Abstract:
Shirts may be fabricated with a minimal number of sewn seams utilizing a first circularly knitted fabric tube forming a shirt body and a second circularly knitted fabric tube forming shoulder portions and sleeves by orienting the tubes essentially transversely to one another and sewing one axial end of the tubular fabric of the shirt body to a side portion medially along the length of the tubular fabric of the shoulders and sleeves.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is entitled to the benefit of, and claims priority to, provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/296,603 filed Jun. 7, 2001 and entitled “METHOD OF FABRICATING SHIRTS FROM CIRCULARLY KNITTED FABRIC AND SHIRTS PRODUCED THEREBY” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of wearing apparel and, more particularly, to the construction of shirts and methods for producing the same, especially shirts fabricated from knitted fabrics. 
     As is well known, virtually all shirts, whether formal or informal and whether made of woven, knitted or other fabric, are produced by a so-called cut-and-sewn methodology wherein individual fabric pieces are cut from the selected fabric and then sewn together into a configuration forming a shirt body for covering a wearer&#39;s torso and sleeves for covering the wearer&#39;s arms. Necessarily, this cut-and-sewn process produces a number of individual seams in the resultant garment, typically including at least seams along each shoulder, vertical seams along one or both sides of the torso portion of the shirt body, seams encircling each arm at the juncture with the shirt body, and seams providing a finished edge to the various openings (e.g., the neck, arm and waist openings) in the garment. This process is highly labor intensive and, in turn, adds a greater element of expense to the cost of producing the garment than the fabric itself. In addition, seams tend to be weaker and, hence, more subject to separation, tearing or other damage, than unseamed portions of the fabric from which the shirt is made. 
     Accordingly, there is a need and desire within the apparel industry to provide shirts in which seams are minimized so as to reduce the cost of manufacture and also improve the overall strength and durability of the garment, particularly garments such as sports jerseys which must endure more rigorous conditions of use and abuse than other types of shirts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel method of fabricating shirts in general by which the formation of seams is minimized. A more particular object of the present invention is to employ circularly knitted fabrics in such process. Another object of the present invention is to provide a methodology of fabricating shirts which may be applicable in various embodiments to many different types of shirt garments, but the present invention seeks to provide in one particular embodiment a methodology specifically applicable to the fabrication of sports jerseys, especially football jerseys. A still further specific object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating shirts which eliminates the seams normally formed in conventional cut-and-sewn shirts at the top of the shoulders, between the shirt body and the sleeves, and along one or both sides of the shirt body. It is additionally an object of the present invention to provide a novel structure of shirt as a result of the methodology of the invention. 
     Basically, the present invention utilizes two lengths of circularly knitted tubular seamless fabric, one of which will form the body of the shirt and the other of which will form the shoulders and sleeves. The fabric tube which will form the body of the shirt is knitted to a diameter and predetermined length suitable for the shirt body, with the lower end of the fabric being formed with a turned welt to form a folded finished annular edge defining the waist opening of the shirt body and with the upper end of the fabric tube left with an unfinished edge for sewing to the other fabric tube which will form the shoulders and sleeves. This latter fabric tube for forming the shoulders and sleeves is similarly knitted (either on the same or a different knitting machine) to a predetermined length (depending upon the size of the garment and whether the sleeves will be short, mid-length or long sleeves), with each opposite end of the tube formed with a turned welt to form a folded finished edge defining the arm openings in the shirt. 
     The present method basically forms the garment by orienting the shoulder/sleeve tube perpendicularly with respect to the upper end of the body tube and sewing the two tubes together. The shoulder/sleeve tube is cut appropriately in preparation for this sewing operation, which cutting may be performed in differing ways according to how the shoulders and sleeves are to be sized and shaped. For example, in a simplified embodiment, the shoulder/sleeve tube may be slit axially along only an intermediate length of the tube sufficient to be sewn along the upper unfinished annular edge of the body tube, but otherwise leaving the sleeves seamless. Alternatively, the shoulder/sleeve tube may be slit axially along its entire length, following which the resultant cut edges are sewn midway along their length to the upper annular edge of the body tube and the cut edges of the shoulder/sleeve tube extending outwardly beyond either side of the body tube are then sewn together, e.g., taperingly, to shape and size the sleeves. A neck opening is also cut in the shoulder/sleeve tube opposite the side thereof sewn to the body tube, and a neck band is sewn along this opening to form a finished neck to the garment. 
     Advantageously, the above-described process results in the complete elimination of any seam along the top of the shoulders of the garment, any seam encircling the sleeves, and any seam along the sides or otherwise along the length of the shirt body. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS. 1,  2  and  3  depict schematically the sequence of steps under the present invention in fabricating the shirt of the present invention, according to one possible embodiment contemplated for the fabrication of football jerseys. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the accompanying drawings, a football jersey produced according to the method of the present invention is depicted in a simplified schematic perspective view and is indicated as a whole at 10. However, while the present invention is herein described and illustrated in relation to this particular embodiment, it will be readily recognized by persons skilled in the art and, accordingly, is to be expressly understood that the present invention is not limited to this particular embodiment and, more specifically, is not limited to the fabrication of football jerseys nor any other particular type of shirt garment. Many other potential embodiments of and applications for the present invention will occur to persons skilled in the art, all of which are considered and intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention. 
