This application generally relates to clothing and, in particular, to a system, method and apparatus for a garment that is convertible between a jacket and a vest/leggings.
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Conventional outer garment coverings such as jackets, vests, leggings and the like are well known in the garment industry. For example, conventional jackets comprise a garment body having a garment torso and sleeves for the body and arms, respectively, of a wearer of the jacket. Conventional vests are similar to jackets, but typically do not include sleeves so that the arms of the wearer of the vest are exposed. Conventional leggings comprise separate coverings for at least portions of the legs of the wearer of the leggings. Although these designs are workable, improvements in garment functionality, utility and adaptability continue to be of interest.
Embodiments of a system, method and apparatus for a garment that is convertible between a jacket and a vest/leggings are disclosed. For example, the garment can include a body having a front, a back, a head opening, a hood extending from the head opening and arm openings. Sleeves can be configured to be removably mounted adjacent the arm openings. Each sleeve can have a shoulder end and a wrist end. The garment also can include a jacket configuration wherein the sleeves are configured to be removably mounted to the body at the arm openings. In this mode, the body can be configured to be worn as a jacket on a torso and arms of a user. The shoulder ends of the sleeves can be removably fastened to fasteners on the body located adjacent the arm openings. The wrist ends of the sleeves can extend away from the arm openings.
The garment can further include a vest/leggings configuration wherein the sleeves are configured to be unfastened and removed from the body. The body can be configured to be worn as a vest on the torso of the user such that the garment does not cover the arms of the user. Each sleeve can be configured to be worn as a legging on a respective leg of the user. The shoulder ends of the sleeves can be located adjacent feet of the user, and the wrist ends of the sleeves can be located adjacent knees of the user.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of these embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.
So that the manner in which the features and advantages of the embodiments are attained and can be understood in more detail, a more particular description can be had by reference to the embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. However, the drawings illustrate only some embodiments and therefore are not to be considered limiting in scope as there can be other equally effective embodiments.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.
Embodiments of the sleeves 51 can comprise permanently fastened (e.g., sewn), closed tubes that are not configured and/or intended to be unfastened to become open tubes during use. For example, the sleeves 51 can be permanently sewn to form closed tubes, such that no hook and loop fasteners, Velcro or other releasable fasteners are employed to form the sleeves 51.
Versions of the garment 31 can include a jacket configuration (
In some examples, the shoulder ends 53 of the sleeves 51 have fasteners (such as the zippers 44 described herein) that are removably fastened to fasteners on the body 33 located adjacent the arm openings 43. As shown in the jacket configuration of
In the vest/leggings configuration, each sleeve 51 can be configured to be worn as a legging on a respective leg of the user. In this mode, examples of the shoulder ends 53 of the sleeves 51 are configured to be located adjacent feet of the user. The wrist ends 55 of the sleeves 51 can be located adjacent knees of the user.
In some embodiments, each sleeve 51 can be provided in a desired shape. In the example of
Examples of the garment 31 can include, in the vest/leggings configuration, the minimum dimensions 57 of the sleeves 51 to be configured to be located below the knees of the user. In some embodiments, the flares 59 can extend upward (
In some embodiments, in the jacket configuration of
As shown in
In addition,
Embodiments of the garment 131 can be equipped with equipment 201 configured to detect ambient audible levels. In some versions, the equipment 201 includes sound detection, such as a microphone, and a processor configured to control one or more lights 199 (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs), etc.). Versions of the lights 199 can have on and off configurations. In some examples, when the equipment 201 detects a threshold audible level (e.g., 80 dB, 85 dB or more), the processor can activate the lights 199 to signal (i.e., a “hearing protection mode”) to the user of the garment 131 that the earplugs 197 should be installed in the ears of the user. In other embodiments, the user can select the threshold audible level, such as at least about 90 dB, at least about 95 dB, etc.
Other versions can include one or more of the following embodiments.
1. A garment, comprising:
2. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein the sleeves and the leggings are the same respective items, whether worn in the jacket configuration or in the vest/leggings configuration.
3. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein each sleeve tapers down in size from the shoulder end toward the wrist end, a minimum dimension of each sleeve is defined adjacent to but spaced apart from the wrist end, and each sleeve tapers up in size from the minimum dimension to the wrist end to define a flare at each wrist end.
4. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein, in the vest/leggings configuration, the minimum dimensions of the sleeves are configured to be located below the knees of the user, and the flares extend upward from the minimum dimensions to surround at least portions of the knees of the user.
5. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein the sleeves comprise permanently fastened, closed tubes that are not configured/intended to be unfastened to become open tubes during use.
6. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein, in the jacket configuration, each sleeve is configured to completely surround and envelop an arm of the user.
7. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein, in the vest/leggings configuration, each sleeve is configured to completely surround and envelop a lower portion of a leg of the user, from a foot of the user to about a knee of the user, such that the leggings are not configured to extend to thighs of the user.
8. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein, in the vest/leggings configuration, the sleeves are configured to extend past ankles of the user and cover at least portions of the feet of the user.
9. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein, in the vest/leggings configuration, the sleeves are configured to substantially completely cover the feet of the user.
10. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein a fabric pattern for each sleeve is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the fabric pattern.
11. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein each shoulder end is generally diamond-shaped and each wrist end is substantially conical.
12. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein, in the jacket configuration, the sleeves are configured to be secured to the body with zippers comprising respective mating zipper portions and, in the vest/leggings configuration, the sleeves are configured to be secured to legs of the user with drawstrings.
13. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein the garment is configured to be reversibly worn by the user with different first and second materials exposed to an exterior of the garment when worn in each reversible orientation, and the zippers are visible from the exterior of the garment when worn in each reversible orientation.
14. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein the zipper portions on the sleeves are configured to act as fabric protectors adjacent the feet of the user when worn as leggings by the user.
15. The garment of any of these embodiments, wherein, in the jacket configuration, the shoulder end of each sleeve comprises a top configured to be located adjacent a top of a shoulder of the user, and a bottom configured to be located adjacent an underarm of the user; and
16. The garment of claim 1, wherein the hood further comprises an inner drawstring channel, and a drawstring located at least partially in the inner drawstring channel, the drawstring comprises ends that extend to an exterior of the hood outside of the inner drawstring channel, and the ends of the drawstring comprise earplugs coupled thereto; and wherein the garment comprises:
17. The garment of claim 1, further comprising equipment configured to detect ambient audible levels.
18. The garment of claim 17, wherein the equipment comprises sound detection and a processor configured to control one or more lights.
19. The garment of claim 17, wherein the equipment is configured to detect a threshold audible level of at least about 85 dB, the processor is configured to activate the one or more lights to signal the user of the garment with a hearing protection mode.
20. The garment of claim 19, wherein the equipment is coupled to backpack.
This written description uses examples to disclose the embodiments, including the best mode, and also to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. The patentable scope is defined by the claims, and can include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities can be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the order in which activities are listed are not necessarily the order in which they are performed.
In the foregoing specification, the concepts have been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of invention.
It can be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term “communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompasses both direct and indirect communication. The term “discreet,” as well as derivatives thereof, references to the amount of skin exposed by a user of the garment, rather than the type of style of the garment. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof, can mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items can be used, and only one item in the list can be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.
Also, the use of “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.
The description in the present application should not be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential or critical element that must be included in the claim scope. The scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims. Moreover, none of the claims invokes 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) with respect to any of the appended claims or claim elements unless the exact words “means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim, followed by a participle phrase identifying a function.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that can cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims.
After reading the specification, skilled artisans will appreciate that certain features are, for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, can also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, can also be provided separately or in any subcombination. Further, references to values stated in ranges include each and every value within that range.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. 62/775,438, filed Dec. 5, 2018, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62775438 | Dec 2018 | US |