GARMENT COMPARTMENTS

Abstract

A garment includes at least one panel forming an interior having an opening facing in a sideways direction, a first compartment within the interior and a second compartment within the interior. The first compartment has a first mouth opposite the opening and facing in the sideways direction. The second has a second mouth opposite the opening and facing in the sideways direction. A single zipper extends along the opening and opposite to the first mouth and the second mouth.

Claims

1. A garment comprising: at least one panel forming an interior having an opening facing in a sideways direction; a first compartment within the interior, the first compartment having a first mouth opposite the opening and facing in the sideways direction; a second compartment within the interior, the second compartment having a second mouth opposite the opening and facing in the sideways direction; a zipper extending along the opening and opposite to the first mouth and the second mouth; and a passage from the first mouth to the second mouth between the opening and the first mouth and the second mouth.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the zipper comprises a tape and a row of teeth along the tape, wherein the first compartment comprises a floor having first end distant the opening and a second end proximate the opening, and wherein the tape is sandwiched between the row of teeth and the second end of the floor.

3. The garment of claim 2, wherein the second end of the floor is adjacent an edge of the tape.

4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the passage has a width no greater than 3 cm.

5. The garment of claim 4, wherein the first mouth is above the second mouth and wherein the first compartment has a floor having a first portion proximate the first mouth and a second portion lower than the first portion.

6. The garment of claim 5, wherein the second portion has a maximum depth that is within the range of 1 cm to 10 cm lower than the first portion.

7. The garment of claim 5, wherein the second portion is stepped from the first portion.

8. The garment of claim 5, wherein the floor sloped downwardly from the first mouth.

9. The garment of claim 5, wherein the floor curves downwardly from the first mouth.

10. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a secondary pocket having an upward facing mouth along and adjacent a floor of the first compartment.

11. The garment of claim 1, wherein a bottom of the first compartment and a top of the second compartment share a single seam.

12. The garment of claim 1, wherein the opening comprises a slit through a face of a panel of the at least one panel.

13. The garment of claim 1, wherein the at least one panel comprises a first panel and a second panel and wherein the opening extends along and between a first panel and the second panel.

14. The garment of claim 1, wherein the interior comprises a floor forming a third compartment.

15. The garment of claim 1 wherein the zipper comprises a first slider for closing the opening in response to upward movement of the first slider and a second slider above the first slider for closing the opening in response to downward movement of the second slider.

16. The garment of claim 1, wherein a front of the garment is split into a first lateral front side and a second lateral front side releasably joined to the first lateral front side by a closing mechanism and wherein the first compartment extends from the opening towards the split.

17. The garment of claim 1, wherein a front of the garment comprises: a split separating the front into a first lateral front side and a second lateral front side; and a closing mechanism releasably joining the first lateral front side and the second lateral front side, wherein the first compartment extends from the first mouth away from the split.

18. The garment of claim 17, wherein the closing mechanism comprises a second zipper and wherein the zipper is laterally spaced from the second zipper.

19. The garment of claim 1, wherein a front of the garment comprises: a split separating the front into a first lateral front side and a second lateral front side; and a closing mechanism releasably joining the first lateral front side and the second lateral front side, wherein the first compartment extends from the first mouth away from the split.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having an example pocket arrangement with an opened opening providing access to internal sideways facing compartments.

[0003] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of the example garment of FIG. 1 with the opening of the pocket arrangement being formed by a slit in a panel.

[0004] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of the example garment of FIG. 1 with a pocket arrangement with the opening formed along opposing edges of at least one panel.

[0005] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of the example garment of FIG. 1 with the opening being closed.

[0006] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having an example pocket arrangement with an internal compartment having a sloped internal floor.

[0007] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having an example pocket arrangement with an internal compartment having a stepped internal floor.

[0008] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having an example pocket arrangement with an internal compartment having a centrally stepped internal floor.

[0009] FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having an example pocket arrangement with an internal compartment having a multi-stepped internal floor.

[0010] FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having an example pocket arrangement with an internal compartment having a convex curved internal floor.

[0011] FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having an example pocket arrangement with an internal compartment having a concave curved internal floor.

[0012] FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view illustrating portions of an example garment having a split front and a dual slider zipper providing access to internal compartments.

[0013] FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of an example garment having a split front and mirroring pocket arrangements.

[0014] FIG. 13 is a front view of the example garment of FIG. 12.

[0015] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a front lateral side assembly of the garment of FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrating unzipping of an access opening to access internal sideways facing compartments of one of the pocket arrangements.

[0016] FIG. 15 is a reversed inside view of the front lateral side assembly of the garment shown in FIG. 14 illustrating profiles of internal floors of the internal sideways facing compartments.

[0017] Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and the size of some parts may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the drawings provide examples and/or implementations consistent with the description; however, the description is not limited to the examples and/or implementations provided in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES

[0018] Disclosed are example garments having arrangements of compartments that are openable and closable using zippers. The example arrangements of pockets or compartments may be easier to access and may offer larger internal volumes without adding manufacturing complexity or detrimentally impacting the aesthetics of the garments. The example pocket/compartment arrangements may be utilized in a variety of different garments or articles of clothing including, but not limited to, parkas, jackets, coats, windbreakers and the like.

[0019] The example compartment arrangements comprise at least one panel that forms an interior having an opening facing in a sideways direction. The interior contains a plurality of sideways facing compartments that face and extend opposite to the opening. A single zipper extends along the opening and opposite to the mouths of both of the sideways facing compartments. Because the interior and each of the internal compartments contained within the interior all extend in a common sideways direction, access to the interior of such compartments may be easier. Moreover, a person wearing the garment may easily access the interior of both of the sideways compartments by unzipping the single zipper.

[0020] In some implementations, accessing either of the two internal sideways facing compartments is further facilitated by the omission of any partition or divider within the interior between the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments. In other words, a passage exists within the interior from the mouth of a first compartment internal sideways facing apartment to the mouth of a second internal sideways facing compartment. As result, a person may insert his or her hand through the opening and freely move his or her hand up or down within the interior to gain access to either of the compartments. The person need not have to specifically insert his or her hand through a particular upper portion or a particular lower portion of the opening to gain access to a particular one of the compartments.

[0021] In some implementations, the path that is formed between the opening and the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments is sufficiently wide to accommodate movement of the one or more sliders of the single zipper. In some implementations, the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments are positioned in close proximity to and even adjacent to the zipper to increase the available internal storage volume of the compartments. In some implementations, the edges of the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments abut or extend adjacent to the tape of the single zipper extending along the opening. In some implementations, the spacing or passage that extends across and between the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments and that extends between the mouths and the opening has a width of at least 1 cm and no greater than 3 cm.

[0022] In some implementations, the internal sideways facing compartments have dedicated mechanisms for closing their respective mouths. For example, in some implementations, the mouths of internal sideways facing compartments may be closed by independently closable by zippers, hook and loop fastener arrangements, hooks, buttons or the like. In some implementations, the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments are lined with elastic bands that resiliently assist in maintaining the mouths in closed states. In some implementations, some or all of the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments omit closing mechanisms.

[0023] In some implementations, the sideways facing compartments are vertically arranged or vertically stacked within the interior. In such implementations, at least the upper internal sideways facing compartment may have an internal floor having a first portion proximate to its mouth and a second portion vertically lower than the first portion. In some implementations, the second portion has a maximum depth that is within the range of 1 cm to 10 cm lower than the first portion. In some implementations, the second portion is stepped from the first portion. In some implementations, the internal floor slopes downwardly from the mouth to form the first portion and the second portion. In some implementations, the internal floor curves downwardly from the mouth to form the first portion and the second portion. Such curving may be concave or convex with respect to the interior of the sideways facing compartment.

[0024] In some implementations, the upper compartment may comprise a secondary pocket having an upward facing mouth along and adjacent to the interior floor. Said another way, the interior floor of the upper compartment may be stepped. In each of the implementations where the internal floor has a lower second portion distant the mouth, articles positioned within the upper compartment are less likely to accidentally move through the mouth and fall out of the upper compartment into the interior or fall through the opening when the zipper is unzipped. As result, the upper compartment more securely retains articles stored within its interior.

[0025] In some implementations, the opening formed by the at least one panel is selectively closable by the single zipper and comprises a slit through a face of a panel. In some implementations, the opening extends along and between opposing edges of opposing portions of a folded panel or opposing edges of multiple panels. In some implementations, the opening is provided on an interior surface of the garment. In some implementations, the garment has a front that is split to form left and right lateral sides that are releasably joined to one another by a closing mechanism such as another zipper, hooks, clasp, hook and loop fasteners, buttons or the like. In such an implementation, the opening and each of the internal sideways facing compartments are formed on an interior surface of one of the lateral sides and face the slit. In some implementations, the opening and each of the internal sideways facing compartments are formed on an exterior surface of one of the lateral sides and face away from the slit.

[0026] For purposes of this disclosure, the term coupled shall mean the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two members, or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate member being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature. The term operably coupled shall mean that two members are directly or indirectly joined such that motion may be transmitted from one member to the other member directly or via intermediate members. The term fluidly coupled shall mean that two or more fluid transmitting volumes are connected directly to one another or are connected to one another by intermediate volumes or spaces such that fluid may flow from one volume into the other volume.

[0027] For purposes of this disclosure, the phrase configured to denotes an actual state of configuration that fundamentally ties the stated function/use to the physical characteristics of the feature proceeding the phrase configured to.

[0028] For purposes of this disclosure, the term releasably or removably with respect to an attachment or coupling of two structures means that the two structures may be repeatedly connected and disconnected to and from one another without material damage to either of the two structures or their functioning.

