Neck tie structure with a tie knot former

This invention concerns a neck tie structure, a tie, a neck band, and a knot former. The knot former has a groove extending from side to side on the knot former. The neck band is threaded through the groove. The neck band has fastener means at opposite ends to connect the neck band on a neck of a person wearing the tie. The tie has an intermediate tie loop portion mounted over a front face of the knot former with ends of the tie being projected along opposite sides and rearwardly of the knot former and rearwardly and beneath the neck band. The ends of the tie are extended upwardly and forwardly over the neck band between the intermediate tie loop portion and the knot former and downwardly beneath the knot former in lapped relation, the thus tied tie generating a tied knot about the knot former having an appearance of a four-in-hand knot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention concerns a new and improved neck tie structure with a 
tie knot former. Various types of neck tie structures have been invented 
and patented in the U.S.A. before and none of the patents known are 
believed to anticipate the improved features of my new neck tie structure. 
My new neck tie structure is of a simplified construction in that it 
includes a minimum number of components comprising a neck tie, a knot 
former, and an elastic neck loop and hook type fasteners sold under the 
trademark "Velcro" for quick attachment of the elastic neck band around a 
person's neck. These fasteners maybe of any suitable type. One important 
feature of my new neck tie structure involves a unique way for attaching 
and tying a relatively short in length neck tie to the knot former and the 
elastic neck band. By using the inventive features of my new and improved 
neck tie structure, the length of the tie can be reduced by as much as 
one-third, thus reducing the costs for manufacture of a tie so since the 
tie can be easily assembled and/or disassembled with respect to the knot 
former and the elastic band, it is easy to either wash or clean the tie 
and then restore the tie to the neck tie structure by refolding the tie in 
assembly with the neck tie knot former and the elastic band. 
A variety of different neck ties have been the subject of earlier issued 
U.S. Patents. Only a few of the prior a neck tie patents are concerned 
with the use of a knot former as required by my new and improved neck tie 
structure. With regard to prior a patents relating to the use of neck tie 
formers, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 4875239. In this patent, 
the former 20 is attached to a neck band by pins 25 in slot 18 in the neck 
band 14 as shown in FIG. 8. This arrangement is more complicated than my 
improved neck tie structure where the neck band is joined with the neck 
tie former by inserting the neck band through a groove molded in the knot 
former. My neck tie is also tied with the neck tie structure in a new and 
improved way not shown in this patent. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,507 shows another type of a pre-formed neck tie with an 
insert shown in FIG. 2. The construction in assembly of this insert is 
more complicated and differs from the improved neck tie structure that is 
the subject of this patent disclosure. Other types of knot simulating tie 
clasps are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,757. Still further, U.S. Pat. No. 
3,737,917 utilizes a bridge member 31 (FIG. 4) for assisting in the 
formation of the knot. Still other neck ties having other types of knot 
formers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,761,963 and 3,761,964. 
According to important features of my invention, my neck tie structure has 
been provided with a knot former that is slidably mounted on a neck band 
and my neck tie is tied in a looped manner about the neck band and the 
knot former which improved arrangement makes it possible to eliminate any 
need for tie tacks or other types of connectors such as are shown in the 
prior art for the purpose of securing the tie to other components of the 
neck tie structure thus constituting another important advantage of my 
invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to my present invention I have provided a neck tie structure 
which includes, a tie, a neck band, and a knot former. The knot former has 
a groove extending from side to side on the knot former. The neck band is 
extended through the groove. The neck band has fastener means at opposite 
ends to connect the neck band on a neck of a person wearing the tie. The 
tie has an intermediate tie loop portion mounted over a front face of the 
knot former with ends of the tie being projected along opposite sides and 
rearwardly of the knot former and rearwardly and beneath the neck band. 
The ends of the tie are extended upwardly and forwardly over the neck band 
between the intermediate tie loop portion and the knot former, the tie 
ends are extended downwardly beneath the knot former in lapped relation, 
the thus tied tie generating a tied knot about the knot former which 
includes the intermediate tie loop portion. 
Another feature of my invention concerns the use of a neck tie structure as 
previously described wherein the knot former has its groove formed in an 
arcuate shape which extends from one side of the knot former to an 
opposite side thereof, the neck band when extended through the groove 
being flexible and shaped to adopt the arcuate shape of the groove. 
Still another feature of my invention relates to a neck tie structure as 
previously described wherein the knot former is of a wedge shaped 
configuration having a curved front face providing a knot forming surface 
when the intermediate tie portion is looped in engagement over this knot 
forming surface. 
According to important features of my invention, I have provided a new and 
improved combination, the combination comprising a neck tie structure, the 
neck tie structure including: a tie, an elastic neck band, and a knot 
former, the knot former having a groove extending from side to side on the 
knot former, the elastic neck band being threaded through the groove, the 
elastic neck band having fastener means at opposite ends to connect the 
opposite ends of the elastic neck band on a neck of a person wearing the 
tie, the tie having an intermediate tie loop portion mounted over a front 
face of the knot former with ends of the tie extended along opposite sides 
and rearwardly of the knot former and rearwardly and beneath the elastic 
neck band, tie portions of the tie being extended upwardly and forwardly 
over the elastic neck band between the intermediate tie loop portion and 
the knot former, the tie portions being extended downwardly beneath the 
knot former in lapped relation to one another, the thus tied tie coacting 
with the knot former to generate an enlarged tied knot simulating a 
four-in-hand neck tie knot. Other and still further features of my 
invention relate to a neck tie structure which includes a tie, a neck band 
structure. The neck band structure includes a neck band, and a 
wedge-shaped knot former. The wedge-shaped knot former has a groove formed 
in an arcuate shape extending across from side to side on the wedge-shaped 
knot former, the neck band being loosely extended through the groove for 
relative arcuate movement to the wedge-shaped knot former, the neck band 
having fastener means at opposite ends to connect the opposite ends of the 
neck band on a neck of a person wearing the tie, the tie having an 
intermediate tie loop portion mounted over and confronting a front face of 
the wedge-shaped knot former with the intermediate tie loop portion of the 
tie extended along opposite sides and rearwardly of the knot former and 
rearwardly and beneath the neck band, said intermediate tie portion being 
extended upwardly and forwardly over the neck band between the 
intermediate tie loop portion and the wedge-shaped knot former, the 
intermediate tie being extended downwardly beneath the wedge-shaped knot 
former in lapped relation to one another, the thus tied tie coacting with 
said knot former to generate an enlarged knot, the tie former having an 
outwardly bulged curved front face, tapered side areas extending 
rearwardly on opposite sides of the outwardly bulged curved front face for 
allowing a tie knot to resemble a "four-in-hand" tie knot, said knot to be 
tied over the outwardly bulged front face and the tapered side areas. 
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from 
the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying 
drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example a 
certain embodiment of my invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
According to my invention, I have provided a new and improved neck tie 
structure as indicated at 10. The neck tie structure 10 includes a tie 11. 
This tie is of a conventional construction except that it is substantially 
shorter and is as much shorter as one-third (1/3) as compared to ties 
commonly worn today. As is known, with taller people, the ties are of a 
longer length than they are for shorter people. In either case, whether 
the tie is to be used on a shorter person or a taller person, the length 
of the tie can be shortened by as much as one-third (1/3) in length when 
manufactured in accordance with the principles of my invention. 
According to my invention, my neck tie structure also includes a neck band 
structure 11 having a neck band 12. A fabric band sleeve 13 is mounted on 
the neck band 12. This sleeve has a larger diameter than the neck band 12 
so that it can loosely slide and move relative to the neck band 12. This 
sleeve is secured by side stitches along its length so that opposite edges 
of the fabric band sleeve 13 are securely joined together. 
