GB1589300A - Articles of clothing having detachable limb portions - Google Patents

Description

(54) ARTICLES OF CLOTHING HAVING DETACHABLE LIMB PORTIONS (71) I, KEITH JENKINS of 3 Osborne Road ,ìnthorpe, Middlesbrough, Cleveland County a British Subject, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to articles of'clothing andparticularlyto articles of clothing with detachable portions such as sleeves or legs.

Detachment, or replacement of certain ' portions of clothing may be desirable to meet for example changeable weather or social 'conditions, without the necessity of changing an entire garment, which may not be practica ble, nor is it often practicable to carry around a second garment for the purpose of changing thereinto.

An object of this invention is to provide an article of clothing which can enable such requirements to be met.

According to the invention there is provided an article of clothing comprising a torso por tion and a limb portion or limb portions, this limb and torso portion each being connected to a mutually interengageable series of fastener teeth for detachably attaching the limb portion or portions to the torso portion the fastener being so arranged that a clasp of the fastener when the latter is open is retained on the teeth secured to the limb portion and masking means for the slideable clasp and/or the series of teeth, a flap being provided beneath the loca tion of the sliding clasp when the portions are joined together, the tang of the clasp being securable by a stud.

The limb portion(s) is (are) the sleeve or sleeves of a jacket, or the leg or legs of a pair of trousers, and both sleeves or legs may be detachable when the article of clothing is correspondingly ajacket or trousers.

In a preferred embodiment, the article of clothing is a pair of trousers, having two de tachable legs, and a torso portion comprising the seat and the breach with truncated legs, and the torso part is preferably styled in the manner of such shorts as may from time to time be fashionable.

A tape with one series of fastener teeth is attached to the upper end of each removable leg, and a similar tape and series of teeth is attached to the lower end of each short leg of the torso portion. The ends of the material may overlap the tape so that they mask the teeth when the leg and torso parts are con nected. The sliding clasp is preferably car ried on the part of each fastener assembly attached to the respective removable leg, so that the tang of the clasp does not form an irritating appendage to the main part of the trousers.

The flap is provided to be secured beneath the tang of the clasp within the leg to mask the tang and prevent draughts whejn the legs are joined to the torso portion and additionally or alternatively, the tang may be securable flat against the fastener by a press stud which has a stud part which can enter an aperture provided on the tang.

An article of clothing according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a frontal view of a garment according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the same garment; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of part of the side view; Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Figure 3;and Figure 5 is a view of the zone shown in Figure 3 from the inside of the trousers.

The garment shown in the drawings is a pair of trousers 1, and comprises a torso portion 2 and a pair of detachable leg portions 3 and 4. The leg portions 3 and 4 are detachably connected to the torso portion 2 by respective sliding clasp fasteners 5 and 6. When the legs are attached the garment comprises a pair of long legged trousers which cover and/or protect the legs of the wearer, whereas when the legs are detached, the torso portion 2 provides a pair of shorts which leave the wearers' legs exposed.

In Figure 3 is shown a close up of part of the sliding clasp fastener 6. The fastener consists of opposed tapes 7 and 8, one 7 sewn to the lower end of the portion 2 and the other 8 to the upper end of the limb portion 4. Each tape has an array of mutually interengageable fastener teeth which can be inter-locked or separated in known manner by a slidable clasp 9 having a tang 10 for manipulation. As shown, when the leg portion 4 is secured to the torso portion 2, the clasp 9 is located adjacent the side seam of the trousers. As shown in Figure 5 flap 11 is securable inside the leg below the clasp 9 by means of complementary hook and loop pile fastener (of the kind sold under the Trade Mark 'Velcro').When the leg is detached the flap 11, being secured to the inner face of the leg portion is also removed so that it will not chafe the leg and the softer part of the fastener, 12 remains secured to the torso part.

Figure 4 shows that the tang 10 of the clasp 9 is secured by a stud 12 which passes through a usual aperture 13 in the tang. This retains the tang in a position masking the adjacent ends of the series of teeth and secures it from projecting with consequent risk of damage and inadvertent sliding of the clasp.

Figure 5 shows that that flap 11 is secured to the leg portion 4 rather than the torso portion 2, thus averting any need for the flap to be tucked in while the torso portion is being worn alone.

Because of its detachable legs, the article of clothing according to the invention is capable of versatile use in leisure wear. For example, the shorts provided by the torso portion may be worth as beach wear, and the leg portions donned on leaving the beach and partaking of indoor leisure in places where extensive exposure of legs may be forbidden or disapproved of, or may be donned as protection against excessive sun burn.

They may also be worn when weather conditions are changeable or for rambling, where briar patches or other vegetation may require protection of the legs. The same principle may be applied to jackets which have detachable sleeves so that a beach 'waist coat' may be transformed into an acceptable jacket for wear off the beach.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. An arficle of clothing comprising a torso portion and a limb portion or limb portions, the limb end torso portions each being connected to a mutually interengageable series of fastener teeth for detachably attaching the limb portion or portions to the torso portions the fastener being so arranged that a clasp of the fastener when the latter is open is retained on the teeth secured to the limb portion and masking means for the slideable clasp and/or the series of teeth, a flap being provided beneath the location of the sliding clasp when the portions are joined together, the tang of the clasp being securable by a stud.

2. An article of clothing according to Claim 1 wherein the limb portion or portions is or are a sleeve or sleeves or a leg or legs of a jacket or trousers respectively.

3. An article of clothing according to Claim 2 wherein said article comprises a pair of trousers with two detachable lower legs and a torso portion comprising cut off legs.

4. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim wherein the ends of the material overlap the tape so that they mask the teeth when the leg and torso portion are connected.

5. An article of clothing, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (5)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. portion 2, the clasp 9 is located adjacent the side seam of the trousers. As shown in Figure 5 flap 11 is securable inside the leg below the clasp 9 by means of complementary hook and loop pile fastener (of the kind sold under the Trade Mark 'Velcro'). When the leg is detached the flap 11, being secured to the inner face of the leg portion is also removed so that it will not chafe the leg and the softer part of the fastener, 12 remains secured to the torso part. Figure 4 shows that the tang 10 of the clasp 9 is secured by a stud 12 which passes through a usual aperture 13 in the tang. This retains the tang in a position masking the adjacent ends of the series of teeth and secures it from projecting with consequent risk of damage and inadvertent sliding of the clasp. Figure 5 shows that that flap 11 is secured to the leg portion 4 rather than the torso portion 2, thus averting any need for the flap to be tucked in while the torso portion is being worn alone. Because of its detachable legs, the article of clothing according to the invention is capable of versatile use in leisure wear. For example, the shorts provided by the torso portion may be worth as beach wear, and the leg portions donned on leaving the beach and partaking of indoor leisure in places where extensive exposure of legs may be forbidden or disapproved of, or may be donned as protection against excessive sun burn. They may also be worn when weather conditions are changeable or for rambling, where briar patches or other vegetation may require protection of the legs. The same principle may be applied to jackets which have detachable sleeves so that a beach 'waist coat' may be transformed into an acceptable jacket for wear off the beach. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. An arficle of clothing comprising a torso portion and a limb portion or limb portions, the limb end torso portions each being connected to a mutually interengageable series of fastener teeth for detachably attaching the limb portion or portions to the torso portions the fastener being so arranged that a clasp of the fastener when the latter is open is retained on the teeth secured to the limb portion and masking means for the slideable clasp and/or the series of teeth, a flap being provided beneath the location of the sliding clasp when the portions are joined together, the tang of the clasp being securable by a stud.

2. An article of clothing according to Claim 1 wherein the limb portion or portions is or are a sleeve or sleeves or a leg or legs of a jacket or trousers respectively.

3. An article of clothing according to Claim 2 wherein said article comprises a pair of trousers with two detachable lower legs and a torso portion comprising cut off legs.

4. An article of clothing according to any preceding claim wherein the ends of the material overlap the tape so that they mask the teeth when the leg and torso portion are connected.

5. An article of clothing, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.