TWO-WAY ZIPPER IN INFANT GARMENT

Abstract

An infant garment includes a two-way zipper having a first, open end at the neckline of the garment and a second, closed end at one of the foot/ankle regions of the garment. A first and second zipper pull are configured to close the zipper when they are moved to the top and bottom, respectively, of the zipper track. A protective cover is positioned at the closed end of the zipper to cover the second zipper pull when it is located there. The cover is stitched to the garment on three of its sides, leaving only the top open for access to the second zipper pull. The pull tabs on each of the zipper pulls are devoid of openings along the portion of the pull opposite from the portion connected to the zipper pull.

Description

BACKGROUND

A common type of clothing garment worn by infant children is known as a sleep and play (or similar variations of that name). As is well known, the sleep and play garment typically covers the entire torso of the infant as well as the legs, feet, and arms, although the garment may have no sleeves, short sleeves, or long sleeves. Optionally, the garment may not cover the feet. Typically, the garment has a zipper or snap fastener running from the neckline to somewhere below the waist.

Typically, the zipper has a zipper pull which includes a slider and also includes a standard pull tab that has an opening formed therein. The zipper is typically configured so that it is closed when the zipper pull is near the neckline and is open when the zipper pull is at the other end of the zipper.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein is an article of infant's clothing that includes a fabric body having a neckline and an ankle area; a 2-way zipper having a first and a second zipper pull movable along a zipper track, wherein the first zipper pull is located closer to the neckline than the second zipper pull, the zipper track terminating in a first, open end at the neckline and in a second, closed end at the ankle area; and a fabric cover over the second end of the zipper track to at least partially cover the second zipper pull when it is located there, the fabric cover being attached to the fabric body in the region to each lateral side of the second end and in the region below the second end, so that the second zipper pull is only accessible from above the second end.

The second zipper pull may include a slider and a pull tab attached to the slider, wherein the pull tab is elongated and includes a first end attached to the slider and a second end, wherein the second end is devoid of openings therein. The article may also include a protective flap that can selectively be engaged with the fabric body to at least partially cover the first end of the zipper track in order to at least partially cover the first zipper pull when it is located there.

The zipper may open when the first zipper pull is moved away from the first end and the zipper may close when the first zipper pull is moved toward from the first end. The zipper may open when the second zipper pull is moved away from the second end and the zipper may close when the second zipper pull is moved toward from the second end. The second zipper pull may be moved up to a central region on the zipper track to expose an entire leg of the infant, to allow a caregiver to have access to the legs and crotch region of the infant in order to be able to change the infant's diaper without removing the infant from the remainder of the article of clothing.

The zipper track may terminate in the second, closed end at an ankle seam. The second, closed end may be on a left leg of the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an infant garment including a two-way zipper.

FIG. 2 is close-up view of a foot portion of the infant garment of FIG. 1, showing the lower, closed end of the two-way zipper with a lower zipper pull largely concealed behind a protective cover.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but shown with the protective cover unstitched along its two lateral edges, so as to reveal the lower zipper pull.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but shown with the lower zipper pull moved partly up the zipper track to show how the zipper opens at the lower end of the garment when the lower zipper pull is moved up the track.

FIG. 5 is a close-up view of a neckline portion of the infant garment of FIG. 1, showing the upper, open end of the two-way zipper with an upper zipper pull moved partly down the zipper track to show how the zipper opens at the upper end of the garment when the upper zipper pull is moved down the track.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the following teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described herein are further intended to explain modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the present invention.

An infant sleep and play garment 10 is shown in FIG. 1. It includes a torso portion 12, a pair of arms 14 and 16, a neck opening 18, and a pair of legs 20 and 22. The garment 10 includes a zipper system 24 that selectably opens and closes the garment 10 for ease of placing an infant in or removing all or a portion of an infant therefrom. The zipper system 24 includes a zipper track 26 and first and second zipper pull tabs 28 and 30. As will be seen below, a first end of the zipper track 26 is an open end along the neckline 18 and a second end of the zipper track 26 is a closed end located in the foot/ankle region of the leg 22 of the garment 10. As can be seen, the zipper track 26 is largely covered by a right fabric placket 32 and a left fabric placket 34 that run the length of the zipper track. These plackets 32 and 34 may lightly touch each other or they may be easily spread apart by a user to gain access to any portion of the zipper system. Further, the zipper pull tabs 28 and 30 may remain outside of the plackets 32 and 34, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the second end 52 of the zipper track 26 is covered by a protective fabric cover 40 that is stitched to the fabric of the garment 10 along a lower edge 42 of the cover 40 as well as along both lateral side edges 44 and 46 of the cover 40. The lower edge 42 is stitched to an ankle seam and the lateral side edges are stitched to two other seams. As can be seen best in FIG. 3, the second zipper pull tab 30 is attached to a lower zipper slider 50 that is shown in this drawing to be located at the second end 52, but is movable along the zipper track 26 to selectably open and close the zipper. Note that, solely for ease of understanding, in FIG. 3 the cover 40 is shown as if stitched only along the bottom edge 42.

FIG. 4 shows the second end 52 after the second pull tab 30 has been manipulated to move the lower zipper slider 50 some distance up the zipper track 26. As can be seen, this action has opened the zipper to expose the ankle 60 of the infant.

FIG. 5 shows a first end 62 of the zipper track 26. As can be seen, a protective flap 64 is stitched to the fabric of the garment 10 along one lateral side edge 66. The protective flap 64 can be selectably secured to the fabric of the garment 10 on an opposite side of the zipper track 26 by engaging a snap stud 70 on the flap 64 with a snap socket 68 on the garment 10. As demonstrated in FIG. 5, the zipper is opened by moving a first zipper slider 72 down the zipper track 26, such as may be accomplished by manipulating the first zipper pull tab 28.

It should be noted that each of the zipper pull tabs 28 and 30 is of a non-standard nature. The zipper pull tabs 28 and 30 each are shaped in a rectangular fashion (although other shapes could also be employed) and have an opening formed therein to pivotally engage with a feature on the respective zipper slider. Other than this single opening on each pull tab, the tabs have no other openings formed therein. Typically, most zipper pull tabs have a second opening formed therein at an end opposite from the pivotal attachment that is larger than the one that engages with the zipper slider. It has been discovered that this opening may undesirably engage with portions of an infant (or other objects), so it has been eliminated.

It can be seen that the two-way nature of the zipper can allow a caregiver to access the feet, legs, and lower torso of the infant without completely removing the infant from the garment such as may be necessary with a standard zipper with a single zipper pull located at the top of the garment. In this manner, the caregiver may choose to remove the infant's legs and change the infant's diaper for example, all while the infant's upper torso and arms remain in the garment.

Further, the protective cover at the second end of the zipper serves to reduce contact of the second zipper pull with other objects or with the infant. In addition, the fact that the cover is stitched to the garment on three of the four sides thereof, serves to further reduce the likelihood of undesired contact with the second zipper pull. The cover is not stitched along a top side edge so as to allow the zipper pull to be moved to the second end and to be moved away from the second end and to allow a caregiver to reach underneath the cover in order to manipulate the second zipper pull.

While various features of the present design have been discussed separately, it should be understood that any of these features may be combined in a garment with or without any other of the features or combination of the features.

Although certain details have been described herein, it should be understood that various alternatives and modifications could also be made. For example, the garment design described herein is applicable to any different type of infant garment. Thus, it may be applicable to garments having different types of neck openings, sleeves, and composed of any material suitable for a garment, and could be equally applicable to other possible variations of garment.

Claims

1. An article of infant's clothing, comprising a fabric body having a neckline and an ankle area;

a 2-way zipper having a first and a second zipper pull movable along a zipper track, wherein the first zipper pull is located closer to the neckline than the second zipper pull, the zipper track terminating in a first, open end at the neckline and in a second, closed end at the ankle area; and

a fabric cover over the second end of the zipper track to at least partially cover the second zipper pull when it is located there, the fabric cover being attached to the fabric body in the region to each lateral side of the second end and in the region below the second end, so that the second zipper pull is only accessible from above the second end.

2. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the second zipper pull includes a slider and a pull tab attached to the slider, wherein the pull tab is elongated and includes a first end attached to the slider and a second end, wherein the second end is devoid of openings therein.

3. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the article also includes a protective flap that can selectively be engaged with the fabric body to at least partially cover the first end of the zipper track in order to at least partially cover the first zipper pull when it is located there.

4. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the zipper opens when the first zipper pull is moved away from the first end and the zipper closes when the first zipper pull is moved toward from the first end.

5. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the zipper opens when the second zipper pull is moved away from the second end and the zipper closes when the second zipper pull is moved toward from the second end.

6. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 5, wherein the second zipper pull can be moved up to a central region on the zipper track to expose an entire leg of the infant, to allow a caregiver to have access to the legs and crotch region of the infant in order to be able to change the infant's diaper without removing the infant from the remainder of the article of clothing.

7. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the zipper opens at the first end when the first zipper pull is moved away from the first end and the zipper closes at the first end when the first zipper pull is moved toward from the first end and the zipper opens at the second end when the second zipper pull is moved away from the second end and the zipper closes at the second end when the second zipper pull is moved toward from the second end.

8. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the zipper track terminates in the second, closed end at an ankle seam.

9. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim 8, wherein the second, closed end is on a left leg of the garment.