WO1997028069A1

WO1997028069A1 - Box-like envelope for carrying, hanging and/or stacking shirts so as not to wrinkle the same

Info

Publication number: WO1997028069A1
Application number: PCT/IT1997/000024
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mario Conte
Original assignee: Mario Conte
Priority date: 1996-02-01
Filing date: 1997-01-31
Publication date: 1997-08-07
Also published as: ITNA960010A1; ITNA960010A0; AU1617697A

Abstract

A box-like envelope of semirigid, transparent, plastic material consists of two halves (1, 2) which may be overlapped, said halves (1, 2) being shaped so as to hold man shirts of any size on and to avoid the wrinkling of the same keeping the shaping given both by the manufacturer and the housewife upon ironing. A removable hook (4) is provided at the upper end of the envelope in order to hang the same at the bar of a wardrobe or at the show shelves of shops and department stores.

Description

Box-like envelope for carrying, hanσinσ and/or stacking shirts so as not to wrinkle the same

The present invention relates to a box-like envelope for a shirt aiming at allowing the shirt to be carried in a suitcase without wrinkling as well as to be hung like a suit at the bar of a wardrobe and to be stacked on like envelopes so as to take up a little place.

The current shirt envelopes consist essentially of:

- semirigid boxes of paperboard or light plastic of parallelepiped shape that are not suitable to be put into a suitcase because of their size and do not allow the shirt to be hung like a suit at the bar of a wardrobe;

- plastic or cellophane envelopes which do not protect so much the shirt against a crease; or - shirt holders of valuable materials such as fabric or leather which are certainly smart but also very expensive so that the cost is comparable with that of a suitcase; moreover, such valuable shirt holders cannot be used by the shirt manufacturers instead of the usual packing boxes.

The present invention seeks to overcome such problems by providing a shirt envelope capable of complying with the request of carrying shirts in a suitcase without wrinkling, hanging the same like a suit at the bar of a wardrobe and stacking them in a little place. This is achieved by providing an envelope of semirigid, transparent, plastic material, capable of containing a shirt, having a suitable thickness and weight, and consisting of two halves which may be overlapped and closed by means of male and female connecting members, such halves being of such a suitable shape as to essentially fit the shape of the shirt and to hold it on when the latter is put inside the envelope.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which show by way of a not limiting example a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective general view of the shirt envelope with the top half lifted up;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the top half;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the upper edge of the bottom half where a tongue securing the shirt collar is provided;

Fig. 4 is an elevation front view of the envelope;

Fig. 5 is a section view according to the plane a-b of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a section view according to the plane c-d of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation view of the envelope;

Fig. 8 shows a side elevation view of a series of piled up envelopes.

With reference to the figures, the envelope according to the invention is essentially formed of two halves, a top half 1 and a bottom half 2, which may be overlapped. Halves 1, 2 are provided with male and female snap-closure means 7 and 8 allowing the halves to be locked to each other. Preferably but not necessarily, the envelope is made of a semirigid, plastic, transparent material so that the shirt may be seen by the purchaser. As shown in Fig. 2, the top half 1, the envelope cover, is shaped so as to be provided at the upper end corresponding to the shirt collar 12 with an upward projecting portion 3 which is shaped like a shirt collar capable of fitting shirt collars of any size. In order to hold shirts of the smallest size on, according to the invention, an inclined tongue 5 projects upwards at the upper edge of the bottom half 2 so as to slip into the shirt collar which is thus blocked. The same result is achieved if the upper part of the shirt collar is laid down on such tongue 5. The bottom half 2 of the envelope is provided with an eyelet 6 to which a removable hook 4 may be secured allowing the envelope to be hung. To this end, hook 4 is provided at its lower end with a pressure clip which is put into eyelet 6 and pulled upwards so as to lock the hook (Fig. 3) . The two halves of the envelope, i.e. cover 1 and bottom 2, are both provided with a projecting edge 8 in which male and female members 7 co-operating with one another are provided so as to allow the envelope to be snap-closed as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Particularly the latter figures show the projecting portion 3 which follows, as a die, the external shape of a shirt collar and has such a dimension as to receive shirt collars of different size. Figs. 1, 2 and 6 show a cavity 3a having an essentially trapezoidal plan and inclined walls and being provided in such projecting portion 3 so as to cover the opening of the shirt collar like the neck of an user and to further keep in position the shirt.

It should be noted that the thickness of the envelope is basically reduced relative to a common shirt box except for the part corresponding to the shirt collar where the projecting portion 3 begins. Under such conditions and owing to the presence of the inclined surfaces 3b which fits the tips of the collar, the envelopes of the invention may easily be piled up in pairs by placing the envelopes of each pair so that the projecting portion of one envelope rests on the flat portion of the cover of the other envelope, as shown in Fig. 8. In order to avoid any relative shift among envelopes when they are stacked, fixing means 9 which can be released by snatching are provided on the external surfaces of the cover and the bottom of each envelope.

It is evident from the foregoing that the present invention:

- complies with the request of travelling people who after the arrival are forced to wear wrinkled shirts or to iron the same again;

- gives the chance of hanging the shirts at the bar of the wardrobe owing to the removable hook, thus achieving an optimal keeping of the ironed shirts, instead of overlapping the same on one another into the drawers in the conventional way so as to undergo the crease.

- can be widely used by the shirt manufacturers for achieving a considerable saving of room as well as storage and shipping cost due to the extreme easiness of production, the minimum dimension with respect to the paperboard boxes, the low weight and the possibility for such envelopes to be stacked upside down on one another and to be fixed by snatch- releasing means.

Claims

1. A shirt envelope, wherein it is formed of two halves which may be overlapped and closed like a box, said halves being so shaped as to fit the shape of the shirt and to hold it on in order to avoid the wrinkle.

2. The shirt envelope of claim 1, wherein said halves are a cover (1) and a bottom (2) , said cover (1) being provided with a flat portion and a projecting portion (3) which is so shaped, like a die, as to fit the external shape of a shirt collar and to receive the collar of the shirt contained in the envelope.

3. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein said projecting portion (3) has such a size as to be capable of fitting shirt collars of any size.

4. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein a slightly inclined tongue (5) projects upwards in the vicinity of the upper edge of the bottom half (2) so as to hold the shirt collar on.

5. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom half (2) has an eyelet (6) which receives a removable hook (4) for hanging the shirt envelope like a suit.

6. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein cover (1) and bottom (2) are provided with co- operating closure members.

7. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein said closure members are male and female snap-closure means placed along the edges of cover (1) and bottom (2).

8. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein said projecting portion (3) has an internal cavity (3a) corresponding to the opening of the shirt collar.

9. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein each envelope may easily be piled up on another envelope forming a pair of reduced overall dimensions which are generally the same as those of a conventional shirt box, this being achieved by placing the envelopes of each pair so that the projecting portion of one envelope rests on the flat portion of the other envelope of the pair.

10. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein fixing means (9) which can be released by snatching are provided in order to avoid any relative shift among envelopes when piled up.

11. The shirt envelope of the preceding claims, wherein it is made of semirigid, transparent, plastic material so that the shirt may be seen from the outside.