US2546057A - Sleeve closure - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1951 BOD|N ET AL 2,546,057

SLEEVE CLOSURE Filed Nov. 24, 1.948

grace 77. Bodin Helene C". Seid/ ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 20, 1951 SLEEVE CLOSURE Grace A. Bodin and Helene C. Seidl, St. Paul, Minn.

Application November 24, 1948, Serial No. 61,764

4 Claims.

vide a garment for containing an infant which permits freedom of movement and still encloses the infant effectively at all times. The garment is so constructed that it is virtually impossible for the infant to become uncovered accidentally.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a garment having sleeves which may be open at their outer ends or may be closed to entirely enclose the hands of the infant. Thus the garment may be worn during the play time of the infant, during which time the hands may be exposed for handling toys and other objects, or may be worn during the sleeping periods at which time it may be desirable to enclose the hands of the infant, By closing the ends of the sleeves the infant is prevented from scratching himself or sucking his thumb.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a garment formed with cuffs which extend. over the outer surface of one side only of the sleeves. These cuffs are formed by doubling back one side of the sleeve and securing the doubled back portion to the sleeve along its ends. The cuff thus formed may be inverted to act as a pocket containing the end of the sleeve and by thus folding the cuff the end of the sleeve is effectively closed. 1

A feature of the present invention lies inthe provision of a cufi at the end of each sleeve which is preferably formed in two halves. The portion of the cuff on one side of the sleeve is folded back upon itself to overlie the outer surface of the sleeve and is secured at its ends to the sleeve. The other portion of the cuff is folded back upon itself to lie inwardly of the sleeve and is likewise secured at its ends to the body of the sleeve. This second part of the cuff serves as an inner picket when the first portion of the cuff is folded to close the sleeve end. This produces in effect a double pocket for closing the sleeve ends.

An added feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a removable pad, preferably of water-proof material, which may overlie the rear panel of the garment to prevent the garment from becoming moist. This pad is preferably of material which tends to remain flat and therefore will not bunch up beneath the infant. The pad is so secured to the garment that it may be easly removed and replaced or may be reversed if desired. i

An added feature of the present invention lies in the manner in which the garment is held closed. The front of the garment comprises two panels which are designed to overlap, each panel being of sufficient width to extend entirely across the front of the infant. Each front panel is provided near its upper extremity with a loop or tie which is designed to extend through a slot in the garment between the rear panel and the other forward panel. Thus either of the front panels may be first folded over the body of the infant and the loop or tie of this first panel may be inserted through the slot in the opposite side of the garment in position for tying after the garment is closed. The loop or tie on the innermost panel extends through the slot in the other side of the garment and is engageable with a strap or tie on the exterior of the garment.

The loop or tie on the outermost panel is en- 7 gageable with a similar tie or strap on the exterior of the garment at the other side of the infant. These overlapping panels when tied as described form an effective covering for the infant.

An added feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a panel foldably connected to the back panel or forming an extension thereof along the lower edge of the garment. This panel is foldable over the overlapping front panels of the garment and is engageable with the same exterior ties or straps used for holding the overlapping front panels in closed position. When this panel is folded over the overlapping panel a closure is provided for the lower end of the garment which is easily secured in place and yet which prevents the infant from becoming uncovered.

A feature of the present invention lies in the fact that if desired, the extension panel at the lower end of the garment may, if desired, be folded back upon the rear panel of the garment to permit the infant to exercise and kick. The back of the garment is flat and does not become easily bunched beneath the infant to cause discomfort thereto.

Another feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a garment which may readily enclose the infant during sleeping periods and which may cover the major portion of the body of the infant even while the infant is being changed. The overlapping front panels of the garment cover the chest of the infant at all times when overlapped, but the lower corners of the frontpanels may be folded back to expose the lower portion of the body.

An added feature of the present invention lies in the fact that our garment encloses the child effectively without any tapes, straps, or ties at the neck of the garment. This feature is of importance, as it eliminates the danger of strangulation of the infant and as there are no straps or ties near the face of the infant which can be placed in the mouth of the infant.

These and other objects and novel feature of our invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of our specification:

Figure l is a diagrammatic plan view of the garment in folded condition showing the arrangement of the parts thereof.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the garment in open position showing the location of the various elements and the means used for holding the various parts together.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a sleeve end showing a part of the cuff construction.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the sleeve showing the double culf arrangement thereof when the sleeve ends are open.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 4 showing the sleeve ends in closed position.

Figure 6 is a sectional view transversely through the cuff, the position of the section being indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

The garment A includes a back panel II) which is connected along side seams l and I2 to front panels I3 and M respectively. The rear panel In is formed to provide a neck portion l5 and the front panels l3 and i i are tapered along their upper edges as indicated at It and ll respectively to provide a V-shaped neck opening in the front of the garment when the panels are overlapped.

The front panels i3 and I4 extend the full width of the garment and are provided with side edges 19 and 2|! respectively which are designed to extend along the seams H and I2 in closed position of the garment. Thus the edge 2!} of the panel M is designed to lie along the seam l connecting the rear panel ID to the front panel |3 in closed position of the garment. when in overlapping position the edge 59 of the front panel I3 is designed to extend along the seam [2 connecting the panel ii) to the front panel I4. Either of the front panels may be first folded over the infant, the garment being so constructed that the closing operation is similar regardless of which front panel is first folded.

A loop 2| of cloth, tape, or other suitable tying material is secured to the front panel i3 at the juncture between the tapered upper panel edge l6 and the longitudinal panel edge l9. This loop 2| is positioned to extend through a slot 22 in the garment A adjacent the seam l2 connecting the rear panel It to the front panel I4. The slot 22 is preferably reinforced with tape or other means so that the garment will not readily rip adjacent this slot.

A loop 23 similar to the loop 2| is secured to the front panel M at the juncture between the tapered uper edge if and the longitudinal panel edge 20. This loop 23 is positioned to extend through a slot 24 in the garment adjacent the seam connecting the panel Hi to the front panel i3. This slot 24 is similar to the slot 22 and in opposed relation thereto, the garment being suitably reinforced adjacent the slot. Only one of the slots 22 or 24 is used at a time, the loop 2| being inserted through the slot 22 when the panel I3 is first folded over the infant as indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings. In the event the front Similarly 4 panel I 4 is first folded over the infant the loop 23 on this panel is inserted through the slot 24.

A strap or tie 25 is stitched or otherwise secured to the garment along the seam H on the inner surface of the garment. This tie 25 is designed for cooperation with a tie or strap 26 secured to one corner of a fiat rectangular pad 21. The straps 25 and 26 may be tied together to hold the pad 21 in proper position beneath the infant.

A strap 29 is stitched or otherwise secured at one end along the seam |2 connecting the rear panel In to the front panel M. This strap or tie 29 is cooperable with a strap or tie 3|] secured to a corner of the pad 21 opposite the corner to which the strap 26 is secured. The ties 29 and 33 may be knotted together to further assist in holding the pad 21 in its proper location.

A panel 3| is secured to the lower edge of the rear panel It or forms'an extension thereof extending beyond the lower edges of the panels l3 and M. The panel 3| is provided at its extremity with opositely directed ties or straps 32 and 33, which like the other ties or straps mentioned, may be formed of cloth, tape or other suitable material. The panel 3| is designed to fold upwardly and over the overlapping front panels I3 and i i in closed position of the garment to form a bottom closure and to assist in holding the panels l3 and I4 overlapped. When the panel 3| is secured in place as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings it is extremely difficult for the infant to become uncovered.

A strap or tie 34 is secured to the exterior surface of the garment along the seam ll adjacent the slot 24. A similar strap or tie 35 is secured to the outer surface of the garment along the seam l2. These ties are cooperable with the ties 32 and 33 and with the loops 2| and 23 to hold the garment closed. If the front panel l3 forms the first folded panel of the garment the loop 2| on this panel is inserted through the slot 22 and is therefore accessible from the outside of the garment. Here the strap 33 or the strap 35 are inserted through the loop 2| and the two straps 33 and 35 are tied together so as to hold the garment in closed position. In this event, either the strap 32 or the strap 34 is inserted through the loop 23 of the outer panel l4 and the two straps 32 and 3d are tied together so as to hold. the garment closed.

If the garment is folded in the opposite manner and the panel I4 is innermost, the loop 23 is inserted through the slot 24 and secured by the straps 32 and 34. The loop 2| of the outer panel I6 is held in place by the insertion of either the strap 33 r the strap 35 therethrough and by tying these two straps. It will be seen that if the legs of the infant are to be exposed during exercise periods the panel 3| may be folded beneath the rear panel i0 and tied in the manner de-. scribed above. When thus engaged the rear panel is of double thickness and the garment has much of the appearance of a gown or robe of usual design. It would also be seen that the panel 3| may be folded downwardly temporarily, thus exposing the lower part of the infant so the diapers of the infant may be easily changed.

The cuff or sleeve construction of the garment A forms an important part of the present inven-' tion. The sleeves 3e and 37 are of any desired type and may be secured to the front and rear panels in any preferred manner. The sleeves 36 and 31 are tubular in form and may be formed either by two strips of material attached together along the edges or may be formed by foldinga single strip end securing the adjacent edges together.

In order to best describe the sleeve construc tion it will be noted that in preferred form the sleeves are either formed of two pieces secured together along opposite edges or, as in the pres ent case, the ends of the sleeve are slit longitudinally for a distance from the sleeve end to form opposite seams along the edges 39 and 40. Thus the end of the sleeve is separated into two sleeve sides which are designated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings by the numerals 4i and 42. The end of the sleeve portion 4! is folded back upon itself at 43 to form a cuff portion 44 overlying the outer surface of the sleeve portion 4i throughout its width. The free edge of the cuff 44 is bound or taped as indicated at 45 to provide a finished edge. As shown in Figure 6 of the drawings the marginal edges of the sleeve body 4! and the cuif portion 44 are anchored to the opposite side 42 of the sleeve. The edges of the sleeve portion 4! are designated by the numeral 45 while the edges of the cuff 44 are designated by the numeral 46.

The sleeve side 42 has its end portion fo ded back upon itself at 47 to form an inner cuff 49. This inner cuif 49 is provided with a bound edge 50 which is not secured transversely to the sleeve portion 42. The side edges of the sleeve portion 42 are indicated in Figure 6 by the numeral 5! and the side edges of the cuff 49 are designated by the numeral 52. The edges 45, 43, Si, and 52 are connected together by stitching 53 so as to bind the side edges of the sleeve parts together and also to anchor the side edges of the cuffs to the sleeves.

When the ends of the sleeves 36 and 31 are to be opened the cuff 49 lies inwardly of the sleeve and the cuff portion 44 lies along the outer surface thereof, providing an attractive appearance. The inner cuff 49 lies close against the sleeve side 42 and does not interfere with the hands of the infant.

When it is desired to close the ends of the sleeves, the pockets formed between the cuffs 44 and the sleeve portions 4! are turned inside out. This operation can be easily accom lished by inserting the hand between the cuff 44 and the adjacent part of the sleeve and merely forcing the bottom of the pocket through the space between the bound edge 45 and the sleeve portion 4|. This action causes the end of the sleeve to be engaged in the pocket formed by the cuff 44. The end of the sleeve is thus effectively closed. The engagement of the cuff 44 outwardly of the side 42 of the sleeve also tends to urge the cuff 49 toward the side 4| of the sleeve, thereby forming a ,double pocket which forms an effective sleeve closure. The operation of inverting the cuffs 44 is extremel simple and the closure thus formed is unusually effective. The sleeves are of sufiicient length to comfortably enclose the hands of the infant when the cuffs are in closed position.

It will be noted that the garment thus formed is eifective in covering the child and preventing the legs and body of the child from becoming eX- posed. It is also noted that the garment is safe to wear and that no safety pins or other clasps are necessary to effectively hold the garment closed. At the same time the garment may be easily and quickly opened to allow the infant to exercise or to be changed. The sleeves of the garment may be quickly folded from open position to closed position. As a result while our garment is extremely simple in form, it is unusually effective for its purpose.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of our infants garment and while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that this is only illustrative thereof, and that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. An infants garment including garment sleeves, said sleeves having a cuif foldably connected to the sleeve end and folded back to overlie one side of the sleeve, the side edges of the cuff being secured to the sleeve, said cuff forming a pocket between the sleeve and the cuff on one side only of the sleeve, said cuff enclosing the end of the sleeve when inverted.

2. The structure described in claim 1 and including an inner cuif similar to the previously described cuff, but overlying a portion of the inner surface of the sleeve adjacent the end thereof.

3. An infants garment sleeve including a pair of sleeve sides, one s eeve side being folded back upon itself at the end of the sleeve to overlie a portion of the exterior surface of said one sleeve side and secured to the sleeve side along opposite edges thereof to form an exterior pocket between said one sleeve side and the cuff, an inner cuff formed on the other sleeve side and includin a body portion foldably connected to said other sleeve side and overlying a portion of the inner surface of the sleeve adjacent the end thereof and secured to said other sleeve side along opposite side edges to form an interior pocket within the sleeve between said inner cuif and said other sleeve side, said first named pocket being arranged to close the end of the sleeve by turning the same inside out.

4. A sleeve for an infants garment including a pair of sleeve sides, one sleeve side being folded back upon itself to form a first cuff lying exteriorly of the s eeve surface, the other sleeve side being folded back upon itself to form a second cuff overlying a portion of the inner sleeve surface, means connecting the edges of the sleeve sides and the edges of the cuffs together along side seams between the sleeve sides, the first cuff forming an exterior pocket which may close the end of the sleeve when turned inside out and the second cuff forming an interior pocket within the sleeve.

GRACE A. BODIN. HELENE C. SEIDL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 881,640 Wimmel Q. Mar. 10, 1908 1,092,047 Hertz Mar. 31, 1914 1,373,378 Backmann Mar. 29, 1921 1,403,030 Janzow Jan. 10, 1922 2,315,352 Schuyler Mar. 30, 1943

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