Method for affixing an athelete's race time to a garment

A method for producing an article of clothing that bears an athlete's race time includes the placement of a plurality of indicia on the shirt after selected segments of the indicia have been manually removed from a paper or like backing. The indicia are arranged in pairs for minutes and seconds and there can be a third pair (or a single indicia) for indicating hours. Each of the indicia comprises six (6) peripheral segments arranged in a vertically extended rectangular, and one transverse horizontal internal segment. These segments thus have the shape of the number 8. The user can selectively remove any of the segments as desired to make any number 1-9 or 0. The indicia can be applied to the shirt or to a color contrasted background previously placed on the shirt using heat transfer, for example.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to methods of affixing heat transferable 
material to garments such as T-shirts and the like, and more particularly 
relates to a method for affixing an athlete's race time to a garment with 
a plurality of segmented numbers arranged in pairs, wherein the segmented 
numbers include segments that are separately removable from a paper or 
like backing member so that the remaining segments define a selected 
number, and wherein the plurality of numbers can be transferred together 
to the garment using heat transfer after the desired segments have been 
removed. 
2. General Background 
Many organized running events award each of the finishers with a souvenir 
tee-shirt or like garment bearing the name of the race. Such souvenir 
shirts are commonly associated with long distance runs such as 5 
kilometer, 10 kilometer, half marathon and marathon. Garments are also 
awarded at triathon events that include running, bicycling, and swimming. 
Most of these garments display the name of the event, the distance 
involved, and at times the host city. Many such garments provide a logo 
that is multicolored. 
Successful runners devote a great deal of time when training for long 
distance running events. Their hard work is hopefully rewarded with a very 
good time that would desirably be displayed somewhere on the garment such 
as on the front or on a sleeve. However, each runner's time is different 
for a given event. A race can attract between one thousand and thirty 
thousand runners or more. Heretofore, it has been impossible for a race 
director to place each runner's time on his or her souvenir garment. 
Therefore, there is a need for a simple yet customized method of 
transferring a racers time directly to the souvenir garment or shirt, 
after the event. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
The present invention solves this problem by providing an easy to use 
method of placing a selectable time entry on an article of clothing for 
evidencing the athlete's race time after the event is completed. In the 
method of the present invention, a garment is provided of a desired color. 
A first contrasting color transfer of a desired shape background (for 
example rectangular) is applied to the garment as a backing surface. For 
example, the rectangular backing can be black for light colored shirts, 
and can be applied using an iron or like heat transfer device. 
A second transfer is formed of a plurality of indicia that are arranged in 
at least two adjacent pairs including a first pair of indicia to indicate 
seconds and a second pair of indicia to indicate minutes. A third indicia 
can be a single digit or a pair of digits to indicate hours. The 
combination of the pairs of digits define an athlete's race time in hours, 
minutes, and seconds. 
Each indicia is preferably comprised of a plurality of seven (7) segments 
including a plurality of six (6) separate peripheral segments and at least 
one interior segment. The segments can be modified by the user to define a 
selected number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 0, by selectively removing one 
or more of the segments from the indicia. 
When the plurality of indicia are generally horizontally aligned, they 
define the race time. The different selected indicia can be formed by 
manually pealing an undesired segment (or segments) from the transfer. The 
plurality of segments are preferably of a thermal curred ink or adhesive 
material, placed on a suitable backing paper (transfer paper, for 
example). The user removes unwanted segments to designate the numbers 
constituting desired time. Once unwanted segments are removed, the 
plurality of indicia are applied to the garment. Heat and/or pressure is 
applied to the combination of the garment, the backing, and the indicia to 
effect transfer to the garment. 
In the preferred embodiment, the indicia are generally in the shape of the 
number "8" and include a plurality of six peripheral segments arranged in 
a generally rectangular shape and a single horizontally extending internal 
segment. By removing the single horizontal segment, the number "0" is 
formed. By removing the top segment, the bottom segment, and the lower 
left segment, a "4" is formed. By removing the two left side segments, a 
"3" is formed, and so on.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 illustrates the first step of the method of the present invention. 
In FIG. 1, a garment 10 such as a tee-shirt is shown having a front 
surface 11 that will carry an indication of an athlete's time, such as for 
example, the hours, minutes, and seconds of a marathon. Indicated 
generally at the numeral 12 is print that defines the race title which 
commonly appears on tee-shirts awarded as a souvenir for a well-known 
distance event. 
