Abstract:
A colored snap backing fastening system for effective closure of openings in any baby garment, the colored snap fastening system consisting of colored snap fasteners installed in series along the opposite sides of any opening on a baby garment, each colored snap backing fastener further consisting of a matching pair of stud and socket portions, a pair of backing portions adjacent to the fabric and between the fabric and each of the stud portion and socket portions whereas each pair of the backing portions has an unique visual indicator associated therewith.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a colored snap backing system, and more specifically to a color coded snap backing fastening system, with multi-color backings for use on children&#39;s garments, to simplify the fastening process. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Snap fasteners  90  or snaps are a type of clasp or fastener that closes with a click. Snaps  90  were made popular in the 1940&#39;s when the 4-part gripper style snaps, as shown in  FIG. 1  (PRIOR ART), were available to home sewing consumers. In general, snaps  90  consist of two units, the closure unit  50  which include a socket  88  and a stud  92  and the attaching unit  40 . In general, there are two types of snaps  90 , post style and prong style. The post style snap has a shaft in its attaching unit  40  which includes a capped post  94  and a post  96 . A post style snap requires a hole to penetrate the fabric it is applied on. On the other hand, the prong style snap has teeth on its attaching unit  40 , namely a capped prong ring  84  and an open prong ring  86 , that penetrate through the fabric it is applied on. 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  (PRIOR ART) is a representative view showing two common assemblies of snap fastener  90  of the prior art. Two of the most common snap assemblies are post-style snap fastener  60  and prong-style snap fastener  70 . Regardless of style, in general a snap fastener system  90  consists of two main units namely a closure unit  50  and an attaching unit  40 . In one embodiment, closure unit  50  further consists of a male part called stud  92  and female part called socket  88  and together stud  92  and socket  88  form a temporary and tight closure when they are snapped together. In one embodiment, attaching unit  40  further consists of capped post  94  and post  96  in the post-style snap fastener  60  or a capped prong ring  84  and open prong ring  60  in the prong-style snap fastener  70 . In one embodiment, the main function of capped post  94  and capped prong ring  84  is to secure socket  88  at the desirable position of application by piercing through fabric or adjoining material with the post or prongs and mechanically coupling with the socket  88 . In one embodiment, post  96  or open prong ring  86  perform the same function on the stud  92 . In one embodiment, with both stud  92  and socket  88  both secured on desirable location on clothing or any other article, the snap fastening system  90  provides a temporary but secure closure. 
         [0004]    Snaps  90  are one of the most common fasteners on baby and toddler&#39;s clothing for both safety and convenience reasons. Unlike buttons which can be unattached easily and swallowed by babies, snaps are attached firmly by mechanical means. Additionally, it is much easier to open a series of snaps than to unbutton a series of buttons. Zippers, although easy to close and open, may cause injury to moving babies or during a rush situation. 
         [0005]    In baby clothing, a plurality of snaps  90  are usually found in and around the crotch area or in-seams. Some clothing may take up to 20 snaps  90  to close an opening. Users often find it difficult to close a long series of snaps  90  and often mismatch studs  92  and sockets  88  especially when babies are moving, when starting a row of snaps  90 , when coupling snaps  90  at different locations or positions along the row of snaps  90 , etc. 
       ADVANTAGES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    One advantage and object of the present invention is to provide an efficient and effective way to close baby&#39;s garment especially when babies are constantly moving while being dressed. 
         [0007]    Another advantage and object of the present invention is to prevent users from snapping together unmatched studs and sockets. 
         [0008]    Yet another advantage and object of the present invention is to enhance the design of baby garments by having colored snap fasteners. 
         [0009]    Yet another advantage and object of the present invention is to provide an education opportunities for toddlers to learn how to dress themselves. 
         [0010]    The present invention is a colored snap backing fastener for use in coupling two pieces of material together. The colored snap backing fastener consists of an operational pair of stud and socket portions, a pair of attaching units which provide an anchor point for securing the position of the stud and socket portions onto material and a pair of backing portions, which is adjacent to the material and between the material and each of the stud and socket portions, the pair of backing portions each having an identical visual indicator associated therewith. 
         [0011]    The pair of backing portions of the colored snap backing fastener are attached to material by one of the group consisting of sewing, iron-on, adhesive or combinations thereof. 
         [0012]    The pair of backing portions of the colored snap backing fastener are a piece of material dyed in a solid color. 
