Abstract:
A gripping device attached to the shirt tail of a wearer which can be used for gripping objects. The gripping device is preferably constructed of leather, canvas, thick cotton or some other durable material. The gripping device can be used to open bottles and jars or it can be used in other gripping applications.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention.  
         [0002]     This invention relates to the field of clothing accessories. More specifically, this invention comprises a gripping device worn on a wearer&#39;s shirt to provide the wearer with assistance when gripping objects.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art.  
         [0004]     Various accessories have been created that are worn by a wearer in order to assist the wearer in gripping various objects. Gloves are one example of this type of accessory. Various types of gloves exist to serve various applications. One common type of glove is a work glove. Work gloves are designed principally to protect the wearer&#39;s hands while the wearer is engaged in handling rough objects. Work gloves are commonly made of leather, canvas, or some other durable material.  
         [0005]     Bartending gloves and gloves for opening bottles are examples of gloves designed for specific gripping applications. These gloves are designed specifically for gripping bottle tops in order to remove the bottle top from the bottle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,238 to Crafts; U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,866 to Walker; U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,233 to Erwin; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,922 to Floyd, Jr. are examples of gloves designed for this application.  
         [0006]     Other accessories have been designed to be worn by a wearer for opening bottles and containers besides gloves. One example is an opener designed to be worn as a ring on the wearer&#39;s finger. An example of a ring opener is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,414 B1 to Brailsford et al. Another example is a gripping device worn between a wearer&#39;s thumb and index finger. An example of such a gripping device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,297 to Grubich. Still another example is a bottle opening device designed to be worn on the wearer&#39;s wrist like a wrist watch. An example of this type of bottle opening devices is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,497 to Larose.  
         [0007]     These gripping assistive devices have their drawbacks, however. Devices worn on or around the wearer&#39;s hands often get in the way or are uncomfortable when they are not in use. Furthermore, removing these devices defeats their purpose in that the purpose of wearing these gripping assistive devices is for the devices to be ready and available for use when needed.  
         [0008]     It is therefore desirable to provide a gripping assistive device that is convenient and easy to use but does not get in the user&#39;s way when not in use.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention is a gripping device attached to the shirt tail of a wearer which can be used for gripping objects. The gripping device is preferably constructed of leather, canvas, thick cotton or some other durable material. The gripping device can be used to open bottles and jars or it can be used in other gripping applications. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view, showing the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view, showing the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view, showing a way to manufacture the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view, showing the present invention  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view, showing the present invention in use.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view, showing the present invention in use.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view, showing an alternate embodiment of the present invention 
     
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 10 
                 shirt 
                 12 
                 gripping device 
               
               
                 14 
                 stitching 
                 16 
                 grasping side 
               
               
                 18 
                 gripping side 
                 20 
                 shirt tail 
               
               
                 22 
                 bottle cap 
                 24 
                 bottle 
               
               
                 26 
                 hand 
                 28 
                 bumps 
               
               
                 30 
                 inside of loop 
                 32 
                 stitching 
               
               
                 34 
                 stitching 
                 36 
                 centerline 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]     The present invention, gripping device  12 , is shown in  FIG. 1 . Shirt  10  is provided with shirt tail. Although shirt  10  is illustrated as a sleeveless tee shirt in  FIG. 1 , it is understood that shirt  10  can be other articles of clothing. Shirt  10  can be any type of shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, jacket or the like. Gripping device  12  is attached to shirt tail  20  as will be described subsequently. Shirt tail  20  is the lowest part of shirt  10  and extends all the way around the wearer&#39;s body. Although the invention is illustrated on the side of the wearer in  FIG. 1 , it is understood that gripping device  12  can also be placed in the front or back. Also, any number of gripping devices  12  can be provided. In the preferred embodiment, two gripping devices  12  are attached to shirt tail  20 —one on the left side of the wearer and one on the right side of the wearer.  
         [0019]     Gripping device  12  is shown detached from shirt  10  for illustration purposes in  FIG. 2 . The viewer will note that in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, gripping device  12  is a hexagonal flap of material. Centerline  36  divides gripping device  12  into two sides—gripping side  18  and grasping side  16 . Gripping side  18  is substantially symmetrical to grasping side  16  about centerline  36 . Although one side is designated gripping side  18  and the other side is designated grasping side  16 , either side can be used for grasping or gripping as will be explained later. As shown in  FIG. 3 , gripping device  12  is folded along centerline  36  and is wrapped around shirt tail  20  so that gripping side  18  is on the inside of shirt tail  20  and grasping side  16  is on the outside of shirt tail  20 . When attached in this manner, centerline  36  runs substantially parallel to the bottom of shirt tail  20 . The viewer will also note that when attaching gripping device  12  in this manner, gripping device  12  generally forms a loop with inside of loop  30  facing the inside and outside of shirt tail  20 .  
         [0020]     A detailed illustration of the present invention is provided in  FIG. 4 . Gripping device  12  is generally a strip of material attached around shirt tail  20 . Gripping device  12  is preferably made of a durable material since gripping device  12  may be used to assist the wearer in gripping rough objects. Examples of suitable durable materials for gripping device  12  include leather, suede, rubber, rubber-like materials, canvas, denim, and other durable weaves of cotton.  
         [0021]     One end of gripping device  12  is stitched on the outside of shirt  10  with stitchings  14 ,  32 , and  34 . The other end (not shown) is stitched on the inside of shirt  10  so that the medial section between the ends of gripping device  12  wraps around shirt tail  20  forming a loop. In the preferred embodiment stitching  32  is provided along the left side of gripping device  12 , stitching  34  is provided along the right side of gripping device  12 , and stitching  14  is provided along the top side of gripping device  12 . Although gripping device  12  is illustrated as being attached to shirt  10  with stitchings  14 ,  32  and  34 , any attachment mechanism known in the art can also be used. Other attachment mechanisms that can be used include but are not limited to glues, adhesive tapes, snaps, zippers, and buttons.  
         [0022]     The reader will appreciate that this construction method creates three layers of material. Grasping side  16  and gripping side  18  are sandwiched around shirt tail  20 . This layering effect makes gripping device  12  more durable and comfortable to use.  
         [0023]     Gripping device  12  can be used for many different gripping applications. One such application—opening a twist-top bottle—is illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , bottle cap  22  of bottle  24  is first placed next to gripping device  12  inside shirt tail  20 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the wearer then grasps grasping side  16  of gripping device  12  with hand  26  so that gripping side  18  is compressed around bottle cap  22 . The reader will appreciate that gripping side  18  forms intimate and tight contact around bottle  24  when grasped in this manner. The wearer then turns bottle  24  as shown to remove bottle cap  22  from bottle  24 .  
         [0024]     Although grasping side  16  is illustrated on the outside of shirt tail  20  and gripping side  18  is shown on the inside of shirt tail  20 , the reader will appreciate that either side can be used for gripping or grasping. For example, the user may also place the bottle on grasping side  16  (the designation for the side of gripping device  12  on the outside of shirt tail  20 ) and grasp the bottle cap with gripping side  18  (the designation for the side of gripping device  12  on the inside of shirt tail  20 ). The invention works the same either way.  
         [0025]     Gripping device  12  can obviously be used to grip other items besides bottle caps. Gripping device  12  can be used in the same manner to remove lids from jars. It can also be used in any circumstances where the wearer needs gripping assistance. Since gripping device  12  is provided on shirt  10 , the wearer will benefit from having a gripping assistive device for any gripping need that may arise while the wearer is wearing shirt  10 .  
         [0026]     Additional gripping features can also be provided to the gripping side of gripping device  12 , as shown in  FIG. 7  to improve the effectiveness of the gripping assistive device. For example, molded rubber bumps  28  can be provided along grasping side  16  or gripping side  18 . Bumps  28  provide added texture to gripping device  12  for improved grip. Although molded rubber bumps  28  are shown, other textural variations, such as ridges, can be provided on gripping device  12  to accomplish the same goal.  
         [0027]     The preceding description contains significant detail regarding the novel aspects of the present invention. It should not be construed, however, as limiting the scope of the invention but rather as providing illustrations of the preferred embodiments of the invention. As an example, gripping device  12  can be made in various shapes and sizes to be more convenient for specific gripping applications. Gripping device  12  can even be wrapped around the entirety of shirt tail  20 . Such a variation would not alter the function of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be fixed by the following claims, rather than by the examples given.