Apparel – Garment supporters and retainers – Elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-13
2001-09-18
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Garment supporters and retainers
Elements
C002S311000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289518
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to articles of apparel, and particularly to garment belts and methods of making such belts.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore the manufacture of garment belts on a mass production basis has typically involved cutting leather or other flexible material into straps, forming the straps in the desired shape, and mounting a buckle thereon. One of the most common and highly sought after materials for making garment belts are animal hides, e.g., cowhide, a relative expensive base material. In order to keep costs down, while still providing the appearance of an expensive leather belt and the ability to label it as a leather belt, the belt may be fabricated of a high quality elongated strap of man-made material, e.g., vinyl or polyurethane, having an aesthetically pleasing appearance, e.g., one that replicates fine leather. The inside surface of the strap includes one or more strips of leather secured thereto on opposite sides of a longitudinal center-line of the strap, whereupon the top surface of the strip(s) form a portion of the inner surface of the strap. An adhesive, e.g., a water-based latex, is applied over any exposed portions of the entire inner surface of the strap and over the entire top surface of the leather strip(s). The strap, with the strip(s) secured is then folded over itself along its longitudinal center-line so that the longitudinal marginal edges of the strap are aligned with and abut each other to form a belt whose inner and outer surfaces are the outer surface of the strap, and with the leather strip(s) interposed therebetween and forming a core for the belt. A buckle is then typically mounted on one end portion of the belt by folding the buckle-forming end of the belt over itself and mounting the buckle at that folded end. Since the folding over of this end portion of the belt naturally increases the belt thickness to double its normal thickness, the folded over portion may be thinned down or “skived” by any conventional machine.
While the foregoing techniques for making belts and the belts produced thereby can present a quite aesthetically pleasing appearance and a good “hand-feel” (the belt feels rich and supple when held by a person), they still leave something to be desired from the standpoint of ease of manufacture, consistency of the resulting belts, and aesthetic appearance. For example, when the strap is folded over along its central longitudinal fold line, the two portions of the strap extending along either side of the fold line may not be precisely aligned so that their marginal edges do not perfectly overlie each other. Such a misalignment will naturally detract from the fine appearance the belt is desired to exhibit. Moreover, when the buckle forming end of the belt is folded over to mount the buckle, the folded over portion may have to be reduced in thickness, e.g., cut-away or skived, to prevent that end portion of the belt from being unsightly or uncomfortable.
Accordingly, a need exists for a garment belt and method of making the same that overcomes those disadvantages of the prior art.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a garment belt and method of making the same that overcomes those disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of this invention to provide a garment belt which can be manufactured readily.
It is another object of this invention to provide a garment belt which can be manufactured readily and relatively for some less expensive components, but which exhibits the visual aesthetics and hand feel of more expensive belts, e.g., hand made leather belts.
It is another object of this invention to provide a garment belt which, due to its internal construction, can be mass manufactured with a high degree of consistency from belt to belt.
It is another object of this invention to provide a garment belt which, due to its internal construction, is arranged to facilitate the mounting of a buckle thereon.
It is another object of this invention to provide a garment belt which can be manufactured readily from less expensive components, but which exhibit the visual aesthetics and hand feel of belts fabricated of more expensive components.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for mass producing a garment belts with a high degree of consistency from belt to belt.
It is another object of this invention to provide a simple, reliable, and relatively inexpensive method of manufacturing a garment belt having a buckle mounted thereon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing a blank for making a garment belt therefrom. The garment belt has a first end portion for mounting a buckle thereon. The blank comprising an elongated strap of a first flexible material, e.g., high-quality vinyl, having an outer surface and an inner surface, and a central longitudinal axis forming a fold line. A pair of strips of leather are fixedly secured onto the inner surface of the elongated strap and extend parallel to and equidistantly spaced from each other on opposite sides of the fold line.
One of the pair of leather strips has a recess, e.g., a transversely extending elongated groove, a circular depression, etc., located therein adjacent the first end portion of the strap. The other of the pair of leather strips has a projection extending therefrom located adjacent the first end portion and opposite the recess. In accordance with one preferred aspect of the invention the projection is shaped to mate with and be received in the recess in the opposed leather strip (e.g., to effectively form a “tongue and groove” mating connection).
The blank of material is arranged to be folded over itself along its fold line, whereupon the two leather strips on its inner surface confront and abut each other, with the projection of one leather strip being received in the recess of the other so that the marginal edges of the strap are axially aligned, e.g., prevent any lateral shifting or misalignment of the two folded portions of the strap (which would detract from the appearance of the belt and destroy its “high quality” look.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention the leather strips are formed of a reduced thickness at the portion of the strap at which the belts buckle is to be mounted, thereby enabling that portion of the belt to be folded around a portion of the buckle to hold the buckle in place and without resulting in an excessively thick portion of the belt at that mounting point.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1799868 (1931-04-01), Sauer
patent: 2396329 (1946-03-01), Lippmann
patent: 3908571 (1975-09-01), Motsenbocker
patent: 4110139 (1978-08-01), Mashida et al.
patent: 5517697 (1996-05-01), Boehm
Caesar Rivise Bernstein Cohen & Pokotilow Ltd.
Calvert John J.
Patel Tejash
Reborn Products Co., Inc.
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