SHIRT WITH LATERAL POCKET FOR HOLDING CELLPHONE OR THE LIKE

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a torso-covering garment having a laterally accessible interior pocket in the side-torso area under the arm for storing personal items, such as mobile phone or a wallet. In one embodiment, the pocket includes a substantially vertical upper opening and a freely hanging elongated enclosure located below the opening. Stitching may be applied in an inverted “V” shape across the lower boundary of the storage area to create two downwardly-narrowing areas near the bottom of the pocket. Interior flaps which are open on the bottom edge may be included to help capture and retain the items in the pocket.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/249,422 filed Oct. 7, 2009 entitled “Torso-Covering Garment With Secure Pocket” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to clothing and, more specifically, to a torso-covering garment having a laterally-accessible pocket for holding a cellphone or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various types of pockets are used in modern clothing which allow a wearer to store items within a garment. In its most common form, a standard shirt pocket is enclosed on the sides and bottom and open on the top to provide immediate access to an item kept in the pocket. One problem with this type of pocket is that an item has a tendency to fall out of the pocket as the wearer bends forward or engages in activities involving excessive physical movement. Incorporating closure elements, such as buttons or zippers, can alleviate the problem of items falling out of the pocket. However, the closure may also increase the effort required to secure or retrieve an item within the pocket. Closures also add to the production cost and may be unsightly or uncomfortable for the wearer. A need therefore exists in the present art for a shirt pocket which provides easy and immediate access to stored items, while maintaining aesthetics and reducing the possibility that an item may fall out of the pocket. The present disclosure fills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Accordingly, in one aspect, a torso-covering garment is disclosed, comprising a first substantially vertical opening located in a side-torso portion of the garment and an elongated interior pocket attached to the side-torso portion of the garment. The pocket has an upper and lower end and is laterally-accessible from and extending at a downward angle from the first opening. The pocket swings freely from the side-torso portion of the garment such that when an item is placed in the pocket, the pocket tends toward maintaining a substantially vertical orientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.

According to another aspect, the pocket may include downwardly-narrowing wedge areas for securing the item in the pocket as gravity pulls the item downward. According to yet another aspect, the pocket may include at least one passageway separating an upper area of the pocket and a downwardly-widening lower storage area, with the passageway being sized to assist in retaining the item in said downwardly-widening storage area.

According to yet another aspect, the pocket may include at least one inverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the pocket. The flap defines a cavity having a bottom opening, wherein said bottom opening is above a bottom end of said pocket. Multiple flaps may also be included in the same pocket to enhance retention for various sized objects.

According to yet another aspect, a torso-covering garment is disclosed, comprising a first substantially vertical opening located in a side-torso portion of the garment and an interior pocket. The interior pocket comprises an elongated enclosure having an upper and lower end; and a second opening near the upper end of the enclosure. The upper end of the elongated enclosure is attached to the garment along a perimeter of said second opening such that the elongated enclosure is laterally-accessible from said first substantially vertical opening. The lower end of the elongated enclosure swings freely from the side-torso portion of the garment such that when an item is placed in the pocket, the enclosure tends toward maintaining a substantially vertical orientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is front view of a shirt having a laterally-accessible pocket according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a shirt having a laterally-accessible pocket according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket with a two downwardly narrowing areas near the bottom of the pocket.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket with a passageway leading to a lower storage area.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket with an inverted interior flap for retaining items placed in the pocket.

FIG. 5a is a rear view of the laterally-accessible pocket of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket having multiple retaining strips for retaining items placed in the pocket.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a shirt having a lens-shaped opening in the side torso area for attaching a pocket.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket having a lens-shaped opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, and alterations and modifications in the illustrated device, and further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein are herein contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

The present disclosure relates generally to a torso-covering garment, such as a shirt, having a laterally accessible pocket, located slightly forward in the side-torso area under the arm, for storing personal items, such as a mobile phone or wallet. In one embodiment, the pocket includes a substantially vertical upper opening and a storage area located below the opening.

