FORM FOR CURVED SHIRT COLLARS

Abstract

A method and apparatus for setting a curve in a shirt collar is provided. The apparatus includes a form comprising an under collar portion and an over collar portion. The under collar portion has a curved surface configured to contact an underside of the shirt collar. The over collar portion has a curved surface configured to contact an opposite side of the shirt collar. The under collar portion and the over collar portion are urged together to clamp at least a portion of the shirt collar therebetween.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/621,072, filed Apr. 6, 2012, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

A polo shirt is an extremely common type of shirt that is also known as a golf or tennis shirt. These shirts are essentially T-shaped with a collar; have two or three buttons, and sometimes a pocket. Polo shirts can be made of knitted cloth, cotton, silk, wool or synthetic fibers. Polo shirts are very popular both for their comfort as well as for their fashion.

One particular aspect of a polo shirt is its collar. For some, it is important for the collar of the polo shirt to be curved. However, it is difficult to maintain such curved collars. Typically, when the shirt is washed, worn, or even stored, it is possible for the collar to become folded, creased, or other deformed from the desired curved form. Moreover, restoring the curvature to the collar of the polo shirt is difficult in that known irons and presses have flat surfaces that are not particularly suited for imparting the desired curved shape to the collar of the polo shirt.

While some attempts have been made to facilitate the maintenance of collars of other types of shirts, such attempts have generally employed flat surfaces akin to irons or presses that are only suited for flat surfaces. For example, United States Published Patent Application 2012/0324769 A1 provides a fabric press that can be engaged upon the flat collar of a button down shirt to remove wrinkles and provide a planar collar. However, the press of that application is not suitable for polo shirts where a complex curved collar shape is desired.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method and apparatus that can quickly, easily, and without much expense impart a desired curved shape to a collar of a shirt, such as a polo shirt.

SUMMARY

A method and apparatus for setting a curve in a shirt collar is provided. The apparatus includes a form comprising an under collar portion and an over collar portion. The under collar portion has a curved surface configured to contact an underside of the shirt collar. The over collar portion has a curved surface configured to contact an opposite side of the shirt collar. The under collar portion and the over collar portion are urged together to clamp at least a portion of the shirt collar therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a curved collar form engaged upon a collar of a polo shirt in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of a curved collar form in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective exploded view of a curved collar form in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic flow diagram of a method of imparting a curvature upon a collar of a polo shirt in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a curved collar form engaged upon a collar of a polo shirt in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, form 10 is engaged upon a portion of the collar of shirt 12. Form 10 generally includes a rear portion 14 that is configured to be grasped by a user thereof in order to open and close form 10 on the collar. Portion 14 is illustrated as generally curved but may take any suitable form. Further, if additional mechanical advantage for a user is required, embodiments of the present invention can include portion 14 extending beyond a pivot point (shown in FIG. 2) in order to allow users to more easily open form 10 against the spring-load bias.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of curved collar form 10 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. Curved collar form 10 includes under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18. Each of under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 preferably includes cooperative curved portions 20 with the same, or substantially the same, curvature such that a portion of a shirt collar disposed therebetween will receive the desired curvature. Each of under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 is preferably formed as a separate piece and is configured to contact respective opposite sides of a shirt collar. Preferably, under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 are formed of an injection moldable plastic through a suitable injection molding processes. However, embodiments of the present invention can be practiced with any suitable manufacturing techniques using any suitable materials.

Under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 are joined together and pivot about one another at pivot point 22. A compression spring 24, or other suitable bias member, biases gripping portions 26 and 28 apart from one another in order to close portions 20 of over collar portion 18 and under collar portion 16 together. Accordingly, as a user grasps portions 26 and 28 and urges portions 26 and 28 together, portions 20 of under and over collar portions 16, 18, respectively, are moved apart thereby allowing the collar to be inserted. Thereafter, the user releases portions 26 and 28 and bias member 24, in cooperation with pivot 22, closes portions 20 on the collar. Allowing the collar to remain clamped between portions 20 of over collar portion 18 and under collar portion 16 for a suitable amount of time will impart the desired collar form onto the polo shirt collar.

For some polo shirts, the extreme edge of the collar can sometimes develop an undesirable curl. While the gradual curve imparted by curved portions 20 is desirable, having a curl in the edge of the collar is not. Accordingly, some embodiments of the present invention transition from curved portions 20 to flattened surfaces 23 in order to ensure that the very edge of the collar does not curl.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic exploded view of curved collar form 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows under collar portion 16 separated from over collar portion 18 with bias member 24 positioned therebetween. Under collar portion 16 includes curved surface 20 having a curve that is configured to impart the desired collar curvature. Additionally, under collar portion 16 also includes a slight curve 30 along its length, which curve is roughly shaped to conform to the curvature of the collar along the polo shirt. Thus, under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 include two distinct curves on their clamping surfaces.

Under collar portion 16 preferably includes a plurality of apertures 32 which extend therethrough in order to allow air to pass through under collar portion 16 to facilitate drying of the shirt collar. Preferably, apertures 32 are holes that extend through under collar portion 16. More preferably, holes 32 are arranged regularly along flat surface 23 of under collar portion 16. While holes are illustrated in FIG. 3 in the form of apertures 32, it is expressly contemplated that the apertures can take other shapes, such as ovals, rectangles, et cetera. Further, it is expressly contemplated that some of the apertures 32 can differ from other apertures. In this way, some apertures may be slots while other apertures are round or rectangular holes. While FIG. 3 depict apertures 32 in under collar portion 16, it is expressly contemplated that such apertures 32 could alternately or additionally be present in over collar portion 18.

Under collar portion 16 includes a collar forming curve 20 as well as a shirt conforming curve 30, which curves 20, 30 are sized and shaped to cooperate with corresponding curves of over collar portion 18. Thus, these two components fit closely together in order to generate the desired shape on the collar of the polo shirt.

In order to facilitate low cost manufacture, it is preferred that each of under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 include features that facilitate a snap-together assembly. Thus, bias member 24 can be simply placed over post 36 of under collar portion 16 and then over collar portion 18 can be lowered until cooperative features snap into place relative to corresponding features of under collar portion 16. Once snapped together, portions 16 and 18 pivot about pivot point 22 (shown in FIG. 2) based upon the grasp of a user, or bias member 24.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic flow diagram of a method of imparting a curvature upon a collar of a polo shirt in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Method 40 begins at optional block 42 where the collar of a polo shirt is sprayed, such as with water or a liquid spray starch. Next, at block 44, a first curved collar form is applied to a first portion of the collar of the shirt. For example, the first curved collar form can be applied to the left side of the shirt. Next, at block 46, a second curved collar form is attached to the opposite side collar, such as the right side. Next, at block 47, the method requires waiting until a suitable amount of time has passed for the collar of the polo shirt to receive the desired curve. This waiting period can be related to the period for the sprayed water or starch to dry; or the entire period during which the polo shirt is stored before it is worn; or any suitable amount of time as may be determined by the user. Finally, at block 48, the forms are removed from the polo shirt, and the desired curve is set in the collar of the shirt.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A form for setting a curve in a shirt collar, the form comprising:

an under collar portion having a curved surface configured to contact an underside of the shirt collar;

an over collar portion having a curved surface configured to contact an opposite side of the shirt collar; and

wherein the under collar portion and the over collar portion are urged together to clamp at least a portion of the shirt collar therebetween.

2. The form of claim 1, wherein the curved surface of the under collar portion has a curvature substantially the same as the curved surface of the over collar portion.

3. The form of claim 2, wherein the curved surface of the under collar portion has a first curve that is imparted to the shirt collar.

4. The form of claim 3, wherein the curved surface of the under collar portion has a second curve along its length.

5. The form of claim 1, wherein at least one of the under collar portion and the over collar portion are constructed from plastic.

6. The form of claim 5, wherein both of the under collar portion and the over collar portion are constructed from plastic.

7. The form of claim 6, wherein the plastic is injection moldable plastic.

8. The form of claim 1, wherein the under collar portion includes a plurality of apertures therethrough to allow air to contact the shirt collar while the shirt collar is positioned between the under collar portion and the over collar portion.

9. The form of claim 1, wherein the under collar portion and the over collar portion are urged together by a compression spring.

10. The form of claim 1, wherein the under collar portion and the over collar portion snap together and are pivotable relative to one another.

11. The form of claim 1, wherein each of the under collar portion and the over collar portion include opposing flat surfaces configured to reduce collar edge curl.

12. A method for imparting a curve to a collar of a shirt, the method comprising:

providing a curved collar form;

clamping the curved collar form on at least a portion of the collar of the shirt;

waiting a specified amount of time; and

opening the curved collar form to release the collar.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method is performed on two portions of the collar.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the two portions include a left side and a right side of the collar.

15. The method of claim 12, and further comprising applying a spray liquid to the collar before clamping the curved collar form on the portion of the collar.

16. The method of claim 15, and further comprising allowing air to contact the portion of the collar while the portion of the collar is clamped within the curved collar form.