Volumetric shoulder for garments

Abstract

A separate section is introduced between the sleeve and the body of any garment such as a jacket, parka, wind shirt, or shirt of any type to isolate, to a considerable extent, the motion of the sleeve from the main body of the garment. This isolation of movement is accomplished by shaping the edges of the separate section and the adjoining edges of the garment body and the sleeve in such a way that excess fabric is available between the sleeve and the body of the garment regardless of which direction the arm is moved. In particular, excess fabric is available to accommodate the volume of the shoulder joint when it moves upward from a rest position as the arm is raised. The result is that the wearer can move the arm over a very wide range of motion with much less movement of the main body of the garment and much less movement of the sleeve cuff up and down the arm than with other methods of sleeve attachment.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 311,372 filed Aug. 9, 2001, where this provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.[0002] 1. Field of the Invention[0003] The present invention pertains to garment shoulder design, and more particularly, to a shoulder joint configuration for joining a sleeve to a garment body in which sleeve movement is isolated from the garment body.[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art[0005] It has long been desirable to provide shirts, jackets, parkas and the like with a construction in which movement of the body of the garment is minimized when the arms are raised. Upward movement of a shirt hem due to raising of the arms can be problematic when the hem comes partially or completely untucked. Upward movement of an elasticized hem on a lightweight jacket is problematic because the hem will not descend on its own when the arms are lowered, so the jacket is left loosely billow...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Upward movement of a shirt hem due to raising of the arms can be problematic when the hem comes partially or completely untucked.

Upward movement of an elasticized hem on a lightweight jacket is problematic because the hem will not descend on its own when the arms are lowered, so the jacket is left loosely billowing in the way.

Furthermore, upward movement of a parka can be problematic when wearing a pack because parka fabric pulled up through the waist belt of the pack billows out in front when the arms are lowered.

Again, the functional results are virtually the same, and this technique cannot be used in cases where elastic materials are undesirable for various reasons, such as in a fully-taped waterproof parka or in a beautifully patterned shirt.

In fact, an exhaustive survey over the past 20 years has failed to discover any garment construction technique that allows the arms to be raised close to the vertical without substantial upward movement of an unrestrained hem.

Tightness can be uncomfortable, and, in extreme cases, can result in restricted motion and / or damage to the garment itself.

This is frequently acceptable, but there are many cases when it is less than desirable.

When garment weight is an issue, or the cost of the garment fabric is high, or when a well-fitted garment is desired for reasons of comfort, appearance, or functionality, it is less than desirable to simply make the garment oversized.

Again this is less than desirable when garment weight is an issue, when the cost of the garment fabric is high, or when it is necessary to seam-tape the garment for waterproofness.

Consequences range from merely cosmetic, such as when worn with suit coats, to downright dangerous, such as with jackets used for ice climbing or other winter pursuits.

This results in considerable excess fabric being gathered around the forearms when the arms are lowered, however.

This is particularly problematic in waterproof parkas and jackets intended for outdoor use.

Fabrics for such garments are frequently both stiff and expensive, so excess fabric gets in the way, impedes free arm movement, creates undesirable noise as it "accordions" back and forth with arm motion, and adds expense to the garment.

Again, an exhaustive survey over the past 20 years has failed to discover any garment construction technique that allows the arms to be raised close to the vertical without substantial movement of unrestrained sleeve cuffs.

The volume occupied by the shoulder joint is a key issue not addressed by all the garment construction methods that concentrate on providing extra fabric in the armpit area.

If a garment does not provide enough volume of fabric to accommodate the joint when raised, then the body of the garment will certainly rise with it.

It is not sufficient to simply provide 2-dimensional relief under the arms along the side seams as is almost always done.

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