Patent Application
20200029628
This invention is directed toward a token system. More specifically, and without limitation, this invention relates to a token system for a shirt.
Throughout the world there are a variety of actions and items that are believed to bring bad or good luck or fortune to a person. For instance, the passage of a black cat in a person's path or the number 13 are both associated with bad luck. Other actions and items are associated with good luck, such as a lucky rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover. Some sources of luck are more personalized, such as growing out an individual's hair or facial hair to continue to receive good luck or wearing a particular article of clothing during particular events to enhance the likelihood of success.
One way of bringing on good luck is believed to be touching wood, or as it is known in the United States, knocking on wood. Knocking on wood, or a variation thereof, is recognized throughout the world, including Australia, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Romania, Russia, and many others. The exact basis for the belief varies by locale.
Unfortunately, even though this belief is so widely held, there are instances where knocking on wood is impossible due to the unavailability of wood. One solution to this problem is placing a small piece of wood or wooden token on a key ring as disclosed in CA 2 505 802 (Freitas). This solution is similar to a conventional rabbit's foot charm that is fastened to a chain.
Like the conventional rabbit's foot charm, the wood token on a key ring suffers from a number of deficiencies. For one, the piece of wood can be forgotten or left behind easily given its small size. Likewise, the piece of wood can be lost, which if there is a correlation with a rabbit's foot, such loss would be considered to bring bad luck.
Even if the wood token is brought along, it will likely be stored in a pocket or a handbag. The need to store the wood token prevents it from being readily available. In clutch situations, such as a key play during a sports event, a person does not want to be searching their pockets in an attempt to locate a small wooden token.
Other disadvantages exist with this approach. Namely, there is no consideration of stacking or combining the good luck of the wooden token with more personalized good luck charms, e.g. a lucky shirt.
Hence there is a need in the art to overcome these deficiencies. Thus it is a primary objective of this invention to provide a token system that improves upon the art.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a token system that is readily available to a person without searching.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide a token system that combines with a lucky piece of clothing, namely a shirt.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a token system that is not easily lost.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide a token system that is convenient.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a token system that does not cause skin irritation.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide a token system that is fashionable.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a token system that is removable to reduce damage to clothing and the token system.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the specification and claims.
In general, the present invention relates to a token system for a shirt. The token system includes a connector or eyelet that is attached to a wood token by a flexible connector, which is a metal chain in some embodiments. The eyelet of the token system is integrated or embedded into the shirt. To increase the ease of use, reduce potential irritation, and increase the aesthetics of the token system, the eyelet is positioned in a lower corner of the shirt in some embodiments. In particular embodiments, the eyelet is positioned on or adjacent a hem, a seam, or both of a shirt.
The flexible connector is limited in length in some arrangements to prevent movement that could result in snagging or general annoyance. At the same time, the length of the flexible connector allows substantial manipulation of the wood token without interfering with the shirt by way of lifting, twisting, or pulling. The use of an eyelet and chain, along with positioning on the shirt, provides durability to the token system while limiting the potential of the shirt being torn or otherwise damaged by accidental engagement or use of the token system.
With reference to the Figures a token system 10 is provided that has a connector or eyelet 12, a flexible connector or chain 14, and a wood token 16. As seen in the Figures, the token system 10 is integrated into a shirt 18—adaptation of the token system 10 for other pieces of clothing is contemplated.
The shirt 18 is any conventional shirt 18 that is typically comprised of a front or first piece of cloth 20 and a back or second piece of cloth 22 that are connected to one another along a seam 24. The front piece 20 of cloth has a front 26A and a back 28A and the back piece of cloth 22 has a front 26B and a back 28B.
A top portion 30 of the shirt 18 is a collar 32 that forms a top opening 34 for a person's head. At opposing sides 36 of the top portion 30 are arm openings 38 for a person's arms. A bottom portion 40 of the shirt 18 has a bottom opening 42 that a person's torso extends through. A hem 44 extends around the bottom opening 42.
The eyelet 12 of the token system 10 is circular, but can be other suitable shapes, and is attached to and through the front piece of cloth 20, such that an aperture 46 is formed through the front 26A and the back 28A of the front piece of cloth 20. As shown in the illustrative embodiment, the eyelet 12 is positioned in a lower corner 48 of the bottom portion 40 of the front piece of cloth 20. In this way, the token system 10 will be readily accessible as it positions the token system 10 near a person's hand when the arm is at the person's side. This positioning also results in a location where the shirt 18 conventionally overlaps with another piece of clothing 50 (not shown), such as a pair of jeans, pants, or shorts, which prevents the token system 10 from rubbing against a person's skin thereby avoiding skin irritation. This position also allows for designs or indicia 52 to be placed on front side 26A of the front piece of cloth 20 without the token system 10 obstructing or otherwise distracting from the design or indicia.
In one embodiment, the eyelet 12 is positioned within 0.25 inches or less from both the adjacent seam 24 and the hem 44. This positioning reduces the likelihood of tearing the shirt 18 if the token system 10 were to snag on an object due to the reinforcement from the seam 24 and the hem 44. In one particular embodiment, the eyelet 12 is at least partially positioned on the hem 44, the seam 24, or both to obtain the advantage of superior reinforcement
Although the eyelet 12 is shown in one embodiment on the left side of the shirt 18, the eyelet 12 can also be positioned on the right side of the shirt 18 and can also be similarly positioned on the back piece of cloth 22.
The chain 14 of the token system 10 is passed through the aperture 46. The chain 14 is continuous and thereby forms a loop or flexible ring 54 that forms around the eyelet 12 and hem 44. In the illustrative embodiment, the continuous form of the chain 14 is achieved by a connecting link 56 that connects opposing ends 58 of the chain 14. In some embodiments, the connecting link 56 is a clasp that allows for easy removal of the chain 14 from the eyelet 12 and thus the shirt 18.
The flexible characteristic of the chain 14 allows the token system 10 to hang from the shirt 18 without twisting or otherwise contorting, thereby preventing the token system 10 from pulling or twisting the shirt 18 in an unappealing fashion. In one particular embodiment, the chain 14 is approximately 2.0 inches in length, which allows the loop 54 to hang down below the bottom opening 42 of the shirt. In the embodiment presented, the flexible connector 14 is a metal chain although other materials are contemplated, however, the durability, washability, lightweight, and aesthetic of a metal chain 14 is advantageous.
The chain 14 passes through an aperture 60 of the wood token 16. As seen in the Figures, the aperture 60 in some embodiments is positioned adjacent a top end 62 of the wood token 16 such that the majority of the wood token 16 extends below the aperture 60. In the depicted arrangement, the length of the chain 14 is sufficient to pass through the aperture of the eyelet 12 and the aperture 60 of the wood token 16 while allowing a distance between the bottom portion 40 of the shirt 18 and the wood token 16. Also in this arrangement, the wood token 16 extends closer to the natural resting position of a person's hand while standing. Other positions of the aperture 60 are, however, contemplated.
The wood token 16, in one embodiment, is approximately 2.0 inches in length from the top end 62 to a bottom end 64 and has a width of approximately 0.5 inches or less. In this arrangement, the wood token 16 has the shape of an elongated rectangle. In this way, the wood token 16 is closer to a person's hand while standing and is easily grabbed or held, while avoiding a shape that is easily broken and does not add sufficient weight to pull on the shirt 18. Other arrangements are, however, contemplated where the size and shape varies.
In operation, the token system 10 hangs from the shirt 18 thereby literally making the shirt 18 a lucky shirt due to the presence of the token system. While worn, the person cannot accidentally leave the token system 10 behind due to integration with the shirt 18 and when not worn the likelihood of losing a shirt 18 is substantially lower due to the size, shape, and nature of the shirt 18.
When needed to increase a person's luck, the person simply reaches down without searching to touch the wood token 16, holds the wood token 16, or raps the person's knuckles on the wood token 16 to literally knock on wood. The position of the token system 10 shown in the Figures facilitates knocking as the wood token 16 is conveniently positioned to rest on or near a person's hip. However, the token system 10 is positioned to overlay other articles of clothing 50 so that no part of the token system 10 makes direct contact with a person's skin. At the same time, the positioning itself is aesthetically pleasing and permits other indicia 52 on the shirt 18 without obstruction.
When the shirt 18 is washed, the connecting link 56 is used to remove the opposing ends 58 of the chain 14 so that the chain 14 and the wood token 16 can be separate from the shirt 18. The integrated nature of the eyelet 12, in some embodiments, requires that the eyelet 12 remain present in the shirt 18. However, due to the size, structure, and location of the eyelet 12 limits, if not eliminates, the possibility of the shirt 18 being damaged due to the presence of eyelet 12. Once washed, the chain 14 is reconnected to the eyelet 12 as described herein.
Therefore, a token system 10 has been provided that is readily available to a person without searching, combines with a lucky piece of clothing, is not easily lost, is convenient, does not cause skin irritation, is fashionable, and improves upon the art.
From the above discussion and accompanying figures and claims it will be appreciated that the token system 10 offers many advantages over the prior art. It will be appreciated further by those skilled in the art that various other modifications could be made to the device without parting from the spirit and scope of this invention. All such modifications and changes fall within the scope of the claims and are intended to be covered thereby. It should be understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in the light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included in the spirit and purview of this application.
