GB2430605A

GB2430605A - Blazer with patch pocket

Info

Publication number: GB2430605A
Application number: GB0519947A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arnold Swiel
Original assignee: UNIFORMS AND SPORTSWEAR DISTRI
Current assignee: UNIFORMS AND SPORTSWEAR DISTRI
Priority date: 2005-10-03
Filing date: 2005-10-03
Publication date: 2007-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 2025-10-03
Also published as: GB0519947D0; GB2430605B

Abstract

A blazer has a front panel 10 and a patch 11 secured to the panel around two side edges and a lower edge to form a top pocket 12 open along its upper edge. The patch 11 is secured to the front panel 10 by means of a releasable fastener 20 that extends at least along one side edge and the lower edge of the patch 11. The fastener 20 may be a concealed zip fastener. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a blazer comprising forming a front panel, securing a patch to the panel by means of a releasable fastener along at least one side edge and the lower edge of the patch and then embroidering the patch after it has been secured to the front of the blazer and closing the fastener after the application of the embroidery.

Description

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BLAZER

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to blazers and to their method of manufacture.

Background of the invention

Blazers differ from jackets in that they have a patch top pocket. Instead of a slit being formed in the front panel of the garment to allow access to an internal pouch, a patch is sewn onto the front panel around its two side edges and its lower edge, leaving its upper edge open to form a top pocket. The side pockets are normally formed the same manner.

It is common to embroider a badge on to the top pocket of a blazer, especially when the blazer is part of a uniform. It is convenient to embroider the badge on to the patch from which the pocket is to be made before the patch is applied to the front panel of the blazer. In this way, a manufacturer may produce a batch of blazers and personalise them at a later stage as and when orders for the blazers are received.

It is nevertheless required on occasions to be able to embroider a badge on to the top pocket of the blazer after its manufacture has been completed. This can be done by gluing an embroidered badge on to the pocket but where the badge is, say, a monogram rather than a shield then the results are not entirely satisfactory.

GB 2377878 describes a blazer in which the top pocket is formed by a pouch comprising a pocket lining connected to a flap of the garment which is formed by a cut through the front panel inside the pocket beneath the level of the top edge. With this construction, it is possible to pull the pocket pouch out of the plane of the garment to allow access to be gained to the rear side of the patch pocket through a slit in the lining of the garment.

Object of the invention The present invention seeks to provide an alternative solution to the same problem which is simpler and more convenient to implement.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a blazer having a front panel and a patch secured to the front panel around two side edges and a lower edge to form a top pocket open along its upper edge, wherein the patch is secured to the front panel by means of a releasable fastener that extends at least along one side edge and the lower edge of the patch.

Preferably, at least a part of the opposite side edge of the patch is directly sewn to the front panel to prevent the patch from being separated from the front panel.

The fastener is preferably a concealed zip fastener.

Such fasteners are used in skirts and dresses and are invisible when closed. It may alternatively be possible for the releasable fastener to be formed as a hook and eye fastener.

As is well-known, a zip fastener is formed of two webs carrying teeth along one edge. A slider movable along the edges of the two webs causes the teeth to intermesh, the slider being provided with a grip to permit the fastener to be operated manually. Even in a concealed zip fastener, the grip normally remains in view but in the present invention this is neither necessary nor desirable. The grip is not necessary because the fastener is not used to open and close the pocket but merely as a convenient way of securing the patch to the front panel. The grip is also not desirable because it mars the appearance of the garment.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the grip of the slider of the zip fastener is removed, such as by cutting using a pair of snips or scissors. This removes any tell-tale sign of the method used to secure the patch pocket to the front panel of the blazer and in the unlikely event of it becoming necessary to unzip the fastener this would still be possible using a pair of pliers or a paper clip to engage the slider.

In order to avoid crumpling of the material of the front panel and the patch, it is preferred for the web of the zip fastener to have some degree of elasticity.

By using a releasable as a means of securing a patch pocket, the invention provides a convenient way of accessing the rear surface of the patch enabling the pocket to be embroidered after manufacture of the blazer has been completed.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a blazer which comprises forming a front panel for the blazer, securing a patch to have the front panel by means of a releasable fastener extending along at least one side edge and the lower edge of the patch, embroidering the patch after it has been secured to the front panel of the blazer, and closing the fastener after the application of the embroidery.

Preferably, the fastener is a zip fastener and the method further comprises the step of removing from the fastener the grip attached to the slider of the fastener.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of the front panel of a blazer having a top pocket and a side formed by applying patches to the pocket panel, Figure 2 is in view of the front panel shown in Figure 1 with the patch constituting the top pocket unfastened to allow access to the rear side of the patch, and Figure 3 is a section along the line Ill-Ill in Figure 1.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

Figure 1 shows a left side front panel 10 of a blazer.

The blazer additionally comprises a right side front panel, a back panel, sleeves, a collar and lapels but these have all been omitted in the interest of clarity. Two patches are attached to the front panel 10 to form a top pocket 12 and a side pocket 14. The side pocket 14 is sewn around its two side edges and its lower edge to the front panel 10, the seam being designated 18 in the drawing. As is common with blazers, a badge 24 is embroidered on to the top pocket 12.

As viewed from the front, the appearance of the blazer is entirely conventional.

The invention is concerned with the application of the embroidery to the patch that forms the top pocket 12 after the patch has been secured to the blazer front panel 10. In order to apply embroidery to the patch, it is important to have access to the rear surface of the patch, that is to say the surface which faces the front panel 10. This is achieved in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention and by using a zip fastener 20 to secure the patch 11 to the front panel 10. The zip fastener 20 extends around the whole of the left side edge of the patch (as viewed in Figure 1) as well as along the lower edge and most of the right side edge. The remaining portion of the right side edge is directly secured to the front panel 10 by means of a seam 22.

The zip fastener 20 is a concealed fastener of the type used in the ladies' skirts and dresses. In order to leave no tell-tale sign of the method by which the patch 11 is secured to the front panel 10, the grip normally attached to the slider of the zip fastener 20 is cut off using snips or scissors.

If it is desired to embroider a badge on to the patch 11 after the blazer has been manufactured, the zip fastener is first unfastened at least around the left side edge and the lower edge of the pocket 12, to allow the patch to be peeled back to the position shown in Figure 2. With access now being available to both sides of the patch 11, the badge 24 is embroidered on to it. Subsequently, the patch 11 is secured once again to the front panel 10 by closing the zip fastener 20. After the zip fastener 20 has been closed, it is unlikely that it will ever need to be re- opened and therefore at this time the grip attached to the slider of the zip fastener is removed. Should it ever be necessary to unfasten the patch 11 from the front panel 10 of the blazer, this operation can still be carried out using a paper clip or a pair of pliers.

Because the zip fastener is required to follow a path that includes a sharp bend, there is a risk of causing the material of the blazer or the patch 11 to crumple. In order to reduce this risk, it is preferred to use a zip fastener having a web that is elasticated, allowing it to be stretched when sewn around the corner.

In order to achieve the desired aesthetic appeal, a concealed zip fastener has been found to be the most convenient way of securing the pocket patch to the front panel of the blazer. If the fastener is sewn so that it is slightly overlapped by the edge of the patch, it is barely possible to tell that the patch is not directly sewn into the front panel of the blazer. The stitching used to secure the web of the fastener to the patch 11 resembles the stitching that would be used to secure the patch directly to the front panel 10 and it is only from the side that one may discern that the edges of the patch stand proud of the plane of the front panel 10. Even if the teeth of the zip fastener should be seen from the side, they can be made of the same colour as the fabric of the blazer so that the appearance of the blazer is not marred.

Currently, other forms of fasteners such as the hook and eye fasteners have not been found to provide as pleasing an effect but nevertheless these and other forms of releasable fasteners could be used in place of a zip.

Claims

1. A blazer having a front panel and a patch secured to the front panel around two side edges and a lower edge to form a top pocket open along its upper edge, wherein the patch is secured to the front panel by means of a releasable fastener that extends at least along one side edge and the lower edge of the patch.

2. A blazer as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the opposite side edge of the patch is directly sewn to the front panel to prevent the patch from being separated from the front panel.

3. A blazer as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the fastener is a concealed zip fastener.

4. A blazer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the grip of the slider of the zip fastener is removed from the fastener to avoid any part of the fastener projecting beyond the edge of the pocket.

5. A blazer as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the web of the fastener is elasticated.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, which further comprises the step of removing from the zip fastener the grip attached to the slider of the fastener.

6. A method of manufacturing a blazer which comprises forming a front panel for the blazer, securing a patch to have the front panel by means of a releasable fastener extending along at least one side edge and the lower edge of the patch, embroidering the patch after it has been secured to the front panel of the blazer, and closing the fastener after the application of the embroidery.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fastener is a zip fastener and the method further comprises the step of removing from the fastener the grip attached to the slider of the fastener.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A blazer having a front panel and a patch secured to the front panel around two side edges and a lower edge to form a top pocket open along its upper edge, wherein the patch is secured to the front panel by means of a zip fastener that extends at least along one side edge and the lower edge of the patch.

2. A blazer as claimed in c]aim 1, wherein at least a part of the opposite side edge of the patch is directly sewn to the front panel to prevent the patch from being separated from the front panel.

3. A blazer as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the grip of the slider of the zip fastener is removed from the fastener to avoid any part of the fastener projecting beyond the edge of the pocket.

4. A blazer as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the web of the zip fastener is elasticated.

5. A method of manufacturing a blazer which comprises forming a front panel for the blazer, securing a patch to have the front panel by means of a zip fastener extending along at least one side edge and the lower edge of the patch, embroidering the patch after it has been secured to the front panel of the blazer, and closing the fastener after the application of the embroidery.