US20050044610A1

US20050044610A1 - Garment with convertible ornamentation

Info

Publication number: US20050044610A1
Application number: US10/647,148
Authority: US
Inventors: Bobi Grimes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-08-25
Filing date: 2003-08-25
Publication date: 2005-03-03

Abstract

A garment with changeable ornamentation. The garment includes an adjoined pair of pant legs. At least one of such legs includes an aperture of predetermined location. A plurality of ornaments are provided for selective attachment to the garment at such apertures. Each of the ornaments includes an ornamental face and a back button in spaced relation. The ornamental face may include an internal bar for fixation of decorative devices.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wearing apparel. More particularly, this invention pertains to a garment capable of assuming a number of appearances through interchange of ornamentation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain garments are routinely enhanced by addition of ornamentation. Included among these are the “basic” demin jeans. Historically, such garment was first enhanced with rivets. Since then, numerous baubles and the like have been employed to spice up its look.
Gems, metallic medallions and leather trim are among the types of ornamentation that have adorned jeans and other garments. Often, such accoutrements add significantly to the price of the apparel. In fact, it is not at all unusual for such devices to account for the majority of the cost of an item.
Typically, the type of ornamentation fixed to the basic garment has a limited fashion shelf life making it not at all unusual for a purchaser to discard an otherwise perfectly-wearable garment due changes in fashion trends or, for that matter, boredom with the initially attractive look of the garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention address the preceding and other shortcomings of the prior art by providing a garment that includes an adjoined pair of pant legs. Each of the pant legs has an inner surface and an outer surface and includes an outer perimeter and an inner perimeter. At least one of the pant legs has an elongated aperture.
The foregoing and other features of the invention will become further apparent from the detailed description that follows. Such description is accompanied by a set of drawing figures. Numerals of the drawing figures, corresponding to those of the written description, point to the features of the invention with like numerals referring to like features throughout both the written description and the drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a garment for receiving ornamentation in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 2(a) through 2(c) are a series of views for illustrating a brass rivet ornament in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are side elevation and top planar views of a button ornament in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are perspective views of scarf and fringe decorative devices, respectively, in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 5 is a frontal view of a garment bearing ornamentation in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are front planar views of holder ornaments in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are perspective views of the holder ornaments of the prior figures with decorative devices affixed thereto; and
FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are frontal views of garments in accordance with the invention with ornamentation affixed thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a garment 10 for receiving ornamentation in accordance with the invention. The garment 10 comprises an otherwise-conventional pair of pants, such as denim jeans, that includes a pair of pant legs 12, 14. It differs from a conventional pair of pants, in part, by the inclusion of a series of substantially-horizontal apertures 12′ and 14′ positioned in spaced vertical relationship adjacent the outer perimeters or seams of the pant legs 12 and 14 respectively.
As will be seen below, each of the apertures 12′ and 14′ is provided for selective removable attachment of ornamentation for enhancing the appearance of the garment 10. As mentioned above, the useful fashion life of a garment is often significantly less than its functional lifetime. In the invention, the apertures 12′, 14′ and their locations relative to the garment 10 provides a means for ready re-design of the garment 10 by providing points of attachment of replaceable items of ornamentation.
FIGS. 2(a) through 2(c) are a series of views for illustrating a brass rivet ornament 16 in accordance with the invention. The rivet 16 includes a rivet face 18 as illustrated in frontal view in FIG. 2(a) and a back button 20 as illustrated in FIG. 2(b) that are threadedly joined in opposed spaced relation as illustrated by the side elevation view of the assembled ornament 16 as illustrated in FIG. 2(c).
The use of a back button 20 will be understood to be common to subsequent examples of ornamentation to be described. This element serves to anchor ornamental elements to the garment 10. Such ornaments are removable affixed to the garment 10 by sliding the associated back button through one the substantially horizontal apertures 12′ and 14′. After passage through an aperture to the interior of a pant leg, the back button is rotated to an attitude substantially parallel to the inner surface of the pant leg to thereby anchor the ornamental feature, to which it is threadedly engaged, to the outer surface.
FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are side elevation and top planar views of a button ornament in accordance with the invention. The ornament includes a rounded dome 22 of plastic or metallic composition. A loop 24 is fixed to the backside 26 of the button ornament for receiving the thread that joins the button ornament to an associated back button (not shown). The back button is substantially identical to the back button 20 of FIG. 2(b) and serves a like purpose, namely to anchor the button ornament to the garment 10.
The button ornament may be employed by itself as ornamentation. Alternatively, it may be employed to secure a decorative device to the garment 10. Each is attachable to the garment 10 by means of an associated button ornament 28 as illustrated in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) as shown. It is to be noted that the fringe 32 illustrated in FIG. 4(b) is generally-elongated with a plurality of button ornaments 28 arranged along its length. It will be seen that the arrangement of a plurality of fastener devices along the length of a generally-elongated decorative device enables the decorative engagement of such a device by engagement with the vertically-spaced apertures 12′, 14′ of the garment 10.
Such an arrangement of an elongated decorative device is illustrated in FIG. 5, a frontal view of a garment 34 bearing an elongated decorative device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Chains 36 are secured to the garment 34 by means of pluralities of button ornaments 38 to give the give the garment 34 a stunning look. The chains may be of metal, such as gold or silver, or plastic fabrication enabling a wide range of appearances and impressions. Due to the replaceable nature of ornamentation in accordance with the present invention—no more complicated than buttoning and unbuttoning a shirt—all options are readily available to the garment owner. This, or course, greatly enhances the fashion life of a garment in accordance with the invention.
FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are front planar views of holder ornaments 40 and 42 in accordance with the invention. As in the case of the button ornament discussed above, each holder ornament is decorative in itself and capable of enhancing the appearance of a garment in accordance with the invention by itself. The holder ornament 40 of FIG. 6(a) includes a periphery 44 defining a star shape. The interior of the ornament 40 comprises a region that includes parallel cutouts 46 and 48 with spacing therebetween defining a bar. A pair of holes 50 is provided within the bar for receiving a length of thread for securing the holder ornament 40 to a back button. A like arrangement pertains to the holder ornament 42 of FIG. 6(b) which differs materially from that of FIG. 6(a) only insofar as its generally-circular periphery 52 is of undulating character. Holder ornamentation in accordance with the invention may be of metallic, wood, leather, plastic or like fabrication.
FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are perspective views that illustrate the operation of the holder ornaments 40 and 42 of the prior figures with free-flowing decorative devices affixed thereto. If FIG. 7(a), the star-shaped holder ornament 40 is seen to secure strips 54 that may comprise suede or other leather including gems 56 affixed thereto while the generally-circular holder ornament 42 of FIG. 7(b) secures plain leather strips 58. It should be noted that the invention is not limited to the type of free-flowing decorative devices illustrated in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). Rather, any free flowing decorative device capable of being secured by means of a central bar of a holder ornament is suitable for use in a garment in accordance with the invention.
FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are frontal views of distinctly-ornamented garments 60 and 62 in accordance with the invention. As shown in FIG. 8(a) free flowing decoration in the form of leather strips 63 is fixed to each of the legs 64, 66 of the garment 60 while decorations of different characters are fixed to the legs 68 and 70 of the garment 62. In particular, an elongated lace ruffle 72 is fixed to the leg 68 by means of a plurality of button ornaments inserted into the vertically-spaced apertures of the leg 68. In contrast, free-flowing faux fur strips 74, each secured by means of a star-shaped holder ornament, are fixed to the leg 70. As can be seen, the invention allows the user to design an almost-limitless variety of personalized arrangements.
Thus it is seen that the present invention provides a garment that is readily capable of assuming a number of appearances. By following the teachings of the invention, one may enjoy a garment throughout its useful functional life by varying its appearance in accordance with fashion style and the user's whims.
While this invention has been presented with reference to its presently-preferred embodiment, its scope is not limited thereto. Rather, this invention is limited only insofar as it is defined by the following set of patent claims and includes within its scope all equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A garment comprising, in combination:

a) an adjoined pair of pant legs;

b) each of said pant legs having an inner surface and an outer surface and including an outer perimeter and an inner perimeter; and

c) at least one of said pant legs having an elongated aperture.

2. A garment as defined in claim 1 additionally including:

a) a least one ornament;

b) said ornament comprising an ornament face and a back button, said ornament face being threadedly joined in spaced relationship to said back button; and

c) said at least one ornament being received at an elongated aperture so that said ornament face lies adjacent the outer surface of a pant leg and said back button lies adjacent the inner surface of said pant leg.

3. A garment as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that:

a) at least one of said pant legs has a plurality of apertures; and

b) said plurality of apertures is arranged vertically adjacent the outer perimeter of said leg.

4. A garment as defined in claim 3 including a plurality of ornaments.

5. A garment as defined in claim 4 wherein at least one of said ornaments includes an ornament face comprising a brass rivet.

6. A garment as defined in claim 4 wherein at least one of said ornaments includes an ornament face comprising a rounded dome.

7. A garment as defined in claim 4 wherein at least one of said ornaments includes an ornament face includes a bar for securing a decorative device.

8. A garment as defined in claim 7 wherein said bar is defined by an opposed pair of interior cutouts.

9. A garment as defined in claim 8 wherein said ornament face includes a star-shaped periphery.

10. A garment as defined in claim 8 wherein said ornament face includes a generally-circular periphery of undulating character.

11. A garment as defined in claim 6 further including a decorative device fixed to said ornament.

12. A garment as defined in claim 11 further including:

a) an elongated decorative device;

b) said elongated decorative device being fixed to a plurality of ornaments; and

c) each of said ornaments being received at an aperture of said pant leg.

13. A garment as defined in claim 1 further including at least one faux aperture adjacent the inner perimeter of said at least one pant leg.