CA2723602A1 - Gardening apron - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gardening apron comprising a front panel extending at least partially over a wearer's front side, an upper strap for supporting the front panel around the wearer's neck, a rear strap for restraining the front panel around the waist of the wearer, wherein the rear strap comprises a reinforcement strip, and a plurality of item retaining features such as a plurality of differently sized pockets, a glove retaining feature and a magnetic feature.
The gardening apron further comprises a utility bag removably attached to the rear strap using a resilient clip such that it hangs by the wearer's side when the apron is being worn, wherein the utility bag consist of a resistant nylon fabric pouch with a stiffening strip of a resilient material provided around the open upper edge of the pouch so as to keep the utility bag in an open configuration.

Description

APRON AND HOLDALL

Cleaning and pruning plants, bushes and trees, require using big garden tools like wheelbarrow, rake etc... For normal maintenance of garden overrun with weeds, flowers or dry stems, we have to use the same big garden tools. The apron and holdall permit's you to move around freely.

SUMMARY
The kit is containing and apron and an holdall.
APRON DETAIL:

An apron of printed cotton, 21 inches (53, 5 cm) long X 13 inches (33 cm) wide. A
braid around the neck of 28 'h inches (72 cm). A belt on each side of 29 inches (74 cm) long with a rigid part inside the belt of 6 inches long on both sides. This is to attach the apron on one side and a hand free phone on the other side? Three pockets of different sizes, left pocket 5 inches, middle pocket 2 3 inches (7 cm) and the right 3%
inches (9 cm) having a length of 6% inches (16,5 cm) permitting to hold different thing like small garden tools, notebook, pencil etc... A square of black netting 2 %
(7 cm) inches X 2 ' inches (7 cm) with a Velcro locking a 1 inches magnet, to hold nails, screws etc... A braid in the middle of the apron of 5% inches (13,5cm) long.

HOLDALL DETAIL:

An holdall of green resistant nylon issue 15' inches (40 cm) X 13,5 inches (34,2 cm), with an opening of 6% inches (16,5 cm) of diameter with a rigid strip, permitting to hold open the pocket.

Claims

UTILITY GARMENT

Field of the invention:
The present invention relates to functional garments. More particularly, and in its preferred intended use, the present invention relates to a utility garment.
Background of the invention:

Utility garments such as aprons, smocks and the like are known in the art.
Utility garments can be worn for safety and/or hygiene reasons, as well as for simply protecting the wearer's clothes from wear and tear.

In particular, a conventional apron typically consists of a front panel extending at least partially over a wearer's front side, an upper strap for extending around the wearer's neck, and a rear strap for extending around the wearer's waist. In this configuration, the upper strap provides vertical support for the apron such that it hangs off the wearer's neck, while the rear strap provides a transverse support so that it stays close to the wearer's body.

Variations of this construction can include aprons which also cover portions of the wearer's back and/or arms. In addition, it is known to provide a pair of upper straps which extend over a wearer's shoulders rather than a single strap which extends around the wearer's neck. An apron may also be provided which covers only the area below the wearer's waist.

By way of example, a utility garment such as an apron can be worn during gardening in order to protect the wearer's clothes from dirt. Furthermore, conventional aprons, for home or garden use, are known to provide one or more front pockets for holding tools and/or other useful articles. However, while a variety of items may be held within the same pocket, it has been found that retrieving different types of items within a single one-size-fits-all pocket can be difficult, especially when, for example, the item to be retrieved is much smaller and/or more delicate than the other items in the pocket. Moreover, there types of items which, for practical reasons, the wearer might not wish to, or be able to, hold within such conventional pockets. In addition, there are types of items which, for practical reasons, the wearer might wish to be more conveniently accessible.

Hence, in light of the afore-mentioned, there remains a need for an improved utility garment which, by virtue of its design and components, satisfies some of the needs which are known in the art and is thus an improvement over other related known devices. Specifically, it would be advantageous to provide a utility garment which is able to conveniently hold a variety of different types of items.
Summary of the invention:

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a utility garment including a front panel, an upper strap for supporting the front panel, a rear strap for restraining the front panel, and a plurality of item retaining features.

Preferably, the item retaining features are selected from the group including:

a plurality of differently sized pockets;
a glove retaining feature;
a magnetic feature;
a utility bag; and a reinforcement strip.

