Neckwear Fastening Accessory

Abstract

Embodiments are described of an object designed as an accessory to neckwear which is a substitute for a knot and which is able to display promotional and other information. Embodiments are described which can be easily and economically prepared using widely available printing and converting equipment

Claims

1. An object to wrap around a scarf or necktie in place of, or as a cover for a knot in order to keep the neckwear in place consisting of: An elongated piece (strip) of clear, opaque, translucent, or transparent flexible substrate having a body area and two wing areas , one on each side of the body area, each wing area having a closure mechanism at its farthest end. The closure mechanism in a simple case being appropriate perforations at end from furthest form the body with complimentary holes and cuts to allow the ends to engage with each other and hold the curved article closed while in use. The elongated substrate is decorated either on its body area alone or on its entire surface to provide a desired appearance as viewed from the outside when the object is in use.

2. The object of claim 1 in which the closure of the furthest ends of the wing areas is achieved by use of an applied or adhered closure mechanism such as snaps, hooks, studs, magnetic elements, Velcro©, staples or other mechanical means.

3. The object of claim 1 in which the body area is larger in dimension than the wing areas and designed to be prominent when in use and on which a specific message is presented either with words or images formed by printing or photography with or without enhancement by doming, embossing, or other graphical enhancement technique.

4. The object of claim 1 in which the body area and wing areas are arbitrary, as long as still functional, and bear promotional information applied by printing or photo deposition and associated enhancement techniques used in the printing and converting industry, which may be complimentary to the shape of the body area.

5. The object of claim 1 in which the demarcation of the wing areas from the body area is made by embossing, creasing, die cutting (kiss cutting), scoring, folding, scribing or thinning in order to ensure proper bending of the wings without distorting the body area.

6. The object of claim 1 in which all or part of the substrate which is made up of several thin layers laminated or otherwise bonded together and in which one or more of the layers may be separately decorated.

7. The object of claim 1 in which the graphical information present is applied to the first or the second surface of the substrate, or is contained on any of the layers used to build up the substrate for the article.

8. The object of claim 1 in which the information o be displayed on the body are is deposited photographically.

9. The object of claim 1 in which the graphical image or information to be displayed may extend beyond the body area of the accessory.

10. The object of claim 1 in which the graphical images and devices include enhancements such as embossing, debossing, doming, insertion, label application, or pick-and-place application of such an additional accessory, as for example beads.

11. The object of claim 1 in which articles applied as embellishments or enhancements to the graphical can also be functional, such as a flashing or constant LED or other luminescent or electro-luminescent devices, sonic, haptic, or electro- or chemico-articulated elements.

12. The object of claim 1 in which articles applied as embellishments or enhancements to the graphical information may also include sensors or detectors for identification, social, or security applications.

13. The object of claim 1 in which the entire substrate is not flexible. but is scored or otherwise processed to allow adequate bending to provide closure for the object to function as if it were flexible.

14. The object of claim 1 in which addition material is deposited by printing, lamination, or other deposition techniques to make the body are more rigid than the rest of the object.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Drawings in FIGS. 1 through 4 are presented to assist in the understanding of the description.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a simple elevation view of the simplest embodiment showing the regions of the accessory described as the body area and the wings as an aid to understanding the basic use and function of an embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a section view of the accessory wrapped around a necktie in the simplest single cavity mode.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a section of the accessory wrapped around a necktie in a two-cavity mode.

[0028] FIG. 4 is an elevation view of an embodiment with an extended body area for presenting decorative material.

[0029] In its basic form, the accessory described herein consists of a single piece of flexible substrate as shown for simplicity in FIG. 1 as a simple rectangle, which has three functional sections. The requirements for the substrate are that it is thin and flexible, such as a 0.015″ Melinex or other similar polymer. The material itself may be smooth or textured, opaque, translucent or transparent. There is a body section (or area), (1), a first wing area attached to the body area (2) and a second wing area (3) attached to the body area at a location opposite across the body of the body area to that of the first the first wing section. The demarcations (4, 5) of the body area (1) from the wing areas (2, 3) may be explicit, in the form say of a printed, laminated, or embossed boundary, or may arise from the variation in the width of the device, (see FIG. 4) or can be formed by impressing a crease or perforation at the indicated location, or it can be absent, or can be indicated only or additionally by other features developed on the device through further processing.

