Necktie travel bag

The necktie travel bag of the present invention is designed and configured to maintain one or more neckties flat and unwrinkled during travel or storage so that it can be ready to be worn by a user and accent the attire instantly upon unpacking. By allowing the neckties to be packed in a perfectly elongated flat configuration without any folding or bending, the necktie travel bag maintains the neckties unwrinkled and flat even if it is shoved inside a suit case or suit bag along with a multitude of other items that shift and move during travel. The rigidly flexible material that is used to make the necktie travel bag of the present invention keeps the neckties unwrinkled while a hook attachment allows the necktie travel bag to be hung inside a suit bag or a closet.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention is related to an apparatus and method of packing neckties during travel or storage without inadvertent folding or wrinkling. More particularly, the invention relates to a necktie travel bag that allows neckties to be packed or stored in a flat configuration and fully protected from the elements.

2. Description of Prior Art

Neckties mostly worn by men are narrow pieces of fabric worn about the neck and tied in the front. Typically, a necktie has a wide end and a narrow end. When worn around the neck and tied in the front, the wide end lies over or in front of the narrow end. Both ends, typically, are sewn into a truncated symmetrical point at angle of approximately 45 degrees on each side. However, because of the pointed ends, neckties are very easy to rumple or bend at the ends or at other delicate points when stored or placed inside a travel suitcase or package.

Neckties, by their very nature and purpose, are fashion items meant to ascent the attire of the wearer. Furthermore, the cost of neckties continues to escalate due to the quality of fabrics and craftsmanship that goes into making them. As such, it is important for the wearer to protect his neckties while traveling or during storage. Due, particularly, to the pointed wide and narrow ends and to the specialty fabrics used in neckties, neckties are difficult to pack inside a suitcase without wrinkling them during travel or even during storage.

Typical suitcases and suit bags do not have suitable means for storing neckties to prevent them from being crushed or otherwise wrinkled. In most cases the neckties tend to slip to the bottom of the bag and are thereby crushed and disfigured by the weight of the other articles contained in the suitcase or suit bag.

Although certain types of necktie travel cases have been developed, those existing in the prior art are characterized as relatively bulky, costly, and cumbersome cases which take up too much room and are not adapted to form a suitable hanger for the neckties when the wearer or traveler reaches his destination.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,057,838, teaches a simple box into which a necktie is folded and placed. The problem with this box is that the necktie has to be folded carefully inside the box. This allows the user to inadvertently fold the necktie into the box improperly, thus resulting in wrinkles and disfigurements of the necktie. Furthermore, the box folds near the center of the necktie forcing the necktie to fold without any support to prevent it from wrinkling at the fold line.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,171,077, teaches a necktie case having two rigid walls hingedly attached to one another. However, this necktie case includes an intricate rack through which the necktie has to be looped. Looping the necktie through the rack is cumbersome and allows room for human error that may result in wrinkling and disfigurement of the necktie. Furthermore, when the rigid walls are closed together, the middle portion of the necktie that is looped through the rack is outside and exposed to the elements. Similarly, the side edges of the walls are not sealed closed, thus exposing the necktie to the elements and allowing the necktie to slide out through the sides during travel. Finally, the rack and other clips protrude out and increase the possibility of being caught or trapped within other garments or items inside a suitcase or suit bag.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,812, teaches a case where the rigid walls have been replaced by a flexible cover. However, this case also contains an intricate rack that requires the necktie to be looped through or folded about in a particular and cumbersome manner. Furthermore, the sides of the flexible cover are not closed or sealed, thus, allowing the necktie not only to be exposed to the elements but also to swing side to side and out of the case along with the rack. Such motion of the necktie within the case inevitably causes the necktie to deform and wrinkle.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,670, teaches a necktie case that completely encapsulates the entire necktie, unlike the last three prior art discussed above. Encapsulating the entire necktie protects it from the outside elements and allows it to be undisturbed by other garments inside the suitcase or suit bag rubbing against said necktie case. However, this necktie case keeps the necktie rolled about some rods rather than in a flat configuration. The problem is that rolling the necktie about a rod makes it prone to fold on itself while it is rolled. Furthermore, when the necktie is unpacked, it tends to maintain a curvature caused by being rolled up for an extended period of time. Often times, the rolling of the necktie ultimately results in wrinkling and disfigurement.

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,403, teaches a necktie case that completely encapsulates the necktie and has all sides closed or sealed from the elements. However, inserting the necktie into this case does require it to be folded at least once near the center. If not done carefully, this can result in some inadvertent folding, wrinkling, of disfigurement of the necktie. Finally, this necktie case is an envelope with panels that fold over one another and are fastened together. Folding the necktie into the case without any wrinkling can be tricky and folding and fastening the panels appropriately can be cumbersome.

Accordingly, there is a need for a necktie travel case which provides suitable support and protection for the ties to prevent them from being wrinkled or crushed, to occupy minimum amount of space, be lightweight, economical to manufacture, and to provide a means for hanging. The necktie case must additionally provide a novel structure for loading and unloading neckties, which is operative without the use of elaborate and bulky racks, rods, or fasteners.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned disadvantages occurring in the prior art. The present invention is a necktie travel bag that completely encapsulates one or several neckties within a pocket accessible through a large zipper. Encapsulating the neckties prevents them from being exposed to the elements during travel or storage.

Furthermore, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a necktie travel bag that maintains the neckties in a flat configuration without any inadvertent folding, bending, or wrinkling. The neckties are placed inside the pocket in a flat configuration without any bending or rolling as in the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a necktie travel bag that will maintain the neckties in a flat configuration and prevent any inadvertent bending, folding, or wrinkling while it is packed inside a suitcase or suit bag along with other garments or items that can shift or push against the neckties.

Yet another object of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost and complexity so that the necktie travel bags can be produced and sold economically.

Yet another object of the present invention is to substantially simplify the process of packing the neckties inside the necktie travel bag. Unlike the prior art, the present invention does not require any intricate or careful bending, folding, or rolling of the necktie. The neckties are simply placed inside the necktie travel bag of the present invention in an extended and flat configuration.

The above objects and other features of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the drawings in which various elements of the present invention will be given numerical designations and in which the invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the art and make use the invention.

The present invention comprises a necktie travel bag100with a top cover10and a bottom cover20that are placed on top of one another and sewn together all around the perimeter edges30, as shown onFIG. 1andFIG. 2. Both the top cover10and the bottom cover20have the same shape which is that of a necktie with a wide end11and21and a narrow end12and22. Both ends have a truncated symmetrical point at an angle of approximately 45 degrees on each side. Although the top cover10and the bottom cover20are both shaped like a necktie, they are both larger than a necktie but equal in size to one another. The larger size allows the top cover10and the bottom cover20to be sewn along the perimeter edges30and create a pocket40within the sewn edges30and between the top cover10and bottom cover20that is of sufficient size to accommodate actual neckties to be packed flat therewithin without any folding or rolling, as shown onFIG. 3.

The top cover10has a long zipper15extending almost the entire length thereof along the center. The long zipper15starts a few inches from the narrow end12and terminates a few inches from the wide end11. The long zipper15can be opened to allow the user access to the pocket40into which neckties200are packed in a flat configuration without any folding to rolling. The long zipper15is then closed after the neckties200are properly packed within the pocket40.

The material used for the top cover10and bottom cover20are flexible enough for the user of the present invention to be able to fold the necktie travel bag100along the center but rigid enough that the present invention will not inadvertently fold on itself or wrinkle after it has been placed inside a regular suitcase to suit bag. Such rigidity is attained by making the top cover10and/or bottom cover20out of materials such as leather, thin plastic, nylon, canvas, and the like. Such materials facilitate the necktie travel bag100of the present invention to maintain its flat and unwrinkled shape after it is tightly packed inside a suitcase or suit bag full of other garments and other items.

As shown onFIG. 4, the bottom cover20has a hook attachment25attached on the center so that when the necktie travel bag100of the present invention is folded at the center, the hook attachment25extends upward to expose hooks25athat can be used to hang the necktie travel bag100of the present invention in a closet or inside a suitcase or suit bag for storage or travel. The hook attachment25is preferably made out of a rigid material such as a thick leather or plastic to maintain a rigid structure that does not deform easily by the weight of the necktie travel bag100and the neckties200packed therewithin. The preferred embodiment of the present invention has the hook attachment25sewn on to the center of the bottom cover20. Other alternatives of attaching said hook attachment25on to the bottom cover20can be gluing, sonic welding, heat staking, and the like.

Hereinafter, the method of using the necktie travel bag100of the present invention will be given in detail.

The top cover10of the necktie travel bag100of the present invention has a long zipper15that is opened to gain access to the pocket40into which the neckties200are packed. The neckties200are packed inside the pocket40in a flat configuration. Packing the neckties200does not require any bending or rolling as is required by the prior art. The neckties200are simply extended out flat without any folds or bends and placed inside the pocket40. The shape and size of the pocket40is made to accommodate one or multiple neckties200stacked on top of the other, as shown inFIG. 3. Once the neckties200are packed inside the pocket40, the long zipper15is closed so as to completely encapsulate the neckties200without allowing any exposure to the elements as done by many of the prior art.

Once the neckties200are packed inside the pocket40and the long zipper15is closed, the necktie travel bag100of the present invention is bent or folded along the center so that the narrow ends12and22is underneath the wide ends11and21. The rigidity of the top cover10or the bottom cover20ensures that the neckties200inside the pocket40are also bent or folded along the center an nowhere else. Thereafter, the necktie travel bag100of the present invention can be packed inside a suitcase or a suit bag. The rigidity of the top cover10or the bottom cover20ensures that the neckties200inside the pocket40are only bent along the center in a flat configuration without any wrinkling, folding, or bending anywhere else, even as the necktie travel bag100is pushed or squeezed by other garments or items inside the suitcase or suit bag. Thus, it is the rigidity of the top cover10or the bottom cover20and the full encapsulation of the neckties200within the pocket40that protects the neckties200from the elements and maintains them unwrinkled during travel or storage so that they can be ready to wear by the user to accent the attire of the wearer instantly upon unpacking them from the pocket40without any ironing or straightening.

When the necktie travel bag100is bent or folded along the center30, the hook attachment25extends upward, as shown inFIG. 4, to expose hooks25athat can be used to hang the necktie travel bag100in a closet or inside a suitcase or suit bag for storage or travel. In addition to the hook attachment25, the bottom cover20may have a small zipper that opens into a small pouch that can be used to store some small items or accessories, such as tie clips, shirt cufflinks, and the like.

Furthermore, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has an wide end section that is made out of a clear material, such as a clear fabric or a clear plastic. This wide end section is located at the wide end11and serves as a window for the user to be able to see a portion of the neckties200packed inside the pocket40. Allowing the user to see a portion of the neckties200allows the user to identify the neckties200packed inside without having to open the long zipper15.

Finally, unlike much of the prior art that requires multiple components made out of various materials followed by some assembly to put them all together, the necktie travel bag100of the present invention only requires a top cover10and a bottom cover20that can be made out of the same material and a long zipper15all assembled together with some sewing. Thus, the cost of the present invention is driven mostly by the cost of the materials rather than the labor costs. Accordingly, the cost of the necktie travel bag100of the present invention is lower than the cost of most of the prior art.

It is understood that the described embodiment of the present invention is illustrative only, and that modifications thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this invention is not to be regarded as limited to the embodiments disclosed, but to be limited only as defined by the appended claims therein.