US2567385A - Method of folding and packaging shirts - Google Patents

Description

Sept. '11, 1951 s. LIG HTER 2,567,385

METHOD OF FOLDING AND PACKAGING SHIRTS Filed Nov. 12, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 MAM 1 Sept. 11, 1951 Filed Nov, 12, 1947 s. LIGHTER 2,567,385

METHOD OF FOLDING AND PACKAGING SHIRTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 11, 1951 Filed Nov. 12, 1947 s. LIGHTER 2,567,385

METHOD OF FOLDING AND PACKAGING SHIRTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 11, 195i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD or FOLDING AND PACKAGING snmrs Stephen Lighter, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application November 12, 1947, Serial No. '7 85,232

My present invention relates generally to improvements in the art of folding and wrapping shirts, and rel-ates more specifically to an improved folded shirt package and to an improved method of and apparatus for producing the packages.

It is customary in most laundries to carefully fold mens shirts after they have been laundered, by utilizing a flat rectangular folding board of desired length initially applied to the upper back portion of each shirt, and about which the cuffs, sleeves and opposite sides of the shirt are folded laterally, while the tail portions of the garment are subsequently folded upwardly or longitudinally over the pro-folded sleeves portions resting upon the board After such folding of each shirt has been thus effected, an envelope or shirt embracing band is applied to the folded shirt body and a collar retainer may also be applied to the shirt collar, whereupon the folding board may be withdrawn upwardly from within the completed package. This method of folding and packaging has been in vogue for many years in spite of the fact that the flat or plane folding boards heretofore employed, frequently caused 2 Claims. (01. 93168) the folded cuffs and sleeves to produce unsightly bulges and wrinkles at the bosom portions of the .enwrapped shirts and thus marred the neat appearance of the final packages. Then too, the envelopes and retainer bands heretofore utilized to maintain the shirts in folded condition could not be conveniently applied without wrinkling the garments, and these retaining devices when in the form of a complete envelope were relatively costly, while the prior relatively narrow and less expensive retainer bands did not afford sufficient support of the lower portions of the enwrapped shirts.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method of fold ing and wrapping freshly laundered shirts or the like, with the aid of an improved folding board and retaining band, whereby an improved and highly aesthetic final package results, so that all of the above mentioned objections are eliminated.

Another important object of this invention is to provide an improved shirt folding board which may be utilized to rapidly and effectively fold shirts or similar garments in a manner whereby undue protrusion and wrinkling of the shirt bosoms is positively avoided, and with the aid of which the cuffs and folded sleeves are caused to reenforce and stiffen the folded garments so as to resist free flexing or bending of the packages.

A further important object of my present invention is to provide an improved folded shirt retainer which may be readily manufactured from durable stock with minimum waste and at moderate cost, and which may also be conveniently applied to the folded shirts so as to retain the garments neatly folded while also maintaining the collars and other exposed portions of the enwrapped articles in reenforced condition.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide an improved mode of expediting the folding and wrapping of freshly laundered shirts in a manner whereby the successive garments may be quickly packed and are effectively protected during subsequent handling.

Anadditional object of my invention is to provide simple and inexpensive apparatus for facilitating shirt wrapping and packaging procedure, and which may. be utilized by a novice to produce flatand unwrinkled folded shirt packages having the folds snugly confined within a relatively narrow retainer band.

These and other specific objects and advantages. of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several steps involved in my new shirt packaging method, and of the construction andmode of utilizing my improved folding board and protective 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 perspective view of one of my improved shirt folding boards showing the same being initially applied to a fragment of the upper rear portion of a shirt the major portion of the sleeves of which have been broken away;

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view of the assemblage shown in Fig. 1, but showing the shirt sleeves folded inwardly about their shoulder portions toward the folding board resting upon the upper back portion of the shirt, with the shirt cuffsfl-attened and reposing within the concavity of the board; I i

Fig. 3 is another similar perspective view of the same assemblage, but showing the left hand sleeve and the adjacent side of the shirt, folded inwardly over the cuffs and concavity of the folding board; 1 Fig. 4 is still another similar perspective view of the assemblage, but showing the right hand sleeve and side of the shirt, folded inwardly over and also showing one of my improved retainers and protectors being applied to the shirt bosom;

Fig. '7 is another perspective view of the inverted assemblage of Fig. 6, but showing the protective retainer band moved downwardly over the shirt bosom and beneath the collar lapels;

Fig. 8 is still another perspective view of the inverted folding board and shirtassembly, Showing the collar protector of the shirt retainer band finally applied to the collar;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the rear of the final shirt package, showing the folding board being removed or withdrawn longitudinally from its upper end; and

Fig. 10 is a front and;side perspective view of the final package.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as being advantageously applicable for the purpose of packing freshly laundered men s shirts, it is not my desire .or intent to unnecessarily limit the scope or utility of the improved method and apparatus by virtue of the restricted disclosure.

