WO2012050886A2 - Reversible safety garment - Google Patents

Abstract

The reversible safety garment is designed to allow the user to attach external devices, such as patches and pins, so that the penetrating elements of the devices are kept within the layers of the garment. This is done by providing a garment having multi-layer panels in which the user can access the entire interior (that is, the space between the two layers) of some or all of the panels (back, front left, front right) of the garment through one or more access points provided for that purpose. The access points are large enough to allow easy access to the interior space for sewing of patches, etc. but also either completely hidden or unobtrusive so that the existence of the access point does not detract from the fashion of the garment. The access points can then be closed so that the garment functions as a normal unitary garment.

Description

REVERSIBLE SAFETY GARMENT

Related Applications

[0001] This application is being filed on 28 September 2011, as a PCT

International Patent application in the name of Alann J. Boatright, a citizen of the U.S., applicant for the designation all countries, and claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 61/387,339 filed on 28 September 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Introduction

[0002] Garments such as vests and jackets are commonly worn. Often, depending on the current role or job being performed by the wearer, certain external devices such as badges, patches, pins, clips, and other devices are required or desirable on the garment in order to indicate information to others within visual range (e.g., the wearer is a police officer, firefighter, or has some other public safety role, or, in the case of a safety garment, to make the wearer more visible). At other times, such as when a police officer is off duty, a wearer may desire to wear a garment that does not have any external devices so as not to indicate any information to the public.

Reversible Safety Garment

[0003] This disclosure describes systems and methods for reversible safety garment, such as a vest, which can be used both recreationally and professionally. The reversible safety garment is designed to allow the user to attach external devices, such as patches and pins, so that the penetrating elements of the devices are kept within the layers of the garment. This is done by providing a garment having multi-layer panels in which the user can access the entire interior (that is, the space between the two layers) of some or all of the panels (back, front left, front right) of the garment through one or more access points provided for that purpose. The access points are large enough to allow easy access to the interior space for sewing of patches, etc. but also either completely hidden or unobtrusive so that the existence of the access point does not detract from the fashion of the garment. The access points can then be closed so that the garment functions as a normal unitary garment. [0004] In part, this disclosure describes a reversible garment including: at least one unitary panel in the form of a sheet having multiple sides; each panel composed of at least two overlapping layers of fabric including a first layer and second layer, the first layer of the panel being a safety layer and forming a first exterior surface of the garment and the second layer of the panel forming a second exterior surface of the garment when the garment is reversed; wherein the first and second layers of fabric are permanently attached at multiple locations along at least some of the multiple sides to form a unitary panel having an interior between the first layer and the second layer defined by the attachment locations; the panel further provided with a sealable access point providing access into the interior.

[0005] Yet another aspect of this disclosure describes a reversible garment that includes: two garment layers, wherein at least one of the two garment layers is a safety layer and the two garment layers are stitched together to form the reversible garment having a back panel and two front panels, wherein at least a portion of waistline of the reversible garment is left unstitched and offers access to at least a portion of space between the garment layers so that external device may be independently attached to either one of the garment layers.

[0006] The disclosure further describes a reversible unitary garment that allows independent attachment of external devices to either side of the reversible garment that includes: a back panel extending to neck, shoulders, two sides and waist of a wearer, the back panel created from two, permanently attached, co-extensive, overlapping layers wherein each layer forms an exterior surface of the back panel and is attached to the other layer at one or more of the neck, shoulders and sides; a first front panel permanently attached to the back panel along a shoulder; a second front panel permanently attached to the back panel along another shoulder; a closure means at the waist of the back panel allowing access to an interior space in the back panel between the two layers, the interior space defined by attachment points of the layers.

[0007] These and various other features as well as advantages which characterize the technology described herein will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. Additional features are set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the technology. The benefits and features of the technology will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

[0008] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] The following drawing figures, which form a part of this application, are illustrative of described technology and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention as claimed in any manner, which scope shall be based on the claims appended hereto.

[0010] FIGS. 1-6 illustrate different views of an embodiment of a reversible safety garment provided with an access point along the waist of the garment that allows the space between the two layers of the garment to be accessed.

[0011] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative version of the safety garment.

[0012] FIGS. 9-11 illustrate an alternative embodiment of a safety garment.

Detailed Description

[0013] Although the techniques introduced above and discussed in detail below may be implemented for a variety of garments, the present disclosure will discuss the implementation of these techniques in terms of a vest. The reader will understand that the technology described in the context of a vest could be adapted for use with any other outer layer garment such as jacket, rugby shirt, shorts, etc.

[0014] This document discloses novel embodiments of a reversible safety garment, such as a vest, which can be used both recreationally and professionally. An aspect of this reversible safety garment is a recognition that the users often wish, or are required, to modify their vest with external devices that penetrate the layers of the garment. The reversible safety garments described herein are specifically adapted to allow such modifications to be made easily and to be made to one side of the garment in a way that does not affect the overall comfort of the garment or the appearance of the other side of the garment. [0015] One of the more common safety garments in use today is a safety vest of bright or reflective material. In traditional safety vests, the vest is essentially one garment which, although it may be made up of multiple layers, is effectively one unitary garment so that any external devices that the user wishes to apply require some penetration of the entire garment panel in order to subsequently attach the device without disassembly of the garment. For example with a traditional pin or patch the attachment mechanism, either the pin or the stitching, must penetrate the garment and come through to the other side. This represents a safety issue in and of itself in that when the device is worn externally, pieces of the pins or other attachment mechanisms are on the inside of the vest and exposed to the user's body. When the vest is reversed, the same penetrating elements of the devices are exposed to the environment and can be visible from the outside. These aspects of a conventional safety garment are undesirable for reasons of aesthetics, comfort, and safety.

[0016] Embodiments of the reversible safety vest and jacket garments discussed herein address these issues by providing a reversible safety system that allows the user to attach such external devices so that the penetrating elements of the devices are kept within the garment. This is done by providing a multi layer garment in which the user can access the entire interior (that is, the space between the two layers) of some or all of the panels (back, front left, front right) of the garment or the interior space between one or more panels of the garment through one or more access points provided for that purpose. This allows external devices such as pins to be attached to one of the two layers of a panel of the garment using the access points provided. The access points can then be closed so that it seems to be one unitary garment although the attachments of the external devices are then contained between the two layers of the garment. Additional features and elements will be discussed with respect to the FIGS, provided and discussed below.

[0017] FIGS. 1-6 illustrate different views of an embodiment of a reversible safety garment provided with an access point along the waist of the garment that allows the space between the two layers of the garment to be accessed. The safety vest can be considered to be made of three different panels: a back panel 110, a front right panel 112, and a front left panel 114. The panels are attached at the sides by side seams 116, 118 as shown to create the arm holes 120, 122 and are shaped to provide for a neck opening 124. Each panel may consist of two or more layers of fabric. Where the panels are connected by side seams, depending on the embodiment the all layers of fabric may be stitched together or, alternatively, the like layers of each panel only may be stitched together so that the interior space between the layers of each panel form one continuous inner compartment. Along the edges of each panel, the layers of the panel are stitched together or may be provided with an access point, such as a hidden zipper 106, as discussed in greater detail below.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a reversible safety vest 100 showing what should be referred to as the non-safety side. This may be a casual side, making the vest or garment appear to be a typical, casual garment, e.g., a leather jacket, a windbreaker, a t-shirt, a sports jersey, a suit jacket, etc. The non-safety side is distinguished from the safety side in that the safety side, alternatively referred to as the high visibility layer, is in whole or in part covered with high visibility color, one or more safety devices such as pieces of light reflective fabric and/or other visibility enhancing elements. As such it may meet certain safety requirements such as, for instance, the safety requirements for exterior garments to be used by a police officer, railroad employee or traffic worker when working near traffic. In FIG. 1, a single strip of light reflective elements 102 along the shoulders can be seen on the inside of the reversible safety vest 100. This light reflective strip would be facing the back of the user, and thus not very visible, if visible at all, when worn in the non-safety mode. In the illustrated embodiment a zipper 104 is used to close, and attach the front two panels of the safety vest, though any closure means may be used. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is a concealed zipper 106 that can be used as an access point to the interior (the space between the two layers) of the vest. In one embodiment the concealed zipper 106 is either completely hidden along the waistline of the vest, covered by fabric, or unobtrusive and does not detract from the fashion of the garment. In FIG. 1 it should be noted that the two flaps on the lower portion of the front panels are traditional pockets and as such are not access points, nor do they provide access to the interior of the vest panel. [0019] FIG. 2 illustrates the back of the reversible safety vest 100 in which the vest is, again, worn in the non-safety mode. This illustrates that the back of the vest 100 has no safety elements.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a front view illustration in which one side of the front of the safety vest 100 is pulled open so that a portion of the interior (i.e., the safety side) can be seen. This illustration shows additional pieces of light reflective tape 102 that are on the safety side of the vest 100. It should be noted that the seam at the arm opening as well as the seam located around the neck are layers stitched together. There is also a stitched seam where the front zipper is located as well as a side seam where a crease is present as the front panel is being pulled open. This seam separates the front panels from the back panel. In this embodiment the access point is a concealed zipper 106 located across the bottom waist of the vest 100. It should be noted other possible locations for the access point include the front zipper seam and the side seam separating the front and back panels. Furthermore, the access point located at the waist of the garment can vary in size. The access point could cover the entire length of the vest waist, or could be separated according to panel having a back panel access point as well as an access point for each of the front panels. Access points for the front panels can vary in size as well, and can cover the entire length of the waist of the panel, or just a portion. In any case, the access provides access to the interior space defined by the seams at the shoulders, neck, and sides (including arms) where the two layers of the panel are attached, which is substantially all the area of the panel.

[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates the same vest 100, now reversed so that it is in the safety mode with the safety side of the vest 100 external and the non-safety side internal. In an embodiment the fabric on the safety side of the garment is a high visibility fabric such as a high visibility green, blue, yellow, pink, red, or orange, and the elements shown are light reflective tape 102 or other light reflective material provided specifically to reflect light from light sources. Light reflective material may be attached using any known techniques including silk screening, stitching or dying.

[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates the back of the safety vest 100 when worn in safety mode with the safety side external. Again the reflective strips 102 are easily seen. [0023] FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of how the interior of the safety vest 100 between the layers of the panels can be accessed via an access point 108. In this embodiment, one access point 108 is provided along the waist seam of the safety vest 100. The access point may extend along the entire waistline of the garment (i.e., may extend through all panels of the garment along the waist) or may extend only along the waist of the back panel, of the garment. In another embodiment there may be multiple access points that extend across the waist of any combination of the front right, the front left, and the back panel of the garment. In embodiments, a zipper 106, hook-and-loop fastener such as Velcro™, buttons or some other fastening mechanism is provided allowing the user to close the access point 108 when desired. In the illustrated embodiment the zipper 106 is used as the fastening mechanism. It should be noted that the zipper 106 illustrated is unzipped and two halves of the zipper, 106a and 106b, are exposed. The user, when it is desired to install an external device such as a patch, may undo the fastening mechanism and thus have access to both sides of each of the two different layers, i.e. the safety layer and the non-safety layer of the panel or panels accessible via the access point 108. This allows external devices to be attached and the attachment mechanisms (stitches, pins, etc.) remain sandwiched between the two layers of the safety vest 100, thus preventing them from being seen or from impacting the look or comfort of the other layer.

[0024] It should be noted that an access point as the term is used herein is different than a sealable pocket. The access point provides access to the actual layers and not to some lesser, pocketed space defined by a pocket element. Indeed, in the embodiment shown the interior between panels would not be a suitable pocket as anything stored in the space would rest upon the opening of the access point and therefore would be likely to fall out in the event that the access point was not (in the case of a zipper, for example) or could not (in the case of buttons or a hook-and-loop fastener such as Velcro™, for example) be completely closed. In an embodiment, the two layers are only attached at seams along the edges of the individual panels (e.g., the back panel, the front left panel and the front right panel) of the safety garment and, via the access point or points, the space between each layer of each panel is accessible to allow external devices to be attached to either layer of any panel of the garment without impacting the other layer of that panel. In an alternative embodiment, only the back panel may be provided with an access point. In yet another embodiment, some or all or the panels may be accessible by one access point or each panel may be provided with its own access point.

[0025] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative version of the safety garment. In these FIGS, the vest 206 is provided with detachable sleeves 202 thus making it usable as a reversible coat 200 in addition to its use as a vest 206. Depending on the embodiment, the sleeves 202 may be detachable using such mechanisms as a zipper, buttons, hook-and-loop fastener such as Velcro™ or any other mechanism 204. In its method of use, the sleeves 202 would be detached, the vest 206 portion of the garment would be reversed thus changing it from one mode to the other and then the sleeves 202 would be reattached. The sleeves 202 are anticipated to be right sleeves and left sleeves, and thus are not unidirectional sleeves. In this system, the sleeves 202 are not turned inside-out so the external surface of the sleeves will not change. With this embodiment a reversal of the vest 206 can be combined with an exchange of the sleeves 202 so the sleeve previously designated as the left sleeve would be reattached as the left sleeve. This alternate configuration would prevent inversion of the sleeves 202 as is routinely seen in more traditional reversible garments.

However since the vest's 206 mode has changed, the visual aspect of the coat 200 will be extremely different.

[0026] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a safety garment with sleeves 202. In this embodiment light reflective tape 208 can be seen on the safety side of the vest 206, which is on the interior in this orientation.

[0027] FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a safety garment with sleeves 202 detached. In this embodiment light reflective tape 208 can be seen on the safety side of the vest 206, which is on the interior in this orientation. Also illustrated is the connection mechanism 204 used to connect the detachable sleeves 202 to the vest 206 of the reversible coat 200.

[0028] The embodiments described and shown in FIGS. 1-8 further differ from existing reversible garments, in that they have access points to allow access between the layers of one or more panels of the garment. The embodiments also differ from garments that are combinations of removable, individual garments (e.g., removable shell and liner combination garments) in that the two layers of the safety garment are permanently attached, that is the safety side or safety layer of the garment and the non-safety layer of the garment are permanently attached and cannot be removed without destruction of the garment. The embodiments of the safety garments described herein further differ from existing garments in that the access points can be resealed through some closure mechanism when access is not needed, thus preserving the appearance that the garment is a normal, single use, non-reversible garment when worn in either mode.

[0029] The safety garments described herein are shown having pockets. As discussed above, pockets should not be confused as providing access to the interior between the two layers of a panel of the garment. The pockets are traditional pockets in which the pocket is an enclosed space within the panel defined by a fabric insert. And again, the space accessible through the access point is not intended to be a pocket, per se. This allows the access point to be made difficult to access, non- reinforced and create a space that is otherwise unsuitable for storage.

[0030] One anticipated use of this particular garment is for motorcycle "Road Captains." A Road Captain is an officer for an organized motorcycle event or ride who has been designated by the organizing group as a leader, safety officer, or with some other official capacity, often assuming some form of legal responsibility or authority due to the role. It is typical for motorcycle Road Captains to be required to wear a safety garment while they are performing their role as Road Captain. This is both to increase the safety of the Road Captain and group, and to identify the Road Captain to the other participants.

[0031] It is traditional in the sport of motorcycling that the outside of garments be adorned with various devices. These devices may be either required and legal in nature, such as an official patch or other device indicating that the rider is a Road Captain, or may be of a personal or non-legal nature. As such, Road Captains often prefer or are required to adorn their safety garments with external devices.

[0032] One important aspect of being a Road Captain, which is also generally applicable to many professions that have a public safety mandate such as fire fighting, police, and health care professions, is that there are many situations in which the Road Captain no longer has authority or safety responsibilities but by wearing an identifying garment may be thought to have those responsibilities erroneously. Indeed, often there are legal restrictions as to when a Road Captain can wear or should wear his official Road Captain outfit and typically a Road Captain when he or she is wearing the official garment is deemed a Road Captain on duty. In order to not give such a false impression, prior to the safety garment embodiments described herein, Road Captains typically retained two garments, one being the official Road Captain garment that would be a safety garment with the official devices attached. The other would be a non-official, casual garment to be worn when not performing the role of a Road Captain.

[0033] A Road Captain embodiment of the safety garment described herein has been developed in response to this need for the Road Captain to be able to quickly indicate when he is on duty and when he is off duty and have that be obvious to those around him. The reversible vest allows for the Road Captain to simply reverse the vest and put it back on to change roles. When worn in the non-safety mode, a Road Captain is no longer in the official role with his official capacity as Road Captain and no longer subject to all of the liability and safety responsibilities that attend that role.

[0034] FIGS. 9-11 illustrate an alternative embodiment of a safety garment. In this embodiment the safety garment is a vest 300. The front of the vest 300 is closed through the use of a plurality of snap buttons or snap closures 302. In an alternate embodiment a plurality of buttons or any other closure device such as but not limited to hook-and-eye closures, hook-and-loop closures such as Velcro™, laces, buckles or any combination thereof are used to close the front of the vest 300. Also, the sides of the vest 300 have a plurality of openings, holes, or slits, such as but not limited to eyelets 304, through which a string or a thread may weave to lace up the side of the vest 300. In an alternate embodiment closure devices such as but not limited to buttons, snap closures, hook-and-loop closures, laces, grommets, buckles, or any combination thereof are used to connect the back panel of the vest with the front panel. Further, a concealed pocket 306 is illustrated in this embodiment, such as for the storage and concealment of a weapon. This pocket 306 is accessed through an opening 312 between the closure devices 302 on the front of the vest 300 and designed for relatively easy access to the storage compartment of the concealed pocket 306 created by additional layers of fabric within the interior of the panel. This pocket 306 is stitched to the interior of the vest 300 in multiple stitching locations 308, but not stitched around the entire edge of the pocket 306. The specific stitching locations 308 allow the pocket 306 to be held in place and minimizes movement of the pocket 306, while still providing access through the opening 312 to the interior surface of the front panels. Additionally, in some embodiments at least one closure device 310 such as but not limited to zippers, buttons, snap closures, and/or hook-and-loop closures are present to at least partially seal or close the opening 312 of the pocket 306 when access is not desired.

[0035] FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a safety vest 300. In this illustration part of the opening 312 to the pocket 306 is pulled back to reveal the closure devices 310.

[0036] FIG. 10 illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a safety vest 300. In this embodiment the openings 312 of the pocket 306 are closed and the stitching location 308 of the opening 312 is illustrated.

[0037] FIG. 11 illustrates a back view of an embodiment of a safety vest 300. In this embodiment the concealed pocket 314 allowing access to the interior of the back panel is illustrated.

[0038] It will be clear that the systems and methods described herein are well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those inherent therein. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods and systems within this specification may be implemented in many manners and as such is not to be limited by the foregoing exemplified embodiments and examples. In this regard, any number of the features of the different embodiments described herein may be combined into one single embodiment and alternate embodiments having fewer than or more than all of the features herein described are possible.

[0039] While various embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, various changes and modifications may be made which are well within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in an embodiment, the access point that allows the user to get to the interior, between two layers of a panel or where two panels are joined, may be larger or smaller as well as located in different areas and these points, depending on the embodiment, may or may not be able to fasten. For example in FIG. 6 the entire waist seam of the garment between the two layers may be one continuous zipper and the panel may be attached so that the entire interior of the garment is one chamber that can be accessed through the access point. This may be achieved by eliminating the seam between the panel layers at the sides under the arms of the wearer. The zipper can be opened to provide access so external devices can be attached and their attachment mechanisms fastened between two layers of the garment. The zipper can be closed, thus giving the illusion that the entire garment is one single, unitary garment.

[0040] Numerous other changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are encompassed in the spirit of the disclosure.

Claims

Claims What is claimed is:

1. A reversible garment comprising:

at least one unitary panel in the form of a sheet having multiple sides, each panel composed of at least two overlapping layers of fabric including a first layer and second layer, the first layer of the panel being a safety layer and forming a first exterior surface of the garment and the second layer of the panel forming a second exterior surface of the garment when the garment is reversed, wherein the first and second layers of fabric are permanently attached at multiple locations along at least some of the multiple sides to form a unitary panel having an interior between the first layer and the second layer defined by the attachment locations,

the panel further provided with a sealable access point providing access into the interior.

2. The reversible garment of claim 1, wherein the at least one unitary panel is a back panel that when worn has a left side, right side, top side and a waist side and the access point is located on a waist side of the panel.

3. The reversible garment of claim 2, wherein the sealable access point is a hidden zipper stitched between the first layer and the second layer along the waist side of the panel.

4. The reversible garment of claim 1 wherein the first layer is made of a high visibility color fabric.

5. The reversible garment of claim 1 wherein the first layer includes external devices that reflect light attached to the first exterior surface.

6. The reversible garment of claim 1 wherein the first layer includes high visibility or light reflecting paint on the first exterior surface.

7. The reversible garment of claim 2 wherein garment includes at least three unitary panels: a first front panel, a second front panel and the back panel, the first front panel having a left side, right side, top side and a waist side and the access point is located on a waist side of the panel and the second front panel having a left side, right side, top side and a waist side and the access point is located on a waist side of the panel.

8. The reversible garment of claim 7 wherein the top sides of the first and second front panels are permanently attached to the back panel and the first and second front panels removably attach to each other via snaps or a zipper.

9. The reversible garment of claim 8 wherein the first and second front panels are provided attachment points to attach to the back panel via removable laces.

10. The reversible garment of claim 7 wherein at least one of the front panels is provided with a concealed pocket.

11. The reversible garment of claim 1 further comprising removable sleeves.

12. A reversible garment, comprising:

two garment layers, wherein at least one of the two garment layers is a safety layer and the two garment layers are stitched together to form the reversible garment having a back panel and two front panels, wherein at least a portion of waistline of the reversible garment is left unstitched and offers access to at least a portion of space between the garment layers so that external device may be independently attached to either one of the garment layers.

13. The reversible garment of claim 12, wherein the safety layer comprises at least one of a high visibility fabric, and a plurality of high visibility reflectors.

14. A reversible unitary garment that allows independent attachment of external devices to either side of the reversible garment, comprising:

a back panel extending to neck, shoulders, two sides and waist of a wearer, the back panel created from two, permanently attached, co-extensive, overlapping layers wherein each layer forms an exterior surface of the back panel and is attached to the other layer at one or more of the neck, shoulders and sides;

a first front panel permanently attached to the back panel along a shoulder; a second front panel permanently attached to the back panel along another shoulder;

a closure means at the waist of the back panel allowing access to an interior space in the back panel between the two layers, the interior space defined by attachment points of the layers.

15. The reversible unitary garment of claim 14 wherein the layers of the back panel are attached at the neck, shoulders and sides and wherein the first and second front panels attach to the back panel via laces at the sides.

16. The reversible unitary garment of claim 14 wherein the layers of the back panel are attached at the neck, shoulders and sides and wherein the first and second front panels attach to the back panel via laces at the sides and each other via snaps.

17. The reversible unitary garment of claim 14 wherein each panel is created from two, permanently attached, co-extensive, overlapping layers wherein each layer forms an exterior surface of the panel and is attached to the other layer at one or more of the neck, shoulders and sides and wherein each panel is provided a closure means at the waist of the panel allowing sealable access to an interior space in the back panel between the two layers, the interior space of each panel defined by attachment points of the layers.

18. The reversible unitary garment of claim 14 wherein one layer is a high visibility layer.