Patent Publication Number: US-6213037-B1

Title: Headgear frame

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a headgear frame for a sewing machine for embroidering the peripheral portion of a headgear. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A conventional headgear frame  100  for a sewing machine is provided, for example, with a receiving frame  101  formed into a cylindrical shape and a holding band  102  having a belt shape, as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     When a headgear  1  is to be embroidered, first of all, the receiving frame  101  of the headgear frame  100  is mounted on the (not-shown) set jig. And, the headgear  1  is fitted on the outer circumference of the receiving frame  101  and is then clamped and fixed on its outer circumference by the holding band  102  of the headgear frame  100 . 
     The holding band  102  is provided at its other end  102   b  with a ring  103 , and the receiving frame  101  is provided with a hooking member  104  for hooking the ring  103 . After the ring  103  was hooked by the hooking member  104 , as shown in FIG. 5, it may be dislocated to chatter in the width direction (i.e., in the direction, as indicted by double-dotted arrows in FIG. 5) of the holding band  102  with respect to the hooking member  104 . As a result, the holding band  102  is not positioned so that the headgear  1  cannot be set in position or may go out of position. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to provide a headgear frame capable of clamping a headgear in position. 
     In the invention, therefore, there have been taken the following means, as will be individually described with reference to FIGS. 1 to  3 . 
     According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a headgear frame  10  comprising: a cylindrical receiving frame  11  adapted to be fitted in a headgear  1 ; and a holding band  12  adapted to be wound on the outer side of the headgear  1  for clamping the headgear  1  between itself and the receiving frame  11 , wherein said holding band  12  is hinged at its one end  12   a  to a hinging portion  16  in the vicinity of the receiving frame  11  and is removably hooked at its other end  12   b  by a hooking portion  17  in the vicinity of the receiving frame  11 , 
     characterized: in that the hooking portion  17  in the vicinity of the receiving frame  11  and the other end  12   b  of said holding band  12  are relatively provided with a combination of a hooking member  18  and a pair of regulating members  19  forming a V-shaped angled side face  20  with the hooking member  18  on the both sides of said hooking member  18 , and a ring  21  adapted to be hooked by said hooking member  18  (in the shown embodiment, the hooking portion  17  is provided with the combination of the hooking member  18  and the regulating members  19  whereas the other end  12   b  of the holding band  12  is provided with the ring  21 , but the hooking portion  17  may be provided with the ring  21  whereas the other end  12   b  of the holding band  12  may be provided with the combination of the hooking member  18  and the regulating members  19 ); and in that when the ring  21  is hooked by the hooking member  18 , it bites into the V-shaped angled side face so that it is not dislocated with respect to the hooking member  18  (especially in the band width direction of the holding band  12 ). 
     The headgear  1  includes a cap, a hat, a beret and any others which can be embroidered and worn on the head. 
     In the shown embodiment, it is preferred that the ring  21  is provided at its leading end with a C-shaped portion  22  (this C-shape includes one which curves smoothly and one which is squarish and bends), that the hooking member  18  is made substantially as wide as the internal width of the C- shaped portion  22 , and that the paired regulating members  19  are spaced substantially as wide as the external width of the C-shaped portion  22 . 
     According to this headgear frame  10 , after the ring  21  was hooked by the hooking member  18 , the ring  21  is restrained from being dislocated in the band width direction of the holding band  12  with respect to said hooking member  18  and from chattering, and the holding band  12  is positioned so that the headgear  1  can be set in position and so that the headgear  1  is not displaced while being embroidered. 
     Further objects of this invention will become evident upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments described below. Various advantages not specifically referred to herein but within the scope of the instant invention will occur to one skilled in the art upon practice of the presently disclosed invention. The following examples and embodiments are illustrative and not seen to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a righthand side view showing a headgear frame for a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the same headgear frame; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a hooking portion of the same headgear frame; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view showing a conventional headgear frame; and 
     FIG. 5 is a partial righthand side view showing the same headgear frame. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 to  3  show a headgear frame  10  for a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1, this sewing machine is provided with a cylindrical bed  91  which is projected in parallel with a direction, as indicated by arrow Y, from a machine frame  90 . Below and in parallel with the root end side of the cylindrical bed  91 , there is projected a guide rail  62  which supports a headgear frame apparatus  9  including the headgear frame  10  in a manner to move in the direction Y. Over the cylindrical bed  91 , there is further provided a horizontal drive frame  60  which extends in a horizontal plane in the (not-shown) direction X intersecting the direction Y at a right angle, so that the headgear frame apparatus  9  is moved by the horizontal drive frame  60 . 
     On the upper face of the leading end side of the cylindrical bed  91 , there is arranged a throat plate  92  which is provided with a needle eye  92   a  and below which there is packaged a (not-shown) hook wound with a bobbin thread. Over the cylindrical bed  91 , there is provided a needle  93  which is made vertically movable in the (not-shown) machine head. And, a headgear (cap)  1 , as held on the headgear frame apparatus  9 , is embroidered by the association between the needle  93  to be driven on the basis of embroidering data and the aforementioned hook. 
     The headgear frame apparatus  9  is provided for supporting the embroidering range of the headgear  1  in a proper position just over the cylindrical bed  91 . The headgear frame apparatus  9  is constructed to include: a support frame  40  made slidable in the direction Y along the guide rail  62 ; a rotary drive frame  30  so supported on the support frame  40  as to rotate on an axis parallel to the direction Y; the headgear frame  10  clamping the headgear  1  and replaceably engaged to outside of the rotary drive frame  30 ; elastic plates  41  mounted on a stay  45 , as projected forward from the support frame  40 , and extended sideways (to the left and right sides in the shown embodiment) of the cylindrical bed  91 ; and auxiliary rollers  42  provided rotatably at the leading ends of the elastic plates  41  and rotating in abutment against boundary corner portion  7  between a circumferential portion  5  and a crest portion  6  of the headgear  1  clamped by the headgear frame  10 . 
     This headgear frame  10  is provided, as shown in FIGS. 1 to  3 , with a cylindrical receiving frame  11  to be inserted into the headgear  1 , and a holding band  12  adapted to be wound on the outer side of the headgear  1  to clamp the headgear  1  between itself and the receiving frame  11 . 
     This receiving frame  11  is provided with a brim  23  disposed generally at the center of its longitudinal direction. On the front face of the brim  23 , there are provided a hinging portion  16  and a hooking portion  17  which are spaced from each other in the circumferential direction of the receiving frame  11 . 
     These hinging portion  16  and hooking portion  17  are individually disposed at positions apart from the receiving frame  11  to the outer circumference (by a distance indicated by arrow S). To the hinging portion  16  near that receiving frame  11 , there is hinged one end  12   a  of the holding band  12 , the other end  12   b  of which is removably hooked on the hooking portion  17  near the receiving frame  11 . 
     Of the band edge (i.e., the band edge on this side in the shown embodiment) of the holding band  12 , both portions in the vicinities of the one end  12   a  and the other end  12   b  apart from the receiving frame  11  are provided with push members  13  which are projected toward the receiving frame  11 . By these push members  13 , the headgear  1  is so pushed and tensed, when clamped, at its corresponding portions  2  that it may not float from the receiving frame  11 . The push members  13  are a plurality of push members  13  which are raised stepwise toward the one end or the other end. 
     In the holding band  12 , there is formed a horizontally elongated opening  15  for passing the visor  4  of the headgear  1  therethrough. On the intermediate portion of the front edge of the opening  15 , there are formed a number of saw-toothed projections  15   a  which can bite into the stitched portion between the visor  4  and the circumferential portion  5  of the headgear  1  from the outer side of the headgear  1 . 
     At the hooking portion  17  near the receiving frame  11  and at the other end  12   b  of the holding band  12 , respectively, as shown in FIG. 3, there are provided a combination of a hooking member  18  and a pair of regulating members  19  which make a V-shaped angled side face  20  with the hooking member  18  on both sides of the hooking member  18 , and a ring  21  hooked by the hooking member  18 . When the ring  21  is hooked by the hooking member  18 , it bites into the V-shaped angled side face  20  so that it does not go out of position with respect to the hooking member  18  (especially in the band width direction of the holding band  12 ). The ring  21  is provided at its leading end with a C-shaped portion  22 . Here, this C-shape includes one which curves smoothly and one which is squarish and bends. The hooking member  18  is made substantially as wide as the internal width of the C-shaped portion  22 , and the clearance of the paired regulating members  19  is made substantially as wide as the external width of the C-shaped portion  22 . 
     At the receiving frame  11 , a curved plate  26  is projected forward of the receiving frame  11  along the inner circumferential edge of the front end of the receiving frame  11 , and a support plate portion of the curved plate  26  is projected forward of the receiving frame  11  on the outer circumference of the receiving frame  11  between the hinging portion  16  and the hooking portion  17 . The curved plate  26  is provided at its front end edge with a number of projections  14  which are so arranged as can bite into the stitched portion with the circumferential portion  5  of a next-to-skin portion  3 . The support plate portion is provided on its outer circumference with a pair of fitting members  24  which are spaced from each other in the circumferential direction of the receiving frame  11 . This support plate portion is inserted into the headgear  1  to clamp the back side of the headgear  1  between itself and a holding clip  25  which is fitted in the fitting members  24  from the outer side of the headgear  1 . 
     Next, the headgear  1  is clamped by the headgear frame  10  thus constructed in the following manner: 
     (1) The headgear frame  10  is set in the (not-shown) set jig; 
     (2) The other end  12   b  of the holding band  12  is released from the receiving frame  11  of the headgear frame  10 ; 
     (3) The headgear  1  is mounted on the receiving frame  11  while peeling out the next-to-skin portion  3 . The headgear  1  is positioned to have its back side located on the side of the support plate portion of the receiving frame  11 . At this time, the stitched portion of the headgear next-to-skin portion is made to engage with the saw-toothed projections  14  of the receiving frame  11  (so as to prevent dislocations); 
     (4) When the headgear  1  is fixed by the holding band  12 , the visor  4  of the headgear  1  is inserted at first into the opening  15  at the band central portion, and the holding band  12  is wound on the headgear  1 ; 
     (5) The push members  13  at the both end portions of the holding band  12  push and tense the corresponding portions  2  (i.e., the left and right end portions in the shown embodiment) of the headgear  1  so that the corresponding portions  2  may not float from the receiving frame  11 , and the other end  12   b  of the holding band  12  is hooked and fixed while eliminating the wrinkles; and 
     (6) Moreover, the back side of the headgear  1  is lightly pulled downward by one hand to tense the left and right end portions of the headgear  1 , and the holding clip  25  is mounted in the fitting members  24  through the headgear  1  by the other hand. 
     According to this headgear frame  10 , after the ring  21  was hooked by the hooking member  18 , the ring  21  is restrained from being dislocated in the band width direction of the holding band  12  with respect to said hooking member  18  and from chattering, and the holding band  12  is positioned so that the headgear  1  can be set in position and so that the headgear  1  is not displaced while being embroidered. 
     Here, the invention should not be limited to the aforementioned construction of the embodiment but can be embodied by modifying it suitably without departing from the gist thereof, as in the following: 
     (1) The hooking portion  17  is provided with the ring  21 , and the holding band  12  is provided at its other end with the combination of the hooking member  18  and the regulating members  19 ; and 
     (2) The invention can be modified into a mode, in which the ring is provided at its leading end with a V-shaped portion, in which the hooking member is made substantially as wide as the internal width of a predetermined position from the leading end of the V-shaped portion, and in which the aforementioned paired regulating members are spaced substantially as wide as the external width of the aforementioned predetermined position. 
     As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.