STRAP ATTACHMENT FOR ATTACHING ITEMS TO GARMENTS

Abstract

A strap attachment for fastening an object to a baby garment may include an adornment for attaching to the baby garment; a strap extending from the adornment; a first fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first engageable part fixedly attached to the strap, and a second engageable part fixedly attached to the strap between the first end and the first part of the two engageable parts; and a second fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first engageable part of the second fastener fixedly attached to the garment at a location of the garment that is spatially separated from the adornment and from the first end of the strap, and a second engageable part of the second fastener attached to the strap at a location backing one of the first part of the first fastener and the second part of the first fastener.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a strap attachment for fastening items to a garment, particularly a strap attachment with a first decorative end attached to a baby garment or blanket, a second loose end with fasteners for attaching baby items, such as a pacifier, and a separate fastening arrangement on the baby garment separate from the decorative end for attaching the strap attachment in an adorning manner.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Garment strap attachments are provided for attaching items to garments. They are commonly used for attaching small items, such as a pacifier or small toys to baby garments. For example, a strap for attaching a baby item may be designed with a decorative end and a patterned strap. A problem of prior strap attachments for a baby garment is that when objects are not attached at the loose end of the strap attachment, the loose strap may detrimentally affect the appearance of the clothing.

SUMMARY

An objective of the present invention is to provide a garment strap attachment that is non-intrusive to, and enhances, the appearance of clothing. An objective for a clothing strap attachment is to enhance the appearance of the clothing through an arrangement that preserves its function as an object attacher and also allows for a pleasing appearance when items are not attached to the strap.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, a fastening device may include: an adornment attached to a garment; a strap extending from the adornment, a first end of the strap located one of at and substantially proximal to the adornment; a first fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap one of at and approximately at a second end of the strap that is opposite the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap between the first end and the first part of the two engageable parts, the strap forming a loop when the two parts are engaged in order to allow for attachment of an object to the strap; and a second fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener fixedly attached to the garment at a location of the garment that is spatially separated from the adornment and from the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener attached to the strap at a location backing one of the first part of the first fastener and the second part of the first fastener.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the object may be a pacifier and the device may further include a ring around which the loop loops, the ring fixedly attached to the pacifier.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the first fastener maybe a snap, where one of the parts of the snap is a male portion and the other part of the snap is a female portion into which the male part is inserted.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the second fastener may be a velcro fastener, one of the parts having velcro hooks, and the other part having a material into which the hooks are configured to hook.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, backing the part of the first fastener other than the one of the first part of the first fastener and the second part of the first fastener there may be an ornament.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the adornment has a flower design.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the first part of second fastener is fixed onto the garment at a location over which the strap extends when two parts of the second fastener are not engaged.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the adornment may be fixedly attached to the garment.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the adornment may be releasably attached to the garment, e.g., via a snap.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the second fastener may be a snap, where one of the parts of the snap is a male portion and the other part of the snap is a female portion into which the male part is inserted.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the first fastener may be a velcro fastener, one of the parts having velcro hooks, and the other part having a material into which the hooks are configured to hook.

The placement of the part of the second fastener at a location spatially separated from the adornment allows for fastening of the part of the strap at which the second part of the first fastener is attached to the garment without obstructing view of the adornment and in a manner that provides an appearance of a ribbon below the adornment. Further, its placement allows for hiding of any fastener part from view even when not engaged, since the strap may cover it.

Further, use of velcro allows for the fastener to be less visible without close inspection, since the material part of the velcro, which may be a mesh having a look similar to a weave of the garment, may be the part attached to the garment.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the object may be a toy and the device may further include a ring around which the loop loops, the ring fixedly attached to the toy.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, a combination may be provided where the first fastener is a snap to provide a secure engagement of the two parts of the fastener to ensure no loss of the object fastened to the garment via the fastening device and the second fastener is a velcro fastener, providing a small and discreet fastener footprint on the garment.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, the strap may be attached directly to the garment, e.g., via stitching or adhesive, such as a glue. The adornment may be directly attached to the garment, e.g., via stitching, such as through holes similar to those which often extend through garment buttons or via adhesive, such as glue. In a variant of this embodiment, a portion of the adornment may be directly attached to the garment and another portion may be attached to the garment via the strap, e.g., where the adornment has a greater footprint than the strap which may lie beneath a portion of the adornment. Alternatively, the adornment and/or the strap may be releasably attached to the garment, e.g., via a snap.

In an alternative example embodiment of the present invention, the strap may be directly connected to the adornment, without direct attachment of the strap to the garment, and the adornment may in turn be attached to the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a strap clothing attachment with a first end attached to a garment and with a second end fastened with a small item according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a strap clothing attachment with a first end attached to a garment and with a second end free of attached items and in an adorning arrangement according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an example embodiment of a strap in a fully released state and a separate engageable part on the garment for engaging another engageable part on the strap for attaching the loose end of the strap in a pleasing manner according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the two back-to-back fasteners at the end of the loose end of the strap according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example garment having a fastener in an ornamental ribbon position, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a fastener, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a strap clothing attachment with a first end attached to a garment and with a second end fastened with a small item according to an example embodiment of the present invention. An attachment for attaching small objects may include a strap 104 and may be attached to the garment 100 at a first end 102 of the strap 104. In an example embodiment, the first end 102 may be fixedly attached to the garment 100 at a location one of at and substantially proximal to an adornment, for example, such that the first end 102 is covered by adornments, e.g., patterns of flowers, animals or characters provided for decorative purposes. For example, the adornment may be directly fixed to the garment 100. In an alternative example embodiment, the first end 102 may be releasably attached to the garment 100, e.g., via a snap, at a location one of at and substantially proximal to the adornment, e.g., where the first end 102 is covered by adornment. The adornment may be attached on to the first end 102 of the strap 104 and/or directly fixed to the garment 100 substantially close to the first end 102 of the strap 104.

A first fastener may provide two releasably engagable parts 108, 112. A first part 112 of the two engageable parts may be fixedly attached to the strap 104 at or approximately at a second end of the strap 104 that is opposite to the first end 102 of the strap. A second part 108 of the two engageable parts may be fixedly attached to the strap between the first end 102 and the first part 112 of the two engageable parts where the strap 104 may form a loop when the two parts are engaged in order to allow for attachment of an object 114 to the strap attachment through the loop.

A second fastener may provide two releasably engagable parts 106, 110. FIG. 1 shows the parts in their unengaged condition according to an example embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 2 shows the parts in their engaged position according to an example embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the fastener with arrows indicating a manner of engaging the parts of the first fastener and a manner of engaging the parts of the second fastener according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

A first part 106 of the two engageable parts of the second fastener may be fixedly attached to the garment 100 at a location on the garment that is spatially separated from the adornment and from the first end 102 of the strap 104. In one preferred embodiment (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), the first part 106 may be located directly below the first end 102 with respect to a direction in which the strap 104 extends from the first end 102 such that, when the parts 106 and 110 are not engaged, e.g., when the second end is attached with an object of weight, the stretched strap 104 would cover the first part 106 of the two engageable parts of the second fastener. FIG. 5, which shows the strap 104 when the parts 106 and 110 are engaged, shows the part 106 positioned directly below the first end 102 in this manner. Upon release of the engageable parts 106 and 110, the strap 104 would realign downwards towards the bottom of the garment 100 so that the strap 104 would then cover the part 106.

The second part 110 of the two engageable parts of the second fastener may be attached to the strap 104 at a location backing either the first part 112 of the first fastener or the second part 108 of the first fastener. In an example embodiment of the present invention, backing the other of the first and second parts 112 and 108, there may be a further ornament, e.g., which may be in view when the parts 106 and 110 are engaged.

In a preferred example embodiment, the object to be fastened by the strap attachment to the garment 100 may be a pacifier 114. The strap attachment may further include a ring around which the loop loops, e.g., where the ring is fixedly attached to the pacifier.

In another example embodiment, the object to be fastened by the strap attachment to the garment 100 may be a toy. The strap attachment may further include a ring around which the loop loops, e.g., where the ring is fixedly attached to the toy.

In an example embodiment, the first fastener may be a snap, where one of the parts of the snap may be a male portion of the snap, and the other part of the snap may be a female portion into which the male part may be inserted. In a preferred embodiment, e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4b, the first part 112 of the first fastener is the female portion of the snap, and the second part 108 of the first fastener is the male portion of the snap.

In an example embodiment, the second fastener may be a Velcro fastener with one of the parts having Velcro hooks, and the other part having a material that receives the hooks. In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4a, the second part 110 of the second fastener is the hook portion of the Velcro fastener and the first part 106 of the second fastener is the material receiving the hooks of the second part 110 of the second fastener. Further, the use of a Velcro fastener as the second fastener may allow for the fastener to be less visible without close inspection, since the material part of the Velcro fastener, which may be a mesh having a look similar to a weave of the garment, may be the part attached to the garment.

In an embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the placement of the first part 106 of the second fastener at a location spatially separated from the adornment, may allow for fastening the strap 104, at a portion thereof at which the first and second parts 108, 112 of the first fastener may be attached, to the garment 100 without obstructing view of the adornment and in a manner that may provide an appearance of a ribbon below the adornment. Further, the placement of the second part 110 of the second fastener may be directly below the first end 102 of the strap 104 so that it may allow for hiding of any fastener part from view even when not engaged, since the strap 104 may cover it.

In a preferred example embodiment, a combination may be provided where the first fastener may be a snap to provide a secure engagement of the two parts of the fastener to ensure no loss of the object fastened to the garment 100 via the strap attachment and the second fastener may be a Velcro fastener, providing a small and discreet fastener footprint on the garment 100.

In an example embodiment the strap 104 may be attached directly to the garment 100, e.g., via stitching or adhesive, such as a glue at the first end 102. The adornment may be directly attached to the garment, e.g., via stitching, such as through holes similar to those which often extend through garment buttons or via adhesive, such as glue, e.g., with all or a substantial portion of the adhesive being on top of the first end 102 of the strap 104. Alternatively, the adornment and/or the strap 104 may be releasably attached to the garment, e.g., via a snap so that different adornments may be conveniently exchanged.

In yet an alternative example embodiment, the strap 104 may be directly connected to the adornment, without direct attachment of the strap 104 to the garment 100 at the end 102, and the adornment may in turn be attached to the garment 100 so that the strap 104 may be a self-contained unit that may be used in different baby garments.

A non-exclusive list of exemplary garments for which the strap attachment may be implemented includes blankets, bibs, undergarments, t-shirts, sweatshirts, shirts, pants, coats, dresses, or any other apparel, vestment, or cloth item.

Those skilled in the art can appreciate from the foregoing description that the present invention may be implemented in a variety of forms, and that the various embodiments may be implemented alone or in combination. Therefore, while the embodiments of the present invention have been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the embodiments and/or methods of the present invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, and following claims.

Claims

1. A strap attachment for fastening an object to a garment, comprising:

an adornment configured for attachment to the garment;

a strap extending from the adornment, a first end of the strap located one of at and substantially proximal to the adornment;

a first fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap one of at and approximately at a second end of the strap that is opposite the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap between the first end and the first part of the two engageable parts, the strap forming a loop when the two parts are engaged in order to allow for attachment of the object to the strap; and

a second fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener fixedly attached to the garment at a location of the garment that is spatially separated from the adornment and from the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener attached to the strap at a location backing one of the first part of the first fastener and the second part of the first fastener.

2. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the object is a pacifier and the device further includes a ring around which the loop loops, the ring fixedly attached to the pacifier.

3. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the object is a toy and the device further includes a ring around which the loop loops, the ring fixedly attached to the toy.

4. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the first fastener is a snap, one of the parts of the snap is a male portion, and the other part of the snap is a female portion into which the male part is inserted.

5. The strap attachment of claim 4, wherein the second fastener is a Velcro fastener, one of the parts having Velcro hooks, and the other part having a material into which the hooks are configured to hook.

6. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the second fastener is a Velcro fastener, one of the parts having Velcro hooks, and the other part having a material into which the hooks are configured to hook.

7. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein backing the part of the first fastener other than the one of the first part of the first fastener and the second part of the first fastener is an ornament.

8. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the adornment has a flower design.

9. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the first part of second fastener is fixed onto the garment at a location over which the strap extends when the two parts of the second fastener are not engaged.

10. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the adornment is fixedly attached to the garment.

11. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the adornment is releasably attached to the garment.

12. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the adornment includes a snap for the releasable attachment of the adornment to the garment.

13. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the second fastener is a snap, one of the parts of the snap is a male portion, and the other part of the snap is a female portion into which the male part is inserted.

14. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the first fastener is a Velcro fastener, one of the parts having Velcro hooks, and the other part having a material into which the hooks are configured to hook.

15. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the placement of the part of the second fastener at a location spatially separated from the adornment allows for fastening of the part of the strap at which the second part of the first fastener is attached to the garment without obstructing view of the adornment and in a manner that provides an appearance of a ribbon below the adornment.

16. The strap attachment of claim 15, wherein the placement of the part of the second fastener at a location spatially separated from the adornment allows for hiding of any fastener part from view even when not engaged.

17. The strap attachment of claim 16, wherein the strap extends over the first part of the second fastener when the first and second parts of the second fastener are not engaged.

18. The strap attachment of claim 1, wherein the garment is a baby garment.

19. A garment, comprising:

a strap attachment for fastening an object to the garment, the strap attachment comprising: an adornment configured for attachment to the garment; a strap extending from the adornment, a first end of the strap located one of at and substantially proximal to the adornment; a first fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap one of at and approximately at a second end of the strap that is opposite the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap between the first end and the first part of the two engageable parts, the strap forming a loop when the two parts are engaged in order to allow for attachment of the object to the strap; and a second fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener fixedly attached to the garment at a location of the garment that is spatially separated from the adornment and from the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener attached to the strap at a location backing one of the first part of the first fastener and the second part of the first fastener.

20. A fastening device comprising:

an adornment attached to a garment;

a strap extending from the adornment, a first end of the strap located one of at and substantially proximal to the adornment;

a first fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap one of at and approximately at a second end of the strap that is opposite the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts fixedly attached to the strap between the first end and the first part of the two engageable parts, the strap forming a loop when the two parts are engaged in order to allow for attachment of an object to the strap; and

a second fastener including two releasably engagable parts, a first one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener fixedly attached to the garment at a location of the garment that is spatially separated from the adornment and from the first end of the strap, and a second one of the two engageable parts of the second fastener attached to the strap at a location backing one of the first part of the first fastener and the second part of the first fastener.