     Basically, the football jersey  10  (as well as any other shirt in accordance with the present invention) comprises a torso-encircling shirt body  12 , shoulder portions  14  covering the tops of the wearer&#39;s shoulders, and sleeves  16  encircling the wearer&#39;s arms, with a neck opening  18  separating the opposing shoulder portions and sleeves  14 ,  16 , arm openings  20  at the terminal ends of the respective sleeves  16 , and a waist opening  22  at the terminal lower end of the shirt body  12 . 
     In accordance with the present invention, the jersey  10  is fabricated from two lengths of circularly knitted seamless tubular fabric  24 ,  26 , sewn together in perpendicular relation such that the fabric tube  24  forms the torso-encircling shirt body  12  and the fabric tube  26  forms the shoulder portions and sleeves  14 ,  16 . As will be more fully explained hereinbelow, the methodology of the present invention by which the jersey  10  is fabricated produces only a seam  28  encircling the chest area of the shirt body  12  at the juncture between the upper end of the body tube  24  and the lower side of the shoulder/sleeve tube  26 , optional seams  30  extending outwardly therefrom along the underside of the respective sleeves  16 , and a seam  32  affixing a neck band  19  along the neck opening  18 . 
     The basic methodology by which the jersey  10  of FIG. 3 is fabricated is depicted and may be understood with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, the body tube  24  and the shoulder/sleeve tube  26  are depicted as such tubes are produced on a circular knitting machine prior to any post-knitting steps preparatory to the fabrication of the jersey  10 . More specifically, the body tube  24  is circularly knitted in the form of a seamless tubular fabric of a diameter and an axial length selected to be suitable for the shirt body  12  according to the desired size of the jersey  10 . One axial end of the fabric tube  24  is formed on the circular knitting machine with an annular turned welt  34  to form a folded finished edge for defining the waist opening  22 , so as to eliminate the conventional necessity of finishing the waist opening by a sewing step. The opposite end of the body tube  24  is left with an unfinished annular edge for sewing to the shoulder/sleeve tube  26  as hereinafter described. The shoulder/sleeve tube  26  is similarly knitted as a seamless knitted tubular fabric of its own predetermined diameter and length suitable to form the shoulder portions  14  and the sleeves  16  of the jersey  10 , with each opposite end of the shoulder/sleeve tube  26  also being formed with a turned welt  36  to form folded finished edges for the arm openings  20  so as also to eliminate the conventional necessity of finishing the arm openings by a sewing step. 
     As depicted in FIG. 2, the shoulder/sleeve tube  26  is prepared for sewing to the body tube  24  by initially cutting the tube axially along the entire lengthwise extent thereof, to form exposed edges  38 , 40  suitable for sewing to the upper end of the body tube  24 . The side of the. shoulder/sleeve tube  26  opposite the resultant lengthwise edges  38 ,  40  is cut centrally along its length to remove a section of fabric of a size and shape to define the neck opening  18 . 
     As those persons skilled in the art will recognize and understand, additional shaping of the cut edges  38 ,  40  of the shoulder/sleeve tube  26  and of the upper unfinished annular edge  35  of the body tube  24  may be performed as necessary or desirable to impart to the finished garment when subsequently sewn (as described below) any desired shaping or contouring of the jersey  10 , e.g., to impart a tapered narrowing of the sleeves  16  from the shoulder portions  14  to the arm openings  20 , to impose an angular contour to the shoulder portions  14 , etc. However, for sake of simplicity in the illustration and description of the present invention, any such additional cutting and shaping of the fabric tubes  24 ,  26  preparatory to sewing thereof together to form the finished jersey  10  have not been illustrated specifically in the accompanying drawings, but nevertheless will be readily understood and appreciated by those persons skilled in the art. 
     Following the above-described preparatory steps, medial portions of the front and back edges  38 ,  40  in the underside of the shoulder/sleeve tube  26  are sewn to respective front and back segments of the upper unfinished annular edge  35  of the body tube  24 , thereby forming the aforementioned chest seam  28 , and the remaining extents of the cut edges  38 ,  40  outwardly thereof are sewn together to form the respective arm seams  30 . The neck band  19  is similarly sewn about the neck opening  18 , thereby completing the finished jersey  10 . 
     As will thus be understood, the minimal number of sewn seams required to complete the finished jersey  10  provides the dual advantages of significantly reducing the labor and time required to complete a finished garment, thereby commensurately reducing the overall cost of production of the garment, while also improving the overall strength and durability of the garment by minimizing the number of seams which form weakened stress points in the garment. As a net result, the jersey  10  provides improved performance at a lower cost than comparable jerseys fabricated by a conventional cut-and-sewn process. 
     It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.