U.S. patent application number 13/374114 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-26 for shawl or wrap with closure mechanism.
Invention is credited to Stacey Alyse Cohen.
Application Number | 20120185993 13/374114 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46542987 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120185993 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cohen; Stacey Alyse |
July 26, 2012 |
Shawl or wrap with closure mechanism
Abstract
The garment shown in the following FIGS. 1-15 is a shawl or wrap
worn around the neck, arms or shoulders and draped loosely around
the body. The shawl may or may not include sleeves or armholes for
the hands or arms. The shawl may or may not include pockets,
zippers or other openings for the convenience of the wearer. The
adjustable friction side clasp closure shown which has an extra
layer of reinforcement to provide a notion free bag or garment
closure can be used on products like a garment, shawl or wrap
making it safe for small children, and quiet when fastening. Other
possible uses of the friction side closure are in objects to which
it's closing including but not limited to scarves, gloves, wallets,
coats, purses, trousers, shirts, skirts, dresses, belts, bags,
luggage, parachutes, and sleeping bags.
Inventors: |
Cohen; Stacey Alyse;
(Villanova, PA) |
Family ID: |
46542987 |
Appl. No.: |
13/374114 |
Filed: |
February 17, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61432276 |
Jan 13, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/69 ;
24/30.5R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 3/08 20130101; A41D
23/00 20130101; Y10T 24/15 20150115; A45C 13/10 20130101; A41F 1/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/69 ;
24/30.5R |
International
Class: |
A41D 1/00 20060101
A41D001/00; A45B 25/12 20060101 A45B025/12; A44B 9/00 20060101
A44B009/00; A44B 6/00 20060101 A44B006/00; A41D 27/00 20060101
A41D027/00; A44B 99/00 20100101 A44B099/00 |
Claims
1. Closure mechanism that uses friction to keep garment, bag, belt
etc. in the closed position as opposed to attaching a button, snap
etc. to secure a shawl or other item that needs a closure or
notion.
2. In addition, other shapes of the stiff fabric or other flexible
or semi-flexible material closure backing are also possible (for
example but not limited to a circle, triangle or oval shape instead
of rectangle or square shape). Any closure that uses openings that
thread fabric through with a stiff fabric or other flexible or
semi-flexible material closure backing are also possible. In
addition it is also possible that the numbers of parallel openings
in future versions of the shawl or other products using this
closure mechanism may change (for example one or three openings
instead of two openings).
3. The shawl may be made of any of a variety of fibers or fabrics
such as cotton, wool, cashmere, polyester, silk, either in pure or
blended form. The shawl may also be made of any other substantially
planar, flexible or semi-flexible materials such as plastic,
rubber, leather, suede or mesh. The openings may also not be
parallel in future versions, but rather for example angled or
rounded. This friction side clasp closure mechanism may possibly be
used in future products including but not limited to scarves,
gloves, wallets, coats, purses, trousers, shirts, skirts, dresses,
belts, bags, luggage, and sleeping bags. The shawl may or may not
include sleeves or armholes for the hands or arms. The shawl may or
may not include pockets, zippers or other openings for the
convenience of the wearer. Other closure or attachment mechanisms
on the shawl are also possible, including but not limited to a
button or series of buttons, a hole or series of holes, a zipper or
series of zippers, a snap or series of snaps, a buckle or series of
buckles, a belt or series of belts, or a hook-and-loop or
Velcro.TM. type fastener.
4. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on a sleeping bag
or pillow.
5. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on a scarf.
6. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on a bag or
luggage.
7. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on gloves or
mittens.
8. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on apparel such as
dresses, trousers, shirts, skirts, outwear (jackets, coats,
etc).
9. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on wallets
10. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on belts or
ties.
11. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on other obvious
uses such as parachutes, sails on boats when closed.
12. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on any storage
unit closure or fastener.
13. The closure mechanism of claim 1 incorporated on an umbrella
fastener.
Description
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The field of the invention relates to a closure mechanism
that uses friction to stay closed on apparel (e.g. scarves, gloves,
sleeping bags, luggage, wallets, purses, clothes and outerwear,
belts, bags) rather than conventional buttons, snaps, zippers etc.
