STABILIZED HOODED GARMENT

Abstract

A garment including a hood configurable between a non-deployed position and a deployed position and a head engaging-member connected to the hood is disclosed. The head-engaging member may be adapted to be worn around a portion of a user's head when the hood is in the deployed positioned to stabilize the hood and prevent the hood from obstructing a line of sight of the user wearing the garment.

Claims

1. A garment comprising: a hood, the hood being configurable between a non-deployed position and a deployed position; and a head-engaging member connected to the hood adapted to be worn around a portion of a user's head when the hood is in the deployed positioned to stabilize the hood and prevent the hood from obstructing a line of sight of the user wearing the garment.

2. The garment of claim 1, further comprising: an inner circumference of the head-engaging member; and at least one adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the head-engaging member adapted to vary a size of the inner circumference to properly fit around the portion of the user's head.

3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the hood is removably secured to the garment.

4. The garment of claim 1, further comprising: a peripheral edge of the hood; and a horizontal plane defined by a topmost point of the peripheral edge; wherein the head-engaging member is positioned entirely above the horizontal plane.

5. The garment of claim 4, further comprising: an internal space defined by the hood; wherein the head-engaging member is positioned entirely within the internal space.

6. The garment of claim 1, wherein the head-engaging member extends across a face of the user.

7. The garment of claim 2, further comprising: a top end of the hood and a bottom end of the hood defining a vertical direction therebetween when the hood is in the deployed position; and a horizontal plane extending approximately midway between the top end and the bottom end when the hood is in the deployed position; wherein the head-engaging member is positioned vertically above the horizontal plane.

8. The garment of claim 2, further comprising: a top end of the hood and a bottom end of the hood defining a vertical direction therebetween when the hood is in the deployed position; and a horizontal plane extending approximately midway between the top end and the bottom end when the hood is in the deployed position; wherein the head-engaging member is positioned vertically below the horizontal plane.

9. The garment of claim 2, further comprising: an internal space defined by the hood; wherein the at least one adjustment mechanism is positioned entirely within the internal space.

10. The garment of claim 2, further comprising: an outer portion of the hood; wherein the at least one adjustment mechanism is connected to the outer portion of the hood.

11. The garment of claim 2, wherein the head-engaging member is a strap.

12. The garment of claim 2, further comprising: a crown portion connected to the head-engaging member.

13. The garment of claim 12, further comprising: a brim portion connected to the crown.

14. The garment of claim 2, further comprising: at least one slot formed in the hood; wherein at least a portion of the head-engaging member passes through the at least one slot.

15. The garment of claim 14, wherein the at least one slot includes a first slot and a second slot; and wherein the first slot and the second slot are positioned along a substantially similar plane.

16. The garment of claim 14, further comprising: a top end of the hood and a bottom end of the hood defining a vertical direction therebetween when the hood is in the deployed position; and a horizontal plane extending approximately midway between the top end and the bottom end when the hood is in the deployed position; wherein the at least one slot is positioned vertically above the horizontal plane.

17. The garment of claim 14, further comprising: a top end of the hood and a bottom end of the hood defining a vertical direction therebetween when the hood is in the deployed position; and a horizontal plane extending approximately midway between the top end and the bottom end when the hood is in the deployed position; wherein the at least one slot is positioned vertically below the horizontal plane.

18. A method of stabilizing a hood while driving a vehicle comprising: providing a garment including the hood, the hood being configurable between a non-deployed position and a deployed position, and a head engaging-member connected to the hood; deploying the hood into the deployed position; engaging the head-engaging member with a portion of a user's head; driving the vehicle; moving the user's head in a first direction; and preventing the hood from obstructing a line of sight of the user while the user's head moves in the first direction.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: moving the user's head in a second direction; and preventing the hood from obstructing the line of sight of the user while the user's head moves in the second direction.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the vehicle is a truck.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are fully incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various examples, methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of a garment including a stabilized hood in a deployed position;

[0019] FIG. 1A is a top elevational view of an inner circumference of a head-engaging member of FIG. 1;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the garment of FIG. 1;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a left side perspective view of the garment of FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of a garment including a stabilized hood in a deployed position;

