The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 04, 2003
Filed:
Feb. 08, 2002
Frank J. Papa, Chester, NH (US);
The Gem Group, Inc., Lawrence, MA (US);
Abstract
A base or pallet that is variably adjustable along its width to specifically accommodate a wide range of differently sized pieces of clothing is provided. A main pallet base is flanked by a pair of extendable and retractable (movable) wings, along the underside thereof, that are constructed from a durable material and that extend simultaneously in opposing directions. In an illustrative embodiment, a movement-balancing mechanism, such as a rack-and-pinion assembly or pantograph, is used to extend and retract the wings at a similar rate. In this manner, pulling or pushing on one wing causes the other to move simultaneously. The wings are locked in place using a locking mechanism beneath the outer-facing side of the main base. The locking mechanism can be a block that applies friction to one of the rack sets of the rack-and-pinion assembly or other movement-balancing mechanism. The clothing piece, when loaded, draped from the side edges of the main base onto the wings, and whence over the side edges of the wings. The side edges are set so as to be adjacent to the sleeve seams, or other desired center-registration points, on the clothing piece.