A process for connecting two flaps of layered material, and the products obtained using this process

Technical Field The present invention relates to a process for connecting two flaps of layered material, and the products obtained using this process . In particular the present invention is preferably applied in all sectors requiring the connection of heavy and/or thick materials (for example, fabrics such as denim for jeans shops and therefore clothing and footwear in general, leather for furnishings, for clothing accessories, etc.) or materials that are very strong and/or particular (technical fabrics for sport, fabrics for seats, etc.) . Therefore, in the clothing sector, the articles of clothing to which the present invention can most advantageously be applied are those made of jean fabric or a similar fabric, therefore hereinafter specific reference is made to this type of clothing.

Background Art Moreover, over the years articles of clothing made of jean fabric have acquired characteristic aspects which have extended the meaning of the term "jean article" not just to those articles of clothing made of that material, but also to articles which, although made of a different material, have features traditionally typical of jeans (therefore, hereinafter references to jean articles or articles made of jean fabric shall mean both the former and the latter) . The main characteristic aspects of jean articles include: the overall shape, the fabric, the colour, the cut of the individual parts (for example the pockets) and the characteristic stitching which, where designed to guarantee the strength of the article, always corresponds to a raised cordon made using the fabric. Jean fabric dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century when it was created as a durable garment suitable to be worn for work, in particular for the most heavy duty jobs. Over the years, although its use changed, jean fabric retained its characteristics and image as a durable article unchanged. However, it also retained several disadvantages inseparably linked to its nature. Basically, the main disadvantage of jean articles lies in their poor comfort linked to the rigidity of the material, the typical shapes of the models and the consequent manufacturing methods. To overcome this disadvantage solutions were proposed in which the jean fabric was elasticised. However, such proposals were not successful since they radically changed the jean article. It should be remembered that a solution for improving the comfort of an article of clothing, but with a substantially classic cut, is illustrated in patent WO 03/026450 by the same Applicant. Said patent describes the insertion of an elastically deformable insert between the flaps of fabric at the main stitching of an article. However, as said, the connecting system described in patent WO 03/026450 was designed for an application sector (clothing with a substantially classic cut) in which the connected materials are not subjected to very high tensile stresses. If such stresses were to increase, the stitching described in said patent application could give way. At present, another great limit both in the furnishings and clothing sectors is the fact that in order to render a product made using a predetermined material elastic, the inside of the material must include an elasticised fibre or, where possible, other more expensive and complicated systems must be used. However, in doing this, not only does the material lose its identity (for which it is appreciated on the market) , but characteristics such as technical performance, the feel, the appearance and the effect are inevitably compromised. As a result, faced with the choice of making its own most typical material (material which, in many cases, has made the company famous and recognisable world-wide due to its characteristics) a comfortable hybrid and that of leaving it as it is but with unsatisfactory comfort, many companies had to opt for the latter. In addition, in particular in the furnishings sector, the stitching currently used to connect the flaps of layered material is, in practice, subject to great tensile stresses and the consequent products also leave a lot to be desired in terms of comfort.

Disclosure of the Invention In this situation the technical need which forms the basis of the present invention is to provide a process for connecting two flaps of layered material that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages, as well as producing products which are free of such disadvantages. In particular the technical need of the present invention is to provide a process for connecting two flaps of layered material which is able to render some categories of products more comfortable, at the same time guaranteeing the strength of the connection (and therefore the duration, safety, etc.) as well as respect for the overall characteristics of the materials connected, so that they are not altered, in addition to the performance characteristics of the materials in the individual sectors of application. Another technical need of the present invention is to provide a process for connecting two flaps of layered material which allows the production of jean articles of clothing which, although respecting the aesthetic rules of jean articles, guarantee a high level of comfort. The technical need specified and the aims indicated are substantially achieved by a process for connecting two flaps of layered material, and by the products obtained using the process as described in the claims herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings Further features and the advantages of the present invention are more clearly illustrated in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several preferred embodiments of a process for connecting two flaps of layered material, without limiting the scope of the inventive concept, in which: Figure 1 is a partial schematic view in cross-section of a connection between two flaps of layered material according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of a portion of the connection illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partial schematic view in cross-section of a connection between two flaps of layered material according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a top view of a portion of the connection illustrated in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a partial schematic view in cross-section of a connection between two flaps of layered material according to a third embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a top view of a portion of the connection illustrated in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a front view of a pair of jean trousers made according to the present invention; Figure 8 is a rear view of the pair of trousers illustrated in Figure 7; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a furnishing product made according to the present invention; and Figures 10 to 22 are partial schematic views in cross-section of a plurality of alternative embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention As already said, the process disclosed by the present invention relates to a method for connecting two flaps 1, 2 of layered material, each having an outer face 3 (the one facing upwards in the accompanying drawings in schematic cross-section) and an inner face 4 (the one facing downwards in the accompanying drawings in schematic cross-section), at a connecting sone 5. Generally speaking, the process comprises an operating step of fixing one edge of each flap 1, 2 to an elastically deformable insert 6 by stitching according to the methods indicated below. In particular, the fixing of at least a first flap 1 out of the two comprises the operating step of folding the edge 7 of the first flap 1 over the inner face 4 of the first flap 1, so as to create on the first flap 1 a first marginal band 8 with substantially doubled thickness. The first marginal band 8 is placed over the insert 6 and stitched to it with at least first through-stitching 9 extending through the insert 6 and the first marginal band 8. Moreover, the first stitching 9 extends in view on the outer face 3 of the first flap 1. Advantageously, there is also preferably second through- stitching 10, substantially parallel with the first stitching 9, also extending in view on the outer face 3 of the first flap 1. In particular, in the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the second stitching 10 is also made through the first marginal band 8 of the first flap 1 and through the insert 6. In this way, a connection can be created which visually perfectly reflects that of traditional jean articles (Figures 2 and 4), with two parallel sets of stitching 9, 10 on the same flap of material, which is therefore particularly suitable for the clothing sector (but not limited to that sector) . In some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, before the step of stitching the first marginal band 8 to the insert 6, there are also operating steps of folding a first edge 11 of the insert 6 over itself and inserting said folded first edge 11 of the insert 6 between the folded edge 7 of the first flap 1 and the part of the first flap 1 that is not folded (solution on the left in Figures 1, 3 and 5) . In this case, the step of stitching the first flap 1 to the insert 6 preferably involves the two folded parts of both the first flap 1 and the insert 6. The methods described so far relative to the first flap 1 may be applied in a similar way, although not necessarily the same as that of the first flap 1, to the second flap 2 of material. For example, Figures 3 and 5 illustrate