. In accordance with my presentimprovement, I provide an improved shirt folding member or board l4 of predeterminedshape andsize, having anelongated concavity or-concavesurface on one side, and a correspondingly elongated convexity or convex surface [.6 on .its opposite side. This board 14 may be formedof any relatively stiff. sheet material such as metal, plastic, wood, or paper adapted to retain its desired shape, and mayalso be of suitable length depending upon the length of final package desired. The folding member is preferably rectangular in shape and the width of the folding board I4 may be approximately seven inches in, order to produce final packages approximately eight inches wide, while the effective length may be either twelve inches in order to produce so-called short-fold packs, or sixteen inches for the production of "longfold" packs. As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, the folding board may also be provided at its opposite sides with swing .bracketsor wire I! pivotally suspended from brackets l3 secured to the board extension l9, and while these wires 11 facilitate, lateral folding of the side portions of the shirts, they are not necessary .and may be omitted.

I also preferably provide improved foldedshirt embracing elements or bands 20 such as illustrated in Figs. 7 to inclusive, each comprising a continuous ribbon of relatively stiff cardboard stock having front and rear walls 21, .22 interconnected at their opposite sides along fold lines 24, the front wall 2! being provided with a collar retainer plate 25 swingably connected to its upper edge by a central panel 26, and the rear wall 22 being provided with a downwardly projecting integral central apron lip '21. These wrapper bands may be formed of unitary blanks adapted to be die cut in nested groups from strips or sheets of cardboard so as to result in minimum waste of stock, and each of these blanks may be folded and joined at its ends into continuous ribbon formation in any convenient manner, but preferably by having the joints 28 extend centrally of the lips 21 in order to reenforce and stiffen these lips. While the collar retainer assemblage associated with the front wall 2| and specifically illustrated, is of the general type shown in my prior Patent #2243350, granted May 27, 1941, this assemblage may also be varied to some extent, although the collar retaining plate 25 and panel 26 do cooperate with the wrapper band 20 to maintain the latter in proper position and to protect the enwrapped garment.- The bands 20 are preferably formed of relatively resilient stock so that they may be distended into approximately elliptical shape preparatory to application to a shirt, and will clamp the shirt folds together when in final position.

When utilizing my improved folding member or board l4 and band 20 to carry on my improved method of packing a laundered shirt 30, the garment should be initially spread out upon a table or other suitable support with the back 3| uppermost and the sleeves 32 and cuffs 33 fiattened and stretched outwardly as in Fig. 1; whereupon the folding board assemblage should be applied as shown with its convex face Hi resting upon the upper portion of the shirt back 31 and its concavity I5 upwardly directed, and with the folding wires I1 swung outwardly. With the elements thus positioned, the sleeves 32 and cuffs 33 of the shirt 30 should be folded about the distended wires l1 and the cufis 33 together with the adjacent sleeve extremities should be caused to repose neatly within the concavity ll; of the folding board [4 as illustrated in Fig. 2, with the flattened cuffs 33 extending longitudinally of the board and superimposed upon each other.

The sleeves 32 and the side portions 34 of the shirt 3!] may thereafter be folded inwardly in succession about the opposite side edges of the folding board l4, as depicted in Figs. 3 and so that these side portions 34 become superimposed upon each other and upon the flat cuffs 33 and neatly folded sleeves 32, and these side folds should be extended throughout the entire length of the garment. Upon completion of this longitudinal folding operation, the tail portion 35 of the shirt 3!) should be folded transversely and caused to repose upon the medial shirt portion 36, and the latter should thereafterbe folded about the lower edge of the board I4 and deposited upon the inwardly pre-folded upper side portions 34 of the garment, as shown in Fig. 5. This completes the folding steps, and while the folding wires H may be utilized in order to facilitate folding of the sleeves 32 and side portions 34, their use is not essential.

In order to apply the final wrapper and retainer, the folding board and folded shirt assemblage may be disposed vertically with the board extension 19 resting upon a suitable support, whereupon a wrapper element or band 20 may be readily applied to the uppermost end of the assembly as illustrated in Fig. 6. The front and rear walls 21, 22 of the band 20 will be spread apart as the wrapper is slid downwardly over the bosom 31 and medial portion 36. of the folded garment, thereby drawing the fold lines 24 inwardly toward each other; and as the wrapping band 20 approaches the shirt collar 38,.it should be permitted to pass beneath the collar lapels .39 while the retainer plate 25 should be allowed to advance over these lapels 39 and over the collar 38 as de icted in Fig. '7. The panel 26 will permit such action to take place during lowering of the band, and the retainer plate 25 may then be snapped into the interior of the collar 38 in the manner shown in Fig, 8.

