GB2141615A

GB2141615A - Folding waterproof garment

Info

Publication number: GB2141615A
Application number: GB08411680A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leo Reverberi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-05-10
Filing date: 1984-05-08
Publication date: 1985-01-03
Also published as: GB2141615B; GB8411680D0; DE3413357A1

Abstract

Folding waterproof garment comprising a body portion and two sleeves extending oppositely therefrom, the garment having a plurality of spaced pleats generally parallel to the sleeves which allow it to be folded up to form a belt, and fastening means which enable the garment to be retained in the folded up arrangement and to be fixed around the body of a user when folded, characterised in that the fastening means are situated on the sleeves and are intended to engage with other fastening means and situated on the lowermost pleat at the bottom of the garment when the garment is folded up to form a belt and when the sleeves are folded back on themselves. The garment may include pockets so located that when it is folded they be on the inner or the outer surface of the belt.

Description

SPECIFICATION Folding waterproof garment The present invention relates to a folding waterproof garment comprising a front part and a rear part and having sleeves arranged to form a "T" at roughly right-angles to the front and rear parts, and being horizontally accordian-pleated so that it can be folded up to form a strip or belt which can be closed at the bottom of the garment so that it can be attached around the waist by fastening means attached to the ends of the garment when this is folded into a strip or belt.

According to the invention there is provided a folding waterproof garment comprising a body portion and two sleeves extending oppositely therefrom, the garment having a plurality of spaced pleats generally parallel to the sleeves which allow it to be folded up to form a belt, and fastening means which enable the garment to be retained in the folded up arrangement and to be fixed around the body of a user when folded, characterised in that fastening means are located on the sleeves and are adapted, when the garment is folded up to form a belt and when the sleeves are folded back on themselves. to engage with other fastening means on the lowermost pleat at the bottom of the garment.

Figure 1 is a front view of a folding raincoat according to the invention, with the sleeves spread out.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the raincoat shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view corresponding to that of Figure 2, but with the hood folded down, Figures 4 to 7 show further stages of the folding of the raincoat to form a belt (Figure 7), Figures 8 and 9 show alternative forms of hood which may be used with a folding garment according to the invention, Figure 10 shows a garment incorporating a hood (e.g. as shown in Figure 8 or 9) folded up to form a belt, Figure 11 shows an alternative method of folding a garment according to the invention, Figure 1 2 is a front view of a further raincoat embodying the invention, Figure 1 3 shows the garment of Figure 1 2 folded up, Figure 14 is a front view of another alternative garment, incorporating a buckle for use when the garment is folded up in the form of a belt, Figure 1 5 shows a buckle for use with a garment according to the invention, Figure 1 6 shows a folded garment incorporating a buckle as shown in Figure 15, Figure 1 7 shows an alternative buckle, Figure 1 8 shows a folded garment incorporating a buckle as shown in Figure 17, Figures 1 9 and 20 show a garment which can be folded to form a strip or belt of adjustable length, Figure 21 shows a further embodiment, utilising strips of self-gripping fabric (such as "Velcro' '-Trade Mark).

Figure 1 shows that it is possible to dispense with a special closure edging strip by fixing fastening means 1 and 2 to the ends of each sleeve to engage further fastening means 3 and 4 located on the last pleat at the bottom of the garment 5, a result which is achieved by first folding over the ends of each sleeve and arranging them under or over or within the last pleat or fold strip of the bottom of the garment, as can be seen in Figure 5.

This system makes it possible to retain the garment folded up into a belt, and also to reduce the length of this folded arrangement.

This garment will be secured around the waist when folded by a member 6 which may be either a tab or a pocket fixed by one side onto one sleeve and which in any event includes fastening means 7 adapted to engage other fastening means 8 on the other sleeve, as can be seen in Figure 7.

An important improvement is obtained (see Figure 1-Figure 5-Figure 7) by the inclusion on the outer part of the folded-over sleeves, of a pocket 9, such as a gusset which, when the garment is being worn, is located towards the bottom of the sleeves.

Thus, this garment will provide the user with two important services; it can act both as an emergency raincoat and as a thief-proof belt or money belt.

