US20110226828A1

US20110226828A1 - Personal item carrier

Info

Publication number: US20110226828A1
Application number: US13/048,911
Authority: US
Inventors: Heather MESSAL
Original assignee: SpiderBelt
Current assignee: SpiderBelt
Priority date: 2010-03-19
Filing date: 2011-03-16
Publication date: 2011-09-22

Abstract

An exercise harness for wearing by a user, including a front piece; a back piece; two shoulder straps a first shoulder strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's left shoulder and a second strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's right shoulder; a chest strap coupled from below to the front piece and the back piece and configured to surround the body of the user and prevent movement of the front piece and back piece during activity of the user; and wherein the front piece and the back piece both include pockets and wherein the length of the straps are designed to position the front piece and the back piece above the waist of the user at about the center of gravity of the user.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) from provisional application No. 61/315,769 filed Mar. 19, 2010 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a garment for carrying items during activity and more specifically wherein the garment minimizes interference with the motion of the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During athletic activities people stress their muscles. Conventional garments may interfere with the motion performed by the muscles of the person wearing it; therefore special garments have been designed for athletic activity. Typically such garments are designed to follow the contour of the wearer. The special garments are generally made from smoother and more elastic material and exclude hard or pointy elements. These characteristics reduce environmental resistance to the motion performed by the person.
One common problem during athletic activity is the need to carry items that are helpful during the activity, for example a radio for listening to music or a communication device for transmitting and/or receiving communications. Additionally, some items are only needed after the activity but the person carries them on his/her body since they lack a secure place to store them. This is especially common regarding valuable items such as keys or money, which are required after the activity and cannot be left unwatched.
One solution is to wear a garment with conventional pockets, however items placed in pockets may interfere with the motion of the user's muscles. Additionally, if the weight of the items is significant they tend to offset the center of gravity of the person thus interfering with the person's athletic ability. Another solution is to wear an additional garment with a pocket, for example a waist pouch, or shoulder bag. However such items also tend to interfere with the motion of the wearer flop around, chafe the user, offset the center of gravity and/or make it difficult to perform exercise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of an embodiment of the invention, relates to a harness to be worn on the upper body of a person during performance of activities. The harness includes a front piece and a back piece that are attached with three straps to the upper body of the person, to prevent it from shifting, riding, twisting, and/or flopping during the activity performed by the person. The harness includes a front and back pocket for carrying items. The pockets are either part of the front and back piece or attached to them. The harness is designed so that the pockets are positioned approximately at the center of gravity of the person, so that their content will have little or no effect on the person's performance during the activity.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the three straps include two shoulder straps and a chest strap. The shoulder straps can be adjusted to adjust the height of the harness and align it at the center of gravity. The chest strap can be adjusted to comfortably fit the circumference of the person wearing the harness and keep the harness close to the body of the person.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pockets are removable and replaceable during activity. Optionally, the pockets are interchangeable. In some embodiments of the invention, the pockets can be replaced with custom holsters for specific items such as water containers, food packages or other items.
There is thus provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an exercise harness for wearing by a user, including:
a front piece;
a back piece;
two shoulder straps a first shoulder strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's left shoulder and a second strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's right shoulder;
a chest strap coupled from below to the front piece and the back piece and configured to surround the body of the user and prevent movement of the front piece and back piece during activity of the user;
wherein the front piece and the back piece both include pockets and wherein the length of the straps are designed to position the front piece and the back piece above the waist of the user at about the center of gravity of the user.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the front piece and the back piece both have the same shape. Alternatively, the front piece and the back piece both have a different shape. Optionally, the pockets are attachable and detachable by the user during activity. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the front pocket and the back pocket are interchangeable. Optionally, the front pocket and the back pocket are of the same shape and size. Alternatively, the front pocket and the back pocket differ in shape or size.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the exercise harness according further includes multiple sized attachable pockets for attachment to the front piece or the back piece of the harness to form a kit. Optionally, the exercise harness further includes multiple attachable pockets designed to hold specific items to form a kit. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the exercise harness further includes buckles for connecting the front piece and the back piece to the shoulder straps. Optionally, the shoulder straps are stitched to the front piece or the back piece and connected with a buckle to the other piece. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the chest strap is looped through loops extending downward from the front piece and the back piece to couple it to the front piece and the back piece. Optionally, the front piece and the back include strips of hook and loop material stitched to them for attaching pockets to them. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the chest strap is looped through loops extending downward from the front piece and the back piece to couple it to the front piece and the back piece. Optionally, the front piece and the back piece of the harness are made from the same material as the straps. Alternatively, the front piece and the back piece of the harness are made from a different material than the pockets. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pockets are designed to accommodate specific items. Optionally, the pockets include closure means to seal them.
There is further provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of carrying items by a user during activities, including:
preparing a harness with a front piece, a back piece, two shoulder straps a first shoulder strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's left shoulder and a second strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's right shoulder; a chest strap coupled from below to the front piece and the back piece and configured to surround the body of the user and prevent movement of the front piece and back piece during activity of the user; wherein the front piece and the back piece both include pockets;
placing one or more items in the pockets of the harness;
wearing the harness;
adjusting the shoulder straps to position the pockets above the waist of the user about at the center of gravity of the user;
closing the chest strap to comfortably fit the wearer.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pockets are detachable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and better appreciated from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings. Identical structures, elements or parts, which appear in more than one figure, are generally labeled with the same or similar number in all the figures in which they appear, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a harness to be worn on the upper body of a person, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a harness being worn by a person, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a spread out view of components of a harness, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a harness kit with optional elements provided in the kit, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of optional buckles for assembling a harness, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a harness 100 to be worn on the upper body of a person, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Harness 100 is designed to serve as a personal item carrier for an athlete to be worn during performance of exercise without impeding on the performance of the athlete. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, harness 100 is made up from a front piece 110 and a back piece 120. Front piece 110 is designed to be situated over the person's chest or abdomen and back piece 120 is designed to be situated over the persons back at about the same height as the front piece. Optionally, the harness is positioned against the person's body by the use of three straps: Two shoulder straps (160, 170) and a chest strap 150. The shoulder straps include a right strap 160 to support the harness 100 over the person's right shoulder, and a left strap 170 to support the harness 100 over the person's left shoulder. The chest strap 150 is adjusted to fit comfortably around the person's body to hold the bottom in place and prevent the position of harness 100 from shifting riding, twisting, and/or flopping during the activity performed by the person.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the front piece 110 and back piece 120 both include a pocket. Optionally, front piece 110 and back piece 120 may be the same shape, for example both being in the shape of a rectangle, a square, an oval, a circle, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, a triangle or any other planar shape. Alternatively, each side may be a different shape to fit different purposes such as having pockets that are adapted to accommodate different sized objects, for example holding an iPod, an MP3 player, keys, money, and/or identification documents. Optionally, items may be placed in the front pocket for easy and immediate access, for example personal safety elements such as a pepper spray, health elements such as an inhalator, energy gels or other elements. Alternatively, items may be placed in the back pocket to keep them out of sight during the exercise. Optionally, access to the back pocket by the person may be difficult while wearing harness 100, but easily accessible when removing harness 100 or by a different person. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the person may lower the shoulder straps rotate harness 100 so that the back becomes the front and then easily access the back pocket. Optionally, harness 100 is symmetrical so that harness 100 can be worn with either side in the front.
In some embodiments of the invention, buckles (165, 175) are attached on four corners of front piece 110 and back piece 120 to engage the straps (150, 160, and 170). Alternatively, front piece 110 and back piece 120 may have flaps (112, 122, 114, 124) that extend from the general shape of front piece 110 and back piece 120 to attach the buckles (165, 175) onto them. In some embodiments of the invention, the flaps extending downward (112, 122) may be folded over and stitched to form support loops to hold strap 150. Likewise the straps extending upward (114, 124) may be folded over and stitched to grasp a buckle or to allow right strap 160 and left strap 170 to be looped through them and tied to the straps. Alternatively, straps (160 and 170) may be stitched to either the front piece or the back piece and connected with a buckle to the other side.
Optionally, strap 150 includes a buckle to enclose strap 150 around the torso of the person.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an independent front pocket 130 and a back pocket 140 are provided to be attached to front piece 110 and back piece 120 respectively. In some embodiments of the invention, the pockets are sewn to front piece 110 and back piece 120 so that they cannot be removed from the harness. Alternatively, the pockets (130, 140) are detachable so that they may be removed if not required by the person. Optionally, the pockets may be attached by sewing pieces of hook and loop material (Velcro) 135 to the front piece 110 and back piece 120 of the harness 100 and to the back of the pockets (130, 140). In some embodiments of the invention, the material of the harness 100 and/or pockets is hook and loop material. Alternatively or additionally, the pockets (130, 140) may be attached by other means, for example snaps, buttons, hooks or zippers. Optionally, the pockets (130, 140) may have closure means such as a zipper, snaps, buttons, hooks, hook and loop material to enable the person to seal the pockets so that the content won't fall out while exercising. In some embodiments of the invention, harness 100 may have extra flaps (not shown) extending either from the top, bottom, right, left, some or all of the sides of front piece 110 and/or back piece 120. Optionally, when attaching pockets (130, 140) the extra flaps can be folded over pockets (130, 140) to enclose them securely (e.g. with a buckle or hook and loop material) and reduce the risk of having pockets (130, 140) flopping or falling off during activity.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of harness 100 being worn by a person, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, front piece 110 and back piece 120 are located approximately at the center of gravity of the person, to enhance the weight that can be supported by the person without hindering performance. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, chest strap 150 is positioned on the chest of the person above the person's waist to enhance the freedom of motion of the person but yet limiting the motion of front piece 110 and back piece 120 relative to the person's body.
Optionally, supporting harness 100 with three straps enhances stability on the person's body and prevents the harness 100 from shifting while deployed on the person's body, yet while maintaining full mobility.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, harness 100 is made from an elastic material to allow it to have a good grasp of the body of the person onto which it is deployed. In some embodiments of the invention, the material is a synthetic rubber material such as Neoprene or as sometimes referred to Polychloroprene. In some embodiments of the invention, the inner part of harness 100 is made from synthetic rubber (e.g. Neoprene) and the outer part is coated with hook and loop material, so that pockets (130, 140) may easily be attached to the outer part. Optionally, the exterior of harness 100 is coated with either hook or loop material and the pockets (130, 140) are coated with the latter type (loop or hook) or have strips of loop or hook material sewn on to them.
In some embodiments of the invention, the pockets (130, 140) are made from a stretchable material such as Lycra or nylon, so that items will be held tightly in the pockets (130, 140). Optionally, the straps (150, 160 and 170) are made from Neoprene, Lycra with areas including hook and loop material for ease in adjusting the length of the straps.
In some embodiments of the invention the pockets (130, 140) are made of micro nylon rip-stop material (e.g. as used in parachutes) to enhance water resistance and protect electronic items such as cameras and telephones that are stored in the pockets. Alternatively or additionally, the pockets (130, 140) may be prepared using a breathable mesh material for items that would be better suited being carried around exposed to the air, for example a wet bathing suit to abbreviate drying.
In some embodiments of the invention, the pockets (130, 140) and/or harness 100 are constructed from a moisture-wicking material such as typically used for outdoor athletic clothing due to its fast drying features and comfort. Additionally, materials from renewable resources such as bamboo, wool, silk, aloe, cotton or recyclable materials such as various plastics in a flexible form may be used.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a spread out view of the components of harness 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Optionally, the pieces in FIG. 3 are made from the same material and include all the elements of harness 100 except for attachment elements such as hook and loop pieces, zippers, snaps, buttons and buckles. Alternatively, each piece of the harness 100 may be made from a different material, for example the pockets may be made from a stronger or more padded material to better protect their content.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, approximately the following sizes are used to deploy harness 100 on an average person:
Chest strap 150 has a length of about 100 cm (=1 meter) by 2.5 cm;
Right strap 160 and left strap 170 are each about 50 cm (=0.5 meters) by 2.5 cm;
Front piece 110 and back piece 120 are about 15 cm by 25 cm; and
Front pocket 130 and back pocket 140 are about 15 cm by 10 cm.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, when deploying harness 100 straps (150, 160 and 170) are attached into buckles (155, 165 and 175) and may be pulled tighter or loosened to adjust the position of the harness according to the person's size or preferences. Optionally the actual measurements of the material for harness 100 may be larger or smaller generally depending on the size of the people harness 100 is intended for.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, front pocket 130 and back pocket 140 are each made up from 2 pieces of material (132, 134 for front pocket 130 and 142, 144 for back pocket 140). The two pieces of material are sewn together and attached to harness 100 in the form of a pocket. Alternatively, front pocket 130 and back pocket 140 may be made up each from a single piece of material coupled directly onto front piece 110 and back piece 120 respectively. Optionally, the coupling may be permanent, for example by sewing, or may be detachable, for example using hook and loop material, snaps, safety pins, buttons or other means. Optionally, front pocket 130 and back pocket 140 may be easily detachable so that the person wearing harness 100 may detach them during the performance of activity without removing harness 100.
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a harness kit 400 with optional elements provided in the kit, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
In some embodiments of the invention, harness 100 may be marketed as a kit 400 with one or more custom made pockets and accessories that are designed to fit the custom made pocket, for example a pocket for holding a water bottle and a specific water bottle that fits the pocket, or a pocket for holding an MP3 player and a specific MP3 player that fits the pocket. Alternatively or additionally, a pocket may be designed to serve as a trash receptacle for example for used tissues or wrappers so that the person can discard them at a later time thus avoiding littering. Optionally, a pocket may serve as a carrier for a hands free flashlight, a reflector or a safety light (e.g. a flashing light for night use).
Alternatively or additionally, harness 100 may be marketed as a kit 400 with multiple sizes of pockets for example large medium and small, so that the user may select a pocket according to the items needed to be carried. Optionally, harness 100 may be marketed as a kit 400 with pockets from different materials, for example waterproof material, elastic material and breathable mesh material.
FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of optional types of buckles for assembling harness 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Optionally, buckles (155, 165, and 175) may be provided in the form of a tri-glade buckle 510, a belt buckle 520 or a slide release buckle 530. Alternatively or additionally, other types of buckles or other connection means known in the art such as micro bungee cords, snaps, drawstrings, zippers, magnets, ties, carabiners, loops, hooks, frog closures, hinges, and clasps may be used to connect straps (150, 160 and 170) to the other pieces of harness 100.
In some embodiments of the invention, harness 100 is adapted to accommodate a competition bib made up from a sheet of paper or material with a number to identify the person during competitive sports. Optionally, harness 100 may include attachment means for attaching bibs, for example clips, pins, buttons, bungee loops, round d-rings, cord locks, hook and loop material or the like. Optionally, the bib may be attached instead of a pocket or in addition to a pocket. In some embodiments of the invention, the bib is attached to chest strap 150, for example hanging down from chest strap 150 so that it will not interfere with access to the pockets.
It should be appreciated that the above described methods and apparatus may be varied in many ways, including omitting or adding steps, changing the order of steps and the type of devices used. It should be appreciated that different features may be combined in different ways. In particular, not all the features shown above in a particular embodiment are necessary in every embodiment of the invention. Further combinations of the above features are also considered to be within the scope of some embodiments of the invention.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims, which follow.

Claims

1. An exercise harness for wearing by a user, comprising:

a front piece;

a back piece;

two shoulder straps a first shoulder strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's left shoulder and a second strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's right shoulder;

a chest strap coupled from below to the front piece and the back piece and configured to surround the body of the user and prevent movement of the front piece and back piece during activity of the user;

wherein the front piece and the back piece both include pockets and wherein the length of the straps are designed to position the front piece and the back piece above the waist of the user at about the center of gravity of the user.

2. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front piece and the back piece both have the same shape.

3. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front piece and the back piece both have a different shape.

4. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the pockets are attachable and detachable by the user during activity.

5. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front pocket and the back pocket are interchangeable.

6. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front pocket and the back pocket are of the same shape and size.

7. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front pocket and the back pocket differ in shape or size.

8. An exercise harness according to claim 1, further comprising multiple sized attachable pockets for attachment to the front piece or the back piece of the harness to form a kit.

9. An exercise harness according to claim 1, further comprising multiple attachable pockets designed to hold specific items to form a kit.

10. An exercise harness according to claim 1, further comprising buckles for connecting the front piece and the back piece to the shoulder straps.

11. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein said shoulder straps are stitched to the front piece or the back piece and connected with a buckle to the other piece.

12. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the chest strap is looped through loops extending downward from the front piece and the back piece to couple it to the front piece and the back piece.

13. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front piece and the back include strips of hook and loop material stitched to them for attaching pockets to them.

14. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the chest strap is looped through loops extending downward from the front piece and the back piece to couple it to the front piece and the back piece.

15. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front piece and the back piece of the harness are made from the same material as the straps.

16. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the front piece and the back piece of the harness are made from a different material than the pockets.

17. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the pockets are designed to accommodate specific items.

18. An exercise harness according to claim 1, wherein the pockets include closure means to seal them.

19. A method of carrying items by a user during activities, comprising:

preparing a harness with a front piece, a back piece, two shoulder straps a first shoulder strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's left shoulder and a second strap configured to attach between the front piece and the back piece over the user's right shoulder; a chest strap coupled from below to the front piece and the back piece and configured to surround the body of the user and prevent movement of the front piece and back piece during activity of the user; wherein the front piece and the back piece both include pockets;

placing one or more items in the pockets of the harness;

wearing the harness;

adjusting the shoulder straps to position the pockets above the waist of the user about at the center of gravity of the user;

closing the chest strap to comfortably fit the wearer.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said pockets are detachable.