Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02849216 2014-04-16
TWO PART JOINABLE APPAREL FORMING A HYBRID OF INTERCHANGEABLE
BRANDS, LOGOS, INDICIA OR THEMES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of apparel and in particular to
apparel which bears
brands, logos, themes or indicia of, for example, sports teams, players and
the like.
BACKGROUND ON THE INVENTION
Supporters and fans often wish to support a preferred cause, team or
affiliation by way of
wearing apparel which depicts brands, logos, themes or indicia representative
of such a cause,
team or affiliation. Generally, in the sporting realm, such apparel is created
to be specific to a
team or to a player (or to one player and a selected team), which a fan will
then purchase and
wear showing support and allegiance to that team and/or player. The difficulty
and as yet unmet
need is for the supporter fan who supports more than one particular cause,
team or affiliation and
who may wish to interchange brands, logos or indicia at will, without the
attendant costs of
buying new entire apparel.
One known solution in the sporting realm is a jacket of reversible
construction such that turning
the garment inside-out provides a different look with some such garments
displaying different
sports teams as part of their two looks. For example, in US Patent. No.
6,550,066, there is
disclosed a sports jacket of reversible construction for displaying alternate
team and/or player
affiliations. The team jacket has different team's sports logos on respective
inner and outer
surfaces thereof. The jacket may also display the names of players so that the
jacket may be
reversed to reveal a different player's name and/or number. In this regard, a
fan purchases a
jacket with one "affiliation" on one side the jacket and another "affiliation"
on the other
reversible side the jacket. Only one affiliation is visible at a time.
Sports apparel may also come with patches, logos, player names, player
numbers, and the like
permanently affixed thereto as a display of unity and support of the person
wearing the sports
jacket for a particular sports team or for a particular player. Such patches
may be sewn to (for
example) shoulder, chest, and back areas of the sports apparel. Usually
different sports apparel is
DM_VAN/293949.00002/8814652.1B
CA 02849216 2014-04-16
owned and worn for each different sports team or player particularly when
attending a sports
event of the sports team or player. This can be an expensive proposition since
most sports
apparel with team or player logos currently cost upwards of one to two hundred
dollars and are
likely to rise in price in coming years. When the wearer moves to a different
city, one or more
pieces of sports apparel may need to be purchased that match the sports
team(s) and player(s) of
the new city. Sports teams also leave cities and new sports teams enter cities
as sports franchises
are bought, sold, and moved. Wearers switch team loyalties from year-to-year
based on team
performance and changing personal preferences. Players are traded to other
sports teams or
voluntarily switch sports teams particularly with the advent of salary caps
and free agency for
players. Currently available options for multiple team/player allegiances via
apparel are
restricted.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above
disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides, in one aspect, apparel comprising a first
portion and a second
portion and at least two joining lines there between and wherein i) the first
portion comprises a
partial moiety of a first brand, logo, indicia or theme; ii) the second
portion comprises a partial
moiety of a second brand, logo, indicia or theme; iii) the first portion and
second portion are
separable at the two joining lines; and wherein the partial moiety of the
first brand, logo, indicia
or theme aligns (in full or in part) with the partial moiety of the second
brand, logo, indicia or
theme forming a hybrid brand, logo, indicia or theme with elements of each of
the first brand,
logo, indicia or theme and the second brand, logo, indicia or theme.
The present invention provides, in another aspect, apparel comprising a first
portion and a second
portion wherein i) first portion and second portion are removably attachable
to one another by at
least two joining lines; ii) the first portion comprises a partial moiety of a
first brand, logo,
indicia or theme; iii) the second portion comprises a partial moiety of a
second brand, logo,
indicia or theme; and wherein when the first portion and the second portion
are aligned and
joined by the at least two joining lines forming a hybrid brand, logo, indicia
or theme with
elements of each of the first brand, logo, indicia or theme and the second
brand, logo, indicia or
theme.
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The present invention provides, in another aspect, a method of making
dynamically customizable
apparel for supporting both a first brand, logo, indicia or theme and a second
brand, logo, indicia
or theme and which comprises: i) selecting an apparel type; ii) selecting a
first portion of the
apparel, said first portion comprising a partial moiety of a first desired
brand, logo, indicia or
theme; iii) selecting a second portion of the same apparel, said second
portion comprising a
partial moiety of a second desired brand, logo, indicia or theme; iv)
removably joining the first
portion and the second portion via at least two joining lines; and via such
joining v) forming a
hybrid brand, logo, indicia or theme with elements of each of the first brand,
logo, indicia or
theme and the second brand, logo, indicia or theme.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in, or will
be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art, from the detailed description as follows. Also, it
should be further
appreciated that modifications and variations to the specifically illustrated
and discussed features
and materials hereof may be practiced in various embodiments and uses of this
invention without
departing from the spirit and scope thereof, by virtue of present reference
thereto. Such
variations may include, but are not limited to, substitutions of the
equivalent means, features, and
materials for those shown or discussed, and the functional or positional
reversal of various parts,
features, or the like.
Still further, it is to be understood that different embodiments, as well as
different presently
preferred embodiments, of this invention, may include various combinations or
configurations of
presently disclosed features, elements, or their equivalents (including
combinations of features or
configurations thereof not expressly shown in the figures or stated in the
detailed description).
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will
become better
understood with reference to the following descriptions and appended claims.
The accompanying
drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this
specification, illustrate an
embodiment of the invention and, together with the descriptions, serve to
explain the principles
of the invention.
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There are numerous and specific advantages of the product of the invention as
compared to other
known and used sports apparel. Primarily, there is provided herein a novel way
to
interchangeably and in a whimsical manner "customize" apparel for support of
at least two
brands, logos or indicia. Each apparel item comprises two parts: a first
portion and a second
portion ("mating portions"). A user can purchase a plurality of first and
second mating portions,
each depicting a partial brand, logo, indicia or theme. One joined, the
apparel, via the full or part
alignment of the moieties of the two brands, logos or indicia visibly
demonstrates the dual
allegiance of the wearer. In part, a novel feature is that neither the first
brand, logo, indicia or
theme nor the second brand, logo, indicia or theme is fully depicted but
rather the arrangement
provides a comical and unique "hybrid" of both. As often as a wearer wishes to
change
allegiances, he/she simply interchanges one or both of the first and second
mating portions of the
apparel such that the actual possibilities are endless.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become
more apparent to
those skilled in the art upon reviewing the description of the preferred
embodiments of the
invention, in conjunction with the figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood and objects apparent when
consideration is given
to the detailed description herein, made with reference to the annexed
drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a front view of one apparel item of the invention, a sports
jersey;
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the apparel of Figure 1 showing the
disconnection of the first
and second mating portions of the apparel;
Figure 3 is a back view of the apparel of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is one means of releasable/removable attachment of the first portion
and the second
portion of the apparel via a zipper;
Figure 5 is another means of releasable/removable attachment of the first
portion and the second
portion of the apparel via Velcro;
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,
,
,
Figure 6 is a front view of another apparel item of the invention, a jacket;
Figure 7 is an exploded view of the apparel of Figure 6 showing the
disconnection of the first
and second mating portions of the apparel;
Figure 8 is a front view of another apparel item of the invention, a baseball
cap; and
Figure 9 is an exploded view of the apparel of Figure 8 showing the
disconnection of the first
and second mating portions of the apparel.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention is provided
below along
with accompanying figures that illustrate the principles of the invention. As
such this detailed
description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of
limitation. The
description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the
invention, and describes
several embodiments, adaptations, variations and alternatives and uses of the
invention,
including what we presently believe is the best mode for carrying out the
invention. It is to be
clearly understood that routine variations and adaptations can be made to the
invention as
described, and such variations and adaptations squarely fall within the spirit
and scope of the
invention.
In other words, the invention is described in connection with such
embodiments, but the
invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention is
limited only by the
claims and the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and
equivalents.
Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order
to provide a
thorough understanding of the invention. These details are provided for the
purpose of example
and the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all
of these specific
details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the
technical fields related
to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not
unnecessarily
obscured. Similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout
various views
depicted in the figures. '
CA 02849216 2014-04-16
This description of preferred embodiments is to be read in connection with the
accompanying
drawings, which are part of the entire written description of this invention.
In the description,
corresponding reference numbers are used throughout to identify the same or
functionally similar
elements. If and when used herein relative terms such as "horizontal,"
"vertical," "up," "down,"
"top" and "bottom" as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally,"
"downwardly,"
"upwardly," etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then
described or as shown in
the drawing figure under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience
of description and
are not intended to require a particular orientation unless specifically
stated as such. Terms
including "inwardly" versus "outwardly," "longitudinal" versus "lateral" ,
"adjacent" and the like
are to be interpreted relative to one another or relative to an axis of
elongation, or an axis or
center of rotation, as appropriate. Terms concerning attachments, coupling and
the like, such as
"connected" and "interconnected," refer to a relationship wherein structures
are secured or
attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening
structures, as well as
both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described
otherwise.
In the present disclosure and claims, the word "comprising" and its
derivatives including
"comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not
exclude the
inclusion of one or more further integers or elements. The terms cords and
cording may be used
interchangeably.
The term "invention" and the like mean "the one or more inventions disclosed
in this
application", unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms "an aspect", "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the
embodiment",
"the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", "certain
embodiments",
"one embodiment", "another embodiment" and the like mean "one or more (but not
all)
embodiments of the disclosed invention(s)", unless expressly specified
otherwise.
The term "variation" of an invention means an embodiment of the invention,
unless expressly
specified otherwise. A reference to "another embodiment" or "another aspect"
in describing an
embodiment does not imply that the referenced embodiment is mutually exclusive
with another
embodiment (e.g., an embodiment described before the referenced embodiment),
unless
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CA 02849216 2014-04-16
expressly specified otherwise.
The terms "including", "comprising" and variations thereof mean "including but
not limited to",
unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified
otherwise.
The term "plurality" means "two or more", unless expressly specified
otherwise.
The term "herein" means "in the present application, including anything which
may be
incorporated by reference", unless expressly specified otherwise.
The term "whereby" is used herein only to precede a clause or other set of
words that express
only the intended result, objective or consequence of something that is
previously and explicitly
recited. Thus, when the term "whereby" is used in a claim, the clause or other
words that the term
"whereby" modifies do not establish specific further limitations of the claim
or otherwise
restricts the meaning or scope of the claim.
The term "e.g." and like terms mean "for example", and thus does not limit the
term or phrase it
explains.
The term "respective" and like terms mean "taken individually". Thus if two or
more things have
"respective" characteristics, then each such thing has its own characteristic,
and these
characteristics can be different from each other but need not be. For example,
the phrase "each of
two machines has a respective function" means that the first such machine has
a function and the
second such machine has a function as well. The function of the first machine
may or may not be
the same as the function of the second machine.
The term "i.e." and like terms mean "that is", and thus limits the term or
phrase it explains.
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CA 02849216 2014-04-16
As used herein, the term "joining line" refers to the edges of each of first
portion and second
portion by which each is removably separated. The joining lines need not be
configured to
create the first portion and second portion as "symmetrical" or "mirror
images" of each other,
although this is a preferred option.
As used herein first portion and second portion are removably attachable to
one another by at
least two joining lines. There are a number of fastening means by which the
portions may be
removably (or releasably) attached and these include, but are not limited to:
zippers (for example
plastic or metal), hook and loop fasteners (for example those patches or
strips sold under the
trademark Velcro ), buttons, sewing tape, hook and eye fasteners, double-sided
tape, snaps
etc... Furthermore, slidingly engaging fasteners, which were developed to
address several
problems with Velcro (for example heavy duty variants such as Dual LockTM or
DuotecTM) may
be used herein. These feature mushroom shaped stems on each face of the
fastener, providing an
audible snap when the two faces mate.
In one aspect, the selected fastening means is hidden (either under a material
flap or via other
fabric concealment modes, known in the art). In an alternative, the selected
fastening means is
visible to the eye and may in fact be a prominent feature of the apparel
design. For example, the
fastening means by which the first portion and second portion attach along the
joining lines may
be a zipper, which is purposely large and notable to emphasize the humorous
aspect of the split
allegiance between the two brands, logos or indicia and the creation of the
hybrid brand, logo,
indicia or theme.
As used herein "apparel" is to be accorded broad meaning and includes, but is
not limited to
shirts (including tee-shirts, golf shirts, sweatshirts, t-shirts, tops, polo
shirts, rugby shirts,
blouses, undershirts, singlets and jerseys), jumpers, cardigans, pullovers,
vests, pants, waistcoats,
trousers, jeans, shorts, playsuits, skirts, dresses, socks, bath robes,
dressing gowns, nightwear,
beachwear, swimwear, bikinis, headgear (for example hats and caps), rainwear,
coats, parkas,
anoraks, windbreakers, overcoats, jackets, capes, blazers, and sweatsuits.
In a preferred form, and wherein apparel is an item with sleeves, the first
portion comprises a
body, a front panel, a back panel and one sleeve and the second portion
comprises a body, a front
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panel, a back panel and the other sleeve. In a preferred form, and wherein
apparel is an item with
sleeves and a collar, the first portion comprises a body, a front panel, a
back panel, one sleeve
and one half of the collar and the second portion comprises a body, a front
panel, a back panel,
the other sleeve and the other half of the collar. In a preferred form, and
wherein apparel is an
item with legs, the first portion comprises one leg (and moieties of a front
panel and a back
panel) and the second portion comprises the other leg and moieties of a front
panel and a back
panel.
In a preferred form, the brand, logo, indicia or theme may be any sign of
allegiance. Such
allegiance may be to a sport's team, a player, a geographic location (for
example, city, region,
neighborhood, province, state, country), a school (for example high school,
college, and
university), a league, a product, a service or a cause (for example, religious
or political or
philanthropic). Wherein the first portion comprises a partial moiety of a
first brand, logo, indicia
or theme and the second portion comprises a partial moiety of a second brand,
logo, indicia or
theme, it is not required that each partial moiety be of equal size nor is it
required that, once the
portions are joined, that the partial moieties be fully aligned. For example,
in the hybrid brand,
logo, indicia or theme formed by the joining of the partial moiety of the
first brand, logo, indicia
or theme and the partial moiety of the second brand, logo, indicia or theme,
the partial moiety of
the first brand, logo, indicia or theme may be larger than the partial moiety
of the second brand,
logo, indicia or theme. The partial moiety of the first brand, logo, indicia
or theme may be higher
than the partial moiety of the second brand, logo, indicia or theme. Likewise,
there may be
colourization or texture differences. For example, the partial moiety of the
first brand, logo,
indicia or theme may be stitched and the partial moiety of the second brand,
logo, indicia or
theme may be a decal.
Turning to the figures wherein like numerals represent the same features.
Figure 1 is a front
view of one apparel item of the invention, a sports jersey, wherein the jersey
is shown generally
at 10. A first portion 12 and a second portion 14 are removably connected
along joining line 16.
First portion 12 comprises front panel 18 and sleeve 20 (back panel 22 shown
in Figure 3).
Second portion 14 comprises front panel 26 and sleeve 28 (back panel 30 shown
in Figure
3).First portion 12 comprises partial logo 32 and second portion 14 comprises
partial logo 34.
Together 24 and 34 form a new "hybrid" logo demonstrating a dual allegiance of
the wearer.
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,
,
Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the jersey 10 but wherein first portion 12
and second portion
14 are split (disengaged from each other) at joining line 16 (front) and at
joining line 36 (back)
which back line is also shown in Figure 3. First portion 12 comprises joining
line 16 (front) and
at joining line 36 (back) and likewise second portion 14 comprises joining
line 16 (front) and at
joining line 36 (back).
Figure 3 (as noted) depicts jersey 10 from the back and wherein the first
portion 12 and second
portion 14 are joined. This figure illustrates well that partial logo 32 and
partial logo 34 need for
be aligned. On the back, the two bands of 32 do not align with the bands of
34. However, at the
front, the "hybrid" logo, brand or indicia is shown.
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate preferred means by which the interchangeable first
and second portions
are attached to one another. In Figure 4, zipper shown generally at 38 (with
tape 40 on each of
first portion 12 and second portion 14) comprises slider body 42, pull tab 44
and interlocking
teeth 46 (in chain). In Figure 5, a typical hook and loop fastener is
illustrated generally at 48
wherein loops are shown at 50 and hooks are shown at 52. Hook-and-loop
fasteners comprise
two components: typically, two lineal fabric strips (or, alternatively, round
"dots" or squares)
which are attached (e.g., sewn, adhered, etc.) to the opposing surfaces to be
fastened. The first
component features tiny hooks; the second features even smaller and "hairier"
loops. When the
two components are pressed together, the hooks catch in the loops and the two
pieces fasten or
bind temporarily.
Figures 6-9 show samples of alternative apparel. Figures 6 and 7 depict a
collared, long-sleeved
jacket generally indicated at 54 (collected view Figure 6 and exploded view in
Figure 7). Jacket
54 comprises a first portion 56 and a second portion 58 which are removably
connected along
joining line 60 (front) and joining line 62 (back). First portion 56 comprises
front panel 64,
sleeve 66, and half collar 67 (back panel 68 shown in Figure 7). Second
portion 58 comprises
front panel 70, sleeve 72, and half collar 73 (back panel 74 shown in Figure
7). First portion 56
comprises partial logo 76 and second portion 58 comprises partial logo 78.
Together 76 and 78
form a new "hybrid" logo demonstrating a dual allegiance of the wearer.
Figures 8 and 9 depict a baseball cap generally indicated at 80 and which
comprises a right
portion 82 (with partial logo 83 thereon) and a left portion 84 (with partial
logo 85 thereon).
CA 02849216 2014-04-16
Joining line 86 defines point of removable separation of right portion 82 and
left portion 84.
Together 83 and 85 form a new "hybrid" logo demonstrating a dual allegiance of
the wearer.
Perspective collected view is Figure 8 and exploded perspective view is Figure
9.
A key aspect of the invention is the inexpensive, fun and convenient
interchangeability of the
partial logo (or brand, indicia or theme) comprising portions of the apparel.
For example, it is
conceived that a wearer can create innovative hybrid logos, brands, indicia or
themes of any of
his/her dual allegiances. For example, a wearer may be a conventional fan of
the Vancouver
Canucks hockey franchise but moves for work to Montreal and thereafter wishes
to support the
Montreal Canadiens franchise. Such a wearer may wish to convey support and
allegiance to both
teams and may purposely select portions of apparel in accordance with the
present invention
such that a hybrid logo is created (half Canucks and half Canadiens). A wearer
may be
supporting his/her favourite hockey team at a time of the opening season for
National League
Baseball. Such a supporter may create a jacket with a first portion comprising
a partial logo of
the Canucks and a second portion comprising a partial logo of the Toronto Blue
Jays thereby
conveying allegiance to both teams at the same time. In another example, a fan
could meld a
Vancouver Canucks home and away jersey or modern and vintage jersey styles. In
another
example, a wearer may collect apparel portions with half flags of various
countries and
interchange as desired while travelling or for other reasons (for example,
jacket with a hybrid of
the partial US Stars and Stripes and the partial Canadian Maple Leaf. A user
may replace the
partial US Stars and Stripes portion with a partial Union Jack as so on...The
possibilities for use
and exchange are endless.
It is anticipated that retailers (bricks and mortar and/or online) will offer
for sale a variety of first
and second portions for each item of apparel (in sizes as per normal retail
practice) and that a
purchaser will select and "build" his/her inventory of matching portions for
any desired occasion.
Although, this invention is not limited to sports applications, it is noted
that this will be a
significant market.
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