U.S. patent application number 13/067169 was filed with the patent office on 2011-11-24 for tie clip.
Invention is credited to Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana.
Application Number | 20110283483 13/067169 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43638667 |
Filed Date | 2011-11-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110283483 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dolce; Domenico ; et
al. |
November 24, 2011 |
Tie clip
Abstract
A tie clip comprises a body (11) and an elastic tab (12) facing
a face (16) of the body (11) and having a first end (13)
constrained to said body (11) and a second free end (15). The tab
(12) is provided with a first elastic thrust component (A) directed
towards the body (11). A further elastic element (18) is
constrained to the body (11) at its face (16) and is provided with
a second elastic thrust component (B) directed towards the tab
(12).
Inventors: |
Dolce; Domenico; (Milan,
IT) ; Gabbana; Stefano; (Milan, IT) |
Family ID: |
43638667 |
Appl. No.: |
13/067169 |
Filed: |
May 13, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/66.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B 6/00 20130101; Y10T
24/1969 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/66.4 |
International
Class: |
A44B 6/00 20060101
A44B006/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 19, 2010 |
IT |
MI2010A000889 |
Claims
1. A tie clip comprising a body and an elastic tab facing a face of
the body and having a first end constrained to said body and a
second free end, said tab being provided with a first elastic
thrust component directed towards the body, characterised in that a
further elastic element is constrained to the body at said face of
the body, said further elastic element being provided with a second
elastic thrust component directed towards the tab.
2. The tie clip according to claim 1, characterised in that said
further elastic element is an elastic bridge which extends in a
longitudinal direction with respect to the body, with a first end
fixedly connected to the body and a second end slidingly
constrained to the body.
3. The tie clip according to claim 2, characterised in that said
second end is slidingly inserted in a transversal slot on the
body.
4. The tie clip according to claim 1, characterised in that the tab
is provided at its centre with a longitudinal opening intended to
allow the insertion thereinto of a portion of said further elastic
element.
5. The tie clip according to claim 4, characterised in that the
longitudinal opening of the tab has a width slightly greater than
the width of said portion of the further elastic element.
6. The tie clip according to claim 2, characterised in that a
portion of said further elastic element, intermediate between its
ends, is shaped according to an undulate profile with rounded
crests.
7. The tie clip according to claim 6, characterised in that the tab
is provided at its centre with a longitudinal opening intended to
allow the insertion thereinto of a portion of said further elastic
element and in that the rounded crests are provided on the portion
of said further elastic element which can be inserted in the
longitudinal opening of the tab.
8. The tie clip according to claim 4, characterised in that the tab
has an intermediate portion that is closer to said face of the body
than its first constrained end, the longitudinal opening being
provided at least in said intermediate portion.
9. The tie clip according to claim 1, characterised in that the
second free end of the tab is orientated away from said face of the
body.
10. The tie clip according to claim 3, characterised in that the
elastic tab and the further elastic element are mobile, against the
respective elastic thrust components, in such a way that the tab
rotates around its first end constrained to the body and the
further elastic element approaches perpendicularly to said body,
said approaching being allowed by simultaneous sliding of its
second end in the transversal slot provided onto the body.
Description
[0001] The present invention refers to a tie clip with an
innovative system for holding the two strips of the tie and the
shirt.
[0002] In the prior art there are various types of tie clip.
Amongst those most widely used are the clamp-type tie clips,
consisting of a body (generally equipped, on the visible front
face, with good aesthetic characteristics) intended to overlap the
outside of the wide (outermost) strip of the tie and an elastic
tab, which is fixed with one of its ends to the body of the tie
clip and is elastically thrusted at an intermediate portion
thereof, or at the other end, against the rear face of the body
itself to hold the two strips of the tie and a portion of the shirt
between itself and the body of the tie clip, typically a portion
corresponding to the hem of the front opening of the shirt
itself.
[0003] A functional limit of this type of tie clip is that the
strips of the tie and the hem of the shirt can easily slip out,
making the function of this clothing accessory worthless. On the
other hand, the elastic thrusting force of the tab against the body
of the tie clip cannot be increased beyond a certain value because
in this way it would become difficult to apply the tie clip itself,
with the risk of damaging the fabric during the operation of
inserting it onto the tie and onto the shirt.
[0004] The general purpose of the present invention is to avoid the
aforementioned drawbacks by providing a tie clip with improved
attachment characteristics of the tie to the shirt.
[0005] In view of such a purpose, it has been thought to make,
according to the invention, a tie clip comprising a body and an
elastic tab facing a face of the body and having a first end
constrained to said body and a second free end, said tab being
provided with a first elastic thrust component directed towards the
body, characterised in that a further elastic element is
constrained to the body at said face of the body, said further
elastic element being provided with a second elastic thrust
component directed towards the tab.
[0006] In order to make the explanation of the innovative
principles of the present invention and its advantages with respect
to the prior art clearer, hereafter, with the help of the attached
drawings, we will describe a possible example embodiment applying
such principles. In the drawings:
[0007] FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a tie clip according
to the invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 represents a top plan view of the rear part (i.e.
from the side of the elastic holding means) of the tie clip of FIG.
1;
[0009] FIG. 3 represents a side elevational view of the tie clip,
shown in inoperative condition;
[0010] FIG. 4 represents a side elevational view of the tie clip,
shown in a condition fixing a tie to the shirt.
[0011] With reference to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a tie clip,
generically indicated with 10, which comprises a main body 11
intended to externally overlap the wide (outermost) strip of the
tie and an elastic tab 12, which is connected with a first end
thereof 13 to the body 11 of the tie clip.
[0012] Advantageously, the elastic tab 12 is made in one piece as
an extension of the body 11 bent at 180.degree. with respect to
this as can clearly be seen in the figures.
[0013] The tab 12 is formed to have an elastic thrust component
directed towards the body 11 of the tie clip, as schematically
indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3.
[0014] The tab 12 is also curvilinear shaped so as to have at least
its portion 14, intermediate between the first constrained end 13
and the second free end 15, closer to the rear face 16 of the body
11 with respect to the aforementioned first end 13. Advantageously,
the second free end 15 of the tab 12 is oriented away from the rear
face 16 of the body 11 to facilitate the insertion of the tie clip
onto the tie and onto the shirt.
[0015] In the present description by rear face 16 of the body 11 we
mean the face of the body of the tie clip that, in use, faces
towards the user's chest. The body 12 is also equipped with a front
face 17 that, being intended to be in view in front of the tie, can
normally be made with aesthetically pleasing finishes.
[0016] According to the innovative principles of the present
invention, the tie clip 10 is equipped, at the rear face of the
body 11, with a further elastic element or bridge 18 that extends
longitudinally to the body 11 and is fixedly connected with its
ends 19, 20 to the body itself. The intermediate portion 21 of the
elastic bridge 18, on the other hand, remains without
constraints.
[0017] The bridge 18 is elastically loaded so as to have an elastic
thrust component directed away from the body 11 of the tie clip, as
schematically indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 3, in other words
directed towards the elastic tab 12.
[0018] Advantageously, the elastic bridge 18 is shaped, at its
intermediate portion 21, according to an undulated profile with
rounded crests 22 to make a good hold on the tie without damaging
the fabric.
[0019] Again according to the invention, the elastic tab 12 is
provided at the centre with a longitudinal opening 23 intended to
allow the insertion into it of a portion of the elastic bridge 18.
Advantageously, the opening 23 is present at least in the
intermediate portion 14 of the elastic tab 12 that is closer to the
rear face 16 of the body 11. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 2, the
opening 23 has a width "D" that is slightly greater than the width
"d" of the bridge 18.
[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the bridge 18 has an
end 19 fixedly connected (or constrained in a fixed manner, for
example through welding) to the body 11 of the tie clip, whereas
the opposite end 20 is slidably constrained to the body 11,
advantageously through insertion of the aforementioned end 20 in a
transversal slot 24 present on the body 11, so as to allow a
longitudinal movement of the end 20 of the bridge 18 with respect
to the body 11, suitable for absorbing the elastic deformations to
which the bridge itself is subjected during use, as will be
explained in greater detail hereafter.
[0021] FIG. 3 shows the tie clip in rest condition, before
insertion on the tie. In this condition, the elastic thrust
components of the tab 12 (arrow A) and of the bridge 18 (arrow B),
directed towards one another, respectively keep the tab 12 in
position close to the rear face 16 of the body 11 of the tie clip
and the bridge 18 in position away from said rear face 16.
Advantageously, thanks to the presence of the longitudinal opening
23, the bridge 18 can insert, at least partially with its
intermediate portion 21 and the relative crests 22, inside the tab
12, substantially obtaining a "juxtaposition" between bridge and
tab. This situation can be clearly seen in FIG. 3.
[0022] In practice, the "juxtaposition" of the bridge 18 and the
tab 12 can be such that the crests 22 of the intermediate portion
21 of the bridge project through the opening 23 slightly beyond the
tab itself.
[0023] FIG. 4 shows the tie clip applied onto a tie 25. In
particular, in FIG. 4 it is possible to see, in section, the wide
strip (or outer strip) 26 of the tie 25, its narrow strip (or inner
strip) 27 and the part of the shirt 28 to which the tie must be
fixed, typically the hem of the front opening of the shirt
itself.
[0024] When the tie clip is inserted into position on the tie, the
thickness of the fabric of the tie and of the shirt pushes the
elastic tab 12 and the elastic bridge 18 to move away from one
another against the respective elastic thrusting forces A and B. In
this step, the tab is subjected substantially to a rotation
movement about its end 13 fixedly connected to the body 11 of the
tie clip, while the bridge 18 approaches the body 11, according to
a direction perpendicular to it, substantially "straightening
itself" with respect to the arched configuration projecting from
the body 11 that the bridge 18 had in the condition of FIG. 3. The
"straightening" of the bridge 18 has the effect of slightly
increasing its size in the longitudinal direction of the body of
the tie clip, said increase being compensated by the possibility of
the end 20 of the bridge sliding in the slot 24.
[0025] In the condition of FIG. 4 the tie and the hem of the shirt
stay clamped between the elastic tab 12 and the bridge 18 thanks to
the respective elastic forces A and B, more specifically with the
wide strip 26 of the tie in contact with the intermediate portion
21 of the bridge 18 (in particular with its rounded crests 22),
with the hem of the shirt 28 in contact with the intermediate
portion 14 of the tab 12 and with the narrow strip 27 of the tie
located between the wide strip 26 and the hem of the shirt 28.
[0026] Unlike clamp-type tie clips of the prior art, where the tie
and the hem of the shirt were clamped directly between the elastic
tab and the rigid body of the tie clip, and the fabric was thus
subjected to a single elastic thrust component directed towards the
body itself, in the tie clip according to the present invention the
thrusting force necessary to hold the fabric can be divided into
two components directed opposite one another (respectively
generated by the tab 12 and by the bridge 18) and this, together
with the rounded shape of the crests 22 that make up the holding
portion of the bridge on the fabric, allows to obtain a firm grip
of the tie and of the shirt without excessively stressing the
fabric. Indeed, the undulated profile of the bridge 18 ensures that
the fabric can in part "follow" such undulations, thus reducing the
tensions in the fabric.
[0027] At this point it is clear how the predetermined purposes
have been achieved, providing a tie clip that allows firm
attachment of the tie to the shirt, without the risk of damaging
the fabric.
[0028] Of course, the above description of an embodiment applying
the innovative principles of the present invention is given just as
an example of such innovative principles and therefore should not
be taken to limit the scope of protection claimed here.
[0029] For example, the exact configuration of the parts that make
up the tie clip can vary with respect to what is shown, even
according to the specific aesthetic solutions desired.
[0030] Moreover, the elastic tab 12 can also be equipped with a
slight plastic deformability component, so that it is possible, by
pressing with the fingers, for example to adjust the actual
distance of the tab 12 from the body 11 of the tie clip in the
"rest" condition of FIG. 3, and thus the actual elastic force to be
applied to the tie.
* * * * *