US3798676A

US3798676A - Protective garment

Info

Publication number: US3798676A
Application number: US00244784A
Authority: US
Inventors: L Shanks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-04-17
Filing date: 1972-04-17
Publication date: 1974-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1991-03-26

Abstract

An article for protecting a person against harsh weather conditions including a flexible tubular body having one end open and one end closed, a drawstring mounted at the open end and a zipper means extending longitudinally and transversely of the tubular body for opening the tubular body so that a person can easily fit the tubular body about the legs and lower torso.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Shanks et a1.

1 1 PROTECTIVE GARMENT [76] Inventors: Larry W. Shanks, 5016 Glen Haven; Tillman D. OBrien, Jr., 5201 Busch Rd., both of Baytown, Tex. 77520 [22] Filed: Apr. 17, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 244,784

[52] US. Cl. 2/695 [51] Int. Cl A4ld 13/00 [58] Field of Search 2/695, 69, 88, 84, 1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 704,276 7/1902 Sorensen 2/69 X 2,146,400 2/1939 Maker et a1.

2,870,464 l/l959 Lalick 1,915,044 6/1933 Anderson 2/69 [4 1 Mar. 26, 1974 1,265,539 5/1918 Slater 2/695 2,611,899 /1952 Nelson.. H 2/6915 1,256,783 2/1918 Fuller t i .1 2/69 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 1.373549 8/1964 France 2/695 Primary ExaminerH. Hampton Hunter Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Pravel, Wilson & Matthews [57] ABSTRACT An article for protecting a person against harsh weather conditions including a flexible tubular body having one end open and one end closed, a drawstring mounted at the open end and a zipper means extending longitudinally and transversely of the tubular body for opening the tubular body so that a person can easily fit the tubular body about the legs and lower torso.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PROTECTIVE GARMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of this invention is articles for protecting a person from harsh weather conditions.

There are many occasions when it is desirable to sit for relatively long periods out of doors in cold and/or wet weather. For example, a spectator at a football game in an outdoor football stadium is exposed to the elements for three or four hours or more. Hunters may sit in exposed blinds for perhaps even longer periods.

Various spectator protectors have been devised for protecting the legs and lower torso from harsh weather conditions. For example, the US. Pat. No. 3,597,764, issued to Povey described a protector generally in the nature of a lower half of a sleeping bag for providing protection for the lower body torso and legs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A new and improved article is provided for protecting a person such as a spectator at a sports event from harsh weather conditions and includes a flexible tubular member having one end closed and one end open for receiving the legs and lower torso of a person. A securing means is mounted at the open end of the tubular body for securing the open end about the person; and, a zipper means extends longitudinally and transverse to said tubular body whereby a person can get into and out of the tubular body with ease. The zipper means also allows the tubular body to be converted into a blanket.

In another aspect of this invention, a flexible cloak or cover is attached to the tubular body and is wrapped about the upper torso of the person to provide further protection against harsh weather.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The preferred embodiment of this invention will be described hereinafter, together with other features thereof, and additional objects will become evident from such description.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the article of the preferred embodiment of this invention for protecting the legs and lower torso of a person;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the flexible cover that is attachable to the article of FIG. 1 for protecting the upper torso, arms and head of a person;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a person wearing the protective article of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the protective article of FIG. 1 compactly folded for carrying.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, the letter A generally designates an article for protecting a person P from harsh long periods of time. For example, the article A of this invention is designed to protect a spectator at a sports event such as a football game or to protect a hunter sitting out of doors exposed to the elements for long periods of time.

The article A includes a tubular body generally designated as 10 having a closed end 10a and an open end 10b. The tubular body 10 is made of rather flexible material so that the actual cross-sectional configuration, whether it be circular, oblong or substantially rectangular as shown in FIG. 1 depends upon the figure of the person wearing the article 10. The article 10 includes a front section 10c which is separated from a rear section 10d by an L-shaped zipper means designated as 11. The zipper means 11 includes a longitudinal portion lla which extends longitudinally along the tubular body and a transverse portion 11b which is integral with the longitudinal portion and transverse thereto and to the longitudinal axis of the flexible tubular member 10.

The zipper means 11 includes a first row of teeth attached along L-shaped seam 10cc of front section 10c and a second row of teeth attached along the L-shaped seam l0dd of the rear section 10d. A slider 110 is provided for joining the tubular body section and 10d by joining the teeth together in a conventional manner. Thus the zipper means 11 provides means for opening the flexible tubular body 10 so that a person P can easily place the tubular body about the legs and lower torso, and, as a corollary, the zipper means 11 provides means for closing the flexible tubular body 10 by joining front section 100 and rear section 10d thereof.

The flexible tubular body 10 is made of any suitable material or fabric which is both flexible and very resistant to wear. Further, the material comprising the front portion 10c and rear portion l0ee is water resistant so that water from rain may be easily repelled. The remainder 10c of the rear portion 10d and the closed end or bottom 10a thereof are made of a waterproof material to protect the person P who may have to sit on wet benches such as B or on wet ground itself.

A draw string 12 extends through a hem 12a at the open end 10b to provide means for securing the opening 10b about the lower torso or waist of the person P.

A cushion means in the form of sponge seat 14 is mounted onto bottom inside wall 103 of the tubular body 10 in order to provide a cushion for the person in the sitting position. The cushion means may be attached to the bottom portion 10c by any suitable means such as sewing. A hand protector 15 is mounted onto the outside of the front 10c of the tubular body 10 such that the person P may protect his hands from the elements also. The hand protector 15 is a piece of material that is sewn or otherwise attached to the tubular body at 15a and 15b to form a protective pocket.

Referring to FIG. 4, the tubular body 10 is foldable into three major sections with the open end 10b being disposed inside. Interlocking handle means 16 includes a handle 16a mounted on the rear portion We and a handle 16b mounted on the enclosed end 100. The handles 16a and 16b are made of any suitable material such as plastic and may be secured to the tubular body 10 by any suitable means such as cementing or otherwise. The handle 16b is smaller than the handle 16a in width W such that, with the tubular body 10 in the folded position of FIG. 4, the handle 16b is inserted through the handle 16a so that the entire tubular body may be carried by the handle 16b.

Referring to FIG. 2, a flexible cloak or cover 17 is provided for being wrapped about the upper torso, arms and head of the person P. The flexible cover 17 is made of any suitable material such as a plastic or other materialwhich is water resistant and extremely flexible; and, the cover 17 includes a clear plastic portion 17a which is adapted to be positioned in front of the face F of the person P so that the person may be completely enwrapped in the cover 17 and yet still observe the game or other event. The flexible cover 17 is secured to the open end 10!) of the tubular body 10 by a plurality of matched snaps 18 mounted on the cover 17 and body 10. The snaps 18 may be any type that secures the cover 17 at the open end 10b of the tubular body 10. The snaps 18 extend about approximately one-half of the perimeter of the open end 10b of the tubular body 10 so that the cover can be wrapped about the back and arms of the person P. Arm straps 19a and 19b are sewn or otherwise attached to the cover 17 at spaced positions such that the person P may insert his arms therethrough and wrap the cover about him and secure the cover in this wrapped position.

In operation and use of the article A, the article A in its folded position as illustrated in FIG. 4 is carried by handle 16b to any desired location such as a football stadium or other outdoor event. The flexible tubular body 10 is then unfolded and the L-shaped zipper means 11 is unzipped by sliding slider 11c downwardly longitudinally along zipper portion 11a and then transversely along zipper portion 1112. With the tubular body 10 open, the person P may then step into the tubular body and place his feet upon the closed end 10a and wrap the front portion 10c about the front of his legs and lower torso. Then the slider 11c is moved along zipper portions 11b and 11a to the position of FIG. 1 thereby re-joining front portion 100 and rear portion "Id of the tubular body 10. The person P may then sit down upon a floor or other surface such as bench B such that the cushion 14 is in position to provide comfort in the sitting position. The drawstring 12 is pulled taut and tied in a knot or fastened in any suitable manner such that the open end 10b is secured against the waist of the person P. If desired, the person P may insert his hands into the hand pocket 15 in order to protect them from the cold and/or wet weather.

If the person P desires, the cover 17 may be used in combination with the tubular body 10 to provide protection for substantially the whole body. After the person P has the tubular body 10 unfolded, the flexible member 17 is fastened by snaps 18 to the tubular body. Then, the person places the tubular body 10 about his legs and lower torso and closes the zipper means 11 as previously described and the drawstring 12 is drawn tight. The person then places his right arm through strap 19a and his left arm through strap 19b and brings his arms together to a more natural position such that the cover 17 is wrapped about the arms and upper torso. The clear plastic portion 17a of the cover 17 may be placed over the head and in front of the face F of the person P such that substantially the entire body is protected while visibility if maintained.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the inven' tion.

We claim:

1. An article for protecting a person against adverse weather conditions, comprising:

a flexible tubular body having one end closed and one end open, said tubular body being adapted to receive the legs and lower torso of a person;

a drawstring mounted at said open end of said tubular body for securing said open end against the lower torso of the person;

a zipper, including a first Zipper portion extending along one side of said tubular body and a second portion extending transverse to said first zipper portion along said closed end for opening and closing said tubular body about the legs and lower torso;

a flexible cover adapted to be wrapped about the upper torso and arms of a person, said flexible cover including a clear portion adapted for place ment over the face of a person;

fastening means for fastening said flexible cover whereby said cover can be wrapped about the arms and upper torso of the person; and

a first handle mounted at one end of said tubular body and a second handle mounted substantially intermediate of said open and closed ends, said tubular body being foldable to a compact size, said first and second handles including means permit ting said handles to interlock for ease in carrying said article.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said tubular body includes a portion that is waterproof and a portion that is water-resistant.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, including:

cushioning means mounted inside said tubular member for providing a cushion for a person in a sitting position.

4. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said means permitting said handles to interlock consists of said second handle being wider than said first handle.

Claims

1. An article for protecting a person against adverse weather conditions, comprising: a flexible tubular body having one end closed and one end open, said tubular body being adapted to receive the legs and lower torso of a person; a drawstring mounted at said open end of said tubular body for securing said open end against the lower torso of the person; a zipper, including a first zipper portion extending along one side of said tubular body and a second portion extending transverse to said first zipper portion along sAid closed end for opening and closing said tubular body about the legs and lower torso; a flexible cover adapted to be wrapped about the upper torso and arms of a person, said flexible cover including a clear portion adapted for placement over the face of a person; fastening means for fastening said flexible cover whereby said cover can be wrapped about the arms and upper torso of the person; and a first handle mounted at one end of said tubular body and a second handle mounted substantially intermediate of said open and closed ends, said tubular body being foldable to a compact size, said first and second handles including means permitting said handles to interlock for ease in carrying said article.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein: said tubular body includes a portion that is waterproof and a portion that is water-resistant.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: cushioning means mounted inside said tubular member for providing a cushion for a person in a sitting position.