WO1997036506A1

WO1997036506A1 - Reversible pockets

Info

Publication number: WO1997036506A1
Application number: PCT/GB1997/000943
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rosemary Vanessa Amelia Moore
Original assignee: Rosemary Vanessa Amelia Moore
Priority date: 1996-04-02
Filing date: 1997-04-02
Publication date: 1997-10-09
Also published as: GB2311713B; AU2301597A; GB9606942D0; GB2311713A

Abstract

Pockets suitable for storing garments are reversible such that when the garment is contained within the pocket a secured flap (10) can be flipped over the mouth (80) of the pocket to close the mouth and to retain the garment in place without having to use any other means of closure.

Description

REVERSIBLE POCKETS

The present Application relates to pockets which can be inverted and used for the storage of garments, for example

In various circumstances, such as when travelling away from home, there is often a perceived need to carry a spare garment, such as a rainproof item or a swimming costume These are items which the person in question would not wish to wear at the time, but which might be useful at a later point

If many other items are also being carried, then all of the items can be carried in a bag or pack, but it can become burdensome to carry a bag if it is only necessary to carry one or two items of clothing

This problem has been addressed in various ways, but tends generally to be solved by converting the garment into a tote of some description The tote is commonly provided with a closure means, such as a zipper, drawstring or flap

For example, WO93/25114 discloses a multipurpose bag having various compartments and which is integral with a jacket which can be folded and stored in one of the compartments WO84/01092 discloses a convertible outerwear garment which comprises a topologically continuous carrying bag The outerwear garment can then be folded into the carrying bag and the bag closed with a zipper A similar idea is also disclosed in each of each of WO83/02714 and FR 034518

GB 2,085,280B discloses a jacket which can be folded into an associated pocket, and the pocket closed with a drawstring. A similar idea is disclosed in GB 1 , 561,459, and GB 2.062,448 also discloses a jacket or coat which can be folded into an associated capelette.

USA 5152612 discloses a jacket or bag which can be folded into an associated pocket, with a flap used to secure the article in the pocket. WO86/00505 discloses an elasticated closure means for a bag.

The problem with the known stowable jackets and other such garments is that, because they must be so tightly fitted into the carrying pouch, the garment may escpae from the pouch unless secured tightly. Known closure means can be ineffective or inconvenient. For example, it is often difficult to close the zipper without catching the garment and, likewise, with the drawstring approach, it is also a problem that the garment can tend to escape unless the drawstring is both pulled tight and knotted.

We have overcome the problems associated with the known stowable garments by providing an integral self-closure with the carrying pouch.

Thus, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a reversible pocket having, in at least one configuration, a self-closure comprising a secured flap adjustable to cover and close the mouth of the pocket.

It has been found that it is particularly advantageous to provide a second flap which, when the pocket is reversed, also serves to cover and close the pocket, including any garment, for example, to which the pocket is attached.

In a second aspect, there is provided a reversible pot t having, in a first configuration, a first self-closure comprising a secured flap ijustable to cover and close the mouth of the pocket and, when reversed, a second self-closure comprising a secured flap adjustable to cover and close the mouth of the reversed pocket. A pocket having two self-closures is particularly advantageous. It will be appreciated that, where there are two self closures, then one will necessarily be internal with respect to the other. When the pocket is reversed, then the situation will also be reversed, and the internal self closure will become the external self closure. It is particularly preferred that at least one, but preferably both self closures possess a reversible lip, so that both self closures are effective when the pocket is in either configuration, the only difference being that the internal self closure in one configuration becomes the external self closure in the other configuration. Where the pocket is attached to a garment, then the garment may be internalised by incorporation into the pocket and whereby there are two closures restricting egress of the garment.

In general, especially where two self-closures are provided, then the internal self-closure may be referred to as the 'internal flap', while the flap that covers the pocket may be defined as the 'external flap'.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides pockets suitable for storing garments and which are reversible such that when the garment is contained within the pocket a secured flap can be flipped over the mouth of the pocket to close the mouth and to retain the garment in place without having to use any other means of closure

In another preferred embodiment the present invention provides pockets suitable for storing garments and which are reversible such that when the garment is contained within the pocket it is held in place by both an internal secured flap within the pocket, and an external secured flap over the mouth of the pocket, these secured flaps being sufficient to retain the garment in place without having to use any other means of closure.

For the avoidance of doubt, where any particular configuration ('open' or 'closed', for example) of the pocket is described herein, then the description equally applies to the other configuration of the pocket, unless otherwise apparent or so indicated Moreover, when the term 'flap' is used, this may refer to either self closure, unless otherwise apparent or so indicated.

The reversible pocket need not actually be physically attached to anything else, and can be used to store anything which is capable of fitting into the pocket The larger the pocket, the more it can store, but a primary convenience of the invention is for relatively light items which can be packed into a small volume. Larger pockets may have little or no advantage over existing packs and bags, depending on the design, owing to the nature of the self-closure. If the pocket is large, then the gap which must be left to allow the pocket to be reversible becomes so large that further features, such as buttons, are desirable to keep the closure shut in order to stop the contents falling out

In general, it is preferred that the reversible pockets of the invention should be intimately associated with an item of apparel, such as a swimsuit, leggings or a top, for example. The term "intimately associated" is used to indicate that the pocket is in some way securable to the garment, such as by a zipper, buttons or velcro ™ However, it is greatly preferred to integrally associate the pocket with the garment in such a fashion that it is not readily dissociable, such as by stitching or gluing

The secured flap essentially takes the form of a suitable flap of material, such as fabrics material, which covers the mouth of the pocket in one configuration If the pocket has been constructed prior to association with the garment, then either or both of the flaps may be constructed from a continuation of one of the two main panels of the pocket Generally, when manufacturing the pocket, the external flap will extend over the mouth of the pocket (prior to construction) and then be folded down on top of the other major panel and the side portions of the flap secured in this position to close the pocket The internal flap will generally be constructed with an internal lip but which, when the pocket is reversed, will be locatable over the mouth of the reversed pocket Thus, although the pocket is closed by the flap, the mouth of the pocket is still accessible via that portion of the flap which has not been secured Indeed, it is essential that the mouth of the pocket still be accessible, otherwise the pocket would not be reversible.

An alternative method of construction is to construct the pocket in the open form, that is the form in which it will appear on the garment, rather than with the garment inside (the closed form). If the pocket is constructed in the open form, then the secured flap may simply comprise a flap of material folded over from the lip of one of the panels and wherein the sides of the flap are simply secured when the panel in question is secured to the opposite panel. In the situation where the material of the garment actually provides one of the panels of the pocket, then this flap of material may either be located on the panel secured to the garment, or located on the garment itself In either situation, the flap may be an integral part of the panel in question, or may be an extra piece of material affixed to the panel. For convenience, it is preferred that the flap be an integral part of the panel affixed to the garment or, alternatively, an extra flap of material secured to the garment panel.

As is shown in the accompanying drawings, when the pocket is inverted, or reversed, the inside flap becomes exposed on the outside of the pocket and, once the garment has been fully pushed into the pocket, then this flap can be flipped over the opening of the pocket, thereby closing the pocket. Thus, the flap is adjustable to close the pocket. Owing to the fact that the sides of the flap are secured, the effective result is that the flap has two configurations when the pocket is in the closed state Initially, when the garment has been pushed into the pocket, the flap is still open, but pushing the corners of the pocket into the flap brings the flap over the pocket, and the garment becomes secured within the pocket.

The sides of the flap may be conveniently secured along the seams of the pocket, and this tends to be the most convenient, both from purposes of manufacture and from aesthetic considerations. However, if necessary, the side portions of the flap may be secured either within or without the seams, but this can lead to problems, such as stress on the seams (if they are inside) or an unnecessary increase in the possible looseness of the closure if they are outside the seams of the pocket This latter construction may also be impossible if the pocket is manufactured prior to incoφoration into the article

In general, especially with smaller pockets, no extra considerations are required to keep the pocket shut when the garment is inside the pocket However, even with small pockets, the flap will generally need to have a depth of at least about 1 cm, although the necessary dimensions of the flap will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art For larger pockets, the depth of the flap may be up to several centimetres or more, whilst it is conceivable that very small pockets or specially designed pockets may require depths of flap of less than 1 cm

Especially for larger pockets, it may be desirable to incoφorate elastane into the material of the flap in order to provide resilience and durability Some ordinary fabrics can tend to become rather limp with repeated use, and may not serve to close the pocket properly It may also be desirable to elasticate the flap, or even to make the flap out of a different material to that forming the pocket However, in general, we prefer to incoφorate a small amount of elastane into the material and to double up the material of the flap In these circumstances, the flap is formed by first folding over a flap of material and sealing the edge of the folded-over flap to the material, and then folding over this doubled-up flap to form a reinforced flap

The considerations outlined above tend to apply in situations essentially where the portion of the pocket containing the mouth is generally square or oblong However, similar considerations apply to situations where the pocket is of any other shape, such as where the pocket is round Specifically, the mouth of the pocket will tend to be a straight line from the one seam to the other If there are no seams, such as where the pocket is constructed by knitting, then the opening will generally be straight between the corners of the mouth However, variations on this are possible, such as there being some cutaway or extra material, but such constructions tend to lead to disadvantages For example, if there is a cutaway, then this can tend to effectively weaken the closure by reducing the distance from the lip of the pocket to the edge of the flap while, if there is extra material, then this tends to serve very little puφose, and can just get crushed or folded.

In the situation where a pocket is round, for example, then the mouth of the pocket may be on a diameter or between any other two points on the circumference of the circle. In this situation, that portion of material defining the external flap should not only meet with the panel, but should extend over the panel, so that it would be necessary to reach under the flap to find the mouth of the pocket. The sides of the flap can then be secured, preferably at the seam of the circular pocket.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that especially the external flap does not need to be a continuation of one of the main panels of the pocket, especially if the pocket is constructed by incoφorating one of the main panels directly onto the garment, and this flap may be stitched or in some way secured to the garment itself in order to close the mouth of the pocket. The only requirement for the secured flap is that it close the mouth of the pocket, and this will generally mean that the top edge of the flap is located in proximity to the mouth of the pocket.

In the preferred embodiment, when the pocket is reversed, the external flap becomes internalised, and effectively forms an internal lip to the mouth of the pocket. Thus, the pocket may be constructed in such a manner that the pocket has a self closure in both configurations. In the case of a pocket secured to a garment, this means either when the garment is in wearable format or, in the alternative configuration, when the garment is incoφorated into the pocket.

Where the pocket is constructed prior to incoφoration into the garment, then an extra pocket may be created on the garment by leaving a further opening coincident with the mouth of the pocket already constructed. Although a further flap could be provided over this second mouth, it is generally preferable to leave this opening without a flap, as this may complicate folding of the garment into the pocket In the situation where the pocket is integral with the garment, then it is essential that at least one flap closes the pocket when the garment is internalised

Where there is a closure provided for the pocket when the garment is wearable (that is, when it is not inside the pocket), then it may be desirable to provide further securing means to actually secure the pocket shut. This may be effected by one or more buttons, toggles or snap-ons, or even a zipper. Such considerations will not normally apply to the closure for the pocket when it contains the garment, but it is envisaged that such further closure means could be employed and, indeed, may be desirable for large pockets

The material used to make the pockets can be any which is suitable for the puφose It will be understood that the pocket must be reversible, so that the material must be sufficiently flexible to allow the pocket to be reversed In general, fabrics materials will be employed, as it would tend to be desirable to use the same material for the pocket as for the garment, for aesthetic reasons. However, it may equally be the case that it is desired to draw attention to the pocket, so that it would not be necessary to even make the pocket out of the same material, in which case sheet plastic or a foil could be used, for example. It is particularly preferred that the pocket is made from a material that contains elastane, so that it is easier to pack the garment into the pocket

It may also be the case that the material inside the pocket is different from the material outside the pocket, and this may also apply to the colouring of the pocket, and the pocket need not necessarily have different material, or even different layers of the same material, inside and outside for the pocket to have different colours inside and outside

It may be desirable to construct the pocket from a wateφroof material, such as treated cotton, but any suitable material may be employed, subject to the proviso that the pocket is reversible If two layers of material are used, then it may be desirable to construct the outer layer of the closed pocket from wateφroof material, when the garment is internalised.

For convenience, we prefer that the pocket be provided with one or more carrying means. Preferably, this consists of one or more straps located on the outside of the pocket when the pocket contains the garment, and these straps can be used to hold the pocket onto a belt, for example. A single strap may be used which might usually be relatively wide to prevent the pocket moving unnecessarily, or two straps, side by side or crossing, may also be used. Furthermore, there may be various securing means located on different parts of the pocket intended for different means of securing to suitable carrying points, such as epaulettes or belts. It may also be desirable to equip the pocket with securing means enabling the pocket to be worn directly by the user, such as a bracelet, and this may be particularly desirable for children's pockets, for example. In addition, the straps may be secured at both ends by stitching or gluing, or they may be securable by velcro or buttons, for example.

The type of fabric used for the garment to be incoφorated into the pocket may be any that is suitable. However, if it is important that the garment to be worn is not apparently creased, then this should be taken into consideration. To avoid this problem, either crush-proof materials should be used, or garments which are stretched when worn, such as swimsuits, may be equipped with the pocket. Such stretchable items may contain an elastane, such as lycra ®, for example.

