A Pressing/Ironing Aid for Pleats in Garments

The pressing/ironing of pleats in garments, for example shirts, blouses and skirts is traditionally carried out by pinning the material of the garment into the desired form and then pressing/ironing the garment. The desired result is a crease along the edge or each edge of the pleat. Pinning the pleat is a time consuming task and requires a deal of skill to pin the garment correctly so that the resulting crease or creases are correctly aligned.

The present invention aims to provide a device for and a method of simply and reliably forming the pleat of a garment into a desired form for pressing/ironing.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a pressing/ironing aid for pleats in a garment, comprising; a plate like member; and a rule; wherein the rule has the form of an elongate strip having dimensions approximately the width of and at least the length of the pleat to be pressed/ironed; and the plate like member is provided with a cut away comprising a first slot extending from an edge thereof and having a width less than the width of the rule, and a second slot extending substantially perpendicularly from the first in at least one direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of pressing/ironing a pleat in a garment having a preformed pleat, comprising the steps of; i) passing the pleat and a portion of the garment through a cut-away in a plate like member; ii) inserting a rule into the pleat;

iii) pulling the garment back through the slot to make the pleat taut about the rule; and iv) pressing/ironing the pleat.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings of which;

Figure 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a second embodiment in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 is a plan view of a third embodiment in accordance with the invention; Figure 4 illustrates the steps of a method of pressing/ironing a pleat in accordance with the invention.

The illustrated embodiments are adapted to be used for pressing/ironing pleats in shirts, however it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the invention is applicable for use with alternative garments having pleats, for example blouses and skirts.

A first embodiment in accordance with the invention is illustrated in figure 1. There is provided a plate like member 1 , herein referred to as the backplate, and a rule 2.

The backplate 1 is of a generally rectangular plan and is provided with a cut-away

3 comprised of a first slot 4 and a second slot 5. The first slot 4 extends from an opening 6 in an edge of the backplate 1 and is defined by two side walls extending in this case substantially parallel to one another. The length of the first slot 4 is determined by the length of the pleat it is desired to press/iron. When referring herein to the length of the pleat to be pressed/ironed it is intended that the length of the pleat is defined as the length of the creases it is desired to press/iron along the edges of the pleat. In this

manner the length of the pleat does not necessarily extend to the edge of a garment and the creases, thus, do not necessarily run to the base of, for instance, the back of a shirt.

The second slot 5 extends perpendicularly from the first slot 4. Its length is determined by the width of the pleat to be pressed/ironed and should be greater than or equal to the width of the pleat. In a preferred embodiment illustrated in figure 2 there may be provided a plurality of additional slots extending from the first slot 4, each additional slot being located in a different position along the length of the first slot 4 corresponding to the length of an alternative pleat. As with the length of the second slot the length of the alternative slot or slots is at least the width of the alternative pleat. In this manner a single backplate is made suitable for pressing/ironing a number of different sized pleats.

In use the material of the pleat is pulled through the first slot 4 and the upper sewn edge of the pleat is pulled through the second or additional slot to fit around the adjoining edges of the slots.

In the case of a box pleat the second slot 5 or additional slots extend from the first slot 4 in both directions so that the slot is centered about the first slot 4. In the case of, for example, a shoulder pleat of a shirt the second slot 5 or additional slot may extend in one direction only, as illustrated in figure 2.

The widths of the first slot, the second slot and any additional slots are determined by the material of the garment. A thick or stiff material requires a wider slot to allow the material to pass through. A width of 5 mm for each of the slots would be appropriate for a shirt of light to medium weight material.

The backplate is preferably provided with markers 7, in the illustrated embodiment taking the form of indents, disposed at opposing edges of the backplate and aligned with the second slot or alternative slot. The markers 7 are used to align the backplate with the base of the yoke of a shirt or some other marker on a garment so that the creases resulting from the pressing/ironing are correctly orientated. The markers 7 can be provided at a number of locations on the backplate as long as they are positioned to align with some feature of the garment when it is correctly aligned for ironing/pressing.

The rule 2 comprises a elongate strip like member having a substantially rectangular shape. The dimensions of the rule 2 are determined by the pleat to be pressed/ironed. The length of the rule 2 is at least the length of the pleat to be pressed/ironed.

The width of the rule 2 is determined by the width of the pleat to be pressed/ironed and is such that when the pleat is pulled taut about the rule 2 the edges of the pleat match with the edges of the rule 2. A number of rules having different widths may be provided together with a standard backplate 1 so that a number of different sized pleats can be pressed/ironed using only one backplate 1. The rules 2 preferably range in width from 30 to 40 mm and may be provided in gradations of 2 mm between these two widths.

The rule 2 preferably has a minimal height so that a well defined crease is obtained when ironing/pressing.

To avoid damage to the garment and to ease the use of the apparatus any corners

on the backplate 1 or the rule 2 are rounded off.

The width of the backplate 1 as illustrated in figures 1 to 3 is preferably equal to the width of the garment to be pressed/ironed, however this is not essential.

As will be clear to the person skilled in the art, the backplate 1 and the rule 2 may be comprised of a number of different materials. Various woods and plastics are suitable materials.

The backplate 1 and rule 2 are preferably provided with a means for hanging them.

In figures 1 and 2 a hole 8 is provided in the backplate 1 and a hole 9 in the rule 2 allowing the backplate 1 and rule 2 to be hung on a pin or such like. Alternatively as illustrated in figure 3 the top part of the backplate 1 may be formed into a clothes hanger shaped hook.

In use, as illustrated in figures 4a to 4c in conjunction with a box-pleat of a shirt, the backplate 1 is positioned on the back of a shirt. The pleat is pulled through the cutaway along with some additional material. The length of the pleat runs along the first slot 4 and the upper sewn part of the pleat sits in the second slot 5 or additional slot. The rule 2 is then inserted into the pleat. As shown in figure 4c, the shirt is then pulled back through the cutaway so that the pleat is taut about the rule 2. The pleat is then pressed/ironed, the apparatus removed and the shirt is left with creases running down the edges of the pleat.