U.S. patent application number 11/763277 was filed with the patent office on 2008-06-19 for finished printed garment and method for printing same.
Invention is credited to CYNTHIA K. CANTER.
Application Number | 20080141441 11/763277 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39525390 |
Filed Date | 2008-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080141441 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CANTER; CYNTHIA K. |
June 19, 2008 |
FINISHED PRINTED GARMENT AND METHOD FOR PRINTING SAME
Abstract
This invention relates to a finished printed garment and a
method for printing thereon. The finished printed garment may be
constructed from Prepared for Dying denim which is dyed to a chosen
color. The printing method incorporates the use of a dischargeable
ink applied to the finished garment, which is placed on belt-style
printer, such that the design, once printed on the finished
garment, may be continuous, regardless of presence of seams or
pockets.
Inventors: |
CANTER; CYNTHIA K.; (Mission
Viejo, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SHIMOKAJI & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
8911 RESEARCH DRIVE
IRVINE
CA
92618
US
|
Family ID: |
39525390 |
Appl. No.: |
11/763277 |
Filed: |
June 14, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60870519 |
Dec 18, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/227 ; 347/103;
40/299.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06P 5/00 20130101; A41H
43/04 20130101; A41D 1/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/227 ; 347/103;
40/299.01 |
International
Class: |
A41D 1/06 20060101
A41D001/06 |
Claims
1. A printed finished garment, comprising: a continuous water-based
printed design extending over at least one seam; wherein there is
an absence of substantial interruptions in the design.
2. The garment of claim 1, wherein said finished garment further
comprises a fly area, a pocket, a cuff, and a waist band.
3. The garment of claim 2, wherein the design extends over the fly
area.
4. The garment of claim 2, wherein the design extends over the
pocket.
5. The garment of claim 2, wherein the design extends over the
cuff.
6. The garment of claim 2, wherein the design extends over the
waist.
7. A printed finished denim garment, comprising: a first edge and
an opposite second edge, wherein the first and second edges are at
opposite ends of the garment; and a continuous printed design
extending from the first edge to the second edge.
8. The garment of claim 7, wherein the printed design comprises a
logo.
9. The garment of claim 7, wherein the printed design comprises
advertisements
10. The garment of claim 7, wherein the design extends 360 degrees
around the garment.
11. The garment of claim 7, wherein the design provides a
three-dimensional image.
12. The garment of claim 7, wherein the design is off-garment.
13. The garment of claim 7, wherein the design is continuous over
an uneven area of the garment.
14. A method of printing a design on a finished garment,
comprising: applying a dischargeable ink over an uneven area of the
garment and off the garment; and curing the ink.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the design is printed 360
around the finished garment.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the dischargeable ink is
applied to the finished garment by sweeping the ink over a design
screen placed over the garment.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the ink is cured by drying the
finished garment.
18. A method of making a finished denim jeans, comprising:
fabricating the jeans from Prepared for Dye denim; dying the jeans
to a color; fastening legs of the jeans together; applying ink to
the jeans on a belt style printer; drying the jeans.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the jeans is fabricated by
sewing the denim.
20. The method of claim 11, wherein the jeans is dyed using a
reactive dye.
21. The method of claim 11, wherein the jean legs are fastened
together using a water-based adhesive.
22. The method of claim 11, wherein the ink is applied to the jeans
by sweeping the ink over a graphic design screen.
23. The method of claim 11, wherein the ink is a dischargeable ink.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
application No. 60/870,519, filed on Dec. 18, 2006, which is
incorporated herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to the field of textile
printing. More specifically, this invention provides a method for
the printing of coordinated ornamentation, advertisements, logos or
symbols onto finished textile goods that have seams and other
uneven areas, specifically, denim jeans or pants.
[0003] Denim jeans are one of the most widely worn types of apparel
and are worn as casual, work, and high fashion wear. Denim jeans
are recognized as a key component to most persons' wardrobe and are
seen on people of all ages at most every imaginable location and
event. The rear pockets, front thigh area and leg areas have been
used to display the brand name or some other small two-dimensional
advertisement, logo, scene, and/or message.
