US3708804A

US3708804A - Decorative garment accessory

Info

Publication number: US3708804A
Application number: US00049675A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Santos
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-06-25
Filing date: 1970-06-25
Publication date: 1973-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 1990-01-09

Abstract

A decorative garment accessory which may take any number of different forms such as a belt, an accessory attachment for a belt, a shirt or blouse dickey, a sleeve, hem or other border finishing accessory or the like comprising an elongated, relatively narrow mounting strip having a plurality of spaced apart, generally parallel slots oriented generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the strip, and decorative elements detachably attached to the strip by means of a staple formed on the back of each decorative element projecting through the slots in the mounting strip and an elongated retainer passing through the staples on the side of the strip opposite the decorative elements.

Description

United States Patent .[191

Santos 1 Jan. 9, 1973 s41 DECORATIVE GARMENT ACCESSORY 2,028,740 1/1936 Devine ..161/40 [76] Inventor: Manuel V. Santos, 115 Ferry Street, a l? Newark, 07105 2:876:S72 3/1959 Holes ..40/158 [22] Filed: June 25, 1970 Primary ExaminerWil1iam J. Van Balen PP N05 49,675 Assistant Examiner-Hen'ry F. Epstein Attorney-Popper, Bain, Bobis & Gilfillan [52] US. Cl. ..2/244, 161/39, 161/49,

161/109 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. ..A41d 27/08 A decorative garment aceessory which may take any Field Search 1, 244, number of different forms such as a belt, an accessory 5 3 1 3 attachment for a belt, a shirt or blouse dickey, a 54 sleeve, hem or other border finishing accessory or the like comprising an elongated, relatively narrow References Cited mounting strip having a plurality of spaced apart, generally parallel slots oriented generally transverse to UNITED STATES PATENTS the longitudinal'axis of the strip, and decorative ele- 2,0s4,720 6/1937 Alexandre ..2/33& x mm detachably attached to the Strip y means of 2,244,287 6/1941 Carley ,,40 315 staple formed on the back of each decorative element 497,336 5/1893 Patterson 161/110 projecting through the slots in the mounting strip and 1,774,222 8/1930 Bermejo etal.. ..2/338 X an elongated retainer passing through the staples on 2, 6 5/ Tinnerman 161/110 X the side of the strip opposite the decorative elements. 2,849,821 9/1958 Doig ..l6l/l0 360,329 3/1887 Seel ..2/244 9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 9 I975 FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

' MANUEL VALENTE SANTOS AT TORNE YS DECORATIVE GARMENT ACCESSORY BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Individuality is an essential characteristic of modern dress, particularly with the young. However, it is both costly and difficult to purchase or make custom-styled garments. Thus, there is great need for means for individualizing otherwise undistinguished, mass produced garments.

While distinctive decorative accessories may be hand or machine sewn to garments by the owner, they require both considerable skill and time for application. Once stitched to the garment, the decorative accessory becomes, for all practicable purposes, an integral part of the garment, difficult if not impossible to remove without damage or deterioration to the garment. If styles change or the owner of the garment tires of the style generated by the decorative accessory, the garment is frequently discarded long before the end of its functional life.

Therefore, it is among the objects and advantages of the present invention to provide a decorative garment accessory which may be detachably applied to a garment by unskilled persons and which may be removed, or altered in order to vary the style.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a decorative garment accessory as aforesaid which is extremely inexpensive to manufacture and which is durable against damage or deterioration.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a decorative garment accessory as aforesaid which may be modified without breaking stitches or other permanent attachments and which may be removed altogether without damage to the garment.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION A decorative garment accessory comprising a mounting member having at least one opening extending transversely therethrough, a decorative element detachably attached to the mounting member, a staple formed on one side of the decorative element defining a passage, the staple extending through the opening in the mounting member, and a retainer extending through the passage defined by the staple on the side of the mounting member opposite the decorative element.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION The objects and advantages aforesaid as well as other objects and advantages may be achieved by the decorative garment accessory claimed herein, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a mounting member having a plurality of decorative accessories detachably mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the decorative garment accessory as shown in FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 therein;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged end elevational view of a decorative element;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the decorative element illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the mounting member illustrated in FIG. 1 with decorative elements attached thereto.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the decorative garment accessory comprises a mounting member 11 to which at least one and preferably a plurality of decorative elements 12 may be detachably attached. In the drawings, the mounting member 11 is shown to be a thin, elongated, generally rectangular strip which may be fabricated 'of any convenient material which is aesthetically compatible with the garment to which the strip is to be attached. Nevertheless, the mounting member 11 may comprise the garment itself and need not be a separate detachable element. However, the separate detachable mounting member 1 1 is not merely aesthetically pleasing but also may provide structural strength for the attachment of a decorative element 12 under conditions in which the basic garment would not provide sufficient strength. Therefore, the use of a mounting member 11 is functionally valuable under given conditions and is not to be considered a mere matter of choice.

The mounting member 11 is provided with a plurality of

slots

13, 13 extending transversely therethrough. The slots 13 are generally parallel to each other and lie transverse to the longitudinal axis of the mounting member 11.

The decorative elements 12 are shown in the drawings to be stars but may take on any style desired. The particular design or style of the decorative element 12 is a mere matter of choice.

The decorative element 12 is provided with a staple 14 formed on one side thereof. The staple 14 projects generally perpendicular to the plane of the element 12 and defines an elongated passage 15 with the body of the decorative element 12. The staple 14 is dimensioned to pass through the slots 13 of the mounting member 11. In addition, the staples 14 are sufficiently deep to project beneath the plane of the mounting member 11 on the side opposite from the decorative element 12.

The respective

decorative elements

12, 12 are secured to the mounting member 11 by means of a retainer 16. In the drawings, the retainer 16 is illustrated as an elongated, generally rectangular, relatively thin, flexible strip 17. The strip 17 is dimensioned to slide through the passage 15 defined by the staples 14 on the side of the mounting member 11 opposite the decorative elements 12. The strip 17 may be fabricated of any suitable material such as plastic or the like which is relatively flexible but which nevertheless contains sufficient body to retain the staples 14 against pulling back through the slots 13 in the mounting member 1 1.

The retainer 16 may take any one of a number of forms. However, the retainer 16 should be compatible with the shape of the staples 14 on the decorative elements 12 to pass through the passages 15. It is preferable that the retainer 16 be in the form of a thin, relatively narrow strip 11 for a number of reasons. Firstly, the strip configuration reduces bulk insuring that the entire decorative assembly is relatively flat. Moreover, the flat configuration with significant width cooperates with the elongated passage 15 defined by the staples 14 to prevent accidental rotation of the decorative elements 12. Still further, if the strip 17 is made of a plastic material or a material having characteristics of plastic being resilient and flexible having shape memory, it may be applied by sliding along the plane of the mounting member 11 through the passages 15. The

strip 17 is superior to a thread-like material which is so lacking in body so as to have no shape memory. If the mounting member 1 l is to be employed and is not to be permanently affixed to the garment, the garment must contain slots which are in registration with the slots 13 of the mounting member. In this arrangement, the staples project not only through the slots 13 in the mounting member 11 but also cooperative slots in the garment. The retainer 16 is then passed through the passages 15 on the side of the garment opposite the mounting member 11 and the decorative elements 12'. Of course, the mounting member 11 may be sewn to the garment if desired.

If a separate mounting member 11 is not to be em- I ployed but rather is to be an integral part of the garment, the slots 13 are provided in the garment. In order to employ the elongated retainer 16, the slots 13 must be spaced along a straight axis extending transversely thereto.

The decorative accessory may take the form ofa belt to which appropriate end fastening means are applied. However, the mounting member 11 may be attached to the belt or, if the mounting member 11 is to be dispensed with as a separate element, the belt itself can be provided with slots for receiving the decorative elements 12.

The number and order as well as the appearance of the decorative elements may be infinitely varied. in addition, the position of the decorative elements on any particular garment may be widely varied. For instance, garments may be provided with slots 13 adapted to receive the staples 14 of decorative elements 12 at a number of locations. When not in use, the slots 13, which are relatively small and whose edges may meet, are inobtrusive and do not damage the appearance of the garment. In some instances, the slots 13 may be employed themselves as decorative elements for a garment thereby appearing compatible with the overall style of the garment and nevertheless being functional to receive and retain decorative elements 12.

