Apparel – Nether garments – Stockings
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-16
2004-08-17
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Nether garments
Stockings
Reexamination Certificate
active
06775849
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. (a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a mechanism for releasably binding paired articles together. The invention includes short fabric tabs used to create looped sections on each sock, and a connector that extends through the loops to join the articles.
2. (b) Discussion of Known Art
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,558 teaches a method for connecting items such as socks together. However, discussions with sock manufacturers indicate the following criteria are key to developing an attachment system attractive to both manufacturers and consumers of paired items of apparel like socks:
1) Costs need to be minimized for any linking processes due to generally low margins on mated products.
2) Linking devices or systems need to be arranged to avoid skin contact and not create stiff uncomfortable areas on worn clothing. The linking system should be attached to the outside of a wearable item near the opening end in a manner that minimally impedes the stretchability of the top cuff of socks, gloves, etc.
3) A linking system should use a connecting process, which allows any pair of socks or other paired items to be bound together. This allows the industry to avoid the problem of left and right sock pairs, which would greatly complicate the pairing and packaging process.
4) Connectors should facilitate the drying process (including hang drying) by loosely binding the socks together so that drying air can flow to all parts of the sock.
Extensive testing by the inventor has uncovered additional criteria for a binding system:
A. The greater the attachment area over which the linking system can be spread on the paired items, the less likely the linking system is to damage the paired items when cleaning cycle or other forces are exerted on the linking system tending to pull the items apart through a connector.
B. The methods of attaching connecting elements to paired cloth items should be impervious to chemicals and temperatures encountered in the washing process for a reasonable user period. If cloth or other material tabs are used as part of a linking system, a method needs to be developed to prevent the tabs from fraying during wear, stress and repeated washing.
C. Systems linking socks together should have short relatively stiff linking systems to prevent the linking system from twisting and tangling around itself or adjacent laundered items.
D. The process of attaching a linking system to socks in the manufacturing environment is greatly simplified and made less expensive if non-cloth connecting components are added after the manufacturing process, either included in packaging or separately purchased and added by the consumer.
E. The attaching mechanisms need to stay with the socks when in use so as to be available whenever the paired items are removed from wear. Users will rarely search for a separate connector when removing socks.
F. Connectors need to be soft, somewhat flexible and have no sharp edges which can snag clothing, etc. during the wearing, washing or storing process.
G. The process for adding a linking system to socks should be done in the sock manufacturing plant and integrated into the process for maximum efficiency.
H. A consumer should be able to eliminate or deactivate a linking system from a pair of purchased socks if so desired without damaging the sock or other paired article.
In the following description, the inventor has noted where the above criteria were used with numbers/letters in brackets.
In his earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,558, the inventor conceived a way to connect paired items together by attaching one end of tabs to each item, then putting connectors on the loose ends. Though this idea functioned well on paired items, the inventor found it difficult to attach tabs with imbedded connectors to socks and other paired items in a production environment. Machines that could spool, cut and position fabric tabs, could not currently handle tape with imbedded connectors such as snaps or thread tape through the closed loop end of some standard connectors. Expensive custom tooling would be necessary for this approach. Therefore, the intent, here, was to create a system that would bind a tab or “handle” to a paired item and allow for a connector to be added—possibly by the consumer—after the tab-attachment process so that manufacture would be easier to accomplish with off-the-shelf equipment.
SUMMARY
It has been discovered that the problems left unanswered by known art can be solved by providing a mechanism for releasably binding paired articles together. The invention consists of short fabric tabs, coated with a film adhesive on one side, adhesively-bonded at both ends to the top (or entry) outside edge of paired cloth items. The inventor has designed a mechanism for releasably binding paired articles together. The invention consists of short fabric tabs, coated with a film adhesive on one side, adhesively-bonded at both ends to the top (or entry) outside edge of paired cloth items.
The preferred orientation of the tabs is for the long side to point vertically down away from the opening or top so as to lay along the elastic ribs rather than across them. (
FIG. 1
) A flat plastic connector is looped through an unadhered wrinkle in the center of the tabs and then locked into itself to link the items together for storage, washing, etc. When the items are unpaired and in use, the connector is removed from the tab on the second paired item and locked in place around a single tab on the first.
The inventor discovered that if he bound the two ends of a tab to the paired item and left an open loop or wrinkle in the center, he could simplify the attachment process, create a handle for later attachment of a detachable connector, and also create an improved bond to the paired item. (FIG.
1
). The improved two-point bond increased the bonding surface area, protected the item from tension on the tab by spreading out the load, prevented pealing of the connection by providing twin anchors to the paired item and had no left-right requirement for the attachable articles.
After testing the placement of the tabs, the inventor found that the best place to attach the handles was the outside edge of the entry area of the sock or paired item. This keeps the attachment away from skin as well as the interface between the wearer and footwear, etc. Further experimentation showed that the best way to attach a small, looped tab to a sock was with the long side of the tab down the outside neck of a sock. This minimized limitations to the stretchability at the entry point of socks and other paired apparel items.
Experimentation showed that the best material to attach to the paired items to create a “handle” would be a cloth fabric, preferably a synthetic because of synthetic's strength, thin profile and low cost. The inventor initially tried stitching narrow, flexible, cloth tabs to the paired items. To minimize costs, he used 1″-2—long tabs cut from off-the-shelf ⅜—to ¼″ wide nylon or polyester fabric tape (or ribbon). These materials provided sufficient strength and surface area to bond strongly to socks, etc. and also spread out forces to prevent sock damage from tension on the tab. However, when using short tabs of cloth as a “handle” on the sock, he found that that even after stitching the ends to the sock, there could still be problems with the tab ends fraying and coming loose over time. He began to investigate techniques and materials for coating one side of the tabs with an adhesive material and using the adhesive to eliminate fraying as well as providing the binding process in place of stitching. Adhesives would allow the inventor to bind the full surface of the tab, excluding the loop, to the sock, thus improving load spreading and also eliminate fraying.
Tests with many adhesives showed that most adhesives would not survive repeated washings. However, eventually the inventor found a class of polyurethane (PU) and polyolefin (PO) adhesive films typified by the adhesive film sold by Minnesota Mining and Manuf
Calvert John J.
Crabtree Edwin H.
Hoey Alissa L.
Pizarro Ramon L.
LandOfFree
Wrinkled-tab-and-connector method for releasably binding... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Wrinkled-tab-and-connector method for releasably binding..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Wrinkled-tab-and-connector method for releasably binding... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3361622