GB2209924A - Collar and means for making - Google Patents

Abstract

A collar comprising two superimposed layers of fabric each shaped to provide a blade forming part 2 of the collar and a band forming part 3A of the collar, the two layers having secured between them a sheet 3 of stiffening material having a slit, which is preferably discontinuous, extending lengthwise of the collar. The discontinuous slit is divided into three sections 9, 10, 11 and cooperates with the two layers of fabric to provide a flexion zone, the width of the zone being greater towards the centre of the collar (e.g. 11 mm) than towards its ends (e.g. 6mm). Both layers of fabric are provided with an anchored fold (15 & 16, Figs. 2a and 2b) extending lengthwise of the collar in the vicinity of the flexion zone. The anchored fold is produced by a fold forming member fixed to the sewing platform and cooperating with a blunt jamming knife mounted on a solenoid actuated piston rod. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVED COLLAR AND A PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME This invention relates to an improved collar construction for use especially but not exclusively in the manufacture of shirts for wear by men The making of a collar entails the cutting and shaping of a number of pieces of different fabrics which then have to be assembled and fixed together by a sequence of complicated operations. As a result the process requires the use of a considerable amount of skilled labour which is both expensive to train and maintain.

In order to try and reduce manufacturing costs manufacturers making collars on a large scale utilise as far as possible labour-saving machines which generally are both complicated and costly.

Even so there is a residue of processes which have still to be carried out manually and consequently the need for reducing costs of labour has remained, One form of collar which is in widespread production is the so-called one piece collar which is made by forming first a top collar which is the part of the complete collar which presents external surfaces, The top collar is divided into two parts namely the blade which comprises the front of the collar which is seen most easily when the collar is being worn. The second part comprises the band which is the part which encircles and contacts the neck of the wearer. A piece of fabric incorporating the blade and band as an integral part of the fabric layer is then stiffened by bonding to it a sheet of materalwhich has been impregnated with a thermoplastics resin.In essence this final step completes the formation of the top collar.

The latter is then united with an undercollar which is a piece of material usually of the same fabric and having substantially the same shape as the top collar but generally it is not stiffened, The method of uniting the two which is used frequently is to sew the undercollar along three edges to the top collar. The combination is turned inside out and the undercollar is then top stiched to the top collar, The one piece collar is one of the simplest collars to make and employs the fewest number of components. Whilst this is an advantage from the point of view of the manufacturer the collar suffers from a serious defect in that during use it is liable to cockle, a defect which is attributed to the fact that the top collar is made from a single piece of fabric.This not only disfigures the collar but in addition it causes discomfort to the wearer.

The cockling defect can be largely removed by adopting the form of construction used in the so-called two piece collar, In essence much the same manufacturing techniques are used as in the case of the one piece collar, the main difference being that four main components are employed namely a top blade, an under blade, a top band and an under band, In addition a longitudinal flexion zone or break-line is incorporated with the collar. The effect of the break-line together with the combinatioll of an increased number of components is to create within the collar a resilience or spring which prevents cockling. The two-piece collar nevertheless suffers an important defect in that since it is composed of considerably more components it is expensive to make.

This invention is directed to an improved collar construction which combines the manufacturing advantages of a one-piece collar with the performance characteristics of a two-piece collar.

Accordingly this invention provides a collar comprising two superimposed layers of fabric each shaped to provide a blade forming part of the collar and a band forming part of the collar the two layers having secured between them a sheet of stiffening material having a slit extending axially of the collar the slit cooperating with the two layers of fabric to provide a flexion zone the width of the zone being greater towards the centre of the collar than towards its ends both the layers of fabric being provided with an anchored fold extending lengthways of the collar in the vicinity of the flexion zone the width of the fold being greater towards the centre of the collar than towards its ends, The external appearance of collars made according to the invention are for all practicable purposes indistinguishable from a conventional good quality two-piece collar.However, the differences between the two types becomes apparent from the internal construction of the present collar as shown in the following drawings which are to be regarded as being merely illustrative of the embodiments of the invention and not in any way restrictive, Figure 1 is a view in plan of a top collar Figure 2 is a view in plan of the completed collar.

Figures 2a and 2b are part perspective views taken in vertical section along axes AA' and BB' of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 a layer of top fabric shown generally as numeral (1) is shaped to provide a blade (2) and a band (3) for the completed collar. This fabric can be made of any fabric employed normally in the manufacture of @@@@@@@ e.g. cotton including linen and fabrics made from polyamides, polyesters and blends of natural and man-made fibres, The layer is stiffened by heat pressing onto it a sheet (3) of textile material containing a thermoplastics resin. The sheet can be in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric although the latter is preferred, The fabric is further stiffened by application of a second sheet (4) of material which can have the same or different composition as sheet (3). Sheet (4) is divided into a blade section shown as numeral 4 and a band section (5).