[0030] Since it is made from a flexible substrate, this device can be bent or curved with a sufficient radius of curvature to wrap around a necktie (typically in the order of 1″ diameter). The ends of the wing sections contain cut or otherwise formed shapes (6, 7) to engage the first wing section with the second wing section so that they interlock easily, but reliably. The length of these sections is chosen so that the entire device, when the ends are interlocked, has a circumference which embraces the necktie with the appropriate tightness to hold the necktie closed and the device in place.

[0031] Since the material from which this device is formed begins as a thin flexible substrate, all of the decorative and forming processes available to the modern printer can be used to add value to the device.

[0032] The body area (1) can be decorated in many forms. Since it constructed from a thin flexible substrate, many of the decorative arts can be use to apply decoration. For example, in a simple embodiment, the decoration can be printed by any common printing technique, such as screen printing, a printing, ink-jet, offset, or essentially any other printing method appropriate to the surface properties of the material used. Likewise, a decoration can be applied by lamination, by pick and place, by selective deposition, by additive and subtractive processes, as essentially any form of decoration or printed (selectively deposited) functionality can be applied.

[0033] Embodiments with high practical value will often have more complex shapes, as shown later in FIG. 4.

[0034] The configuration of the accessory when closed and in use is illustrated in FIG. 2, where a view is given of an embodiment of the device, in plan view to illustrate the function of the device, wrapped in a circle and closed. The area 207 represents a section of the necktie to which the device is applied as the necktie passes through the device. The figure shows the closure of the essentially linear structure of the device on itself with the integrated clasp such that it encircles the necktie fabric.

[0035] The central area of the wrapped substrate (the body area, 201) is one layer thick and the ends of the substrate overlap each other to make a region which is two layers thick, comprising the ends of the wing areas 204, and 205. Here, a layer is taken to mean one thickness of the constructed, but not assembled accessory, possibly including one or more applied, or printed decorative or functional materials on the substrate. These are held together by a perforated (or other) device to keep the entire device closed (207). There can be one or more perforations depending on the need to adjust or to make a secure connection.

[0036] An embodiment of the accessory can have the lengths of the two wing areas the same, or very close, so that after being engaged the arm areas lie close to and on top of each other and form a single thin assembly as shown in FIG. 2. The selection of the substrate and/or the fastening mechanism as well as the length of the wings are made to ensure that when it is at rest the device provides enough friction to hold the tie securely in place.

[0037] An embodiment may also have the lengths of the two wing areas made to be different, as shown on FIG. 3. In such an embodiment, the disparate arms, when engaged, will produce an additional open aperture through which one end of the tie or scarf may be threaded while the other end of the tie or scarf is threaded though the other aperture. This has utility not only for dealing with bulky fabrics but also for providing additional friction and thus a faster hold on the fabric. In addition, it may allow the separate ends or other sections of the necktie to remain separated either for function or appearance. A typical use would be to thread the wide end of the tie through the space/slot between the single layer of substrate (which forms the front body of the device when worn) and the middle overlapping portion, and thread the narrow end of the tie between the middle and rear overlapping portion which form the back.

[0038] The embodiments described above have been very simple in geometry in order to explain the function. Another embodiment, perhaps more reflective of practical designs may have a more complex shape and present more functional area in the body section of the accessory for display, visual or functional impact, or embellishment while still maintaining the function of the simple rectangular geometry of the embodiments described above. In FIG. 4 such an embodiment is shown. Its shape departs from a simple rectangular form, but retains the characteristic of a body section, two elongated wing sections and appropriate mutually coupling fastener at the farthest extent of the wing areas. In use and in function, the shape illustrated in FIG. 4 will close in the same way as is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. In such an embodiment, demarcation of the wing areas from body will benefit from creasing or perforation to ensure that the fold occurs in a location which permits appropriate closure.