TECHNICAL FIELD

[ 0001 ] This invention relates to an attachment system and method for attaching an object to a fabric material. In particular, the invention is concerned with the attachment of a separate accessory to any suitable fabric.

BACKGROUND ART

[ 0002 ] The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application .

[ 0003 ] Fabrics are well-known in the art and are generally flexible materials or cloths which are used in a number of applications. Fabric is typically made by weaving, knitting, felting fibres, etc. Such fabrics may be used to produce garments for fashion, sheets for shelter and protection, and specialist items for technical applications, or the like.

[ 0004 ] The typical method for attaching fabric material to other types of objects is by sewing, gluing, or the like. Sewing involves using a needle and thread to attach or fasten fabric material to another object, which may be another fabric material or a different material. If the other object is not a fabric material, the object requires holes and/or protrusions to allow thread to pass through and act as an anchor point. [0005] Although sewing fabric material to another object typically provides a secure attachment, there are a number of associated disadvantages with this technique. These disadvantages include damage to the fabric during sewing, the inability to hide thread thereby decreasing a product's aesthetics, difficulty in carefully removing sewn thread if a user wants to change the object attached to the fabric material, and an inability to easily move the object onto different parts of the fabric. In addition, damage to the fabric, such as during sewing, often compromises water or wind resistance capabilities for specific types of fabrics, such as outdoor camping equipment, tent or shelter fabrics, snow gear, etc. Frequent object attachment and detachment are also not generally easily achieved with sewing or gluing, etc.

[0006] Similarly, other attachment techniques provide similar shortcomings, where the object may not be easily removable and may lead to damage to the fabric or the object during removal, or may compromise a surface of the fabric due to holes being made in the fabric for attachment, or the like. In certain circumstances, any damage to the integrity of a fabric is to be avoided, such as when attaching an object to a water-resistant material, or the like.

[0007] The following invention was conceived with these shortcomings in mind in an attempt to ameliorate, at least in part, some of the shortcomings in the art of attaching an object to a fabric material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a fabric attachment system for operatively attaching an object to a portion of fabric, said system comprising :

an attachment plate operatively fast with the object and defining a lateral edge defining a groove therein; and

an elastomer loop configured to be resiliently seated within the groove, when in use, wherein the fabric portion is operatively overlaid on the attachment plate and subsequently sandwiched between the loop and the groove of the attachment plate .

[0009] In an embodiment, the attachment plate is integral to the object.

[0010] Alternatively, the attachment plate is made fast with the object via suitable attachment means.

[0011] In an embodiment, the attachment plate is a circular shape .

[0012] In an embodiment, the attachment plate is a polygonal shape .

[0013] In an embodiment, the elastomer loop is of a similar shape as the attachment plate.

[0014] Typically, the elastomer loop is configured with an inner circumference less than a circumference of the groove so that the loop requires resilient elastic urging over the plate and into the groove to remain securely therein.

[0015] Typically, the groove is formed in and about a side of the plate as a groove between two flanges, being the opposite flat surfaces of said plate extending past the groove. [0016] Typically, the object is selected from a group comprising a decorative accessory, a functional accessory, branding indicium, naming indicium, and sporting indicium.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for attaching an object to a portion of fabric, said method comprising the steps of:

overlaying said fabric onto an attachment plate operatively fast with the object, said plate defining a lateral edge defining a groove therein; and

resiliently seating an elastomer loop within the groove to sandwich the fabric between the loop and the groove of the attachment plate.

[0018] In an embodiment, the method includes the step of attaching the attachment plate to the object via suitable attachment means .

[0019] According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided an attachment plate for attaching a fabric material, comprising:

a body configured as a thin flat plate of either circular or polygonal shape having a continuous edge, said continuous edge configured as a groove between two flanges being the opposite flat surfaces of said plate extending past the groove; wherein the groove is configured to securely hold a portion of the fabric material overlaid upon the attachment plate in cooperation with an elastomer loop, when in use.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a clothing accessory, comprising:

a decorative accessory; an attachment plate mounted on the decorative accessory, comprising a thin flat plate having a continuous edge configured as a groove between two flanges; and

an elastomer loop configured to be resiliently seated within the groove of the attachment plate when in use, wherein a portion of a fabric material overlaid upon the attachment plate is operatively securely held between the elastomer loop and the groove of the attachment plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective exploded representation of an attachment assembly;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic perspective representation of an attachment plate;

Figure 2A is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the attachment plate of Figure 2;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective exploded representation of the attachment assembly fastened decorative accessory; and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view representation of a fabric overlaid and fastened to the attachment assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [ 0021 ] Further features of the present invention are more fully described in the following description of several non- limiting embodiments thereof. This description is included solely for the purposes of exemplifying the present invention to the skilled addressee. It should not be understood as a restriction on the broad summary, disclosure or description of the invention as set out above. In the figures, incorporated to illustrate features of the example embodiment or embodiments, like reference numerals are used to identify like parts throughout.

