Abstract:
A garment comprising an outer layer on the exterior of a front part of the garment, a lining on the interior of the garment and an internal structure located between the outer layer and the lining. The internal structure comprises of a chest piece which extends from a shoulder part of the garment across a chest part of the garment without extending through to a lapel part of the garment and also a fusible material fused to the outer layer wherein the fusible material is located only partially across the outer layer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present application claims priority of British Patent Application 1221041.5, filed Nov. 22, 2012, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely. 
       FIELD OF DISCLOSURE  
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a garment comprising multiple layers, for example an item of outerwear or a jacket such as a suit jacket. 
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]    Traditionally, suit jackets were fully canvassed, meaning they were constructed with a layer of canvas stitched between the outer layer and the lining. In a fully canvassed jacket, the internal structure, the canvas, runs from the top of the shoulder to the bottom hem and under the lapel, the purpose of which is to provide the jacket with structure and to prevent deformation and sagging. This form of structuring is expensive both in terms of the materials used and the labour involved to create it. There is also a risk that if the canvas is poorly-inserted or shrinks after insertion the front of the suit will pucker which is almost impossible to fix on a completed garment. 
         [0004]    With the development of fusible materials an increasing number of fused suit jackets have appeared on the commercial market. Fusible fabrics comprise a heat sensitive resin which allows them to be effectively “fused” to the outer layer of the front portion of the jacket without stitching. In fused suit jackets, the fusing replaces the canvas portion of the internal structure. The fusing starts at approximately the top of the shoulder and runs down to the bottom hem and under the lapel. The only canvas that is kept is a chest piece that does not extend to the lapels and stops under the arm to reinforce the shape of the garment. The risk of using fusible materials is that if heat, or steam, is applied to the suit, for example during dry cleaning or in a humid atmosphere, the internal structure, in this case the fusing material, can become detached from the outer layer. This effect is known as “bubbling” and is permanent. The direct attachment of the fusible material to the front of the jacket has a stiffening effect on the material which does not provide the same support as the fully-canvassed suit. Also since there is no canvassing in the lapels this gives them a flat and lifeless look. 
         [0005]    More recently, half-canvassed suit jackets have been developed. In half-canvassed jackets the internal structure comprises a chest piece that starts at approximately the top of the shoulder, extends under the lapel and ends approximately half-way down the length of the front portion of the jacket. It also contains fusing that runs from the top of the shoulder all the way down to the bottom seam without extending under the lapel. Since this form of structuring comprises of fusible material it also causes the front of the jacket to stiffen and runs the risk of bubbling. 
         [0006]    It is desirable to improve the fit and comfort of the suit and to reduce the weight while also reducing the effects of bubbling in order to increase the longevity of the suit. In the past, research has involved developing new resin for fusible materials which can then be applied to the whole of the suit while reducing its sensitivity to bubbling. 
       SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE  
       [0007]    In a first aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a garment comprising: 
         [0008]    an outer layer on the exterior of a front part of the garment; and 
         [0009]    an internal structure located on an inner side of the outer layer; 
         [0010]    wherein the internal structure comprises: a chest piece which extends from a shoulder part of the garment or outer layer across a chest part of the garment or outer layer without extending through to a lapel part of the garment or outer layer, and a fusible material fused to the outer layer, wherein the fusible material is located only partially across or on the outer layer. 
         [0011]    There may be a lining located on or over the interior of the garment, and the internal structure may be located between the outer layer and the lining. The lining may be stitched to the outer layer, e.g. at the border or seams of the lining and/or outer layer. 
         [0012]    The terms “outer”, “inner” and “internal” are intended to refer to sides of garment when worn conventionally, or in use. “Outer” refers to the external or outermost side of the garment when being worn conventionally on a body or model, and “inner” or “internal” refers to an opposing side to the outer side, such as the side which faces the body or model with respect to the outer layer when the garment is worn conventionally on the body or model. The reference to the front part of the garment above is a reference to a section of the garment which may normally be worn on the front of a body, such as a human body, or model, for example extending vertically from a ridge of the shoulder part of the garment to its bottommost part during conventional wearing of the garment, and horizontally from a centreline during conventional wearing which would extend from the centre of the body to a line under the arm. The reference to a “line under the arm” is a reference to a line which would normally sit or be located under an arm extending down vertically towards the ground when the garment is being worn on a standing body or other standing model. The section of the garment reference hereinbefore may simply be one side of the front of the garment, such as one half of the front of the garment. 
         [0013]    The term “extend” means that one material part covers or is located on a surface of another material part or parts. Thus, when it is said that chest piece or fusing does not “extend” over the outer layer, this means that a section of the outer layer is not covered by the chest piece or fusing, and that the chest piece or fusing is not located over or against the out layer, e.g. on its internal surface. 
         [0014]    The chest piece may be stitched or fused to the outer layer and/or lining to hold in position against the outer layer. The chest piece may be stitched or fused in one or more discrete locations against the outer layer and/or lining, e.g. in or at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15 or 20 locations. 
         [0015]    The garment&#39;s internal structure is flatter, lighter and more flexible than conventional garments since the chest piece does not extend across the whole of the garment. As a result of its position in the garment, it is able to mould and adapts to both the fabric lining and outer layer and the wearer of the garment itself. This internal structure thus maintains the shape and holds the structure of the garment while allowing extension and maximum movement across the front of the garment. This is particularly so because the chest part does not extend to a lapel part of the garment which does not constrain movement and position of the chest part whilst it is being worn. 
         [0016]    The chest part may not extend under an arm part of the front part of the garment. This allows for maximum movement of the arm without making the garment rigid when moving the arm. Preferably, the chest piece of the internal structure may comprise or consist of one or more of: wool, a blend of wool, cotton and animal hair, such as horse hair and/or camel hair. This layered structure allows increased flexibility. The arm part may be a section of the garment which would normally sit under an arm extending down vertically towards the ground when the garment is being worn on a standing body or other standing model. 
         [0017]    Advantageously, the internal structure may comprise, cover or be positioned across or underneath no more than 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% or 80% of the surface area of the outer layer of the front part of the garment. This reduced surface area reduces the weight of the garment and provides greater flexibility in its wearing. The chest piece may comprise, cover or be positioned across or underneath no more than 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% of the outer layer of the front part of the garment. 
         [0018]    Preferably, the fusible material may extend over at least some, or all of a lapel part of the garment. This reinforces the lapel and prevents it from having a flat lifeless appearance, whilst not having the full conventional reinforcement of the chest part. The fusible material may extend to a collar part of the garment. 
         [0019]    In one embodiment, the fusible material may extend from the shoulder part of the garment, across the chest part and through a lapel part of the garment without extending under an arm part of the front part of the garment. 
         [0020]    Advantageously, the fusible material may cover or be located across or underneath no more than 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% or 80% of the surface area of the outer layer. This reduces the chance that bubbling may occur. 
         [0021]    Preferably, the lapel part of the garment may comprise a reinforcement structure between the outer layer and the lining. This also prevents the lapel from appearing flat and lifeless. 
         [0022]    Preferably, the shoulder part of the garment may comprise a reinforcement structure between the outer layer and the lining. This shoulder reinforcement adds structure to the garment without adding extra weight. 
         [0023]    Preferably, the collar part of the garment may comprise a reinforcement structure between the outer layer and the lining. 
         [0024]    In one embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement material of the shoulder part may comprise or consist of one or more of: wool, a blend of wool, cotton and animal hair, such as horse hair and/or camel hair. 
         [0025]    Preferably, the reinforcement structure may be of a different composition to the chest piece. The reinforcement structure may be fused to the lapel part. 
         [0026]    In one embodiment of the invention, the garment is an item of outerwear, for example a jacket, such as suit jacket. 
         [0027]    In a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a garment comprising: 
         [0028]    providing an outer layer of a front part of a garment; and 
         [0029]    providing an internal structure located on an internal side of the outer layer, 
         [0030]    wherein providing the internal structure comprises: 
         [0031]    providing a chest piece which extends from a shoulder part of the garment across a chest part of the garment without extending through to a lapel part of the garment, and 
         [0032]    providing a fusible material fused to the outer layer, 
         [0033]    wherein the fusible material is located only partially across the outer layer. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0034]    The present invention is described in greater detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0035]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of the internal structure of a front panel of a fully canvassed suit of the prior art; 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of the internal structure of a front panel of a fully fused suit of the prior art; 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the internal structure of a front panel of a half-canvassed suit of the prior art; 
           [0038]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of the internal structure of the front and side panels of a garment according to the invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the internal structure of a garment according to the invention showing the canvas part; 
           [0040]      FIG. 5   a  is a sectional view of the chest piece of the internal structure of a garment according to the invention; 
           [0041]      FIG. 5   b  is a plan view of the shoulder part of the internal structure of a garment according to the invention; 
           [0042]      FIG. 6  is a further plan view of the internal structure of the front and side panels of a garment according to the invention showing the fusible material part; 
           [0043]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged plan view of the lapel part of the internal structure of the front panel of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0044]      FIG. 8  is a plan view of the internal structure of the front and side panels of a garment according to the invention showing the canvas and fusible material parts. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0045]      FIGS. 1 to 3  are examples of garments of the prior art described below to aid the understanding of the invention which is described in detail in exemplary embodiments in  FIGS. 4 to 8 . 
         [0046]    The term “canvas” used in this example is understood to mean a closely woven fabric which comprises or consists of one or more of: wool, a blend of wool, cotton and animal hair, such as horse hair and/or camel hair. 
         [0047]      FIG. 1  is an example of the inside front panel  110  of a fully canvassed suit jacket of the prior art. It can be seen here that the canvas  112  is stitched onto the exterior cloth  114  from the shoulder  102  part of the jacket to the bottom hem  116 , through the lapel  106  part without extending under the arm  108  part of the jacket. It can also be seen here that the chest piece  104  extends from the shoulder  102  part of the jacket approximately halfway down the front panel  110  without extending to the lapel  106  part. 
         [0048]      FIG. 2  is an example of the inside front panel  110  of a fully fused suit jacket of the prior art. It can be seen here that the fusible material  218  is attached directly to the cloth exterior from the shoulder  102  part of the jacket to the bottom hem  116 , through the lapel  106  part without extending under the arm  108  part of the jacket. There is also a chest piece or part  104  which extends from the shoulder  102  part of the jacket approximately halfway down the front panel  110  without extending to the lapel  106  part. 
         [0049]      FIG. 3  is an example of the inside front panel  110  of a garment of the prior art which is a half-canvassed suit jacket. It can be seen that here that the garment comprises both a canvas  112  and fusible material  218 . The fusible material extends from the shoulder  102  part of the jacket to the bottom hem  116  without extending under the arm  108  part or the lapel  106  part of the jacket. The canvas  112  extends from the shoulder  102  part of the jacket to approximately halfway down the front panel  110 . There is also a chest piece  104  in this form of structuring. 
         [0050]      FIG. 4  is a section of a garment  400  according to an embodiment of the invention viewed internally where the front panel  428  and side panel  426  are visible. It can be seen here that the chest piece or part  418  (which may be a canvas chest piece) extends from the shoulder of the garment  400  down the front panel  428 . The chest piece  418  may comprise a shoulder part  402  which extends beyond the shoulder seam  406  of the garment  400 . There is also a shoulder reinforcement  408  which extends either side of the shoulder seam  406 . The chest piece  418  does not extend into the collar  404  or the lapel  410  of the garment  400  but stops at the edge  412  of the lapel  410  with respect to the main body of the outer layer  430 . The chest piece  418  does not reach the bottom hem  432  of the garment  400 , but extends to a maximum extent at a point  422  between the end  420  of the lapel  410  and the bottom hem  432  on the front panel  428 . In this regard, the border of the chest piece  418  is shaped in a curve  423  which extends from an under arm seam point  416  to the end  420  of the lapel  410 . The chest piece  418  does not extend over or under the arm part of the garment  400 , but stops at the arm seam  414  along the front panel  428  and under the arm at a point just after the seam joining the front and side panels  424 . The material not covered by the chest piece  418  is the outer layer  430  (which may be cloth) of the garment.  FIG. 4  is shown so that the component parts of the garment can be seen for the purposes of illustration. However, it will be appreciated that the chest piece  418  and shoulder pad  408  are arranged such that they are located on an internal side of the garment against an internal side of the outer layer  408 . The shoulder pad is located between the chest piece  418  and outer layer  408 , but the alternative is also possible such that the chest piece  418  is located between the outer layer  430  and the shoulder pad  408 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 5  is a section of the garment  400  according to an embodiment of the invention. It is a side view where the front panel  428 , side panel  426  and back panel  510  are visible. There is also a gap in the garment where the arm would be encompassed by the arm seam  502 . It can be seen here that the chest piece  418  and a shoulder part  402  extends over the shoulder seam  406  of the garment  400  partly onto the back panel  510  of the garment  400 . The chest piece  418  extends beyond the seam joining the front and side panel  424  onto the side panel  426  and joins the arm seam  502  at a point  416  before the bottom of the arm seam  506  and the seam joining the back and side panels  504 . It can be seen more clearly here also that the chest piece  418  extends down the front panel  428  to a point under the bottom of the arm  506  but above the bottom hem  432 . The material not covered by the chest piece  418  is the outer cloth layer  430  of the garment  400 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 5   a  is a sectional view of the chest piece or part  418  (which may be of canvas, i.e. form the “canvassing” of the front part of the garment  400 ) is made up of three layers, a first (e.g. base) layer  530  (which may be camel hair canvas), an second (e.g. intermediary) layer  532  (which may be animal hair (horse hair) canvas) and a third (e.g. top) layer  534  (which may be camel hair canvas). 
         [0053]    The material of the first layer  530  and third layer  534  may be the same, and may be KO  250  camel hair canvas (weave: 1/1; weight: 105 g/m 2 ; total composition: 100% PES; warp: PES; weave: PES). The material of the second animal hair layer  523  may be 18/60 ZN D horse hair canvas (weight: 147 g/m2; composition: 45% cotton, 55% horse hair; warp content: 100% cotton, NE 60/2 yarn count, 34.5 wires/cm; weft content: 100% horse hair, 18 wires/cm). The first layer  530  may cover or extends over 25% to 45%, 30% to 40%, 32.5% to 37.5% or 35% of the front panel  532 . The layers of the chest piece or part  418  may be attached or connected to each other through some limited stitching or fusing through the entire part  418  at one or more discrete locations, for example at specifically, or no more than: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15 or 20 discrete locations. The second layer  532  may cover or extend over at least 5% to 15%, or 7.5% to 12.5% or 10% of the front panel  532 . The third layer  534  may cover or extend over at least 20% to 50%, 25% to 35%, 27.5% to 32.5% or 30% of the front panel  532 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 5   b  is a plan view of the shoulder reinforcement  408  of the garment  400  which is placed over the shoulder seam  406  on top of the shoulder part  402  of the chest piece  418 . It is composed of two layers of canvas, a base layer  562  and a layer small in cross-sectional area to the base layer  562  on top  560 . The should reinforcement  408  contains no wadding. 
         [0055]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of the garment  400  in an embodiment of the invention where the front panel  428  and side panel  426  are visible. It can be seen here that the fusible material  608  extends from the shoulder seam  406  of the garment  400  to the bottom hem  432  of the front panel  428 . However it does not fully cover the front panel but the fusible material has an edge  610  which is cut away from the point  602  where the fusing meets the arm seam and the front and side panels and tapers beyond the end of the lapel  420  towards the bottom hem  432 , narrowing along the way. The rest of the material of the side and front panels is the exterior cloth layer  430 . The fusible material  608  also does not extend beyond the arm seam  502  or onto the side panel  426  of the garment  400 . It does extend beyond the edge of the lapel  412  through to the lapel  410  and beyond the collar seam  606  into the collar parts of the garment  400 . The fusible material  608  may be 8025 US3 Polyfix Multi Elastic (weight 25 g/m 2 ; composition: 100% texturised polyester; warp: polyester; weft: polyester; weave type: plain; resin type: copolyamide 25, irregular mesh distribution) and it may make up to 60 to 100% of the coverage of the front panel. 
         [0056]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of the garment  400  in an embodiment of the invention where part of the front panel  428  is visible. It can be seen here in this example that the fusible material  608  extends from the shoulder seam  406  of the garment  400  to the bottom hem  432  of the front panel  428 . It also extends through the lapel  410  of the garment  400 . It can further be seen that there is fusing reinforcement  702  in the lapel  410  part of the garment  400  which extends from the collar seam  606  to the end of the lapel  420  without going beyond the edge of the lapel  702 . The fusing reinforcement  702  may be “Kufner Stretch 2000” fusible elastic weft (weight: approximately 100 g/m 2 ; total composition: 34% CV, 68% PES; warp: polyester/viscose; weft: polyester; weave type: satin weave 1/3; resin type: doublespot, 17 mesh) and it may make up approximately 5% of the coverage of the front panel. 
         [0057]      FIG. 8  is a plan view of the garment  400  in an embodiment of the invention where the front panel  428  and side panel  426  are visible. Here all of the internal structure is visible, the fusible material  608  with the fusing reinforcement  702  in the lapel  410  and the chest piece  418  with the shoulder reinforcement  408  over the shoulder seam  406 . The rest of the front and side panels is cloth  430 . 
         [0058]    While the preceding description contains many specifics, these specifics should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but merely as examples of the preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other possible variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims. 
       GLOSSARY OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN FIGURES  
       [0059]      102 : Shoulder 
         [0060]      104 : Chest Piece 
         [0061]      106 : Lapel 
         [0062]      108 : Underarm 
         [0063]      110 : Front Panel 
         [0064]      112 : Canvas 
         [0065]      114 : Cloth 
         [0066]      116 : Bottom Hem 
         [0067]      400 : Garment 
         [0068]      402  Shoulder 
         [0069]      404 : Collar 
         [0070]      406 : Shoulder Seam 
         [0071]      408 : Shoulder Pad 
         [0072]      410 : Lapel 
         [0073]      412 : Lapel Edge 
         [0074]      414 : Edge of front panel/arm seam 
         [0075]      416 : Meeting point of canvas and underarm seam 
         [0076]      418 : Canvas chest piece 
         [0077]      420 : End of Lapel 
         [0078]      422 : Bottom of Canvas 
         [0079]      424 : Seam joining front and side panels 
         [0080]      426 : Side Panel 
         [0081]      428 : Front Panel 
         [0082]      432 : Bottom Hem 
         [0083]      502 : Arm Seam 
         [0084]      506 : Bottom of Arm 
         [0085]      508 : Seam joining Side and Back Panels 
         [0086]      510 : Back Panel 
         [0087]      512 : Joint of Front and Side Panel under Arm 
         [0088]      530 : Camel Hair Base Layer 
         [0089]      532 : Animal Hair Canvas Intermediary Layer 
         [0090]      534 : Camel Hair Top Layer 
         [0091]      536 : Location where Base and Top Layers Overlap to form curved shape 
         [0092]      538 : Location where Base and Top Layers Overlap to form curved shape 
         [0093]      560 : Layer 2 
         [0094]      562 : Layer 1 
         [0095]      602 : Location where fusing meets arm 
         [0096]      606 : Collar Seam 
         [0097]      608 : Fusing 
         [0098]      702 : Lapel reinforcement