Patent Application
20200305517
The present invention relates to suits made from fabric suitable for use in sweaters, with removable epaulettes (also spelled epaulets) on the shoulders.
There are previous inventions that combine features of sweaters and suits, but not that are the same as the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,456, issued on Oct. 26, 1965, to Stanley W. Ludwikowski, discloses rainwear, including a sweater that is waterproofed, and in the form of a men's suit. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it uses hook and loop fasteners (commonly known by the trademark VELCRO).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,296,626, issued on Jan. 10, 1967, to Stanley W. Ludwikowski, discloses a two-piece garment for wear during rainy weather. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it uses hook and loop fasteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,560, issued on Mar. 11, 1969, to Russell A. Austin, discloses a shoulder guard for football players, having epaulets 38 that are attached by rivets 41. The instant invention is distinguishable, because the epaulets are attached by hook and loop fasteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,252, issued on Oct. 9, 1984, to Eliot Peyser and Miriam Peyser, discloses a garment having adjustable sleeve means, with epaulets that are threaded through loops and fastened by snap closures. The instant invention is distinguishable, because in it the epaulets are attached by hook and loop fasteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,359, issued on May 14, 1991, to James M. Hanson, discloses a vest and backpack combination, having epaulets 190 and 192 that can be attached by Velcro (column 6, lines 45-48). The instant invention is distinguishable, because it is made of a sweater material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,999, issued on Feb. 17, 1998, to Clay A. Lurry, discloses modular clothing, having epaulets 15 that are attached by hook and look fasteners 14 (column 3, lines 60-63). It has cuffs and pants that may have elastic or drawstring closures. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it is made of a sweater material.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,376,979, issued on May 27, 2008, to Michael B. Nilsen, discloses an exercise garment with numerous small pockets, including minipockets at the ankles. The garments may be sweaters or suits (column 4, lines 35-37). The instant invention is distinguishable, because it has epaulets and can be rain proofed.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 353,478, issued on Dec. 20, 1994, to Fannie E. Bowens and Donna J. Bowens, discloses a design for a dress. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it is suitable for wear by either sex.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D438,692, issued on Mar. 13, 2001, to Michael W. Digby, discloses a design for a warmup suit, with elastic waistbands, sleeves and ankles, and a drawstring at the waist. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it has epaulets.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D456,590, issued on May 7, 2002, to Karen Gerson, discloses a design for an article of apparel, with a drawstring for the waist. The instant invention is distinguishable, because the top and pants are separate.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D511,237, issued on Nov. 8, 2005, to Ronald Glenn Johnson and Michael Roy Johnson, discloses a design for a denim riding suit. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it is made of sweater material.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D581,134, issued on Nov. 25, 2008, to Mellef Williams, discloses a design for a wedding dress. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it is suitable for wear by either sex.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D592,379, issued on May 19, 2009, to Katherine Aileen Harrison, discloses a design for formal dress. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it is suitable for wear by either sex.
Korean Patent No. 2014-0035863, published on Mar. 24, 2014, to Yun Jong Sik, discloses an epaulet attached by hook and loop fasteners. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it is made from a sweater material.
Chinese Patent No. 102031695, published on Apr. 27, 2011, to J. Zhang, discloses hygroscopic wool used in suits and sweaters. The wool is treated with a hydrophilic chemical reagent, to increase its moisture-absorbing rate. The instant invention is distinguishable, because the material is rain proofed (making it less likely to absorb moisture). (Only the English abstract and one drawing are available in the records of the USPTO for this patent.)
Chinese Patent No. 201504572, published on Jun. 16, 2011, to Jiangsu Swoto Garments Co. Ltd., discloses a combat-uniform style business suit with epaulettes. The instant invention is distinguishable, because it may have elastic and drawstring combinations.
Chinese Patent No. 202999416, published on Jun. 19, 2013, to Jiangsu Baihu Textile Science & Technology Co. Ltd., discloses a work suit with epaulettes attached by hidden buttons. The instant invention is distinguishable, because in it the epaulettes are attached by hook and loop fasteners.
Chinese Patent No. 205902848, published on Jan. 25, 2017, to Wang Xiyu, discloses a military uniform in which the epaulet is retained by a metal plate. The instant invention is distinguishable, because in the military version, the epaulettes are attached by hook and loop fasteners.
Epaulette, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epaulette, accessed on 18 Feb. 2019, discloses on the seventh page, under “United Kingdom”, a photograph with the caption, “Shoulder mark of a contemporary British OG (Olive Green) pullover with RAF Sergeant insignia. This should strap is attached with hook-and-look fastener.” But this shoulder strap is distinguishable from a traditional, ornamental epaulette, because it does not have a fringe, as does the epaulette in the instant invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is relates to clothing for males or females. It comes in different colors and patterns, and is interchangeable with other clothing. It can come in any size. It is ideal for winter civilian or military dress. The smart sweater suit is made of sweater material, such as cotton, wool, polyester, or any other suitable fabric. It can be rain-proofed or adapted for use in all weather. There are fringed epaulettes on the shoulders removably attached by hook and loop fasteners. There are pockets for an electronic device capable of interactive voice communication and answering questions posed by the wearer, which may be sold in combination with the suit, and for a laptop computer and a cell phone.
In a first preferred embodiment, it has a conventional collar, with a button down front. The sleeves have a conventional type wrist with buttons, but can also be secured about the wrist with an elastic band. The waistband has belt loops. The ankles may be open or may have an elastic band to prevent cold air drafts.
In a second preferred embodiment, the smart sweater suit is made of the same material, but the top is a pullover with no buttons, and a turtleneck. The ends of the sleeves can be elastic or an elastic and drawstring combination. The suit pants have an elastic waistband and drawstring combination. The pants also have large pockets that are low to knee with VELCRO® closures (known generically in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office as “hook and loop” fasteners). There are mini-pockets at the ankles for small items such as keys. The ankles have elastic closures.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide clothing that combines the comfort of sweaters with the formality of suits.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sweater suit with pockets for electronic devices or other tools.
It is a further object of the invention to combine a sweater suit with an electronic device that can provide real time answers to the wearer's questions.
Still another object of the invention is to combine a sweater suit with an electronic device connected to the Internet and/or Global Positioning System.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
The broken line in
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The present invention is a smart sweater suit made of wool, cotton, polyester or other synthetic fabric, or any other fabric suitable for making sweaters. The fabric may be waterproofed to protect from rain.
The bottom part has a trunk 34 with an opening 36 for the waist of the wearer, and legs 38 with openings 40 for the feet of the wearer.
An electronic device 42, capable of interactive voice communication and answering questions posed by the wearer, is retained in a pocket 44, which is preferably on the left upper front side of the top part. Optionally, there is a design of the earth 76 on the exterior of the pocket. The electronic device may be either removably for permanently retained in the pocket. A larger pocket 46 near the waist of the torso is suitably dimensioned and configured to retain a laptop computer. A smaller pocket 48 near the waist of the torso is suitably dimensioned and configured to retain a cellular telephone. The bottom part has larger pockets 50 in the middle of its legs, and smaller pockets 52 in ends of its legs near their openings for the feet of the wearer, with both the larger and smaller pockets being closable by flaps with hook and loop fasteners 54.
The top part can be opened and closed with buttons 56. The sleeves are secured by buttons 64. There are belt loops 70 around the opening for the wearer's waist in the bottom part.
The first preferred embodiment of the invention is further illustrated by
The second preferred embodiment of the invention is further illustrated by
For either the first or the second preferred embodiment, the exterior surface of the pocket for the electronic device capable of interactive voice communication has an insignia representing the earth 74. The electronic device capable of interactive voice communication can connect with the Internet, with satellites, and with the Global Positioning System. The suit may be sold separately from the electronic device. The top part and the bottom part may be sold separately.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
