Patent Publication Number: US-2009229030-A1

Title: Badge Attachable to Clothing by Means of Snap Fasterner and Piece of Clothing Provided with Snap Fasteners

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a badge which is provided for being attached to clothing according to the preamble of claim  1 . The invention further relates to a piece of clothing provided with a plurality of snap fasteners according to claim  11 . 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Known badges are mostly disc-shaped rigid bodies with a top side on which a decoration or a logo is applied and a bottom side on which a needle is provided for attaching the badge to clothing. The needle has the disadvantage of being a sharp object which can damage the clothing or hurt the wearer. 
     Further prior art is disclosed in JP-A-2002020920, which relates to a piece of clothing comprising a basic part, adapted to be worn in itself, and an additional part which is removably attachable to the basic part by means of snap fasteners. The snap fasteners comprise male and female members, the one being provided on the basic part and the other on the additional part. The fastener members on the basic part are provided in a pattern, so that the additional part can be attached on a plurality of locations on the basic part. 
     The piece of clothing known from JP-A-2002020920 has the disadvantage that it is heavy to wear due to the plurality of fastener members on the basic part. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an aim of the invention to provide a badge with which the risks of damage to the clothing or hurting the wearer can be minimised. 
     It is further an aim of the invention to provide a piece of clothing comprising a basic part and a removably attachable additional part with a reduced weight. This aim is achieved with the piece of clothing which shows the technical features of claim  1 . 
     In the badge of the invention, the needle on the bottom side of the rigid body is replaced by a snap fastener member. More particularly, the badge comprises a second fastener member adapted to be snap-fitted onto a complementary first fastener member on a piece of clothing. With snap-fitting, it is meant that the second fastener member is shaped such that it snaps into the first fastener member, or vice versa, for example by means of an increased diameter or an annular rim at the top so that one fastener member is mechanically locked into the other. The side of the badge opposite the side on which the fastener member is located is preferably provided with a decoration, which can be applied in any manner known to the person skilled in the art. 
     A snap fastener member is a relatively blunt object, as opposed to a needle, so that the risk of damaging the clothing or hurting the wearer upon attaching the badge of the invention is minimised. Furthermore, the use of the snap fastener member on the badge instead of the needle makes it suitable for one or more other uses in addition to the use as decoration. This will become apparent from the following. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the second fastener member which is provided on the badge is composed of a top part and a bottom part engaging the top part with part of the badge sandwiched in between them. In this way, the fastener member is firmly fixed on the badge, so that it can be attached, detached and re-attached multiple times. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the top and bottom parts are constructed in metal. Metal is preferred because it is a strong material, which may further enhance the life of the badge. However this does not preclude the use of fastener members in other materials than metal. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the top part comprises a first snap-fitting protrusion which is adapted to be inserted into a complementary opening of a female first fastener member. The inside of this first snap-fitting protrusion forms a cavity for receiving a second protrusion of the bottom part, which is shaped for being snap-fitted or press-fitted in the cavity. In this respect, snap-fitted means that the second protrusion is shaped such that it snaps into the cavity, for example by means of an increased diameter or an annular rim at the top so that the bottom part is mechanically locked into the top part, whereas press-fitted means that the second protrusion has a substantially constant diameter which is slightly larger than the internal diameter of the cavity at its narrowest part, so that the bottom and top parts are held together by pressure. This construction has the advantage that the badge can be manufactured in a few simple steps. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the second fastener member is a male fastener member. This has the advantage that the complementary fastener members on the clothing are female, i.e. less protruding fastener members, which minimises the risk of injury of the wearer or damage to the clothing upon accidentally hitting the fastener members. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the second fastener member is adapted for depressing a cut portion of the lid of a drink can. This embodiment of the badge thus advantageously becomes a can opener for drink cans, so that drink cans no longer need to be provided with a lever or like element for depressing the cut portion of the lid. The wearer of the piece of clothing with the mating fastener members can always carry the badge along with him, attached to his clothing by means of the snap fastener, so that the risk of loss is minimised. Alternatively, the badge can also be initially mounted on a drink can and sold together with it, i.e. the badge of the invention can replace the lever element which is nowadays present on drink cans. In this embodiment, the cut portion of the lid of the drink can is provided with a mating fastener member to which the badge is snap-fitted. The buyer can thus open the drink can by pulling the badge, so that the cut portion comes loose from the lid, and afterwards use the badge as a decoration on his clothing. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the centre of gravity of the badge is located on the axis of the second fastener member, so that the badge can be spun round like a top. This embodiment has the advantage that the badge also becomes a toy for children. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the badge is marked for being used as a payment token. This means that the top side, i.e. the side opposite where the snap fastener member is provided, is provided with a logo, a symbol or just a colour or any other like means which can indicate a given value. At events, such as for example pop festivals, it is common that visitors exchange money for food/drink tickets at a central stand, after which they can exchange the food/drink tickets for food or drinks. The badge of this embodiment of the invention can replace these food/drink tickets at events. Different colours, logos, shapes or symbols may indicate different values. 
     In the most preferred embodiment of the badge of the invention, the badge has a circular shape with a single second fastener member which is located substantially in the centre of the badge. This embodiment has the advantage that the badge is suitable for use as a decoration on clothing, as a top, as a can opener for drink cans, and as a payment token on events (when suitably marked). In this embodiment, the badge truly becomes a multifunctional object, which makes it a very attractive merchandising article. 
     In alternative embodiments, the badge of the invention may however comprise two or more fastener members and have non-circular shapes, such as for example oval, triangular, rectangular, square, or other polygonal shapes, or arbitrary decorative shapes like animals, flowers etc., or any other shape known to the person skilled in the art. 
     The piece of clothing of the invention comprises a basic part, adapted to be worn in itself, and at least one additional part which is removably attachable to the basic part by means of snap fasteners. The snap fasteners comprise a plurality of first fastener members which are provided on the basic part in a decorative pattern at regular distances from each other and at least one second fastener member on the additional part, which is/are complementary to the first fastener members. According to the invention, the first fastener members have a lower weight than the second fastener members. This means that each of the first fastener members which are provided on the basic part has a lower weight than each of the second fastener members which are provided on the one or more additional parts. 
     In the piece of clothing of the invention, use is made of snap fastener members whose two mating parts show a significant difference in weight. The lighter members are placed on the basic part and the heavier members on the additional part(s). Because the basic part is provided with a plurality of fastener members, the impact of using the lighter members on the basic part leads to a substantial reduction in the total weight of the basic part. As a result, it is also possible to provide more fastener members on the basic part with respect to the prior art, so that the number of positions for attaching the additional parts can be increased. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the piece of clothing of the invention, the first fastener members are female members and the second fastener members are male members. The female members have an opening for receiving a snap-fitting protrusion of the male members. The use of female members only on the basic part has the advantage that ironing of the basic part is facilitated. The absence of protrusions on the basic part also has the advantage that the risk of injury of the wearer or damage to the clothing is minimised upon accidentally hitting the fastener members. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the piece of clothing of the invention, each first fastener member is composed of a first top part and a bottom part engaging the first top part with the material of the basic part sandwiched in between them, and each second fastener member is composed of a second top part and the same bottom part engaging the second top part with the material of the additional part sandwiched in between them. The first and second top parts form the mating parts of the snap fasteners which are adapted to snap-fit onto each other. This embodiment has the advantage that the number of different parts needed for assembling the first and second fastener members is reduced. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the piece of clothing of the invention, the bottom part is formed by a ring with bent upstanding teeth which penetrate through the material of the basic/additional part and engage behind a circular ridge of the first/second top part. The use of such a ring has the advantage that the amount of material used for the bottom part remains limited, which can further have a positive impact on the weight of the piece of clothing of the invention. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the piece of clothing of the invention, the first and second fastener members are constructed in metal. The use of metal has the advantage that the fastener members have a long lifetime and that the basic part has a more pleasing appearance. Especially in the case of metal fastener members, which are rather heavy with respect to for example plastic fastener members, the use of the lighter fastener members on the basic part significantly reduces the weight of the basic part. However this does not preclude the use of fastener members in other materials than metal. 
     The first fastener members are preferably mounted on the basic part by means of reinforcement strips. These locally reinforce the basic part and can prevent its material from being ripped upon frequent attaching and detaching additional parts. 
     The basic part of the piece of clothing of the invention can for example be a T-shirt, a sweater, a dress, a skirt, a pair of trousers, a jacket, a coat, a purse, a cap, a hat, a tie, a lanyard, a belt, a shoe or any other main piece of clothing known to the person skilled in the art. The additional part may also be attachable to school bags, brief cases, wallets and such, provided that mating fastener members are applied on these articles. 
     If the additional part has two or more second fastener members, these are preferably spaced at corresponding regular distances from each other with respect to the pattern on the basic part. In this way, the additional part can be attached using all of the second fastener members simultaneously. 
     The additional part of the piece of clothing of the invention can for example be a decorative patch having a circular, oval or polygonal shape, or an arbitrary decorative shape like animals, flowers etc., or any other shape known to the person skilled in the art. The additional part may also be a badge or a three-dimensional object, or any other decorative part deemed suitable by the person skilled in the art. The additional elements can be provided with decorations such as for example pictures, drawings, brands, logos, symbols, cartoon characters and so on, which makes the piece of clothing very attractive in the field of merchandising. 
     The basic part can be constructed in any textile or any material which is used for clothing. The additional parts can be constructed in these clothing materials and, since they not necessarily need to be flexible, furthermore in solid materials such as metal, plastics or other. 
     The basic part of the piece of clothing of the invention is preferably, but not necessarily adapted for attachment of the badge of the invention described above. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be further elucidated by means of the following description and the appended drawings. 
         FIG. 1  shows a preferred embodiment of a badge according to the invention in exploded view. 
         FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of a basic part of the piece of clothing of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows multiple embodiments of additional parts of the piece of clothing of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows the basic part of  FIG. 2  with some additional parts attached thereon. 
         FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of a basic part of the piece of clothing of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows an embodiment of snap fastener members which can be used in the piece of clothing of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of snap fastener members which can be used in the piece of clothing of the invention. 
     
    
    
     MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention. 
     Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can operate in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. 
     Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in other orientations than described or illustrated herein. 
     The term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It needs to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B. 
       FIG. 1  shows a badge  13  with a male fastener member  8  in exploded view. The badge  13  is composed of a top disc  14  and a bottom disc  16  whose rims are adapted to be permanently fixed onto each other while holding a layer of material (not shown) in between them. This layer of material is applied around the top disc  14  can for example be plastic or textile and can carry a decoration or a logo or the like. The top and bottom discs together form a rigid body of the badge. The male fastener member  8  is composed of a top part  17  and a bottom part  15 , which sandwich the bottom disc in between them. The top and bottom parts  17  and  15  can for example be respectively the parts  28  and  29  of  FIG. 7 . Their shape is such that they either snap-fit or pressure-fit onto each other. The badge  13  functions as a decoration which can be attached to a female fastener member  2  on an article of clothing, but may further fulfil the following functions. 
     One additional function is that of a can opener for drink cans. In this function, the male fastener member  8  is used for depressing a cut portion of the lid of the drink can. In this way, drink cans no longer need to be provided with a lever or like element for depressing the cut portion of the lid. The wearer of the piece of clothing with the mating fastener members can always carry the badge  13  along with him, attached to his clothing by means of the snap fastener  8 , so that the risk of loss is minimised. Alternatively, the badge can also be initially mounted on a drink can and sold together with it, i.e. the badge of the invention can replace the lever element which is nowadays present on drink cans. In this embodiment, the cut portion of the lid of the drink can is provided with a mating fastener member to which the badge is snap-fitted. The buyer can thus open the drink can by pulling the badge, so that the cut portion comes loose from the lid, and afterwards use the badge as a decoration on his clothing. 
     Another possible function is that of a toy for children, more particularly a top. This function requires that the centre of gravity of the badge  13  is located on the axis of the second fastener member  8 , so that the badge can be spun round like a top. 
     Another possible function is that of a payment token at events, such as for example pop festivals. For this function, the badge  13  is suitably marked. This means that the layer of material which is held between the rims of the top disc  14  and the bottom disc  16  carries a logo, a symbol or just a colour or any other like means which can indicate a given value. Different colours, logos, shapes or symbols may indicate different values. 
     The badge  13  of  FIG. 1  may fulfil all of the above mentioned functions, so that it truly becomes a multifunctional object, which makes it a very attractive merchandising article. 
     In  FIG. 2 , a basic part  1  of a piece of clothing of the invention is shown. The basic part shown is a T-shirt  1 . Other possible basic parts are a sweater, a dress, a skirt, a pair of trousers, a jacket, a coat, a purse, a cap, a hat, a tie, a lanyard  18 , a belt, a shoe or any other pieces of clothing which are in themselves adapted to be worn by a person. In general, the basic parts have a shape corresponding to that of a part of the human body. 
     The T-shirt  1  comprises a plurality of first fastener members  2 , which are provided in a decorative pattern at regular distances from each other. The first fastener members  2  mate with one or more second fastener members  8  which are mounted on additional parts  3 - 7 , so that these can be attached to the T-shirt  1  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The first and second fastener members  2 ,  8  together form snap fasteners. In accordance with the invention, the first fastener members  2  have a lower weight than the second fastener members  8 , so that the weight of the T-shirt  1  remains limited and it can be comfortably worn by the user. 
     The first fastener members  2  on the T-shirt  1  are located at regular distances from each other, for example 50 mm (but every other distance is of course possible), on the front side of the T-shirt and on its edges, namely on the bottom edge and on the edges of the sleeves. First fastener members  2  may however also be provided anywhere else on the T-shirt. Because of the spacing of the first fastener members  2  at regular distances, the additional parts  3 - 7  can be attached on different locations. This makes the piece of clothing attractive for example as children&#39;s clothing. The child&#39;s creativity is stimulated, as it can decorate its own clothing the way it wants to. The invention may however also be applied to adult&#39;s clothing. 
     The first fastener members  2  of the T-shirt  1  shown in  FIG. 2  are female fasteners which have an opening for receiving a snap-fitting protrusion of the second fastener members  8  on the additional parts, which are male fastener members. Each of these female fastener members  2  is formed by a bottom part and a top part, such as for example the parts  26  and  27  shown in  FIG. 7 , which engage each other and sandwich the material of the T-shirt  1  between them. 
       FIG. 3  shows examples of additional parts  3 - 7  of the piece of clothing according to the invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the additional parts can be patches, buttons, ribbons, decorations or other additional parts, which may have a triangular, square, rectangular, trapezoidal, circular, oval or any other geometric shape. These parts carry one or more second fastener members  8 , complementary to the first fastener members  2  on the basic part of  FIG. 2  and, in case there are two or more second fastener members  8  on one additional part, also spaced at the same regular distances from each other. The second fastener members  8  are also formed by a bottom part  9  and a top part  10 , such as for example the parts  28  and  29  or the parts  28  and  27  of  FIG. 7 , which engage each other and sandwich the material of the additional part of the piece of clothing between them. 
     For both the first and second fastener members, the bottom part is preferably formed by the ring  27  with bent upstanding teeth which penetrate through the material of the basic/additional part and engage behind a circular ridge of the top part  26 ,  28 . This has the advantage that the number of different parts of the snap fasteners remains limited. Otherwise, different bottom parts may also be used for the first and second fastener members. 
     The badge  13  of  FIG. 1  is another example of an additional part which is attachable to the T-shirt  1 . Another example of an additional part (not shown) is a patch carrying a chip with, for example, information identifying the person or other personal information. 
       FIG. 5  shows another possible basic part of the piece of clothing of the invention, more particularly a lanyard  18 . Again, the lanyard  18  is provided with multiple first fastener members  2  at regular distances from each other, so that additional parts  3 - 7  or  13  can be attached to the lanyard  18 . The lanyard further comprises a plastic bolt snap  19 , to which additional objects can be attached. 
       FIG. 6  shows an embodiment of possible first and second fastener members  2 ,  8  in detail. The first fastener member comprises two ring-shaped parts  22 ,  23 , one having an upstanding rim and the other having a corresponding groove in which the rim is snap-fittingly held. Together, they form a female fastener member with a central opening for receiving the protrusion of the complementary male fastener member  24 - 25  and a circumferential groove in which a layer of material  21  is sandwiched. The second fastener member comprises a hollow cap  24  and a stud  25 , which snap-fittingly enters into the hollow cap  24 . Together, they form a male fastener member with a protrusion for entering into the opening of the complementary female fastener member  22 - 23  and also a circumferential groove in which a layer of material  20  is sandwiched. 
     The fastener parts  26 - 29  shown in  FIG. 7  are constructed in metal, which is a suitable material for snap fasteners in view of its elasticity. The left top part  26  has a central opening, so is part of the female fastener member, and is attached onto the clothing  1 ,  18  by means of the left bottom part  27 , i.e. the ring with upstanding teeth. Upon attachment, the two parts  26 ,  27  are pressed onto each other, as a result of which the teeth of part  27  are bent outwards and engage behind a bottom ridge of the top part  26 . The right top part  28  has a protrusion, so is part of the male fastener member. It can be attached onto the additional parts  3 - 7 ,  13  by means of the left bottom part  27  in the same way or by means of the right bottom part  29 , which shows a protrusion which enters into the hollow protrusion of the top part  28 .