US2712889A - Folded shirt collar protector - Google Patents

Description

July 12, 1955 s. LIGHTER 2,712,889

FOLDED SHIRT COLLAR PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 4, 1952 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent 0 FOLDED SHIRT CGLLAR PROTECTOR Stephen Lighter, Whitefish Bay, Wis., assignor to Sutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application February 4, 1952, Serial No. 269,832

2 Claims. (Cl. 223-83) My invention relates in general to improvements in the art of packaging garments such as shirts, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and functioning of devices for protecting the collars of freshly laundered shirts against collapse, crushing and wrinkling.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved protector for the collar of a folded shirt, which is simple in structure, conveniently applicable, and adapted to resist collapse and crushing of the collar.

Various types of so called collar protectors for freshly laundered shirts have heretofore been proposed and used extensively by laundries, and while some of these prior devices have proven quite satisfactory when applied to shirts having collars which have been materially stiffened with the aid of starch or the like, none of them are entirely satisfactory for use in connection with garments having relatively soft collars. It is quite a simple matter to produce ample support for the collar-band of either a stiff or soft collar by providing outer and inner elongated parallel plates hingedly interconnected by an intervening panel, and so formed that the inner panel can be folded into snug engagement with the interior of the neck-band when the outer plate is secured to the upper bosom portion of the folded shirt and the connecting panel coacts with the front outer part of the neck-band. However, such an assemblage alone does not provide any support for the upper outer portion of the collar above the lapels, and while it has previously been proposed to provide wings and easel structures on the opposite sides of the hinge panel in efforts to support these areas of the outer collar, none of these prior devices have proven entirely satisfactory because the supporting wings and easels did not properly engage the collar areas to a sufficient extent and in a manner which would maintain these collar portions in fiat and non-sagging condition.

It is therefore an important object of my present in vention to provide an improved folded shirt collar protector which when applied to the shirt will automatically bring extensive supporting shelves into intimate engagement with the upper front collar portions and will positively prevent undesirable distortion of the collar under normal handling or stacking conditions.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive but highly efficient protector for freshly laundered shirts, and especially for such garments having soft collars.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a conveniently applicable shirt packaging device embodying an eflective collar support and protector all adapted to be formed of a single blank of sheet material such as cardboard, with the aid of simple punches and dies.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved wrapper and protector for folded shirts or the like, which may be applied rapidly and without separate fasteners to maintain the shirt in neatly folded condition and to most effectively support the entire collar thereof in natural condition.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description from which it will be noted that the gist of the present improvement is the provision of a shirt packaging device having extensive shelves which upon application of the device to a shirt will flatly and snugly engage the under sides of the front upper collar areas on opposite sides of the gap between the collar lapels, so as to prevent sagging and undesirable distortion of these areas regardless of the stiffness of the collars.

A clear conception of the specific features constituting the present improvement, and of the construction and mode of utilizing a typical commercial shirt and collar protector embodying the invention, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view of a shirt embracing band type of shirt and collar protector having the invention incorporated therein and showing the same in flat condition preparatory to application thereof to a shirt;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a. typical folded shirt with one of the improved protectors drawn to reduced scale and superimposed upon the shirt bosom and over the collar lapels preparatory to final application of the device;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the folded shirt shown in Fig. 2, with the improved packaging and protecting device finally applied;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged view of a fragment of the main plate of the assembled protector looking toward the lower edge of this plate and showing the elevated poi" tions of the device which function toprotect the front parts of the outer collar; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the protector retainer band in interlocked condition as when applied to the rear of the shirt package, drawn to the same scale as Fig. 1.

While the invention has been shown and described herein. as having been embodied in a shirt embracing band type of shirt packaging and protecting device, it is also applicable to non-embracing protectors; and it is contemplated thatspecific descriptive terms used herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the actual disclosure.

Referring to the drawing, the improved shirt packaging and protecting device illustrated therein comprises in genl, a main front plate 7 adapted to overlie span the bosom portion of a neatly folded shirt and having opposite end portions; 9, 19 adapted to embrace and to be interlocked at tie back of the shirt assemblage; an approximately hexagonal panel ii swingabl'y connected along one bounding edge to the lower medial portion of the main plate 1' and having an elongated collar-band damping plate l2 the medial portion of which is foldably connected to the opposite uppermost bounding edge of the panel i1 by a intervening hinge platform l3; a fiat shelf i4 extensive area connected along a hinge line to each of the upper opposite side bounding edges the pa d 1i; and an elongated hinge l5 connecting the medial portion of each sheif i4 with the ad acent portion of the front plate 7 independently of the panel ll. The entire device may be formed of a single sheet of relatively stilf material such as cardboard with the aid of punches and dies and with very little waste of it, and each of the end portions 9, iii is connected with the main front plate 7 by several fold lines 18 so as to compensate for folded shirts 3 of various thicknesses. The plate 7 is preferably formed of considerably greater Width than the band portions 9, ii in order to cover a considerable portion of the shirt bosom, and to also permit the panel ii and shelves 345 and the hinges id to be cut from its medial portion, see Figs 1, 2 and 3. The ends of the band portions 9, 16 adjacent to the main plate 7 are also widened as shown in order to protect the opposite side edges of the shirt 8 when the band is applied, and the free ends of the shorter band portion 9 is provided with a hook 19 adapted to cooperate with anyof several tabs 20 and with a resilient lock- 7 ing tab 21 formed on the free end of the longer portion a 10 as illustrated in Fig. 5, so as to interlock the band ends without the aid of separate fasteners.