The two sections are held together by spacers (6, 7 and 8) and between the two sections there is a discontinuous slit divided into three sections (9, 10 and 11) which is wider towards the centre of the collar than towards its ends, The differences in width can vary according to the final properties which are required in the completed collar. However very good results have been obtained when the width in the centre is about llmm and the widths towards the ends is about 6mm resulting in a differential of 5mum, The slit is referred to in the trade as a break line and its function is to provide a flexion zone to enable the collar to be folded longitudinally so that the blade and the band can be brought back to back, In a preferred construction the flexion zone comprises a slit formed into a single piece sheet of stiffening material.However the zone can also be formed by utilising two separate sheets of material spaced apart to provide a gap having the required shape and dimensions, Collars may be required to have different degrees of stiffness. Consequently if desired extra sheets of stiffening material can be employed so long as at least one and preferably the top sheet incorporates the slit. When two or more stiffening sheets are used in order to facilitate their handling during the collar making process the sheets can be spot welded together so that they can be handled as a single entity.

When the top collar has been formed it is united with an undercollar. This consists of a layer of fabric which is of substantially the same shape as that used for the top collar and is preferably of the same material, The under collar is sewn by its upper and side edges to the corresponding edges of the top collar. The resulting construction is then turned inside out with the result that the face of the top collar which temporarily had been covered by the under collar is now exposed once again and the under collar now rests on the top of stiffening sheet (4) of the top collar. At this stage a Z fold (15 and 16) extending longitudinally of the collar is then introduced into both the layer of top and undercollar fabric above and below the flexion zone (6, 7 and 8). This can be achieved in different ways.However, one especially convenient method utilises a sewing machine which has been adapted for the purpose.

In this machine a fold forming member is fixed to the sewing platform immediately in front of the reciprocating needle of the machine, The member cooperates with a blunt jamming knife which is mounted on the end of a piston rod. The latter is secured for horizontal sliding motion within a solenoid connected to an electricity supply and which also is mounted conveniently on the platform of the machine, WN;hen the solenoid is activated by turning on the electricity supply the piston moves out of the solenoid and forces the blade into the fold forming member.

In order to form the Z folds as illustrated in Figures 2a and 2b the tab (12) of collar (13) is fed under the needle (not shown) of the sewing machine whilst the blade of the jamming knife is retracted. then the main body of the collar has been reached at position (14) the solenoid is activated and the blade moves forward and forces the superposed layers of top and under collar fabric into the folding member (not shown) where each layer is provided with a Z fold (15 and 16) on either side of the flexion zone.

Immediately the folded layers of fabric leave the folding member they pass under the reciprocating needle of the sewing machine which anchors the folds with a line of stitches (17), As the collar continues to move past the needle the width of the folds increases progressively untilthe centre of the collar has been reached after which the width then diminishes until point (18) is reached towards the end of the collar from which tab (19) extends, At position (18) the electricity supply to the solenoid is switched off and the jamming blade is withdrawn from the forming member. Sewing continues to take place until the end of the tab (19) is reached, The difference between the width of the centre fold and the end folds can vary. However, for most purposes the centre fold can have a width of about /' mm whilst the end folds should be about mm less, The present invention not only enables collars to be made having a top collar incorporating a single layer of fabric but in addition the process of manufacture enables conventional collar making machines to be used.

Claims (7)

Claims

1. A collar comprising two superimposed layers of fabric each shaped to provide a blade forming part of the collar and a band forming part of the collar the two layers having secured between them a sheet of stiffening material having a slit extending lengthwise of the collar, the slit cooperating with the two layers of fabric to provide a flexion zone the width of the zone being greater towards the centre of the collar than towards its ends both the layers of fabric being provided with an anchored fold extending lengthwise of the collar in the vicinity of the flexion zone.

2. A collar according to Claim I wherein the width of the anchored fold is greater towards the centre of the collar than towards its ends.

3. A collar according to Claim 1 wherein the sheet of stiffening material is a sheet of textile material containing thermoplastics material.

4. A collar according to Claim 3 wherein the stiffening material comprises a plurality of sheets of textile material containing the thermoplastics material.

5. A collar according to Claim 1 wherein the width of the flexion zone towards the centre of collar is about llmm and the width of the flexion zone towards the ends of the collar is about 6mm.

6. A collar according to either of Claims 1 and 4 wherein the flexion comprises a discontinuous slit.

7.Collars as hereinbefore described with particular reference t the drawings.