Abstract:
A portable and collapsible combined coat and blanket and item bag for an infant, alternately able to function as clothing or changing pad or swaddling, having the advantages of minimizing quantity of items which must be carried in order to bring a child and necessary items away from a home, such as to do errands, and simplifying the number of steps necessary to perform changing of a diaper, as well as to adjust clothing or access items, in order to accommodate the needs of a child.

Description:
COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
       [0001]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d). 
       FIELD 
       [0002]    At least some embodiments disclosed herein relate to the fields of infant coats, changing blankets, and portable children&#39;s clothing and blankets. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    One of the greatest frustrations of parenting a young child is attending to their clothing, for both warmth and cleanliness and health, while carrying out the other tasks of ordinary life that require bringing them along to various locations away from a home. The primary obstacle is managing to bring along all of the items necessary to attend to those needs while balancing performance of the tasks while carrying the child. 
         [0004]    A typical assortment of items that are on a child include: a diaper, clothes actually being worn (shirt, pants, socks, hat), and a coat or other wrap or swaddling, if not additionally a blanket. To change a child, there must be a fresh diaper, but also often wipes, a fresh change of clothes, and it is also reasonable to bring along various ointments, lotions, cleansers or soaps, baby powder, and perhaps a second swaddling cloth. When the child is cleaned, there is also sometimes a need to carry the dirty diaper for some time before finding a place to dispose of it. If using cloth diapers, then it may be necessary to carry the dirty diaper until it can be taken home to be washed, or carried to a place at which it can be initially cleaned with one of the aforesaid cleaners, but then still carried home. When away from the home, a child is also likely to become hungry, so a milk bottle or a snack or water are also wise to bring. If the child becomes restless, a toy or a pacifier are also good to have. These items so accumulate that it is typical for a parent to carry a bag specific to just these items, every time the child is carried, in addition to whatever other object are the subject matter of the task (such as clothes to be dry cleaned or groceries). All of these items are also in addition to whatever daily objects are regularly carried, which may include a large purse, for example. 
         [0005]    Beyond the demands of bringing along sheer quantity of so many items, there is also the problem of shuffling the various items in order to clothe and clean of the child. Eliminating some objects, in order to manage carrying, may find a parent empty handed to perform such a task. For example, leaving behind a blanket may mean that a child may have to be changed on a surface with no separation between the child&#39;s sensitive skin and the cold or rough or hot surface. Swaddling the child and foregoing additional clothes may make carrying the child easier and foster sleeping while out of the house, but if the child becomes restless, then the child can only be cooled by being only in a diaper, with skin exposed to the world, as well as the swaddling cloth becoming another object to be carried, defeating the advantage of not having to carry additional clothing. If a thick coat is put onto the child, then a blanket might reasonably considered superfluous and left behind. However, when a change is necessary, the coat doesn&#39;t provide room to cover the child&#39;s bottom, or must be removed from the child, in order to serve as a changing blanket, adding a step, requiring another garment to be handled, and leaves the upper body of the child more exposed while performing the change. Every item left behind is a tradeoff between the advantage of not having to carry that one object in exchange for the ability to address providing for a particular type of care, when a pertinent moment strikes. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a flexible garment that alleviates the burdens that come from the need to carry so many objects in order to care for a child. It comprises a coat-like upper section, a blanket-like lower section, and pockets for carrying items. The blanket section can be fastened with respect to the coat section in several ways, so as to fully enclose all of the child&#39;s body, or merely enclose the torso while allowing legs to be exposed, or fold up into the coat section without enclosing the lower body of the child, whether fastening to the inside or outside of the coat section. 
         [0007]    In an embodiment, when being changed, the upper body of the child can remain clothed within the coat section, while the blanket section is laid widely and extends well-beyond the feet of the child, additionally having the advantage of the child&#39;s body being in the coat section assisting holding the blanket in place. 
         [0008]    In an embodiment, the coat section, which can retain and only optionally use the blanket eliminates the need to carry a blanket. The continuous ply of material which runs the backside of the coat section to the bottom of the blanket section fully-encloses the back of a child. Thereby, messes which might leak from out of a diaper do not escape the garment, minimizing the number of scenarios in which an additional change of clothes might be necessary. This also has advantages with respect to the total number of garments must be cleaned later, as well as protecting various chairs and surfaces that might need to be cleaned. If neither a coat nor a blanket seems necessary when leaving the house, bringing the garment allows for both a coat and/or a blanket to be available, if either should be needed. 
         [0009]    Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure eliminate the need to bring duplicate clothing and separate blanket and/or a coat, the pockets allow for elimination of a separate bag for the various child-care-items. In an embodiment, at least one pocket is located in the blanket section, the largest single panel of the garment, easily large enough to carry a spare diaper or a toy or a bottle of milk. In an embodiment, the pocket to open is at the lower edge of the blanket section. This way, then the child is being changed, all items can be accessed from the edge which is closest to the end. When the blanket section is folded up, the items are brought up to the level of the child&#39;s torso, making the child and the assorted objects into a single object, with roughly the same center of gravity. Also, folding the blanket section causes the pocket to also pointing-up, minimizing the risk of objects falling out of the garment, as well as having them on the child&#39;s front, away from where the child needs to be held, in order to be securely carried. 
         [0010]    By carrying the items that are necessary to the child in the garment that the child is wearing, carrying the child means that those objects are always at hand, minimizing the risk of forgetting any particular item. Also, with these items retained on the front of the child, it is easier to retrieve an object in order to give it to the child, such as a milk bottle or pacifier, if not also allowing the child greater opportunity to learn how to retrieve these items. Being able to alternately locate the blanket (and therefore the pocket) inside or outside the coat allows for either more securely retaining items or more rapid access. 
         [0011]    In an embodiment, the broad blanket section can easily be folded over the coat section, and the various fasteners allow for it to be secured into a compact package. In several modes, fasteners allow for varying degrees of folded size, making the garment able to be more easily stored, or optionally serve as a bag for carrying the items discussed above. Several modes anticipate straps which might be useful for tailoring fit to a child, and in such modes, it is anticipated that such straps are useful for a carrying strap, when used as a bag. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front view of an embodiment of a garment in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a back view of an embodiment of a garment in accordance with the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding. However, in certain instances, well known or conventional details are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodiment in the present disclosure are not necessarily references to the same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one. 
         [0016]    Reference in 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 disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not other embodiments. 
         [0017]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , what is shown is a front view of an embodiment of a garment in accordance with the present disclosure as laid open on a flat surface. The embodiment shown is a single garment that is a combination coat and blanket for an infant. There is an upper body coat section ( 1 ) and a lower body blanket section ( 3 ). The coat section ( 1 ) has with structure specifically for appropriately fitting the upper body of a child, dissimilar to a formless blanket or wrap, which positively locates the garment. The coat-section ( 1 )&#39;s fit is appropriate to the specific physiology of a small child, having a coat-like left breast ( 5 ) and a coat-like right breast ( 7 ) appropriate to a particular size of child and which is not for universal fitment or ambiguously wrapping a child. 
         [0018]    Visible in this view is the panel of the garment which forms the back ( 9 , see  FIG. 2 ) of the coat section. The back panel ( 9 ) compliments the size and shape of the left breast ( 5 ) and right breast ( 7 ), such that the back panel is appropriately sized to fit the back of a child having the same specific physiology to which the left ( 5 ) and right breast ( 7 ) were sized. 
         [0019]    Continuing with  FIG. 1 , the lower body blanket section ( 3 ) is of a distinctly blanket-like construction, generally having the form of a continuous ply of material, and is substantially without structure adapted to fit the form or particular size and shape of a child. It comprises a blanket panel ( 11 ) having an area that is substantially regular width and length. The blanket panel ( 11 ) abuts the lower edge of the back ( 9 ), to form the back ( 9 ) and blanket panel ( 11 ) such that they form a continuous ply from the upper edge ( 13 ) of the upper body section ( 1 ) to the lower edge ( 15 ) of the lower body section ( 3 ). As shown, the garment laid flat, the blanket panel ( 11 ) and back ( 9 ) provide a substantially planar surface large enough to cover the upper body and lower body of a child whose physiology is approximately the correct size of the fit of the upper body coat-section ( 1 ). 
         [0020]    In this arrangement, a child wearing the garment may be laid horizontally on a surface, clothed on its upper body, while the lower body of the child may be exposed. Used this way, a child may have its diaper changed or the child may otherwise be inspected or cleaned, without removing the upper body section ( 1 ), which keeps the child warmer during changing. Another benefit is that the continuous ply from the back ( 9 ) to the blanket panel ( 11 ) prevents any messes which might escape a diaper from also escaping the garment. 
         [0021]    When a child is not being changed, the garment is meant to be simply worn, by the blanket panel ( 11 ) being pliant enough and being sized such that it can fold forward with respect to the legs of a child wearing the garment, without excess material. Corner fasteners ( 17 ) are shown near the bottom of the blanket panel ( 11 ) and on the outer edges of the exterior of the upper body portion ( 1 ). The corner fasteners ( 17 ) allow for the blanket panel ( 11 ) to be folded up and held to the upper body portion ( 1 ), on the outside of the upper body portion, whether the blanket panel ( 11 ) is folded forward in front of the left ( 5 ) and right ( 7 ) breasts or whether it is folded backward, to hold the panel behind the back ( 9 ) of the garment. 
         [0022]    If the blanket section ( 3 ) is folded into the coat section ( 1 ), end fasteners ( 19 ) hold the bottom edge ( 15 ) of the blanket section ( 3 ) to the inside of the back ( 9 ). At the bottom edge ( 15 ) of the blanket section ( 3 ) is a pocket ( 21 ). Items can be stored in the pocket ( 3 ), such as the typical items that might be carried by a parent, when carrying a child on an errand. In this location, the pocket ( 21 ) is easily available to a parent while changing a diaper on the lower torso of a child on the blanket panel ( 11 ). In this position, items are reachable close to the parent, standing at end of the garment, and do not require reaching anywhere near the body of the child. In any mode of operation in which the blanket section ( 3 ) is folded up, the mouth of the pocket ( 21 ) points upward, so that gravity holds the items into the pocket ( 21 ). 
         [0023]    The blanket section ( 3 ) also provides hook-and-loop strips ( 23 ) on the outermost edges of the blanket panel ( 11 ). Folding the blanket section ( 3 ) up into the coat section ( 1 ) allows the strips ( 23 ) to engage the interior surface of the coat section ( 1 ), such as inside the back ( 9 ) or inside the left and right breasts ( 5  and  7 ), to retain the blanket section ( 3 ) inside the coat section ( 1 ). When the garment is being worn by a child, the blanket panel ( 11 ) can be folded over the feet of a child, giving the blanket section ( 3 ) a front and a back area. In this mode of operation, a portion of each of the strips ( 23 ) is on the front and back area. Pressing the front and back areas together causes the strips ( 23 ) to engage with themselves, closing the edges of the blanket section ( 3 ), and allowing the garment to easily enclose the legs of a child inside the garment. 
         [0024]    The blanket panel ( 11 ) is a large size, with respect to the back  9  or the left breast  5  and right breast panel ( 7 ) taken together. When the garment is not in use, this large area of the blanket panel ( 11 ) allows the lower body section ( 3 ) to be folded over the upper body section ( 1 ), and enclose it. When enclosing the upper body section ( 1 ), the lower body section ( 3 ) allows for the garment to take a more portable form, which encourages it to be taken along with a parent on a trip, and perhaps be kept in a vehicle or bag, even if it is not intended to be used on any particular trip. Being portable, this increases the likelihood of the garment&#39;s availability, if a moment should arrive at which it would be desirable to fit around a child, merely for its coat-like advantages, or laid out for its blanket-like advantages, if not both. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , what is shown is the rear view of an embodiment of a garment, as laid facing-down on a flat surface. It is an identical embodiment to the one shown in  FIG. 1 . As such, it also shows the following, described above: the upper body section ( 1 ), the lower body section ( 3 ), the back panel ( 9 ), the blanket panel ( 11 ). 
         [0026]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there are shown bow-straps ( 25 ) adapted to be used to cinch and tie the garment about the body of a child wearing the garment. It is a merely exemplary embodiment of one way to adjust the fit of the garment to a child, not just for a range of sizes for a child, but also to adjust a varying overall size of the bundle containing a child as well as assorted items in a pocket ( 21 ). Note that the bow-straps ( 25 ), corner fasteners ( 17 ), end fasteners ( 19 ) and hook-and-loop strips ( 23 ) allow a variety of ways for the coat section ( 1 ) and blanket section ( 3 ) to be fit both respect to one another as well as themselves, and that the blanket section ( 3 ) can easily envelop the coat section ( 1 ), while also having several ways to do it while maintaining the pocket ( 21 ) in a predominantly upright and/or covered position. With the pocket ( 21 ) disposed in the blanket panel ( 11 ), the largest area of the garment, and able to remain accessible on the outside of the garment, while enclosing the rest of the garment, there are anticipated many ways in which the garment can fold, in order to function as merely a bag for storage of items, until it is desired to use the garment for its coat-like or blanket-like advantages. In the foregoing specification, the disclosure has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.