Customer-Created Textiles and Customer-Oriented Garment Dyeing Machine

Abstract

Customers obtain customized textile materials by selecting style, shape, size, pattern and color for an undyed textile product. Based on a selection made by the customer, the textile product is transformed by a dyeing operation performed on a single item to yield a product, such as a shirt, pants, or jacket which has a color and pattern of his or her own choosing, in the size and style he or she desires. The process can be performed in a retail setting using a dye machine which allows the process to be viewed by the customer. Preferably, the textile material is constructed from yarns which include cationic cotton alone or in combination with natural cotton or other natural or synthetic fibers, and using anionic dyes, such as a fiber reactive dye, such that the dye is exhausted during the process and effluent from the dye machine is environmentally friendly without excess dye, salts, and alkalis. To enhance the educational and entertainment experience of the customer, the dyeing operation can be performed in a transparent tank or water kettle in the retail outlet so that the customer can view, for example, the garment as it is being dyed to the customer's specifications.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of U.S. Ser. No. 11 / 689,213 filed Mar. 21, 2001, and the complete contents thereof is herein incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention generally relates to a new business method for providing customers with customized textiles, such as apparel including shirts, pants, coats, etc., upholstery for furniture or use in vehicles, bed linens, etc., where the customer can obtain a fabric material that will have a size, style, pattern and color of his or her own choosing, and where the fabric material will be produced for that customer on a one-at-a-time basis. Further, the present invention provides a customer-oriented dyeing machine which allows the customer to view the textiles he or she is purchasing while they are being dyed to his or her specifications.[0004]2. Background Description[0005]Consumer choice for textile products is currently limited by t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]According to the invention, a business method is provided which allows customers to obtain fabric materials, such as garments, bed linens, upholstery, etc. in a size, style (shape), pattern, and color specified by the customer. The customer selects the size and style he or she desires from undyed fabric materials. The undyed fabric materials can be obtained by weaving or knitting so as to provide patterns of interest by, for example, varying ratios of cationic cotton and natural cotton in the yarn. The fabric material is then dyed, one time at a time using a dye which produces the color selected by the customer, under environmentally friendly conditions (no salts or alkalis or only very low levels of salts or alkalis; low temperatures), such that either no amount or very reduced levels of dye or harmful effluent are discharged. In the preferred embodiment, the dye preferentially adheres to cationic cotton, as opposed to natural cotton, such that, for example, fabrics or garments that are made from yarns which have varying ratios of cationic cotton to natural cotton will have stripes, shade gradations, and other patterns of interest to customers.

[0007]To enhance the educational and education experience for a customer, it is preferred that dyeing is performed in a tank which is at least partially transparent. The tank could be, for example, on display in a store where the customer, as well as others in the store, could view the fabric, for example a shirt or other garment, being sprayed with aqueous dye solution and / or dipped in and out of aqueous dye solution in the tank. This would allow the customer to see the fabric (e.g., garment) gradually change from one color to a desired color, and to see the pattern (if any) develop on the fabric (e.g., garment). For example, a garment holding rack can be connected to a spindle which either or both lifts the garment up and down in the tank or rotates the garment about its axis. For visual appeal, the garment holding rack can be mannequin shaped (i.e., the shape of a person's upper torso). Preferably, the mannequin will be perforated or made from flexible steel wire. During dyeing, the customer preferably would be able to view dye being applied to the garment and could see the garment being moved about within the tank assure complete and even coverage of the garment with dye. After dyeing, the garment can be washed, and dye within the tank can be drained and the tank washed so as to permit dyeing the next garment.

[0008]For smaller fabrics, e.g., socks, handkerchiefs, and baby clothes, the “tank” can be in the form of a water kettle, such as a commercial electric water that is preferably made from clear glass. The aqueous dye solution would be brought to boil in the water kettle (this will take approximately 2 minutes or less). The small textile items, preferably in the form of cationic cotton (which can be patterned), would be combined with the aqueous dye solution, and dyeing would be performed over a short interval (e.g., 5 minutes or less). The customer would be able to observe the dyeing process in the glass kettle, and could stir the items and aqueous dye solution using a glass rod for making the dyeing proceed evenly. A retail store may be equipped with a many water kettles to allow responding to customers in short periods of time (e.g., 10 minutes). The retail store may also include a tank device with a mannequin shaped garment holder in combination with multiple kettles. In addition, the small items being dyed using the aqueous dye solution in a water kettle, such as socks or a baby cloth, may be embroidered with cationic cotton yarn such that the embroidered part develops color after dyeing. This arrangement may allow customers to prepare customized baby clothing as newborn gifts, for example, in a short period of time.

Problems solved by technology

Consumer choice for textile products is currently limited by the number of colors and patterns offered by a store or manufacturer.

In the case of clothing, when a customer visits a store and tries on shirt, pants, suit, or other garments of interest, he or she may identify a style (i.e., cut, etc.) that he or she prefers, but may not be able to obtain the garment in a color he or she wants or in a pattern (e.g., faded, striped, etc.) he or she wants.

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