[ 0022 ] With reference now to the accompanying drawings, there is shown a fabric attachment system 10 broadly comprising an attachment plate 12 for attaching an object 14 to a fabric material 16. The attachment plate 12 is mounted to the object 14, enabling the fabric material 16 to be securely attached to the object 14 when engaged by the attachment plate 12.

[ 0023 ] The fabric attachment system 10 is functionally useable for operatively attaching an object 14 to a portion of fabric 16, said system generally comprising an attachment plate 12 operatively fast with the object 14 and defining a lateral edge 18 defining a groove 20 therein. The system 10 also includes an elastomer loop 28 which is configured to be resiliently seated within the groove 20, when in use, wherein the fabric portion 16 is operatively overlaid on the attachment plate 12 and subsequently sandwiched between the loop 28 and the groove 20 of the attachment plate 12, as shown.

[ 0024 ] The skilled addressee will appreciate that the attachment plate 12 may include a button-style plate or similar disc 22 to form the plate 12 with lateral groove 20, as illustrated. Typically, the groove 20 is formed in and about a side 18 of the plate 12 as a groove 20 between two flanges, being the opposite surfaces of said plate 12.

[0025] The skilled addressee will further appreciate that the object 14 may comprise any of various items for operative attachment to the fabric 16, such as a decorative accessory, a functional accessory, branding indicium, sporting indicium, or the like. For example, a decorative accessory can include anything useable for decoration, such as colourful fashion accessories, ewellery-style attachments, or the like. Similarly, functional accessories can include outdoor equipment-style accessories, carabiner-type fittings, flashlights, knives, lighters, etc. Branding indicium may comprise promotional materials, name tags, logos, names or iconography and related trade mark and branding-style materials, or the like. Sporting indicium may comprise sporting-related accessories, such as mouthguards, eyewear, etc. As such, types of object 14 is non-limiting and various options are possible and within the scope of the present invention .

[0026] For example, in one embodiment, the fabric attachment system 10 is adapted to attach a decorative accessory 14 to a strip of fabric 16 to form a clothing accessory. In the current example, the system 10 is comprised of a headband and decorative accessory embodiment, where a variety of accessories can be attached to the headband. However, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the object 14 may be any type of accessory that can be associated with any fabric material for a desired purpose. By way of example, another accessory may be a container for attachment to the wall of a tent to form a wall mounted storage space, or the like. [ 0027 ] It is also to be appreciated that the object 14 could include another, separate portion or layer of fabric, i.e. the system 10 can be used to attach two layers of fabric to each other, or the like.

[ 0028 ] Figure 1 illustrates the individual components of the fabric attachment system 10 for the decorative accessory 14. In this embodiment, the system 10 comprises an attachment plate 12, the decorative accessory 14, and a strip of fabric material 16, e.g. a headband.

[ 0029 ] Figure 2 shows the attachment plate 12 as a thin flat plate, in the form of a disc or button 22, having a continuous or non-continuous edge 18 configured as a groove 20 between two flanges 22, 24. The groove 20 has a bottom and a pair of side walls defining a space in which an elastomer loop 28, shown in Figures 1 and 3, is resiliently seated within. The elastomer loop 28 is configured as a similar shape to that of the thin flat plate, to ensure that the inner periphery of the elastomer loop 28 sits flush against the surface of the bottom wall of the groove 20, but this is not strictly necessary. Additionally, the elastomer loop 28 may have an inner periphery that is less in cross sectional circumference to that of the cross-sectional circumference of the bottom of the groove 20.

[ 0030 ] It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the thin flat plate of the attachment plate 12 may be configured as a polygonal shape, such as a triangle, an X or a rectangle, to enable secure mounting onto the object 16. Additionally, the associated elastomer loop 28 will be of a similar polygonal shape to that of the attachment plate 12. Accordingly, the associated elastomer loop 28 may have an inner cross-sectional length that is less than the cross-sectional length of the bottom of the groove. Similarly, the attachment plate 12 may be configured in a number of different shapes, e.g. an oval, a triangle, etc.

[0031] Figure 3 shows the attachment plate 12 configured with a fastening or attachment means comprising a plurality of perforations 26. Variations on such attachment means 26 is possible and within the scope of the present invention. The plurality of perforations 26 enables the attachment plate 12 to be mounted to the decorative accessory 14 via threads sewn through the accessory 14 and anchored using the perforations 26. In other embodiment, the attachment plate 12 is made fast with the object 14 via any suitable attachment means.

[0032] It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other methods or fastening or attachment means 26 may be used to mount the attachment plate 12 to the object 14, depending upon the functionality and composition of the object 14. By way of example, the attachment means 26 may be a hook and loop fastener or plurality of snap fasteners, an interference fit fastening means, etc. Additionally, the attachment plate 12 may be integral to the object 14. In an example, the object 14 may be a metallic decoration with the attachment plate 12 forming part of the body wherein both the decoration and the attachment plate 12 are milled from the same block of metal, or the like.

[0033] The attachment plate 12 cooperates with the elastomer loop 28 to securely hold the strip of fabric 16. As shown in Figure 4, a portion of the strip of fabric 16 is overlaid on the attachment plate 12, so that it drapes over the groove 20. The portion of the strip of fabric 16 that covers the groove 20 is securely held by being sandwiched between the elastomer loop 28 and groove 20. The elastomer loop 28 is generally elastically deformable to securely sandwich the fabric in the groove 20, e.g. a rubber O-ring, a rubber band, or the like.

[0034] An advantage provided by the fabric attachment system 10 is the decorative accessory 14 is securely attached to the strip of fabric 16 by the attachment plate 12 without incurring damage to either the decorative accessory 14 or the strip of fabric 16. Additionally, the decorative accessory 14 may be easily removed from the strip of fabric 16 by removing the elastomer loop 28, appreciating that the elasticity of the loop 28 securely retains the fabric in the groove, in general. A further advantage is the cooperation of the attachment plate 12 and the elastomer loop 28 preserves the aesthetics of the decorative accessory 14 on the strip of fabric 16 by not contaminating the attachment area with threads, staples or other attachment means. It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these advantages are enjoyed by other objects and fabric materials used for different purposes.

[0035] The skilled addressee will further appreciate that the present invention includes an associated method for attaching an object 14 to a portion of fabric 16. Such a method generally comprises the steps of overlaying said fabric 16 onto attachment plate 12 which is operatively fast with the object 14, said plate defining a lateral edge defining groove 20 therein, and resiliently seating elastomer loop 28 within the groove 20 to sandwich the fabric 16 between the loop 28 and the groove 20 of the attachment plate 12. In one embodiment, the method also includes the step of attaching the attachment plate 12 to the object 18 via suitable attachment means 26, as described above.

[0036] In one example, the system 10 finds application in attaching sporting indicium to an article of clothing, such as a shirt. Such sporting indicia are known in the art and typically used to show support for a particular sporting team and may include team flags, colours, photographs or representations of team members, or the like.

[0037] Similarly, system 10 can be used in removably attaching functional objects to fabric 16 without damaging an integrity of such fabric, such as a flashlight to tent wall, a carabiner to clothing, a knife to an article of clothing, equipment to a rucksack, or the like. System 10 also finds particular application in attaching name tags to articles of clothing without damaging such fabric.

[0038] Applicant believes it particularly advantageous that the present invention provides a fabric attachment system which can be used in a variety of fields, such as fashion, sporting goods, camping and outdoor equipment, military equipment, and the like. In particular, the interaction between the attachment plate 12 and the elastomer loop 28, where the fabric 16 is captured in the groove 20 provides a very strong and sturdy attachment. The present invention also facilitates attachment of an accessory at varying and non-specific locations on fabric, as the configuration does not require changes to the fabric location, i.e. can be attached anywhere on a piece of fabric .

[0039] Optional embodiments of the present invention may also be said to broadly consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated herein, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of two or more of the parts, elements or features, and wherein specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth. In the example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail, as such will be readily understood by the skilled addressee .

[0040] The use of the terms "a", "an", "said", "the", and/or similar referents in the context of describing various embodiments (especially in the context of the claimed subject matter) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including, " and "containing" are to be construed as open- ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed subject matter as essential to the practice of the claimed subject matter .

[0041] It is to be appreciated that reference to "one example" or "an example" of the invention, or similar exemplary language (e.g., "such as") herein, is not made in an exclusive sense. Various substantially and specifically practical and useful exemplary embodiments of the claimed subject matter are described herein, textually and/or graphically, for carrying out the claimed subject matter. [0042] Accordingly, one example may exemplify certain aspects of the invention, whilst other aspects are exemplified in a different example. These examples are intended to assist the skilled person in performing the invention and are not intended to limit the overall scope of the invention in any way unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Variations

(e.g. modifications and/or enhancements) of one or more embodiments described herein might become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this application. The inventor (s) expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor (s) intends for the claimed subject matter to be practiced other than as specifically described herein.

[0043] Any method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.