GB2518913A

GB2518913A - A wearable item

Info

Publication number: GB2518913A
Application number: GB1401095.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tony Lam
Original assignee: STRONG TREND DEV Ltd
Current assignee: STRONG TREND DEV Ltd
Priority date: 2013-09-03
Filing date: 2014-01-23
Publication date: 2015-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 2034-01-23
Also published as: WO2015033217A3; GB2518913B; CL2016000130A1; GB201401095D0; WO2015033217A2

Abstract

A garment comprises at least one pocket and at least one stowable section. The stowable section has a first position within the pocket and a second position extended from the garment. The garment is wearable in the first position, and, when in the second position, the stowable section covers at least part of one limb and/or at least part of the torso of a user. The stowable section may provide thermal protection, reflective properties, water resistance, camouflage, or a part of a costume.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No. GB1401095.3 RTM Date:24 June 20t4 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Velcro Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.govuk

A WEARABLE ITEM

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

[00]] The invention may be practiced by or using a clothing article which has features stowed compactly within pockets of the article which features may be selectably pulled out to improve the function of the article or to convert the article for a different purpose, such as to improve thermal function, enhance a costume, or provide some other aesthetic or fimctional feature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS:

[002] The system and exemplary embodiments employing the system are shown in the accompanying photos and drawings, of which; Photo 1 is the front view of an exemplary convertible baekpaeklcostume in its compact configuration with its hood and right and left flaps stored and with its shoulder straps unsecured, Photo 2 is the front view of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 in its compact configuration with its hood and right and left flaps stored and with its shoulder straps secured, Photo 3 is the rear view of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 in its compact configuration with its hood and right and left flaps stored and with its storage pouch zipper opened, Photo 4 is the rear view of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 in its compact configuration with its hood and right and left flaps stored and with its storage pouch zipper opened closed, Photo 5 is a close up of the opened zipper of Photo 4, Photo 6 is a close-up of the backpack/costume of Photo] with only its hood partially pulled out, Photo 7 is a close-up of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 with only its hood fully pulled out, Photo 8 is the rear view of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 with only its hood fully pulled out and its zipper closed, Photo 9 is a close up of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 with the right flap stored, Photo 10 is a close up of the backpack/costume of Photo I with the right flap partially pulled out, Photo I lisa close up of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 with the right flap fully pulled out, Photo 12 is a close up of the closed zipper of the backpack/costume of Photo 1.

Photo 13 is the rear view of the backpack/costume of Photo I in its thuly extended configuration with its left and right flaps and its hood pulled fully out and it zipper closed, Photo 14 is a close up of the Velcro-type hook-loop fastener portion on the rear side of the extended left flap of the backpack/costume of Photo 1, Photo 15 is the front view of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 in its fully extended configuration with its left and right flaps and its hood pulled fully out, Photo 16 is a close-up of the closed shoulder straps of the backpack/costume of Photo 1, Photo 17 is the front view of the backpack/costume of Photo I with its hood fully pulled out, its right flap filly extended, and its left flap wrapped forwardly, Photo 18 is a close-up of the Velcro-type hook-loop fastener portion on the forwardly-wrapped left flap of the backpack/costume of Photo 1, Photo 19 is a close up of the Velcro-type hook-loop fastener portion on the front side of the extended right flap of the backpack/costume of Photo 1, Photo 20 is the front view of the backpack/costume of Photo 1 with its hood fully pulled out, and its left and right flaps wrapped forwardly Photo 21 is a close up showing the fastening of the forwardly-wrapped left and right flaps; Photo 22 is a front view of the fully extended backpack/costume of Photo 1 showing an alternate shoulder strap securement configuration, Photo 23 is a child donning the compactly configured backpack/costume of Photo 1 from the front view, with the shoulder straps not yet secured, Photo 24 is the child of Photo 22 wearing the compactly configured backpack/costume of Photo 1 with the shoulder straps secured, Photo 25 is a rear view of the child of Photo 22 wearing the compactly configured backpack/costume of Photo I, Photo 26 is a rear view of the child of Photo 22 wearing the backpack/costume of Photo I with the hood donned, Photo 27is a front view of the child of Photo 22 wearing the backpack/costume of Photo I with the hood donned, Photo 28 is a front view of the child of Photo 22 wearing the backpack/costume of Photo I with thc hood donned and the left and right flaps forwardly wrapped but not yet fastened together Photo 29 is a front view of the child of Photo 22 wearing the backpack/costume of Photo 1 with the hood donned and the left and right flaps forwardly wrapped and fastened together at their mating Velcro-type fastener portions, Photo 30 is a rear view of the child of Photo 22 wearing the backpack/costume of Photo 1, Photo 3lis a rear view of the child of Photo 22 wearing the backpack/costume of Photo 1 with the storage pocket zipper opened, [003] Photo 32 is a second child wearing an extended second exemplary backpack/costume from a front view, Photo 33 is the second child wearing the backpack/costume of Photo 32 from a side view, Photo 34 is the second child wearing the backpack/costume of Photo 32 from a rear view, Photo 35 is a third child wearing the extended second exemplary backpack/costume of Photo 32 from a front view, Drawing 1 is a series of illustrations of an exemplary jacket having left and right decorative or thermal flaps stowable iii and extendible from storage pockets inthejacket's rear side, Drawing 2 is a series of illustrations of an exemplary sweatshirt having left and right decorative or thennal flaps stowable in and extendible from storage pockets in the sweatshirt's rear side, Drawing 3 is a series of illustrations of an exemplary runner's vest having left and right reflective or wind-breaking flaps stowable in and extendible from storage pockets in the vest's rear side, Drawing 4 is a series of illustrations of an exemplary road worker's vest having left and right reflective flaps stowable in and extendible from storage pockets in the vest's rear side, Drawing S is a series of illustrations of an exemplary worker's thermal vest having left and right thermal flaps stowable in and extendible from storage pockets in the vest's rear side, Drawing 6 is a series of illustrations of an exemplary tee shirt having left and right decorative or thermal flaps stowaHe in and extendible from storage pockets in the shirt's rear side, and Drawing 7 is a series of illustrations of exemplary sack packs having left and right decorative flaps stowable in and extendible from storage pockets in the sack packs' rear sides, Drawing 8 is a series of illustrations of chalk board pack that converts into a chalk mat, Drawing 9 is a series of illustrations of game vest with pull-out thermal panels, Drawing 10 is a series of illustrations of game pack with pull-out thermal panels, Drawing 11 is a series of illustrations of vests with pull-out flag banners, Drawing 12 is a series of illustrations of additional vests with pull-out flag banners, Drawing 13 is a series of illustrations of additional vests with pull-out flag banners, and Drawing 14 is a series of illustrations of a worker's vest with a pull out thermal wrap.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM AND EMPLOYiNG EMBODIMENTS: [004] As appreciated by review of the included photos and drawings, the invention may be embodied in or practiced using various convertible wearable articles having features that may be deployed only when needed, but are normally stowed for compactness, covertness, or to protect the articles. Preferably, the features are stowed in places on the article where they do not interfere with usual activities, such as on the rear side of the article. Preferably, the stowed features are tucked into pockets on the rear side of the article. The stowed features are preferably pulled from the pockets and extended when needed for any of a variety of uses, such as to form part of a costume or to provide added warmth or visibility. The pockets may or may not be closeable with zippers, Velcro-type fastening, or some other fastening means, according to the need to secure the feature within the article, the cost of the article, or other such considerations [005] It should be appreciated that not all features could be shown in full detail in all illustrations, and that the various embodiments have may features in common which are not always shown. It is therefore intended that unshown aspects of one embodiment may or do nh mic those aspects shown in other embodiments.

[006] As exemplified, the articles may include one or more of a stowable/extendible hood (Photos 1 through 35), stowable/extendible flaps for wrapping forwardly around the sides and front of the user's body (Photos 1 through 35 and Drawings 1 through 7, 9, 10, and 14), stowable sleeves for covering the user's arms, thermal or wind-breaking panels for wrapping the user's body (Drawings 1 through 7, 9, 10, and 14), stowable wings or other such appendages for enhancing a costume, stowabl e decorative elements for selective display (Drawings 2, 6, 7, and 11 through 13), and stowable high-visibility elements for selective display (Drawings 3 and 4).

