FR2817884A1 - DEVICE FOR FOLDING UPPER BODY CLOTHING TO BE PRESENTED IN STACKS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a device left in garments for obtaining identical folding dimensions to provide homogeneous and aesthetic stacks having on their front part garments folded with perfect round-off. It consists of a base body (1) forming two plates (2) and (3), articulated in (8) and (9) about a half-cylinder (4) inserted in the groove (12). The garment is folded by folding down its panels one by one on the plates (2) and (3) and then the plate (2) on the plate stop (3). The inventive device is particularly designed to fold garments for storing them in identical and aesthetic stacks on shop shelves.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a device for folding shirts, T-shirts, tank tops, polo shirts and other garments, especially of the upper body, which remains incorporated in the garments to allow: easily and quickly making piles of garments perfectly regular, homogeneous and stable, to handle these garments (to remove any garment from the stack or put it back) easily without risk and fear of disorganizing them, and to obtain a very aesthetic presentation thanks to the perfect rounding of the folding appearing repeatedly on the front of the batteries.

 On the shelves of clothing stores, the clothes are traditionally presented, stacked one on top of the other without rigorous folding dimensions, with a crushing phenomenon making the appearance of the stack not very presentable, phenomenon reinforced by the thickening of the neck in the case of shirts and polo shirts, causing an increasing imbalance as the stack grows.

 The device according to the invention overcomes these drawbacks. According to a first characteristic, it indeed comprises a thin rectangular plate, forming the basic body of the device, having in its width and almost in its middle, a part delimited by two parallel lines, obtained by linear compression for example, and having the shape of a gutter. This is intended to receive a rounded articulation reinforcement. This articulation reinforcement rounded to the dimensions of the gutter will contribute on the one hand to the rigidity of the device, and on the other hand to form the perfect rounding of the folding of the garment which is presented in the frontal part of the stacks. This device, thus formed by two plates articulated around the rounded articulation reinforcement, has, once deployed, a flat face turned towards the user and a face with the relief of the gutter, which will be placed on the garment to be folded. The plate facing the neck of the garment will be called the top plate and the one facing the bottom of the garment will be called the bottom plate. At least one stop is placed on the lower plate on the user side, and an opening is made in the upper plate. The user folds the garment by folding the sections of the garment one by one onto the device, and then folding the upper plate towards the lower plate until it comes into contact against the stop, which maintains a spacing between these two plates .

According to particular embodiments:
The upper plate can constitute a part of the basic body, a zone of lesser thickness delimiting an edge of the gutter forming the joint.

The lower plate can constitute a part of the basic body, a zone of lesser thickness delimiting the second edge of the gutter forming the joint.

The rounded joint reinforcement can be inserted into the gutter.

At least one stop can be placed on the bottom plate.

Reinforcements can be placed on the contours of the two plates in order to stiffen them.

 - A hole can be made in the upper plate.

 The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, by way of nonlimiting examples: FIG. 1 represents the view of the flat face of the deployed device.

Figure 2 shows in section the side view of the deployed device.

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Figure 3 shows in section the side view of the device in its folded position.

FIG. 4 represents the view of the flat face of the device deployed on the garment to be folded, the garment being placed flat by exposing the back.

FIG. 5 represents the perspective view of the device being placed on the garment to be folded, the garment being laid flat while exposing the back.

 With reference to these drawings, the device comprises two plates (2) and (3) of quasi-angular shape, articulated around a rounded articulation reinforcement (4) in the gutter (12) of the base body (1). The lower plate (3) has at least one stop (5) on the flat face of the device.

Le vêtement est posé à plat sur une surface plane en exposant le dos. The device according to the invention will be used as follows for all of the upper body garments:

The garment is laid flat on a flat surface exposing the back.

The user places the device in the deployed and vertical position on the upper body garment, the upper plate (2) on the neck side.

The plates (2) and (3) as well as the relief of the gutter (12) in which the rounded articulation reinforcement (4) is inserted are in contact with the back of the garment.

The stop (5) is visible to the user.

This positions the device by making the top of the plate (2) coincide with the top of the collar of the garment as shown in Figure 4.

The sections of the garment are folded down one by one on the plates (2) and (3).

The plates (2) and (3) are articulated around the rounded articulation reinforcement (4) by the zones of reduced thickness (8) and (9).

 Just fold the plate (2) on the stop (5) of the plate (3) to complete the folding.

 This latter manipulation is facilitated by a rigidity of the assembly, ensured by the presence of the reinforcements (6) and (7) placed on the contour of the plates (2) and (3), flexible in nature, since they are made of a thin material and light.

 The basic body (1) can be made of cardboard.

 The recesses (10) make it possible to reduce the folds of the garment which converge at these locations.

 The folded garment being intended to be stacked, the reinforcements (6) and (7) provide a certain rigidity to the plates (2) and (3).

 The device must be light since very often handled at shoulder height, the rounded articulation reinforcement (4) and the stop (5) can be made respectively of foam and expanded polystyrene.

 The device is left in the garment for its presentation.

 Several garments folded in this way with a device of the same dimensions can be stacked on top of each other to form a completely homogeneous pile.

 The device can be stored, suspended vertically thanks to the orifice (11).

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 6 (representing in section the profile view of the device in its folded position), the rounded articulation reinforcement can be pressed outside the base body of the

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 device, against the flat part delimited by two parallel lines obtained by linear compression and forming an articulation.

 According to a variant illustrated in Figure 7 (showing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the rounded articulation reinforcement can be inserted in the gutter.

 According to a variant illustrated in Figure 8 (showing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), a cylinder can be inserted in the gutter.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 9 (representing in section the profile view of the device in its folded position), the rounded articulation reinforcement can be pressed outwardly from the base body of the device, following the shape of the gutter.

 According to a variant illustrated in Figure 10 (showing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the device can be made of a single material, having in its width and almost in the middle, an area of reduced thickness forming the 'articulation and rounding, the space left between the two plates being filled by the sides of the folded garment.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 11 (representing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the two plates can be independent of one another and bonded to the edges of the rounded articulation reinforcement following its curvature.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 12 (representing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the two plates can be independent of one another and assembled with the articulated reinforcement rounded by an external means of assembly (for example by hinges).

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 13 (representing in section the profile view of the device in its folded position), the two plates can be independent of one another and bonded to the curved grooves bordering the rounded articulation reinforcement.

 According to a variant illustrated in Figure 14 (showing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the two plates can be independent of each other and glued to the straight grooves bordering the branches which extend the reinforcement d '' rounded joint and which give it a U-shaped profile.

 According to a variant illustrated in Figure 15 (showing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the two plates can be independent of each other and inserted in two straight grooves made in the rounded articulation reinforcement .

intérieurement et extérieurement au dispositif). According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 16 (representing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the two plates can be independent of one another and assembled with the rounded articulation reinforcement by an external means of assembly (for example by adhesive tapes,

internally and externally to the device).

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 17 (representing the view of the flat face of the deployed device), the stop can be placed on the lower plate at a distance distant from the edge.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 18 (representing the view of the flat face of the deployed device), the stops can be placed on the lower plate and parallel to the edges which are perpendicular to the joint.

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 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 19 (representing the view of the flat face of the deployed device), several stops of smaller shapes (parallelepiped, cylindrical or conical) can be distributed on the lower plate.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 20 (representing the view of the flat face of the deployed device), a stop can run along the three edges of the lower plate.

 According to a variant illustrated in Figure 21 (showing in section the side view of the device in its folded position), the two plates can be independent of one another and can have at one of their ends a curvature of a quarter of a circle. The plates can be assembled to each other by their curved end, by an external assembly means (for example either by hinges, or by gluing (for example by adhesive strips placed inside and outside the device)).

 By way of nonlimiting example, the device in its folded position will have dimensions of the order of 22 cm for the width, 30 cm for the length and 2 cm for the thickness.

 Several dimensions of the device can exist depending on the clothing sizes.

 The device according to the invention is more specifically intended for folding upper body garments presented in the form of batteries on the shelves of clothing stores.

Claims (12)

1) Device for more particularly folding upper garments intended to be presented in stacks, characterized in that it comprises a base body (1) forming two plates (2) and (3), provided with articulations (8 ) and (9) around a rounded articulation reinforcement (4), placed flat on a garment and allowing the folding of this garment by folding one by one the sides of the garment on the device and then folding the plate (2) towards the plate (3) until it comes into contact against at least one stop (5) placed on the lower plate (3) and intended to maintain the spacing between the two plates (2) and (3) , the device remaining incorporated in the garment.  2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that reinforcements (6) and (7) are placed respectively on the contours of the plates (2) and (3).  3) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an orifice (11) is produced in the plate (2).  4) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the articulations (8) and (9) consist of two parallel zones of lesser thickness.  5) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rounded articulation reinforcement is a half-cylinder placed at the level of the articulations (8) and (9).  6) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that it comprises a gutter (12) whose edges are delimited by the joints (8) and (9).  7) Device according to claim 6 characterized in that a half-cylinder (4) is plated internally or externally to the gutter (12).  8) Device according to claim 6 characterized in that a cylinder is inserted in the gutter (12).  9) Device according to claims 1,2, 3 and 4 characterized in that the two plates (2) and (3) are independent of each other and assembled with the rounded articulation reinforcement (4) either on the edges of the rounded articulation reinforcement (4), or in the grooves made in the rounded articulation reinforcement (4).  10) Device according to claims 1,2 and 3 characterized in that the two plates (2) and (3) are independent of each other and assembled to the rounded articulation reinforcement (4) thanks to an external means assembly.  11) Device for more particularly folding upper garments intended to be presented in stacks, characterized in that it comprises a base body (1) forming two plates (2) and (3), placed flat on a garment and making it possible to fold this garment by folding one by one the sides of the garment onto the device then by folding the plate (2) towards the plate (3), the device remaining incorporated in the garment, and is produced in a single material, having in its width and almost in the middle, a zone of lesser thickness forming an articulation and a rounding.  12) Device for more particularly folding upper garments intended to be presented in stacks characterized in that it comprises a base body (1) forming two plates (2) and (3), laid flat on a garment and making it possible to fold this garment by folding one by one the sides of the garment on the device and then folding the plate (2) towards the plate (3), the plates having at one of their ends a curvature d 'a quarter of a circle, and assembled to each other by their curved end, thanks to an external means of assembly, the device remaining incorporated in the garment.