In FIG. 1, the shirt 10 is placed on a flat underlying support surface 13, 
such as a table top. The user transfers heat to a first generally 
rectangular transfer 14 that can be of a color that contrasts with the 
color of the garment 10 and with the color of a plurality of indicia 
15-19. The indicia are arranged in at least two pairs, including a first 
pair 20 for indicating seconds, and a second pair 21 for indicating 
minutes. Indicia 19 indicates hours. 
Colons 23, 24 can be used for separating the minutes and seconds 20, 21, 
and for separating the minutes and hours 21, 22 as shown in FIG. 2. A 
peripheral border such as rectangular border 25 can surround the 
combination of the various indicia 15-19 and the colons 23, 24 as shown in 
FIG. 2. The plurality of indicia 15-19, the colons 23, 24, and the border 
25 are all placed on a paper backing element 26 that can be for example of 
a thermal cured ink material. 
Each of the indicia 15-19, the colons 23-24, and the border 25 are of a 
heat transferable material such as transfer paper. As will be described 
more fully hereinafter, any portion of the indicia 15-19 can be removed by 
manually peeling an undesired segment. The indicia 15-19 are not 
permanently attached to the backing member 26. 
They can be manually removed from the backing. In FIG. 2A, each indicia 
15-19 has a plurality of six (6) peripheral segments and one internal 
segment. For example, the indicia 15 has peripheral segments 15a-f and 
internal segment 15g. To form any number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, or 0, the 
user simply removes appropriate ones of the segments 15a-g. In FIG. 4, a 
hand of a user is designated generally by the numeral 27. In FIG. 4, 
various segments of each indicia 15-19 have been removed. For example, in 
FIG. 4, the indicia 15 has become the number "1" because five of the 
segments 15a, 15d, 15e, 15f, and 15g have been removed. The indicia 16 has 
become the number "0" because the single horizontal segment 16g has been 
removed. Similarly, the pair of indicia 21 that define minutes have had 
appropriate segments removed so that the number "88" has now become "43". 
The hour indicia 19 which began as a number "8" has become the number "2" 
by removing segments 19c and 19f. 
In FIG. 4, the reverse side 28 of the transfer is shown. The transfer 
reverse side 28 must be placed face down on a garment 10 before heat 
and/or pressure is applied thereto. Reverse side 28 carries the plurality 
of indicia 15-19 and front surface 29 has heat and/or pressure applied 
thereto during the transfer to garment 10. To aid the user in picking the 
correcting segments, the user can simply inscribe the correct race time on 
the surface 29, using a pencil or marker 22 as shown in FIG. 3. The 
backing paper 26 is preferably semi-transparent so that the user can view 
the full "8" segments which are on the reverse face 28 of the paper 
backing 26. By writing the correct race time on the surface 29, the user 
then clearly sees which segments are to be removed (the pencil or ink 
inscription covers segments that will remain) so that the remaining 
segments define the proper race time. Once the unwanted segments are 
removed, the user places the surface 28 against the garment 10, as shown 
in FIG. 5, and transfers heat and/or pressure thereto using an iron or 
other appropriate device, designated by the numeral 5. 
The backing 14 can be white for example if the tee-shirt is dark in color. 
If a white backing 14 is used, the indicia 15-19, the colons 23, 24, and 
the peripheral 25 would preferably be of a dark contrasting color such as 
black, navy blue, etc. 
If the tee-shirt is of a lighter color, such as white, yellow, etc., the 
backing element 14 can be of a dark color such as black. In the use of a 
black background 14, the indicia 15-19, the colons 23, 24, and the 
peripheral element 25 would be of a lighter color such as yellow. 
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the final time is indicated by the completed 
number transfer 08 and can be placed on the front 11 of the garment 10, or 
on the sleeve 30 thereof. 
The following table lists the part numbers and part descriptions as used 
herein and in the drawings attached hereto. 
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TS LIST 
Part Number Description 
______________________________________ 
08 race time transfer 
09 iron 
10 shirt 
11 front surface 
12 print 
13 support surface 
14 transfer 
15 indicia 
16 indicia 
17 indicia 
18 indicia 
19 indicia 
20 first pair 
21 second pair 
22 marker 
23 colon 
24 colon 
25 border 
26 paper backing 
27 hand 
28 reverse side 
29 front side 
30 sleeve 
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Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope 
of the inventive concept herein taught, and because many modifications may 
be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the 
descriptive requirement of the law, it is to be understood that the 
details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting 
sense.