APPAREL HAVING REMOVABLY SUPPORTING COMMUNICATION ELEMENTS
Apparel comprising communications elements which are removably attachable to the apparel, and which may be dynamic in nature. The apparel may comprise fasteners such hook and loop material, snap fasteners, buttons, magnets, and others. The communications elements may comprise graphic elements such as letters, numbers, symbols, and depictions of people, animals, recognizable objects, light emitting elements, sound emitting elements, and any combination of the foregoing elements. The communications elements may comprise corresponding fasteners that enable attachment to and ready removal from the apparel. Light and sound emitting elements may be provided with variable output features, such as variation in light and sound levels, frequency of intermittent operation, and the like. Control of variation may be at the discretion of the person wearing the apparel bearing such light and sound emitting elements.
The present invention relates to apparel, and more particularly, to apparel having fasteners for removably mounting communication elements such as indicia and light and sound emitting elements to the apparel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONApparel bearing communications elements such as lettering and light emitting elements are known. For example, messages have long been printed on apparel. Also, appliqués bearing messages have been sewn to articles of apparel. Flashing lights have been incorporated into apparel such as shoes. Apparel has been provided with fasteners such as hook and loop material.
There exists room in the art of apparel for more dynamic communications to be incorporated into apparel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides communications elements for apparel, which communications elements are both removable attachable to apparel and are more dynamic in nature than previously known communications elements which have been used with apparel. The apparel may have incorporated thereinto fasteners such a hook and loop material, snap fasteners, buttons, magnets, and the like. Communications elements, which may take the form of graphic elements such as letters, numbers, symbols, and depictions of people, animals, and recognizable objects, as well as light emitting elements, sound emitting elements, and any combination of the foregoing elements, may have corresponding fasteners that enable attachment to and ready removal from the apparel.
Light and sound emitting elements may be provided with variable output features, such as variation in light and sound levels, frequency of intermittent operation, and the like. Control of variation may be at the discretion of the person wearing the apparel bearing such light and sound emitting elements.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Referring first to
At least one communication element is provided for releasable attachment to the shirt 10. A communication element, for the purposes of this invention, is a device which bears a message capable of being communicated to others in the vicinity of the shirt 10 by direct observation or hearing, and which comprises a second fastener which is engageably compatible with and releasable from the fastener of the shirt 10, such as the fasteners 14A, 14B, 14C. In the example of hook and loop fastener material, the fasteners 14A, 14B, 14C may comprise loop elements. The engageably compatible fastener of the communication element would in this case be hook or barb elements.
A communication element may be configured as a letter, such as the letters 16A, 16B, 16C shown configured in silhouette in
A single communication element such as any of the communication elements 16A, 16B, 16C may comprise not only individual letters as depicted in
A communications element may comprise any graphic depiction that when observed, conveys a recognizable thought or concept. Any well known symbol may be utilized in place of or in addition to letters, numerals, and the like. Communications elements may be configured as that 20 depicting a conventional symbolic shape such as a star (
It is contemplated that a communications element according to any aspect of the present invention may be substantially flat and of only nominal thickness, such as an embroidered applique (not shown). The communications element may have additional thickness where necessary to accommodate apparatus for emitting light or sound (or, of course, both).
Referring specifically to
Other illumination characteristics which could be controllably varied may include brightness, selection of color or hue, and focus or direction of projection of light.
The music or speech synthesizer 46 may be disposed to emit sound at a plurality of selectively variably characteristics. One such variable characteristic is frequency or timing of sounds. For example, a communications element depicting a heart, such as the communications element 22, could be modified to have the circuitry shown in
The shirt depicted in
Although the invention has been described in terms of certain components being referred to in either the singular or the plural, other arrangements are possible. For example, it is to be understood that due to the conceptual description presented herein, components presented in the singular may be provided in the plural. Illustratively, the light emitting diode 40 of
The present invention is susceptible to modifications and variations which may be introduced thereto without departing from the inventive concepts. For example, if desired, some electrical components of the described circuitry could be incorporated into the apparel, such as the shirt 10. The circuitry could be modified such that electrical continuity is assured between the apparel and each communications element requiring power to operate. Illustratively, metallic or other conductive snap fasteners could be used both for mechanical mounting of a communications element or of plural communications elements to an associated article of apparel, and also to complete electrical circuitry spanning the communications element or elements and the associated article of apparel.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.
Claims
1. In combination, an article of apparel and selectively removable associated communications elements, comprising
- an article of apparel having an outer surface and at least one first fastener disposed selectively to engage and release an object; and
- at least one communications element having at least one second fastener which is engageably compatible with the first fastener, wherein at least one of the at least one communications element is disposed to emit at least one of light and sound.
2. The combination of claim 1, wherein at least one said communications element is disposed to emit light at a plurality of selectively variably characteristics.
3. The combination of claim 2, wherein the communications element is disposed to emit light in intermittent pulses, and the selectively variable characteristics comprise frequency of pulses of emitted light.
4. The combination of claim 2, further comprising a manual controller disposed on one of the article of apparel and a said communications element, wherein the manual controller is disposed to control variation of the selectively variable characteristics of emission of light from the communications element.
5. The combination of claim 4, wherein the manual controller is a pushbutton.
6. The combination of claim 1, wherein the first fastener comprises a plurality of strips of hook and loop material disposed on the exterior surface of the article of apparel, and wherein each said strip of hook and loop material is spaced apart from every other strip of hook and loop material.
7. The combination of claim 2, wherein the communications element comprises an electrical power source and at least one light emitting diode connected to the electrical power source.
8. The combination of claim 1, wherein at least one said communications element is disposed to emit sound at a plurality of selectively variably characteristics.
9. The combination of claim 8, wherein the selectively variable characteristics comprise frequencies of emitted sounds.
10. The combination of claim 9, further comprising a manual controller disposed on one of the article of apparel and a said communications element, wherein the manual controller is disposed to control variation of the frequency of emitted sounds from the communications element.
11. The combination of claim 10, wherein the manual controller is a pushbutton.
12. In combination, an article of apparel and selectively removable associated communications elements, comprising
- an article of apparel having an outer surface and at least one first fastener disposed selectively to engage and release an object; and
- a plurality of communications elements each having at least one second fastener which is engageably compatible with the first fastener, wherein the communications elements are dimensioned and configured to be mountable simultaneously to the article of apparel.
13. The combination of claim 12, wherein each one of the communications elements is one of the group comprising letters, numbers, graphic representations of known objects, and conventional symbolic shapes.
14. The combination of claim 12, wherein the communications elements comprise a selection of letters which when appropriately ordered spell out words.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 13, 2009
Publication Date: Mar 11, 2010
Inventor: Natasha Lee (Sunland, CA)
Application Number: 12/618,593
International Classification: A41D 1/00 (20060101); A41D 27/08 (20060101);