Replaceable protecting means for collars

Aug. 17, 1965

I. R. VAUGHAN 3,200,413

REPLACEABLE PROTECTING MEANS FOR COLLARS

Filed Sept. 28. 1962

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attorney

United States Patent Office

3,200,413

Patented Aug. 17, 1965

3,200,413

REPLACEABLE PROTECTING MEANS FOR COLLARS

Iris R. Vaughan, Hamilton, Bermuda Filed Sept. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 226,968

Claim. (Cl. 2—60)

The object of the invention is to provide improvements in detachable and replaceable means for protecting the collars of clothing from foreign matter excreted by and with the perspiration, and for adding to and maintaining the initial relative stiffness of the collar and adjacent marginal portions of women’s collared blouses and some men’s shirts as they are worn, especially during the hotter weather of the summertime and/or in over heated interiors, or during unusual exercise when the wearer tends to perspire excessively, as well as during relatively cooler weather, when the moisture naturally excreted by the body tends to accumulate and retain foreign matter of various kinds, such for example as that which floats in the atmosphere or is carried by various other articles of clothing, and the like.

Primarily having simplicity in mind, the most essential thing is to provide a flexible, perferably porous webbing of such a substance as a moderately light weight paper (regardless of thickness), that prevents the passage of foreign matter and has the desired degree of stiffness, while if desired it may also be an absorbent characteristic, and is initially cut to accord in general with the shape and curvature of as many styles of women’s blouses as possible, having reference to the immediate collar portions, and also if desired the depending extensions of the same that are usually referred to as lapels.

Such protective element is provided upon one surface with a suitable adhesive that may be potentially active at all times, or which may be so only when desired, as by heating, wetting, or otherwise treating it, for the purpose of adhering to the fabric collar and thereafter setting and remaining of fixedly securing nature.

In addition the collar is provided with numerous spaced darts, cutouts, or overlapping areas, in what we will refer to as the element’s body portion and lower edge, but that while they may extend nearly across the greater part of the height or width of the device, they terminate and open at or through the normal lower ends, and permit the device to curve downwardly as it follows the corresponding curve of the wearer’s shoulder, while it also curves around the wearer’s neck in the usual manner.

And a still further object is to provide a device of this character, which is provided with a plurality of relatively more closely spaced darts or cutouts in the central portion of its upper edge, as for example that which surrounds the rear portion of the wearer’s neck, and in its opposite lower edge portions with a plurality of darts that are spaced apart at a greater distance than those first referred to, and which adjacent to the opposite ends of the said device are further apart, where the curvature of the device is less than at the central neck portion, and approaches the ends which are tapered for purposes hereinafter described.

With the objects thus broadly set forth, the invention comprises further details which are hereinafter fully described, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of a representative preferably composite piece of tape cut so as to involve many of the improved details hereafter described, as being illustrative of the numerous kinds and shapes that are designed and used for the purposes broadly set forth; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same tape after it has been curved to be attached to and fit within an ordinary collar as hereinafter described; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a purely respresent10 ative garment having a collar that is equipped and protected by the improved device; FIG. 4 is a representative section of the rear of a slightly modified form of collar and tape; FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the upper central portion of a man’s shirt collar equipped with the device; FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the collar portion of a shirt showing it as being equipped with the device in a different position from that shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5; FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the device before its application to a collar and showing the protective strip initially covering the adhesive upon one side; and FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view of a lady’s blouse having a neck curve that necessitates the inclusion of a different deflection or turning of the protective device, as it is placed in the blouse.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a strip 1 or tape of a height or width of approximately but slightly less than the height of a standard type of collar and of a length somewhat less than that of the average collar plus any usual lapel that may be present. Such a strip is also preferably tapered towards each of its opposite ends 2, and throughout the greater portion of its entire length is provided with a plurality of transversely cut darts 3, that lead inwardly and upwardly from the normal lower edge, while it is preferable to also include a second abbreviated set of such darts 4 that extend downwardly from the upper edge. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 in particular, it should be noted that of the lower darts those in the center are of less distance apart than those in the opposite end portions, those in the center allowing for a more abrupt curvature of the adjacent neck portion than towards the ends, while those towards the ends allow for less abrupt and but slightly curved portions that underlie the lapels 5 of the blouse, coat, or the like, to which the device is attached.

Such a strip is also preferably tapered throughout its opposite end portions, but these tapered portions may be torn off if not needed and such is preferred. With such an arrangement the original strip 1 as purchased from the store, may have its temporary protective strip 6 removed from the adhesive upon its under face 7 and laid centrally against the under side 8 of the collar 9, with the more closely associated darts 4 centrally disposed, so that the arrangement makes all of them symmetrically balanced as indicated, referring to the centrally positioned dot-and-dash lines 10 of FIGS. 1, 2. Such an improved strip may be employed for a considerable length of time before being detached from the blouse or shirt and discarded, but may in fact be separated cleanly therefrom at any time without disfiguring or mutilating the collar in the slightest way.

The improved tape of whatever shape, length and width, inevitably comprises the proper length of suitable material, such as plastic, woven or molded material (FIG. 7), to conform to the size, shape and especially the curvature of the blouses to which it is to be associated, and that is preferably without transversely extending porosity, to prevent the passage of adhesive and perspiration from passing through it when in use. However, it is initially formed in such a way that it is absolutely free to yield within its own plane, so as to insure and maintain perfect and complete conformity with the figure or shape of the wearer, when and as the wearer leans and/or turns her head and twists her body in various directions, during the movements made within a given period and while engaged in the various attitudes encountered in association with others in a crowd, or as when dancing, attending a dinner and talking to one or both adjacent parties, or when conforming to the various attitudes and positions associated and met with during such times.

The ends of the strip may taper and be narrower than the central portions but not necessarily so, for while many

3,200,413 ³ladies wear blouses having collars that taper vertically, as they progress from the rear to their depending forward ends, others may prefer collars that maintain their height much more uniformly from rear to front, as viewed for example on FIG. 3. In any case, as it is intended to market the strips through ladies’ accessory stores, either in packages of the same or of several heights, they must be packed so as to be independent of one another, and removable freely one at a time from such package without disturbing those that are not needed at the moment. Each strip must therefore be composed of the active strip element 1, to one face of which is secured the adhesive coating 7 hereinbefore referred to, and upon the opposite surface of such adhesive is similarly attached a suitable protective strip 6 of whatever material may be preferred, as for example one of the very thin, flexible, strips of material that are today formed of suitable plastic, and which is readily removed before and in order to permit the first-mentioned active strip to be secured by the initially intermediate layer of adhesive to the inner surface of the collar portion of the blouse, dress or other garment.

By referring to FIG. 4 it will be seen that this improved protective strip may be equally well attached to the inner surface of the collar portion of a blouse or the like, the upper edge portion of which is normally maintained in high or upright position by means of a downwardly deflected portion that extends from the uppermost free edge portion diagonally outwardly and downwardly, so as to engage the upper surface of the body of the blouse along a line farther removed from the collar proper, so as to effectively aid in the upright stiffness of the collar and its appearance. In FIG. 8 is shown the upper rear portion of a blouse 11 whose collar 12 curves downwardly in its central portion in the rear, making the curve of the sheltered strip in this case of the opposite direction from 35 that of those portions that curve over the shoulders, which it will be seen at once makes it necessary for the provision of curvatures in the opposite direction. This condition is brought about by providing darts or transversely extending darts or cutouts 4 in the central portion of the upper ⁴⁰edge of the strip, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and while the provision of two sets of such darts when available adds to the universal serviceability of the strip as a whole, it does not detract from such serviceability when only one such set of darts is required.

In this description of the invention, its uses and improvements, it is to be understood that persons may make 5 various alterations in its construction and formation, to comply with the various and in fact many forms of blouses and the like that are used so widely by women, without departing from the invention in its broadest concept and use among the practically innumerable number of women 10 of substantially unlimited height, weight, style and dress preferences, so that said invention is to be considered in its broadest possible principles or construction, attachment, function and operation, all as may be embodied within the scope of the appended claim.