Apparel – General structure – Pockets
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-25
2001-01-23
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
General structure
Pockets
C002S243100, C002S244000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175966
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a garment having a closeable pocket, and more particularly, to a garment having an interior closeable pocket which is designed to conceal the backing of post-production embroidery on the garment. This invention also relates to methods of producing the pocket. The garments can be pre-made and custom embroidered after production.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There presently is a large demand for custom embroidered garments which bear a name, logo, design or other designation desirable to a particular, small segment of the population, such as schools, businesses, colleges, recreational sports teams, resorts and the like. These entities desire garments bearing their special names, logos, designs or designations. Typically, there is only a small market for such branded items, namely the members of the particular entity, and a relatively small number of garments are required. It is necessary for a garment manufacturer to produce small numbers of garments, such as jackets, bearing the logos, designs, names or designs of various customers. Typically, the most cost-effective means to meet the demand for custom-branded goods is to produce a large number of standard garments, such as jackets, in a variety of standard sizes and colors, which have no embroidery and which can later be embroidered with the names, logos, designs and designations as requested.
Names, logos, designs and other designations typically are applied to a garment by direct embroidery on the garment. While such designations can be produced as separate appliques and heat-sealed to the garment, this process is time consuming and is not cost effective. Moreover, not all designations, particularly those comprising only letters and words, are suitable to be produced as appliques. Further, such appliques do not provide the professional, finished quality produced by embroidery, and can become unfastened from the garment through normal wear and tear.
The standard embroidery process employed in the decoration of garments produces the desired design on the exterior of a garment, but a visible embroidery backing on the interior of the garment. In garments which are embroidered before completion, the unsightly embroidery backing can be concealed by a lining or by the design of the garment itself. However, where garments are pre-made before embroidery, the embroidery backing cannot be concealed, as the garment already is constructed. This is particularly true where the pre-made garment is a shirt, jacket or other garment where the reverse embroidery is visible when the garment is worn open. Typically, garments such as jackets are embroidered on the left breast. When the jacket is worn open, as opposed to buttoned or zippered, the embroidery backing is visible.
There is a need for a garment which can be pre-made and embroidered after construction in which the backing of embroidery placed thereon after the garment is constructed (“post-construction”) is concealed. The present invention answers this need by providing a garment with a closeable interior pocket which allows the garment to be embroidered with standard embroidery equipment post-production. The pocket is then fastened to completely conceal the embroidery backing.
Various types of pockets appear on the insides of jackets and other types of apparel. These pockets have an opening which is typically placed on the inside left panel of the garment and which runs in the horizontal direction. The size of the known pockets is usually 5-6 inches in width and 6-7 inches in length, due to standard construction equipment. Vertically disposed pockets also are known and also normally have an opening of about 5-6 inches in width and 6-7 inches in length, again due to standard garment construction equipment.
In the embroidered apparel industry embroiderers have difficulty stitching logos to garments having the usual pockets. Because the most popular embroidery zone is the left chest area, to embroider this area on those garments, such as jackets, with an inside pocket requires the pocket to be sewn shut and rendered useless. As lined jackets typically have full front zippers, the backing of the embroidery is apparent on the inside of the jacket when the jacket is open and not zippered, thereby lowering the value of the garment to a consumer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a garment having an interior pocket which conceals the backing of post-production embroidery on said garment.
It is a further object of the patent invention to provide a garment having a closeable pocket which is made to accommodate standard embroidery equipment which embroiders the garment without stitching the pocket closed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a garment having a closeable pocket which conceals the backing of post-production embroidery on said garment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a garment having a closeable pocket that allows the use of standard embroidery equipment to embroider the garment without stitching the pocket closed.
The foregoing objects are achieved and the disadvantages of the known pocket designs are overcome by providing a garment in accordance with the present invention. The pocket includes an opening running in the vertical direction relative to a wearer of the garment. The opening is adjacent to the front vertical opening of the garment.
The pocket is oversized to accommodate insertion of standard embroidery equipment and is approximately 8-9 inches in width and 10-11 inches in length. The pocket opens in the vertical (length) direction and the opening measures approximately 9 inches.
The method for producing the garment with the closeable pocket on the inside lining of the garment comprises the steps of cutting a vertical slit into the garment's lining or facing to form the opening of the pocket; sewing the facing of the pocket to the pocket's top lining; sewing the front edge of the top lining to the back side of a closure means, preferably a zipper, Velcro tape or other hook and loop fastening tape; opening the top and bottom lining of the pocket and framing the front of the closure means to the vertical slit by turning a raw edge of the vertical slit under a finished edgestitch so as to catch the garment lining and the bottom and top lining of the pocket; reinforcing the top and bottom of the closure mechanism with extra tacking in the horizontal direction; sewing the bottom and top lining of the pocket closed; sewing through the bottom and top lining of the pocket so as to catch a top of the pocket to keep it flat; and catching, while setting the sleeve lining of the garment, a back edge of the pocket to reinforce the pocket's stitch construction and further secure the pocket.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4138745 (1979-02-01), Greenspan
patent: 5379461 (1995-01-01), Wilmers
patent: 5509147 (1996-04-01), Busquets
patent: 5628065 (1997-05-01), Austin
patent: 5669078 (1997-09-01), Scremin et al.
patent: 5784718 (1998-07-01), Finnegan
patent: 5832540 (1998-11-01), Knight
patent: 5901372 (1999-05-01), Lawler
Calvert John J.
Cooper & Dunham LLP
Jenkins Shirra L.
Vantage Customs Classics, Inc.
LandOfFree
Garment having a closeable pocket which conceals embroidery... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Garment having a closeable pocket which conceals embroidery..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Garment having a closeable pocket which conceals embroidery... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2458874