Tie cleaning form
United States Patent Haas Apr. 29, 1975 [54] TIE CLEANING FORM 399431 10/1933 United Kingdom 223/82 [76] Inventor: Antoinette M. Haas, 1630 I Nottingham Madison Heights, Primary E,\&#39;ammerGeo. V. Larkm Mich 48071 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hugh L. Fisher [22] Filed: May 6, 1974 2 A l N 467 078 [57] ABSTRACT I 1 l 1 pp 0 A form adapted to be mserted mto a mans he of the tapered type to act as a backing surface during the [52] US. Cl. 223/82 washing of the tie and as a form during the subsequent [51] Int. Cl. D066 15/00 drying of the tie consists of a board formed of a clear, [58] Field of Search 223/65, 82, 63 cast acrylic plastic having a thickness of 3/16 inch and having an elongated, tapered shape similar to that of [56] References Cited the tie with which it is to be used. The surfaces of the UNITED STATES PATENTS form are smoothly finished and the edges are rounded 1,196.515 8/1916 Buttcrworth 223/82 30 that the may be inserted hhe the he the 1.775.431 9 1930 Hoffmann 223/82 Wide end Without snagging the tie and Provide a hard 1182 68 5/1965 Prom H 233 5 smooth backing surface for brushing during washing. 3.1911322 6/1965 Gippcrth 223/82 The clear acrylic allows even the sheerest material to FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS be washed without obscuring stains on the tie. 586,613 3/1947 United Kingdom 223/82 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures TIE CLEANING FORM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a form to be inserted in mens ties to allow washing and drying of the tie.  
 2. Prior Art Mens cravats, or ties, are worn in a position where they are very apt to become soiled; in fact, the modern tie is the historical descendant of the dickey which protected the shirt front from stains and could be laundered without requiring laundering of the entire shirt. But the highly decorative fabrics used in modern ties spot easily and are relatively difficult to clean.  
  Various implements have been proposed to assist in laundering ties or supporting them while they dry but for a variety of reasons these devices have not been commercially successful. One such device is disclosed in US. Pat. No. l,l96,5 l5. It consists ofa pair of rigid tapered boards, one adapted to be inserted in the wide end of the tie and the other in the narrow end, to act as a form while the laundered tie dries. The forms are connected together by a chain and are adapted to be inserted in the tie after laundering in order to preserve the shape of the tie while drying.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention consists of a rigid elongated sheet of clear acrylic plastic having at least one polished surface. The sheet or board is tapered at the same angle as the tie so that its narrow end may be extended into a tie from the broad end, between the front and rear facings, and when the board is extended fully into the tie so that its narrow end extends more than halfway into the tie, its broad end will still be projecting out of the opening in the tie so as to provide a supporting surface. The form is inserted into the tie until its edges gently stretch the tie and the tie is tautly supported over the smooth surface of the board.  
  The board is three-sixteenths inch in thickness and has gradually rounded edges so as to eliminate the possibility of snagging the interior of the tie. The smooth surface of the board provides a backing for scrubbing the tie with a brush in a bath preferably consisting of warm water and mild detergent. Since the board is clear and colorless, it aids in the visual detection of spots on very sheer fabrics.  
  After the tie has been scrubbed with the brush it may be rinsed while still on the form and left on the form to dry.  
  Other objectives, advantages and applications of the present invention will be made apparent by the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. The description makesreference to the accompanying drawings. in which:  
  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the board of the present invention inserted within a tie and a brush being used to scrub the supported surface of the tie.  
 FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tie support form; and  
 FIG. 3 is an end view of the tie support form.  
 The preferred embodiment of the invention, generally indicated at 10, is formed ofa sheet of clear plastic, preferably an acrylic, having a thickness of at least oneeighth inch and no greater than one-fourth inch. At least one surface of the form 10, which will be termed the *upper&#34; surface, preferably has a highly smooth finish of no less than 25 micro-inches roughness per inch.  
  The board is elongated and had a width of approximately 3 /2 inches at its widest point and approximately 1 /2 inches at its narrowest point. It is preferably about 26 inches in length. These dimensions provide the device with a taper which will allow it to fit snugly within most ties which are in current use. Forms of other appropriate dimensions could be provided to fit other size ties.  
  The large end of the form 10 has a reverse taper ending in a blunted point 12. The opposite end is preferably formed with a hole 14 for use in hanging the form for storage purposes.  
 As seen in FIG. 3, the tapered side edges of the form 16 are smoothly rounded to eliminate the possibility of the form snagging the tie as it is inserted into and removed from the tie. The upper surface of the form 10 is inserted in proximity to the forward side of the tie to act as a smooth backing for the later scrubbing operation.  
  In use, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the narrow end of the form 10 is inserted into the wide end of a tie between the forward and rear surfaces and extended into the tie until the sides of the form&#39;contact the sides of the tie. If it is a typical tie only a few inches of the large end will then project from the wide end of the tie.  
  The tie is then washed, preferably employing warm water and a liquid soap gently scrubbed into the tie with a very soft brush. Following the washing operation, the tie is preferably thoroughly rinsed and then gently swabbed as with a hand to remove any excess water. The tie in the form is then supported at its exposed end and at a point adjacent to the narrow end of the form, so that the major section of the tie is not in contact with the supporting surface, until the tiecompletely dries. When the form is removed the tie is ready to wear.  
  The rounded edges l6 of the form allows it to smoothly engage the edges of the tie without in any way deforming the edges as would the previously proposed, sharp-edged forms.  
 Having thus described my invention, I claim:  
  1. A form adapted to be inserted between the forward and rear layers of a tie to provide a backing surface during washing of the tie and shape retention during the subsequent drying of the tie, comprising: an elongated rigid board formed of transparent cast acrylic plastic having tapered sides-so as to form a relatively wide end adapted to project out of the broad end of the tie when in use to form a supporting surface, the surfaces of the board having a surface finish of at least 25 micro-inches per inch, the thickness of the board being at least one-eighth inch and no greater than onefourth inch and the edges thereof being rounded.