Jacket Gaiter and Storage Apparatus
The present invention comprises a garment, such as, for example, a jacket, having an attached, storable gaiter. The gaiter is stored in a storage space disposed about the hem of the garment and between the interior side and exterior side of the garment. When un-deployed, the gaiter resides in the storage space. When deployed, the gaiter extends from the storage space towards the hem of the garment to be secured about the wearer and inhibit the elements from entering the garment.
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The present application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/537,445, filed Jan. 16, 2004, titled the same, and incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to jackets and, more particularly, to jackets having gaiters along the lower portion of the jacket with a storage space.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONJackets are typically worn in cold, rainy, or other inclement weather. On many jackets, the bottom hem of the jacket is loose fitting to allow for comfort. Unfortunately, the loose fitting also allows a pathway for the elements to enter the interior area of the jacket.
To block the pathway for the elements, many jackets have gaiters along the lower hem. The gaiter has an upper edge and a lower edge. The upper edge of the gaiter is often attached to the lower portion of the jacket and extends toward the jacket hem. The gaiter snaps, ties, or zips in an area substantially aligned with the jacket zipper. Further, the lower edge of the gaiter may be constructed with elastic. The elastic lower edge causes the gaiter to fit snuggly against the wearer blocking the pathway for the elements.
While the above gaiter is useful to block elements, people wearing jackets with gaiters in warmer weather or during strenuous activities may get overly hot. In this case, it would be desirous to have the pathway to the elements. Unzipping, untying, or unsnapping the gaiter provides a partial pathway, but this is a less than satisfactory vent. Thus, some conventional jackets contain removably attached gaiters. In other words, the upper edge of the gaiter may have part of a removable fastener, such as, for example, a zipper, a snap, and/or ½ of a hook and loop material like VELCRO. The corresponding zipper, snap, and/or ½ of the hook and loop material attached to an interior portion of the jacket above the hem. Wearers may completely remove the gaiter in these jackets to allow for additional ventilation in warmer weather or during strenuous activities.
The removable gaiter, while a better solution for ventilation, has several drawbacks. The major drawback is the removable gaiter is easily misplaced or lost when it is removed from the jacket. Thus, it would be desirable to develop a jacket in which the gaiter is not removable, but storable in a position that allows for ventilation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTo attain the advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a jacket with a gaiter that has a deployed position and an un-deployed position is provided. In the deployed position, the gaiter fits snuggly to the wearer inhibiting the elements from penetrating the interior or the jacket. In the un-deployed position, the gaiter is stored in a pocket built into the inner liner of the jacket.
The foregoing and other features, utilities and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles thereof. Like items in the drawings are referred to using the same numerical reference.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to
An opening 110 exists in interior side 102 above hem 108. Opening 110 is shown as extending substantially between side edges 106 along the interior side 102 of jacket 100. But opening 110 does not need to extend completely across the jacket interior as shown, but rather only needs to extend a sufficient amount to allow gaiter 300, explained in more detail below, to fit. Opening 110 has a top edge 112 and a bottom edge 114. Top edge 112 and bottom edge 114 are obscured in the figures by an optional protective flap 116. Protective flap 116 provides protection from the elements to a coupling device 118 that releasably couples top edge 112 and bottom edge 114. Coupling device 118 could be a number of conventional devices such as zippers, reverse coil zippers, snaps, hook and loop material, or the like. Partially shown in
Opening 110 provides access to a storage space 200. Storage space 200, best seen in
Referring now to
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to an embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes in the form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A garment, comprising:
- an interior side, an exterior side, and a lower hem;
- an opening disposed in the interior side of the garment;
- a closure mechanism coupled to the opening to allow opening and closing the opening;
- a storage space disposed between the interior side and the exterior side of the garment and accessible through the opening;
- a gaiter, the gaiter having a left side and a right side comprising a first end coupled to the storage space and a second, free end; and
- the gaiter having an un-deployed state wherein the gaiter is contained within the storage space and the closure mechanism is closed to inhibit access to the storage space, and a deployed state wherein the gaiter extends from the storage space towards the hem and the closure mechanism is opened to provide access to the storage space, wherein
- the gaiter is deployed to inhibit elements from entering the interior side of the garment.
2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the second, free end comprises an elastic.
3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the left side has a part of a closure device and the right side has a corresponding part of the closure device such that the gaiter can be secured about the wearer.
4. The garment of claim 3, wherein the closure device comprise hook and loop material.
5. The garment of claim 3, wherein the closure device comprises a zipper.
6. The garment of claim 3, wherein the closure device comprises a plurality of snaps.
7. The garment of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism is selected from the group of closure mechanisms consisting of: a zipper, hook and loop material, snaps, or adhesives.
8. The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is a jacket.
9. The garment of claim 1, wherein the storage space disposed between the interior side and the exterior side comprises a back wall coupled to the exterior side to prevent the gaiter from folding over and hanging down when in the un-deployed state.
10. The garment of claim 1, wherein the storage space comprises a front wall, a back wall, and a cover extending from the front wall to the back wall to prevent the gaiter from folding over and hanging down when in the un-deployed state.
11. The garment of claim 1, wherein the opening extends substantially across a length of the interior side.
12. The garment of claim 1, wherein the opening extends across less than an entire length of the interior side.
13. The garment of claim 1, wherein the left side and the right side comprise corresponding closure flaps coupled to the gaiter.
14. A method of deploying a gaiter comprising the steps of:
- opening an opening in an interior of a garment;
- accessing a storage space through the opening;
- extending a gaiter stored in the storage space from a first end coupled to the storage space to a second, free end; and
- securing the gaiter about a wearer.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the extending the gaiter step comprises extending the gaiter to substantially about a hem of the garment.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the securing the gaiter step comprises releasably coupling corresponding closure devices.
17. The method of storing a gaiter comprising the steps of:
- un-securing a gaiter from about a wearer;
- folding the gaiter from a free end to a secured end in a storage space;
- disposing the gaiter in the storage space;
- closing an opening in the interior of a garment to retain the gaiter in the storage space.
18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:
- un-securing the gaiter from about the wearer;
- folding the gaiter from the second, free end to the first end coupled to the storage space;
- disposing the gaiter in the storage space;
- closing an opening in the interior of a garment to retain the gaiter in the storage space.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the opening step comprises releasably separating a closure mechanism.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the closing step comprises releasbly coupling the closure mechanism.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 18, 2004
Publication Date: Jul 21, 2005
Applicant: SPYDER ACTIVE SPORTS, INC. (Boulder, CO)
Inventor: Trent Bush (Boulder, CO)
Application Number: 10/904,616