US3168747A - Shirt fastening means - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 9, 1965 A. ROTHMAN 3,168,747

SHIRT FASTENING MEANS Filed July 1l, 1965 FIG.

IN VEN TOR.

"Alvin Rgthman Patented Feb. 9, 1965 United StatesPatent Office 3,168,747 SHIRT FASTENING MEANS Alvin Rothman, Fresh Meadows, N.Y. assigner to PhillipsVan Heusen Corporation, New p York, N.Y., a corporation of New York t Filed July 11, 1963, Ser. No. 294,428

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-128) This invention relates to outer garments such as shirts, and it has for one of its objects the provision of collar fastening means, including a button-engaging expansible loop and to means by which the loop can be placed in a retracted position when not in use, thereby rendering it unobtrusive and largely concealed from view.

In shirts intended for both informal and formal wear, collar fastening means of such form is usually provided so that the collar may be worn either sport-shirt fashion or closed for more formal wear as with a neck-tie. When the collar is worn in open position, or sport-shirt style, at least one of the fastening elements, and usually a loop, is exposed to View and it serves to detract from the clean cut appearance of the garment at the neck area. It is therefore desirable that some means be provided for concealing the loop when the same is not needed for use in closing the collar and Vthe present invention relates to such means.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a loop for closing the collar when closure of the collar is desired and to provide means by which the greater part of the loop may be retracted into a pocket for its reception when it is not being used. It is also desirable that means be provided whereby the loop, when retracted as above stated, will provide an insignificant but useful exposed bight portion of the loop for linger engagement to extend the loop when it is desired to put the same into button-engaging use.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of an elastic loop located at the upper edge of the front of the shirt and so arranged that it can be bodily shifted and retracted or pushed between layers of the shirt front and thereby concealed from view, yet leaving a small part of the bight of the loop exposed and available for drawing out the loop into extended position when required for use as a fastening element for the front of the collar.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in View, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a shirt collar arrangement constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the fastening loop in its extended position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged View with parts broken away and showing how the loop is mounted in the collar band portion;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 shows the shirt collar as it appears when closed, but with one of the collar extremities folded back to disclose the fastening means, and

FIG. 5 shows the manner in which the loop can be retracted into the body of the shirt.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates generally the body of a shirt, which may be of conventional construction. The shirt is provided with an attached collar 2. The body of the shirt has its ends overlapping at the front in the known manner and is fastened by the usual buttons and button-holes.

In the collar-band portion of the shirt is located a but ton 3 (FIG. 4) which is adapted to receive a loop 4 to maintain the collar in its closed or fastened position when the shirt is worn in the more formal manner as in FIG. 4. When the collar is open and the shirt is being worn in an informal or sport-shirt style as shown in FIG. 1, the loop 4 is then detached from the button 3 and it may be caused to be retracted so that the greater portion of it is accommodated in a pocket arranged between the layers of the shirt body fabric.

The loop 4 is preferably, but not necessarily composed of elastic cord and is thus stretchable and is readily engaged around the button 3 to close the collar. When it is not needed, it can be readily pushed down into the body of the shirt to locate it between the layers thereof and to be largely concealed from view as shown in FIG. 5.

The loop is of elongated form and has its ends secured together by stitching or wrapping as shown at 6. The fabric layers 7 and 8 have their edges inturned, as shown at 9 and 10 in FIG. 3 and these inturned edges are united by stitching 11. The stitching is interrupted to provide two spaced openings 12 and 13 through which the legs of the loop 4 pass and are movable to slide the loop in and out of the spacing between the layers 7 and 8. It will be noted that a portion of the inturned edges 10 and 11 extends between the legs of the loop and such portion, shown at 14, forms a stop to limit the extending of the loop out of the pocket 15 between the layers of the shirt, as Well as to limit the extent of protrusion of the loop. This stop piece also serves to prevent the loop from being pulled away from the shirt when it is elastically expanded about the button as shown in FIG- 4.-

When the loop is retracted into the shirt, or into the pocket portion 15 thereof, it will be noted that, as shown in FIG. 5 a very small portion of the bight end of the loop remains on the outside of the edge 16 of the shirt. This portion of the loop is so insignificant as to be scarcely perceptible on the outside of the shirt, but it is suiiicient to enable it to be engaged by the finger to pull out the loop to the extended position of FIG. 1 when the loop is to be placed in button-engaging position.

