HUNTING AND SPORTING SUIT

Abstract

A hunting and sporting garment includes a means of concealing a user's face comprising a hood, a face covering, means for attaching the face covering and the hood so as to form the concealing means, and means for storage of the face covering. The garment further includes a lower portion having a crotch opening between the leg portions thereof, extending from the waist in the front of the lower portion to the waist in the back of the lower portion wherein the crotch opening is capable of being closed by a closure means.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to hunting and sporting garments and more particularly to a hunting and sporting suit which facilitates the convenient covering of ones face and which further facilitates the safe performance of bodily waste functions without the necessity of removing the suit or a portion thereof.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a hunting and sporting garment which is equipped with a means for concealing a user's face comprising a hood, a face covering, means for attaching the face covering and the hood so as to form the concealing means, and means for storage of the face covering and hood when not in use. The garment further includes a crotch opening and closure means thereby enabling a wearer of the garment to conveniently and safely perform bodily waste functions without removing the garment or a portion thereof.

One-piece and two-piece suits, such as coveralls, snow-suits, etc. are commonly utilized by hunters, sportsmen and women, and other outdoorsmen and women so as to provide warmth and protection from the elements. Hunters commonly wear suits with a camouflage pattern so as to conceal themselves from the bird or animal which they are hunting. Suits intended to be used in cold weather are insulated and bulky, while suits intended to be used in warmer weather are lighter weight and more breathable, etc. Participants in outdoor sports such snow skiing and snow boarding, snowmobiling, motorcycling, fishing, etc. also utilize one-piece and two-piece suits.

Prior art hunting and sporting garments commonly incorporate means for covering and/or concealing the face of the wearer. This is desirable when performing hunting activities so as to further hide oneself from a bird or animal which is being hunted. Such face covering means also provide additional protection from the elements, such as protection from wind and/or blowing rain or snow.

Common face concealing means often comprise a separate garment, such as a face mask. The use of a separate garment is undesirable, as the face mask can be easily misplaced if removed while a hunting or sporting activity is being performed. Other common face concealing means comprise a face mask that permanently is attached to the hood or neck portion of the hunting or sporting garment. Such prior art face concealing means are undesirable because they are easily displaced from their ideal orientation with respect to a user's face, thereby causing a user's vision to be obscured and/or cannot be removed and easily stored when not in use.

Accordingly, there is a need for a means of covering/concealing ones face which may be removed from the face and positioned without obscuring the vision of the wearer and stored when not in use.

Additionally, outdoor sports normally take place in locations where access to formal restroom facilities is limited or non-existent, such as forests and other wooded areas, mountains, lakes, streams, rivers, open fields, etc. Further, such sports are commonly engaged in over relatively long time periods. Therefore, the need to relive oneself of bodily waste arises.

Difficulties in voiding bodily wastes are inherent in prior art hunting and sporting suits. Generally, such garments have a bottom portion, such as a pair of pants or similar article, generally having an opening at a seam, the seam transecting the bottom portion of the garment through the crotch from the waistband in the back of the bottom portion of the garment to the waistband in the front of the bottom portion of the garment. The opening is generally closeable by a closure means such as a zipper, a set of buttons, hook and loop means such as VELCRO®, or other suitable closure. The opening is typically located in the front of the transecting seam between the waistband and a point forward of the center point of the transecting seam.

The location of the opening in prior art hunting and sporting garments allows men to perform bodily waste functions, such as urination, without removing the garment or a portion thereof. However, the location of the opening is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and potentially hazardous when the performance of other bodily waste functions, such as defecation, are attempted by men without removing the garment, and wholly inconvenient, uncomfortable, and potentially hazardous when the performance of any bodily waste function is attempted by women without removing the garment.

In order for women to perform bodily waste functions while wearing prior art garments, or for men to perform certain bodily waste functions, it is necessary for the wearer to remove the garment or a portion thereof, substantially undressing the more private parts of the body. This is undesirable, especially in cold weather. It is further necessary for the wearer of the garment to assume an uncomfortable position in order to perform the necessary bodily function(s). The positions customarily chosen for performing such bodily functions may occasionally lead to accidents such as unwanted soiling of the garment, loss of balance, embarrassing falls, and injury.

