Patent Application
20250024904
The present invention relates generally to the field of clothing and clothing accessories. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a garment comprising an electroluminescent panel and a garment produced by the method.
Electroluminescent Panels are thin (less than ½ mm) laminated sheets that glow on one side. The technology was first researched in the 1950s for use in early radar monitors. EL Panels have since proved to be robust and versatile and have many uses from backlighting displays, architectural highlights, theatrical props and safety lighting.
The Core of EL Panels is the glowing paint (or ‘phosphor’) that is spread onto a thin metal electrode. A Clear Electrode similar to those used on touch screen phones is then placed on top. When an Alternating Current is passed through these two electrodes it makes the phosphor glow. The main phosphors used for electroluminescent materials naturally glow either blue or blue/green, so the base colour of all EL Panels and Tape is a bluish or blue/green colour.
Given their low energy usage, durability, and flexibility, EL panels are perfect for incorporating onto pieces of clothing to create desirable aesthetic effects using custom designs, and potentially even provide a lighting function for a garment. Attempts to do so up until now have proven unpopular as they do not integrate the EL panels in a way which both protects the electronic circuits and allows easy operation (i.e. on/off and settings changes) of the illumination pattern.
It is within this context that the present invention is provided.
The present disclosure provides a method of manufacture of a garment comprising an EL panel shaped in a custom design which is robust and easily operable. The EL panel rests within a multi-layered structure and is easily visible through a clear plastic layer that protects it from external wear. A wire runs from the EL panel within the garment lining to a controller and power unit that rests in an inner pocket of the garment.
Thus, according to one aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a method of manufacturing a clothing garment, the method comprising the steps of: a) cutting a hole in a layer of fabric; b) applying a layer of clear, flexible plastic over the hole such that the edges of the layer overlap with the edges of the fabric around a hole; c) bonding the layer of plastic to the layer of fabric by applying adhesive or stitches to the overlap; d) overlaying an electroluminescent, EL, panel over the layer of plastic, the EL panel having a custom design on a first surface and the first surface being in contact with the layer of plastic, wherein a wire extends from an edge of the EL panel and is connected to a power source and controller unit; e) bonding the EL panel to the layer of plastic by applying adhesive or stitches about the edges of the EL panel; f) overlaying a protective layer over the EL panel such that it completely covers the layered assembly and is bonded to the fabric layer by stitches or adhesive; g) assembling a garment using the fabric layer having the layered assembly bonded thereon; and h) threading the wire through the assembled garment to rest in the lining or the inside of a pocket of the assembled garment.
In some embodiments, the power source and controller unit comprises a direct current power source and an inverter for generating an alternating current supply to the EL panel.
Furthermore, the power source and controller unit may be powered by batteries and comprises a button interface for activating the EL panel.
The unit may be further configured to provide steady illumination and a variety of illumination patterns by controlling the power supply to the EL panel.
In some embodiments, the protective layer is a foam layer.
In some embodiments, the wire connecting the EL panel to the controller unit and power source is 70 cm or longer.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a garment manufactured according to the methods of any one of the above described methods.
Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Common reference numerals are used throughout the figures and the detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the above figures are examples and that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation, and elements/functions can be provided and implemented without departing from the characteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in the claims.
The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims.
Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Referring to
In a first step 102, the method involves cutting a hole in a layer of fabric. This can be done by hand or by laser cutting, or some other method. Referring to
Referring to
In a third step 106, the method involves bonding the layer of plastic to the layer of fabric by applying adhesive or stitches to the overlap, this is shown in
Referring to
A wire 214 extends from an edge of the EL panel 210 and is connected to a power source and controller unit 216. The unit 216 will generally be battery powered and so will also comprise an inverter to convert the DC current from the batteries to the AC required to illuminate the EL panel.
The unit 216 will also have a button interface 218 for controlling the power supply to the EL panel and thus controlling the illumination. Various illumination flash patterns can also be configured such as fast or slow blink patterns.
In some examples the unit 216 may be adapted to be hooked on to a wearer's belt using a clip or other attachment mechanism.
Referring to
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In an eighth step 116, the method involves threading the wire 214 through the assembled garment 300 to rest in the lining or the inside of a pocket 302 of the assembled garment.
Beneficially, the disclosed method can be carried out at many different stages in the regular manufacturing processes of garments, and can be applied to most garment including but not limited to jackets, trousers, hoodies, t-shirts, and more extravagant clothing such as blazers and cocktail dress etc.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The disclosed embodiments are illustrative, not restrictive. While specific configurations of the method of manufacture and garment have been described in a specific manner referring to the illustrated embodiments, it is understood that the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of solutions which fit within the scope and spirit of the claims. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention.
It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.
