US20060282933A1

US20060282933A1 - Easy to Don and Secure Martial Arts Uniform

Info

Publication number: US20060282933A1
Application number: US11/424,816
Authority: US
Inventors: Moses Chambliss; Douglas Ryder
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-06-16
Filing date: 2006-06-16
Publication date: 2006-12-21

Abstract

A martial arts uniform is disclosed that does not require any tying and is easy to put on and secure. The uniform employs a fastener system that those with limited dexterity can easily use. A jacket includes fasteners (VELCRO®) to replace traditional fabric string ties. A martial arts belt is pre-knotted and secured and then is severed so that one can put it on. It includes fasteners (VELCRO®) to fasten the ends of the belt together.

Description

PRIORITY

This application claims the priority under 35 USC §119 of Provisional Application 60/691,139 entitled “Easy Fasten Uniform” filed on Jun. 16, 2005 and having Moses S. Chambliss as the inventor. Application 60/691,139 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety but is not admitted as prior art.

BACKGROUND

Traditional martial arts practice includes the use of a standard uniform, or “Gi”, which includes the jacket, pants, and belt. Although some Tae Kwon Do uniforms use a simple pull-over uniform top, many martial arts uniforms for karate and other disciplines still use the traditional wrap/tie uniform jacket. The user dons this top by putting both arms through the sleeves and pulling it up over their shoulders. The right half is folded over the torso and secured on the inside using traditional fabric string ties. Similarly, the left half is folded over the right half and tied on the outside. The pants may include a drawstring used to tighten the waist of the pants in order to secure them at the user's waist. The belt is typically colored to signify rank or skill level and is tied around the waist over the jacket in a special manner and knotted in the front. The belt also aids to secure the uniform jacket by binding it around the torso.
FIGS. 1A-C illustrate a typical prior art martial arts jacket 100. FIG. 1A illustrates the jacket 100 prior to being secured. The jacket includes a tie string 110 on the outside lapel of the right side, a tie string 120 on the outside side seam on the right side, a tie string 130 on the inside lapel on the left side and a tie string 140 on the inside side seam on the left side. FIG. 1B illustrates the left side of the jacket being folded out and the right side of the jacket being folded over the left torso and secured in place by tying tie strings 110 and 140. FIG. 1C illustrates the left side of the jacket being folded over the right side of the jacket and secured by tying tie strings 120 and 130.
FIG. 2 illustrates typical prior art martial arts pants 200. The pants 200 include an pleated waste band 210 with a draw string 220 run therethrough. The pants 200 may be tightened by pulling the ends of the drawstring 220 to pull the pleated waste band 210 together. To secure the pants 200 at the appropriate width the drawstring 220 is tied together.
FIGS. 3A-D illustrate a typical prior art martial arts belt 200. FIG. 3A illustrates the belt 300 being wrapped around an individual (not illustrated). The belt is wrapped around the individual by placing the middle of the belt 300 at the torso 310 and wrapping the belt 300 around the individual with the belt 300 crossing over itself at the back 310 and bringing the ends 330, 340 back around the front. An inner 350 and outer 360 loop of the belt 300 are illustrates as being separated for ease, but will be pulled together in actual use. FIG. 3B illustrates the ends 330, 340 of the belt 300 being tied a first time. The end 330 is placed over the end 340 (at point 370) and is then tucked behind end 340 (at point 372) and is then tucked back over end 340 (at point 374) to form a first knot.
FIG. 3C illustrates the first knot 380 after the belt 300 is pulled tight and the ends 330, 340 of the belt 300 being looped a second time. For ease of visualization the end 330 has slashes running therethrough to easily distinguish from the end 340. At the conclusion of the first knot 380 end 330 was proceeding to the right and end 340 was proceeding to the left. Each of the ends 330, 340 is wrapped back toward the center. The end 340 is placed over the end 330 (at point 390) and is then tucked behind end 330 (at point 392) and is then tucked back over end 330 (at point 394) to form the second knot. FIG. 3D illustrates the belt 300 tied around an individual (not illustrated). The inner loop 350 is against the individual (illustrated with dots for ease of visualization) and the outer loop 360 that crosses over the inner loop 350 at the back 320 is against the inner loop 350. The ends 330, 340 are then double knotted at the torso 310 (only the second knot 385 is illustrated as the first knot will be therebehind). The end 330 is illustrated with slashes. It should be noted that only the outer loop is knotted and that the inner and outer loops 350, 360 are not connected. Rather the knots hold the inner and outer loops 350, 360 together.
Children and those participants with hand disabilities (e.g., arthritis) may have a difficult time utilizing the tie strings to secure the jacket and possibly to secure the pants. Additionally, they may not be able to secure the belt in a proper fashion. A non-properly secured uniform can become a distraction during training to the user, other users and/or the instructor. For example, the student may spend time trying to fix the equipment rather than participating in class, may be restricted in the movements they can make or may get hurt if they, for example, trip on loose equipment. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for an instructor, for example of children's martial arts classes, to spend time at the beginning of the class fixing the equipment of some of the students. In addition equipment that appears to be secured correctly may become loose or shift during class with the active physical movements associated with martial arts.
According, what is needed is a martial arts uniform that is easier to put on and adjust. A simple martial arts uniform could be used by all users but would provide advantages to those with limited fine hand motor skills that can adequately secure all parts of typical martial arts uniforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the various embodiments of the proposed invention will become apparent from the following detailed description in which:
FIGS. 1A-C illustrate a typical prior art martial arts jacket;
FIG. 2 illustrates typical prior art martial arts pants;
FIGS. 3A-D illustrate a typical prior art martial arts belt;
FIGS. 4A-B illustrate example easy fastening martial arts uniform jackets, according to one embodiment;
FIGS. 5-B illustrate example easy tightening martial arts uniform pants, according to one embodiment; and
FIG. 6 illustrates an example pre-knotted easy to secure martial arts belt, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 4A illustrates an example easy fastening martial arts uniform jacket 400. The jacket 400 does not include any tie strings. Rather, the jacket 400 includes a fastener system for securing the inside fold (e.g., the right side being tucked into the left side) and a fastener system for securing the outside fold (e.g., the left side being folded over the right side). According to one embodiment, the fastener systems may include hook-and-loop (e.g., VELCRO®) components that connect to one another.
The fastener system for securing the inside fold may include a hook (or loop) piece 410 on or near the right outside lapel and a loop (or hook) piece 420 on or near the inside side seam (at a position where it will be in contact with the right outside lapel when the uniform is on). When the individual is putting on the jacket 400 they would open the left side of the jacket 400 and bring the right side of the jacket 400 to the left torso. They would then connect the piece 410 with the piece 420. The pieces of VELCRO® 410, 420 may be relatively small pieces that simply provide enough surface area to secure to one another and hold the jacket 400 together. Alternatively, one of more of the pieces of VELCRO® 410, 420 may be more substantial in size so as to provide more surface area for connecting the pieces of VELCRO® 410, 420 and thus providing flexibility in how the jacket 400 is secured on an individual (e.g., amount of overlap, amount of tightening).
The piece of VELCRO® 410 may extend from the lapel. Extending the VELCRO® 410 from the lapel may enable the jacket 400 to expand even further. The VELCRO® 410 may extend from the lapel so that the VELCRO® 410 need not be secured to the outside of the lapel (exterior of jacket 400). The VELCRO® 410 could be connected to inside lapel and extend therefrom or may be connected at the corner of the lapel so as not to extend on either the inner or outer surface of the lapel.
The fastener system for securing the outside fold may include a hook (or loop) piece 430 on or near the inside left lapel and a loop (or hook) piece 440 on or near the right outside side seam (at a position where it will be in contact with the left inside lapel when the uniform is on). After an individual secured the right side of the jacket 400 to the left torso they would fold the left side of the jacket 400 over the right side of the jacket 400. They would then connect the piece 430 with the piece 440. The pieces of VELCRO® 430, 440 may be relatively small pieces that simply provide enough surface area to secure to one another and hold the jacket 400 together. Alternatively, one of more of the pieces of VELCRO® 430, 440 may be more substantial in size so as to provide more surface area for connecting the pieces of VELCRO® 430, 440 and flexibility in how the jacket 400 is secured on an individual (e.g., amount of overlap, amount of tightening). The piece of VELCRO® 430 may extend from the left lapel to enable the jacket 400 to expand even further.
According to one embodiment, the fastener systems (e.g., VELCRO® pieces) may be permanently connected (e.g., sewn, glued, stapled) to the jacket 400. However, it is also possible that the fastener systems may be removably connected (e.g., pins, snaps, clips, buttons).
According to one embodiment, the VELCRO® pieces may be similarly colored to the jacket 400 so as not to stand out visually. However, the colors of the VELCRO® pieces need not be the same as the jacket 400. In fact the colors may be secondary colors used on the uniform or may be contrasting colors to be a decorative uniform accent. The fastener systems for securing the inside fold and the outside fold may in some way be coded differently (e.g., color, text, numbers) so as to clearly identify which piece connects to which piece. For example, the VELCRO® pieces 410, 420 may be coded with a number 1 indicating that they are the first pieces that are to be connected. The pieces may further be coded to identify how the pieces connect (e.g. which piece overlays which piece).
As illustrated, the jacket 400 includes the fastener systems located roughly in the middle of the jacket 400. The jacket 400 is not limited thereby. Rather the fastener systems could be located at varying points on the jacket 400 and could possibly be located at more then one location (e.g., top and bottom).
The embodiments of the uniform jacket 400 have been discussed above utilizing VELCRO® for the fastener systems. However, the various embodiments are not limited thereby. Rather, alternative embodiments may use buttons, snaps, clips, or buckles to secure the uniform tops correctly in an easy manner that does not require tying.
According to one embodiment, the fastener systems may provide for means of adjustment to accommodate individual fit and comfort, user growth, body weight changes, or multiple sized users. This feature can be accomplished with various methods. In a hook-and-loop system one portion can be longer or over sized to allow flexibility and multiple fastening locations for the mating piece. In systems employing buttons, clips, snaps, or strap-and-buckle there can be one portion that has multiple mating points to accommodate the other portion. A separate extension with complementary mating features can also be used as an expansion device.
FIG. 4B illustrates an example easy fastening martial arts uniform jacket 450. The jacket 450 includes a fastener system for securing the jacket 450 to an individual in an appropriate manner (right flap over left torso and left flap over right flap and right torso). According to one embodiment, the fastener system may be hook-and-loop (VELCRO®) components that connect to one another. The fastener system may include a hook (or loop) piece 460 that extends on the exterior of the right flap of the jacket 450 and a loop (or hook) piece 470 that extends on the interior of the left flap of the jacket 450. For example, the hook (or loop) piece 460 may extend from approximately the right lapel to approximately the right side seam and the loop (or hook) piece 470 may extend from approximately the left lapel to approximately the left side seam.
When the individual is putting on the jacket 450 they would open the left flap of the jacket 450 and bring the right flap of the jacket 400 to the left torso. They would then fold the left flap over the right flap and secure the pieces of VELCRO® 460, 470 that extended along the respective outer and inner surfaces of the jacket 450. As the pieces of VELCRO® 460, 470 are substantial in size it provides a very secure connection and also provides flexibility in how the jacket 450 is secured on an individual (e.g., amount of overlap, amount of tightening).
The jacket 450 may include more than one piece of VELCRO® 460, 470 to provide additional support for holding the jacket 450 together (2 pieces illustrated). According to one embodiment, having multiple pieces of VELCRO® 460, 470 may enable material to be placed therebetween (e.g., padding for sparring) and then be secured in place when the VELCRO® 460, 470 is connected.
FIG. 5A illustrates example easy tightening martial arts uniform pants 500. The pants 500 may include a pleated waste band 510 and may have a drawstring (or belt) 520 located therein for tightening the waste band 510. The ends of the drawstring 520 may exit the waste band 510 at or near the sides of the pelvis. The drawstring 520 may include a fastener system for securing the ends of the drawstring 520 together and thus securing the waste band 510 at a particular size. The fastener system may include hook-and-loop (e.g., VELCRO®) components that connect to one another. One end 530 of the drawstring 520 may have a hook (or loop) piece 540 connected thereto facing in (or out) and the other end 550 may have a loop (or hook) piece 560 connected thereto facing out (or in). The VELCRO® pieces 540, 560 may extend from the drawstring 520 or may be mounted on an upper surface on one end (e.g., 540) and a lower surface on the other end (e.g., 530).
To tighten the pants 500 an individual would pull the drawstrings 520 and then place the end of the drawstring 520 having the VELCRO® facing in (e.g., 530) over the end having the VELCRO® facing out (e.g., 550). The pieces of VELCRO® 540, 560 may be relatively small pieces that simply provide enough surface area to secure to one another and hold the pants 500 at the appropriate width. Alternatively, one of more of the pieces of VELCRO® 540, 560 may be more substantial in size so as to provide more surface area for connecting the pieces of VELCRO® 540, 560 and thus providing more flexibility in the width that the pants 500 can be adjusted to.
The VELCRO® 540, 560 may be permanently attached to the drawstring 520 or may be removably connected thereto. The VELCRO® 540, 560 may be the same color as the pants 500 or may be different colors. The VELCRO® 540, 560 may be coded in some fashion to help determine which piece gets folded over which piece. The fastener system is not limited to VELCRO®. Rather, it may be any alternate easy connecting system that does not requires tying such as buttons, snaps, clips, or strap-and-buckle as described with regard to the jacket 400.
The drawstring 520 is not limited to exiting the pants 500 in the front (on the sides of the pelvis), having both ends of the drawstring 520 being movable, or having a single position (e.g., front) with which to tighten the pants 500. Rather, the drawstring 520 could exit the pants 500 from the side. The drawstring 520 may have one side secured and may provide for the tightening of the pants 500 by pulling the other side. For example, the end 550 of the drawstring 520 may be secured to the pants 500 and the end 530 may be pulled to tighten the pants 500. The end 530 may include VELCRO® 540 connected to an interior surface that is secured to VELCRO® 560 that is connected to either an exterior of the end 550 (if the end is secured external to the waste band 510) or the exterior of the pants 500 (if the end 550 is secured internal to the waste band 510).
FIG. 5B illustrates example easy tightening martial arts uniform pants 570. The pants 570 may include a pleated waste band 575 and may have multiple (e.g., 2) drawstrings (or belts) 580, 585. One drawstring 580 may control the front of the waste band 575 and one drawstring 585 may control the back of the waste band 575. The drawstring 580 may be secured at around the left hip and may extend around the front and then exit at around the right hip. The drawstring 580 may include VELCRO® 590 on an interior surface and the pants 570 may include VELCRO® (not visible) on an exterior surface behind about the right hip. The drawstring 585 may be secured at around the right hip and may extend around the back and then exit at around the left hip. The drawstring 585 may include VELCRO® 595 on an interior surface and the pants 570 may include VELCRO® 597 on an exterior surface in front of about the left hip.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example pre-knotted easy to secure martial arts belt 600. The belt 600 is pre-tied into its correct configuration including the knot (or double knot) 610 for a range of waste sizes. The knot 610 may be secured together either temporarily or permanently using, for example, glue, a rivet, a stitch, VELCRO® or other securing mechanism. The belt 600 may be wrapped around an individual twice so that it includes an inner loop 620 and an outer loop 630. The inner and outer loops 620, 630 of the belt 600 may also be secured together either temporarily or permanently using, for example, glue, a rivet, a stitch VELCRO® or other securing mechanism. The belt 600 may be severed at a portion away from the knot (e.g., side, back) and a fastener system may be included to secure the belt 600 back together. According to one embodiment, the fastener system includes hook-and-loop (VELCRO®). For a belt having dual loops 620, 630 each loop may be severed at a different location. One end 640 of the belt 600 (inner loop for dual loop belt) may have a hook (or loop) piece 650 connected to an exterior surface and the other end 660 (outer loop for dual loop belt) may have a loop (or hook) piece 670 connected to an interior surface.
An individual puts the belt 600 on so that the knot 610 is in the front and then connects the belt together using the VELCRO® 650, 670 (placing the end 660 over the end 640). For a dual loop belt 600 the VELCRO® would be hidden, for the most part, under the top lop 630 of the belt 600. The tightness and size of the belt 600 may be controlled by the amount of overlap of the two sides 640, 660 of the belt 600. According to one embodiment, a dual loop belt 600 may be the tightest when the outer loop 630 completely covers the inner loop 620 and the severed sides of the inner and outer loops 620, 630 connect. The belt 600 may be loosened by reducing the overlap of the outer and inner loops 620, 630 and thus providing a view of the inner loop.
The VELCRO® 650, 670 may be permanently attached to the belt 600 or may be removably connected thereto. The VELCRO® 650, 670 may be the same color as the belt 600 or may be different colors. The VELCRO® 650, 670 may be coded in some fashion to help determine which piece gets folded over which piece. The fastener system is not limited to VELCRO®. Rather, it may be any alternative fastening system, such as, buttons, snaps, clips, or strap-and-buckle.
Although the various embodiments have been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications may be made. Reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
The various embodiments are intended to be protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A martial arts uniform requiring no tying and including a fastening system that makes the uniform easy to don and secure.

2. The martial arts uniform of claim 1 including a jacket having an inner flap to be placed on an individual wearing the jacket and an outer flap to wrap over the inner flap, wherein the jacket further includes fasteners to secure the inner and the outer flaps.

3. The martial arts uniform of claim 2, wherein the fasteners are VELCO®.

4. The martial arts uniform of claim 2, wherein a first fastener type is located on an exterior on the inner flap and a second fastener type is located on a interior of the outer flap and the first and second fastener types engage on another.

5. The martial arts uniform of claim 4, wherein the inner flap is a right flap and the outer flap is a left flap.

6. The martial arts uniform of claim 4, wherein the fastener on the inner flap includes a first fastener located near a first lapel and a second fastener located near a first side seam and the fastener on the outer flap includes a third fastener located near a second lapel and a fourth fastener located near a second side seam and the first and fourth fasteners are secured together and the second and third fasteners are secured together.

7. The martial arts uniform of claim 4, wherein the fastener on the inner flap includes extends from near a first lapel to near a first side seam and the fastener on the outer flap includes extends from near a second lapel to near a second side seam.

8. The martial arts uniform of claim 1 including pants that include a pleated waste band and at least one drawstring embedded in the waste band, wherein the at least one drawstring can be pulled to tighten the pants, wherein the at least one drawstring includes fasteners to secure the drawstring in position.

9. The martial arts uniform of claim 8, wherein the fasteners are VELCO®.

10. The martial arts uniform of claim 8, wherein both ends of the drawstring may be pulled.

11. The martial arts uniform of claim 8, wherein one end of the drawstring is secured to the waste band and other end can be pulled to tighten the waste band.

12. The martial arts uniform of claim 1 including a belt, wherein the belt is pre-knotted and secured together and is severed at a portion away from the knot and includes fasteners to secure ends of the severed belt together.

13. The martial arts uniform of claim 12 wherein the fasteners are VELCO®.

14. The martial arts uniform of claim 12 wherein an inner loop of the belt and an outer loop of the belt are severed at different locations.

15. The martial arts uniform of claim 12 wherein the knot is secured in place.