When the shirt is worn informally, as a sport shirt as shown in FIG. 1, the loop 4 can be withdrawn or retracted so that most of it will enter into the pocket 15 and will thus be concealed from view, the small extended portion 17 being relatively unnoticeable. In FIG. l the loop is shown in its extended portion, but actually when the shirt is worn as there shown the loop will be retracted as shown in FIG. 5. When it is desired to conceal the loop it is pushed into the pocket 15 between the layers of the shirt body to the limit of its insertion as shown in FIG. 5, its further retraction into the body of the shirt being halted by the contact of the bight portion 17 of the loop with the part 14 located between the legs of the loop.

When the shirt is to be worn for formal wear, or with a necktie, the loop is extended to the position shown in FIG. l and the loop then tted around the button 3. The loop being elastic or stretchable, will permit expansibility of the collar size and will afford comfort to the wearer while retaining the collar in a fastened condition.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A shirt and a fastener therefor, said shirt comprising front parts adapted to be in overlapping relationship, at least one of said front parts being composed of a plurality of fabric layers connected together by stitching along an edge thereof which is adapted to lie in overlapping relationship to said other front part, said stitching being interrupted at two spacedpoints along said edge, said interrupted stitching thereby defining two spaced openings along said edge between said fabric layers, said openings beiiig separated-'by aistitched ledge portion., an elastic loop comprising two legl portions and a bight portion, one l of said leg portions of said loop being inserted between `portion between said openings, said stitched edge portion forming a stop means to limit the extension or retraction of` said loop, said closed loop thereby forming afastener for said front part and being adapted to engage-accoperating fastener on Vthe other front part.

2. A shirt and fastener therefor as provided in claim 1,wherein. said Yclosed loop is of elongated yformation and is adapted to be retracted within in said fabric layers to a point where only the bight portion of said closed loop is visible.

References CitedY the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS" 1,963,004

Tucker v r i r r June12,` 1934 2,425,091 Y Fisch Aug. 5, 1947 2,756,432 Beregow etal. July 31, 1956 2,893,012v Kahn e July 7, 1959

Claims (1)

1. A SHIRT AND A FASTENER THEREFOR, SAID SHIRT COMPRISING FRONT PARTS ADAPTED TO BE IN OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FRONT PARTS BEING COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF FABRIC LAYERS CONNECTED TOGETHER BY STITCHING ALONG AN EDGE THEREOF WHICH IS ADAPTED TO LIE IN OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID OTHER FRONT PART, SAID STITCHING BEING INTERRUPTED AT TWO SPACED POINTS ALONG SAID EDGE, SAID INTERRUPTED STITCHING THEREBY DEFINING TWO SPACED OPENINGS ALONG SAID EDGE BETWEEN SAID FABRIC LAYERS, SAID OPENINGS BEING SEPARATED BY A STITCHED EDGE PORTION, AN ELASTIC LOOP COMPRISING TWO LEG PORTIONS AND A BIGHT PORTION, ONE OF SAID LEG PORTIONS OF SAID LOOP BEING INSERTED BETWEEN SAID FABRIC LAYERS THROUGH ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, THE OTHER SAID LEG PORTION OF SAID LOOP BEING INSERTED BETWEEN SAID FABRIC LAYERS THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID OPENINGS, MEANS SECURING SAID LEG PORTIONS TOGETHER BETWEEN SAID FABRIC

Images