US20220287399A1

US20220287399A1 - Long-sleeve article of clothing having outer flick sleeve layer to reduce mousepad friction and increase targeting performance for pc gamers

Info

Publication number: US20220287399A1
Application number: US17/692,463
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Bica; Morgan Kade Klimchuk
Original assignee: No Clones Inc
Current assignee: No Clones Inc
Priority date: 2021-03-15
Filing date: 2022-03-11
Publication date: 2022-09-15
Also published as: CA3112066A1

Abstract

An article of clothing includes a body portion and at least one sleeve. An inner layer of the sleeve is formed by a first material, and an outer layer of the sleeve is formed by a second material having a satin weave. The outer layer extends to the wrist area and is attached such that a shiny side of the satin weave faces outward and a dull side of the satin weave faces inward. The outer layer has an orientation of a two-way stretch characteristic being around a circumference of the sleeve and not lengthwise along the length of the sleeve. The inner layer and the outer layer are joined by a longitudinal seam running lengthwise along a top of the sleeve. A wearer operates a computer mouse with the wrist area of the sleeve intermediate the wearer's inner wrist and a mousepad. The outer layer glides against the mousepad.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of Canadian Patent Application No. 3,112,066 filed Mar. 15, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The invention pertains generally to long-sleeve articles of clothing such as hoodies, sweatshirts, and zip-ups. More specifically, the invention relates to a long-sleeve article of clothing that includes an outer flick sleeve layer for reducing friction between the sleeve and a computer mousepad, thereby increasing targeting performance for personal computer (PC) gamers.

(2) Description of the Related Art

A problem faced by competitive gamers in the computer gaming industry is the friction caused by traditional long sleeve clothing against a mousepad. Both the material used (wool/cotton) and the construction of the clothing including the placement and thickness of seams leads to an uncomfortable and high friction contact between the gamer's arm and the mousepad. This results in lack of mobility, poor consistency of aiming in a shooting video games, and fatigue.
To solve these problems, most serious players will either roll up or cut off their sleeve, or simply play in a short sleeve piece of clothing.
Flick shots where quick and accurate mouse movement is required are improved in short sleeves; however, skin also has a high friction coefficient with a typical mousepad. Additionally, skin changes with sweat and oils and is therefore not consistent. Another drawback of avoiding the use of long sleeves for high performance gaming is sacrificing the comfort of playing in a hoodie or other long sleeve article of clothing.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed an article of long-sleeve clothing with a reconstructed sleeve. The lower two thirds of the sleeve (from above the elbow, to the wrist) is made of satin weave with a poly-spandex blend. This weave and material blend is low friction against the mousepad and provides a smooth and consistent glide when moving the mouse, thereby improving comfort, reducing friction, and increasing flick shot consistency when moving the mouse. Friction is minimized in some embodiments by ensuring the stretch orientation of the flick sleeve layer is opposite the stretch orientation of the mousepad such that the fabric weaves of the flick sleeve layer and mousepad glide across each other instead of interlocking with each other.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed an article of long-sleeve clothing where the sleeve is modified to have the longitudinal sleeve seam sit on top of the arm. This is different than a traditional article of long sleeve clothing that has the seam running down the sleeve on the bottom of the arm. Moving the seam to the top of the arm helps prevent the seam from making contact with the mousepad, again improving comfort, reducing friction and increasing consistency when moving the mouse.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed an article of long-sleeve clothing that has a cuff with a flat hem to improve comfort, reduce friction, and increase consistency when moving the mouse. An elastic within the cuff is only partial circumference and does not extend to the inner wrist area of the cuff thereby further flattening the cuff for better comfort and performance when rubbed against a mousepad.
In some embodiments, the article of long-sleeve clothing is a hoodie. The hoodie includes a poly-spandex blend in an outer layer of the sleeve with a seam running along a top portion of the sleeve and a flat hem cuff. Advantages of some embodiments is increased accuracy of a “flick shot” or “snap” maneuver where the user needs to very quickly and accurately move an electronic crosshair onto a target utilizing a computer mouse. A benefit of some embodiments is that the computer user can wear a long sleeve article of clothing such as hoodie for both comfort and warmth and to further gain additional performance enhancing benefits for certain computer games.
In an exemplary embodiment, an article of clothing includes a body portion and at least one sleeve. An inner layer of the sleeve is formed by a first material, and an outer layer of the sleeve is formed by a second material having a satin weave. The outer layer extends to the wrist area and is attached such that a shiny side of the satin weave faces outward and a dull side of the satin weave faces inward. The outer layer has an orientation of a two-way stretch characteristic being around a circumference of the sleeve and not lengthwise along the length of the sleeve. The inner layer and the outer layer are joined by a longitudinal seam running lengthwise along a top of the sleeve. A wearer operates a computer mouse with the wrist area of the sleeve intermediate the wearer's inner wrist and a mousepad. The outer layer glides against the mousepad.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed an article of clothing including a body portion and a sleeve extending from an arm hole of the body portion. An inner layer of the sleeve extends from the arm hole to a wrist area of the sleeve and is formed by a first type of material. An outer layer of the sleeve extends at least a portion of a length of the sleeve to the wrist area and is formed by a second type of material different than the first type of material. The second type of material has a satin weave and the outer layer is attached to the sleeve such that a shiny side of the satin weave faces outward away from the inner layer and a dull side of the satin weave faces inward toward the inner layer.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a method of utilizing the article of clothing while operating a computer. The method includes wearing the article of clothing by a user such that a mouse-using-arm of the user extends through the sleeve, holding a mouse of the computer by the user such that the wrist area of the sleeve is intermediate an inner wrist of the user and a mousepad, and moving the mouse of the computer such that the outer layer of the sleeve adjacent the inner wrist of the user slides against the mousepad.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a method of manufacturing an article of clothing having a body portion and a sleeve extending from an arm hole of the body portion. The method includes forming an inner layer of the sleeve extending from the arm hole to a wrist area of the sleeve utilizing a first type of material and forming an outer layer of the sleeve utilizing a second type of material different than the first type of material. The method further includes selecting the second type of material to have a satin weave, attaching the outer layer of the sleeve over the inner layer such that the outer layer extends at least a portion of a length of the sleeve to the wrist area, and attaching the outer layer of the sleeve such that a shiny side of the satin weave faces outward away from the inner layer and a dull side of the satin weave faces inward toward the inner layer.