TIE

Abstract

A bow tie is provided. The bow tie includes a first discrete portion, the first discrete portion having a first connecting end and a first tying end and a second discrete portion, the second discrete portion having a second connecting end and a second tying end. The first and second tying ends can be tied into a knot having first and second bows. The second connecting end can have a loop through a connector, the loop being adjustably connected to the second connecting end. The first connecting end can include a hook and loop fastener and can be threaded through the connector.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 62/727,426, filed Sep. 5, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the technology relate, in general, to wearable ties, including bow ties.

BACKGROUND

Tying a tie, particularly a bow tie, can be a time consuming and meticulous task. Because tying a tie, such as a bow tie, is an infrequent task for many people the process can be difficult to master. Tying and retying can add time to a morning routine, for example, and often the resulting knot preciseness and quality is inconsistent.

Certain ties can be made to have the look of a permanent knot and, for bow ties, bows. Such ties can have the convenience of being attached around the neck of a wearer or clipped onto the collar of a shirt, and removed without disturbing the knot-like feature. For example, a bow tie look can be achieved by looping fabric, pinching the looped fabric in the middle, and securing a wrap of fabric around the pinched part. This knot-like feature can then be manufactured into a wearable tie by attaching a shirt collar clip or a neck-wrapping strap. Such manufactured ties, including bow ties, can appear unprofessional. Manufactured knots and bows rarely have a hand-tied look and limit a wearer's options to have a tie look “just right.” A wearer may, for example, prefer a particular knot style, size, as well as a particular look for the tie as a whole. With permanently configured manufactured ties such options are preempted and a wearer must be satisfied with the characteristics of the knot and bow provided.

Accordingly, there remains an unmet need for a tie that combines the convenience of a manufactured tie with the look of a hand-tied tie.

Further, there remains an unmet need for a bow tie that combines the convenience of a manufactured bow tie with the look of a custom tied hand-tied bow tie.

Additionally, there remains an unmet need for a tie that combines the convenience of a manufactured tie with the look of a hand-tied tie and can be sized for a range of neck or shirt sizes.

SUMMARY

A bow tie is disclosed. The bow tie can include a first discrete portion, the first discrete portion having a first connecting end and a first tying end and a second discrete portion, the second discrete portion having a second connecting end and a second tying end. The first and second tying ends can be tied into a knot having first and second bows. The second connecting end can have a loop through a connector, the loop being adjustably connected to the second connecting end. The first connecting end can include a hook and loop fastener and can be threaded through the connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be more readily understood from a detailed description of some example embodiments taken in conjunction with the following figures:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a bow tie according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of an untied bow tie according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of a bow tie including a connecting portion of a bow tie according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of a bow tie including a connecting portion of a bow tie according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, and use of the apparatuses, systems, methods, and processes disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that systems and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting embodiments. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Reference throughout the specification to “various embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment,” “some example embodiments,” “one example embodiment,” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with any embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment,” “some example embodiments,” “one example embodiment,” or “in an embodiment” in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Described herein are example embodiments of wearable ties for use as a fashion accessory, primarily for men. In example embodiments, the tie is a bow tie, but the invention need not be so limited. In the illustrated embodiments, a bow tie is shown to describe certain advantages and benefits.

The examples discussed herein are examples only and are provided to assist in the explanation of the apparatuses, devices, systems and methods described herein. None of the features or components shown in the drawings or discussed below should be taken as mandatory for any specific implementation of any of these the apparatuses, devices, systems or methods unless specifically designated as mandatory. For ease of reading and clarity, certain components, modules, or methods may be described solely in connection with a specific figure. Any failure to specifically describe a combination or sub-combination of components should not be understood as an indication that any combination or sub-combination is not possible. Also, for any methods described, regardless of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flow diagram, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified or required by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of steps performed in the execution of a method does not imply that those steps must be performed in the order presented but instead may be performed in a different order or in parallel.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a representative tie in the form of a bow tie 10. Unlike traditional bow ties which are essentially a single piece of shaped fabric, bow tie 10 includes two discrete shaped pieces, first portion 12 and second portion 14, as shown in more detail in FIG. 2. First portion 12 and second portion 14 can be, when untied and laid flat, shaped similarly to respective halves of a traditional one-piece bow tie. That is, when first portion 12 and second portion 14 are untied and laid out together they can have a shape of a traditional bow tie laid out flat in a single piece. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, first and second portions 12 and 14 can have relatively large shaped ends 32 and 34, respectively, which can be tied into a bow, and relatively narrow ends 36 and 38, respectively, which can be joined to enclose the neck of a wearer. The two portions 12 and 14 of bow tie 10 can be made into a neck-enclosing complete loop by joining each of their respective shaped ends and narrow ends at two locations, that is, at knot 18 and at connector 16. Thus, in an embodiment, a tie of the present disclosure can be described as a tie comprising two discrete portions joined at two locations in a neck-enclosing complete loop. Joining can be in two locations, including a hand-tied bow and a connector. As described below, the bow tie can be adjustable to fit necks (and, more distinctly, shirt collars) of various dimensions.

Knot 18 can be formed by the wearer by tying the shaped end 32 from the first portion 12 with the shaped end 34 from the second portion 14 to make a knot 18. In the case of the bow tie illustrated, the knot 18 can include two “bows,” a first bow 28 and a second bow 30. The user can hand tie the bow tie to form the knot 18 and the bows 28 and 30 as the user prefers, including with respect to style, size, and preciseness. Once tied, the bow tie 10 looks like what it is, i.e., a hand tied bow tie, as opposed to a manufactured bow tie having a faux knot and bow. Such a bow tie has an appearance that can be described as flat, unauthentic, and cannot be tied in a different, customized style.

Once hand tied, the neck-enclosing complete loop of the bow tie 10 can be achieve by joining the two discrete portions 12 and 14 at connector 16. Connector 16 can be any of connectors known for apparel, including a snap, button, clip, zipper, or the like. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, connector 16 can be a clip having openings through which portions of first portion 12 and second portion 14 can be looped and secured.

As shown in FIG. 3, first portion 12, for example, can be looped through connector 16 and folded back on itself and secured by a first portion securement. First portion securement can likewise by any of securements known for apparel, including a snap, button, clip, zipper, or the like. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, first portion securement is a hook and loop fastener, such as VELCRO®. As such, as shown in FIG. 4, a first section of first portion 12 can have loops 20, and a second section 22 of first portion 12, can have hooks, which when pressed together form a releasable securement of first portion 12 to connector 16.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a tie 10 of the present disclosure can have indicia 40 on either the first narrow end 36 or the second narrow end 38. Indicia 40 can be visible marks giving an indication of the size of the tie 10 when hand tied and connected via connector 16 and secured by the first portion securement. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, indicia 40 can be one or more lines indicating one or more locations where the end of first narrow end 36 can be looped back and joined for a given size, such as a predetermined circumference corresponding to a wearer's neck or shirt collar size. In an embodiment, indicia 40 can be numbers, including numbers associated with the dimension of a circumference corresponding to a wearer's neck size.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, second portion 14 can be joined to, such as by looping through, connector 16 and folded back on itself and secured by an adjustment mechanism 24. Adjustment mechanism 24 can be a slidable clip secured to the end of second narrow portion 34 of first portion 14, and through which first portion 14 is threaded through and slideably secured to itself. Alternatively, second portion 14 can be substantially identical to first portion 12, being adjustably secured by releasable securement of hook and loop fasteners.

The advantages of the disclosed embodiments can be understood by describing a method of tying the bow tie 10, securing it around a shirt collar, and releasing it from the shirt collar without untying the bow knot 18. For example, a user need only tie a hand-tied knot one time, and the bow tie can be worn multiple times without the bow tie ever looking like a manufactured bow tie. Alternatively, a user can hand tie a different bow each time the tie is used, permitting the user to tie a custom and different bow each time the tie is worn.

A user can first receive the two discrete “halves” of the bow tie 10, i.e., first portion 12 and second portion 14 as shown in FIG. 2. The first and second narrow ends 32 and 34 of each of first portions 12 and 14, respectively, can be configured to be joined by connector 16. The narrow ends of each of the first portion 12 and second portion 14 can be looped through connector 16 and a hook and loop fastener can be secured.

A user can then hand tie the bow tie 10 in a usual manner, such as by placing the bow tie 10 around his neck and looking in a mirror to guide the hand-tying of knot 18. Once tied satisfactorily, the first and second narrow ends 32 and 34 of bow tie 10 can be released by releasing the connection at connector 16. The tie can be then further adjusted for fit by adjusting the hook and loop fastener of first portion 12, or the adjustment mechanism 24 of second portion 14, to secure the tie around the neck, or more properly, around the shirt collar of the wearer. Indicia 40 can aid in making the proper adjustment of the circumference of the tie 10 when being secured around the neck or shirt collar of the wearer.

When the user desires to remove the hand-tied bow tie 10, he need not untie the knot, but need only release first portion 12, such as by separating the hook and loop fastener and unthreading second section 22 through connector 16. In this manner, the hand-tied knot is preserved and remains in appearance as a hand-tied knot, and can be worn again without tying.

In a further variation, the knot 18 can be tied by tying it first around the user's thigh. By first tying the bow tie on one's thigh, tying can be surprisingly efficient. Once, tied, the first portion 12 can be released as described above, and the bow tie 10 can be placed around the wearer's neck and adjusted for comfort.

As indicated in the above description, the neck-enclosing loop of bow tie 10 can be adjusted in one or both of two ways. First portion 12 can be threaded through connector 16 to varying extents, thereby facilitating an adjustable loop size. Further, second portion 14 can be slideably secured to adjustment mechanism 24 to further facilitate a loop size. In practice, it is believed that once set for a given wearer, the primary adjustment mechanism will be the hook and loop fastener associated with first portion 12.

The foregoing description of embodiments and examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed, and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best illustrate principles of various embodiments as are suited to particular uses contemplated. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather it is hereby intended the scope of the invention to be defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A bow tie, the bow tie comprising:

a. a first discrete portion, the first discrete portion having a first connecting end and a first tying end; and

b. a second discrete portion, the second discrete portion having a second connecting end and a second tying end,

c. the first and second tying ends being tied into a knot having first and second bows;

d. the second connecting end comprising a loop through a connector, the loop being adjustably connected to the second connecting end; and

e. the first connecting end comprising a hook and loop fastener and being threaded through the connector.