Garment stiffener packaging arrangement, assembly, and methods

Abstract

A garment stiffener packaging arrangement, assembly, and associated methods provide a user with ready access to at least one adhesively attachable garment stiffener structure for rendering an otherwise flexible or flaccid target garment portion substantially stiff or planar. The garment stiffener assembly central to the invention comprises a garment stiffener structure, adhesive material permanently applied thereto, and a backing material. The stiffener structure is formed from a substantially planar, semi-rigid material into a quadrilateral shape, and the backing material is formed from a substantially planar, flexible material comprising a V-shape. The stiffener structures are removably and adhesively attached to the backing material thereby linking the garment stiffener structures into at least one V-shaped packaging arrangement. Each V-shaped packaging arrangement is foldable for collapsing the stiffener structures into a series of non-adhesively stacked and interconnected stiffener structures.

1 . A garment stiffener packaging arrangement, said packaging arrangement for providing ready access to a series of interconnected, adhesively attachable garment stiffener structures, said packaging arrangement comprising:
 at least two garment stiffener structures, each garment stiffener structure being formed from a substantially planar, semi-rigid material into a select stiffener shape, each garment stiffener structure having an adhesive-receiving stiffener face and an exposed stiffener face;   an adhesive material permanently applied to the adhesive-receiving stiffener face of each garment stiffener structure; and   a backing material, the backing material being formed from a substantially planar, flexible material and comprising a select backing shape, each garment stiffener structure being removably and adhesively attached to the backing material such that respectively opposed edges of the garment stiffener structures are juxtaposed one another adjacent a foldable space, the backing material thereby linking the garment stiffener structures into at least one selectively shaped packaging arrangement, each selectively shaped packaging arrangement being respectively foldable at the foldable space via the backing material for collapsing the garment stiffener structures into a series of non-adhesively stacked and interconnected garment stiffener structures.   
     
     
         2 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 1  wherein the select stiffener shape is quadrilateral and the select backing shape comprises a V-shape, the backing material thereby linking the garment stiffener structures into at least one V-shaped packaging arrangement. 
     
     
         3 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 2  comprising at least four garment stiffener structures, the backing material comprising a W-shape, the backing material thereby linking the garment stiffener structures into at least one W-shaped packaging arrangement. 
     
     
         4 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 2  wherein the quadrilateral shape of the garment stiffener structures is a parallelogram shape, the parallelogram shape for providing enhanced garment stiffening function. 
     
     
         5 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 4  wherein the parallelogram shape of the garment stiffener structures is rhomboid, the rhomboid shape for providing enhanced garment stiffening function. 
     
     
         6 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 1  wherein the exposed stiffener faces are folded into contact with one another, said folded and contacting exposed stiffener faces for protecting each other from abrasions. 
     
     
         7 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 1  wherein a first garment stiffener structure, when adhesively removed from the backing material, forms an exposed backing surface segment, the backing material being foldable at the foldable space such that the exposed backing surface segment folds into non-adhesive contact with an exposed stiffener face, the backing material thus for protecting the exposed stiffener face from abrasion. 
     
     
         8 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 1  wherein the garment stiffener structures and the adhesive material are translucent and the backing material is opaque, the respective translucent and opaque characteristics of the garment stiffener structures, the adhesive material, and the backing material for enabling the user to visually distinguish the backing material from the garment stiffener structures and adhesive material. 
     
     
         9 . The packaging arrangement of  claim 1  wherein at least one garment stiffener structure comprises a perforation, the perforation for enabling the user to selectively shape the garment stiffener structure. 
     
     
         10 . A garment stiffener packaging method, said packaging method for providing ready access to a series of interconnected garment stiffener structures, said packaging method comprising the steps of:
 providing at least two garment stiffener structures, each garment stiffener structure being formed from a substantially planar, semi-rigid material into a select stiffener shape, each garment stiffener structure having an adhesive-receiving stiffener face and an exposed stiffener face;   providing a backing material, the backing material being formed from a substantially planar, flexible material and comprising a select backing shape;   applying a permanent adhesive material to the adhesive-receiving stiffener faces; and   removably and adhesively applying the backing material to the garment stiffener structures via the permanent adhesive material such that opposed edges of the garment stiffener structures are juxtaposed one another adjacent a foldable space, thereby linking the garment stiffener structures into at least one selectively shaped packaging arrangement.   
     
     
         11 . The packaging method of  claim 10  comprising the step of folding the selectively shaped packaging arrangement at the foldable space via the backing material for collapsing the garment stiffener structures into a series of non-adhesively stacked and interconnected garment stiffener structures. 
     
     
         12 . The packaging method of  claim 11  wherein the exposed stiffener faces are folded into contact with one another, said folded and contacting exposed stiffener faces for protecting each other from abrasion. 
     
     
         13 . A garment stiffener assembly, said garment stiffener assembly for providing a user with means for rendering a flexible portion of a garment substantially planar, said garment stiffener assembly comprising:
 a garment stiffener structure, the garment stiffener structure being formed from a substantially planar, semi-rigid material into a select stiffener shape, each garment stiffener structure having an adhesive-receiving stiffener face, and an exposed stiffener face;   an adhesive material permanently applied to the adhesive-receiving stiffener face; and   a backing material, the backing material being formed from a substantially planar, flexible material, the garment stiffener structure being removably and adhesively attached to the backing material via the adhesive material, the backing material thereby temporarily covering the adhesive material for selective exposure and adhesive attachment to a flexible target garment portion, the garment stiffener structure, when adhesively attached to the flexible target garment portion for rendering the flexible target garment portion substantially planar.   
     
     
         14 . The garment stiffener assembly of  claim 13  wherein the select stiffener shape of the garment stiffener structure is a parallelogram shape, the parallelogram shape for rendering the target garment portion substantially planar in at least a parallelogram shape. 
     
     
         15 . The garment stiffener assembly of  claim 14  wherein the parallelogram shape of the garment stiffener structure is rhomboid, the rhomboid shape for rendering the target garment portion planar in at least a rhomboid shape. 
     
     
         16 . The garment stiffener assembly of  claim 13  wherein the garment stiffener structure and the adhesive material are translucent, the translucent characteristic of the garment stiffener structure and the adhesive material for camouflaging the garment stiffener structure when adhesively attached to the target garment portion. 
     
     
         17 . The garment stiffener assembly of  claim 16  wherein the backing material is opaque, the opaque backing material for enabling the user to visually distinguish the backing material from the garment stiffener structures and adhesive material for enhancing removal therefrom. 
     
     
         18 . The garment stiffener assembly of  claim 13  wherein the garment stiffener structure comprises a perforation, the perforation for enabling the user to selectively shape the garment stiffener structure. 
     
     
         19 . A garment stiffening method, the garment stiffening method for rendering a flexible portion of a garment substantially planar, the garment stiffening method comprising the steps of:
 providing a primary garment stiffener assembly, the primary garment stiffener assembly comprising:
 a primary garment stiffener structure, a primary adhesive material, and a primary backing material, the primary garment stiffener structure being formed from a substantially planar, semi-rigid material into a select stiffener shape, the primary garment stiffener structure having a primary adhesive-receiving stiffener face and a primary exposed stiffener face, the primary adhesive material being permanently applied to the primary adhesive-receiving stiffener face, the primary backing material being formed from a substantially planar, flexible material, the garment stiffener structure being removably and adhesively attached to the primary backing material via the primary adhesive material; 
   identifying a flexible target garment portion;   removing the primary backing material from the primary adhesive material thereby selectively exposing the primary adhesive material; and   adhesively attaching the primary garment stiffener structure to the identified target garment portion via the selectively exposed primary adhesive material thereby rendering the target garment portion substantially planar via the substantially planar, semi-rigid primary garment stiffener structure.   
     
     
         20 . The garment stiffening method of  claim 19  wherein the identified target garment portion comprises an exposed garment surface and a hidden garment surface, the primary garment stiffener structure being attached to the identified target garment portion at the hidden garment surface. 
     
     
         21 . The garment stiffening method of  claim 19  wherein the identified target garment portion comprises an angled portion, the method comprising the step of aligning the primary garment stiffener structure with applied primary adhesive material adjacent the angled portion before adhesively attaching the primary garment stiffener structure to the identified target garment portion. 
     
     
         22 . The garment stiffening method of  claim 21  wherein the identified target garment portion has first and second garment dimensions, the first garment dimension being greater than the second garment dimension, the garment stiffener structure being rhomboid, the rhomboid garment stiffener structure having first and second stiffener dimensions, the first stiffener dimension being greater than the second stiffener dimension, the step of aligning the garment stiffener structure comprising the steps of:
 a. aligning the first stiffener dimension with the first garment dimension; and 
 b. aligning the second stiffener dimension with the second garment dimension,
 said steps for maximizing stiffening performance of the primary garment stiffener structure. 
 
 
     
     
         23 . The garment stiffening method of  claim 19  comprising the steps of:
 providing a secondary garment stiffener assembly, the secondary garment stiffener assembly being substantially identical to the primary garment stiffener assembly; 
 removing secondary backing material from secondary adhesive material of the secondary garment stiffener assembly thereby selectively exposing the secondary adhesive material; and 
 adhesively attaching the secondary garment stiffener structure to the primary exposed stiffener face of the primary garment stiffener structure via the selectively exposed secondary adhesive material thereby rendering the target garment portion substantially planar via the substantially planar, semi-rigid primary and secondary garment stiffener structures. 
 
     
     
         24 . The garment stiffening method of  claim 19  comprising the steps of:
 forming a perforation in the primary garment stiffener structure; 
 selectively shaping the primary garment stiffener structure via the perforation for enhancing alignment of the primary garment stiffener structure adjacent the identified target garment portion.