Accordingly, there is a need for an opening and closure system for a hunting and sporting garment that allows a wearer of the garment to conveniently and safely perform bodily waste functions without significantly undressing and without being compelled to assume an inherently uncomfortable and dangerous position.

In accordance with the present invention, a garment for hunting and sporting activities comprises a face concealing means incorporated into an upper portion of the garment. The face concealing means includes a face mask for covering the face of the wearer of the garment. The face mask attaches to a hood portion of an upper portion of the garment by closure means that permits the face mask to be removed from the hood and stored in a pocket of the upper portion of the garment. The closure means may be a zipper, a set of buttons, a hook and loop means such as VELCRO®), etc. Further, the hood may be stored within the collar portion of the upper portion of the garment.

The present invention further comprises a bottom portion. A crotch seam transects the bottom portion from the waist band in the back of the bottom portion to the waist band in the front of the bottom portion. An opening conforms to the contour of the crotch seam from a point behind the center point of the transecting seam to a point located proximately to the waistband in the front of the bottom portion. The opening in the seam may be closed by various closure means such as a zipper, a set of buttons, hook and loop means such as VELCRO®, etc.

The upper portion of the garment may be separate from the lower portion of the garment or the upper and lower portions may be combined so as to form a unitary hunting and sporting garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the garment comprising the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back of an upper portion of the garment comprising the present invention showing storage of a hood;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the garment comprising the present invention showing storage of a face concealing means;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the garment comprising the present invention showing use of a face concealing means;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of an upper portion of the garment comprising the present invention showing use of an alternate face concealing means;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the garment comprising the present invention wherein a face concealing means is positioned so as to hang in front of the upper portion of the garment;

FIG. 7 is a frontal view of the lower portion of the garment of the present invention wherein an opening in a crotch seam of the garment is shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 3-6, a hood 11 of an upper portion 10 of a garment 1 of the present invention is shown attached to the upper portion 10. The hood 11 can be permanently attached to the upper portion 10 or it can be removably attached to the upper portion 10. Further, the hood can affixed to the upper portion 10 so as to allow storage within a collar portion 15 of the upper portion 10 as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3-4, a pocket 12 is shown on the front of the upper portion 10. The pocket 12 can be sewn onto the outside of the upper portion 10 or alternatively can be integrally disposed within the upper portion 10 so as to form a seamless pocket. The pocket 12 is configured so as to receive a face mask 13 portion of a face concealing means so as to store the face mask.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, a face concealing means comprising a face mask 13 is shown covering the face of the wearer. The face mask 13 can be permanently attached to the upper portion 10 or it can be removably attached to the upper portion 10. The face mask 13 attaches to the hood 11 of the upper portion 10 of the garment 1 via a closure means 14 so as to form the face concealing means. The closure means 14 may be a zipper, a set of buttons, a hook and loop means such as VELCRO®, a set of male/female snaps, a lace and eyelet means, etc. Further, the face mask 13 attaches to the upper portion 10 so as to allow it to be placed in the pocket 12 for storage when not in use, as shown in FIG. 3.

Alternatively, the face mask 13 can be allowed to hang freely in the front of the upper portion 10 of the garment 1. Referring to FIG. 6, the face mask 13 is displaced from the face of the wearer and is shown hanging from its point of attachment to the upper portion 10.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown the garment 1 of the present invention having a bottom portion 2 further comprising two leg portions 3 and a crotch opening 4 located between the leg portions 3 at a seam attaching the leg portions 3 to one another. The crotch opening 4 comprises a closure means 6 for closing the crotch opening 4. The closure means 6 may be a zipper, a set of buttons, a hook and loop means such as VELCRO®, a set of male/female snaps, a lace and eyelet means, etc. A waistband 7 defines the upper limit of the bottom portion 2. The bottom portion 2 can be attached to the upper portion 10 at the waistband 7, or the bottom portion 2 and upper portion 10 can be separate.

Referring to FIG. 7, utilization of the crotch opening 4 for the purpose of performing a bodily waste function is shown. The closure means 6 of the crotch opening 4 is shown in its open position. By utilizing the closure means 6, a user of the garment 1 can conveniently and safely perform necessary bodily waste functions without removing the garment 1 or the bottom portion thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-7, FIGS. 1 and 2 show typical utilization of the hunting and sporting suit of the present invention before a hunting or sporting activity is performed, for instance in a lodge, traveling in a vehicle, or when getting ready to perform a hunting or sporting activity. FIG. 3 shows typical utilization of the hunting and sporting suit of the present invention in situations where it is not necessary to fully cover or protect one's face, but where the user desires the additional protection of a hood, for instance on cooler days. FIGS. 4 and 5 show typical utilization of the hunting and sporting suit of the present invention during a hunting or sporting activity, specifically during situations where it is necessary to fully cover one's face to provide concealment from an animal or bird that is being hunted or to provide protection from the elements. FIG. 6 shows typical utilization of the hunting and sporting suit of the present invention after a hunting or sporting activity has been performed, for instance after an animal or bird has been harvested, during the retrieval and dressing of a harvested animal or bird, or after another sporting activity has been performed, but where it is not necessary or desirable to take the additional time to store the face mask in the pocket of the upper portion of the suit. Finally, FIG. 7 shows typical utilization of the hunting and sporting suit of the present invention during the performance of a bodily function, for instance if one is performing a hunting or sporting activity in a remote area without restroom facilities over a long time period.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Summary and Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A garment for outdoor sporting activities comprising:

an upper portion further comprising a hood attached to the upper portion, a face mask attached to the upper portion capable of forming a face concealing means upon attaching the face mask to the hood, a closure means whereby the face mask is attached to the hood, and a pocket located in the front of the upper portion for storage of the face mask when the face mask is not in use; and

a bottom portion further comprising two leg portions connected by a crotch seam which transects the bottom portion from a waist band at the back of the bottom portion to the waist band at the front of the bottom portion, an opening conforming to the contour of the crotch seam from a point behind the center point of the crotch seam to a point located proximately to the waistband in the front of the bottom portion, and a closure means for closing the opening in the crotch seam.

2. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the hood of the upper portion is removably attached to the upper portion.

3. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the hood is attached to the upper portion so as to be disposable within a collar portion of the upper portion.

4. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the pocket of the upper portion is sewn onto the outside of the upper portion.

5. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the pocket of the upper portion is integrally disposed within the upper portion so as to form a seamless pocket.

6. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the closure means of the upper portion is a zipper.

7. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the face mask of the upper portion is detachable from the hood so as to be disposable within the pocket of the upper portion.

8. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the face mask is removably attached to the upper portion.

9. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are attached.

10. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are not attached.

11. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the closure means of the bottom portion is a set of buttons.

12. A top garment for outdoor sporting activities comprising:

a hood attached to the garment;

a face mask attached to the garment capable of forming a face concealing means upon attaching the face mask to the hood;

a closure means whereby the face mask is attached to the hood; and

a pocket located in the front of the garment for storage of the face mask when the face mask is not in use.

13. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the hood is removably attached to the garment.

14. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the hood is attached to the garment so as to be disposable within a collar portion of the garment.

15. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the pocket is sewn onto the outside of the garment.

16. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the pocket is integrally disposed within the garment so as to form a seamless pocket.

17. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the closure means is a zipper.

16. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 11 wherein the face mask is detachable from the hood so as to be disposable within the pocket.

17. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 11 wherein the face mask is removably attached to the garment.

19. A bottom garment for outdoor sporting activities comprising:

two leg portions;

a crotch seam which connects the two leg portions;

a waist band, transected by the crotch seam from the back of the garment to the waist band at the front of the garment;

an opening conforming to the contour of the crotch seam from a point behind a center point of the crotch seam to a point located proximately to the waistband in the front of the bottom portion; and

a closure means for closing the opening in the crotch seam.

20. The bottom garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 19 wherein the closure means is a set of buttons.