US20120117712A1

US20120117712A1 - Convertible scarf

Info

Publication number: US20120117712A1
Application number: US12/944,230
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward J. Fleming
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-11-11
Filing date: 2010-11-11
Publication date: 2012-05-17

Abstract

The present invention relates to an article of clothing to be worn particularly, but not exclusively, about a person's neck. Specifically, the article is comprised of sections that, in some embodiments, appear to be traditional neckties and a means for removably attaching the two pieces.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Neckwear has been popular for centuries, originally as protection from the cold and later evolving into fashion accessories. In the fifteenth century, Parisians admired the traditional small, knotted neckerchiefs of Croatian mercenaries. These neckerchiefs, which came to be known as “cravats,” began a fashion craze in Europe.
Around the time of the industrial revolution, there became a need for neckwear that was easy to put on, comfortable, and would last an entire workday. The long tie, or four-in-hand necktie, was created to the answer this need. Since then, neckties have become an almost required apparel item for men's dress attire in both Western and non-Western societies, particularly when dressing for business.
In the early twentieth century, working in an office became more and more common. Many men, and even some women, were required to wear neckties to work. In the late 1960s, ties, seen as constricting and too traditional, fell out of fashion except when absolutely required. Ties regained some popularity in the 1980s, but they again fell into disfavor as technology-based companies, with their casual dress requirements, became the leaders of the business world.
In recent years, neckwear has regained popularity with women, who enjoy wearing fashion scarves indoors and out, regardless of the season. The inclusion of traditional neckties in this resurgence seems unlikely without some innovation. The apparel industry thus would benefit from a fresh take on this old favorite.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improved form of neckwear, referred to herein for convenience as a convertible scarf, suitable for wear by men and women. The convertible scarf is comprised of at least two sections and may be shaped to resemble a traditional necktie. Each section has at least two ends, one of which may be removably attached to another section and one of which may hang loosely from the neck of the wearer or be tied or otherwise decoratively arranged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a close-up view of an embodiment of the inventive convertible scarf having two sections connected by bolt snaps.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of a person wearing an embodiment of the inventive convertible scarf having two sections and configured as a scarf.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a front view of a person wearing an embodiment of the inventive convertible scarf having two sections and configured as a bow tie. FIG. 3A shows the scarf as it is being tied, and FIG. 3B shows the scarf tied as a bow tie.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the inventive convertible scarf configured as a cravat.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of a person wearing an embodiment of the inventive convertible scarf having three sections and configured as a scarf.

FIG. 6 is a view of an embodiment of the present invention having two sections formed from recycled neckties connected by a connector ring, wherein one section is shown in front view and one section is shown folded so as to display a portion of the reverse thereof.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention configured as suspenders.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As depicted in FIGS. 1-7, embodiments of the convertible scarf 10 comprise at least a first section 20 and a second section 30. Each section 20, 30 may be in the shape of all or a part of a necktie or bow tie (as shown in FIG. 3A), in the shape of a conventional scarf, or in another desired shape. In some embodiments, the sections 20, 30 are composed of material similar to that from which neckwear such as neckties, bow ties, and scarves traditionally are manufactured and, as shown in FIG. 6, may be lined in a manner similar to the emulated neckwear. The sections 20, 30 may even be fashioned from a wearer's existing necktie collection. In the alternative, the sections may be made from any pliable material suitable for use as a scarf, including but not limited to yarn, paper, rubber, plastic, or even duct tape. The sections 20, 30 preferably are of a length and width sufficient to be worn as a scarf, typically being from 9-40 inches in length and 1-5 inches in width for an adult wearer, with greater lengths and/or widths being used for larger individuals or when it is desired to provide for wrapping the scarf around the neck or over the head for additional warmth. The sections 20, 30 of the assembled convertible scarf 10 may be identical in fabric or pattern, or they may coordinate or clash as the wearer selects. Optionally the convertible scarf 10 comprises additional sections, such as section 40 illustrated in FIG. 5. Each section 20, 30, 40 has two ends.
With reference to FIG. 1, a first end 24 of section 20 of convertible scarf 10 comprises a connector 15. The connector 15, in this embodiment, comprises a self-fabric loop at one end 24 of section 20 and a bolt snap 42 attached thereto.
In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the connectors 15, 15′ comprise a self-fabric loop at ends 24, 34 of sections 20, 30. The connectors 15, 15′ are fed onto a connector 50, which is an openable ring. It is contemplated that the connector 50 preferably would be sized to fit discreetly at the back side of the wearer when worn so that from the front, it would appear that the user is wearing conventionally constructed neckwear rather than neckwear having removable sections. An example of such a connector 50 would be a binder ring as found in office supply stores. The embodiment of connector 50 illustrated in FIG. 6 can be separated from sections 20, 30, and could be separately supplied to users.
The connector 15 could of course be comprised of any other connector suitable for removably attaching sections of fabric scarf 10. For example, the connector 15 may comprise one or more of loops of fabric or some other appropriate material, spring fasteners, carabiners, snap hooks, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, barrel clasps, toggle clasps, magnetic clasps, openable or closed rings, or the like. The connector 15 may comprise an openable and recloseable loop at an end 24 of a section 20, either attached to section 20 by being formed as an integral part thereof or otherwise attached to the section 20. It is not necessary that each connector 15, 15′ be constructed in the same manner or comprise the same style of connector.
In use, connectors 15, 15′ of at least two sections 20, 30 are connected to each other to form convertible scarf 10. As shown in FIG. 2, convertible scarf 10 may be placed around the neck of a wearer. The connectors 15, 15′ of sections 20, 30 may be concealed behind the wearer's neck, for example under the wearer's collar or beneath the wearer's hair, when appropriately sized for that purpose.
Opposite to the connectors 15, 15′ on sections 20, 30 of convertible scarf 10 are opposite ends 22, 32. When the convertible scarf 10 is worn around the neck of a wearer, those opposite ends 22, 32 may be fashionably draped so as to fall loosely on the front of the wearer as shown in FIG. 2, may be tied in the form of a bow tie as illustrated in FIG. 3B, may be tied in the form of a necktie (not illustrated), may be tied in the form of a cravat as shown in FIG. 4, or may be tied in other ways. Alternatively, one or more of the opposite ends may looped over the shoulder of the wearer as illustrated with respect to the section 40 in FIG. 5, or worn in still other manners as desired by the wearer.
The convertible scarf 10 may also be utilized in place of suspenders as shown in FIG. 7. In such embodiments, the sections 20, 30 are of a length such that the ends 22, 32 hang past the user's belt. Loops 26, 28, shown dashed in FIG. 7, sized to receive a belt may be sewn to one side of each of the ends 22, 32 and may be visible or hidden when in use. The user can then put his belt through the loops 26, 28 of the scarf 10 instead of or in addition to the loops of his pants. In the alternative (not shown), the sections 20, 30 may be fitted with clips if the user does not wish to wear or attach a belt to the scarf 10. In another embodiment, a scarf 10 configured as suspenders may have buttons sewn to the sections 10, 20 to attach to pants with tabs for receiving suspender buttons (not shown). Wearing a convertible scarf 10 configured to resemble suspenders provides a unique look as well as an additional means of holding up the user's pants.
The convertible scarf 10 need not, however, be worn around the neck of a user. It may be partially tucked into a pocket, either otherwise unattached to the user or while worn around the user's neck, or it may be configured for wearing at or around the wearer's waist or around the wearer's shoulders or head. Alternatively, the convertible scarf 10 can be used as a streamer, for example to show support for a favorite sports team. When convertible scarf 10 is used as a streamer, the user may hold it (preferably at the connection point) and wave the sections in the air, providing an attractive and safe alternative to conventional streamers. When used in this fashion, multiple sections 20, 30, 40 may be preferred to enhance the streamer effect and provide an even more festive or colorful look. If preferred, when the convertible scarf 10 is composed of more than two sections, the user can remove one or more of the additional sections from the convertible scarf 10 and wave the removed sections while still wearing the sections that have not been removed. Conveniently, the convertible scarf 10 can be worn by fans to ball games, removed in whole or in part for waving during the game, and then replaced on the body and worn as a fashion accessory when leaving the game and afterwards. The size and shape of one or more of the connectors 15 should preferably be selected to permit attaching the desired number of sections and to facilitate gripping the convertible scarf when waving it.
Because the sections 20, 30, 40 of the convertible scarf 10 can be individually selected and replaced, it is possible for the wearer to achieve unique designs that are unlikely to be duplicated by others wearing similar accessories. That is, the precise pairing of the sections of the convertible scarf, particularly when more than two sections are used, can provide an exponential increase in the options available and consequent diminution in the chances that two wearers will inadvertently look alike.
Moreover, because sections of the convertible scarf 10 can be individually selected and replaced, it is possible for the wearer to use the convertible scarf 10 to express the user's allegiance. For example, the sections can be configured with indicia, that is colors and/or designs indicative of the user's support (or lack thereof) for persons, places, groups, or concepts such as nations, charities, causes, schools, and teams. A user might even configure a section with indicia comprising an image of a child, relative, or pet. A user could, for example, pair a section 20 bearing indicia (such as a logo or team colors) that might under other circumstances indicate support for a particular sports team with the sections 30, 40 that bear a “not” symbol and/or language indicating a lack of support. Alternatively, a user could combine as many sections 20, 30, 40 as desired, all indicative of support for a single sports team; or, in a family where children attended different colleges, a user could combine sections indicative of each institution attended to express allegiance, albeit divided allegiance, to these institutions.
A wearer may accessorize the convertible scarf 10 through the use of one or more tie pins, clips, bars, tacks, chains, or straps; brooches or pins; flowers or corsages; or other accessories. These accessories may be merely decorative or may serve as indicia, and the accessories may make the wearer's appearance more formal or festive.
The foregoing details are exemplary only. Other modifications that might be contemplated by those of skill in the art are within the scope of this invention, and the embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited by the examples illustrated herein.

Claims

1. A convertible scarf comprising at least two sections, each section having a connecting end, each connecting end comprising a connector for removably connecting the sections to each other.

2. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein each section is shaped to resemble a necktie.

3. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein said connector comprises a loop.

4. The convertible scarf of claim 3 wherein the scarf further comprises at least one of a bolt snap, trigger snap, spring hook, snap hook openable ring, or carabiner attached to at least one loop.

5. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein said connector comprises a loop and the scarf further comprises a mating buckle having a first and second half, with the first half connected to the connecting end of a first section and the second half connected to the connecting end of a second section.

6. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein at least one connector comprises an openable and recloseable loop forming an integral part of the connecting end of the section.

7. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein at least one connector comprises an openable and recloseable loop attached to at least one loop.

8. The convertible scarf of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional connector removably attached to at least one of the connectors comprising the connecting ends of the sections of the convertible scarf.

9. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein at least one of the connectors is configured to facilitate gripping by the user whilst the sections are waved in the air.

10. The convertible scarf of claim 8 wherein at least one additional connector is configured to facilitate gripping by the user whilst the sections are waved in the air.

11. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein the scarf is configurable for use as a streamer.

12. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein there are two sections that are alike in appearance.

13. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein there are two sections that are different in appearance.

14. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein at least one section is configured to display indicia.

15. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein the scarf is configured to resemble suspenders.

16. The convertible scarf of claim 15 wherein an end opposite the connecting end of each section further comprises at least one of loops, buttons, or clips.

17. The convertible scarf of claim 1 wherein the scarf is configurable for wearing as bodywear at a user's waist, around a user's waist, or around a user's head, around a user's shoulders.

18. A convertible scarf comprising at least two sections, each section having a connecting end, each connecting end comprising a connector for removably connecting the sections to each other, at least one section being configured to display indicia.

19. A convertible scarf comprising at least two sections, each section having a connecting end, each connecting end comprising a connector for removably connecting the sections to each other, the convertible scarf being alternatively configurable for use as bodywear and as a streamer.