US2880493A - Rubber encasing braid - Google Patents

Description

April 7, 1959 L. H. MITCHELL RUBBER ENCASING BRAID Filed June 24, 1955 INVENTOR. 1,4 WIPE/V65 1% M/TKA [ZZ United States Patent RUBBER ENCASING BRAID Lawrence H. Mitchell, Collingswood, NJ.

Application June 24, 1955, Serial No. 517,692

1 Claim. (Cl. 28-78) The present invention relates to braids and is concerned primarily with a braid which encases a strip of sponge rubber.

At the present time, many fabrics and articles are made of braids. A good example of such an article is a rug that comprises a plurality of turns of a braid which are stitched together in side-by-side relation. An article such as a rug should have a good cushioning etfect and this invention is founded on the belief that sponge rubber will provide such a cushioning effect to a degree and of a type heretofore unattained.

With the foregoing conditions in mind, the present invention has in view as its foremost objective the provision of a braid which encases a strip of sponge rubber. While there are braids of difierent types and character, the invention has particularly in mind a figure-eight braid with each loop of the figure-eight receiving a strip of sponge rubber. Such a braid provides, in elfect, two strips in side-by-side relation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a braid of the character indicated in which two or more strips of sponge rubber are closely assembled in abutting relation and encased by the braid. More in detail, the invention has as an object the provision of a figure-eight braid in which each loop of the figure-eight encases two or more strips of sponge rubber.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a rug comprising a plurality of turns of a rubber encasing braid of the character above indicated which are maintained in assembled relation by stitching or other appropriate means.

In providing a braid in accordance with the above noted objectives, just about any yarn may be employed. Thus, the invention comprehends the use of a yarn made from wool, cotton, or synthetic fibers, or a yarn made from any combination of such fibers. The important feature of the invention is the structure of the braid encasing the strip of sponge rubber.

The invention also contemplates utilizing rubber strips having cross sections of varying sizes and shapes. Thus, the rubber strip may be square in cross section, rectangular, round, or oval, depending on the particular article which is to be made from the braid.

An important advantage which attaches to a braid of the character above indicated is that it makes it possible to stitch or sew the strips of sponge rubber together in assembled relation. Ordinarily, the stitching of sponge rubber is not practical and is carried out with great difficulty. However, with the sponge rubber encased in a braid, these difficulties are obviated.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention, such as arise in connection with carrying out the above-noted ideas in a practical embodiment, will in part become apparent and in part be hereinafter stated as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention, therefore, comprises a braid enclosing a strip of sponge rubber and more particularly a figureeight braid with each loop of the figure-eight encasing one or more strips of sponge rubber.

For a full and more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a rug that is made from a braid encasing sponge rubber in accordance with the precepts of this invention; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed section through one turn of the braid and about on the plane represented by the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Before referring to the drawing, it is to be clearly understood that a yarn that is made from just about any of the fibers, now commonly used in the production of braids, may be employed. Such yarns are ordinarily made of cotton, wool, or synthetic fibers, or from a combination of such fibers. For the purposes of this specification, the particular yam herein described is taken as a wool yarn for illustrative purposes only.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, a rug or mat is therein illustrated and referred to in its entirety by the reference character R. As illustrated, this rug R is of an elongated or oval shape although here again it is noted that this is not a limitation on this invention as the rug may assume other shapes, and other articles may be made from the braid hereinafter described.

The rug R comprises a plurality of turns 10 which are joined in assembled relation by the stitching represented at 11. Each of the turns 10 consists of a figure-eight braid.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 2, the figure-eight braid is shown as comprising two loops 12 and 13 which are connected by the crossing portion of the yarn represented at 14. Received in the loop 12 are two strips of sponge rubber 15 and 16 while two additional strips 17 and 18 are received in the loop 13.

A figure-eight braiding machine is now well-known in the braiding art and the operaiton of such a machine readily lends itself to the encasing of the rubber strips. It is also notable that other types of braiding machines may be utilized to produce braids of other characters in which one or more strips of sponge rubber are encased by the yarn.

As illustrated by the drawing, two strips of sponge rubber are encased by each loop of the figure-eight. Here again it is notable that a single strip may be employed or strips of a number in excess of two. Each pair of rubber strips is twisted together to achieve the compact construction illustrated in Figure 2. When a single strip is used, this twisting may be eliminated.

While it is believed to be possible to join adjacent turns by some means other than stitching, the invention has particularly in mind the use of such stitching, because it is highly effective on the sponge rubber and may be readily carried out when the sponge rubber is encased by the braid.

While a preferred specific embodiment of the invention is hereinbefore set forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact braid, shapes, and designs illustrated and described, be-

cause various modifications of these details may be provided in putting the invention into practice within the purview of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A rug comprising a plurality of turns of a figure-eight braid and stitching for joining adjacent turns together, said figure-eight braid comprising two casing elements joined together with a pair of sponge rubber strips of rectangular cross section twisted together and received in each of said casing elements.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Struss Apr. 21, 1891 Kalbach Mar. 25, 1924 Moore Dec. 29, 1936 Marti Apr. 27, 1937 Spencer Apr. 4, 1939 Miller Nov. 12, 1940 Cooper Mar. 11, 1952

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