Patent Publication Number: US-2017354192-A1

Title: Lower body garment with secure pocket

Description:
PRIORITY 
     The present application claims the benefit of domestic priority based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/392,741, filed on Jun. 9, 2016, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     For years, people participating in athletic or other physical activities have been puzzled with the problem of what to do with items they normally carry in their pocket. Whether it be keys, wallet, credit or identification cards, phones, money, or any other item, the athlete has typically been forced to decide between uncomfortably keeping the items in his or her pocket during the physical activity or storing the items somewhere for a period of time. Neither option has been ideal. 
     With conventional athletic apparel, keeping one or more items in a pocket during a physical activity is undesirable. First, the athlete must deal with the movement and jostling of the item within the pocket during the athletic activity. This can not only be annoying, it can sometimes inhibit an athlete from achieving peak performance. Secondly, the presence of unsecured items in the pocket of an athlete can be risky for the items. The movement can cause the items to fall out of the pocket during physical activities which can result in loss or breakage. In addition, the excessive movement of the items can have a deleterious effect on some items, such as delicate smart phones and other handheld electronic devices which may not function properly after abnormal levels of shaking. 
     Because of this undesirability of carrying items in conventional pockets, athletes will often store the items while they are participating in a physical activity. They may, for example, place the items in a shoe or under a towel on the sidelines. By doing this, the athlete risks theft, loss, or damage to the items. Sometimes a secure locker or storage area may be provided. While this is a safer option for valuable items, it comes with its own disadvantages. For example, the athlete may have to pay a fee for the storage service. In addition, the athlete will often still have a locker key or the like that must be carried. Furthermore, the athlete may not have easy access to the items during the activity. Accordingly, if the athlete wants to check his or her phone, take a photograph, get money, use his or her keys, or the like, the athlete must go through the process of retrieving the items from storage and then restoring them. 
     Prior attempts to allow athletes to carry items in their pockets during physical activity have not been sufficiently effective. Typical pockets that have been provided in lower body garments have not provided enough security from excessive movement of items therein. Zippers or Velcro or the like fasteners have been provided to help secure the items, but these are cumbersome and do not reduce the amount of jostle. 
     Clearly then, it is desirable for an athlete to be able to keep important items on their person in a secure manner during physical activities. It is further desirable to be able to secure the items in the pocket of an athletic garment in a manner that reduces the risk of loss and/or damage to the items and that reduces the amount of annoying jostling of the items in the pocket. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention satisfies these needs. In one aspect of the invention, a lower body garment comprises a pocket whereby items in the pocket are compressed against a wearer&#39;s leg to securely hold the items in the pocket. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a lower body garment for use during physical activity comprises an outer layer having a waist opening and two leg openings, the outer layer being made of a first material; an inner layer having a waist opening and two leg openings, wherein the waist opening is attached to the outer layer at or near the outer layer waist opening, and wherein the inner layer is made of a second material; and a pocket extending from an opening in the outer layer through the inner layer to a cavity underneath the inner layer, the pocket comprising one or more panels of a third material, wherein the one or more panels are attached to the inner layer in a manner so that contents in the cavity of the pocket may be compressed against the leg of a wearer by the inner layer. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a lower body garment for use during physical activity comprises an outer layer having a waist opening and a single leg opening, the outer layer being made of a first material; an inner layer having a waist opening and two leg openings, wherein the waist opening is attached to the outer layer at or near the outer layer waist opening, and wherein the inner layer is made of a second material; and a pocket extending from an opening in the outer layer through the inner layer to a cavity underneath the inner layer, the pocket comprising one or more panels of a third material, wherein the one or more panels are attached to the inner layer in a manner so that contents in the cavity of the pocket may be compressed against the leg of a wearer by the inner layer. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a method of securing loose articles while participating in a physical activity comprises wearing an athletic garment comprising an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein the athletic garment comprises at least one pocket that extends from the exterior of the outer layer to the interior of the inner layer; placing one or more loose items in the pocket so that the loose item is compressed between the leg and the inner surface of the inner layer; and engaging in the physical activity. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings which illustrate exemplary features of the invention. However, it is to be understood that each of the features can be used in the invention in general, not merely in the context of the particular drawings, and the invention includes any combination of these features, where: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic front view of one version of a lower body garment according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic front view of the garment of  FIG. 1  with a portion of an outer layer rolled up to expose an inner layer; 
         FIG. 3A  is a sectional view of a portion of the garment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3B  is a sectional view of a portion of another version of a lower body garment; and 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the garment of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to apparel with one or more secure pockets provided therein. In particular, the invention relates to an athletic garment such as shorts or pants for covering the lower body. Although the system is illustrated and described in the context of being useful for athletes, the present invention can be used in other applications, such as for business or leisure clothes. Accordingly, the present invention should not be limited to the examples and embodiments described herein. 
     A lower body garment  100  according to one version of the invention and suitable for use during a physical activity is shown in  FIG. 1 . The garment  100  is made up of an outer layer  105  and an inner layer  110 . In the version shown, the garment  100  is in the form of athletic shorts, but may be any other form or shorts, pants, sweat pants, a skirt or any other garment that covers at least a portion of a wearer&#39;s lower body. In the version of the garment  100  shown in  FIG. 1 , the outer layer  105  of the garment  110  includes a waist opening  115 , a right leg opening  120  and a left leg opening  130  so that the garment  100  may be worn around a wearer&#39;s waist and thighs in conventional manner. A waistband  135  is provided to help secure the garment  100  about the wearer&#39;s waist. The waistband may take any conventional form and may include, for example, a drawstring  140  or other mechanism for securement, such as one or more elastic bands, belt loops, button, snap, clasp and/or zipper. 
     The inner layer  110  of the garment  100  is designed to fit underneath the outer layer  105  and between the outer layer  110  and the wearer&#39;s legs. The inner layer  110  also has a waist opening  145 , a right leg opening  150 , and a left leg opening  160 , each of which is in general alignment with the corresponding openings in the outer layer  105 . In this manner, a user will wear both the outer layer  105  and the inner layer  110  at the same time as a two-layer garment. In the version shown in the  FIG. 1 , the outer layer  105  and the inner layer  110  are attached to one another at a position  165  near or at the waistband  135 . In one version, the outer layer  105  and the inner layer  110  are sewed or stitched to one another at the position  165 . The attachment may be by any conventional alternative means, such as by adhesive and may be additionally or alternatively be at other locations on the garment  100 . 
     The inner layer  110  and the outer layer  105  may be made of the same or different material. In one version, the inner layer  110  is similar to compression or bicycle shorts. The material is elastic and compresses the legs of the wearer in use. Examples of suitable materials for this purpose include but are not limited to one or more of nylon, engineered and/or blended nylon (such as Cordura® or Tactel®), spandex, lycra, elastane, a polyester-polyurethane copolymer, cotton, polyester, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene, stretched polytetrafluoroethylene (such as Gore-Tex®), polypropylene, mesh, a polyester microfiber (such as Dri-FIT®), oblong and grooved polyester fibers (such as Coolmax®), polyamide, antimicrobial fabric, and a polymeric biocide. The material may be moisture wicking (such as Dri-FIT and/or Coolmax). Moisture wicking fabrics are a class of fabrics that provide moisture control for an athlete. They move moisture, such as perspiration, away from the body to the fabrics outer surface where it may evaporate. In one version, the inner layer  110  is composed of a combination of nylon and spandex, and in one particular version is 83% nylon and 17% spandex. 
     In one version, the outer layer  105  is less elastic than the inner layer  110 . This decreased elasticity may be achieved by making the outer layer  105  significantly larger than the inner layer  110 , by making it thinner than the inner layer  110 , and/or by making it out of a different material than the inner layer  110 . In one particular version, the outer layer  105  is made of a different, less elastic material (or in quantities, designs or dimensions that make it less elastic) than the inner layer  110 , such as one or more of polyester, spandex, lycra, elastane, a polyester-polyurethane copolymer, cotton, polytetrafluoroethylene, stretched polytetrafluoroethylene (such as Gore-Tex®), polypropylene, nylon, engineered and/or blended nylon (such as Cordura® or Tactel®), mesh, a polyester microfiber (such as Dri-FIT®), oblong and grooved polyester fibers (such as Coolmax®), polyamide, antimicrobial fabric, and a polymeric biocide. The material of the outer layer  105  may be moisture wicking (such as Dri-FIT and/or Coolmax). In one version, the outer layer  105  is composed of a combination of polyester and spandex, and in one particular version is 88% polyester and 12% spandex. 
     In a preferred version of the invention, the garment  100  contains one or more pockets  200  into which items can be securely inserted. As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the pocket  200  is made up of an outer layer pocket opening  205  and an inner layer pocket opening  210  that communicate with one another and that each provide access to a cavity  215  that is sized and shaped to contain one or more of a wearer&#39;s personal items, such as keys, money, wallet, notes, phone or other electronic equipment or handheld device, and the like. A particularly useful aspect of the pocket  200  of the invention is that the cavity  215  is located on the inside of the inner layer  110 , i.e. underneath the inner layer  110  and between the inner layer  110  and the wearer&#39;s leg or other body part. Accordingly, the elastic inner layer  110  compresses the cavity and its contents against the leg of the wearer. By this compression, the contents in the cavity  215  of the packet  200  are better secured within the pocket  200  and are less likely to fall out. In addition, the compression reduces the movement of the items in the pocket  200  allowing for reduced jostling during physical activity by the wearer. 
       FIG. 2  shows the garment  100  of  FIG. 1  with a leg portion of the outer layer  105  rolled up to expose the inner layer  110  underneath. This view better shows that the cavity  215  of the pocket  200  is located under the inner layer  110 . To access the cavity  215  of the pocket  200  a wearer would insert his or her hand through the outer layer pocket opening  205  and through the inner layer pocket opening  210  and arrive in the cavity  215 . The edge of the inner layer pocket opening  210  is attached to the edge of the outer layer pocket opening  205  at location  220  by sewing, stitching, adhesive, or other securing means. In this manner, the wearer is not aware that the hand is passing through multiple layers and operates as any conventional pocket. To the wearer, the pocket  200  appears to be one continuous pocket. The pocket  200  is easily accessible by just sliding items into and out of the pocket  200  with one hand. There is no need to finagle the pocket  200  and/or use two hands to manipulate the opening. 
     The cavity  215  is formed by one or more panels of additional layers of material  225 . The one or more panels of cavity material  225  is attached to the inner layer  110  at a position  230  near the inner layer pocket opening  210 .  FIG. 3A  shows a schematic cross-section in the area of the garment  100  with the pocket  200 . The garment  100  is positioned over a wearer&#39;s leg  235  with the inner layer  110  positioned between the leg  235  and the outer layer  105 . The pocket  200  is shown with an item  240  such as a phone contained within the cavity  215 . The openings are not shown in  FIG. 3A  for clarity. As can be seen in  FIG. 3A , the cavity  215  is formed by two opposed panels of cavity material  225  that is closed at its end  245 . This closed end  245  can be formed by attaching the bottom and sides of two panels together or by the folding over of a single panel of material or by any similar process. The opposite end of the cavity material is open to form an opening into the cavity  215 . The open end of the cavity material  225  is shaped to correspond to the inner layer pocket opening  210 . The cavity material opening is attached to the interior side of the inner layer  110  at  230 . In this manner, a free-floating cavity  215  is created that is attached to the inner layer at the top of the pocket  200  but is not attached at a lower portion of the pocket. This allows the cavity  215  of the pocket  200  to be moveable underneath the inner layer  110  so a wearer can position the cavity  215  of the pocket in a desirable and comfortable position. No matter the position, the cavity  215  and any item  240  within the cavity  215  will be compressed against the wearer&#39;s leg by the compressive forces caused by the elastic nature of the inner layer  110 . 
     Another version of a pocket  200  is shown in  FIG. 3B . In this version, the cavity  215  of the pocket is formed by a single layer of cavity material  225 . The single layer of cavity material  225  is attached to the interior side of the inner layer  210  along the entire outer edge, or a significant portion of the outer edge, of the cavity material panel. At the top of the cavity  215 , the cavity material  225  is attached to one side of the inner layer pocket opening  210  so that the inner layer pocket opening  210  provides access to the cavity  215 . In this version, the cavity  215  is formed by the single panel of cavity material  225  on one side and by the interior side of the inner layer  110  on the other. In this version, the cavity  215  is not moveable within the inner layer  110  but is instead held in place relative thereto. The attachment of the single panel of cavity material  225  to the inner layer  110  may be by sewing, stitching, adhesive, or other attachment means. 
       FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the garment  100  as shown in  FIG. 1  with each of the layers shown separately. As can be seen, the inner layer  110  fits inside the outer layer  105  so that the inner layer pocket opening  210  is aligned and attached to the outer layer pocket opening  205 . The pocket  200  fits inside the inner layer  110  and is attached to the inner layer at the position  230  near the inner layer pocket opening  210  so that an opening  250  into the pocket cavity  215  is aligned with the inner layer pocket opening  210  and the outer layer pocket opening  205 .  FIG. 4  illustrates the pocket version of  FIG. 3A  where the pocket cavity is formed by two layer of cavity material  225 . 
     The one or more layers of cavity material  225  can comprise one of the materials of the inner layer  110  and/or one or more of the materials of the outer layer  105 . For example, the cavity material  225  may comprise one or more of one or more of nylon, engineered and/or blended nylon (such as Cordura® or Tactel®), spandex, lycra, elastane, a polyester-polyurethane copolymer, cotton, polyester, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene, stretched polytetrafluoroethylene (such as Gore-Tex®), polypropylene, mesh, a polyester microfiber (such as Dri-FIT®), oblong and grooved polyester fibers (such as Coolmax®), polyamide, antimicrobial fabric, and a polymeric biocide. The material may be moisture wicking (such as Dri-FIT and/or Coolmax). In one version, the inner layer  110  is composed of a combination of nylon and spandex, and in one particular version is 83% nylon and 17% spandex. 
     In the version of the garment  100  according to the invention shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 , the garment  100  is shown with a single pocket  200 . In other versions, the garment  100  may be provided with additional pockets. For example, the garment  100  may have a symmetrically placed right pocket that is similar to or differently shaped than the left pocket shown in  FIG. 1 . Alternatively or additionally, one or more other pockets can be provided on the same side of the garment and/or on the rear of the garment  100 . The size of the pocket  200  can vary depending on the use of the garment  100 . For example, in one version, the pocket  200  has a size and shape adapted to accommodate a smartphone and is from about 6 inches to about 12 inches long and from about 4 inches to about 8 inches wide. In another version, the pocket  200  may be sized to accommodate any number of other items and may be from about 2 inches to about 15 inches long and from about 2 inches to about 10 inches wide. The elasticity of the inner layer  110  creates sufficient compression of the pocket cavity  215  against the leg of the wearer that any item in the cavity  215  is secure and unlikely to fall out of the pocket  200 . However, in one version of the invention, the pocket  200  may be provided with an additional closure mechanism, such as a zipper or Velcro, at the outer layer pocket opening  205  to further prevent loss of the item. 
     The sizes, shapes and thicknesses of the layers of the garment  100  may vary depending on the type of garment  100  being used. In one particular version, such as the version shown in  FIG. 1 , the garment  100  may take the form of athletic shorts. In this version, the outer layer  105  is made up of a material such as a polyester and spandex blend or the like and has a length from about 12 inches to about 30 inches and a thickness from about 0.002 inches to about 0.004 inches. The inner layer  110  is made up of a material such as a nylon and spandex blend or the like and has a length from about 6 inches to about 18 inches and a thickness from about 0.004 inches to about 0.01 inches. The cavity layer  225  is made up of a material such as a nylon and spandex blend or the like and has a length from about 6 inches to about 12 inches and a thickness of from about 0.004 inches to about 0.01 inches. For a different style, the lengths and shapes of the layers may vary. For example, a garment  100  in the form of sweat pants, the material and thickness of the outer layer  105  can be the same as for the athletic shorts and the length longer so as to cover the entire leg. In one version of the sweat pants, the inner layer  110  can be the same as for the athletic shorts. In another version of the sweat pants, the inner layer  110  can extend the entire length of the leg. In other versions of the invention, the garment  100  can take the form of other types of athletic wear. For example, in one version, the outer layer  105  may look like tennis shorts or golf shorts or pants, or a rock climbing shell. 
     In another version of a garment  100  according to the invention, the garment  100  may be in the form of a skirt, kilt, or dress. This version is useful as a tennis or golf skirt. In this version, the outer layer  105  will have a waist opening  115  like the one shown in  FIG. 1 . However, unlike the version of  FIG. 1 , the outer layer  105  will have a single opening for both legs, rather than the separate openings for each leg. In this skirt or kilt version, the inner layer  110  and pocket  200  can be similar to the version shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with regard to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible, and alterations, permutations and equivalents of the version shown will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and study of the drawings. For example, the cooperating components may be reversed or provided in additional or fewer number. Also, the various features of the versions herein can be combined in various ways to provide additional versions of the present invention. Furthermore, certain terminology has been used for the purposes of descriptive clarity, and not to limit the present invention.