Patent Publication Number: US-2011067453-A1

Title: machine knitted fabric for collar, a method for manufacturing the same and knit collar made of the same

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to knit collars and a method for manufacturing the same and more specifically, a machine knitted fabric for collar, a method for manufacturing the same and a knit collar made of the same. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A collar, stand-up or turn down, forms a part of either Korean traditional costume or Western clothes and is used to fit around the neck and usually folded over. For example, collars for a dress shirt are made by sewing front and rear layers with two stays therebetween, while collars for knit shirt are usually made of thick knit fabrics with front and rear layers held together. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Knit collars as above have some advantages such as elegant appearance due to seamless finish of the upper and side edges, and low deformation owing to the thickness of the fabric, but are not suitable for stand-up collars. There may be some measures to solve the above mentioned problems, like fixing stays under the both ends of the knit collar. Such a collar, however, may not be said to be an appropriate means due to the complicity of the fixing process and the poor appearance. Further, it may be possible to knit a fabric for collar with two stays disposed at the both end parts thereof in the knitting process, but it will require a complicated process. 
     Solution to Problem 
     The present invention has been conceived to solve the above mentioned problems. And therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide stand-up knit collars which can be made with relatively simple knitting processes. 
     The other object of the present invention is to provide stand-up knit collars with a low cost. 
     ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, a machine knitted fabric for collar with pockets for keeping a stay therein can be provided with a simple structure and by a uncomplicated process. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a machine knitted fabric for collar according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view for showing the stretched elastic stitching yarns of the knitted fabric in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a machine knitted fabric for collar according to another embodiment of the present invention, shown without the front layer thereof; 
         FIG. 4  is a partially omitted plan of a collar according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a partially omitted plain view of a knit collar according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a view for showing the knit collar according to the present invention, which is sewn to the neck of a upper garment; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram for showing the method of making pockets of a machine knitted fabric for collar according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of a series of machine knitted fabrics for collar successively manufactured by the method of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     
       FIG. 1 
     
     MODE FOR THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will be described in detail for the embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, because those embodiments are described to explain the present invention by the way of examples. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a machine knitted fabric for collar  10  having front and rear layers  1  and  2  held together and formed with two pockets  4  with a respective open end or opening  4 ′ at opposite ends thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention. In detail, the machine knitted fabric for collar  10  is made by combining the front layer  1  with the rear layer  2  with elastic stitching yarns  3  and the front and rear layers  1  and  2  are seamlessly combined at the two selvedges and also the upper edge and the lower edge  1 ′ and  2 ′ of the front and rear layers  1  and  2 , where two pockets  4  with an open end  4 ′ are formed, are disposed to make a step. 
     The pocket  4  provides a space where a stay  21 , which will be described hereafter, is inserted and kept therein. It is shown to have a narrow width for keeping the stay  21  therein in place, but the width of the pocket is not limited thereto. 
     In other words, the pockets  4  may not be narrow in width, because the front and rear layers  1  and  2  are held together and the stays  21  placed in the pockets  4  are pressed and kept securely by adjoining the front and rear layer  1  and  2 . The stays can also be kept securely in the pockets by sewing the lower edge of the elastic knit fabric  10  and the stay altogether, when the knit fabric  10  of  FIG. 1  is attached to the neck of a shirt  50 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the upper edge and side edges of the elastic knitted fabric  10  of the present invention are made seamless as known in the art, while two pockets  4  are formed at the opposite end parts of the fabric by ceasing the operation of the stitching needles and thereby supply of the stitching yarns  3  for the parts in which the pockets  4  are to be formed and the front and rear layers  1  and  2  may not be held together. In the drawings,  FIG. 1  schematically shows the machine knitted fabric with the front layer omitted and  FIG. 2  shows that the stitching yarns are elastic and stretchable. 
     There is shown a machine knitted fabric for collar  10  with the pockets  4  which are formed close to the two selvedges thereof in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     While  FIG. 3 , shows a machine knitted fabric for collar  10  with the pockets  4  formed at a distance from the two selvedges and the upper edge and the pockets  4  are different in width from those of  FIG. 1 . 
     The pockets  4  of the elastic knitted fabric for collar have been described therebefore to have a rectangular figure, but it is not limited thereto and may have a trapezoidal, pentagonal or jarlike figure. Further, the opening or the open end  4 ′ of the pockets  4  may of course be narrower than the body part thereof. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a schematic plan of a knit collar for shirt  20  according to an embodiment of the present invention, which comprises elastic knit fabric  10  with two rectangular pockets  4  of  FIG. 1 , and a stay  21  inserted through an opening (not shown) of pocket  4  at a side edge of the knit fabric  10  and having its lower end disposed apart from the opening of the pocket. 
     The stay  21  of the knit collar for a shirt  20  can be kept securely in the pocket  4  due to the narrow width of the pocket  4 . Further, the stay  21  may not escape from the pocket  4 , when the lower edge of the collar  20  is attached to the neck of a shirt  50  by means of sewing or others. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is a schematic plan of a knit collar for shirt  20  according to another embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a machine knitted fabric for collar  10  with two rectangular pockets  4  of  FIG. 3  and a stay  21  inserted through the opening of one of the pockets  4  at a side edge of the knit fabric  10  and having its upper end disposed at the upper corner of the pocket  4 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , the broad width of the pocket  4  of the knit collar for a shirt  20  may allow the stay  21  in the pocket  4  to move easily to and fro, but the stay  21  may be made to play or exercise its stiffness appropriately and to an extent to less than its own or less rigidly than the knit collar of  FIG. 4 , when it is placed in the pocket diagonally and longitudinally across the side edge of the collar, as shown in a dotted line. In this case, the stay  21  can be made to have a length so that its upper end may be located at the upper-outer corner of the pocket  4  or close thereto and its lower end at the lower-inner corner or close thereto and either the upper end or the lower end of the stay  21  can be bonded or sewn to the fabric for collar  10 , thereby making the stay  21  securely kept in the pocket  4 . 
     In addition, it may be possible to make the stay  21  a figure of a polygon having more than five sides, a flower, a star or an oval and to occupy the greater part or a section of the space in the pocket. 
     The knit collars of  FIGS. 4 and 5  were described so far to be used for a knit shirt and it may be considered natural to match knit collars with knit shirts. However, the end use of the machine knitted fabrics for collar  10  should not be limited to the knit shirts. It is needless to say that the machine knitted fabrics for collar of thr present invention can be used for various kinds of upper garments without restriction to their materials or fabrics. 
     A method for manufacturing a machine knitted knit fabric for collar will now be described in detail with reference to  FIG. 7 , which shows schematically how to form a pocket in the course of knitting the fabrics according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , yarns for knitting front and rear layers  31  and  32  and spandex yarns  33  are simultaneously supplied so that a front layer  1  and a rear layer  2  are knitted and held together by the spandex yarns  33  to make a knitted fabric for collar of  FIGS. 1 to 3  through the processes of making loops of respective yarns by the needles (not shown) operated by carriages (not shown) moving continuously in both directions, right and left. The above knitting method has been known in the art and usually used is the Computerized Jacquard Flat Knitting Machine of Shima Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Japan (Model No. SEC236FF). 
     In the course of manufacturing the knitted fabric as above, two pockets shown in dotted lines of the machine knitted fabric for collar  10  of  FIGS. 1 to 3  are formed, as some of a number of needles for spandex yarns  33  at the opposite end parts thereof in the Jacquard Flat Knitting Machine are not operated but kept inactive from the beginning of the knitting process for a certain period of time so that the corresponding parts of the front and rear layers  1  and  2  of the fabric may not be stitched and held together by the spandex yarns  33 . The knitting machine is run by means of a computerized punched card system to make the pockets as above. 
     In above mentioned process, the knitting operation of the fabric is stopped and a connection band  10 ′ is knitted, when a predetermined height of the fabric  10  is obtained. After the completion of the connection band, the knitting operation of the fabric is resumed and the same process are repeated to make the fabrics  10  in series. The adjacent fabrics are disconnected by un sewing the connection band  10 ′ therebetween. 
     The stitching yarns are not limited to spandex yarns as used in the above description and various kinds of elastic yarns can be used as stitching yarns regardless of the material thereof. Any knitting machines other than Jacquard Flat Knitting Machine can be used, as far as the knit fabrics made by the machine can have the same structure as those described above. 
     In addition, width of the pockets  4  of the machine knitted fabric for collar  10  can be made wider or narrower by varying the interval of ceasing the operation of the needles for the stitching yarns  3 , and various figures of pockets like trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon or others may be obtainable by varying the ceasing intervals of the respective needles. Narrower the width of the opening of the pocket is more securely, the stay will be kept in the pocket. 
     For making the pockets in knitting a fabric for collar, it will be possible to cease the operation of the stitching needles after some time from the beginning of the knitting process and/or to exclude the outermost stitching needles from being ceased operation and thus make the pockets at a distance from the side edges of the fabric, although  FIG. 7  shows an example of ceasing of the operation of the stitching needles from the initial stage of the knitting process to make said open end of said pockets. 
     In the machine knitted fabric for collar  10  with the pockets  4 , the upper end of the fabric with seamless finish of the front and rear layers  1  and  2  and two selvedges is used as a upper side of the collar and the lower side or edge side where a step is formed by the front and rear layers  1  and  2  is used a lower edge of the collar. The stepped lower edge of the collar formed with two open ends  4 ′ does not harm the appearance of the collar, because the edge is concealed when it is sewn to the neck of a upper garment. 
     Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The present invention described as hereinbefore can provide stand-up knit collars with a simple structure and a method for manufacturing the machine knitted fabrics for such knit collars with a relatively simple processes. And the upper garments like shirts using the knit collar, thereby contributing to the development of the related industries through increased sales of the related products.