U.S. patent application number 11/003273 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-08 for quilted kneepads integral to a child's garment.
Invention is credited to Susan M. Sciortino.
Application Number | 20060117451 11/003273 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36572482 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060117451 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sciortino; Susan M. |
June 8, 2006 |
Quilted kneepads integral to a child's garment
Abstract
A child's garment having a ribbed kneepad integral to each leg,
which kneepad serves to protect the child's knees when the child
falls, crawls, or moves around without being bulky, uncomfortably,
or unsightly to wear. The ribbing consists of patterns of parallel
lines sewn or impressed into the fabric in the knee region of a
child's garment at a position that will cover the patella of the
child, which fabric further comprise layers of a thickened circular
pad between the fabric layers of the garment leg.
Inventors: |
Sciortino; Susan M.;
(Anaheim, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICHAEL A. SHIPPEY, PH. D.
4848 LAKEVIEW AVENUE
SUITE B
YORBA LINDA
CA
92886
US
|
Family ID: |
36572482 |
Appl. No.: |
11/003273 |
Filed: |
December 2, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 13/065 20130101;
A41B 13/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/023 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/06 20060101
A41D013/06 |
Claims
1. A garment incorporating a plurality of padded areas, further
comprising at least two pant legs, each said leg further comprising
at least one sheet of fabric being precut and attached together to
cover a leg of a person to at least below the knee; two kneepads,
one said kneepad being attached onto the knee region of each of
said pant legs for covering a patella, said kneepads being of a
size and shape to cover the patella and consisting of three layers
of material namely an exterior fabric, an interior fabric, and a
middle layer of thickened padding, said padding being quilted with
substantially equidistant lines or arcs, thus forming a ribbed
surface.
2. A garment incorporating two kneepads according to claim 1,
wherein said ribbed surfaces comprise straight parallel lines.
3. A garment incorporating two kneepads according to claim 1,
wherein said ribbed surface comprise circular parallel arcs.
4. A garment incorporating two kneepads according to claim 1,
wherein the garment and padding are made from materials that are
soft, durable, rebounding, and easy to wash.
5. A garment incorporating two kneepads according to claim 1,
wherein the sheets of fabric are colored and decorated.
6. A garment incorporating two kneepads according to claim 1,
wherein the exterior layer of the kneepad material comprise a
circular piece of fabric identical to said garment's fabric and the
interior layer of the kneepad material comprises the knee region of
the garment itself.
7. A garment incorporating two kneepads according to claim 1,
wherein the exterior layer of the kneepad material comprises the
garment itself and the interior layer of the kneepad material
comprises a circular piece of fabric of approximately the same size
as the kneepad.
8. A garment incorporating two kneepads according to claim 1,
wherein the exterior layer of the kneepad material comprises the
garment itself and the interior layer of the kneepad material
consists of a lining for the garment.
9. A garment further comprising a longed sleeved shirt, each said
sleeve comprising a padded area as described in claim 1 in the area
around the elbow.
10. A method for making a garment as described in claim 1, wherein
first, at least one sheet of fabric is pre-cut into pieces to form
a garment having at least two pant legs; next, two kneepads are
attached to said garment, one said kneepad being attached onto the
knee region of each pant leg of such garment; and finally, the
pre-cut garment pieces are attached together to make the whole
garment.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the two kneepads are pre-cut of
fabric similar or identical to the fabric of the garment; next, two
pieces of padding are pre-cut in the same size and shape as the
kneepads; next, the kneepads are attached to padding such that the
attachment creates parallel ribs in the kneepads; and finally, the
kneepads are further attached to the exterior of the front of the
garment at the knee region, one said kneepad being attached onto
the knee region of each pant leg of such garment.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein two pieces of padding are
pre-cut in the size and shape of the kneepads; next, two fabric
pieces are pre-cut in the same size and shape as the padding; next,
the padding is attached to the inside of the front of the garment
at the knee region; next, the padding is further attached by means
of parallel lines attached from the exterior of the garment through
the padding, creating ribs in the kneepads; and finally, the
pre-cut fabric pieces are attached covering the padding on the
inside of the garment. cm 13. The method of claim 10, wherein two
pieces of padding are pre-cut in the size and shape of the
kneepads; next, a garment lining is pre-cut; next, the padding is
attached to the inside of the front of the garment at the knee
region; next, the padding is further attached by means of parallel
lines attached from the exterior of the garment through the
padding, creating ribs in the kneepads; and finally the garment
lining is attached to the pre-cut garment pieces before said
garment pieces are attached together to complete the whole garment.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to protective kneepads, and
more specifically, kneepads that are incorporated into a child's
garment to provide some protection for the child's knees from
injury while the child is crawling, falling, or moving around, and
to the method for making said kneepadded garment.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] As young children first become ambulatory, they roll and
crawl onto their knees, and as they learn to walk, they often fall
on their knees. These activities tend to injure children's knees,
causing scratches, abrasions, bruising, rug burns, and sometimes
even scarring. Prior art has developed knee pads and other aids to
try to protect children from these injuries.
[0005] Some prior art provides padding material that straps onto a
person's knee. See, for example, U.S. Des. Pat. No. 312,147 (1990),
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 344,609 (1994), U.S. Des. Pat. No. 338,281
(1993), and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 417,037 (1999). U.S. Pat. No.
2,650,362 discloses a knee pad that attaches around the knees of an
infant for the purpose of preventing soiling of the infant or
garments and for reducing irritation from frictional contact with
the floor. Other prior art has offered supporting protection in the
form of a brace, often made of elastomeric material, for protecting
a person's knee against shock and impact. Examples include U.S.
Pat. No. 5,077,837 (1992), U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,577 (1992), U.S.
Pat. No. 4,287,885 (1981), U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,361 (1984), U.S.
Pat. No. 4,796,303 (1989), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,753 (1990). Also
present in prior art are leg protection guards that offer impact
resistant surfaces and interior padding to protect the shins of the
user, as in Great Britain Pat. No. 2,073,009A (1981).
[0006] Most prior art treats knee and leg padding for adults, but
there are only a few instances that target the specific needs of
children. One of these is U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,778 (1989), which
teaches a crawling garment for children and a method of making the
garment. The knee areas of the garment are formed of a thermal heat
setting material that balloons into a material of thicker padding
when heated during the process of making the garment. U.S. Pat. No.
5,845,335, teaches a garment with pads that make noise when
compressed, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,778 discloses a garment which
may include an embossed or roughened knee area to provide an
anti-slip surface.
[0007] While prior art may be suitable for the particular purpose
for which made, or for general use, none of the prior art is
suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed
hereafter. The prior art offers bulky pads or anti-skid surfaces
that are uncomfortable, inflexible, roughened, and difficult for an
infant to wear. In addition, the prior art that teaches anti-skid
surfaces creates so too much traction such that it becomes
difficult for a child to move across rugs, blankets, or other
non-slippery surfaces. Rather, an ideal kneepad for a child would
be one that is easy to put on and keep on wearing, that would
provide some protection for the child's knees from hard and rough
surfaces, that is washable and durable, that is soft, pliable, and
flexible for comfortable wearing by the child, and that allows the
child unimpeded movement across almost any surface. It would be
best if the kneepad were to be integrated into the child's garment
because then there would be only one item for the child to put on,
it could not come loose while being worn, and it would not be lost
when not in use. It would also be more attractive if the kneepad
did not consist of a patch of material different than the rest of
the garment, and thus would stand out from the garment, but rather
consisted of the same fabric, and thus would blend with the garment
fabric. None of the inventions and patents referenced here, either
separately or together, is seen to describe the present invention
as claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention relates to protective, quilted
kneepads that are incorporated into a child's garment, which when
worn, provide some protection for the child's knees from injury
while the child is crawling, falling, or moving around. The quilted
ribbing of the kneepads creates a thickened, durable barrier
against injury of the child's knees. This ribbing consists of
parallel stitching or other attachment means that is sewn or
otherwise impressed through thickened padding in the knee area of
the clothing. This stitching or other attachment serves to hold the
thick padding in place while a child is active. It also creates
wide ribs in the garment surface that create some traction with the
surface over which an infant moves without causing excessive
friction to impede activity.
[0009] The padding is attached between two layers of the garment in
the area of each knee in a location that will cover each patella of
the wearer. It may be attached by quilting it to the reverse side
of a circular piece of fabric that is identical to the garment
fabric, which two-layer circular piece is then attached to the knee
area of the garment. Alternatively, the padding may be attached by
quilting a circular piece to the inside of the knee area of the
garment and next covering it by lining all or part of the inside of
the garment or by enclosing it by means of a piece of fabric that
is sized and shaped the same as the padding and that is sewn or
otherwise attached to the inside of the garment to cover the
padding. Cotton or synthetic fiber padding would be preferred for
its flexibility, softness, and thickness.
[0010] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
thickened kneepad for some protection of an infant's patella and
knee area.
[0011] A further object of the present invention is to provide a
soft, pliable, flexible, and protective kneepad that is durable and
easy to clean.
[0012] A further object of the present invention is to provide a
kneepad that will remain covering the knee area of an active
infant, and as such will not slide up, down, or around the leg
while the infant is in motion.
[0013] It is also an object of this invention to secure the padding
by means of quilting so that it remains in place without bunching
or the thinning that, without the quilting, is likely to result
from crawling by an active child.
[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
knee-protecting infant garment that is made of soft, pliable
materials by means of an inexpensive process.
[0015] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
padding integral to the front of an infant's garment in the knee
area so that it remains covering the patella without the use of any
tight banding around the infant's leg to keep the padding in
place.
[0016] A further object of the present invention is to provide a
knee-protecting infant garment that does not have large patches of
different fabric over the knees but rather offers protected padding
that blends into the garment, thereby improving the look and
attractiveness of the garment for the consumer.
[0017] These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art
from further review of the following detailed description of
preferred embodiments when considered with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a front view of a child's garment employing a
preferred embodiment of the, current invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a front view of the knee section of the child's
garment employing the same embodiment of the current invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the midline of the
patch of FIG. 2.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a front view of a child's garment displaying a
modified embodiment of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a front view of the knee section of the child's
garment displaying the modified embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the midline of the
patch of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0024] The present invention relates to kneepads that are integral
to a child's garment that will provide some protection for the
child's knees from injuries when crawling, rolling, or learning to
walk. There are two embodiments of the present invention whereby
the kneepads are ribbed in horizontal parallel lines and in
circular parallel lines.
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an infant's garment 10 utilizing the
first embodiment of the kneepads 22 sewn or otherwise attached or
impressed into each leg of the garment 10. The garment is displayed
as a short jumpsuit, but any of a variety of legged garments may be
used, including garments with legs that are full length to the
feet, or even garments with footed legs. The fabric used may also
be of various types, although the preferred fabric would be of a
kind that is durable, pliable, soft, and easily cleanable like
cotton or a synthetic blend.
[0026] In the first embodiment, the kneepads 22 consist of a circle
of fabric that is identical to the fabric used for the garment and
a circle of padding of approximately the same size. The interior of
the circle is crossed horizontally with parallel ribs 26, which are
sewn or otherwise attached or impressed into the circle 24. The
ribs 26 are created by sewing or impressing lines of stitching or
embossing into the circle of fabric and padding. The quilted circle
of fabric and padding is next attached or otherwise impressed onto
the knee area of the garment, creating a boundary circle 24
completely surrounding the knee region of the front of the garment
10. In this way, the garment fabric and the kneepad fabric are the
same material, and the kneepad blends visually and tactilely into
the rest of the garment leg, making it attractive and comfortable
to the user.
[0027] The kneepad may alternatively be created by quilting a
circular piece of padding onto the inside of the garment in the
knee region and covering it by means of lining the garment or
enclosing it by means of securing a circular backing over the
padding.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a close up view of the front of the knee region of
one leg of the garment 10 displaying the first embodiment of one of
the kneepads 22. In this view, the stitched or otherwise impressed
boundary circle 24 can be clearly seen with the horizontal parallel
ribs 26 sewn or otherwise impressed across the circle 24. This
ribbing is sewn or otherwise impressed through the thickened
padding and enclosed between two layers of fabric, as previously
described in FIG. 1. The stitching or other attachment serves to
hold the thick padding in place while a child is crawling or
otherwise active. It also creates wide ribs in the garment surface
that create some traction with the surface over which an infant
moves without causing excessive friction to impede activity.
[0029] In FIG. 3, a sectional view of the first embodiment of one
of the kneepads 22 is illustrated. From this side view, the
construction of the pad becomes apparent. The circular boundary 24
that is sewn or otherwise attached or impressed into the fabric of
the garment in the knee region 10 also serves to enclose the
padding 42 between the two layers of material 40, 41. The padding
42 may consist of a durable, washable, light-weight, rebounding
cotton or synthetic fiber filling material of sufficient thickness
to provide comfort and some protection to the knees of an active
child. The exterior layer of material 41 is the garment or
alternatively is a circular patch of fabric identical to the
garment fabric. The interior layer of material 40 is the exterior
of the garment or alternatively a circular backing or lining. The
exterior layer of material is stitched, embossed, or otherwise
impressed to create horizontal parallel ribs 26 across the
pad-thickened circle. By starting the stitching or impressing at
the outer edges of the circle and working toward the center, the
padding will be thinner at the circle edges and thicker at the
center of the circle because the impressions into the padding tend
to force the thickness toward the circle center 28. This treatment
increases the flexibility and softness of the kneepad by focusing
the bulkier part at the center, with the result that the kneepad is
more comfortable for the infant to wear while active and at the
same time increases the thickness of the padding at the precise
area where protection is most needed, which is at the patella. The
stitched or impressed ribbing has the further advantage of securing
the padding in place to the material so the padding does not become
bunched or thinned during use by a crawling or otherwise active
child. In addition, by creating an uneven fabric surface, the
ribbing offers slightly more friction than would an even fabric
surface, providing some traction for an active infant but without
impeding motion by creating too much friction.
[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an infant's garment 10 utilizing the
second embodiment of the kneepads 32 sewn or otherwise impressed
into each leg of the garment 10. As described in FIG. 1, the
garment is displayed as a short jumpsuit, but any of a variety of
legged garments may be used, including garments with legs that are
full length to the feet or even footed legs. The fabric used may be
of various types, although the preferred fabric would be of a kind
that is durable, pliable, soft, and easily cleanable like cotton or
a synthetic blend.
[0031] In the second embodiment, the kneepads 32 consist of a
circle of fabric that is identical to the fabric used for the
garment and a circle of padding of approximately the same size.
Several smaller concentric circles 36 are then stitched or
otherwise impressed into the circle 34 making it two layers quilted
together. The quilted circle of fabric and padding is next attached
or otherwise impressed onto the knee area of the garment, creating
a boundary circle 34 completely surrounding the knee region of the
front of the garment 10. In this way, the garment fabric and the
kneepad fabric are identical and the kneepad blends into the rest
of the garment leg, making it attractive to the user. The ribbing
has the same effects as was described in FIG. 1.
[0032] Alternatively, the kneepad may be created by quilting a
circular piece of padding onto the inside of the garment in the
knee region and enclosing it by means of lining the garment or
securing a circular backing to cover the padding.
[0033] FIG. 5 is a close up view of the front of the knee region of
one leg of the garment 10 displaying the second embodiment of one
of the kneepads 32. In this view, the stitched or otherwise
impressed boundary circle 34 can be clearly seen with the inner
circles 36 sewn or otherwise impressed inside it.
[0034] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the second embodiment of one
of the kneepads 32. From this side view, the construction of the
pad becomes apparent. The circular boundary 34 that is sewn or
otherwise impressed into the fabric of the garment in the knee
region 10 also serves to enclose the padding 42 between two layers
of material 40, 41. The padding 42 may consist of a durable,
washable, light-weight, rebounding cotton or synthetic fiber
filling material of sufficient thickness to provide comfort and
some protection to the knees of an active child. The exterior layer
of material 41 is the garment or alternatively is a circular patch
of fabric identical to the garment fabric. The interior layer of
material 40 is the exterior of the garment or alternatively a
circular backing or a lining.
[0035] The exterior layer of material 41 is stitched, embossed, or
otherwise impressed on the pad-thickened circle to create inner
circles 36. By starting the stitching or impressing at the edge of
the outer circle and working toward the center, the padding will be
thinner at the outer circle edge and thicker at the center of the
circle because the impressions into the padding tend to force the
thickness toward the circle center 38. This treatment increases the
flexibility and softness of the kneepad by focusing the bulkier
part at the center, with the result that the kneepad is more
comfortable for the infant to wear while active and at the same
time increases the thickness of the padding at the precise area
where protection is most needed, which is at the patella. The knee
pad has the further advantages described in FIG. 3.
[0036] Although the primary embodiment of the current invention has
been described in terms of knee pads, it is clear that this device
can be used in other areas of clothing. In particular, this
invention can be used in the elbow area of a long-sleeved shirt for
a child or adult.
[0037] Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention
is not limited to the sole embodiments described above, but
encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the
following claims.
* * * * *