U.S. patent application number 13/298725 was filed with the patent office on 2012-06-21 for multi-slider zipper and wearable garment with multi-slider zipper.
This patent application is currently assigned to Gunamuna, Inc.. Invention is credited to Joy CHOPAK, Milena TUROK.
Application Number | 20120151654 13/298725 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46084413 |
Filed Date | 2012-06-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120151654 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHOPAK; Joy ; et
al. |
June 21, 2012 |
Multi-Slider Zipper And Wearable Garment With Multi-Slider
Zipper
Abstract
A wearable garment includes a multi-slider zipper with a top
stop at each end of the zipper. The multi-slider zipper extends
around the periphery of the garment from one armpit to the second
armpit to enable the top surface of the garment to be separated at
least partially from the second portion of said garment. The unique
zipper may include three or more sliders as well as a top stop at
each end of the zipper. A sleeping bag also having a top and bottom
fabric portion includes the multi-slider zipper having at least
three sliders.
Inventors: |
CHOPAK; Joy; (Boston,
MA) ; TUROK; Milena; (Waltham, MA) |
Assignee: |
Gunamuna, Inc.
Boston
MA
|
Family ID: |
46084413 |
Appl. No.: |
13/298725 |
Filed: |
November 17, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61414626 |
Nov 17, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/69.5 ; 24/382;
5/413R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B 19/382 20130101;
A47G 9/086 20130101; Y10T 24/2502 20150115; A41B 13/06
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/69.5 ; 5/413.R;
24/382 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/00 20060101
A41D013/00; A44B 19/02 20060101 A44B019/02; A47G 9/08 20060101
A47G009/08 |
Claims
1. A wearable blanket comprising: a first and second fabric portion
have substantially the same height and width dimensions; a first
single zipper having two tracks with one track secured along the
bottom edge and the two side edges of said first fabric portion and
the second track being secured along the bottom edge and the two
side edges of said second fabric portion; at least three
independent zipper sliders engaged in said tracks of said zipper to
open and close portions of said zipper.
2. The wearable blanket of claim 1 wherein said zipper has four
sliders.
3. The wearable blanket of claim 1 wherein said sliders are
inseparable from said zipper.
4. The wearable blanket of claim 1 wherein said first fabric
portion comprises a second zipper extending from a top edge of said
first fabric portion to a bottom edge of said first fabric potion
in close proximity at said bottom edge to said first fabric
portion.
5. The wearable blanket of claim 1 further comprising a plurality
of snap closures for securing a portion of said top edge of said
first fabric portion to a top surface of said second fabric
portion.
6. A zipper comprising: first and second tracks; two top stops with
one of said two stops being positioned at each end of the zipper;
and at least 3 independent zipper sliders.
7. A sleeping bag comprising: a first and second fabric portion
have substantially the same height and width dimensions; a first
single zipper having two tracks with one track secured along the
bottom edge and the two side edges of said first fabric portion and
the second track being secured along the bottom edge and the two
side edges of said second fabric portion; at least three
independent zipper sliders engaged in said tracks of said zipper to
open and close portions of said zipper.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 61/414,626 filed on Nov. 17, 2010 which is
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to a multi-slider zipper and garments
(such as a wearable blanket) incorporating multi-slider
zippers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Dressing and undressing infants is a challenge familiar to
millions of their caregivers. Many factors, such as the delicate
nature of infants, their inability to understand or obey caregiver
instructions, and the relatively small spaces in infant clothing
through which infants' often recalcitrant limbs must be passed, can
all conspire to make the process of dressing and undressing infants
a challenging, time-consuming and often frustrating experience.
[0004] A shortcoming of traditional infant clothing is that it does
not allow a caregiver to selectively undress (i.e., access)
discrete portions of the infant's body. This is a significant
drawback, as it is desirable to minimize the time and extent to
which an infant is unclothed because of the need to keep infants
warm.
[0005] Another shortcoming of traditional infant clothing is that
the difficulty associated with removing and replacing such clothing
is incompatible with the frequency with which infants must be
dressed and undressed, so as to permit the changing of the many
diapers that infants soil each day. A particular concern when
changing an infant's diaper is keeping clothing away from the
infant's midsection and, in particular, away from a soiled diaper.
In many cases, the only way to be assured of doing so is to
completely remove the infant's lower garments, which requires the
caregiver to undertake the time-consuming process of carefully and
delicately placing the infant's legs back into the proper spaces of
the lower garments at the conclusion of the diaper change. In many
cases, the infant's upper garments must also either be removed, or
pushed far enough toward the infant's head in order to avoid
contact with the soiled diaper or the ointments, powders and the
like that are routinely applied to an infant's midsection prior to
putting on a new diaper.
[0006] Some efforts have been made in the prior art to address
these issues, but that art has only mitigated some of the problems
and inconveniences associated with dressing and undressing infants.
One such effort is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,464 issued to
Haman. This patent teaches a sleeping bag for infants, consisting
of a front surface and a rear surface permanently joined together
(as by sewing) along the bottom edge and most of the side edges of
the sleeping bag. The infant is placed in, and removed from, the
sleeping bag by way of a longitudinal slit in the front surface of
the sleeping bag, which extends from the neck aperture to a
distance of about three-fourths of the way to the bottom of the
sleeping bag. The longitudinal slit is equipped with a suitable
closure mechanism, such as a zipper. The sleeping bag also has an
arcuate or u-shaped slit, again equipped with a closure mechanism,
which defines a flap in the front surface of the sleeping bag that
is located near, but above, the bottom of the front surface. The
base of this arcuate or u-shaped slit is parallel to, but not as
wide as, the bottom of the sleeping bag, and its upward projections
extend only for a short distance in a direction parallel to the
sides of the sleeping bag. Opening the flap allows access to the
infant's lower legs, but because it does not extend all the way to
the bottom of the sleeping bag, the flap still requires
manipulation of the infant's legs and clothing to a greater extent
than is desirable.
[0007] While the prior art does address some of the shortcomings of
traditional infantile clothing, it remains a challenge to
selectively access a discrete portion of the infant without
removing substantially more of the infant's clothing than would
otherwise be required to expose the desired portion of the
infant.
[0008] Consequently, there is a need for a garment for infants that
can be easily manipulated so as to provide quick access to a
discrete area of an infant without having to undress the infant to
a greater extent than is absolutely necessary.
[0009] In a similar manner adults using a wearable blanket may have
a need to walk in such a blanket and therefore need easy access to
allow their feet to extend in the blanket. In a similar fashion,
when using a sleeping bag parts of a body, such as feet, can often
get warm and the user may want to extend his or her feet from the
sleeping bag without having to remove the sleeping bag by unzipping
the sleeping bag which causes the comfort of being closed in the
sleeping bag to be lost. Therefore, there is also a need for a
wearable blanket or sleeping bag that can be easily manipulated to
provide access outside of the blanket or sleeping bag from various
parts of the blanket or sleeping bag.
[0010] As zippers provide one of the most complete and reliable
closure devices for garments of the type described above as well as
other garments, there is a need for a zipper that provides more
flexibility to the wearer of zippered garments. In particular if a
zipper could provide the multiple opening and closing options that
are available to the wearer of a buttoned garment (who can simply
unbutton one or more buttons for purposes of access or freedom),
zippers would be used in even more applications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of a wearable
garment of the present invention utilizing a multi-slider zipper
shown with the wearable garment zipped completely closed.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the wearable
garment in a partially unzipped condition.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a zipper
used in the wearable garment of FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the zipper used in the wearable
garment of FIGS. 1 and 2 with the zipper shown in a fully closed
position.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the zipper of FIGS. 1 and 2
with the zipper shown in a partially open state.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of a second embodiment of a
wearable garment of the present invention with a multi-slider
zipper with three sliders.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the wearable
garment in a partially unzipped condition.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the zipper
used in the wearable garment of FIGS. 6 and 7.
[0019] FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the zipper used in the wearable
garment of FIGS. 6 and 7 with the zipper shown in a fully closed
position.
[0020] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the zipper used in the
wearable garment of FIGS. 6 and 7 with the zipper shown in a
partially open state.
[0021] FIG. 11 is a top view of another embodiment of a wearable
garment of the present invention utilizing a multi-slider
zipper.
[0022] FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 10 but showing the
wearable garment in a partially unzipped condition.
[0023] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a sleeping bag of the
present invention utilizing a multi-slider zipper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0024] A wearable garment includes a multi-slider zipper with a top
stop at each end of the zipper. The multi-slider zipper extends
around the periphery of the garment from one armpit to the second
armpit to enable the top surface of the garment to be separated at
least partially from the second portion of said garment. The unique
zipper may include three or more sliders as well as a top stop at
each end of the zipper. A sleeping bag also having a top and bottom
fabric portion includes the multi-slider zipper having at least
three sliders.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] In accordance with the present invention, and referring now
at FIGS. 1 and 2, there is provided a novel wearable garment 5. In
one preferred embodiment of the present invention, wearable garment
5, is a blanket composed of a suitable fabric, that includes a
front panel 10 and a rear panel 15 joined together at the sides 12
and bottom 14 by a suitable closure mechanism 19, such as a
zipper.
[0026] The top portions of front panel 10 and rear panel 15 of
wearable blanket 5 are equipped with cooperating fasteners 25, such
as snap fasteners, with which front panel 10 and rear panel 15 may
be detachably secured over the shoulders of the user of the blanket
5. In other embodiments, the cooperating fasteners could be
eliminated. Front panel 10 and rear panel 15 are formed such that
when they are secured together over the shoulders of the wearer,
apertures 26 suitable for accommodating the arms of the wearer are
formed at the upper side portions of front panel 10 and rear panel
15, and an aperture 23 suitable for accommodating the neck of the
wearer is formed at the top portions of front panel 10 and rear
panel 15. The formation of front panel 10 and rear panel 15 allows
wearable blanket 5 to offer a vest-like fit around the arms of the
wearer when cooperating fasteners 25 are secured and closure
mechanism 19 is fully closed. If desired, when used with an infant,
the caregiver may tuck an infant's arms into wearable blanket 5,
fully close closing mechanism 19 and secure the cooperating
fasteners 25 to keep the infant's body, excepting the head and
neck, fully covered by the wearable blanket 5.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 3-5, closure mechanism 19 is a single
zipper 20 which extends from the bottom of one arm aperture 26a of
the wearable blanket 5, down side 12a, around bottom 14 , and then
up side 12b to the bottom of the other arm aperture 26b. Closure
mechanism 19 is also equipped with four sliders 20a, 20b, 20c and
20d. Each of the four sliders may be independently operated in
either direction, i.e., from left to right, or right to left, to
allow front panel 10 and rear panel 15 of wearable blanket 5 to be
separated (opened) at one location while remaining joined (closed)
at others. By way of example, but not limitation, zipper sliders
20a, 20b, 20c and 20d could all be moved to the area of the left
armpit, which would allow front panel 10 to be separated from rear
panel 15 at all points below the apertures for the left armpit,
exposing essentially all of the infant's body below the left
armpit. Alternatively, the four sliders could be configured so as
to expose only the right side of the infant by positioning slider
20a at the middle of bottom 14 and immediately adjacent to sliders
20b and 20c, while slider 20d is positioned at the left armpit.
Similarly, sliders 20b and 20c could be moved to the right and
left, respectively, to uncover the infant's feet to allow for
freedom of movement. Sliders 20a and 20d could also be moved away
from the armpits of the wearer to allow for temperature regulation
that helps avoid overheating. The zipper 20 can be used in other
garments and applications where greater freedom is desired for the
opening and closing of the zipper 20.
[0028] Referring back to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the
wearable blanket 5 also has a longitudinal slit 27 extending from
adjacent to the bottom 14 of front panel 10 to the top of front
panel 10. Slit 27 is equipped with a suitable front closure
mechanism 30, such as a zipper, that extends for substantially the
entire length of front panel 10, terminating just short of closure
mechanism 19 at bottom 14.
[0029] Front panel 10 and rear panel 15 are formed at the top of
each panel so as to provide an aperture suitable for accommodating
the head and neck of the wearer. Attached to front panel 10 on one
side of slit 27, near the top of front closure mechanism 30, is a
tab of fabric 35. Tab 35 is also equipped with a cooperating
fastener 40, such as a snap fastener, that can be detachably
secured to its complementary component attached to front panel 10
on the opposite side of slit 27. When cooperating fastener 40 is
secured, tab of fabric 35 covers the top portion of front closure
mechanism 30 and thereby prevents the joining means, e.g., slider
30a of front closure mechanism 30, from scratching the infant, and
further prevents the infant from inadvertently manipulating the
joining means of front closure mechanism 30.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 6-10, a wearable blanket 35 similar to
the wearable blanket 5 of the FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown which only
uses a three slider zipper 32 with sliders 32a, 32b, 32c.
[0031] The zipper 20 provides the blankets 5 or 35 of the present
invention with significant flexibility. The zipper is constructed
with top stops 34 at each end of the zipper 20 so that the sliders
20a-20d can never separate from the zipper itself. This
construction enables the zipper to remain child safe as there are
no separate components that a baby could swallow. The four slider
and three slider zippers also enable different portions of the
wearable blanket to be open.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, another embodiment of the
garment of FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown which does not include a front
closure and can be opened only through zipper 20.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 13 a sleeping bag 40 utilizing the zipper
20 of FIGS. 3-5 is shown. The sleeping bag 40 offers the advantages
that it can be opened at different portions along its edge. For
example, the user bundled up in the sleeping bag could open the
bottom and walk with the sleeping bag secured around his or her
body and when such person returns to their sleeping position can
close the portion of the sleeping bag through which his or her feet
extended without ever exposing the remainder of his or her body to
cold air.
[0034] It will be understood that many additional changes in the
details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts, which have
been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the
nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art
while remaining within the principles and scope of the present
invention.
* * * * *