[0023] FIG. 4A is a top elevational view of an inner circumference of a head-engaging member of FIG. 4;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the garment of FIG. 4;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a left side perspective view of the garment of FIG. 4;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of a garment including a stabilized hood in a deployed position;

[0027] FIG. 7A is a top elevational view of an inner circumference of a head-engaging member of FIG. 7;

[0028] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the garment of FIG. 7;

[0029] FIG. 9 is a left side perspective view of the garment of FIG. 7;

[0030] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of a garment including a stabilized hood in a deployed position;

[0031] FIG. 10A is a top elevational view of an inner circumference of a head-engaging member of FIG. 10;

[0032] FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the garment of FIG. 10;

[0033] FIG. 12 is a left side perspective view of the garment of FIG. 10;

[0034] FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of a garment including a stabilized hood in a deployed position;

[0035] FIG. 13A is a top elevational view of an inner circumference of a head-engaging member of FIG. 13;

[0036] FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of the garment of FIG. 13;

[0037] FIG. 15 is a left side perspective view of the garment of FIG. 13; and

[0038] FIG. 16 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary method of stabilizing a hood while driving a vehicle.

[0039] Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Referring to FIG. 1-FIG. 3, there is shown one embodiment of a hooded garment 10 including a stabilized hood 12 in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. Although the hooded garment 10 is shown as a typical hooded sweatshirt, the hooded garment 10 may be any suitable article of clothing, including, but not limited to, a jacket or a zip-up hooded sweatshirt.

[0041] With reference to FIG. 1, the hood 12 may be configurable between a non-deployed position (not shown) and a deployed position 14. When the hood 12 is viewed in the deployed position 14, the hood 12 may include a top end 12a and a bottom end 12b defining a vertical direction therebetween, a first side 12c and a second side 12d defining a longitudinal direction therebetween, a front end 12e and a rear end 12f defining a transverse direction therebetween, a peripheral edge 12g, an outer portion 12h and an inner portion 12i. The hood 12 may further define an internal space 12j adapted to receive a user's neck (not shown) and head 13. When the hood 12 is in the deployed position 14, the peripheral edge 12g may be generally vertically oriented and may bound a generally oval opening 12k. The hood 12 may further include a first imaginary horizontal plane P1 extending through the center of the oval opening 12k and defining an upper half and a lower half.

[0042] With continued reference to FIG. 1-FIG. 3, the hooded garment 10 may include a head-engaging member 16, at least one adjustment mechanism 18, and at least one slot 20.

[0043] With continued reference to FIG. 1-FIG. 3, the head-engaging member 16 may include a top edge 16a and a bottom edge 16b. The head-engaging member 16 may be connected to the hood 12 by sewing the head-engaging member 16 to the hood 12 along a portion of the inner portion 12i of the hood 12. Specifically, the head-engaging member 16 may be sewn to the inner portion 12i of the hood 12 along a length of the top edge 16a and a length of the bottom edge 16b. Although a particular connection of the head-engaging member 16 to the hood 12 has been described, it is to be understood that the head-engaging member 16 may be connected to the hood 12 in any suitable manner.

[0044] For example, and not meant as a limitation, the head-engaging member 16 may be sewn to the hood 12 at different areas of the inner portion 12i of the hood 12 and the head-engaging member 16 may be sewn along a portion of the head-engaging member 16 between the top edge 16a and the bottom edge 16b instead of along the top edge 16a and the bottom edge 16b. In another example, the hood 12 may include an inner layer and an outer layer where the head-engaging member 16 may be connected only to the inner layer so the stitches are not viewable from the outside which would disrupt the aesthetics of the hood 12. In another example, the head-engaging member 16 may be adhered to the inner portion 12i of the hood 12 utilizing an adhesive or any other suitable adhering mechanism.

[0045] The head-engaging member 16 may be positioned vertically above the first horizontal plane P1 in the upper half of the oval opening 12k. In one example, the head-engaging member 16 may be a strap or band made of an elastic material; however, the head-engaging member 16 may be any suitable head-engaging mechanism and be made of any suitable materials. In one example, the strap or band may have a width W between about approximately 0.1 inches and 1 inch. In another example, the strap or band may have a width W between about approximately 0.25 inches and about 0.5 inches. In another example, the strap or band may have a width W of at least approximately 0.25 inches. Although the strap or band has been described as having certain widths W, the strap or band may have any suitable width.