possible applications of the process to the second flap 2 similar to those for the first flap 1, although not necessarily mirroring those relative to the first flap 1. In particular, in Figures 3 and 4 the second flap 2 is fixed to the insert 6 by third stitching 16 similar to and parallel with the first stitching 9. In other cases (Figures 10 and 11) there may also be fourth stitching 25, also in view and parallel with the first and the second stitching 9, 10. Figure 5 illustrates the case of a mirror connection of the first and the second flaps 1, 2. In this case, the insert 6 has a first edge 11 and a second edge 17, which are folded and inserted respectively between the folded edge 7 of the first flap 1 and the part of the first flap 1 that is not folded, and between the folded edge 12 of the second flap 2 and the part of the second flap 2 that is not folded. They are fixed in place by two sets of through- stitching (first stitching 9 and third stitching 16) . However, as already indicated, the second flap 2 may also alternatively be fixed to the insert 6 using different methods. In Figure 1 (solution on the right) , for example, the second flap 2 is fixed to the insert 6 by firstly folding the edge 12 of the second flap 2 over the inner face 4 of the second flap 2, creating on the second flap 2 a second marginal band 13 with substantially doubled thickness, then placing the second marginal band 13 over the insert 6 and stitching them together with at least one set of through-stitching 14 extending through the folded edge 12 of the second flap 2 and the insert 6 and made substantially at the point 15 where the second flap 2 is folded. Generally speaking, the two flaps 1, 2 of material are preferably fixed to the insert 6 by keeping them adjacent to one another, in particular so that they are kept close together. The process disclosed may comprise further steps which allow varied connections to be obtained, such as those illustrated, by way of example only, in Figures 10 to 22. Hereinafter reference is made in particular to connection of the first flap 1 to the insert 6, although the same considerations may also apply relative to the second flap 2. In a first alternative embodiment of the process, before the step of folding the edge 7 of the first flap 1, there is an additional operating step of pre-stitching the edge 7 of the first flap 1 to the first edge 11 of the insert 6. Said pre-stitching may be carried out in such a way that it affects only the front of the two edges 7, 11 (simple finish), or in such a way that it affects an entire band of the two edges 7, 11 (for example, with zigzag stitching) . However, such differences are not visible in the schematic views in the accompanying drawings. The pre-stitching step normally involves the creation of at least first inner stitching 26 passing through the edge 7 of the first flap and the first edge 11 of the insert 6. In many cases the accompanying drawings also illustrate second inner through-stitching 27 made through the edge 7 of the first flap and the first edge 11 of the insert 6. According to requirements the pre-stitching step may be performed in any way. In particular, it may be performed using a cutting and sewing machine (in this case, as illustrated for example in Figures 10 and 11, the edges 7, 11 of the first flap 1 and of the insert 6 are also cut to the same length) . When such a machine is used, both the first inner stitching 26 and the second inner stitching 27 can be done with a single pass. When the process disclosed also comprises the pre-stitching step, the step of placing the first marginal band 8 over the insert substantially coincides with the step of folding the edge 7 of the first flap 1, since the latter creates the first marginal band 8 when the insert 6 has already been fixed to the first flap 1. Figures 14 to 22 illustrate connections obtained with the process disclosed with the addition of another operating step for the inclusion of a decorative element 28 in the connecting zone 5. The decorative element 28 may be of any type, such as piping, a fringe, or trimming in general. In a first method, this inclusion step involves inserting the decorative element 28 between the edge 7 of the first flap 1 and the insert 6 before stitching the marginal band 8 to the insert 6 with the first stitching 9. Therefore, in this case, at least the first through-stitching 9 also extends through the decorative element 28 (Figures 14, 15, 20 and 21) . However, the decorative element 28 may be inserted in many different ways. In the most simple embodiment, it can be inserted between the first marginal band 8 and the insert 6 before making the first through-stitching 9. In other cases, the decorative element 28 may be fixed to the edge 7 of the first flap 1 or to the insert 6 in advance with locking stitching 29 (the accompanying drawings only illustrate fixing to the first flap 1) . In addition, again in this case there may be a step of pre- stitching the edge 7 of the first flap 1 to a first edge 11 of the insert 6 (pre-stitching which may or may not also involve the decorative element 28 - solution not illustrated) , whether or not the decorative element 28 was fixed to the first flap 1 or to the insert 6 in advance. In Figures 14 and 15 the decorative element 28 is piping 30 consisting of a third flap 31 of layered material (the same as or different to the material (s) constituting the first and the second flaps 1, 2) wrapped