Patent Publication Number: US-2021169154-A1

Title: Travel cloak

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/944,003, filed Dec. 5, 2019, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a garment and, more particularly, to a travel cloak. 
     The problem with traveling is that it is unsanitary, uncomfortable and cluttered. Besides travelers feeling frustrated about the fact that the cabin space is minimal and gear more for efficient use of spaced rather than comfort, everybody is concerned with contracting a pathogen in the long shadow of COVID-19. Thus, travelers are understandably leery of the cleanliness of the small space afforded them, and also of the adjacent passenger. The travel industry is incentivized to maximize utilization through, in part, shorter turnaround times between arrival and departure, thus travel companies often do not allow sufficient time for thorough cleaning. This leads to unsatisfactory cabin conditions, be it, a dirty aircraft, train or car rideshare. Moreover, the adjacent fellow traveler is typically a stranger of whom one has no sense of their personal hygiene, cleaning habits, or standards of care concerning sanitization. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for a travel garment that provides a sanitary protection through covering a wearer&#39;s entire upper torso and a significant portion of their lower torso, while providing integrated mittens with touchscreen material so that the wear can engage their mobile device or any other touch-screen computer display encountered during their travel yet minimize expose to dirt and germs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a travel cloak having the following: a sheet of material defined by a trunk portion and two branch portions may extend away from each other along opposing upper edges of the trunk portion; a mitten provided along an inner surface of each branch portion, wherein each mitten defines at least one hand-receiving opening along said inner surface; and a touchscreen material integrated along a distal portion of an outer surface of each mitten, wherein both mittens are dimensioned and adapted to engage the hands of a human wearer of the travel cloak, by way of the at least one hand-receiving opening, wherein each branch portion has an asymmetrical oval shape dimensioned to be at least twice as wide as that of the human wearer, further including one or more mitten pockets on said outer surface of each mitten, further including a hood attached along a perimeter of the trunk portion. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, combination travel cloak and travel pouch, comprising: a travel pouch having a flap movable among a closed condition, a partially open condition and an open condition providing a main pocket for storing the above-mentioned travel cloak in a stowed condition. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a travel cloak of the present invention shown in use; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of the travel cloak of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of the travel cloak of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed perspective view of an embodiment of the travel cloak of the present invention, taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a pouch of the present invention, showing the pouch in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the pouch of the present invention, showing the pouch in a partially open configuration; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the pouch of the present invention, showing the pouch in an open configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     The present invention includes a travel cloak with integrated seat cover, blankets, and touch screen mittens as well as a travel pouch adapted to store the travel cloak in a stowed condition. As a result, the travel cloak serves as a seat cover for travel cleanliness and the reduction of germs as well as an arm-free blanket for flexibility and comfort. The pouch furthers one of the present invention&#39;s purposes: meeting travel needs in confined, unfamiliar spaces. The accompanying travel pouch includes additional pockets that serves as a travel organizer that can be attached to a luggage handle. The travel pouch can hold additional traveling items while protecting them from unnecessarily contacting germs. Notably, the bin at airport security is the dirtiest place in the airport. 
     The present invention  10  embodies a hooded, arms-free cloak  12  and accompanying pouch  16 . The travel cloak  12  has a body  12   a —in certain embodiments, a single piece of unitary construction and/or material—that works as a seat cover and blankets for the wearer&#39;s use. The travel cloak  12  has a trunk portion  12   c  providing two opposing branch portions  12   d  extending away from each other along an upper portion thereof. The trunk portion  12   c  may be designated for seat covering duties, while the two branch portions  12   d  may serve as blankets that wrap about the wearer seated on the trunk portion  12   c , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . A hood  12   b  may extend from an upper perimeter of the body  12   a , between the two opposing branch portions  12   d.    
     Each branch portion  12   d  may have an asymmetrical oval shape as shown in the illustrations. 
     Each distal end of the branch portion  12   d  may have a mitten  14  along an inner surface of the body  12   a . Each mitten  14  may be defined by a distal edge (of the mitten  14  material) joined along the perimeter of said distal end, thereby forming one or more pocket openings along a proximal edge of the mitten  14 . A user can removable slide their hands in the resulting pockets, between the inner surfaces of the body  12   a  and the mitten  14 , allowing the wearer to keep their hands warm and away from germs as well as aiding in the wearer&#39;s manipulation of the associated branch portion  12   d . In certain embodiments, a connection point  14   c  along the proximal edge may define a first opening  14   a  and a second opening  14   b . The first opening  14   a  is for a user to slide their hands through into the mitten  14 . The second opening  14   b  is an alternative to the first opening  14   a  for a user&#39;s hand (for smaller users, the second opening  14   b  is smaller than the first opening  14   a , which is why the connection point  14   c  is not at the middle of the proximal edge). 
     One or more pockets may be disposed along an outer surface of the mitten  14 ; for instance, a phone and passport pocket  14   e  and a credit card and ear-pod pocket  14   f . Alternatively, sanitizer or other travel-related items may be kept in these pockets  14   e  and  14   f.    
     A distal portion of the mitten  14  may provide a layer or coating of touchscreen material  14   d . The touchscreen material  14  provides electrically conductivity adapted so that touching the surface of a touchscreen results in a sufficient change in capacitance or resistance for inputting data and/or signals through said touchscreen or other touch-sensitive computer displays. Thus, the touchscreen material  14  enables the wearer to engage with their mobile phones or other touch-sensitive devices they may encounter during their travels while having their hands in the mittens  14  and the branch portions  12   d  over their arms and portions of their upper body. 
     The travel pouch  16  may include a flap handle  16   a , an adjustable strap  16   b , and a front flap  16   c . The front flap  16   c  is movable between a closed configuration, a partially open configuration, and an open configuration by the way of an opening tab  16   j.    
     In the closed configuration, the front flap  16   c  may provide an outward facing luggage insert strap  16   d , and a laptop/tablet pocket  16   e.    
     In the partially open configuration, the front flap  16   g  is partially detachable along a detachable fastener  16   h , such as a zipper, exposing an organizer  16   i.    
     In the open configuration, the front flap  16   g  may be folded over so that the travel cloak  12  can be stored in a main pocket in a stowed condition, while a plurality of front pockets  16   k  and side mesh pockets  16   f  are accessible. 
     The travel cloak may be a design that can be worn as a fashion piece even if not used as a travel item. In addition, it provides sanitary protection for the wearer&#39;s head and hands. The present invention has organizing features for hurried travelers who may need to immediately access necessary travel items. The present invention also includes an oversized hood that can be used as a cover for the wearer&#39;s eyes while sleeping, mittens with optional touch screen fabric for phone use and other touch screen devices. The pouch helps a user organize their trip as well as help to keep all their travel needs together and handy. 
     All components are conducive to an easier way of traveling. The seat cover/trunk portion prevents the wearer from directly contacting a dirty seat, while the unique curved design of the branch portions provides maximum coverage for the wearer&#39;s body. The hood provides sanitary protection for the wearer&#39;s head, comfort and eye coverage while sleeping, the many pockets act as a travel kit where one can keep their essential travel items. The mittens provide extra warmth if desired while giving the wearer the option to utilize the touchscreen material to engage their smart phone&#39;s touchscreen. The pouch serves as a carrying vessel for the travel cloak when not in use, extra sanitary protection and further it contains many pockets that can ease one traveling needs as it serves as a travel organizer. 
     The travel cloak may be a one-piece item that serves as a seat cover a blanket as well as incorporating a hood for eye coverage while traveling. In addition, the oversized mittens are integrated with pockets to reduced clutter while traveling and easy access to a user&#39;s essential needs while on an airplane or other methods of transportation. The wearer can set up their travel cloak at home with all their essential travel items and wear it or one can simply lay it on the seat and enjoy your travel. The travel pouch is used as a vessel for the travel cloak and serves as a compliment to the usefulness of this travel concept. 
     A method of making the present invention may include the following. This may be a cut and sewn item. The pattern may be provided to the selected factory. Once all components are cut, they may be joined together to complete the invention. The travel cloak may be made from an anti-microbial fleece fabric, a fleece fabric or a similar blanket fabric material. The travel cloak may include nine parts, after all parts are cut, these are then assembled. The main part of the present invention is the body of the cloak which includes one piece which is the blanket and seat cover, the construction of this garment may proceed by sewing the hood to the body of the cloak, this can be sewn with single stitch or in a double stitch manner for additional security and durability. Following this step, the pockets may be sewn into the mitten. In certain embodiments, there are two mittens and four pockets to be assembled, wherein the pockets may contain a closure for security, such as, but not limited to buttons, snaps or hook and loop fastener. Once this step is completed, the touchscreen, conductive fabric/material may be sewn into the outer edge of mitten as a separate piece so that it is accessible to one&#39;s fingertips. Once the mittens and pockets have been assembled the mittens may be sewn into the inside of the cloak. Finally, a binding may be sewn into the outer edge of the cloak so that it holistically completes the garment and provides an aesthetically cleaner look. 
     The travel pouch may be made of, but not limited to a waterproof denier fabric or PVC. The pouch may include ten components. After the pieces are cut and ready to be assembled the first step is to attach the front pocket with organizer to the back panel and front flap which may be one-piece double layer. Then the zipper may be joined to the front flap. The laptop pocket and luggage insert/strap may be assembled as well, the bag handle may be sewn as well. Following this step, the inside front panel should be assembled with the mesh pockets for optional eye mask and socks, the side panels and pockets should be assembled on the same manner, the across body strap should be also sewn to the side panels. Once all the components of the travel pouch are assembled, a manufacturer can now bind them together with a ⅜″″ binding all around. 
     This travel cloak can be worn in advance boarding an airplane, a train or any type of transportation that the wearer desires, or if preferred one can just lay it on their seat as a seat cover and simply sit on it and proceed to cover themself while making it easy to buckle or unbuckle out of the seat. The combination of the travel cloak and the travel pouch provides a clear mind for one&#39;s travel experience providing one with an organize way of traveling without having to worry about the lack of space for one&#39;s immediate needs while traveling. Both the travel cloak and the travel pouch can easily be cleaned or wiped cleaned respectively for constant use. Additionally, by the nature of this design one can use this cloak as an outerwear item. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.