Patent Application
20140250744
The invention refers to an ironing aid for insertion in a closed tubular item of clothing or tubular parts of an item of clothing for thermal smoothing thereof, generally known as ironing, and to a device for safekeeping of the same. Such a device called an ironing aid can also be used, with different dimensions, for tightening ties.
Devices for stretching a closed tubular item of clothing or its parts, such as sleeves and pockets, for ironing, are generally known.
They generally consist of a bow bent from an elastic wire which, with reference to its shape and independently from the wire strength, is nearly planar and formed in a plane so as to stretch, during ironing, the fabric by means of an inner integrated spring force and so as not to impede the planar removal of wrinkles, in particular under the addition of heat. By way of example, such a device is described in document DE 20 2009 009 634 U1. We also refer to DE 10 2007 054 159 A1. As a neck tie tightener, such a device is disclosed in FR 647 122 A.
It is generally a disadvantage that these ironing and tightening aids are not suitable for all types of use and that they are stored separately somewhere and are generally not available immediately if needed, in spite of their general advantages.
It is therefore an object of the invention to propose a solution including a wire frame shaped ironing aid as an integral part of the aid for thermal smoothing of items of clothing, and a better handling thereof.
The object is achieved by means of an ironing aid which, as is well-known, is formed from a commonly resilient bow with two legs, resilient toward each other and forming a substantially acute angle toward each other, which can also be U-shaped, in the untightened state; the resilient bow having such a spring force that the tubular item of clothing is stretched by the resilient bow, when it is inserted, from the inside, with the legs, however, forming such an angle that the parts of the respective leg before and behind the angle form an obtuse angle to each other. Furthermore, at least one of the legs resilient toward each other has a bend at its end so that it can enclose an insert. According to the invention, this bend is formed such as to comprise, with reference to a circular bend, more than 180 angular degrees.
This insert can display the trademark of the manufacturer or other similar information. The bend can also be used for suspending the ironing aid, if desired. At the same time, handling is safer due to the rounding.
For better safekeeping of the ironing aid, it can be combined with a planar piece in which holding lugs open on one side and facing each other with their openings are formed for the purpose of receiving the ironing aid. On the back of the planar piece, there is an adhesion means which can be a magnet, which is permanently glued or screwed onto the planar piece, if a respective antipole is provided on the base used for ironing. If this is not the case, the presence of a self-adhesive Velcro® strip with its two functionally complementary parts is useful. As means for adhesion, furthermore a simply mechanical and effective clip can be used, such as a tablecloth clip.
Whether the ironing aid consists of v-shaped legs or of arc-shaped legs opposite to each other is irrelevant.
Between the holding lugs facing each other, an additional pair of holding lugs open on one side can be formed on the same face of the flat piece as the holding lugs open on one side and facing each other with their openings. This additional pair of holding lugs open on one side is useful if for ironing tubular items of clothing of low width, such as pockets of a shirt, the use of a narrower ironing aid is advantageous, or for a neck-tie tightener.
In the following, the invention is to be described in more detail by means of an example of embodiment. In the corresponding drawings,
On the exterior part of a planar piece 1 according to the invention, holding lugs 2′ for receiving an ironing aid 3′ are formed which are open on one side and face each other with their openings. Between them, preferably at the center, an additional pair of holding lugs 2″ open on one side is formed by way of example for an additional ironing aid 3″ for narrower tubular parts of an item of clothing. On the back of the planar piece 1, a magnet is fastened by gluing, by way of example, as an adhesion means 4, by means of which the planar piece 1 in its function as a safekeeping device for ironing aids and the like can be maintained on a suitable iron mounting of the ironing board or in a different suitable position. Alternatively, the magnet can be substituted by a piece of self-adhesive Velcro® strip, the adhesion-enabled part of the Velcro® strip engaging the opposite adhesive part so as to comprehensively ensure the function. The opposite adhesive part is fastened to a different suitable region.
On at least one of its free ends, the ironing aid 3′ has such a bend 5 that a seal-like feature can lockingly be inserted into it. This bend has a circumference of at least 181 angular degrees. Furthermore, the ironing aid 3′ has, with reference to its planar dimension, a kink 6 in the 3rd dimension so that the parts of the leg before the kink and the parts behind the kink form an obtuse angle. This embodiment is advantageous if, for instance, sleeves of an item of clothing are to be ironed.
holding lugs 2′, 2″
ironing aid 3′, 3″
adhesion means 4
bend 5
kink 6
