US20140338092A1

US20140338092A1 - Versatile hoodie

Info

Publication number: US20140338092A1
Application number: US13/986,568
Authority: US
Inventors: Anthony Kinsey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-05-15
Filing date: 2013-05-15
Publication date: 2014-11-20

Abstract

Disclosed is an outer garment having a jacket with a hood commonly known as a “hoodie”. The hood has a primary opening for a user's face when the hood is raised over the user's head. A secondary opening allows for an object to extend through the secondary opening. An opening in the rear of the hood allows for a bill of cap to extend through the hood, or a pony tail of a user to extend through the hood; openings on the sides of the hood permit headphones to be placed against the user's ears for enhanced listening when the hood is raised.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to clothing and more particularly to outer garments commonly known as “hoodies”.
Hoodies are well known in the art and are well described in: U.S. Pat. No. D629,590, entitled “Pocket Sweatshirt” issued Dec. 28, 2010, to Freedman et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. D653,836, entitled “Sweatshirt” issued Feb. 14, 2012, to Woyshner et al.; both of which are incorporated hereto by reference.
The hood is an envelope of cloth that is selectively pulled over the user's head having an opening for the user's face while protecting the rest of the head from the elements. A hood is a popular and versatile addition to an outer garment such as a jacket or sweatshirt and the hood allows the user to obtain additional warmth and protection when desired.
Unfortunately, the hood is also restrictive in its use as by its very nature, the hood covers the entire head (save the face of the user) and as such restricts the user's ability to employ other articles of clothing or styles.
It is clear there is a need for a more versatile hoodie.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is an outer garment having a jacket with a hood commonly known as a “hoodie”. In this context, the jacket is an outer garment obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as, but not limited to: pull over sweat tops; zippered sweat tops; buttoned jackets; parkas; and the like.
These outer garments are fashioned with a hood to provide additional protection during foul weather by protecting the ears and head. In some embodiments of the invention, the hood is detachable from the outer garment.
The hood has a primary opening for a user's face when the hood is raised over the user's head. In some embodiments, the hood includes a draw-string to “snug” the hood's opening around the user's face.
In the present invention, a secondary opening is also provided in the hood. This secondary opening allows for an object to extend through the secondary opening.
In use, the secondary opening is positioned on the hood to meet a specific purpose. As example, a slit at the back of the hood permits a bill of a cap worn backwards by the user to extend through the hood. This allows the user to keep wearing the cap backwards and still be able to utilize the hood.
Another application of the secondary opening is to allow a pony-tail from the user to extend through the hood. This is particularly applicable to keep the hair from being crammed within the hood.
Yet another application is through the use of two openings in the hood positioned at the ears of the user. This position permits headphones to be worn by the user without the muffling that a hood would normally generate.
The invention, together with various embodiments thereof will be more fully explained by the accompanying drawings and the following descriptions thereof.

DRAWINGS IN BRIEF

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate an embodiment of the invention used for the bill of a cap.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C illustrate an embodiment of the invention used for a ponytail.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention used for enhanced headphone usage.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate another embodiment of the invention adapted for the bill of a cap.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which multiple openings are provided allowing the user to select the opening best suited for their purposes.

DRAWINGS IN DETAIL

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate an embodiment of the invention used for the bill of a cap.
Hood 10 is secured to jacket 11 and is adapted to extend over the head of user 12 so that the face of user 12 is visible through a primary opening 16. User 16 has cap 13 which is positioned “backwards”. Bill 15 of cap 13 extends through opening 14; thereby allowing user 12 to wear both the backwards cap 13 and hood 10.
FIG. 1B shows opening 14A on hood 10A. In this embodiment, hook and loop fastener 17A and 17B permit opening 14A to be sealed when not in use. Hook and loop fasteners are well known to those in the art and include commercially available materials under the tradename VELCRO.
FIG. 1C illustrates another embodiment of the invention in which Zipper 18A and 18B are used to seal opening 14B when not in use.
Note that openings 14, 14A, 14B, form a secondary opening which is used to accept the bill of the cap. In this way, the user may continue to wear their cap allowing the bill of the cap to extend through the secondary opening.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an embodiment of the invention used for a ponytail.
In this embodiment of the invention, the face of user 21 extends through the primary opening 24 in hood 20. A pony tail 22 extends through opening 25 (forming a secondary opening) in hood 20.
FIG. 2B shows one embodiment for sealing opening 25 of hood 20A. In this embodiment, opening 25 is sealed using reinforced panels 24 which, in a relaxed state when pony tail 22 is not present, cover opening 25.
FIG. 2C illustrates another embodiment which is used in all of the embodiments discussed herein. In this embodiment, hood 20B has opening 25 which in this illustration is used for a pony tail (not shown), around opening 25, contained within or secured to the fabric of hood 20B, is a reinforcing member 26. Reinforcing member 26 is a solid member such as a plastic or a stiff wire used to reinforce opening 25 to facilitate the extension of the pony tail through opening 25; or, in the case of other embodiments, the bill of a cap or headphones.
Another reinforcing member which is used is a chemical treatment of the fabric surrounding the secondary opening. The chemical treatment is adapted to “stiffen” the fabric and is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
This same concept, reinforcing member 26, is also used in any of the embodiments to reinforce and assist with the various secondary openings.
This embodiment allows a user to comfortably use a hood even though they have a pony tail which otherwise would be stuffed into the back of the hood.
FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention used for enhanced headphone usage.
In this embodiment, hood 30 has a primary opening 32 for the user's face as well as two secondary openings positioned over the ears (only the right secondary opening 31 is shown in this illustration). These secondary openings permit the user to employ the use of headphones (not shown) which are in direct communication with the user's ears so that the sound therefrom is not muffled or distorted by the fabric of hood 30.
This embodiment also illustrates the capability of removing the entire hood 30 from the jacket portion 34. Zippers 33A/33B permit the user to easily attach or remove hood 30.
FIG. 4A illustrates another embodiment of the invention adapted for the bill of a cap.
In this embodiment, the rear view of hood 40 is shown. In this embodiment, the secondary opening 41 through which the bill of the cap will extend has a flap of material 42 which lays over the secondary opening 41 when the cap is not present. Contained around the periphery of opening 41 is frame work 44 (illustrated in FIG. 4B). This arrangement provides of automatic sealing of the opening 42 without the user having to perform any tasks.
Enhanced versions of this embodiment utilize magnets 43 to secure the flap. Alternative version utilizes buttons with associated openings or snaps instead of magnet 43.
Frame 44 is contained within hood 40 around opening 41. Frame 44 is structured, in this embodiment to hold opening 41 in an open state to facilitate the placement of the hat's bill (not shown).
In an alternate embodiment, frame 44 is spring loaded to press opening 41 to a closed state when the hat's bill is not present. The use of a spring loaded frame 44 assists in securing the hood onto the bill of the cap through friction. Some embodiments also use a hook or tooth arrangement to secure frame 44 to the bill of the cap. The action of securing frame 44 to the bill of the cap permits the bill to extend through the hood at a chosen length regardless of the activity of the user.
FIGS. 5A, SB, and 5C illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which multiple openings are provided allowing the user to select the opening best suited for their purposes.
FIG. 5A is a rear view of a hood 51. In this illustration, hood 51 has several openings 52A, 52B, and 53 therein. In this illustration, these openings are positioned along a rear center-line although the invention is not so limited. Other embodiments place these openings along the sides of the hood to address the ears of the user and even other embodiments place these openings at other locations to allow the user to place their pony tail or pig-tails through the openings.
Covering openings 52A and 52B are covers 51A and 51B. Cover 51A, as shown in FIG. 5B, has a cloth facing 55 which is exposed and a hook-loop arrangement 54 on the back. Hook-loop arrangement is used to secure cover 51A to hood 50.
In use, the user is able to move cover 51A to opening 53 should the user want to place their pony-tail through opening 52A instead of opening 53. In this manner, by moving covers 52A or 52B, the user is able to select the opening they desire.
An alternative to the cloth cover o FIG. 5B is shown in FIG. 5C. Ring 56 is placed around each opening in hood 50. Covering 57 is then snapped onto the ring 56 to cover the applicable opening.
In both of these embodiments, the face of the cover is optionally stylized with team logos, school mascots, “bling”, or other decorative designs.
It is clear that the present invention provides for a hoodie that is much more versatile allowing the hoodie to be used in a variety of configurations.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An improved outer garment having a jacket with a hood having a primary opening for a user's face, said hood further having a secondary opening permitting an object to extend through said secondary opening.

2. The improved outer garment according to claim 1, further including a reinforcing member secured around the secondary opening.

3. The improved outer garment according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing member is a wire secured to the hood.

4. The improved outer garment according to claim 3, wherein said reinforcing wire is adapted to engage a bill of a cap extending through the secondary opening.

5. The improved outer garment according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing member is plastic sheet secured to the hood.

6. The improved outer garment according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing member is a chemical additive adapted to stiffen fabric around the secondary opening.

7. The improved outer garment according to claim 1, wherein said secondary opening is a slit positioned at a rear portion of the hood and configured to accept a bill of a cap therethrough.

8. The improved outer garment according to claim 6, further including a flexible flap covering the secondary opening when the bill of a cap is not present in the secondary opening.

9. The improved outer garment according to claim 7, further including at least one metal button secured to the hood and at least one magnet secured to the flap, each of the at least one magnet positioned to address one of said at least one metal button.

10. The improved outer garment according to claim 6, further including a removable covering configured to selectively cover said secondary opening.

11. The improved outer garment according to claim 7, further including at least one button secured to the hood and wherein the flap includes at least one slot opening, each slot opening adapted to receive one of said at least one button.

12. The improved outer garment according to claim 3, wherein said secondary opening includes a closure mechanism adapted to selectively seal the secondary opening.

13. The improved outer garment according to 12, wherein said closure mechanism includes a hook and loop fastener.

14. The improved outer garment according to claim 10, wherein said closure mechanism includes a zipper.

15. The improved outer garment according to claim 1, wherein the secondary opening is positioned at a rear portion of the hood and is configured to accept hair from the user for extension through the secondary opening.

16. The improved outer garment according to claim 1, wherein the secondary opening includes a pair of openings positioned on the hood, each secondary opening proximate to an ear of the user.

17. An outer garment having a jacket with a hood, said hood having:

a) a primary opening for a user's face; and,

b) a secondary opening permitting an object to extend through said secondary opening.

18. The outer garment according to claim 17, wherein said hood is removable from said jacket.

19. The outer garment according to claim 18, further including a second hood attachable to the jacket, said second hood having a single opening for a user's face.

20. An outer garment comprising:

a) a jacket adapted to be worn over a user's torso; and,

b) a hood secured to the jacket, said hood having,

1) a primary opening for a user's face, and,

2) a secondary opening permitting an object to extend through said secondary opening, said secondary opening having a closure mechanism adapted to selectively seal the secondary opening.

21. The outer garment according to claim 20, wherein said secondary opening is a slit positioned at a rear portion of the hood and configured to accept a bill of a cap therethrough.

22. The outer garment according to claim 20, wherein the secondary opening is positioned at a rear portion of the hood and is configured to accept hair from the user for extension through the secondary opening.