US3537108A - Pocket construction - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 3, 1970 R. w. DANIELS POCKETCONSTRUCTION Filed March 19, 1969 INVEN mnl um um IHH [II III ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1970 3,537,108 POCKET CONSTRUCTION Richard W. Daniels, 381 Cooper Road, Red Bank, NJ. 07701 Filed Mar. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 808,484 Int. Cl. A41d 27/20 US. Cl. 2-252 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A quick access safety pocket includes a rear panel and a rectangular front panel secured along its bottom and one side edge to the rear panel. Bands of overlapping complementary gripper fasteners of the fiber hook and pile type are secured to the front panel rear top and free side borders and to the rear panel in positions coinciding with the front panel fastener bands. The pocket may be positioned on a garment face with the front panel overlying a garment pocket access opening or located adjacent to such opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to improvements in apparel pocket constructions and it relates more particularly to an improved garment mounted quick access safety pocket.

There are many articles which are commonly carried on the person which are or contain items of value and to which rapid access is frequently necessary. Examples of such articles are keys, wallets, credit and identification cards, money, travelers checks and the like. Not only should such articles be readily rapidly accessible but they should be secure against loss and theft. Many forms of pockets are provided in articles of apparel or have been proposed for holding such items but these pockets are generally characterized by either being exposed to the easy unauthorized or accidental removal of articles therefrom or are of such construction and location to restrict the ready rapid desired accessibility to the pocket contents. Thus, the conventional safety pocket constructions possess numerous drawbacks and disadvantages and leaves much to be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved pocket construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved safety pocket construction for articles of apparel.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro vide an improved garment safety pocket construction the contents of which are easily, rapidly and conveniently accessible to the wearer but to which unauthorized access is minimized.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved safety pocket construction which affords protection of other garment pockets.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a safety pocket construction of the above nature characterized by its reliability, simplicity, adaptability, versatility and wide application, and its case and convenience of use. The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates preferred embodiments thereof.

In a sense the present invention contemplates the provision of a pocket construction comprising a rear panel, a front panel secured to said rear panel and including an end edge and a side edge free from said rear panel, and

bands of gripper type fasteners secured to the rear face of said front panel proximately along said free end and side edges, and bands of gripper type fasteners secured to the front face of said rear panel and underlying and complementary to said front panel fasteners, one of said complementary fasteners being a plurality of hooks and the other a plurality of pile elements which when placed in overlapping face-to-face contact interengage and resist separation by forces substantially parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement between the bands of fasteners and are readily separable by peeling forces applied substantially normal to said interfacial plane along the ends of said bands.

The pocket may be formed of a rectangular panel folded along a medial axis to form front and rear panels joined at their bottom edges and sewn along a pair of side edges to a point below the top of said sewn pair of side edges. The fastener bands extend along the inner face borders of the pocket panels spaced from the free edges thereof. The pocket rear panel may be attached to any desired part of a garment. In accordance with an alternative construction the rear panel is defined by a selected section of the garment, for example, a jacket inside lining, and the front panel directly attached thereto, the fastener bands being located on the front panel and on corresponding areas of the garment panel. Advantageously, the front panel, in its closed condition, overlies a garment pocket opening.

The improved safety pocket construction has wide application, is easy to use and provides ready, rapid and convenient access to the contents thereof by the wearer while preventing unauthorized access thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a partially fabricated pocket embodying the present invention and shown in a lay flat condition:

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the finished mounted pocket shown in an open condition;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view thereof shown in a closed condition;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the present invention, the pocket being illustrated in closed condition; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view thereof shown in open condition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawing and particularly FIGS. 1 to 4 thereof which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reference numeral 10 generally designates the improved pocket illustrated as applied to an article of apparel directly below a horizontal slit opening 11 to a conventional garment pocket such as that for a wallet or the like. The pocket 10 is formed of 2. rectangular blank 12 of any suitable flexible material such as a knitted or woven fabric or the like. The blank 12 is divided along a medial transverse line 13 to delineate a pair of similarly shaped front and rear rectangular panels 14 and 16 respectively, the front panel 14 being folded along line 13 into superimposed overlapping substantially coinciding relationship with panel 16. A pair of coinciding side edges 17 of panels 14 and 16 are secured to each other by a line of stitches 18 or other suitable fastening means from the bottom edge of pocket 10 to a point 19 below the top edge of pocket 10. The top and other side edges are free and unsecured to each other.

Suitably attached to the top and side borders of the inside face of front panel 14 parallel to the edges thereof 3 are. gripper type fastener bands 20 and 21 respectively, band 20 extending for the fullwidth of panel 14 and band 21 extending from the top thereof to a point above the bottom thereof. Similarly attached to the top and-side borders of the inside face of rear panel 16 are gripper type fastener bands 22 and 23 respectively, complementing and substantially coextensive with fastener bands 20 and 21 and spaced a short distance inwardly from the.

rear. panel 16 corresponding edges. The fastener bands are of known construction one of each complementary pair having a plurality of resilient fiber hook elements and the other having a plurality of loop or pile elements, and when placed in overlapping face-to-face contact interengage and resist separation by forces substantially parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement and are readily separable bypeeling forces applied substantially normal to said interfacial plane. Such fastening means are marketed under the Velcro trademark. i

The rear panel 16 is suitably secured to a garment face by stitching or the like, such as below a garment pocket opening 11. The front face of panel 14 may be decorated as desired, and may have applied thereto a label or the like. In the closed condition of pocket 10 the panel 14 overlaps panel 16 and the fastener bands 20 and 21 are in tight separable engagement with fastener bands 22 and 23 thereby preventing inadvertent or undesirable opening of pocket 10. To open pocket 10 the upper left hand corner of front panel 14, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, is seized and drawn diagonally downwardly and forwardly to peel fastener bands 20 and 21 from fastener bands 22 and 23 and to release the corresponding edges of front panel 14 from rear panel 16, the front panel 14 foldingdownward ly as shown in FIG. 2 to completely open and expose the interior of pocket 10 and afford full access to the contents thereof. Pocket 10 is reclosed merely by turning the front panel 14 into superimposition with rear panel-16 and pressing fastener bands 20 and 21 into fastening engagement with fastener bands 22 and 23. a

In FIGS. and 6 of the drawing there is illustrated an other embodiment of the present invention which differs from that described above primarilyin that the rear panel is omitted as a separate entity from that of the garment and the front panel is joined along a bottom and side edge to a face of a garment, the underlying portion of such face functioning as the rear panel 16. In addition the front panel, in its closed condition, overliesan opening to a garment pocket.

Specifically, the improved pocket 26 includes a rectangular panel 27 which in closed condition of pocket 26 has its upper part in overlying relationship with an opening slit 28 in a garment panel or face 29, the slit 29 affording access to a garment pocket 30 underlying panel 29.

The panel 27 is secured to garment panel 29 along the bottom edge of panel 27 and along a side edge 32 thereof from the bottom. of panel 27 to a point 33 below the top thereof by respective lines of stitches 34 and 36 or by other suitable securing means. Bands 37 and 38 of gripper type fasteners similar to bands 20 and 21 are positioned along the upper inner, border and along the side inner border opposite edge 32 of front panel 27, the band 38 extending downwardly to a point above the bottom edge of panel 27. A pair of horizontal and vertical gripper fastener bands 39 and 40, complementary to fastener bands 37 and 38 are positioned on and attached to gar: ment panel 29 in underlying coincidence with bands 37 and 38 when panel 27 is in a closed condition.- It should be noted that fastener band 39 is located a short distance above pocket opening 28.

The operation of the pocket 26 is similar to that of I pocket 10 as earlier described. It should be noted that access to pocket opening 28 may be had only upon opening of panel 27 which affords access to the interior of pocket 27 as well as to pocket 26.

While there have been described and illustrated preferred embodiments of the present invention it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A pocket construction in a garment comprising a rear panel; a front panel secured by stitching along its bottom edge and one sideedge to said rear panel, and the top edge and the other side edge being detachably secured to said rear panel, and bands of gripper type fasteners sccured to the rear face of said front panel proximately along said top edge and side edge, and bands of gripper type fasteners secured to the front face of said rear panel and underlying and complementary to said front panel fasteners, one of said complementary fasteners being a plurality of hooks and the other a plurality of pile elements which when placed in overlapping face-to-face contact interengage and resist separation by forces substantially parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement between the bands of fasteners and are readily separable by peeling forces applied substantially normal to said interfacial plane along the ends of said bands.

2. The pocket construction of claim 1 wherein said front panel is of rectangular configuration and is secured to said rear panel proximate a first side edge and bottom edge of said front panel, said fastener bands secured to the inner face ofsaid front panel extending along a top edge and a side edge thereof opposite said first side edge.

3. The pocket construction of claim 2 wherein said fastener band proximate said front panel side edge extends from a point proximate a corresponding upper corner of said front panel to a point spaced above a corresponding lower corner thereof.

4. The pocket construction of claim 2 wherein said front panel first side is secured to said rear panel from the bottom of said first side edge to a point below the top thereof.

5. The pocket construction of claim 2 wherein said pocket is formed from a rectangular blank folded along a transverse medial axis into said overlapping front and rear panels with coinciding top and side edges, one pair of overlapping side edges being sewn to each other from the bottoms thereof to points below said top edges.

6. The pocket construction of claim 1' wherein said rear panel has a transverse slit formed therein providing access to a pocket disposed rearwardly of said rear panel, said front panel overlying said slit, and said top edge fastener band being disposed above said slit.

7. The pocket construction of claim 1 including a garment section having a pocket provided with an access opening said front panel being mounted on said garment section and the top edge'of said front panel'being disposed below said access opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,118,789 11/1914 Miller 2251 1,134,458 4/1915 Jones 2251 2,442,415 6/1948 Kubovcik 2252 2,527,224 .10/ 1950 Landy 2252 3,101,482 8/1963 Rahjes 2247 Y 3,372,438 3/1968 Rinecker 2252 X 3,438,062 4/ 1969 Dobell 2247 3,462,764 8/1969 Caster 2252 ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2247

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