Multi-scored winged collar support

Abstract

A winged collar support for a shirt collar including an elongated body portion having a first end, a second end and a center portion. A pair of wings protrudes from one of the first and second ends of the elongated body portion. The pair of wings has an inner side facing the center portion of the elongated body portion and an outer side opposite to the inner side. A plurality of rows of notches are formed in each wing. The plurality of rows of notches extend from the inner side of the wing to the outer side of each wing. Each notch extends from the surface of the wing to a depth of no more than half the thickness of the wing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention will be more readily understood with reference to the following description and the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates the winged collar support in a flat state prior to use, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a folded dress shirt with the winged collar support in operation, holding the collar points with a desired roll, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the winged collar support with the wings folded along one row of scoring, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the winged collar support in operation, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the different figures, the same reference numerals designate identical or similar features or components.

The scoring or notches are embedded in the winged collar support on only one side of the wings and do not form a hole therethrough.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention relates to support 4 for a shirt collar 6. The winged collar support includes an elongated body portion 10 having a first end 12, a second end 16 and a center portion 20. The first end 12 and second end 16 of the elongated body portion 10 are at opposite longitudinal ends of the winged collar support 4. A pair of wings 14, 14 protrude from each of the first 12 and second 16 ends of the elongated body portion 10. The wings 14, 14 protrude outwardly from the same edge of the elongated body portion 10, and in the same direction, as shown in FIG. 1. The elongated body portion 10 and pair of wings 14, 14 are integrally formed from a single piece or sheet of material having a uniform thickness.

As each of the pair of wings 14, 14 are disposed at the first 12 and second 16 ends of the elongated body portion, the center portion 20 is shorter in height than the first and second ends. The wing 14, 14 have inner sides 28, 30 that face the center portion 20. Outer sides 22, 26 of the wings 14,14 are opposite to the inner sides. The pair of wings 14,14 can have curved perimeter edges, as shown in FIG. 1. The wings have curved perimeter edges and can be rounded. In addition, the upper and lower perimeter edges of the collar support are tapered toward the center portion 20, so that in operation, the support member can be hidden from view underneath the collar.

Each wing of the present invention has several rows of scoring or notches 24 formed therein for facilitating the folding or rolling of the wing into the desired shape for supporting the shirt collar 6. The rows of notches or scoring 24 extend longitudinally between the inner sides 28, 30 of the wings 14, 14 and the outer sides 22, 26 of the wings. The rows of scoring 24 are arranged substantially parallel to a bottom surface of the elongated body portion 10. The scoring 24 are embedded in each of the pair of wings 14, 14 on one surface only. For example, the scoring 24 in the wings 14, 14 can be embedded in the wings to a depth, from the surface of the wings, up to one-half of the thickness of the wings. As such, the scoring 24 is does not form a hole completely through the wings. The depth of the scoring 24 allows the winged collar support 4 to be easily folded; however, as the scoring does not form a hole through the wings, the collar support is able to maintain its desired shape and not break along the folded scoring when adjusted to the desired collar height.

The different rows of scoring 24 allow the winged collar support 4 to be folded to accommodate different heights of shirt collars. For example, the winged collar support 4 of the present invention can be adjusted to fit a shirt collar that has a low height by folding the winged collar support at a row of scoring that is closer to the elongated body portion 10, while a shirt collar that has a high height can be folded at scoring that is farther away from the elongated body portion.

The scoring 24 in each row of the wings can be formed adjacently to each other through the entire length of the wings as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The ends of each score are non-contiguous due to a space provided between each score in the row. The space between each score allows the winged collar support 4 to maintain rigidity when folded along the row of scoring 24.

The rows of scoring can be spaced apart at uniform intervals as shown in FIG. 1. For example, the rows of scoring can be spaced at least one-eighth of an inch apart. In the wings, the spacing of the rows at the outer sides 22, 26 can be greater than the spacing of the rows at the inner sides 28, 30, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 so that when the wings are folded over the elongated body portion 10, the collar support 4 can have a curvature that conforms to the shape of a variety of shirt collars.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the winged collar support can also include a longitudinal slit 18 in the center portion 20 of the elongated body portion 10. The slit 18 is shown as extending longitudinally across the central portion 20 of the elongated body portion between the wings. The slit 18 can be provided for holding a shirt board.

The winged collar support 4 of the present invention can be formed from a single sheet of paper-based material. The paper-based material can include a renewable and recyclable material such as cardboard or chipboard. The chipboard can be formed from at least a two-ply cardboard. In addition, the winged collar support 4 of the present invention is 100% biodegradable.

Further, the weight of the stock from which the elongated body portion is made is in a range of 0.0250 inches to 0.0290 inches in thickness.

