Shirt construction

Abstract

A shirt having a seamless shoulder construction is provided. The shirt comprises a body portion and two sleeves. The body portion comprises a sheet of generally rectangular fabric having opposed elongated arcuate cutouts formed in the opposed side edges of the sheet, and a neck opening. The fabric sheet is folded transverse its length to define overlying front and back shirt portions having seamless shoulders and arm openings. Seams join at least a portion of the adjacent edges of the opposed sides of the folded sheet Each of the sleeves is formed from a generally trapezoidally shaped sheet of fabric having a longer base with an arcuate shape. The arcuate shaped base is attached to one of the arm openings to form a seam, and side edges of the sleeves are joined to seam under the arm of the wearer. The shirt is without the conventional seam running across the shoulder from the neck to the shoulder edge.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to apparel, and more particularly, to shirts having no seam from the neck to the shoulders.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shirts are conventionally formed in such a manner that one or more seams extend from the neck opening toward each shoulder. In button-up dress shirts and sports shirts, for example, there is first formed a pair of front fabric panels and a rear fabric panel. The front panels and rear panel are then either connected directly by a single seam, or indirectly by a shoulder segment which connects the front panels and rear panel by a pair of seams.

T-shirts, polo shirts, and other similar apparel, on the other hand, are conventionally formed by a circular knitting process. With this process, fabric is produced on a knitting machine in the form of a tube, with the yarns of the fabric running continuously around the fabric. The T-shirt is typically completed by partially closing one end to form shoulder seams, leaving a neck opening in the center. A trim is normally added around the neck and optional sleeves are affixed to arm openings on either side.

While the shoulder seams do not pose a comfort issue for many wearers, these seams may be a source of considerable discomfort to personnel who wear shoulder-supported load bearing gear such as backpacks or knapsacks. This is particularly true for military personnel, hikers, and law enforcement personnel who must carry many pounds of equipment supported by shoulder straps for extended periods of time in a spectrum of climatic conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a shirt construction that solves the problem with uncomfortable shoulder seams described above.

In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention is directed to a T-shirt construction. The T-shirt may be formed of a tubular knitted fabric that is cut along its length to form a generally rectangular, singular open width fabric sheet having opposed sides, opposed ends, and a length. Opposed elongated arcuate cutouts are formed in the opposed side edges. A neck opening is formed in the fabric section between the cutouts and proximate the center of the singular sheet. The fabric sheet is then folded transverse its length to define overlying front and back shirt portions having seamless shoulders, a neck opening, and arm openings. The opposed overlying side edges of the folded sheet below the arm openings are sewn together, leaving an open bottom. Sleeve portions are sewn to the fabric edges which form the elongated arcuate cutouts. Additionally, the cutouts for the sleeves are preferably so spaced from the edges of the neck opening that the seams fall below the shoulders of the wearer.

In another approach, dress shirts or button-up sport shirts may be formed from woven fabric in essentially the same manner. A rectangular piece of fabric would have a neck opening, side cutouts, and where a button-up front is desired, the front would be slit for the application of buttons and button holes.

In yet a further aspect of the present invention, the fabric is formed from yarns, at least some of which are flame resistant. In one embodiment, the fabric is formed from a blend of about 80% flame resistant modacrylic staples and about 20% flame resistant viscose staple fibers.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment in combination with the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the shirt construction of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the shirt construction of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is plan view illustrating the components of the shirt construction of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the Figures in general, one aspect of the present invention is directed to a T-shirt, shown generally as 100, having a seamless shoulder construction. As used herein, “shirt” refers to a garment which is either knit or woven, and for either outerwear or as an undergarment, such as a T-shirt.

As is conventional, for shirts that are produced for wear as undergarments, or T-shirts, the fabric is typically knitted on a circular knitting machine as a jersey fabric, or similar fabric pattern, on any of the commercially available circular knitting machines; however, the fabric of the present invention is not limited to a circular knitted or other knitted construction.