[007] Referring to the first embodiment of Photos 1 through 31, a first exemplary backpack/costume useful for "Trick-or-Treating" on Halloween is shown. The article serves as both a costume and as a means for carrying such things as collected candy, a flashlight, or additional clothing. The backpack is brightly colored in Halloween orange and black, and is decorated with Jack-o-Lanterns to make it clear to others, such as by-passing motorists, that "Trick-or-Treaters" are active and that added caution should be taken.

[008] The backpack and its various stowable features are made of a tear resistant and reflective nylon fabric. It includes a zippered storage pouch having shoulder straps on its front side. The backpack is worn on the user's back while the shoulder straps are wrapped forwardly over the user's shoulders and secured (Photos 26 and 27). Alternatively to the securement shown in Photo 27, the straps may be crossed as shown in Photo 22. A hood and left and right side flaps extend from the top and sides, respectively of the pouch and may be hidden within pockets that project inwardly through or extend outwardly from slots in the top and sides, respectively, of the pouch. The pockets are each a hollow portion of the associated hood or flap, sewn peripherally to the pouch slots at their near ends and sewn linearly to the remainder of the associated hood or flap at its distal end. When inverted and pushed into the pouch through associated slot the distal end of the pocket may receive die remainder of the hood or flap to hide the stowed hood or flap in the pouch without unzippering the pouch and without regard for the other contents of the pouch. Photos 2 and 4 show the backpack in its compact configuration with the hood and flaps stowed, and Photos 13 and 15 show the back pack with the hood and flaps frilly extended. Photos 23 and 25 show a child wearing the back pack in its compact configuration.

[009] As desired, the hood and/or the side flaps may be pulled from the pouch with the pockets; the hood being pulled up over the user's head (Photos 26 and 27) and the side flaps being pulled forwardly over the user's shoulders and wrapped around the front of the user's abdomen (Photos 28 arid 29). Velcro-type "hook & loop" fasteners on each are engaged at the user's chest to secure the flaps around the user to provide both warmth and additional visibility, and to complete the costume effect of the article. Photos 29 and 30 show the child wearing the backpack with the hood and flaps pulled from their pockets and donned.

[010] Photos 32 through 35 show a second exemplary backpack/costume employing a "pirate" theme worn by both a second smaller child (Photos 32 through 34) and a larger child (Photo 35. to show that the structure of the stowable features renders them equally adaptable to children of all sizes.

[011] Drawing 1 depicts ajacket having a pair of slots in its back side through which are accessed storage pockets for holding a pair of stowed thermal blankets The distal ends of the blankets may be pulled from the pockets while the near ends remain attached at the slots, and the blankets may be pulled forwardly and wrapped around the user's torso to provide additional warmth when thejacket alone is insufficient. The slots may include zippers for preventing inadvertent release of the blankets and for improved styling.

[012] Drawing 2 shows a hooded sweatshirt employing the same feature as the jacket above, while also showing that the blankets may be decorative, instead or in addition to being thermal. Such an article would be particularly useful to a sports fan, who may display his team allegiance at the same time as he improves his comfort. For instance, if a fan attends an away game, he may not wish to display his allegiance outside of the stadium, but may do so only when he gets seated in the visiting section within the stadium. Or a parade watcher may selectively display his patriotism as he warms himself.

[013] Drawing 3 shows a hi-visibility vest to be worn by a runner, which includes wind-breaking blankets extendible from slots on the vest's rear side in the same maimer as the jacket and sweatshirt above. The blankets may be marked for increased visibility, such as with the reflective stripes shown for night-running, of may be unmarked and just worn to "warm down" after a run.

[014] Drawing 4 shows a similar hi-visibility vest such as those worn by road workers, but equipped with pull-out panels to increase visibility, provide rain protection, or for added warmth.

[015] Drawing 5 shows a worker's vest including such pull-out panels. The drawings may also be intenpreted to show a boater's life vest having pull-out panels to reduce hypothermia risk. The panels could be fluorescently colored or reflective to increase visibility for motorists or rescuers.

[016] Drawing 6 shows a tee shirt hooded employing the same feature as the sweatshirt above.