The thickness (or caliper) of the cardboard or chipboard stock can be selected to provide the necessary structural rigidity to the collar support of the present invention. It has been found that a caliper of ranging from about 18 to 26 is mil particularly suitable for use in the present invention, as the end product must be able to withstand the bending forces of packaging, load carrying, shipping, as examples, while maintaining a predetermined shape. Consequently, the paperboard products are usually formed from two or more plies of material to provide the required stiffness.

The present invention also includes a method of forming the winged collar support 4 for fitting around the neckband of the folded shirt. As shown in FIG. 3, the method includes folding the pair of wings 14, 14 along at least one of the plurality of rows of scoring in a downward direction toward the elongated body portion 10. The ends of the elongated body portion are then bent toward each other in a U-shape. Each wing is folded so that a top edge of the wing rests between one of the plurality of rows of notches and a bottom edge of the elongated body portion. For example, the top edge of each wing can correspond to or extends beyond a bottom edge of the elongated body portion 10. The winged collar support 4 is then fitted around the neckband of the folded shirt 32. Also, shown in FIG. 4, for example, the winged collar support is folded along the desired row of scoring and bent or curved to fit around the neckband of the shirt 32 prior to the collar being folded down and buttoned.

Although the invention has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the invention, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A support for a shirt collar comprising: an elongated body portion having a first end, a second end and a center portion,a pair of wings integral with and protruding from one of the first and second ends of the elongated body portion, each wing having an inner side facing the center portion of the elongated body portion and an outer side opposite to the inner side; anda plurality of rows of notches formed in each wing, the plurality of rows of notches extending from the inner side to the outer side of each wing.

2. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 1, wherein the elongated body portion has a uniform thickness.

3. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of rows of notches are spaced apart at uniform intervals.

4. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of rows of notches are spaced apart by at least one-eighth of an inch.

5. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 1, wherein the spacing of the plurality of rows of notches at the outer end of each wing is greater than the spacing of the plurality of rows of notches at the inner end of each wing.

6. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 1, wherein the notches are embedded in the wing to a depth from a surface of up to one-half the thickness of the wing.

7. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 1, further comprising a longitudinal slit in the center portion of the elongated body portion.

8. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 1, wherein the elongated body portion is a paper-based material.

9. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 8, wherein the paper-based material is cardboard.

10. The support for a shirt collar according to claim 1, wherein the elongated body portion is formed from a renewable and recyclable material.

11. A multi-scored winged collar support for a shirt, the collar support comprising: an elongated body portion having a first end, a second end and a center portion;a pair of wings, each wing integral with and protruding from one of the first and second ends of the elongated body portion and having an inner side facing the center portion of the elongated body portion and an outer side opposite to the inner side; anda plurality of rows of uniform scoring formed in each wing, the plurality of rows extending from the inner side to the outer side of the wing and substantially parallel to a bottom surface of the elongated body portion.

12. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, further comprising a longitudinal slit in the center portion of the elongated body portion.

13. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the pair of wings protrude in the same direction from the elongated body portion.

14. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the scoring is embedded in the pair of wings on one surface only.

15. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 14, wherein the scoring has longitudinal ends adjacent to each other.

16. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 15, wherein the longitudinal ends of each scoring are non-contiguous.

17. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of rows of scoring are spaced apart at uniform intervals.

18. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the collar support is 100% biodegradable.

19. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the elongated body portion is formed from a renewable and recyclable material.

20. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 19, wherein the renewable and recyclable material comprises cardboard.

21. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 19, wherein the renewable and recyclable material comprises chipboard.

22. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 21, wherein the chipboard is formed from at least two-ply cardboard material.

23. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the collar support is formed from recycled paperboard.

24. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the pair of wings have curved perimeter edges.

25. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 11, wherein the elongated body portion and plurality of wings are formed from a single sheet of material.

26. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 25, wherein the single sheet of material has a uniform thickness.

27. The multi-scored winged collar support according to claim 19, wherein the weight of the stock from which the elongated body portion and pair of wings are made is in a range of 0.0250 inches to 0.0290 inches in thickness.

28. A method of forming a support for a shirt collar, the support including an elongated body portion having a first end, a second end and a center portion; a pair of wings, each wing protruding from one of the first and second ends of the elongated body portion and having an inner side facing the center portion of the elongated body portion and an outer side opposite to the inner side; and a plurality of rows of notches formed in each wing, the plurality of rows of notches extending from the inner to the and outer side of the wing, the method comprising: folding the pair of wings along at least one of the plurality of rows of notches toward the elongated body portion;bending the ends of the elongated body portion toward each other in a U-shape.

29. The method of forming a support for a shirt collar according to claim 28, wherein the step of folding the pair of wings comprises folding each wing so that a top edge of each wing rests between one of the plurality of rows of notches and a bottom edge of the elongated body portion.

30. The method of forming a support for a shirt collar according to claim 28, wherein the step of folding the pair of wings comprises folding each wing so that a top edge of each wing corresponds to a bottom edge of the elongated body portion.