Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ADAPTABLE COAT
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to an adaptable coat with three
different modes of use: the first allows it to be worn by a pregnant woman,
the
second allows the wearer to carry an infant secured to the chest, and the
third
allows it to be worn as a standard coat by a non-pregnant person.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Pregnancy, and child-rearing following the birth of an infant, can
place extraordinary demands on parents and other caregivers. Some of these
demands can be mitigated by the use of specialized equipment and clothing,
but because of the transitory nature of these states such specialized items
tend
to be used for only a short period of time. Pregnancy produces rapid and
dramatic changes in the shape of a woman's body, often requiring specialized
maternity clothing to be worn for a period of several weeks but rendering it
ill-
fitting once the woman is no longer pregnant. Similarly, specialized equipment
and apparel exists designed to help carry an infant, but such items are often
only usable for a period of months before the infant outgrows them.
Additionally, the user of such an infant carrier often has to choose between
purchasing one that exposes the infant to the elements but allows the user to
wear a standard coat, and one that protects the infant inside the coat but
renders the coat unwearable while not carrying an infant.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a front view of a coat with an insert worn with the
narrow
end of the insert on top, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention.
[0004] FIG. 2 is a front view of the coat and insert of FIG. 1 where the
coat front seam is open and the insert is shown with its narrow end at the
top.
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[0005] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the insert of FIG. 1 with the wide end at
the top, showing the drawstring.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a side view of the coat and insert of FIG. 1 showing the
insert with its wide end at the top and with its edges partially fastened to
the
coat seam edges, leaving the top portion of the insert above the drawstring
detached from the coat.
[0007] FIG. 5 is a view of the coat with insert of FIG. 1 being worn,
with
the insert worn with its narrow end on top.
[0008] FIG. 6 is a view of the coat with insert of FIG. 1 being worn,
with
the insert worn with its wide end on top and its upper portion detached from
the coat, allowing a carried infant freedom of movement.
[0009] FIG. 7 is a view of the coat of FIG. 1 being worn without the
insert.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A coat with an insert forms one aspect of the invention. The coat
comprises an upper body garment with a substantially vertical front seam, and
fastening means for closing the front seam. The insert has a left and a right
edge with fastening means adapted to fasten to the coat seam edges.
[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, the insert has a
wide
and a narrow end.
[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, the coat can be worn
with the insert fastened to the coat seam edges with the insert's narrow end
at
the top.
[0013] According to another aspect of the invention, the coat can be worn
with the insert fastened to the coat seam edges with the insert's wide end at
the top.
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[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, the coat can be worn
without the insert.
[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, the fastening means
comprise zippers.
[0016] According to another aspect of the invention, the coat and insert
are adapted to enable the wearer to carry a bundle against the torso when the
wide end of the insert is worn at the top.
[0017] According to another aspect of the invention, the bundle so
carried
is an infant.
[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, the fastening means
can be partially detached, allowing the upper portion of the insert to fold
away
from the body when carrying an infant.
[0019] According to another aspect of the invention, the insert further
comprises a means for making itself wider or narrower.
[0020] According to another aspect of the invention, this means comprises
a drawstring.
[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, the invention
comprises only an insert as described above.
[0022] Other advantages and features of the invention will become
apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the appended
claims and upon review of the following detailed description of an exemplary
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The present invention consists of an adaptable coat designed to be
worn by a pregnant woman or a non-pregnant person, with or without an infant
carried on the chest.
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[0024] In one embodiment, the invention comprises a coat 2, or other
upper-body outerwear garment, and a fabric insert 4. The coat 2 has an open
vertical seam in front that can be closed by fastening the left 14 and right
16
edges of the seam to each other using a fastening means 18, such as a zipper.
The insert 4 comprises a strip of fabric with a narrow end 8 and a wide end 6,
having fastening means 18 on its left 10 and right 12 edges allowing it to
fasten
to the edges 14,16 of the coat seam with either the wide end 6 or the narrow
end 8 at the top.
[0025] When the insert 4 is fastened to the coat seam with the wide end 6
at the top, the total circumference of the coat 2 around the wearer's torso is
widened in the upper torso region, around the chest and upper back. This
allows the wearer to carry a bundle, such as an infant 26, riding against the
chest and supported inside the coat 2.
[0026] When the insert 4 is fastened to the coat seam with the wide end 6
at the bottom, the total circumference of the coat 2 around the wearer's torso
is
widened in the lower torso region, around the abdomen and lower back. This
allows the coat 2 to be worn by someone with a distended abdomen, such as a
pregnant woman.
[0027] This embodiment of the invention includes a horizontal drawstring
20 sewn into the insert 4 approximately one-third of the length of the insert
4
from the wide end 6. The drawstring 20 runs from the left edge 10 and the
right edge 12 of the insert 4 through a housing 21 sewn into the insert 4, and
emerges through a pair of eyelets 22 sewn into the insert 4, allowing the
wearer to adjust it. This drawstring 20 is located on the outside surface of
the
insert 4 when it is worn with the wide end 6 at the top. Thus, when worn with
the wide end 6 up, the width of the insert 4 can be easily adjusted to provide
the required amount of snugness and support for a carried infant 26. The
drawstring 20 may also be attached securely to the edges of the insert 10,12,
providing additional support for an infant 26 being carried inside the coat.
The
drawstring 20 may be concealed, but still accessible, if the top portion of
the
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insert 4 is detached from the seam edges 14,16 by partially unzipping the
zipper; this also lowers the level at which the top of the insert 4 covers the
chest, allowing a carried infant 26 free movement of its head, chest and arms.
The drawstring 20 may additionally be used to adjust the snugness of the coat
2 over the abdomen when the insert 4 is worn in with the narrow end 8 on top;
in this case, the drawstring 20 may be adjusted before closing the coat 2 or
by
reaching up underneath the insert 4 when the coat 2 is closed.
[0028] The coat 2 may also be worn without the insert. The seam edges
14,16 may be fastened to each other using the fastening means, thereby
=
closing the front seam of the coat.
[0029] In another embodiment, the invention comprises only the insert 4
as described above. The insert 4 may be used in conjunction with any coat or
other garment that has a vertical front seam with compatible fastening means
18.
[0030] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a front view of an
exemplary embodiment of the invention as a coat 2 with an insert 4 worn with
the narrow end 8 of the insert 4 on top. The right insert edge 12 is fastened
to
the right coat seam edge 16 by the fastening means 18, shown here as a
zipper, and the left insert edge 10 is fastened to the left coat seam edge 14
by
the fastening means 18. This configuration allows the invention to be worn so
as to accommodate abdominal distension, such as that accompanying
pregnancy, as illustrated by FIG. 5. (Note that the stitching of the
drawstring
housing 21 is also visible in FIG. 5, even though the drawstring 20 is only
accessible on the reverse surface of the insert 4.)
[0031] Referring again to the drawings, FIG. 2 shows the insert 4
separate from the coat 2. The zippers that constitute the fastening means 18
in
this embodiment have one shuttle 19 per mated pair of zipper teeth rows 17.
In this embodiment, the coat has one shuttle 19 attached to the zipper teeth
row 17 on the left coat seam edge 14, and one shuttle 19 connected to the
zipper teeth row 17 on the right insert edge 12. When the insert 4 is flipped
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over with its wide end 6 on top and its drawstring 20 facing out, the reverse
side of the insert 4 is exposed, as in FIG. 3. Here, again, the right insert
edge
12 has a shuttle 19 attached to its zipper teeth row 17, while the left insert
edge 10 does not. Thus, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 illustrate that, in this embodiment
of the invention, the fastening means 18 on each insert edge 10,12 comprises
two zipper teeth rows 17 - one on each surface of the insert - with a shuttle
19
attached to each of the two zipper teeth rows 17 on the right insert edge 12.
[0032] FIG. 2 also shows the passage of the drawstring 20 as it passes
from the left insert edge 10, through the drawstring housing 21, out one
eyelet
22, back in through the second eyelet 22, and through the drawstring housing
21 to the right insert edge 12. This configuration allows the wearer to adjust
the width of the insert 4 by tightening or loosening the portion of the
drawstring
20 accessible outside the housing 21.
[0033] FIG. 4 shows a left side view of one embodiment of the invention,
with the insert 4 worn with its wide end 6 on top and the upper portion 24 of
the insert 4 disconnected from the coat 2. The shuttle 19 mating the zipper
teeth rows of the left insert edge 10 and the left coat seam edge 14 is drawn
down to approximately the level of the drawstring housing 21, permitting the
upper portion 24 of the insert 4 to hang loosely or fold over. This
configuration
is shown in FIG. 6 on a wearer carrying an infant 26. The upper portion 24 of
the insert 4 is folded down, covering the drawstring 20 and allowing the
infant
26 freedom of movement for its head and arms.
[0034] It will be appreciated that, while the invention has been
described
as a coat, the insert 4 and its use as described herein can be coupled with
any
of a number of different garment types covering the upper body and having a
substantially vertical front opening, such as a jacket, sweater, vest, poncho,
shirt, harness, or dress. For purposes of this application, the term coat
includes
all of these garmet types covering the upper body and having a substantially
vertical opening. It will also be understood that the term "fabric" is used
herein
to indicate any substantially two-dimensional material suitable for
incorporation
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into the surface of a garment, including rigid materials and plastic as well
as
woven fabrics.
[0035] While the primary fields of use referred to herein are outerwear
for
pregnant women and for people carrying infants, it will be appreciated that
the
invention is not limited to these uses. Other uses fall within the ambit of
the
invention and the claims, such as: adaptable protective or sanitary garments
for
pregnant women or people of different body shapes; adaptable garments for
people carrying bundles other than infants; inserts allowing existing garments
to be adapted to changing body shapes; and so on.
[0036] It will further be appreciated that the fastening means 18 used to
fasten the insert 4 to the coat seam edges 14,16, or used to fasten the coat
seam edges 14,16 to each other, are not limited to zippers, but encompass
such fastening means 18 as buttons, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, buckles,
clips, straps, ties, and so on. In an example embodiment, the narrow end 8 of
the insert is in the range of approximately 1/5 the width of the wide end 6 of
the insert. It should be understood that the narrow end may vary as desired in
the range of 100/0 to 90% of the width of the wide end 6.
[0037] The various embodiments presented above are merely examples
and are in no way meant to limit the scope of this disclosure. Variations of
the
innovations described herein will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in
the
art, such variations being within the intended scope of the present
application.
In particular, features from one or more of the above-described embodiments
may be selected to create alternative embodiments comprised of a sub-
combination of features which may not, be explicitly described above. In
addition, features from one or more of the above-described embodiments may
be selected and combined to create alternative embodiments comprised of a
combination of features which may not be explicitly described above. Features
suitable for such combinations and sub-combinations would be readily apparent
to persons skilled in the art upon review of the present application as a
whole.
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The subject matter described herein and in the recited claims intends to cover
and embrace all suitable changes in technology.
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