Abstract:
A collar stay storage device is provided in the form of a block having a slanted top portion with a plurality of slots extending into the block from the slanted top portion. Shims within the slots provide storage of different sized collar stays.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to storage devices and more specifically to a collar stay storage device having a slanted top surface with a plurality of slots for storing collar stays. 
     B. Prior Art 
     Collar stays are generally plastic and sometimes metal devices that may be inserted into a slot underneath the collar of a shirt or blouse. The collar stay provides additional stiffness to a collar, thus keeping the collar down and in place without the necessity of buttons. Therefore, a collar stay keeps the tip of a collar from curving upward. 
     Collar stays are manufactured in varying sizes to fit different sized shirt collars. One problem encountered when using collar stays that are plastic is that they are easily breakable. Another problem encountered by users of collar stays is that they may become easily misplaced when not in use because of their small size. For example, if the collar stay is left in place when the shirt or blouse is not worn, it may become dislodged, lost or broken when the garment is washed or sent to the cleaners. 
     Accordingly, it is known in the art to provide a vertically oriented clear plastic box for holding collar stays of the same size. Such a box is not aesthetically pleasing, and cannot properly hold collar stays of differing lengths. Additionally, because the top surface of such a box is flat, the stays are not easily insertable or removable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A collar stay storage device is provided having a slanted top portion with a plurality of slots. Shims within the slots are provided to allow storage of different sized collar stays. 
     Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a collar stay storage device with slots for easily inserting and removing collar stays. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a collar stay storage device with slots for storing collar stays of different sizes. 
     These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the specification, the drawings and the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the collar stay holder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the present invention as depicted in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side plan view of the present invention as depicted in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional side view of FIG. 2 along the line  4 — 4 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the collar stay storage device  10  of the present invention has a substantially block-shaped body  12  having a slanted top surface  14  with a plurality of slots  16  disposed thereupon. The slots  16  extend downward into the block body  12  for a preselected distance from the slanted top  14 . As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of slots  16  include a shim  18  placed at the bottom end  20  of each slot  16 . The block-shaped body  12  is preferably made of wood such as cedar but any appropriate material like wood, plastic or metal may be employed. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a cedar base  22  may be attached on the bottom surface (not shown) of block-shaped body  12 . The base  22  may be made of any appropriate material like wood, metal, or stone. Examples of such materials include oak, brass and marble. It is preferred that the block-shaped body  12  be generally cube-shaped except for the slanted top surface  14 . It is apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that any other appropriate shape like a rectangular block may be employed. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 &amp; 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of slots  16  consists of three columns of slots  24 ,  26 ,  28 . As shown in FIG. 2, the first column of slots  24  is positioned approximately one-half inch (½″) from the left edge  30  of the slanted top surface  14 . Each slot  16  is approximately three-eighths of an inch (⅜″) wide by one-eighth inch (⅛″) tall. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the depth of each slot  16  may vary depending on the size of the stay desired to be stored. The depth of each slot  16  is determined by the placement of the shim  18  at the bottom  20  of each slot  16 . Preferably, the shims  18  will be located in each slot  16  such that a collar stay placed in a particular slot will protrude approximately one-half inch above slanted surface  14  for ease of removal from the block body  12 . It is understood while these dimensions are preferred for optimal fit of collar stays within the slots  16  of the collar stay storage device  10 , any appropriate dimension may be employed for each slot  16 . It is also understood that the size and dimensions of body  12  may vary, thereby varying the number of slots  16 . Additionally, while three columns  24 ,  26 ,  28  are preferred, the number of columns on the pattern employed for the plurality of slots  16  may be varied. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the top row  32  of slots  16  is approximately seven-sixteenths of an inch ({fraction (7/16)}″) from the upper edge  34  of the slanted top surface  14 , while the bottom row  36  of slots  16  is also approximately seven-sixteenths of an inch ({fraction (7/16)}″) above the lower edge  38  of the slanted top surface  14 . Rows  40  of slots  16  between the top row  32  and bottom row  36  are spaced approximately five-eighths of an inch (⅝″) from each other. The left edge  42  of the first column  24  and the right edge  46  of the third column are approximately one-half inch (½″) from the left edge  30  and right edge  44  respectively of slanted top surface  14 . Approximately seven-sixteenths of an inch ({fraction (7/16)}″) separate each column  24 ,  26 ,  28 . 
     In operation, a user inserts each collar stay in an appropriate slot  16 . Each collar stay rests on a shim  18  and protrudes upward approximately one-half inch (½″) above the slanted top surface  14  of the storage device  10 . Because of the distance between columns  24 ,  26 ,  28  and the height at which the collar stay protrudes, each collar stay in the collar stay storage device  10  is easily insertable and removable. 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.