around a core 32 (such as a cord) and fixed to itself by fixing stitches 33. In contrast, in Figures 18 to 22, the decorative element 28 illustrated generically represents trimming or a fringe with a more or less long portion in the connecting zone 5. In Figures 16 and 17, the decorative element 28, again consisting of piping 30, is formed directly by the insert 6, which substitutes the above-mentioned third flap 31 of material. The insert is wrapped around a core 32 and is fixed to itself by one or more fixing stitches 33. In this case, the process disclosed may also comprise, before the inclusion step described, an additional operating step of forming the decorative element 28 (alternatively a ready-formed decorative element 28 may be used) . This forming operating step includes, in turn, the operating steps of folding the insert 6 over itself, enclosing the core 32 and stitching the insert 6 to itself with one or more fixing stitches 33 at one or more positions, whatever the distance from the first edge 11 and the second edge 17 of the insert 6. Finally, the first edge 11 of the insert 6 is distanced from the second edge 17 to allow fixing to the first and the second flaps 1, 2. As a result, the step of including the decorative element 28 coincides with the step of stitching the first marginal band 8 to the insert 6 or with the step of pre-stitching the edge 7 of the first flap 1 to the first edge 11 of the insert 6, as with the step of stitching the second marginal band 13 to the insert 6 or with the step of pre-stitching the edge 12 of the second flap to the second edge 17 of the insert 6. Other possible alternative embodiments are illustrated in Figures 18, 19 and 22. In such alternative embodiments, the step of including the decorative element 28 involves the operating step of stitching the decorative element 28 to the insert 6, at a zone of the insert 6 separate from that for fixing to the first flap 1 (substantially at its central zone 34 in the accompanying drawings) . In Figures 18 and 19 the insert 6 consists of two separate parts 35 (longitudinal relative to the connecting zone 5) which are stitched together during an insert 6 production step, which in this case coincides with fixing the decorative element 28 to the insert S. By applying the process described above, many products intended for the most disparate sectors may be produced. In particular, Figure 9 illustrates, by way of example, a cushion 36 made according to the present invention. To better describe the distinctive characteristics of the products made with the present invention, reference is made below to articles of clothing. In the articles of clothing which form the subject matter of the present invention, a first flap 1 and at least a second flap 2 of material are connected to one another at a connecting zone 5 by at least one elastically deformable insert 6. Moreover, at said connecting zone 5, at least one edge 7 of the first flap 1 is folded over an inner face 4 of the first flap 1, forming a first marginal band 8 of the first flap 1 with doubled thickness which is in turn placed over the insert 6 and connected to it by at least first through-stitching 9, extending through the insert 6 and the first marginal band 8, so that the first stitching 9 extends in view on an outer face 3 of the first flap 1. In some cases, such articles of clothing also comprise at least second through-stitching 10 made through the insert 6 and the first flap 1, also extending in view on the outer face 3 of the first flap 1, and substantially parallel with the first stitching 9. Advantageously, the second stitching 10 also extends through the first marginal band 8 of the first flap 1 and through the insert 6. To strengthen the connection, the insert 6 may in turn have a first folded edge 11 inserted between the folded edge 7 of the first flap 1 and the part of the first flap 1 that is not folded (solution on the left in Figures 1, 3 and 5) . In this case, the first stitching 9 may involve both of the folded parts, of the first flap 1 and the insert 6. In the case in which the first flap 1 is also connected to the insert 6 by second stitching 10, the latter may also involve both of the folded parts, of the first flap 1 and the insert 6. As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the same fixing possibilities valid for the first flap 1 also substantially apply to the second flap 2. In particular, in this case the article of clothing may also have third IS (Figures 3 and 4) and fourth 25 (or more) stitching, both in view and parallel with the first and the second stitching 9, 10 at the same connecting zone 5. Figure 5 illustrates the case in which the insert 6 has both a first edge 11 and a second edge 17, folded and inserted respectively between the folded edge 7 of the first flap 1 and the part of the first flap 1 that is not folded, and between the folded edge 12 of the second flap 2 and the part of the second flap 2 that is not folded. Alternatively, as already indicated, there is also a different method for connecting the second flap 2 to the insert 6, according to which the second marginal band 13 placed over the insert 6 is connected to it by at least one set of stitching 14 passing through the folded edge 12 of the second flap 2 and the insert 6, stitching which is substantially positioned at the point 15 where the second flap 2 is folded (Figure 1) . According to a preferred embodiment, the two flaps 1, 2 of material, which may be made of jean fabric or a similar fabric, leather, technical fabric, etc., are fixed to the insert 6 adjacent to one another, so that, visually, from the outside of the article of clothing, the insert 6 is either hidden from view or appears as a thin strip of material (no more than several millimetres wide) . The choice of the width of the insert 6 depends on one hand on the elastic deformation capacity of the insert 6, and on the other hand on the desired deformability to be obtained in that zone. Other possible embodiments are those illustrated in Figures 10 to 22. The product made according to the present invention may comprise one or more additional sets of through-stitching (first and second inner stitching 26, 27) which connect the edge 7 of the first flap 1 to the first edge 11 of the insert 6. Moreover, the product may also comprise at least one decorative element 28, such as piping 30, a fringe or trimming, inserted at the connecting zone 5. In particular, the decorative element 28 may be inserted between the edge 7 of the first flap 1 (or the edge 12 of the second flap 2) and the insert 6, so that at least the first through- stitching 8 also extends through the decorative element 28. In any case, the decorative element 28 may be fixed to the edge 7 of the first flap 1 or to the insert 6 by means of additional locking stitching 29. In contrast, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 16 and 17, the insert 6 itself forms the decorative element 28. At its intermediate portion, the insert 6 is folded over itself around a core 32, and is held in that position by one or more fixing stitches 33. Said fixing stitches 33 are distanced from the first edge 11 and from the second edge 17 of the insert 6, allowing them to be connected to the two flaps 1, 2. Alternatively, in Figure 22, the decorative element 28 is stitched to the insert 6, at a zone of the insert 6 separate from that for fixing the first flap 1. In addition, in Figures 18 and 19, the insert 6 comprises two separate parts, both fixed by stitching to the decorative element 28. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a pair of trousers 18 made according to the present invention. They are trousers 18 preferably made of jean fabric or a similar fabric. Said trousers 18 have a plurality of main connecting zones 19, including at least a front crotch connecting zone 20, a rear crotch connecting zone 21, two outer leg connecting zones 22 and two inner leg connecting zones 23. Moreover, the main connecting zones 19 may also include at least two rear transversal connecting zones 24 (Figure 8) . Generally speaking, at least one of the main connecting zones 19 is made according to the above description. Advantageously, to make the trousers 18 particularly comfortable it is enough for at least the rear crotch connecting zone 21, the inner leg connecting zones 23 and if present the rear transversal connecting zones 24, to be made as described above, preferably along their entire length. In Figure 7 there is also an insert 6 in the outer leg connecting zones 22. Finally, the insert 6 may be made either of material elasticised only transversally to the connecting zone 5, or of material elasticised in both directions. As already said, the present invention can be applied to all jean articles (as defined above) and therefore in particular to trousers 18, skirts and jackets. In any case, the present invention may be applied in any sector in place of normal stitching, to connect flaps of layered material. The present invention therefore brings important advantages. Firstly, this new connecting system guarantees a high level of mechanical strength compared with conventional connections both thanks to the particular embodiments described, and thanks to the fact that the elastic insert, by deforming, at least partially compensates for the tensions to which the stitching is subjected. Secondly, the new process disclosed without a doubt makes more comfortable products which, by their very nature, definition or purpose, consist of heavy and/or durable materials. In addition, thanks to this new process, the materials connected can retain their chemical, technical, performance, feel and aesthetic characteristics unchanged. With this system a material, for example leather, may become substantially "elastic", since the product obtained is made of conventional leather but it is elasticised, as well as resistant to stresses and time. Moreover, thanks to the connecting methods described above, it was possible to make products which although retaining a conventional appearance guarantee a high level of comfort for the wearer or the user. For example, with regard to articles of clothing (such as those made of jean fabric), every time the wearer moves, if stressed, the elastic inserts can stretch without altering the shape of the other parts of the article of clothing and therefore the nature of the article. It should also be noticed that the present invention is relatively easy to produce and even the cost linked to implementation of the invention is not very high. The invention described may be subject to modifications and variations without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. All the details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements and all of the materials used, as well as the shapes and dimensions of the various components, may be any according to requirements, amongst those indicated.