The invention and its advantages will be better understood by reading the following non-restrictive description of a preferred embodiment thereof, made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings:

The invention will be better understood upon reading the following non-restrictive description of the preferred embodiment thereof, made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGs. 1 are 2 are front views of a utility garment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1.
Detailed description of preferred embodiment of the invention:

In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiment shown in the figures is preferred, for exemplification purposes only.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprise various components, etc., and although the preferred embodiment of the cover and corresponding parts of the present invention as shown consist of certain geometrical configurations as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components and geometries are essential to the invention and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense, i.e. should not be taken as to limit the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperations therebetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations may be used for a garment according to the present invention, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

With reference to FIG. 1, a utility garment 10 is illustrated. The garment 10, embodied herein as an apron, comprises a front panel 12 for covering the front of a wearer (not show), an upper strap 14 and a rear strap 12. The front panel is substantially rectangular in shape, although it will be appreciated that various other shapes may similarly be used. The front panel 12 sized so as to cover a majority of the wearer's front. Preferably, and as illustrated, the front panel 12 is sized to cover from a wearer's collar bone to their knees.

Preferably, the front panel 12 is approximately 21 inches by 13 inches in size.
The upper strap 14 extends from an upper side of the front panel 12 and forms a loop. Preferably, a buckle 18 or other adjustment mechanism is provided along the upper strap 14 for adjusting the length thereof in accordance with the dimensions of the wearer. Preferably, the total length of the upper strap 14 is approximately 28 1/4 inches long.

The rear strap 16 is preferably formed by two portions 20 which extend from opposite lateral sides of the panel 12. The portions 20 can be tied together behind the wearer's back, although it will be appreciated that various other arrangements may similarly be used to provide transverse support to the front panel 12. Preferably, the rear strap 16 is positioned approximately at the wearer's waist. Preferably each portion 20 of the rear strap 16 is approximately 29 inches long.

For general housework, it is preferable to form the front panel 12 and the upper and rear straps 14 and 16 from a strong but pliable material such as a cotton fabric or the like. It will be appreciated, however, that various other materials may be desirable in accordance with different situations and usages.

With additional reference to FIG. 2, the front panel 12 is provided with a plurality item retaining features.

A plurality of pockets 22 are provided along a lower portion of the front panel for retaining various items 24. Preferably, these pockets 22 are of varying sizes in order to more conveniently fit each item 24. As illustrated, the items 24 may comprise, but are in no way limited to, garden tools such as shears, a pen and pad, and a spray bottle. Preferably, three pockets are provided, each being approximately 6 3/4 inches deep and five inches, 2 3/4 inches and 3% inches wide, respectively.

Above the pockets 22, a glove retaining feature 26 is provided for retaining a pair of gloves 28 when they are not in use. The glove retaining feature 26 is formed by a band 30 which can preferably be opened and closed so as to ease removal of the gloves 28 and placing of the gloves 28 therein. In the illustrated embodiment, the band 30 is fixed to the panel 12 at a first end and provided with a fastener at a second end. The fastener can include, for example, a piece of hook-and-loop type material which is operable to engage a corresponding piece of hook-and-loop type material attached to the panel 12 proximate the first end of the loop. Preferably, the band 30 is approximately 5% inches in length Alternatively, the fastener may be, but should in no way be considered limited to, a button, a snap or a clasp. The feature 26 may also be embodied by a resilient dip which is flexible enough to permit placement of the gloves 28 therein and then hold the gloves 28 tightly enough to retain them. The feature 26 may furthermore be embodied by an elastic band or the like which can expand in order to receive the gloves 28 and subsequently retract in order to retain them.

It will be appreciated that the glove retaining feature 22 advantageously provides a more convenient storage of the gloves 24. It will also be appreciated that the glove retaining feature 22 could similarly be used to retain a rag, towel or other similarly sized, pliable item.

Also provided is a magnetic feature 32 for retaining ferromagnetic items 34 such as nails, clips and the like. As illustrated, the magnetic feature 32 comprises a permanent magnet 36 which is held within a pocket 38. The pocket 38 is preferably made of a mesh material, as illustrated, in order to allow the magnet 36 to attract and retain the metallic nails 34, although other materials may similarly be used.

In the illustrated embodiment, the pocket 38 is formed by fixing a layer of mesh material to the outside of the front panel 12, specifically the outside of the central pocket 22. Alternatively, the pocket 38 could be provided along the inside of the central pocket 22, as long as the magnet 36 is strong enough (or, otherwise said, the material of the pocket 22 is thin enough) to permit the magnetic field produced by the magnet 36 to exert a sufficient retaining force onto the nails 36.

Preferably, the pocket 38 is open or openable so that the magnet 36 may be removed when not needed. In the embodiment illustrated, the pocket 38 is attached to the front of the central pocket 22 by a hook-and-loop type fastener.
Preferably, the magnet 36 is a one inch diameter magnet and the pocket 38 is 2 3/4 inches by 2 3/4 inches in size.

It will be appreciated that rather than holding nails, screws, clips or other small metallic items at the bottom of a pocket where they are likely to become lost amongst other, larger items, the magnetic feature 32 advantageously provides a more convenient means of holding nails 36 and the like.

A utility bag 40 provides an additional receptacle for holding or storing materials which would not otherwise conveniently go in the previously-discussed item retaining features. The utility bag 40 is attached to the rear strap 16 such that it hangs by the wearer's side during use. The bag 40 is preferably removably attached by a resilient clip 46 or the like so that it may be removed when not needed.

The utility bag 40 is open along its upper edge 42. The utility bag 40 is preferably made of a lightweight material, such as a thin nylon fabric, so as not to encumber the wearer's movement. Preferably, the utility bag 40 is approximately 15 3/4 inches by 55 inches in size Because the bag 40 may have a tendency to lie flat against the wearer's body, a stiffening strip 44 is preferably provided around the upper edge 42 so as to keep the utility bag 40 open during use. The stiffening strip 44 is preferably made of a resilient material. Such a stiffening strip 44 may enable a 6 1/2 inch diameter opening to be maintained.

It will be appreciated that the utility bag 40 advantageously provides a receptacle for items or material which the wearer does not want to place in the pockets 22. For example, in usages such as gardening, the utility bag 40 advantageously provides a receptacle for plant trimmings and other waste material. Once the gardening has been completed, the utility bag 40 may be unclipped from the rear strap 16 and emptied into the trash. In addition, the utility bag 40 can be made from a less rugged but more easily cleaned material than the rest of the apron 10.

In addition to the utility bag 40, it may also be desirable to fasten various items to the rear belt 16, such as cellular or portable phones which are often provided with belt clips. However, while it may be generally desirable for the front panel 12 and straps 14 and 18 to be made of a pliable material, such flexibility is not as well suited for attaching items via resilient clips and the like. It will be appreciated that resilient clips such as belt clips are easier to attach around a rigid material that keeps its shape, such as a stiff leather belt, as the clip is forced around it.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a cross-sectional view of the rear strap 16 is illustrated. The strap 16 is preferably formed by an outer fabric portion 48, which may be the same material as the front panel 12. An additional reinforcement strip 50 is provided within outer fabric portion 48.

The reinforcement strip 50, like the stiffening strip 44 mentioned above, is relatively stiffer than the material 48 which surrounds it and therefore provides an additional rigidity to the structure. The reinforcement strip 50 is preferably approximately 12 inches in length so that it does not reach around the wearer's back, and is located adjacent the front panel 12. It will be appreciated that a reinforcement strip 50 may be provided in either one or both of the portions 20.

The reinforcement strip 50 may be provided with a light curvature in order to more closely fit the wearer's side when in use. Alternatively, the reinforcement strip 50 may simply be flexible enough to conform to the wearer's side when the rear strap 16 is tied behind the wearer's back.

It will be appreciated that the stiffened portion of the rear strap 16 created by the reinforcement strip 50 advantageously eases the attachment of resilient clips and the like. Specifically, the reinforcement strip 50 will ease attachment of the utility bag 40 or a portable or cellular phone. This is especially advantageous when the wearer is carrying items 24 such as the shears illustrated above which might damage a telephone handset. Moreover, as telephones become increasingly smaller, they become more difficult to find at the bottom of one of the pockets 22.

It will be appreciated that a similar construction could be used along the upper strap 14 in order to similarly reinforce a portion thereof.

As being now better appreciated, the present invention is an improvement and presents several advantages over other related devices and/or methods known in the prior art.

Of course, numerous modifications could be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention, as apparent to a person skilled in the art.