Resin for use in Setting a Crease in a Garment

Abstract

The invention to which this application relates is to the provision of a resin material of a type which can be applied to a garment crease line in a fluid condition and, once exposed to a suitable environment, will then cure so as to harden and adhere along the crease line. The resin in accordance with the invention is free from tin or any organo-tin components whilst still maintaining the ability for the resin to cure and be effective. The resin, once cured assists in prolonging the form of the crease in the garment. The material may be applied at the time of preparation of the new garment or, may be applied after the garment has been washed.

Claims

1. A garment including an elongate crease line therein, said crease line including a base, and having an external surface which forms part of the external surface of the garment when worn, and an internal surface and a resin to have the effect of assisting in the retention of the crease line in the garment for a prolonged period of time is applied in a fluid condition onto and along said internal face of the crease line along said base and, once applied along the crease line, the resin hardens and is attached in position along the base of the crease line and wherein the resin includes substantially no tin and organo-tin therein.

2. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the resin includes a curing agent in the form of an acetate.

3. A garment according to claim 2 wherein the resin acetate curing agent is a crosslinking acetate.

4. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the resin includes any, or any combination of amorphous silicate hydrate, methylsilanetriyl-triacetate, diacetoxydi-tert-butoxysilane, hexanoic acid, dodecamethyl cyclohexasiloxane, acetic acid and/or octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, bismuth tris(2-ethylhexanoate), triacetoxyethylsilane, octamethyl-cyclotetrasiloxane, PBT and/or substances including dodecamethylcyclohexasilosane, and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane.

5. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the resin is substantially free from any tin derivative materials.

6. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the crease line is provided on a leg of a pair of trousers or an arm of a shirt.

7. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the garment includes a plurality of crease lines and the said resin is applied to at least a plurality of said crease lines.

8. A method of prolonging the retention of a crease line formed on a garment, said method including the steps of placing the garment on a support including a V-shaped or gull-wing shaped groove therealong, placing the said crease line along said groove so that a surface of the garment which is to be the external surface of the same when worn contacts the support and the opposing surface of the garment which is to be the internal surface of the garment when worn, is exposed and the base of the crease line lies along the base of the groove, providing a supply of a fluid resin material to a dispensing means having an exit aperture for the controlled movement of the fluid resin therethrough and guiding the relative movement of the exit aperture and the said crease line such that the fluid resin is applied from the exit aperture along the base of the crease line as a ribbon or line of fluid resin onto the said internal surface of the garment and partially into the garment, causing or allowing the resin to cure and harden and attach to the garment along the base of the crease line and wherein the resin includes substantially no tin and organo-tin therein.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the resin changes from the first, fluid form to the second, substantially hardened form as a result of the activation of a curing agent contained within the resin.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the activation of the curing agent occurs after a period of time during which the resin is exposed to moisture in the ambient environment in which the same is dispensed onto said crease line base.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein the curing of the resin occurs or is encouraged by exposure to and/or application of a specific property to the garment and the resin applied along said crease line.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the specific property is any, or any combination of, heat and/or ultraviolet light.

13. Apparatus for use in applying a ribbon or line of a resin onto a crease line of a garment so as to prolong the retention of said crease line in the garment, said apparatus including; a support including a V-shaped or gull-wing shaped groove therealong, for the receipt of said crease line along said groove so that a surface of the garment which is to be the external surface of the same when worn contacts the support and the opposing surface of the garment which is to be the internal surface of the garment when worn, is exposed and the base of the crease line lies along the base of the groove, a supply of the resin in a fluid condition to a dispensing means having an exit aperture and a means to cause controlled movement of the fluid resin through the exit aperture; guide means to guide the relative movement of the exit aperture and the said crease line and support such that the fluid resin is applied from the exit aperture along the base of the crease line as said ribbon or line of fluid resin onto the said internal surface of the garment and partially into the garment, causing or allowing the resin to cure and harden and attach to the garment along the base of the crease line and wherein the resin held in the said reservoir and passed through the said exit aperture includes substantially no tin and organo-tin therein.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the said reservoir of the fluid material is provided in a cartridge in which the said means to cause controlled movement and the exit aperture are provided.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said guide means are provided as part of the cartridge.

16. A resin for use on the garment according to claim 1.

17. A resin for used in the method according to claim 8.

Description

[0032] Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0033] FIGS. 1a illustrates an end view of apparatus used to apply the resin to a crease line of a garment;

[0034] FIG. 1b illustrates a front view of one embodiment of the apparatus used for applying a resin material to harden along a crease line of a garment; and

[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of apparatus for use to apply the resin in accordance with the invention.

[0036] Referring to the FIGS. 1a and b, there is illustrated apparatus 2 for use in the application of a fluid resin material 12 to a crease line 6 of a garment in order to increase the permanence of the crease 6 in the garment 8 and thereby maintaining the appearance of the garment over a longer period of time. Typically, the resin material 12 will be added at the time of manufacture of the garment and/or after the cleaning of the garment and typically, the application of the resin is applied on a commercial basis rather than being applied by the person who has purchased the garment.

[0037] In the embodiment shown, the apparatus 2 which is used to apply the resin includes a source of pressured fluid such as air and an air pump 36 is connected to a control means 38 which can be provided, as shown in this embodiment, as a hand operated switch located on mounting means 40. The air is supplied to an end 30 of a cartridge 16 via an air tube 34 and is connected to the air pump 36 via air tube 35. The size and design of the cartridge may change to suit particular uses. The air pump can be switched on and off and hence control of the supply of the pressurised air is achieved via the switch 38 which is connected to the tubes 34 and 35. The air, which is pressurised and exits the air pump, is passed to the entrance aperture 30 of the cartridge 16. The cartridge 16 includes a body 28 in which there is defined a reservoir and in which there is provided a piston 10 and, intermediate the piston and the exit aperture 26 of the cartridge, there is provided a quantity of the resin material 12 in a fluid condition. The cartridge body mounting means 40 include the finger switch 38 for the control of the air pump and which can be gripped by the user when moving the cartridge.

[0038] The cartridge, in this example, includes guide means 14 at spaced intervals along the length of the cartridge body as shown and these lie along and contact with the crease line and lie along the same axis as the elongate exit aperture 26 of the cartridge. The guide means are provided to be received and pass along the internal surface of the crease line of the garment 8 and thereby guide the cartridge as it is moved along the crease line. The crease line, in turn, lies in a V-shaped or gull-wing shaped groove 4 which is provided on a support surface or arm 20 and this acts to maintain the crease line along the required linear path and the cartridge is moved along the internal surface of the garment in the direction of arrow 18 and as the relative movement between the garment and the cartridge occurs, so the operation of the air pump operation moves the piston 10 along the cartridge reservoir to move the resin material 12 towards and through the exit aperture 26 to be dispensed as a line or ribbon of the resin material along the crease 6. It should be appreciated that in other forms of the apparatus the resin may be supplied from a reservoir of the resin to a dispensing aperture 26 from which the resin is applied to the crease line and in this embodiment there is no need to provide the cartridge.

[0039] In FIG. 2 there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the apparatus and for ease of reference the same reference numerals are used for the same features as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1a and b. The application of the resin material is also applied in a similar manner to that shown in FIG. 1a but in this embodiment no cartridge is provided and instead a drum or container 42 which includes a reservoir 44 of resin material. The reservoir is connected via tubes 48, 50 and via a pump 46 to application means 52 which include a mounting means including a gripping portion 54 and skis or skids or wheels 56. The tube is connected to the exit aperture 26 and through the same to be dispensed along the crease 6 of the garment 8 as previously described with the crease and garment located on a groove and support table 58 or a similar support arm 20 to that shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1a and b.

[0040] In either embodiment, when the resin is dispensed from the exit aperture, the resin is still in a fluid condition and therefore flows out of the aperture 26 and onto and along the crease line.

[0041] Once the resin material has been applied to, and typically has passed at least partially into the crease line, the exposure to the surrounding environment causes the curing agent within the resin to cure and harden on and attach to the crease line of the garment 8 and retain the form of the crease 6 and thereby ensures that if the resin material has been applied correctly to the the crease 6, the resin assists in maintaining the form of the crease in the garment for a longer period of time than would be the case if the resin had not been applied.

[0042] In accordance with the invention, the resin material 12, is provided with a curing agent which is either a crosslinking acetate or a bismuth zinc and neither of these curing agents require any further action to cure the same once the resin has been applied to the garment crease line. This is because the curing agent will react to exposure to the ambient environment and particularly the moisture in the environment, and cure and therefore no further equipment or apparatus is required to be used to cause the curing of the resin. However, in order to further encourage a relatively fast curing effect, or if the curing agent in the resin is changed, then it is possible that the apparatus will include apparatus for providing, for example, heat or creating infra-red or ultra-violet or other curing effects on the resin once it has been applied so as to cure or improve the curing of the resin. An example of the apparatus for achieving this is provided in FIG. 2 which illustrates a unit 60 positioned above the garment 8 at the location at which the resin will already have been applied and the unit can then emit a curing means such as heat or suitable light onto the resin line to cure the same.

[0043] Thus, in accordance with the invention there is provided a means of extending the length of a crease line in a garment using a resin material which is environmentally friendly and has reduced potential health impact as the curing agents used, and hence resin as a whole, is free from tin, organo-tin and any tin compounds and so concerns with regard to health and safety are overcome and avoided.