U.S. patent application number 15/094056 was filed with the patent office on 2016-10-13 for pocket for sports garment.
The applicant listed for this patent is addidas AG. Invention is credited to Chiara HERBENER, Ivan Mejia-Devora.
Application Number | 20160295933 15/094056 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55697101 |
Filed Date | 2016-10-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160295933 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HERBENER; Chiara ; et
al. |
October 13, 2016 |
POCKET FOR SPORTS GARMENT
Abstract
A sports garment comprising a pocket, wherein the pocket
comprises an opening for bottom loading of the pocket, and wherein
a first border of the pocket is arranged with an at least partial
overlap with a first cut line of the sports garment.
Inventors: |
HERBENER; Chiara;
(Nuremberg, DE) ; Mejia-Devora; Ivan; (Furth,
DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
addidas AG |
Herzogenaurach |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
55697101 |
Appl. No.: |
15/094056 |
Filed: |
April 8, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 27/20 20130101;
A63B 47/001 20130101; A41D 1/08 20130101; A63B 2209/00 20130101;
A63B 2102/02 20151001 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/00 20060101
A41D013/00; A41D 27/20 20060101 A41D027/20; A41D 17/02 20060101
A41D017/02; A41D 1/14 20060101 A41D001/14; A41D 1/08 20060101
A41D001/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 8, 2015 |
DE |
10 2015 206 254.6 |
Claims
1. A sports garment comprising: a pocket, wherein the pocket
comprises an opening for bottom loading of the pocket, and wherein
a first border of the pocket is arranged with an at least partial
overlap with a first cut line of the sports garment.
2. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein a second border of the
pocket is arranged with an at least partial overlap with a second
cut line of the sports garment.
3. The sports garment of claim 2, wherein the opening of the pocket
extends essentially from the first cut line to the second cut
line.
4. The sports garment of claim 2, wherein the pocket comprises a
top border extending essentially from the first cut line to the
second cut line.
5. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the first border is
incorporated into a seam along the first cut line.
6. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket comprises a
further opening for top loading of the pocket.
7. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket is arranged so
as to be positioned over a side leg of a wearer of the sports
garment.
8. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket is arranged so
as to be at least partly positioned over a hip flexor of a wearer
of the sports garment.
9. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket is arranged so
as to be at least partly positioned over a gluteus maximus of a
wearer of the sports garment.
10. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket is arranged
so as to be at least partly positioned over the vastus lateralis of
a wearer of the sports garment.
11. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the opening of the
pocket does not comprise an elastic band.
12. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket comprises a
material that is more elastic than a material of a portion of the
sports garment underlying the pocket.
13. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the sports garment
comprises a pair of shorts or leggings integrated with a skirt and
wherein the pocket is located on the pair of shorts or leggings
underneath the skirt.
14. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket is adapted to
securely hold at least one tennis ball.
15. The sports garment of claim 1, wherein the sports garment is a
tennis garment.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to sports garments, and in
particular to sports garments comprising a pocket.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Pockets for sports garments are essential for both
recreational and professional use. In some sports, for example,
tennis, the use of pockets in sports garments, in particular the
lower garments, is essential for practically playing. For instance,
there are time penalties for an excessive amount of time between
two serves of a player in a professional game. Also, when playing
tennis only for recreational purposes, retaining one or more
additional tennis ball is important for a convenient and
uninterrupted game.
[0003] To this end, known sports garments can include one or more
pockets for retaining balls or other items that might be needed
during a match or sports activity.
[0004] However, numerous problems can arise with known sports
garments having pockets. For example, the location of the pocket
and the contents thereof, for example, for a tennis ball, can
interfere or obstruct the athlete when moving. In competitive
environments, for example, during a tennis match, it is important
for the contents of the pocket to be securely held and access to
the pocket to be fast and efficient. This is particularly important
in a pocket that is placed underneath another garment, for example,
a pair of shorts/leggings under a top garment or a skirt.
[0005] The technical problem underlying the present invention can
therefore be considered as how to provide a pocket on/in a sports
garment that allows for secure storage of one or more items whilst
also being easily accessible, non-obstructive and comfortable to
the wearer of the sports garment throughout the duration of the
sports activity.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The technical problem underlying the present invention is at
least partly solved by the subject matter of the independent claim.
Various embodiments are recited in the dependent claims. In some
embodiments, a sports garment comprises a pocket, wherein the
pocket comprises an opening for bottom loading of the pocket and
wherein a first border of the pocket is arranged with an at least
partial overlap with a first cut line of the sports garment.
[0007] If the sports garment is a garment for a tennis player, the
pocket according to some embodiments may allow a player to
conveniently carry and access one or more tennis balls for the next
use, for example, a next service. Due to the at least partial
overlap of a first border of the pocket with a first cut line, the
pocket design involves an improved stability. Moreover, by having
at least a partial overlap of the first border of the pocket with
the first cut line of the sports garment, the total number and/or
length of additional cut lines or seams can be reduced. This
improves the wearing comfort, the robustness and reduces the
complexity of the manufacturing of the sports garment.
[0008] In some embodiments the sports garment may have a second
border which is arranged with an at least partial overlap with a
second cut line of the sports garment. This is advantageous because
by having at least a partial overlap of the second border of the
pocket with the second cut line of the sports garment, the total
number and/or length of additional cut lines or seams can further
be reduced. Consequently, the wearing comfort and the robustness of
the sports garment can be further improved. In addition, the
complexity of the manufacturing of the sports garment may be
further reduced, because fewer cut lines and/or seams and/or other
types of connection means may be required as compared to simply
attaching the pocket somewhere on the sports garment.
[0009] The opening of the pocket may extend essentially from the
first cut line to the second cut line. Moreover, the pocket may
comprise a top border extending essentially from the first cut line
to the second cut line. In this context and throughout the present
application the term "essentially" refers to typical manufacturing
tolerances for garments and the arrangement of pockets.
[0010] Further, the first border and/or the second border may be
incorporated into a seam along the first and/or the second cut
line. Such an arrangement of the pocket is advantageous because it
not only reduces but minimizes the need for additional seams (or,
depending on the manufacturing, other connecting means) to be
provided in the sports garment. As a result, the wearing comfort is
improved due to fewer seams and the manufacturing of the sports
garment is simplified.
[0011] The pocket may comprise a further opening for top loading of
the pocket. The further opening improves the usability of the
pocket by allowing the wearer of the sports garment to flexibly use
the pocket openings as the situation of the game requires. For
instance, the pocket may be loadable with two balls, which may have
different properties (e.g., one ball is softer than the other one).
In this case, both balls are easily accessible without having to
remove the other ball.
[0012] The pocket may be arranged so as to be positioned over a
side leg of the wearer of the sports garment. In some embodiments,
the pocket may be arranged so as to be at least partly positioned
over a hip flexor of the wearer of the sports garment. More
specifically, the pocket may be arranged so as to be positioned at
least partly over the gluteus maximus of the wearer of the sports
garment. In some embodiments, the pocket may be arranged so as to
be at least partly positioned over the vastus lateralis muscle. As
an example, the pocket, and more specifically the first and/or
second borders follow the hip flexor, or the gluteus maximus, or
the vastus lateralis muscle of the wearer. In the described
embodiments the pocket and its bottom opening (and, if present, its
top opening) are easily accessible due to the described position in
the sports garment.
[0013] In some embodiments, the bottom opening and/or the top
opening of the pocket does not comprise an elastic band. When the
borders of the pocket are at least partly overlapping with one or
more cut lines, the elasticity inherent in the material
construction of the sports garment is sufficient to securely hold
the items in the pocket. This is advantageous as elastic materials
(for instance, an elastic band) can snap, break and in use become
loose so that the pocket is in the end less secure. However, in
other embodiments, depending on the specific requirements, one or
more elastic bands may be arranged at the top opening and/or the
bottom opening of the pocket.
[0014] The pocket may comprise a material, which is more elastic
than the material of a portion of the sports garment underlying the
pocket. Alternatively, the material of the pocket may be less
elastic. Having materials with different elasticity for the pocket
and the sports garment may further improve the properties of the
pocket, depending on the field of use for the pocket.
[0015] To improve the visibility of the content of the pocket, the
material of the pocket may at least partly be made of a mesh
structure or a net structure.
