Patent Application
20240172848
The present invention relates generally to multi-function, wearable articles. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a tote bag configured to couple to other garments (for example, a jacket).
It is generally known to provide garments that can be converted from one article to a second article. For example, it is known to provide a jacket that can be converted to a bag. Another example is a skirt that can be converted into a bag. However, the state of the art does not generally recognize providing garments that can be configured to provide a first article that couples to a second article to thereby provide a wearable garment, but when the first article and the second article are separated the two articles each can provide a useful function.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is, for example, a tote bag that can be simply and easily converted into, for example, a part of a jacket. The present application provides these and other advantages as will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that are further described in the detailed description of the present disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the present disclosure, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the present disclosure.
In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a tote bag convertible into a bottom portion of a jacket. The tote bag can include a tote portion; a first fastener coupled to the tote portion; wherein the first fastener is configured to attach the tote portion to a fastener of a jacket; and wherein the tote portion is configured to provide a bottom portion of the jacket when the first fastener is attached to the fastener of the jacket. The tote bag can further include a hem portion coupled to the tote portion, the hem portion configured to be used as the bottom of a tote bag; a second fastener coupled to the hem portion; wherein the second fastener is configured to close a bottom of the tote portion to provide a bottom of the tote bag; and wherein the first fastener is configured to close the top of the tote bag to secure items placed in the tote bag.
In some embodiments, the tote bag can further include handles placed within an inner lining of the tote portion, wherein the handles are configured to be used as handles for the tote bag. In certain embodiments, the first fastener, the second fastener, and the fastener of the jacket each includes a zipper. In one embodiment, the first fastener, the second fastener, and the fastener of the jacket each includes one or more buttons. In some embodiments, the first fastener, the second fastener, or the fastener of the jacket includes at least one fastener from the group: zippers, buttons, and hook-and-loop.
Another aspect of the invention concerns a jacket-bag product. In one embodiment, the jacket-bag product can include a jacket portion; a tote portion removably coupled to the jacket portion; wherein the tote portion includes (a) a first fastener configured to attach to a fastener of the jacket portion to provide a bottom portion of a jacket; (b) a hem along a bottom edge of the tote portion; and (c) a second fastener coupled to the hem, wherein the second fastener is configured to close a bottom of the tote portion to provide a tote bag.
In one embodiment, the jacket portion can be a crop top jacket. In some embodiments, the hem along the bottom edge of the tote portion becomes a bottom hem of a jacket when the jacket portion is coupled to the tote portion. In certain embodiments, the jacket portion and the tote portion are configured to facilitate separate and/or simultaneous use of the jacket portion as a jacket and the tote portion as a tote bag.
In one embodiment, the first fastener, the second fastener, and the fastener of the jacket portion each includes at least one fastener from the group: zippers, buttons, and hook-and-loop. In some embodiments, the first fastener, the second fastener, and the fastener of the jacket portion each includes a zipper. In certain embodiments, the first fastener, the second fastener, and the fastener of the jacket portion each includes buttons. In certain embodiments, the first fastener, the second fastener, and the fastener of the jacket portion each includes a hook-and-loop fastener.
Yet another aspect of the invention pertains to a multi-function article. The multi-function article can include a top portion having a first fastener; a bottom portion having a second fastener configured to facilitate removably attaching the top portion to the bottom portion by fastening or unfastening the first fastener with the second fastener; a third fastener coupled to the bottom portion, the third fastener configured to close a hem side of the bottom portion to facilitate converting the bottom portion into a tote bag.
In one embodiment, the bottom portion comprises handles, wherein the handles are placed in an inner lining of the bottom portion, and wherein the handles are configured to facilitate carrying the tote bag. In some embodiments, the hem is configured to become a bottom hem of a jacket when the bottom portion is attached to the top portion. In certain embodiments, the top portion can be a jacket. In one embodiment, the jacket is a crop top jacket.
In one embodiment, the top portion is configured for use as a jacket, wherein the bottom portion is configured for use as a tote bag, and wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are configured to facilitate simultaneous use of the jacket and the tote bag. In some embodiments, the first, second, and third fastener each comprises a zipper.
To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.
The subject matter that is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein would be contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting.
The term “some” as used herein is to be understood as “none or one or more than one or all.” Accordingly, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” The term “some embodiments” may refer to no embodiments or to one embodiment or to several embodiments or to all embodiments, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features. It does not in any way limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the claims or their equivalents.
More specifically, any terms used herein such as but not limited to “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and grammatical variants thereof do not specify an exact limitation or restriction and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated, and furthermore must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated with the limiting language “must comprise” or “needs to include.”
Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, either way, it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do not preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language such as “there needs to be one or more . . . ” or “one or more element is required.”
Unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skills in the art.
Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements presented in the attached claims. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of illuminating one or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the attached claims fulfill the requirements of uniqueness, utility and non-obviousness.
Use of the phrases and/or terms including, but not limited to, “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or variants thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and/or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one or more features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or alternatively in the context of more than one embodiment, or further alternatively in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.
Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodiments and therefore should not be necessarily taken as limiting factors to the attached claims. The attached claims and their legal equivalents can be realized in the context of embodiments other than the ones used as illustrative examples in the description below.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In one embodiment, a jacket can be configured to facilitate converting the jacket into a bag. The jacket can be, for example, a windcheater/windbreaker jacket. The jacket can include zippers at the midriff and waist. In some embodiments, the jacket includes handles for the bag, and the handles are located inside the jacket. The jacket can include a bag portion that can be unzipped and removed from an upper portion of the convertible jacket, which upper portion can (a) be worn as a cropped jacket or (b) placed into the bag. In certain embodiments, the convertible jacket can include a zipper at the hem to form the bottom of the bag. In one embodiment, the convertible jacket can include a zipper placed at the middle of the jacket near the breastbone.
In an embodiment, the disclosed convertible jacket can be used in the following ways: i) a waterproof, rain-repelling jacket, ii) a cropped waterproof, rain-repelling jacket, and iii) a tote.
In some embodiments, inside the bottom part of the jacket, handles are hidden inside of the jacket lining. To convert the convertible jacket into a tote, the handles can be unveiled and used. When desired, these handles can be lifted from the lining area and used to carry the tote.
In an embodiment, the disclosed convertible jacket serves as a multi-functioning clothing item that provides protection from the wind, rain, and/or a chilly breeze while providing a tote to carry, for example, groceries, shopping purchases, gym equipment, and the like. In some embodiments, the convertible jacket can be made of a waterproof material (such as nylon) to make the jacket waterproof. However, this jacket can be made of any suitable material.
In an embodiment, the convertible jacket includes a top portion with a zipper and a bottom portion at the end configured to facilitate unzipping and carrying the bottom half of the jacket as a tote. The zippers can be, for example, heavy-duty metal zippers to ensure that materials placed inside tote are secure and to prevent the contents from falling out of the bottom or top when placed inside the tote. Although zippers are used in some of the embodiments described here, equivalent means of fastening the top portion to the bottom portion can be used (such means can include, for example, hook-and-loop materials, buttons, laces, and the like).
In an embodiment, when the convertible jacket is fully assembled, the convertible jacket can include a zipper at the end of the convertible jacket, the zipper can be hidden away in a hem of the convertible jacket, and the zipper can serve to close a base of the tote. The top zipper can be located in the middle of the jacket which allows the jacket to be used in two different ways: i) zip off the bottom portion and place the top of the jacket inside the tote, or ii) zip off the bottom portion and use as a tote and wear the top portion of jacket as a cropped jacket.
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Convertible jacket 100 can be made of any suitable materials including cotton, leather, synthetic leather, nylon, fleece, synthetic materials, polyester, rayon, spandex, lace, and the like.
The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of the embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/US2022/080529 | Nov 2022 | WO |
| Child | 18305337 | US |
