Patents

Patents

PIR.SA.FA. holds 3 patents/utility models:

1. Folding hanger for shirts with an ergonomic shape;
2. Crossover clips for clothing or stationery shops;
3. Plastic ice-cream sticks.

1. Folding hanger for shirts with ergonomic shape

The patent for this product dates back to 1996: it was conceived in the 90s following a specific request from Frarica di Carpi. In that period in fact, the customer was about to launch "Dino Erre Collofit, the mustache shirt" pure cotton shirts sponsored at the Maurizio Costanzo Show that had the characteristic of not require ironing, always ensuring a perfect neck.

The product was created with two different lenghts: cm 40 and cm 50, of course in different colors.

The hanger was given together with the shirt: its anatomical shape (given by the rounding shoulders) allows the shirt to dry in the air without wrinkles and without having to be stretched, thus avoiding waste of resources.

The hanger is also used as a travel and sports accessory for its convenience in folding and entering the bag/ suitcase without taking up large spaces.

Moreover, the hanger has been studied by the University of Venice Tolentini IUAV, department of “Product design and visual communication”. Full news available here.

Patent for industrial utility model No. 0024225 of 23/09/1996.

2. Crossover clips for clothing or stationery shops

Product born in 2008 to replace the metal version, widely used for shirt's packaging. The element that led to the birth of this accessory was the strong belief that the metal version could have been improved from an environmental, functional and economic point of view.

In fact, unlike what you could be induced to think, the clips produced in plastic is a much more environmentally friendly than the same metal product: the circular economy applied to production (which can be found here) allows to reinsert waste into the production cycle, and makes the accessory recyclable and reusable, since the patent also extends as an accessory for stationery. Once the shirt packaging is discarded, the customer can put the clip aside and reuse it as a paper clip.

In terms of functionality, we prefer the plastic version because unlike the metal one, it is not subject to corrosion over time, avoiding the formation of rust which in contact with the garment would stain and ruin it.

In addition, thanks to the quality vision system specially created for the patented crossover clip, perfectly smooth edges are secured, ensuring that they can in no way ruin the work of the shirts artists.

Economically, it is cheaper than its metal twin.

Patent for industrial utility model No. 00269624 dated 10/09/2008 and community utility model No. 001006696-0001 dated 10/09/2008.

3. Plastic ice-cream sticks

The plastic stick for ice cream was born in 2018, with a similar idea to that of crossover clip for shirt.

In fact, although the classic wooden ice cream sticks come from a renewable source, why waste trees when you can produce them more effectively and efficiently in another material?

We talk about effectiveness and efficiency because the icecream stick is produced with innovative energy saving systems and molds treated specifically to avoid the production of special and toxic waste.

It is totally recyclable, but even better reusable in contrast to the wooden version: as described several times, it was designed to have longer live and be reused as a coffee scoop, spatula for hot wax, hobby.

The plastic sticks for ice cream, in addition to boasting a production Made in Italy, are obviously certificated for food contact (FCM) ensuring maximum safety to the consumer. The same certification is more difficult to obtain with the classic wooden stick due to its porous nature which attracts bacteria. In addition, it is often imported from countries with high pollution rates.

As mentioned above, although wood is a renewable resource, the relevant natural regeneration times must be taken into account: Unep predicted a 40% increase in consumption of wood and cellulose, without considering events related to global warming such as the massacre of trees in the Dolomites, the pyres in California, Indonesia and the Amazon, which should make us reflect on what forests represent, looking at them as a resource to be protected, who are present today but may not be there tomorrow.

Otherwise, we will simply shift the impacts of an unsustainable economic model from one resource to another.

The wooden sticks, despite being made of renewable sources, have significant criticalities such as:

• a higher weight than single-use plastic that impacts on storage and CO2 emissions during transport;
• the need to ensure the sourcing of wood from sustainably managed forests in order not to fuel deforestation;
• high CO2 production for processing and transport of raw material to the processing site;
• a large use of water in production (more than double that of plastic products);
• the difficulty in ensuring the hygiene of MOCA;
• significantly higher cost.

For these reasons we strongly believe that our patented plastic ice cream stick can be a REAL help for the environment.

Utility industrial model patent No. 402018000003347 dated 30/11/2018 and community utility model No. 006270609-0001 dated 28/02/2019.