Shirt cuff expander

Abstract

A shirt cuff expander for facilitating the expansion of a shirt cuff. The shirt cuff expander comprises a first and second end connected by a connecting member. The connecting member may be a band-like member having first and second ends and may optionally include an elastic portion. The cuff expander first end may have a button attached to it as its fastening mechanism or another type of obstruction that prevents the extender from slipping through a button-hole. The second end may have, a similar obstruction to prevent slippage through a button-hole or may have a button-hole stitched into its second end. This arrangement allows the first and second ends to be fastened to a button cuff or a link cuff or any other type of shirt cuff. This allows the expander and shirt cuff to transition easily between the traditional closed, first position in which the two ends of the shirt cuff are axially aligned with each other and the open, second position, in which the two ends of the shirt cuff are laterally displaced from one another. This versatility allows for the shirt sleeves to be pushed up or pulled down quickly and easily. The optional elastic portion may also help retain the shirt sleeves in the raised position.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A cuff expander for shirt cuffs, the cuffs having a first end with a button-hole therethrough and a second end having either a button-hole therethrough or a button attached thereto, the cuff expander comprising:
 an expandible assembly having first and second end portions;   a first fastener at the assembly first end portion, the first fastener designed to fasten to a button-hole and the assembly second end portion having either a second fastener designed to fasten to a button-hole or having a button-hole extending therethrough,   wherein the assembly first end portion may attach to the cuff first end and the assembly second end portion may attach to the cuff second end;   a connection member connecting the first and second end portions of the expandible assembly, and   the expandible assembly having a first position in which the first and second end portions of the expandible assembly are retained together, causing the first and second cuff ends to be substantially in contact with one another and a second position in which the first and second end portions of the expandible assembly are separated, allowing the first and second cuff ends to be laterally displaced from one another.   
     
     
         2 . The cuff expander of  claim 3 , wherein the expandible assembly is normally biased in the first position. 
     
     
         3 . The cuff expander of  claim 1 , wherein releasable fasteners may be used to bias the expandible assembly in the first position. 
     
     
         4 . The cuff expander of  claim 3 , wherein the releasable fasteners are selected from the group consisting of hook-and-loop type fasteners and magnetic fasteners. 
     
     
         5 . The cuff expander of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the connection member is made of an elastic material. 
     
     
         6 . The cuff expander of  claim 5 , wherein the elastic material may be stretched to at least two times its unstretched length with permanently deforming the elastic material. 
     
     
         7 . The cuff expander of  claim 1 , wherein the expandable assembly includes a color, logo, emblem or insignia that is seen when the expander is in the second position. 
     
     
         8 . The cuff expander of  claim 7 , wherein the color, logo, emblem, or insignia is representative of a particular organization, company, university or school. 
     
     
         9 . A cuff expander for a button-type cuff of a long sleeved shirt, the button-type cuff having a first end with a cuff button-hole extending therethrough and a second end with a cuff button attached thereto, the cuff expander comprising:
 a band-like member having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion having a button fastened thereto, the second end portion having a button-hole extending therethrough,   wherein the cuff button may be inserted through the expander button-hole and the expander button may be inserted through the cuff button-hole, and   the cuff expander having a first position in which the cuff button and the expander button are axially aligned (one above the other) and a second position in which the buttons are laterally displaced from one another.   
     
     
         10 . The cuff expander of  claim 9 , wherein the band-like member is normally biased in the first position. 
     
     
         11 . The cuff expander of  claim 9 , wherein releasable fasteners may be used to bias the band-like member in the first position. 
     
     
         12 . The cliff expander of  claim 11 , wherein the releasable fasteners are selected from the group consisting of hook-and-loop type fasteners and magnetic fasteners. 
     
     
         13 . The cuff expander of  claim 9 , wherein the band-like member comprises at least a portion made of an elastic material. 
     
     
         14 . The cuff expander of  claim 13 , wherein the elastic material may be stretched to at least two times its unstretched length without permanently deforming the elastic material. 
     
     
         15 . The cuff expander of  claim 9 , wherein the expander includes a color, logo, emblem or insignia that is seen when the expander is in the second position. 
     
     
         16 . A cuff expander for a button-type cuff of a long sleeved shirt, the button-type cuff having a first end with a cuff button attached thereto and a second end with a cuff button-hole extending therethrough, the cuff expander comprising:
 a band-like member having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion having a button fastened thereto, the second end portion being affixed to the shirt cuff,   the expander having a first position in which the expander button is disconnected from the cuff button-hole and concealed within the cuff and a second position in which the expander button is inserted through the cuff button-hole allowing the first and second ends of the cuff to be laterally displaced from one another.   
     
     
         17 . The cuff expander of  claim 16 , wherein the band-like member comprises at least a portion made of an elastic material. 
     
     
         18 . A cuff expander for a link-type cuff of a long sleeved shirt, the link-type cuff having a first end with a first button-hole extending therethrough and a second end with a second button-hole extending therethrough, the cuff expander comprising:
 a connection member having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion attached to a first fastener designed to fasten to a button-hole, the second end portion attached to a second fastener designed to fasten to a button-hole,   wherein at least one of the first and second fasteners may be inserted through the first and second button-holes,   the cuff expander having a first position in which first and second ends of the cuff expander are retained together causing the first and second ends of the shirt cuff to be substantially in contact with one another and second position in which the first and second ends of the cuff expander are separated, allowing the first and second ends of the shirt cuff to be laterally displaced from one another.   
     
     
         19 . The cuff expander of  claim 18 , wherein the connection member is normally biased in the first position. 
     
     
         20 . The cuff expander of  claim 19 , wherein a releasable fastener may be used to bias the connection member in the first position. 
     
     
         21 . The cuff expander of  claim 20 , wherein the releasable fastener is selected from the group consisting of hook-and-loop type fasteners and magnetic fasteners. 
     
     
         22 . The cuff expander of  claim 18 , wherein the connection member comprises at least a portion made of an elastic material. 
     
     
         23 . The cuff expander of  claim 22 , wherein the elastic material may be stretched to at least two times its unstretched length without permanently deforming the elastic material. 
     
     
         24 . The cuff expander of  claim 21 , wherein the expander includes a color, logo, emblem or insignia that is seen when the expander is in the second position.