GARMENT WITH GRIP SYSTEM

Description

BACKGROUND

Various articles of apparel may be worn by a subject to cover and/or protect the subject's body from external environmental conditions and/or climates. The articles of apparel worn by the subject can directly or indirectly affect or influence the comfort, mental state, and/or physical abilities of a subject wearing the articles of apparel.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment of the invention, an article comprises an upper garment with a sleeve configured to extend around an arm region of a subject's body, wherein the sleeve comprises a sleeve member with a first upper portion, a first lower edge, a bottom side and a top side and an outer surface; and an outer sleeve member with an upper edge joined to the sleeve member, a first side edge joined to the sleeve member, a second side edge joined to the sleeve member and a second lower edge adjacent the first lower edge of the sleeve member forming an opening into a sleeve tunnel.

In some cases, the upper edge, the first side edge and the second side edge of the outer sleeve member are joined to the outer surface of the sleeve member by a bonded seam. The outer sleeve member may be provided on the bottom side of the sleeve member. The first side edge of the outer sleeve member may have a length between about 8 and 16 inches. The length may be between about 10 and 14 inches. The sleeve tunnel may have a length between about 9 and 14 inches.

In some cases, the outer sleeve member has a width adjacent the second lower edge and the width is between about 2 and 6 inches. The width may be between about 3 and 5 inches. The width of the outer sleeve member provided at the second lower edge may be adjustable to increase or decrease a size of the opening. In some cases, the upper edge of the outer sleeve member has an upper width and the second lower edge of the outer sleeve member has a lower width, the upper width being substantially the same as the lower width. In some cases, the upper edge of the outer sleeve member has an upper width and the second lower edge of the outer sleeve member has a lower width, the upper width being greater than the lower width.

In some cases, the second lower edge of the outer sleeve member has first curved edge extending between the first side edge and the second side edge of the outer sleeve member. The second lower edge of the outer sleeve member may be provided a shortest distance from a cuff of the sleeve. The shortest distance may be about 0.5 to 3 inches. The shortest distance may be about 1 to 2 inches.

In some cases, the sleeve member has an inside cuff region and an outside cuff region, and the outside cuff region extends longer than the inside cuff region. The outside cuff region may extend a distance of about 0.25 to 1.5 inches beyond the inside cuff region. The distance may be about 0.5 to 1 inch beyond the inside cuff region. The outer sleeve member may be provided on a left sleeve of the upper garment. The outer sleeve member may be provided on a right sleeve of the upper garment.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein only illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, the present disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. To the extent publications and patents or patent applications incorporated by reference contradict the disclosure contained in the specification, the specification is intended to supersede and/or take precedence over any such contradictory material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples of the various embodiments disclosed herein are described with reference to the following figures.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a front view of an upper garment with a sleeve having a grip system, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a front view of the sleeve having of a grip system, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a back view of the sleeve having a grip system, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a bottom view of the sleeve having a grip system, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a top view of the outer sleeve member applied to the sleeve to form the grip system, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates the upper garment of FIG. 1 having a golf club grip of a golf club placed in the grip system with a shaft of the golf club extending therefrom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Articles of Apparel

In an aspect, the present disclosure provides various articles of apparel that have a grip system for receiving a grip of a golf club for keeping the golf club grip dry in inclement weather while walking or standing. In some embodiments, the articles of apparel may comprise a garment.

In some embodiments, the garment may include an upper garment. The upper garment may include, for example, a shirt, a top, a sweater, a jacket, an outer layer, a mid-layer, a base layer, or any other type of garment that can be worn to cover at least an upper portion of a subject's body. In some cases, the upper portion of the subject's body may include, for example, a neck region, a shoulder region, an arm region, a back region, a chest region, a torso region, an abdominal region, a side region, and/or an upper or lower midsection of the subject's body. In some cases, the upper portion of the subject's body may optionally include a waist portion (e.g., an upper waist portion and/or a lower waist portion) of the subject's body.

In some embodiments, the articles of apparel disclosed herein may be worn by a subject engaging or participating in one or more activities. In some embodiments, the one or more activities may comprise a physical activity (e.g., walking, jogging, running, golfing, etc.). In some embodiments, the one or more activities may comprise a non-physical activity (e.g., standing, sitting, resting, lying down, etc.) or any activity that either involves minimal movement or does not involve active movement. In some non-limiting embodiments, the one or more activities may involve one or more golf-related actions or movements performed on or near a golf course or another location proximal to a golf course.

Tunnel Sleeve Construction

In some embodiments, the articles described herein may comprise a sleeve with a grip system including a tunnel for receiving a grip of a golf club. In some cases, the tunnel will be placed on a bottom side of the sleeve. In some cases, the tunnel has an opening that may be adjustable to shrink or enlarge the tunnel opening. In some cases, the tunnel may be provided on both sleeves of the article of apparel.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrate an example of an article of apparel with a sleeve having a grip system 100. In some embodiments, the article of apparel may comprise an upper garment 102. In some cases, the upper garment 102 may comprise a sleeve member 104 having a grip system 100.

In some cases, the grip system 100 may be an outer sleeve member 120 secured to the sleeve member 104 forming a tunnel 108 for receiving a grip of a golf club. This will allow the subject (not shown) to store the grip of a golf club in the tunnel 108 to keep the grip dry during inclement weather before taking a golf shot. The subject may grip the shaft of the golf club while the grip is stored in the tunnel 108 and walk or move to where they need to take the shot on a golf course or stand while waiting to take their next golf shot, all while conveniently keeping the grip from being exposed to inclement weather.

FIGS. 1-3 show a front view and a back view of a sleeve member 104. In some cases, the sleeve member 104 may comprise a sleeve for receiving the subject's arm when the upper garment 102 is worn. In some cases, the sleeve member 104 has a first upper portion 110, a first lower edge 112, a bottom side 114 and a top side 116 and an outer surface 118. An outer sleeve member 120 has an upper edge 122 (FIGS. 4 and 5), a first side edge 124 and a second side edge 126, each of the upper edge 122, first side edge 124 and second side edge 126 are joined to the sleeve member 104. A second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member 120 is adjacent and unattached from the outer surface 118 of the sleeve member 104 forming an opening 130 into the tunnel 108. In some cases, the outer sleeve member 120 is placed on a lower region 132 of the sleeve member 104. The lower region 132 of the sleeve member 104 may be provided at or below an elbow region 136 towards the first lower edge 112 of the sleeve member 104 adjacent a wrist of the subject (not shown). In some cases, the upper edge 122, first side edge 124 and second side edge 126 of the outer sleeve member 120 are joined to the outer surface 118 of the sleeve member 104 by a bonded stitchless seam. As shown in FIG. 4, in some cases an overlay taping 138 may cover the bonded seam at the upper edge 122 of the outer sleeve member 120. It will be appreciated that thermal bonding may be used to bond nonwoven fabrics together. The bonded seam may join the two pieces together to create a single composite material. It will be appreciated that the outer sleeve member 120 may be secured to the sleeve member 104 by any suitable means known to those of skill in the art, including sewing, using heat-activated adhesive or fabric glue to secure the edges to the outer surface 118 of the sleeve member 104.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a bottom view of the sleeve member 104 and a view of the outer sleeve member 120 before being secured to the outer surface 118 of the sleeve member 104. In some cases, the outer sleeve member 120 is provided on the bottom side 114 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of the sleeve member 104. Preferably the outer sleeve member 120 is provided on the lower region 132 and bottom side 114 of the sleeve member. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer sleeve member 120 has the upper edge 122, the first side edge 124, the second side edge 126 and a second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member 120. As discussed above, the outer sleeve member is placed on a lower region 132 of the sleeve member 104. In some cases, the first side edge 124 of the outer sleeve member has a length l between about 8 and 16 inches. The length l may be between about 10 and 14 inches. The outer sleeve member has a lower width w_le adjacent the second lower edge 128. In some cases, the lower width w_le is between about 2 and 6 inches, more preferably the lower width w_le is between about 3 and 5 inches.

When the upper edge 122, first side edge 124 and second side edge 126 are secured to the outer surface 118 of the sleeve member 104 as described above, the tunnel 108 is formed having the opening 130 for receiving a grip of a golf club. In some cases, the first side edge 124 and second side edge 126 will have the same length l. In some cases, the tunnel 108 has a length l₂ between about 8 and 16 inches. In some cases, the tunnel length l₂ is sized to accommodate at least the grip of the club. Optimally, the tunnel length l₂ will accommodate most club grip lengths, including putter grips.

In some cases, the width Wie of the outer sleeve member 120 provided at the second lower edge 128 is adjustable to increase or decrease a size of the opening 130 for receiving the golf club grip. Elastic may be incorporated into the second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member 120 to allow it to stretch to assist in inserting a golf club grip into the tunnel 108. In some cases, the elastic may be encased into the second lower edge 128. Alternatively, as will be appreciated, a hook and loop fastener, snap or button may be used to increase or decrease the size of the opening 130. The upper edge 122 of the outer sleeve member 120 has an upper width w_ue and the second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member 120 has the lower width w_le. In some cases, the upper width w_ue may be substantially the same as the lower width w_le. Alternatively, the upper edge 122 of the outer sleeve member has an upper width w_ue and the second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member has a lower width w_le, the upper width w_ue being greater than the lower width w_le. It will be appreciated that the upper width w_ue and lower width u_le will be large enough to accommodate insertion of the grip while standing or walking, but not so large that the grip will move excessively within the tunnel 108.

Referring again to FIGS. 2-4, in some cases, the second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member has first curved edge 140 extending between the first side edge 124 and the second side edge 126 of the outer sleeve member 120. The second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member may be provided a shortest distance d_sd from a cuff 142 of the sleeve member 104. The shortest distance d_sd may be about 0.5 to 3 inches. The shortest distance d_sd may be about 1 to 2 inches. The second lower edge 128 of the outer sleeve member may be provided a longest distance d_ld from a cuff 142 of the sleeve member 104. The longest distance d_ld may be about 0.5 to 4 inches. The longest distance d_ld may be about 1.5 to 3 inches. The first curved edge 140 is formed by the size of the shortest distance d_sd and longest distance d_ld and will allow the golf club grip to be more easily inserted into the tunnel 108 by sliding along the outer surface 118 of the sleeve member 104.

In some cases, the sleeve member 104 has an inside cuff region 144 and an outside cuff region 146, and the outside cuff region 146 extends longer than the inside cuff region 144. In some cases, the cuff has a one-piece cuff construction and tab 148 with a piece of hook and loop fastener 150 allows adjustment of the cuff 142 and an encased elastic is provided on the inside cuff region 144. The outside cuff region 146 may extend a distance d_cr of about 0.25 to 1.5 inches beyond the inside cuff region 144. Preferably, the outside cuff region 146 extends a distance d_cr of about 0.5 to 1 inch beyond the inside cuff region 144.

The outer sleeve member 120 is provided on a left sleeve of the upper garment 102. Alternatively, the outer sleeve member 120 may be provided on a right sleeve of the upper garment 103, or on both the left and right sleeves of the upper garment.

Grip System Usage

As shown in FIG. 6, during inclement weather the subject (not shown) may insert the grip end of the golf club 152 they are planning to use into the tunnel 108 formed by the sleeve member 104 and the outer sleeve member 120. Then the subject can grasp the shaft 154 of the golf club extending from the opening 130 of the tunnel 108 with the hand of their arm that is within the sleeve member 104. In this way, the subject is free to walk or stand comfortably and easily with the golf club while the shaft of the golf club is kept dry and ready for use on the next golf shot.

Outer Shell

The grip system may be provided on any upper garment. In some cases, the grip system 100 could be provided on the upper garment described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/952,464 and U.S. Design Ser. No. 29/973,945, both filed on Nov. 19, 2024, hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In some cases, the upper garment 102 may comprise an outer shell layer that is directly exposed to an external environment. In some cases, the outer shell layer may overlie one or more other panels or layers of the upper garment. The upper garment may comprise any suitable material, including both woven and nonwoven materials.

In some cases, the outer shell layer may comprise a durable material. In some cases, the durable material may comprise a water repellant or water resistant material. In some cases, the durable material may comprise a weather-resistant material.

In some cases, the outer shell layer may be water repellant. In some embodiments, one or more hydrophobic coatings may be applied to provide a durable water repellent (DWR) layer which repels any precipitation contacting the external surface of the outer shell layer. In some embodiments, the outer shell layer may be a water-resistant fabric that is substantially impervious to water.

In some cases, the outer shell layer may be weather resistant. In some cases, the weather resistant outer shell layer may be generally resistant to water and/or wind. In some cases, the weather-resistant outer shell layer may be substantially impervious to one or more fluids in a liquid phase, a gaseous phase, or a vapor phase. In some cases, the weather-resistant outer shell layer may be substantially impervious to wind and/or air currents. In some cases, the weather-resistant outer shell layer may also be substantially impervious to water and/or other precipitation.

In some cases, the outer shell layer may be impermeable or semi-permeable to solids, liquids, vapors, and/or gases. In some cases, the outer shell layer may be selectively permeable or semi-permeable in different directions through the outer shell layer. In some cases, the outer shell layer may be selectively permeable in a first direction from an inner side of the outer shell layer (i.e., a side of the outer shell layer facing inwards towards the subject's body) to an outer side of the outer shell layer (i.e., a side of the outer shell layer that is directly exposed to an external environment) in order to (1) enhance the breathability of the garment and (2) expel or remove any unwanted moisture inside or within the garment (e.g., due to condensation of water vapor and/or perspiration). In some cases, the outer shell layer may be impermeable or semi-permeable in a second direction from the outer side of the outer shell layer to the inner side of the outer shell layer in order to prevent a movement of precipitation (e.g., drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, and/or hail) into an interior region of the articles disclosed herein.

Additional Notes

While various embodiments of the invention are shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed.

One of skill in the art will appreciate that these articles are provided for illustrative purposes, and that other articles may be employed to perform the functionalities disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, while different examples and embodiments may be described separately, such embodiments and examples may be combined with one another to implement the technology described herein. One skilled in the art will recognize other embodiments or improvements that are within the scope and spirit of the present technology. Therefore, the specific structure, acts, or media are disclosed only as illustrative embodiments. The scope of the present disclosure is further represented below in the following claims.