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a method of modifying an article of clothing having a body portion and a sleeve extending from an arm hole of the body portion. The sleeve includes an inner layer formed by a first type of material that extends from the arm hole to a wrist area of the sleeve. The method includes forming an outer layer of the sleeve utilizing a second type of material different than the first type of material and selecting the second type of material to have a satin weave. The method further includes attaching the outer layer of the sleeve over the inner layer such that the outer layer extends at least a portion of a length of the sleeve to the wrist area, and attaching the outer layer of the sleeve such that a shiny side of the satin weave faces outward away from the inner layer and a dull side of the satin weave faces inward toward the inner layer.
These and other advantages and embodiments of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which represent preferred embodiments thereof:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective front view of an article of clothing having an outer flick sleeve layer on each sleeve according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of one of the sleeves of the article of clothing of FIG. 1 taken along a line running lengthwise down the sleeve according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of a first portion of a sleeve of the article of clothing of FIG. 1 where the outer flick sleeve starts at the lateral seam near the wearer's bicep according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a second portion of the sleeve of the article of clothing of FIG. 1 showing where the outer flick sleeve ends at the wrist area according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view of the wrist area of the sleeve while resting on a mousepad taken along a line running laterally across the cuff according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top-down view of the wrist area of the sleeve showing how the stretch characteristic of the flick sleeve is orthogonal to a stretch characteristic of a mousepad according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a top-down view of the sleeve turned inside out and showing the longitudinal seam running lengthwise down the sleeve according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a user utilizing an article of clothing with flick sleeve while operating a computer according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates a pullover hoodie having dual flick sleeves added where the upper shoulder area of the sleeves has a first, hidden longitudinal seam that extends from a user's armpit to the level of the sleeve around the user's bicep where the flick sleeve layer starts and then the longitudinal seam switches to be on the outside of the arm according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an article of clothing being a pullover hoodie having an outer flick sleeve layer on a single arm of the hoodie according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective front view of an article of clothing 100 having an outer flick sleeve layer 102 on each sleeve 104 according to an exemplary embodiment. The article of clothing 100 in this embodiment is a zip-up hoodie comprising a body portion 106 with zippered front 108, hood portion 110 with tie cord 112, and two long-sleeves 104. The body 106, hood 110 and inner layer 114 of the sleeves 104 shown extending downward from the shoulder area in this embodiment may be similar to the corresponding aspects of well-known prior art hoodies. However, the sleeves 104 are modified in this embodiment to include additional structure and design for increasing performance when the article of clothing is utilized by a user of a computer such as by a competitive PC gamer. In particular, the forearm portion of each sleeve 104 includes an outer flick sleeve layer 102 over top of the inner layer 114 extending from the bicep level of the sleeve 104 down to the end of the sleeve 104 at the wrist area 116.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of one of the sleeves 104 of the article of clothing 100 of FIG. 1 taken along a line running lengthwise down the sleeve 104 according to an exemplary embodiment. The sleeve 104 in this embodiment includes an inner layer 114 formed by a first type of material such as 100% cotton or other fabric selected for its warmth and comfort. In this embodiment, the body portion 106, hood 110, and inner sleeve layers 104 of the article of clothing is made of the first type of material. Any material type known in the art for making comfortable clothing may be utilized for the inner sleeve layer. In this embodiment, the inner layer 114 forms a tube into which a user's arm is inserted when putting on the article of clothing. Just like a normal long-sleeve hoodie, the tube formed by inner layer 114 of the sleeve extends from an arm hole at the shoulder area of the body portion 106 right down the wrist area 116 of the sleeve 104. In this way, the sleeve 104 according to this embodiment feels to the wearer much like the sleeve 104 of a normal hoodie.
The sleeve 104 in this embodiment further includes an outer layer being the flick sleeve layer 102 around the user's forearm. The outer flick sleeve layer 102 extends from a level of the sleeve 104 that is above the elbow around the bicep of the wearer down the sleeve 104 to the wrist area 116. Having the outer flick sleeve layer 102 start from above the elbow around the bicep of the wearer reduces costs of the article of clothing 100 by only requiring the flick sleeve 102 to be present where it provides some performance enhancing benefits while ensuring that the top circumferential/lateral seam 118 attaching the flick sleeve layer 102 to the inner sleeve layer 114 is positioned away from where a user will typically rest their arm when working on a computer. In particular, the top circumferential seam 118 of the flick sleeve layer 102 in this embodiment is not under the elbow of the user nor under the forearm of the user and will thus not be between the user's elbow or forearm and a tabletop or other surface when the user rests their arm on said surface.
The cuff 120 at the wrist area 116 may be a flat cuff formed by a flat hem made by rolling the unfinished edge of the flick sleeve 102 material itself and/or around the unfinished edge of the inner layer 114 and then stitching it.
Whereas the inner sleeve layer 114 in this embodiment is a first type of material selected for comfort, the outer flick sleeve layer 102 is a second, different type of material selected for performance. In particular, the outer layer 102 is selected of a type of material that has a much lower coefficient of friction with a mousepad than the inner layer 114.
In some embodiments, the second type of material used to form the outer layer 102 includes at least 90% polyester and has a satin weave with shiny side 122 of the fabric facing outward and the dull side 124 facing toward the inner layer 114. The satin finish on polyester fabric is highly beneficial for reducing friction as the flick sleeve layer 102 is rubbed against a typical mousepad. A 100% polyester material is utilized in some embodiments for maximum glide. In other embodiments, a polyester-spandex blend is utilized to give the outer flick-sleeve layer 102 better flexibility while still maintaining the friction reducing characteristics of polyester. To ensure the friction levels are kept to a minimum, in preferred embodiments, 90% or greater polyester is utilized for the flick sleeve layer 102 and the material is weaved utilizing a satin weave mounted on the sleeve 104 with shiny side 122 out. For instance, in one particular embodiment, the poly-spandex blend is substantially 97% polyester and 3% spandex with satin weave. In other embodiments, the poly-spandex blend is at least 92% polyester and at most 8% spandex, again with satin weave.
FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of a first portion of a sleeve 104 of the article of clothing of FIG. 1 where the outer flick sleeve 102 starts at the lateral seam 118 near the wearer's bicep according to an exemplary embodiment. As illustrated, the inner layer 114 and the outer layer 102 of the sleeve 104 are firstly joined to one another by a lateral seam 118 running around the circumference of the sleeve 104 at the upper edge of the flick sleeve layer 102. The sleeve 104 above the lateral seam 118 is only formed by the first material of the inner sleeve layer 114. The sleeve 104 below the lateral seam 118 is formed of two layers being the inner sleeve layer 114 and the outer flick sleeve layer 102. In some embodiments, the outer layer 102 runs two-thirds up the user's arm and the sleeve-bicep connection lateral seam 118 is finished with a single top cover stitch.
The inner layer 114 and the outer layer 102 of the sleeve 104 below the lateral seam 118 are further attached to one another by a longitudinal seam 126 running lengthwise along the sleeve 104 on the outside of the user's arm starting from the lateral seam 118 near the user's bicep and continuing down the length of the sleeve 104. The longitudinal seam 126 runs along a line that does not cross under where the user will rest their elbow or forearm when resting their arm on a table or other surface. The longitudinal seam 126 ends near the outer wrist area 114 of the sleeve 104, where “outer wrist area” in this context refers to the top of the user's wrist when their hand is resting on a level surface such as a tabletop as opposed to the “inner wrist area” which refers to the bottom of the user's wrist when their hand is resting on the level surface. FIG. 5 shows more clearly how the longitudinal seam runs along the top of the sleeve such that it would be on the outside of the user's arm during use.
In some embodiments, the longitudinal seam 126 runs down the sleeve 104 to the wrist area 116 along any part of the sleeve 104 except the bottom of the sleeve. For instance, the seam 126 can run down the sleave 104 along the top or sides. Typical long-sleeve articles of clothing hide the seam 126 by starting it in the user's armpit area and running it down the bottom of the sleeve to the inner wrist area. However, for high performance computer users, the longitudinal seam 126 being between the user's arm (or elbow or wrist) and the mousepad reduces comfort and negatively impacts performance such as during flick shots. Embodiments disclosed here help increase computer user performance by placing the seam 126 where it does not interfere with the user's precision control of the mouse. Although the seam 126 is much more visible when run on the top or outside of the sleeve, performance is increased and, for many users, performance will trump any visual appeal that may be obtained by hiding the seam 126 under the arm.
To further reduce friction between the flick sleeve 102 and the mousepad, the fabric orientation of the outer flick sleeve layer 102 on the article of clothing 100 is placed according to the stretch direction S1 of the fabric.
Satin weave polyester and polyester-spandex blends have what is commonly referred to as a two-way stretch. Two-way stretch refers to the ability of the fabric to stretch back and forth in two directions along a line indicated in FIG. 3 as the stretch characteristic S1. To reduce the coefficient of friction between the flick sleeve 102 material and a typical mousepad, the direction of the stretch characteristic S1 of the flick sleeve layer 102 in this embodiment is laterally across the sleeve 104 rather than running longitudinally down the sleeve 102. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the outer flick layer 102 of the sleeve 104 is attached to the inner layer 114 via the lateral and longitudinal seams 118, 126 such that an orientation of the two-way stretch characteristic S1 is around a circumference of the sleeve (i.e., laterally across the sleeve) and not lengthwise down the length of the sleeve 104.
FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a second portion of the sleeve 104 of the article of clothing 100 of FIG. 1 showing where the outer flick sleeve 102 ends at the wrist area 116 according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, the sleeve 104 terminates at the wrist area 116 with a cuff 120 formed by a flat hem of the outer layer 102. In this way, the cuff 120 at the wrist area 116 can be placed intermediate a user's inner wrist and the mousepad with minimal discomfort. Further, since the outer flick sleeve layer 102 wraps around the end of the inner layer 114—see cross sectional view in FIG. 2, for illustration of the layers 102, 114—the cuff 120 of the flick sleeve 102 has low coefficient of friction with the mousepad just like the rest of the flick sleeve layer 102.
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view of the wrist area 116 of the sleeve 102 while resting on a mousepad 128 taken along a line running laterally across the cuff 120 according to an exemplary embodiment. In some embodiments, a ¼ inch (6 mm) elastic 130 is included in the cuff 120. Including an elastic 130 in this manner is beneficial to accommodate larger hand sizes, and the elastic 130 also helps to contour the sleeve 104 for improved fit. In some embodiments, the elastic 120 does not go the entire way around the circumference of the cuff 120; instead, it spans a shorter distance such as one-third the diameter of the cuff 120. In this way, the elastic 130 rests on the top of the user's wrist when the hand is placed flat against the desk or mousepad 128 and the elastic 130 does not extend between the user's inner wrist area on the bottom of the cuff 120. Having the elastic 130 avoid the inner wrist area of the cuff 120 is beneficial to ensure impact and movement between the wrist and mousepad 128 is comfortable and smooth when the cuff 120 is therebetween. In some embodiments, the cuff 120 uses a cuffless-folding hem plus the elastic insert, finished with a single top stitch.
FIG. 6 illustrates a top-down view of the wrist area 116 of the sleeve 104 showing how the stretch characteristic S1 of the flick sleeve 102 is orthogonal to a stretch characteristic S2 of a mousepad 128 according to an exemplary embodiment. Typical mousepads 128 utilized by competitive gamers have a stretch characteristic S2 being vertical when the mousepad is orientated such that the logo 134 of the mousepad is correctly orientated from the point of view of the user. As illustrated, in preferred embodiments, the stretch characteristic S1 of the flick sleeve 102 is orientated to be at ninety-degrees to the stretch characteristic S2 of the mousepad, i.e., the flick sleeve 102 is arranged such that the 2-way stretch characteristic is laterally across the sleeve 104. When the two stretch characteristics S1, S2 cross each other in this way, friction between the flick sleeve 102 and the mousepad 128 is reduced.
A reason for the reduced friction may be because the weave lines 134, 136 that result in the stretch characteristic tend to act as a tracks, thus when the two stretch characteristics S1, S2 are orthogonal, the weave line tracks 134 of the mousepad and the weave line tracks 136 of the flick sleeve 102 easily slide across each other with minimal points of contact. Alternatively, if the mousepad 128 illustrated in FIG. 6 was turned ninety degrees, the stretch characteristics S1, S2 would become parallel to each other and the weave line tracks 134, 136 would tend to interlock with each such that movement horizontally across the mousepad 128 would become difficult. In this alternative situation, relative movement between the mousepad 128 and flick sleeve 102 will have a have much higher friction coefficient, particularly in the direction of the aligned stretch characteristics S1, S2.
Regardless, of the specific reasons, testing by the inventors has shown that friction was reduced on a variety of tested mousepads (placed with their logos 132 readable to the user) by manufacturing the sleeve 104 such that the stretch characteristic S1 of the flick sleeve 102 is laterally around the circumference of the sleeve 104 and not running lengthwise down the sleeve 104. For this reason, in preferred embodiments, the flick sleeve layer 102 is attached to the inner layer 114 such that the flick sleeve stretch characteristic S1 is lateral across the sleeve 104, not longitudinal down the sleeve 104.
As it is possible that there are mousepads 128 in existence that have non-industry standard stretch characteristics S2 (e.g., running vertical on the mousepad 128 instead of horizontal across the mousepad 128), instructions may be provided with the article of clothing 100 that, if glide performance with a particular mousepad 128 is not as expected, the user may try turning the mousepad 128 ninety-degrees. Turning the mousepad 128 ninety-degrees should result in the stretch characteristics S1, S2 between the mousepad 128 and the flick sleeve 102 becoming orthogonal to one another and thereby improving performance. Alternatively, the article of clothing 100 may be sold in some embodiments with a mousepad 128 included. In this way, the mousepad 128 and flick sleeve 102 can be ensured to be compatible for each other such that their stretch characteristics S1, S2 are at ninety degrees to one another for reduced friction therebetween.
FIG. 7 illustrates a top-down view of the sleeve 104 turned inside out and showing the longitudinal seam 126 running lengthwise down the sleeve 104 according to an exemplary embodiment. In some embodiments, manufacturing the article of clothing 102 including assembling the sleeve 104 from sections of fabric including a first section for the inner sleeve 114 and a second section for the outer flick sleeve portion 102. The two sections of fabric 102, 114 are positioned one on top of the other taking care to ensure that the glossy satin finish side of the flick sleeve 102 is facing away from the inner layer 115 and that the stretch characteristic S1 of the outer flick sleeve 102 is lateral across the sleeve 102. The dual layers 102, 114 are then rolled together to form a tube for the sleeve 104. The longitudinal joint 126 where the two sides of the rolled sleeve meet is sewed utilizing known sewing techniques and then the upper edge of the sleeve 104 is attached to the body portion 106 around the arm hole. In some embodiments, the seam 126 running lengthwise on the outside of the forearm connects the outer flick sleeve 102 (e.g., a poly-spandex blend) to the inner layer 114 (i.e., the cotton material of the garment) and a double cover top stitch is utilized for this seam 126 to avoid stretching and cinching.
FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a user utilizing the article of clothing 100 of FIG. 1 while operating a computer according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, a method of utilizing the flick sleeve 102 while operating the computer involves the user wearing the article of clothing 100 such that a mouse-using-arm of the user extends through the sleeve 104. The user holds the mouse 140 of the computer such that the cuff 120 of the sleeve 104 is intermediate the user's inner wrist and the mousepad 128. The user can then move the mouse 140 around on the mousepad 128 and the outer layer 102 of the sleeve 104 adjacent the user's wrist slides against the mousepad 128.
Exemplary benefits of some embodiments include improved performance during games, increased consistency, low friction contact point so decreased efforts, no seam and smooth pad so better comfort. Additional benefits of embodiments disclosed here include that the outer flick sleeve layer 102 works with standard soft mice mousepads 128 and the article of clothing 100 feels like a normal sweater when put on, but the outer material 102 of the sleeve 104 glides better. Further, the flick sleeve 102 top lateral seam 118 sits middle of user's bicep and the longitudinal seam 126 runs down the top part of the sleeve 104. Thus, the user's elbow and forearm do not rest on either seam 118, 126.
Articles of clothing 100 disclosed here are particularly beneficial for computer gamers that need to make flick shots. A flick shot involves making a rapid but accurate targeting motion utilizing the computer mouse 140. Typically flick shots are done with one fluid motion to another and may need to be performed in sequence. Examples include snapping a set of crosshairs to one or more targets. The outer flick sleeve layer 102 disclosed herein makes these motions both fast and consistent and can thereby increase performance of the serious PC gamer.
Articles of clothing 100 disclosed herein may by manufactured either from scratch or by converting existing long-sleeve clothing by the addition of one or more flick sleeve layers 102.
For instance, a method of manufacturing an article of clothing 100 having a body portion 106 and a sleeve 104 extending from an arm hole of the body portion 106 includes forming an inner layer 114 of the sleeve 104 extending from the arm hole to a wrist area 116 of the sleeve 104 utilizing a first type of material. An outer flick sleeve layer 102 is attached to the sleeve 104 over the inner layer 114 such that the outer layer 102 extends at least a portion of a length of the sleeve 104 to the wrist area 116. The outer flick sleeve layer 102 is formed utilizing a second type of material different than the first type of material. An example of the second type of material for use as the flick sleeve 102 is a satin weave material of least ninety-percent polyester and having the shiny side of the satin weave facing outwards so it can rub against the mousepad 128. A blend of polyester and spandex is also utilized in some embodiments to increase flexibility of the flick sleeve 102.
In another example, an article of clothing already having a body portion 106 and a sleeve 104 extending from an arm hole of the body portion 106 can be modified to add a flick sleeve layer 102. For instance, a method of modifying an existing article of clothing includes attaching an outer flick sleeve layer 102 to the existing sleeve 104 such that the new outer layer 102 extends at least a portion of a length of the sleeve 104 to the wrist area 116. In this case, the sleeve 104 already includes an inner layer 114 formed by a first type of material that extends from the arm hole to the wrist area 116 of the sleeve 104 and the flick sleeve layer 102 is added around the original sleeve 104. The outer flick sleeve layer 102 is formed utilizing a second type of material different than the first type of material that makes up the original sleeve 104 (which has now become the inner layer 114). Similar to as describe above, a satin weave material having at least ninety-percent polyester is an example of a good second type of material for forming the flick sleeve.
Regardless of whether manufacturing the article of clothing from scratch or by modifying an existing article of clothing, the coefficient of friction of the outer flick sleeve layer 102 against the mousepad 128 is much less than the coefficient of friction of the inner sleeve layer 114 against the same mousepad 128. In this way, the addition of the outer flick sleeve layer 102 as disclosed herein can improve the performance of a user operating a computer mouse as a result of the low-friction flick sleeve layer 102 gliding on the mousepad 128.
Although the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications, additions and alterations may be made to the invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, although the above examples have focused on a zip-up hoodie having a separate outer flick sleeve layer 102 on each arm's sleeve 104, other embodiments are also possible. For instance, FIG. 9 illustrates a pullover hoodie having dual flick sleeves 102 added where the upper shoulder area 144 of the sleeves 104 has a first, hidden longitudinal seam that extends from a user's armpit to the level of the sleeve around the user's bicep where the flick sleeve layer 102 starts—i.e., at the lateral seam 118. At this point, the longitudinal seam 126 holding the inner sleeve layer 114 and the outer sleeve layers 102 together switches to the outside of the sleeve 104, i.e., down the top of the wearer's arm to avoid the seam 126 being under the wearer's elbow and forearm during usage.
Although the above embodiments have focused on an article of clothing having dual flick sleeves 102—i.e., one per arm—most users only operate the computer mouse 140 utilizing a single arm. In some embodiments, the flick sleeve outer layer 102 is only present on a single sleeve 104 to reduce costs—e.g., a right handed player may purchase a hoodie with the right-side sleeve 104 including the flick sleeve outer layer 102. FIG. 9 illustrates an article of clothing being a pullover hoodie having an outer flick sleeve layer 102 on a single arm of the hoodie. Although having the outer flick sleeve 102 on a single arm's sleeve 104 may prevent the article of clothing 100 being utilized by people that use the other arm to operate the computer mouse 140, costs may be reduced of each particular clothing article 100 and different models may be sold for different handed users.
Although the computer user performance gains of the satin smooth outer layer 102 of the flick sleeve are primarily made available by the flick sleeve 102 covering the forearm including the wrist of the mouse-using-arm, and further although cost benefits are achieved by avoiding extending the flick sleeve outer layer 102 to other portions of the garment 100, embodiments are also possible where the outer flick sleeve layer 102 extends around the entire garment 100 including over the body portion 106, for example.
Other features beneficial to competitive gamers may also be included on the article of clothing 100 in addition to the flick sleeve outer layer 102. In one example, a hoodie pocket 146 as shown in FIG. 10 may include a holder 148 within the pocket 146 for holding a handwarmer (similar to utilized by skiers and other outdoor sports practitioners) on chest or stomach. In this way, gamers can put their hands in the pocket 146 to warm during competition.
Any long sleeve article of clothing may benefit from the addition of an outer flick sleeve layer 102 disclosed herein; example of articles of clothing 100 including hoodies, zip-ups, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, etc.
The steps of the manufacturing processes and other methods such as utilizing the articles of clothing 100 described herein are not restricted to the exact order described, and, in other configurations, described steps may be omitted or other intermediate steps added.
Furthermore, although the above-description has focused on the usage of the articles of clothing 100 described herein by competitive computer gamers, similar benefits also extend to other types of computer users such as computer aided design (CAD) designers and graphic designers, for example. In general, any user who needs to very accurately and quickly control the motions of a computer mouse 140 may benefit from wearing an article of clothing 100 including outer flick sleeve 102 on their mouse-using-arm as disclosed herein.
Although the above description has described an inner layer 114 of the sleeve 104 being a soft and comfortable layer and an outer layer 102 being the flick sleeve layer 102, it is to be understood that one or more other layers of material may be between the inner layer 114 and outer layer 102 in other embodiments. Furthermore, although the body portion 106 and sleeve 104 are generally described as being separate components that are attached to one another during manufacture, this is also not a requirement. It is possible that the body portion 106 and the inner layer 102 of the sleeve may be integral to one another, i.e., a same piece of fabric. It is also possible in some embodiments, that the outer flick sleeve layer 102 may be attached to the article of clothing 100 by the user themselves. To this end, rather than using permanent seams 118, 126, other embodiments employ attachment means including temporary attachment means for attaching the outer flick sleeve layer 102 to the sleeve 104 such as hook and loop fasters, snaps, adhesive, magnets, etc.
Although ensuring the two-way stretch characteristic S1 of the outer flick sleeve layer 102 is lateral around the circumference of the sleeve 104 ensures it will be at ninety degrees to the stretch characteristic S2 of an industry standard mousepad 128, it is possible that there are other mousepads 128 with stretch characteristic S2 running vertical instead of horizontal on the mousepad 128. In some embodiments, the outer flick sleeve layer 102 is therefore attached to the inner layer 114 of the sleeve 104 such that the stretch characteristic of the flick sleeve layer 102 is at a 45 degree angle with respect to the longitudinal/lateral axes of the sleeve 104. Although this slightly increases the coefficient of friction of the flick sleeve layer 102 against industry standard mousepads 128, it allows the flick sleeve 102 to still have low friction regardless of whether the mousepad 128 has a horizontal or vertical stretch characteristic S2.
Although the lateral seam 118 is shown in the above examples as being at the bicep area of the wearer's arm, in other embodiments, the inner layer 114 and the outer layer 102 of the sleeve 104 are joined to one another by a lateral seam 118 running around a circumference of the sleeve 104 that is either below or above an elbow position of the sleeve 104, but not at the elbow position. Avoiding the elbow position for the lateral seam 118 may both improve comfort and performance by avoiding the ridge of the seam 118 being under the user's elbow, which may need to be used as a pivot point by the user during competitive computer gaming.
All combinations and permutations of the above described features and embodiments may be utilized in conjunction with the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An article of clothing comprising:

a body portion; and

a sleeve extending from an arm hole of the body portion;

wherein an inner layer of the sleeve extends from the arm hole to a wrist area of the sleeve and is formed by a first type of material;

an outer layer of the sleeve extends at least a portion of a length of the sleeve to the wrist area and is formed by a second type of material different than the first type of material;

the second type of material has a satin weave; and

the outer layer is attached to the sleeve such that a shiny side of the satin weave faces outward away from the inner layer and a dull side of the satin weave faces inward toward the inner layer.

2. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the inner layer and the outer layer of the sleeve are joined to one another by a longitudinal seam running lengthwise along a top of the sleeve.

3. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein:

the satin weave of the second type of material has a two-way stretch characteristic; and

the outer layer of the sleeve is attached to the inner layer of the sleeve such that an orientation of the two-way stretch characteristic is around a circumference of the sleeve and not lengthwise along the length of the sleeve.

4. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the sleeve terminates at the wrist area with a cuff formed by a flat hem of the outer layer.

5. The article of clothing of claim 4, wherein the cuff includes an elastic that extends less than a full circumference of the cuff and is positioned within the cuff such that the elastic does not extend within an inner wrist area of the cuff.

6. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the first type material forming the inner layer of the sleeve is cotton.

7. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the first type of material forming the inner layer of the sleeve is a same material of which the body portion is formed.

8. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the second type of material forming the outer layer of the sleeve is at least ninety-percent polyester.

9. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the second type of material forming the outer layer of the sleeve is one-hundred percent polyester.

10. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the second type of material forming the outer layer of the sleeve is a polyester-spandex blend.

11. The article of clothing of claim 10, wherein the polyester-spandex blend comprises:

ninety-two percent or greater of polyester; and

eight percent or less of spandex.

12. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the outer layer of the sleeve extends from a bicep area of the sleeve to the wrist area such that the outer layer completely covers a forearm portion of the sleeve.

13. The article of clothing of claim 12, wherein the outer layer of the sleeve extends does not extend from the bicep area of the sleeve to the arm hole of the body portion, whereby only the inner layer of the sleeve extends from the bicep area of the sleeve to the arm hole of the body portion.

14. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the inner layer and the outer layer of the sleeve are joined to one another by a lateral seam running around a circumference of the sleeve that is either below or above an elbow position of the sleeve, but not at the elbow position.

15. The article of clothing of claim 1 being a hoodie, a sweater, a sweatshirt, or a zip-up.

16. A method of utilizing the article of clothing of claim 1 while operating a computer, the method comprising:

wearing the article of clothing by a user such that a mouse-using-arm of the user extends through the sleeve;

holding a mouse of the computer by the user such that the wrist area of the sleeve is intermediate an inner wrist of the user and a mousepad; and

moving the mouse of the computer such that the outer layer of the sleeve adjacent the inner wrist of the user slides against the mousepad.

17. A method of manufacturing an article of clothing having a body portion and a sleeve extending from an arm hole of the body portion, the method comprising:

forming an inner layer of the sleeve extending from the arm hole to a wrist area of the sleeve utilizing a first type of material;

forming an outer layer of the sleeve utilizing a second type of material different than the first type of material;

selecting the second type of material to have a satin weave;

attaching the outer layer of the sleeve over the inner layer such that the outer layer extends at least a portion of a length of the sleeve to the wrist area; and

attaching the outer layer of the sleeve such that a shiny side of the satin weave faces outward away from the inner layer and a dull side of the satin weave faces inward toward the inner layer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the method further comprising attaching the outer layer of the sleeve to the inner layer of the sleeve such that an orientation of the two-way stretch characteristic is around a circumference of the sleeve and not lengthwise along the length of the sleeve.

19. A method of modifying an article of clothing having a body portion and a sleeve extending from an arm hole of the body portion, wherein the sleeve includes an inner layer formed by a first type of material that extends from the arm hole to a wrist area of the sleeve, the method comprising:

selecting the second type of material to have a satin weave;

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: