US20040134943A1

US20040134943A1 - Inflatable dummy for showing clothes

Info

Publication number: US20040134943A1
Application number: US10/342,209
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Huang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-01-15
Filing date: 2003-01-15
Publication date: 2004-07-15

Abstract

An inflatable dummy for showing clothes includes a close and airtight bag having a designed shape, such as a torso, and formed from a plurality of constituent pieces made of a gas-impermeable material by radio frequency welding along joints between the constituent pieces. The inflatable dummy is provided with at least one inflating valve, via which the close and airtight bag is inflatable to the designed shape for use, or deflated to a flat and foldable state for storage. A hanger is provided at an upper end of the inflatable dummy, and an insertion hole in the form of a long tube is integrally connected to a lower end of the inflatable dummy to upward extend thereinto for engaging with an upright stand, so that the inflatable dummy may be hung on some place or supported on a stand for use.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dummy for showing clothes, and more particularly to an inflatable dummy for showing clothes that can be deflated to a flat state without occupying too much space when it is not in use, enabling the dummy to be conveniently carried and/or stored.

Dummies are frequently used in general stores and fashion exhibitions to conveniently and fully display differently designed clothes. Such dummies are normally made in full-length or half-length human form. In either type, the dummies are conventionally made of plastic or wooden material and have a fixed configuration once they are formed. That is, the conventional plastic or wooden dummies have a specific volume to occupy a considerably large space.

There are a lot of inconveniences when using the conventional dummy having fixed configuration and volume. For example, a general store usually has a limited space and could not position and store too many dummies in the store. Therefore, it is difficult for the general store to display a large quantity of clothes at the same time due to insufficient number of dummies in the store. In the event of a fashion exhibition, a considerably high freight cost is needed to transport the conventional dummies to the place of exhibition due to their fixed configurations and volumes that occupy very large space. In the case of an oversea fashion exhibition, dummies needed in the exhibition are usually obtained locally through purchasing or renting instead of shipping the dummies via air, land, or sea to the place of exhibition. The purchasing or renting of dummies overseas would also inevitably increase the cost of the exhibition.

Moreover, the conventional dummy requires high manufacturing cost because it could not be mass-produced and requires more time and labor to produce it. In addition, a manufacturer would have to prepare a large room in the plant and therefore expend increased warehousing cost for storing the completed dummies. Meanwhile, the dummies having fixed configurations and volumes also require increased packing and shipping costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an inflatable dummy for showing clothes that could be mass-produced at low cost.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable dummy for showing clothes that could be inflated for use and deflated to a flat state that occupies only very small space to allow convenient storage and transport thereof.

To achieve the above and other objects, the inflatable dummy according to the present invention includes a close and airtight bag having a designed shape, such as a torso, and formed from a plurality of constituent pieces made of a gas-impermeable material by radio frequency welding along joints between the constituent pieces. The inflatable dummy is provided with at least one inflating valve, via which the close and airtight bag is inflatable to the designed shape for use, or deflated to a flat and foldable state for storage.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an insertion hole in the form of a long tube is integrally connected to a lower end of the inflatable dummy to upward extend thereinto for engaging with an upright stand, so that the inflatable dummy may be supported on the stand for use.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a hanger is provided on one side of the inflatable dummy close to an upper end thereof, so that the inflatable dummy may be hung on some place for showing clothes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein [0010]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inflatable dummy for showing clothes according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in an inflated state; [0011]
FIG. 2 shows the inflatable dummy of FIG. 1 is supported on a stand; [0012]
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the encircled area A of FIG. 2; [0013]
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the encircled area B of FIG. 2; [0014]
FIG. 5 is a partially sectioned side view of FIG. 2; [0015]
FIG. 6 shows the inflatable dummy of FIG. 2 has a gown put thereon for showing; and [0016]
FIG. 7 shows the inflatable dummy of FIG. 1 in a deflated state.[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 1 that is a perspective view of an inflatable dummy for showing [0018] clothes 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in an inflated state. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the dummy 10 is in the shape of a torso and is formed from a front constituent piece 11, a rear constituent piece 12, a lower constituent piece 13, and an upper constituent piece 14. The constituent pieces 11, 12, 13 and 14 are made of a gas-impermeable material, such as a plastic material, and are connected together through radio frequency welding along their joints to form a close, airtight, and inflatable bag having the shape of a torso. An inflating valve 15 is provided on the inflatable dummy 10 at a predetermined position, such as at a lower point on the lower constituent piece 13. And, a hanger 16 may be provided at one side of the dummy 10 close to an upper end thereof. An inner tube 17 is integrally connected to the lower constituent piece 13 to upward extend into the inflatable dummy 10 to serve as an insertion hole.
It is understood the [0019] inflatable dummy 10 in FIG. 1 is illustrated only as an example of the present invention, and the constituent pieces forming the inflatable dummy 10 may be in a different number and connected together in other different ways, and the dummy 10 may have various shapes or postures.
Please refer to FIG. 2. The [0020] inflatable dummy 10 in an inflated state may be supported on a stand consisting of a telescopic rod 20 and a seat 21 by deeply inserting the telescopic rod 20 into the inner tube 17 of the dummy 10. As can be seen from FIG. 4, which is an enlarged view of the encircled area B of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5, which is a partially sectioned side view of FIG. 2, the longer the inner tube 17 is, the more stable the inflatable dummy 10 could be supported on the stand. Please refer to FIG. 3 that is an enlarged view of the encircled area A of FIG. 2, the hanger 16 is provided on the inflatable dummy 10 by connecting it to a loop 161 that is integrally connected to, for example, the front constituent piece 11 of the inflatable dummy 10.
Please refer to FIG. 6. The [0021] inflatable dummy 10 may be hung on some place with the hanger 16, or upright supported on the stand for showing clothes 30. To use the inflatable dummy 10, first inflate the dummy 10 via the inflating valve 15 so that the inflated dummy 10 has a predetermined shape. When the inflatable dummy 10 is not in use, it may be deflated via the inflating valve 15. FIG. 7 shows a fully deflated dummy 10 that is flat and can be further folded for storage without occupying too much space.
The inflatable dummy according to the present invention can be easily produced at low cost. The inflatable dummy not in use may be deflated and folded to a small volume without occupying too much space. Meanwhile, the inflatable dummy in the deflated state can be conveniently carried and inflated again for use at any place, and is therefore particularly suitable for use in fashion exhibitions held overseas. [0022]
The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. [0023]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An inflatable dummy for showing clothes, comprising a plurality of constituent pieces made of a gas-impermeable material; said constituent pieces being connected together through radio frequency welding along joints between said constituent pieces to form a close and airtight bag having a desired shape; said close and airtight bag being provided at a predetermined position with at least one inflating valve, via which said close and airtight bag is inflated to said desired shape for use, or deflated to a flat piece for storage.

2. The inflatable dummy for showing clothes as claimed in claim 1, wherein said close and airtight bag includes an inward extended inner insertion hole provided at a bottom of said bag.

3. The inflatable dummy for showing clothes as claimed in claim 2, wherein said inner insertion hole in said close and airtight bag comprises an integrally formed inner tube.

4. The inflatable dummy for showing clothes as claimed in claim 2, wherein said close and airtight bag is adapted to support on an upright stand by engaging said inner insertion hole with said stand.

5. The inflatable dummy for showing clothes as claimed in claim 3, wherein said close and airtight bag is adapted to support on an upright stand by engaging said inner insertion hole with said stand.

6. The inflatable dummy for showing clothes as claimed in claim 1, wherein said close and airtight bag is provided at one side close to an upper end thereof with a hanger.