Depending upon the gauge of the knitting needles and the desired density setting, the circular knitted fabric may be formed in a wide range of fabric weights, again depending on the desired application; however, as explained above, the weight basis of the jersey fabric is not critical or limiting of the shirt construction described herein. Once the fabric has been knitted, the completed fabric may be subjected to finishing, conditioning, packaging, etc. Where the fabric is circular knitted, the continuous tube of fabric is subsequently taken up and packaged on rolls for later use in garment manufacture. For T-shirts, for example, the tubular fabric is initially cut into patterns. Typically thereafter, hems or seams are formed along the lower edge of the tube to create an open bottom, and in conventional T-shirt constructions, shoulder portions are formed by creating seams to close the upper portion of the tube, minus the neck opening. Sleeves are then sewn to arm openings created during the pattern cutting process. Typically, also, the seams affixing the sleeves to the body of the shirt are positioned for wear on the outer edge of the shoulder, or deltoid area.

Referring now to FIG. 3, unlike the conventional T-shirt constructions of the prior art, the shirt 100 of the present invention comprises a generally rectangular, singular sheet that is formed by cutting a tubular knitted fabric along its length to create an open width sheet. The singular sheet 110 comprises opposed side edges 112 and opposed ends 114. The distance between the opposed ends 114 and between the side edges 112 defining a length and width that will determine the size of the shirt.

Having been cut to create an open width singular sheet 110, a T-shirt or other shirt pattern is cut in the sheet 110 with a conventional pattern cutting apparatus. In particular, opposed arm openings 115 are cut out of either side 112 of the sheet 110. As shown in FIG. 3, the arm openings 115 have an elongated arcuate shape and are approximately centrally located on either side 112 of the sheet 110. More particularly, the arm openings are shaped for cooperative attachment with the adjacent edge of generally trapezoidally-shaped sleeve portions to ensure that puckering of material in the underarm, or axillary area, is reduced, further adding to the comfort of the wearer. As explained below, the elongated arcuate shaped edges that form arm openings also are positioned and dimensioned so that the seams that join the edge of the shoulder portion and the sleeves will fall below the shoulder of the wearer. During the pattern cutting process, a neck opening 116 is also cut proximate the center of the sheet 110.

Following the pattern cutting process, the fabric sheet 110 is folded transverse its length to create overlying front 117 and back 118 portions of the shirt 100, eliminating the conventional shoulder seams, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In its simplest form, to complete the shirt construction 100, the portions of opposed side edges 112 of the overlying front 117 and 118 portions below the arm openings are sewn together by conventional seaming methods to create side seams 119 along a portion of the length of each side of the shirt 100.

Again, as shown in FIG. 3, the sleeves 122 of the T-shirt of the present invention are formed from generally trapezoidally-shaped sheets of similar fabric. That is, the sleeve portion 122 has a longer base 122a and a shorter base 122b. The longer base 122a is shaped in an arcuate configuration 123 for seamed attachment along an inner edge I 15a of the elongated arcuate cutout in the side edge of the shirt. More particularly, the longer base 122a has a generally arcuate, convex shape which tapers down on either side to a tip 122c. The free end of the short sleeve is formed by the narrower end 122b. As shown in FIG. 3, the arcuate shape of the edges 115a do not conform precisely to the shape of the longer base 122a of the trapezoidal sleeve portion 122 to which it is seamed; however, the length of the long base 122a and the length of edge 115a are substantially the same length. Nonetheless, the inventors have found that, when combined and seamed, this unique combination of mating edges creates a seamed attachment which substantially eliminates the pucker of the fabric under the arm, or axillary region, of the wearer, eliminating a further source of discomfort found in conventional T-shirts.

It is apparent that a dress shirt or button-up sport shirt would have to have some slight pattern adjustments. For example, the front would have to be slit, and a different pattern applied to the woven fabric that results in a wider front panel than rear panel to provide a better fitting garment. Also, the neck opening would have a different shape.

The construction illustrated by way of example may be 100 percent cotton or may comprise a combination of cotton and any other suitable natural or synthetic fibers, such as polyester, depending upon the desired application and environment. When the shirt 100 is intended for flame resistant safety apparel, appropriate flame resistant yarn materials are selected. In one exemplary embodiment of the latter type, the shirt is designed to be inherently flame resistant to provide an increased degree of protection for wearers against potential exposure to heat and flame of short duration. In this embodiment for safety apparel, the shirt is formed from yarns that comprise an intimate blend of modacrylic staple fibers and flame resistant (FR) viscose staple fibers. Modacrylics are polymers that have between 35 percent and 85 percent acrylonitrile units, modified by other chemical modifiers such as vinyl chloride. All modacrylics have a flame-resistant character to some extent; however, it has been found that fabrics formed from modacrylic yarns having at least about 50 percent by weight of acrylonitrile units will provide excellent flame resistance. That is, they will not melt and drip, or continue to burn when a source of ignition is removed. Viscose fibers, sometimes known as “rayon,” are derived from a natural polymer from wood pump. Flame resistant viscose fibers are fibers that are chemically treated to impart heat and flame resistance to the fibers. As such, these treated fibers are adapted for applications in which protection is sought from fire, radiant heat, electrical arcs, etc. In one embodiment, the yarn selected for the safety apparel is an intimate blend comprising about 80 percent modacrylic staple fibers and about 20 percent FR viscose staple fibers.

While the elimination of shoulder seams addresses one of the problems with conventional T-shirt or undergarment constructions, the placement of the seams between the body of the shirt 100 and the sleeves has also been problematic; i.e., these seams also conventionally fall on the shoulder. As will now be appreciated, the distance of each arm opening 115 from the neck opening is also increased over conventional patterns. In particular, the edges 115a that form the arm openings 115 are a sufficient distance from the neck opening 116 so that the seams 120 joining the sleeves 122 to the arm openings 115 will fall below the outer edge of the wearer's shoulder, thereby eliminating a seam on either shoulder that could promote discomfort to the wearer when carrying load-bearing equipment. A conventional trim strip or collar 124 may be sewn around the neck opening 115.

It should be recognized that the preferred embodiment described above is exemplary only. Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A shirt having a seamless shoulder construction, comprising:

(a) a body portion and two sleeves;

(b) the body portion comprising a sheet of generally rectangular fabric having opposed side edges, opposed ends, and a length; (i) opposed elongated arcuate cutouts formed in the opposed side edges of the sheet; (ii) a neck opening; (iii) the fabric sheet folded transverse its length to define overlying front and back shirt portions having seamless shoulders and arm openings; (iv) seams joining at least a portion of the adjacent edges of the opposed sides of the folded fabric sheet;

(c) each of the sleeves formed from a generally trapezoidally shaped sheet of fabric, with the trapezoidally shaped sheet having a longer base with an arcuate shape, the arcuate shaped base attached to one of the arm openings to form a seam, and the sleeves having side edges that are joined to seam under the arm of the wearer; and

(d) whereby the shirt is without the conventional seam running across the shoulder from the neck to the shoulder edge.

2. The shirt of claim 1 wherein:

(a) each arcuate cutout of the body portion comprises a length;

(b) the arcuate shaped base of each sleeve comprises: (i) an edge that does not conform precisely to the arcuate shape of the elongated cutout of the body portion; (b) a length;

(c) the length of the arcuate cutout of the body portion and the length of the arcuate shaped based are substantially the same; and

(d) wherein when the arcuate cutout of the body portion and the arcuate shaped base are combined and seamed, pucker of the fabric under the arm of a wearer is substantially eliminated.

3. The shirt of claim 1 wherein the arm openings are spaced from the neck opening a distance sufficient to position the seam between the arm opening and the sleeve below the shoulder of a wearer.

4. The shirt of claim 1 wherein the fabric is formed of yarns comprising an intimate blend of fibers containing at least some flame resistant fibers.

5. The shirt of claim 4 wherein the intimate blend comprises about 80 percent modacylic fibers and about 20 percent flame resistant viscose fibers.

6. The shirt of claim 1 wherein the front shirt portion is slit from the neck to the bottom edge to form a button-up type shirt.