The type of garment to be equipped with the pocket may be made in any suitable manner, such as by tricot, weaving or knitting, for example, or by a combination of such, and the weight of the fabric ideally should not exceed about 180 gm^" , although these limitations will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art. Anything much heavier than 180 gm^" may be difficult to fold and squash into the pocket and, in addition, such heavier materials also tend to be more easy to crease. Nevertheless, if small garments are to be incoφorated into a pocket, then heavier materials may be used if desired. Also, from a practical point of view, woven materials preferably have a lower weight if they are to be incoφorated into the pockets of the present invention It is also preferable to incoφorate about 5% w/w of elastane to assist in crease resistance and comfort Suitable materials for manufacturing the garments include combinations of polyester and elastane as well as polyamide, such as tactel ® and elastane

In general, when a pocket is located on a garment, there is no restriction on the position of the pocket. The only conceivable limitations are determined by the practicality of the position of the pocket for the wearer and, if appropriate, aesthetic considerations The pocket may even be located inside the garment, for example

Although the pocket may be located anywhere, it is both practicable and advantageous for construction if the pocket is located near an edge of the garment, such as at the neckline, so that the top edge of the secured flap is contiguous with the edge of the garment Other convenient positions may be on sleeves of upperwear garments and conventional pocket positions for leggings/trousers, etc It will also be appreciated that a section of the garment could be removed into which to locate the pocket, although this embodiment is not particularly preferred

In general, it will be appreciated that the size of the pocket will preferably be dictated by the intended contents. Given that these pockets are generally intended for convenience and minimising volume, then it is desirable that the dimensions of the pocket be as small as possible while still being able to accommodate the intended contents Once again, such dimensions will be readily determinable by those skilled in the art

The shape of the pocket is not important, but is conveniently approximately rectangular However, any shape of pocket is possible, provided that the intended contents can be fitted into the pocket, and it may be convenient to make the neck narrower than the major width of the pocket It may also be the situation where the pocket is associated with one garment with an intention to allow sufficient room to incoφorate a further garment into the pocket, and this is most easily illustrated in the situation where the garment is a bikini A pocket may be located on the bikini bottom, for example, and, once the bikini bottom has been incoφorated into the pocket, then the bikini top can also be inserted, although it will be appreciated that the bikini top can be inserted into the pocket first, or even together with the bikini bottom

The present invention will now be further illustrated with respect to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the inversion of a simple pocket of the invention,

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the inversion of the pocket of the invention having two secured flaps,

Figures 3 to 12 show different forms of the pocket of the present invention, Figures 12 to 15 illustrate possible locations of pockets on garments, and Figures 16 and 17 illustrate different shapes of pockets of the invention

In the accompanying Figures, stitching, if indicated, is shown by a tight dotted

In Figure 1, there is shown a pocket of the invention in schematic cross- sectional form which is undergoing inversion. In Figure 1A, there is shown a pocket (1) having a secured flap (10), a front panel (20) and a back panel (30) Flap (10) is shown as a doubled over flap, and the trailing edge (15) is secured, such as by stitching, to the inside of flap ( 10) The same construction is used throughout the remainder of these Figures The top of the back panel is indicated at (40), and the bottom of the pocket is indicated at (50) In Figure IB, the bottom of the pocket (50) is being pushed upwards through the mouth of the pocket between flap (10) and the top (40) of the back panel (30) In Figure IC, the bottom of the pocket (50) has been completely inverted through the mouth of the pocket, and it can be seen that flap (10) is still located on the outside of the pocket adjacent to front panel (20). In Figure ID, flap (10) has been flipped over to close the pocket.

For simplicity, the remainder of the structure of the pocket has not been shown in either Figure 1A or Figure IB. However, in Figure IC and Figure ID, the seam (60) joining front panel (20) and back panel (30) is shown as a dotted line, and the leading edge (70) of the secured flap (10) is indicated both as a solid line and as a dashed line where it is obscured by front panel (20). The edge of the mouth of the pocket is indicated at (80) and that part of the seam (60) where the flap is secured is indicated by a dotted and dashed line (90).

For the sake of clarity, Figure 2 does not include any details other than a schematic line cross-section of the pocket, and shows the progress of a pocket having two secured flaps as it is inverted to enclose contents (not shown).

A pocket (1) is shown in Figure 2A, and there are two flaps (10) and (100). Similar numerals designate similar features as in Figure 1. The pocket is inverted as in Figure 1, and the pocket is shown partially inverted in Figure 2B.

In Figure 2B, first dotted arrow (i) indicates that flap (100) is being flipped over as back panel (30) is being inverted and the material of the garment indicated by the extension of the back flap (30) at (1 10) is being folded inside the pocket in the direction of arrow (ii).

In Figure 2C, the flap (100) is shown in the flipped over position inside the pocket in such a way as already to close the pocket As shown in Figure 2D, flap (10) is then flipped over to assume the position shown in Figure 2E, thereby securing the contents (not shown) of the pocket with two closures.

It will be appreciated that the embodiment shown in Figure 2 does not require that the flap (100) should actually be used as a closure means, although it is convenient to do so if the flap is of suitable proportion. In addition, this embodiment also shows that an external flap (100) can be used as the only closure means. Whilst such an embodiment is envisaged by the present invention, it is not preferred, as it is much preferred to have a secured flap such as indicated at (10) which not only covers the mouth, but where the leading edge (120) of the flap (10) is located externally when the pocket is in the closed position.

In Figure 3, there is shown a front view of a pocket ( 1 ) attached to a garment (not shown). In this configuration, the flap (100) is located externally while the pocket is open, and the flap (10) is internalised. The first representation is a front view of the pocket, the second representation is a back view of the pocket and the third representation is a cross-sectional line drawing of the pocket. This order is adhered to also in Figures 4 to 7 and 9 to 1 1

In both Figures 4 and 5, the pocket is shown in the closed configuration and are representations of similar pockets having a carrying strap ( 130). As will be seen in Figure 4, flap ( 100) is shown in a position to help to retain any contents of a pocket, and flap (10) has not been flipped back. In Figure 5, flap (10) has been flipped back to completely close the pocket and to partially conceal the carrying strap (130).

In Figure 6 there is shown a circular pocket and this illustrates the similarities of construction with other pockets of the invention.

Figure 7 illustrates a slightly different construction wherein two flaps (10') and (10") are both internalised on the outside of an outfit so that, when the pocket is inverted, either one of the flaps (10', 10") can be used to close the pocket Figures 8 and 9 show a closed pocket with alternative forms of strap. Figure 8 shows a single strap (130) which can be secured on to a belt, for example. Figure 9 shows crossing straps (140) and (150) serving a similar puφose, but which may assist in securing the pocket in place.

Figure 10 shows a similar pocket to that of Figure 3, but wherein the top of the pocket ( 160) is configured for incoφoration into a neckline, for example.

Figure 1 1 is also similar to Figure 3, but here the pocket is attached to a garment as indicated at ( 170) and (180), where the garment serves to provide pack panel (30)

In Figure 12, a pocket is shown which has been attached to a garment after the pocket has been manufactured, and where the top edge of the pocket (160) has not been secured to the garment, thereby leaving a cavity (190) located between the back panel (30) and the material (200) which forms part of the garment. In this instance, the pocket is secured to the garment along edges (210, 220 and 230).

Figures 13 to 15 show how a pocket (1) can be incoφorated on to a garment. In Figure 13, the pocket can be incoφorated on to a pair of leggings (240) in a conventional position. In Figure 14, the pocket is shown located on an arm of a T-shirt (250), while pocket (1 ) is shown located in the neckline of a one-piece swimsuit (260) in Figure 15. In this instance, it will be seen that the top edge ( 160) of pocket (1 ) is continuous with the neckline of the garment.

In any of the pockets shown in any of Figures 13 to 15, construction may be the same as or different from any of the constructions shown in the previous Figures, and there is no particular requirement that the pocket should be rectangular as shown in the Figures Figures 16 and 17 illustrate different shapes of pockets of the present invention where the necks are narrower than the major width of the pocket. Such constructions can be useful in keeping the mouth of the pocket secured shut.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 A reversible pocket having, in at least one configuration, a self-closure comprising a secured flap adjustable to cover and close the mouth of the pocket

2 A reversible pocket according to claim 1, further comprising a second self- closure comprising a secured flap and which is adjustable to cover and close the mouth of the reversed pocket.

3 A pocket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one self closure possesses a reversible lip

4 A pocket according to claim 2 or 3, wherein both self closures possess a reversible lip

5 A pocket according to any preceding claim which is secured to an item of clothing

6 A pocket according to claim 5, wherein the item can be contained in the reversible pocket in a sufficiently secure manner by the self closure means that no other means of closure are necessary

7 A pocket according to any preceding claim, wherein, when the pocket is inverted, or reversed, the inside flap becomes exposed on the outside of the pocket and, once the garment has been fully pushed into the pocket, then this flap can be flipped over the opening of the pocket, thereby closing the pocket

8 A pocket according to any preceding claim comprising an elastane

9 A pocket according to any preceding claim wherein the material of the lip is doubled over A pocket according to any previous claim further comprising carrying means