Patent Application
20170029987
The present invention relates to a device for weaving an item and a pliable material for use in weaving the item, for example particularly, but not exclusively, a wearable item.
Looms used to weave colorful rubber bands into bracelets are known. The weaving of bracelets becomes a popular pastime targeting at children. A recent and popular one would be the Rainbow Loom®. Loose rubber bands are sold in packs. The rubber bands are tangled inside the pack making them difficult to retrieve. Too much pressure on the packs will cause the packing to burst.
Conventionally looms are used to weave strings into linked items. The relatively long loose strings are even more prompt to tangle than the rubber bands.
Looms are usually not portable. They are machines with the basic purpose to hold the wrap threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The shape of the loom may vary but the size is usually taller than a seated-human.
The invention seeks to eliminate or at least to mitigate such shortcomings for more fun by providing a new or otherwise improved device for weaving a linked item and pliable material arranged in an improved and novel manner.
According to the invention, there is provided a portable device for weaving an item from a pliable member, comprising: a support frame defining a weaving area and having upper and lower surfaces, and a holder positioning on the support frame adjacent the weaving area and accessible from at least the upper surface of the support frame for releasably holding said pliable member across the weaving area, wherein the holder includes first and second releasable holding members, the holding members are set apart by the weaving area for holding said pliable member across the weaving area.
Preferably, the first holding member is provided on the upper surface of the support frame and the second holding member extends across the upper and lower surfaces.
More preferably, the lower surface of the support frame is provided with a releasable attachment means for releasably attaching the support frame on a support surface.
Advantageously, the weaving area comprises an aperture that extends through the upper and lower surfaces of the support frame.
More advantageously, the support frame comprises upper and lower frame parts each having a through hole, upon assembling the upper and lower frame parts to form the frame structure, the through holes align to form the aperture.
Preferably, the first holding member comprises a projection with a periphery over which said pliable member runs.
More preferably, the first holding member includes a retainer for retaining said pliable member on the periphery of the projection.
Yet more preferably the retainer is moveable between open and closed positions and the projection includes a free end closeable by the retainer which is moved to the closed position to thereby retain the pliable member on the periphery of the projection.
It is preferable that the retainer is resiliently biased to the closed position.
Preferably, the second holding member comprises a gripper with first and second gripping members which are moveable relatively between open and closed positions.
More preferably, the gripping members, at the closed position, are spaced apart by a gap which increases in magnitude when the gripping members move to the opened position.
Yet more preferably, the gripping members are resiliently biased to the closed position.
Advantageously, the gripping members are resiliently biased to the closed position by an inherent resilience of the first gripping member and movable to the open position by deformation of the first gripping member.
More advantageously, the first and second holding members are provided at opposite end portions of the support frame, which defines a first axis, and the gripping members of the second holding member are movable between the open and closed positions along a second axis traverse to the first axis.
It is advantageous that the first gripping member is situated in a seat to restrict its relative position therein, and wherein the seat is pre-formed in one of the upper and lower frame parts of the frame structure.
Preferably, the first gripping member is an L-shaped formation.
More preferably, L-shaped formation includes a free end for engaging a surface of the second gripping member.
Yet more preferably, the free end of the L-shaped formation extends beyond a side of the seat for engaging the surface of the second gripping member.
Advantageously, second holder member includes at least two, first and second grippers.
More advantageously the first gripping member of the first and second grippers are situated in respective seats in the frame structure, a part of the first gripping member of the first gripper extends beyond a side of the seat in which it is situated, and the second gripping member of the first gripper comprises a side of the seat in which the first gripping member of the second gripper is situated.
Preferably, the first and second gripping members are situated in the upper part of the frame structure.
More preferably, the releasable attachment means comprises a suction cup.
It is preferable that the support frame forms a handgrip.
In another aspect of the invention there is provided a pack of pliable members for use with the device as mentioned above for weaving an item comprising at least two pliable members interconnected by a web.
Preferably, the web is breakable by sheering force for separating two pliable members from one another.
More preferably, the web is formed integrally with the at least two pliable members.
Advantageously, the pliable members and the web are shaped by one-step moulding.
More advantageously, the pliable member is elastic.
The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
The portable device 100 is best show in
The aperture 101 in the form of a large central hole in the device 100 defines a weaving, knitting or plaiting area for the user's fingers to manipulate the pliable members 200. The aperture 101 is formed by respective apertures 102c and 103b on the upper and lower frame parts 102 and 103. This aperture 101 makes knitting easier by providing access to the straps or strings 200 from above and below the device 100. It accommodates the hand of the user allowing the user to grip onto the frame which becomes a handle for easy manipulation of the device 100. There are two holders 104 and 105 positioned on the upper surface 102a of the frame structure adjacent the aperture 101 for maintaining or tensioning the strap or string 200 across the aperture 101. These holders 104 and 105 are preferably positioned on the frame structure opposite to each other defining a first axis.
In the preferred embodiment, the holder 104 is provided on the upper surface 102a. It is in the form of a clip with two seats 104a, 104b and a titled cover 104c pivotally set on the two seats 104a and 104b. The tilted cover 104c is pivotably connected to the two seats 104a and 104b by respective pivot shafts. The tilted cover 104c is moveable between open and closed positions. A resilient biasing means, preferably a spring, is attached to the shafts for biasing the tiled cover 104c in the closed position as shown in
The holder 104 may further include one or more projections 106 projecting underneath the tilted cover 104c. These projections 106 are formed on and extended traversely from a platform. The projections 106 are preferably integrally formed on the platform as one piece. The platform is secured in position between the upper and lower frame parts 102 and 103 of the frame structure while the projections extends beyond the first surface 102a through one or more opening 102b thereon. A seat is defined in an interior of the lower frame part 103 in which the platform sits. The upper frame part 102 has corresponding structures which functions with the seat in the lower part 103 to confine the relative position of the platform therein, hence the projections 106 in the frame structure. Once the upper and lower frame parts 102 and 103 are secured, the platform and the projections 106 are held in position. In the preferred embodiment as shown in
When the tilted cover 104c is at the closed position, it closes off free ends of the projections 106 to retain the strap or string 200 on a periphery of the projection 106 in use. End surfaces of the free ends of the projections 106 are slanted to match with an inner side of the tilted cover 104c in the closed position.
In an alternative embodiment, the holder 104 may include only the projections 106 which may be provided with features such as a groove to retain the straps or strings 200 looped onto the periphery of the projection 106. This prevents the strap or string 200 from slipping off the projection 106 in a direction parallel to that in which the projection 106 extends.
The holder 105 is accessible through the upper surface 102a. As shown in this embodiment, the holder 105 extends across the upper and lower surfaces 102a and 103a. The holder 105 includes seven grippers 105. Each gripper 105 includes a pair of gripping members 105a and 105b between which one or more strap or string 200 is insertable. The gripping members 105a and 105b are moveable relatively between a closed position and an open position along a second axis traverse to the first axis. To grip the strap or string 200, the gripping members 105a and 105b are moved to a closed position. In the preferred embodiment, the gripping members 105a and 105b are resiliently biased to the closed position by the inherent resilience of the gripping member 105a. Alternatively, a resilient biasing means such as a spring may be used to maintain the gripping members 105a and 105b in the closed position. More specifically, a surface of the gripping member 105a pushes against a surface of the gripping member 105b to sandwich between them a strap or string 200 upon insertion. The gripping member 105a is made of a material more resilient or deformable relative to the material from which the gripping member 105b is made of.
Referring again to
In the preferred embodiment, there are at least two, first and second, grippers 105. The free end 105a-3 of the L-shaped gripping member 105a of the first gripper 105 protrudes beyond the opening 102c-1 on a side of the seat 103b in which the gripper member 105a of the first gripper 105 sits. The free end 105a-3 interacts with a side of the seat 103b, the gripping member 105b, in which the gripping member 105a of the second gripper 105 sits.
The gripping member 105b of a last gripper 105 includes a side surface of an end seat 102c′ without a gripping member 105a.
Referring to
Alternatively, the gripping member 105a or 105b may be resiliently deformable or being biased to the closed position by a spring.
To weave, at least one of the straps or strings 200 is removed from the gripper 105 and be placed onto the other straps or strings 200 which remain tensioned by the holders 104 and 105.
A releasable attachment means in the form of a suction cup 107 is provided on an underside of the lower part 103 for anchoring the device onto a surface such as a table surface that supports the device 100. The suction cup 107 is releasably attached to the lower part 103 by conventional means. In an alternative embodiment, the suction cup 107 may be replaced by other releasable attachment means which makes use of friction to retain the device on the surface. Releasable attachments means such as hooks may be used.
Turning to
As the straps or strings 200 are held together in a pack, their relative position is basically fixed. They will not tangle. Also the compactness allows transportation at lower cost by taking up less space.
The invention has been given by way of example only, and various other modifications of and/or alterations to the described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.
