Abstract:
A garment is described that may be used as a wearable blankets for an infant. The garment may include symmetric tops and bottom pieces having fasteners about the edge. A double sided zip fastener around the sides and bottom permits the wearable blankets to be opened from the bottom or from the side. A snap at one shoulder permits the sack to be easily put on or taken off. An alternative embodiment includes a liner that may be zipped into the inside of the wearable blankets for additional warmth.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to garments for infants, and more particularly to an infant&#39;s wearable blanket having a removable liner. 
         [0003]    2. Discussion of the Background 
         [0004]    Wearable blankets are blankets designed wrapping about the body of infants, and typically completely surround the body of the infant with holes for the head and arms to protrude. 
         [0005]    When an infant is in the wearable blankets, it can be difficult to partially open the sack to allow the infant to cool off or to change a diaper. In addition, there is no provision to increase the thickness of the sack to provide additional insulation to the infant. 
         [0006]    There is a need in the art for a wearable blankets that allows for greater and easier access to the infant when they are in the sleep sack. There is also a need in the art for a wearable blankets that allows for additional thickness, when needed. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior art by providing one or more of a wearable blankets having advantageously placed fasteners and/or having a removable liner. 
         [0008]    Certain embodiments provide a garment formable into a pouch having a bottom portion adapted to accept the legs and body of infant and a top portion through which the head and arms of the accepted infant may protrude The garment includes a shell having an inner surface and an outer surface, and having a line of symmetry that extends along one side of the shell and which defines a first shell half having a first edge and a second shell half having a second edge, where the first shell half and the second shell half are substantially mirror images of each other. The garment further includes an aperture through the shell along the line of symmetry and near the top portion of the garment; a first fastener extending from the line of symmetry and along equal lengths of the first edge and the second edge; and a second fastener at the top portion of the garment to join mirror image portions of the first edge and the second edge. When the first and second fasteners are closed, a pouch is formed along the line of symmetry and along the first fastener, one arm hole is formed by the aperture, a second arm hole is formed between the first fastener and the second fastener, and a neck hole is formed between the second fastener and the line of symmetry. 
         [0009]    Certain other embodiments provide a garment having a bottom portion adapted to accept the legs and body of infant and a top portion through which the head and arms of the accepted infant may protrude, The garment includes a shell having an inner surface and an outer surface; a liner, and a fastener adapted to removably fasten the liner to the inner surface, where the fastener is a zip fastener including one pair of zipper teeth and a slider, where one of the pair of zipper teeth is attached to the inner surface and where the other of the pair of zipper teeth is attached to the liner. 
         [0010]    These features together with the various ancillary provisions and features which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, are attained by the garment of the present invention, preferred embodiments thereof being shown with reference to the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of one embodiment of an infant&#39;s garment in a closed configuration; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is view of the garment of  FIG. 1  partially open; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is top view of the garment of  FIG. 1  fully open; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the garment of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the garment of  FIG. 1  in use. 
       
    
    
       [0016]    Reference symbols are used in the Figures to indicate certain components, aspects or features shown therein, with reference symbols common to more than one Figure indicating like components, aspects or features shown therein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of one embodiment of an infant&#39;s garment  100  in a closed configuration;  FIG. 2  is view of garment  100  partially open;  FIG. 3  is top view of the garment fully open;  FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the garment; and  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the garment in use. 
         [0018]    Garment  100  is an openable wearable blankets that is sized to hold an infant I, as for example in  FIG. 5 , and which can be configured in a number of ways, such as to have different portions opened and closed, as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  5 , and to which a liner  20  may be place, as in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  5 , or removed, as in  FIG. 2 . As described subsequently, garment  100  is provided with fasteners, such as fasteners  107 ,  109 ,  111 ,  113 ,  201  and  203  which allow for the various configurations. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows shell  10  in a fully closed configuration, and having a head end  102 , a left side  106 , a right side  108 , and a closed end  104 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4 , garment  100  includes a shell  10  having two portions, referred to without limitation, as a top portion  10   a  and a bottom portion  10   b  that are also connected by a shoulder strap  115 . Top portion  10   a  and bottom portion  10   b  are generally symmetric about a right side  108 . 
         [0020]    Shell  10  also include several fasteners, shown, for example and without limitation, as fasteners  109 ,  111 , and  113 . Specifically, fasteners  109 ,  111 , and  113  are shown as snap fasteners, but each fastener may be one of a snap fastener, a button, a hook fastener, a hook-and-loop fastener, or any other fastener appropriate for holding two portions of shell  10  together. 
         [0021]    Thus, for example and without limitation, snap fastener  109  includes snap portions  109   a  on top portion  10   a  and matching snap portions  109   b  on bottom portion  10   b,  snap fastener  111  includes snap portions  111   a  on top portion  10   a  and matching snap portions  111   b  on bottom portion  10   b,  and snap fastener  113  includes a snap portion  113   a  on top portion  10   a  and a matching snap portion  113   b  on bottom portion  10   b.    
         [0022]    Shell  10  also includes a fastener  107 , which is shown, for example and without limitation, as a zip fastener. Fastener  107  is shown as having a first side  107   a  on bottom portion  10   b , a second side  107   b  on top portion  10   a,  and two sliders,  107   c  and  107   d,  to allow fastener  107  to be opened from either fastener end. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , garment  100  also includes a liner  20  having a top portion  20   a  and a bottom portion  20   b.  Liner  20  is removably attachable to shell  10  by fasteners  201  and  203 , which may be zip fastener. Specifically, fastener  201  may include a first side  201   a  on bottom portion  10   b,  a second side  201   b  on liner bottom  20   b,  and a slider  201   c;  fastener  203  may include a first side  203   a  on top portion  10   a,  a second side  203   b  on liner top  20   a,  and a slider  203   c.    
         [0024]    In one embodiment, garment  100  is formed from 100% polyester fleece and 100% cotton sheeting. The shell may have, for example and without limitation, a weight of 0.90 pounds, and the inside blanket may have a weight of 0.60 lbs. 
         [0025]    Shell  10  may be closed in a variety of ways, whether or not liner  20  is attached to shell  10 . Thus, as shown in  FIG. 1 , with fasteners  109 ,  111 , and  113  closed, shell  10  forms a head opening  101  between shoulder strap  115  and fastener  112 , a left side opening  103  between fasteners  109  and  113 , and a right side opening between fasteners  111  and shoulder strap  115 . With fastener  107  closed, sides  106 ,  108  and end  104  forms a sack for the infant&#39;s body and feet. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , fasteners  107 ,  109 ,  111 , and  113  can be opened to provide access to the interior of garment  100 . The configuration of  FIG. 2  is useful, for example, in putting the garment on an infant. Thus, for example, the infants right arm can be placed through arm opening  105 , their neck can be placed next to portion  115 , fastener  113  may be closed to form head opening  101  (with the head extending through), and fasteners  109  may be closed below the left arm, resulting in the left arm protruding through arm opening  103 . In the configuration of  FIG. 5  sliders  107   c  and  107   d  are moved to allow access to the feet and bottom of the infant while keeping her upper body within the garment. 
         [0027]    Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments. 
         [0028]    Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. 
         [0029]    Thus, while there has been described what is believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention.