Abstract:
This invention is directed to an article of clothing having a lighting system that may be laundered with the clothing without damage to the electrical components of such system, comprising a light module that encapsulates and seals an electrical circuit coupled by one or more wires to a number of LEDs that are contained within a separate, leak-proof decorative patch. The patch is formed by a plastic base having an outer periphery that may be affixed to the article of clothing, such as by stitching, and a plastic cover preferably heat-sealed about its peripheral edge to the base defining a cavity between them within which the LEDs are mounted.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to articles of clothing, and, more particularly, to articles of clothing having a decorative patch that houses a number of light sources coupled to a motion sensitive light module wherein both the patch and light module may be laundered with the clothing without damage. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    For a number of years, articles of footwear and various items of clothing have been sold with decorative arrays of light sources such as light emitting diodes (LEDs). This has been particularly popular in children&#39;s shoes where the LEDs are arranged to complement other design elements of the shoe such as cartoon characters and the like. 
         [0003]    In a typical design of an article of clothing or footwear of the type noted above, a light module is provided including a plastic housing mounted at some location on or in the article. The module contains a battery, a switch and a controller which is connected by wires to LEDs located externally of the housing and positioned at desired locations on the footwear or garment. The integrated circuit is activated by the switch, and in many designs the switch is not operated manually but is turned on and off in response to the application of an inertial force, pressure or motion. 
         [0004]    Articles of clothing such as shirts, pants, coats and the like made of cotton, wool or other cloth materials must be periodically laundered, and that has presented an issue with lighting systems of the type discussed above. Although the battery, switch and integrated circuit are encased within the housing of the light module and typically sealed from exposure to water, the LEDs and connecting wires are located externally of the housing and may be subject to damage from laundering. 
         [0005]    One approach to addressing the problem of protecting electrical components in lighting systems for clothing from water damage during laundering is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,278,758 and 7,267,452. These patents teach enclosing all of the electrical components, including the battery, switch, controller and light sources such as LEDs, within a plastic casing. That casing is sealed within an envelope, preferably formed of two sections of plastic material. The envelope, in turn, is mounted within a compartment formed by an overlay which is heat-sealed to the garment. While providing protection for electrical components, the lighting system of these patents is limited in the decorative effects that can be achieved because all of the LEDs or other light sources must be clustered in the same location as the other electrical components within the plastic casing. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    This invention is directed to an article of clothing having a lighting system that may be laundered with the clothing without damage to the electrical components of such system. 
         [0007]    The lighting system comprises the combination of a light module and a number of light sources such as LEDs. The light module includes a plastic housing which encapsulates and seals an electrical circuit having a battery, a motion-responsive switch and a controller such as an integrated circuit. In one presently preferred embodiment, the electrical circuit is coupled by wires to the LEDs of the lighting system, which are contained within a leak-proof, decorative patch. The patch is formed by a plastic base having an outer periphery that may be affixed to the article of clothing, such as by stitching, and a plastic cover preferably heat-sealed about its peripheral edge to the base defining a cavity between them. The LEDs are arranged in essentially any pattern within the cavity, and, when actuated, illuminate a pattern formed on the cover such as a cartoon character or the like. The wires are connected between the light module and patch in such a way as to create a leak-proof seal to prevent the ingress of water into both structures that could otherwise result from laundering of the clothing, or due to perspiration when the clothing is worn. 
         [0008]    In an alternative embodiment, a lighting system is provided which employs the same light module described above but in combination with an elongated, hollow tube preferably formed of transparent or translucent plastic. A number of LEDs are mounted at spaced intervals along the length of the tube and connected by at least one wire to the electrical circuit within the light module. The tube may be affixed to the article of clothing in essentially any pattern to provide the desired visual effect, and/or located beneath a cover of the type employed in the patch described above to provide illumination for the pattern appearing on the cover. 
         [0009]    A still further embodiment of this invention comprises a plastic base having an outer periphery that may be affixed to the article of clothing, and a plastic cover whose peripheral edge is heat-sealed to the base forming a cavity between them. A printed circuit board (PCB) is sealed within the cavity, and an electrical circuit is mounted to the PCB. The electrical circuit includes a battery, a switch, an integrated circuit and preferably a number of LEDs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The structure, operation and advantages of the presently preferred embodiment of this invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of one embodiment of this invention showing the design element on the cover of the decorative patch; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an elevated, side view of the system depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the PCB and electrical circuit of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of this invention illustrating the light module and the patch; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a side view of  FIG. 4  except with the patch affixed to an article of clothing and the light module carried within a pocket mounted to the clothing; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of still another embodiment of this invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a side view of  FIG. 6  except with the patch affixed to an article of clothing and the light module located between the patch and clothing; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a plan view of a further embodiment of this invention depicting a light module connected to an elongated tube which is mounted beneath a cover affixed to an article of clothing; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a cross section view of the tube shown in  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a schematic view of the lighting system herein affixed to an article of clothing. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    Referring initially to the embodiment of this invention illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  and  10 , an article of clothing or garment  10  is depicted having a patch  12  affixed to a selected location thereof, which, for purposes of the present discussion, is identified as a mounting area  14 . The patch  12  could be connected to essentially any area of the garment  10  so long as it is readily visible when the garment  10  is worn. The garment  10  is shown as a pair of pants but it should be understood that this invention applies to any article of clothing. Additionally, the terms “article of clothing” and “garment” are intended to be broadly construed to apply to other items that can be worn or carried on one&#39;s person such as knapsacks, fanny packs, backpacks, rucksacks, shoulder bags and the like. 
         [0022]    In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , the patch  12  comprises a base  16 , preferably formed of pliable plastic material, and a cover  18  having a peripheral edge that is heat-sealed or otherwise permanently mounted to the base  16  forming a cavity  20  between the two. The base  16  and cover  18  are depicted in the drawings as generally circular in shape, although other configurations may be utilized and are considered within the scope of this invention. The cover  18  has a smaller diameter than the base  16  thus forming an annular flange  22  around the outer periphery of the base  16  when the two are connected to one another. The annular flange  22  provides a surface through which stitches  24  may pass for affixing the base  16 , and, in turn, the cover  18 , to the garment  10  as shown schematically in  FIGS. 1-3 . The cover  18  is preferably formed of a translucent or transparent material, such as a flexible plastic, and it has a pattern  26  on its surface which may be molded into the plastic, painted on the surface or applied in any other suitable manner. 
         [0023]    A PCB  28  is mounted to the base  16  within the cavity  20  and is sealed, water-tight, by the connection between the base  16  and cover  18 . The PCB  28  carries an electrical circuit  30  comprising a battery  32 , an on/off switch  33 , a motion switch  34 , a controller such as an integrated circuit  36  and a number of LEDs  38  all coupled to one another. The detailed construction of the electrical components forming the circuit  30  forms no part of this invention and is therefore not discussed herein. One type of motion switch  34  suitable for use in the circuit  30  is a spring switch such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,764. The integrated circuit  36  may be of the type commercially available under part number 6608 from Cheerine Development (Hong Kong) Ltd. of Kowloon, Hong Kong. 
         [0024]    As noted above, the PCB  28  and circuit  30  are sealed within the cavity  20  so that no water can penetrate and damage the electrical components. In operation, when the on/off switch  33  is turned to the “on” position, the motion switch  34  is enabled so that in response to the application of motion to the patch  12  the switch  34  connects the battery  32  to the integrated circuit  36 . In turn, the integrated circuit  36  operates the LEDs  38 , preferably in a flashing or other sequence. The LEDs  38  are arranged on the PCB  28  to substantially uniformly illuminate the cover  18  which overlies the PCB  28  thus highlighting the pattern  26  on the cover  18  for the enjoyment of the wearer of the garment  10  and/or those viewing the garment  10 . 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , alternative embodiments of this invention are depicted. Some of the elements of these embodiments are the same as those described above in connection with a discussion of  FIGS. 1-3 , and, except as discussed below, the structure in  FIGS. 4 and 5  is common to that of  FIGS. 6 and 7 . As such, the same reference numbers are employed in  FIGS. 4-7  to denote common structure. 
         [0026]    In the embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the garment  10  includes a patch  40  and a separate light module  42  connected by at least one wire  44 . These elements may be located in the same mounting area  14  as depicted in  FIG. 10  or elsewhere on the garment  10 . The patch  40  includes a base  46 , preferably formed of pliable plastic material, and a cover  48  having a peripheral edge that is heat-sealed or otherwise permanently mounted to the base  46  forming a compartment  50  between the two. The cover  48  is smaller in peripheral dimension than the base  16  thus forming a flange  52  around the outer periphery of the base  46  when the two are connected to one another. The flange  52  provides a surface through which stitches  54  may pass for affixing the base  46 , and, in turn, the cover  48 , to the garment  10  as shown schematically in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The cover  48  is preferably formed of a translucent or transparent material, such as a flexible plastic, and it has a pattern (not shown), such as pattern  26 , on its surface which may be molded into the plastic, painted on the surface or applied in any other suitable manner. 
         [0027]    The light module  42  comprises a watertight plastic housing  58  having a hollow interior within which an electrical circuit  60  is encased including a battery  32 , a motion switch  34  and an integrated circuit  36 . Unlike the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , an array of LEDs  38  are mounted remotely from the circuit  30  within the compartment  50  formed in the patch  40 . Without any other electrical components present, or a PCB  28 , the LEDs  38  may be arranged in any position within the compartment  50 , different colored LEDs  38  may be utilized and greater numbers of LEDs may be employed to obtain desired visual effects when illuminated, compared to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
         [0028]    As noted above, the LEDs  38  are connected to the circuit  60  within the light module  42  by at least one wire  44 . A coupler  62  is preferably sealed to the side of the plastic housing  58  of module  42  in a watertight fashion, and connects the wire  44  to circuit  60 . The opposite end of the wire  44  is sealed where it enters the compartment  50 , such as by heat sealing to the base  46  and/or cover  48 , and connects to the LEDs  38 . The electrical circuit  60  operates in the same fashion as circuit  30  described above, except the on/off switch  33  is eliminated in this embodiment and the switch  34  operates to activate the integrated circuit  36  each time it is subjected to motion. 
         [0029]    The primary difference between the embodiments of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and  FIGS. 6 and 7 , is the location of the light module  42  with respect to the patch  40 . In  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the light module  42  is carried within a pocket  64  located on the surface  66  of garment  10  opposite to the surface  68  on which the patch  40  is mounted. The pocket  64  is preferably formed of a section of the same material as the garment  10 , which may be stitched or otherwise permanently attached to the garment  10 . The pocket  64  forms a closed interior  72  so that the light module  42  is confined and cannot separate from the garment  10  during use or laundering. Alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the light module  42  is located between the base  46  of the patch  40  and the surface  68  of the garment  10  within a recess formed in the base  46 . The light module  42  is retained in place because it is enclosed underneath the base  46  which is stitched about its flange  52  to the garment  10 . 
         [0030]    A still further embodiment of this invention is shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . The same light module  42  and circuit  60  described above in connection with a discussion of  FIGS. 4-7  are employed in this embodiment, and the same reference numbers therefore apply to like structure. An elongated tube  74 , preferably formed of pliable translucent or transparent plastic material, is coupled to the light module  42 . The tube  74  is formed of a first section  76  and second section  78  that are heat sealed or otherwise connected to one another along their side edges to form opposed flanges  80  and  82 . Sections  76 ,  78  are spaced from one another in the center to form a hollow interior  84 . A number of LEDs  38  are mounted within the hollow interior  84 , preferably at spaced intervals, and are connected by at least one wire  44  to the circuit  60  in the light module  42 . 
         [0031]    Each of the flanges  80 ,  82  may be connected by stitches  86  or other means to the garment  10  to secure it in place. Because the tube  74  is flexible, it may be arranged in many configurations on the garment  10 , and the spiral-shape shown in  FIG. 8  is intended for purposed of illustration only. Additionally, a cover  18  may be placed over the tube  74 , and mounted by stitches  24  to the garment  10 , to illuminate the pattern  26  on the cover  18  as depicted in  FIG. 1 . The tube  74  alone, or the tube  74  in combination with the cover  18 , provide a wide variety of surface decoration and lighting effects on the garment  10  to enhance its appearance and the enjoyment of the wearer. 
         [0032]    While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.