[0046] In this embodiment, the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may be connected to the outer portion 12h of the hood 12 by sewing the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 thereto; however, the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may be connected to the hood 12 in any suitable manner. In this embodiment, the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may be positioned entirely outside of the internal space 12j of the hood 12.

[0047] In this embodiment, the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may be operably connected to the head-engaging member 16 by sewing the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 thereto; however, the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may be connected to the head-engaging member 16 in any suitable manner. The at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may be configured to vary a size of an inner circumference 16c of the head-engaging member 16 to accommodate various head dimensions of various users. In this embodiment, the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may utilize a hook and loop fastener; however, the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may utilize any suitable adjustment mechanism, including, but not limited to, snaps, buttons, magnets, and buckle fasteners.

[0048] With continued reference to FIG. 1-FIG. 3, and in this embodiment, the at least one slot 20 may include a first slot 20a and a second slot 20b formed in the hood 12. The first slot 20a and the second slot 20b may be positioned vertically above the horizontal plane P1. The first slot 20a and the second slot 20b may further be positioned along a substantially similar imaginary horizontal second plane P2. The first slot 20a and the second slot 20b may further be positioned forward of a coronal plane CP (FIG. 3) which is a vertical transverse plane extending approximately midway between the front end 12e of the hood 12 and the rear end 12f of the hood 12. In this embodiment, the first slot 20a and the second slot 20b may be generally vertically oval in shape; however, the first slot 20a and the second slot 20b may be any suitable shapes. At least a portion of the head-engaging member 16 may pass from the internal space 12j through the first slot 20a and the second slot 20b. It should be noted that the hooded garment 10 may include an adjustment string 15 that passes through apertures 17. The adjustment string 15 may be configured to adjust a size of the peripheral edge 12g. As shown in FIG. 1-FIG. 3, the apertures 17 are different than the first slot 20a and the second slot 20b as described above.

[0049] In operation, a user may manipulate the hood 12 of the hooded garment 10 from the non-deployed positioned to the deployed positioned 14. The head-engaging member 16 may engage at least a portion of the user's head 13 to stabilize the hood 12, which, in this example, may be a user's forehead and corresponding circumferential parts of the user's head 13 (i.e. a side and rear of the user's head 13). The at least one adjustment mechanism 18 may be adjusted to vary the inner circumference 16c of the head-engaging member 16 to configure the head-engaging member 16 to properly fit around the portion of the user's head 13.

[0050] For example, if a user desires to decrease the inner circumference 16c of the head-engaging member 16, the user may unhook the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 (i.e. the hook and loop fastener) and pull the head-engaging member 16 through the first slot 20a and/or the second slot 20b in a generally transverse direction towards the rear end 12f of the hood 12. This causes the inner circumference 16c of the head-engaging member 16 to decrease. In another example, if a user desires to increase the inner circumference 16c of the head-engaging member 16, the user may unhook the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 (i.e. the hook and loop fastener) and pull the head-engaging member 16 through the first slot 20a and/or the second slot 20b in a generally longitudinal direction towards opposite slots 20a, 20b. This causes the inner circumference 16c of the head-engaging member 16 to increase. Once the user determines the correct inner circumference 16c for the head-engaging member 16 to properly fit around the portion of the user's head 13, the user may reengage the at least one adjustment mechanism 18 (i.e. the hook and loop fastener).

[0051] Referring to FIG. 4-FIG. 6, there is shown another embodiment of a hooded garment 100 including a stabilized hood 112. Hooded garment 100 is substantially identical to hooded garment 10 of FIG. 1-FIG. 3 in structure and function with a few exceptions/additions that will be discussed hereafter in greater detail. In this embodiment, instead of the head-engaging member 116 being positioned vertically above the first horizontal plane P1, the head-engaging member 116 may be positioned vertically below the first horizontal plane P1. Also, in this embodiment, instead of the first slot 120a and the second slot 120b being positioned vertically above the horizontal plane P1, the first slot 120a and the second slot 120b may be positioned vertically below the horizontal plane P1.

[0052] In operation, the hooded garment 100 operates in a substantially identical manner to hooded garment 10, except that the head-engaging member 116 engages a portion of the user's chin, cheek, and neck instead of the user's forehead and corresponding circumferential parts of the user's head 113.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 7-FIG. 9, there is shown another embodiment of a hooded garment 200 including a stabilized hood 212. Hooded garment 200 is substantially identical to hooded garment 10 of FIG. 1-FIG. 3 in structure and function with a few exceptions/additions that will be discussed hereafter in greater detail. In this embodiment, instead of the at least one adjustment mechanism 218 being connected to the outer portion 212h of the hood 212, the at least one adjustment mechanism 218 may be connected to the inner portion 212i of the hood 212 by sewing the at least one adjustment mechanism 218 thereto; however, the head-engaging member 216 may be connected to the hood 212 in any suitable manner.

[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, the at least one adjustment mechanism 218, as well as the head-engaging member 216, may be positioned entirely within the internal space 212j of the hood 212. Further, since the head-engaging member 216 and the at least one adjustment mechanism 218 are located entirely within the internal space 212j, this embodiment does not include at least one slot.

[0055] In operation, the hooded garment 200 operates in a substantially identical manner to hooded garment 10, except that the head-engaging member 216 does not pass through any slots.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 10-FIG. 12, there is shown another embodiment of a hooded garment 300 including a stabilized hood 312. Hooded garment 300 is substantially identical to hooded garment 10 of FIG. 1-FIG. 3 in structure and function with a few exceptions/additions that will be discussed hereafter in greater detail. In this embodiment, instead of the head-engaging member 316 being a strap, the head-engaging member 316 includes a crown portion 316d and a brim portion 316e. In one example, a front surface of the crown portion 316d may be exposed and viewable to others. In this embodiment, the head-engaging member 316 may be connected to the hood 312 by sewing the crown portion 316d to the inner portion 312i of the hood 312. The brim portion 316e may be connected to the crown portion 316d as well as a portion of the peripheral edge 312h of the hood 312 by sewing thereto. However, the hood 312, the head-engaging member 316, including the crown portion 316d and the brim portion 316e, may be connected to each other and the hood 312 in any suitable manner and/or configuration.

[0057] Further, in this embodiment, instead of having a first and second slot, the hood 312 may include a single slot 320a positioned near the rear end 312f of the hood 312.

[0058] In operation, the hood 312 of the hooded garment 300 may be manipulated from the non-deployed positioned to the deployed positioned 314. The crown portion 316d of the head-engaging member 316 may engage at least a portion of the user's head (not shown) to stabilize the hood 312, which, in this example, may be a user's forehead, corresponding circumferential parts of the user's head, and top area of the user's head. The at least one adjustment mechanism 318 may be adjusted to vary the inner circumference 316c of the head-engaging member 316 to configure the head-engaging member 316 to properly fit around the portion of the user's head.

[0059] For example, if a user needed to decrease the inner circumference 316c of the head-engaging member 316, the user may unhook the at least one adjustment mechanism 318 (i.e. the hook and loop fastener) and pull a portion of the head-engaging member 316 through the single slot 320a in a generally longitudinal direction towards the first side 312c of the hood 312. This causes the inner circumference 316c of the head-engaging member 316 to decrease. In another example, if a user needed to increase the inner circumference 316c of the head-engaging member 316, the user may unhook the at least one adjustment mechanism 318 (i.e. the hook and loop fastener) and pull a portion of the head-engaging member 316 through the single slot 320a in a generally longitudinal direction towards the first side 312c of the hood 312. This causes the inner circumference 316c of the head-engaging member 316 to increase. Once the user determines the correct inner circumference 316c for the head-engaging member 316 to properly fit around the portion of the user's head, the user may reengage the at least one adjustment mechanism 318 (i.e. the hook and loop fastener).

