Abstract:
A garment intended to be worn primarily by children, teenagers and young adults integrates a friendly and cute appearance of an animal on the garment. The garment also provides one or more pockets to allow the wearer to conveniently carry and store various personal items within the garment.

Description:
[0001]    The present application claims the filing benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/645,120, filed May 10, 2012, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to garments intended to be worn primarily by children, teenagers and young adults and, more particularly, to a garment which integrates a graphical representation of an animal onto the garment. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Children, teenagers and young adults, especially young girls, commonly desire to wear clothing or garments that feature various types of animal patterns. This is evident from the wide array of shirts, dresses, pants, underwear, socks, pajamas, swimsuits, and other garments featuring animal-related patterns that are available on the market. 
         [0004]    It is also known that young girls often favor clothing or garments which include pockets which allow them to store and carry small items, such as jewelry, hair accessories, make-up, lip gloss, nail polish and other similar items within the pockets. 
         [0005]    While garments are known in the art which incorporate designs that are intended to appeal to individuals through the use of various animal-related patterns, there is still a need for a garment that not only provides a friendly and cute appearance of an animal on the garment that is appealing to children, teenagers and young adults, but also incorporates useful functionality, such as pockets, into the garment. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings and drawbacks of known garments that feature various types of animal patterns intended to appeal to children, teenagers and young adults. While the invention will be described in connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention includes all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0007]    The present invention provides a garment intended to be worn primarily by children, teenagers and young adults which integrates a friendly and cute appearance of an animal on the garment. The garment also provides one or more pockets to allow the wearer to conveniently carry and store various personal items within the garment. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment, the garment comprises a front side, a rear side and a waistband, such as typically found in an undergarment, a swimsuit bottom, leggings, pajama pants or sweatpants, by way of example. The garment includes a graphical representation of an animal&#39;s face or head positioned on one of the front or rear sides of the garment, and at least one pocket having an opening positioned on the same front or rear side of the garment and spaced laterally on one side of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head. The garment also includes a graphical representation of an anatomical feature of the same animal positioned on the same front or rear side of the garment and spaced laterally on the one side of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head, with the graphical representation of an anatomical feature of the same animal being associated with the pocket. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, the garment may further include a second graphical representation of an anatomical feature of the same animal positioned on the same front or rear side of the garment and spaced laterally on the opposite side of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head. 
         [0010]    In yet another embodiment, the garment may include a second pocket having an opening positioned on the same front or rear side of the garment and spaced laterally on the opposite side of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head, with the second graphical representation of an anatomical feature of the same animal being associated with the second pocket. 
         [0011]    The graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head and/or the graphical representation of an anatomical feature of the same animal may comprise a panel or patch of fabric that is attached to the garment, a three-dimensional soft sculpture, such as a stuffed figure, attached to the garment or the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head and/or the graphical representation of an anatomical feature of the same animal may be printed directly onto the garment by stenciling, screening, lithography, printing or any other conventional method. 
         [0012]    In yet another embodiment, a graphical representation of an anatomical feature of the same animal may be positioned on the opposite front or rear side of the garment. This graphical representation may depict, by way of example and without limitation, the tail or fin of the animal. 
         [0013]    By way of example, and without limitation, the garment may include a graphical representation of an animal such as a cheetah, dolphin, walrus, owl, lemur, kangaroo, ocelot, jaguar, monkey, panda, koala bear, cat, dog, zebra, black bear, giraffe, raccoon, brown bear, bunny, pig, hippopotamus, fox, tiger, lion, panther, ladybug, spotted leopard, wolf, penguin, elephant, turtle, beaver, bobcat, polar bear, seal or mouse. Graphical representations of other animals are possible as well without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0014]    While the invention will be described in connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention includes all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are front perspective views of a girl wearing underwear or pajama pants, respectively, according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a front plan view of girl-style underwear including a graphical representation of an animal face in the form of a patch, an upwardly directed flapless pocket positioned on one side of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face, and a pair of graphical representations of an animal&#39;s paws in the form of patches attached to the underwear. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a front plan view of girl-style underwear including a graphical representation of an animal face printed onto the garment, a pair of upwardly directed flapless pockets positioned on opposite sides of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face, and a pair of graphical representations of an animal&#39;s paws in the form of patches attached to the underwear. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 A- 3 A of  FIG. 3  showing a flapless pocket formed between the garment and a pocket panel. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3A  showing the flapless pocket provided with a closure device. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3C  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3A  showing a flapless pocket formed with a rear pocket panel and a front pocket panel. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3D  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3C  showing the flapless pocket of  FIG. 3C  provided with a closure device. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3E  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3A  showing a preformed pocket formed in the garment. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3F  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3E  showing the pocket of  FIG. 3E  provided with a closure device. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a front plan view of girl-style underwear including a graphical representation of an animal head in the form of a three-dimensional soft sculpture, a pair of upwardly directed flapless pockets positioned on opposite sides of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s head, and a pair of graphical representations of an animal&#39;s paws in the form of patches and a graphical representation of an animal&#39;s tail attached to the underwear. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a rear plan view of the girl-style underwear of  FIG. 4  showing a graphical representation of an animal&#39;s tail attached to the rear side of the underwear. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is a front plan view of girl-style underwear including a graphical representation of an animal&#39;s face in the form of a patch, an upwardly directed flapless pocket positioned on one side of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face, a pair of graphical representations of an animal&#39;s paws in the form of patches and a graphical representation of an animal&#39;s tail attached to the garment. 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  is a front plan view of boy-style underwear including a graphical representation of an animal&#39;s face in the form of a patch, a pair of upwardly directed flap pockets positioned on opposite sides of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face, and a pair of graphical representations of an animal&#39;s paws in the form of fabric flap panels extending over the respective pair of pockets. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7A  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  7 A- 7 A of  FIG. 7  showing the flap pocket of  FIG. 7  attached on the garment. 
           [0029]      FIG. 7B  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 7A  showing the flap pocket of  FIG. 7A  provided with a closure device. 
           [0030]      FIG. 7C  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 7A  showing an alternative flap pocket. 
           [0031]      FIG. 7D  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 7C  showing the flap pocket of  FIG. 7C  provided with a closure device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]    Referring now to the figures, and to  FIGS. 1A and 1B  in particular, a young girl  10  is shown wearing a garment in the form of girl-style underwear  12  ( FIG. 1A ) or pajama pants  14  ( FIG. 1B ) according to one embodiment of the present invention, where like numerals represent like parts in the various figures. Underwear  12  and pajama pants  14  include a front side  16 , a rear side (not shown) and a waistband  18  for receiving the girl&#39;s waist  20 . The underwear  12  ( FIG. 1A ) also includes leg openings  22 ,  24  for receiving the girl&#39;s legs  26 ,  28 . It will be appreciated that while garments in the form of underwear or pajama pants are shown and described herein, the garment may also comprise a swimsuit bottom, leggings, sweatpants or any other suitable garment that is worn around the waist and lower body portion of the wearer. 
         [0033]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, each of the underwear  12  and pajama pants  14  includes a graphical representation  30  of an animal&#39;s face which is positioned on the front side  16  of the garment. A pair of graphical representations  32   a,    32   b  of anatomical features of the same animal, such as the animal&#39;s paws as shown in the illustrated embodiment, are positioned on the front side  16  and are spaced laterally on opposite sides of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. In this embodiment, the pair of graphical representations  32   a,    32   b  are both associated with a respective pair of flapless pockets  34   a,    34   b  positioned on the front side  16  of the garment and spaced laterally on opposite sides of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. In this embodiment, each of the flapless pockets  34   a,    34   b  has an upwardly facing opening (not shown) as will be described in greater detail below. 
         [0034]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a garment in the form of girl-style underwear  12  is shown having a graphical representation  30  of an animal&#39;s face positioned on the front side  16  of the garment, similar to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . In this embodiment, the graphical representation  30  is in the form of a fabric panel or patch  36  including a graphical representation of a dog&#39;s face and which may be attached to the waistband  18  and/or the front side  16  of the garment by stitching, adhesive, releasable fastener such as Velcro®, or any other conventional attachment method known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0035]    A first graphical representation  32   a  of a dog&#39;s paw in the form of a fabric panel or patch  38   a  is positioned on the front side  16  of the garment and is spaced laterally on one side (e.g., the left side in  FIG. 2 ) of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. In this embodiment, the panel or patch  38   a  may be partially attached by stitching to the front side  16  of the garment with seams  40  that extend around a lower portion of the panel or patch  38   a  to form an upwardly directed flapless pocket  34   a  positioned on the front side  16  and having an upwardly facing pocket opening  42   a.    
         [0036]    A second graphical representation  32   b  of a dog&#39;s paw in the form of a fabric panel or patch  38   b  may be positioned on the front side  16  of the garment and spaced laterally on the opposite side (e.g., the right side in  FIG. 2 ) of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. In this embodiment, the panel or patch  38   b  may be attached by stitching to the front side  16  with seams  40  that extend entirely around the panel or patch  38   b  so that a pocket or pocket opening is not formed thereby. It will be appreciated that any conventional method known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be used to attach the panels or patches  38   a,    38   b  to the front side  16  of the garment. 
         [0037]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the graphical representation  30  of the dog&#39;s face is not provided in the form of a panel or patch as described in connection with  FIG. 2 , but rather the graphical representation  30  of the dog&#39;s face is applied directly to the front side  16  of the garment, such as by stenciling, screening, lithography, printing or any other suitable method known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Also, in this embodiment, a pair of upwardly directed flapless pockets  34   a,    34   b  are provided on opposite sides of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face  30 , with each pocket  34   a,    34   b  having a respective opening  42   a,    42   b.  In this embodiment, the panels or patches  38   a,    38   b  perform two separate functions. First, the panels or patches  38   a,    38   b  are configured to form the respective flapless pockets  34   a,    34   b  as will be described in greater detail below. Second, the panels or patches  38   a,    38   b  are configured to include the respective graphical representations  32   a,    32   b  of the animal&#39;s paws, for example, so that the animal&#39;s paws are associated with the respective pockets  34   a,    34   b.    
         [0038]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3A-3F , various pocket configurations are shown in cross-section according to various alternative embodiments. For example, in the flapless pocket of  FIG. 3A , the panel or patch  38   b  forms a pocket that is partially attached directly at a lower portion thereof to an outer surface of the front side  16  of the garment below the waistband  18  with seams  40  (see  FIG. 3 ), forming the upwardly directed flapless pocket  34   b.  An opening  42   b  is provided between the front side  16  and the panel or patch  38   b  for access to the cavity of the pocket  34   b.  The graphical representation  32   b  of the dog&#39;s paw may be applied directly to the panel or patch  38   b,  such as by stenciling, screening, lithography, printing or any other suitable method, or the graphical representation  32   b  of the dog&#39;s paw may be stitched directly onto the fabric panel or patch  38   b.  Alternatively, as will be described in greater detail below, the panel or patch  38   b  may include a three-dimensional soft sculpture attached to the panel or patch  38   b,  or the panel or patch  38   b  may itself be in the form of a three-dimensional soft sculpture. It will be appreciated, while not fully described herein, that the flapless pocket  34   a  may be similarly constructed via the fabric panel or patch  38   a.    
         [0039]    As shown in  FIG. 3B , the pocket  34   b  may be provided with a pair of conventional closure devices  44   a,    44   b  configured to hold the pocket  34   b  in a closed position. The closure devices  44   a,    44   b  may comprise, for example, and without limitation, one or more buttons and button holes, a zipper, a Velcro® fastener, clasps, a pair of magnets, or any other conventional closure devices known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0040]    In the pocket configuration of  FIG. 3C , an upwardly directed flapless pocket  34   c  is formed by a rear pocket panel  46  that is attached to the front side  16  of the garment. The panel or patch  38   b  forms a front pocket panel that is partially attached directly at a lower portion thereof to the rear pocket panel  46  in a conventional manner so as to form upwardly directed flapless pocket  34   c  having a pocket opening  42   c.  As shown in  FIG. 3D , closure devices  44   a,    44   b  may be provided to hold the pocket in a closed position as described in detail above. A graphical representation of a dog&#39;s paw, for example, may be associated with the pocket  34   c  in a similar manner as described in detail above in connection with the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         [0041]    In the pocket configuration illustrated in  FIG. 3E , an upwardly directed flapless pocket  34   d  is formed by an inner pocket panel  48  attached directly to an inner surface of the front side  16  of the garment to form a preformed inner pocket cavity  50 . The panel or patch  38   b  forms a front pocket panel that is attached directly at a lower portion thereof to an outer surface of the front side  16  in a conventional manner. The panel or patch  38   b  and the front side  16  form a pocket opening  42   d  that communicates with an opening  52  formed in the front side  16  of the garment so as to provide access to the inner pocket cavity  50 . 
         [0042]    As shown in  FIG. 3F , closure devices  44   a,    44   b  may be provided to hold the pocket  34   d  in a closed position as described in detail above. A graphical representation of a dog&#39;s paw, for example, may be associated with the pocket  34   d  in a similar manner as described in detail above in connection with the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         [0043]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a garment in the form of girl-style underwear  12  is shown having a graphical representation  54  of a dog&#39;s head in the form of a three-dimensional soft sculpture, such as a stuffed figure, which is attached to the front side  16  of the garment. A pair of graphical representations  56   a,    56   b  of anatomical features of the same animal, such as the animal&#39;s paws as shown in the illustrated embodiment, are positioned on the front side  16  and are spaced laterally on opposite sides of the graphical representation  54  of the animal&#39;s head. 
         [0044]    In this embodiment, the pair of graphical representations  56   a,    56   b  are both associated with a respective pair of flapless pockets  58   a,    58   b  positioned on the front side of the garment and spaced laterally on opposite sides of the graphical representation  54  of the animal&#39;s head. In this embodiment, each of the flapless pockets  56   a,    58   b  has an upwardly facing opening as described in detail above. In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of graphical representations  56   a,    56   b  are each in the form of a three-dimensional soft sculpture, such as a dog&#39;s paws. Of course, other configurations for the graphical representation  54  of the animal&#39;s head, and the pair of graphical representations  56   a,    56   b  of anatomical features of the same animal are possible as well without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , a graphical representation  60  of an anatomical feature of the same animal, such as a dog&#39;s tail as shown in the illustrated embodiment, is applied directly to the waistband  18  and/or the rear side  62  of the garment. 
         [0046]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , a garment in the form of girl-style underwear  12  is shown including a graphical representation  30  of an animal&#39;s face, such as a dog&#39;s face, as described in detail above in connection with the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . A pair of graphical representations  32   a,    32   b  of an anatomical feature of the same animal, such as a pair of dog paws, are attached to the front side  16  of the garment and spaced laterally on one side (e.g., the right side in  FIG. 6 ) of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. The pair of graphical representations  32   a,    32   b  may be attached directly to the front side  16  of the garment as described in detail above in connection with the embodiment of  FIG. 2  so as to form at least one upwardly directed flapless pocket  34   a  having an opening. 
         [0047]    Further referring to  FIG. 6 , the girl-style underwear  12  may include a graphical representation  64  of an anatomical feature of the same animal, such as a dog&#39;s tail as shown in the illustrated embodiment, attached directly to the front side  16  of the garment and spaced laterally on the opposite side (e.g., the left side in  FIG. 6 ) of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. 
         [0048]    Referring now to the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , a garment in the form of boy-style underwear  66  is shown having a front side  68 , a rear side (not shown), and a waistband  70 . Leg openings  72 ,  74  are provided for receiving the legs of a wearer. 
         [0049]    In this embodiment, the underwear  66  includes a graphical representation  30  of an animal&#39;s face, such as a dog&#39;s face, as described in detail above in connection with the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . A pair of graphical representations  76   a,    76   b  of an anatomical feature of the same animal, such as a pair of dog paws, are attached to the front side  68  of the garment and spaced laterally on opposite sides of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. 
         [0050]    In this embodiment, the pair of graphical representations  76   a,    76   b  are both associated with a respective pair of flap pockets  80   a,    80   b  positioned on the front side  68  of the garment and spaced laterally on opposite sides of the graphical representation  30  of the animal&#39;s face. 
         [0051]    Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 7A , and according to one embodiment, the pair of graphical representations  76   a,    76   b  comprise fabric panels  82   a,    82   b  that are attached in a conventional manner to the front side  68  of the garment. A pocket panel  84  is attached at a lower portion thereof to a front side of each of the panels  82   a,    82   b  to form respective upwardly directed pockets  80   a,    80   b  having pocket openings  86 . Each of the panels  82 ,  82   b  has a pocket flap  88  that is configured to extend and fold over the openings  86  to effectively close the pockets  80   a,    80   b.    
         [0052]    The pair of graphical representations  76   a,    76   b  of the dog&#39;s paws may be applied directly to the pocket flaps  88  by stenciling, screening, lithography, printing or any other suitable method, or the graphical representations of the dog&#39;s paws may be stitched directly onto the pocket flaps  88 . Alternatively, the pocket flaps  88  may include three-dimensional soft sculpture attached to the pocket flaps, or the pocket flaps  88  may themselves be in the form of three-dimensional soft sculptures. 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIG. 7B , a pair of conventional closure devices  44   a,    44   b  as described in detail above may be provided to hold the flap pockets  80   a,    80   b  in a closed position. 
         [0054]      FIGS. 7C-7D  illustrate another flap pocket configuration in cross-section according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, a pocket panel  90  is attached directly at a lower portion thereof to the outer surface of the front side  68  of the garment to form an upwardly directed pocket  92  having a pocket opening  94 . The pair of graphical representations  76   a,    76   b  comprise fabric panels  96  that are attached at an upper portion thereof to the front side  68  of the garment. The fabric panels  96  extend over the pocket openings  94  (as shown in  FIGS. 7C-7D ) to effectively close the pockets  92 . Closure devices  44   a,    44   b,  as described in detail above, may be provided to maintain the pockets  92  in a closed position as shown in  FIG. 7D . 
         [0055]    The graphical representations  76   a,    76   b  of the dog&#39;s paws, for example, may be associated with the pockets  92  by being applied or formed with fabric panels  94  in a similar manner as described in detail above in connection with the embodiment of  FIGS. 7 ,  7 A and  7 B. 
         [0056]    By way of example, and without limitation, the garment may include a graphical representation of an animal such as a cheetah, dolphin, walrus, owl, lemur, kangaroo, ocelot, jaguar, monkey, panda, koala bear, cat, dog, zebra, black bear, giraffe, raccoon, brown bear, bunny, pig, hippopotamus, fox, tiger, lion, panther, ladybug, spotted leopard, wolf, penguin, elephant, turtle, beaver, bobcat, polar bear, seal or mouse. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that graphical representations of other animals are possible as well without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0057]    While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The various features discussed herein may be used alone or in any combination depending on the needs and preferences of the user. 
         [0058]    For example, while the graphical representations of the animal&#39;s face or head, and the graphical representations of anatomical features of the same animal have been shown and described as being positioned on the front side of the garment, it will be appreciated in an alternative embodiment that the various graphical representations may be positioned on the rear side of the garment instead, if desired. Also, the term “laterally” as used herein in connection with the spacing of the graphical representations of anatomical features of the same animal relative to the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head does not require that the graphical representations of the anatomical features of the same animal be located at the same general height as the height of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head. Rather, it will be appreciated that the graphical representations of anatomical features of the same animal may be located at a height either above or below the height of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head, with the graphical representations of anatomical features of the same animal being located on one and/or both sides of the graphical representation of the animal&#39;s face or head so as to be spaced laterally therefrom. 
         [0059]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many possible graphical representations of animals within the scope of the present invention. This has been a description of illustrative aspects and embodiments the present invention, along with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently known. However, the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims.