Abstract:
A utility pocket having a waterproof enclosure with an opening covered by a transparent material. The pocket includes a flap which can be selectively opened to reveal an item contained within the waterproof enclosure. The enclosure allows for storage of relatively low profile items such as identification cards and keys. A method of attaching the pocket in combination with the associated components allow for reduced thickness to create a streamlined, integrated look with outerwear to which it is attached.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention concerns apparel. More particularly, the invention is directed to an attachment pocket which can be attached to various types of outerwear garments.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     After market pockets adapted for attachment to previously purchased garments are well known in the art. These pockets, commonly called “utility” or “accessory” pockets are generally used to contain items which need to be readily accessed or which might not fit into the existing pockets for the “target” garment. The majority of these pockets are of the removably attached type, which are held onto the garment using attachment means which allow for selective removal and replacement, e.g., Velcro®. The removably attached type of pocket suffers from several drawbacks. First, they have the appearance of an aftermarket attachment, and therefore tend to “cheapen” the appearance of the target garment Secondly, regardless of the type of attachment used, they can become skewed, twisted, or bunched over time, further degrading the visual appeal of the garment. Finally, they are subject to unintended removal, possibility resulting in the loss of the items contained therein.  
         [0005]     The other type of utility or accessory pocket is the permanently attached type. These are usually stitched in, and are intended for a very specific purpose such as holding ink pens or a calculator.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,062 issued to Dobell is typical of the removable type of pocket. A Velcro® border secured to the interior facing side of the pocket is sized for attachment to a mating Velcro® strip on the garment. The pocket allows for changing the breast patch or logo on a blazer. By contrast, the present invention is directed to a heavy duty utility pocket which is attachable to outerwear such as a coat or fleece garment.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,336 issued to Gootrad discloses a combination attachment for a garment wherein at least one interior waterproof compartment is provided. Gootrad is attached using an adhesive which, apparently, forms a waterproof seal. The present invention contemplates a waterproof utility pocket which includes a waterproof enclosure which is also transparent, allowing the user to selectively display an item, e.g., an identification card, without removing the displayed item from the enclosure.  
         [0008]     The present invention is directed to a utility pocket having a waterproof enclosure with an opening covered by a transparent material. The pocket includes a flap which can be selectively opened to reveal an item contained within the waterproof enclosure. The flap is constructed so as to provide a watertight seal for the enclosure. The enclosure allows for storage of other small items such as keys. A method of attaching the pocket in combination with the associated components allow for reduced thickness to create a streamlined, integrated look with outerwear to which it is attached.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     It is a major object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket for attachment to outerwear which allows for the selective display of items contained therein.  
         [0010]     It is another object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket for attachment to outerwear constructed to have a streamlined appearance.  
         [0011]     It is another object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket for attachment to outerwear having a waterproof enclosure.  
         [0012]     It is yet another object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket for attachment to outerwear wherein the waterproof enclosure includes a window through which an identification card is visible.  
         [0013]     Finally, it is a general goal of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
         [0014]     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.  
         [0015]     The present invention meets or exceeds all the above objects and goals. Upon further study of the specification and appended claims, further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an outerwear garment illustrating the placement of an accessory pocket thereon.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  shows an isolated perspective view of the accessory pocket of the invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  shows a plan view of the accessory pocket with the protective flap open.  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  shows a plan view of the accessory pocket with the protective flap closed.  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  shows a side sectional view of the accessory pocket attached to a garment.  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  shows a plan view of the accessory pocket enclosure illustrating the relation of the water tight sealing means to the inner enclosure.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-6 , the accessory pocket attachment of the present invention, generally indicated by the numeral  10 , is shown. It can be seen that the pocket  10  is designed for attachment to a garment  12 , which is preferably an outer garment such as a ski parka. One of the primary objectives of the invention is to provide a means to allow a user to selectively display an identification card, ski pass, or other document in an outdoor environment without the inconvenience of having to go through a pocket to pull out and open a wallet. To that end, the pocket  10  includes an enclosure  13  having a transparent window  14  behind which an identification card can be disposed. The enclosure  13  is sized to contain other items as well. A protective covering or flap  15  is attached to the garment  12  in such a way as to provide waterproofing for the enclosure  13 , the flap  15  being movable between open and closed positions to allow for selectively displaying the identification card as will be explained in more detail later.  
         [0024]     The pocket  10  comprises three main components which are attached to each other and the garment  12  so as to substantially reduce the profile of the pocket  10  relative to the outer surface of the garment  12 , effectively streamlining the pocket  10  to maintain the original aesthetics of the garment  12 . The three components each are attached directly to the garment, with each having relatively thick border portions to enhance the durability of the attachment. Each of the border portions are laterally spaced by a predetermined position to avoid bunching and to enhance the overall appearance of the pocket  10 .  
         [0025]     The first component of the pocket  10  is a hook and loop type fastener component (i.e., Velcro®) fashioned as a strip  18  which cooperates with the flap  15  to create a water tight boundary for the enclosure  13 , the flap and the enclosure  13  forming the second and third components, respectively, of the pocket  10 . The Velcro® strip  18  is continuous about three sides of the enclosure  13  with the exception of a notch or spacing  20  which allows for placement of pull tab  22  on flap  15  therein, the pull tab  22  serving to allow for disengaging of the flap  15  from the Velcro® strip  18 . In order to reduce the thickness of the accessory pocket attachment  10 , the Velcro® strip  18  is double stitched directly onto the garment  12  with stitching  23 , the Velcro® strip in spaced relation about the periphery  26  of enclosure  13 , as opposed to being stitched directly onto edge portions of the enclosure  13 . Preferably, the Velcro® strip  18 , is attached to the garment first to ensure proper spacing between the enclosure  13  and the Velcro® strip  18 , and to allow for visualizing the aesthetic impact of a selected pocket location. Specifically, once Velcro® strip  18  is attached to the garment  10 , the enclosure  13 , which is also double stitched directly onto the garment  12  via stitching  25 , may be centered to enhance the uniformity of the pocket  10 . Preferably the spacing between the edge of enclosure  13  and the inner edge of the Velcro strip  18  is at least half the distance of the width of the Velcro® strip.  
         [0026]     The enclosure  13  is formed of a border portion  30  of preferably heavy cloth material, the border portion  30  formed by folding the material back onto itself and retaining it in the folded position as by stitching  25 , adhesives, or both. Transparent or translucent material is stitched about the inner edge portions of the border  30  via stitching  31  to form a window  14 . It can be appreciated that the top edge  33  of enclosure  13  is not stitched so that an opening  35  for inserting and removing articles is provided. In order to enhance the water tight seal, a heat activated adhesive is used to retain the border portion  30  in the folded position after as can be seen most clearly in  FIG. 5 . Thus, the window  14  would be secured inside border portion  30  by both stitching and an adhesive. Additional waterproofing may be attained by providing a “zip lock” type seal (not shown), commonly used for plastic food storage bags, for the top edge  33  of the window. This would require using a cooperating strip having a groove formed therein for receiving a linear protrusion formed proximate top edge  33  of window  14 . In this instance, a pull tab (not shown) may be provided to facilitate opening of the enclosure  13 . The enclosure  13  is then completed by attaching the border portion  30  with window  14  secured therein directly to the garment  12 .  
         [0027]     After the enclosure  13  has been formed and attached, flap  15  is attached directly to the garment  12  by stitching. The flap  15  is prepared for attachment to the garment  12  by first attaching Velcro® strips  34  at the border area of the interior facing surface  36  of the flap  15 . It can be appreciated that the interior facing surface  36  is not visible when the flap  15  is folded to cover enclosure  13 . Spaces  38  are left along the Velcro® stripping  34  to reduce the amount of force required to “open” the flap. Tab  22  is sewn at the top edge of the flap  15 , the tab  22  allowing the user to pull down the flap  15  to expose the contents of the enclosure  13 . An additional enclosure in the form of an inner pocket formed in the inner facing surface  36  of the flap  15  may also be provided. A logo, monogram, or other identifying indicia may be affixed to the exterior facing side  42  of the flap  15 , the logo optionally matching the logo associated with the target garment  12  to allow an authorized manufacturer to give the appearance that the accessory pocket  10  was part of garment  12  as originally sold. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the accessory pocket  10  is sold to manufacturers of various well known outer garments for sale either as an accessory or pre attached to the respective garments. The Velcro® strips  18 ,  34 , in combination with the sealing adhesives used for the enclosure  13  cooperate to provide a substantially watertight enclosure  13  once flap  15  is folded up causing the engagement of strips  18  and  34 . Also, attaching all three components of the pocket  10 , the enclosure  13 , the flap  15 , and the Velcro® strip  18  directly to the garment  12  in spaced relation, as opposed to each other, significantly reduces the profile of the pocket  10  to produce a more streamlined, integrated look.  
         [0028]     In use, once the pocket  10  has been attached as indicated, the wearer of the garment  12  may selectively open flap  15  by pulling tab  22  to reveal the contents of the enclosure  13 . The enclosure  13  is preferably sized to accommodate an identification card such as a ski pass, as well as some other relatively small items such as a spare key or credit card. If used to contain a ski pass for example, the user may quickly display the pass without having to fumble through pockets or remove heavy ski gloves. Alternatively, the enclosure  13  may be sized to accommodate larger items by using more material or by other means as may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. If sold to a “name brand” manufacturer such as Nautica®, the pocket  10  may be provided with a logo or trademark of the manufacturer to allow for seamless integration of the garment and providing an additional display location for the manufacturer&#39;s trademark or logo.  
         [0029]     From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.  
         [0030]     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims: