CONVERTIBLE GARMENT

Abstract

A convertible garment may be converted between a top configuration for covering the torso of a person and bottom configuration for covering the lower half of the person, and vice-versa. The garment has in the top configuration a removable front panel having a right side having a first elongate fastener half extending along the right side and a left side having a second elongate fastener half extending along the left side. Preferably, the bottom configuration has a front portion, a back portion, a right side having a third elongate fastener and a left side having a fourth elongate fastener. The front and the back portions of the bottom configuration form the back of the top configuration when the third and fourth fasteners are at least partially undone. Methods of converting between the two configurations are also disclosed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is garments that can be converted from a top into a bottom and vice-versa.

BACKGROUND

It is known for pants to have zip off pant legs for converting pants into shorts. Similarly, it is known for jackets to have zip off sleeves for converting the jacket into a vest. These conversions are done to provide versatility in athletic wear and in clothing used for camping and similar outdoor pursuits to accommodate changes in weather.

In the fashion world, the designer Balenciaga created a cape that converted into a skirt and vice-versa. This appears to have been done so that an expensive item of clothing could be worn more frequently.

However, there remains a need for garments that are versatile for fashion reasons and for weather reasons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the invention is a garment having a top configuration for covering the torso of a person and a bottom configuration for covering the lower half of the person. The garment is interchangeable between the top and bottom configurations. In the top configuration, the garment takes the form of a top, e.g., a shirt, a vest, a blouse, a jacket, a coat or a poncho with sleeves. The top may be sleeveless, have short sleeves or full length sleeves. In the bottom configuration, the garment takes the form of a bottom, e.g., a pair of shorts, a pair of pants, and a skort (a combination of shorts and skirt) as well as a skirt & skants (a combination of skirt and pants) variation via folding/extra snaps. The garment has in the top configuration a removable front panel having a right side having a first elongate fastener half extending along the right side, a left side having a second elongate fastener half extending along the left side. An elongate fastener can be a row of 3 or more buttons and button holes, a row of 3 or more snaps (sometimes called button snaps), a row of 3 or more caps and socket, other discrete fasteners in a row of 3 or more, preferably a zipper, a hook and loop fastener strip, which can be sold under the brand name Velcro, and combinations thereof. Half of a fastener can refer to one half of a zipper or one of two mating strips of a hook and loop fastener strip. Preferably, half an elongate fastener when referring to buttons or snaps would be a row of buttons, a row of button holes, a row of caps, or a row of female portions of a snap, but it could refer to a mix thereof. An elongate fastener generally refers to a row of 3 or more points of fastening.

Preferably, the bottom configuration has a front, a back, a right side having a third elongate fastener and a left side having a fourth elongate fastener. The front and the back of the bottom configuration form the back of the top configuration when the third and fourth fasteners are at least partially undone. Preferably, the front panel is attached to the garment in the top configuration by the first and second elongate fastener halves. Preferably, the front panel is also attached to the body of the garment by a pair of opposed upper zippers, each upper zipper extending from an arm portion of the top configuration to a neck portion of the top configuration. Additionally, the front panel may also be attached to the body of the garment by a pair of opposed flaps. Preferably, the third and fourth elongate fasteners comprise zippers that extend through a waist portion of the bottom configuration. The bottom configuration may have flaps to cover the zipper sliders of the third and fourth elongate fasteners. The flaps can also be used to tighten a waist portion of the pants.

Preferably, the front panel has a centrally located and vertically aligned zipper. The front panel may be separable into two halves by the centrally located zipper and each half may be attachable to the inside of the garment in the pant configuration.

Preferably, the garment has a hood for the top configuration and an internal pocket for the hood.

Preferably, the garment has a right armhole and a left armhole in the top configuration, the armholes being leg holes in the bottom configuration. The garment may also have a right sleeve for the right arm and a left sleeve for the left arm in the top configuration. The sleeves are legs in the bottom configuration.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method for changing a garment from a bottom configuration to a top configuration. The method may use the garment previously described. The method includes (a) undoing elongate fasteners along opposed sides of the garment in the bottom configuration and (b) unfolding a back portion of the bottom configuration. The elongate fasteners extend through a waist portion of the bottom configuration. The back portion of the bottom configuration includes a seat portion of the pants configuration and a front portion of the pants configuration. The front portion may include a fly, typically a zipper fly or a button fly, for ease of urination and removal of the bottom.

Preferably, the method also includes attaching a front panel of the top configuration to the garment after undoing the elongate fasteners. The front panel may be separable into two halves and the method may include detaching the front panel halves from inside of the garment before the attaching of the front panel. The front panel may be attached to the garment as a single piece or as separate halves. The attaching of the front panel includes zipping a first zipper half on a first side of the front panel with a mating second zipper half on the garment and zipping a third zipper half on a second side of the front panel with a mating fourth zipper half on the garment.

Preferably the method includes moving the legs of the bottom configuration away from each other for converting them into sleeves for arms in the top configuration.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method for changing a garment from a top configuration to a bottom configuration. The method may use the garment previously described. The method includes (a) in the top configuration, folding a back portion of the top configuration, and (b) fastening elongate fasteners which are located along opposed sides of the garment in the bottom configuration. The back portion of the top configuration includes a seat portion of the bottom configuration and a front portion of the bottom configuration.

The method may also include detaching a front panel of the top configuration from the garment. It may also include separating the front panel into two halves. Preferably, each half of the front panel is attached to the garment and placed inside and along a different sleeve of the garment.

Preferably, the method includes moving the arm sleeves of the top configuration towards each other for converting them into leg sleeves of the bottom configuration.

Preferably, each of the elongate fasteners comprises a zipper having a zipper pull and the method also includes covering each zipper pull with a corresponding flap of the garment after the fastening of the elongate fastener. The method may also include tightening a waist portion of the bottom configuration using at least one of the flaps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a garment according to the invention in a bottom configuration.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of the garment of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are rear elevation views of the garment of FIG. 1 showing the unzipping of side zippers.

FIGS. 5-9 are front elevation views of the garment of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are elevation views of the garment of FIG. 1 with a front panel for a top configuration.

FIG. 11 is an elevation view of the garment of FIG. 1 in a jacket configuration.

FIG. 11A is a magnified view of an arm-shoulder area.

FIG. 12 is a rear elevation view of the garment of FIG. 1 in the pants configuration and a rear elevation view of the front panel for the jacket configuration, fully unzipped.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the invention, a garment 20 is provided that is convertible between a top configuration and a bottom configuration. In other words, the garment is intended to be worn as a top and as a bottom. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the garment is in a bottom configuration, here a pair of pants 26. Pants 26 have two legs or sleeves 28 for legs each having a cuff 30, a fly 32 which is part of a front portion 33 of pants 26, a waist portion, here as shown a waist band 34, flaps 36 and snap halves 38. On each side of pants 26 along each sleeve 28 is an elongate fastener, shown here as a zipper 40. Zippers 40 can extend from cuff 30 (or even through cuff 30) through the top 44 of the pants (here through waist band 34). Zippers 40 need not extend all the way to the cuff; it only needs to extend or be openable. Zippers 40 may extend to cuff 30 for appearance or fashion purposes. Sleeves 28 may be extendable. For example, sleeves 28 can be short and a sleeve extender as used for turning shorts into pants can be attached to the end of sleeves 28. Sleeves 28 may be shortenable by a pull string or elastic, similar to the pull string of a waistband. The top of zipper 40 including typically the zipper slider and zipper pull are hidden by flaps 36. Flaps 36 are attached by sewing 46 to pants 26 and held down by a fastener 48 by any suitable fastener such as a hook and loop fastener or a belt buckle which can also be used to adjust the fit around a person's waist. Similarly, waist band 34 is typically elastic and may be made adjustable via a pull string or pull cinch. If fastener 48 is a hook and loop fastener, it has a hook portion 48a and a loop portion 48b. Fly 32 includes an elongate fastener, shown here as a zipper 56. Snap halves 38, here caps, are shown on the front 50 of pants 26 but could be additionally or alternatively be located on the back side 52. Other fastener halves could be used instead. The fastening or female portion 54 of snap halves 38 are located on the inside of pants 26, but could also be located on the outside. Back side 52 includes a back portion 58.

Pants 26 also have holes 60 for each leg.

In FIG. 3, fasteners 48 are undone and flaps 36 are opened. Zipper 40 is partially unzipped; zipper 40 is shown as extending all the way to cuff 30, but zipper 40 need not extend this far. Both FIGS. 3 and 4 show zipper pulls 64 of zippers 40. Zipper pulls 64 are concealed by flaps 36 in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 shows sleeves 28 being moved away from each other and back portion 58 about to be flipped down.

FIGS. 5-8 shows back portion 58 flipped down and garment 20 in a first top configuration 66 and a hidden hood 68 having an optional elongated fastener, preferably a zipper 70 with a zipper pull 72. Hood 68 may be hidden inside a lining 74 of garment 20. Lining 74 has an opening 76 having a zipper with zipper pulls 78. Once hood 68 is removed from lining 74, zipper 70 can be zippered so the two halves of hood 68 are joined together. Hood 68 is zippered so it can fold cleanly back into lining 74 with the least amount of bulk. Opening 76 is hidden to keep the design sleek and take up minimum space. Putting away hood 68 into the lining makes it easier to access hanger loop 79 (shown in FIG. 10) for hanging garment 20. Preferably, hook portion 48a is located near the bottom of first top configuration 66 so it does not snag a wearer's hair.

FIGS. 9-12 show garment 20 with a front panel 80. The attachment of front panel 80 to garment 20 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 forms a second top configuration shown here as a jacket 82. Front panel 80 has two halves 84 which can be joined together by a zipper 86, a flap 88 for covering zipper 86, zipper halves 89 and 90, and fastener halves, typically snap halves 92 and 94. Flap 88 has two fastener halves, typically snap halves 96, which are typically caps. Flap 88 can be part of half 84a or 84b. In FIG. 12, flap 88 is shown as part of half 84a but in FIG. 11 flap 88 is shown as part of half 84b.

Snap halves 96 can fasten flap 88 to block wind with corresponding snap halves 98, typically snap studs. Front panel 80 assembled has an elasticized bottom 100, two approximately vertical sides 102 along which are zipper halves 89, two arcuate sides 104 along which are zipper halves 90 and a top side 106. Sides 104 are located in a shoulder area of jacket 82 and top side 106 is located in a neck area of jacket 82.

Zipper halves 89 and 90 and snap halves 94 are used to fasten front panel 80 to garment 20/first top configuration 66. Garment 20/first top configuration 66 has corresponding fasteners including zipper halves 108 and 110 and tags 112, each having a snap half 114, with a male portion. Snap half 114 fastens to snap half 94, having a female portion for engaging the male portion of snap half 114.

Snap halves 92 are used to fasten front panel 80 to pants 26. The illustrated locations of snap halves 38 correspond to hanging front panel 80 as separate halves 84a and 84b inside pants 26. It is contemplated that front panel 80 (as one piece or separate halves) could be attached to the outside of back portion 58 by snap halves 38 located on back portion 58. It is also contemplated that there be additional fastener halves on front panel 80 and pants 26 to prevent front panel from flapping around particularly when front panel 80 is attached to the outside of pants 26.

As best seen in FIG. 11A, zipper half 110 is located along zipper half 40a (one half of zipper 40) and is located interiorly of zipper half 40a. Similarly, zipper half 108 is located along zipper half 40b (other half of zipper 40) and is located interiorly of zipper half 40b such that zipper half 40b conceals zipper half 108 in FIG. 11A. When zipper 40 is closed as in pants 26, zipper halves 108 and 110 are concealed. Alternatively, zipper halves could be located exteriorly of zipper 40.

Zippers 89/108 and 90/110 have zipper sliders 116 and 118, respectively. The 2 sliders may be located on either half of zippers 89/108 and 90/110. Conceivably, zipper half 89 could fasten to zipper half 40b and zipper half 90 could fasten to zipper half 40a, but this is believed to not be optimal.

Turning now to a method of converting a garment from a bottom configuration to a top configuration, the reader's attention is directed to FIG. 1 which shows garment 20 as pants 26 from the front. In FIG. 2, flaps 36 are opened as illustrated by arrows 120. Next, zippers 40 are unzipped in the direction of arrows 122 as shown in FIG. 3. Then, a back portion 124 of top configurations 66/82 is unfolded as shown by arrow 126 in FIG. 4 and sleeves 28 are moved away from each other as shown by arrows 128. Back portion 124 includes back portion 58 and front portion 33 of the bottom configuration.

If front panel 80 is attached to garment 20, typically by one or more fasteners, such as snap halves 38, front panel 80 is detached. Front panel 80 may be separated into halves 84a and 84b when attached to garment 20. Front panel 80 is placed on top of garment 20 as a single piece as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 or as separate halves 84a and 84b. Front panel 80 (as a single piece or as separate halves) is then attached by elongate fasteners to garment 20 as shown in FIG. 11 to form jacket 82. The elongate fasteners are preferably zippers 89/108 and 90/110. Additionally, tag 112 is attached by fastener 114/94.

Additionally, the method may include the formation of hood 68, which is shown in FIG. 8. Hood 68 may be remove from inside lining 74 through opening 76. Opening 76 may have to be opened by unzipping the zipper having zipper pulls 78 as shown by arrows 130 in FIG. 6. Removed hood 68 may be partially separated or unzipped (as shown in FIG. 7) in which case zipper 70 can be closed to form hood 68 (as shown in FIG. 8).

Turning now to a method of converting a garment from a top configuration to a bottom configuration, the steps for converting from a bottom configuration to a top configuration are largely reversed. Front panel 80 is detached from jacket 82, typically by unfastening elongate fasteners, shown here as zippers 89/108 and 90/110, and snaps 114/94, thereby uncovering back portion 124 as shown in FIG. 9. The front panel may be detached as a single piece or individual halves 84.

If hood 68 is out as shown in FIG. 8, fastener/zipper 70 is undone as shown in FIG. 7. The unzipped hood is then inserted into lining 74 through opening 76. Opening 76 may then be closed such as by zipping the zipper having pulls 78.

Sleeves 28 are moved towards each in the opposite direction to arrows 128 and back portion 124 is folded in the direction opposite to arrow 126. Zippers 40 (or corresponding elongate fasteners) are closed in the direction opposite to arrows 122 in FIG. 3. Flaps 36 are closed and held down with fastener 48. The fit of the waist may be adjusted using fastener 48.

Additionally, front portion may be attached to pants 26, typically by attaching snap halves 92 to snap halves 38. Snap halves 92 and 38 may be replaced with a hook and loop fastener.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and rearrangements, and such changes, modifications and rearrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims. An example of such a modification is to vary the length of sleeves 28 such that the sleeves can be full length, short or entirely omitted. If omitted, the bottom configuration can be short shorts and the top configuration a vest. Regardless the garment would still have holes 60 for a wearer's limbs.

Claims

1. A method for changing a garment from a bottom configuration having a back, a seat in the back, and a front to a top configuration having a back, the method comprising (a) undoing elongate fasteners along opposed sides of the garment in the bottom configuration, the elongate fasteners extending through a waist portion of the bottom configuration, and (b) unfolding the back of the top configuration, the back of the top configuration comprising the seat and a portion of the front of the bottom configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the garment comprises a front panel of the top configuration, further comprising attaching the front panel to the garment after undoing the elongate fasteners.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the front panel is separable into two halves, the method further comprising fully detaching the front panel halves from inside of the garment before the attaching of the front panel.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein attaching a front panel comprises zipping a first zipper half on a first side of the front panel with a mating second zipper half on the garment and zipping a third zipper half on a second side of the front panel with a mating fourth zipper half on the garment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the bottom configuration has right and left legs, further comprising moving the legs of the bottom configuration away from each other for converting them into sleeves for arms in the top configuration.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the legs remain connected to the back of the top configuration during the moving the legs of the bottom configuration.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the elongate fasteners extending through the waist portion also extend along an outside of the left and along an outside of the right leg and through the bottom of the legs.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein undoing elongate fasteners comprises undoing an elongate fastener on the right side of the bottom configuration and undoing an elongate fastener on the left side of the bottom configuration.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the unfolding comprises unfolding a fold through a crotch of the bottom configuration.

10. A method for changing a garment from a top configuration having a back to a bottom configuration having a back, a seat in the back, and a front, the method comprising (a) in the top configuration, folding the back of the top configuration, the back comprising the seat of the bottom configuration and a portion of the front, and (b) fastening elongate fasteners which are located along opposed sides of the garment in the bottom configuration.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the garment comprises a front panel of the top configuration, further comprising detaching the front panel from the garment.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising separating the front panel into two halves.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising attaching each half of the front panel to the garment and placing each half of the front panel inside and along a different sleeve of the garment.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the top configuration has arm sleeves, further comprising moving the arm sleeves of the top configuration towards each other for converting them into leg sleeves of the bottom configuration.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the arm sleeves remain connected to the back of the top configuration during the moving the arm sleeves.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the elongate fasteners extend through the waist portion and through the bottom of the legs of the bottom configuration.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein undoing elongate fasteners comprises undoing an elongate fastener on an outside of one leg sleeve and undoing an elongate fastener on the outside of the other leg sleeve.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein each of the elongate fasteners comprises a zipper having a zipper pull, the method further comprising covering each zipper pull with a corresponding flap of the garment after the fastening of the elongate fastener.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising tightening a waist portion of the bottom configuration using at least one of the flaps.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the folding comprises folding through a crotch of the bottom configuration.

21. A garment having a top configuration for covering the torso of a person and a bottom configuration for covering the lower half of the person, the garment being interchangeable between the two configurations, the garment having in the top configuration a removable front panel having a right side having a first elongate fastener half extending along the right side and a left side having a second elongate fastener half extending along the left side.