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  Split sports jacketUSPTO Application #: 20070118950Title: Split sports jacket Abstract: A split sports jacket includes a pair of mating right and left jacket halves with dependent sleeves that cover a person's upper torso and arms. The jacket halves include respective halves of a collar around a neck opening and halves of an elasticized waist band around a waist opening thereof. Respective front and rear zippers retain the jacket halves mated together that extend vertically are laterally centered on the person's upper torso. The front zipper is of upright configuration that zips up from bottom to top. The rear zipper is of inverted configuration that zips up from top to bottom utilizing gravity to stay closed. Respective front and rear flaps allow covering of the front and rear zippers and are securable by snap fasteners. The jacket halves are interchangeable with other mating jacket halves having differing external visual characteristics to change an overall look of the sports jacket such as colors, patterns, patches, logos, indicia, or emblems. These preferably include affiliations with sports teams, sports players, schools, religions, and the like. (end of abstract) Agent: Brian R. Rayve - Park City, UT, US Inventor: Steven K. Hogge USPTO Applicaton #: 20070118950 - Class: 002069000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Apparel, Body Garments The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070118950. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field [0002] The present invention generally relates to sports apparel, and more particularly to sports jackets and other sports apparel worn covering the torso and upper body of a person which includes indicia such as player names, player numbers, team logos, school names, and the like on an outer surface thereof representative of various entities such as sport teams and schools. [0003] 2. State of the Art [0004] Sports jackets are designed to cover the upper torso and arms extending downwardly to the waist of a wearer. Sports jackets may be filled with goose down or synthetic insulating materials to provide added warmth particularly suitable for extended periods of outdoor use such as watching outdoors sports events. Other sports jackets are of a vest type that have no sleeves to cover the wearer's arms. Sports jackets cover the torso or upper trunk of the wearer's body and may or may not necessarily include sleeves to cover the wearer's arms. [0005] Outer garments such as the sports jackets are often worn as a display of fashion and individuality of the person wearing such garment. One problem with outer garments is that they provide only one "look" for the wearer, typically being of a solid color, a single decorative pattern, a combination of colors, or a combination of patterns. Outer garments such as shirts or blouses, pants or skirts, and shoes of differing looks including the colors and patterns may be mixed as part of the wearer's outfit to change the overall look thereof. However, the look of the individual garments is typically not changeable. [0006] Various garments have been patented which allow the wearer to change the look of the garment and of the overall outfit. Some such garments are of reversible construction such that turning the garment inside-out provides a different look therefor. Such reversible garments can be worn in two ways to provide two totally different looks. Some such garments display different sports teams as part of their two looks. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,066 issued to Brassey on Apr. 22, 2003 is disclosed a sports jacket of reversible construction for displaying alternate team and/or player affiliations. The team jacket has different teams sports logos on respective inner and outer surfaces thereof. The jacket may also display the names of players so that the jacket may be reversed to reveal a different player's name and/or number. [0007] Other garments have been patented which allow the wearer to change the look of the garment and of the overall outfit by being constructed of separable sections that may be interchanged with mating sections of similarly constructed garments of differing color or pattern. Such garments having separable sections can be worn in a multiplicity of ways depending on how many such garments there are to provide many totally different looks. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,531 issued to Fitches on Jan. 3, 1950 is disclosed novelty garments which provide different looks by having interchangeable sections of different colors. The garments include mens' shirts, and ladies' blouses and skirts each comprised of a pair of sections that are detachably retained together and which may be replaced by a corresponding section of another garment of a different color to produce the different look. The shirt is split into the two sections diagonally from a bottom front over one shoulder to a bottom rear. The two sections are removably connected together using a single zipper with mating zipper halves connected to respective of the sections. The zipper is covered by a flap of a snap or non-snap type that extends therealong. The blouse is split into the two sections diagonally from a top front at a neck opening thereof, under one arm close to a bottom edge at a bottom side thereof, and to a top rear at the neck opening. The two sections are removably connected together using a single zipper with mating zipper halves connected to respective of the sections. The zipper is covered by a flap of the snap or non-snap type that extends therealong. Alternatively, the blouse is split into the two sections diagonally from the top front at the neck opening completely to the bottom edge at the bottom side thereof, and diagonally from the top rear at the neck opening completely to the bottom edge at the bottom side thereof. The two sections are removably connected together using a pair of zippers with mating zipper halves connected to respective of the sections. The zippers are covered by respective flaps of the snap or non-snap type that extend therealong. The skirt is split into two sections diagonally in two angled directions from the top left at a waist band thereof diagonally oppositely in the two angled directions to a bottom hem thereof. The two sections are removably connected together using a pair of zippers with mating zipper halves connected to respective of the sections. The zippers are covered by respective flaps of the snap or non-snap type that extend therealong. [0008] Various jackets have been patented over the years that have separable sections or are designed as partial jackets not for allowing the wearer to change the look of the garment, but rather for purely functional purposes such as warm-up jackets for baseball pitchers, jackets with separable sleeves to form sleeveless vests, and arm protectors for persons who frequently reach out of their motor vehicle doing their job such as postal delivery persons. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,075 issued to Svetich on Apr. 13, 1993 is disclosed a separable ventilated athletic jacket for baseball pitchers. The jacket includes a first shell portion for covering one side of the upper torso of a person wearing the jacket. A sleeve is secured to the first shell portion for covering the person's arms. A mesh covers an opposite side of the person's upper torso. A second shell portion is detachably secured to the first shell portion. Another sleeve is attached to the second shell portion. The jacket may be worn and used as a traditional jacket or one shell portion may be detached so that only one arm, shoulder and one side of the person's torso are covered. [0009] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,934 issued to Perry on Jan. 22, 1991 is disclosed a sports sleeve to be worn by a sports player. The sleeve covers one arm and a portion of the upper torso of the person wearing the sleeve with straps that retain the sleeve on the person's body. The construction of the garment is such that it does not keep the entire upper half of the torso warm because the garment is cut high on the bottom in front and back and does not include any means for securing the bottom of the garment close to the body. As a result, body heat may escape through draft holes which can lead to excess heat loss, causing stiffness and tightening of the muscles. In turn, this can cause injury, thereby defeating its purpose. Furthermore, because the sports sleeve covers only a portion of the person's body, if the weather turns cold, the individual would need to additionally wear a full conventional jacket over the sleeve. This would restrict movement because of the bulky garments. To alleviate this problem, one would need to take off the sleeve and wear just the full conventional jacket. However, in so doing, the sports sleeve would serve no purpose. [0010] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,833 issued to Cox on Oct. 28, 1980 is disclosed a warm-up sleeve to be worn by an athlete. The sleeve includes a portion for covering the arm and the top of the shoulder. A strap is used to retain the sleeve in place. The strap extends around the upper torso. The sleeve does not cover any portion of the torso. The warm-up sleeve allows body heat to escape. This may lead to excess heat loss, causing stiff and tight muscles. This could result in injury, thereby defeating the purpose of the sleeve. The warm-up sleeve also suffers from many of the same problems as the sports sleeve of Perry. [0011] In U.S. Pat. No. 1,796,782 issued to Gasperini on Mar. 17, 1931 is disclosed a garment protector for automobile drivers. The protector includes one sleeve and a strap or fastener for attaching the protector to a coat or around the neck. The protector is used by a driver to protect his or her clothes from getting wet in rainy weather when extending the left arm out of the window to signal turns. This protector would not be useful for warming one arm and shoulder of an athlete. It exhibits many of the disadvantages of the sleeves described by the patents mentioned above and it was not intended for use by athletes. [0012] The sports jackets are often worn that have patches, logos, player names, player numbers, and the like permanently affixed thereto as a display of unity and support of the person wearing the sports jacket for a particular sports team, a particular player, or the like of professional basketball, baseball, and football teams. Often the patches are sewn to respective external shoulder, chest, and back areas of the sports jacket. Usually a different sports jacket is owned and worn for each different sports team or player particularly when attending a sports event of the sports team or player. This can be an expensive proposition since most sports jackets with team or player logos currently cost upwards of seventy-five dollars and are likely to rise in price in coming years. When the wearer moves to a different city which frequently occurs in these days of little job security, one or more new sports jackets may need to be purchased that match the sports team(s) and player(s) of the new city. Sports teams also leave cities and new sports teams enter cities as sports franchises are bought, sold, and moved. Wearers switch team loyalties from year-to-year based on team performance and changing personal preferences. Players are traded to other sports teams or voluntarily switch sports teams particularly with the advent of salary caps and free agency for players. [0013] Various sports jackets have been patented which attempt to allow display of various sports team logos. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,580 issued to Foo on Dec. 8, 1992 is disclosed a jacket with changeable attachments. The jacket has changeable chest, shoulder and back patches that are removable to allow a person to wear one set of patches for one purpose or event, then remove those patches and put on another set of patches for another purpose or event. This permits a manufacturer to produce sets of patches for various purposes or events which may be changed rather than a jacket specifically for each purpose or event to reduce manufacturing costs [0014] While the prior art garments are generally adequate for the purposes for which they were intended, they still have significant shortcomings including: 1) not being designed to display sports logos and multiple interchangeable sports logos; 2) having non-symmetrical sections such as removable sleeves or body sections which do not equally display the desired sports logos; 3) not being easily manufacturable due to the diagonal cuts and non-symmetry of the sections; and 4) requiring removal and storage of relatively small removable sections or patches that are easily lost or misplaced. [0015] There is a need for a sports jacket that solves these shortcomings of the prior art garments by: 1) being designed to display sports logos and multiple interchangeable sports logos to allow sports fans to display sports logos appropriate for the particular sporting event; 2) having symmetrical sections in the form of jacket halves to equally display the desired sports logos; 3) being easily manufacturable due to straight cuts and symmetry of the sections; and 4) not requiring removal and storage of relatively small removable sections or patches that are easily lost or misplaced. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0016] The present invention is a split sports jacket for covering an upper torso a person. The jacket includes a body comprised of a pair of mating right and left jacket halves adapted to cover respective right and left halves of the person's upper torso. Respective front and rear closure devices are adapted for retaining the jacket halves mated together covering the person's upper torso. The jacket halves may be interchanged with other mating jacket halves having differing external visual characteristics to change an overall look of the sports jacket. [0017] The body may comprise a split front panel which include respective right and left panel halves and a split rear panel which includes respective right and left panel halves. The front closure device comprises two halves respectively affixed to the right and left panel halves of the split front panel. The rear closure device comprises two halves respectively affixed to the right and left panel halves of the split rear panel. [0018] In a preferred split sports jacket, respective right and left sleeves are provided dependent from the body adapted to receive respective right and left arms of the person. Each sleeve comprises a tubular body which terminates at an elasticized cuff. The right and left jacket halves include respective right and left halves of a split collar affixed to the body around a neck opening thereof. The right and left jacket halves also include respective right and left halves of an elasticized split waist band affixed to the body around a waist opening thereof. One or both of the jacket halves includes a pocket. The closure devices comprise respective front and rear zippers that extend vertically and are laterally centered on the person's upper torso. The front zipper is of upright configuration that zips up from bottom to top. The rear zipper is of inverted configuration that zips up from top to bottom. The body includes respective front and rear flaps adapted to selectively cover the front and rear zippers that are securable thereover by a plurality of spaced connectors. One of the jacket halves has both of said front flap and rear flaps. The connectors each comprise a first connector half affixed to the body and corresponding second connector halves affixed to respective of the flaps which snap-fit thereto. One or both of the jacket halves includes at one or more of the characteristics at a location thereon of right front, left front, right sleeve, left sleeve, right rear or left rear. The affiliations are sports teams, sports players, schools, or religions. The right and left jacket halves differ in the visual characteristics of colors, patterns, patches, logos, indicia, emblems, or combinations thereof. THE DRAWINGS [0019] The best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: [0020] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a split sports jacket of the present invention as worn by a person, which includes a body having a split collar and split waist band, split front and rear panels, and respective dependent cuffed right and left sleeves, which together comprise respective right and left jacket halves that are removably retained together; [0021] FIG. 2, a rear elevational view of the split sports jacket; Continue reading... Full patent description for Split sports jacket Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Split sports jacket patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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