The package may thereafter be freely withdrawn from the folding board 14 as illustrated in-Fig. 9, whereupon the resilient wrapper band 20 will distend outwardly and will snugly embrace the body of the shirt 30, while the retainer plate 25 will prevent shifting of the band 20 along the shirt and will also protect the collar 38 against collapse. The apron projection 21 at the rear of the package extends downwardly away from the collar 38 and thus cooperates with the collar retainer and with the remainder of the band 20 to provide reinforcement against bending throughout the major portion of the package length; and the flat cufi's 33 and adjacent portions of the sleeves 32, which had previously been confined with the concavity l5 of the folding board M, are snugly fiatwise confined within the garment and cooperate with the local embracing band to eliminate unsightly bulges which also tend to obstruct application of the wrapper, and to produce a highly aesthetic and abundantly reinforced package such as shown in Fig. 10, without utilizing complete shirt envelopes or reinforcing inserts.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that my present invention provides an improved and highly attractive folded shirt package and an improved method of and apparatus for producing such packages in rapid succession. The curved elongated folding member or board It causes the shirt folds to be stretched taut transversely of the garment so that when the wrapper band 20 is finally applied and the board is withdrawn, the shirt flattens and is stretched out laterally with the spreading band and the production of wrinkles and bulges is entirely avoided so that a smooth and dressy finish results. While the convex surface l6 of the folding member is of importance in eliminating wrinkles, the concavity l5 of this folding device is also of importance in properly positioning the sleeves 32 and cuifs 33 so as to eliminate bulges which tend to obstruct advancement of the wrapper band while being applied; and although the width of the curved folding board I4 is less than that of the final packages, the difference is due to the flattening action of the resilient bands. The boards 14 may be of any desired shape, length and width and need not necessarily be provided with guide wires I! as shown.

The improved wrapper bands 20 may be readily produced in quantity from cardboard or similar strips or sheets and with minimum waste of stock and may also be formed relatively narrow in order to reduce the cost of production to a minimum. Although the use of the collar protecting plate 25 aids in reinforcing the shirt collar 38 and in keeping the narrow band 20 in proper position, this plate 25 and the panel 26 may be omitted, but the addition of the apron projection 21 which extends downwardly a considerable distance below the front portion of the band, is desirable in order to reenforce the package against undesirable bending. A relatively narrow band 20 may therefore be utilized to effectively reenforce both the rear lower portion and the front upper collar portion of each folded shirt, and a minimum amount of stock is used in the production of these narrow retainer bands. My improved method and apparatus have proven highly advantageous and successful in actual use, and are especially useful in laundries for the purpose of folding and packing freshly laundered shirts and the like.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact steps of the method or to the precise details of construction of the apparatus herein described and illustrated, for various modification within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art; and it is also contemplated that specific descriptive terms employed herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

I claim:

1. The method of wrapping a shirt, which comprises, positioning the flattened and distended shirt with its buttoned bosom portion lowermost and with the flattened sleeves outstretched and the cuffs distended, bending the bosom and the superimposed back portions laterally to predetermined definite curvature and maintaining said bosom and back portions thus curved to provide a concavity extending longitudinally of the back while initially folding the sleeves inwardly to dispose the fiattened cuifs lengthwise and centrally within the concavity, folding the opposite side portions of the shirt and the initially folded adjacent sleeve portions inwardly into the concavity to produce an elongated folded assemblage of definite width and subsequently folding the lower portions of the shirt transversely and superimposing the same over the inwardly folded sleeves and side portions within the concavity, slipping a continuous band wrapper over the transverse fold and along the folded shirt toward the collar, and finally releasing the pre-curved bosom and back portions to allow the completely folded shirt to spread laterally within the band.

2. The method of wrapping a shirt, which comprises, positioning the flattened and distended shirt with its buttoned bosom portion lowermost and with the flattened sleeves outstretched and the cuffs distended, definitely bending the bosom and the superimposed back portions laterally to predetermined curvature and maintaining such curvature to provide a concavity in said portions while folding the sleeves inwardly to dispose the flattened and distended cuffs lengthwise within the concavity, folding the opposite side portions of the shirt inwardly into the concavity to produce an elongated folded assemblage of definite width and subsequently transversely folding the lower portions of the shirt upwardly and into the concavity, applying a continuous band wrapper about the curved bosom portion and the shirt portions within the concavity, and finally releasing the pre-curved bosom and back portions to allow the completely folded shirt to spread laterally within the band.

STEPHEN LIGHTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,417,752 Lindgren May 30, 1922 1,966,630 Kuhn July 17, 1934 2,010,333 Steele Aug. 6, 1935 2,014,097 Alter Sept. 10, 1935 2,076,467 Krout Apr. 6, 1937 2,092,604 Herzog Sept. 7, 1937 2,146,052 Blumstock Feb. 7, 1939 2,152,940 Weigman Apr. 4, 1939 2,175,666 Lighter Oct. 10, 1939 2,202,062 Morse May 28, 1940 2,226,231 Morse Dec. 24, 1940 2,305,359 Steele Dec. 15, 1942 2,321,870 Steele June 15, 1943 2,362,976 Cooper Nov. 21, 1944

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