Combination jacket and sports jersey

Abstract

A combination jacket and sports jersey comprises a reversible garment having first and second layers on opposite sides thereof. The first layer is formed of materials and styled to have the appearance and serve the function of a jacket that is used as outerwear. The second layer is formed of materials and styled and decorated to have the appearance of a team jersey of the type worn by members of a sports team while playing sports. The second layer is formed of a material that simulates the material used for the sports jersey for a particular sport and further includes designs, coloring, numbers, and other indicia present in the team sports jersey for that particular sport.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This is a non-provisional application based on and claiming the filing priority of co-pending provisional patent application Serial No. 60/450,372, filed Feb. 26, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Reversible jackets make it possible for a user to have one jacket with two distinct exterior appearances. These are useful for providing variety in appearance as well as for providing functional advantages, such as an exterior waterproof layer or fleece layer. The construction of such garments is well known. Generally, both sides of the garment are different forms of the same type of garment. Thus, a reversible jacket is a jacket on both sides.

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a reversible garment that is a combination of two different types of garments, a jacket on one side and a replica of an authentic sports jersey on the other side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In accordance with the present invention, a combination jacket and sports jersey comprises a reversible garment having first and second sides, the first side having the appearance of an outerwear jacket, while the second side is formed of materials and has the appearance of a sports jersey of the type that is worn by members of a sports team while playing a sport.

[0005] The jacket side of the garment desirably is formed of a fabric of the type used for an outerwear jacket, such as a fabric formed of Taslon or Supplex nylon or other synthetic or natural fabric. The first side has a ribbed, elastic collar and is decorated, if at all, in generic school, institution or sports team colors and insignias.

[0006] The other side of the garment has the appearance of an authentic sport's jersey of the type used in any one of a number of sports, including baseball, football, basketball, or hockey. In each case, the fabric is of the same type used in the authentic jersey, and the color patterns, numbers, and the like are representative of a jersey. Thus, a sports fan has the option of wearing a more conservative jacket or a more bold athletic jersey for any particular occasion or athletic contest.

[0007] These and other features, objects, and benefits of the invention will be recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art and by those who practice the invention, from the specification, the claims, and the drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIGS. 1A and 1B are elevational views of the front and rear sides of a reversible team jacket, such as a football jacket or team jacket.

[0009] FIGS. 2A and 2B are the reverse sides of the jacket of FIGS. 1A and 1B wherein the garments have the appearance and material construction of a football jersey.

[0010] FIGS. 3A and 3B are elevational views of the front and rear sides of a reversible team jacket, such as a baseball jacket or team jacket.

[0011] FIGS. 4A and 4B represent the front and back plan view of a baseball jersey. The reverse side of the baseball jersey may be the jacket of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0012] FIGS. 5A and 5B are the front and back view of a hockey jacket, with the jacket having a non-elastic waist and extending below the waist of the user.

[0013] FIGS. 6A and 6B are the front and back view of the reverse side of the jacket of FIGS. 4A and 4B, with the reverse side being of a material and appearance employed for a hockey jersey.

[0014] FIGS. 7A and 7B are the front and rear view of an outerwear vest formed with a team insignia on the front and team name on the back.

[0015] FIGS. 8A and 8B are the reverse sides of the garment of FIGS. 6A and 6B, with a central portion being formed of a mesh material and having the appearance of a basketball jersey.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Referring to the drawings, a jacket 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention has a first side 12 depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B and a second side 14 depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The side depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B is constructed as an ordinary outerwear jacket. The jacket has a non-mesh cloth outer surface, such as a synthetic material such as Taslon or Supplex nylon. Cotton or other natural fabric can be used as well. The jacket has a ribbed elastic collar 16 that can include stripes as may be typical of such a jacket. The jacket may also include a logo 18 of a school, city, or other affiliation, and may also include a manufacturer logo 19. The back of the jacket may be plain or may include other similar indicia 20 (see FIG. 3B). Such jackets are typically called team jackets, but they could also be called warm-up jackets, letter jackets, or simply outerwear jackets.

[0017] The opposite second side 14 of the jacket of FIGS. 1A and 1B is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The second side of the garment has the appearance, not of a jacket, but of a sports jersey. The sports jersey is formed of a mesh fabric 22, typically a nylon or polyester mesh, of the type used for authentic sports jerseys. Portions of the jersey may be formed of another type of material known as "Dazzle" 24, which is a shiny polyester fabric that also is used for sports jerseys. Numerals 26 and 28 may be positioned on the torso and shoulders, respectively, of the jersey, in a manner similar to an authentic team jersey. The jersey also can have arms 30 of a color different from the jersey, with stripes 32 on the arms, in the same manner used on the authentic jersey. The use of authentic jersey fabric as well as the indicia and colors create the look and feel of an authentic sports jersey.

[0018] As an alternative to a football jersey, a baseball garment 40 shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B may have a jacket on one side 41 and the interior portion of the jacket side may have the appearance of a baseball jersey 43 on the other side, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The exterior portion (FIGS. 3A and 3B) can be similar to the jacket of FIGS. 1A and 1B and may have a ribbed collar 45 and front insignia 47, as well as back indicia 20. Baseball jersey 43 is decorated with team identification insignia 42, 44, and 46 and stripes 48, all simulating the actual team uniform. Collar and shirt front lining 49 simulating the front of a baseball jersey also are included.

[0019] A hockey jacket 50 is disclosed in FIGS. 5A and 5B, while a hockey jersey 60 is disclosed in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The jersey 60 is the reverse side of the jacket 50.

[0020] Jacket 50 includes a ribbed elastic collar 52, a body portion formed of a first color 54, with an insignia 56 thereon, and arms and upper torso portion 58 being formed of a second color. Insignia 59 is on the back of the jacket.

[0021] The reverse side of the jacket is a simulated hockey jersey 60 having an appropriate logo 62 in the front, with banded stripes 64 and 66 on the bottom of the torso and the arms, respectively, and with authentic colors and insignia 68 on the shoulders.

[0022] A vest 70 is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, while the reverse side of the vest 70 is a basketball jersey 80, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. The vest 70 may include a logo 72 on the front and a name 74 on the back, with a ribbed elastic collar 76. The jersey side of the garment can include a mesh fabric center portion 82 formed of a first color having the appearance of a basketball jersey while a second or outer portion 84 of the garment is formed of a material called Dazzle and desirably is of a contrasting color that makes the garment appear as if the user is wearing only the basketball garment portion 82 of the garment. Desirably, when the colors are a bright color, such as yellow, and a dark color, such as blue, the mesh portion 82 is formed of the brighter yellow color, while the sides of the garment 84 are formed of the darker, blue material. The front of the jersey can have the school name 86 and a number 88, while the back portion can also include a number 89 and other authentic insignia 100.

[0023] In all of the garments, the garments are desirably accessed by a zipper 102 up the front of the garment, with the zipper being of conventional double-sided construction, which permits the zipper to be operated from either side of the garment. The garment can have a full length zipper, which is preferred, or it can have a partial length zipper at the top only. Other construction techniques can be employed. The illustrated baseball jacket, for example, uses button fasteners 103.

[0024] In any of the embodiments, one side of the garment has texture, feel, and appearance of an outerwear jacket, while the other side of the garment has the texture, appearance, and feel of a different type of garment, namely, a sports jersey used for active sports, with the jerseys typically employing a mesh fabric that is characteristic of a jersey but is not employed as the exterior fabric in a jacket.

[0025] It should be understood that the foregoing is merely exemplary of the preferred practice of the present invention and that various changes in the arrangements and details of construction may be made in the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A combination jacket and sports jersey comprising a reversible garment having first and second layers on opposite sides thereof, the first layer being formed of materials and styled to have the appearance and serve the function of a jacket that is used as outerwear, the second layer being formed of materials and styled and decorated to have the appearance of a team jersey of the type worn by members of a sports team while playing a sport, the second layer being formed of a material that simulates the material used for the sports jersey for a particular sport, the second layer further including design, coloring, and other indicia present in the team sports jersey for that particular sport.

2. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the sports jersey includes player-type numerals on the front and back sides thereof.

3. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the garment has a reversible zipper that extends vertically along at least part of a front of the garment.

4. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the garment has a ribbed collar at least on the jacket side of the garment.

5. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the second side of the garment comprises a mesh fabric of the type used for sports jerseys.

6. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the second side comprises a shiny polyester fabric of the type used for sports jerseys.

7. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the second side has the appearance of a team jersey for one particular sport.

8. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the jersey has the appearance of a football jersey.

9. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the jersey has the appearance of a hockey jersey.

10. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the jersey has the appearance of a basketball jersey.

11. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 1 wherein the jersey has the appearance of a baseball jersey.

12. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 8 wherein the second side simulates the appearance of a football jersey by the presence of one or more numerals on front and rear sides, numerals on shoulders thereof, strips on sleeves, a school name on one side, and different colors or different fabrics on different portions of the jersey.

13. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 7 wherein the hockey jersey side includes banded stripes at a lower edge of a torso portion of the garment.

14. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 7 wherein the hockey jersey side includes an arm portion of the jersey.

15. A combination jacket and sports jersey as in claim 10 wherein the garment is a vest, the jersey side being colored to have the appearance of a sleeveless or short sleeved basketball jersey.