The present invention relates to garments, including shirts and blouses, that cover portions of the torso and arms of a wearer.
Undergarments for the upper part of the body, such as T-shirts and tank top undershirts are commonly worn, whether in hot or cold climates, beneath all manner of styles of shirts and other outer garments such as dress shirts, collared short-sleeved shirts, jackets, vests, dresses, etc. These undergarments can serve several purposes at once, both stylistic and functional. One common function of an undergarment is to absorb moisture (i.e., perspiration) from the wearer's upper body and, in particular, from his or her armpits and torso, Separately, some people simply do not like or cannot tolerate certain articles of clothing, like shirts of made of certain materials, directly contacting or rubbing against the skin. Thus, the undershirt serves to create a comfort barrier between garment and skin, to wick away sweat from the body (comfort), and to help prevent the outer garment from absorbing the sweat and showing unseemly sweat spots or stains (aesthetic). While substantially solving the comfort and sweat-visibility problems, the conventional approach of wearing a totally separate undergarment beneath an outer garment presents numerous other functional and aesthetic problems, however.
For one, many wearers prefer that the undergarments they wear not be visible to others looking at them. This is often the case with the common crew neck t-shirt style undershirt, which is exposed through the collar portion of nearly all button down or partial button-down shirts. V-neck undershirts aim to address this but do not solve the visibility problem for all uses, such as when a person wishes to keep an outer, button-down shirt unbuttoned for more than just the top or top two buttons. Equally undesirable for many is the visibility of the short sleeves of a T-shirt style undershirt through the sleeves of the outer garment, whether it be a short, medium, or long sleeve outer garment. Indeed, the finer, or more sheer, the material of the outer garment, the more the undershirt sleeve is visible to casual observers. However, even when wearing an outer garment made of a more opaque fabric, the undershirt sleeve may still be visible to, or at least perceived by others, especially in bright sunlight. Accordingly, for many, this problem unacceptably limits the type of undergarment that will be worn, the type of shirt that can be worn, or even whether an undergarment is worn at all.
Moreover, wearing a separate undergarment and shirt often introduces the problem of the undershirt “ride up” or “bunching up.” As an illustrative example, the sleeve of an undershirt might bunch up when the end of the sleeve gathers near the user's shoulder and/or arm pit. Or, the bottom of a T-shirt may ride up one's torso from its tucked-in position in the pants of the wearer. Bunching up may be uncomfortable and unseemly, and often requires the wearer to repeatedly adjust the undergarments in public, which may be inappropriate in some settings.
Attempts to address these or some of these problems typically involve eliminating coverage of the undergarment, such as removing the sleeve portions, as with the tank top undershirt, or just supplying armpit barriers. However, removing portions from the undergarment presents significant drawbacks. In warm climates, a wearer may desire the additional coverage, such as a sleeved undergarment, for absorption of sweat at the armpits. In cool climates, some arm and shoulder and torso coverage may be desirable for warmth. Other attempts to fully integrate (sew in) a short sleeve T-shirt style undergarment into a button-down outer garment have failed to adequately address the aesthetic issue of the visibility of the undergarment at the sleeve portion of the outer garment.
Therefore, what is needed is a new garment comprising at least an inner and an outer layer that are cooperatively dimensioned and at least partially configured relative to each other so that the inner layer is substantially non-observable to other people in normal wearing situations, while still providing a full separation of the outer garment from the skin, sweat absorption at the underarms and torso, all while eliminating the “ride up” problem. Such a garment may further comprise a plurality of elongated joining segments fixedly interconnecting the inner and outer layers to one another. The elongated joining segments may further be disposed so as to maintain various segments of the inner layer in extended configurations when the garment is disposed on the body of the wearer, without the inner layer being observable to the casual observer or bunching up under the outer layer.
The present invention addresses these needs and more by disclosing dual-layered, sleeved or partially sleeved garment for covering a predetermined portion of the torso of a wearer. In some embodiments, a unitary garment for covering at least a portion of the torso and arms of a wearer is disclosed. The garment comprises an outer garment body a unitary inner garment body. The outer body includes an outer torso portion and a pair of sleeves attached to and extending from the torso portion, each sleeve having an inside surface, an outside surface, a first side proximal to the torso portion and a second side facing the outside, with the first side having an underarm region. The inner garment body has an inner torso portion positioned inside of and attached to the outer torso portion, and a pair of underarm cuffs attached to the inner torso portion. Each cuff is located on the inside surface of a respective sleeve at its underarm region and sized so as not to extend to the second side of the sleeve, and each cuff is attached to the inside surface of its respective sleeve at locations of attachment. The locations of attachment are not visible from the outside of the garment.
In more detailed embodiments, an inner torso portion is attached to the outer torso portion at corresponding torso portion edges. Preferably, the inner torso portion substantially follows the contours of the outer torso portion when the garment is moved or is in motion. Moreover, the underarm cuffs may be attached to the inner torso portion and to the outer torso portion. In preferred implementations, each cuff has a proximal end, a distal end, and a pair of lateral opposing ends, and at least a portion of each opposing end defines a location of attachment.
In one arrangement, at least portion of one of the opposing ends of each cuff is attached to a first lateral seam in the sleeve, preferably by being sewn to the seam. In other arrangements, the at least portion of the second of the pair of lateral opposing ends is sewn to a second lateral seam in the sleeve. Alternative to the seam attachment concept, each cuff of the present invention may be attached to the inside surface of its respective sleeve with heat treatment or with adhesive or with hook and loop material.
In some embodiments, the inner garment body may be permanently attached to the outer body garment, and in others, the inner garment body may be removably attached to the outer body garment, such as with hook and loop mating material.
In other embodiments, the garment has an inner layer and an outer layer, wherein each layer includes a torso segment and two arm, or sleeve, segments. The inner and outer layers are disposed in covering orientation to at least a portion of the torso of the wearer. Furthermore, the outer layer is disposed in a covering relation to said inner layer. The inner and outer layers are fixedly interconnected to one another by way of a plurality of elongated joining segments at least along the lengths of corresponding ones of said elongated joining segments.
In addition, the inner and outer layers are preferably relatively dimensioned and at least partially correspondingly configured for disposition of the inner layer in a substantially non-observable position, as observed from an exterior of the outer layer, when the inner and outer layers are in the covering orientation.
In one preferred embodiment, at least some of the plurality of elongated joining segments comprise a seam disposed on said outer layer and structured to attach different segments of said outer layer to one another.
Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the inner and outer layers each include a collar segment. The elongated joining segments in at least one embodiment are disposed to maintain the collar segment of the inner layer in an extended configuration and in said non-observable position when in the covering orientation.
In at least one embodiment, the elongated joining segments are disposed to maintain the arm, or sleeve, segment of the inner layer in an extended configuration and in the non-observable position when in the covering orientation. In such embodiment, each sleeve segment outer layer is constructed with first and second elongated seams extending outwardly from the torso segment of the garment. This is in contrast with a conventional garment sleeve segments that may have only one sleeve seam extending from the garment's torso segment.
In this embodiment, each sleeve segment inner layer does not extend all the way around the outer sleeve segment layer. Rather, it has a first edge fixedly connected to the first elongated seam and a second edge connected to the second seam of its respective outer layer. The two outer seams of each outer sleeve are positioned such that each sleeve segment inner layer which is connected the seams provides underarm sweat protection, while at the same time providing that the sleeve inner segment layer is substantially non-observable when the garment is worn by the wearer.
In yet other embodiments, a unitary garment for covering at least a portion of the arms and torso of a wearer is disclosed, where the garment may be any of a short sleeve, long sleeve, mid-length sleeved, or capped sleeve shirt, dress or casual, or jacket, sweatshirt, vest, dress, blouse, or any other garment that includes a garment body that covers at least part of the torso. The garment has a left sleeve outer layer and a right sleeve outer layer, with each outer sleeve layer having a first end connected to the garment body and first and second seams extending away from the garment body along at least a portion of each said outer layer. In this embodiment, the garment also includes a left sleeve inner segment layer disposed inside of and integral with the left sleeve outer layer, and a right sleeve inner segment layer disposed inside of and integral with the right sleeve outer layer. Moreover, in this embodiment, each of the sleeve inner segment layer has a first edge, which may be called a first lateral edge, connected to the first seam and a second edge connected to the second seam of its respective outer layer. Thus, preferably each of the two sleeve inner segment layers take the shape of a “half-pipe” when the outer sleeves of the garment are extended. In this way, when the garment is worn, the sleeve inner segment layers are substantially non-observable when the garment is worn by the wearer in a typical use, that is unless the wearer raises his arm or arms high above the wearer, thereby exposing the underside of the sleeve of the garment that is lifted.
In yet even other embodiments, a unitary garment for covering at least a portion of the arms and torso of a wearer is disclosed, wherein the inner lining layer comprises only the inventive “no show” left and right underarm cuffs of the present invention, and no torso-covering lining.
When assembled, the present invention comprises a unitary construction. Thus, a garment for covering at least a portion of the torso and a portion of the arms of a wearer, while providing body barrier and virtually no-see sweat protection to either the armpit area, the torso, or preferably both is disclosed.
In further details, each cuff has proximal and distal end portions and a pair of opposing end portions. In this case, opposing end portions define the locations of attachment. In one implementation, one of the opposing end portions is attached, preferably sewn to a lateral seam in the sleeve, which is conventionally present in many sleeves. In this way, this attachment is not visible from the outside.
In yet other embodiments, each opposing end portion is sewn to a different lateral seam disposed in the sleeve. In alternative options, one or both opposing end portions may be attached to the inner side of its respective sleeve with heat treatment or with an adhesive, or with a hook and loop (Velcro®) option. In yet other implementations of the present invention, the inner garment body is removably attached from the outer body garment.
In another implementation, a dual-layered unitary garment for covering at least a portion of the upper body and arms of a wearer, the garment is disclosed. The garment comprises a torso section having an outer layer and an inner layer inside of and attached to the outer layer, a pair of sleeves, each having a first end connected to the outer layer of the torso section; and a pair of inner sleeve segments integral with the inner layer and located inside of a respective sleeve in an underarm region of the garment. In this embodiment, each sleeve inner segment has a proximal end attached to the first end of its respective sleeve, and opposing ends at least partially attached to the inside of its respective sleeve at locations of attachment. Important to this embodiment, each sleeve inner segment and its locations of attachment to its respective sleeve is substantially non-observable to an observer when the garment is worn by the wearer.
In a more detailed version of this embodiment, the inner and outer layers of the torso section may be attached to each other at corresponding torso portion edges, so that the inner layer substantially follows the contours of the outer layer of the torso section when the garment is moved or is in motion, thereby reducing the tendency of the inner layer bunching up as discussed above.
It should be understood that the present invention intended to be used with outer garments having sleeve segments of any length, whether long sleeves, shorts sleeves or capped sleeves.
In an additional embodiment, the inner and outer layers are cooperatively structured to define at least one opening, the opening being dimensioned and configured to expose at least a portion of the torso of the wearer there through. In at least one embodiment, the inner and outer layers each comprise at least some peripheral portions disposed adjacent one another and adjacent the opening. The adjacent portions of said inner layer may be disposed in a non-observable relation relative to correspondingly disposed peripheral portions of the outer layer. Furthermore, in at least one embodiment the elongated joining segments are disposed to maintain the adjacent portions of the inner layer in an extended configuration and in the non-observable position when in the covering orientation.
In at least some embodiments, the outer layer comprises a first material of construction, and the inner layer comprises a second material of construction. The first material and the second material may be different. In addition, the second material may be structured to be very comfortable against the skin of the body and may facilitate absorption of moisture, such as body sweat.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer when the drawings as well as the detailed description are taken into consideration.
Further advantages of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art with the benefit of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to the drawings, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding features throughout the several views.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a no-show, two-layered upper body garment 100 in accordance with the present invention is shown in
Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment (and as discussed further in connection with
It should be understood that a specialized dual-seamed sleeve is not required to meet the inventors' objectives of securely attaching an inner sweat barrier sleeve cuff segment to a sleeve while still achieving the “no-show objective”. Rather, the underarm cuff segment 28 in
Cuffs 26, 28 are preferably made of the same cloth material as the rest of torso lining 20. But optionally it may be made of a different or thicker material because it is designed to absorb sweat from the armpits which often produce more sweat than the torso of the body. Moreover, the armpit cuffs of the present invention can take any number of shapes while still being within the scope of the invention, as long as the cuffs serve as some perspiration barrier between the outer garment and the armpits. Thus, as alternatives to the rectangular shape shown in the figures, the cuffs may be cut into oval, circular or any other shape that has end portions that can be connected to the garment: one end—a proximal end—connected towards the garment torso, and preferably a pair of lateral opposing ends to secure the cuffs to the shirt sleeves. Also, optionally, the distal end 46 of each cuff 28 may be secured to the sleeve.
Turning back to
Details of the novel construction of one particular embodiment of the no-show sleeve lining of the present invention are now disclosed in connection with one embodiment shown
Underarm cuff 250 is sized so as to cover a substantial part of, most of, or all the wearer's armpit when wearing the garment, thus providing at least the same absorbency under the arm as a conventional undershirt might. The two edges of underarm cuff 250 are joined (e.g., sewn) to the inner side of the sleeve 220 along seams 240, 242. Hence, the reason for the two seams: to provide connection points to the elongated edges of liner 250. Moreover, cuff 250 is joined at its first end to junction 230. However, in this embodiment, the opposite end of cuff 250 is not sewn or joined to anything. This is in accord with the partial view of garment 300 in
Turning now to
The present invention solves the problem for the wearer that does not wish to wear a separate undershirt under a main upper torso garment. Now, this two-layer garment provides the aesthetics of not readily showing an undershirt, and not showing from the outside any attachment points or regions of armpit cuffs, while still providing sweat absorbency at all places on the body that need it most, all in a single integral garment.
It is understood that the present invention can employ any suitable materials for the outer garment body 10 and inner garment lining 20. The invention can be implemented in any type of garment that covers at least part of the torso and part of the arms of the wearer. Thus, any type of shirt (e.g., a full button down, a polo shirt, or T-shirt) or blouse, capped vest, dress or other garment may be advantageously employed by the present invention.
Moreover, the inner lining portions of the present invention may be attached to the outer garment body in any number of unlimited ways. For example, instead of the edges of the inner liner being permanently sewn or glued to respective edges of the outer body, the edges may be impermanently connected together with say hook and loop (i.e., Velcro®) or other mechanism for removable attachment. In these latter embodiments, the entire inner lining, or inner cuffs which may have absorbed a lot of body sweat, may be removed from the assembly, and washed and dried separately from the outer body of the garment, and then reattached to its original hidden, “no show” position.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Various changes, modifications, and alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that the present invention encompass such changes and modifications.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/373,368 filed on Aug. 24, 2022, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63373368 | Aug 2022 | US |