The shawl includes the friction side clasp closure or attachment
mechanism that enables the wearer to fasten or secure, releasably,
one side or edge of the shawl to the other side at or near the
wearer's neckline, thereby causing the shawl to remain secured
around the wearer's body. This closure serves multiple purposes:
first to prevent notions on a shawl or scarf if for example used as
a nursing cover or burp shawl such as buttons from being bitten off
and choked on by a young infant or child, second, it's a stay put
slide through closure unlike a traditional scarf that is tied
around a neck and can fall off easily allowing the wearer to
multitask hands-free, third, it's a closure that can be secured
simply with little effort, and lastly, because it uses a friction
slide closure it can adjust to fit any size person, object it
closes with adjustable tension or tightness.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Conventional closures which include, but are not limited, to
notions such as buttons, snaps, hooks, Velcro, zippers, grommets to
fasten fabric, leather, etc. together, require another medium to be
sewn on to the garment, bag or scarf to keep it closed or two sides
of the fabric need to be tied to together like a conventional
scarf. These other closures are easily torn off, noisy to use and
require more effort to fasten than in this invention. Prior
closures can be easily dislodged and swallowed by a young child,
making them less desirable for use in baby products such as nursing
covers and burp shawls.
[0005] This closure which is made entirely of a stiff fabric patch
with holes can be sewn directly onto the apparel or bag and would
be much safer if used on baby nursing shawls, and burp cloths, kids
sleeping bags or just shawls worn by a caregiver. Furthermore, this
design is a modern, clean take on conventional shawls and
closures.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] For the reasons cited above, it is an objective of the
invention to provide a notion-free (no-adornment) stay put "smart"
closure that is safe for small children, quiet when opening and
closing, easy to use and adjustable to fit any size person in the
case of a shawl/scarf or object to which it's closing such as a bag
or sleeping bag. This type of closure and shawl will benefit
professionals, children and busy moms and dads who want a stylish
and functional garment or bag which allows them to multi-task. This
closure design keeps the shawl in place on shoulders to make the
wearer look smart and chic while also being functional. In
addition, the shawl design includes pleats along the back of the
shawl to better conform to the wearers' shoulders providing a more
tailored fit.
[0007] The garment is a shawl or wrap worn around the neck, arms or
shoulders and draped loosely around the body. The shawl may or may
not include sleeves or armholes for the hands or arms. The shawl
may or may not include pockets, zippers or other openings for the
convenience of the wearer.
[0008] The shawl may be made of any of a variety of fibers or
fabrics such as cotton, wool, cashmere, polyester, silk, either in
pure or blended form. The shawl may also be made of any other
substantially planar, flexible or semi-flexible materials such as
plastic, rubber, leather, suede or mesh.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The attached figures illustrate various aspects of my
invention. To those skilled in the art, other aspects of the
invention not shown in the illustrations or specifically described
below will nonetheless be apparent.
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates in the front view of the shawl how the
fabric on one side of the shawl drapes through the friction side
clasp closure. The perforated line labeled 13 shows the clamping
action of the clasp and the dotted line also shows how the fabric
on the other side of the shawl weaves through the holes in the
closure. As illustrated in FIG. 1 and elsewhere, the shawl includes
a closure or attachment mechanism that enables the wearer to fasten
or secure, releasably, one side or edge of the shawl to the other
side at or near the wearer's neckline, thereby causing the shawl to
remain secured around the wearer's body.
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates the back view of the shawl and shows the
pleats around the neckline that provide a tailored fit to the
wearer.
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates the left side view of the shawl and shows
how the fabric on one side of the shawl is draped through the
friction side clasp closure.
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates the right side view of the shawl and
shows how the fabric on the other side of the shawl looks when
draped through the friction side clasp closure.
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates the top view of the shawl and shows how
the fabric lays on the shawl when the shawl is fastened around the
users shoulders.
[0015] FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 illustrate the top views of the shawl open
and spread out and shows both the pleats around the neckline and
the closure in the open position when it does not have fabric woven
through.
[0016] FIG. 8, FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 illustrate top views of the shawl
open and spread out and the thickness of the closure sewn onto the
shawl.
[0017] FIG. 12 illustrates back view of the shawl open and spread
out and the perforated line labeled 14 shows the holes that the
other end of the fabric is woven through. As illustrated in FIG. 12
there are a series of pleats around the neckline finished off by a
bias neckline that conform to the shape of the individuals back and
neck to provide a more tailored fit around the wearer's neck.
[0018] FIG. 13 illustrates the layers of reinforcement in the
closure when the fabric from the other side of the shawl is fed
through (in closed position).
[0019] FIG. 14 illustrates the layers of reinforcement in the
closure when the fabric from the other side of the shawl is not
woven through (in open position).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The friction side clasp closure which has an extra layer of
reinforcement to provide a notion free bag or garment closure can
be used on products like a garment, shawl or wrap shown that can be
worn around the neck, arms or shoulders and draped loosely around
the body. The shawl may or may not include sleeves or armholes for
the hands or arms. The shawl may or may not include pockets,
zippers or other openings for the convenience of the wearer. As
stated previously, this adornment free friction side clasp is
intended for use for other products such as sleeping bag closures,
scarf closures, bag closures, belts and other apparel. This no
adornment fabric closure is intended to provide a safe alternative
to buttons, zippers, etc. that can be dislodged, chewed and choked
on by young children. In addition, it's a soft and quiet on/off
closure that doesn't disturb or rub against a child lying on a
garment like a nursing cover, pillow, burp shawl or sleeping bag
that needs a closure. In addition, it is meant to provide an easy
attachment for the wearer and also a secure closure that allows a
one handed pull through the closure adjustment to provide a snug
fit for any size. This allows the user to multi-task by leaving one
or both hands free when securing, adjusting and wearing the
shawl.
[0021] The shawl may be made of any of a variety of fibers or
fabrics such as cotton, wool, cashmere, polyester, silk, either in
pure or blended form. The shawl may also be made of any other
substantially planar, flexible or semi-flexible materials such as
plastic, rubber, leather, suede or mesh.
[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 1 and elsewhere, the shawl includes a
closure or attachment mechanism that enables the wearer to fasten
or secure, releasably, one side or edge of the shawl to the other
side at or near the wearer's neckline, thereby causing the shawl to
remain secured around the wearer's body. As illustrated in FIG. 12
there are a series of pleats around the neckline finished off by a
bias neckline that conform to the shape of the individuals back and
neck to provide a more tailored fit around the wearer's neck.
[0023] The closure mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 14.
It includes a series of parallel openings in the surface of the
shawl located at or near the neckline. There is a additional piece
of stiff fabric backing located just behind the parallel openings
as illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 11 and FIG. 14 that helps to hold
the closed shawl together. The wearer may then secure the shawl
around the body by threading the end of the shawl opposite to the
parallel openings (and located on the opposite side of the wearer's
body) through the parallel openings and then pulling the end until
the shawl is comfortably secured around the body, as shown in FIG.
1. The shawl is unsecured by following the opposite process. This
friction side clasp closure mechanism may possibly be used in
future products including but not limited to scarves, gloves,
wallets, coats, purses, trousers, shirts, skirts, dresses, belts,
bags, luggage, and sleeping bags. In addition, other shapes of the
stiff fabric or other flexible or semi-flexible material closure
backing are also possible (for example but not limited to a circle,
triangle or oval shape instead of rectangle or square shape). In
addition it is also possible that the numbers of parallel openings
in future versions of the shawl or other products using this
closure mechanism may change (for example one or three openings
instead of two openings).
Other closure mechanisms not listed here will also be apparent to
those skilled in the art.
[0024] Other closure or attachment mechanisms are also possible,
including but not limited to a button or series of buttons, a hole
or series of holes, a zipper or series of zippers, a snap or series
of snaps, a buckle or series of buckles, a belt or series of belts,
or a hook-and-loop or Velcro.TM. type fastener.
[0025] The embodiments of the invention mentioned herein are merely
illustrative of the present invention. It should be understood that
a person skilled in the art may contemplate many variations in
construction of the present invention in view of the following
claims.
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