GARMENT SECUREMENT ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A garment securement assembly includes a garment having a pocket, an opening, and a fastener that cooperate to secure the garment in an aesthetically pleasing and easily manageable fashion. In one form, the garment securement assembly includes a garment, a pocket defining an opening, and a fastener extending out of the pocket through the opening to engage and selectively couple the garment with itself and/or an adjacent garment.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to a garment securement assembly. More particularly, the disclosure describes garment securement assemblies for selectively securing a garment to itself, or to an adjacent garment, without altering the aesthetics of the garments.

Many garments, such as neckties, cravats, ascots, cuffs, collars, and the like are traditionally designed to be worn in formal settings. Modern neckties, for instance, are commonly worn in business environments in which maintaining a professional, polished appearance is desirable. In the past, a variety of devices, including clips, pins, tacks, and the like, have been used to fix the necktie relative to a wearer's shirt or to the necktie itself. The devices are used to reduce undesirable movement of the necktie, such as twisting in normal use or being blown out of place by a gust of wind. However, the appearance of these traditional devices are sometimes aesthetically undesirable (e.g., are visible in use), can be cumbersome to wear, and should be removed prior to cleaning. Other garments (e.g., shirt cuffs) and accompanying devices (e.g., cuff links) suffer from similar drawbacks.

In light of at least the above considerations, a need exists for an improved garment securement assembly.

SUMMARY

Aspects of a garment securement assembly are disclosed, including a garment having a pocket, an opening, and a fastener that cooperate to secure the garment in an aesthetically pleasing and easily manageable fashion.

In one aspect, a garment securement assembly comprises a garment extending from a first portion to a second portion. A pocket is formed adjacent to the first portion and defines an opening opposite to the first portion. A fastener is selectively captured in the pocket and has a distal portion extending out of the pocket through the opening. The distal portion of the fastener is engaged with at least one of the second portion and an adjacent garment to selectively couple the first portion to at least one of the second portion and the adjacent garment.

In another aspect, a garment securement assembly comprises a garment having a first side and a patch secured adjacent to the first side of the garment defining a pocket. The patch defines an opening that provides access into the pocket. A fastener has a flared end that is configured to be selectively capturable in the pocket and a narrowed end that is configured to extend through the opening when the flared end is captured in the pocket. The narrowed end of the fastener engages at least one of the garment and an adjacent garment to selectively couple at least one of the garment and the adjacent garment proximate to the first side of the garment.

In a further aspect, a garment securement assembly for securing a garment, which has been manipulated to form an inner portion and an outer portion adjacent to the inner portion, comprises a pocket formed on a back side of the outer portion having an opening adjacent to a front side of the inner portion, and a fastener captured in the pocket and partially extending out of the pocket through the opening toward the front side of the inner portion. The fastener is configured to engage and fix the inner portion relative to the outer portion.

The above and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from the description that follows. In the detailed description, preferred example embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments do not represent the full scope of the concept; rather, the concept may be employed in many other embodiments. Reference should therefore be made to the claims for determining the full breadth of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial, perspective view of an example necktie and example dress shirt incorporating several example garment securement assemblies.

FIG. 2A is an exploded, side elevation view of the example dress shirt incorporating an example garment securement assembly.

FIG. 2B is a partial, section view of the example dress shirt incorporating the example garment securement assembly illustrated in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a rear perspective view of the example necktie illustrating a portion of an example garment securement assembly.

FIG. 3B is a partial, detail view of the example garment securement assembly illustrated in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a rear perspective view of another example necktie illustrating a portion of another example garment securement assembly.

FIG. 4B is a partial, detail view of the example garment securement assembly illustrated in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is a partial, section view of an alternative example garment securement assembly.

FIG. 6 is a partial, section view of another alternative example garment securement assembly.

FIG. 7 is a partial, section view of a further alternative example garment securement assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

While the example embodiments are described with specific reference to a necktie, a cuff, and a collar of a dress shirt, the concept is not intended to be limited by the type, style, or form factor of the examples illustrated. When given the benefit of this disclosure, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the various alternative arrangements and configurations that are contemplated by the garment securement assembly concept described herein. Furthermore, the term “garment” is used broadly herein to include, without limitation, neckties, cravats, ascots, cuffs, collars, pants, slacks, skirts, shirts, blouses, and the like made from a variety of natural and synthetic materials, including without limitation, cotton, silk, polyester, wool, nylon, leather, and the like.

An example garment in the form of a dress shirt (10) is illustrated in FIG. 1. The dress shirt (10) defines a left chest (12) having a series of vertically spaced slits (not shown) and a right chest (14) having a series of vertically spaced buttons (16) (only a single button (16) is illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B). As understood, buttoning the dress shirt (10) involves coupling aligned slits and buttons (16) in a typical fashion to secure the left chest (12) and the right chest (14). The dress shirt (10) further defines a collar (18) having a left leaf (20) folded adjacent to the left chest (12) and a right leaf (22) folded adjacent to the right chest (14). Another garment in the form of a necktie (24) is secured about the collar (18) of the dress shirt (10) and is generally positioned beneath the left leaf (20) and the right leaf (22) of the collar (18). A right sleeve (26) is attached (e.g., via thread) to the right chest (14) and terminates in a right cuff (28). A left sleeve and cuff are not illustrated in FIG. 1, but are similar to the right sleeve (26) and right cuff (28).

With the basic anatomy of the dress shirt (10) understood, several example embodiments of garment securement assemblies will be described and illustrated. For instance, the dress shirt (10) may include one or more garment securement assemblies configured to secure the necktie (24) to itself, the left leaf (20) of the collar (18) to the left chest (12), the right leaf (22) of the collar (18) to the right chest (14), the right cuff (28) to itself, and the left cuff (not shown) to itself.

With additional reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a first example garment securement assembly (30) is generally illustrated with reference to the example necktie (24). The necktie (24) is shown from the side after the necktie (24) has been manipulated (e.g., tied in any manner known to one of ordinary skill in the art) to form an inner portion (32) and an outer portion (34) adjacent to the inner portion (32). With additional reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a pocket (36) is formed on a back side (38) of the outer portion (34) by a patch (40) secured (e.g., via thread, adhesive, etc.) to the back side (38) of the outer portion (34). In one embodiment, the back side (38) of the necktie (24) includes opposite flaps (42, 44) that are secured to each other (e.g., via thread (46)), and the patch (40) is secured, in the example embodiment, to the opposite flaps (42, 44).

An opening (48) in the form of a longitudinal slit, shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, is formed through the patch (40) adjacent to a front side (50) of the inner portion (32). In the example illustrated, the opening (48) is reinforced with thread (52) stitched adjacent to and about the periphery (54) of the opening (48). Returning to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a fastener (56) is captured in the pocket (36) and partially extends out of the pocket (36) through the opening (48) toward the front side (50) of the inner portion (32). The fastener (56) defines a circular head (58) and includes a circular shaft (60) extending from the circular head (58) toward a pointed distal end (62). The circular head (58) is sized to define a diameter that is less than the length of the opening (48), such that the circular head (58) of the fastener (56) can be selectively inserted into the opening (48) and captured in the pocket (36). The pocket (36), in the example embodiment, encloses and covers the circular head (58) such that the circular head (58) is substantially concealed by the outer portion (34) of the necktie (24) and the patch (40) when the fastener (56) is captured in the pocket (36).

With the circular head (58) captured in the pocket (36), the pointed distal end (62) pierces the inner portion (32) of the necktie (24). A retainer (64) in the form of a friction fitting engages the pointed distal end (62) to capture the inner portion (32) and the outer portion (34) of the necktie (24) together. The example retainer (64) includes a body (66), a release pin (68), and a chain bar (70) of conventional form as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The retainer (64) is slid along the circular shaft (60) of the fastener (56) and is oriented adjacent to a back side (72) of the inner portion (32). Urging the release pin (68) away from the circular head (58) allows the retainer (64) to be removed from the circular shaft (60). The fastener (56) is generally configured to engage and fix the inner portion (32) relative to the outer portion (34). The fastener (56) remains hidden behind the outer portion (34) of the necktie (24), thereby helping to maintain a professional, polished appearance of the necktie (24) and not influencing the aesthetics of the necktie (24).

Given the benefit of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will appreciate the various alternative constructions and configurations of the garment securement assembly. For instance, as shown in FIG. 4A and 4B, an alternative is illustrated wherein a pocket (74) is integrally formed with an outer portion (76) of an alternative example necktie (25). Specifically, an opening (78) is formed by opposite flaps (80, 82) of the alternative example necktie (25) that are secured to each other via thread (84). The opening (78) includes a circular aperture (86) having aligned longitudinal slits (88). Similar to the opening (48) illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the opening (78) in FIGS. 4A and 4B is configured to receive and selectively capture a fastener (not shown). In alternative constructions, the thread (84) may be supplemented or replaced by adhesive, the opening (78) may be formed directly in a back side of the outer portion (76) (e.g., where a necktie is comprised of multiple layers of material), and/or the opening (78) may be in the form of a slit or other form factor (e.g., a rhombus) capable of selectively capturing a fastener.

Another example garment securement assembly (90) is illustrated in the cross section of FIG. 5 and is representative of the left leaf (20) being secured to the left chest (12), the right leaf (22) being secured to the right chest (14), an outer portion (92) of the right cuff (28) being secured to an inner portion (94) of the right cuff (28) (shown in FIG. 1), and a similar arrangement for the left cuff (not shown). To clarify the following description, the left leaf (20), the right leaf (22), and the outer portion (92) of the right cuff (28) (with the left cuff being similar) will be identified in FIG. 5 as a first portion (96). Similarly, the left chest (12), the right chest (14), and the inner portion (94) of the right cuff (28) (with the left cuff being similar) will be identified in FIG. 5 as a second portion (98).

The garment in FIG. 5 (e.g., the collar (18) or cuffs (28) of the dress shirt (10)) extends from the first portion (96) to the second portion (98). A pocket (100) is formed adjacent to the first portion (96) by a patch (102) that is secured to the first portion (96). As shown, the patch (102) is secured via thread (104) used to stitch the perimeter (106) of the patch (102) to the first portion (96). As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the patch (102) may be secured by a variety of other techniques, such as by adhesive. Alternatively, a pocket may be formed integrally with the first portion (96) such that the separate patch (102) is not used. For instance, an integrally formed pocket may be created within the thickness of the first portion (96) as shown by the integrally formed pocket (107) illustrated in FIG. 5 by a dashed line. The integrally formed pocket (107) may be void of material or the integrally formed pocket (107) may be formed by an insert (e.g., a preformed, flexible plastic body defining a pocket) that is secured within the thickness of the particular garment.

The patch (102) defines an opening (108) opposite to the first portion (96), and as viewed in cross section in FIG. 5, the opening (108) is in the form of a slit with the narrow width dimension illustrated in FIG. 5. A fastener (110) is selectively captured in the pocket (100) and includes a head (112) captured in the pocket (100) and sized smaller than the length dimension of the opening (108), such that the head (112) of the fastener (110) can be manipulated through the opening (108) (i.e., the slit) to selectively install and remove the head (112) from the pocket (100). A shank (114) extends from the head (112) and protrudes out of the pocket (100) through the opening (108). A leg (116) is pivotally coupled about pivot (118) at a distal end (120) of the shank (114). The leg (116) can be aligned with the shank (114) such that a tip (122) can pierce the second portion (98). Once the leg (116) passes through the adjacent second portion (98), the leg (116) can be pivoted about pivot (118) to be transverse to the shank (114), thereby selectively coupling the first portion (96) and the second portion (98). While the first portion (96) and the second portion (98) illustrated in FIG. 5 are portions of the same garment, the portions need not be from the same garment and each portion may comprise a portion of a distinct garment (e.g., a scarf and a coat).

Another example garment securement assembly (124) is illustrated in the cross section of FIG. 6; in this example, multiple pockets are used to selectively capture one or more garments. Specifically, a first portion (126) includes a first pocket (128) formed by a first patch (130) that is secured (e.g., via adhesive) adjacent to the first portion (126). A first opening (132) is defined through the first patch (130) and opens opposite (i.e., away from) the first portion (126). Similarly, a second portion (134) includes a second pocket (136) formed by a second patch (138) that is secured (e.g., via adhesive) adjacent to the second portion (134). A second opening (140) is defined through the second patch (138) and opens opposite (i.e., away from) the second portion (134). The first opening (132) and the second opening (140) are illustrated as slits and are shown in FIG. 6 transverse to the longer length.

In this example garment securement assembly (124), whether the first portion (126) and the second portion (134) are of the same garment or distinct garments, a fastener (142) is removably captured in the first pocket (128) and the second pocket (136). The example fastener (142) includes a first head (144) spaced apart along a shank (146) from an opposite, second head (148). The first head (144) is inserted through the first opening (132) to selectively capture the first head (144) in the first pocket (128). Similarly, the second head (148) is inserted through the second opening (140) to selectively capture the second head (148) in the second pocket (136). When the fastener (142) is captured the shank (146) extends out of the first opening (132) and the second opening (140). Given the benefit of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will appreciate the various alternative configurations of, for instance, the fastener. For example, the fastener may be a two-piece design such that a portion of the shank extends from each head and the shanks are coupled (e.g., snap-fit together) to ultimately secure the first portion (126) and the second portion (134).

Another example garment securement assembly (150) is illustrated in the cross section of FIG. 7. The garment securement assembly (150) includes a garment (152) having a first side (154) to which a rectangular patch (156) is secured adjacent to. Specifically, the patch (156) is secured via an adhesive (158) applied between the first side (154) and doubled-over portions (160, 162) of the patch (156). The doubled-over portions (160, 162) are formed generally along two opposing ends of the patch (156) and form a multi-layered configuration. The patch (156) defines a pocket (164) (albeit not secured to the garment (152) along two of four sides) adjacent to the first side (154). An opening (166), again illustrated, for instance, in the form of a slit provides access into the pocket (164) through the patch (156).

A fastener (168) is configured to be selectively capturable in the pocket (164). Specifically, the fastener (168) includes a flared end (170), having a generally disc-like form factor, that is captured in the pocket (164). A narrowed end (172) extends from the flared end (170) and through the opening (166) when the flared end (170) is captured in the pocket (164). The narrowed end (172) is generally cylindrical, but may have other form factors, such as being rectangular in a transverse cross section.

As shown in FIG. 7, a shaft (178) of the fastener (168) extends from a head (180) at the flared end (170) through an opening (174) that is formed in a distinct adjacent garment (176) (or, in other forms, a portion of the garment (152)). The openings (174) may be in the form of metallic eyelets secured to the adjacent garment (176). As a result, the relative positioning of the garment (152) and the adjacent garment (176) can be easily reproduced and does not require repeated piecing of the adjacent garment (176). As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and described above, a retainer (64) is fixable along the shaft (178) to selectively couple the garment (152) to the adjacent garment (176) proximate to the first side (154).

A garment securement assembly may be incorporated during the initial manufacturing of the garment or may be retrofit to an existing garment. For instance, a necktie may be retrofit by identifying a position on the necktie at which a pocket is preferably positioned. A patch may then be secured (e.g., via adhesive, thread, and the like) to the identified position. In one form, a patch may include heat activated adhesive positioned about a perimeter of the patch such that placing the patch in the identified position on the necktie and applying heat (e.g., such as from an iron) will adhere the perimeter of the patch to the necktie, thus forming a pocket. A pre-formed opening (e.g., slit) in the patch allows a fastener to be selectively inserted partially through the opening and secured in the pocket.

