Special tattoo display shirt

An apparel device called a Special Tattoo Display Shirt. The device provides unique features and combinations of features that are specifically use to display tattoos for individuals. The Special Tattoo Display Shirt may be used with shoulder tattoos, lower back tattoos and other tattoos for individuals that have a desire to display or “show case” the artwork with unique yet tasteful clothing. The new device presents a simple manner or means for that individual to display their tattoo artwork that may often be covered and hidden by other conventional apparel.

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Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/001,793 filed Nov. 2, 2007 by Gary J. Norris and Neeva K. Norris and entitled Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a Special Tattoo Display Shirt. Particularly this new Special Tattoo Display Shirt is related to devices and methods to permit a person to display or show their tattoos with a conventional shirt or garment that has an aperture or opening over the respective tattoo. This Special Tattoo Display Shirt is a new and unique feature to add to various clothing garments and apparel that provide an effective, practical and economical way to display and “show” the tattoo of the individual. The preferred and alternative embodiments are described below.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

In the apparel industry, statistics show that there are diverse and expanding markets for various garments which have unique features “built-in”. Designer jeans, tops and jackets with distinct and unique features garner significant market position. These industry indicators show the apparel industry as one of the fastest growing sub sectors in the entire U.S. economy.

A. Introduction of the Problems Addressed

In this industry, there are many designs for apparel. This is a crowded industry with “fads” that come to be popular quickly, then fade away. The new Special Tattoo Display shirt differs from other apparel in that it complements tattoos. Tattoos have historically been around for centuries, however methods to display them with apparel have not. The features provided by the Norris invention address this shortcoming of other apparel by providing a simple, yet most way to display one or more tattoos. It is believed that this shirt device is made with improved configurations and physical features to provide more functionality when compared to other currently utilized shirts and apparel for use with tattoos. The particular combinations of materials and features are unique and novel and are not anticipated by prior art. Likewise, use of a Special Tattoo Display Shirt provides significant benefits compared to prior art devices.

B. Prior Art

The historical technology focused mainly on garment devices that showcased tattoos with other means than a plain, uncovered aperture as seen with the Special Tattoo Display Shirt. Examples of prior display devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,542 issued to Simmons (1996) and entitled “Tattoo-like effect apparel”. This invention teaches a garment made of a material which is opaque when dry and substantially translucent when wet for displaying, when in a wet state, tattoo-like effects of a second opaque material. The garment may include panels under or over an outer shell of the opaque/translucent material for providing tattoo-like designs. No anticipation of uncovered apertures or openings is taught. The apparel creates special fabrics which also increase the cost of the manufactured apparel. Further, the new Norris invention displays the tattoo whether the garment is wet or dry.

A further and more recent example of a tattoo display garment is shown by Danzy in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,476 (1999) and entitled “Article of clothing including at least one transparent patch”. This teaches a line of clothing having at least one through hole. Secured to the through hole is a transparent material. This transparent material can be either clear, colorized, or include magnification properties, for providing a final product which can be customized by the needs and desires of the wearer. The use of transparent material provides a final product which will show case and accentuate tattoos located on an individual. The Norris device removes the need for a transparent device over the aperture. It highlights the tattoo without causing the additional expense of the transparent or translucent patch or the secondary operation of attaching the additional part.

As far as known, there is no other Special Tattoo Display Shirt at the present time which fully provides these improvements and functional characteristics as the present Special Tattoo Display Shirt. It is believed that this device is made with physical features to provide more unique functionality when compared to other currently utilized designer shirts and other apparel for displaying tattoos.

The particular combinations of materials and features are unique and novel and are not anticipated by prior art. Likewise, use of a Special Tattoo Display Shirt provides significant benefits compared to prior art apparel devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A Special Tattoo Display Shirt has been developed and designed to provide a unique feature and combination that is specifically related to displaying tattoos for persons and individuals. The Special Tattoo Display Shirt may be used with shoulder tattoos, lower back tattoos and other tattoos for individuals that have a desire to display or “show” the artwork with unique yet tasteful clothing. The new device presents a simple manner or means for that individual to modestly and tastefully display their tattoo artwork that may often be covered by other conventional apparel. The device or apparel is made of high quality materials.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt is comprised of a unique combination of an apparel device such as a shirt, blouse, sweatshirt or other means of a top coupled with special features, such as apertures or cut-a-ways that may display the tattoos. These may be for shoulder tattoos, lower waist tattoos, or both.

Objects and Advantages

There are several objects and advantages of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt. There are currently no known shirt or apparel “top” devices that are effective at providing the objects of this invention.

The following TABLE A summarizes various advantages and objects of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt. This list is exemplary and not limiting to the many advantages offered by this new device.

TABLE A Various Benefits, Advantages and Objects This device: ITEM BENEFIT 1. Tastefully displays tattoos and the like. 2. Provides a means to merge the tattoo display with traditional clothing. 3. Is safe and made of common apparel materials. 4. Requires no new processes for manufacture. 5. Is adaptable to various sizes (Small, Medium, Large and extra Large . . . and Plus sizes) and low to high volume productions. 6. Is easy to package. 7. Can be sold and distributed retail, wholesale, or E- commerce internet sales from a website. 8. Is easy to transport.

Noteworthy to one is that other advantages and additional features of the present Special Tattoo Display Shirt will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the full description of the device. For one skilled in the art of clothing and apparel, it is readily understood that the features shown in the examples with this device are readily adapted for improvement to other types of devices for use with apparel and clothing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS—FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a preferred and alternative embodiments for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt. The drawings together with the summary description given above and a detailed description given below serve to explain the principles of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt. It is understood, however, that the device is not limited to only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches that depict the general preferred embodiment for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

FIGS. 2A through 2G are sketches that show details and features of the preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

FIGS. 3A through 3F are additional sketches that show additional types and exemplary configurations of apertures for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are sketches that show a prototype of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt with its unique features.

FIGS. 5A through 5E are sketches that show the types of tattoos targeted to be displayed by the Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

The following list refers to the drawings:

Ref # Description 30 General tattoo display garment/apparel 31 General view of front of garment/apparel 32 General view of back of garment/apparel 33 Aperture to reveal/display right shoulder blade tattoo 34 Recessed scoop to reveal/display waist tattoo 35 Aperture to reveal/display left shoulder blade tattoo 40 Circle or oval aperture 41 Polygon aperture 42 Trapezoid aperture 43 Star burst aperture 44 Triangle aperture 60 Prototype garment 70 Waist tattoo 71 Right shoulder tattoo 72 Left shoulder tattoo

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention presented is a Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. Particularly the preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is related to devices and methods that provide a unique combination which has been specifically configured to show or display the tattoo of an individual. The preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is comprised of a unique combination of an apparel device such as a shirt or top coupled with special features, such as apertures or cut-a-ways 33, 34, 35 that may display the tattoos.

There is shown in FIGS. 1-5 a complete details of the concept and an operative embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. In the drawings and illustrations, one notes well that the FIGS. 1-4 detail the special configuration and FIG. 5 shows the potential operative use of this invention.

The advantages for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt are listed above in the introduction. Succinctly the benefits are the device:

    • 1. Tastefully displays tattoos and the like.
    • 2. Provides a means to merge the tattoo display with traditional clothing.
    • 3. Is safe and made common apparel materials.
    • 4. Requires no new processes for manufacture.
    • 5. Is adaptable to various sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) and low to high volume productions.
    • 6. Is easy to package.
    • 7. Can be sold and distributed retail, wholesale, or E-commerce internet sales from a website.
    • 8. Is easy to transport.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is comprised of unique combination of an apparel device such as a shirt or top coupled with special features, such as apertures or cut-a-ways that may display the tattoos.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. The drawings together with the summary description given above and a detailed description given below serve to explain the principles of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. It is understood, however, that the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is not limited to only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches that depict the generally preferred embodiment for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. The front view 31 and the rear view 32 are both shown in the sketches. Details are shown below.

FIGS. 2A through 2G are sketches that show details and features of the preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. FIG. 2A demonstrates a plain garment without unique features. FIGS. 2B through 2G show various positions and quantities of the shoulder blade apertures 33, 35 to reveal and show a left, right, or both shoulder tattoo(s). The placements of these apertures correspond to the location of the tattoo on the person's body. The recessed scoop 34 on the rear side of the apparel is contiguous to the lower back of a person and serves to reveal and show a waist tattoo—sometimes colloquially called a “skank” tattoo. The apertures 33 and the scoop 34 are without any added covering or material. These are simply created by a removal of material or a scoop cut in the shirt. The edges of the openings 33 and scoop 34 may be then be hemmed or treated with an anti-fray material that is commonly used with the respective fabrics of the shirt 30. The fabric of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is made of common apparel materials. These include natural and man-made materials. These include cotton, rayon, silk, polyester, and a plethora of man-made composite materials. These are illustrative materials and not limiting to the scope and spirit of the materials used with the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30.

FIGS. 3A through 3F are sketches that show additional types of apertures for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. FIG. 3A shows a general, undefined aperture to show or demonstrate a shoulder tattoo. FIG. 3B shows generally a circle or oval (elliptical space) aperture 40 including a circle as an aperture. FIG. 3C shows generally an aperture as a regular polygon 41 such as an hexagon or octagon or equal. FIG. 3D shows an irregular-sided polygon known as a trapezoid and FIG. 3E shows a starburst. Finally, as an example and not as a limitation FIG. 3F shows and demonstrates a triangle to form the aperture.

FIG. 4A through 4C demonstrate sketches of prototypes and directions to consider. The general prototype garment 60 is shown in the views with the aperture 33 and the waist configuration 34. Either way, the detailed data for the whole configuration has been shown approximately in the specification and accompanying drawings. A person well skilled in the art will realize both the uniqueness and common features for this new Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30.

FIGS. 5A through 5E are sketches that show the types of tattoos targeted to be displayed by the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 and are discussed in the Operations section, below.

All of the details mentioned here are exemplary and not limiting. Other components specific to describing a Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 may be added as a person having ordinary skill in the clothing and apparel devices well appreciates.

Operation of the Preferred Embodiment

The preferred embodiment for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 has been described in the above paragraphs. The manner of how the device operates is described below. One skilled in the art of clothing and apparel will note that the description above and the operation described here must be taken together to fully illustrate the concept of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is comprised of a unique combination of an apparel device such as a shirt or top coupled with special features, such as apertures or cut-a-ways 33, 34, 35 that may display the tattoos.

FIGS. 5A through 5E are sketches that show the types of tattoos targeted to be displayed by the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. These are examples of how to use the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. FIGS. 5A through 5C show waist tattoos that may be revealed and shown with the unique garment 30 by the recessed scoop feature 34. FIGS. 5D and 5E show shoulder tattoos that may be revealed and shown with the unique garment 30 by the left or right shoulder blade apertures 33, 35.

With the above description it is to be understood that the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is not to be limited to only the disclosed embodiment. The features of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the description.

Claims

1. A Special Tattoo Display Shirt comprised of wherein the features of the special apparel device may be used to display tattoos on various locations of the person's body in a modest and tasteful manner.

(a) an apparel device for use by a person, the apparel Device made of a quality material; and
(b) the apparel having one or more features

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the apparel device is a top.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein the top is a shirt.

4. The device according to claim 2 wherein the top is a blouse.

5. The device according to claim 2 wherein the top is a sweatshirt.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the feature is a scoop of removed material on a portion of the device that is contiguous with the back of the person wherein the scoop permits the display of a lower back tattoo.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein the features are a scoop and one or more apertures in the material wherein the aperture are in a special place on the apparel.

8. The device according to claim 1 wherein the feature is one or more apertures in a place on the apparel device that corresponds to a location of a tattoo on the body of the person.

9. The device according to claim 8 wherein the location of the tattoo is on the left shoulder blade.

10. The device according to claim 8 wherein the location of the tattoo is on the right shoulder blade.

11. The device according to claim 8 wherein the location of the tattoo is on both the left and right shoulder blades.

12. The device according to claim 1 wherein the feature is an aperture in the material that is of a special configuration.

13. The device according to claim 12 wherein the configuration is an ellipse.

14. The device according to claim 13 wherein the ellipse is a circle.

15. The device according to claim 12 wherein the configuration is a regular polygon.

16. The device according to claim 7 wherein the configuration is an irregular polygon.

Patent History
Publication number: 20090113597
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 1, 2008
Publication Date: May 7, 2009
Inventors: Gary J. Norris (Anderson, IN), Neeva K. Norris (Anderson, IN)
Application Number: 12/290,625
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Body Garments (2/69); General Structure (2/243.1)
International Classification: A41D 1/00 (20060101); A41D 27/00 (20060101);