[0004] Heretofore, advertisements, logos, scenes, and/or messages,
have been placed on these areas by use of labels, tags, embroidery,
heat transfers, patches or screen printing. Consequently, the
advertisement, logo, scene message, etc. has a simple, small format
and two-dimensional look providing a pair of jeans with a
difficult-to-see and typically brand-name-only type of
advertisement. Other ornamentations are typically only artistic
designs for the purposes of decoration or aesthetics.
[0005] Another disadvantage in the prior art has been the laborious
process of weaving dyed fibers into the patterns and designs
desired. When the development of ink and printing technologies
became sufficiently advanced, textile manufacturers were able to
save labor costs by printing designs onto large rolls of fabric.
The fabric was then cut into pieces which, in turn, could be
assembled by sewing, gluing, or other attachment means into
finished textile products.
[0006] With the development of assembly-line manufacturing, fabrics
could be pre-cut, then printed with designs, and finally assembled
into finished textile products. For textiles pre-printed or woven
with designs or patterns prior to sewing, there is the difficulty
of matching the designs or patterns across the seams. In fact, the
preprinted or pre-woven designs or patterns on many finished
textile goods do not match across seams, i.e., are mismatched or
misaligned.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a prior art finished garment, in the form of a
shirt 10 wherein a design or pattern 14 is misaligned at area 12.
In other words, a portion 14a of the design 14 on one side of the
area 12 does not match an opposing portion 14b on the opposite side
of the area 12. Typically, the shirt 10 would be sewn from fabric
wherein the design 14 was printed prior to construction of the
shirt. Therefore, different sections of fabric exhibiting various
portions of the printed design would then be sewn together, such
that the design portions 14a,b are misaligned at 12 upon
completion.
[0008] FIG. 2 provides an illustration of a prior art garment in
the form of pants 20 having an unintended blank (non-printed) area
26 and a misalignment area 22 of design 24 which may occur in
instances when using a carousel-type printer that requires multiple
passes of printing screens. The misalignment and blank areas 22, 26
may result when the garment 20 is not properly aligned during a
subsequent printing screen pass, such that a design 24b applied by
the subsequent pass does not properly align with a design 24a from
a prior pass.
[0009] Prior methods and apparatus have been developed for the
printing of textile products--such as towels, signboards, and
pre-stuffed pillows--that are capable of lying flat during the
printing process. These past methods and apparatus have enabled the
printing of designs within a limited area on the front and back of
textile goods (such as t-shirts and sweat shirts) that can be
flattened with uneven areas, such as seams, outside of the limited
printing area. Doing so avoids the problem of design misalignment
as in FIGS. 1 and 2, but then limits the size and placement of the
design on the garment.
[0010] Still, past methods and apparatus have not adequately
provided printing of a finished textile good that includes printing
over uneven areas such as seams, zippers, and pockets, for example
on denim pants. Past methods and apparatus have also not adequately
provided for full-coverage printing of a garment from one end to
another, such as from a waist to a hem of a pair of pants.
[0011] A further disadvantage in the prior art has been the textile
industry preference for printing finished goods using plastisol
ink, which is a polyvinyl chloride based ink that contains no
solvent. These inks form a thick layer over the finished textile
good, such that there is a rough texture over the fabric. Moreover,
it is a thermoplastic ink, which means it is necessary to heat the
printed ink film to a temperature high enough (typically
300.degree. F. to 330.degree. F.) to cause the molecules of PVC
resin and plasticizer to cross-link and solidify (i.e., cure).
However, plastisol inks re-melt when they come in contact with high
heat, such as the heat produced by a clothes iron. For that reason,
garment prints made with polyvinyl chloride inks may become damaged
or cracked over time with use and exposure to heat while the
garment is heat dried after washing.
[0012] As can be seen, there is a need for improved methods for
printing finished textile goods, particularly one that includes
print over uneven surfaces, as well as improved printed finished
textile goods themselves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] An object of the present invention is the provision of a
unique and aesthetically pleasing large format ornamentation on a
pair of denim jeans or pants that contains a coordinated
three-dimensional, 360 degree, advertisement, logo or image over
the entire full length of the jeans using an innovative printing
method.
