EP0334145A1

EP0334145A1 - Shirt with interchangeable elements

Info

Publication number: EP0334145A1
Application number: EP89104374A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuliana Ferrari; Carlo Crespi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-03-24
Filing date: 1989-03-12
Publication date: 1989-09-27
Also published as: IT8819935A0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shirt with interchangeable elements which has the peculiarity of comprising a shirt body (2) and a collar (3) which are removably associable by virtue of removable connection means (2a,3a,4) which extend substantially for the entire extension of the coupling line between said collar and said shirt body., The connection means have a first portion (2a) and a second portion (3a) which are mutually associable and are respectively fixed to said collar and to said shirt body.

Description

The present invention relates to a shirt with interchangeable elements.
As is known, a currently strongly felt problem in shirts and like garments is related to the wear of the collar and cuffs.
As is known, the collars and cuffs of shirts are in fact the first to become worn, especially due to the hair of men's beards and due to wristwatches, so that they must be replaced even after relatively short periods of use.
The replacement of the collar and cuffs currently requires specialized personnel, since the operation of removing the collar and of applying the new collar and the new cuffs is not easy to perform, so that this replacement may even have relatively high costs.
Due to the above, the entire shirt is generally discarded, though the body of the shirt is still in good condition, both to avoid the trouble of said operation and due to the related costs.
The aim proposed by the invention is indeed to eliminate the above described problems by providing a shirt with interchangeable elements which allows to remove and reapply the collar and cuffs in extremely short times, consequently allowing the user to perform this modification directly.
Within the scope of the above described aim, a particular object of the invention is to provide a shirt which allows to provide various matches of color and shade among the shirt body, the collar and the cuffs, thus also offering, besides the advantage related to the replacement of the worn collar and cuffs, the advantage of making color matches which can be varied in each instance.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a shirt which, though it allows to rapidly remove the collar and cuffs, appears outwardly as a conventional shirt, since the means used to couple the collar and cuffs do not affect the aesthetic line or the style of the shirt in the slightest way.
Not least object of the present invention is to provide a shirt obtainable with conventional materials, offering at the same time the possibility of making said shirt more functional and versatile.
The above described aim, as well as the objects mentioned and others which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a shirt with interchangeable elements, according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises a shirt body and a collar which are removably associable by means of removable connection means extending substantially for the entire extension of the coupling line between said collar and said shirt body, said connection means having first and second parts which are mutually associable and are respectively fixed to said collar and to said shirt body.
Further characteristics and advantages will become apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a shirt with interchangeable elements, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a schematic view of the shirt according to the invention, with the collar and cuffs in exploded view;
figure 2 is a detail view of the collar of the shirt in closed position;
figure 3 is a view of the cuff applied to the shirt's sleeve;
figure 4 is a view of a different embodiment of the collar, partially associated with the shirt body.

With reference to the above described figures, the shirt with interchangeable elements, according to the invention, generally indicated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a shirt body 2 and a collar 3 which are removably associated, with the possibility of removing the collar from the shirt in an extremely short time.
The collar 3 and the shirt body 2 are mutually connectable by virtue of connection means which extend substantially along the entire extension of the coupling line.
Said connection means can be constituted by a zipper, as well as possibly by tear-open strips of the type commercially known by the trade-name Velcro.
An important peculiarity is constituted by the fact that the connection means have a first portion, generally indicated by 2a, connected to the shirt body 2 and a second portion, indicated by 3a, rigidly associated with the collar 3.
With specific reference to the drawings, the two portions are mutually associable by means of a slider 4 with a grip element 5 which can be of the type which stably superimposes on the slider or of the type which rotates freely so as to not constitute a hindrance.
As shown in figure 3, an inner border 10 is provided at the coupling line between the portions 2a and 3a and has the function of avoiding the direct contact of the user's neck with the zipper to prevent irritations and the like; an outer covering border 11 is furthermore provided and has the function of hiding the zipper from view. A tensioning rib 12, for example made of plastics known by the trade-name Mylar, can be inserted inside the inner border 10 and has the function of keeping said border in extended position.
This arrangement thus allows to remove the collar very quickly and replace it with others, and simultaneously has the advantage that the connection means are not outwardly visible, since they are directly covered by the collar, which is turned down.
A similar criterion is used for the cuffs 20 which are connected to the sleeves 21 by virtue of connection means which also extend substantially for the entire extension of the connection line.
The connection means also have a first portion 20a rigidly associated with the cuffs and a second portion 21a rigidly associated with the sleeve, and said portions are mutually associable.
In order to prevent the switching of the cuffs of the two sleeves, the slider 22 can be associable with the sleeve for one sleeve and can be associated with the cuff for the other sleeve.
The connection means may be constituted by zippers or by tear-open strips.
In order to conceal the cuff connecting means from view, an outer covering flap 25 and an inner flap 26 may be provided; said inner flap prevents the contact between the user's skin and the zipper.
The slider is advantageously of the type in which the grip element can be secured against the slider so that it does not protrude outward.
According to what is illustrated in figure 4, a tab 15 may be provided so as to superimpose on the connection means at the collar's closure region.
By virtue of the described arrangement, the cuffs and the collar can be interchanged in an extremely rapid and simplified manner without resorting to complicated or laborious operations, and it is furthermore possible to have available a certain number of collars and cuffs, possibly even of different colors, which allow to considerably extend the period of use of the shirt, especially in view of the fact that the collar and the cuffs are the shirt parts which are most subject to wear.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.
All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
In practice, the materials employed, so long as compatible with the specific use, as well as the dimensions and the contingent shapes, may be any according to the requirements.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. Shirt with interchangeable elements, characterized in that it comprises a shirt body (2) and a collar (3) which are removably associable by virtue of removable connection means (2a,3a,4) extending substantially for the entire extension of the coupling line between said collar and said shirt body, said connection means having a first part (2a) and a second part (3a) which are mutually associable and are respectively fixed to said collar and to said shirt body.

2. Shirt, according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises cuffs (20) removably associable with the sleeves (21) by virtue of removable connection means which extend substantially for the entire extension of the coupling line between the cuffs and the sleeves, said connection means having a first portion (20a) and a second portion (21a) which are mutually associable and are respectively fixed to said cuffs (20) and to said sleeves (21).

3. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said connection means are constituted by a zipper (4,5).

4. Shirt, according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said connection means are constituted by tear-open strips.

5. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an inner border (10) arranged to cover said connection means on the side directed towards the user.

6. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding

flap (11) superimposable on said connection means on the outwardly directed side.

7. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a tensioning rib (12) inside said inner flap.

8. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a tab (15) arranged on the continuation of one of the opening flaps of the shirt body, said tab being adapted to superimpose on the closure slider of said zipper.

9. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connection means of one of said cuffs have the slider (22) associated with the sleeve (21) and the connection means of the other of said cuffs have the slider associated with the cuff.

10. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an outer flap (25) superimposable on said connection means on the outwardly directed side.

11. Shirt, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an inner flap (26) superimposable on said connection means on the side directed towards the user.