[017] Drawing 7 shows various backpacks employing decorative wings that may be similarly stowed and extended to selectively display one's patriotism or other allegiance.

[018] DrawingS shows a chalk board pack worn on a user's back. The user or others may draw on the chalk board on the back side, and panels may be pulled out of pockets on the sides of the pack and pulled around the user's body and those are also useable as chalkboards. Alternatively, the extended array of chalk boards may be placed horizontally and used as a chalk mat.

[019] Drawings 9 and 10 show articles worn by participants in physical games in which extendible features, normally stowed in pockets on the rear side of the article, may be extended forwardly over the user's body to provide additional thermal or physical protection as needed.

[020] Drawings 11 through 13 show packs worn by users which include banners, normally stowed in pockets on the rear si.de of the article, which may be extended to provide additional flair and to increase the size and amount of information intended to be provided. In this way, a demonstrator or marketer is able to wear a normal sized pack to and from an event while increasing his visibility and message threefold at the event.

[021] Drawing 14 is a worker's vest with pull out thennal wraps that are normally stowed in pockets on the vest's rear side.

[022] While the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims 1. A garment comprising at least one pock and at least one stowable section, wherein the stowable section has a first position within the pocket and a second position extended from the garment, wherein the garment is wearable in the first position with the pocket, and wherein, when in the second position, the stowable section covers at least part of one limb and/or at least part of the torso of a user.
2. A garment according to claim 1, wherein the stowable section is adapted to provide at least one of a group comprising: thermal insulation; reflective material; water-resistant material; camouflage; and a costume.
3. A garment according to claim I or claim 2, wherein at least two stowable sections are provided that, when in the second position, are arranged such that the garment covers two or more body parts selected from a group comprising: a first limb; a second limb, a head; a back; and a torso.
4. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the pocket is releasably sealable.
5. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the gannent comprises means for engang the torso, waist and/or the shoulders of a user.
6. A garment according to claim 6, wherein the garment comprises shoulder straps.
7. A garment according to claim 5, wherein, when in the first position, the garment comprises a waistcoat.
8. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one stowable section comprises a blanket portion.
9. A garment according to claim 8, wherein the blanket portion comprises a thermally insulating foil blanket.
10. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the garment comprises a high-visibility vest and the at least one stowable section comprises at least one reflective arm cover.
11. A garment according to any one of claims ito 8, wherein the garment comprises a t-shirt.
12. A garment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the garment comprises at least one flexible chalkboard section 13. A garment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the garment comprises a character costume.14. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the pocket is positioned at the intended rear of the garment, when worn.Amendments to the claims have been made as follows: Claims 1. A garment comprising at least two pockets, each pocket having a substantially vertical opening and each being provided with a respective stowable section, wherein the stowable sections have a first position within the respective pocket and a second position extended from the garment, wherein the garment further comprise a sealable bag section positioned between the two pocket openings and wherein, when in the second position, the stowable sections cover two or more body parts selected from a group comprising: a first limb; a second limb, a head; a back; a first side of a torso; and a second side of a torso.2. A garment according to claim 1, wherein the stowable section is adapted to provide at least one of a group comprising: thermal insulation; reflective material; water-resistant material; camouflage; and a costume.I A garment according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the openings to the pockets are situated adjacent the periphery of the garment.4. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the openings to the pockets are releasably sealable. (Si0 5. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the garment comprises means for engaging the torso, waist and/or the shoulders of a user.6. A garment according to claim 5, wherein the garment comprises shoulder straps.7. A garment according to claim 5, wherein, when inthe first position, the garment comprises a waistcoat.8. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the stowable sections comprise blanket portions.9. A garment according to claim 8, wherein the blanket portion comprises a thermally insulating foil blanket.* 10. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the garment comprises a high-visibility vest and the stowable sections comprise at least one torso cover.ii. A garment according to any one of claims ito 8, wherein the garment comprises a t-shirt.12. A garment according to any one of claims ito 8, wherein the garment comprises at least one flexible chalkboard section.
13. A garment according to any one of claims ito 7, wherein the garment comprises a character costume. *
14. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the openings to the pockets are -positioned at the intended rear of the garment, when worn. (4 r (4, * 0 *