EP0305381B1

EP0305381B1 - An adornment for fabric

Info

Publication number: EP0305381B1
Application number: EP87902911A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roberta Ruschmann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-03-16
Filing date: 1987-03-16
Publication date: 1993-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 2007-03-16
Also published as: WO1988006968A1; ATE90847T1; EP0305381A1; DE3786352T2; DE3786352D1; EP0305381A4

Abstract

An adornment (10) for affixing to fabric (20) comprised of several ornaments (A, B, C) in a series. The ornaments (A, B, C) are attached by threads (40, 51, 52, 53, 54). The adornment (10) is affixed by either a heat sealable thread (51, 52, 53, 54) which binds the adornment (10) to the fabric (20) upon application of sufficient heat and pressure, or by a heat sealable coating (81) or heat sealable material laminated on the individual ornaments (A, B, C).

Description

The invention relates to adornments for fabrics and more particularly to composite ornaments for affixing to fabric.

Background of the Invention

The affixing of ornaments such as beads and sequins to fabric is a time-consuming, labor intensive operation in the garment industry. Originally each individual ornament was hand sewn. At present strings of ornaments are available having threads which run the length of the underside of the string. These strings present a considerable cost saving in that they permit the sewer to quickly attach a large number of ornaments. An example of such a string is disclosed in Specification GB-A-643 377 wherein claws formed in the body of a sequin are bent inwardly over a string to hold the sequins in place on the string. However, the strings must still be sewn by hand.
In addition, when strings of ornaments are sewn on by hand in a fixed shape, constant attention must be given to its shape. This also represents considerable labor costs.
The present invention is an improved method for affixing adornments to fabric that alleviates the high labor cost of hand sewing, and allows strings of ornaments to be used as a separate unit with a rigidity of their own.

Summary of the Invention

The primary object of the invention is to provide an adornment for fabric which can be quickly and easily attached to fabric which is neither labor intensive nor requires expensive equipment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of affixing an adornment to a fabric which involves placing a string of ornaments on a fabric. The string of ornaments contains at least one heat softenable thread. Upon application of heat and pressure to the adornment and fabric, the heat softenable thread melts and binds the string of ornaments to the fabric.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a string of ornaments which can be quickly and easily attached to a fabric.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a string of ornaments with sufficient rigidity such that it may be shaped as a separate unit and retain its shape while being affixed to the substrate.
These and various other features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings in which like reference numerals and letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front view, on an enlarged scale, of a section of fabric embodying the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention affixed to a fabric showing the structure of threads used to hold the ornaments together and to the fabric.
Figure 3 is a front view, on an enlarged scale, of an alternate embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view an alternate embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the intention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Reference is now made to Figure 2 which shows a cross-sectional view of the adornment 10 attached to a fabric 20. The fabric is preferably cloth which can be selected from a wide range of materials as well as synthetic materials. For reasons which will become obvious the cloth may also be made from paper or other porous materials.
The series of individual sequins A, B, C, D, E lie face up on the cloth. The sequins are shown to be overlapping so that the edge 20 of sequin B touches the eye 25 of sequin A. Alternate embodiments are foreseen in which the adjacent sequins either touch edge to edge, overlap slightly, or are spaced at either periodic or non-periodic intervals. The exact positioning of adjacent sequins is a matter of preference.
A main thread 30 runs through the eyes of each ornament. The main thread, like the other threads mentioned below, may be formed from either natural or synthetic material. A filler thread 40 and four heat- softenable threads 51, 52, 53, 54 run essentially parallel to the main thread along the underside of the ornaments. In the preferred embodiment, two bobbin threads 61 and 62 entwine the main thread, filler thread, and heat-softenable threads and serve to bind them in close proximity to each other and hold them along the underside of the ornaments. Alternate embodiments utilize heat-sealable threads as the bobbin thread, with or without filler thread/s or the main thread either alone or in combination with each other or in combination with heat- softenable threads as shown.
The ornament 10 is affixed to the fabric by placing it so the underside contacts the fabric. Heat and pressure are then applied to cause the heat-softening threads 51, 52, 53 and 54 to melt and intermingle with the filler thread and the fabric. As a result the filler thread becomes integral with the fabric and the adornment is thus affixed to the fabric.
The heat and pressure may be applied in any of the conventional methods known to the art. In a preferred embodiment the fabric and adornment are run through the nip of a pair of rollers. The lower roller is heated and applies sufficient heat and pressure to affix the adornment to the fabric as described above. Alternately the upper roller or both the upper and lower rollers are heated to melt the heat-softenable threads. An adhesive tape may be used to ensure the adornment remains properly positioned during handling. After heating the tape may simply be peeled off the fabric.
In an alternate embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 3 and 4 the two bobbin threads 61 and 62 entwine a main thread 30 and two flexible wires 67 and 68. The flexible wire provides a decorative effect and allows for positioning the series of ornaments which form the adornment in a given pattern so that the adornment can be affixed to the fabric without constant attention to its shape. The bobbin threads and/or the main threads may be softenable and serve to bind the adornment to the cloth. Sequins with wire can also be used as a separate unit on their own to give shape to artificial flowers, hair, fur, or feather trimmings, decorative ties, bows, etc.
A third embodiment of the invention is seen in figure 5. This embodiment does not have heat sealable threads but rather a coating 81 or the sequins of a heat softenable material. The ornaments of the embodiment are attached by threads and/or wires and affixed to fabric as described above.

Claims

An adornment for attachment to a fabric, the adornment comprising a plurality of ornaments and thread means maintaining said ornaments in a predetermined relationship with respect to each other prior to application to the fabric, characterized in that at least two threads extend along the adornment, at least one of which threads is heat sealable and is capable upon the application of heat, when the adornment is in position on a fabric, of softening to bind the ornaments to the fabric in their predetermined relationship.
The adornment of claim 1, wherein said heat sealable thread is at least one binder thread.
The adornment of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said heat sealable thread is at least one filler thread bound to the underside of said ornaments.
The adornment of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said heat sealable thread is a main thread interengaged with said ornaments.
The adornment of claim 1, wherein there is at least one filler thread bound to the underside of said series of ornaments by at least one binder thread, and, preferably, two binder threads; and at least one heat sealable thread, preferably from one to ten such threads, in close proximity to said filler thread/s and bound to the underside of said series of ornaments by said binder threads.
The adornment of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said ornaments are sequins.
The adornment of claim 6, wherein said sequins are lying edge to edge.
The adornment of claim 6, wherein said sequins are at spaced intervals.
The adornment of claim 6, wherein said sequins are either lying at spaced intervals to each other or edge to edge.
The adornment of claim 6, wherein said sequins are overlying so that the edge of a first sequin lies on the top side, preferably on the eye, of an adjacent sequin.
The adornment of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said ornaments are beads, or a combination of beads and sequins.
The adornment of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein said filler thread is heat sealable, or said binder thread/s is heat sealable, or both said filler thread and said binder thread/s are heat sealable.
The adornment of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein at least one of said filler threads is heat sealable and at least one of said filler threads is wire.
The adornment of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein said filler thread/s is a wire, preferably flexible metal wire, said main thread/s is a wire, or said binder thread is a wire, or any two or more of said filler, main or binder threads are wires.
A method of applying an adornment to a fabric comprising:
providing a fabric substrate having a first side and a second side;
providing a plurality of ornaments each having a top side and an underside and strung together in series so as to maintain the ornaments in a predetermined relationship with each other prior to application to a fabric and having at least one heat softenable bonding thread located on the underside of said series of ornaments and a filler binder or main thread;
placing said plurality of ornaments on said fabric with said underside of said plurality of ornaments contacting the first side of said fabric;
applying heat and pressure to said fabric and said series of ornaments to cause said heat softenable thread to melt and cause said filler, binder, or main thread to bind to said fabric.
The method of claim 15, wherein said step of applying heat is performed by heating said first side of said fabric, said second side of said fabric, or both said first and said second sides of said fabric.
The method of claim 15 or claim 16, wherein said step of applying heat and pressure is performed by feeding said fabric and said plurality of ornaments through the nip of a pair of rollers wherein at least one said roller has a heating means.