Patent Grant
9596889
The present disclosure relates generally to the decorative display of folded handkerchiefs. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a prefolded pocket square, which may be magnetically positioned in the breast pocket of a suit jacket to provide the appearance of a properly folded handkerchief.
While handkerchiefs have been carried by people for centuries for their absorbent properties, since the 1920s they have been donned for pure sake of fashion. Most commonly worn in the breast pocket of a man's suit or tuxedo jacket, the handkerchief is generally folded into a form commonly known as a “pocket square”, with a portion thereof visibly protruding above the top edge of the pocket. This visible portion provides a decorative feature that enhances the appearance of the jacket.
The appearance of the handkerchief as it protrudes from the pocket is extremely important. In essence, the presence of the handkerchief is an added touch that conveys a sense of being “perfectly put together”, and thus the handkerchief itself must be perfectly folded to convey that.
A variety of techniques have developed for folding the handkerchief in a manner that has the portion that protrudes from the pocket appear as clean and geometric as the suit jacket itself. Among these, the most common is the “single point” style, in which an isosceles triangle of protruding handkerchief is visually created, with its base at the top edge of the pocket, and the apex pointing straight up. Other similar styles involve overlapping swaths of fabric that culminate in a single upwardly extending point that is generally centered on the pocket.
While some might find the process of folding a handkerchief to be simple and routine, others find it to be as complicated and unfamiliar as tying a bow tie. Just knowing the procedure for folding the handkerchief is not sufficient, since pockets have different depths, and so there is the added difficulty of folding the handkerchief so that it protrudes just the right amount from its intended pocket. Even when folded precisely, however, they cannot be counted on to remain stationary within the pocket. Considering the level of visual perfection that is expected from the pocket square, the solution for many is to avoid it altogether.
Some have attempted to provide devices which hold a pocket square in place, generally using pins or the like. Such items generally pierce and thus permanently damage the handkerchief and/or suit, and are ineffective in maintaining the required appearance for the duration that the suit jacket is worn.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
An aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide a pocket square that may be used in conjunction with a suit jacket having a breast pocket, which can be perfectly positioned to protrude perfectly from the suit pocket, and maintain such position for the duration that the jacket is worn. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a pocket square which has a base, and a decorative portion that extends upwardly from the base. The base may be positioned within the pocket such that the decorative portion extends visibly from the pocket, and then held precisely in place.
It is another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure that the base may be held perfectly in place without puncturing, perforating, or otherwise damaging the jacket or the pocket square. Accordingly, the base has a magnetically attractive core. Once the pocket square is perfectly positioned, a magnetic plate is positioned against an inside surface of the jacket to engage the magnetically attractive core to hold the jacket securely therebetween.
It is yet another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure that the decorative portion of the pocket square is permanently configured so that it maintains the appearance of a perfectly folded handkerchief indefinitely. Accordingly, the decorative portion comprises fabric that is folded and stitched to provide the appearance of a folded handkerchief and which will remain intact throughout its use.
Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a pocket square, for use with a jacket having an inside surface, an outside surface, and a pocket on the outside surface having a top edge. The pocket square has a base having a top edge and a magnetically attractive core, and a decorative portion extending from the top edge of the base. When the base is placed in the pocket its top edge is aligned with the top edge of the pocket, visibly displaying the decorative portion above the pocket. A magnetic plate is aligned with the magnetically attractive core and placed against the inside surface of the jacket to positionally fix the base within the pocket, such that the pocket square remains in position for the duration that the jacket is worn.
The present disclosure addresses at least one of the foregoing disadvantages. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosure may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claims should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed hereinabove. To the accomplishment of the above, this disclosure may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the disclosure.
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows.
The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various example embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
A logo plate 25 is affixed to the front 20F of the base 20, which may bear a logo 26 thereon. Note that in the example provided herein, the logo bears the trade name POCKET2 (“Pocket Squared”).
Referring to
Referring now generally to
It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.
Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected.
It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, “first,” “second,” “third,” are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or “section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, are used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features. Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present claims.
In conclusion, herein is presented a pocket square which is configured to easily and securely position in the jacket pocket of the user, and hold its shape and position for the duration the jacket is worn. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present disclosure.
This application is a divisional of patent application Ser. No. 14/617,209, filed in the United States Patent Office on Feb. 9, 2015, from which priority is claimed and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14617209 | Feb 2015 | US |
| Child | 15345978 | US |
