Souvenir Pennant Wristband
The pennant wristband has a laminar flexible band having a tapered head, a neck, a tapered tail, and a buckle to be assembled on the band at the neck. The head has a large end tapering to a small end. Extending from the large end is the neck. The tail has a big end tapering to a little end away from the head. The big end extends from the neck. The buckle has Apertures through which the band is pulled so the neck rests on the buckle's center bar. The wristband is manufactured by printing images on a static cling layer, applying adhesive to that layer, embossing a separate lenticular layer with a lens pattern, laminating it to the static cling layer, and cutting the layers into desired shapes.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/946,123, entitled “SOUVENIR PENNANT WRISTBAND,” filed on behalf of inventor Kenneth Greenwood, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to jewelry and more particularly to pennant wristbands. Specifically, the preferred embodiment discloses a wristband having a band having a tapered head, a neck, and a tapered tail, and a buckle to be positioned at the neck of the band.
2. Background Information
Wristbands have been used in many different applications, such as identification bands in hospitals and at entertainment events or as fashion bracelets. Prior wristbands have been affixed to the user's wrist by adhesive fasteners, snap fasteners, static cling material, or buckle arrangements.
While adhesive fasteners are relatively less expensive to manufacture, they do not provide continuous adjustability in wearing the wristband. For example, if the wristband was affixed adhesively and too tightly around the user's wrist, the user would feel discomfort and would not be able to readjust the wristband to eliminate the discomfort. Once the wristband is affixed, the fit cannot be changed. Also, with adhesive fasteners, the user cannot wear the wristband multiple times because it must be cut when removed from the wrist. With such wristbands, the user cannot keep the wristband in its original form as a souvenir. With a buckle arrangement, the user could easily adjust the fit of the band and would have no need to cut the band when removing it from the user's wrist.
While snap fasteners provide the adjustability the adhesive fasteners do not, snap fasteners are also difficult to remove. Like the adhesive-fastened wristbands, snap-fastened wristbands often must be cut, stretched, or deformed when removed from the user's wrist. As a result, the user is not able to re-wear the wristband nor keep the wristband in its original form as a souvenir. Wristbands with buckle arrangements allow for the adjustability of snap-fastened wristbands but also allow the user to wear the wristband multiple times and keep it in its original form as a souvenir.
There are wristbands known in the art that are affixed to a user's wrist by using bands made of static cling material. The static cling material sticks to itself when wrapped around the user's wrist, utilizing the static cling force to retain the wristband of the wearer. While this fastening method allows the user to adjust the fit of the wristband and keep the wristband as a souvenir in its original form, the wristband is not securely fastened around the wrist. If the band becomes wet or contaminated, the retaining force is dramatically reduced.
Wristbands with buckle arrangements provide a more secure fastening arrangement around the user's wrist. However, the buckle arrangements of the prior art have a complex construction and are expensive to manufacture. The primary cost of manufacturing these types of wristbands is the labor cost associated with attachment of the buckle to the wristband. Normally, the buckle is sewn on to the band. This operation is labor intensive. Sewn-on buckles are not removable.
Conventional buckled wristbands have band portions that are uniform in width. The ends of these bands typically have lips to allow easy movement through the buckle. The band is generally uniform in width between the lip portions. This allows full adjustment of the band through the buckle. However, allowing full adjustment of the band may result in over-tightening, and restricting blood circulation to the user's hand, causing discomfort. This is most likely to occur when older children place the bands on younger children.
More recently, it has become desirable to produce wristbands having images imprinted on them. In particular, it has recently become known to utilize lenticular images on wristbands. The known method of doing this was through the process of lenticular printing. The printed images show depth or motion as the viewing angle changes. The prior method of manufacturing these wristbands has included the steps of printing an image on a rigid embossed layer of PVC, APET (or APTE), or PETG, and laminating the embossed layer on to a static cling sheet, and then cutting the laminated layers into desired shapes. Because the embossed layer is rigid, when the layers are cut into wristbands, the resulting wristband is too rigid and too stiff to form a comfortable wristband loop.
Accordingly, there is a need for a wristband that costs less to manufacture and that provides a more secure fit, has better adjustability, has the ability to be reused multiple times, and can be displayed as a souvenir or message pennant when not being worn. There is also a need for a wristband of this description that includes a lenticular styled display, but which is still flexible and comfortable to wear.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONWristbands are a common article of both function and fashion, but never before has a wristband been shown with the novel features of the several embodiments of the present invention. In the exemplary embodiment of the pennant wristband, the wristband has a laminar flexible band and a removable buckle. The band has a tapered head, a tapered tail, and a neck between the head and tail.
The buckle has a frame with parallel sides and a center bar extending across the frame between, and parallel to, the sides. The center bar forms apertures between the frame's sides. When assembled with the band, the buckle is positioned at the neck such that the neck rests on the center bar of the buckle. In other embodiments, the buckle may have the shape of a rectangle, a square, a circle, a heart, a diamond or other similar shape.
In another embodiment, the band is lenticular imprinted with an image such as a logo, a drawing, a slogan, or other image. In another embodiment, the wristband is made of a static cling material such as vinyl or polish/polish vinyl adhered to a flexible lenticular. In the preferred embodiment, the wristband is less 30 mil thick. In the preferred embodiment the wristband is approximately 25 mil.
In yet another embodiment, the tail of the band has a slit positioned immediately adjacent to the buckle when the buckle is assembled to the band. The slit may be used to hide excess portions of the band, after the wristband has been wrapped around the user's wrist and adjusted for fit.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive, and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the appended claims and accompanying drawings.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances, various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated, enlarged, or otherwise spatially modified to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
A reference to and brief description of each Figure in the drawings as set forth in 37 CFR 1.74 are:
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In our exemplary embodiment, the laminar flexible band 100 of the pennant wristband may be made of a highly durable static cling material such as vinyl or polish/polish vinyl. When the wristband user decides to remove the wristband and keep it as a souvenir, the static cling material of band 100 allows the user to stick the wristband (with or without removable buckle 200) to a smooth and dry surface. The wristband may stick to surfaces such as refrigerator doors, windows, dry erase boards, computer screens, television screens, or other similar surfaces. The pennant wristband may also be made of a waterproof material, a hypoallergenic material, a chemical-proof material, or any combination thereof.
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In the exemplary embodiment of the wristband, apertures 202 are rectangular in shape and each have a width (J) of 0.25 inches and a length (I) of 0.625 inches. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that apertures 202 do not necessarily need to be of equal or uniform width or length, so long as head 104, neck 106, and tail 108 of the wristband are able to pass through them.
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Similarly, the little end width (F) of tail 108 should be at most as wide as the width (J) of apertures 202. Otherwise, tail 108 would not fit through buckle 200 and the wristband might not be assembled. Also, if tail 108 were too big to fit in apertures 202, the wristband might be nonadjustable and incapable of securely fitting around the user's wrist. Additionally, the big end width (C) of tail 108 should be at least as wide as the width (J) of apertures 202. Otherwise, buckle 200 would fit insecurely on band 100, and buckle 200 might slip off tail 108, resulting in an unwearable wristband.
This type of wristband assembly also limits other parameters of the wristband, such as the dimensions of neck 106. The length (E) of neck 106 should be less than the combined lengths (I) of apertures 202. If the length (E) of neck 106 were larger than the lengths (I) of apertures 202, it would be difficult to assemble buckle 200 securely on band 100. The buckle 200 would slide along neck 104 because of this excess length. If the length (E) of neck 106 were less than the lengths (I) of apertures 202, it would be difficult to assemble buckle 200 on band 100 because buckle 200 would have to rest on part of the large end of head 104 and part of the big end of tail 108. This might cause twisting in these portions of head 104 and tail 108 and might cause the user discomfort.
In a further embodiment of the wristband, the surface of band 100 may be imprinted with an image, as shown in
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The slit 110 must also have a depth (H) that is as deep as the thickness of band 100, so that tail 108 can be inserted into slit 110. Because slit 110 is meant to accommodate the excess portions of tail 108 after the user secures the wristband to the user's wrist, slit 110 needs to be approximately adjacent to buckle 200 and parallel to parallel sides 208 of buckle 200. In our exemplary embodiment, slit 110 is approximately 0.25 inches from parallel side 208 of buckle 200 when buckle 200 is assembled to band 100.
In a further embodiment of a wristband having a slit 110 through tail 108, slit 110 may have reinforcers 116 at the ends of slit 110, as seen in
If tail 108 were not tapered and the user pulled tail 108 all the way through buckle 200, the user might over-tighten the wristband, thereby restricting circulation and causing discomfort. Also, if tail 108 were not tapered, it could easily slide through buckle 200. This sliding might result in the wristband becoming either too loose or too tight as the user wears it. If the wristband becomes too loose, it could easily fall off the user's wrist or could be so loose that it moves and becomes uncomfortable as the user wears it. If the wristband becomes too tight, it might become too uncomfortable to wear and may even cut off the user's blood circulation.
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However, if the wristband is of an embodiment having a slit 110 in tail 108 of band 100, the user may insert any excess portions of tail 108 through slit 110, as shown in Steps 5 and 6. By inserting the excess portions of tail 108 through slit 110, the excess portions are hidden behind band 100 that is already wrapped around the user's wrist. As a result, any images or logos imprinted on band 100 are free from obstruction by such excess portions of tail 108.
A method of manufacturing a pennant wristband may include the steps of:
1. printing an image on a sheet of static cling material;
2. drying the image;
3. applying an adhesive layer over the printed side of the static cling sheet;
4. curing the adhesive;
5. pressure embossing a lens pattern onto a heated layer of vinyl material;
6. aligning the static cling material with the embossed vinyl material;
7. laminating the embossed vinyl onto the printed static cling layer;
8. cutting the laminated layers into a pennant wristband shape; and
9. removing the backing from the static cling material.
After cutting, the backing (8 mm paper liner) on the static cling material is removed. The purpose of the backing is to prevent the static cling sheets from sticking together during processing.
In the preferred embodiment, a sheet of static cling material, that is approximately 7.5 mm thick and still has its release liner, is printed with one or more images.
Printing may be done in a UV environment to immediately dry the ink. After printing, a heat activated adhesive is placed on the printed sheet, which may be done by running it through a roll-coater. The sheet is then cured in ambient environment. In the preferred embodiment, curing can be induced over an extended period of time, such as for twenty-four hours.
In addition to this printed sheet, a separate sheet of lenticular material may be embossed with a lens pattern by heat and pressure. This is preferably done in a machine of the type known as a stereo embossing machine. These types of machines were originally developed for the purpose of manufacturing lenticular post cards and the like. They can also be used to manufacture window decals having a lenticular material laminated to a PVC material.
The lenticular sheet is preferably made of PVC vinyl. In the preferred embodiment, the lenticular material is a vinyl of the type known as polished/polished vinyl.
Also, in the preferred embodiment, the sheet of PVC vinyl has a thickness of between approximately 14-17 mm.
This embossed layer is then laminated in register with the images located on the printed static cling layer. This can be done by pulling the printed static cling layer onto the embossed layer, via air jets, after the vinyl layer is embossed. In an exemplary method, the printed layer and the embossed layer are laminated together in register.
After the two layers have been laminated, they may be cut into desired shapes. This may be done using a die cutter. For example, the band may be die cut to have a tapered head, neck, and tapered tail.
In an alternative method, after the layers have been cut, a buckle or snap fastener may be placed on the layers to form a pennant wristband.
Yet another alternative method may include the step of imprinting lenticular image onto the static cling band. In this method, during the printing step, multiple images are sliced and printed together on the static cling sheet. Then, a separate vinyl sheet is embossed with a particular pattern that will decode the sliced images on the static cling sheet. The embossed layer is then laminated on to the printed static cling sheet and cut into a desired shape. The embossed layer decodes the images into a 3-D effect. So when you look at the band from one direction, you see one image, and when you look at the band from another direction, you see a different image.
While this invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A wristband comprising:
- a flexible band having a head portion connected to a neck portion, which is connected to a tail portion;
- the head having a large end attached to the neck and an opposite small end, the width of the head tapering downward from the large end to the small end;
- the tail having a big end attached to the neck and an opposite little end, the width of the tail tapering downward from the big end to the little end; and
- a removable buckle locatable on the neck, the buckle having a pair of apertures.
2. The wristband of claim 1, the buckle further comprising:
- a generally rectangular frame having a pair of parallel sides and at least one center bar extending across the frame, the center bar being parallel to the sides and forming at least two apertures between the sides of the frame.
3. The wristband of claim 2, the buckle further comprising:
- a pair of generally triangular ends extending from the parallel sides; and
- the center bar extending between the triangular ends.
4. The wristband of claim 3, wherein the top surface of the center bar is recessed from the top surface of the parallel sides.
5. The wristband of claim 1, further comprising a pair of head stops connecting the head to the neck.
6. The wristband of claim 1, further comprising a pair of tail stops connecting the tail to the neck.
7. The wristband of claim 1, wherein the band is made of a static cling material.
8. The wristband of claim 1, wherein the band is imprinted with an image.
9. The wristband of claim 1, wherein the frame has a raised portion where the center bar meets the frame.
10. The wristband of claim 1, wherein the apertures are generally rectangular in shape.
11. The wristband of claim 1, wherein the removable buckle is of a shape selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, a circle, a diamond, an oval, a square, or a heart.
12. The wristband of claim 1, wherein the removable buckle further comprises a plurality of ridges on an underside of the sides of the frame.
13. The wristband of claim 1 further comprising a vertical slit through the tail at a position near to the large end of the slit having a slit width wider than the little end of the tail and being at a position near to the side of the frame when the buckle is positioned on the band.
14. The wristband of claim 12, wherein the slit has a depth at least equal to the thickness of the band.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 24, 2008
Publication Date: Dec 25, 2008
Inventor: Kenneth GREENWOOD (Dallas, TX)
Application Number: 12/145,254
International Classification: A45F 5/00 (20060101);