LAYERED OVERSIZED UPPER BODY GARMENT

Abstract

A layered oversized upper body garment is disclosed herein comprising: (i) an outer layer formed of an outer fabric having an outer fabric thread count and an outer fabric thickness; and (ii) an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having an inner fabric thread count and an inner fabric thickness, wherein the inner fabric thickness is greater than the outer fabric thickness. The inner layer or the outer layer may each or both have more than one fabric with different or similar characteristics. The inner layer may be a loft fabric. For example, the inner fabric may be at least one selected from a group of cotton, polyester, cotton blend, polyester blend, microfiber, and combinations thereof. The outer fabric may be at least one selected from a group of viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabric, natural silk, silk blends, synthetic silk, and any combinations thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following application is related to the present application: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/836,526 filed on Apr. 27, 2022. The identified application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of clothing, more specifically to layered oversized upper body garments.

BACKGROUND

Clothes have been a central part of human life since the beginning of recorded history. In early recorded history, clothes were generally composed of unprocessed and natural material such as animal skin, fur, leaves, and shells. With the passage of time and advancement of technology, however, clothing has evolved to become increasing more elaborate. Felt and spun fiber technologies have been used more recently to process flax, wool, silk, and cotton fabric and process different articles of clothing by netting, weaving, or knitting of the fabric. With the ability to process fabric, other properties of clothing such as insulative properties, thickness, softness, feel, and thread count have become significant. Further, environmental, cultural, occupational, and/or idiosyncratic demands and values have dictated production of different and unique articles of clothing—a trend that continues to this date.

SUMMARY

A layered oversized upper body garment is disclosed herein comprising: (i) an outer layer formed of an outer fabric having an outer fabric thread count and an outer fabric thickness; and (ii) an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having an inner fabric thread count and an inner fabric thickness, wherein the inner fabric thickness is greater than the outer fabric thickness. In some embodiments, for example, a ratio of the inner fabric thickness to the outer fabric thickness is in the range of 10:1 to 20:1. Similarly, in some embodiments, the inner fabric thread count is greater than the outer fabric thread count. For example, a ratio of the inner fabric thread count to the outer fabric thread count is in the range of 3:1 to 5:1.

In some embodiments, the outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabric, and any combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of natural silk, silk blends, synthetic silk, and any combinations thereof. Further, in some embodiments, the inner fabric is a loft fabric. For example, the inner fabric may be at least one selected from a group of cotton, polyester, cotton blend, polyester blend, microfiber, and combinations thereof.

According to some embodiments, a layered oversized upper body garment is disclosed comprising: (i) an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having an inner fabric thread count and an inner fabric thickness; and (ii) an outer layer formed of a first outer fabric having a first outer fabric thread count and a first outer fabric thickness and a second outer fabric having a second outer fabric thread count and a second outer fabric thickness, wherein the inner fabric thickness is greater than either of the first outer fabric thickness or the second outer fabric thickness. In other embodiments, the inner fabric thickness is greater than both of the first outer fabric thickness or the second outer fabric thickness. Similarly, in some embodiments, the inner fabric thread count is greater than either of the first outer fabric thread count or the second outer fabric thread count. In yet other embodiments, the inner fabric thread count is greater than both of the first outer fabric thread count or the second outer fabric thread count.

The first outer fabric may be directly adjacent to both the inner fabric and the second outer fabric. In some embodiments, this first outer fabric may be a waterproof lining. The inner fabric may be a loft fabric. For example, in some embodiments, the inner fabric may be at least one selected from a group of cotton, polyester, cotton blend, polyester blend, microfiber, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, either the first outer fabric or the second outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabric, and any combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the first outer fabric or the second outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of natural silk, silk blends, synthetic silk, and any combinations thereof.

A layered oversized upper body garment is also disclosed comprising: (i) an outer layer formed of an outer fabric of a satin material having a thread count of 50 to 300; and (ii) an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having a loft of 0.50 or less. In some embodiments, the satin material is polyester.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a layered oversized upper body garment having an inner and an outer layer.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a layered oversized upper body garment having an inner and an outer layer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a layered oversized upper body garment having one inner layer and one outer layer comprising a first outer fabric sublayer and a second outer fabric sublayer.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a layered oversized upper body garment having one inner layer and one outer layer comprising a first outer fabric and a second outer fabric.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” comprise plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, reference to a component in the singular is intended to comprise a plurality of components.

The term “substantially” or “about” may be used herein to describe disclosed or claimed embodiments. The term “substantially” or “about” may modify a value or relative characteristic disclosed or claimed in the present disclosure. In such instances, “substantially” or “about” may signify that the value or relative characteristic it modifies is within ±0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% or 10% of the value or relative characteristic.

As a preliminary matter, it is noted that while layered oversized upper body garment is elected to demonstrate different exemplary embodiments of the present invention, this disclosure is not limited to this specific garment. In fact, aspects of the invention may be adopted for any upper or lower body garment including head, hand, and feet coverings and even blankets or different types of bedding.

Referring to FIG. 1, a layered oversized upper body garment 10 having an inner layer 12 and an outer layer 14 is disclosed. The layered oversized upper body garment 10 further comprises a hood 16, sleeves 18, and ribbed cuffs 20. The inner layer 12 (only partially shown in the hooded area) is the interior part of the layered oversized upper body garment 10 that is closest to a wearer's body and is generally (substantially) in contact with a portion of the user's skin. The outer layer 14 is the part of the upper body garment 10 that is on the opposite side of the inner layer 12 and the part that is normally subject to environmental conditions such as ambient conditions. With the inner layer 12 generally in contact with a user's skin and the outer layer 14 subject to environmental conditions, these two layers have different characteristics in one or more embodiments. For example, the inner layer may be soft to touch, and the outer layer(s) may be insulating to protect the user from ambient conditions.

Referring to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view of the layered oversized upper body garment 10 having the inner layer 12 and the outer layer 14 is shown. The upper body may refer to the torso shoulders, arms, neck, and/or head of the user. Oversized may refer to the garments size being larger than the body parts in which the garment covers or drapes. In one or more embodiments, the inner and outer fabric materials are selected based on comfort of the oversized shape and/or size of the garment. The inner layer 12 and the outer layer 14 further comprise at least one inner fabric 22 and at least one outer fabric 24 respectively. The at least one inner fabric 22 has at least one fabric characteristic (e.g., an inner fabric thickness and/or an inner fabric thread count) and the at least one outer fabric 24 has at least one fabric characteristic (e.g., an outer fabric thickness and/or an outer fabric thread count). Thread count, normally used as a rough indicator of the softness and feel of a fabric, is a measure of the number of threads woven into one square inch of fabric. Thread count measures how tightly a fabric is woven. Threat count may be calculated by adding together the numbers of lengthwise (warp) and widthwise (weft) threads within a certain area. For example, a cotton sheet with 100 warp threads and 100 weft threads in each square inch of fabric would have a listed thread count of 200. Threat count, however, is not the sole means of measuring softness and feel of a fabric. Silk, for example, is measured in momme, which is another fabric characteristic. Momme measures the weight of silk in pounds per area (e.g., 45 inches by 100 yards). In metric terms, 1 momme equals 4.34 grams per square meter. Typically, the higher the momme weight, the more luxurious the silk fabric. However, higher momme weight silk fabrics may be tough or heavy for use as an upper body garment of one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, a momme weight of 19, 20, 21, or 22 momme is durable enough in combination with a second fabric (e.g., the at least one inner fabric 22 or the at least one outer fabric 24) while not being too heavy.

In some embodiments, the fabric characteristic(s) of the at least one inner fabric 22 are different from the fabric characteristic(s) of the at least one outer fabric 24. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness and the threat count of the inner fabric 22 is greater than the thickness and the thread count of the outer fabric 24. Stated differently, according to some embodiments, a layered oversized upper body garment includes: (i) an outer layer formed of an outer fabric having an outer fabric thread count and an outer fabric thickness; and (ii) an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having an inner fabric thread count and an inner fabric thickness is disclosed, wherein the inner fabric thread count is greater than the outer fabric thread count, and the inner fabric thickness is greater than the outer fabric thread count.

As stated above and referring again to FIG. 2, the inner layer 12 and the outer layer 14 may have different fabric characteristics. In turn, the inner fabric 22 and the outer fabric 24 also may have different characteristics. In some embodiments, the inner fabric 22 is a loft fabric. In this context, loft generally refers to the structural ratio of fiber to air in the fabric. A high-loft fiber structure (such as yarn) or fabric contains more air than fiber. As such, it is typically much thicker than low-loft fiber structure or fabric, in which the individual filaments are compacted. Polyester, cotton, cotton blend, polyester blend, microfiber, weighted glass/sand beads, waterproof lining, or any combination thereof are among the types of material that may be used as the inner fabric 22.

In some embodiments, the outer fabric 24 is a silk substitute material (e.g., an organic or synthetic silk-like material). For example, in some embodiments, viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabrics, or any combination thereof may be used as the outer fabric 24. In other embodiments, pure silk, silk blends, synthetic silk, or any combination thereof may be used as the outer fabric 24. As such, any of the at least following exemplary list, or any combination thereof, may be used as the outer fabric 24: viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabrics, pure silk, silk blends, or synthetic silk. The inner layer 12 and the outer layer 14 and in turn, inner fabric 22 and outer fabric 24, may be attached together by any means including lamination, adhesives, buttons, zippers, and/or sewing (seam).

In one embodiment, the outer fabric 24 is a polyester satin. The present disclosure, however, is not limited to polyester satin. Polyester is a synthetic fiber that may be used in a satin weave. While because of its affordability polyester is commonly used as the fiber for the satin weave, other fibers such as nylon and rayon may also be used is a satin weave. In some embodiments, where polyester satin is used as the outer fabric, such polyester satin has a thread count of 50. In other embodiments, where polyester satin is used as the outer fabric, such polyester satin has a thread count in the range of 50 to 300. In still other embodiments, where polyester satin is used as the outer fabric, such polyester satin has a thread count in the range of 300 to 600.

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fiber, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles, thus producing different colors. As stated above, the quality of some forms of fabric such as silk and some of its derivates may not be measured by thread count. Accordingly, in embodiments that use silk or any of its derivatives as the outer fabric 24, this outer fabric 24 is selected such that the inner fabric 22 has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the outer fabric 24. Further, in some other embodiments that use silk or any of its derivatives as the outer fabric 24, this outer fabric 24 is selected such that the inner fabric 22 has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the outer fabric 24 and such that the inner fabric 22 has a thread count that is greater than a thread count equivalent of the outer fabric 24 momme. A silk or silk derivative fabric may be selected such that it has a momme amount that generally has a thread count less than the thread count of the fabric used as the inner fabric.

While in some embodiments, a ratio of the thread count of the inner fabric 22 to the thread count of the outer fabric 24 may be at a minimum 1:1, in other embodiments, the ratio of the thread count of the inner fabric 22 to the thread count of the outer fabric 22 is greater than 1:1. For example, the ratio of the thread count of the inner fabric 22 to the thread count of the outer fabric 24 may be 3:1, 4:1, or 5:1. In one particular embodiment, the thread count of the outer layer 24 is 50G whereas the thread count of the inner layer 22 is 200G.

While in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a ratio of the thickness of the inner fabric 22 to the thickness of the outer fabric 24 may be at a minimum 1:1, in most other embodiments, the ratio of the thickness of the inner fabric 22 to the thickness of the outer fabric 24 is greater than 1:1. For example, the ratio of the thickness of the inner fabric 22 to the thickness of the outer fabric 24 may be 10:1, 11:1, 12:1, 13:1, 14:1, 15:1, 16:1, 17:1, 18:1, 19:1, and 20:1. In one particular embodiment, for example, the thickness of the inner layer 22 is between 2 to 3 millimeters whereas the thickness of the outer layer 24 is between 0.1 to 1 millimeters.

In one or more embodiments, thickness and thread count ratios of the inner fabric to the outer fabric may be selected based on their influence on different characteristics of the garment. For example, a lofted material as the inner fabric with thread count and thickness higher than a silk, silk-like, and silk derivative material of the outer fabric may be selected to cause the garment to feel softer on a wear's skin, reduce friction with a wear's hair, and help keep the wear's body warm. Further, in one or more embodiments, more than one inner or outer fabrics may be selected to also influence the characteristics of a garment.

Referring to FIG. 3, a layered oversized upper body garment 100 having an inner layer 102 and an outer layer 104 is disclosed. The layered oversized upper body garment 100 further comprises a hood 106, sleeves 108, and ribbed cuffs 110. The inner layer 102 (only partially shown in the hooded area) is the interior part of the upper body garment 100 that is closest to a user's (wearer) body and is generally (substantially) in contact with a portion of the user's skin. The outer layer 104 is the part of the layered upper body garment 100 that is on the opposite side of the inner layer 102 and the part that is normally subject to environmental conditions such as ambient conditions.

Referring to FIG. 4, a cross-sectional view of the layered oversized upper body garment 100 having the inner layer 102 and the outer layer 104 is shown. The inner layer 102 further comprises an inner fabric 112 having an inner fabric thickness and an inner fabric thread count. The outer layer 104 further comprises a first outer fabric 114 having a first thickness and a first thread count and a second outer fabric 116 having a second thickness and a second thread count. In this embodiment, the first outer fabric 114 is sandwiched between the inner fabric 112 and the second outer fabric 116. In other words, the first outer fabric 114 is directly adjacent to both the inner fabric 112 and the second outer fabric 116.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the inner fabric 112 is greater than each of the first thickness of the first outer fabric 114 and the second thickness of the second outer fabric 116, individually. In fact, in some embodiments, the thickness of the inner fabric 112 is greater than the thickness of the outer layer 104 comprised of both the first thickness of the first outer fabric 114 and the second thickness of the second outer fabric 116. Likewise, in some embodiments, the thread count of the inner fabric 112 is greater than each of the first thread count of the first outer layer 114 and the second threat count of the second outer fabric 116, individually. In some embodiments, the thread count of the inner fabric 112 is greater than the thread count of the outer layer 104 comprised of both the first thread count of the first outer fabric 114 and the second thread count of the second outer fabric 116.

According to one or more embodiments, a layered oversized upper body garment includes: (i) an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having an inner fabric thread count and an inner fabric thickness; and (ii) an outer layer formed of a first outer fabric having a first thread count and a first thickness and a second outer fabric having a second thread count and a second thickness, wherein the inner fabric thread count is greater than either of the first outer fabric thread count or the second outer fabric thread count, and the inner fabric thickness is greater than either of the first outer fabric thickness or the second outer fabric thickness.

In some embodiments, the inner fabric 112 may be made of a loft fabric such as polyester, cotton, cotton blend, polyester blend, microfiber, weighted glass/sand beads, waterproof lining, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the first outer fabric 114 and/or the second outer fabric 116 may be made of a silk substitute material (e.g., an organic or synthetic silk-like material). For example, viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabrics, or any combination thereof may be used as either or both of the outer fabrics 114 and 116. In other embodiments, pure silk (natural silk), silk blends, synthetic silk, or any combination thereof may be used as either or both of the outer fabrics 114 and 116. Still in other embodiments, any of the at least following, or any combination thereof, may be used as either or both of the outer fabrics 114 and 116: viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabrics, pure silk, silk blends, or synthetic silk. In some embodiments, the outer fabrics 114 and 116 may be different materials. In other embodiments, the outer fabrics 114 and 116 may be the same materials.

In one embodiment, the inner fabric 112 is made of a loft fabric such as a cotton blend, the first outer fabric 114 is made of waterproof lining, and the second outer fabric 116 is made of at least one of the following or any combinations thereof: viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabrics, pure silk, silk blends, or synthetic silk. The inner layer 102 and the outer layer 104 and in turn, the inner fabric 112 and first outer fabric 114 and the second outer fabric 116, may be attached together by any means including lamination, adhesives, buttons, zippers, and/or sewing (seam).

As stated above, the quality of some forms of fabric such as silk and some of its derivates are not measured by thread count. Accordingly, in embodiments that use silk or any of its derivatives as either of the first outer fabric 114 or the second outer fabric 116 or both, this (or these) outer fabric(s) (114, 116, or both) is selected such that the inner fabric 112 has a thickness that is greater than the first thickness of the first outer fabric 114 and/or the second thickness of the second outer fabric 166. Further, in some embodiments that use silk or any of its derivatives as either of the first outer fabric 114 or the second outer fabric 116 or both, this (or these) outer fabric(s) (114, 116, or both) is selected such that the inner fabric 112 has a thickness that is greater than the first thickness of the first outer fabric 114 and/or the second thickness of the second outer fabric 166 and the inner fabric 112 has a thread count that is greater than a thread count equivalent of the first and/or second outer fabric 114 and 116 momme. In one or more embodiments, a silk or silk derivative fabric which has a momme amount that is generally less than a thread count of the fabric used as the inner fabric is used.

While in some embodiments, a ratio of the thread count of the inner fabric 112 to the thread count of the outer layer 104 composed of both the first thread count of the first outer fabric 114 and the second thread count of the second outer fabric 116 may be at a minimum 1:1, in other embodiments, the ratio of the thread count of the inner fabric 112 to the thread count of the outer layer 104 composed of both the first thread count of the first outer fabric 114 and the second thread count of the second outer fabric 116 is greater than 1:1. While in some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness of the inner fabric 112 to the thickness of the outer layer 104 composed of both the first thickness of the first outer fabric 114 and the second thickness of the second outer fabric 116 may be at a minimum 1:1, in other embodiments, the ratio of the thickness of the inner fabric 112 to the thickness of the outer layer 104 composed of both the first thickness of the first outer fabric 114 and the second thickness of the second outer fabric 116 is greater than 1:1.

The thickness and thread count ratios of the inner layer to outer layer may influence different characteristic(s) of the garment. For example, a lofted material may be selected with thread count and thickness higher than the material used for the outer layer (for either the first or the second fabric or both), to cause the garment to feel softer on a wear's skin, reduce friction with a wear's hair, and/or help keep the wear's body warm. While the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 have a single inner fabric and only two outer fabrics this disclosure is not limited to such an embodiment and the use of more than one fabric for either the inner or the outer or both is within the scope of one or more embodiments.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes may include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.

Claims

1. A layered oversized upper body garment comprising:

an outer layer formed of an outer fabric having an outer fabric thread count and an outer fabric thickness; and

an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having an inner fabric thread count and an inner fabric thickness, wherein the inner fabric thickness is greater than the outer fabric thickness.

2. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 1, wherein the inner fabric thread count is greater than the outer fabric thread count.

3. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the inner fabric thickness to the outer fabric thickness is in the range of 10:1 to 20:1.

4. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 2, wherein a ratio of the inner fabric thread count to the outer fabric thread count is in the range of 3:1 to 5:1.

5. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 1, wherein the outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabric, and any combinations thereof.

6. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 2, wherein the outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of natural silk, silk blends, synthetic silk, and any combinations thereof.

7. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 1, wherein the inner fabric is a loft fabric.

8. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 7, wherein the inner fabric is at least one selected from a group of cotton, polyester, cotton blend, polyester blend, microfiber, and combinations thereof.

9. A layered oversized upper body garment comprising:

an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having an inner fabric thread count and an inner fabric thickness; and

an outer layer formed of a first outer fabric having a first outer fabric thread count and a first outer fabric thickness and a second outer fabric having a second outer fabric thread count and a second outer fabric thickness, wherein the inner fabric thickness is greater than either of the first outer fabric thickness or the second outer fabric thickness.

10. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 9, wherein the inner fabric thickness is greater than both of the first outer fabric thickness or the second outer fabric thickness.

11. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 9, wherein the inner fabric thread count is greater than either of the first outer fabric thread count or the second outer fabric thread count.

12. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 9, wherein the inner fabric thread count is greater than both of the first outer fabric thread count or the second outer fabric thread count.

13. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 9, wherein the first outer fabric is directly adjacent to both the inner fabric and the second outer fabric.

14. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 9, wherein the first outer fabric is a waterproof lining.

15. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 9, wherein the inner fabric is a loft fabric.

16. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 15, wherein the inner fabric is at least one selected from a group of cotton, polyester, cotton blend, polyester blend, microfiber, and combinations thereof.

17. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 9, wherein either the first outer fabric or the second outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of viscose, satin polyester, satin weave fabric, and any combinations thereof.

18. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 11, wherein the first outer fabric or the second outer fabric is at least one selected from a group of natural silk, silk blends, synthetic silk, and any combinations thereof.

19. A layered oversized upper body garment comprising:

an outer layer formed of an outer fabric of a satin material having a thread count of 50 to 300; and

an inner layer formed of an inner fabric having a loft of 0.50 or less.

20. The layered oversized upper body garment of claim 19, wherein the satin material is polyester.