Wrinkle smoother

Abstract

To provide a wrinkle-removing device that can be used for long, tubular parts such as the sleeves of a jacket or the legs of trousers, and whose external dimensions are variable and which does not take up much space when not in use. [Solution] The wrinkle remover 1 has a first frame 2 and a second frame 3 that form a substantially semicircular outer shape by elastically deformable linear bodies that have shape-restoring properties. Engaging means 4 and 7 are provided at both ends of the first frame 2 and the second frame 3, which engage with each other so that they can move and rotate along the longitudinal direction. Winding parts 5 and 8 that function as torsion springs are provided at the tops of the first frame 2 and the second frame 3. This structure allows the wrinkle remover 1 to change its outer shape, or to be twisted into a figure-eight shape to narrow its outer shape so that it can be inserted into the inside of tubular parts of clothing, enabling wrinkle removal in narrow parts such as tubular sections.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wrinkle remover.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a dryer for laundered clothes having a body adapted to the general shape of the clothes, wherein the outer periphery of the body presses the laundered clothes outward to prevent the formation of wrinkles, and a space is forcibly created between the opposing fabrics by sandwiching the body over substantially the entire area of the clothes (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above-described conventional dryer for laundered clothes is premised on having a body adapted to the general shape of the clothes. That is, since it has an outer shape corresponding to the clothes, it cannot be used for clothes larger than the outer shape of the dryer, nor can it be used for clothes extremely smaller than the outer shape of the dryer. Further, when attempting to form a dryer that can be used for long tubular portions such as the sleeves of an upper garment or the leg portions of trousers, a dryer having a long and slender outer shape corresponding to the lengths of the sleeves or the crotch must be prepared, which is bulky when not in use. The present invention has been invented in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wrinkle remover that can be used for long tubular portions such as the sleeves of an upper garment or the leg portions of trousers and that does not become bulky when not in use.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, It has a first frame and a second frame that form a substantially semicircular outer shape, formed by an elastically deformable linear body that has shape-restoring properties, A wrinkle smoother characterized in that engaging means are provided at both ends of the first frame and both ends of the second frame so as to be movable and rotatable along the longitudinal direction.

[0006] Furthermore, the above-mentioned wrinkle smoothing device is characterized by having the following configuration: The first and second frames, which have a roughly semicircular outer shape, are characterized by having a winding portion at their tops that functions as a torsion spring.

[0007] Furthermore, the above-mentioned wrinkle smoothing device is characterized by having the following configuration: The engaging means is an annular portion formed by winding around the ends of the first frame and the second frame, characterized in that the other frame is inserted through the annular portion of one frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The wrinkle remover according to the present invention is made possible by engaging and combining a first frame and a second frame, which are formed from elastically deformable curved filaments, to create an elongated shape suitable for the long, tubular portion of clothing. The connecting portion between the first and second frames is formed as annular bodies that loosely fit the shaft portions of the other frame, which are provided at both ends of each frame. This connecting portion has the effect of increasing the outer shape when the first and second frames are separated and decreasing the outer shape when they are brought closer together, making it less bulky when not in use. Furthermore, this engagement structure allows the size of the wrinkle remover to be adjusted to match the size of the clothing being used, and it is also possible to deform the outer shape into a figure-eight shape. Furthermore, the first and second frames are provided with a winding section at the top of their curved outer shape, which functions as a coil spring and is more flexible than the other shaft sections. By providing this winding section, when a bending force is applied to the first and second frames, the winding section can be bent, resulting in an elongated outer shape. This has the effect of providing a wrinkle remover suitable for smoothing out wrinkles in the sleeves of jackets and the legs of trousers. The wrinkle remover according to the present invention eliminates the need for wrinkle removal tools such as irons, and further reduces energy consumption such as electricity costs associated with using such tools, thus providing a wrinkle remover that is user-friendly and environmentally friendly. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a front view of the wrinkle remover according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing the engagement state of the first frame and the second frame. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the changes in the shape of a wrinkle-removing device. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to attach a wrinkle remover to the sleeve of a jacket. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to attach a wrinkle remover to the legs of trousers. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described below with reference to the figures. Figure 1 shows a front view of the wrinkle remover 1 according to this embodiment. The wrinkle remover 1 has a first frame 2 and a second frame 3 that form a substantially semicircular shape with elastically deformable wires that have shape-restoring properties. As an example, the wires used are stainless steel spring material with a circular cross-section. The wires used for the frames have a circular cross-section with a diameter of 1.5 mm for use with relatively thin fabrics such as jackets, and a circular cross-section with a diameter of 1.8 mm for use with trousers (for pants).

[0011] The first frame 2 has an outer shape formed by curving the filament in a roughly semi-circular shape. Annular portions 4 are formed at both ends of the first frame 2 by bending the filament into an annular shape. The annular portions 4 are positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the filament. The diameter of the hole in the center of the annular portion 4 is slightly larger than the diameter of the axis constituting the second frame 3, allowing it to engage and hold the axis of the second frame 3 when inserted through it. Furthermore, the top of the first frame 2 is provided with a winding section 5 that functions as a torsion spring (coil spring), and is designed to deform elastically in response to the expansion and contraction of the first frame 2.

[0012] The second frame 3 is positioned opposite the first frame 2 and, like the first frame 2, has an outer shape formed by curving the filament in a roughly semi-circular shape. Annular portions 7 are formed at both ends of the second frame 3 by bending the filament into an annular shape. The annular portions 7 are positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the filament. The diameter of the hole in the center of the annular portion 7 is slightly larger than the diameter of the axis constituting the first frame 2, allowing it to engage and hold the axis of the first frame 2 when inserted through it. Furthermore, the top of the second frame 3 is provided with a winding section 8 that functions as a coil spring, and is designed to deform elastically in response to the expansion and contraction of the second frame 3.

[0013] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the engagement state between the first frame 2 and the second frame 3. The first frame 2 and the second frame 3 are held together by inserting the shaft portion of the other frame through the annular portions 4 and 7 formed at the ends of each frame. With this structure, the annular part 4 and the annular part 7 can move longitudinally on the other frame, so as shown in FIG. 3, they can be changed in shape to a state A with a large outer shape and a state B with a reduced outer shape. The size of this outer shape can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the size of the clothing to be used. It can be stored more compactly. In addition, since the shaft parts of each frame are loosely fitted in the annular part 4 and the annular part 7, they can rotate within the annular part 4 and the annular part 7, allowing the shaft parts to twist.

[0014] Also, as an example, a short cylindrical spacer 9 is attached to the shaft part of the second frame 3. The spacer 9 can move on the shaft part and is configured to prevent contact between the annular part 4 of the first frame 2 and the annular part 7 of the second frame 3 when they are close to each other. When the annular part 4 and the annular part 7 come into contact, they may become intertwined with each other and lose their function as an annular part, so it is provided to prevent such problems. As long as the contact between the annular part 4 of the first frame 2 and the annular part 7 of the second frame 3 can be prevented, the spacer 9 may also be attached to the first frame 2. In this embodiment, the spacer 9 is configured as a cylindrical body that is clearly several centimeters longer than the wire diameter. This is to prevent bending at the proximity part when an external force that bends the first frame 2 and the second frame 3 acts when the annular part 4 and the annular part 7 are too close to each other. The length of the spacer 9 can be set to any length as long as such problems do not occur. In addition, bending can also be eliminated depending on the shape of the annular part 4.

[0015] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the minimum state (A) and the maximum state (B) of the appearance of the wrinkle remover 1 superimposed for comparison. The minimum state (A) of the appearance of the wrinkle remover 1 is the state where the first frame 2 and the second frame 3 are closest to each other, and the maximum state (B) is the state where the first frame 2 and the second frame 3 are farthest apart. By adjusting the distance between the first frame 2 and the second frame 3, the size of the appearance of the wrinkle remover 1 can be adjusted. This means that the appearance can be changed according to the size of the clothing for which the wrinkles are to be removed.

[0016] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing how the wrinkle remover 1 is attached to clothing, and briefly shows the sequence until the wrinkle remover 1 in the maximized shape is put into the sleeve of the coat. First, in order to put it into the sleeve of the coat, the unfolded and enlarged wrinkle remover 1 is twisted to be deformed into an 8-shaped form. The wrinkle removers 1a and 1b can be formed into an elongated 8-shaped form by twisting with the winding portions 5 and 8 of the first frame 2 and the second frame 3 at both ends and the proximity portion of the annular portion 4 and the annular portion 7 as the crossing portion. When twisted in this way, uniform bending stress is generated over the entire range of the first frame 2 and the second frame 3, but the winding portions 5 and 8 provided on each frame can bend with a larger curvature compared to other shaft portions. Due to the effect of these winding portions 5 and 8, it is possible to form a shape that is bent near the apex of the curved shaft portion, and it is possible to make the overall shape elongated.

[0017] Next, the twisted wrinkle removers 1a and 1b are inserted into each of the sleeves S1 and S2 of the coat U1. Then, as shown as the coat U2, when the twist is released, the wrinkle removers 1a and 1b return to a single annular body, and it becomes possible to stretch the fabric constituting the sleeves S1 and S2 from the inner surface. In the case immediately after washing, when dried in this state, the sleeves S1 and S2 can be dried without wrinkles.

[0018] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how the wrinkle smoother 1 is attached to the tubular section of trousers that encloses the legs, as an alternative use. It briefly shows the steps involved in inserting the wrinkle smoother 1, in its maximized shape, into the tubular section that makes up the legs of the trousers. First, in order to insert it into the tubular sections T1 and T2 of the trousers, the unfolded and enlarged wrinkle smoother 1 is twisted to deform it into a figure-eight shape. The wrinkle smoothers 1a and 1b can be made into an elongated figure-eight shape by twisting them with the winding sections 5 and 8 of the first frame 2 and second frame 3 as the ends and the adjacent sections of the annular section 4 and annular section 7 as the intersection. As mentioned above, the overall shape can be made elongated by twisting.

[0019] Next, the twisted wrinkle removers 1a and 1b are inserted into the tubular sections T1 and T2 of the trousers P1, respectively. Then, as shown for trousers P2, when the twist is released, the wrinkle removers 1a and 1b return to a single annular shape, making it possible to stretch the fabric from the inner surfaces of the tubular sections T1 and T2. If the trousers have just been washed, drying them in this state will allow the tubular sections T1 and T2 to dry without wrinkles.

[0020] As described above, the wrinkle remover 1 according to this embodiment can be made into an elongated shape suitable for the long, tubular parts of clothing by combining the two first frames 2 and second frames 3 that constitute the wrinkle remover 1. By making it this elongated shape, it can be inserted into the inside of narrow, tubular parts such as the sleeves of a jacket or the legs of trousers, and tension can be applied to the fabric in an expanding manner from the inside, thereby exhibiting a wrinkle-removing effect on the fabric. Thus, the wrinkle remover 1 according to this embodiment is suitable for the long, tubular portion of clothing and has the function of expanding the fabric from the inside of the tubular portion.

[0021] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the structure can be modified, materials can be selected, and the structure and materials can be replaced as appropriate, as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0022] This invention can be used in a wrinkle remover that can dry laundry while keeping wrinkles smooth. This wrinkle remover eliminates the need for irons and other wrinkle-removing tools commonly used for removing wrinkles from clothing. Furthermore, it reduces energy consumption, such as electricity costs, associated with using such tools, resulting in a user-friendly and environmentally conscious wrinkle remover. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1. Wrinkle smoother 2. First Frame 3. Second Frame 4. Ring section Volume 5 7. Ring section Volume 8 9 Spacers

Claims

1. It has a first frame and a second frame that form a substantially semicircular outer shape, which are made of elastically deformable linear bodies that have shape-restoring properties. A wrinkle smoother characterized in that engagement means are provided at both ends of the first frame and both ends of the second frame, such that they engage with each other so as to be movable and rotatable along the longitudinal direction.

2. The wrinkle smoother according to claim 1, characterized in that the tops of the first frame and the second frame, which have a roughly semicircular outer shape, are provided with a winding portion that functions as a torsion spring.

3. The wrinkle smoother according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the engaging means is an annular portion formed by winding the ends of the first frame and the second frame, and the other frame is inserted through the annular portion of one frame.

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