GB2558751A

GB2558751A - An article of clothing

Info

Publication number: GB2558751A
Application number: GB1718903.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ann Hamilton Patricia
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-11-17
Filing date: 2017-11-15
Publication date: 2018-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-15
Also published as: GB2558751B; GB201619459D0; GB201718903D0

Abstract

An article of clothing 10 comprising two layers 11, 12 of flexible material secured together all around a peripheral edge to enclose the space between the two layers. The article has a first, flat configuration and a second configuration in which the two layers are manipulated apart to create a void in between with a portion of the peripheral edge being moved into the void to create an outwardly facing pocket. The flexible material is preferably fabric, and the two layers formed of one single piece of folded material. The remaining edges may be stitched together 13. The article may be worn as a hat.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: An article of clothing

Abstract Title: Double layered article of clothing (57) An article of clothing 10 comprising two layers 11,12 of flexible material secured together all around a peripheral edge to enclose the space between the two layers. The article has a first, flat configuration and a second configuration in which the two layers are manipulated apart to create a void in between with a portion of the peripheral edge being moved into the void to create an outwardly facing pocket. The flexible material is preferably fabric, and the two layers formed of one single piece of folded material. The remaining edges may be stitched together 13. The article may be worn as a hat.

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An Article of Clothing

The present invention relates to an article of clothing and particularly, but not exclusively, to an article of clothing which can be manipulated into a number of threedimensional shapes or configurations. The article of clothing is particularly, but not exclusively, suited to use as an article of headgear or a hat which can be manipulated to fit most if not all head shapes and sizes, and which can be manipulated into a number of styles.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an article of clothing comprising two layers of flexible material joined together all around a peripheral edge to enclose the space between the two layers, the article of clothing being manipulatable between a first configuration in which the two layers substantially overlie one another with both layers being substantially flat against each other and a second configuration in which the article provides an outwardly facing pocket for receiving a part of a wearer, said pocket being formed by manipulating the two layers away from each other to create a void therebetween and moving a portion of the peripheral edge inwardly into the void.

In some preferred arrangements the two layers of flexible material are made of the same material. Sometimes the two layers of flexible material are formed from a single piece of the same material folded such that one part of the join at the peripheral edge in said first configuration is constituted by a fold in the material. Usually the two layers of flexible material are made of fabric, such as a woven or knitted fabric. One or both layers may incorporate an additional layer of thermally insulating material or UV resistant material.

Conveniently at least a portion of the join at the peripheral edge is constituted stitching, but other forms of joining the two layers are envisaged.

With some embodiments, at least one of the layers incorporates one or more embellishments selected from the group comprising: ruches, pleats, ruffles, frills, tucks, buttons, bows, other decorative items.

Normally the joining of the two layers at the peripheral edge is permanent and continuous such that the inside surfaces of the two layers cannot be accessed from outside and the space between the two layers is empty.

Commonly the article of clothing is a hat and the pocket in the second configuration is arranged and dimensioned to receive a portion of a human head.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of creating a wearable article of clothing comprising the steps of:

i) providing an article of clothing as described above, ii) separating the two layers away from each other to create a void therebetween, iii) moving a portion of the peripheral edge inward into the void to create an outwardly facing pocket for receiving a part of the wearer. The part of the wearer such as a head can then be inserted into the pocket.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail by way of example. The description makes reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an article of clothing according to the present invention in a first configuration,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on line A-A of figure 1,

Figure 3 is a similar cross-sectional view to figure 2 illustrating the article of clothing being manipulated into another configuration,

Figure 4 is a similar cross-section view to figure 3 illustrating the article of clothing being manipulated into a further configuration,

Figure 5 shows a section similar to figure 4 after placement on the head of a wearer,

Figure 6 is a schematic external view illustrating the arrangement of figure 3,

Figure 7 is a schematic external view illustrating the arrangement of figure 4,

Figure 8 is schematic external view illustrating the article of clothing being placed on the head of a wearer,

Figure 9 is a schematic view illustrating the arrangement of figure 5 and the arrangement of figure 8 after further manipulation, and

Figure 10 illustrates in plan view similar to figure 1 a number of alternative shapes for the article of clothing.

One embodiment of the present invention is shown in figures 1 to 9, The figures show an article of clothing 10 which in this embodiment is to be used as an article of headgear or hat. The article 10 comprises a first layer 11 and a second layer 12 which overlie each other. The two layers 11, 12 are secured to each other around a continuous peripheral edge 13 by sewing or other suitable means such as adhesive or heat welding, the actual method of securing depending on the materials used to form the two layers 11, 12. The two layers 11, 12 are both made from a flexible material, particularly fabric perhaps woven or knitted, although other materials could be used such as plastic or rubber, the actual material being a matter of design choice. Indeed, each layer 11, 12 may include an additional layer or lining (not shown) and the additional layer may comprise a thermally insulating material or a UV resistant material. The peripheral edge 13 is shown as being at the extreme edge of the layers 11, 12 as an internal seam, but can be spaced slightly inwardly of the extreme edge of the layers, either around the full periphery or just a part or parts thereof. The internal space between the two layers 11, 12 is effectively closed by the securement at the peripheral edge 13 with nothing else in the space and in figure 1 the two layers 11, 12 substantially lie flat against each other so the internal space between the two layers is minimal or non-existent, the peripheral edge lying substantially in a single plane and defining the outermost boundary of the article 10 in that plane. This first, flat configuration is compact and is ideal for packing and transporting.

Figures 3 and 6 show how the two layers 11, 12 can be manipulated/separated (whilst remaining secured at the peripheral edge 13) by grasping the two layers 11, 12 at somewhat opposite points within the enclosed area defined by the peripheral edge and pulling apart as indicated by the arrows in these figures. This effectively opens up the internal space to produce a void 14 between the two layers 11, 12. It will be understood that a similar void 14 can also be produced by lying the article flat on a surface such as a table, grasping with one hand the uppermost layer 11, 12 within the peripheral edge 13 and lifting said uppermost layer. In both techniques for creating the void 14, the grasping of the one or two layers can be made at a central point X as shown in figure 1 or at any other points within the peripheral edge 13 and this point location can have an effect on the eventual form of the article ready for wearing.

Once the void 14 has been created between the two layers, a portion 15 of the peripheral edge 13 can be pushed inwardly into the volume of the void 14, although it will be appreciated that all external surfaces of the article remain external of the void (and all internal surfaces remain internal of the void) and the void 14 itself merely shrinks in volume. This second configuration is shown in figures 4 and 7. The action of pushing in the portion 15 of the peripheral edge 13 creates a pocket 16 which projects inwardly into the article 10 and which faces outwardly. The pocket 16 is intended to receive the head 17 of the user as shown clearly in figures 5, 8 and 9. Although the peripheral edge 13 in figure 4 is shown as an inwardly projecting seam, this seam construction is only illustrative of a suitable join and this detail is not shown in figures 2 and 3.

Once the article 10 is in place with the user’s head 17 in the pocket 16, the article can be manipulated and shaped as desired. A multitude of different shapes and effects can be made depending on the creativity of the user and of course depending on the size and shape of the original article 10 prior to use, on the particular material or materials used for the two layers 11, 12, and on the location of the points used for separating the two layers 11, 12.

Figure 10 illustrates a number of possible alternatives to the figure 1 shape of the basic article prior to manipulation. All different shapes will have an effect on the ultimate hat shapes and effects that can be created. Different shapes and effects can also be dependent on where the pocket 16 is created, in other words which portion of the peripheral edge 13 is pushed into the volume of the void 14. For example, with the rectangular article of figure 1 the pocket 16 could be formed by pushing a comer of the peripheral edge 13 into the void 14 or the pocket 16 could be formed by pushing a central part of a straight section of the peripheral edge into the void.

In addition to the different shapes and effects resulting from different manipulation of the article 10, the material or materials of the two flexible layers 11,12 are particularly important. The two layers 11, 12 may be formed from the same material either as a pair of separate layers that are secured together about the peripheral edge 13 or as a single piece of flexible material folded together and secured such that part of the peripheral edge 13 is constituted by a fold and the remainder by a stitched or otherwise secure connection. The two layers, 11, 12 can also be made of different flexible materials, perhaps with different degrees of flexibility of resilience and perhaps of course of different colours, patterns etc. It is also envisaged that each fabric layer 11, 12 itself could be formed of a number of different pieces of flexible material. For example, a rectangular layer as shown in figure 1 could be constituted by a patchwork of a number of pieces of material.

It will be understood that the invention relates to an article of clothing and is not limited to hats or articles of headgear. The creation of a pocket 16 as illustrated above can serve to receive other parts of the human anatomy such as hands or feet. For example, in one envisaged arrangement a pair of opposed pockets 16 can be formed in the article 10 so that the article of clothing 10 acts as a hand-muff and can, depending on dimensions, also be manipulated to form a hat depending on the user’s needs. It is of course essential that the article 10 is dimensioned such that the size of the pocket 16 that can be formed is of a sufficient size to receive a head, hands etc. depending on its intended use.

The above-described arrangements disclose flexible layers 11, 12 that are substantially plain such that they can take up a flat orientation, as shown in figure 1 for example. It is, however, envisaged that one or more of the layers can have a portion or portions that are embellished in some way with pleats, ruches, ruffles, frills, tucks etc. Additionally, or alternatively, bows, ribbons and other articles of adornment could be secured to portions of the article 10. Similarly, the peripheral edge could also incorporate embellishment such as a fringe or tassels and not be a flat seam. In many arrangements, however, it is desirable, although not essential, that a section of the peripheral edge, such as the portion 15 discussed above, and the portions of the layers 11, 12 immediately adjacent to that section are left plain such that they can form a generally unembellished pocket 16 which may be more comfortable when the user’s head is inserted into the pocket. Whilst in many embodiments both layers 11, 12 will be of the same shape and size, it is also possible that the two layers are not of the same shape or size but are still joined at a peripheral edge 13. Such constructions can provide additional decorative effects in use.

Claims

1. An article of clothing comprising two layers of flexible material joined together all around a peripheral edge to enclose the space between the two layers, the article of clothing being manipulatable between a first configuration in which the two layers substantially overlie one another with both layers being substantially flat against each other and a second configuration in which the article provides an outwardly facing pocket for receiving a part of a wearer, said pocket being formed by manipulating the two layers away from each other to create a void therebetween and moving a portion of the peripheral edge inwardly into the void.

2. An article of clothing as claimed in claim 1 wherein the two layers of flexible material are made of the same material.

3. An article of clothing as claimed in claim 2 wherein the two layers of flexible material are formed from a single piece of the same material folded such that one part of the join at the peripheral edge in said first configuration is constituted by a fold in the material.

4. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the two layers of flexible material are made of fabric.

5. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein at least a portion of the join at the peripheral edge is constituted by stitching.

6. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein one or both layers incorporate an additional layer of thermally insulating material or UV resistant material.

7. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein at least one of the layers incorporates one or more embellishments selected from the group comprising: ruches, pleats, ruffles, frills, tucks, buttons, bows, other decorative items.

8. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the joining of the two layers at the peripheral edge is permanent and continuous such that inside surfaces of the two layers cannot be accessed from outside.

9. An article of clothing as claimed in claim 8 wherein the space between the two layers is empty.

10. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the article of clothing is a hat and the pocket in the second configuration is dimensioned to receive a portion of a human head.

11. An article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the two layers are rectangular.

12. A method of creating a wearable article of clothing comprising the steps of:

i) providing an article of clothing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, ii) separating the two layers away from each other to create a void therebetween, iii) moving a portion of the peripheral edge inward into the void to create an outwardly facing pocket for receiving a part of the wearer in said second configuration.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB1718903.6 Examiner: Carrie-Ann Williams