Patent Application
20190059455
Not Applicable
The present disclosure relates generally to a garment, and more specifically, to a sock having a pocket for temporarily storing and concealing an item, such as an engagement ring, jewelry box, gift, etc.
It is well-known that engagement rings may be presented from one individual to a significant other during a marriage proposal. Such marriage proposals oftentimes occur when the couple is at a special event or involved in a special activity, such as walking on the beach, having a picnic, at dinner, on a trip or excursion, etc. Therefore, it is difficult for the person making the proposal to maintain the engagement ring in a safe and secure location, without making the presence of the engagement ring known to the significant other.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a garment which can be worn by an individual for securely and discreetly storing an engagement ring or other jewelry. Various aspects of the present disclosure address this particular need, as will be discussed in more detail below.
Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward an article of clothing, and in particular, a sock, having a pocket formed therein for discreetly storing a small item, such as an engagement ring, wedding bands, jewelry box, gift, etc.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be provided a method of concealing jewelry on a user. The method may include placing a sock on a foot of the user. The sock may include a sock body having an open end portion, a closed end portion, and a slit formed on the sock body adjacent the open end portion. A pocket body may be coupled to the sock body and may define a pocket cavity, with the pocket body having a narrow neck and a wide bottom. The method may include inserting a jewelry item into the pocket cavity to cause the narrow neck to expand as the jewelry is advanced through the narrow neck.
The inserting step may further include advancing the jewelry item into the wide bottom. The inserting step may further include retracting the narrow neck after the jewelry item passes therethrough.
The method may further comprise the step of imparting a compressive force on the jewelry item from the narrow neck.
According to another embodiment, there may be provided a sock specifically sized and structured to facilitate concealing an engagement ring. The sock may include a sock body having a foot portion and a calf portion. A slit may be formed in the calf portion, and a pocket body defining a pocket cavity may be attached to the sock body adjacent the slit. The pocket body may have opposed tapered regions defining a narrow neck and a wide bottom of the pocket body.
The pocket body may be elastic and transitional between an neutral position and an expanded position, wherein a size of the an opening defined by the narrow neck expands as the pocket body transitions from the neutral position toward the expanded position.
The present disclosure will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which:
Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and the detailed description to indicate the same elements.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of certain embodiments of a sock having a pocket for concealing jewelry and is not intended to represent the only forms that may be developed or utilized. The description sets forth the various structure and/or functions in connection with the illustrated embodiments, but it is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent structure and/or functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. It is further understood that the use of relational terms such as first and second, and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustration, and are not for purposes of liming the same, there is depicted a sock 10 specifically sized and structured to allow an individual wearing the sock 10 to conceal jewelry 12, such as an engagement ring, until the appropriate time for presenting the jewelry 12 to its intended recipient. As will be explained in more detail below, the sock 10 may include a hidden pocket 14 which is sized to receive the jewelry 12 to allow the individual to keep the jewelry 12 on his/her person in a very discreet location, thus, making it highly unlikely that the intended recipient of the jewelry 12 becomes aware of the jewelry 12 before the jewelry 12 is presented to the recipient.
Referring now specifically to
The sock body 16 may be fabricated from materials commonly used in conventional socks, such as cotton, wool, polyester, synthetic fibers, etc. Along these lines, the sock body 16 may be configured to expand as the sock 10 is placed on the user. The calf portion 22 may have elastic characteristics which allows the calf portion 22 to exert a compressive force on the user. The magnitude of the compressive force may be sufficient to maintain the sock 10 in position on the user without falling down, without creating discomfort to the user.
The sock body 16 may be contoured in a manner similar to the contour of a user's foot. The sock body 16 may be structured to allow the sock body 16 to be worn on either the left foot or the right foot. Alternatively, the sock body 16 may be specifically contoured to more closely conform to a specific one of the left foot or the right foot.
Referring now to
The sock body 16 may include a slit 30 formed in the calf portion 22 adjacent the upper edge 24 at a side portion of the sock body. The slit 30 may be in communication with a pocket cavity 32 to allow for insertion of the jewelry item 12 into the pocket cavity 32, as will be explained in more detail below. The slit 30 may be very discreet or generally hidden when the sock 10 is worn by the user. Along these lines, the sock body 16 may have elastic or other resilient material coupled thereto to urge the slit 30 toward a closed configuration to minimize any gap created by the slit 30 and mitigate any discontinuity in the appearance of the sock 10. In other words, the appearance of the pocket 14 may blend with the sock body 16. However, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the pocket 14 may intentionally be visually distinct from the pocket body 16. For instance, the pocket 14 may be associated with a color that contrasts or “pops out” relative to the color of the sock body 16. As such, the aesthetics of the sock and pocket 14 may vary, while still performing the function of concealing a small item.
The pocket body 18 may be coupled to the sock body 16 adjacent the slit 30 and may be operative to receive the jewelry item 12 and retain the jewelry item 12 therein while the sock 10 is worn by the user. The pocket body 18 may be coupled to the sock body 16 via stitching, adhesive, or other attachment mechanisms known by those skilled in the art. The pocket body 18 may include an open end portion 34 and an opposed closed end portion 36. The open end portion 34 may be coupled to the sock body 16 adjacent the slit 30, such that the open end portion 34 is in communication with the slit 30. The pocket body 18 may extend along an inner surface of the sock body 16 away from the slit 30.
The pocket body 18 may include opposed tapered regions 38. The tapered regions 38 define a narrow neck 40, with the closed end portion 36 defining a wide bottom 42 relative to the narrow neck 40. The configuration of the pocket body 18 may be aimed at retaining the jewelry item 12 within the pocket cavity 32 until the wearer of the sock 10 wants to retrieve the item 12 therefrom. Along these lines, the narrow neck 40 may define an opening that is smaller than that of the wide bottom 42, such that the narrow configuration of the narrow neck 40 may help at retaining the jewelry item 10 within the pocket cavity 32.
The pocket body 18 may be elastic in nature to allow for selective expansion and contraction of the narrow neck 40 to facilitate insertion and removal of the jewelry item 12 into and out of the pocket cavity 32. In this regard, the narrow neck 40 may be biased toward a closed configuration, and expandable toward an open configuration, wherein the size of an opening defined by the narrow neck 40 may increase as the narrow neck 40 transitions from the closed configuration toward the open configuration. Conversely, the size of the opening defined by the narrow neck 40 may decrease as the narrow neck 40 transitions from the open configuration toward the closed configuration. The material used in forming the pocket body 18 may itself be elastic, or alternatively, if formed from a non-elastic material, the pocket body 18 may include elastic strips or other elastic elements to impart the bias on the narrow neck 40.
According to one embodiment, the pocket 14 may have a width of approximately 2.5 inches-3.5 inches, and in one particular implementation, a width of approximately 3.0 inches. The width of the pocket 14 may be the direction along which the slit 30 extends. The pocket 14 may have a depth of approximately 2.0 inches-3.0 inches, and in one particular implementation, a depth of approximately 2.5 inches. The depth of the pocket 14 may be the direction perpendicular to the direction along which the slit 30 extends.
While the foregoing describes the pocket body 18 as being elastic and having opposed tapered regions 38, it is understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For instance, the pocket body 18 may be non-elastic, and may be devoid of tapered regions 38. The pocket 14 may have a closing element, such as hook-and-loop fasteners (i.e., VELCRO™), a button, snap or other closing elements known in the art, for closing the pocket cavity 32 when the jewelry item 12 is received therein. It is also contemplated that the sock body 16 may be sufficient elastic to compress the jewelry item 12 against the user's leg for securing the jewelry item 12 on the user. In this regard, several alternative attributes may be implemented into the sock 10 for securing the jewelry item 12 therein, with such attributes being used alone, or in combination with one or more of the attributes.
With the basic structure of the sock 10 described above, the following discussion will focus on several exemplary uses of the sock 10. In general, the sock 10 may be used by being placed on a foot of the user, and inserting a jewelry item 12 into the pocket cavity 32. At a later time, the user may retrieve the jewelry item 12 from the pocket cavity 32 by inserting at least one finger, and preferably multiple fingers into the pocket cavity 32 to expand the pocket cavity 32 for retrieving the jewelry item 12 therefrom.
It is contemplated that the sock 10 may be particularly useful during a marriage proposal for concealing the engagement ring 12 on the individual making the proposal until the for making the proposal occurs. In this regard, the specific methodology associated with using the sock 10 during a marriage proposal may vary slightly depending on the dominant hand of the user, as will be described below.
Referring now specifically to
When the user gets down on one knee and assumes the position shown in
Referring now to
When the user gets down on one knee and assumes the position shown in
The positions of the pockets 14 shown in
As shown in
By storing the engagement ring 12 in the sock 10, the user may conceal the engagement ring 12, until the appropriate time for presenting the engagement ring 12. Previously, it was common for a user to store the engagement ring 12 in a pants pocket or a coat pocket, which may not conceal the ring as well, and thus, may spoil the surprise. The sock 10 and the pocket 14 integrated therein may be concealed by the user's pants, and thus, provides a better location for temporarily storing the ring 12. Furthermore, those significant others who may be expecting an engagement would be unlikely to inspect the user's sock 10, as it is not a conventional location for storing an engagement ring.
Although the foregoing describes the sock 10 as being useful for storing an engagement ring 12, it is understood that the sock 10 may be used for other occasions. For instance, the sock 10 may also be useful during a marriage ceremony for securely carrying a wedding band prior to the vows, as is traditionally the responsibility of the Best Man. Furthermore, any small gift, such as coins, money, other jewelry, i.e., rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, charms, etc., may be stored in the sock 10 until the appropriate time for gifting or presenting for any occasion, such as an anniversary, graduation, holiday, birthday, other milestone, etc. Also, the ability of the sock 10 to conceal an item may not only be useful for concealing gifts, but may useful in areas that are prone to pickpockets for concealing important items.
The above discussion describes a single sock having a single pocket integrated therein. It is contemplated that the sock having the pocket may be sold as a pair with a more conventional sock, i.e., one not having a pocket. The pair of socks may have an identical design, i.e., stripes, argyle, patterns, etc. In addition to the foregoing, it is contemplated that the sock having a pocket is not limited to a single pocket. Rather, multiple pockets may be integrated into the sock for storing multiple items. The pockets may be aligned in a linear array, or may be circumferential disposed about the sock. For instance, a sock having a pair of pockets may have such pockets arranged in diametrically opposed relation to each other.
The particulars shown herein are by way of example only for purposes of illustrative discussion, and are not presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, no attempt is made to show any more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the different features of the various embodiments, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how these may be implemented in practice.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/552,971 filed on Aug. 31, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62552971 | Aug 2017 | US |
