Abstract:
Disclosed is a loose garments generally in the shape of a rectangle which can be worn in various ways on the body. In particular, provided is a novel and unique wrap with a zipper with the male and female tracks located on adjacent sides of the wrap for wear as a scarf, headwear or skirt garment that allows the wearer to wrap the garment in a secure, yet comfortable and fashionable manner around the neck and head area, shoulders, body or hips. Disclosed is a method for folding, wrapping, styling and wearing the garment in the manner according to the invention.

Description:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0001]    The present invention was not developed with any federal funds, but was developed independently by the inventor. 
       CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0002]    The application does not claim the benefit of any prior patent application. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The invention is generally in the field of loose garments which can be worn in various ways on the body. In particular, provided is a novel and unique wrap with a two-way separating zipper that can be worn as a scarf, head covering, body wrap or skirt that allows the wearer to wrap the garment in a secure, yet fashionable manner around the neck and head area, shoulders, body or hips, thereby enabling comfort and imparting style. Also provided is a method for folding, wrapping, styling and wearing the garment in the manner according to the invention. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0004]    The history of fashion and the garment industry is replete with neck scarfs, head scarfs, kerchiefs, body wraps of all sorts, and skirts that date back hundreds, and even thousands of years. Particular styles of body wraps, scarves and skirts have been worn for generations and come in and out of vogue in any particular season or with particular design collections. As such, a number of unique designs have been created to impart both functionality and style to such fashion. 
         [0005]    A head-wear made of a tubular configuration of textile material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,521. The tube is tapered in the lengthwise direction and is configured to cover the front of the head, the ears, and the front of the neck and chest of the wearer. A complementary separable fastening means are attached to the narrow rim of the tube to permit adjustment and retention under the chin of the wearer. When the separable fastening means is secured, an overlap of material is effected which falls beneath the visible part of the front of the garment and is not visible. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,744 discloses a reversible, multipurpose, multi-stylable structure for use as a hat, a pouch, a muff and a puppet, and formed from a multicolored equilateral triangle which is folded and secured in a position which permits the folded structure to be turned inside out to present six different combinations of outer surfaces. The folding of the structure is complicated and impractical and the lack of a fastening means, particularly a zipper, cause the garment to become unsecured and lose its shape when worn. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,918 discloses a neck scarf for use by workmen, mechanics and the like, the principal object in view being to provide an inexpensive, easily made neck scarf of the handkerchief type for quick and easy fastening around the neck so as to lie smoothly, and which may be worn loosely or tight around the neck, as desired. Such design is, however, simplistic, fashionably unappealing and is limited in its use exactly as intended by the inventors, to be worn by workmen in order to secure a neat appearance. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,508 to Patty Duncan discloses an elongated scarf with zipper segments on opposed end edges of the rectangular scarf, with snap fasteners to enable securement of opposed side edges of the scarf. The scarf includes buttons in association with button slots for securement of end edges together with side edge buttons for securement to end slots to enable securement of various sides of the scarf together. The design is very cumbersome to the wearer and difficult to operate once it is wrapped around the neck and shoulders. 
         [0009]    A particularly useful neck garment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,403 to Ellen Waldman. The scarf comprises a body having two ends, a zipper attached to the body near the ends, thereby forming two flaps which are positioned beneath the zipper. The zipper is not as long as the ends, and the remainder of the ends are stitched together. The zipper is attached to the body at an angle that is about 45 degrees, such that when the zipper is moved into a closed position, the garment enables the wearer to warm their neck, and when the wearer wants to cool down, the zipper is moved into an open position, the ends are separated and remain open, exposing an area of the wearer and enabling the exposed area to be cooled down without interference from the garment. The garment is particularly suited for outdoor activities such as skiing. 
         [0010]    Despite the numerous wrap or scarf designs in the garment industry, a useful, multipurpose wrap for wearing around various parts of the body has not been disclosed that is easy to secure and use and which is both versatile and simple to maneuver fashionable at the same time. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    The invention herein presents a useful construction of garment that can be worn in a variety of ways on the body including, but not limited to, as a scarf, a head covering, a poncho, a body wrap or a skirt. Advantages the invention are provided in that the garment of the invention is easy to position on the body, while being comfortable and secure about the body of the wearer. 
         [0012]    According to the general embodiment of the invention, disclosed is a wrap comprising a rectangular body of a textile material and a zipper having a male interlocking track and a female interlocking track, wherein the male interlocking track extends along one side of the body of the garment and the female interlocking track extends along a side of the body of the garment that is adjacent to the side comprising the male interlocking track, wherein the male interlocking track is zippered to the female interlocking track to enable wear of the garment on an individual. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a top elevational view of the garment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a top elevational view of the garment of the invention as folded pursuant to the method of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the scarf garment of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the poncho garment of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the skirt garment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    For a general understanding of the invention, reference is made to the drawings herein. Reference numerals are used to designate elements as defined and described below. The present invention will be described by way of example and not limitation. Modifications, improvements and additions to the invention described may be determined after reading this specification and viewing the accompanying drawings; such modifications, improvements, and additions being considered included in the spirit and broad scope of the present invention and its various embodiments described or envisioned herein. 
         [0019]    Presented in  FIG. 1  is the wrap garment of the invention ( 1 ). It is within the scope of the invention that any separable two-way zipper can be used with the garment and method of the invention. A two-way zipper track comprises two slider bodies (typically termed male and female) that work together or separately to interlock the zipper teeth. The common zipper was invented more than 100 years ago. Elias Howe received U.S. Pat. No. 8,540 for an “Automatic Continuous Clothing Closure.” Whitcomb Judson received U.S. Pat. Nos. 504,038 and 504,037) and marketed a “Clasp Locker.” In 1913, Gideon Sundback designed what has come to be known as the modern zipper, and received U.S. Pat. No. 1,219,881 for a “Separable Fastener.” In U.S. Pat. No. 13/608,469, Peters et al., incorporated in its entirety herein, disclose a self-aligning zipper that allows for alignment of the track bodies and closure with one hand for persons who encounter difficulties including small children, people wearing gloves for protection, elderly, and people with poor vision, macular degeneration, or disabilities. The zipper can be fabricated from any material commonly used for zipper manufacture, such as metals or plastics. In the wrap of the invention, the length of the zipper can run essentially coevally along the entire length of the sides or only partially in length along the sides. 
         [0020]    The wrap body ( 2 ) is generally rectangular in shape and has a separated two-way zipper having a plurality of teeth ( 30 ) affixed therein and a male interlocking track ( 4 ) and a female interlocking track ( 6 ) on any two sides of the garment ( 1 ) adjacent to each other. In other words, the two sides of the zipper are located on two adjacent sides of the wrap. Two retention elements, the first retention element ( 12 ) and the second retention element ( 14 ), are mounted onto and slidably connected the male interlocking track ( 4 ). Each retention element has a pull ( 16 ) by which the wearer pulls the retention element and thereby closes the zipper when the female interlocking track ( 6 ) is inserted into the second retention element ( 14 ) on the male interlocking track ( 4 ). 
         [0021]    The wrap has an inner surface ( 8 ) and an outer surface ( 10 ) as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In one embodiment of the invention, the garment herein is worn as a scarf about the neck and shoulder area as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . According to the method of the invention, the wrap is folded over as shown in  FIG. 2  with the female and male interlocking tracks forming a V-shape and the two pulls ( 16 ) of the zipper aligned on one corner of the scarf, with the pulls ( 16 ) facing the wearer. Once folded the outer surface ( 10 ) faces the wearer as shown in  FIG. 2 . The wearer then brings the wrap toward him or herself with the bottom of the triangle facing toward the ground, maintaining the V-shape of the zipper. The wearer then wraps the two opposite ends of the triangle ( 18 ) and ( 20 ) behind the neck and brings them back around the neck toward the front where the zipper is then fastened by placing the female interlocking track ( 6 ) into the second retention element ( 14 ) on the male interlocking track ( 4 ). This creates the appearance of the scarf as shown in  FIG. 3 . The scarf can then be adjusted by the wearer as desired in terms of looseness for comfort around the neck or in terms of preferred style. 
         [0022]    According to another embodiment of the invention, the wearer can maneuver the wrap in a way as to create a head covering from the scarf as described above around the neck and head of the wearer. 
         [0023]    According to another embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the garment of the invention is worn as a poncho around the shoulders. As described above, the wrap ( 1 ) is folded over so that the outer surface is on the outside of the triangle, shown in  FIG. 2 , and the retention elements ( 12 ) and ( 14 ) are at one corner with the pulls ( 16 ) facing out toward the outside on the outer surface. The triangle is then thrown over, the shoulders of the wearer, with the V-shaped zipper halves facing outside, not toward the body. 
         [0024]    Once draped, the two sides of the zipper, male interlocking track ( 4 ) and female ( 6 ) interlocking track are brought together and zippered in the front by the retention element ( 14 ) and its pull ( 16 ). 
         [0025]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the garment of the invention is worn as a skirt, as illustrated in  FIG. 5  showing a front representational perspective view of the invention as worn. The skirt is placed upon the hips using the same technique as forth above for the poncho. By adjusting the zipper and closure parameter of the wrap, the length of the skirt is thereby adjusted accordingly for comfort and style as desired.  FIG. 5  demonstrates a knee-length skirt. 
         [0026]    It is an aspect of the invention that once the male and female tracks are interlocked, the zipper of the wrap of the invention can be adjusted on either side of the zipper using either retention element ( 12 ) or retention ( 14 ) as consistent with the use of such separated two-way zippers, as is illustrated in  FIG. 4  by opening ( 22 ) in the poncho and in  FIG. 5  by opening ( 24 ) in the skirt. 
         [0027]    The garment of the invention is fabricated from any textile materials generally used in the art, such as woven as well as knitted fabrics and netting fabrics, and technical fabrics. Examples include but are not limited to, silks, cottons, wools, cashmere, fleece, linens, microfibers, rayon, acrylics, nylons, polyesters, tweeds, velvets, suede, leather, or any blends or combinations commonly used in the garment industry or any other natural, animal, plant or synthetic fibers. In addition, the garments may contain any decorative elements such as studs, ribbon, buttons, sequins, eyelets, lace, toggles, or other materials or components known in the industry. Furthermore, the body of the garment can be one single piece of fabric or sown from different pieces and varying pieces and sizes. 
         [0028]    In the preferred embodiment, the wrap of the invention has essentially a square shape. Though a square shape is preferred, the wrap can be of any rectangular shape. It is also possible that the shape of the wrap be any quadrilateral parallelogram. The wrap of the invention is not limited to any particular size and is limited only by practical considerations of wear and construction of the garment. In one preferred example of the embodiment, the wrap is in the shape of a square and measures 36 inches by 36 inches. The sides of the body of the wrap can be either hemmed or fringed ( 40 ), as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , or contain any decoration or other material. 
         [0029]    The particular embodiments described herein are not meant to limit in any way the scope of the claimed invention. The claims are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent designs of the multipurpose zipper garment presented within the scope and spirit of the claims.