The present invention concerns a method for producing a garment, such as, by way of pure example, a padded and quilted jacket.

The invention herewith described refers, also, to a garment obtained through the aforesaid producing method.

As known, certain types of garments currently available on the market include a padded body, for example with synthetic or down or duck feathers in their different qualities, provided with two fabric coatings joined together by a quilting working at respective perimetric edges, so as to enclose the padding between the fabric coatings themselves.

Furthermore, the fabric coatings are connected through quilting applied at a plurality of seam lines equally spaced apart and substantially parallel each other, defined on the side faces of the coating and, thus, internal to the perimetric edges cited above.

These quilted seam lines determine for the garments the classical configuration of a jacket to be worn, for example padded with feather, marked by round zones, staggered each other by depression strips generated by the stitching.

The manufacture of this category of garment according to the current methodologies provides, in the essential features that affect the present discussion, firstly the arrangement of one or more padded semimanufactured pieces typically intended in tailoring to compose a garment, for example a shoulder wear, and having a fabric coating such as polyamide (for example Nylon®) or polyester.

Known type manufacturing techniques of the garments in question provides, moreover, the application of a colour, image, drawing and/or the like to the fabric coating of the padded semi-manufactured piece in order to decorate or finish the fabric coating itself.

Following the phase of application of the colour of any decorative image to the fabric coating, the current techniques comprise the execution of the quilting working of the padded semi-manufactured piece, at the end of which, then, the finished garment is obtained. The production technique briefly described above allows to get padded quilted garments with various completely superficially homogeneous colour and finishing, able to meet the needs of a wide customer.

However, some undeniable and significant limitations related to the production of such padded and quilted garments remain.

A first limitation of the prior art in exam is correlated to the typical sequence previously mentioned of the operations that must be performed to produce the garment and, in particular, to the fact that the quilting working follows the operation of decoration or surface finishing of the fabric coating of the semi-manufactured pieces.

Indeed, since these operations are performed at the factory of the producer, such a method obliges the producer to know plenty in advance, before to perform the quilting working, the surface finishing, in terms of colour and/or ornament, to be coupled with a given garment and, more generally, what will be the final appearance of the finished product.

Therefore, at present the producer operates only on specific job order, of a certain quantity, of his client, with the obvious disadvantages that this implies in terms of excessive dilation of preparation time, on one hand, and reduction of the production efficiency, on the other hand.

A second limitation of the state of the art in question derives from the fact that the range of aesthetic effects obtained, however broad, is still absolutely and unequivocally dependent on the colour, depiction, photo, image or other used by the producer upon specific customer's request and today it cannot be widening in any way.

In other words, the aesthetic effect which can be attributed to a garment by a given decoration is unique and well-defined and that, however small, still represents a production limit which interferes with producer's work relating to the policy of proposal for new models of clothing able to clearly distinguish him in the market in view of a competitive advantage over his competitors.

The present invention seeks to overcome the limitations of the prior art as just set out. In particular, main purpose of the invention is to develop a method for producing a garment which allows the manufacturer an operative freedom greater than the current state of the art.

In other words, primary purpose of the present invention is to implement a method for producing a garment which frees the manufacturer from the need to know what will be the final finishing required to the finished product still before to carry out the quilting of the garment itself.

Within such a purpose, it is task of the present invention to make available a method for producing a garment which, compared to known type equivalent processes, allows to reduce delivery times to customer and, at the same time, increase production efficiency.

It is a further task of the present invention to implement a method for producing a garment which allows to achieve an operative flexibility capable of satisfying a variety of requirements, both in qualitative and quantitative terms, broader than that one offered by known type techniques.

It is a second purpose of the invention to provide a method for producing a garment which broadens the range of aesthetic effects which can be associated with the same garment than those ones currently achieved.

At corollary to this second purpose, it is a further purpose of the invention here described to implement a method for producing a garment able to broaden compared to the prior art the range of aesthetic effects which can be achieved with a very precise and specific colouring, image and/or the like.

It is a last but not least purpose of the present invention to devise a method for producing a garment which can be actuated by means of the techniques and equipment currently available on the market to manufacture garments.

Said purposes are achieved through such a method for producing a garment as to the attached claim 1 , as hereinafter referred for the sake of brevity. Further applicative feature of detail of the method of the invention are included in the respective dependent claims.

Even a garment whose peculiar constructive features are outlined in the related main claim numbered with 10 forms integral part of the present invention, as again hereinafter referred for the sake of exposition simplicity.

Other technical features of detail of the garment of the invention are contained in the dependent claim numbered with 11.

Advantageously, the method of the invention allows to broaden compared to the equivalent known art the range of aesthetic effects associated with a padded and quilted garment, as well as the variety of aesthetic effects which can be got by using a well-defined and precise colour, image, figure, drawing, photo and the like.

Still advantageously, the method of the invention can be implemented with yet existing equipment, without the need for substantial investments in new and sophisticated production equipment.

Equally advantageously, the method object of the present invention, by providing the stage of quilting before the stage of application of the colour and/or any other decorative element, allows the manufacturer to defer with respect to equivalent known procedures the moment when the garment takes its final appearance.

This without in the least affecting manufacture's respond capacity to market needs, but rather improving delivery times of the finished product to customer.

In advantageous manner, in addition, the method of the invention allows the manufacturer to increase the flexibility of the production batch, understood as the minimum number of finished items which can be manufactured per version, and thus quickly meet even the last trends in the market and customization requirements even of a single garment.

Said purposes and advantages, as well as others that will be better highlighted later on, will appear to a greater extent from the description that follows relating to a preferred embodiment of the method and a preferred embodiment of the garment, both object of the invention, given by way illustrative and indicative, but not be limited, example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- figure 1 is a front view of the garment of the invention obtained with the producing method of the invention;

- figure 2 is a rear view of the garment of figure 1 ;

- figure 3 is the truncated and partial assonometric view of another embodiment of the garment of the invention.

The garment of the invention is illustrated in figure 1 and 2, where it is globally indicated with 1 , in one of its possible embodiments which, as can be seen, in this case consists of a fashion jacket usually worn by the young.

As it can be observed, the garment 1 comprises in this case three padded and quilted bodies 2, 3, 4, each of which provide with a fabric coating 5, for example synthetic, finished with a colour 6 chosen at will and/or according to customer's requirements.

In particular, the padded body 2 represents the bust, while the padded bodies 3 and 4 represent the respective sleeves of the jacket.

Various padded bodies 2, 3, 4 forming the garment 1 are also connected each other through union means, as a whole indicated with 8, of the type in itself known to the person skilled in the art, for example a seam cord.

The coating fabric 5 of the only padded and quilted body marked with 2 is also provided on the front face 5a with a series of images, overall indicated with 7, of various motif and composition.

It is, however, understood that in other embodiments of the invention, not shown in the drawings that follow, the fabric coating of all the padded bodies of the garment could provide, in addition to colouring, even at least one ornamental image.

However, embodiments of the invention could also exist, always not accompanied by reference drawings, in which the fabric coating of each of the padded bodies of the garment is, alternatively, free of colour, image or similar decorative elements. In accordance with the invention, the colour and the images of padded bodies 2, 3, 4 present an irregular, uneven and not uniform trend.

In this particular case, since it is assumed that, basically, the padded bodies 2, 3, 4 are devoid of colour, their related colouring lack at the quilting zones 9 which thus become real colour "reserves".

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the invention in which the garment, now globally numbered with 50, differs from that one shown in figure 1 and 2 and previously described by virtue of comprising, also, a decorative laminar strip 55 coupled through junction means, not visible, with the padded body 51 at quilting areas 54 thereof.

The decorative laminar strip 55 presents colour 56 which differs from the colour 53 of the fabric coating 52 of the padded body 51 itself.

The junction means cited above are of the type in itself known to the person skilled in the art and include, for example, proper sticky substances or stitches.

The method for producing the garment 1 , object of the present invention and illustrated in figures 1 and 2, includes the following operations:

- arranging three padded semi-manufactured pieces designed to make up the garment 1 and having each the fabric coating 5;

- quilting according to a predefined pattern such padded semimanufactured pieces;

- creating irregularity zones in the padded and quilted semimanufactured pieces.

According to the invention, the operation of creating the irregularity zones in the semi-manufactured pieces consists in defining colour reserves at the quilting zones of the padded semi-manufactured pieces by applying a colour 6, an image 7 and/or similar to the fabric coating 5 of the padded and quilted semi-manufactured pieces in order to decorate or finish the fabric coating 5 of the semi-manufactured pieces.

In other words, the main peculiarity of the method of the invention stands I the fact that the irregularity zones in the semimanufactured pieces are spontaneously created by and directly derive from the operation of applying the colour 6, image 7 and/or the similar to the fabric coating 5 of the padded and quilted semi-manufactured pieces in order to decorate or finish the fabric coating 5 of the semi-manufactured pieces: at that point, therefore, the operation of applying the colour 6, image 7 and/or similar itself defines colour reserves at the quilting zones of the padded semi-manufactured pieces.

This since the operation of quilting the semi-manufactured pieces occurs after the operation of arranging the semi-manufactured pieces and before the operation of applying the colour 6 and image 7 to the semi-manufactured pieces.

At the end of the quilting operation, the garment 1 , understood as finished product, is definitively obtained.

In particular, the operation of applying the colour 6, image 7 and/or similar to the fabric coating 5 consists in the operation of transferring through sublimation printing the colour 6, image 7 and/or similar from a laminar support sheet, not visible and made of for example paper, containing the colour 6, image 7 and/or similar themselves to the fabric coating 5.

In preferred way, the operation of sublimation printing is performed by through a press machine acting by squashing on both side faces 5a, 5b opposite each other of each of the fabric coating 5 of the padded semi-manufactured pieces.

Other applications of the method of the invention could provide that the press machine acts by squashing firstly on a side face of the fabric coating and subsequently on the opposite side face, after overturning of the padded semi-manufactured pieces.

The operation of sublimation printing preferably but not necessarily occurs at a temperature between substantially 180°C and 210°C, depending on the materials used, and for a duration between substantially 20 and 50 seconds.

The fabric coating 5 of the semi-manufactured pieces is a synthetic fabric, for example a polyamide such as nylon® or polyester.

The semi-manufactured pieces, each of which constitutes one of the tailoring parts which normally make up a garment, are, instead, padded with any of the materials selected from the group consisting of down feathers, plume feathers, duck feathers, synthetic feathers and/or their appropriate combinations.

It is understood that what has just been said in relation to the method of producing the garment 1 is a valid and applicable also for the method of producing the garment 50.

In addition, however, the method for producing the garment 50 includes the operation of coupling, at the quilting areas 54, (as said referred to as "reserves", once the application of the colour, image and/or similar has been completed) of the padded semi-manufactured piece shown in figure 3, the decorative laminar strip 55 having colour 56 different from the colour 53 transferred to the fabric coating 52.

In particular, the operation of coupling he laminar strip 55 to the semi-manufactured piece is performed after the operation of quilting the padded body 51 and before or after, depending on the operative choices, the operation of applying the colour 53 to the aforesaid fabric coating 52.

On the basis of the foregoing, it is understood, therefore, that the method for producing a garment and the garment itself, both object of the invention, reaches the purpose and achieves the advantages mentioned above.

In this case, the method of the invention allows to broaden, event in surprising manner with respect to the results traditionally obtained with the methods now solely followed in the field, the range of aesthetic effects of a padded and at least partly quilted garment, by applying to it a colour, image, photo, drawing and so on of a given type.

The new and surprising result combined to the present invention derives from the fact that the operation of applying the colour, image and/or similar occurs when the padded body that marks the garment has been already quilted: this prevents, in fact, the colour or image enters into the quilting areas which thus become real colour

"reserves".

Therefore, these quilting areas retain the original colour, such as white or yellow, with which they are made or the colour of the decorative laminar strip firmly coupled through junction means before applying the colour, image and/or similar.

In execution phase, changes could be made to the method of the invention consisting, for example, in the fact that the operation of quilting could affect only one or some of the padded semi-manufactured pieces which may make up the garment.

Even the operation of applying the colour could affect, in some cases, the fabric coating of only one or at least some of the padded semi- manufactured pieces in question.

As a consequence of both the applications of the method of the invention just mentioned, the irregularity zones, marked by real colour reserves at the quilting areas, could affect the fabric coating of a number of padded semi-manufactured pieces different from that one shown in the attached drawings, variable at will starting from one.

In addition, other applications of the inventive method could provide the arranging of a number of padded semi-manufactured pieces different from that one previously indicated.

Beyond this, other embodiments could subsist in which the garment of the invention comprises a number of padded and quilted bodies different form that one shown in the drawings that follow, this number could vary at will starting from one: in case of a single padded body, for example, the garment of the invention could represent a padded waistcoat.

Furthermore, in other embodiments, always not shown, the garment of the invention could include a plurality of padded bodies, only one or in any case some of which not all quilted.

In other embodiments, still not shown, of the garment here claimed, the fabric coating of one or more of the padded bodies could present a group of colours variously mixed and made up one to another, in order to give rise to the most diverse and desired aesthetic effects, which does not affect the advantages brought by the present invention.

It is also underlined that the padded and quilted bodies of the garment could be colourless or present any colour, depending on the final appearance.

It is finally stated precisely that the garment of the invention could be constituted by any clothes and/or accessory which can be worn or however brought by a person different from the racket just described by way of purely illustrative title, with the aid of the appended drawings: among such quilted clothes or accessory included in the field of the present invention handbags, caps, scarf, shoes and so on are counted.

It is clear that many other variations may be made to the producing method and garment in question, without departing from the principle of novelty intrinsic in the inventive idea expressed here, as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the invention, materials, shapes and sizes of the illustrated details can be changed, as needed, and replaced with others technically equivalent.

Where the constructive features and techniques mentioned in the following claims are followed by reference numbers or signs, those reference signs have been introduced with the sole objective of increasing the intelligibility of the claims themselves and therefore they have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified, by way of example only, by these reference signs.