KC

Abstract

This invention relates to methods and means for securing pants cuffs and otherwise raised or shortened pants legs. Some embodiments of the methods and means of the invention also incorporate additional functionality including, but not limited to communication, sensing, display and data processing elements. Various embodiments of the methods and means of the invention may be performed by and/or implemented in hardware, in software, by one or more entities, and/or by some combination of hardware, software and/or one or more entities.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Pursuant to 35 USC §119(e) and as set forth in the Application Data Sheet, this utility application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. U.S. 61/536,006 (“the '006 provisional”) which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention claims priority from the '006 provisional and expressly incorporates by reference the disclosures contained therein in their entirety, including but not limited to all patents, patent applications, and publications which are incorporated by reference in the '006 provisional and which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

In the context of the instant disclosure, the term “software” is taken in the broadest sense of its ordinary meaning and illustrative examples may comprise, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: realized embodiments of algorithms in any form, code written in whole or in part in any programming, scripting or other language (including, but not limited to, popular languages such as C++, Java, Visual Basic, Python, PHP, HTML, and/or device specific machine or assembly languages, etc. . . . ), programs, mobile and/or other applications (e.g., those for Android and iOS based systems), applets, scripts, operating systems (OS) and components of OS, embedded and other software and instructions, structured data, op codes, commands, executables, firmware, drivers, virtual machines, and/or instruction sets for a system. Software may operate at many levels including, but not limited to, over a distributed system (e.g., on a cloud computing or mobile network), on a particular device, on a local computer or other machine, embedded in an ASIC or other circuit, and running on top of one or more real or virtual levels, including but not limited to an OS and a hardware level.

In the context of the instant disclosure, the term “hardware” is taken in the broadest sense of its ordinary meaning and illustrative examples may comprise, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: smart and other scales, e-readers (e.g. Kindle™ and Nook™), hearing aids, laptop and desktop computers, alarms, smart phones, PDAs, other commercially available electronic devices such as tablet PCs, netbooks, e-readers, pagers, beepers, cell phones, hearing aids, watches comprising integrated and/or discrete circuits, monitors and displays, televisions, calculators, iPods™ and MP3 players, radios and stereos, speakers, microphones, remote controls, bar code readers, keyboards, cameras, other input devices, data acquisition systems, other physical devices and systems comprising integrated and/or discrete circuits, CPUs, hard drives, flash USB drives, other flash and solid state drives, programmable logic arrays, FPGAs, CPLDs, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, memories, receivers, transmitters, drivers, ADC's (analog-to-digital converters), DAC's (digital-to-analog converters), decoders, multiplexers, comparators, latches, gates, op amps, LNA (low noise amplifiers), PLL (phase locked loops), antennae, coils, radio frequency identification (“RFID”) devices, near-field communication (“NFC”) devices, capacitors, diodes including but not limited to light-emitting diodes, inductors, resistors, transformers, solenoids, other analog circuits and components, other digital circuits and components, other mixed-signal circuits and components, optical circuits, other electromagnetic circuits and components, biological and/or chemical circuits, assemblies of memristors, carbon nanotubes, and other circuits and systems comprised of circuits.

Some embodiments of the methods and means of the instant invention may employ one or more existing wireless and/or wired communication protocols, or other custom protocols. Illustrative examples of current and historical protocols, programs and standards for digital communication include: the Internet Protocol Suite; e-mail protocols such as POP (Post Office Protocol), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol), and MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface); web browsers such as Safari™, Internet Explorer™ and Firefox™; messaging programs, protocols and standards such as WLM (Windows Live Messenger), MSNP (Microsoft Notification Protocol), AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), ICQ, XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), IRC (Internet Relay Chat), MIM (Mobile Instant Messaging), SMS (Short Message Service), WAP (Wireless Area Protocol), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), Bluetooth™, and Skype™; mobile standards such as GSM (Global System for Wideband Communications), W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), and LTE-Advanced, WirelessMAN (Metropolitan Area Networks)-Advanced; NFC (near-field communications), and many others not addressed here. To the extent that documented versions of these protocols, programs and standards are publicly accessible they are incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, some embodiments of the methods and/or means of the instant invention may employ analog and/or mixed-signal methods of communicating data or information. In addition, some embodiments of the invention employ GPS (Global Positioning System) and aGPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) protocols and/or standards.

The following publications contain information related to the design, construction, development, fabrication, production, assembly, and other aspects of some embodiments of the disclosed invention—including, but not limited to, wearable and other devices, software and hardware such as sensors and transducers, transmitters, receivers and other circuits, housings, programmable logic elements and chips, custom ASICs, electrical and mechanical switches, electrical and mechanical regulators, etc.: Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits by Paul R. Gray, Paul J. Hurst, Stephen H. Lewis, Robert G. Meyer, published by John Wiley & Sons, copyright 2001; Digital Principles and Design by Donald D. Givone, published by McGraw Hill copyright 2003; Physics by Paul A. Tipler, published by Worth Publishers, copyright 1976; The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay, published by Houghton Mifflin, copyright 1988; CMOS Circuit Design, Layout and Simulation by R. Jacob Baker, published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, copyright 2005; Microelectronic Circuits by Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith, published by Oxford University Press, copyright 1998; Thin Film Technology Handbook by Aicha Elshabini-Riad, Fred D. Barlow III, published by McGraw-Hill, copyright 1998; Field and Wave Electromagnetics by David K. Cheng, published by Addison-Wesley, copyright 1989; VLSI for Wireless Communications by Bosco Leung, published by Prentice Hall, copyright 2002; Complete Wireless Design by Cotter W. Sayre, published by McGraw Hill, copyright 2001; Pattern Classification, Second edition by Richard Duda, Peter Hart and David Stork, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., copyright 2001; C++ How to Program, Third edition by H. Dietel & P. Dietel, published by Prentice Hall, copyright 2001; Professional Android 2 Application Development by Roto Meier, published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., copyright 2010; the various versions of the Android SDK; the various versions of the Internet Protocol Suite; the various versions of the iOS SDK; the various versions of the Windows and Windows Mobile SDKs. All publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The discussion of the background of the invention herein is included to explain the context of the invention. Although each of the patents, patent applications, and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference, neither the discussion of the background nor the incorporation by reference is to be taken as an admission that any aspect, element, embodiment, or feature of the invention was published, known, or part of the common general knowledge as of the priority date of any claims of the invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein relates to methods and means for securing pants cuffs and otherwise raised or shortened pants legs. Some embodiments of the methods and means of the invention also incorporate additional functionality including, but not limited to communication, sensing, display and data processing elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate specific examples of some embodiments of the instant invention each comprising a clip and band.

FIG. 3 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a pin and a band.

FIG. 4 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a band.

FIG. 5 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip.

FIG. 6 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a pin.

FIG. 7 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising a band disposed on an interior portion of a rolled-up cuff.

FIG. 8 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising a bracelet.

FIG. 9 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the invention comprising a button and a band.

FIG. 10 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising loops and a band.

FIG. 11 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising a band, an interior button and an exterior button.

FIG. 12 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a band and a button.

FIG. 13A illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a clip having an integrated slot through which a band may be inserted and/or situated. FIG. 13B illustrates another specific example of an embodiment of a clip. FIG. 13C illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a spring clip. FIG. 13D is a close-up schematic of a cut-away portion of one specific example of a spring clip mechanism according to some embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates another specific example of an embodiment of a clip.

FIG. 15 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising a clip, a band, and tokens and charms.

FIG. 16A illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a pin. FIG. 16B illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a pin comprising a tapered screw having a head and a tip, and a mated nut cap. FIG. 16C illustrates specific examples of some embodiments of pins comprising thin, sharp-tipped rods of different sizes having heads and tips, and fitted compression caps. FIG. 16D shows a schematic illustration of a safety pin which may be used according to some embodiments of methods of the instant invention.

FIG. 17 shows a drawing of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip, a band, and a token.

FIG. 18 shows a 3D CAD model of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of a clip.

FIG. 19 shows a 3D CAD model of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of a token.

FIG. 20 shows a sketch of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip, a band and a token.

FIGS. 21-23 are photographs of prototypes of three specific examples of some embodiments of the instant invention comprising one or more of a clip, a Velcro band and a dinosaur token.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods and means for securing pants cuffs and otherwise raised or shortened pants legs. Some embodiments of the methods and means of the invention also incorporate additional functionality including, but not limited to communication, sensing, display and data processing elements.

Although it is not believed that drawings are necessary for the understanding of the subject matter sought to be patented, for illustrative purposes we have included several figures related to specific examples of embodiments of the disclosed invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip and band. In some embodiments, a band may be attached to, pass through, and/or be integrated with a clip.

FIG. 2 illustrates another specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip and band; this illustrates the fact that in some embodiments of the invention, a band may cover all and/or a portion of a clip. For example, in some embodiments, a band could be fastened and/or attached to an outer surface of a clip, or it could be stitched, formed or otherwise disposed around a clip.

FIG. 3 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a pin and a band; in this specific example, the pin pierces a pants cuff.

FIG. 4 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a band. In this specific illustration, no fastener is shown, although in some embodiments, bands may comprise one or more strips and/or assemblies with fastening elements.

FIG. 5 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip without a band. FIG. 6 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a pin without a band.

FIG. 7 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising a band disposed on an interior of a rolled-up cuff—i.e. between a portion of the pant leg and an interior portion of a cuff. In this specific example, the band is coated with an adhesive, although some embodiments may be secured to the pants legs and cuffs using loops, stitches, clips, hooks, buttons, or other fastening means. Some embodiments of bands may be weighted—i.e. they may comprise material added to increase the weight of the bands.

FIG. 8 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising a bracelet. In this specific example, the bracelet comprises a single surface, but in some embodiments, bracelets may have more than one surface and may comprise more than one piece. For example, a string of pearls may be fastened around and/or attached to a cuff according to a specific example of one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the invention comprising a button and a band. In this specific example, one or more buttons is sewn, stitched, and/or otherwise attached to the interior of a pant leg and the band is attached to a cuff via one or more of the buttons through a slit in the band.

FIG. 10 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the invention comprising loops and a band. In this specific illustration, the loops are glued (in some other embodiments, they may be stitched, sewn, or otherwise attached) to an interior portion of a pant leg and a detachable band is fed through the loops and its ends are fastened together with a fastening means that is not illustrated in the figure.

FIG. 11 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention where a band is used to fasten an interior button to an exterior button and thereby to secure pants cuffs.

FIG. 12 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention where a band is fastened to an interior portion of a pant leg, e.g. using adhesive, and also fastened to a button on an exterior portion of a pant leg. Various fastening means may be interchanged.

FIG. 13A illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a clip having an integrated slot through which a band may be inserted and/or situated. The specific semi-rigid clip illustrated in FIG. 13A further comprises a pair of inner surfaces formed so that the distance or gap between the inner surfaces is smaller, in one or more regions, than the thickness of the layers material comprising a pants cuff. In this specific example, when the inner surfaces of the clip are disposed, or slid, over a portion of a pants cuff, regions of the inner surfaces of the clip experience a force from fabric of the wider pants cuff pressing against them and this pressure torsions a portion of the clip connecting the surfaces, which exerts a proportional compressive pressure or force against the pants cuffs to hold them securely in place. FIG. 13B illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a clip. FIG. 13C illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a spring clip, where a helical spring is used to provide compression force between surfaces of the clip. FIG. 13D is a close-up schematic of a cut-away portion of one specific example of a spring clip mechanism comprising a helical spring, an axle pin and in this specific example, two separable clip members through portions of which the axle pin is disposed. FIG. 14 illustrates another specific example of an embodiment of a clip.

FIG. 15 illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of this invention comprising a clip, a band, and tokens and charms. Tokens and charms may be integrated with, attached to, disposed upon, formed inside of, or otherwise connected to clips, bands, pins, and some other embodiments of the instant invention.

FIG. 16A illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a pin. In this example, the pin comprises a barbed member having a head and a tip, and a fitted cap. FIG. 16B illustrates one specific example of an embodiment of a pin comprising a tapered screw having a head and a tip, and a mated nut cap. FIG. 16C illustrates specific examples of some embodiments of pins comprising thin, sharp-tipped rods of different sizes having heads and tips, and fitted compression caps. FIG. 16D shows a schematic illustration of a safety pin which may be used according to some embodiments of methods of the instant invention.

FIG. 17 shows a drawing of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip, a band, and a token.

FIG. 18 shows a 3D CAD model of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of a clip.

FIG. 19 shows a 3D CAD model of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of a token.

FIG. 20 shows a sketch of a prototype of one specific example of an embodiment of the instant invention comprising a clip, a band and a token.

FIGS. 21-23 are photographs of prototypes of three specific examples of some embodiments of the instant invention comprising one or more of a clip, a Velcro band and a dinosaur token.

Illustrative examples of external devices comprise, but are not limited to, smart and other scales, cell phones, tablet computers, PDAs, e-readers (e.g. Kindle™ and Nook™), hearing aids, laptop and desktop computers, monitors and displays, televisions, calculators, iPods™ and MP3 players, radios and stereos, watches with electrical circuits, remote controls, bar code readers, keyboards, cameras, other input devices, data acquisition systems, other electrical devices comprising, e.g., microcontrollers, programmable interface controllers, digital signal processors, memories, field programmable gate arrays, discrete circuits, and other electrical circuits and hardware, including custom application specific integrated circuits (ASIC). In some embodiments of the instant invention, vehicles, residences and other buildings having appropriate circuitry (e.g. microcontrollers, DSPs, transceiver modules, input devices, etc. . . . ) may comprise external devices and/or systems as defined herein. In addition, the world-wide-web, the Verizon™ wireless 4G LTE™ cellular network, and LANs are three illustrative examples of networks.

It should be noted that the figures and examples they represent are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the instant invention.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings of this invention that certain changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and purview of this application or scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. A means comprising one or more of a clip, a band and a pin for securing pants cuffs and otherwise raised or shortened pants legs.

2. A means comprising hardware and one or more of a clip, a band and a pin, for securing pants cuffs and otherwise raised or shortened pants legs.

3. The means of claim 2, wherein the hardware comprises a microcontroller.

4. The means of claim 2, wherein the hardware comprises one or more sensing means.

5. The means of claim 2, wherein the hardware comprises circuitry for ascertaining GPS data.

6. The means of claim 2, wherein the hardware comprises one or more means for generating sound.

7. The means of claim 2, wherein the hardware comprises one or more display elements or lights.

8. A method for securing a pants cuff comprising the steps of rolling up a pants leg into a cuff and attaching one or more of a clip, a band and a pin to the cuff.