It is common for institutional facilities such as but not limited to jails, juvenile detention centers, and prisons to provide clothing for their inmates. The clothing may be for short-term use, such as when a person is initially charged with an offense, or may be more long-term, such as a prisoner serving an extended incarceration term.
The clothing should be designed to fit a wide variety of inmates. Designs that are configured to accommodate a wide-range of body shapes and sizes reduce the amount of different clothing inventory that the facility is required to keep in stock.
Construction and design should prevent the clothing from being used as a weapon for an inmate to injure themselves, another inmate, or a guard. The clothing should be designed to prevent the entire item from being fashioned into a weapon, or for the inmate to remove a portion (e.g., a sleeve) and fashion it into a weapon. Further, clothing items often include attachments, such as but not limited to buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers, cords, toggles, plastic or metal snaps, and hook-and-eye closures. These attachments can be removed from the clothing and used as weapons.
One aspect is directed to a jumpsuit that includes a unitary one-piece body with a top section and a bottom section. The top section includes a pair of arm openings, a neck opening, and first and second panels that overlap at the neck opening. Each of the first and second panels includes an end permanently secured to the body and with an intermediate section forming a perimeter of the neck opening. The first and second panels are unattached to each other between the neck opening and the ends. The bottom section includes a pair of leg openings. The neck opening is variably sized between large and small sizes and configured to move between the large size and the small size by moving the first and second panels relative to each other while maintaining the ends secured to the body such that the users legs and torso can fit through the neck opening in the large size.
In another aspect, a first seam extends across the body between the top section and the bottom section with the ends of the first and second panels each secured to the first seam at locations that are spaced apart.
In another aspect, edges of each of the first and second panels are aligned at acute angles relative to the first seam.
In another aspect, the first seam includes an elastic band that extends across a back of the body and with the neck opening positioned on a front of the body and away from the back of the body.
In another aspect, a second seam extends from the first seam to a crotch of the bottom section.
In another aspect, a continuous edge extends around the neck opening and along each of the first and second panels.
In another aspect, the neck opening has a v-shape.
In another aspect, the neck opening is positioned on a front side of the body and a back side of the body is devoid of openings.
One aspect is directed to a jumpsuit. The jumpsuit includes a unitary one-piece body with a top section and a bottom section. The top section includes a pair of arm openings and the bottom section includes a pair of leg openings. The top section includes a continuous edge overlapping itself with an intermediate portion of the continuous edge forming a neck opening and opposing ends of the continuous edge being permanently affixed to the body at spaced apart locations offset from the neck opening.
In another aspect, a first section of the continuous edge extends along a first panel of the top section and a second section of the continuous edge extends along a second panel of the top section with the first panel overlapping the second panel.
In another aspect, a seam is positioned between the top section and the bottom section with the opposing ends of the continuous edge being affixed to the seam.
In another aspect, a back side of the top section is solid without openings.
In another aspect, the neck opening is variably sized between large and small sizes and configured to move between the large size and the small size by moving first and second panels of the top section relative to each other while maintaining the opposing ends secured to the body.
In another aspect, a bottom of the neck opening formed where the continuous edge overlaps is positioned closer to the bottom section in the large size than in the small size.
In another aspect, the neck opening has a v-shape.
One aspect is directed to a method of making a jumpsuit. The method includes overlapping a first panel of a top section over a second panel of the top section and forming a neck opening with the top section further including a pair of arm openings. The method includes permanently securing a first end of the first panel to a body of the jumpsuit at a first position away from the neck opening. The method includes permanently securing a second end of the second panel to the body of the jumpsuit at a second position away from the neck opening and that is spaced away from the first position. The method includes positioning the neck opening formed by edges of the first and second panel between the pair of arm openings with the neck opening being variably sized between large and small sizes and configured to move between the large size and the small size by moving the first and second panels relative to each other while maintaining the ends secured to the body such that the users legs and torso can fit through the neck opening in the large size.
In another aspect, the method includes forming a first seam across a torso section of the body below the first and second panels.
In another aspect, the method includes forming a second seam between the first seam and a crotch of the body with the first seam.
In another aspect, the method includes positioning the neck opening on a front side of the body and a solid section across a back side of the body.
In another aspect, the method includes positioning a first edge of the first panel at a first acute angle relative to a first seam that extends across the body and positioning a second edge of the second panel at a second acute angle relative to the first seam.
The present application is directed to a jumpsuit that includes an overlap neck. The neck is formed by a first panel that partially overlaps with a second panel. The neck can be positioned in a first configuration that has a first size. The first configuration is used when the jumpsuit is being worn by the user. The neck can also be positioned in a second configuration that has a second larger size. The second configuration is used for putting the jumpsuit on and taking the jumpsuit off. The user is able to step into the neck to put the jumpsuit on, and to slide the jumpsuit off. The jumpsuit does not include hardware or fasteners that could be used as a weapon by the user.
The jumpsuit 10 includes a top section 20 and a bottom section 30. A seam 50 extends around at least a portion of the jumpsuit 10 to divide these two sections 20, 30. The top section 20 includes arm openings in sleeves 21 that can have a variety of lengths. This includes short sleeves that terminate at or above the user's elbows, and long sleeves that terminate at the user's wrists. The bottom section 30 includes a waist section 31 and legs 32 with leg openings. The waist section 31 covers a mid-section of the user and extends from the seam 50 to a crotch 60, and the legs 32 can extend a variety of distances to cover a portion or entirety of the user's legs.
The seam 50 extends around a portion or entirety of the jumpsuit 10. The seam 50 can include the same construction around the entirety, or can include two or more different constructions. One design includes the seam 50 being a tri-stitch that includes three parallel rows of stitching that extends around a portion or entirety of the jumpsuit 10.
The seam 50 can include an elastic band 51 that extends around a portion or entirety of the jumpsuit 10. The band 51 is constructed from an expandable material such as rubber or elastic. The band 51 expands such as when the user is getting into the jumpsuit 10, and then returns towards an original size to more closely conform to the user. One design as illustrated in
The elastic band 51 can include a single continuous piece, or can include multiple separate pieces. One design includes multiple separate pieces which prevents or reduces the likelihood that the elastic band 51 can be used as a weapon if it were removed from the jumpsuit 10. The elastic band 51 can be secured to the jumpsuit 10 in various manners, including but not limited to being bar tacked.
The seam 50 is spaced a distance D upward from a crotch 60. This distance D is sized such that the seam 50 is positioned above the waist of the user when wearing the jumpsuit 10. This positioning above the waist of the user controls the size of the neck 40 in the enlarged second configuration. Seams 70 extend vertically between the crotch 60 and the seam 50. Seams 70 include a first seam on the front of the jumpsuit 10 as illustrated in
The central portion of the jumpsuit 10 is solid between the seam 50 and the crotch 60. This solid central portion measured by distance D makes it difficult for a user to access this portion of their body. This can prevent the user from accessing contraband that they were to somehow hide in this area. This can also prevent the user from easily accessing their body along this solid central portion.
As illustrated in
The opening 45 can also include different shapes in the first configuration when being worn by the user.
Elastic material can be attached to the entirety or portions of one or both of the edges 43, 44. One design includes the elastic extending completely around the neck 40 and along each edge 43, 44 down to the seam 50. Another design includes the elastic extending completely around the neck, along the overlapping edge 43, 44 down to the seam 50, and around the other edge 43, 44 to the point of overlap. The elastic material can be a single continuous strip, or can be two or more smaller strips.
In use prior to putting on the jumpsuit 10, the jumpsuit 10 is placed in the enlarged second configuration as illustrated in
The jumpsuit 10 can be removed from the user in a reverse manner. The user enlarges the opening 45 by pulling open the overlapping panels 41, 42. The user is then able to pull the opening 45 over their shoulder and remove a first arm through the opening 45. The user is then able to further enlarge the opening 45 and pull out their second arm through the opening 45. Once both arms are removed, the jumpsuit 10 is slid down their body with their body positioned in the opening 45. Once the jumpsuit 10 is lowered to a certain point, the user can lift one leg at a time through the opening 45 and out of the jumpsuit 10.
Facilities are often required to use metal detectors for users wearing jumpsuits. In some jumpsuit designs that include metal such as in metal snaps or zippers, the jumpsuit will cause the metal detector to go off. This requires a person working in the facility to inspect the user and make certain they do not have a weapon. This is a time-consuming and potentially dangerous job. One aspect of the present jumpsuit 10 is that there are no metal parts. Thus, if a user wearing the jumpsuit 10 activates a metal detector, it is because of a weapon or other contraband.
In one design, the overlapping panels 41, 42 are positioned at a front of the jumpsuit 10 (e.g.,
The overlapping section of the first and second panels 41, 42 can extend in different directions from the neck opening 45.
One aspect of the present jumpsuit 10 is that there is no collar or pockets. This aspect further prevents the user from hiding contraband in the jumpsuit 10.
Spatially relative terms such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, and the like, are used for ease of description to explain the positioning of one element relative to a second element. These terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to different orientations than those depicted in the figures. Further, terms such as “first”, “second”, and the like, are also used to describe various elements, regions, sections, etc. and are also not intended to be limiting. Like terms refer to like elements throughout the description.
As used herein, the terms “having”, “containing”, “including”, “comprising” and the like are open ended terms that indicate the presence of stated elements or features, but do not preclude additional elements or features. The articles “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural as well as the singular, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
The present invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the scope and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.
This claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/573,291, filed Oct. 17, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62573291 | Oct 2017 | US |