Gathering device and a method of gathering

Abstract

A gathering device and method for gathering a gown are disclosed. The gathering device comprises a sheet having an opening therein, and at least one cord affixed in a slip fashion along the perimeter of the sheet. At least a portion of the cord is exposed. The opening of the sheet may be elastic; or it may comprise means for obtaining a friction hold on an object located in the opening. The gathering device may comprise two cords affixed in a slip fashion along the perimeter, and that each cord has a portion thereof exposed. The disclosed method of gathering a gown includes the steps of stepping into an opening of a sheet while wearing a gown, taking hold of a cord affixed to the perimeter of the sheet in a slip fashion, and pulling on the cord to cause the gown to be gathered.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to provisional filing U.S. 61/402,957 filed on Sep. 8, 2010.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

Often, wedding gowns or other formal attire for women are worn with a train, are floor-length, or are worn in a version known as hi-lo, in which the front of the gown is short, perhaps shin length, and the back of the gown is floor-length or longer.

In each of the above cases, it is common for the dress or gown to become soiled. Minimal attempts have been made in the past to address this issue. Prior to a wedding ceremony, or in the course of taking pictures, a bride often has assistants who follow her about, carrying portions of the dress in an attempt to prevent the dress from dragging in soil. In the case of other formal attire, women are left to ungracefully hike up their gowns in an attempt to prevent the gown from becoming soiled. Both methods are generally unsuccessful, and a bride or woman attending a formal event commonly arrives with a soiled dress.

Some devices have been developed to gather a dress or to assist in adjusting a dress, as discussed below.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,059 to Speer discloses a train hoop that includes a wrist attachment for enabling a bride to adjust the location of her train. This device, however, does not address the issue of preventing the train from becoming soiled.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,231 to Stevens discloses a gathering clip for bridal and other gown trains that is removably securable to the inside structure of the garment along a back central seam allowance therein. This device is meant to be secured to the gown in a semi-permanent manner. That is, it is to be worn throughout an evening, at a wedding reception perhaps, and not used as a means for quickly gathering a gown up for a woman to cross a soiled path to a church or formal gathering. It should also be noted that the device disclosed in the '231 patent must be secured in a private setting, as it requires that the gown be lifted completely, thus exposing the wearer, and that the device must be secured by a person other than the wearer of the gown.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,232 to Pryor discloses a device for supporting a train of a bridal gown having a hoop member with an interior area having a bar extending there across so as to define a first train receiving area and a second train receiving area within the hoop member and a clip connected to the hoop member so as to allow the hoop member to be affixed to a back side of the bridal gown. Similarly to the device disclosed in the '231 patent, the device disclosed in the '232 patent is intended for use in a semi-permanent manner, and requires that the gown be lifted completely for attachment by a person other than the gown wearer.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,606 to Luckabaugh discloses a bridal train for adjustably positioning relative to a ground surface. This device, although it may be adjusted by the bride herself, is not meant to be used as a quick or short-term solution. The device also requires that the bride wear an extra layer of material with the bridal gown at all times. This is not a practical solution in an era of thin, light, flowing gowns.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,726 to Garret discloses an adjustable dress which includes an adjustable crinoline or slip, and adjustable over skirt and an adjustable blouse. These adjustable means are meant to be semi-permanent as well.

U.S. Design Pat. Des. 248,900 to Weitzbuch illustrates a design for a train ring.

There therefore remains a need for a device and method for temporarily gathering a gown off the ground in a very quick manner.

SUMMARY

The gathering device of the present invention addresses the above problem by providing means and a method for gathering a gown up and off of the ground.

The gathering device of the present invention comprises a sheet having an opening therein, and at least one cord affixed in a slip fashion along the perimeter of the sheet. At least a portion of the cord is exposed.

In one embodiment, the opening of the sheet is elastic; or it may comprise means for obtaining a friction hold on an object located in the opening.

The cord may comprise an elastic portion therein, and it may be a continuous loop.

It is also contemplated that the gathering device comprise two cords affixed in a slip fashion along the perimeter, and that each cord has a portion thereof exposed. In this case, the exposed portions should be located substantially opposite each other. The cords might be continuous loops.

In another embodiment, a hem along the perimeter of the sheet substantially encloses the cord or cords in a slip fashion along the length of the cord or cords other than an exposed portion to allow a person to pull on the cord or cords.

A plurality of loops affixed along the perimeter of the sheet may be utilized to affix the cord or cords in a slip fashion along the length of the cord or cords. A plurality of openings along the perimeter of the sheet may also be used to achieve the same function.

A handle or handles may be attached to the cord or cords at the exposed portion.

A method of gathering a gown is also disclosed, wherein the method includes the steps of stepping into an opening of a sheet while wearing a gown, taking hold of a cord affixed to the perimeter of the sheet in a slip fashion, and pulling on the cord to cause the gown to be gathered.

The method of gathering a gown may include the step of obtaining a friction hold against one's leg through the use of an elastic opening.

The method of gathering a gown may include the step of expanding an elastic portion of the cord.

Finally, the gathering device may comprise two cords, and the method may comprise the step of pulling in opposite directions on an exposed portion of each cord to cause the gown to gather.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a section view of an embodiment of the present invention in the ungathered position.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention in the gathered position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in use with a gown.

DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a section view. The gathering device 10 as shown in this embodiment comprises a sheet 11, an opening 12, two drawstrings 13, and two handles 14.

For the purpose of this application, the term “sheet” shall be understood to mean a thin flexible piece of any material; some examples include fabric, plastic, metal, or a combination thereof.

Similarly, the term “cord” shall refer to a slender length of any flexible material, including, but not limited to, a drawstring, string, strand, twisted strands or fibers, a length of plastic, a length of metal, or a combination thereof.

Returning again to FIG. 1, the embodiment shown is designed such that the opening 12 in the sheet 11 has an elastic feature to it. That is, the opening, when placed around an object, such as a woman's legs, will obtain a friction hold such that the gathering device 10 could conveniently be held in a position above the ground. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the elastic feature of the opening is not necessary. The invention would function as intended with a mere opening or slit in the sheet; however, it is thought by the inventor that the elastic feature provides more comfort to the user.

Optionally, and not shown in the figures, the opening 12 in the sheet 11 may comprise a dividing feature. The dividing feature is preferably a button and loop feature positioned such that the user of the gathering device 10, after placing her feet through the opening 12, may divide the opening 12 into two compartments, one for each leg, but buttoning or otherwise attaching a portion of the front to a portion of the back. It is also contemplated that a dividing feature may be permanently incorporated into the opening 12 of the gathering device 10. A permanent dividing feature might, for example, be implemented in the form of an elastic band spanning the diameter of the opening 12. Another dividing feature might be achieved through the use of two separate openings 12, each comprising means for obtaining a friction hold on a user.

Continuing with the same figure, the embodiment shown comprises two cords 13. The cords 13 are attached around the perimeter of the sheet in a slip fashion. In this embodiment, the perimeter of the sheet 11 is folded over the cords 13 and sewn together such that the cords 13 slip freely in the hem. For the purpose of this application, the term “slip fashion” shall be understood to refer to the case in which an item, such as a cord 13 is attached so that it can slip along the attached area, such as the perimeter of the sheet 11. When a user pulls in opposite directions on the cords 13 simultaneously, the perimeter of the gathering device 10 will close in upon itself. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a hem is not the only manner in which the cords 13 may be attached to the perimeter in a slip fashion. Other affixation means include, but are not limited to, corded loops attached to the sheet 11, or even a plurality of openings around the perimeter of the sheet 11.

Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is shown with two cords 13, it is contemplated that a single cord 13 be used. In such a case, the exposed portion of the cord would be towards the front of the user, as opposed to two sides, so that the user could pull the cord 13 up and towards her midsection. An elastic feature in the cord 13 may assist in the gathering function. While these and other means for gathering are contemplated, it is believed by the inventor that a hem is the most aesthetically pleasing of the options available, given the most common intended use for the gathering device 10 is in a formal setting.

It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that, although shown as continuous loops in the embodiment shown, the cords 13 need not be continuous loops. The choice of whether the cords 13 are continuous is merely an aesthetic one.

Continuing still with FIG. 1, the embodiment shown includes handles 14 on the portions of the cords 13 which extend out of the hemmed area. These handles 14 may merely be decorative, disguise seams in the cords 13, or they may assist in maintaining optimum positioning of the cords 13 by preventing the cords 13 from slipping into the hemmed area. This last case applies most to an embodiment (not shown) in which the cords 13 are not continuous loops.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a method of gathering is disclosed.

As mentioned previously, there remains a need to quickly and temporarily gather up a gown, in particular just before entering a formal situation such as a wedding. A solution to this problem is to use a gathering device 10 having an opening 12 therein and a cord 13 affixed in a slip fashion about the perimeter. A woman in a gown can step into the opening 12 by either placing the gathering device 10 on the floor, or holding it near the floor, and then pulling on the cord 13 to force the gathering device 10 to pull up and around her gown. The cord 13 may have an optional elastic portion therein. Some adjustments to ensure the gown is gathered may be necessary; despite any such needed adjustments, such a method is quick, convenient, and also quickly reversible. When the woman arrives at the formal function, she can simply let the cord 13 loosen and allow the gathering device 10 to fall to the ground.

When using an equivalent of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a woman wearing a gown may gather her gown by laying a gathering device 10 on the floor, or holding it near the floor, stepping into the opening 12, taking both cords 13 into her hands, and pulling up towards her sides and/or away from her person. Because the cords 13 are exposed for pulling substantially opposite one another, the act of pulling causes the gathering device 10 to gather the perimeter up and around the gown, as shown in FIG. 3.

The method of gathering a gown may include the step of fastening a dividing feature so as to create an opening that is essentially two. Alternatively, the method may include the step of stepping one leg into each of two openings.

Optionally, the method of gathering a gown includes the step of obtaining a friction hold against a person's legs. This may be obtained, for example, by utilizing an elastic opening 12 in the gathering device 10.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the invention herein. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A gathering device, comprising:

a sheet having an opening therein, and

at least one cord affixed in a slip fashion along the perimeter of said sheet, said cord having a portion thereof exposed.

2. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

said opening of said sheet is elastic.

3. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

said opening of said sheet comprises means for obtaining a friction hold on an object located in said opening.

4. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

said opening of said sheet comprises a dividing feature.

5. The gathering device of claim 4, wherein:

said dividing feature consists one of:

a loop and button feature,

an elastic band spanning said opening, and

a pair of openings.

6. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

said cord comprises an elastic portion therein.

7. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

said cord is a continuous loop.

8. The gathering device of claim 1, comprising:

two cords affixed in a slip fashion along the perimeter, each cord having a portion thereof exposed, each said exposed portion being located substantially opposite the other.

9. The gathering device of claim 8, wherein:

said cords are continuous loops.

10. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

a hem along the perimeter of said sheet substantially encloses said cord in a slip fashion along the length of said cord other than said exposed portion.

11. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of loops affixed along the perimeter of said sheet affix said cord in a slip fashion along the length of said cord.

12. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of openings along the perimeter of said sheet affix said cord in a slip fashion along the perimeter of said sheet.

13. The gathering device of claim 1, wherein:

said cord comprises a handle in said exposed portion.

14. A method of gathering a gown using a sheet, said sheet having an opening therein and at least one cord affixed in a slip fashion along the perimeter of said sheet, comprising the steps of:

stepping into said opening of said sheet while wearing a gown,

taking hold of said cord, and

pulling on said cord to cause the gown to be gathered.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said opening is elastic, and

said method further comprises the step of obtaining a friction hold against one's leg.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein:

said opening comprises means for obtaining a friction hold against one's leg, and

said method further comprises the step of obtaining a friction hold against one's leg.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said cord comprises an elastic portion, said elastic portion expanding to enable a gathering of the perimeter.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said gathering device comprises two cords, and the method further comprises the step of:

pulling in opposite directions on an exposed portion of each cord to cause the gown to gather.

19. The method of claim 14 comprising the step of dividing said opening.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises the step of stepping into two openings.