The neck band 12 also has opposite band ends 15 and 16. A fastener 
structure 17 is secured to the ends 15 and 16 which includes a pair of 
fastener strips 18 and 19 which can be of the type commonly sold under the 
trademark "Velcro" and suitably secured to the neck band 12. These strips, 
when engaged together have hooks which interact to hold the fastener 
strips 18 and 19 in mated engagement together. These strips can readily be 
pulled apart in a conventional way. Attention is directed to certain U.S. 
Patents pertaining to fastener strips of this type and in this regard 
typical fastener strips are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,658,107, 3,732,600, 
4,591,148 and 4,708,183. When the fabric band sleeve 13 is mounted on the 
neck band 12, the sleeve 13 is bunched as indicated generally at 20 along 
the length of the fabric band sleeve 13. Stitching indicated at 21 and 22 
secures opposite ends of the fabric band sleeve 13 to the neck band 12 in 
adjacency to fastener strips 18 and 19 located at opposite ends of the 
neck band 12. These stitches indicated at 21 and 22 serve to hold the 
fabric band sleeve in a bunched position on the neck band 12 so that when 
the neckband is stretched due to its elasticity, the bunching of the 
fabric of the fabric band sleeve 20 can also expand with the elastic neck 
band 12 to move in unison together. The fabric sleeve 20 can match the 
fabric of the tie 11. 
Another important component of my neck tie structure 10 is a wedge-shaped 
tie former 24. The former can be preferably formed of a synthetic plastic 
of any suitable type which has a firm body character to it to provide a 
firm backing for enabling the tie 11 to be folded about the former 24 as 
hereafter described which embodies important features of my invention. 
This former has a side-to-side extending arcuate or curved groove which 
intercepts opposite sides 26 and 27 of the tie former as shown in FIGS. 4 
and 5. It will further be seen .that the groove 25 is curved and is of a 
relatively firm nature so that a curved portion of the neck band 12 
approximates the confirmation of a person's neck and can readily hug the 
person's neck when extended through the wedge-shaped tie former 24. My tie 
former 24 is also provided with a curved front former face or a radially 
outwardly bulged curved front former face 28, to assist in forming a 
curved neck tie knot when the neck tie 11 is mounted on the tie former 24 
as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, as an example. This neck tie knot simulates a 
so-called "four-in-hand Knot" or enlarged knot which can now be created 
with a neck tie of a considerably shorter length than before, where such 
tie is used with my new and improved uniquely configured neck tie knot 
former 24. 
To mount the tie 11 on the neck tie structure, the tie is first manipulated 
to provide a looped tie portion 29 which engages against a curved front 
face 28 of the tie former 24. Tie ends 30 and 31 are provided. 
Intermediate tie sections or portions 32 and 33 are looped beneath neck 
band. The intermediate tie portions or sections 32 and 33 also include 
extended sections 34 and 35 looped beneath the tied portion 29. An inner 
tie folding band 36 is stitched at 37 and 38 to a back side of outer main 
tie flap 39 so that inner, relatively thin, tie flap 40 can be held by the 
band 36 behind the main tie flap 39 in centered relation relative thereto. 
The tie former is also provided with tapered side areas 39 and 40 which 
extend rearwardly on opposite sides of the outwardly bulged curved front 
face of the former for allowing the tie knot to resemble a "four-in-hand" 
tie knot to be tied over the outwardly bulged front face and the tapered 
side areas. By providing a curved front face on the knot former along with 
the tapered side areas 39 and 40, the user of my neck tie structure can 
tie a shorter length tie so as to generate a tie knot which resembles a 
"four-in-hand" tie knot as shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with important 
features of my invention. 
It will be obvious from the foregoing that I have provided an improved neck 
tie structure with a tie that has a reduced length as compared to ties 
that are ordinarily in use and where the overall costs of manufacture of 
the tie can be reduced because of the more limited amount of fabric 
required to manufacture a tie where used in a neck structure as here 
disclosed. 
As various possible embodiments may be made in the above invention for use 
for different purposes and as various changes might be made in the 
embodiments and method above set forth, it is understood that all of the 
above matters here set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to 
be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.