Abstract:
The invention is directed to a garment comprising a first and second sleeves, a flap, and a pocket. The arms of a wearer are fitted through the first and second sleeves. The first and second sleeves have first and second openings, respectively. The flap is provided along the first sleeve and is adapted to be positioned between open and closed positions. The closed position constricts the first opening of the first sleeve. The pocket is disposed between the flap and the first sleeve.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
   This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/341,276 filed on Jan. 10, 2003 now abandoned entitled “DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR GARMENT,” the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 

   FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
   The present invention relates generally to a display system and a method of displaying a document, and more particularly, to a garment such as a jacket having a pocket so as to display documents therein. 
   BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   Documents such as season passes, lift tickets and trail maps are typically carried on an enthusiast&#39;s neck, for example, by a skier or snowboarder. In addition, such items are typically carried in a coat or pants&#39; pocket or are disposed in a pocket on a garment worn inside a jacket, for example, a shirt pocket. In order to show the document prior to boarding a lift, for example, the document may be disposed in the enthusiast&#39;s shirt pocket and thus the enthusiast may have to remove several articles of clothing to accomplish this task. For example, the enthusiast may have to remove a scarf or neckwarmer to have access to the jacket&#39;s zipper. In addition, the enthusiast may find it cumbersome to pull on the zipper with gloves or mittens and may have to remove them to have the dexterity to operate the zipper and reach into a shirt, pants or jacket pocket for the document. As a result, the enthusiast&#39;s body and skin may be exposed to inclement weather conditions, such as rain or snow, while attempting to display the pass and subsequently ride the chair lift. Furthermore, the bulkiness of the gloves or mittens may make access cumbersome and even inconvenient when the enthusiast has the season pass disposed in a jacket pocket or pants&#39; pocket, for example. 
   Pass and/or document holder arrangements, for example, located on a gaiter of a jacket or inside the jacket are used to reduce the problems described above. Such holder arrangements require the jacket or outer garment to be flipped or lifted up in order to make the identification visible. The enthusiast uses at least one hand and possibly both hands to flip or lift up the jacket and make the document visible to the lift operator. While this method addresses the problem of showing documents, such method has drawbacks and is limited. A skier, for example, may place their ski poles aside or angle them in such a way to be able to lift or flip the jacket. When this activity takes place in a chair lift line, the skier may hold up the line while placing materials in hand aside or may cause injury to other skiers standing in line when placing their ski poles at an angle. Furthermore, other enthusiasts may find take offense with the manner the document is displayed. The fact that the jacket has to be lifted or flipped up may not only be offensive to other enthusiasts, but may also be economically harmful to the business. 
   Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved method of displaying a document such as, a season pass, in a jacket garment. 
   SUMMARY 
   Aspects of the invention are found in a garment comprising a first and second sleeves, a flap, and a pocket. The arms of a wearer are fitted through the first and second sleeves. The first and second sleeves have first and second openings, respectively. The flap is provided along the first sleeve and is adapted to be positioned between open and closed positions. The closed position constricts the first opening of the first sleeve. The pocket is disposed between the flap and the first sleeve. 
   Further Aspects of the invention are found in a garment comprising a first and second sleeves, a generally triangular flap and at least one pocket. The arms of a wearer are fitted through the first and second sleeves. The first and second sleeves have respective first and second openings. The generally triangular flap has a side secured to the first sleeve generally parallel to a generally longitudinal axis direction of the first sleeve. A potion generally opposite the side is adapted to be fastened to the first sleeve. The pocket is disposed between the flap and the first sleeve. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a display system in an OPEN position in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the display system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the display system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the display system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the display system of  FIGS. 1–4  in a CLOSED position; and 
       FIG. 6  is a front view of a garment comprising the display system of  FIGS. 1–4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring now to the drawings.  FIG. 1  schematically shows display system  100  comprising a garment  105  (only a portion of which is shown in  FIGS. 1–5 ), having a garment outer surface  110  and a (meaning at least one) flap  120  wherein the flap  120  is secured to the garment  105 . The garment  105  and the flap  120  are typically joined by a (meaning at least one) flap fastener  200 . The flap fastener  200  comprises, but is not limited to, snaps, zippers, hook and loop materials and the like. In one exemplary embodiment, the flap fastener  200  typically comprises a (meaning at least one) two part hook and loop fastener having a first part secured to the garment  105  and a second part secured to a flap inner surface  130  so as to matingly join the garment  105  and the flap  120 . In another exemplary embodiment, the hook and loop fastener typically comprises a loop strip aligned for mating with a hook strip wherein the hook strip is disposed on the garment  105  and the loop strip is disposed on the flap inner surface  130 . It will be appreciated that such hook and loop fastener configuration may be reversed and the number of hook and loop fasteners may vary as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
   The flap  120  comprises the flap inner surface  130 , a flap outer surface  140  and a (meaning at least one) pocket  150  disposed between the flap inner surface  130  and the garment outer surface  110 . It will be appreciated that the flap  120  is movable between a first OPEN position (as shown in  FIGS. 1–4 ) and a second CLOSED position (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) so as to make contents of the pocket  150  visible. The term “OPEN position”, as used herein, refers to the position of the flap  120  wherein a flap end  122  of the flap  120  and the garment outer surface  110  are not in physical contact with each other (see  FIG. 1 ) or when the flap fasteners  200  are not in contact. The term “CLOSED position”, as used herein, refers to the position of the flap  120  wherein the flap end  122  and the garment outer surface  110  are in physical contact with each other (see  FIG. 5 ) or when the flap fasteners  200  are in contact. In exemplary embodiments, the shape of the flap  120  comprises square, triangular, rectangular and irregular shapes. In a particular embodiment, the flap has a generally triangular shape with a side coupled to a sleeve approximately parallel to the seam in either a straight or arcuate shape. A second side or edge has a straight shape extending parallel to a cuff. A third side has an arcuate shape. 
   The garment  105  typically comprises jackets, shirts, coats, pants and the like. In one exemplary embodiment, the garment  105  comprises a pair of sleeves  210  wherein at least one flap  120  is secured on at least one of the sleeves  210  and at least one pocket  150  is disposed between the flap  120  and the sleeve  210  (see  FIG. 6 ). It will be appreciated that  FIG. 6  shows the sleeves  210  of the garment  105  having a fixed end  220  and a loose end  230 . In one exemplary embodiment, the flap  120  is secured proximate the loose end  230  wherein the pocket  150  is disposed between the flap  120  and the sleeve  210 . 
   In a particular embodiment, the garment  105  has a sleeve with an opening  104 . The opening is defined by a cuff  106 . The flap  120  has a generally triangular shape having three sides. One side is attached to the sleeve in a strait or arcuate fashion generally parallel to a generally longitudinal axial direction  116 , such as parallel to a seam or along an arm. A second side  112  of the flap  120  has a arcuate shape leading form the secured side  102  and arcing to a tab or point  122  having fastener  200 . A third side  108  extends from the secured side  102  to the corner or tab  122  having the fastener  200 . The side or edge  108 , when the fastener and flap are in a closed position, runs generally parallel to the cuff  106 . In this particular embodiment, the length of side  108  may be shorter than a length along cuff  106  from flap attachment point  114  to the fastener portion  200  attached to the cuff  106 . When closed, the flap  120  forces the opening  104  to constrict. In an alternate embodiment, the portion of fastener  200  attached to the cuff  106  may have multiple fastening points or may be an extended fastener portion such as an extended portion of a hook-and-loop fastener system. The flap  120  may be closed and the fastener  200  attached to the flap  120  selectively positioned to provide more or less constriction of opening  104 . 
   In other exemplary embodiments, the flap  120  may take other shapes such as square, triangular, rectangular, and irregular shapes. The flap  120  may be configured to constrict opening  104  using alternate mechanisms such as draw strings, adjustable flap sizing systems, adjustable systems for manipulating the length of tap  122 , and adjustable systems for manipulating a portion of the cuff  106 . For example, an adjustable length drawstring or fabric belt may be attached to the outer surface  140  of the flap  120 , permitting manipulation of the length of the edge  108  or the extendible perimeter of the flap around the opening  104 . In another exemplary embodiment, the tab  122  may provide a belt-and-buckle system to permit extension or contraction of the tab  122 . In a third exemplary embodiment, a belt-and-buckle system may be provided between attachment point  114  and fastening point near the fastener  200  along the cuff  106  to manipulate the length along cuff  106 . 
   The pocket  150  (see  FIG. 2 ) is typically sized and shaped to receive contents comprising at least one of the group selected from a card, ticket, trail map, season pass, keys, currency and combinations thereof. The term, “sized and shaped”, as used herein, refers to the structure of the pocket  150  in which the pocket  150  is able to receive and store the contents described above. It will be appreciated that such contents are exemplary and that other contents may be received and stored as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. In another exemplary embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the pocket  150  is secured to the flap inner surface  130  and an oversized pocket  155  is secured to the garment outer surface  110 . For purposes of illustration,  FIG. 4  shows the pocket  150  containing a season pass disposed therein and the oversized pocket  155  containing a trail map disposed therein. As used herein, directional words such as, for example, “thereon”, “therein”, “on”, “in”, “ over” and “under” are used to refer to the relative location of the elements of display system  100  as illustrated in the Figures and are not meant to be limitations in any manner with respect to the orientation or operation of display system  100 . In addition, the position, orientation and shape of the pocket  150  and the oversized pocket  155  in the Figures is shown for illustrative purposes and, in one embodiment, such shape, for example, comprises square, triangular, rectangular or irregular shapes. It will be appreciated that all of the elements disclosed herein, including the flap  120 , the pocket  150  and the oversized pocket  155 , are typically stitched, glued or affixed in position by other fastening means as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the pocket  150  has an (meaning at least one) opening  160  adapted to receive at least one article comprising a card, ticket, trail map, season pass, keys, currency and the like. However, it will be appreciated that the opening  160  can vary in size and can have a different orientation as shown in the Figures. As such, the number and position of the pocket  150  and the opening  160  can vary and may be different than shown in the Figures. In one exemplary embodiment (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), a first pocket  151  is secured to the flap inner surface  130  and a second pocket  152  is secured to the garment outer surface  110 . Here, both pockets  151 , 152  comprise a first opening  161  and a second opening  162 , respectively. The position of such openings  161 , 162  may be disposed in different areas of pockets  151 , 152  respectively, and such position is shown for illustrative purposes in the Figures. As shown in  FIGS. 1–4 , the opening  160 , first opening  161  and second opening  162  typically comprise a (meaning at least one) pocket fastener  170  so as to secure the abovementioned contents therein. In addition, the pocket fastener  170  serves to make the pocket  150  weather resistant. In one embodiment, the pocket fastener  170  comprises, but is not limited to, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, zippers, tabs and combinations thereof. In another embodiment, access inside the pocket  150  is facilitated by a (meaning at least one) pulling device  190  in conjunction with the pocket fastener  170 . Such pulling device  190  can comprise, but is not limited to, a tab, ring, string and the like. In one exemplary embodiment, the pulling device  190  comprises a nylon webbing tab secured to the pocket fastener  170  for providing access to the pocket  150 . In a further exemplary embodiment, the pocket  150  typically comprises a transparent window  180 . The term, “transparent”, as used herein, refers to the material properties of such window  180  so that contents therein are easily seen or detected. 
   It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, while the invention has been illustrated and described herein in accordance with the patent statutes, modification and changes may be made in the disclosed embodiments without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.