TUNNEL FOR A GARMENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved material and method for forming a tunnel (14) in a product (10) such as a garment or other textile product, through which a drawstring (16) can be operated. The present invention avoids the laborious and potentially damaging process of sewing-in a drawstring tunnel and replaces it with a pre-formed tape (30) that is adhered in place to form the tunnel. The tape can be formed and attached through a variety of methods.

Description: TITLE OF THE INVENTION TUNNEL FOR A GARMENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a regular application based on co-pending United States Provisional Patent Application 60/009,51 1 filed December 6, 1995 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a tunnel for pull strings, such as those used in garments, and methods for forming and mounting such tunnels j BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many products, such as garments, clothing items, and accessory items, include a tunnel having a drawstring located therein which allows the product to be adjusted (e g , tightened) by a user Drawstrings are particularly used in conjunction with jackets, accessory bags, and other specialized items, such as gaiters For ease in reference the term "garment" is used herein to generally describe such products that may incorporate the present invention However, it should be understood that the present invention may be incorporated into a wide variety of products that may or may not be worn, including without limitation jackets, pants, accessories (e g , hats, gloves, gaiters, etc ), duffel bags, book bags, purses, backpacks, suitcases various product covers (e g , sports equipment, automobiles, lawn accessories, etc ), etc In many garments and items having a drawstring the drawstring tunnel is located at an edge of the garment Figures 1A and 1 B demonstrate typical mounting techniques presently employed with drawstrings Referring to Fig 1A, a garment or other product 10 comprising a fabric, textile woven or non¬ woven material has a drawstring tunnel 14 formed along a peripheral edge by folding an outer edge 12 of the product material 10 over and stitching or sewing the edge 12 to the product material 10, thereby forming the tunnel 14 A drawstring 16 is then placed into the tunnel 14 to allow the garment to be adjusted, as previously described In some garments, such as jackets that extend below a person's waist, the drawstring 16 is not located along a peripheral edge of the jacket, but around the wearer's waist near the middle or center of the jacket Shown in Fig 1B is a drawstring 16, it would be located towards the center of a jacket In this configuration, the drawstring is normally mounted on an inner surface of the jacket For this type of jacket, a separate piece of material 18, which often matches the product material 10, is wrapped over upon itself and then sewn or stitched to the product material 10, usually on an inner surface of the product material 10 The separate piece of material 18 forms the tunnel 14 within which the drawstring 16 is installed Alternatively, the tunnel 14 can be formed by sewing opposing lateral edges of a separate piece of material (not shown) to the inner surface of the product material 10, with the tunnel 14 being formed between the separate piece of material and the inner surface of the product material 10 The tunnel 14 is formed on the inner surface of the product mateπal 10 such that the tunnel 14 is not visible on the outer surface of the garment Although these methods of forming the tunnel 14 are relatively simple and inexpensive, the stitching or sewing performed to form the tunnel 14 may compromise the integrity of the product material 10 by forming a plurality of needle holes 20 in the garment Not only can these needle holes be unsightly, but in weather resistant garments (i e , garments that protect against wind, water and cold temperatures), the needle holes can allow water and wind to penetrate the garment In order to prevent the latter problem, it is known to seal the seam on the inner surface of the garment with a length of waterproof tape 22 Such seam sealing tapes are available from W L Gore & Associates, Ine , of Newark, Delaware, under the trademark GORE-SEAM® Once the tunnel has been formed, tape is then installed over the stitch hole and the tape is welded Ό the inside of sewn seams with a hot air machine The hot air machine irects air at very high temperatures onto the tape, activating an adhesive and forcing the molten adhesive into the fabric 10 This process seals stitch holes, seams and other sources of leakage at the seam Tunnels made on the inner surface of the garment require sewing either one or two areas and sealing one or two areas, respectively, in order to waterproof the material This often causes the material to become stiff in the area proximate the tunnel such that the garment may become somewhat uncomfortable or less aesthetically pleasing Referring now to Figs 2A and 2B, yet another existing method of forming a tunnel 14 for a drawstring 16 in a garment is shown In this method a piece of material 24, such as taffeta, is sewn to first and second pieces of material 26a, 26b, which are loaded with an adhesive 28 on one side The first and second pieces of mateπal 26a, 26b are sewn to the material 24 along opposing edges of the material 24 The sewn member is then applied to the fabric 10 such that the two adhesive loaded pieces of material 26a, 26b are bonded to the product material 10 and the piece of material 24 is not attached to the product material 10 The tunnel 14 is thus formed between product material 10 and material 24 A drawstring 16 may then be installed in the tunnel 14 in a known manner Although this method of forming a drawstring tunnel does not compromise the integrity of the product material 10 with needle holes, the method is costly to implement, since the two pieces of adhesive material 26a, 26b must be sewn to the separate piece of material 24 The present invention is directed to a method of forming a tunnel in a garment or textile article that does not compromise the integrity of the garment or textile, yet is simple and inexpensive to perform The present invention is also directed to a tape for forming a tunnel in a garment or textile The present invention reduces the labor required in forming a tunnel and also reduces the amount of materials required in forming and sealing a tunnel in a garment SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises an improved apparatus and method for forming a drawstring tunnel in a garment or similar structure The tunnel of the present invention comprises a relatively wide tape having at least two parallel adhesive strips and a center non-adhesive portion The tape is applied to a substrate (e g , garment) with each of the adhesive strips attaching to the substrates but with the center portion left un-adhered Attached in this manner the tape forms a drawstring tunnel upon attachment without limitations found in previous tunnel constructions Since the tape is attached with adhesive alone, there are no needle holes formed through the garment that could present leakage problems. As a result, leakage risk through such holes is eliminated. Additionally, since adhesive does not have to be used to seal needle holes, a much wider variety of adhesive material can be employed on the tape than have been previously employed. Accordingly, the final tunnel can be made far more flexible (i.e., less stiff) and more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing than previous tape-sealed garment tunnels. Moreover, the simplicity of the present invention allows drawstring tunnels to be made and installed far faster and easier than any previous method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments that are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings. Fig. 1 A is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an existing method for forming a drawstring tunnel along a peripheral edge of a garment; Fig. 1 B is a cross-section view of a second embodiment of an existing method for forming drawstring tunnel for a garment; Fig. 2A is a top plan view of a third embodiment of an existing method of forming a drawstring tunnel for a garment; Fig. 2B is an exploded, cross-section view of the drawstring tunnel shown in Fig. 2A; Fig. 3 is an exploded, cross-section view of a tape for forming a tunnel in a textile in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 is an exploded, cross-section view of a tape for forming a tunnel in a textile in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5A is a perspective view of a tunnel formed in a textile material using a tape in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 5B is a cross-section view of the tunnel shown in Fig. 5A; Fig. 6 is an exploded, cross-section view of a tape for forming a tunnel in a textile in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; Fig 7 is a cross-section view of a tape for forming a tunnel in a textile in accordance with a fourth embodiment of he present invention, and Fig 8 is a perspective view of a textile having a drawstring tunnel formed thereon in accordance with a method of the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention comprises apparatus and method for providing improved tunnel structures on a substrate, such as a drawstring tunnel on garments and similar structures The tunnel of the present invention is particularly suitable for use with protective and "weather resistant" garments and like products where needle holes must be avoided or sealed to prevent leakage through the product Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting The words "inner" and "outer" refer to opposite sides of a textile, material, or fabric and designated parts thereof The term "weather resistant" is used to refer to materials which resist water and wind, such as products sold by W L Gore & Associates, Ine , under the trademarks GORE-TEX®, which are waterproof, windproof and breathable, and ACTIVENT®, which are water resistant, windproof, and breathable However, the term "weather resistant" as used herein is not intended to be limited to advanced weatherproof or weather resistant materials and should be construed to include any of a variety of products that resists or prevents water or other liquid penetration, such as cotton duct, coated fabrics, such as urethane treated fabrics, sheet plastics, microfiber products, etc The terminology includes the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar import The present invention is directed to a tape for use with a textile for forming a tunnel The tunnel may be used to hold a drawstring The present invention is also directed to a method of forming a tunnel in a textile using a tape or piece of fabric For simplicity, the present invention is generally described herein in conjunction with a jacket, such as a jacket constructed of a waterproof fabric However, as has been mentioned the present inventton is not limited to use with jackets, but can be used with a large variety of garments and other articles, such as overalls, pants, gaiters, mitts, bags, etc In addition, although the present invention is effectively used with weather resistant garments and textile articles, the present invention can be used with garments and textile articles constructed of other types of fabrics and materials In the drawings, like numerals indicate like elements throughout Referring now to Figs 3 and 4, there is shown an exploded, cross-section view of a tape 30 for forming a tunnel in a garment or textile article in accordance with first and second embodiments of the present invention The tape 30 comprises a first, outer layer 32 For aesthetic reasons, the outer layer 32 is preferably constructed of the same (or complementary) material or fabric as the garment or textile article, so that when the tape 30 is applied to the garment, the outer layer 32 stylistically matches the garment In the preferred embodiment, the outer layer 32 is sufficiently strong and resilient to prevent tearing when installed and deterioration during the life of the product to which it is attached It should be understood that the outer layer 32 may be constructed of a material that is different from the material from which the garment or textile article is constructed, such as a film or non-woven material In the presently preferred embodiment, the outer layer 32 is constructed of an abrasion resistant material, such as a tricot knit A first substrate layer 34 is bonded to one side or surface of the outer layer 32, preferably with a first adhesive layer 36 The first substrate layer 34 is preferably constructed of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) film, which acts as a physical barrier to prevent adhesive permeation through to the outer layer 32 Expanded PTFE is waterproof, preventing water from seeping through or penetrating the garment, and is moisture vapor permeable, allowing moisture vapor to escape from the garment The first substrate layer 34 is coated with a second adhesive layer 38, such as a hot-melt adhesive, for bonding the tape 30 to a garment or textile article The adhesive layer 38 is preferably a layer of thermoplastic adhesive in a thickness range from 0 005 cm to 0 025 cm, with a preferred thickness of approximately 0 006 inches (0 015 cm) thick A wide range of tape 30 widths can be used, with widths of 2 to 10 cm being typical Widths of the various regions would be a function of the overall width, with the adhesive layers having a minimum limitation of the area required for sufficeint strength for durability A 3 75 cm side tape would have adhesive layers of 0 3 cm to 1 25 cm for example A large number of adhesives may be suitable for bonding the substrate layer 34 to the textile 10, such as polyurethane, polyolefin, nylon, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), perfluoroalkoxy polymer (PFA), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polyester, etc Alternatively, a non-thermoplastic adhesive could be used to bond the tape 30 to a garment, such as a reactive material, epoxies, acryolates, silicones, pheno cs, ultra-violet curable materials thermosets, or pressure sensitive materials A non-bonding material layer 40 is bonded or attached to the adhesive layer 38 The non-bonding material layer 40 creates a non-bonding region, denoted 42, on the inner side of the tape 30 The non-bonding region 42 is located between two bonding regions, denoted 44a, 44b, also on the inner side of the tape 30 The bonding regions 44a, 44b and the non-bonding region 42 are parallel with each other and extend over the length of the tape 30 The non-bonding material layer 40 is preferably constructed of a material to prevent the non-bonding region 42 from bonding to the garment during the sealing process in which the tape 30 is bonded to the garment or textile article In the presently preferred embodiment, the non-bonding material layer 40 comprises an ePTFE film or laminate layer However, the non-bonding material layer 40 may be constructed of a release paper, a silicone based coating, or other suitable materials The width of the non-bonding material layer 40 may be approximately one-third of the width of the tape 30 It is preferred to maximize the non-bonded area while still maintaining sufficient strength to keep the tape adhered to the substrate Thus, with the non-bonding material layer 40 located near the center of the tape 30, the bonding regions 44a, 44b, and the non- bonding region 42 each has approximately the same width, which is about one- third of the width of the tape 30 However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the width of the bonding region 42 could be greater or less than the width of the non-bonding regions 44a, 44b, depending upon the materials and adhesives used and the desired width of the tunnel formed by the tape 30 As shown in Fig 3, the non-bonding material layer 40 can be bonded or attached to the adhesive layer 38 with an adhesive 46, such as the thermoplastic adhesive layer 38 In the first preferred embodiment, the non- bonding material layer 40 is bonded to the first substrate layer with a thermoplastic adhesive approximately 0 006 inches (0 015 cm) thick (before a hot-melt bonding process is performed) The adhesive layer could be from from 0 005 cm to 0 025 cm in thickness Alternatively, as shown in Fig 4, the non-bonding mateπal layer 40 can be bonded to the first substrate layer 34 using the adhesive layer 38 As is explained in greater detail below, it should be appreciated that a similar result may be achieved by applying two or more parallel strips of adhesive to the tape 30, leaving a non-bonding area between the adhesive strips In this manner, once the tape 30 is applied to the substrate using the adhesive strips, the non-bonding area between the adhesive strips provides a clear channel for operation of the drawstring Referring now to Figs 5A and 5B, the tape 30 is shown bonded to a material of a garment or other product 10, thereby forming a tunnel 14 The tunnel may be used to secure a drawstring 16 to the garment or textile article The tape 30 is attached to product 10 preferably using either a hot press machine or hot air machine, that apply heat and pressure to melt the thermoplastic adhesive and bond it to a substrate Such apparatus is commercially available from a number of sources, including from W L Gore & Associates, Ine , Elkton, MD The tape 30 is bonded to textile 10 with the adhesive layer 38 being placed against and bonded to a surface of the textile 10 (e g , for a jacket, the tape 30 is preferably bonded to the inside of the jacket) Each of the bonding regions 44a, 44b is securely attached to the textile 10 However, the non- bonding region 42 is prevented from bonding to the textile 10 by the lack of adhesive on the non-bonding material layer 40 Thus, a tunnel 14 is formed between the textile 10 and the tape 30 along the non-bonded portion of the tape A drawstring 16 may then be installed within the tunnel 14 through conventional methods, such as using a snake, as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art The method for forming the tunnel 14 of the present invention (i e , bonding the tape 30 to the textile 10) does not mar the textile 10 Moreover, no stitching or sewing is required, and, thus, no needle holes are placed in the textile 10 An additional benefit of the substrate layer 34 is that during the sealing or bonding process in which the tape 30 is bonded to the garment, the substrate layer 34 prevents adhesive from bleeding through to the outer layer 32 Referring now to Fig 6, an exploded, cross-section view of a third embodiment of a tape 50 for forming a tunnel of the present invention The tape 50, similar to the tape 30, includes a first, outer fabric layer 32 bonded to a substrate layer 34 with an adhesive 36 However, instead of a continuous adhesive layer 38 on the substrate layer 34, a discontinuous adhesive layer 38a, 38b is coated on the substrate layer 34 The adhesive of the discontinuous adhesive layer 38a, 38b is preferably a thermoplastic adhesive similar to the thermoplastic adhesive of the continuous adhesive layer 38 Preferably, the adhesive layer 38a has the width of sufficeint area for strength such as 0 5 to 1 25 cm and the non-bonded area is a minimum width that allows sufficeint flexibility to insert and manipulate the drawstring, such as 2 to 4 cm In one embodiment of the invention, the adhesive layers 38a, 38b form respective bonding regions 44a, 44b and a non-bonding region 42 therebetween The bonding regions 44a, 44b and the non-bonding region 42 are parallel to each other and extend over the length of the tape 50 In the embodiment shown, the adhesive layers 38a, 38b each have a width that is approximately one-third of the width of the tape 50, and the non-bonding region 42 is also approximately one-third of the width of the tape 50 Again, the exact relative proportions between these layers may vary, so long as sufficient adhesive is provided to securely bond the tape to the substrate Similar to the tape 30, the tape 50 is attached, i.e , permanently bonded, to a garment or textile article preferably using either a hot air machine or a hot press machine Fig 7 shows yet another embodiment of a tape 60 in accordance with the present invention for forming a tunnel 14 The tape 60 comprises a substrate layer 34 bonded to an abrasion resistant liner 32 with an adhesive 36 on one side and to a layer of hot-melt adhesive 38 on the other side In order to form the tunnel 14, the tape 60 is placed such that the adhesive layer 38 is facing the desired side of the textile 10 The tape 60 is then bonded to the textile 10 by selectively activating the adhesive 38 only at particular places of the tape That is, as shown in Fig 7, the tape 60 is bonded to the textile 10 only at the opposing lateral sides of the tape 60 The device used to activate the adhesive 38 limits or prevents activation of the adhesive 38 at the center section of the tape 60 If a hot air machine or hot press machine are used, no hot air, heat, and/or pressure is applied proximate to the center of the tape 60, such that the center of the tape 60 is not attached to the textile 10, thereby allowing the formation of the tunnel 1 Alternatively, as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, other bonding methods may be used, such as ultraviolet curing or ultrasonic bonding techniques If an ultraviolet curing technique is used to activate the adhesive 38, then the adhesive 38 may be activated by the sealing machine prior to placing the adhesive 38 against the textile 10 In contrast, when a hot press machine or an RF welding or induction heating process is used, then the tape 60 is placed against the textile before the adhesive 38 is activated Referring now to Fig 8, a perspective view of a textile 10 having a tunnel 14 formed thereon is shown A drawstring 16 is located within the tunnel 14 In this embodiment, the tape 60 is bonded to the textile 10 using a spot welding technique That is, a plurality of spot welds 62 are made along opposite edges of the tape 60, thereby securing the tape 60 to the textile 10 at the spot welds A non-bonding region 42 is thus located along the center axis of the tape 60 As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, this method of forming the tunnel 14 is suitable when many methods are used to activate the adhesive on the inner side of the tape 60 From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a tape having a fabric outer layer, a middle substrate layer, and an inner adhesive layer The tape further includes at least one inner bonding region and at least one inner non-bonding region When the tape is bonded to a garment or textile article, a tunnel is formed between the non-bonding region of the tape and a surface of the garment or textile material A drawstring may be pre-installed within the tunnel during the tunnel formation process, or may be installed after tunnel formation through conventional means The present invention also provides a method for forming a tunnel in a garment or textile article by selectively bonding only specific regions of a tape to the garment or textile article The tunnel is formed between the non-bonded region of the tape and a surface of the garment or textile material Due to the simplicity of the tape and process for bonding the tape to the garment or textile article, the tunnel is dramatically easier to form than through conventional methods Moreover, the tunnel formed by the present invention does not compromise the integrity or aesthetics of the garment or textile article Maintenance of product integrity is a crucial factor when forming weather resistant products whereby formation of seam holes and the like is preferably avoided Accordingly, the construction of the tape does not require waterproofing properties to seal needle holes, since the tape is not sewn to the textile It should be further appreciated that the tunnel of the present invention may be readily installed either inside or outside of a garment or other product Without intending to limit the scope of the present invention the following examples illustrate how the present invention can be made Example 1 A tape having an ePTFE substrate layer with a tricot knit outer layer 32 bonded to one side and a 0 006 inch (0 015 cm) thick thermoplastic adhesive layer 38 on the other side was bonded to a textile 10 using a hot air seam sealing machine set at a temperature of 650°C, 60 psi nip pressure and 6 1 meters (20 feet) of tape per minute A tunnel was adequately formed such that a drawstring was installed and slidably secured therein Example 2 A tape having an ePTFE substrate layer 34 with a tricot knit outer layer 32 bonded to one side and a 0 006 inch (0 015 cm) thick layer of thermoplastic adhesive 38 on the other side was bonded to a textile 10 using a hot press machine set to 350°F (177 °C) The tape was pressed therein for approximately 15 seconds, and a tunnel was adequately formed such that a drawstring was installed and slidably secured therein It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof

Claims: CLAIMS: 1 A tape for forming a tunnel in a product, the tape comprising a first substrate layer having a first side and a second side, at least two adhesive strips attached to the substrate second side for bonding the tape to the product, and a non-bonding region formed between the adhesive strips, wherein the non-bonding region forms the tunnel when the adhesive strips are attached to the product 2 The tape of claim 1 wherein the adhesive strips comprise an adhesive layer on the first substrate and a second substrate layer attached to a central portion of the adhesive layer and extending over the length of the tape whereby the non-bonding region is formed along the central portion of the tape 3 The tape of claim 1 wherein the tape is bonded to a garment such that a tunnel is formed by the non-bonding region 4 The tape of claim 3 wherein a drawstring is installed within the tunnel 5 The tape of claim 1 wherein the adhesive strips comprise a thermoplastic adhesive 6 The tape of claim 5 wherein the thermoplastic comprises a polyurethane 7 The tape of claim 5 wherein the adhesive strips comprise a thermosetting adhesive 8 The tape of claim 5 wherein the adhesive strips comprise a pressure-sensitive adhesive 9 The tape of claim 8 further comprising a release paper backing installed over the pressure-sensitive adhesive 10 The tape of claim 1 wherein the first substrate layer comprises an ePTFE film 1 The tape of claim 2 wherein the second substrate layer comprises an ePTFE film 12 The tape of claim 1 wherein the tape includes an outer layer bonded to the first substrate layer 13 A method for forming a tunnel in a product comprising the steps of providing a tape having a substrate layer having an adhesive layer attached to one side, placing the adhesive layer of the tape against a surface of the product, and selectively bonding portions of the tape such that two opposite side edges of the tape are bonded to the product such that tunnel is formed between a center portion of the tape and the product 14 The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of installing a drawstring within the tunnel 15 A method for forming a tunnel in a textile comprising the steps of providing a tape having a substrate layer having an adhesive layer attached to one side, selectively activating adhesive along two opposite side edges of the adhesive layer of the tape, and placing the adhesive layer of the tape against a surface of the textile, wherein the two opposite side edges of the tape are bonded to the textile and a tunnel is formed between a center portion of the tape and the textile 16 The method of claim 15 wherein the adhesive is activated using an ultraviolet curing system 17 The method of claim 15 wherein the adhesive is activated using an ultrasonic heating system 18 A method for forming a tunnel in a textile compπsing the steps of providing a tape having an inner surface and an outer surface wherein the inner surface has a pair of bonding regions composed of an adhesive material disposed along opposite edges of the tape and at least one inner non-bonding region located between the bonding regions and extending parallel thereto, placing the tape adjacent to a portion of a textile material, and bonding the tape to the textile material, wherein a tunnel is formed between the textile material and the tape at the non-bonding region 19 The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of installing a drawstring in the tunnel 20 A drawstring tunnel formed according to the process of claim 18 21 A method of forming a tunnel on a textile material comprising the steps of providing a textile tape having an inner surface and an outer surface, and an adhesive on the inner surface, placing the tape on a textile material with the adhesive surface facing the textile material, and selectively bonding portions of the adhesive surface of the tape to the textile such that a tunnel is formed between the tape and the textile material along a non-bonded region material 22 A product having a drawstring comprising a drawstring tunnel attached to the garment, the tunnel formed from a tape adhered to the garment, the tape having at least one first segment adhered to the product by an adhesive and a second segment that is not adhered to the garment, the second segment forming the tunnel through which the drawstring operates 23 The product of claim 22 wherein the product comprises a garment 24 The product of claim 22 wherein the tape comprises two first segments adhered to the product and the second segment comprises a non- bonding segment oriented between the two adhered segments

Inventors: ZADOR DAVID T, ZADOR, DAVID, T.
Applicants: GORE & ASS, W.L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A41F9
IPC codes: A41F9