[0014] In one aspect of the present invention, a printed finished
garment comprises a continuous water-based printed design extending
over at least one seam; wherein there is an absence of substantial
interruptions in the design.
[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, a printed
finished denim garment comprises a first edge and an opposite
second edge, wherein the first and second edges are at opposite
ends of the garment; and a continuous printed design extends from
the first edge to the second edge.
[0016] In a further aspect of the present invention, a method of
printing a design on a finished garment comprises applying a
dischargeable ink over an uneven area of the garment and off the
garment, and curing the ink.
[0017] In an additional aspect of the present invention, a method
of making a finished denim jeans comprises fabricating the jeans
from Prepared for Dye denim; dying the jeans to a color; fastening
the legs of the jeans together; applying ink to the jeans on a belt
style printer; and drying the jeans.
[0018] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood with reference to
the following drawings, description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front view of a prior art finished textile
good;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a front view of another prior art finished textile
good;
[0021] FIG. 3A is a front view of a finished textile good printed
with full-coverage illustrative printing, according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 3B is a side view of the finished textile good of FIG.
3A;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a side view of another finished textile good with
limited coverage printing, according to another embodiment of the
present invention;
[0024] FIG. 5A is a front view of a finished textile good
exhibiting large-scale illustrative printing extending over the
seams and pockets;
[0025] FIG. 5B is a side view of the finished textile good of FIG.
5A;
[0026] FIG. 6A is a front view of yet another finished textile good
with limited coverage printing;
[0027] FIG. 6B is a side view of the finished textile good of FIG.
6A; and
[0028] FIG. 7 is a flow chart representing a method for printing on
finished textile goods, according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] The following detailed description is of the best currently
contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description
is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the
purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,
since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended
claims.
[0030] Broadly, the present invention provides for finished textile
garments, such as denim jeans, having graphic printing over uneven
surfaces, such as seams; and methods for providing the same. In one
aspect of the present invention, a finished textile garment may
have graphic printing over substantially or essentially the entire
garment surface, including the seams, pockets, cuffs, and fly area.
In another aspect of the present invention, a finished textile
garment has continuous graphic printing between opposite edges of
the garment, such as between the waist and hem/cuff of a pair of
pants. In a further aspect of the present invention, an
advertisement, logo, or the like is provided 360 degrees around a
finished textile garment which thus provides a three-dimensional
image.
[0031] Prior finished textile garments have had printing or designs
limited to specific areas that are well between edges of the
garments, primarily because the printing has been done on standard
carousel screen printing machines which limit the size of the
print. Accordingly, due to limitations imposed by the screen
pallets, past printing could not extend to the very edges of the
garment and beyond such edges (i.e., off-garment printing).
[0032] In contrast to the prior art, the present invention provides
for finished printed garments, such as pants, where all or any part
of the garment is printed. The printed area can include flat or
uneven areas, from the waistband to the hem, the outside or inside
seam of pant legs, across pockets, cuffs, and flies, and over
zippers and other closure areas. In addition, the present invention
may allow for printing of decorative designs without interruptions,
such as unwanted or unintended blank (i.e., non-printed) areas or
misalignment of the pattern (i.e., mismatching of a printed pattern
on opposed sides of an area, such as on two sides of a seam).
[0033] In further contrast to the prior art, the present invention
provides a coordinated, large format style of printing onto
finished denim jeans or pants to create a full format,
three-dimensional ornamentation that, when worn, creates an easily
recognizable visual advertisement of any one of various entities
such as colleges, corporate entities, or sports teams. The image is
not confined to a singular flat space, but can be printed on all
surfaces of a finished jean including over seams and pockets and
over the entire length of the leg from waist to leg opening.
Further, as the image may be 360 degrees around the garment, the
image may be viewed from all sides of the garment, which can be
advantageous for advertising purposes.
[0034] In this invention, and in further contrast to the prior art,
water-based inks are used instead of plastisols. Water-based inks
are desirable for several reasons. First, an advantage to
water-based inks is that ink penetration may be deeper into the
textile when compared to plastisols. Therefore, water-based inks
create printed designs with soft bonding instead of leaving a
raised film on the textile surface when using plastisols. In
addition, the finished products may be less susceptible to heat
damage from clothes dryers and ironing, in comparison to
plastisols. Finally, water-based inks allow for easy clean-up
without the environmental hazards inherent in plastisol inks.
[0035] FIG. 3A shows a finished textile garment 30 according to the
present invention, such as denim pants, from a front view showing a
design 32 that is printed onto the pants 30 using a method of the
present invention described below. The design 32 may extend over
essentially the entire surface of the garment 30, or a majority of
the surface of the garment 30, including for example the front
and/or back of the garment. In other words, the design 32 may
extend 360 degrees around the garment 30. Thus, the design 32 may
be said to be one of "full-coverage" of the garment 30. Notably,
the design 32 may extend over one or more uneven surfaces, such as
seams 34, pockets 36, cuffs 38, and fly areas 39. The design 32 may
also be continuous between opposite edges of the garment 30, such
as between the waist 35 and hem/cuff 38 of a pair of pants. The
design 32 is said to be "continuous" in that there are no
significant or substantial interruptions in the design, such as
unwanted blank spaces of printing, or misalignments in the design,
as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The design 32 on the pants 30 may be
produced in accordance with the printing method of the present
invention described below and formed from a water-based
dischargeable dye which may seep into the fabric of the pants 30.
Thus, there may not be an obvious or significant change in the
original texture of the pants 30.
[0036] Furthermore, using the method of the present invention
described below may allow for the printing of a design 32 that
extends "over" or "beyond" the edges of the garment 30 in what may
be referred to as "off-garment" printing, thus giving the
appearance that the design extends past the garment edges, and may
reduce the likelihood of any visible unwanted blank spaces of
printing.
[0037] FIG. 3B is a side view of the garment 30 shown in FIG. 3A.
The printed design 32 may extend over the leg seam 34, pockets 36
and cuff 38, without significant or substantial interruptions in
the design 32, such as unwanted blank spaces of printing.
[0038] FIG. 4 is a side view of another finished textile good, also
shown here as a pair of denim pants 40 with a limited-coverage
design 42. Similar to the design 32 in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the design
42 may extend over uneven areas of the garment 40 and between
opposite edges of the garment 40. However, unlike the design 32 in
FIGS. 3A and 3B, which may extend over the majority of a garment's
surface, the design 42 may extend only over a selected portion of
the garment's surface, in other words, over a "limited coverage" of
the garment. The design 42 may extend from one edge to another,
such as from cuffs 46 to waist 48, and over leg seam 44 without any
substantial interruptions in the design 42 down the length of the
seam 44.
[0039] FIGS. 5A and 5B, as well as FIGS. 6A and 6B, provide
examples of the variety of designs that may be applied in
accordance with the present invention. FIG. 5A shows another
finished textile good, shown here as denim pants 50, where unlike
the finished textile goods in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a design is not
applied all around, but on selected portions of the pants 50. Logos
and advertisements 51 are strategically placed as a
limited-coverage design.
[0040] FIG. 5B provides a rear view of the pants 50 in FIG. 5A. The
logos and advertisements 51 may also be placed on the back of the
pants 50, in addition to a seam design 53, similar to the limited
coverage design 42 in FIG. 4, which extends down the length of the
seam 55 from the waist 57 to the cuff 59.
[0041] Shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B is another example of a finished
textile good, such as denim jeans 60 featuring a design 62 applied
using the printing method described herein. FIGS. 6A and 6B show
that the printing method may be used to apply a variety of designs,
from a full-coverage design 32 as seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, to a
limited coverage design 42 as seen in FIG. 4, and anything in
between, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Here, in FIG. 6A, in addition
to a design 62 extending along the seam 66, only a single logo 64
is placed on the front of the jeans 60. On the back of the jeans
60, only two more logos 64 have been included.
[0042] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an exemplary printing method 70 of
this invention.
[0043] A step 71 begins with fabricating finished denim garments
from Prepared for Dye (PFD) fabric which has no optic whiteners,
finishes or other chemicals which may create uneven dyeing. In step
72, the jeans may be dyed with a either a direct or reactive dye in
the selected color. These dyes have different chemical properties
but operate similarly. Afterwards, the jeans may then be pressed
flat into the desired print orientation, whether it is laid flat
for printing on its front or on its side 73, such that the jeans
may lay flat to facilitate printing on the desired surface of the
jeans.
[0044] Then, the method 70 may continue with step 74 by fastening
the legs of the finished textile goods, such that the goods remain
flat throughout the printing process. This may be accomplished by
applying a light, water-based spray-on adhesive to the inside of
the textile goods, then smoothing the surface of the goods down to
eliminate any wrinkles which may affect the appearance of the
design during printing. For example, in the context of jeans, the
inside of each pant leg may be adhered together.
[0045] In step 75, the finished textile goods may be placed on a
belt-type printer. This invention uses a belt-type printer instead
of the carousel-type printer, which is the standard printing
apparatus in the textile industry. Carousel-type printers have two
major limitations in respect to printing finished textile goods: 1)
the size of a design or pattern is usually limited to nineteen
inches, and often cannot extend beyond thirty-one inches, even on a
modified carousel screen; and 2) the printing must be completely
framed within the product in order to leave the screen table
surface clean to print again. However, use of the belt-type printer
allows for a printing surface area that will cover the entire
surface of a garment, such as the whole of the front or back, of
sewn pants--approximately 48 inches.times.42 inches--without
multiple passes through the printer for the same color.
[0046] In addition, the belt of the belt-type printer may be passed
through a wash immediately after printing the final color onto the
finished textile goods and before the belt recycles for another
printing pass, allowing the design or pattern to extend to beyond
the edges of the garment. As an illustration, on a belt-type
printer both pant legs may be printed at the same time to ensure
that a whole design may be applied to both pant legs
simultaneously, as opposed to printing half of the design on one
leg pant leg, then attempting to match the other half of the design
on a second pant leg during a second printing.
[0047] In step 76, the finished textile goods may be passed beneath
at least one graphic design screen. One screen may be made for each
color of the design, as is known for belt-type printers. It may be
desirable that the designs be distressed to allow for imperfections
that are inherent in the printing process, such as varied
application and absorption of ink, which may result due to varying
thicknesses of fabric in a finished textile good. For example,
pocket areas may be thicker than portions of the pant leg.
"Distressed" refers to designs that look time-aged, often with
frayed, faded, or imperfect borders. The designs may be of varying
sizes to cover all or any part of the finished textile goods.
[0048] Then in step 77, a dischargeable ink, which seeps into the
fabric replacing the previous dye color with the ink color, can be
swept over the design screen
[0049] In step 78, the ink may be applied to the finished textile
goods by sweeping the ink over a design screen and onto the garment
located on the belt style printer allowing off-garment printing.
The finished textile goods may be made of fabric that is dyed in
any one color or in multiple colors. It may be desirable,
especially for dark inks, that a reactive or discharge agent, such
as zinc formaldehyde sulfoxylate (ZFS), be added to the ink at the
time the fabric is colored. The purpose for adding the agent is
that, during the printing process, the dye that is in the fabric
may be discharged from the fabric wherever the printed
dischargeable ink is placed on the fabric. Hence, the ink of the
printed design may not be affected by the underlying color of the
dyed fabric in the presence of the discharge agent.
[0050] The inks used in this method may be water-based. These inks
leave designs that are "soft" in the textile meaning that the ink
film may not be easily felt. Use of the water-based inks can be
advantageous in the printing process because they may be exposed to
heat, such as dryers and irons, without damaging the design, unlike
designs using plastisol inks which may tend to crack or melt.
[0051] In step 79, the finished textile goods can be dried to cure
the water-based inks previously applied in step 78 to permanently
affix the ink to the textile. The "curing" of a water-based ink
means that a process of evaporation may occur to eliminate the
water base and leave the coloring agents in the fabric. Curing may
be accomplished by heating the printed finished textile goods to a
temperature high enough to evaporate the solvent of the inks used
in printing.
[0052] In addition, for some finished textile products, it may be
desirable to print more than one side of the product. In such
event, after the product has been imprinted and cured on one side,
it may be flipped over and the printing process may be repeated for
the other side.
[0053] It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing
relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *