Patent Publication Number: US-6038702-A

Title: Decorative patch

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to decorations on articles of clothing and pieces of fabric, and more particularly to patches that decorate a hole created in a garment or piece of material. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Frequently people strive to stand out from the teeming masses of humanity by adorning their body as uniquely as possible. The present invention is addressed to this human desire in that it allows a person to modify their clothing to suit their tastes. Using this invention a person can make and reinforce a hole in their clothing anywhere their imagination may prompt them. Sometimes people have a pierced or tattooed part of their body normally covered by clothing and this invention allows them to further express themselves by exposing their pierced or tattooed flesh to the world. Additionally, such holes in a person&#39;s clothing allow the person to exchange heat more effectively with the surrounding environment and thus stay cooler on a hot day. 
     If a person were to make a hole in their clothing without using the present invention they would run the risk of having the fabric tear after a small stress or unravel over time. After repeated washes, an unreinforced hole may become a much larger hole than originally desired. The present invention could also be used on any material such as a curtain, a bedspread, carpeting, luggage, or a pocketbook to decorate and personalize it. 
     The style of patch for material in common use today is typically made of one piece of material and is designed to cover a hole in another piece of material or is designed to be applied on top of the piece of material as a decoration without allowing a person to make a hole in their clothing. Thus, a need exists to allow a user to easily create a reinforced hole in an article of clothing or piece of material. The hole created by the present invention is decorative and durable, i.e., it is able to withstand washing and stress created by a wearer. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to providing a decorative patch that allows a person to make a hole in an article of clothing or a piece of material without having the piece of material unravel. Another object is to provide a construction that is durable and able to withstand repeated laundering and a wearer&#39;s activity. A further object is to provide a construction and a process for applying the construction to a piece of material that is easily used by the person who wishes to decorate their clothing, thereby allowing them maximum expression for their creative instincts. 
     The decorative patch includes two pieces of material, having corresponding interior apertures of a predetermined shape, that are placed on top of each other so that their interior apertures register with one another. The two pieces of material are joined together around the periphery of their interior apertures. The patch is secured in an aperture in a piece of material to be decorated. The invention also includes a process for creating and reinforcing a hole in a piece of material to be decorated, whereby the patch is placed in the hole such that the first layer of the patch is on the outside and the second layer is on the inside of the piece of material to be decorated, and the patch is then secured onto the piece of material to be decorated. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is further elaborated in the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded side view of the present invention showing the first and second layer of material being placed on top of each other so that their interior apertures register with one another. 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the patch according to the invention showing one section of the first layer of material peeled away and interior apertures secured together. 
     FIG. 3 is an expanded cut-away side view of the present invention showing the patch placed in an interior aperture of a piece of material to be decorated. 
     FIG. 4 is the top view of a patch according to the present invention having a peripheral shape of a flower. 
     FIG. 5 is the top view of a patch according to the present invention having a peripheral shape of human lips. 
     FIG. 6 is the top view of a patch according to the present invention having a peripheral shape of an animal. 
     FIG. 7 is the top view of a patch according to the present invention having a peripheral shape of a heart. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The features of the present invention that allow a user to easily create a hole in a piece of material that is durable and decorative are illustrated in the following discussion of the figures and embodiments: 
     FIG. 1 demonstrates how a first layer of material 2, containing an interior aperture 6, and a second layer of material 4, containing an interior aperture 7, which is a mirror image of the interior aperture 6 (the necessity of the second layer of material&#39;s interior aperture being a mirror image is best understood when the shape of the patch and the aperture are nonsymmetrical such as in FIG. 6), are placed on top of each other so that their interior apertures register with one another. In other words, their interior apertures are lined up so that the aperture 6 in the first layer of material 2 neatly overlaps and mates with the aperture 7 in the second piece of material 4. Although layers, 2, 4, of material are shown to be the same size and shape this does not necessarily have to be the case as long as the interior apertures of each of the pieces of material are approximately the same size and shape. 
     FIG. 2 shows the assembled patch according to the invention. The first layer 2 and second layer 4 of material are joined together around the periphery 8 of their interior apertures 6 and 7, respectively. A portion 10 of the first layer of material 2 has been peeled away to show the second layer of material 4. The facing side of the first layer 12 and the facing side of the second layer 14 can be seen in the peeled away section. Although the first layer 2 and second layer 4 of material are shown as having a peripheral shape that is the same, this does not necessarily have to be the case. 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the patch according to the present invention placed in an aperture of a piece of material 16 to be decorated. A first layer 2 of material is located on the exterior side of and a second layer 4 of material is located on the interior side of the piece of material 16 to be decorated. The interior side of the first layer of material 12 and the interior side of the second layer of material 14 face each other and also face the piece of material 16, on opposite sides thereof to be decorated. The first layer 2 of material and the second layer 4 of material are joined together around the periphery 8 of their interior apertures. 
     In one embodiment, the interior side of each layer has an adhesive coated thereon. In manufacture, paper with a release coating overlap the adhesive. Upon installation, the paper is removed and the patch is pressed against the material to be decorated and adhesively secured thereto. 
     FIG. 4 shows a top view of a representative embodiment of the invention in which the peripheral shape of the patch is a flower. The interior aperture 6 is a circle. 
     FIG. 5 shows a top view of another representative embodiment of the invention in which the peripheral shape of the patch is that of human lips 13. The interior aperture 6 is in the shape of a human mouth. 
     FIG. 6 shows a top view of another representative embodiment of the invention in which the peripheral shape of the patch is an animal, in this case, a dolphin 15. The interior aperture 6 is in the shape of an elongated irregular oval. 
     FIG. 7 shows a top view of another embodiment of the invention in which the peripheral shape of the patch is a heart 17. The interior aperture 6 is also in the shape of a heart. 
     In a preferred embodiment the first piece 2 of material is joined to the second piece 4 of material around the periphery 8 of their interior apertures 6 by stitching or embroidery-type stitching. The two pieces of material can also be joined together by heat-sealing, adhesive, heat-activated adhesive, flanged studs that snap into a receiving portion, or crimping. In a further preferred embodiment the facing sides of the first layer 12 and the second layer 14 of material are coated with adhesive or heat-activated adhesive in order to attach the patch in an aperture of a piece of material to be decorated 16. The patch can also be attached to a piece of material to be decorated 16 using crimps, snaps or flanged studs that snap into a receiving portion, buttons, or sewing. One form of mechanical attachment, namely snaps 32, 34 are shown in FIG. 1. 
     A process for creating a hole in a piece of material to be decorated is also contemplated comprising creating a hole in a piece of material to be decorated, placing the patch in the hole in the piece of material such that the first layer of the material is placed on the outside of the piece of material to be decorated and the second layer of material is placed on the inside of the piece of material to be decorated as in FIG. 3. Both layers of the patch are secured to the piece of material to be decorated. In a preferred embodiment the patch is secured to the piece of material by activating a heat-activated adhesive on the facing sides of the first and second layers of the patch by ironing. In a further preferred embodiment the hole that is created in the piece of material to be decorated is the same shape and slightly larger than the interior aperture of the patch. 
     As can be seen from the preferred embodiments, the patch is versatile and easy to use. A user can cut a hole anywhere desired or use an existing hole of the appropriate size in a garment and, by placing the patch in the hole and securing it to the material surrounding the hole, reinforce the hole created. The edges of the hole are covered by the two layers of material of the patch thus preventing raveling or tearing of the material to be decorated. 
     In certain embodiments, for example, the dolphin patch shown in FIG. 6, the hole in the material to be decorated is elongated, the patch is larger and the aperture 6 is elongated and extends longitudinally for a substantial portion of the length of the patch. In such instances, a reinforcing strap or string 20 is laid across aperture 6 and secured on opposite sides at attachments 22 to stabilize and reinforce the patch and prevent it from losing its shape. 
     While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For that reason, the scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims: