Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Convertible qarment
Background to the Invention
This invention relates to a convertible garment and
more partic~larly to a garment convertible either from
scarf to mitts or from cuffs to mitts.
In the early fall and spring one frequently wears a
scarf to protect the open exposure of the neck. Occasion-
ally it turns cool. If gloves or mittens have been
forgotten, one's hands become cold.
lQ Summary of the Invention
One embodiment of the invention provides a searf whose
ends eonvert into mittens so that when the scarf is worn,
mittens are inherently available.
In another embodiment, a pair of sleeves are provided
15 with distal ends that are collared to fold and to structure
a mitt to eover the hand of a wearer.
More specifically, in one aspect the invention consists
of a eonvertible garment as a eombination cuff and mitt
eomprising (a) a tubular fabrie member having a distal and
2Q a proximate end, the distal end being formed as a collar
reversingly foldable to form a euff for embraeing the wrist
of a wearer; (b) a protuberanee with a elosed tip positioned
proximate the collar to accommodate the thumb of a wearer,
the eollar extending beyond the elosed tip to cover the
25 fingers of the wearer; and (c) a flap formed as an over-
laying portion on the collar and ma~ing therewith to form
a pocket with an open mouth positioned between the tip and
the distal end of the collar, a bottom of said pocket being
disposed between the mouth and the distal end.
In another aspect the invention consists of a convert-
ible garment as a combination scarf transformable to mi'cts
comprising (a) a tubular fabric member having distal ends
formed as collars reversingly foldable to form cuf~s for
embracing the wrist of a wearer; (b) the tubular member
having in its central region at least one arm receiving
1~ opening for extension of the hands beyond the collar;(c) a
protuberance positioned proximate each collar to accommodate
a thumb of a wearer, each collar extending beyond the distal
end of the protuberance by at least the length of said
protuberance to cover the fingers of the wearer; (d) a flap
formed as an overlaying portion on the collar and mating
therewith to form a pocket with an open mouth positioned
between the tip and the distal end of the collar, a bottom
of said pocket being disposed between mouth and the distal
end.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a garment according to the
invention when worn and converted simplistically from a
scarf to an arm warmer and into mittens.
Figure 3 illustrates the garment alone and its features.
Figures 4, 5a, 5b and 6 are sections through a distal
end of the garment of Figures 1 through 3, illustrating the
conversion from wrist accommodating cuff to mittens over
the hand of a wearer, Figures 5a and 5b showing variant
positions of a pocket bottom.
~o Figures 7 through 12, correspond to Figures 1 through 6
but illustrate a further and preferred embodiment of the
invention, convertible from scarf to mittens.
Figures 13a to f illustrate various alternative cuffs
and mittens; Figures 13a and 13b, armpit length sleeves to
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mittens; Figures 13c and 13d, short and medium sleeve
lengths to mittens; Figure 13e, a sweater with a wrist
band, according to the invention that converts to mittensi
and Figure.13f, an overcoat with a wrist band/mittens sewn
into it. Figures 13a, 13c and 13d are taken on lines
XIIIa-XIIIa, XIIIc-XIIIc and ~IIId-XIIId respectively in
Figure 9.
Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention
Referring now to Figures 1 throuqh 6, the garment 10 is
generally of tubular fabric or of flat fabric with a seam
(not shown) joined to form a tubular construction. It is
preferably knitted material using any convenient knitting
pattern or stitch. It has distal ends 15, a central or
back region 17 with two lateral, arm accommodating openings
18 through which the arms of the wearer can extend into
sleeve regions 16 so that the hands 30 extend beyond the
distal ends 15. Each distal end 15 is shaped into a collar
20, so as, when folded over (as seen in Figure 4 and on the
left arm of Figure 1), to form a wrist engaging cuff 22.
When so folded, a portion of the collar 20 covers a flap 25
that has an open mouth 24 to form a pocket. The mouth 24
faces toward the arm accommodating opening 18, but is on
the reverse side of the sleeve 16 from the opening 18. A
protuberance 26 is formed near the collar 20, but in the
~5 sleeve portion 16 of the garment, essentially on the same
side as the opening 18. This protuberance 26 acts as a
thumb accommodating region when the garment is formed into
a mitt as will be now described.
The garment of Figure 3 may be worn as a scarf in
3~ typical fashion or, the wearer, when it is cold and he
wishes to keep his arms covered, can extend his arms through
the openings 18 and the sleeves 16 so the centre portion 17
covers his back as seen in Figure 1. In Figure 1 the left
hand thumb protuberance 26 is sub]acent the left cuff 22
and hence is not seen, while in the same figure the right
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arm is shown with the wearer's thumb in the protuberance 26,
the collar 20 extending outward and forward as in Figure 5.
The flap 25 which defines a pocket is then pulled forward
over the tips of the fingers of the wearer, as shown by the
arrow in Figure 5, and the mitten of Figure 6 is thus
formed. See also Figure 2.
The variant of Figures 5a and 5b is that the base or
bottom of the pocket 25 is shown in Figure 5b as located on
the distal end 15 of the collar 20, while in Figure 5a it is
at an intermediate position between the distal end 15 and
protuberance 26.
Referring to the preferred embodiment of Figures 7
through 12, which respectively correspond to Figures 1
through 6, there is here only a single opening 18, rather
than two openings, and the pocket formed with the flap 25
is on the opposite side, as at 25', with the base of the
pocket at the distal end 15. As best seen in Figures 11
and 12, the flap 2~' folds over the tips of the fingers,
in accordance with arrow 50' of Figure 11, to come to the
2~ closed and overlapping position shown in Figure 12, the
"mouth" of the pocket 25' overlapping the upper or back
portions of the fingers as shown. This embodiment is
preferred, since the palm of the hand, as illustrated in
Figure 8, is smooth and clean, since the pocket is on the
2~ reverse side, i.e. over the knuckles as shown in the left
hand arm of that figure, rather than over the internal
digits and palm as shown in the equivalent figure, Figure 2.
Referring to Figure 9, section lines XIIIa-XIIIa,
XIIIc-XIIIc and XIIId-XIIId illustrate that the back portion
3a 17 may be eliminated, thereby providing two discreet sleeves
16 or cuffs, one for each arm, each section being of various
possible sleeve lengths.
Figures 13a and b illustrate an armpit length sleeve
with convertible mitt, converting in the fashion illustrated
in Figures 7 through 12. In this case the proxirnate end is
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spaced from the protuberance a distance of about seven times
the distance from the protuberance to the distal end.
Figure 13c illustrates a glove sleeve, while Figure 13d
illustrates a short length sleeve 16s and a midlength sleeve
16m with the pocket 25' of the preferred embodiment. In
these respective cases the proximate end is spaced from the
protuberance either a distance no greater than the distance
from the protuberance to the distal end, or a distance
between one and three times the distance from the protuber-
ance to the distal end. In these references to distances
from the protuberance, such distances are measured from the
base of such protuberance where it joins the remainder of
the fabric.
Figure 13e illustrates a sweater S having a storm cuff
22e that folds forwardly and extends into a glove/mitt of
the s~ructure illustrated in Figures 7 through 12.
Figure 13f illustrates an overcoat O wherein the sleeve
of Figure 13e is stitched into the distal end of the cuff 60
of the overcoat O so that on the right hand.side the same is
~0 extended to form a mitten in the fashion of Figures 7
through 12 and on the left hand arm is folded back to form
a conventional storm cuff.
Hence the garment of Figures 1 through 12 may be severed
along the plurality of section lines illustrated in Figure
9, or other variations thereof that are convenient to trans-
form the convertible scarf into a pair of independent
sleeves with tips convertible into mittens so formed. The
length of the sleeves in any of the embodiments can vary,
extending from shoulder to cuff or from elbow to cuff or any
variation thereof.
Similarily, although the preferred embodiment is
described and depicted in relation to knitted material, the
material may also be composed of fabric, synthetic products,
or leather, so that they can be used for industrial usages
to protect the hands of a worker from caustic action or
otherwise.
25~
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other
adaptations and variations of the invention are possible,
without departing from the spirit of the invention as
claimed, including knitting and weaving of the fabric using
S various stitches, knits and ribbing and of materials such
as cotton, wool or synthetics, to fashion esthetic and
pleasing garments.
