Patent Publication Number: US-10760206-B1

Title: Device for trimming fabric

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application claims priority from one or more previously filed Provisional Patent Applications, namely:
     1) DEVICE FOR TRIMMING FABRIC, Application No. 62/477,040, Filed Mar. 27, 2017.   

    
    
     This invention relates to a device which uses multiple trimming slots and associated indexing indicators to enable precise trimming of fabric to form geometric shapes and larger composite pieces composed of smaller geometric shapes, including precision edging and excess material left by the most common means of forming such composite pieces. A method for using the device is also disclosed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Forming geometrically precise figures in fabric or other materials is an old problem in the art. In particular, those who practice the textile art form commonly referred to as “quilting” incorporate many geometric figures, usually composed of triangles or conglomerations of triangles, into their art. It is difficult to form these figures perfectly because human beings are inherently imprecise in their measurements and movements when cutting and sewing fabric. 
     If great care is taken to form precise fabric components, the degree of precision of the final composite figure is improved, but the sewing may lower the precision of the final composite figure. If greater care is taken in the sewing, the degree of precision of the final composite figure may also be improved, but the degree of precision of the initial components may play a larger role. An invention which compensates for both any imprecision in the initial preparation of the fabric components and any imprecision in the sewing of the final composite figure will be a useful invention. 
     The present invention addresses these concerns. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Among the many objectives of the present invention is the provision of a device which allows the creation of precision final fabric figures without the necessity of precise measurements of the component pieces. 
     Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a device which allows the creation of a variety of precision final fabric figures while using a limited number of application techniques for quick and simple production of the final fabric figures. 
     These and other objectives of the invention (which other objectives become clear by consideration of the specification and drawings as a whole) are met by providing the device and methods for trimming fabric set forth in the specification hereof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts an overhead view of the device for trimming fabric. 
         FIG. 2  depicts an overhead view of the device for trimming fabric in operation. 
         FIG. 3  depicts an overhead view of the device for trimming fabric in a first alternate method of operation. 
         FIG. 4  depicts an overhead view of the outputs of the device for trimming fabric in a second alternate method of operation. 
         FIG. 5  depicts an overhead view of the device for trimming fabric in a third alternate method of operation. 
         FIG. 6  depicts an overhead view of the device for trimming fabric in a fourth alternate method of operation. 
         FIG. 7  depicts an overhead view of the output of the device for trimming fabric in a fifth alternate method of operation. 
         FIG. 8  depicts an alternate embodiment of the device. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the invention that are illustrated in accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps. The drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale. For purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms such as top, bottom, left, right, up, over, above, below, beneath, rear, and front, may be used with respect to the drawings. These and similar directional terms are not to be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. The words attach, connect, couple, and similar terms with their inflectional morphemes do not necessarily denote direct or intermediate connections, but may also include connections through mediate elements or devices. 
     Now adding  FIG. 1  to the consideration, the configuration of the invention may be clearly understood. Slotted trimmer  10  has right side  14  containing right trim slots  15 ( a ),  15 ( b ),  15 ( e ), and  15 ( d ), and left side  16  with corresponding left trim slots  17 ( a ),  17 ( b ),  17 ( c ), and  17 ( d ). Trim indicators  12 ( a ),  12 ( b ),  12 ( c ),  12 ( d ), and  12 ( e ) cross the body of slotted trimmer  10  at right angles to center line  11 . Every trim indicator, except those denoted by (e), has a corresponding pair of trim slots with the same letter designation: each trim indicator corresponds to a denoted size for the final piece (See  FIG. 2 .) Center line  11  connects apex  20  to bottom  18 , which has left trim edge  18 ( a ) and right trim edge  18 ( b ), which are to be used if the size of the final piece (see  FIG. 2 ) corresponds to trim indicator  12 ( e ). It is strongly preferred, but not required, that slotted trimmer  10  be made of a transparent or highly translucent material. It is preferred, but not required, that all trim indicators and the center line be made of or marked with an opaque material. It is optional, but neither preferred nor required, to create the trim indicators as part of the molding or casting of the slotted trimmer. They can be either raised or lowered areas of the molding or casting if this is done: neither is preferred. 
     Now adding  FIG. 2  to the consideration, the first part of the basic operation of the invention can be seen. Slotted trimmer  10  has been placed on top of fabric  22 . Rotary cutter  26  has been run along the right side and the left side of the slotted trimmer (see  FIG. 1 ) and removed left trim piece  22 ( a ) and right trim piece  22 ( b ). It is preferred, but not required, that fabric  22  comprise a square comprised of two pieces of fabric, each a right isosceles triangle, joined by a seam at their hypotenuses. It is required, if this is the case, that fabric  22  be aligned at the seam with the trim indicator corresponding to the desired final size of fabric  22  after trimming is complete. Any suitable cutting device, such as a razor blade, craft knife, or a pair of scissors, can be used to perform the actual cutting of fabric  22 . 