Finally, other large flat pockets 10 into which the hands can be put are located on the front part of the garment, their fold lines coinciding with those of the garment. These pockets may have an oblique lateral aperture, and the pocket decreases in width from the top downwards and so offers greater protection against the rain finding its way into the interior of the pocket.

The hood is also improved when its lower part 11, which is wider than the upper part 12, overlaps the top of the rear part of the garment in order better to protect the neck of the wearer, enveloping it and closing at the front of the garment by the inter-engagement of fastening means 1 3 and 14.

The hood may be detachable and be of conventional form, pleated horizontally as shown in Figure 8 or vertically (as in Figure 9) or even obliquely.

When the hood is not being used, it may be tucked into a sleeve or into a pocket or tucked anywhere in the folded-up garment, with or without fixing means 1 5. Generally, the belt formed by the folded-up garment is too long to go around the waist, when one folded sleeve overlaps the other, as in Figure 1 0.

The end of the folded back sleeve which covers the other sleeve has a small strip 1 6 which fastens to closure means 1 7 fixed on the last pleat at the bottom of the garment. If said closure means are the ends of self-gripping tapes, tape covers 1 8 formed by waterproof cloth may be included. When the small strip 1 6 is engaged with closure means 17, the strip cover 18 covers the end of the small strip 1 6 which will have a self-gripping tape on both sides.

In order further to shorten the belt formed by the folded garment, it is possible to fold back one sleeve completely under or between or over the last pleat at the bottom of the garment, Figure 11.

So that the pocket of the sleeve which is not fully folded over can be as high as possible on the sleeve, it is necessary to locate it on the pleat 1 9 below that on which it would normally be positioned, and the opening 20 of the pocket will be aiigned with the direction of folding, so the pocket will be on the inside of the folded-up garment.

For reasons of elegance it is possible to fix on each end of the last pleat and as an extension thereof tabs 21, to which will be fixed the ends of the folded-over sleeves, thanks to additional closure means fixed on the inside of the ends of the sleeves or even on the outside.

The outcome of this arrangement will be to avoid the ends of the folded-over sleeves being fixed under the last pleat on the bottom of the garment and will so avoid excessive thickness.

Still for reasons of elegance, Figure 1 2 shows the following alternative: Closure means 22 are fixed on top of or underneath the last pleat at the bottom of the garment, on which will engage further closure means 23 fixed on the end of each sleeve. This will make it possible to regulate the length of the belt formed by the folded garment, and also to keep the ends of the sleeves secured.

To keep the ends of the last pleat on the bottom of the garment flat against the other foldedover pleats and so keep the sleeves folded over properly, it will likewise be possible to provide as closure means a tab 24 on each end of the bottom of the garment for engagement with other fastening or closure means 25 fixed on any other pleat of the garment when this latter is folded over, Figure 13.

To attach the folded garment around the waist, a small strip 26 may be sufficient but it is possible also to provide a buckle 27 and a cooperating tab 28, one being fixed to each sleeve, as shown in Figure 14.

Figure 1 5 shows a simple -removable buckle. This is a ring and it is sufficient to pass the sleeves through it and to attach them by their ends, as indicated in Figure 1 6.

However, this system has the disadvantage of requiring disengagement of the ends of the sleeves whenever the folded garment is removed from around the waist.

To remedy this, there may be provided a double buckle as shown in Figure 17, so that each s!eeve can be passed through its respective ring, and the rings will then be engaged with one another as shown in Figure 1 8.

When the garment is folded up into a belt and when the sleeves are turned back partly under the last pleat at the bottom of the garment, the length of the belt which results may be adjusted in two ways.

Either because (as shown in Figure 19) there is on the last pleat at the bottom of the garment a choice of positions offered by various spaced apart closure means to which it is possible to attach the ends of the sleeves and in this case the clasp which joins the two sleeves together is simple and thereffore plays no part in adjusting the length of the belt or, and this is the second way (shown in Figure 20), this last pleat may have only one position for closure means for securing the end of the sleeve and in this case it is the clasp which makes it possible to adjust the length of the belt.

Finally, when the closure means take the form of self-gripping Strips, it is possible to put one end inside each sleeve and, preferably on the outside and on the last pleat at the bottom of the garment, there can be a selfgripping tab on each side of the centre line through the garment and this may be exposed in proportion to the fastening means in the front in order not to result in too great a thickness, as this might foul the end of the sleeves.

This tab with the waterproof fabric covering can be fastened when the garment is being worn and when there are self-gripping strips fixed underneath.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 21: 1. The pocket 100 in the sleeve extends beyond the top of the arm over the chest; 2. The self-gripping tabs 101 (e.g. "Vel cro"-Reg.

Trade Mark-tabs) which are in the middle of the last strip on the bottom of the garment are long enough to allow adjustment of the length of the strip formed by the folded-over garment; 3. The tabs 102 hanging from the bottom of the garment may be more than two in number; there may be three, four (as shown) or more, provided that there is one such tab at each end.

4. The tabs 102 can be fastened back to fixing means 1 03 located inside the garment when this is used as a rain shield; 5. When the closure means, which are in addition to those of the tabs hanging from the bottom of the garment, are in the form of selfgripping tapes, they may comprise consealing means 104; 6. The clasps 105 can be fixed at whatever parts of the sleeves are oppositely disposed when they are folded back.

Claims

1. Folding waterproof garment comprising a body portion and two sleeves extending oppositely therefrom, the garment having a plurality of spaced pleats generally parallel to the sleeves which allow it to be folded up to form a belt, and fastening means which enable the garment to be retained in the folded up arrangement and to be fixed around the body of a user when folded, characterised in that the fastening means are situated on the sleeves and are intended to engage with other fastening means and situated on the lowermost pleat at the bottom of the garment when the garment is folded up to form a belt and when the sleeves are folded back on themselves.

2. Folding waterproof garment according to claim 1, characterised in that a fabric mem-ber, which may be a simple tab or a pocket, is located on one sleeve and is attached thereto.

by the top edge of said sleeve, this member including fastening means to engage other fastening means situated on the other sleeve.

3. Folding waterproof garment according to claim 1, characterised in that the bottom of one or both sleeves includes one or more pockets or gussets, with or without flaps, situated in such a way that when the garment, folded up into a belt, is attached around the body of the user, they are on the outside of the said belt.

4. Folding waterproof garment according to claim 1, including a hood having a rear part wider and longer than the front part thereof, the hood having additional closure or fastening means adjacent its ends.

5. Folding waterproof garment according to claim 4, wherein the hood has a strip of absorbent cloth on the inside or outside.

6. Folding waterproof garment according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the rear part of the hood overlaps the rear part of the top of the body portion of the garment.

7. Folding waterproof garment according to claim 1, characterised in that large flat pockets with their pleats coinciding with the pleats of the body portion are disposed on the front part of the body portion.

8. Folding waterproof garment according to claim 7, wherein the pockets are wider at the top than at the bottom and have an oblique lateral opening.

9. A waterproof folding garment according to any preceding claim including a detachable hood capable of being tucked into the garment when this is folded into a belt.

1 0. A waterproof folding garment according to claim 1, including a small closure strip fixed to one sleeve or to the body of the garment to cooperate with other closure means either on the other sleeve or on the body of the garment remote from the first closure strip.

11. A waterproof folding garment according to any preceding claim, including at least one pocket located on a sleeve and so positioned that when the garment is folded, the pocket is on the inside of the resulting belt.

1 2. A waterproof folding garment according to any preceding claim, including fixing tabs located at either end of the last pleat at the bottom of the garment and capable of being engaged with other fixing means located at or adjacent the ends of the sleeves.

1 3. A waterproof folding garment according to any preceding claim, including closure means fixed on the last pleat at an intermediate point on the bottom of the garment, to engage with other closure means on the inside or outside of the sleeve ends.

14. A waterproof folding garment according to any preceding claim, including fixing tabs disposed at each end of the last pleat at the bottom of the garment and comprising closure means to engage other closure means on any pleat on the upper portion of the garment.

1 5. A waterproof folding garment according to any preceding claim, including buckles fixed to a sleeve or to one end of the last pleat at the bottom of the garment and to the other sleeve or to the other end of said last pleat, to which a corresponding tab is attached.

16. A waterproof folding garment according to any preceding claim, including plain detachable buckles consisting of two interengageable rings, the rings being preferably of rectangular shape and being capable of allowing the folded sleeves to pass through them, and being capable of being inter-connected when the garment, folded to form a belt, is positioned around the body of the user.