WO1997016588A1

WO1997016588A1 - Garment expander

Info

Publication number: WO1997016588A1
Application number: PCT/CA1995/000609
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henry J. Sava
Original assignee: Sava Henry J
Priority date: 1995-10-27
Filing date: 1995-10-27
Publication date: 1997-05-09
Also published as: AU3695895A

Abstract

A method of producing a permanent elongation or shape change in a textile product by applying a conditioning solution (25) to the textile product workpiece, and mounting it on a stretching or moulding means whose configuration is determined by the desired workpiece shape and size alteration. The conditioning solution (25) is formulated with chemical compounds in various proportions to provide for rapid wetting of the workpiece, lubrication among adjacent fibres in the yarns of the textile, softening of fibres for flexibility and suppleness, and for fixing the workpiece in its new size and shape upon evaporation of the liquid components of the solution. The stretching means comprises holders (2) with integral clamping means (4, 5) to clamp the workpiece at end points, and a source of power (14) to apply force to move at least one of the workpiece end holders in order to apply the stretch required for the elongation of the workpiece, so that some fibres of the textile yarn incur permanent deformation and elongation, to free them from the textile matrix holding them to allow the desired elongation of the workpiece. One aspect of this invention is its use to stretch waistbands and collars of garments that have become too tight to wear.

Description

GARMENT EXPANDER

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a process which extends a textile workpiece to a new desired size and shape and which sets or fixes the new size and shape. It also relates to a textile fabric conditioning solution which is formulated to aid in the stretching or shaping of a textile workpiece when mated with a mechanical means to stretch the workpiece to the desired configuration, and which sets or fixes the altered shape-change.

The process of treating and stretching textile workpieces is sparsely represented in current art, if at all. And even the methods which might be citable, are not at all analagous to this invention. A washed woolen sock can be stretched over a sock template to dry. A washed garment can have a starch and water mixture applied to it for slight stretching on hot ironing. Through a combination of a special solution and a controlled heat curing, textile can be made "wash and wear", but the analogy with the present invention ends with the fact that no significant stretching or shape alteration is achieved.

For a few non-textiles, distantly analogous results can be found in specific treatments for garments. A felt hat can be blocked under the tension of the inserted and separated lasts, and a shoe can be somewhat enlarged by tensioned shoe blocks left for several days. From the world of art, a means of making a piece of fabric taut and slightly rigid consists of stretching cotton fabric over a frame and applying an aqueous mixture such as Jesso, latex or acrylic. But these techniques have no general application beyond the specific results noted.

Clothing frequently becomes unusable because a contrictive closure such as the waistband of trousers or the collar of a shirt becomes too small to wear. For enlarging the waistband of a garment such as trousers by one or two inches, to make a "too tight", discarded pair of trousers reusable again, the current means to accomplish this only allows enlargement of a waistband by "letting out the seam", encountering the difficulties that garments such as jeans have no seams in the waistband to let out, and many trousers have no more material left to be let out. A shirt collar can only be replaced, but only in certain circumstances justifies the cost. As it exists in this field, prior art consists of constrained and highly specialized techniques. None of the random processes above represent a method to permanently stretch and shape textile workpieces in a predictable, efficient and reproducible manner, with the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of needs.

This invention consists of a method to produce a permanent elongation in a textile workpiece, or to alter its shape. The method of this invention applies to a single textile workpiece as well as to a whole garment, and components of garments such as the waistband of a pair of trousers which is too tight.

According to one aspect, the invention consists of producing a permanent extension or shape alteration in a textile workpiece by the steps of wetting the textile workpiece to be expanded, with a conditioning solution, mounting the pre-conditioned workpiece by its ends or edges, which are grasped by end holder clamps affixed to an endholder tensioning device, which causes controlled separation of the end holders by the application of power to stretch the textile workpiece, wherein the new shape and size is fixed by the removal of the moisture from the workpiece.

According to another aspect, the method consists of a conditioning solution specifically formulated to apply to a textile workpiece, which accomplishes rapid wetting, softening and lubrication of the fibres of the workpiece, and contains a fixative to set the desired shape. The wetted workpiece is manipulated into its new size and shape by a mating means for stretching or moulding the workpiece. Drying the workpiece by evaporating off the liquid components of the conditioning solution, fixes the workpiece to retain its new extended shape. In one preferred embodiment, the invention is configurated as a garment waistband expander, and is described with reference to drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a face view of the invention where the method of the invention is used to stretch garment waistbands or collars;

Figure 2 is a side view of the waistband expander shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is an enlarged face view of a waistband endholder which includes a means for clamping the workpiece end.

Figure is a perspective view of a simplified waistband expander showing trousers mounted in place for stretching, or dismounting.

The invention shown in Figure 1 is the aspect used for stretching of the waistband of trousers and consists of a holder tensioning device 1 towards the ends of which are affixed workpiece end holders 2 which include means for clamping the workpiece end as illustrated in Figure 3.

The workpiece endholder in Figure 3 is comprised of an anvil M attached to the holder tensioning device 1 , which includes a workpiece clamping means, which, in one configuration includes a clamping face 5 which is attached by pivot means 6 to clamping thumbscrew 7, which grips the workpiece end by being screwed in, to press face 5 against the inner face of anvil 4. The clamping face 5 is provided with a recess 3 to accomodate a waistbend button or snap closure without crushing it when the clamp is actuated to grip a waistband end.

The workpiece endholder 2 includes a means for rotation or quick detachment, comprising of integral anchor pin 8 which mates with its receiving hole 9, and is secured in the desired allignment by pin 10. Releasing pin 10 allows the workpiece endholder to be rotated by 90 degrees, so as to allign the plane of the clamping faces into the same plane, to provide an alternate clamping means for use to stretch shirt collars. Alternately, releasing pin 10 allows the workpiece endholders to be removed and replaced with a workpiece holder of a different functional design, when the invention is used in an alternate aspect to modify the shape of an alternate textile workpiece.

The endholder tensioning device 1 is supported by brachets 11 affixed to base 12, which stands on the ground for operation. The endholder tensioning device 1 is mated to power source 13 which provides the force to extend the end holder tensioning device to stretch a textile workpiece.

The power source 13 incorporates a means 1 for setting the maximum workpiece tension. The power source illustrated in this aspect of the invention comprises a manually cranked wheel 15.

The endholder tensioning device is provided with a graduated scale 16 with indicator tabs 17 to provide a means to monitor the exact amount of extension applied to the workpiece from start to finish. Moveable indicator 18 can be preset before tensioning, to a pre-determined measure of workpiece extension.

In the aspect of the invention illustrated, a means for evaporating away of the liquid components of the conditioning solution consists of radiant heaters 19 moveably mounted to brackets 11 by flexible link holders 20, to swing into drying position when the workpiece has been stretched, and out of the way for dismounting, and positioning a new workpiece.

A control panel 21 is affixed to the top of the assembly. It is provided with means to set the power level to the heaters 22, and a timer 23 to regulate the heating duration. Temperature indicator 24 shows the temperature at the drying waistband.

A means for applying the conditioning solution, 25, in one configuration, consists of a pressurized solution container 26 with an integral hose and trigger sprayer with a tapered nozzle producing a confined cone-shaped spray pattern.

The conditioning liquid, 25, is a solution for applying to textiles to facilitate stretching of a textile workpiece and fixing the extended new size and shape, which comprises: formulations of chemical compounds in various proportions, dissolved or suspended in liquid components which also act as the vehicle, wherein the formulation includes compounds to act as:

a wetting agent to allow quick saturation of the fabric by the applied solution;

a lubricating agent to allow individual fibres of the textile to glide frictionlessly vis-a-vis each other during mechanical extension of the fabric;

a softening agent to render the fibres more flexible and supple;

a fixing agent which is left as a residue on the fabric after removal of the liquid components, and which is cured by driving off the liquid components by a means such as the application of heat, which fixes the extended textile workpiece by molecular bonding at the contact point of touching fibres, to create a stable fibre matrix within the workpiece to fix its new size or shape.

Claims

CLAIMSThe embodiments of this invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method to produce permanent elongation or shape-change in a textile workpiece.