     In  FIG. 3 , the second part of the basic operation of the invention can be seen. Rotary cutter  26  has been run through the appropriate trim slots (here, left trim slot  17 ( c ) and right trim slot  15 ( c ), see  FIG. 1 .) This has removed left dog-ear  32 ( a ) and right dog-ear  32 ( b ). The fabric being trimmed is now final fabric piece  22 ( c ), which is what remains of fabric  22  (see  FIG. 2 ) after left trim piece  22 ( a ), right trim piece  22 ( b ), left dog-ear  32 ( a ), and right dog-ear  32 ( b ) have been removed. Removal of the dog-ears prevents excess material from protruding from the corners when fabric  22  is opened. If fabric  22  comprised a square comprised of two pieces of fabric, each a right isosceles triangle and joined by a seam at their hypotenuses, the result is final fabric piece  22 ( c ) as shown in in  FIG. 4 . Final fabric piece  22 ( c ) can be opened along the seam to produce half-square triangle piece  22 ( d ). 
       FIG. 4  depicts the result of an operation of the invention on a modified base fabric. Final fabric piece  22 ( c ) (when opened  22 ( d )) comprises two right isosceles triangles sewn together to make a square. In place of the base fabric previously described, a second fabric, comprising either two or three right isosceles triangles sewn together to make a square can be used. Shown is a configuration with two triangles, second fabric  42 ( c ) (which when opened becomes an alternate final piece, specifically quarter-square triangle  42 ( d )). When slotted trimmer  10  (see  FIG. 2 ) is used in the same manner as in the descriptions of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the result is either quarter-square triangle  42 ( d ) or three-piece triangle square  42 ( e ), depending on whether the second fabric comprised two or three triangles. 
       FIG. 5  shows a second alternate technique for using the invention. Third fabric  52  comprises two identically-sized rectangular pieces of fabric placed on top of each other and attached with top seam  54 ( a ) and bottom seam  54 ( b ). This creates a tube of fabric. Slotted trimmer  10  can be placed with the appropriate trim indicator (here trim indicator  12 ( c ), see  FIG. 1 ) aligned with top seam  54 ( a ). The same trimming steps as shown in the description of  FIGS. 2 and 3  are then applied, producing second final fabric piece  52 ( d ). Slotted trimmer  10  can then be rotated 180 degrees and the appropriate trim indicator aligned with bottom seam  54 ( b ). Upon performing the trimming steps again, another final fabric piece will be created. This series of rotation/trimming steps can be repeated as desired or until not enough of third fabric  52  remains to create another final fabric piece. As appropriate, the process can be started with the trimmer aligned with the top seam or the bottom seam. 
       FIG. 6  discloses a third alternate technique for using the invention. Fourth fabric  62  comprises two identically-sized rectangular pieces of fabric attached to form a larger rectangular piece, and a third rectangular piece which is the same size as the piece formed by joining the first two pieces of fabric. The larger rectangular piece is then laid on top of the third rectangular piece and attached with top seam  64 ( a ) and bottom seam  64 ( b ). This creates a tube of fabric. Slotted trimmer  10  can be placed with the appropriate trim indicator (here trim indicator  12 ( c ), see  FIG. 1 ) aligned with top seam  64 ( a ). The same trimming steps as shown in the description of  FIGS. 2 and 3  are then applied, producing third final fabric piece  62 ( d ). Slotted trimmer  10  can then be rotated 180 degrees and the appropriate trim indicator aligned with bottom seam  64 ( b ). Upon performing the trimming steps again, another final fabric piece will be created. This series of rotation/trimming steps can be repeated as desired or until not enough of fourth fabric  62  remains to create another final fabric piece. As appropriate, the process can be started with the trimmer aligned with the top seam or the bottom seam. 
       FIG. 7  reveals a fourth alternate technique for using the invention. Fifth fabric  72  comprises two identically-sized rectangular pieces of fabric placed on top of each other. One of the two identically-sized pieces of fabric is comprised of multiple pieces of rectangular fabric which have been joined in an alternating pattern, forming a strip-piece fabric with a pattern created by the alternate inclusion of the multiple pieces. The strip-piece fabric is then joined to a single piece of fabric with the same dimensions as the strip-piece fabric, and attached with top seam  74 ( a ) and bottom seam  74 ( b ). This creates a tube of fabric. Slotted trimmer  10  can be placed with the appropriate trim indicator (here trim indicator  12 ( c ), see  FIG. 1 ) aligned with top seam  74 ( a ). The same trimming steps as shown in the description of  FIGS. 2 and 3  are then applied, producing fourth final fabric piece  72 ( d ). Slotted trimmer  10  can then be rotated 180 degrees and the appropriate trim indicator re-aligned with bottom seam  74 ( b ). Upon performing the trimming steps again, another final fabric piece will be created. This series of rotation/trimming steps can be repeated as desired or until not enough of third fabric  72  remains to create another final fabric piece. As appropriate, the process can be started with the trimmer aligned with the top seam or the bottom seam. 
     For clarity, the method of operation of the invention comprises the following consecutive steps: 
     Step 1: Create an appropriate piece of fabric to be trimmed into a final piece. Preferably, this will be a square composed of two or more pieces of fabric, each a triangle. If more than one final piece is desired, the user may either create multiple pieces of fabric to be trimmed, or create a rectangular tube of fabric by joining two or more pieces of fabric with two longitudinal seams. The pieces of fabric to be joined may themselves be comprised of multiple pieces of fabric. 
     Step 2: Align the appropriate trim indicator on the slotted trimmer with the seam of the two pieces of fabric which were joined to create the piece of fabric to be trimmed. 
     Step 3: Trim the fabric with a rotary cutter or other appropriate cutting tool along the right and left edges of the slotted trimmer. 
     Step 4a: If the size of the final piece corresponds to the size associated with one of the trim indicators which is not the final trim indicator, trim the fabric along the right and left trim slots corresponding to the size of the final piece. 
     Step 4b: (Alternate to Step 4a.) If the size of the final piece corresponds to the size of the slotted trimmer at its final trim indicator, trim the fabric along the right and left trim edges. 
     Step 5: Open the fabric to reveal the final piece. If necessary, separate the corners of the fabric furthest away from the seam(s) to allow the fabric to open. 
     Step 6: (Optional.) If the fabric comprises a rectangular tube as in  FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 , rotate the slotted trimmer or the fabric 180 degrees, align the appropriate trim indicator with the seam of the rectangular tube, and repeat steps 3, 4, and 5. 
     In an optional extended method of operation, center line  11  (see  FIG. 1 ) can be used to align the slotted trimmer when the components of the final piece have a width which is substantially shorter than the width of the base fabric. See examples  42 ( c ),  42 ( d ), and  42 ( e ) in  FIG. 4 , and fabric  72  resulting in final piece  72 ( d ) in  FIG. 7 . Center line  11  allows the slotted trimmer to be aligned with the vertical seams which connect the components of the base fabric  72  as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     While it is strongly preferred that the invention be embodied as a triangular device as shown in  FIG. 1 , the teaching of the invention can be used in a variety of alternate embodiments. These embodiments do not allow the multiple geometries of final piece(s) made possible by the embodiment described in  FIG. 1 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , and to obtain the benefit of those multiple geometries, it is required that the device be triangular. 
       FIG. 8  shows an alternate embodiment of the device. Straight slotted trimmer  80  has top edge  82 ( a ) which includes top trim slots  81 ( a ),  83 ( a ), and  85 ( a ), and bottom edge  82 ( b ) which includes bottom trim slots  81 ( b ),  83 ( b ), and  85 ( b ). Straight slotted trimmer  80  includes center index marking  86  and angle index markings  84 ( a ),  84 ( b ),  84 ( c ), and  84 ( d ). It is strongly preferred that straight slotted trimmer  80  be formed of a translucent or transparent material. The index markings can be formed of raised and/or lowered areas I the molding or casting of straight slotted trimmer  80 , or formed by painting, engraving, or otherwise marking straight slotted trimmer  80 . 
     To use straight slotted trimmer  80 , the top or bottom edges and/or the center index marking and/or angle index markings are aligned with the desired trim points of a fabric piece, analogously to the process described in  FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 . As will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, the geometries made possible by any particular configuration of an embodiment of the slotted trimmer will produce analogous geometries in the final pieces produced by use of that configuration. These could include, but are not limited to, slotted trimmers with any desired linear angle configuration, a semi-circular configuration, an elliptical configuration, a smooth curve configuration, or any combination of these configurations. These would produce, respectively, final pieces with linear angles, semi-circular final pieces, elliptical final pieces, smoothly curved final pieces, and final pieces with combinations of these characteristics. It is required that the base fabric used with any particular embodiment of the invention be of a sufficient size that at least one trim slot and at least one trim indicator can be properly aligned to produce a final piece with the desired geometric configuration. 
     A second alternate embodiment (not shown) could also include trim slots only along a single edge. This second alternate embodiment could be used to form final pieces requiring trimming only on one side, or could be reoriented (e.g. flipped over or rotated) after performing a first plurality of trim operations to perform a second plurality of trim operations on the base fabric to produce a final piece with a plurality of trimmed areas. 
     This application—taken as a whole with the abstract, specification, claims, and drawings—provides sufficient information for a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention disclosed and claimed herein. Any measures necessary to practice this invention are well within the skill of a person having ordinary skill in this art after that person has made a careful study of this disclosure. It should be noted that the order of the steps in all disclosed embodiments may be varied as will be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Because of this disclosure and solely because of this disclosure, modification of this device and method for trimming fabric can become clear to a person having ordinary skill in this particular art. Such modifications are clearly covered by this disclosure.