Knitted Collar Crease Structure for Moisture-Resistant Shape Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparel creases, especially in shirt collars, tend to lose their appearance and functionality over time due to wear and exposure to moisture, leading to a diminished aesthetic and functional performance.
Innovation Solution
A textile element with a crease formed through a knitting process that includes a raised course between two adjacent courses, creating a three-dimensional structure that maintains its shape and appearance even after prolonged wear and exposure to moisture, using flat knitting techniques to produce a collar with a specific fold location and aesthetic benefits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional ironed creases are used in apparel, then the crease can be formed quickly and easily, but the crease loses its appearance and functionality over time due to wear and moisture exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional ironed creases to three-dimensional knitted creases by incorporating an additional course between adjacent courses. This extra dimension creates a raised structure that maintains crease integrity through wear and moisture exposure, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameter of the textile by adding a raised course with different knit structure (e.g., different stitch pattern or yarn type) between adjacent courses. This parameter change creates a permanent three-dimensional crease that resists degradation from wear and moisture, while still being manufacturable through knitting processes.
2Reliability
If a raised course is added between adjacent courses to create a three-dimensional crease, then the crease durability and appearance are maintained, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The knitting machine automatically forms the raised course between adjacent courses through programmed needle selection and yarn feeding. The process is self-contained within the existing knitting mechanism, requiring no additional equipment or manual intervention, thus maintaining reliability while managing manufacturing complexity.
3Shape
If the crease extends along the third course with length equal to the third course, then the crease provides consistent aesthetic appeal throughout the textile element, but the textile element requires more material and processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the crease into discrete course units, where the third course defines the crease length. This segmentation allows the crease to be constructed from standard knitting course increments, maintaining aesthetic consistency while enabling efficient production through standardized manufacturing units.
Data Source
AI summary
An article of apparel may include a textile element that defines a crease. The textile element may be knitted to have a first course and a second course that are adjacent to each other in some areas of the textile element and spaced from each other by a raised course in other areas of the textile element. The crease extends along the third course and has a length that is substantially equal to a length of the third course. In manufacturing the textile element, the raised course may be formed between portions of the first course and the second course through a knitting process, such as a flat knitting process.