Collar Stay System

Abstract

A collar stay system is provided having a collar band, swivels and retainers for holding collar stays. The system allows the user to selectively position the collar.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Collar stays are separate tabs that are inserted into pockets in a collar to help maintain the shape of the shirt collar.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention utilize a neck band that is sized to circumscribe the neck of the user when a shirt collar is buttoned. The neck band is in two pieces which each pass through a retainer which grasps the two pieces and holds them together. The portions of each piece of the neck band that pass through the retainer have striations formed in their surfaces that correspond to ridges formed on the inside of the retainer. The striations are spaced apart so that when a striation encounters the ridge, the collar system will correspond in length to a standard shirt size or half size in half size increments. Some embodiments have numbers inscribed next to the striations to indicate the shirt neck size corresponding to that striation. The ends of each piece of collar band not passing through the retainer have pivotally attached to them a swivel. Attached to the swivel are stay retainers which are shaped to retain standard sized stays. Replacement retainers are provided to retain stays of non-standard lengths and widths. Some embodiments replace the retainer with permanently attached stays. These may be made of materials that are resilient or rigid depending on the style of collar desired. For button-down collars without pockets for stays, a collar follower is provided which has a forked or notched end. The follower fits in the stay retainer at one end, and at the other notched end is placed around the button of the button-down collar. The follower supports and is in contact with the bottom of the collar, but is not inside a pocket as with non-button-down or straight collars.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the collar stay system;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the retainer;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the swivel and stay retainer;

FIG. 5 show striations on the collar band, a notched stay and the retainer;

FIG. 6A shows a perspective view of the stay retainer;

FIG. 6B shows a plan view of the stay retainer;

FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of the stay retainer; and

FIG. 7B shows an elevational view of the stay retainer; and

FIGS. 8A-8C are views of the swivel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A description of embodiments of the present invention will now be given with reference to the Figures. It is expected that the present invention may take many other forms and shapes, hence the following disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and the scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present invention utilize a neckband 10 that is sized to circumscribe the neck of a user when a shirt collar (not shown) is buttoned in front. In some embodiments the neck band 10 is in two pieces which each pass through a retainer 12 which grasps the two pieces and holds them together. In some embodiments the surfaces of two-piece neck band that interfaces with the other piece comprises a surface to improve the security of the contact between the two pieces, such as a grit, an adhesive, or a mechanical groove so as to reduce or prevent the two pieces comprising the neck band from unwanted sliding. The portions of each piece of the neck band 10 that pass through the retainer 12 have striations 14 formed in their surfaces that correspond to ridges 16 formed on the inside of the retainer. In some embodiments the striations, notches, receivers or other physical marks are spaced apart so that when a striation 14 engages the ridge 16, the collar system will correspond in length to a standard shirt size or half size in half-size increments. In some embodiments standard shirt sizes are written on the neck band to indicate to the user when the neck band is at the desired length or size. Some embodiments have numbers inscribed on band 10 so that they are readable by the user when the striations are covered by the retainer to indicate the shirt neck size corresponding to that engagement of ridge and striation. In some embodiments the retainer and collar are infinitely adjustable, with the retainer being able to mechanically squeeze the two neck bands together to secure the neck bands at the desired length.

In some embodiments the ends of each piece of collar band 10 not passing through retainer 12 have pivotally attached to them a swivel 18. In some embodiments the swivel 18 comprises a coupler 55 such as a snap that selectively and mechanically snaps to a mating snap on the end of the neck band 10. In some embodiments the snap is tight enough to hold their position and allow the swivel 18 to be selectively positioned at a desired angle, allowing the collar to be flared away from or nestled next to the shirt. In some embodiments the swivel 18 allows a stay 15 to be inserted into a pocket in a collar when the collar is turned up, such as when tying a tie, and then remain in the pocket when the collar is turned down.

Attached to swivel 18 are stay retainers 20 which are shaped to retain a stay. In some embodiments a wire or similar semi-rigid material couples swivel coupling member 55 to stay retainer coupling member 45. In some embodiments the retainer 20 are configured to couple to the swivel 18 using a wire, or a pivoting mechanism which will allow the retainer 20 to selectively pivot to allow the retainer 20 to align with the receiving pocket on the underside of the collar. In some embodiments the stay is a standard-sized stay. In some embodiments the retainer 20 comprises a ledge member. In some embodiments the ledge member is configured to align the stay with the retainer 20. In some embodiments the ledge member supports the stay to prevent it from bending. In some embodiments the ledge member comprises a dimple 35 configured to selectively engage a stay at a desired length. In some embodiments the retainer 20 comprises grips 40 which can be squeezed to enlarge the space through which the stay passes, thus allowing the stay to be adjusted to any desired length along the full length of the stay. In some embodiments the retainer 20 comprises a slot 30 passing through the entire body of the retainer 20 and is configured to allow the stay to pass through the body of the retainer 20 and allow the stay to be selectively set to a desired length.

In some embodiments stays are a standard size. In some embodiments replacement retainers are provided to retain stays of non-standard lengths and widths. In some embodiments the stays are metal. In some embodiments the stays are plastic, in some embodiments the stays are wire frames which can be narrowed to fit into different sized receiving pockets. In some embodiments stays have features to improve the mechanical properties such as rigidness by placing ribs or other features on the surface of the stay. Some embodiments replace retainer 20 with permanently attached stays. These may be made of materials that are resilient or rigid depending on the style of collar desired.

For button-down collars without pockets for stays, a collar follower 22 is provided which has a forked or notched end. The follower fits in the stay retainer at one end, and at the other notched end is placed around the button of the button-down collar. The follower supports and is in contact with the bottom of the collar, but is not inside a pocket as with non-button-down or straight collars.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. A collar stay system comprising: a two-piece collar band configured to fit around the neck of a user, wherein each of the two pieces of the collar band comprise a captured end and a free end;a retainer configured to secure the two pieces of the collar band;a swivel attached to the free end of each of the collar band pieces; and

2. The two-piece collar band of claim 1 further comprising striations corresponding to a shirt size.

3. The two-piece collar band of claim 1 further comprising mechanical engagement points configured to selectively position the length of the two-piece collar band.

4. The two-piece collar band of claim 1 wherein the interfacing surfaces of the collar bands further comprise a surface to improve the engagement of the interface.

5. The retainer of claim 1 further comprising a bias member configured to engage the interface surfaces between the two-piece collar band.

6. The swivel of claim 1 configured to selectively snap to the free end of the two-piece collar band.

7. The swivel of claim 1 configured to selectively swivel and hold a desired orientation in relation to the free end of the two-piece collar band.

8. The swivel and stay retainer of claim 1 wherein a malleable member couples the swivel wherein the malleable member is configured to be selectively positioned and hold the orientation of the stay retainer in relation to the swivel.

9. The stay retainer of claim 1 further comprising a ledge member with a dimple configured to engage a dimple-receiving member on a stay to set the length of the stay extending from the stay retainer.

10. The stay retainer of claim 1 further comprising a bias member wherein the bias member can be selectively engaged on the stay to secure the stay at a desired position.

11. The stay retainer of claim 1 further comprising a receiving slot which passes through the body of the stay retainer.

12. The stay retainer of claim 1 further comprising a receiving slot into which an end of a stay can be selectively inserted to allow the length of the stay to be adjusted. a swivel attached to the free end of each of the collar band pieces; andstay retainers attached to each swivel, the retainers being sized to retain a collar stay.

13. The collar stay system of claim 1 further comprising a notched stay having a notch at one end to engage a button on a button-down shirt and at the other end, a portion capable of being retained by a collar stay system.

14. A method of securing a collar using a collar stay assembly comprising: providing two-piece neck band comprising a retainer, a plurality of secured ends and a plurality of free ends;securing a swivel to the plurality of free ends of the two-piece neck band; and

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the collar stay assembly further comprises inserting a first end of collar stays into the stay retainers and a second end into a stay pocket on a collar wherein the collar can be flipped up and returned to its normal position while the stays are inserted into the stay pockets.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising selectively orienting the swivel and the stay retainer to position the stays at a predetermined angle.

17. A collar stay system comprising: a two-piece collar band sized to fit around the neck of a user, each of the two pieces of the collar band comprising a captured end and a free end, each of the two pieces of the collar band having striations formed in their surfaces;a retainer to capture and retain the two pieces of the collar band, the retainer having a ridge formed on its inner surface to engage the striations on the collar band pieces;a swivel attached to the free end of each of the collar band pieces; and