Given the benefit of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will appreciate the variety of alternative garment securement assembly configurations, including the various garments, pockets, openings, patches, and fasteners that may be incorporated. While there has been shown and described what is at present considered the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various additional changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the concept defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A garment securement assembly, comprising:

a garment extending from a first portion to a second portion;

a pocket formed adjacent to the first portion defining an opening opposite to the first portion; and

a fastener selectively captured in the pocket and having a distal portion extending out of the pocket through the opening;

wherein the distal portion of the fastener is engaged with at least one of the second portion and an adjacent garment to selectively couple the first portion to at least one of the second portion and the adjacent garment.

2. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, wherein the pocket comprises a patch secured to the first portion.

3. The garment securement assembly of claim 2, wherein the patch is secured to the first portion with at least one of thread and adhesive.

4. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, wherein the pocket is integrally formed with the first portion.

5. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, wherein the first portion includes opposite flaps that are secured to each other to integrally form the pocket.

6. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, wherein the garment comprises at least one of a necktie, a cravat, an ascot, a cuff, a collar, pants, slacks, a skirt, a shirt, and a blouse.

7. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, wherein the opening is in the form of at least one of a slit and a circular aperture.

8. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, wherein the opening is reinforced with thread stitched adjacent to a periphery of the opening.

9. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises at least one of:

a head selectively captured in the pocket, a shaft extending from the head toward a distal end, and a retainer fixable proximate to the distal end; and

a head selectively captured in the pocket, a shank extending from the head having a leg pivotally coupled to an end of the shank, wherein the leg can be aligned with the shank and pivoted transverse to the shank.

10. The garment securement assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a second pocket formed adjacent to the second portion defining a second opening facing the opening in the pocket;

wherein when the first portion is adjacent to the second portion the distal portion of the fastener is selectively captured in the second pocket to selectively couple the first portion to the second portion.

11. A garment securement assembly, comprising:

a garment having a first side;

a patch secured adjacent to the first side of the garment and defining a pocket, wherein the patch defines an opening that provides access into the pocket; and

a fastener having a flared end that is configured to be selectively capturable in the pocket and a narrowed end that is configured to extend through the opening when the flared end is captured in the pocket;

wherein the narrowed end of the fastener engages at least one of the garment and an adjacent garment to selectively couple the at least one of the garment and the adjacent garment proximate to the first side of the garment.

12. The garment securement assembly of claim 11, wherein the patch is secured to the first side with at least one of thread and adhesive to define the pocket between the first side of the garment and the patch.

13. The garment securement assembly of claim 11, wherein:

the first side of the garment includes opposite flaps that are secured to each other; and

the patch is secured to at least one of the opposite flaps.

14. The garment securement assembly of claim 11, wherein:

the opening is in a form of at least one of a slit and a circular aperture; and

the opening is reinforced with thread stitched adjacent to a periphery of the opening.

15. The garment securement assembly of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of a periphery of the patch is multi-layered.

16. The garment securement assembly of claim 11, wherein:

the flared end of the fastener comprises a head;

the narrowed end of the fastener comprises a shaft extending from the head; and

a retainer is fixable along the shaft to selectively couple the at least one of the garment and the adjacent garment proximate to the first side of the garment.

17. A garment securement assembly for securing a garment that has been manipulated to form an inner portion and an outer portion adjacent to the inner portion, comprising:

a pocket formed on a back side of the outer portion having an opening adjacent to a front side of the inner portion; and

a fastener captured in the pocket and partially extending out of the pocket through the opening toward the front side of the inner portion;

wherein the fastener is configured to engage and fix the inner portion relative to the outer portion.

18. The garment securement assembly of claim 17, wherein the garment comprises at least one of a necktie, a cravat, an ascot, a cuff, a collar, pants, slacks, a skirt, a shirt, and a blouse.

19. The garment securement assembly of claim 17, wherein the pocket comprises a patch secured to the back side of the outer portion.

20. The garment securement assembly of claim 17, wherein the pocket is integrally formed with the outer portion.