While the staples 14 on the decorative element 12 have been shown to be shallow and elongated, they may take on any convenient shape. However, the low, wide profile of the staples 14 illustrated in the drawings are particularly valuable since they reduce bulk and depth of projection to little more than the thickness of the garment to which the decorative elements 12 are applied. Moreover, when employed with a strip 17 which is dimensioned just slightly more narrow than the width of the passage 15, the decorative element 12 is secure against unintended rotational displacement.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown and described. They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similar function; such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present invention.

I claim:

1. A decorative garment accessory comprising,

. a mounting member having at least one opening extending transversely therethrough,

at least one decorative element detachably attached to the mounting member, a staple formed on one side of the decorative element defining a passage, the staple extending through the opening in the mounting member and a retainer slidably extending through the passage defined by the staple on the side of the mounting member opposite the decorative element,

. A decorative garment accessory comprising the structure in accordance with claim 1 in which I b. the staple is relatively shallow in depth and elona b. a plurality of openings in the mounting member spaced apart from each other along a path.

4. A decorative garment accessory comprising the structure in accordance with claim 2 in which b. the said slots are shaped and dimensioned to closely conform to and receive the said staple. A decorative garment accessory comprising, the structure in accordance with claim 1 and b. a plurality of openings in the mounting member spaced apart along a path, each opening being shaped and dimensioned to closely conform to and receive the said staple,

. the staple being relatively shallow in depth and elongated in length defining a generally conforming passage d. at least one decorative element being detachably attached to the mounting member at an opening,

. the retainer being relatively flexible and resilient and having a cross-sectional configuration and dimension closely conforming to the said configuration and dimension of the passage defined by the staple.

6. A decorative garment accessory comprising,

. the structure in accordance with claim 1 in which,

. the retainer is elongated sufficiently to extend through the respective passages of the staples of all decorative elements simultaneously.

. A decorative garment accessory comprising,

the structure in accordance with claim 5 in which,

A decorative garment accessory comprising,

the structure in accordance with claim 3 in which,

the said path is generally straight.

A decorative garment accessory comprising,

the structure in accordance with claim 5 in which the said path is generally straight and the said openings extend generally transverse to the axis of the path. I

Claims

1. A decorative garment accessory comprising, a. a mounting member having at least one opening extending transversely therethrough, b. at least one decorative element detachably attached to the mounting member, c. a staple formed on one side of the decorative element defining a passage, the staple extending through the opening in the mounting member and d. a retainer slidably extending through the passage defined by the staple on the side of the mounting member opposite the decorative element.

2. A decorative garment accessory comprising a. the structure in accordance with claim 1 in which b. the staple is relatively shallow in depth and elongated in length, and c. the retainer is relatively flexible and resilient and has a cross-sectional configuration and dimension closely conforming to the configuration and dimension of the passage defined by the staple.

3. A decorative garment accessory comprising a. the structure in accordance with claim 1 and b. a plurality of openings in the mounting member spaced apart from each other along a path.

4. A decorative garment accessory comprising a. the structure in accordance with claim 2 in which b. the saiD slots are shaped and dimensioned to closely conform to and receive the said staple.

5. A decorative garment accessory comprising, a. the structure in accordance with claim 1 and b. a plurality of openings in the mounting member spaced apart along a path, each opening being shaped and dimensioned to closely conform to and receive the said staple, c. the staple being relatively shallow in depth and elongated in length defining a generally conforming passage d. at least one decorative element being detachably attached to the mounting member at an opening, e. the retainer being relatively flexible and resilient and having a cross-sectional configuration and dimension closely conforming to the said configuration and dimension of the passage defined by the staple.

6. A decorative garment accessory comprising, a. the structure in accordance with claim 1 in which, b. the retainer is elongated sufficiently to extend through the respective passages of the staples of all decorative elements simultaneously.

7. A decorative garment accessory comprising, a. the structure in accordance with claim 5 in which, b. the retainer is elongated sufficiently to extend through the respective passages of the staples of all decorative elements simultaneously.

8. A decorative garment accessory comprising, a. the structure in accordance with claim 3 in which, b. the said path is generally straight.

9. A decorative garment accessory comprising, a. the structure in accordance with claim 5 in which b. the said path is generally straight and the said openings extend generally transverse to the axis of the path.