WEARABLES MADE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS AND A METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a wearable material made from interweaving a primary yarn of recycled sheets of plasticized material and a water-proof companion yarn. The companion yarn may be fleece, micro-fleece made from polyester, acrylic or nylon, or alpaca wool. The wearable material may be rendered into articles of fashionable clothing that can provide protection from dirt and stains, as well as protective garments for medical and industrial settings.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to making wearables and, more particularly, wearables made of recycled materials and complimentary or companion yarns, and a method of making the same.

Those who care about their appearance detest when something they are wearing, for instance attractive clothes, is permanently ruined by a spot of spaghetti sauce or the like. Available protective napkins and bibs are ugly and do not work well, and thus are not an option for these individuals. The present invention addresses this by providing uniquely fashionable material from which to create garments that protect clothing.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of making protective garments for medical and industrial settings.

As can be seen, there is a need for a method of making a wearable material that is water resistant and so can be used in the design and manufacture of protective articles of clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a wearable overwear material includes the following: rendering one or more sheets of plasticized bags into a filament configurable as a primary yarn; selecting a companion yarn; and interweaving the primary yarn and a companion yarn into a wearable overwear material, wherein the companion yarn is comprised of non-plastic material.

In another aspect of the present invention, the method of manufacturing a wearable overwear material further includes the following: wherein the one or more sheets of plasticized material is a plastic bag having a thickness of at least 0.5 millimeters, wherein the companion yarn is fleece, micro-fleece made from polyester, acrylic or nylon, or alpaca wool, and wherein the companion yarn is a water-repellent material that only absorbs approximately ten to eleven percent, or in some embodiments no more than eleven percent of its weight in water.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of making a wearable from recycled plastic bag includes the following: utilizing the above-mentioned method, wherein the one or more sheets of plasticized material are one or more recycled plastic bags; and interweaving a primary yarn made from the one or more sheets of plasticized material with a companion yarn consisting or one of the following: fleece, micro-fleece made from polyester, acrylic or nylon, or alpaca wool; ironing the wearable material so as to improve a protective quality thereof, wherein the protective quality is water resistance and/or oil resistance

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the multi-step process embodied by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a step of a process embodied by the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of another step of the process embodied by the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of yet another step of the process embodied by the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of yet another step of the process embodied by the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the product of the process embodied by present invention, shown in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 6, the present invention includes a method of making comfortable and protective clothing material and/or wearable material from which attractive articles of clothing and medical/industrial protective wearables can be rendered. The wearable material may include a primary yarn that is created from sheets of plasticized materials, including recycled plastic bags. The present invention is a method of making a wearable which is worn like clothing or gear and which is made from material that is water and oil resistant. The resulting garment/gear of the present invention may be fashionably casual or elegant yet comfortable and protective (obviating the need for a bib or an apron when around food products).

Additionally, in the face of the pandemic resulting from the novel coronavirus, the protective nature of the present invention is advantageous for additional reasons. With shortages due to COVID-19, the wearable material embodied in the present invention can be a lifesaver. According to John Hopkins Medicine, the fabric of any mask for protection from the novel coronavirus MUST have a pattern to it. The wearable material of the present invention allows users to create protective clothing (including masks) with a pattern from combination yarn and otherwise discarded plasticized material.

The garment of the present invention is made of a combination of novel materials that make it very protective and the basis for many fashionable designs. These features stem from the same source: a primary yarn created from discarded plasticized material, such as recycled grocery bags, combined with companion yarn to make a systemic wearable material yarn capable of being knitted into different designs. The companion yarn may include materials (such as be fleece, micro-fleece made from polyester material, acrylic or nylon, alpaca wool) that soften and strengthen the plasticized material. Furthermore, the material formed from the interweaving of the plasticized primary yarn and that non-plasticize companion yarn can have heat applied to it so as to improve the water and oil resistance of the material through the melting of the plasticized primary yarn components/portions.

This novel wearable material can be used to knit a wide variety of designs; in certain embodiments an attractive wrap, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. This wrap is soft, pretty and water/oil proof. The wrap may be for the body.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention may include the following components:

• • A. Obtain a supply of sheets of plasticized material 10 such as discarded plastic garbage, which are turned into a primary yarn 14, and separated by color, if so desired. The plasticized material 10 may include plastic grocery bags that will be turned into the primary yarn 14. For use as the primary yarn, the plasticized material 10 may be single use plastic bag having at least 0.5-millimeter (mm) thickness. Thus, the primary yarn 14 may be created from plastic bags that are 1 to 2 mm in thickness—e.g., the resealable plastic bags that are sold in grocery stores and are preferred for protecting frozen food.
  • B. Convert sheets of plasticized material into filament or strips of plasticized material 12.
  • C. Select a companion yarn 16 that is soft and water-resistant. The companion yarn 16 may be fleece, micro-fleece made from polyester, acrylic or nylon, or alpaca wool. The companion yarn 16 may be water-repellent because of its natural hydrophobic coating, lanolin (e.g., alpaca wool is particularly water resistant). The companion yarn 16 may be configured or have properties where it retains less than a certain percentage of its weight in water—e.g., alpaca fibers are considered extremely water resistant, while staying highly breathable because they only absorb about 10-11%+/−of their weight in water.
  • D. Once the strips of plasticized material 12 are cut (and rolled into a ball in certain embodiments), the wearable designed, the companion yarn chosen, and colors selected, the plasticized material yarn 14 and companion yarn 16 are used to knit into an interwoven systemic wearable material 18 of a selected design 20 for a wearer 22.

Step 1 may be cutting the raw material, the sheets of plasticized material 10, into filament or strips of plasticized material 12—i.e., primary yarn 14. This primary yarn 14 would most likely be then sorted by color and weight (as sheets of plasticized material 10 come in different colors and weights). Step 2 may be the selection of design of a companion yarn 16 to interweave with the primary yarn 14 to create a particular desired wearable 20. Component 3 may be the knitting and finishing of a particular wearable (be it a garment or a protective mask) 20 from the systemic wearable material created through the interweaving primary yarn and the companion yarn(s) 16.

The present invention can make use of many existing garments and wearable patterns using the systemic wearable material 18—typically, where protective function is required. Note, also that the systemic wearable material 18 can be rendered through a combination of a plurality of companion yarns 16 of different qualities and weights to support different garment and wearable designs or portions thereof. The systemic wearable material 18 can be knitted into a single garment, a single wearable, or a specified set of squares, rectangles, and triangles component shapes, wherein once the component shapes are knitted, they may be sewn together to produce the resulting garment or wearable.

The raw materials are sheets of plasticized material 10, typically plastic bags which are used by grocery and retail stores (but which are frequently then thrown away) as this resource which seems to be mercilessly omnipresent. Thus, plastic bags have an initial use, after which they standardly become garbage that has a negative environmental impact; however, through the present invention, these plastic bags may be collected or otherwise procured before production can begin and used as a key component. Other yarns and tools for cutting, knitting, finishing, etc. can be purchased.

Once the sheets of plasticized material 10 (e.g., plastic bags) are assembled, the method of turning the sheets of plasticized material 10 into the primary yarn 14 can be achieved by a person with an ordinary scissor or by a 3-D printer. Similarly, the resulting wearable material can be knit into a garment or into geometric shapes by a person with knitting needles or by a knitting machine, etc. The design and requirements of the garments or wearables (e.g., the pattern or component shapes, the sizes, the quantity) occurs prior to knitting the components. The components may be assembled and/or produced mechanically or by hand.

The garment or wearable could be knitted like a traditional garment (one that is knitted from wool). It is also possible that ironing/heating the resulting knitted components of systemic wearable material improves the protective quality and makes additional design elements possible. The components of the protective systemic wearable material 18 could be used to create other garments/wearables that need to be waterproof—like raincoats or hats. The use of systemic wearable material 18 can be rendered into a wide variety of objects 20 as well—like seat covers or car windshields. The primary yarn 14 can be knit into designs that are then melted into smaller shapes that could be used in design, art, or as components in protective garments. The rendering of the systemic wearable material 18 by way of the primary yarn 14 and the companion yarn 16 can be done through knitting, crocheting, sewing or any other known method of joining filaments of materials to form wearables or other objects.

The present invention may be used as a new clothing or wearable accessory item that is designed to protect traditional clothing from food or other substances that the wearer might be using, wherein the clothing or wearable accessory item is crafted from the interweaving of the primary and companion yarns 14 and 16 into the inventive material 18. As such, the present invention will preserve the life of clothing and reduce the need to replace clothing because it has become stained. As such, it removes pollutants from the environment to protect clothing and, as a result, further reduces CO2 emissions by reducing the amount of clothing that must be manufactured. Many designs are possible, and those designs are not limited by what is shown in the appended Figures.

A user may don the garment or wearable 20 to protect fine clothing in restaurants, at work, while traveling or at home. An attractive wrap can be worn over a delicate silk blouse while dining out. It might also be worn while traveling; it may protect the clothing worn by a driver or passenger from debris, make-up, or coffee. It could also be worn by a patient in a hospital or rehabilitation unit—an attractive garment that does not humiliate the wearer but does provide protection from food and medicine that could soil clothing.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a wearable overwear material, the method comprising: rendering one or more sheets of plasticized bags into a filament configurable as a primary yarn;selecting companion yarn; andinterweaving the primary yarn and a companion yarn into a wearable overwear material, wherein the companion yarn is comprised of non-plastic material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sheets of plasticized material is a plastic bag having a thickness of at least 0.5 millimeters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the companion yarn is fleece.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the companion yarn is micro-fleece made from polyester, acrylic or nylon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the companion yarn is alpaca wool.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the companion yarn is a water-repellent material that only absorbs approximately ten to eleven percent of its weight in water.

7. A method of making a wearable from recycled plastic bag, the method comprising: utilizing the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sheets of plasticized material are one or more recycled plastic bags; andinterweaving a primary yarn made from the one or more sheets of plasticized material with a companion yarn consisting or one of the following: fleece, micro-fleece made from polyester, acrylic or nylon, or alpaca wool.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising ironing the wearable material improves a protective quality thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the protective quality is water resistance.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the protective quality is oil resistance.