Abstract:
An adjustable article has an area of overlapping fabric with facing surfaces and a zipper on one of the surfaces. A zipper slider with fastener moves along two rows of teeth of the zipper to cause them to be separated in one direction and interdigitate in an opposite direction. A connector at the other surface and at one end of a distance of a dimension to be adjusted is engaged to the fastener so that a degree of overlap of the overlapping fabric surfaces changes as the slider moves along the rows of teeth to change the dimension.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of PCT/US2015/017691 filed Feb. 26, 2015, which claims priority on U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/947,309 filed Mar. 3, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of clothing, and in particular to a new and useful clothing adjusting zipper arrangement that is used to adjust at least one dimension of a cloth or fabric item, for example, the size of a garment. 
     Zippers have long been used as closures for cloth and fabric items, including garments, apparel, upholstery and furniture coverings, camping gear like tents, sleeping bags or other shelters, textiles and sporting goods. For ease of reference, all such cloth or fabric items are here referred to generally as clothing items. 
     Zippers include a pair of tapes, often but not always of cloth, that are attached, for example by sewing, to opposite edges of a closure. Two chains or rows of teeth on facing edges of the tapes are capable of meshing with each other by being caused to interdigitate as a zipper slider that embraces both rows past the teeth. A zipper pull is attached to the slider to be held by a person opening or closing the zipper. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a new arrangement using one or more zippers and their sliders, to adjust the size of an item of clothing. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a concealed and/or exposed zipper, open or closed, ended with a button, VELCRO brand fastener, clasp, hook or other fastening device of different shapes and sizes, sewn or attached onto the slider body or pull tab of the zipper that can slide back and forth on the chain or row of teeth of the zipper for the use in all types of garments, apparel, upholstery and furniture coverings, camping gear, textiles or sporting goods (separately or collectively called clothing in this disclosure), to adjust the circumference or length of at least one dimension of the clothing. 
     The zipper can be used to change or vary the size of any of the above mentioned items in width, length and/or height. As a non-limiting example, the invention can be used to adjust the circumference or girth of a jacket or other article of clothing. The zipper can be exposed or hidden by being sewed either on the inside or outside of the fabric or textile of the clothing to be adjusted. 
     Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide a clothing adjusting zipper arrangement, understanding the category of cloth or fabric items referred to as clothing in this disclosure, that comprises an area of overlapping fabric having facing surfaces in the item that overlap at least by a distance of a dimension of the item to be adjusted, a zipper having a pair of tapes with a respective pair of interdigitating rows of teeth and a slider for moving along the teeth to cause the teeth to become separated in one direction of movement of the slider and to become interdigitated in an opposite direction of movement of the slider, the zipper being fixed along one of the facing surfaces in the area of overlap and extending at least partly in the dimension of the item to be adjusted, a fastener connected to the slider, and a connector at the other of the facing surfaces and at one end of the distance of the dimension of the item to be adjusted, the fastener engaging the connector so that a degree of overlap of the overlapping fabric surfaces changes as the slider moves along the rows of teeth to change the dimension. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide an article in which the position of the slider along the zipper arrangement may be pre-adjusted before engagement of the fastener with the connector. 
     It is also within the objects of the invention to provide an article which includes at least two zipper arrangements, adapted such that the fasteners of the respective zipper arrangements may be aligned along different vertical axes. 
     In certain embodiments, the fastener is a button provided on one of the facing surfaces and the connector is an opening defined by the facing surface opposite the facing surface on which the zipper arrangement is provided. 
     In alternative embodiments, the fastener is a hook portion of a hook-and-loop fastener and the connector is a loop portion of a hook-and-loop fastener. 
     In yet further embodiments, the fastener is a male portion of a snap fastener and the connector is the female portion of a snap fastener. 
     The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows the fastener, slider body, and pull tab according to the present invention, before the fastener is secured to the slider body; 
         FIG. 2  shows the fastener, slider body and pull tab united together; 
         FIG. 3  shows the fastener, slider body and pull tab, united and now engaged with the pair of zipper teeth; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of a jacket embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the jacket embodiment in the unfastened state; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the jacket embodiment in the partially-fastened state; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the jacket embodiment in the fully-fastened state; 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of the jacket in a most-constricted state; 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the jacket in a semi-constricted state; 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of the jacket in a least-constricted state; 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the jacket in an unfastened state with all the fasteners aligned uniformly at one end of the first flap; 
         FIG. 12  is a front view of the jacket in the unfastened state with two of the fasteners aligned at one end of the first flap and one fastener located at about the middle of the first flap; 
         FIG. 13  is a front view of the jacket in the unfastened state with two of the fasteners aligned at one end of the first flap and one fastener located at an opposite end the first flap; 
         FIG. 14  is a view of a zipper slider with integrated fastener according to the invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a view of a different item of garment clothing, i.e. a vest, using the present invention; and 
         FIG. 16  is a view of a still further garment, i.e. a dress, using the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a fastener  12 , a slider body  14  with a loop and a pull tab  16  connected to the loop of the slider  14 , at a time before the fastener  12  and the slider body  14  are tied together by tying means  18  according to the present invention.  FIG. 2  shows the fastener  12 , slider body  14  and pull tab  16  united for engagement with a pair of zipper teeth  20  ( FIG. 3 ).  FIG. 3  shows the fastener  12 , slider body  14  and pull tab  16 , united and now engaged with the pair of zipper teeth  20 , the zipper teeth  20  being supported by respective strips of zipper tape  22 . The fastener  12  may be a button or the like, but it is by no means limited thereto. The tying means  18  may be a thread or any convenient means effective for achieving the purpose of securing the fastener  12  to the slider body  14 . It is also within the scope of the invention for the fastener to  12  to be secured to the pull tab  16 , or some part of the slider body, other than the loop, or to be made as one piece with the slider body as illustrated in  FIG. 14 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a preferred jacket  26  embodiment according to the present invention which employs the zipper arrangement  10 . Although three zipper arrangements  10  are shown, a single zipper arrangement  10  would be effective for achieving the objects of the invention. Likewise, more than three zipper arrangements  10  may be employed. As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the jacket  26  has a first flap  28  and a second flap  30 . Although the zipper teeth  20  are shown exposed in  FIG. 4 , it is within the scope of the invention for the zipper teeth  20  to be concealed. 
       FIGS. 5-7  show that the jacket  26  may be worn in an unfastened state ( FIG. 5 ), in a partially fastened state ( FIG. 6 ) and a fully-fastened state ( FIG. 7 ).  FIG. 5  shows the unfastened state, in which none of the fasteners  12  are inserted through the corresponding fastener connectors  32 .  FIG. 6  shows a partially-fastened state, in which some fasteners  12  are inserted through the associated fastener connector  32  and some are not.  FIG. 7  shows the fully-fastened state, in which all the fasteners  12  are inserted through their respective fastener connectors  32 . In the embodiment shown, the fasteners  12  are buttons and the fastener connectors  32  are button holes  32 . However, it is within the scope of the invention for any fastener-connector means to be employed, such as, for example, a snap-fastener arrangement, a hook-and-loop fastener (e.g., VELCRO), a clasp, or a hook. 
       FIGS. 8-10  show that, once in the fully-fastened state ( FIG. 7 ) the jacket  26  of the present invention may be adjusted to accommodate a variety of sizes. The jacket  26  may be adjusted by varying the distance of the fasteners  12  along the length of the zipper arrangement  10  to any degree desired, according the comfort of the wearer. 
     In  FIG. 8 , the jacket  26  is in the most-constricted state. From this state, the jacket  26  may be expanded to a semi-constricted state shown in  FIG. 9 , if, for example, the wearer of the garment has experienced an expansion of girth (e.g., due to dietary or health reasons). It may also be desirable to expand the garment if it has been transferred to a different person who has a wider girth than the original wearer. In  FIG. 9 , the fasteners  12  remain in the fastener connectors  32 , and the first flap  28  and the second flap  30  are pulled away from one another. Because the fasteners  12  remain anchored in the connectors  32 , the effect is that the fasteners  12  slide along the length of the zipper arrangement  10  from a first end  34  towards a second end  36  (the first and second end are best seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5  which show the unfastened state), to a point roughly near the middle of the zipper arrangement  10 , depending on the comfort of the wearer.  FIG. 10  shows the least-constricted state of the garment. In  FIG. 10 , the fasteners  12  remain in the fastener connectors  32 , and the first flap  28  and the second flap  30  are pulled yet further away from one another. The fasteners  12  slide further along the length of the zipper arrangement  10 , that is, to a point at or near the second end  36  of the zipper arrangement  10 . 
     The jacket  26  may also be adjusted back from the least-constricted state ( FIG. 10 ) to the semi-constricted state ( FIG. 9 ) or to the most-constricted state ( FIG. 8 ) by holding the first flap  28  stationary and pulling the second flap  30  such that its degree of overlap over the first flap  28  is increased. 
     It also within the scope for the size of the jacket  26  to be adjusted when the jacket  26  is in the fully-unfastened state. Here, the wearer pre-adjusts the positions of the fasteners  12  along length of the zipper arrangement  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 11-13 , it is well within the scope of the invention for the fasteners  12  to positioned at varying distances along the length of their respective zipper arrangements  10 . After the fasteners  12  have been positioned according the wearer&#39;s desire, the fasteners  12  may then be secured through the connectors  32 . 
       FIG. 15  shows the invention applied to a vest and  FIG. 16  shows the invention applied to a dress. 
     The present invention is advantageous in contexts where an individual has eaten a large meal or is experiencing a gastric condition requiring additional accommodation in the abdominal region. 
     The present invention is also advantageous in contexts where garments are transferred frequently from one person to the next, such as in the tuxedo rental, military and law enforcement fields. 
     The present invention may also be used in used in connection with camping gear (e.g., sleeping bags and tents) and sporting goods. 
     While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.