US2175666A - Shirt wrapping - Google Patents

Description

S. LIGHTER samr WRAPPING Oct. 10, 1939.

Filed March 23, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. i W BY ATTORNEY.

S. LIGHTER snm'r WRAPPING Oct. 10, 1939.

Filed March 23, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS w Oct. 10, 1939. s. LIGHTER 2,175,666

SHIRT WRAPPING Filed larch 23, 1938 3 Sheqts-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY 3 1 VENTOR.

Patented Oct-1o, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE snm'r WRAPPING Stephen Lighter, Chicago, Ill. Application March as, 1938, Serial No. 197,545 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates generally to improvements in the art of packing and protecting diverse articles such as wearing apparel during handling and storing thereof, and relates more specifically to an improved shirt wrapping and to an improved method of wrapping garments such as shirts.

Generally defined, an object of my present invention is the provision of an improved mode of wrapping freshly laundered shirts and similar apparel so as to conceal and protect them during subsequent handling and storage thereof.

As shown and described in my prior pending application Serial Number 34,749, filed August 5, 1935, I have heretofore proposed to wrap clean shirts by first folding each individual shirt about an elongated card board and by subsequentlyenwrapping the folded shirt within a paper protector having upwardly extending central tabs adapted to be folded over and beneath the front portions of the shirt collar after these collar portions had been lined with a reenforcing cardboard strip. With this prior method of wrapping, the shirt was universally provided with but a single transverse intermediate fold located about sixteen inches from its upper and lower extremity, after the sleeves and sides had been folded rearwardly thereof and the internal reenforcing cardboard had been inserted; and a relatively long and narrow package was thus produced which because of its extreme length required some kind of internal reenforcement in order to avoid excessive creasing and wrinkling of the garment. The production of these long packages was not only objectionable because they could not be conveniently placed vertically or across and within an ordinary travelers suitcase or bag, but also because of the expense involved in the provision of along internal 'reenforcing board and a correspondingly long external wrapper. Heretofore these stiffening boards were universally used, and when large quantities of these shirts are thus enwrapped, the cost becomes appreciable, thus making the prior method relatively objectionable to the larger laundries, in spite of the fact that my prior wrappers are perfectly practicable and do satisfactorily protect the goods.

It is therefore a more specific object of my present invention to provide an improved method of enwrapping such articles as laundered shirts, whereby a more compact and attractive package may be produced at a considerable saving in cost and materials.

Another specific object of this invention is the provision of a new and useful shirt wrapping which is more durable in construction, which may be more conveniently applied, and which will more effectively protect the article with which it is associated. In accordance with my present improvement, I find that the use of an internal reenforcing and stiffening board can be readily dispensed with, and a considerably more compact and not undesirably thick package may be produced, by properly positioning the sleeves and cuffs and by shortening the folds of the shirt. This improved folding materially decreases the length of the package, thus considerably shortening the outer wrapper besides eliminating the internal reenforcing board, and I construct the outer wrapper so that the entire front portions of a collar and the shoulders of any size shirt may be totally covered with protecting material secured at the back and held in place against the shirt front, by a simple retaining strip of resilient cardboard sprung within the collar. The wrapper when applied has no outwardly exposed slits which might cause accidental tearing, and is provided with an improved tab or tongue which coacts with collars of various sizes. The final package produced with my improved wrapping may be conveniently handled and stored, and produces an attractive and neat appearance. The new wrapper besides more thoroughly protecting the entire shirt without undesirably concealing the laundry mark, is also less apt to tear during application thereof to the garment and during subsequent handling of the package, and can moreover be more quickly applied. r

A clear conception of the improved mode of packing shirts, and of the construction of my present improved wrappers, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a rear view of a conventional shirt showing the initial step of one mode of folding such a shirt with folded cuffs, in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same shirt with both sleeves folded inwardly and one side folded rearwardly;

Fig. 3 is another similar view of the same shirt with both side portions folded rearwardly and "with the bottom or tail portion also folded upwardly and rearwardly;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of the finally folded shirt of Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive;

Fig. 5 is a rear view of another-conventional shirt initially folded in a manner similar to Fig. 1, but with the cuffs distended;

' Fig. 6 is a similar view of the shirt of Fig. 5 with both sleeves folded inwardly and with one side folded rearwardly;

Fig. 7 is another similar view of the shirt of Figs. 5 and 6, with both sides folded rearwardly, and with the tail portion folded upwardly and rearwardly;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged front view of the shirt of Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, in completely folded condition;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of my improved shirt wrappers;

Fig. 10 is a rear view of a shirt folded as in either Fig. 4 or 8, and confined within the wrapper of Fig, 9;

Fig. 11 is a front view of a folded shirt embraced by a wrapper such as shown in Fig. 9, but before final application of the wrapper retaining strip to the shirt collar;

Fig. 12 is a front view ofa finally enwrapped shirt having a collar of relatively large size: and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 12, but showing a shirt having a relatively small collar.

Whilemy invention has been shown and described herein as being especially applicable to mens shirts with the collars attached, and only one mode of fastening the ends of the wrapper at the rear of the shirt has been shown, it is not the intent to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope.

In accordance with my present invention, I provide an improved package for shirts, without utilizing inner reinforcing or stiffening boards of anykind, while maintaining suflicient rigidity or stiffness in the package to prevent creasing, crushing and wrinkling during handling of the package. This desirable result is accomplished primarily by properly initially folding the shirts with the cuffs either folded or distended, but properly positioned so as to reenforce or stiffen the package; and by also properly folding the shirt tails and the intermediate shirt portions so as to enhance the rigidity.

Referring specifically to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I have herein illustrated one mode of folding a shirt, wherein both sleeves l5 are first reversely folded rearwardly across the upper portion of the back l5 of the shirt as illustratedin Fig. 1, with the cuffs I1 closed or folded and disposed near the opposite sides of the collar l8. After the sleeves I5 have been thus positioned, the opposite side portions IQ of the shirt are folded rearwardly as indicated in Fig. 2, and after this has been done, the tail portion 20 should be folded rearwardly and upwardly over the intermediate part of the assemblage as depicted in Fig. 3. To complete the folding of the shirt, the tail portion 20 together with the intermediate shirt portion with which it coacts, should be again folded upwardly and rearwardly about the lower edges of the sleeves l5, to the position shown in Fig. 4. The multiple folds will then cooperate with each other and with the sleeves l5 and cuffs l! to provide a compact and stiff, but not undesirably thick folded assemblage wherein the relatively rigid cuffs are disposed closely adjacent to the opposite side edges.

In Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, I have shown the same shirt folded in like manner but with the cuffs l1 distended or spread out. In Fig. 5 the cuffs I1 have been initially positioned with respect to their carrying sleeves I 5, and one of the sleeves has been folded inwardly across the back [5. After both cuffs and sleeves have been thus folded, the opposite side portions I! of the shirt should be folded rearwardly over each other as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, whereupon the folding operation may be finally completed as indicated in Figs. '7 and 8 by folding the tail portion 20 and the mid-section of the shirt rearwardly and upwardly. This mode of folding the shirt likewise produces a relatively stiff folded assemblage by virtue of the fact that the flat and rather rigid cuffs I! extend throughout the major part of the package length and are again disposed near the side edges thereof.

My improved wrapper and the method of applying the same to a folded shirt, is shown in detail in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive. The wrapper comprises in general a substantially rectangular sheet 2| of any desired length and of height approximately equal to that of the. pre-folded shirt, the sheet having a central vertical slit 22 terminating at the center of a tongue 23, and also having two substantially V-shaped upper notches 26 the lower ends of which are directed toward the tongue 23 so as to provide similar but oppositely directed tabs 25. The sheet 2| should be of sufiicient length so as to afford considerable overlap at the side edge portions 28 when the wrapper is folded about the pre-folded shirt as in Fig. 10, and the overlapping end portions 26 may be attached to each other with pasters 21 or in any other suitable manner.

After the wrapper sheet 2| has been placed about the shirt and fastened as in Fig. 10, the tabs 25, notches 24 and tongue 23 will be positioned as illustrated in Fig. 11, and the enwrapping operation may be thereafter readily completed by merely inserting a flexible retainer strip 28 within the front portion of the shirt collar l8 as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. The wrapper is so constructed, that if the collar I8 is of large size, the tongue 23 as well as the tabs 25 will be folded therein upon insertion of the retainer strip 28 as shown in Fig. 12; but if the collar I8 is of small size, the tongue 23 will remain fiat and only the tabs 25 will be folded as in Fig. 13. By virtue of the formation of the notches 24 and the provisions of the tongue 23, the wrapper sheet 2| will not tear during application of the strip 28 or during subsequent handling; and while the corners of the tabs 25 serve to protect the shirt within the collar I 8, they do not undesirably conceal laundry marks or the like.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that my present invention provides an improved package for shirts, and an improved mode of producing such a package, whereby laundered shirts may be more compactly and attractively wrapped at a considerable saving .in cost of materials. The improved wrapper may obviously be decorated or printed so as to enhance the esthetic appearance of the wrapper, and the wrapper sheet will not tear readily because of the inward slope of the notches 2| toward the tongue 23, and also because of the provision of the central tongue. With the improved wrapper it is unnecessary to utilize inner stiffening sheets or boards, especially when the cuffs of the shirt are folded and disposed as indicated in the drawings. The wrapper of my present invention extends above the top of the shoulders where the package is most apt to be held, and while the wrapper affords substantially complete protection for all portions of the shirt,

it does not undesirably conceal laundry marks and other markings within the collar of the shirt. The multiple folding of the shirt. besides adding rigidity and stiffness to the package, also produces a more compact final assemblage which can be readily placed crosswise within an ordinary travelling bag, and since no slits are visible from the outside of the completed package, the wrapper will not tear readily due to handling of the package. The improvement has proven highly successful in actual commercial use, and has also proven very superior to any other known type of wrapping.

It should be understood that it is'not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use, herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art;

I claim:

1. A package comprising, a shirt having its sleeves and opposite sides folded rearwardly and being double folded transversely to position the sleeves and two folds of the lower portiom beneath the chest and collar portions, and a single substantially rectangular wrapper embracing said assemblage and having overlapped end portions secured at the rear of the assemblage, said wrapper also having a central slit terminating at a transverse slit forming a tongue near the front of the shirt collar and being provided with notches in its upper edge on opposite sides of the central slit directed toward the extreme ends of assemblage, said wrapper also having a central slit forming tabs and terminating at a trans-- verse slit forming a tongue near the front of the shirtcollar and being provided with notches in its upper'ed'ge on opposite sides of the central slit directed towardthe extreme ends of said transverse slit to form tabs foldable along lines following the direction of said notches, and a retainer strip disposed within the shirt collar to snugly confine said tabs therein.

3. A shirt wrapper comprising, a single approximately rectangular sheet having a downwardly directed central slit terminating at the center of an upwardly curved transverse slit forming a tongue, and being provided at its upper edge on opposite sides of said central slit with V-notches the lower ends of which are inclined toward the extreme ends of said transverse slit and which form approximately triangular tabs 30 foldable along lines following the direction of inclination of said notches.

LIGHTER.

Images