FR2819829A1 - Upper garment folding template comprises transparent panel with marked lines and rounded corners - Google Patents

Abstract

The template consists of a thin, transparent, rectangular panel (1), e.g. of a plastic material, measuring some 24 cm wide by 32 cm long and 0.2 cm thick, with rounded or cut-away corners (4) and marked with a series of guide lines (2, 2', 2) for accurate positioning of parts of the garment being folded, such as the neck, yoke, pleats and motifs, and a hole (3) for ease of removal. The guide lines can be in two colours, one light, one dark, to make them easy to see against the background of the garment, or they can be in the form of alternating rows of geometrical figures such as circles or triangles. A variant uses two hinged panels for long garments.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a device for folding shirts, T-shirts, tank tops, polo shirts and other garments, especially of the upper body, in a simple, rapid and perfectly regular manner, which is removed from the garment once folded.

 At home, in clothing stores, in communities, dry cleaners or in garment factories, clothes that are traditionally folded by hand, are folded without rigorous dimensions.

 The device according to the invention overcomes this drawback. According to a first characteristic, it comprises a thin and transparent rectangular plate. Rectilinear marks to facilitate the positioning of the device on the garment to be folded are placed on the width and the length of the plate. An orifice is made in the plate. The user folds the garment by folding the sides of the garment one after the other onto the device. When the garment is folded, it removes it and can continue folding other garments with the same device.

According to particular embodiments:
The plate can be transparent.

 Marks can be placed on the width and length of the plate.

 A hole can be made in the plate.

 The corners of the plate can be rounded or bevelled.

 The appended drawings illustrate the invention, by way of nonlimiting examples: FIG. 1 represents the front view of the device.

Figure 2 shows the front view of the device being placed on the garment to be folded, the garment being laid flat with the back exposed.

 With reference to these drawings, the device comprises a plate (1) of rectangular shape, on which are placed rectilinear markers (2), (2 ') and (2 ") in its width and in its length, as well as a orifice (3).

The device according to the invention will be used as follows for all of the upper body garments:
The garment is laid flat on a flat surface exposing the back.

 The user places the device on the upper body garment, the orifice (3) located on the neck side.

 It positions the device by making the axis of the orifice (3) coincide with the axis of the collar of the garment, and by adjusting the marks (2) with the collar, and (2 ') and (2 ") with the yokes, pleats or patterns of the garment as shown in Figure 2.

 The sections of the garment are folded one after the other on the plate (1).

 The user just has to slide his fingers in the hole (3) provided for this purpose to remove the plate (1) in order to complete the folding.

 This latter manipulation is facilitated by the rounded or bevelled corners (4) of the plate (1).

 The plate (1) can be made of transparent plastic.

 The marks (2), (2 ') and (2 ") serve as guides for correctly positioning the device on the garment thanks to certain characteristics of the garment (collar, inserts, pleats, checks, stripes,

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 reasons ...). These markers are horizontal (2 ') and vertical (2) and (2 ") lines which have the particularity of being two-tone, that is to say each formed by two lines, one of which is clear and the other is dark, so as to systematically offer, through the transparent material of the plate (1), contrasting and very visible markers, regardless of the color of the garment.

 To facilitate the extraction of the plate (1) from the folded garment, the corners (4) may be rounded or bevelled to allow it to slide without snagging out of the garment.

 Several garments folded in this way with the same device have the same dimensions and can be stacked on top of each other to form a completely regular stack.

 The device can be stored, suspended vertically thanks to the orifice (3), which can also serve not only as a positioning mark relative to the neckline of the garment, but also as a handle for extracting the plate.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 3 (representing the front view of the device), the pins can be of different shapes, simple or colored (alternating alignment of small light and dark circles for example) and produced on the plate or integrated into it this.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 4 (representing the front view of the device), the marks can be notches of different shapes (triangular for example), simple or highlighted by two bi-colored lines and produced on the contour of the plate, and can be complementary to the benchmarks of the previous variant.

 According to a variant not illustrated, the device can be opaque. It can be made of mothproof wood, and left in clothes or near clothes, wool for example, for their storage or their storage.

 According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 5 (representing the front view of the device), the device can be composed of two plates assembled together by an external means of assembly (for example either by hinges, or by gluing (for example by adhesive tapes placed inside and outside the device)) and may be provided with an orifice and markings. This double model is particularly useful for folding long clothes (large shirts, dresses or nightgowns for example). The garment being laid flat on a flat surface exposing the back, the user places the double device in the deployed and vertical position, any of the two plates on the neck side, The sides of the garment are folded one after the other on the two plates. The user partially removes the device by sliding the first plate outward and stopping when the joint of the two plates arrives at the collar of the garment. At this stage, it suffices to fold the last panel (released by the extraction of the first plate) onto the second plate still present in the garment, and finally to completely remove the entire device to complete the folding.

 By way of nonlimiting example, the simple device will have dimensions of the order of 24 cm for the width, 32 cm for the length and 0.20 cm for the thickness.

 Depending on demand, several dimensions of the device can be produced (for example: men's size, women's size or children's size).

en piles régulières (sur les étagères des magasins, à la maison, dans les lingeries collectives, les pressings...) ou pour les empaqueter de façon homogène (dans les fabriques de confection...).The device according to the invention is more specifically intended for folding clothes for storing them

in regular stacks (on store shelves, at home, in collective lingerie, dry cleaners, etc.) or to package them in a uniform fashion (in garment factories, etc.).

Claims (9)

1) Device for more particularly folding upper garments intended to be stored in regular stacks on the shelves of shops, at home, in communities or dry cleaners for example, or for packaging them homogeneously in the factories of confection, characterized in that it comprises a transparent rectangular plate (1) intended to be laid flat on a garment and provided with markers (2), (2 ') and (2 ") in its width and in its length which serve as guides for correctly positioning the device on the garment thanks to certain characteristics of the garment such as the collar, the inserts, the pleats and the patterns, and making it possible to fold this garment by folding the sides of the garment one after the other on the device.  2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that an orifice (3) is formed in the plate (1) to serve as a handle for its extraction once the garment folded.  3) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the corners (4) of the plate (1) are rounded or bevelled.  4) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pins (2), (2 ') and (2 ") are two-color so as to make them appear very visible and very contrasted through the transparent material of the plate (1), regardless of the color of the garment 5) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the marks (2), (2 ') and (2 ") are lines, one of which is light and the other dark.  6) Device according to claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the pins (2), (2 ') and (2 ") are alternative alignments of light and dark geometric figures.  7) Device according to claim 6 characterized in that the pins (2), (2 ') and (2 ") are small light and dark circles made on the plate (1) or integrated therein.  8) Device according to claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the pins (2), (2 ') and (2 ") are notches made on the contour of the plate (1), for example triangular, simple or highlighted by two two-tone lines.  9) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a second plate (1 ') assembled to the plate (1) by an external assembly means (5) forming a hinge and intended for long garments.