GARMENT POCKET FOLDER FOR VALUABLE DOCUMENTS

Description

(b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

Not Applicable

(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure relates to storage apparatuses and more particularly pertains to a new storage apparatus for storing items near a user.

(2) DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART INCLUDING INFORMATION DISCLOSED UNDER 37 CFR 1.97 AND 1.98

The prior art discloses myriad examples of pockets and other storage devices integrated into clothing for storing items near a user. However, the prior art does not describe an apparatus comprising a garment configured for being worn on a torso of a user and a pocket attached to the garment which includes a folder for organizing valuable documents and a zipper for keeping the valuable documents secured in the pocket and safe from damage. Such an apparatus is especially advantageous over the prior art, because it better maintains and organizes valuable documents in the case of an emergency.

(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a garment configured for being worn on a torso of a user. A pocket is coupled to an exterior of the garment and defines an interior space. The pocket is positioned on a front side of the garment closer to a top end of the garment than to a bottom end of the garment. The pocket is configured for being positioned over a chest of the user. A folder is mounted in the pocket.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

• • (i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a storage apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken from Arrows 7-7 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 9 thereof, a new storage apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 9, the storage apparatus 10 generally comprises a garment 12 configured for being worn on a torso 60 of a user 58. The garment 12 may comprise a shirt, a vest, a jacket, or the like. A pocket 14 is coupled to an exterior of the garment 12 and defines an interior space 16. The pocket 14 is positioned on a front side 18 of the garment 12 closer to a top end 20 of the garment 12 than to a bottom end 22 of the garment 12 and is configured for being positioned over a chest 62 of the user 58. The pocket 14 comprises a rear panel 24, a perimeter panel 26, and a cover panel 36. The rear panel 24 is integrally formed with the garment 12. The perimeter panel 26 is coupled to and extends away from the rear panel 24. The cover panel 36 is coupled to a distal edge 28 of the perimeter panel 26 with respect to the garment 12 and is movable between a closed position 38 and an open position 40 with respect to the interior space 16. The cover panel 36 is pivotably coupled to a bottom portion 30 of the distal edge 28 of the perimeter panel 26 and releasably coupled to each of a top portion 32 and a pair of lateral portions 34 of the distal edge 28.

The pocket 14 also comprises a closure 42, which is coupled to the cover panel 36 and the perimeter panel 26 to retain the cover panel 36 in the closed position 38. The pocket 14 fully encloses the interior space 16 when the closure 42 retains the cover panel 36 in the closed position 38. The closure 42 comprises a first mating member 44 which is attached to the cover panel 36 and a second mating member 46 which is coupled to the perimeter panel 26. The closure 42 comprises a zipper 48 but may comprise a snap fastener, a hook-and-loop fastener, or the like. Each of the rear panel 24, the perimeter panel 26, and the cover panel 36 comprises a water-impermeable material such as nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like.

A folder 50 is mounted in the pocket 14 and comprises a pair of side panels 52 and a plurality of dividers 54. Each divider 54 of the plurality of dividers 54 is coupled to and extends between the pair of side panels 52. The plurality of dividers 54 define a plurality of cavities 56 within the interior space 16.

In use, the garment 12 is worn on the torso 60 of the user 58. Valuable documents 64 such as insurance cards, social security cards, and identification cards are placed in desired cavities 56 of the folder 50 in the pocket 14, and the pocket 14 is closed via the closure 42. In the event of an emergency such as, for example, a natural disaster, a house fire, or the like, the valuable documents 64 may be stored in the folder 50 as described to keep the valuable documents 64 safe while traveling to a safe location. The various dividers 54 aid the user 58 in organizing the valuable documents 64. Photos, money, and other objects may also be stored in the pocket 14. An outer garment 66 may be worn over the garment 12, further concealing and securing the contents of the pocket 14.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.