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrate portions of an example garment 20. Garment 20 may be in the form of any one of a variety of different garments or articles of clothing including, not limited to, parkas, jackets, coats, windbreakers and the like. Garment 20 comprises an arrangement of compartments that are openable and closable using a zipper. The example arrangement of pockets or compartments may be easier to access and may offer larger internal volumes without adding manufacturing complexity or detrimentally impacting the aesthetics of the garment 20. Garment 20 comprises: at least one panel 24; interior compartments 30-1, 30-2 (collectively referred to as compartments 30); and zipper 40.

[0030] The at least one panel 24 forms an interior 42 having an opening 44 that faces in a sideways direction (as indicated by arrow 45) when the garment 20 is being worn in a traditional sense. For purposes of this disclosure, a traditional sense means that the garment is worn as is customary for the garment. For example, in implementations where garment 20 comprise a hooded garment, the hood has an opening that encircles the face of the person wearing the garment. In implementations where garment 20 has a split front that is releasably or selectively closable by zipper, buttons or other closure mechanisms, the split extends across the abdomen and chest of the person wearing the garment 20. In implementations garment 20 comprises stitching or seams, such stitching or seams are located on internal surfaces of the garment. In other words, garment 20 is not traditionally worn inside out. Each of the figures of the present disclosure illustrates portions of a garment while the garment is being worn in the traditional sense.

[0031] In some implementations, the at least one panel 24 may comprise a single panel that is folded to form opposite faces of the interior 42. For example, in some implementations, the least one panel 24 may comprise a first panel 46 having a fold 48, wherein a first portion 50 of panel 46 overlaps a second portion 52 of panel 46 and is secured along edges 54, 56 (such as with stitching, adhesives or welds) to form the interior 42. In such implementations, the portion 52 may lie to the inside of portion 50 towards the body of the person wearing garment 20 or may lie to the outside of portion 50 with portion 52 sandwiched between portion 50 and the body of the person wearing garment 20. In such implementations portion 52 may form an outermost panel of garment 20, an inner most panel of garment 20 or in intermediate panel of garment 20.

[0032] In some implementations, the at least one panel 24 may omit fold 48, wherein fold 48 instead comprises an edge along which a juncture or connection is formed between a pair of separate panels 50 and 52. The connection may be provided by stitching, a weld or adhesive along edges 54 and 56 and along edge 48. In such implementations, the separate panel 52 may lie to the inside of panel 50 towards the body of the person wearing garment 20 or may lie to the outside of panel 50 with panel 52 sandwiched between panel 50 and the body of the person wearing garment 20. In such implementations, panel 52 may form an outermost panel of garment 20, an inner most panel of garment 20 or in intermediate panel of garment 20. In some implementations, the least one panel 24 (whether folded to form portions 50, 52 or whether formed by two separate panels 50, 52) may be secured to other panels of garment 20 such that opening 44 is exposed on an outer surface of garment 20 or such that opening 44 is located on an interior surface of garment 20.

[0033] As shown by FIG. 2, in some implementations, opening 44 is formed by slit 60 formed within portion or panel 52, the slit 60 extending through a face of the portion or panel 52. In such implementations, opposing portions zipper 40 is formed along opposing edges of slit 60. As shown by FIG. 3, In some implementations, the opening 44 is formed along the opposing edges 62, 64 of portions or panels 52, 50, respectively. In such implementations, the opposing portions of zipper 40 are formed along the opposing edges 62, 64.

[0034] The opening 44 of interior 42 is selectively openable and closable by zipper 40. In the example illustrated, opening 44 has a length extending across and opposite to each of compartments 30. In some implementations, opening 44 extends along an entire height of interior 42. In other implementations, opening 44 extends along a portion of the overall height of interior 42.

[0035] Zipper 40 extends along opening 44 to selectively open and close opening 44. In some implementations, zipper 40 may comprise a zipper having a pair of tapes supporting opposing teeth (sometimes referred to as a chain), a bottom stop (box and pin), top stop, and a slider 70 having a puller. In some implementations, zipper 40 may comprise a zip lock zipper in which a slider selectively withdraws or inserts a thin raised or projecting bulbous strip into a corresponding groove to open and close the opening 44. FIG. 1 illustrates the slider 70 in a position such that opening 44 is opened. FIG. 4 illustrates slider 70 position such that opening 44 is closed. In some implementations, zipper 40 may be replaced with other closing mechanisms such as hook and loop fasteners, buttons, hooks, clasps, snap and the like.

[0036] Compartments 30 are located within the interior 42. Compartments 30-1 and 30-2 comprise mouths 80-1 and 80-2, respectively, which both face in the same sideways direction as opening 44 (as indicated by arrow 45), in a sideways direction towards opening 44. Because the interior and each of the internal compartments 30 contained within the interior 42 all extend in a common sideways direction, access to the interior of such compartments 30 may be easier. Moreover, a person wearing the garment may easily access the interior of both of the sideways compartments 30 by unzipping the single zipper 40.

[0037] Mouths 80-1 and 80-2 (collectively referred to as mouths 80) extend directly opposite to, and so as to oppose, opening 44, with opening 44 extending across the full height of each of mouths 80. Accessing either of the two internal sideways facing compartments 30 is further facilitated by the omission of any partition or divider within the interior between the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 30. In other words, a passage 84 exists within the interior from the mouth 80-1 of a first compartment internal sideways facing compartment 30-1 to the mouth 80-2 of a second internal sideways facing compartment 30-2. As result, a person may insert his or her hand through the opening 44 and freely move his or her hand up or down within the interior 42 to gain access to either of the compartments. The person need not have to specifically insert his or her hand through a particular upper portion or a particular lower portion of the opening 44 to gain access to a particular one of the compartments 30.

[0038] In some implementations, the path that is formed between the opening and the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments is sufficiently wide to accommodate movement of the one or more sliders 70 of the single zipper 40. In some implementations, the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments are positioned in close proximity and even adjacent to the zipper 40 to increase the available internal storage volume of the compartments. In some implementations, the edges of the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 30 abut or extend adjacent to the tape of the single zipper 40 extending along the opening. In some implementations, the spacing or passage 84 that extends across and between the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments 30 and that extends between the mouths 80 and the opening 44 has a width of at least 1 cm and no greater than 3 cm. Although garment 20 is illustrated as comprising a pair of vertically arranged or stacked internal sideways facing compartments 30, in other implementations garment 20 may comprise additional vertically arranged or stacked internal sideways facing compartments 30. In such implementations, opening 44 may span and fully extend across all of compartments and their respective mouths 80.

[0039] FIGS. 5-10 illustrates examples of how at least those internal sideways facing compartments that are vertically located above other internal sideways facing compartments may be provided with internal floors that assist in retaining one or more articles within such compartments, inhibiting such articles from accidentally falling out of such compartments into the interior 42 or through opening 44. Each of such floors have first portions proximate to or extending from the mouths of the compartments and second portions distant the mouths and vertically lower than the first portions. With the assistance of gravity, articles are maintained along the second portions of the floors, distant the mouths. This may be especially beneficial in those implementations where passage 84 might otherwise permit articles to accidentally exit the compartments even while the opening 44 is closed by zipper 40 or other closing mechanism.

[0040] FIG. 5 illustrates portions of an example garment 120. Garment 120 is similar to garment 20 described above except that the at least one panel 46 is specifically illustrated as comprising panels 50 and 52 which are secured to one another along at least edges 48, 54 and 56 and that garment 120 comprises internal sideways facing compartment 130-1 in place of compartment 30-1. In addition, garment 120 comprises a dual slider zipper 140 in place of zipper 40. Those remaining components of garment 120 which correspond to components of garment 20 are numbered similarly.

[0041] Compartment 130-1 is itself similar to compartment 30-1 except that component 131-1 comprises an internal floor 190 that is downwardly sloped away from mouth 80-1 towards a rear wall 192 of compartment 130-1. Internal floor 190 has a first portion 194 proximate to and extending from mouth 80-1 and a second portion 196 distant mouth 80-1, between portion 194 and rear wall 192, the second portion being vertically lower than the first portion 194 when garment 120 is being worn in a traditional sense. In some implementations, floor 190 is sloped at an angle of at least 0 and no greater than 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal when garment 120 is being worn in the traditional sense. Although floor 190 is illustrated as extending to a lower end of mouth 80-1, in some implementations, floor 190 may terminate or extend to a location vertically below the lowermost portion of mouth 80-1. Although floor 190 is illustrated as a single continuous downwardly sloped floor, in other implementations, floor 190 may comprise multiple segments or portions that sloped downwardly and rearwardly towards the wall 192 at different angles.

[0042] Dual slider zipper 140 is similar to zipper 40 except that zipper 140 comprises top and bottom stops and a pair of sliders 70-1, 70-2. The lower slider 70-2 shown in FIG. 5 opens or separates opening 44 in response to downward sliding or movement along the chain of teeth forming zipper 140. The upper sliders 70-2 opens or separates opening 44 in response to upward sliding movement along the chain of teeth forming zipper 140. As will be described in more detail with respect to FIG. 11, the dual slider 140 facilitates selective access to one or both of compartments 30.

[0043] FIGS. 6-8 illustrate variations of a garment where the floor of an upper internal sideways facing compartment is downwardly stepped away from the mouth of the compartment. FIG. 6 illustrates portions of an example garment 220. Garment 220 is similar to garment 120 described above except that garment 120 comprises internal sideways facing compartment 230-1 in place of compartment 130-1. Those remaining components of garment 220 which correspond to components of garments 20 and 120 are numbered similarly.

[0044] Compartment 230-1 is itself similar to compartment 130-1 except that compartment 230-1 comprises an internal floor 290 that is downwardly stepped away from mouth 80-1 towards a rear wall 192 of compartment 130-1. Internal floor 290 has a first portion 294 proximate to and extending from mouth 80-1 and a second portion 296 distant mouth 80-1, between portion 294 and rear wall 292, the second portion being vertically lower than the first portion 294 when garment 220 is being worn in a traditional sense. In some implementations, second portion 296 forms a secondary upwardly facing pocket 297 having an upper mouth 298 continues with or along the surface of the portion 294 of floor 290 (adjacent to end along what would otherwise be the floor of compartment 230-1). In some implementations, the second portion 296 is at least 1 cm lower than the surface of portion 294. Although portion 294 of floor 290 is illustrated as extending to a lower end of mouth 80-1, in some implementations, portion 294 may terminate or extend to a location vertically below the lowermost portion of mouth 80-1.

[0045] FIG. 7 illustrates portions of garment 320. Garment 320 is similar to garment 220 described above except that garment 320 comprises internal sideways facing compartment 330-1 in place of compartment 230-1. Those remaining components of garment 320 which correspond to components of garment 20 and 220 are numbered similarly.

[0046] Compartment 330-1 is itself similar to compartment 230-1 except that compartment 330-1 comprises an internal floor 390 that comprises a first portion 394 proximate to and extending from mouth 80-1, a second portion 395 adjacent rear wall 192, and a third portion 396 between portions 394 and 395, the third portion 396 being vertically lower than both of portions 394 and 395 when garment 220 is being worn in a traditional sense. In some implementations, third portion 296 forms a secondary upwardly facing pocket 397 having an upper mouth 398 continuous with or along the surface of the portion 394 and 395 of floor 390. Because portion 396 and the secondary pocket 397 are more centrally located between rear wall 192 and mouth 80-1, articles contained within compartment 330-1 are retained at a more central location within the interior of compartment 330-1. As result, those smaller articles that may reside or be retained above portion 396 may be more easily located and retrieved from compartment 330-1. In some implementations, the third portion 296 is within the range of 1 cm to 10 cm lower than the surface of portion 294. Although portion 394 of floor 390 is illustrated as extending to a lower end of mouth 80-1, in some implementations, portion 394 may terminate or extend to a location vertically below the lowermost portion of mouth 80-1.

[0047] FIG. 8 illustrates portions of garment 420. Garment 420 is similar to garment 220 described above except that garment 420 comprises internal sideways facing compartment 430-1 in place of compartment 230-1. Those remaining components of garment 420 which correspond to components of garment 20 and 220 are numbered similarly.

[0048] Compartment 430-1 is itself similar to compartment 230-1 except that compartment 430-1 comprises an internal floor 490 having multiple steps or portions: 494, 495, 496 and 497. In the example illustrated, each of portions for 94 gets progressively deeper towards rear wall 192. In some implementations, portions 494, 495 496 each are equally sized. In other implementations, portions 494, 495 and 496 may have different lengths or extents between mouth 80-1 and rear wall 192. In some implementations, the size of portions 494, 495 496 as well as their different depths may be customized for accommodating particular articles expected to be received within compartment 430-1. Although portion 494 of floor 490 is illustrated as extending to a lower end of mouth 80-1, in some implementations, portion 494 may terminate or extend to a location vertically below the lowermost portion of mouth 80-1.

[0049] FIG. 9 illustrates portions of an example garment 520. Garment 520 is similar to garment 120 described above except that garment 520 comprises internal sideways facing compartment 530-1 in place of compartment 130-1. Those remaining components of garment 520 which correspond to components of garment 120 and garment 20 are numbered similarly.

[0050] Compartment 530-1 is itself similar to compartment 130-1 except that compartment 530-1 comprises an internal floor 590 that is downwardly curved away from mouth 80-1 towards a rear wall 192 of compartment 530-1 so as to have a convex profile from the interior of compartment 530-1. Internal floor 590 has a first portion 594 proximate to and extending from mouth 80-1 and a second portion 596 distant mouth 80-1, between portion 594 and rear wall 192, the second portion 596 being vertically lower than the first portion 594 when garment 120 is being worn in a traditional sense. In some implementations, floor 590 sloped such that the lowest point of floor 590 is within the range of 1 cm to 10 cm lower than the lowest point of mouth 80-1. Although floor 590 is illustrated as extending to a lower end of mouth 80-1, in some implementations, floor 590 may terminate or extend to a location vertically below the lowermost portion of mouth 80-1. Although floor 590 is illustrated as a single continuous downwardly curved floor, in other implementations, floor 590 may comprise multiple segments or portions that curve downwardly and rearwardly towards the wall 192 with different radii.

[0051] FIG. 10 illustrates portions of an example garment 620. Garment 620 is similar to garment 520 described above except that garment 620 comprises internal sideways facing compartment 630-1 in place of compartment 530-1. Those remaining components of garment 620 which correspond to components of garment 520 and garment 20 are numbered similarly.

[0052] Compartment 630-1 is itself similar to compartment 530-1 except that compartment 630-1 comprises an internal floor 690 that is downwardly curved away from mouth 80-1 towards a rear wall 192 of compartment 130-1 so as to have a concave profile from the interior of compartment 630-1. Internal floor 690 has a first portion 694 proximate to and extending from mouth 80-1 and a second portion 696 distant mouth 80-1, between portion 694 and rear wall 192, the second portion 696 being vertically lower than the first portion 694 when garment 520 is being worn in a traditional sense. In some implementations, floor 690 sloped such that the lowest point of floor 690 is within the range of 1 cm to 10 cm lower than the lowest point of mouth 80-1. Although floor 690 is illustrated as extending to a lower end of mouth 80-1, in some implementations, floor 690 may terminate or extend to a location vertically below the lowermost portion of mouth 80-1. Although floor 690 is illustrated as a single continuous downwardly extending curve, in other implementations, floor 690 may comprise multiple segments or portions that curve downwardly and rearwardly towards the wall 192 with different radii.

[0053] In some implementations, the mouths 80 omit closing mechanisms. In some implementations, the internal sideways facing compartments 30, 130, 230, 330, 430 and 530 have dedicated mechanisms for closing their respective mouths 80. For example, in some implementations, the mouths 80 of internal sideways facing compartments 30, 130, 230, 330, 430 and 530 are independently closable by zippers, hook and loop fastener arrangements, hooks, buttons or the like. In some implementations, the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments are lined with elastic bands that resiliently assist in maintaining the mouths enclosed states.

[0054] FIG. 11 illustrates portions of an example garment 720. Garment 720 is similar to garment 220 described above except that garment 720 is specifically illustrated and described as having a front or front portion 724 that is split to form lateral sides 725, 726 which are releasably joined to one another by a closing mechanism 727 in the form of a zipper 728. In addition, garment 720 is described as having a double slider zipper 744 opening and closing opening 44. Those remaining components of garment 720 which correspond to components of garment 220 or any of the other disclose garments are numbered similarly.

[0055] Zipper 728 comprises a conventional zipper having tapes 802-1, 802-2 secured to lateral sides 725, 726, respectively and supporting a series opposing and interlocking teeth 804 (forming a chain). Zipper 728 further comprises a retainer box 806 and a slider 808 having a pull 810. FIG. 11 illustrates zipper 728 in a closed state. The opening of zipper 728 may be performed by drawing pull 810 downwardly to move slider 808 downwardly and to separate lateral sides 725 and 726. In some implementations, such separation facilitates access to an inner facing surface of garment 720 and access to zipper 740 for accessing compartments 230-1 and 30-2. In some implementations, portions of sides 725 and/or 726 may overlap zipper 728 to cover and conceal zipper 728.

[0056] Zipper 740 comprises a double slider zipper comprising tapes 812-1, 812-2 secured to end along opposite edges of opening 44 and supporting a series of opposing interlocking teeth 814 (forming a chain). Zipper 740 further comprises end stops 816-1, 816-2 and opposing sliders 818-1 and 818-2 having their respective pullers 820-1, 820-2. Zipper 728 facilitates selected access to either of compartments 230-1 or 30-2.

[0057] Either of sliders 818 may be moved along the chain formed by teeth 814 to different positions to provide different degrees of access to compartments 230-1 and 30-2. For example, slider 818-1 may be moved to stop 816-1 to open those portions of opening 44 opposite to compartment 230-1 while slider 818-2 is moved to an intermediate location 817, inhibiting access to compartment 30-2. Conversely, slider 818-2 may be moved to stop 816-2 while slider 818-1 is at the intermediate location 817 to provide access to compartment 30-2 while inhibiting access to compartment the 230-1. Both of sliders 818 may be moved to the intermediate location 817 to close opening 44 and inhibit access to either of compartments 230-1 or 30-2. Movement of sliders 818-1 and 818-2 to the respective stops 816-1 and 816-2 completely opens opening 44 to provide concurrent access to both of compartments 230-1 and 30-2. The use of the double slider zipper 740 provides such selective compartment access with a single zipper, reducing cost and complexity.

[0058] In some implementations, the mouth or opening 44 and zipper 740 may be exposed on an outermost surface of garment 720 when garment 720 is being worn. In some implementations, the mouth or opening 44 and zipper 740 may alternatively be exposed on an inner or integrally facing surface of garment 720 when garment 720 is being worn, wherein zipper 740 is concealed and inaccessible until zipper 728 is opened and lateral sides 726 is pulled away from the split and pulled away from lateral sides 725 to facilitate viewing and access to zipper 740 for accessing one or both of compartments 230-1, 30-2. In such implementations, the mouths 80-1, 80-2 and opening 44 each face towards the split and towards zipper 728. Upon separation of the front 724 of garment 720 through actuation of zipper 728, a person wearing garment 720 may then access zipper 740 with his or her right hand to open a selected portion of opening 44 for accessing a particular one or both of compartments 230-1 and 30-2.

[0059] As shown by FIG. 11, in some implementations, accessing either of the two internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2 is further facilitated by the omission of any partition or divider within the interior between the mouths 80-1 of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2. In other words, a passage 84 exists within the interior from the mouth 80-1 of a first compartment internal sideways facing apartment 230-1 to the mouth 80-2 of a second internal sideways facing compartment 30-2. As result, a person may insert his or her hand through the opening 44 (when opened or unzipped) and freely move his or her hand up or down within the interior 42 to gain access to either of the compartments 230-1, 30-2. The person need not have to specifically insert his or her hand through a particular upper portion or a particular lower portion of the opening to gain access to a particular one of the compartments.

[0060] In some implementations, the passage 84 that is formed between the opening 44 and the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 230-2 is sufficiently wide to accommodate movement of the sliders 818 of the single zipper 740. In some implementations, the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 230-2 are positioned in close proximity and even adjacent to the tape 812-2 of zipper 740 to increase the available internal storage volume of the compartments. In some implementations, the edges of the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2 abut or extend adjacent to the tape 812-2 of the single zipper 740 extending along the opening 44. In some implementations, the spacing or passage that extends across and between the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2 and that extends between the mouths 80 and the opening 44 has a width of at least 1 cm and no greater than 3 cm. The spacing or passage 84 enables placement of zipper tapes 812 within the garment 720, 920, and facilitates the free movement of the sliders 818 along the full length of the zipper 740 without interfering with the floor of compartments 230-1 and 230-2. The spacing or passage 84 allows for consistent, repeatable and durable movement of the sliders 818 along the length of the zipper 740 including the transition from the upper compartment 230-1 to the lower compartment 230-2.

[0061] In some implementations, the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2 have dedicated mechanisms for closing their respective mouths. For example, in some implementations, the mouths 80 of internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2 are independently closable by zippers, hook and loop fastener arrangements, hooks, buttons or the like. In some implementations, the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2 are lined with elastic bands that resiliently assist in maintaining the mouths enclosed states. In some implementations, some or all of the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1, 30-2 omit closing mechanisms. In other implementations, garment 720 may comprise any of the other compartments 30-1, 130-1, 330-1, 430-1, 530-1 or 630-1 in place of compartment 230-1. In other implementations, compartment 30-2 may have the same shape and the same floor as that of compartments 130-1, 230-1 330-1, 430-1, 530-1 or 630-1.

[0062] FIGS. 12-15 illustrate portions of an example garment 920. Garment 920 is a form of a hooded parka or coat having a front 924 that is split to form right lateral side 925 and left lateral side 926. Lateral sides 925 and 926 are selectively openable and closable by a closing mechanism in the form of zipper 728 (shown and described with respect to FIG. 11).

[0063] Lateral sides 925 and 926 mirror one another on opposite sides of zipper 728. As shown by FIGS. 12 and 13, lateral sides 925 and 926 comprise pocket arrangements 1000-1 and 1000-2 (collectively referred to as arrangements 1000), respectively. Each of such pocket arrangements 1000 is generally similar to the pocket or compartment arrangement shown in FIGS. 6 and 11. Each of lateral sides 925, 926 comprises a front panel 952 formed from one or more layers and having a slit 960 extending through the front panel 952. The slit 960 forms an opening 944 which is selectively openable and closable by zipper 740 (shown and described with respect to FIG. 11). Slits 960 and opening 944 are similar to slit 60 and opening 44, respectively, described above and form part of pocket arrangements 1000-1 and 1000-2. Each of such openings 944 face in sideways directions and in opposite directions, away from zipper 728.

[0064] FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate front lateral side assembly 954 and pocket arrangement 1002-2 in more detail. FIG. 14 illustrates panel 952 with its zipper 740 in an open state with slider 818-1 positioned against stop 816-1 and slider 818-2 positioned against stop 816-2 (as seen in FIG. 11). As shown by FIG. 14, zipping of zipper 740 opens opening 44 to provide access to internal sideways facing compartments 230-1 and 30-2. Compartments 230-1 and 30-2 each have an outer face formed by panel 952 and an inner face formed by a panel 953 (formed from one or more layers).

[0065] Compartments 230-1 and 30-2 utilize a common seam 1006 which forms the internal floor of compartment 230-1 and the internal ceiling of compartment 30-2. Panel 952 is joined to panel 953 by the seam 100 at a location 1008, forming a bottom of mouth 80-1 and a top of mouth 80-2. The location 1008 at which panel 952 is joined to panel 953 is transversely spaced from slit 960 and zipper 740, creating a gap or spacing between the internal floor of compartment 230-1 and zipper 740 as well as between the internal ceiling of compartment 30-2 and zipper 740. This spacing 1010 creates a passage 84 across the junction of compartment 230-1 and 30-2.

[0066] As discussed above, mouths 80-1 and 80-2 (collectively referred to as mouths 80) extend directly opposite to opening 44 so as to oppose opening 44, with opening 44 extending across the full height of each of mouths 80. Accessing either of the two internal sideways facing compartments 230-1 and 30-2 is further facilitated by the omission of any partition or divider within the interior between the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 30. Passage 84 exists within the interior from the mouth 80-1 of a first compartment internal sideways facing compartment 230-1 to the mouth 80-2 of a second internal sideways facing compartment 30-2. As result, a person may insert his or her hand through the opening 44 and freely move his or her hand up or down within the interior 42 to gain access to either of the compartments 230- 1 and 30-2. The person need not have to specifically insert his or her hand through a particular upper portion or a particular lower portion of the opening 44 to gain access to a particular one of the compartments 30.

[0067] In the example illustrated, the passage 84 that is formed between the edges of slit 960 and the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments is sufficiently wide to accommodate movement of the one or more sliders 818 of the single zipper 740. In the example illustrated, the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1 and 30-2 are positioned in close proximity and even adjacent to the zipper 740 to increase the available internal storage volume of the compartments. In some implementations, the edges of the mouths 80 of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1 and 30-2 abut or extend adjacent to the tape 802-2 of the single zipper 740 extending along the opening 44. In some implementations, the spacing or passage 84 that extends across and between the mouths of the internal sideways facing compartments 230-1 and 30-2 and that extends between the mouths 80 and the opening 44 has a width of at least 1 cm and no greater than 3 cm.

[0068] Although garment 920 is illustrated as comprising a pair of vertically arranged or stacked internal sideways facing compartments, in other implementations garment 920 may comprise additional vertically arranged or stacked internal sideways facing compartments. In such implementations, opening 44 may span and fully extend across all of compartments and their respective mouths 80. In other implementations, garment 920 may comprise any of the other compartments 30-1, 130-1, 330-1, 430-1, 530-1 or 630-1 in place of compartment 230-1. In other implementations, compartment 30-2 may have the same shape and the same floor as that of compartments 130-1, 230-1 330-1, 430-1, 530-1 or 630-1.

[0069] FIG. 15 illustrates a reversed inside view of panels 952 and 953 which form the front lateral side assembly 954 of garment 920. The angular tapered corners 931 and 933 of the connected panels 952, 953 and the panel edges 955 and 956 in FIG. 15 are identified in FIG. 12. In the example illustrated, zipper 728 extends along panel edges 956. The path of zipper 740 is shown in broken lines in FIG. 15. FIG. 15 further illustrates the above describe seam 1006, the location 1008 at which panels 952 and 953 are joined along seam 1006 to form mouths 80-1 and 80-2, the forming of an internal floor 290 of compartment 230-1 by seam 1006, and the forming of an internal floor 291 for the compartment 30-2 by an additional seam 1007.

[0070] As shown by FIG. 15, seam 1006, which forms the floor of compartment 230-1 comprise a first portion 294 and a second step portion 296, described above with respect to garment 220. As described above, first portion 294 is proximate to and extends from mouth 80-1. The second portion 296 is distant mouth 80-1, between portion 294 and rear wall 292, the second portion being vertically lower than the first portion 294 when garment 220 is being worn in a traditional sense.

[0071] In the example illustrated, second portion 296 forms a secondary upwardly facing pocket 297 having an upper mouth 298 continuous with or along the surface of the portion 294 of floor 290 (adjacent to end along what would otherwise be the floor of compartment 230-1). In some implementations, the second portion 296 is within the range of 1 cm to 10 cm lower than the surface of portion 294. Although portion 294 of floor 290 is illustrated as extending to a lower end of mouth 80-1, in some implementations, portion 294 may terminate or extend to a location vertically below the lowermost portion of mouth 80-1. In the example illustrated, panels 952953 are joined at the location 1011, forming the end of the interior floor 9291 of compartment 30-2. As should be appreciated, pocket assembly 1001 is identical to pocket assembly 1002-2 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 except that pocket assembly 1000-1 mirrors pocket assembly 1000-2 with respect to zipper 728.

[0072] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to example implementations, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the claimed subject matter. For example, although different example implementations may have been described as including features providing benefits, it is contemplated that the described features may be interchanged with one another or alternatively be combined with one another in the described example implementations or in other alternative implementations. Because the technology of the present disclosure is relatively complex, not all changes in the technology are foreseeable. The present disclosure described with reference to the example implementations and set forth in the following claims is manifestly intended to be as broad as possible. For example, unless specifically otherwise noted, the claims reciting a single particular element also encompass a plurality of such particular elements. The terms first, second, third and so on in the claims merely distinguish different elements and, unless otherwise stated, are not to be specifically associated with a particular order or particular numbering of elements in the disclosure.