ADAPTABLE COAT

Abstract

An adaptable coat or coat insert with three different modes of use: the first allows the coat to be worn by a pregnant woman, the second allows the wearer of the coat to carry an infant secured to the chest, and the third allows the coat to be worn as a standard coat by a non-pregnant person.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to an adaptable coat with three different modes of use: the first allows it to be worn by a pregnant woman, the second allows the wearer to carry an infant secured to the chest, and the third allows it to be worn as a standard coat by a non-pregnant person.

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy, and child-rearing following the birth of an infant, can place extraordinary demands on parents and other caregivers. Some of these demands can be mitigated by the use of specialized equipment and clothing, but because of the transitory nature of these states such specialized items tend to be used for only a short period of time. Pregnancy produces rapid and dramatic changes in the shape of a woman's body, often requiring specialized maternity clothing to be worn for a period of several weeks but rendering it ill-fitting once the woman is no longer pregnant. Similarly, specialized equipment and apparel exists designed to help carry an infant, but such items are often only usable for a period of months before the infant outgrows them. Additionally, the user of such an infant carrier often has to choose between purchasing one that exposes the infant to the elements but allows the user to wear a standard coat, and one that protects the infant inside the coat but renders the coat unwearable while not carrying an infant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a coat with an insert worn with the narrow end of the insert on top, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coat and insert of FIG. 1 where the coat front seam is open and the insert is shown with its narrow end at the top.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the insert of FIG. 1 with the wide end at the top, showing the drawstring.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the coat and insert of FIG. 1 showing the insert with its wide end at the top and with its edges partially fastened to the coat seam edges, leaving the top portion of the insert above the drawstring detached from the coat.

FIG. 5 is a view of the coat with insert of FIG. 1 being worn, with the insert worn with its narrow end on top.

FIG. 6 is a view of the coat with insert of FIG. 1 being worn, with the insert worn with its wide end on top and its upper portion detached from the coat, allowing a carried infant freedom of movement.

FIG. 7 is a view of the coat of FIG. 1 being worn without the insert.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A coat with an insert forms one aspect of the invention. The coat comprises an upper body garment with a substantially vertical front seam, and fastening means for closing the front seam. The insert has a left and a right edge with fastening means adapted to fasten to the coat seam edges.

According to another aspect of the invention, the insert has a wide and a narrow end.

According to another aspect of the invention, the coat can be worn with the insert fastened to the coat seam edges with the insert's narrow end at the top.

According to another aspect of the invention, the coat can be worn with the insert fastened to the coat seam edges with the insert's wide end at the top.

According to another aspect of the invention, the coat can be worn without the insert.

According to another aspect of the invention, the fastening means comprise zippers.

According to another aspect of the invention, the coat and insert are adapted to enable the wearer to carry a bundle against the torso when the wide end of the insert is worn at the top.

According to another aspect of the invention, the bundle so carried is an infant.

According to another aspect of the invention, the fastening means can be partially detached, allowing the upper portion of the insert to fold away from the body when carrying an infant.

According to another aspect of the invention, the insert further comprises a means for making itself wider or narrower.

According to another aspect of the invention, this means comprises a drawstring.

According to another aspect of the invention, the invention comprises only an insert as described above.

Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the appended claims and upon review of the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention consists of an adaptable coat designed to be worn by a pregnant woman or a non-pregnant person, with or without an infant carried on the chest.

In one embodiment, the invention comprises a coat 2, or other upper-body outerwear garment, and a fabric insert 4. The coat 2 has an open vertical seam in front that can be closed by fastening the left 14 and right 16 edges of the seam to each other using a fastening means 18, such as a zipper. The insert 4 comprises a strip of fabric with a narrow end 8 and a wide end 6, having fastening means 18 on its left 10 and right 12 edges allowing it to fasten to the edges 14,16 of the coat seam with either the wide end 6 or the narrow end 8 at the top.

When the insert 4 is fastened to the coat seam with the wide end 6 at the top, the total circumference of the coat 2 around the wearer's torso is widened in the upper torso region, around the chest and upper back. This allows the wearer to carry a bundle, such as an infant 26, riding against the chest and supported inside the coat 2.

When the insert 4 is fastened to the coat seam with the wide end 6 at the bottom, the total circumference of the coat 2 around the wearer's torso is widened in the lower torso region, around the abdomen and lower back. This allows the coat 2 to be worn by someone with a distended abdomen, such as a pregnant woman.

This embodiment of the invention includes a horizontal drawstring 20 sewn into the insert 4 approximately one-third of the length of the insert 4 from the wide end 6. The drawstring 20 runs from the left edge 10 and the right edge 12 of the insert 4 through a housing 21 sewn into the insert 4, and emerges through a pair of eyelets 22 sewn into the insert 4, allowing the wearer to adjust it. This drawstring 20 is located on the outside surface of the insert 4 when it is worn with the wide end 6 at the top. Thus, when worn with the wide end 6 up, the width of the insert 4 can be easily adjusted to provide the required amount of snugness and support for a carried infant 26. The drawstring 20 may also be attached securely to the edges of the insert 10,12, providing additional support for an infant 26 being carried inside the coat. The drawstring 20 may be concealed, but still accessible, if the top portion of the insert 4 is detached from the seam edges 14,16 by partially unzipping the zipper; this also lowers the level at which the top of the insert 4 covers the chest, allowing a carried infant 26 free movement of its head, chest and arms. The drawstring 20 may additionally be used to adjust the snugness of the coat 2 over the abdomen when the insert 4 is worn in with the narrow end 8 on top; in this case, the drawstring 20 may be adjusted before closing the coat 2 or by reaching up underneath the insert 4 when the coat 2 is closed.

The coat 2 may also be worn without the insert. The seam edges 14,16 may be fastened to each other using the fastening means, thereby closing the front seam of the coat.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises only the insert 4 as described above. The insert 4 may be used in conjunction with any coat or other garment that has a vertical front seam with compatible fastening means 18.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a front view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention as a coat 2 with an insert 4 worn with the narrow end 8 of the insert 4 on top. The right insert edge 12 is fastened to the right coat seam edge 16 by the fastening means 18, shown here as a zipper, and the left insert edge 10 is fastened to the left coat seam edge 14 by the fastening means 18. This configuration allows the invention to be worn so as to accommodate abdominal distension, such as that accompanying pregnancy, as illustrated by FIG. 5. (Note that the stitching of the drawstring housing 21 is also visible in FIG. 5, even though the drawstring 20 is only accessible on the reverse surface of the insert 4.)

Referring again to the drawings, FIG. 2 shows the insert 4 separate from the coat 2. The zippers that constitute the fastening means 18 in this embodiment have one shuttle 19 per mated pair of zipper teeth rows 17. In this embodiment, the coat has one shuttle 19 attached to the zipper teeth row 17 on the left coat seam edge 14, and one shuttle 19 connected to the zipper teeth row 17 on the right insert edge 12. When the insert 4 is flipped over with its wide end 6 on top and its drawstring 20 facing out, the reverse side of the insert 4 is exposed, as in FIG. 3. Here, again, the right insert edge 12 has a shuttle 19 attached to its zipper teeth row 17, while the left insert edge 10 does not. Thus, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 illustrate that, in this embodiment of the invention, the fastening means 18 on each insert edge 10,12 comprises two zipper teeth rows 17—one on each surface of the insert—with a shuttle 19 attached to each of the two zipper teeth rows 17 on the right insert edge 12.

FIG. 2 also shows the passage of the drawstring 20 as it passes from the left insert edge 10, through the drawstring housing 21, out one eyelet 22, back in through the second eyelet 22, and through the drawstring housing 21 to the right insert edge 12. This configuration allows the wearer to adjust the width of the insert 4 by tightening or loosening the portion of the drawstring 20 accessible outside the housing 21.

FIG. 4 shows a left side view of one embodiment of the invention, with the insert 4 worn with its wide end 6 on top and the upper portion 24 of the insert 4 disconnected from the coat 2. The shuttle 19 mating the zipper teeth rows of the left insert edge 10 and the left coat seam edge 14 is drawn down to approximately the level of the drawstring housing 21, permitting the upper portion 24 of the insert 4 to hang loosely or fold over. This configuration is shown in FIG. 6 on a wearer carrying an infant 26. The upper portion 24 of the insert 4 is folded down, covering the drawstring 20 and allowing the infant 26 freedom of movement for its head and arms.

It will be appreciated that, while the invention has been described as a coat, the insert 4 and its use as described herein can be coupled with any of a number of different garment types covering the upper body and having a substantially vertical front opening, such as a jacket, sweater, vest, poncho, shirt, harness, or dress. For purposes of this application, the term coat includes all of these garment types covering the upper body and having a substantially vertical opening. It will also be understood that the term “fabric” is used herein to indicate any substantially two-dimensional material suitable for incorporation into the surface of a garment, including rigid materials and plastic as well as woven fabrics.

While the primary fields of use referred to herein are outerwear for pregnant women and for people carrying infants, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to these uses. Other uses fall within the ambit of the invention and the claims, such as: adaptable protective or sanitary garments for pregnant women or people of different body shapes; adaptable garments for people carrying bundles other than infants; inserts allowing existing garments to be adapted to changing body shapes; and so on.

It will further be appreciated that the fastening means 18 used to fasten the insert 4 to the coat seam edges 14,16, or used to fasten the coat seam edges 14,16 to each other, are not limited to zippers, but encompass such fastening means 18 as buttons, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, buckles, clips, straps, ties, and so on. In an example embodiment, the narrow end 8 of the insert is in the range of approximately ⅕ the width of the wide end 6 of the insert. It should be understood that the narrow end may vary as desired in the range of 10% to 90% of the width of the wide end 6.

The various embodiments presented above are merely examples and are in no way meant to limit the scope of this disclosure. Variations of the innovations described herein will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art, such variations being within the intended scope of the present application. In particular, features from one or more of the above-described embodiments may be selected to create alternative embodiments comprised of a sub-combination of features which may not be explicitly described above. In addition, features from one or more of the above-described embodiments may be selected and combined to create alternative embodiments comprised of a combination of features which may not be explicitly described above. Features suitable for such combinations and sub-combinations would be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art upon review of the present application as a whole. The subject matter described herein and in the recited claims intends to cover and embrace all suitable changes in technology.

Claims

1. An adaptable coat, comprising:

an upper-body garment with a substantially vertical front seam defined by a right edge and a left edge, both edges having fastening means adapted to fasten to each other or to an edge of an insert; and

an insert having fastening means at its left and right edges adapted to be fastened to the edges of the front seam of the garment.

2. The adaptable coat of claim 1, wherein the insert is characterized by a wide end and a narrow end.

3. The adaptable coat of claim 2, said coat being adapted to be worn with the insert's narrow end at the top, with the left edge of the insert fastened to the left seam edge, and with the right edge of the insert fastened to the right seam edge.

4. The adaptable coat of claim 3, said coat being further adapted to be worn with the insert's wide end at the top, with the left edge of the insert fastened to the left seam edge, and with the right edge of the insert fastened to the right seam edge.

5. The adaptable coat of claim 4, said coat being further adapted to be worn without the insert, and with the two edges of the front seam fastened to each other.

6. The adaptable coat of claim 1, wherein said fastening means comprise zippers.

7. The adaptable coat of claims 3, wherein said insert, when worn with the wide end at the top, is adapted to enclose and support an object carried against the wearer's torso.

8. The adaptable coat of claim 7, wherein said object comprises an infant.

9. The adaptable coat of claim 8, wherein said insert is adapted to be worn, when carrying an infant, with the top end folded over and the insert edges partially detached from the seam edges in their topmost portions.

10. The adaptable coat of claims 5, wherein said insert further comprises a means for making itself wider or narrower.

11. The adaptable coat of claim 10, wherein said means for making the insert wider or narrower comprises a drawstring.

12. An insert for a coat, comprising a piece of fabric with a left edge and a right edge, said edges having fastening means allowing them to be fastened to the edges of the front seam of a coat.

13. The insert of claim 12, wherein the insert is characterized by a wide end and a narrow end.

14. The insert of claim 13, said insert being adapted to be worn with the narrow end at the top, with the left edge of the insert fastened to the left edge of a front coat seam, and with the right edge of the insert fastened to the right edge of a front coat seam.

15. The insert of claim 14, said insert being adapted to be worn with the wide end at the top, with the left edge of the insert fastened to the left edge of a front coat seam, and with the right edge of the insert fastened to the right edge of a front coat seam.

16. The insert of claims 12, wherein said fastening means comprise zippers.

17. The insert of either of claims 15, wherein said insert, when worn with the wide end at the top, is adapted to enclose and support an object carried against the wearer's torso.

18. The insert of claim 17, wherein said object comprises an infant.

19. The insert of claim 18, wherein said insert is adapted to be worn, when carrying an infant, with the top end folded over and the insert edges partially detached from the coat seam edges in their topmost portions.

20. The insert of any of claim 12, wherein said insert further comprises a means for making itself wider or narrower.

21. The insert of claim 20, wherein said means for making the insert wider or narrower comprises a drawstring.