Shirt manufactured with placket stays, placket stays, and kit to retrofit shirt with placket stays

Abstract

Shirt manufactured with planar or non-planar plastic placket stays to reduce or eliminate placket droop and are positioned within said shirt during the manufacturing of said shirt, and where a portion of said stays may extend beyond said plackets behind the front panel(s) of said shirt to prevent placket rollover, and a kit to retrofit shirt to the make same.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays to prevent or reduce placket droop comprising: (a) a back panel, with or without a yoke, and (b) two sleeve panels, and (c) a collar having a collar band with at least one affixed button and buttonhole, or like closure devices, and (d) one or two front panel(s) having a total of two adjacent front plackets, wherein said plackets have a top terminal end terminating at the bottom of the collar band, and (e) said plackets having at least a front layer and a back layer where between exists at least one elongated passageway within said plackets, each having at least an outer edge and an inner edge within said placket and (f) said plackets having at least two buttons and buttonholes, or like closure devices, affixed to at least a front layer and back layer of said plackets wherein a passageway is created between the affixed buttons or buttonholes and at least said outer edge of said placket, and (g) said plackets, during time of manufacturing said shirt and said plackets, receive at least one stay in each placket: (1) between said front layer and back layer and or elongated passageway, that is or will become a placket, and (2) below the top terminal end of the placket, but where the top of said stay is not more than 2½ inches below the collar band and where the bottom of said stay is less than 15 inches below the collar band, and where at least a portion of said stay is positioned within the placket between the first placket button or buttonhole, or like attachment devices, and or the second placket button or buttonhole, or like attachment devices, and where said stay is further contained by (3)(a) stitching, heat-sealing using thermoplastic adhesive, or ultrasonically welding said stay directly to said front layer and or said back layer and or at least one elongated passageway, and or (b) by stitching, and or heat-gluing, and or ultrasonically welding, said front layer and said back layer together and or said at least one passageway together within said placket to form a stay-stop, outside of said stay, to prevent said stay from moving lower or beyond said stay stop, and or (c) by said stay, or a portion thereof, catching the first and or the second placket button or buttonhole to prevent said stay, or a portion thereof, from moving past or lower within said placket, and or (d) by the stay being designed such that a portion of said stay traps said stay between the second and third button or buttonhole to contain its movement of said stay; and where said placket stay is made using: (A) injection-molding to produce a plastic non-planar shaped stay having a thickness between 0.030 inch and 0.175 inch, or (B) sheet-extrusion molding to produce a plastic planar shaped stay, having a thickness of between 0.008 inch and 0.050 inch which is then die-cut, or laser-cut, or water-jet cut to size; and where either said stay is made of plastic molded material that maintains its molded shape, and where said stay is not ‘user-shapeable’, and where said stays maintain their molded non-planar or planar shape, configuration, or contour. 
     
     
         2 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein the shirt is a pull-over partial button-down shirt, or a full button-down shirt, or a full button-up shirt having a collar and collar band with at least one button and buttonhole, and two front plackets with at least two buttons and buttonholes, or like attachment devices. 
     
     
         3 . A shirt manufactured with placket stay of  claim 1 , wherein said “like closure devices” consists of any of the following devices: male buttons snaps and female button snaps, or hook and loop devices. 
     
     
         4 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein the length of said stays are between 3 inches and 15 inches in length. 
     
     
         5 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein said stays have a thermoplastic heat-activated adhesive on at least a portion of at least one side where said stay is bonded to the inside of said placket, between the front layer and back layer, and or elongated passageway using a heat and pressure at time of manufacturing said shirt. 
     
     
         6 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein the stay has at least one hole in at least one stay which is used to stitch the said stay to or within said placket. 
     
     
         7 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein said stitching, or heat-gluing, or ultrasonically welding at least a portion of said front and back layers and or the elongated passageway of said placket together to form a stay-stop, below or around said stay, so as to prevent said stay from moving beyond said stay stop, where at least a portion of said stay-stop is located on, or within, at least one placket between 4 inches and 15½ inches below said collar band. 
     
     
         8 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein said shirt is manufactured of manmade fabric consisting of at least 80 percent polyester, and which permits heat-gluing and or ultrasonic welding of said front layer and or back layer, and or elongated passageway, and or said stay, together. 
     
     
         9 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein said stay is contained between said front layer and said back layer of said placket and which is further contained in position by a least one button or one buttonhole, or like attachment devices that is affixed to at least said front layer and said back layer of said placket. 
     
     
         10 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein said stays have at least a portion of said stays that extends beyond the inner placket edge to end behind said front panel by at least ⅛ inch, but not more than 2½ inches beyond said inner placket edge, between the first and second placket button or buttonhole affixed to at least said front layer and said back layer of said placket, to prevent or reduce placket rollover. 
     
     
         11 . A shirt manufactured with placket stays of  claim 1 , wherein said plackets each have a placket slot opening between 1/16 inch and 2 inches below the collar band and said placket slot opening is between 3/16 inch and 1 inch in width on said back layer of said placket where said stay can be removed and or replaced from said placket. 
     
     
         12 . A placket stay to prevent or reduce shirt placket droop, comprising: an injection-molded non-planar plastic placket stay having an elongated main body having a length of between 4 inches and 15 inches, and a thickness of between 0.050 inch and 0.175 inch, and a minimum width not including its non-planar curvature of 0.080 inch, or a sheet-molded planar plastic placket stay die-cut, or water-jet cut, or laser-cut to size having an elongated main body having a length between 4 inches and 15 inches and a thickness of between 0.008 inch and 0.050 inch and a minimum width of 0.185, either being made of plastic material which when molded will retain its molded shape where said placket stay is not ‘user-shapeable’, where both the injection molded non-planar plastic placket stay and the sheet-molded planar cut plastic placket stay has one or more appendage integral with the main elongated body that are shorter than the elongated main body and where said one or more appendage is designed to abut at least one button or buttonholes, or their attachment to the inner and or outer layer of the placket, where appendage acts as a stay-stop to restrict or stop movement of said stay in said placket. 
     
     
         13 . A shirt placket stay of  claim 12 , wherein two appendages integral to the main elongated body of stay are each designed to abut at least one buttons or buttonholes, or the attachment to the inner and or outer layer of the placket, where appendages each act as a stay-stop to restrict or stop movement of said stay within said placket. 
     
     
         14 . Shirt placket stay of  claim 12 , wherein said one or more appendage integral with the main elongated body of the stay is designed to extend beyond inner placket edge to end behind the front panel of the shirt where the appendage extends beyond the placket edge by at least ⅛ inch but not more than 2½ inches behind said front panel to prevent or reduce the chance of placket rollover. 
     
     
         15 . A kit to retrofit shirt with placket stays having the necessary components to retrofit an existing collared partial or full button-down shirt with one or two front panels with a total of two front plackets without placket stays to a shirt having placket stays to prevent or reduce placket droop, comprising: (a) at least one thread cutter, or scissors, or fabric cutting snips for the user to cut opening(s) in the plackets to allow insertion and placement of said stays within cut fabric openings, and (b) at least two planar or non-planar placket plastic stays, having a length between 3 inches and 15 inches to address placket droop, where said stays are inserted into said cut fabric openings within said plackets by the user, and (c) at least two heat-activated adhesive patches for the user to place over said cut fabric openings on said plackets, after user inserts said stays within said cut fabric openings of said plackets, for the purpose (1) to prevent the cut fabric threads from unraveling, and (2) to conceal said cut fabric opening from view of others while the shirt is worn; where the user using a household iron or heat press can permanently apply said heat-activated adhesive patches to cover said cut fabric openings, and (d) kit packaging and printed instructions on or within said kit packaging. 
     
     
         16 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein said kit also includes a needle and thread that is black, white and or at least one color for the user to at least stitch the stay in position or to stitch a stay-stop to prevent said stay from moving past said stay-stop within said placket. 
     
     
         17 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein said kit also includes at least two heat-activated adhesive patches to be placed over said cut fabric opening and that are made with a slot-opening in the patches to allow said stay to be inserted and removed from within said placket through said slot-opening. 
     
     
         18 . A kit of  claim 15 , which also includes at least two placket stays that have heat activated adhesive on at least a portion of at least one side of each stay where the user can heat-bond the stay within said plackets using a household iron or heat press. 
     
     
         19 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein heat-activated adhesive strips or pieces are included for the user to apply to the surface of said stays to heat-bond stays within said plackets using a household iron. 
     
     
         20 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein at least two stays each has at least one hole going through said stay for user to sew or stitch said stays to said plackets. 
     
     
         21 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein at least two additional plastic molded stays of various length, or contour, or shape, or configuration are included in said kit. 
     
     
         22 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein said stay and or patches includes: a name, or trademark, or logo, or graphic design on the stays and or said heat-active adhesive patches. 
     
     
         23 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein said kit contains at least two plastic placket stays where a portion or appendages of said stays are designed to be positioned between: (1) the first and second button or buttonhole on said placket to prevent the placket stays from moving up or down within the placket by more than one inch, or (2) the second and third button or buttonhole on said placket to prevent the placket stays from moving up or down within the plackets by more than one inch. 
     
     
         24 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein said kit contains at least two plastic placket stays where a portion or appendages extend off the main body of said placket stays and are designed to extend beyond the inner placket edge, between the first placket button or buttonhole and the third button or buttonhole on the placket, where the extended portion or appendages end behind the front shirt panel for the purpose of reducing or eliminating the chance of placket rollover. 
     
     
         25 . A kit of  claim 15 , wherein said kit includes at least two plastic collar stays and at least two heat-activated adhesive patches to cover collar stay openings. 
     
     
         26 . A kit of claim of  15 , wherein said kit packaging and or said instructions includes a QR Code which directs the user to an internet connection that includes display or instructional video concerning said kit, or the use, or installation of the kit components.