Patent Publication Number: US-2020297053-A1

Title: Jacket, tie and shirt combination

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of pending application U.S. Ser. No. 15/838,396 filed Dec. 12, 2017. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to clothing and more particularly to a jacket, tie and shirt combination. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Clothing has been popular for a number of years. More particularly, dress clothing has been popular but due to the number of different clothing items necessary to achieve a proper dress with clothing, people have been looking for a way of achieving dress clothing with a minimum of effort. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A shirt and tie combination and related method and embellishments thereof, comprising: a tie permanently affixed along part of a tie-to-neck mount collar thereof, to a shirt collar of a shirt, along a tie-to-shirt attachment region; the tie-to-neck mount collar comprising a pair of separable mating halves with mating fasteners thereof, which provide a side neck opening when not mated and close the side neck opening when mated, situated along the tie-to-neck mount collar at other than the tie-to-shirt attachment region; and a remainder of the tie forming a visual fashion appearance of the tie, permanently connected to the tie-to-neck mount collar; wherein: a user is enabled to don the shirt and tie combination by putting the user&#39;s arms through sleeves of the shirt while a front of the shirt is unfastened and the mating halves are not mated, fastening the front of the shirt, and mating the mating halves. 
     A jacket, tie and shirt combination embellishment may include a front jacket panel; a back jacket panel integrally connected to the front jacket panel; a front shirt panel connected to front jacket panel to cooperate with the front jacket panel and a back shirt panel to cooperate with the back jacket panel; and an adjustable tie to cooperate with the front shirt panel and the front jacket panel and the front shirt aperture and collar to expand and contract in length. Tie is attached to shirt under collar via a “hook and loop” and or permanently sewn. Invention may be a one-piece clothing item to allow user to slip the combination over user&#39;s head for easy dress and undress. 
     The front jacket panel may include opposing sleeves, with or without cuffs. 
     The front jacket panel may include opposing pockets. 
     The front jacket panel may include apertures for buttons. 
     The front shirt may include apertures for buttons and may include a zipper or hook and loop under tie for easy dressing access to person wearing attire. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth in the appended claims. 
       The invention, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing(s) summarized below. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a front view of a shirt, tie and jacket combination of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of the front jacket panel and combination with the shirt, shirt collar, cuffs from shirt of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a portion of the front of the shirt to be attached within front jacket combination of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a back view of the back shirt panel which may be located within the jacket combination of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a back view of the back jacket panel with the shirt collar extended, shirt tail and jacket combination of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of the front shirt panel of the shirt and tie of the present invention.  FIG. 6  is also additional detail of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a front view of the expandable tie in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, in an open configuration for placement onto and removal from a user&#39;s neck, as well as the regions over which this tie is affixed to the shirt collar. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a front view of the expandable tie of  FIG. 7 , in a closed configuration when it is placed about a user&#39;s neck, as well as the regions over which this tie is affixed to the shirt collar. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates the expandable tie of  FIGS. 7 and 8  as configured and used in combination with the shirt. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the shirt, tie and jacket combination  100  which may include a front jacket panel  102  which may be integrally connected to the back jacket panel  104 . The front jacket panel  102  may include a lapel section  118  which may extend around the periphery of the upper jacket aperture  106  which may cooperate with the front shirt panel  108  and which may underlay the front jacket panel  102 . The front jacket panel  102  may be connected to another portion of the front jacket panel  102  by buttons  110  which may cooperate with button apertures  112  to connect to sections of the front jacket panel  102 . The front jacket panel  102  and the back jacket panel  104  may define a cavity for the user of the shirt and jacket combination  100 . The bottom and the top of the front jacket panel  102  and the back jacket panel  104  may be open at the top  106  and bottom  130  to allow access to the cavity. The front jacket panel  102  may include a pair of opposing pockets  114  to allow the storage of objects. In addition, the front jacket panel  102  and the back jacket panel  104  may be connected to a pair of opposing jacket sleeves  116 . The opposing jacket sleeves  116  may have sewn or attached therein opposing shirt sleeves  111  which may be with or without buttons and or apertures  109  for cuff links. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the front jacket panel  102  which may be integrally connected to the back jacket panel  104 . The front jacket panel  102  may include the lapel section  118  which may extend around the periphery of the upper jacket aperture  106  which may cooperate with the front shirt panel  108 . The front jacket panel  102  may be detachably connected to another portion of the front jacket panel  102  by or with buttons  110  which may cooperate with button apertures  112  to connect to sections of the front jacket panel  102 . The collar of the shirt  107  may be connected within the jacket aperture  106  to the inside of the lapel  118 . The front jacket panel  102  and the back jacket panel  104  may define a cavity for the user of the shirt, tie and jacket combination  100 . The bottom and the top of the front jacket panel  102  and the back jacket panel  104  may be open to allow access to the cavity  130 . The front jacket panel  102  may include a pair of opposing pockets  114  to allow the storage of objects. In addition, the front jacket panel  102  and the back jacket panel  104  may be connected to a pair of opposing jackets sleeves  116 . A part of the shirt  111  may be attached to inside of jacket sleeves  116  to form cuffs protruding out  111  from jacket sleeves  116 . The cuffs can be with a button or with an aperture  109  to allow for cuff links.  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 5  may connect at shoulders, sides and elsewhere to form one jacket.  FIG. 2  may also include buttons  110  so that they may interlock into apertures  112 .  FIG. 2  also identifies the lower jacket aperture  130  to provide access to the user of the jacket. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a portion of the front shirt panel  108  attached inside or coordinated inside the front jacket panel  102  and illustrates the expandable tie  132 , the shirt buttons  117  and the shirt button apertures  113 .  FIG. 3  additionally illustrates the front shirt panel  108  may have a tail  115  to allow user to tuck shirt into user&#39;s pants. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the back shirt panel  134  which may be integrally connected to the front shirt panel  108  and may also be integrally connected to the inside of the back of jacket  104 ,  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 4  additionally illustrates the back tail  115  of the part of a shirt which can be tucked into the pants of the wearer/user. Further, the back shirt panel  134  may define a bottom shirt opening  138 .  FIG. 4  also shows the top shirt opening  131 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the back jacket panel  104  which may be connected to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , front jacket panel  102  and which may be connected to the jacket&#39;s sleeves  116 .  FIG. 5  additionally illustrates the upper jacket aperture  106  and the lower jacket aperture  130  to provide access to the user of the jacket.  FIG. 5  also shows the back of the shirt collar  107  and the shirt cuffs  111 .  FIG. 5  also defines a bottom shirt opening  138 . 
       FIG. 6  further illustrates the front shirt panel  108  which may be connected to an integral back shirt panel  134  which may include the expandable tie  132  which may have an expandable collar on shirt  136  to allow the user to access a shirt cavity and for user to wear invention by placing over wear&#39;s head, which may be defined by the front shirt panel  108  and the back shirt panel  134  by expanding and contracting in length of the expandable tie  132 . The front shirt panel  108  and the back shirt panel  134  may define a bottom shirt opening  138  and a top shirt opening  131  to allow access to the shirt cavity. Also, under the tie, the invention may have a zipper or “hook and loop” on the shirt  142  to allow wearer of invention easier access to pull over the neck of wearer. Also illustrated is shirt tail  115  to allow user to tuck shirt into user&#39;s pants. The shirt, tie and jacket combination may be formed in many ways including the following.
     1) Using fabric preferably with a small amount of spandex the first shirt panel  108  and the back shirt panel  134  being formed into the width a spread collar, full front, and full yoke. Also, the sleeve of the shirt is formed in one embodiment above the placket to a full, functioning cuff. The fabric may be polyester/spandex or other appropriate fabric in one embodiment.   2) Make working buttonhole(s) in the front shirt panel  108  in the top button position at or near top to below the collar stand. Secure the front placket of the front shirt panel  108  by sewing buttons over the center placket below this button position, spacing the buttons appropriately apart in one embodiment.   3) Attach a small square of hook and loop tape to the front of the shirt where the top button would be located. Use the soft (loop) side on the inside of the left side of the collar stand and use the hook side on the outside of the right side of the collar stand, or vice versa, such that the hook and loop portions can connect.   4) Using an appropriate jacket-weight blend fabric to construct the jacket front to front side and to the back at the shoulder seam. The fabric may be in one embodiment a wool/polyester/spandex blend to stretch in the crosswise direction and substantially none in the lengthwise direction.   5) Secure the shirt front to the side front seam of the jacket front. Sew the jacket sides to the jacket back at the side seams.   6) Attach the partial front lining to the inside jacket front panel  102  facing, and then completely attach the collar  107  of the shirt to the jacket inside the jacket lapel  118  area, as part of the under collar  107  to the lapel  118  to the jacket  102 . Also connect the front shirt panel  108  to inside of front jacket  102 . On the jacket assembly, the sleeve lining is attached within the jacket sleeves at an appropriate location  116  within the jacket sleeve with an appropriate seam. Also the shirt cuff  111  is secured within the jacket sleeve  116  at an appropriate location. The goal is to have the shirt cuff  111  show an appropriate amount protruding below the jacket sleeve hem.   

       FIG. 7  contains further detail for the region  136  shown in  FIG. 6 . This  FIG. 7  illustrates a front view of the expandable tie  132  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, in an open configuration for placement onto and removal from a user&#39;s neck, as well as tie-to-shirt attachment regions  73  over which this tie  132  may be affixed to the shirt collar  107 . Specifically, a tie-to-neck mount collar  71  of the tie  132  comprises a side neck opening  72 , and a tie-to-shirt attachment region  73 . In  FIG. 7 , without limitation, the tie-to-shirt attachment region  73  is shown to have both an opposite-side tie-to-shirt attachment region  73   a  opposite the side neck opening  72 , and a rear tie-to-shirt attachment region  73   b  at the rear of tie-to-neck mount collar  71 , as illustrated. Also shown connected to the tie-to-neck mount collar  71 , is a widely-utilized Windsor knot  74 , but this is for illustration not limitation, with the understanding that the invention applies to any type of necktie known and used in the art. Finally, the recognizable top portion  75  of the remainder of the tie  132  is also illustrated. The bottom portion of the tie  132  is not pertinent to the utility of the invention. It will be understood that the knot portion  74  of whatever type, together with the top portion  75  and the remainder of the tie, form the visual fashion appearance of the overall necktie  132 . 
     Taken in combination with the shirt collar  107  (also see  FIG. 9 ), the tie-to-neck mount collar  71  is permanently affixed to the shirt collar  107  along the opposite-side tie-to-shirt attachment region  73   a  and/or along the rear tie-to-shirt attachment region  73   b . Without limitation, the preferred manner of permanently affixing tie-to-neck mount collar  71  to the shirt collar  107  along the tie-to-shirt attachment region  73  is by sewing, stitching, or equivalent. Importantly, the side neck opening  72  comprises a pair of separable mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  which mate using, for example, but without limitation, the “hook and loop” mating fasteners mentioned in the discussion of  FIG. 6 . So when the user is placing the tie  132  about the user&#39;s neck, the mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  start out detached from one another as illustrated, so that the tie  132  can be placed around the user&#39;s neck without needing to conduct the usual process of tying the tie  132  with a Windsor knot  74  or the like. Then, once the tie  132  has been placed, the two separable mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  are suitably rotated and mated  77  to reach the closed configuration now illustrated in  FIG. 8 , thereby affixing the tie about the user&#39;s neck. 
     Specifically, in  FIG. 8  the side neck opening  72  of  FIG. 7  has by virtue of the foregoing been converted into a side closure  81  with the separable mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  now mated together into a unified  76 , as illustrated. It will be appreciated that in  FIG. 8 , the visual configuration of the tie  132  is identical to the customary configuration of a tie which has been tied about the user&#39;s neck following the usual protocols. However, there are two important structural and operational differences: 
     First, the tie  132  has now been secured about the neck not by the usual cumbersome and time-consuming tying/knotting process, but by the user slipping the tie about his neck through the side neck opening  72  of  FIG. 7  and then closing this into the side closure  81  of  FIG. 8  by simply mating the separate mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  of  FIG. 7  into the mated  76  of  FIG. 8 . 
     Second, as now detailed in  FIG. 9 , the tie  132  is not an independent component from the shirt  108  and its collar  107  as is customary in the art. Rather, the tie  132  is permanently affixed to the shirt collar  107  along the tie-to-shirt attachment region(s)  73  as illustrated. Consequently, with the very top shirt button  117  and shirt button aperture  113  illustrated, the process of donning the shirt  108  and tie in combination, is as simple as putting on the shirt  108  with its buttons/fasteners and the tie simultaneously in open configurations  91  and  72 , buttoning/fastening the shirt buttons  117  into the shirt button apertures  113  as illustrated for the top button  117  by the buttoning connection line  92 , then mating the separate mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  into the mated  76  as illustrated by the mating connection line  77  previously detailed in  FIG. 7 . Note, although buttons  117  and button apertures  113  are illustrated, the use of equivalent connectors to fasten together the front shirt panel  108 , such as but not limited to snaps, studs, hook and loop, etc. is regarded to be within the scope of this disclosure and the associated claims. The collar flap  93 , if the user needs to lift it into the lifted position shown in  FIG. 9 , may then be descended down over the entire tie-to-neck mount collar  71  in the usual way, to complete the formal look of the tie and short combination. 
     To summarize  FIGS. 7 through 9 , the shirt and tie combination comprises: a tie  132  permanently affixed along part of a tie-to-neck mount collar  71  thereof, to a shirt collar  107  of a shirt  108 , along a tie-to-shirt attachment region  73 ; the tie-to-neck mount collar  71  comprising a pair of separable mating halves with mating fasteners  76   a ,  76   b  thereof, which provide a side neck opening  72  when not mated and close said side neck opening into the mated  76  when mated, situated along the tie-to-neck mount collar  71  at other than the tie-to-shirt attachment region  73 ; and a remainder  74 ,  75  et al. of the tie  132  forming a visual fashion appearance of said tie, permanently connected to the tie-to-neck mount collar  71 , see the permanent junction between  71  and  74  in  FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 . 
     As a result, it becomes possible to don the shirt and tie combination by putting the arms of a user of through sleeves of the shirt  108  while the front of the shirt  108  is unfastened (e.g., unbuttoned) and the pair of separable mating halves  76   a ,  76   b  of the tie-to-neck mount collar  71  of the tie  132  are not mated and thus provide the side neck opening  72 ; fastening the front of the shirt  108 ; and mating the mating halves  76   a ,  76   b  into the mated  76 . 
     When the shirt and tie combination detailed in  FIGS. 6-9  is in turn attached to the jacket  102  to form the shirt, tie and jacket combination  100  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 , the process of dressing up with shirt, tie and jacket is very simple, with four steps: First, all in one fell swoop, the user puts on the jacket and shirt which are pre-attached to one another by placing his arms through the sleeves of both. The tie is carried along for the ride because of its permanent attachment  73  to the shirt. Second, the user fastens, e.g. buttons the shirt in the usual way as detailed in  FIG. 9 . Third, the user simply mates  76  the separate mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  of the tie-to-neck mount collar  71  using the “hook and loop” or equivalent mating fasteners, which for example, and without limitation, may also be suitable snaps. Fourth and finally, if the user has needed to lift the collar flap  93  to navigate the foregoing steps, the user then descends the collar flap  93  down over the entire tie-to-neck mount collar  71  to complete the formal look. To remove the shirt and tie combination, the above is simply inverted. 
     Although  FIGS. 6-9  illustrate the side neck opening  72  on the right side of the user&#39;s neck (left side of the drawing) and the tie-to-shirt attachment region  73  potentially including the region toward the left side of the user&#39;s neck (right side of the drawing), this is just an example, not a limitation. It is just as suitable within the scope of the invention for this to be parity inverted with the open region to the left and the attached region to the right of the user&#39;s neck. Likewise, the precise coverage of the tie-to-shirt attachment region  73  may be varied, with the functional requirement being to have the tie  132  ride along with the shirt  108  and its shirt collar  107  such that all the user needs to attend to as regards the tie, is mate together the separate mating halves  76   a  and  76   b  of the tie-to-neck mount collar  71 . 
     The knowledge possessed by someone of ordinary skill in the art at the time of this disclosure, including but not limited to the prior art disclosed with this application, is understood to be part and parcel of this disclosure and is implicitly incorporated by reference herein, even if in the interest of economy express statements about the specific knowledge understood to be possessed by someone of ordinary skill are omitted from this disclosure. While reference may be made in this disclosure to the invention comprising a combination of a plurality of elements, it is also understood that this invention is regarded to comprise combinations which omit or exclude one or more of such elements, even if this omission or exclusion of an element or elements is not expressly stated herein, unless it is expressly stated herein that an element is essential to applicant&#39;s combination and cannot be omitted. It is further understood that the related prior art may include elements from which this invention may be distinguished by negative claim limitations, even without any express statement of such negative limitations herein. It is to be understood, between the positive statements of applicant&#39;s invention expressly stated herein, and the prior art and knowledge of the prior art by those of ordinary skill which is incorporated herein even if not expressly reproduced here for reasons of economy, that any and all such negative claim limitations supported by the prior art are also considered to be within the scope of this disclosure and its associated claims, even absent any express statement herein about any particular negative claim limitations. 
     Finally, while only certain preferred features of the invention have been illustrated and described, many modifications, changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.