         [0013]    Alternatively, the pair of backing portions of the colored snap backing fastener are a piece of material dyed in a colored pattern. 
         [0014]    The visual indicator of the colored snap backing fastener is selected from the group consisting of unique solid color, unique colored pattern, unique shape, unique design and combinations thereof. 
         [0015]    The pair of backing portions of the colored snap backing fastener are in a predetermined shape selected from following group of shapes: round, oval, square and rectangular. 
         [0016]    The present invention is also a colored snap backing fastening system for effective closure of material and fabric items. The colored snap backing fastening system consists of a few of colored snap backing fasteners that are installed in series onto a piece of fabric along the opposite sides of any opening on a baby garment, each of the series of colored snap backing fasteners further consists of a matching pair of stud and socket portions with attaching units, a pair of backing portions that are adjacent to the fabric and between the fabric and each of the stud and socket portions, each pair of backing portions each having an identically unique visual indicator associated therewith, the visual indicator is color, colored pattern, shape and combinations thereof. 
         [0017]    The present invention is also a method for closing an infant garment. The method comprising the steps of obtaining an infant garment that consists of a few of colored snap backing fasteners that are installed in series onto a piece of fabric along the opposite sides of any opening on a baby garment, each of the series of colored snap backing fasteners further consists of a matching pair of stud and socket portions with attaching units, a pair of backing portions that are adjacent to the fabric and between the fabric and each of the stud and socket portions, each pair of backing portions each having an identically unique visual indicator associated therewith, the visual indicator is color, colored pattern, shape and combinations thereof, Identifying the matching visual indicator on paring stud and socket portions and closing each colored snap fastener in matching color. 
         [0018]    The present invention is also a method for educating toddlers to dress themselves. The method consists of the steps of obtaining a toddler&#39;s garment that consists of a few of colored snap backing fasteners that are installed in series onto a piece of fabric along the opposite sides of any opening on a baby garment, each of the series of colored snap backing fasteners further consists of a matching pair of stud and socket portions with attaching units, a pair of backing portions that are adjacent to the fabric and between the fabric and each of the stud and socket portions, each pair of backing portions each having an identically unique visual indicator associated therewith, the visual indicator is color, colored pattern, shape and combinations thereof, teaching and instructing toddlers to identify the matching visual indicator on paring stud and socket portions, asking toddlers to close each colored snap fastener in matching color and providing immediate feedbacks whether toddlers are selecting matching stud and socket portions correctly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  (PRIOR ART) is a representative view showing two common assemblies of snap fastener  90  of the prior art. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2A  is a representative top view of an embodiment of the socket portion of the color coded snap backings system  100  of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2B  is a representative top view of an embodiment of the stud portion of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3A  is a representative side exploded view of an embodiment of the socket portion of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3B  is a representative side exploded view of an embodiment of the stud portion of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  shows a representative method of use of an embodiment of the stud portion of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0025]    The description that follows is presented to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the present invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principals discussed below may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments disclosed, but the invention is to be given the largest possible scope which is consistent with the principals and features described herein. 
         [0026]    It will be understood that in the event parts of different embodiments have similar functions or uses, they may have been given similar or identical reference numerals and descriptions. It will be understood that such duplication of reference numerals is intended solely for efficiency and ease of understanding the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting in any way, or as implying that the various embodiments themselves are identical. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2A  is a representative top view of an embodiment of the stud assembly portion  102  of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. As best shown in  FIGS. 2A and 3A , stud assembly portion  102  consists essentially of stud  108 , color backing  106  and a matching attaching unit  210 . In one embodiment, each stud assembly portion  102  in the series of stud assembly portions  102 A,  102 B,  102 C has a color backing  106 A,  106 B and  106 C; each in a distinctively different color and/or pattern. Stud  108  must be placed on top of color backing  106 A. As seen in  FIG. 2A , color backing  106 A is a piece of colored clothing patch in the shape of circle, oval, square or other shapes as long as it is larger than the top profile of stud  108  and easily visible. Color backing  106 A is either sewn, stuck or by other methods to be secured permanently on fabric  200 . Fabric  200  can be any type of cloth materials but preferably is a woven, non-fusible interfacing. As shown in  FIG. 2A , a series of stud assembly portions  102 A,  102 B,  102 C can be installed on fabric  200  to assemble the colored snap backing system  100 . In one embodiment, color backing  106 A,  106 B,  106 C should be in different and distinctive colors and/or patterns. Also, the color on specific color backing  106 A,  106 B,  106 C should be exactly the same as their corresponding socket assembly portion  104 A,  104 B,  104 C. The number of stud assembly portions  102  is not limited and should be corresponding to the length of enclosure as long as color backings  106  are in different colors and/or patterns. Alternatively, stud assembly portions  102  that feature repeated color backings  106  should be placed further enough to avoid confusion. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2B  is a representative top view of an embodiment of the socket assembly portion  104  of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. As best shown in  FIGS. 2B and 3B , socket assembly portion  104 A consists essentially of socket  110 , color backing  106  and a matching attaching unit  220 . In one embodiment, each socket assembly portion  104  in the series of socket assembly portions  104 A,  104 B,  104 C has a color backing  106 A,  106 B and  106 C; each in a distinctively different color. Socket  110  must be placed on top of color backing  106 A. As seen in  FIG. 2B , color backing  106 A is piece of colored clothing patch in the shape of circle, oval, square or other shapes as long as it is larger than the top profile of socket  110  and easily visible. Color backing  106 A is either sewn, stuck or by other methods to be secured permanently on fabric  200 . In one embodiment, fabric  200  can be any type of cloth materials but preferably is a woven, non-fusible interfacing. As shown in  FIG. 2B , a series of socket assembly portions  104 A,  104 B,  104 C can be installed on fabric  200  to assemble the colored snap backing system  100 . In one embodiment, color backing  106 A,  106 B,  106 C should be in different and distinctive colors and/or patterns. Also, the color on specific color backing  106 A,  106 B,  106 C should be exactly the same as their corresponding stud assembly portion  102 A,  102 B,  102 C. The number of socket assembly portions  104  is not limited and should be corresponding to the length of enclosure as long as color backings  106  are in different colors and/or patterns. Alternatively, socket assembly portions  104  that feature repeated color backings  106  should be placed further enough to avoid confusion. 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIG. 2B , corresponding stud  108  and socket  110  on corresponding pair of the stud assembly portion  102 A and socket assembly portion  104 A must have a tight fit. It is preferable to have same kind and size of studs  108  and sockets  110  in the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention to provide a uniform look and enclosure. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3A  is a representative side exploded view of an embodiment of the stud assembly portion  102  of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3A , color backing  106 A is either sewn, stuck or by other methods to be secured permanently on fabric  200 . In one embodiment, stud attaching unit  210  can be a post, a open prong ring or other style of stud attaching unit  210  and it pierces through both fabric  200  and color backing  106  at slit opening  300  and is secured mechanically to stud  108  thereby securing its position on color backing  106 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 3B  is a representative side exploded view of an embodiment of the socket assembly portion  104  of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3B , color backing  106 A is either sewn, stuck or by other methods to be secured permanently on fabric  200 . Socket attaching unit  220  can be a capped post, a capped prong ring or other style of socket attaching unit  220  and it pierces through both fabric  200  and color backing  106  at slit opening  300  and is secured mechanically to socket  110  thereby securing its position on color backing  106 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  shows a representative method of use of the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the colored snap backing system  100  of the present invention can be applied on any opening on baby clothing  400  such as in seam, shoulder. Depending on the length of enclosure, a plurality of socket assembly portions  104  and their matching stud assembly portions  102  are installed along opposite sides of the enclosure. Color backings  106 A,  106 B,  106 C, etc. in different colors and/or patterns are installed in individual socket assembly portions  104  and their matching stud assembly portions  102  to make them visually distinctive from each other. Users can easily pick and snap close corresponding socket assembly portions  104  and their matching stud assembly portions  102  by their matching color and close the entire enclosure efficiently and effectively. 
         [0033]    The efficient closing of baby garments are particularly important so that users are able to snap close the in-seam quickly and without fussing over selecting and closing the correct pair of stud and socket when the baby is constantly moving. 
         [0034]    Moreover, the colored snap backing system  100  can also be an effective education tool to teach toddlers to dress themselves. The color backings  106  of the present invention  100  provide strong visual identifiers for toddlers to learn color matching. Toddlers can simply match the colors on matching studs and sockets and snap close them one by one. 
         [0035]    Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described. All publications and patent documents referenced in the present invention are incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0036]    While the principles of the invention have been made clear in illustrative embodiments, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, the elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are intended to cover and embrace any and all such modifications, with the limits only of the true purview, spirit and scope of the invention.