2. The extension method of claim 1, which comprises the steps of:

mounting the workpiece by securing the workpiece ends to workpiece end holders which are affixed to an endholder tensioning device;

stretching the workpiece by applying force to cause the affixed end holders to separate;

3. The extension method of claim 2 which comprises the steps of:

applying a conditioning solution to a textile workpiece before it is stretched, which facilitates the stretching and fixing of the workpiece to its extended shape;

drying the fabric workpiece to fix its extended shape, by means of evaporation of the liquid components, which means could include the application of heat.

4. The extension method of claim 3 wherein the conditioning solution is variably formulated from specific chemical compounds, in various proportions, dissolved or suspended in the liquid components of the solution, which provide means for:

rapid wetting for quick saturation of the textile by the solution;

lubrication of the fibres of the textile workpiece, permitting slippage between contacting fibres when stretching; softening of the textile fibres to increase flexibility and suppleness, to facilitate stretching of the fabric workpiece;

fixing the expanded textile workpiece to its new shape by deposition of a fixative chemical which creates molecular bridges to bond contacting fibres after drying off of the liquid components of the conditioning solution, to create a stable fibre matrix to hold the workpiece in its new size or shape.

5. The extension method of claim 2 wherein the means for mounting and stretching the textile workpiece comprises:

workpiece endholders to securely mount and clamp the workpiece;

an endholder tensioning device to which the workpiece endholders are affixed;

a means for applying force to move the workpiece endholders apart, to stretch the workpiece as needed;

6. The extension method of claim 5, wherein the tensioning device is mated to a means for applying power to force the workpiece endholders apart;

7. The extension method of claim 6 in which the tensioning device incorporates means for a quick release of the tension on the clamped workpiece for quick removal of the stretched workpiece and rapid mounting of a new workpiece.

8. The extension method of claim 2 wherein a workpiece endholder consists of an anvil, and a clamping assembly which provides means to press the clamp face against the anvil, to securely compress and hold the workpiece end that is mounted between them.

9. The extension method of claim 8 wherein the closure planes of the mating anvil and clamping face can be set to be perpendicular to the axis of the tensioning device, or alternately, parallel to it;

10. The extension method of claim 2 wherein the textile workpiece is a contrictive band closure of a textile garment.

11. The extension method of claim 10 wherein the contrictive band closure is the waistband or collar of a textile garment.

12. The extension method of claim 8 wherein the clamping face of a workpiece end holder contains a circular recess to accomodate a button or a snap fastener when the workpiece end holder mounts a garment waistband incorporating a button or snap closure fastener, so that it is not crushed when the jaw closes, and where further, the clamping face includes a means for pivoting so that when pressed against the mating face of the anvil, it securely accomodates a workpiece end whose cross section at the closure point is non-parallel, such as being wedge-shaped.

13. The extension method of claim 6 wherein the power source to force the extension of the extensible member, may, for example, be a manual, electrical or pneumatic drive.

14. The extension method of claim 6 wherein the endpiece tensioning device incorporates within its mating power train, means for pre-setting an adjustable indicator to show when a desired extension of the workpiece has been accomplished, and a means for pre-setting the maximum tension to be applied to the workpiece.

15. The extension method of claim 1 wherein a means for application of heat to the expanded workpiece to assist in drying off the liquid components of the conditioning solution is heated air or radiant heat.

16. The extension method of claims 15 and 11, wherein the garment waistband is made of a thermosetting polymer and the application of heat to the garment wasteband is controlled to a higher temperature to soften the waste band fibres for obtaining the required elongation, wherein cooling the workpiece fixes the new length.

17. A conditioning solution for applying to textiles to facilitate stretching of a textile workpiece and fixing the extended new size and shape, which comprises: formulations of specific chemical compounds in various proportions, dissolved or suspended in liquid components of the solution.

18. The conditioning solution of claim 17 wherein the formulation includes compounds acting as:

a lubricating agent to allow individual fibres of the textile to glide frictionlessly over each other during machanical extension of the fabric;

a softening agent to render the fibres more flexible and supple;

fixing the expanded textile workpiece to its new shape by deposition of a fixative chemical which creates molecular bridges to bond contacting fibres, which, after drying off of the liquid components of the conditioning solution, creates a stable fibre matrix to hold the workpiece in its new size or shape.

19. The conditioning solution of claim 18 used in combination with a means for extending a textile workpiece by stretching planarly, or in three dimensions, to process a textile workpiece into a desired shape and size.