THREE-DIMENSIONAL COSTUME GARMENT KIT AND METHODS OF ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A costume kit for assembling a three-dimensional costume garment from a two-dimensional storage state are provided herein. Also provided are methods of assembling a three-dimensional costume garment from a costume garment kit. The kit includes a plurality of substantially flat decorative panels that can be arranged and manipulated in a specified order to create a three-dimensional costume garment. The kit may also comprise securing devices and instructions. The assembled costume garment may provide a layered effect for added detail. The costume garment may further include one or more cushioning panels for providing comfort to the user during use, preventing slippage during use, and/or providing added depth to the costume. Corresponding decorative and, optionally, cushioning panels are secured together through corresponding securing apertures defined by the panels. A securing device is used to secure the various panels together and to form a three-dimensional costume garment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to decorative costume-wear.

Specifically, the disclosure relates to multi-component decorative costume assemblies.

BACKGROUND

In recent times, intricate costume designs inspired by film, animation and computer games have grown in popularity. The ideal costume is true to the underlying concept, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable for the wearer. Such costume designs require sophisticated construction and functionality, and yet are only viable products if they are affordable to the consumer and capable of various cost efficiencies. For example, transportation and storage costs could be prohibitively high if such costumes were shipped, stored and displayed in fully-assembled form. Likewise, costume enthusiasts can ill-afford the space required to store multiple fully-assembled costume garments or the time required for tedious assembly and disassembly of a complex costume.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a plurality of costume panels for a helmet of a first example embodiment of an improved costume garment in an unassembled planar state.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the helmet of FIG. 1 in an assembled state.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the helmet of FIG. 1 in an assembled state.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a plurality of panels for a torso garment of a second example embodiment of an improved costume garment in an unassembled planar state.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the torso garment of FIG. 4 in an assembled state.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the torso garment of FIG. 4 in an assembled state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The methods, apparatus and techniques described herein provide improved and reusable costume garments. The improved costume garments are three-dimensional and configured to partially enclose a user's body and are capable of highly-efficient disassembly and storage. These costume garments are distributed in a “costume garment kit” (also called a “kit”). These costume garment kits permit ease of storage, transportation and display, and allow assembly into a highly-detailed three-dimensional costume garment that at least partially encloses the user's body. The costume garment kit may include a number of substantially flat panels corresponding to portions of a user's body and adapted for being sequentially secured together into a three-dimensional costume garment. FIG. 1 illustrates example two-dimensional substantially flat panels distributed as part of a costume garment kit. The costume garment kit may also provide securing devices (not shown in the Figures) for securing together these panels and assembly instructions (not shown in the Figures) for assembling a three-dimensional costume garment, as described herein.

In one example embodiment, the costume garment kit provides methods of assembling a three-dimensional improved costume garment for application to a user's body, for example, using assembly instructions. According to one such example, a plurality of decorative or aesthetic costume panels adapted for assembly into a three-dimensional costume garment are provided along with appropriate securing devices that can be applied to the panels. One or more of the decorative panels are manipulated as necessary to adopt a three-dimensional configuration. A decorative panel may define one or more securing apertures that permit passage of a securing device, such as described herein, to secure the decorative panel to one or more other panels. The decorative panels are then secured together using the securing devices in an appropriate fashion or order to create a three-dimensional costume garment.

In some example embodiments, corresponding decorative panels may be secured together by a disengageable securing device, such as a pin, a screw, a bolt-and-nut arrangement, a clip, a rivet or any other appropriate securing device. To provide for ease of assembly and disassembly, the disengageable securing device may be non-destructively removable and may be easily manipulated by the costume garment user or by a third party, whether the user or third party is a child or an adult. In other example embodiments, the disengageable securing device may be adapted so as to permit relative rotation of the secured panels. For example, the securing device may define a smooth pivotable portion around which the secured panels may rotate relative to one another. In some example embodiments, the securing device may be a bowtie tang rivet, manufactured by Snapz, LLC, and described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/558,039, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Other example embodiments may further include one or more cushioning panels for providing comfort to the user and depth to the costume garment, or for preventing slippage of the three-dimensional garment during use. A cushioning panel may substantially correspond in location to one or more surfaces of a user's body, and may correspond in shape to a corresponding decorative panel of the present invention. A cushioning panel can be provided to define one or more securing apertures that correspond to those defined by a corresponding decorative panel.

Other example embodiments may further include one or more reinforcing panels (not shown) for providing structural support to the three-dimensional costume garment when fully assembled. Such reinforcing panels may or may not be visible to a viewer when the costume garment is worn by the user, and may be adapted as necessary to conform to a three-dimensional configuration. To provide strength, reinforcing panels will typically be manufactured from a plastic polymer such as high-density polyethylene polymer (HDPE) or another polymer with desired characteristics of, for example, weight, resiliency, tensile strength, and flexibility. The reinforcing panels may define securing apertures corresponding in like fashion to those defined by corresponding decorative and cushioning panels.

A first example embodiment of an improved costume garment in accordance with the techniques described here is generally illustrated at reference numeral 9 in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the attached drawings, wherein reference numerals therein correspond to like reference numerals herein. The costume garment kit may provide for any number of themes, sizes, designs, or functionalities common to costume garments. In commercial embodiments, an instruction guide may also be provided that indicates corresponding panels and identifies corresponding securing apertures. Such a guide may also identify an appropriate order of assembly for forming the desired three-dimensional costume garment. For example, an improved costume helmet garment 9 (described below with reference to FIGS. 1-3) may comprise decorative and, optionally, cushioning panels corresponding to a user's mouth, chin, jawline, cheeks, nose, eyes, brow, crown, and the sides and back of a user's head. An improved torso costume garment 209 (described below with reference to FIG. 4-6) may comprise decorative and, optionally, cushioning panels corresponding to a user's abdomen, breast, sternum, collarbones, neck, front ribcage, rear ribcage, shoulders, oblique regions, and spinal column.

In the first example embodiment, the costume garment kit can be assembled to provide an improved costume garment helmet 9. This embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 1-3 and includes a plurality of panels 10-150 substantially corresponding to the surfaces of a user's head. More specifically, this embodiment includes a decorative eyeshield 10, decorative left 20 and right 70 side panels, and left 30 and right 80 side cheek cushioning panels corresponding to like surfaces of a user's head. Decorative panels corresponding to the user's mouth-and-chin 40, left 50 and right 90 cheeks, left 60 and right 100 ears, crown-and-brow 110, nose 120, rear head 130 and nape 150, as well as a rear cushioning panel 140 are also provided. The assembled helmet 9, depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, may be secured together by use of rivets or other fasteners, such as bowtie tang rivets 160.

In this example embodiment, headstraps 170, 180 (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) may optionally be secured to the helmet to facilitate preferred sizing to the user's head. Legs of left 170 and right 180 headstraps corresponding to front, top, and rear surfaces of the user's head may be overlapped and attached to one another by use of Velcro™, adhesive film, or an appropriate fastening device such as a hook-and-loop or belt-and-tooth arrangement, snap buttons, and the like. By increasing or decreasing the amount of overlap between corresponding legs of the headstraps, the user may tighten or loosen the fit of the helmet as desired.

Decorative panels are panels that define the exterior aesthetic appearance of a costume garment. Each of the decorative panels 10-20, 40-70, 90-150 substantially corresponds in location to one or more surfaces of the user's body and may include decorative graphic elements (not shown) thereon. Such surfaces typically include the surfaces of the head, of the torso, of the upper or lower leg, or of the upper or lower arm. In certain example embodiments, decorative panels may also correspond in size and/or shape to the relevant surface(s) of the body. As stated above, such decorative panels may include one or more colors, graphics or designs as desired. Each decorative panel defines at least one securing aperture a-ff, permitting the corresponding decorative panels to be secured together as described below. A decorative panel may further define at least one ventilation aperture, permitting temperature-regulation during use and comfort for the user.

Decorative panels 10-20, 40-70, 90-150 may be manufactured from any material possessing desirable properties of, for example, cost, weight, flexibility, resiliency, and ability to bear colors or designs. Decorative panels will typically be manufactured from a polymer possessing the desired properties. In some embodiments, the polymer is HDPE polymer. While the decorative panels are substantially flat in a disassembled storage mode, and/or as distributed in a costume garment kit, in some embodiments certain decorative panels are adapted for manipulation into a three-dimensional costume garment. Accordingly, a decorative panel may define one or more crease lines, fold lines, or perforations, or may be bent or pre-bent to assume a desired configuration. Such an adaptation is indicated at reference numeral 42 in FIG. 1 and is in the form of a series of small perforations in a known manner.

In like fashion, a cushioning panel 30, 80, 140 may also be adapted for appropriate curving, bending, folding, or creasing. Thus, a cushioning panel may define one or more crease lines, fold lines, or perforations to facilitate assembly of a three-dimensional costume. Such adaptation may include, but is not limited to, manufacture from a material that is readily amenable to curving, bending, folding, or creasing. In some embodiments, a cushioning panel is manufactured from a material that is both pliant and compressible. In some embodiments, a cushioning panel is manufactured from a closed cell foam, such as polyethylene foam, polyethylene roll, cross-linked polyethylene, neoprene rubber, or gym rubber.

In another example embodiment, the panels of a costume garment kit, such as those illustrated in FIG. 4, can be assembled to provide a torso garment 209, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6. This embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 4-6 and includes a plurality of panels 210-450 substantially corresponding to the front and back of a user's torso. The front torso panels include left 210 and right 240 front cushioning panels, decorative panels corresponding to the user's left 220 and right 250 front ribcage, left 230 and right 260 oblique regions, left 270 and right 280 breast, sternum 290, left 310 and right 320 collarbones, and sternum cushioning panel 300. The rear torso panels include spinal cushioning panel 410 and decorative panels corresponding to the user's spine 420, right 430 and left 440 shoulder panels, and right 450 and left 460 rear ribcage. The assembled torso garment, depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, is secured together by use of rivets or other fasteners, such as bowtie tang rivets 160. Corresponding panels of this embodiment define corresponding securing apertures a-x, aa-ff.

To provide the desired level of detail and dimensionality to a given improved costume garment 9, 209, the decorative panels may be adapted for sequential assembly to create a layered effect. By “layered effect,” it is meant that corresponding decorative panels may be secured to one another in a built-out fashion, providing depth to the three-dimensional improved costume garment. A layered effect is accomplished by providing two or more decorative panels that generally correspond to the same surface of the user's body and securing the panels so that a first panel is disposed closer to the given body surface and a second panel is disposed on the first panel and thus further removed from the body surface, e.g., panel 80 is disposed atop panel 70. A third panel may be disposed on the second panel, and so on, e.g., panel 90 is disposed atop panel 80 and panel 100 is disposed atop panel 90. Layering may be accomplished, for example, by disposing one decorative panel atop and in contact with another decorative panel, or may also be accomplished by disposing one or more cushioning panels between corresponding decorative panels.

A specific order of assembly may be necessary to produce a three-dimensional improved costume garment, such as garment 9 or 209, of appropriate structure and design that at least partially encloses the user's body. For example, while a helmet garment 9 may be appropriately assembled without regard to whether a right cheek panel 100 or the analogous left cheek panel 60 is first secured to a mouth-and-chin panel 40, it may be necessary to follow a specific order with respect to securing non-analogous decorative panels, such as an eyeshield panel 10 and a nose panel 120. Any requirement for step-wise assembly typically will be dictated by the particular structure and desired aesthetic of the three-dimensional improved costume garment being assembled. The decorative or cushioning panels may vary widely in number, size, shape, and overall design, depending on the costume garment.

To assemble an improved costume garment, a costume garment kit as described above and an appropriate number of securing devices 160 are first provided. Substantially flat decorative and, optionally, cushioning panels are arranged sequentially to match corresponding securing apertures; e.g., panels 20, 30, 40, 50 and 120 are arranged to match like apertures indicated at shared lowercase reference letters i and j on the panels. Decorative panels are folded, bent, curved, or otherwise manipulated as necessary and corresponding panels are secured together by use of a securing device, such as a bowtie tang rivet, to form a three-dimensional costume garment (i.e., a securing device passes through securing aperture “i” of panel 20 and corresponding securing apertures “i” of panels 30, 40, 50, and 120 to secure the panels together).

Table 1 below sets out steps for assembling the costume garment kit panels depicted in FIG. 1 into the three-dimensional helmet garment 9 of FIGS. 2 and 3. Table 2 below sets out steps for assembling the costume garment kit panels depicted in FIG. 4 into the three-dimensional improved torso garment 209 of FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIGS. 1 and 4, corresponding securing apertures are indicated by shared lowercase reference letters.

TABLE 1
Stepwise Assembly of Helmet shown in FIG. 1
Steps Panel Numbers:
1.    (optional) 20 placed over 170
2.    (optional) 30 placed over 180
3.    20 placed over 10
4.    30 placed over 20
5.    70 placed over 10
6.    80 placed over 70
7.    40 placed over 30 and 80
8.    50 placed over 30
9.    90 placed over 80
10.   140 placed over 90 and 50
11.   60 placed over 50
12.   100 placed over 90
13.   120 placed over 50, and 90
14.   Fold 110 along fold lines
15.   110 placed over 10, 20, 50, 70, and 90
16.   Fold 130 along fold lines
17.   130 placed over 110, 50, and 90
18.   150 placed over 20 and 70
19.   Fold 100 and 60 along fold lines

TABLE 2
Stepwise Assembly of Torso Garment shown in FIG. 4
Steps Panel Numbers:
1.    220 placed over 210
2.    230 placed over 220
3.    250 placed over 240
4.    260 placed over 250
5.    270 placed over 220 and 280 placed over 250
6.    270 and 280 folded along fold lines adjacent to securing
      apertures c and d, g and h, a and b, and e and f to create
      depth at chest plate as shown in FIG. 5
7.    290 placed over 270 and 280
8.    300 placed over 290 and into recess formed by folding of
      270/280 in step 6
9.    310 placed over 270
10.   320 placed over 280
11.   220, 230, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 310 and 320 folded
      along remaining fold lines
12.   Secure together front panels 210-320 at like securing
      apertures
13.   420 placed over 410
14.   450 and 460 folded along fold lines
15.   450 and 460 placed over 420
16.   430 and 440 placed over 450 and 460, respectively
17.   Secure together rear panels 410-460 at like securing
      apertures

As described, a costume garment kit of the present disclosure may provide for any number of themes, sizes, designs, or functionalities. While exemplary improved costume garments described herein relate to a “space trooper” theme, other example embodiments may depart widely from this theme to encompass any desired costume motif. It will also be understood from the foregoing that, although specific examples have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Thus, the invention is not to be limited to the above description, but is to be determined in scope by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A costume garment kit for assembly of a reusable costume garment, comprising:

a plurality of substantially flat decorative panels corresponding to the surfaces of a user's body, wherein each of the panels defines at least one securing aperture and is adapted for assuming a three-dimensional configuration of a costume garment when assembled; and, one or more securing devices for securing corresponding apertures defined by the corresponding panels, wherein assembly of the decorative panels using the one or more securing devices forms a three-dimensional costume garment partially enclosing the user's body.

2. The costume garment kit of claim 1, wherein the decorative panels are adapted for sequential assembly to create a layered effect.

3. The costume garment kit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the decorative panels defines a fold line.

4. The costume garment kit of claim 1, wherein the securing device is a rivet.

5. The costume garment kit of claim 4, wherein the rivet is a bowtie tang rivet.

6. The costume garment kit of claim 1, wherein the panels are manufactured from high-density polyethylene polymer.

7. The costume garment kit of claim 1, further including a cushioning panel substantially corresponding to one of the decorative panels.

8. The costume garment kit of claim 7, wherein the cushioning panel is manufactured from a closed-cell foam.

9. The costume garment kit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the decorative panels defines a ventilation aperture.

10. The costume garment kit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of substantially flat decorative panels correspond to the surfaces of at least a portion of the user's head and wherein the decorative panels are adapted for assembly into a helmet.

11. The costume garment kit of claim 10, further including:

a decorative eyepiece panel adapted for providing the user with a field of vision while wearing the helmet;

a decorative mouth panel adapted to partially cover the user's mouth and chin;

a decorative cheek panel adapted to partially cover a cheek of the user;

a decorative ear panel adapted to partially cover an ear of the user;

a decorative side panel adapted to partially cover a side of the user's head;

a decorative jaw panel adapted to partially cover the user's jawline;

a decorative nose panel adapted to partially cover the user's nose; and,

a decorative crown panel adapted to partially cover a top surface of the user's head and the user's brow.

12. The costume garment kit of claim 10, wherein the pivotable securing device is a bowtie tang rivet.

13. The costume garment kit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of substantially flat decorative panels correspond to the surfaces of at least a portion of the user's torso and wherein the panels are adapted for assembly into a torso garment.

14. The costume garment kit of claim 13, further including:

a decorative abdomen panel corresponding to the user's abdomen;

a decorative breastplate panel corresponding to the user's breast;

a decorative sternum panel corresponding to the user's sternum;

a decorative collarbone panel corresponding to at least one of the user's collarbones;

a decorative neck panel corresponding to the collar region of the user's neck;

a decorative front panel corresponding to at least one side of the user's front ribcage;

a decorative oblique panel corresponding to at least one of the user's oblique regions;

a decorative spine panel corresponding to the user's spinal column;

a decorative rear panel corresponding to at least one side of the user's rear rib cage; and,

a decorative shoulder panel corresponding to at least one of the user's shoulders.

15. A method for assembly of a three-dimensional costume garment, comprising:

providing a plurality of substantially flat panels generally corresponding to the surfaces of a user's body, wherein each of the panels defines at least one securing aperture and is adapted for assuming a three-dimensional configuration of a costume garment; and

providing at least one securing device, wherein at least one of the panels is manipulable by a user to assume a three-dimensional configuration and wherein the panels are securable by inserting a securing device through corresponding securing apertures defined by corresponding panels to form a three-dimensional garment that partially encloses the user's body.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the securing device is a rivet.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the rivet is a bowtie tang rivet.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the corresponding panels can be bound together with the bowtie tang rivet by inserting a shank of the bowtie tang rivet through corresponding securing apertures in at least two of the corresponding panels and rotatably mating a tip of the bowtie tang rivet with a receiving unit of the bowtie tang rivet at a decorative panel surface opposite a head of the bowtie tang rivet.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the corresponding panels can be arranged and secured with respect to one another in a sequential fashion to create a layered effect.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the panels is a decorative panel manufactured from high-density polyethylene polymer and wherein at least one of the panels is a cushioning panel manufactured from a closed cell foam.