FIGS. 1 & 2 illustrate a front and side view, respectively, of a shirt 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, shirt 1 generally comprises a main torso section 2, sleeves 3, neck opening 4 and pocket 5. The shirt 1 may be constructed from any suitable fabric known in the art including, but not limited to, cotton, polyester, lycra, wool and the like. The torso section 2 may optionally comprise a separate front panel 6 and back panel 7 which are attached at side seams 8 and top seam 9 by stitching or any other suitable attachment method known in the art. Sleeves 3 are attached to panels 6 and 7, respectively, along seams 10. Neck opening 4 is optionally bounded by fabric strip 11 which is attached to the top edge of panels 6 and 7. The pocket 5 is preferably accessible from the exterior side of the torso section 2 and extends into the interior cavity defined by panels 6 and 7. The pocket 5 may be oriented to extend from the opening 12 toward the front of the shirt 1 (as shown in FIG. 2) or toward the rear panel 7.

In a preferred embodiment, pocket opening 12 is located near and slightly forward of the top of seam 8 and below sleeves 3 in a substantially vertical orientation on either side of the shirt 1. In other embodiments, the pocket opening 12 may be located in line with the seam 8 and/or the vertical center line of arm 3 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The substantially vertical orientation of pocket opening 12 prevents a stored item 13 from falling out of the pocket 5 and allows the wearer to access the pocket 5 via lateral motion, rather than the vertical motion required for upwardly opening pockets.

Pocket 5 is also preferably attached to the shirt 1 at pocket opening 12 using seam 14 such that any stitching used to attach pocket 5 to the shirt 1 is on the under-side of the shirt 1. This reduces the noticeability of pocket 5 and maintains the aesthetic value of the shirt 1. By placing pocket opening 12 just below sleeve 3, the noticeability of pocket 5 is further reduced, since the wearer's arm and arm sleeve 3 help to conceal pocket opening 12.

As shown in FIGS. 3-6, pocket 5 is preferably constructed by attaching two similarly shaped material pieces together with stitching along the perimeter of the pieces, with a portion of the perimeter left unattached to create the pocket opening 12. In other embodiments, the pocket 5 may be constructed of a single piece of material, which is then folded over on itself and sewn along a portion of the resulting shape perimeter. The unattached perimeter portions which form the opening 12 are then attached to the shirt 1 as shown, leaving an item-carrying section 15 of pocket 5 to hang freely or dangle below the bottom-most point 16 of pocket opening 12. The practical effect of this orientation is that item-carrying section 15 (and any item therein) tends to stay below pocket opening 12 due to gravitational forces when the wearer is bending over or moving about. This further reduces the likelihood that an item may inadvertently come out of the pocket 5 as the wearer moves about. The orientation also reduces or eliminates any need for pocket closure elements that would slow down the process of accessing an item in the pocket 5 or that would otherwise create a hindrance for the wearer. In the preferred embodiment, the shirt 1 is sized to fit loosely on the wearer's torso, thereby enhancing the ability of pocket 5 to hang more freely and maintain a vertical orientation as the wearer changes position.

In certain embodiments, item-carrying section 15 may be configured in a shape tailored to securely retain the item 13 in the pocket 5. For example, stitching 17 may be applied in an inverted “V” shape across the item-carrying section 15 as shown in FIG. 3 to create two downwardly-narrowing areas 18 near the bottom of the pocket 5. When placed into the pocket 5, the item 13 will move downward due to gravity and become wedged into an area 18. The sides of the area 18 will continue to apply lateral pressure to the sides of the item 13 to help secure the item 13 in the pocket 5. In other embodiments, the bottom shape of the pocket 5 may be formed from pieces which include a bottom slant shape, as opposed to a square bottom pocket with an inverted V stitched into the bottom of the pocket 5. Other shapes which direct the item 13 into a snug fit in the bottom of the pocket 5 may also be contemplated.

In further embodiments, pocket 5 may be optionally constructed from an elastic material that acts to increase the pressure applied by the lowermost portion of the inverted V-like shape and the area 18. Surface friction created by the added pressure can reduce any tendency for the item 13 to come out of section 15. This can be particularly advantageous when the wearer is engaged in physical activity that results in movement that may otherwise cause the item to move within and relative to the pocket 5.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment where the lower portion of the item-carrying section 15 includes passageways 50 with downwardly widening areas 52 extending from the passageways 50. The passageways 50 are large enough to allow an object of a certain size (e.g., a typical mobile phone) to fit through the passageways 50 due to gravity or user manipulation, but small enough to provide some resistance to upward movement of the item. In certain embodiments, the pocket is made from a stretchable material, with the passageway 50 configured to be smaller than the width of an intended item to be stored (e.g., a mobile phone). This allows the item to be inserted through the passageway 50 by stretching the material, while still helping to retain the item in the area 52 during storage.

In certain embodiments, the areas 52 may be defined by an inverted pyramid defined by stitching 54, 56, and 58 across the item carrying section 15 as shown, with the width of each passageway 52 being defined by an upper vertex 60 of the inverted pyramid and the sidewall 32. In still further embodiments, the stitching 56 and 58 may be omitted, leaving only stitching 54 to define at least one passageway 50. In a

FIGS. 5 and 5a show a further embodiment wherein the item-carrying section 15 includes an inverted flap 19 which is attached across an interior side of the item-carrying section 15 using a top stitching 20 and side stitching 21 as shown. The bottom edge 22 of the flap 19 is left loose, thereby forming an inverted cavity or enclosure with an opening above the bottom edge 23 of the pocket 5. Once the item 13 is placed into the pocket 5, it will fall to the bottom of the pocket 5. As the item 13 shifts position due to movement of the wearer, it will become caught within the adjacent inverted enclosure defined by the flap 19 and the sidewall of the pocket 5. The flap 19 therefore provides an additional compartment to trap the stored item 13 when the item is being forced out of the pocket 5 by gravity (e.g., when the wearer is bending over forwards). The distance between the bottom edge 22 of the flap 19 and the bottom edge 23 of the pocket 5 may be configured to be greater or smaller depending on the needs of the intended wearer and/or the size of the object expected to be stored in the pocket 5. In certain embodiments, an additional flap may be positioned laterally opposite the first flap 19, thereby creating two inverted pockets for trapping the item 13 within the pocket 5.

FIG. 6 shows yet a further embodiment wherein multiple retaining strips 24 and 25 are placed at different distances from the bottom of pocket 5. The retaining strips function similar to flap 19 to create a downward-opening cavity or enclosure to trap the item 13. Retaining strip 24 is attached to pocket 5 by stitching on upper edge 26 and side edges 27, with lower edge 28 being left unattached, thereby forming a small enclosure to catch and trap the stored object. Retaining strip 25 is secured by stitching on upper edge 29 and side edges 30, with lower edge 31 unattached.

In one embodiment, the pocket 5 may be attached to the torso section 2 using only the perimeter edges of the opening 12, with the remaining perimeter of the pocket 5 being left hanging. This will help to maintain a vertical orientation of the pocket 5 regardless of the body position of the wearer as discussed above (e.g., when the wearer is bending forwards or backwards). Alternatively, a portion of the perimeter edges of the pocket 5 may be stitched to the interior side of the panel 6 or 7. In one embodiment, a portion of the substantially vertical edge 32 of the pocket 5 may be attached using the same seam 8 which connects panels 6 and 7, thereby further minimizing the amount of externally observable stitching.

In a preferred embodiment, the pocket opening 12 may be formed to maintain a curved or lens shape when the shirt 1 is being worn. The lens shape may be achieved by cutting a shirt opening 40 in the shirt 1 as shown in FIG. 7. The pocket opening 12 may also be formed to conform to the shirt opening 40 by cutting the outer edge 42 of the pocket opening 12 in an arc shape as shown in FIG. 8. The inner edge 44 of the pocket opening 44 may also be cut in an arc shape opposite of forward edge 42 as shown to further conform pocket opening 12 to the lens-shaped shirt opening 40.

It shall be understood that in addition to a shirt, the pocket 5 may be implemented in other types of torso-covering garments, including, but not limited to, jackets, dresses, blouses, and the like.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.

Claims

1. A torso-covering garment comprising:

a first substantially vertical opening located in a side-torso portion of the garment;

an elongated interior pocket attached to said side-torso portion of the garment at said first opening, said pocket being laterally-accessible from and extending at a downward angle from said first opening, said pocket having an upper and lower end;

wherein the pocket swings freely from the side-torso portion of the garment such that when an item is placed in the pocket, the pocket tends toward maintaining a substantially vertical orientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the lower end of the pocket comprises at least one downwardly-narrowing wedge area.

3. The garment of claim 2, wherein the lower end of the pocket comprises two downwardly-narrowing wedge areas.

4. The garment of claim 3, wherein the two downwardly-narrowing wedge areas are formed by stitching in the shape of an inverted V pattern in the lower end of the pocket, said stitching attaching a first and a second sidewall portion of the pocket.

5. The garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket includes at least one passageway separating an upper area of the pocket and a downwardly-widening lower storage area;

said passageway being sized to assist in retaining the item in said downwardly-widening storage area.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket includes stitching in an inverted pyramid shape attaching a first and second sidewall portion of the pocket; and wherein said at least one passageway is defined by at least one sidewall of the pocket and an upper vertex of said inverted pyramid; and wherein said downwardly-widening lower storage area is defined by at least one sidewall of the pocket and a lower side of the inverted pyramid.

7. The garment of claim 1, wherein the pocket further comprises at least one inverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the pocket, said at least one inverted flap defining a cavity having a bottom opening; and wherein said bottom opening is above the lower end of said pocket.

8. The garment of claim 7, wherein the pocket comprises a first and second inverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the pocket, said first inverted flap defining a first cavity having a first bottom opening, said second inverted flap defining a second cavity having a second bottom opening;

wherein said first bottom opening is above the lower end of the pocket; and

wherein said second bottom opening is above said first bottom opening.

9. The garment of claim 1, wherein the torso-covering garment is a shirt.

10. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first substantially vertical opening is located in an area forward of a vertical center line of an arm opening of the garment.

11. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first substantially vertical opening is located along a vertical seam connecting a first and second side panel of said torso-covering garment.

12. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first substantially vertical opening comprises a substantial lens shape.

13. The garment of claim 1, wherein said garment is configured to be loose-fitting when worn by the wearer.

14. A torso-covering garment comprising:

a first substantially vertical opening located in a side-torso portion of the garment; and

an interior pocket comprising: an elongated enclosure having an upper and lower end; and a second opening near the upper end of the enclosure;

wherein the upper end of the elongated enclosure is attached to the garment along a perimeter of said second opening such that the elongated enclosure is laterally-accessible from said first substantially vertical opening; and

wherein the lower end of said elongated enclosure swings freely from the side-torso portion of the garment such that when an item is placed in the pocket, the enclosure tends toward maintaining a substantially vertical orientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.

15. The garment of claim 14, wherein the lower end of the elongated enclosure comprises at least one downwardly-narrowing wedge area.

16. The garment of claim 15, wherein the lower end of the elongated enclosure comprises two downwardly-narrowing wedge areas.

17. The garment of claim 16, wherein the two downwardly-narrowing wedge areas are formed by stitching in the shape of an inverted V pattern in the lower end of the elongated enclosure, said stitching attaching a first and a second sidewall portion of the elongated enclosure.

18. The garment of claim 14, wherein the pocket further comprises at least one inverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the elongated enclosure, said at least one inverted flap defining a cavity having a bottom opening; and wherein said bottom opening is above the lower end of said elongated enclosure.

19. The garment of claim 18, wherein the pocket comprises a first and second inverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the elongated enclosure, said first inverted flap defining a first cavity having a first bottom opening, said second inverted flap defining a second cavity having a second bottom opening;

wherein said first bottom opening is above the lower end of the elongated enclosure; and

wherein said second bottom opening is above said first bottom opening.

20. The garment of claim 14, wherein the torso-covering garment is a shirt.