Garment for identifying location on body of the garment wearer

Abstract

The present invention discloses a garment having printed thereon a figure comprising uniquely identifiable regions that when worn permit the wearer to identify for a third party a particular location on the wearer's body.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of garments, and more particularly relates to a garment worn to enable the wearer to convey to a second party a specific location on the wearer's body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many instances in which it would be useful for a person to identify a precise location on his body for a second party.

For example, scratching an itch is a very common task in everyday life. It can be especially difficult, however, for a person to scratch his or her own itch when the location of the itch is in a hard-to-reach spot such as the back. Presently, absent a device such as a scratching stick, a person with an itch in a hard-to-reach location must ask a second party to scratch the itch. This, in turn, requires orienting the second-party-scratcher by using a series of directions, which are often being misunderstood by the second party. For example, these instructions might include “Could you scratch lower? To the left . . . No, the other left. Now, down lower. To the right. No, no . . . Too far! Back to the left.” This situation may arise for people in normal health and dexterity or for people with limited flexibility, such as those having spinal injuries that prevent them from bending or twisting to any significant degree.

Similarly, in the medical field, it would be helpful if a patient were able to identify a specific location on her body for the medical worker trying to assister her.

Thus, there is a need for an object that assists a person in precisely identifying a location on the person's own body for a second party.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a garment having printed thereon a figure comprising uniquely identifiable regions that when worn permit the wearer to identify for a third party a particular location on the wearer's body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a figure that would appear on part of the body to be scratched.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a figure that would appear on the part of the body viewed by the wearer of the garment for locating the part of the body requiring scratching.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the location of an inverted grid, where the garment is a T-shirt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention 10 comprises a garment 15 displaying thereon a FIG. 20 comprised of a multiplicity of uniquely identifiable regions 26. When garment 15 is worn, FIG. 20 is located over a portion of the body that is not easily viewed or reached by the wearer. Such location may be the back, but also can be any other location of the body that an individual cannot view or reach. The location may be one that is easily viewable and/or reachable by someone of normal health and dexterity but not easily viewable and/or reachable by someone of having limited dexterity due to, for example, age, injury, or disease. Uniquely identifiable regions 26 of garment 15 of the invention enable the wearer to identify for a third party a spot on a portion of the wearer's body. The figure discussed in this paragraph is hereinafter referred to as the “first figure.”

In a preferred embodiment, garment 15 further displays a second FIG. 30 also comprised of a multiplicity of uniquely identifiable regions 36 such that there is a one-to-one correspondence between each uniquely identifiable region 36 on second FIG. 30 and a corresponding uniquely identifiable region 26 on first FIG. 20. Second FIG. 30 can be the same size as first FIG. 20 (or mirror image thereof) or a different size (preferably smaller) and is located so as to be easily viewable by the wearer. In a preferred embodiment second FIG. 30 is a miniaturized copy of first FIG. 20 (or mirror image thereof). When second FIG. 30 is a miniaturized copy of first FIG. 20 its orientation is preferably inverted (i.e., rotated 180 degrees about its center) relative to first FIG. 20. When second FIG. 30 is a miniaturized copy of the mirror image of first FIG. 20, it is preferably in the same orientation as first FIG. 20.

The one-to-one correspondence between the uniquely identifiable regions of the first and second figures enables the wearer of garment 15 to use second FIG. 30 to identify for another person a particular location of the wearer's body under first FIG. 20.

The garment of the present invention may be one worn on any part of the body. The present invention may be practiced using any number of garments, including, but not limited to, long- and short-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, sleeveless shirts, robes, pants, shorts, pajamas, socks, and hospital gowns. In the preferred embodiment, the material of which the garment is made is such that the wearer can feel the touch of another person through the fabric.

The uniquely identifiable regions of the figures of the present invention may approximate a perfect square or rectangle, or they may be non-rectangular shapes, such as outlines of animals or other objects. The figures must be such that each region is uniquely identified, for instance, by column and row, or by having associated with it a unique designator or combination of unique designators. The designators may be, for example, shapes, letters, numbers, unique symbols, or colors. Each region may be uniquely identifiable by a single designator (e.g., number) or a combination of two or more designators (e.g., number and color). For example, a color designation may simply be a colored region, or each region may contain a symbol that is colored. The designator need not be located on or in the region. For example, where the figure is a grid of rows and columns, the unique designator may be the identity of the row and column in which the region resides.

The figures and designators may be placed in or on the garment using any suitable means, many of which are know to those skilled in the art. They may be sewn into the garment or printed thereon (e.g., by silk screening).

In a preferred embodiment, the figures comprise grids of rows and columns (which may be straight or curved). In one embodiment each uniquely identifiable region is defined by the row and column in which it resides. Each column and row may be uniquely identified by a unique designator appearing in a single region of the column and row, respectively, or in every region of the column and row. In another embodiment, each uniquely identifiable region is uniquely characterized by a designator or combination of designators that is different from the designator or combination of designators of every other region. For instance, each column may be represented by a different color and each row by a different symbol. Each region would then be uniquely characterized by the color and symbol associated with it.

As further examples, the columns and rows may be designated by a set of unique symbols, such that each column and row is designated by a single unique symbol. For instance, each column could be represented by a different letter, and each row could be represented by a different animal shape. Alternatively, each column could be represented by a letter, and each row could be represented by a number. Alternatively, each column could be represented by a letter, and each row could contain a set of numbers such that no number is repeated in a single column. Or, each region may be designated by a unique symbol (e.g., letter or number).

The size of the grid and number of rows and columns defining regions in the grid will be determined by the intended use of the grid. For instance, if the grid is placed on the back of a T-shirt for locating a spot that requires scratching, the grid size would reflect the need to divide the back into a suitable number of locations. However, if the grid is used to locate a portion of the foot or back to be massaged, the grid size would need to be adjusted to accomplish those purposes.

In the preferred embodiment, the garment is a short-sleeved T-shirt, which can be used, for example, to locate a spot on the garment wearer's back requiring scratching. In this embodiment the figures are grids, the first FIG. 20 located on the back of the T-shirt and covering a substantial portion of the back and the second FIG. 30 a miniaturized copy of the first FIG. 20 located in an easily viewed area of the front of the T-shirt and oriented upside-down relative to the first FIG. 20. Preferably, the grid's columns are designated by unique letters, and each row consists of a series of unique numbers. Preferably, each region of the top row is characterized by one of the letters of the word “TROPICS,” and each region in each row thereunder is designated by a number, such that no number is repeated in a single row. In this preferred embodiment, the grids allow the wearer to communicate by letter and number the location of a portion of the body that requires scratching to a second party who can then scratch the appropriate location.

In another embodiment, the grids are placed on the top (second figure) and bottom (first figure) of each of a pair of socks, allowing the wearer to view the grid on the top of the foot, and a second party to view the grid on the bottom. In this embodiment, the wearer can communicate the location on the foot requiring massaging to the second party massager.

In another embodiment of the current invention, the first FIG. 20 (preferably a grid) is display upon the back of a hospital gown and the second FIG. 30 on the front, allowing a patient to communicate quickly to the doctor the location of pain, where the pain is in a location that the patient cannot see directly.

In another aspect of the current invention, the second FIG. 30 is displayed on a card (which can be, for example, garment-shaped). As used herein, the “card” can be any separate piece of material on which the second FIG. 30 is displayable, such as a piece of paper or cardboard, a piece of metal or fabric, etc. In this embodiment, the grid may be used to locate a portion of the body which the viewer cannot see on his or her own body in order to communicate the location to another person. For instance, a person wishing to get a tattoo on his or her back could use the grid embedded on a shirt-shaped drawing to communicate the location on which he or she wishes to have the tattoo placed. Alternatively, such an embodiment could be used by a masseur and his client, such that the client can quickly indicate a location on his or her body which requires massaging. In this aspect, the invention comprises a kit comprising a garment with a first FIG. 20 and a card with a second FIG. 30.

Claims

1. A garment useful for identifying a location on the body that is not easily reachable and/or viewable by the wearer, the garment comprising:

(a) a first figure located on a portion of the garment that, when the garment is worn, covers the location on the body that is not easily reachable and/or viewable by a wearer of the garment,

(b) a second figure substantially the same as the first figure or mirror image thereof but of smaller size with respect to the first figure and located on the garment such that it is easily viewable by the wearer of the garment;

wherein said figures comprise a multiplicity of uniquely identifiable regions, each region being uniquely characterized by one designator or by a combination of two or more designators, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the uniquely identifiable regions of the first figure and the uniquely identifiable regions of the second figure.

2. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the garment is a shirt and the first figure is located on the back of the shirt and the second figure is located on the front of the shirt.

3. The garment according to claim 2 wherein the second figure is substantially identical to the first figure and inverted with respect to the orientation of the first figure.

4. The garment according to claim 3 wherein the first figure comprises a grid of rows and columns.

5. The garment according to claim 4 wherein each region of only one row and/or column has associated therewith a unique designator.

6. The garment according to claim 4 wherein each region of one row and one column has associated therewith a unique designator.

7. The garment according to claim 4 wherein the designators are selected from colors and symbols.

8. The garment according to claim 7 wherein the symbols are numbers and/or letters.

9. A kit useful for identifying a location on the body that is not easily reachable and/or viewable by the wearer, the kit comprising:

(a) a garment having a first figure located on a portion of the garment that, when the garment is worn, covers the location on the body that is not easily reachable and/or viewable by a wearer of the garment, and

(b) a card having second figure substantially the same as the first figure;

wherein said figures comprise a multiplicity of uniquely identifiable regions, each region being uniquely characterized by one designator or by a combination of two or more designators, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the uniquely identifiable regions of the first figure and the uniquely identifiable regions of the second figure.

10. The garment according to claim 9 wherein the garment is a shirt and the first figure is located on the back of the shirt.

11. The garment according to claim 9 wherein the first figure comprises a grid of rows and columns.

12. The garment according to claim 11 wherein each region of only one row and/or column has associated therewith a unique designator.

13. The garment according to claim 11 wherein each region of one row and one column has associated therewith a unique designator.

14. The garment according to claim 11 wherein the designators are selected from colors and symbols.

15. The garment according to claim 14 wherein the symbols are numbers and/or letters.