[0060] Referring to FIG. 13-FIG. 15, there is shown another embodiment of a hooded garment 400 including a stabilized hood 412. Hooded garment 400 is similar to hooded garment 10 of FIG. 1-FIG. 3 in structure and function with some exceptions/additions that will be discussed hereafter in greater detail. In this embodiment, hooded garment 400 may include a head-engaging member 416. In this embodiment, the head-engaging member 416 may be connected to the hood 412 by sewing the head-engaging member 416 to the inner portion 412i of the hood 412; however, the head-engaging member 416 may be connected in any suitable manner and/or configuration. In this embodiment, the head-engaging member 416 may be a beanie, which may be defined herein as a small round tight-fitting skullcap. In this embodiment, the beanie may be made of an elastic material.

[0061] In this embodiment, the hood 412 may further include a horizontal imaginary plane P3 defined by a topmost point 428 of the peripheral edge 412g. In this embodiment, the head-engaging member 416 may be positioned entirely above the horizontal plane P3. Further, in this embodiment, the head-engaging member 416 may be positioned entirely within the internal space 412j.

[0062] In operation, the hood 412 of the hooded garment 400 may be manipulated from the non-deployed positioned to the deployed positioned 414. Head-engaging member 416 may engage at least a portion of the user's head 313 to stabilize the hood 412, which, in this example, may be a user's forehead, corresponding circumferential parts of the user's head (not shown), and top area of the user's head. As the head-engaging member 416 is made out of an elastic material, the head-engaging member 416 may be configured to fit various head dimensions of various users without having to adjust a size of the head-engaging member 416 by configuring an inner circumference 416c of the head-engaging member 416 to properly fit around the portion of the user's head.

[0063] FIG. 16 depicts an exemplary method in accordance with the present disclosure. In one example, a method of stabilizing a hood while driving a vehicle is shown generally at 1600. In one example, the method 1600 may include providing a hooded garment 10 including a hood 12, the hood 12 being configurable between a non-deployed position and a deployed position 14, and a head engaging-member 16 connected to the hood 12, which is shown generally at 1602. The method 1600 may include deploying the hood into the deployed position, which is shown generally at 1604. The method 1600 may include engaging the head-engaging member 16 with a portion of a user's head 13, which is shown generally at 1606. The method 1600 may include driving the vehicle, which is shown generally at 1608. The method 1600 may include moving the user's head 13 in a first direction, which is shown generally at 1610. The method 1600 may include preventing the hood 12 from obstructing a line of sight of the user while the user's head 13 moves in the first direction, which is shown generally at 1612. The method 1600 may further include moving the user's head 13 in a second direction, which is shown generally at 1614. The method 1600 may further include preventing the hood 12 from obstructing the line of sight of the user while the user's head 13 moves in the second direction, which is shown generally at 1616. In one example, the vehicle may be a truck; however, the vehicle may be any suitable vehicle.

[0064] Although the hood of the various embodiments has been described as being fixedly secured to the hooded garments, it is to be entirely understood that the hood may be removably secured to the hooded garments.

[0065] The teachings of some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and without limiting the present disclosure in any manner whatsoever, are different than the teachings of the '259 Publication, '360 Publication, and '310 Patent. For example, amongst other things, the teachings of the present disclosure utilize a head-engaging member connected to an inner portion of a hood while the teachings of the '259 Publication, '360 Publication, and '310 Patent teach headwear positioned over the hood, a hood positioned partially over a cap, and a partial hood connected to a construction helmet. Further, the present disclosure, in some embodiments, and without limiting the present disclosure in any manner whatsoever, addresses the problem of a hood changing positions on a user causing various problems while the teachings of the '259 Publication, '360 Publication, and '310 Patent address problems including retaining a hat in a desired orientation, protection from the sun or wind, and protection from the wind or cold.

[0066] Also, various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0067] While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

[0068] An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to an embodiment, one embodiment, some embodiments, one particular embodiment, or other embodiments, or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances an embodiment, one embodiment, some embodiments, one particular embodiment, or other embodiments, or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.

[0069] Additionally, any method of performing the present disclosure may occur in a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, no sequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitly stated. It is recognizable that performing some of the steps of the method in an different order could achieve a similar result.

[0070] In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

[0071] Moreover, the description and illustration of various embodiments of the disclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.