Patent Application
20160206008
The invention relates to the field of clothing accessories worn to enhance the fit and appearance of a shirt, particularly a support structure worn under a shirt collar.
Collared shirts have long been a standard in both casual wear and more formal attire. Particularly in the art of menswear, the collar faces the wear and tear associated with lifting the collar to tie a necktie, arranging collar stays into the collar, as well as routine washing, ironing, or dry cleaning. After a very short while, a collar on shirt becomes worn and soft as the fabric breaks in. Although that adds to comfort, a worn collar is not as crisp and tidy appearing as many individuals prefer, particularly in regard to business attire. Collars on shirts that have been worn even a few times become limp as the fabric loses strength. The limp collar does not stay in place properly and folds over or moves out of center in reference to the wearer's face. As more and more men and women wear collared shirts without neckties for men or scarves for women, the collars on nicer dress shirts are worn open, exposing the wearer's neck. An open shirt allows for a more casual look, but most individuals would prefer that the open shirt collar stay in place with a stiff, well pressed appearance.
Accordingly, there is a need in the fashion and clothing industry for a device that assists in maintaining a desired position for a collar when a shirt is worn, and this is particularly true when a top button of the shirt is open.
In one embodiment, a shirt collar adjustment and support apparatus defines a curved body having a first edge and a second edge that converge to define an opening between two endpoints. One of said edges is tapered at respective ends toward the endpoints.
In another embodiment, a shirt collar adjustment and support apparatus defines a generally arced and substantially flat body that the body is a curve extending between first and second endpoints that define an opening between the endpoints. Respective first and second tapered sections extend from the respective first and second endpoints. The device includes a first edge having a first dimension extending from the first endpoint to the second endpoint, and a second edge has a second dimension extending between the tapered sections.
The figures described above illustrate three embodiments of an apparatus that assists an individual in maintaining a well-tailored appearance about the collar (22) of a shirt (5) having a top button (7) that would fit into a respective button hole, unless the collar is worn open.
The first embodiment of the collar enhancement apparatus (10) is a removable and possibly even disposable device shaped as an open arc, loop, or curved body. The loop is tapered at opposite ends (15A, 15B) that each terminate in a substantially pointed or angled terminus referred to as endpoints (36A, 36B) of the device. The open loop allows the apparatus (10) to fit about the neck of a wearer on the outside of a shirt fabric (24) and hidden from view by the shirt collar (22) as shown in
The apparatus (10) is so dimensioned such that the ends (15A, 15B) of the open loop are not visible when the user wears the apparatus (10) between the shirt fabric (24) and the collar (22), but the endpoints (36A, 36B) are as close as practicable to a top button (7) and corresponding top button hole on the opposite side of a worn shirt. By wearing the apparatus (10) in a stiffening position about the collar (22, 24) of a shirt (5) with the tapered ends (15A, 15B) pointing to and adjacent to the top button (7) and button hole of the shirt, the support device (10) improves the appearance of the shirt when the collar is unbuttoned (i.e., top button (7) is not inserted into a corresponding button hole).
The body of the device (10) is substantially uniform from top to bottom other than the tapered ends (15A, 15B). The curved body of the device (10) defines a first edge (13) and a second edge (14) that converge to define an opening between the two ends (15A, 15B), or endpoints (36A, 36B) of the device (10). The dimensions of the loop may vary as necessary but the width (W) of the loop along its longitudinal axis is consistent between the tapered ends (15A, 15B) and substantially dimensioned to match the area of fabric (24) under a dress shirt collar (22). The collar enhancement apparatus (10) may be made of numerous plastics, polymers, metals, papers, and combinations of the same (e.g., polypropylene), but in one embodiment the apparatus (10) is sufficiently flexible to maintain its flat and curved shape after many uses, even within shirt collars for different people of different sizes. The device (10) may be any color and may include artistic renderings thereon, and in one embodiment the device is clear (i.e., transparent) to ensure that it is less visible during use. The apparatus (10) is characterized in part by a resilient construction that returns to an original shape and size even upon stretching to widen an opening between the endpoints (36A, 36B). As shown in
The device (10) defines a front face (60) and a back face (70) between the edges (13, 14) of the device, wherein the front face (60) is positioned between the back face (70) and the opening between end points (36A, 36B). The shirt collar adjustment and support device (10) is so dimensioned as to fit under a shirt collar in a manner that the curved body of the apparatus is not visible under the shirt collar.
One way to describe the device (10) is in terms of a Cartesian coordinate system in which a point of origin is centered at a point in space within the arced body of the device (10). In this example, an x axis would intersect the device only once, the y axis would intersect the device in two places on opposite sides, and the z axis would extend through the origin without intersecting the device. In one embodiment, the curved body defines an arc wherein the opening between the endpoints (36A, 36B) is between 30 degrees and 330 degrees on the x-y Cartesian coordinate system defining an origin at the center of the space encircled by the arc of the device body (10). A stable state of the curved body (10) defines an opening between 20 degrees and 340 degrees. An expanded state of the curved body defines an opening between 50 degrees and 310 degrees. The device (10) is configured for use with a shirt having a collar that folds toward a wearer's shoulders and back, the shirt collar adjustment apparatus being positionable around the wearer's neck with said endpoints (36A, 36B) proximate a top button (7) on the shirt (5). The tapered ends (15) of the device (10) extend from a front top button (7) on the shirt toward a wearer's shoulder. The opening defined between the ends expands to allow the wearer to fit the shirt collar adjustment apparatus around the wearer's neck such that the shirt is between the wearer's body and the shirt collar adjustment apparatus.
In another embodiment, shown first in
These and other details of the invention are set forth in the drawings and claims that follow.
This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/104,689 for Apparatus to Enhance Shirt Collar Appearance filed on Jan. 16, 2015. The same is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62104689 | Jan 2015 | US |
