Patent Publication Number: US-2012027988-A1

Title: Printed emblem for securing to a first fabric

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a printed emblem and a method of making a printed emblem and, in particular, a printed emblem and a method of making a printed emblem having an appearance so that when the emblem is applied to the fabric of a garment or the like, it appears as though the design of the emblem has been printed directly onto the fabric of the garment. 
     In general, embroidered emblems and methods for making embroidered emblems are well known in the art. A particular embroidered emblem and method of making the embroidered emblem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,657,060 entitled “Embroidered Emblem With Thermoplastic Adhesive” and 3,816,211 entitled “Method For Making Embroidered Emblem” both of which are owned by the assignee of the present application. These two related patents disclose an embroidered emblem  110  of the type shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the present application and which comprises a fabric base  112  with an embroidered design  114 , including an embroidered border  114   a  extending around the outer periphery on at least a front or first principal surface  116  of the fabric base  112  and a layer of a thermoplastic adhesive material  118  laminated or bonded to the rear or second principal surface  120  of the fabric base  112 . In this manner, the embroidered emblem  110  can be conveniently fastened to a garment or other fabric surface through the application of at least one of heat and pressure to melt the thermoplastic material  118  and thereby bond the fabric base  112  to a garment, hat or other fabric surface. A similar emblem and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,742. The subject matter of each of the three above-mentioned patents is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. 
     While the emblems disclosed in the three above-mentioned patents are quite acceptable and while the methods disclosed in the above referenced patents are quite useful in manufacturing such emblems, there was a need for an emblem which provides an enhanced appearance when secured to a garment or other fabric. In particular, there was a need for an embroidered emblem which has a fabric base which is the same as or substantially the same as the fabric of the garment or other fabric surface to which the emblem was to be secured so that when the embroidered emblem was secured to the garment or other fabric surface the fabric base blends in with the garment or other fabric surface so that it appears as though the embroidered design of the emblem was embroidered directly onto the garment or other fabric surface. For example, in some industries in which employees wear uniforms, the uniforms may have one or more embroidered emblems such as a company logo or employee name applied to the uniform shirt or jacket. Typically the names or other personalized information of the employees are embroidered directly onto the uniform shirt or jacket to provide a cleaner, neater appearance. Direct embroidery of an employee name in this manner adds substantial expense to the cost of the garment and, because removal of such direct embroidery is not feasible, precludes the garment from being re-used by another employee when the named employee leaves the company. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,593 entitled “Embroidered Emblem for Securing to a First Fabric” (owned by the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference) discloses an embroidered emblem  210  (shown in  FIGS. 3-6 ) which like the above described prior art embroidered emblems  110  includes a fabric base  212  having a front or first principal surface  216  and a rear or second principal surface  220 , an embroidered design  214 , including a border  214   a , stitched or embroidered into at least the front surface  216  of the fabric base  212  and a layer of thermoplastic adhesive material  218  bonded to the rear surface  220  of the fabric base  212  for securing the emblem to the fabric  230  of a garment or other article. Unlike the above described prior art embroidered emblems  110 , the embroidered emblem  210  of the &#39;593 patent includes a fabric base  212  which is made of the same or substantially the same material as the fabric  230  (referred to as the “first fabric”) of the shirt, jacket, hat or other garment or article to which the emblem  210  is to be attached. In particular, the fabric base  212  of the embroidered emblem  210  includes the same or substantially the same weave pattern and color as the first fabric  230  so that when the emblem  210  is secured to the first fabric  230  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ), the fabric base  212  of the emblem  210  blends with the first fabric  230  so that the fabric base  212  of the emblem  210  is nearly invisible and the embroidered emblem design  114  appears to have been applied directly to the garment or other article to which the emblem  210  has been secured. 
     There is also a substantial difference in the border  214   a . With the above described prior art embroidered emblems  110 , the embroidered border  114   a , which is located around the outer or peripheral edge of the fabric base  112 , is typically made at the same time as the remainder of the embroidered design  114  using the same needle, and a yarn color (typically a color used in the embroidered design) which typically contrasts with the color of the fabric base  112  and is of a thickness and/or width which corresponds to the thickness or width of the remainder of the embroidered design (see  114   a  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the present application). In this manner, the border  114   a  serves as a frame to encircle and highlight the fabric base  112  and the remainder of the embroidered design  114 . In contrast, with the emblem  210  of the &#39;593 patent, the stitched border  214   a  is made using a relatively small sized embroidery needle (much smaller that the needle used to make the remainder of the embroidered design  214 ) and is made using a yarn which is not the same as the yarn used to make the embroidered design  214 . In particular, the yarn used to make the border  214   a  is relatively thin and is the same or substantially the same color as the color of the fabric base  212  and the first fabric  230 . In this manner, when the emblem  210  is secured to the garment or other article, the much smaller sized border  214   a  fades into the fabric base  212  and the first fabric  230  of the garment or other article so that the border  214   a  is nearly invisible thus helping to give the appearance that the embroidered emblem design  214  has been applied directly to the first fabric  230  of the garment or other article. 
     The present invention provides a printed emblem which includes many of the features of the embroidered emblem  210  of the &#39;593 patent. In particular, a printed emblem made in accordance with the present invention, when applied to a garment or other article has the appearance of the printed design having been printed direct onto the garment or other article but which is much easier to apply to the garment and which can be conveniently and completely removed from the garment to permit re-use of the garment and the printed emblem. A printed emblem in accordance with the present invention is also less expensive to produce than an embroidered emblem. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the present invention, in one embodiment, comprises a printed emblem for being securing to a first fabric by the application of at least one of heat and pressure, the first fabric being made of a material having a predetermined weave pattern and at least one predetermined color. The emblem is comprised of a fabric base having a front surface and a rear surface. The fabric base is made of the same or substantially the same material as the first fabric and has the same or substantially the same weave pattern and color as the first fabric. An emblem design is printed onto the front surface of the fabric base. A stitched border extends around the outer periphery of the fabric base, the border being made using a relatively small sized needle and a relatively thin, dull yarn which is the same or substantially the same color as the color of the fabric base so that the border is relatively small and fades into the fabric base so as to be nearly invisible. A layer of thermoplastic adhesive material is bonded to the rear surface of the fabric base for securing the emblem to the first fabric. 
     In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a method of making a printed emblem for securing to a first fabric by the application of at least one of heat and pressure, the first fabric being made of a material having a predetermined weave pattern and at least one predetermined color. The method comprises the steps of: providing a fabric base having a front surface and a rear surface, the fabric base being of the same or substantially the same material as the first fabric and having the same or substantially the same weave pattern and color as the first fabric; printing an emblem design onto the front surface of the fabric base; stitching a border around the outer periphery of the fabric base, the border being made using a relatively small sized needle and a relatively thin, dull yarn which is the same or substantially the same color as the color of the fabric base so that the border is relatively small and fades into the fabric base so as to be nearly invisible; and bonding a layer of thermoplastic adhesive material to the rear surface of the fabric base for securing the emblem to the first fabric. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of an embroidered emblem in accordance with the prior art; 
         FIG. 2  is a side sectional view of the prior art emblem shown in  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of another embroidered emblem in accordance with the prior art; 
         FIG. 4  is a side sectional view of the prior art emblem shown in  FIG. 3  taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the prior art emblem shown in  FIG. 3  after the emblem has been secured to a first fabric of a garment. 
         FIG. 6  is a side sectional view of the prior art emblem shown in  FIG. 5  taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of a screen printed emblem in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a side sectional view of the emblem shown in  FIG. 7  taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the emblem shown in  FIG. 7  after the emblem has been secured to a first fabric of a garment; 
         FIG. 10  is a side sectional view of an ink jet printed emblem in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 10A  is an enlarged view of the circled portion of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “right,” “left,” “lower” and “upper” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the emblem and designated parts thereof. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a”, “an” and “the” are not limited to one element but instead should be read as meaning “at least one”. The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in  FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  9 , a first preferred embodiment of a printed emblem, generally  10 , for securing to a first fabric  30  by the application of at least one of heat and pressure in a manner as described in detail in the above-identified U.S. patents. The fabric  30  may be a portion of a garment, such as a shirt, smock, apron, hat or any other article of clothing. Alternatively, the fabric  30  may be some other article such as a banner, flag or any other article formed of the first fabric  30 . Further, while it is preferred that the first fabric  30  be comprised of a woven textile fabric such as 100% polyester, 100% cotton or a polyester/cotton blend thereof, preferably about 65% polyester and about 35% cotton, it should be clearly understood that the first fabric  30  may be made of any type of natural or synthetic textile material using techniques which are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In short, the first fabric  30  may comprise virtually any suitable woven fabric which may or may not be coated or impregnated with one or more soil resisting or stain repellent treatments and may be colored utilizing standard textile dyes of a type well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The first fabric  30  as show in  FIG. 9  is comprised of a textile material having a predetermined weave pattern and at least one predetermined color. The particular weave pattern utilized in forming the first fabric  30  should not be considered to be a limitation on the present invention nor should the particular color of the first fabric  30 . Accordingly, it should be clearly understood that the printed emblem  10  in accordance with the present invention may be secured to a first fabric  30  having any type of weave pattern and any desired color without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the printed emblem  10  in accordance with the first preferred embodiment is comprised of a fabric base  12  having a first principal or front surface  16  and a second principal or rear surface  20 . In the present embodiment the fabric base  12  is generally rectangularly shaped in plan view. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the shape of the fabric base  12  as well as the size of the fabric base  12  may vary in particular applications. More specifically, the fabric base  12  may be circular, square, triangular or any other desired shape. As can be seen when viewing  FIGS. 7 and 9 , the fabric base  12  is preferably made of the same or substantially the same material or fabric as the first fabric  30 . The fabric base  12  preferably has the same or substantially the same weave pattern as that of the first fabric  30  and is of the same or substantially the same color as the color of the first fabric  30 . Most preferably, the fabric base  12  is of the exact same material as the first fabric  30 . This feature of the present invention is particularly important because when a printed emblem  10  in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention is secured to the first fabric  30  the fabric base  12  should precisely match the first fabric  30  so that the fabric base  12  blends in with and substantially disappears into the first fabric  30 . 
     The emblem  10  further includes an emblem design  14  which has been printed onto the front surface  16  of the fabric base  12  using a standard screen printing process in the manner well known in the art. As best shown in  FIG. 8 , the screen printed emblem design  14  essentially forms a thin layer on the front surface  16  of the fabric base  12 . As shown in  FIG. 7  and  8 , for purposes of illustrating the present embodiment the printed emblem design  14  is in the form of a generally rectangular pattern. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the generally rectangularly shaped printed emblem design  14  is presented only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be considered to be a limitation on the present invention. Virtually any other type of printed emblem design including designs of different shapes and sizes as well as different colors or a combination of colors may alternatively be used. 
     The emblem  10  also includes a stitched border  22  extending around the outer periphery of at least the front surface  16  of the fabric base  12 . The border  22  is made utilizing a relatively small sized needle and a relatively thin yarn which preferably is the same or substantially the same color as the color of the fabric base  12  but which preferably is at least slightly duller. Typically, in the above described prior art emblem  110  the border  114   a  is a Merrow border which is typically made using a continuous filament 100% polyester extremely bright yarn typically in size 300/4&#39;s-1200 Denier. Typically a large needle, such as a number 3DST needle is used to make such a Merrow border. The Merrow border  114  is bright and is very heavy and broad and quite visible as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The border  22  of the present emblem  10 , as described in the &#39;593 patent, is a stitched border which is made using a much smaller 100% spun polyester intentionally dull yarn in size Tex 27-60.5 Denier. The needle employed for forming the stitched border  22  is preferably a number DBXK5 needle which is much smaller than the needle used for the Merrow border  114   a . By making a stitched border  22  utilizing a relatively small sized needle and by utilizing a relatively thin intentionally dull yarn which is the same or substantially the same color as that of the fabric base  12 , the border  22  is relatively small and fades into the fabric base  12  and also fades into the first fabric  30  to become practically invisible when the emblem  10  has been secured to the first fabric  30  as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     The emblem  10  further includes a layer of thermoplastic adhesive material  18  which is laminated or bonded to the rear surface  20  of the fabric base  12 . The thermoplastic adhesive material  18  is preferably a polyurethane which is the same as or substantially the same as the thermoplastic adhesive material described in detail in the above-identified patents and is bonded to the rear surface  20  of the fabric base  12  in the manner described in the above-identified U.S. patents. The layer of thermoplastic adhesive material  18  is used for securing the emblem  10  to the first fabric  30  by the application of at least one of heat and pressure in the manner described in detail in the above-identified U.S. patents. 
     The emblem  10  may be made as a single emblem, an entire sheet containing multiple emblems, or may be made at one time with each of the individual emblems being thereafter die cut or otherwise cut from the remainder of the emblem sheet. If desired, the individual emblems  10  may be finished by singeing the peripheral edge of the emblem  10  using a heat source of a type well known in the art to seal the fibers along the outer edge of the fabric base  12  and thereby prevent any threads from the emblem  10  from unraveling during laundering of the first fabric  30  to which the emblem  10  has been secured. 
       FIG. 9  shows the emblem  10  in accordance with the first preferred embodiment secured to the first fabric  30 . As can be seen, because the fabric base  12  is formed of the same or substantially the same material as the first fabric  30  and has the same or substantially the same weave pattern and color as the first fabric  30  and because the stitched border  22  is relatively small and is of the same or substantially the same color as the fabric base  12  and the first fabric  30 , the emblem  10  blends in with the first fabric  30  so as to be nearly invisible. In this manner, the printed emblem design  14  appears as though it has been printed directly onto the first fabric  30 . Of course, as is well known in the art and as described in detail in the above-identified U.S. patents, the emblem  10  may be conveniently and cleanly removed from the first fabric  30  through the application of at least one of heat and pressure thereby permitting reuse of the first fabric  30  with our without the application of another emblem. 
       FIGS. 10 and 10A  show a second preferred embodiment of a printed emblem, generally  310 , for securing to a first fabric  330  by the application of at least one of heat and pressure in a manner as described in detail in the above-identified U.S. patents. The printed emblem  310  is substantially the same as the above-described printed emblem  10  of the first embodiment with the exception of the manner in which the emblem design  314  is printed. More specifically, the emblem  310  includes a fabric base  312  which is made of the same or substantially the same material as the first fabric to which the emblem  310  is to be attached and is preferably made of 100% polyester. Alternatively, the fabric base  312  could be made of 100% cotton or a blend of polyester and cotton in the same manner as the above-described fabric base  12 . The fabric base  312  includes a front surface  316 , a rear surface  320  a stitched border  322  which is the same as the stitched border  22  of the emblem  10  of the first embodiment and a layer of thermoplastic adhesive material  318  bonded to the rear surface  318  as with the emblem of the first embodiment  10 . The only substantial difference between the emblems of the first embodiment  10  and the second embodiment  310  is that the emblem design  314  in the second embodiment is printed onto the front surface  316  of the fabric base  312  using an ink jet printing process. 
     The ink jet printing process used to apply the emblem design  314  to the front surface  316  of the fabric base  312  is of a type well known in the emblem making art. As best shown in  FIG. 10A , the ink jet printed emblem design  314  is at least partially embedded into the fibers of the front surface  316  of the fabric base  312  to provide the emblem design  314  with an appearance which is slightly different from the appearance of the emblem design  14  of the first embodiment  10 . Like the emblem  10  of the first embodiment, for purposes of illustrating the present embodiment the printed emblem design  314  is also in the form of a generally rectangular pattern. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the generally rectangular shaped printed emblem design  314  is presented only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be considered to be a limitation on the present invention. Virtually any other type of printed emblem design including designs of different shapes and sizes as well as different colors or a combination of colors may alternatively be used. In all other respects, the emblem  310  of the second embodiment is the same as the emblem  10  of the first embodiment. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but it is intended to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.