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together with the hook component H by the unit of punch and
die 16.
According to an important aspect of the invention,
there is provided an adapter strip 19 preferably made of a
metallic material and dimensioned to fit with and along
either of the longitudinal edges 12c, 12c and having a
predetérmined width. For the retainer means 12 designed for
applying the hook component H, a pair of adapter strips 19,
19 are preferably provided for attachment as better shown in
FIG. 1. Each adapter strip 19 has a tapered end l9a canted
at an angle to register in alignment with the tapered corner
12e of the retainer plate 17 when assembled as shown in FIG.
3.
In order to facilitate attachment of the adapter strip
19 to the retainer plate 17, there are provided a plurality
of magnetic members 20 which are embedded to lie
substantially flush with the contour of the longitudinal
edge 12c of the retainer plate 17 and which are adapted to
attract and hold the adapter strip 19 in place with respect
to the retainer plate 17.
A plurality of positioning prongs 21 extend laterally
from the longitudinal edges I2c of the retainer plate 17 and
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are engageable with corresponding recesses l9b in the
adapter strip 19, the arrangement being to ensure proper
alignment between the retainer plate 17 and the adapter
" strip 19.
Reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown an
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apparatus 10' for applying an eye component E of a fastener
onto a stacks waistband W. A backing plate retainer means
12' is supported for both rotary and linear movement with ;
respect to the unit of punch 15 and die 16 as shown in FIG.
6.
The retainer means 12' is in the form of a generally
rectangular retainer plate 17' having a receiving recess or
cavity 12f' for temporarily accommodating a backing plate B'
until it is clamped together with the eye E. Similarly to
the retainer means 12 for applying the hook component H, the
retainer plate 17' has magnetic members 20' and prongs 21'
provided along one of its longitudinal edges 12c' and is
~`~ engageable with an adapter strip 19' for the purpose already
described. `
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` The waistband W is brought into working position with
respect to the apparatus 10' by fitting the same sidewise -
through its opening 18' over the retainer means 12'.
Advantageously, there may be stored a suitable number
of adapter strips 19, 19' having different widths which may
be chosen at will to match any given widths of waistbands W
and easily attached to the retainer plate 17, 17' for ~-
applying hook and/or eye components of a fastener accurately ~
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and efficiently onto the waistbands W.
Obviously, various modifications and variations of the
present invention are possible in the light of the above
teaching. It is therefore to be understood that within the
scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced ~ `~
otherwise than as specifically described.
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