The center panel 11 is swingably connected to the main plate 7 along a score line 22 and-has upwardly diverging opposite sides 23 extending away fromthe hinge line 22, and the hinge lines converge upwardly toward each other and away from the lower sides 23 of the panel 11 so as to give the latter an approximately hexagonal shape. The collar-band clamping plate 12 is disposed substantially parallel to andabove the main panel 7 when the blank is flat as in Fig. l, but is swingable within the collar band 24 of the shirt 8 about a hinge line at the top of the platform 13 the lower end of which is constricted and connected directly to the upper constricted portion of the panel 11. The connecting-platform. 13 is provided at its upper end with a'pair of spaced clamping plate retainer tongues 26 and is separated from the flat opposite side shelves 14 by downwardly converging slits 27.

The extensive fiat shelves 14 constitute an important feature of the present invention, and these shelves 14 are supported from the central panel 11 at the hinge lines 15 and from the main plate 7 by the elongated hinges 16 in such manner that whenthe panel 11 is elevated at an inclination relative to the plate 7 as in Figs. 3 and 4, the shelves 14 will rise and flatly engage the interiors of'the upper outer collar areas 29 adjacent to the front portion of the collar band 24 above the lapel tips 30. During such elevation of the panel 11, this panel functions as a second hinge cooperable with each shelf 14 and with the hinge 16 thereof to finally position the shelves 14 at the proper angles relative to the main plate 7 so as to insure most effective support of the outer collar throughout the areas 29 thereof, and each shelf 14 is 7 preferably provided with an extensive lobe 31 remote from its hinges in order to insure such support. The shelf supporting hinges must also be of proper length in order to automatically produce the proper angularity of the shelves 14 when the protector is being applied to a shirt 8 in the manner about to be described.

When the protector blanks have been properly formed as shown in Fig. 1, they may be compactly stacked and successively withdrawn from the stack for rapid applica tion to the successive shirts 8. The shirts 8 should be neatly folded about the usual rectangular folding board 32 formed of cardboard or the like, with the sleeves concealed and the shirt tail 33 disposed beneath the collar 7 and bosom portions as in Figs. 2 and 3, whereupon a protector may be applied to each shirt 8 substantially as follows. The folded shirt and stifiening board 32 should belaid fiatwise upon a table whereupon an outstretched'protector blank should be disposed across the a top of the shirt bosom and moved upwardly therealong with the transverse upper plate 12 riding over the collar lapels while the lower plate 7 and the shelves 14 slide beneath these lapels as the panel 11 proceeds upwardly therebetween, as illustrated in Fig. l.

During this procedure, the panel 11 gradually assumes an inclined position at a rather abrupt angle relative to the main plate 7 and simultaneously elevates and swings the hinges 16 and hence the shelves 14 into position for proper supporting coaction with the inclined collar portions 29. vWhen the upper inner edges of the shelves 14 strike the connections between the outer collar and the collar-hand 24, the upward motion of the main panel 4 the plate 7 may be interlocked as in Fig. 5, thus completing the packaging operations which can all be performed within a few seconds by an experienced operator. From the foregoing detailed description of the construction and operation of the improved collar protector for folded shirts, it will be apparent that when the device has been properly applied to a shirt, the rigid and extensive shelves 14 will effectively support the inclined areas 29 of the shirt collar so as to prevent crushing and other deformation thereof even if considerable external pressure is applied to these areas. When the panel 11 and the hinges 16 have been properly constructed as illustrated, the collar supporting shelves 14 will assume their proper supporting positions automatically while the protector is being applied to a shirt, and the enlarged lobes 31 of the shelves 14 serve to carry the support. over considerable areas 29 of the outer collar above the lapel points or tips 30.

The upper plate 12 cooperates with the front panel 11' and with the erected shelves 14 to provide a rigid supporting structure for the outer collar and the interlock afforded by the hook 19 and tabs 20, 21 may be applied without separate fasteners such as clips. and serveto maintain the protector in assembled condition. The widened front plate 7 besides covering and protecting a large portion of the shirt bosom may also be provided with advertising matter and other indicia, and the blanks may be manufactured with the aid of simple punches and dies at very moderate cost and with insignificant waste of stock. These protectors manufactured from cardboard have proven highly satisfactory and successful especially when applied fications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a unitary protector for the collar of a folded soft collar shirt, a main plate formed to snugly span and protect the upper bosom of the folded shirt and having an upwardly swingable approximately hexagonal panel the lower bounding edge of which is hingedly connected to the main plate for abruptly inclined disposition at an angle relative to the latter and for coaction with the front outer part of the neck band of said shirt, a clamping plate foldable within the interior of the neck band and having its medial portion swingably connected to theuppermost bounding edge of said hexagonal panel, a flat shelf of extensive area connected by a hinge line directly to each of the opposite upper side bounding edges of said hexagonal panel, and an elongated hinge, connecting the lower medial portion of each of said shelves with said main plate independently of said hexagonal panel, said elongated hinges and said panel being formed and operable to elevate the free ends of said shelves into supporting engagement with the upper front areas of the shirt collar above the lapel tips.

2. A collar protector as per claim 1, wherein the upper connections between the elongated hinges and the adjoining shelves are approximately parallel to the adjacent direct hinge connections between said shelves and said upper side panel bounding edges, and in which the lower connections between said elongated hinges and the main plate are inclined slightly relative to said upper connections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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