Embroidery-hoop.

Application filed May 11, 1914. Serial No. 837,625.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Frank C. Haidet, a citizen of the United States, residing in Canton, in the county of Stark and State of 5 Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Embroidery-Hoops, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to a frame for stretching fabric for the purpose of embroid10 ering or otherwise ornamenting the fabric, and consists of an inner ring, over which the fabric is stretched, and an outer ring adapted to clamp the fabric, collectively known as an embroidery hoop, and especially to that 15 class of embroidery hoop wherein the inner hoop comprises a continuous ring, and the outer hoop consists of an expansible ring adapted to accommodate different thicknesses of fabric.

It is the object of my invention to provide an embroidery hoop, of this character, in which the outer or expansible ring is adapted to accommodate varying thicknesses of material and still remain substantially a true 25 circle.

Another object is to provide means whereby under all conditions the outer or expansible ring will clamp the fabric at all points around the periphery of the inner ring.

These objects, together with other objects readily apparent to those skilled in the art, may be attained by the construction disclosed in the accompanying drawings, although the invention may be embodied in 35 other forms, the construction illustrated being chosen by way of example.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a perspective view of the inner and outer rings separated from each other to better illustrate 40 the construction. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the outer ring, showing the means of connecting the opposite ends. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3—3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view 45 of the shoe in which the opposite ends of the detachable ring are located. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5—5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the ends of the outer ring.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The inner hoop 1 consists of a continuous ring provided with the reinforcing beads 55 2 adapted to strengthen the hoop 1 and maintain it in circular form. The construction of the inner ring, however, is immaterial to the present invention, it only being necessary to provide a rigid inner ring over which the fabric may be stretched. go

The outer, expansible ring 3 consists of a metallic strip provided with the strengthening beads 4 throughout the greater portion of its length, intermediate its ends, and formed into a circle, the opposite ends 65 of said metallic strip being flexibly connected by means hereinafter described.

A curved shoe 5, conforming with the contour of the ring 3, is provided, said shoe being for the purpose of housing the opposite 70 ends of the hoop 3, and for guiding said ends when the hoop is expanded or contracted. The opposite ends of the ring 3 are adapted to contact at a point intermediate the ends of the shoe 5, preferably equi- 75 distant from each end of said shoe, and the hoop is provided with a reduced portion at either extremity, said reduced portion adapted to slide within the grooves formed by the over-turned flanges 6 formed upon the shoe 5. 80 The reduced portions upon either extremity of the ring extend back from the free ends of said ring to the point where the hoop enters the shoe 5, at which point the beads 4 are flattened against the face of the hoop, as 85 at 7, thus forming shoulders 8 adapted to contact with the ends of the shoe, and an offset 9 is provided at this point thus forming a continuous circular inner face upon the outer ring 3, the inner face of the shoe 5 90 throughout its length comprising a portion of said circle.

The shoe 5 is of the same width as the ring 3 and as the hoop is provided with the reduced extremities, the beads being flattened 95 against the face of said extremities through the length of the shoe, the width and thickness of the ring 3 will be substantially the same through its circumference. Located in the reduced portion at each end of 100 the ring 3, and preferably stamped therein, is a tang 10 provided with an eye 11 adapted to receive the opposite hooks 12 of a coil spring 13, said spring being located between the over-turned flanges 6 formed upon 105 the shoe, said flanges also forming a guide for the spring.

In embroidery hoops of this character where the outer hoop consists of a split ring adapted to be expanded, difficulty has been 110 found in maintaining a true circle as thus expanded. It is necessary that the outer β 1,121,920 ring at all times should conform to the outline of the inner ring in order to clamp the fabric at all points around the circumference and when the outer ring is thrown out 5 of a true circle by expansion it will be readily seen that there will be some points around the circumference of the inner ring at which the fabric will not be tightly clamped. In the present invention the shoe 10 5 forms a considerable portion of the inner circumference of the outer ring and tends to hold the outer ring in substantially a true circle, under all conditions.