Abstract:
An article of clothing can carry religious or spiritual indicia, which is hidden from an ordinary observer. For example and not limitation, the article of clothing can include shirts, pants, dresses, sweaters, suits, hats, belts, ties, footwear, in which religious or spiritual indicia is printed/embroidered in a concealed location. In an exemplary embodiment, the indicia is embroidered on the article of clothing in black ink. The religious or spiritual indicia can include religious or spiritual text, images, or a combination thereof. The hidden indicia permit the wearing of the article of clothing in any environment, particularly in those that do not permit articles of clothing containing outward messages. Now a user has the opportunity to express faith through a classic and elegant line of quality clothes that is both inspirational and can be worn in any environment.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/108,617, filed 27 Oct. 2008, the entire contents and substance of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth below 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an article of clothing and, in particular, an article of clothing carrying religious or spiritual indicia in a concealed location. 
         [0003]    Individuals desire to wear an article of clothing that includes religious or spiritual indicia. Yet, in many circumstances, for example in a work environment, wearing the article of clothing with such indicia is prohibited. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Briefly described, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to an article of clothing carrying religious or spiritual indicia that is hidden from an ordinary observer. For example and not limitation, the article of clothing can include shirts, pants, dresses, sweaters, suits, hats, belts, ties, footwear, in which religious or spiritual indicia can be printed, embroidered, and/or heat pressed in a concealed location. In an exemplary embodiment, the indicia is embroidered on the article of clothing in ink. The religious or spiritual indicia can include religious or spiritual text, images, or a combination thereof. 
         [0005]    These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a shirt containing concealed indicia, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the shirt of  FIG. 1 , inside-out, revealing the concealed indicia, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a shirt containing concealed indicia, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the shirt of  FIG. 3 , revealing the concealed indicia, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a belt containing concealed indicia, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a piece of footwear containing concealed indicia, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a side view of a hat containing concealed indicia, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Embodiments of the present invention include several embodiments of articles of clothing carrying religious or spiritual indicia that is concealed from an ordinary observer. The article of clothing, in one embodiment, carries such indicia on the interior thereof. 
         [0014]    Referring now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the view, embodiments of the articles of clothing will be described in detail. 
         [0015]    As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , in an exemplary embodiment, an article of clothing  100  includes an exterior  102 , which viewable by an observer, and an interior  104 , which is not viewable by the observer. In an exemplary embodiment, the interior  104  of the article of clothing  100  carries religious or spiritual indicia  118 , which is preferably printed or embroidered thereon. 
         [0016]    A shirt  110  (i.e., a garment or article of clothing) in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated generally in  FIGS. 1-2 . In particular, the side view of a polo-type short-sleeve shirt  110  is shown for purposes of example in  FIG. 1-2 . The shirt  110  can also be, for example and not limitation, a T-shirt, short-sleeve button down, or a long-sleeve button down. 
         [0017]    The shirt  110  includes a body portion  112 , sleeves  114 , and a collar  116 . The collar  116  is a trim piece commonly present on shirts. The collar  116  can be foldable (i.e., movable) between a conventionally-worn or down position and an up position. At a concealed position on the shirt  110 , e.g., either on the interior  104  or under the collar  116 , the indicia  118  can be positioned. 
         [0018]    For example and not limitation, the indicia  118  can include religious or spiritual text, e.g., Bible verses, religious, or spiritual images, e.g., images of Jesus Christ, the cross, a lamb (e.g., the Agnus Dei Clothing Lamb design), and the like. The religious or spiritual indicia  118  can extend beyond Christianity, depending on the desire of the person wearing the shirt  110 , and can include indicia  118  for other religions, for example and not limitation, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha&#39;ism, Zoroastrianism, and others. 
         [0019]    In an exemplary embodiment, the indicia  118  is positionable on the shirt  110  at a location at which it is concealed or hidden by the collar  116 , e.g., when the collar is in its down position. In one embodiment, the indicia  118  can be positioned such that it is exposed when the collar is in its up position. For instance, the indicia  118  is positioned at a location on the shirt  110  that is covered by the collar  114  when in the down position. Alternatively, the indicia  118  can be positioned on the inside surface  104  of the collar  116  as shown by the inside-out view of  FIG. 2 . The indicia  118  can be formed on the shirt  110  using many conventional or otherwise known approaches, such as printing and embroidering. 
         [0020]    One advantage of the shirt  110  is that the shirt  110  can be manufactured efficiently with no additional expense other than that associated with the formation of the indicia  118  by printing, embroidery, and/or heat pressing. It also provides the ability for one to “retrofit” a preexisting shirt with indicia  118 . In other words, no structure is added to the shirt  110  solely or substantially for the purpose of enabling the concealment and exposure of the indicia  118 . 
         [0021]    In addition, the collar  114  is considered a conventional trim piece that eases the concealment of the indicia  118 . Other persons to whom the indicia  118  is to be communicated will not be suspicious or have their attention drawn to the collar  116 , as can happen with unconventional or otherwise conspicuous or unusual structures that are present primarily or solely for purposes of hiding the message. The person wearing the shirt  110  can abide by clothing requirements in their place of work or other environment and still feel that the indicia  118  is touching them in both physical and religious manners. 
         [0022]    Other garments or articles of clothing, including those that include collars  116 , can incorporate the indicia  118  in the above-mentioned manner. For example, the concealed indicia can be placed beneath a collar  116  or on the interior  104  thereof. Further, the indicia  118  can be incorporated into other types of trim pieces commonly found on shirts and jackets, for example and not limitation, sleeve cuffs, pocket flaps, and lapels. In addition, the indicia  118  can be placed in a bottom corner of an interior of the article of clothing. 
         [0023]    In yet other embodiments, the indicia  118  can be incorporated into trim pieces having characteristics such as those described above on still other types of garments, articles of clothing, and accessories. For example and not limitation, these include leg cuffs and pocket flaps on pants/shorts. 
         [0024]    In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in  FIGS. 3-4 , a shirt  120  includes a body portion  122  and sleeves  124 . Indicia  126  is positioned on an indicia-bearing surface  128  on the interior of the sleeve  124 , which is adjacent to the end or edge  130  of the sleeve  124 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the indicia-bearing surface  128  can face or is oriented inward toward the wearer, and thus the indicia  126  (see  FIG. 4 ) is concealed. The indicia-bearing surface  128  is sufficiently close to the edge  130  of the sleeve  124  that by moving the edge  130  of the sleeve, the surface  128  can be exposed outwardly to reveal the indicia  126 , which is illustrated in  FIG. 4  Like most conventional shirts, the sleeve  124  is foldable, rollable, or twistable (i.e. movable). In some embodiments, the indicia-bearing surface  128  can be in direct contact with the skin of the person wearing the shirt  120 . 
         [0025]    Like the first embodiment of  FIGS. 1-2 , an advantage of the shirt  120  is that the indicia  126  can be concealed and, if desired, can be revealed an appropriate time as determined by the wearer. The sleeve  124  appears as an ordinary sleeve to an observer. Furthermore, this embodiment can be carried out using a basic shirt, such as an ordinary T-shirt, with no need for the addition of extra trim or flaps to conceal the indicia  126 . The indicia-bearing surface  128  is located adjacent to the edge  130  of the shirt  120 , which is typically present on such shirts. 
         [0026]    The embodiment of  FIGS. 3-4  can be realized using different inner surfaces of the article of clothing, such as the underside of a sleeve cuff, the inside surface of a waistband, the backside of a shirt tail, etc. The indicia can also be incorporated into garments other than a shirt or pants (not shown). 
         [0027]    In another embodiment of the present invention, and as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the article of clothing  100  can include a belt  140 . The belt  140  can include a first side  142 , which is exposed to an observer, and a second side  144 , which is in contact with the pants or shorts of the person wearing the belt  140 . In addition to helping keep the pants or shorts on the person, the belt can provide a religious or spiritual purpose. In this case, the second or concealed side  144  can include or carry religious or spiritual indicia  146 . 
         [0028]    In yet another embodiment of the present invention, and as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the article of clothing  100  can include a piece of footwear  150 . The piece of footwear  150 , including but not limited to a shoe, flip-flop, sandal, or like device, can include religious or spiritual indicia  152 . In an exemplary embodiment, the footwear  150  can carry the indicia  152  in the interior thereof, such as in the case of a shoe, or on a portion of the sole, such as in the case of either a shoe or a flip-flop. Preferably, the indicia  152  is concealed from an observer. 
         [0029]    In another embodiment of the present invention, and as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the article of clothing  100  can include a hat  160 . The hat  160  can include religious or spiritual indicia  162  in a concealed location. For example, the indicia  162  can be positioned under the bill of the hat (if available) or in the interior of the head covering thereof. Similarly, a visor can carry such indicia. 
         [0030]    Embodiments of the present invention relate to articles of clothing carrying hidden indicia. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention relates to an apparatus comprising an article of clothing having an external surface and an internal surface; an indicia-carrying assembly carried by the internal surface; and religious or spiritual indicia carried by the indicia-carrying assembly. The indicia-carrying assembly carried by the internal surface can be accomplished by a stitching, heat press, and/or printing process. 
         [0031]    In some embodiments, the article of clothing is a shirt. The shirt comprises a body portion; and a pair of sleeves, wherein the indicia-carrying assembly is hidden from others when the shirt is worn. The indicia-carrying assembly can be stitched to a rear, interior surface of the shirt. Alternatively, the indicia-carrying assembly can be carried by the interior surface of a sleeve of the shirt. The shirt may further include a collar. 
         [0032]    In some embodiments, the article of clothing is a belt. The belt comprises an elongated body having a first end and a second end, as well as an interior surface and an external surface; the first end of the elongated body comprises a buckle for securing the belt around a waist; and in proximity to the second end of the elongated body a plurality of holes for receiving the buckle; wherein the indicia-carrying assembly is carried by the interior surface of the belt. 
         [0033]    In some embodiments, the article of clothing is a shoe. The shoe comprises an outsole for supporting the foot of a user, which comes into direct contact with the walking surface; and an upper for covering a portion of the toes of a user, the top of the foot, the sides of the foot, and/or the back of the heel, wherein the upper is attached to the outsole. The indicia-carrying assembly can be secured to a bottom of the outsole. The indicia-carrying assembly can be carried by the interior of an upper of the shoe. 
         [0034]    In some embodiments, the article of clothing is a hat or cap. The cap comprises a head portion for covering a portion of a user&#39;s head; and a bill in communication with a portion of the head portion. The indicia-carrying assembly can be carried by at least one of the interior of the head portion or the bill. 
         [0035]    Embodiments of the present invention also relate to an apparatus comprising: a shirt comprising: (1) a body portion having an interior and an exterior; (2) a pair of sleeves having an interior and an exterior; and (3) a collar having an up position and a down position; an indicia-carrying assembly stitched to the internal of one of the body, a sleeve of the pair of sleeves, or the collar, and hidden from others when the shirt is worn; and an indicia printed on the indicia-carrying assembly containing religious or spiritual indicia for expressing one&#39;s faith. 
         [0036]    Embodiments of the present invention further relate to a method of religious expression. The method of religious expression comprises providing an article of clothing having an interior surface, which is not visible by others, and an external surface, which is visible by others; and stitching an indicia-carrying assembly to the interior surface of the article of clothing, wherein religious or spiritual indicia is printed on the indicia-carrying assembly. The method further comprises wearing the article of clothing having the indicia, wherein the indicia is hidden from view and others are not aware of the indicia stitched thereto. 
         [0037]    From the foregoing, it can be seen that the invention provides a number of different garments or articles of clothing that include concealed indicia, wherein the indicia contains a religious or spiritual context in text or images or the combination thereof. 
         [0038]    Embodiments of the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For example, while embodiments of the invention have been described in the context of shirts, the concepts described herein need not be limited to these illustrative embodiments. 
         [0039]    Additionally, the specific configurations, choice of materials, and the size and shape of various elements can be varied according to particular design specifications or constraints requiring an article of clothing constructed according to the principles of the invention. Such changes are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention. 
         [0040]    The presently disclosed embodiments are, therefore, considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein.