Flexible garment with overlying front and reat pockets

A fabric garment has a front pocket configured to receive, releasably retain and protectively enclose a small, generally rectangular electronic device while providing operational access to a front face of the device, and has a closable rear pocket just behind the front pocket configured to receive, releasably retain and concurrently protectively enclose contents including at least a credit card, a latch key, and a photo identification card. The garment also includes an integrally formed portion defining an opening configured to permit a thumb of a wearer of the garment to extend therethrough. An elastic strap for encircling a limb of the wearer to support the garment preferably extends movably through a passage defined by a rear part of the garment.

BACKGROUND

The present invention addresses a long-standing need experienced by persons engaged in physical activities for a flexible garment well suited to protectively carry a small personal electronic device at various locations on the hands and arms where the device is convenient to observe and operate without any need to pause, break stride or otherwise interrupt ongoing physical activities.

Although specialized garments are known and have been proposed that are intended to support water bottles, exercise weights, towels and a variety of other convenient items on various parts of a wearer's body, little heed has been paid to the importance of providing flexible fabric garments specifically designed to support small, generally rectangular, electronic devices for operation at locations on the hands and arms of those engaged in exercise—until the applicants named herein began offering such flexible garments during the years 2008 and 2009.

Nor has much attention been devoted to the desirability of incorporating into such specialized flexible fabric garments an “accessories pocket” giving the garment a capability for runners and others who are actively engaged in exercise to carry with them such basic essentials as a photo identification card, a credit card, a medical alert notice, a latch key and/or the like.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one preferred practice of the invention, a flexible fabric garment is provided that is well suited to securely, protectively and operationally support a small, generally rectangular electronic device not only on the hands, but also on the arms, and even on the legs of a person who is actively engaged in exercise.

In accordance with one preferred practice of the present invention, a specialized flexible fabric garment is provided with overlying front and rear pockets, with the front pocket being well suited to receive, enclose and operationally support a small, generally rectangular electronic device, and with the rear pocket being configured to contain and provide easy access to such present-day essentials as a photo identification card, a credit card, a medical alert notice, a latch key and/or the like

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a reach of fabric that extends about selected perimetrical portions of the rear pocket carries a hook-and-loop fastener providing ready access to contents of the rear pocket.

In accordance with a preferred practice of the present invention, a specialized flexible garment of the general type described above has an elongate elastic strap that extends movably through a passage defined on a rear part of the garment, giving the garment a capability to be positioned at a variety of locations on the arms and hands of a wearer.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a flexible, transparent window operationally overlies a front surface of an electronic device carried by the flexible fabric garment, with the transparent window having portions that easily can be depressed and gently deformed as may be needed to permit the electronic device to be operated just as if there were no flexible, transparent window overlying the front surface of the electronic device.

More particularly, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a fingerless flexible fabric garment defines overlying front and rear, generally rectangular pockets, with the front pocket being configured to receive, releasably retain and protectively enclose a small, generally rectangular electronic device while providing operational access to a front face of the device, and with the rear pocket being configured to receive, releasably retain and concurrently protectively enclose contents including at least one of a credit card, a latch key, a photo identification card and/or the like.

Some embodiments of the garment also preferably include both an integrally formed fabric portion that defines an opening permitting a wearer's thumb to extend comfortably therethrough, and with a separate elastic support strap being provided that extends through a passage defined at the rear of the garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To describe a preferred embodiment of the invention in an orderly manner, reference is first made herein toFIGS. 1-6which depict three forms a flexible fabric garment for receiving and operationally supporting a small and generally rectangular electronic device preferably at locations nestled in the palm of a hand of a wearer of the garment. The description then focuses on a fourth form of flexible fabric garment that includes improved features—features that also can be incorporated in such flexible fabric garments as are depicted inFIGS. 1-6, and in flexible fabric garments such as are disclosed in others of the patents and applications that have disclosures that are incorporated herein by reference.

Although the flexible fabric garments disclosed herein are designed to be worn primarily on the left hands of persons engaged in exercise, it will be understood that garments of mirror-image configuration designed to be worn primarily on the right hands are entirely within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.

Yet another possible embodiment well within the spirit and scope of the invention provides a garment that has dual, symmetrically positioned, thumb-receiving openings that enable the garment to be worn interchangeably on either of the left and right hands. Such a flexible fabric garment is the subject of a design application being filed concurrently herewith by the inventors named herein (Atty's Docket No. 6-802), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The Embodiments Shown in FIGS.1-6

Referring initially toFIGS. 1 and 2, a typical human hand is indicated generally by the numeral50.FIG. 1shows a back side51of the hand50, andFIG. 2shows a palm side52of the hand50. The hand50extends from a wrist region53at the rear, to fingertips54at what will be referred to as the front of the hand50. The fingertips54are located at the front end regions of fingers55,56,57,58. Located between the wrist region53and the fingertips54is a thumb59which extends from a base region60of the thumb59to a thumbtip61.

Referring still toFIGS. 1 and 2, an imaginary axis100is shown extending transversely across the hand50. The axis100crosses a central region70of the hand50at a location spaced a short distance forwardly of the base region60of the thumb59and rearwardly of the fingers55,56,57,58. The axis100crosses what will be referred to as a top region71(shown at the top ofFIG. 2) of the hand50at a point101, and crosses what will be referred to as the bottom region72(shown at the bottom ofFIG. 2) of the hand50at a point102.

Also shown inFIGS. 1 and 2is one form of a specialized hand-encircling, flexible fabric garment150which has a body that is formed from durable, flexible, breathable, resilient material149such as sold under the registered trademark Lycra, or the like. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, there are many durable, resilient, flexible fabric materials that are well suited to form specialized wearable garments of the type described herein. Accordingly, no claim is made herein to the use of any particular flexible fabric material to form the body of the garment150.

If desired, portions of the specialized garments described herein may also be formed at least in part from leather or other durable materials that are flexible to wrap about the hand but are not especially resilient, in which case, one or more fasteners such as a buckle or what is known as hook-and-loop type fasteners such as are sold under the registered trademark Velcro may be employed to permit ease of installation of the garment150on the hand50of a wearer.

Referring still toFIGS. 1 and 2, the garment150can be seen to extend transversely across the hand along opposite front and rear sides of the imaginary axis100, with a front of the garment150being defined by a curved line151, and a rear of the garment150being defined by a curved line152. A complexly curved line171(at the top ofFIG. 2) defines what will be referred to as the top of the garment150, which extends along what has already been referred to as the top71of the hand50. A more simply curved line172(at the bottom ofFIG. 2) defines what will be referred to as the bottom of the garment150, which extends along what has already been referred to as the bottom72of the hand50.

At opposite ends of the complexly curved line171, the top of the garment150joins with the lines151,152(designating the front and the rear of the garment150, respectively) at points indicated by the numerals181,191, respectively. At opposite ends of the more simply curved line172, the bottom of the garment150also joins with the lines151,152at points designated by the numerals182,192, respectively.

At the top of the garment150, a thumb-receiving opening153is provided by a portion of the flexible, resilient material149that surrounds the base region60of the thumb59. Points labeled by the numerals154,155designate opposite ends of a region where a part of the complexly curved line171is defined by the thumb-receiving opening153.

Conceptually speaking, the garment150can be said to be defined by a relatively narrow band or “first reach” of flexible material149that extends along the imaginary axis100to snugly encircle the hand50. Such a “narrow band” or “first reach” has a palm portion defined inFIG. 2by the points181,154at the top of the garment150, and by the points182,192at the bottom of the garment; and, the garment150is also defined by a wide region of the hand-encircling band that carries the thumb-receiving opening153.

Depicted by broken lines inFIG. 2are a pair of rectangles210,220that designate locations located along the imaginary axis100where a pocket formation of the garment150can be positioned to at least partially protectively nestle or nest a small electronic device in the palm portion of the hand50.

What the garment150depicted in solid lines inFIGS. 1 and 2provides is a supporting structure that is designed to snugly encircle opposed palm and back surfaces52,51of the hand50, and that is supplementally held in place on the hand50by providing the thumb receiving opening153which extends about the base region60of the thumb59to keep the garment150from sliding forwardly over the fingers55-58and off of the hand50—a supporting structure that is intended to carry what will be referred to as a front pocket formation that is sized, shaped and otherwise suitably configured to receive and releasably retain therein a small electronic device of the type described earlier herein—often, but not necessarily, a device capable of connecting with a wireless telephone network.

What the axis100crosses is a central region of the palm52of the hand50wherein a pocket formation (and an electronic device contained therein) can be at least partially protectively nestled or nested in the palm52of the hand50, with other parts of the hand50helping to shield an electronic device carried by the garment150from unwanted contact with objects surrounding the wearer of the garment150.

If the front pocket or front pocket formation that is selected contains a particular size and shape of electronic device that is larger than is depicted by one of the rectangles210,220shown inFIG. 2, then the garment150can still support the front pocket formation and the electronic device contained therein with portions thereof at least partially protectively nestled by the palm52of the hand50—which is a better and more protectively shielded location than if the front pocket formation and the electronic device contained therein were supported on the back side51of the hand50where they are more likely to impact with objects surrounding the wearer of the garment150.

If a front pocket formation and electronic device contained therein project upwardly from the palm52of the hand50(as is depicted by the rectangles210,220inFIG. 2), the presence of the thumb59in the vicinity of such upward extensions will also help to protectively shield the electronic device contained in the front pocket formation from unwanted contact.

Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4, a second form of specialized garment250is shown which has a first reach251of flexible, resilient material249configured to extend about the hand50at a location forwardly of the base60of the thumb59in much the same manner that the garment150snugly encircled the same general area of the hand50, and has a second reach252of the flexible, resilient material249that extends from the first reach251to wrap around the rear of the base region60of the thumb59. A front pocket formation300is shown attached to a palm portion253of the first reach251of the second form of flexible fabric garment250.

As can best be seen inFIG. 4, the front pocket or front pocket formation300has a generally rectangular opening301that defines a window through which a display of an electronic device carried interiorly of the front pocket formation300can be viewed. A sheet or a reach of flexible transparent material302covers the window opening301to help other portions of the front pocket formation300to protectively contain and retain an electronic device therein. The front pocket formation300may be permanently connected to the palm portion253of the first reach251as by stitching, bonding or other suitable conventional means well known to those skilled in the art, or may be removably attached thereto by providing hook and loop fastening material of the type sold under the registered trademark Velcro.

Referring toFIGS. 5 and 6, a third form of specialized flexible fabric garment350is shown which has a first reach351of resilient, breathable material configured to extend about the hand50at a location forwardly of the base60of the thumb59in substantially the same manner that the garment250snugly encircles the same general area of the hand50, and has a second reach352of flexible, resilient material that extends from the first reach351to wrap around the rear of the base region60of the thumb59. End regions358,359(FIG. 5) of the first reach351are connected in a conventional manner by looping the end region358through a rigid loop or buckle369that is carried by the end region359.

A front pocket or front pocket formation400(FIG. 6) is attached to a palm portion353of the first reach351of the third garment350. An electronic device carried interiorly of the front pocket formation400can be viewed and operated through a window opening401. A flexible transparent sheet402covers the window opening401to help other portions of the front pocket formation400retain an electronic device therein. The front pocket formation400may be permanently connected to the palm portion353as by stitching, bonding or other suitable conventional means well known to those skilled in the art, or may be removably attached thereto by providing hook and loop fastening material of the type sold under the registered trademark Velcro.

The Embodiment of FIGS.7-12

Basic features of a fourth garment embodiment shown inFIGS. 7-12are substantially the same as basic features of the first, second and third garment embodiments150,250and350, respectively, that are shown sequentially inFIGS. 1-6.

Referring toFIGS. 7-12, the fourth form450has, for example, a first elongate, strap-like reach451of resilient, breathable, flexible fabric material configured to encircle about a hand of a wearer of the garment450at a location forwardly of a thumb of the hand in substantially the same manner that the second flexible fabric garment250is shown having a first elongate, strap-like reach251of material that encircles the hand50, as is shown inFIG. 3. The fourth garment450also has a second reach452of resilient, breathable, flexible fabric material that extends to one side of the first reach451of material to encircle a base region of a thumb of the person wearing the garment450, just as is shown inFIGS. 3 and 4where it can be seen that the second embodiment250has a reach of material252encircling a base region of a thumb59of the hand50.

Referring still toFIGS. 7-12, the fourth garment450also has end regions458,459of the first reach451that can be connected as by looping the end region458through a buckle469that is carried by an end region459, in the same manner that the third garment350is shown inFIG. 5as having a strap end region358that is looped through a buckle369carried by the strap end region359.

Of importance is the fact that the fourth garment450shown inFIGS. 7-12has three unique and distinguishing features that are the primary focus of this continuation-in-part application. These three features include overlying front and rear pockets500(FIGS. 8 and 11),600(FIG. 12), respectively, and an elastic strap700that is provided to permit the garment450to be worn comfortably on a limb of a person, instead of just on a hand of the person wearing the garment. As will be explained, the strap700is elastically extensible, enabling it to be used instead of utilizing the the hand-encircling formation451and the thumb-encircling formation452that are provided for securely and comfortably carrying the garment450(and an electronic device carried by the garment450) on a hand of a person wearing the garment450.

Of course, the three features mentioned just above can be provided when forming such garments150,250and350as are disclosed inFIGS. 1-6, and in the alternative form of garment depicted in drawings of the concurrently-filed design application mentioned above.

Economy is preferably obtained in manufacturing the fourth garment450by utilizing a single, main piece of fabric460that is complexly configured to define not only 1) the elongate strap-like formation451for encircling a hand of a wearer and 2) the formation452that is configured to encircle a thumb of a wearer, but also 3) a relatively wide band or loop of material455that encircles and defines the double-open-ended front pocket500(FIGS. 8 and 11) that is provided for enclosing a conventional electronic device (portions of a typical such device being indicated by the numerals499inFIGS. 8 and 11).

Referring toFIG. 12, sewn, bonded or otherwise securely attached to a rear surface of the single main piece of fabric460(described just above) are two overlying layers of flexible fabric material610,620that define front and rear walls of the rear pocket600(FIG. 12). Peripheral portions of the interior of the rear pocket600are outlined by broken lines inFIG. 12. Also shown inFIG. 12are interior surfaces of the overlying layers of fabric material610,620. An overturned right end flap of the outer material layer620shown inFIG. 12permits interior surface portions615,625of the fabric materials610,620, respectively, to be seen.

Best shown inFIGS. 7,9,11and12is the elongate, second strap-like member700which is preferably formed, at least in part, from elastically extensible and retractable material. The elongate, second strap-like member700has opposite end regions758,759. A loop defining buckle769(that is preferably identical to the buckle469carried on the end region459of the first elongate strap-like member451) is provided on the strap end region759. By this arrangement, the strap end region758can extend through the buckle769and then can be reverse-turned to extend back along in overlying relationship with other portions of the member700so that hook and loop materials carried thereon can releasably engage to encircle and to be drawn taut about a limb of a person wearing the garment450.

Referring toFIG. 7, the wide loop of material455that encircles and defines the open-ended front pocket500(FIGS. 8 and 11) is provided with a generally rectangular opening501or window through which a front surface (not shown) of an electronic device499carried in the front pocket500can be viewed, accessed and operated. In preferred practice, the generally rectangular front pocket500(FIGS. 8 and 11) has a uniform thickness or width (i.e., the front pocket500encloses an open area indicated inFIGS. 8 and 11by the numeral510) of typically up to about one centimeter (about one half inch) that is adequate to receive and carry a conventional electronic device499such as typically can be wirelessly connected with a cellular telephone network.

Referring toFIG. 7, the window opening501into the front pocket500(FIGS. 8 and 11) is perimetrically bordered along top and bottom regions by parallel-extending, top and bottom portions503,504, respectively, and along its left and right end regions by relatively shorter, parallel-extending, left and right portions505,506, respectively. The front window opening501may remain open and uncovered, or it may be fully covered by a thin, transparent sheet of flexible material502. The front window opening501enables a front face (not shown) of a conventional electronic device499(portions of which are shown inFIGS. 8 and 11) that is positioned in the front pocket500to be viewed and operationally accessed.

If, as is shown inFIG. 7, a thin, flexible, transparent plastic sheet502extends fully across the front window opening501, the material selected to form the transparent sheet502needs to be adequately flexible to enable local areas, parts or regions of the sheet502to be depressed and inwardly deformed by fingertip pressure so that whatever electronic device499(FIGS. 8 and 11) is carried in the front pocket500can be operated by gently pressing or tapping on small local areas, parts or regions of the transparent sheet502.

If, as shown inFIG. 7, a thin, flexible and transparent sheet502is provided to extend across the window opening501, the sheet502also needs to be sufficiently durable and wear-resistant to help the peripheral portions503,504,505,506to releasably retain within the front pocket500whatever type of conventional, generally rectangular electronic device499is inserted into the front pocket500.

To retain an electronic device499in the open-ended front pocket500(FIGS. 8 and 11), one of the front pocket's open end regions474(best seen inFIG. 11) is partially closed by two short, overlying strap portions of the end region459of the first reach451(best seen inFIG. 10) that are sewn or otherwise securely joined together, and which cooperate to support the buckle469. An opposite open end region475(best seen inFIGS. 8 and 10) of the front pocket500is overlaid and closed by a part of the first reach451that extends from a central part of the left peripheral end portion505at times when the garment450is in place on the hand of a wearer of the garment450. Thus, installing the garment450on a wearer's hand serves to close the open end region475sufficiently to retain an electronic device499in the front pocket500(FIGS. 8 and 11).

As can best be seen inFIG. 10, a portion470of the elongate strap451that is provided for encircling a wearer's hand is provided with loop-defining material480; and, the end region458of the elongate strap451is provided with a hook-defining material490. As is well known to those skilled in the art, such loop-defining material480and such hook-defining material490can be positioned in overlying engagement to provide a releasable connection between reaches of flexible material. Such hook and loop defining materials are sold under the registered trademark Velcro.

Referring toFIG. 12, the generally rectangular rear pocket or rear pocket formation600of the fourth garment450is connected to the main piece of fabric460for carrying (while also providing easy access to) such modern-day essentials as a latch key605and other contents (not shown) that can include, for example, a small amount of currency, a credit card, a photo identification card, a medical alert notice and/or the like.

The rear pocket600(FIG. 12) may take any of a wide variety of forms, and still be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In preferred practice, the rear pocket600is configured to be of generally rectangular shape, as is indicated by broken lines610inFIG. 12, and also by solid lines620where an end region630of the rear pocket600is shown turned back and opened. In preferred practice, narrow, elongate reaches of hook and loop material660,670(such as are sold under the registered trademark Velcro) are provided to extend along perimeter portions of the openable end region630of the rear pocket600(FIG. 12) to hold the rear pocket600securely closed, and to provide easy access to contents of the rear pocket600.

The separately formed elongate, second strap-like member700extends movably through a passage750that is depicted by broken lines in FIG.12)—which permits the elongate second strap-like member700to actually be removed from the garment450if a wearer of the garment so desires.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended to protect whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.