Customizable Garment

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/019,482 filed on Jul. 1, 2014. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a customizable garment. The garment comprises a sheet of fabric having a neck opening through which a user may insert his or her head. The sheet comprises a front panel adapted to be positioned over the user's chest and abdomen, and a rear panel that covers the user's back. A turtleneck or hood portion can be removably or permanently secured about the opening, and fringe material can be removably or permanently secured to the perimeter of the sheet.

Various types of garments exist for keeping a user warm such as scarves, sweaters, and jackets, among others. Scarves can be used to keep a person's neck warm, but cannot be used to keep the user's upper body warm. Sweaters help to keep an individual's upper body warm, but sweaters can be bulky and restrictive. Accordingly, the user must own a variety of different types of garments to suit a particular occasion or to provide a desired level of warmth. Therefore, a customizable garment that is versatile and that provides a user with flexibility in how to wear the garment is desired.

The present invention provides a customizable garment. The garment comprises a sheet of one or more layers of fabric. The sheet can be composed of various materials, such as cotton or wool, among others, and can be woven. The sheet comprises a front panel to cover the chest and abdomen of a user, and a rear panel to cover the back of the user. The sheet includes a neck opening thereon through which a user may insert his or her head. A turtleneck or hood portion can be removably secured to the neck opening as desired by the user by means of any suitable fasteners, such as zippers, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps, among others. Further, a fringe portion can be removably secured to the perimeter of the sheet in order to customize the appearance of the garment. In this way, the present invention provides warmth to the user without requiring the user to insert his or her arms into sleeves or other openings on the garment.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to garments adapted to cover a wearer's neck and upper body. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to drapes or dickies for use in beauty parlors or barber shops. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.

One such device, U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,674 to Daniel discloses a neck and shoulder covering drape for use during hairstyling. The drape comprises a U-shaped flat bib and a U-shaped collar portion extending upward therefrom. The inner periphery of the bib provides a neck opening, and a pair of slits extends from the outer periphery towards the center of the neck opening. Thus, Daniel provides a drape for use during hairstyling and does not provide a customizable garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,722,067 to Vaxes discloses a beauty parlor hair and dress protector set. The dress protector includes a jacket or cape having a collar and an adjusting string thereon. The jacket includes an overlapping portion which can be secured by snaps. Thus, Vaxes discloses a cape or jacket for use in beauty parlors and does not provide a customizable garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,024 to Randolph discloses a neck protector for use by barbers to prevent hair from falling on the wearer's neck. The neck protector comprises a circular piece of material having free ends that can be overlapped. Further, the device includes a circular opening defined by a cylindrical member that includes an adhesive to be secured to the wearer's neck. Thus, Randolph discloses a neck protector for use by a person receiving a haircut, and does not disclose a customizable garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,995,760 to Webster discloses a neckcloth and towel for a barber. The device is composed of paper having a transverse slit with a Y-shape. The branches of the Y-shape terminate in round openings. The slit allows the towel to be adjusted around the neck of the wearer. Thus, Webster provides a neckcloth for use by a barber that is composed of paper, and Webster fails to disclose a customizable garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,261 to Lipke discloses a dickie having a cylindrical shape with a neck opening on the upper end thereof. An intermediate portion of the device has a conical shape. A lower portion of the device has a body opening with an enlarged diameter. Thus, Lipke discloses a dickie having a cylindrical construction and fails to disclose a customizable garment.

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,236 to Andrew et al. discloses a device for collecting hair clippings. The device includes a collar to be positioned on a wearer's neck having a surface on which hair clippings can be caught. The surface has an adhesive coating for the purpose of catching the hair clippings. Thus, Andrew et al. discloses a device for collecting hair and does not disclose a customizable garment.

These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. The devices disclosed in the prior art are generally related to capes and collars to be worn while the wearer is having their hair cut or styled. Thus, the devices in the prior art do not provide a wearable garment, and are instead related to shielding a user's neck and upper body from exposure to hair clippings and water or shampoo. The devices in the prior art do not provide customizable garments that can be worn in different ways and are instead focused on fitting tightly to a user's neck or covering the chest and shoulder region of the wearer.

In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing customizable garments. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of customizable garments now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new customizable garment wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when dressing for various weather and occasions.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved customizable garment device that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a customizable garment having a front panel to cover a user's chest, a rear panel to cover a user's back, and a circular opening through which a user can insert his or her head.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a customizable garment having a hood or turtleneck portion removably securable around a circular neck opening thereon.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a customizable garment having fringes removably securable to the perimeter thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a customizable garment that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a top-down view of an embodiment of the customizable garment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a view of an embodiment of the customizable garment of the present invention having removable portions.

FIG. 3A shows a front view of a user wearing the customizable garment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B shows a rear view of a user wearing the customizable garment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the customizable garment. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for providing a user with a versatile garment that can be worn in various configurations so as to provide a user with a desired appearance and a desired amount of warmth. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a top-down view of an embodiment of the customizable garment of the present invention, and a view of an embodiment of the customizable garment of the present invention having removable portions, respectively. The customizable garment 11 of the present invention includes a sheet of material or fabric. The customizable garment 11 may be composed of various fabrics, such as cotton, polyester, or wool, among others. Further, the customizable garment 11 may be knitted.

The sheet of material comprises a front panel 12, a rear panel 13, and a circular opening 14 through which a user may insert his or her head. The front panel 12 is adapted to cover the user's chest and abdomen. The rear panel 13 is adapted to extend behind the user so as to cover a portion of the user's back. The rear panel 13 is preferably equal in length to the front panel. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, the rear panel 13 is shorter in length than the front panel 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the front panel 12 and rear panel 13 each comprise a triangular shape that tapers to a point at an end thereof. Thus, the sheet resembles a diamond. In alternate embodiments, the front and rear panels 12, 13 may instead comprise a rectangular shape, semi-circular shape, or various other shapes.

The perimeter of the front panel 12 and the rear panel 13 includes fringes 16 permanently affixed thereon. The fringes 16 extend outward from the edges of the front panel 12 and rear panel 13 and provide a decorative appearance to the customizable garment 11 of the present invention. The fringes 16 may be disposed on the entirety of the perimeter of the front panel 12 and rear panel 13 or only on a portion thereof. Alternatively, the fringe 16 is removably attachable to the perimeter 19 of the front panel 12 and rear panel 13, as shown in FIG. 2. In such embodiments, the fringe 16 includes an elongated strip 17 having fasteners 18 thereon adapted to engage with fasteners 20 on the perimeter 19 of the front and rear panels 12, 13. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the fasteners 18, 20 are shown as button-snaps, however the fasteners 18, 20 can include hook and loop fastening material, zippers, or buttons, among others.

The circular opening 14 is adapted to allow a user to insert his or her head therethrough. The circular opening 14 may include a neck covering, such as a turtleneck 15 or hood, permanently secured to the perimeter thereof. The turtleneck 15 is adapted to keep a user's neck warm. The turtleneck 15 includes a circular ring of fabric disposed around the circular opening 14. In alternate embodiments as shown in FIG. 2, the turtleneck 15 or hood may be removably securable to the opening 14 by means of fasteners 21 on the perimeter of the opening 14 and fasteners 22 on a lower portion of the turtleneck 15. The fasteners 21, 22 may include button-snaps, hook and loop fastening material, zippers, or buttons, among others similar fasteners.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there are shown front and rear views of a user wearing the customizable garment of the present invention, respectively. The customizable garment 11 of the present invention can be easily adorned and removed from the user. The user may insert his or her head through the circular opening 14 thereon. The front panel 12 is positioned so as to cover the user's chest and abdomen, whereas the rear panel 13 is positioned so as to cover the user's back. The turtleneck 15 can be used to warm the user's neck or can be folded downward. Further, the front and rear panel 12, 13 include a plurality of fringes 16 thereon for providing a decorative appearance to the customizable garment 11. In alternate embodiments having removable fringes and turtleneck portions, the user can decide whether to attach either or both of the fringe and turtleneck portion. In alternate embodiments a hood portion can be permanently or removably secured about the opening 14.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.