[0016] According to some embodiments, the sports garment comprises
a pair of shorts or leggings integrated with a skirt and wherein
the pocket is located on the pair of shorts or leggings and
underneath the skirt. The pocket may be adapted to securely hold at
least one tennis ball. Further, the sports garment may be a tennis
garment. Depending on the intended use (e.g., the type of sports),
the sports garment may be provided as a pair of leggings, a pair of
shorts, a pair of leggings comprising a skirt, or a pair of shorts
comprising a skirt. The combination of a pair of leggings or shorts
and a skirt may also be referred to as skort. For other sports, the
sports garment may also be provided as a jersey having a pocket
according to the present invention. In case the sports garment is
provided as a jersey (e.g., for cycling or running), all
embodiments described herein with reference to another type of
sports garment, such as a pair of shorts, a pair of leggings, or
any kind of skort, can also be applied to the jersey. The only
difference arises from the location, i.e., a pocket arranged on a
jersey does not necessarily at least partly overlap one of the hip
flexor, gluteus maximus, or vastus lateralis muscle.
[0017] Further embodiments of the present invention are defined in
the dependent claims and will be further described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0018] Embodiments of the present invention are described in more
detail in the following by reference to the accompanying figures.
These figures show:
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a front view, a side view, and a rear view of a
pair of leggings according to some embodiments; and
[0020] FIG. 2 shows a front view, a side view, and a rear view of a
pair of shorts according to some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] In the following, embodiments of the present invention of a
sports garment comprising a pocket are described in more detail
with reference to various kinds of garments, such as a pair of
shorts, a pair of leggings, or skorts. However, it is to be
understood that the present invention is not limited to such
specific embodiments but could be applied to other types of sports
garments, for instance jerseys, as well.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a pair of leggings 10 according to some
embodiments. The left part of FIG. 1 depicts a front view of the
pair of leggings 10. The pair of leggings 10 comprises a waistband
20 on its upper part for allowing a proper fit of the pair of
leggings 10 on a wearer's waist. The left part of FIG. 1 also shows
a first cut line 30 of the pair of leggings 10. A cut line as
understood in the present application is not necessarily a seam but
more broadly any line or plane of contact between two parts of the
sports garment, wherein the parts are connected by suitable
connecting means. A cut line may also be defined by a single piece
of material which is arranged so that two edges thereof get in
contact so as to be connected by suitable connecting means.
Suitable connecting means as understood in the present application
are those means known in the art for connecting fabric, for
example, sewing, gluing, or welding. The connection along a cut
line may or may not be permanent. In one embodiment, the connection
may also be provided in a releasable manner, for instance, via
buttons, zippers or hook-and-loop fasteners.
[0023] The middle part of FIG. 1 depicts a side view of the pair of
leggings 10. In addition to the first cut line 30, a second cut
line 40 can be seen. In the depicted embodiment both cut lines 30,
40 meet approximately at the location of the wearer's knee, the
contact point being indicated by reference numeral 95. The first
cut line 30 extends into the direction of the wearer's knee, and in
the opposite direction also extends through the waistband 20. The
second cut line 40 extends along the wearer's buttocks, as shown in
the right part of FIG. 1 providing a view from behind on the pair
of leggings 10, including the second cut line 40. Even though FIG.
1 shows a single second cut line 40 extending from the left leg via
the rear part of the pair of leggings 10 to the right leg, any
other number or arrangement of one or more of any of the cut lines
is conceivable, depending on the specific requirements of the
sports garment and its manufacture.
[0024] Moreover, the middle part of FIG. 1 illustrates one option
for an attachment of the pocket 50 onto the pair of leggings 10. As
can be seen from this embodiment, the pocket 50 forms an upper
connection 70 between the first cut line 30 and the second cut line
40. In this embodiment the upper connection 70 of the pocket 50
provides a closure of the pocket 50. The above mentioned types of
releasable (e.g., buttons, zippers or hook-and-loop fasteners) or
permanent (e.g., sewing, gluing, welding) connecting means may also
be used for the closure, e.g., of the upper connection 70, of the
pocket 50.
[0025] Furthermore, the pocket 50 comprises a first border 80 fully
overlapping with a part of the first cut line 30, as well as a
second border 90 fully overlapping with a part of the second cut
line 40. The first border 80 and the second border 90 in connection
with the upper connection 70 of the pocket define the pocket 50
when being attached to the pair of leggings 10. The bottom 60 of
the pocket 50 is open and can consequently be loaded from below
with any suitable item. The suitable item may be a tennis ball.
Additionally or alternatively, the pocket 50 may be adapted to be
loaded with more than one suitable item (e.g., 2 tennis balls).
[0026] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the pocket 50 is made of
the same material as the pair of leggings 10. Using the same
material for the pair of leggings 10 and the pocket 50 simplifies
the manufacturing process and generally provides sufficient
elasticity for retaining the items in the pocket. Generally
speaking, materials that may be used for the sports garment and/or
the pocket include materials made of, for instance, 89%
POLYESTER/11% ELASTANE (220.00 g/sqm interlock weft knitted), or
82% POLYESTER/18% ELASTANE (200.00 g/sqm single jersey weft
knitted), 80% NYLON/20% SPANDEX (208 g/sqm mesh wrap knitted), or
86% POLYAMIDE/14% ELASTANE (207 g/sqm single jersey weft knitted),
or 82% POLYESTER/18% ELASTANE JACQUARD wrap knitted, or 94%
POLYESTER/6% ELASTANE (160.00 g/sqm single jersey weft knitted).
However, it is to be understood, that the above list of materials
and respective elasticity are only examples. Other sports garments
may include elastic materials in the range of 6% to 20% (e.g.,
ELASTANE or SPANDEX).
[0027] In some embodiments, however, the range of the included
elastic materials may be different for the sports garment and the
pocket, in order to provide different elastic properties.
[0028] The pocket 50 is arranged on the pair of leggings 10 so as
to approximately overlap the hip flexor of the wearer. The pocket
50 may also be arranged so as to be positioned at least partly over
the gluteus maximus of the wearer of the pair of leggings 10. In
some embodiments, the pocket 50 is arranged so as to be at least
partly positioned over the vastus lateralis muscle. These positions
are advantageous for some sports, for instance, for tennis, because
this position of the pocket 50 does not obstruct the wearer during
playing tennis. To this end, the pocket 50 and the first border 80
and/or the second border 90 may follow the hip flexor, or the
gluteus maximus, or the vastus lateralis muscle of the wearer.
[0029] Of course, other positions are also conceivable, depending
on the specific requirements. In some embodiments, the pocket 50
may also be positioned at the cut line 40 above the buttocks of the
wearer. The pocket 50 may also be arranged at the waistband 20 of
the pair of leggings, so that the pocket 50 at least partially
overlaps with the cut line (in the pair of leggings 10 shown in
FIG. 1 the pocket 50 could overlap with cut line 40).
[0030] FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In
more detail, FIG. 2 shows a pair of shorts 110 having a waistband
120. The middle part of FIG. 2 illustrates the arrangement of the
first cut line 130 and the second cut line 140 on the side leg of
the pair of shorts 110. The pair of shorts 110 of FIG. 2 comprises
a pocket 150, wherein the upper connection 170 of the pocket 150
arranged between the first cut line 130 and the second cut line 140
defines the upper limit of the pocket 150. Furthermore, the pocket
150 comprises a first border 180 fully overlapping with a part of
the first cut line 130, as well as a second border 190 fully
overlapping with a part of the second cut line 140. The first
border 180 and the second border 190 in connection with the upper
connection 170 of the pocket define the pocket 150 when being
attached to the pair of shorts 110. The bottom opening 160 of the
pocket 150 allows loading of the pocket 150 with a suitable item,
for instance one (or multiple) tennis balls.
[0031] While not illustrated in the above FIGS. 1 and 2, it is also
part of the invention to attach or integrate a skirt or dress with
the pair of leggings 10 or the pair of shorts 110. In this case the
pocket 50, 150 may be arranged underneath the skirt so that it can
easily be reached by the wearer by reaching under the skirt, but
without obstructing the movement of the player. In some
embodiments, a longer skirt may be provided wherein reaching the
pocket may be achieved by reaching under the skirt as previously
described or alternatively, or additionally, by providing a slit in
the skirt, which enables an easy access to the pocket.
* * * * *