WO1997049307A1

WO1997049307A1 - Trouser pocket

Info

Publication number: WO1997049307A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/003273
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philipp Deisler
Original assignee: Philipp Deisler
Priority date: 1996-06-21
Filing date: 1997-06-23
Publication date: 1997-12-31
Also published as: AU3342997A; DE19624909C1

Abstract

The invention relates to a trouser pocket (3) which comprises at least one outer (6) and one inner layer (9) of material and whose opening runs essentially from top to bottom in order to facilitate the insertion of a hand, at least one further pocket (8), which cannot be seen from the outside, being arranged within the trouser pocket, and the second pocket (8) being arranged on the inner layer of material (9) of the trouser pocket. In order to make the second pocket easier to use by the owner and at the same time to make access to the objects to be protected considerably more difficult for a thief, it is proposed to secure the trouser pocket in position by means of at least one brace (18), to arrange the second pocket in the lower region of the trouser pocket and for a zip fastener (13) to close the opening (10) of the second pocket and/or for a flap (27) to cover the opening of the second pocket.

Description

Trouser pocket The present invention relates to a trouser pocket,

- which comprises at least one outer and one inner layer of material and

- whose opening runs essentially from top to bottom

- in order to facilitate the insertion of a hand,

- at least one further pocket being arranged inside the trouser pocket

- which pocket cannot be seen from the outside, and

- the second pocket being arranged on the inner layer of material of the trouser pocket. Such pockets are frequently used in trousers, skirts, dresses, but also in modified form in jackets, coats or blousons etc. They are distinguished here by ease of use since, in order to facilitate the insertion of a hand, the opening of these pockets runs preferably vertically but also obliquely with respect to the verti¬ cal. In addition, such pockets are of very simple design since, in the lease complicated embodiment, they comprise only one outer layer of material, or the external material, and one inner layer of material, the pocket lining, which layers of material are connected to one another at the edges of the inner layer of material . The ease of use is accompanied however by the considerable problem that not only the wearer of the piece of clothing himself is able to remove relatively small objects from these pockets without difficulty, but also thieves can also remove in particular, credit cards, personal identi¬ fication documents, keys or similar objects from these pockets with minimum effort.

G 91 12 241 discloses a trouser pocket in accor- dance with the features of the preamble of Claim 1, according to which there is arranged between an outer and an inner layer of material of a trouser pocket a second pocket, which cannot be seen from the outside, on the inner layer of material, in such a way that the opening runs essentially from top to bottom. In this arrangement, the second pocket extends within the trouser pocket essentially over the same area as the actual trouser pocket. Thus, the second pocket also extends into areas of the trouser pocket which are generally unsuitable for storing objects, but, from the point of view of security, should not be capable of being reached by persons acting illegitimately.

The extent and the arrangement of the second pocket gives rise, in conjunction with the position and length of the opening of the second pocket directly behind the opening of the trouser pocket, to an interven¬ tion opening which can also easily be reached by persons acting illegitimately, is directly accessible and is even larger than that of the actual trouser pocket. Although the opening is limited by being partially sewn up, and the remaining residual opening is secured against illegi¬ timate intervention by a zip fastener, the zip fastener is located directly behind the opening of the trouser pocket and is therefore easy to open for a practised thief.

On the other hand, the arrangement of the opening of the second pocket and the size and position of the second pocket makes it more difficult for an object to be legitimately inserted or removed from the second pocket, even by the owner. However, a particularly serious disad¬ vantage of the known pocket is the fact that it is not possible to close the zip fastener of the second pocket with one hand. Instead, to do so, the owner must hold the lower part of the trouser pocket with a second hand.

The object is therefore to improve a trouser pocket of the aforesaid type in such a way that the second pocket can also be easily handled by the owner and that access to the objects to be protected is made considerably more difficult for a thief.

This object is achieved according to the inven¬ tion in that

- the trouser pocket is fixed in position by means of at least one brace. - the second pocket is arranged in the lower region of the trouser pocket and

- a zip fastener closes off the opening of the second pocket and/or a flap covers the opening of the second pocket.

According to this solution, the second pocket is arranged in the lower region. It is customary for all objects which are inserted into a trouser pocket to be placed as deeply as possible in the pocket in order to protect them against dropping out and thus not disturb the objects very much, even when sitting, for example. According to the invention, the second pocket is designed to hold valuable objects, or the like, restricted to this lower region of the trouser pocket. For this reason, the region in which keys or other valuable objects are held is covered. In addition, for this reason, the opening of the second pocket is not located directly in a region which directly adjoins the opening of the trouser pocket, so that illegitimate access to it is difficult. On the other hand, access for the owner himself is not made difficult.

The weight of the objects held in the trouser pocket causes it to move relative to the trousers so that in many cases even during normal sitting it is virtually impossible for the owner to reach into the pocket with his own hand. According to the invention, the entire trouser pocket is fixed in position relative to the trousers by means of at least one brace, in such a way that it cannot turn or move to the side even when it contains objects. In this way, the access of the owner to the second pocket is significantly improved.

The opening of the second pocket is closed off by a zip fastener and/or covered by a flap. At the same time, owing to the braces, the trouser pocket itself cannot slip when the second pocket is being either opened or closed or in any other situation, for example when objects are being inserted into or removed from the second pocket. This handling advantage is particularly important, as is clarified below. Thus, the three inventive features of the charac¬ terizing part interact in order, as a result, to promote easy and simple handling of the second pocket by the owner with only one hand, that is to say without using a second hand, and to improve the security against access by persons acting illegitimately. For pickpockets, the arrangement and design of the second pocket constitutes an unexpected obstacle which prevents theft. Since the braces cause any movement of the trouser pocket to affect the entire trousers, the user senses the attempt at theft as a result of the movement of his own clothing.

According to Claim 2, the forces acting on the trouser pocket are advantageously compensated by virtue of the fact that the bracing is arranged, in the lower region of the trouser pocket. Thuβ, while the pocket makes a minimum use of material and is easy to use, this results in closed paths of the force vectors over short distances, causing the forces to cancel each other out and add up to zero. in addition, according to Claim 3, the zip fastener of the second pocket runs horizontally or slightly rising in the closing direction so that it can be conveniently reached and easily activated by the owner. In one development of the invention, according to

Claim 4 the flap is arranged above the opening of the second pocket and, according to Claim 5 it is attached to the inner lining of the trouser pocket. This results in a pocket according to the invention having a very com- pact, single-piece design as well as in the possibility of re-equipping already completed items of clothing with an overall acceptable degree of effort.

According to Claim 6, the trouser pocket is advantageously inserted into a pair of trousers as a right-hand trouser pocket. Most people are right-handed so that in this form the advantages of a trouser pocket according to the invention come into play precisely at the point where the benefit for the user is greatest.

In addition, the second pocket is dimensioned with the aim of holding relatively small objects, in particular credit cards, personal identification docu¬ ments, keys or similar objects. The weight and the size of a pocket are thus changed only to a minimum degree. Overall, it can be claimed that the pocket according to the invention, in its manifold possible embodiments, can make a significant contribution to protecting important personal objects against theft. In addition, the pocket according to the invention can, however, also be attached with little effort, so that already completed items of clothing can be effectively re-equipped with pockets according to the preamble of this invention. This applies in particular when the second pocket is used with a zip fastener and/or a flap as a prefabricated unit. Thus, the work involved in its use is effectively reduced.

However, in addition to protection against theft, the pocket according to the invention also provides reliable protection against the abovementioned objects dropping out inadvertently and without being noticed, as occurs frequently for example when a person walks quickly or runs, or else when a person sits down in low armchairβ. In this way, the present invention can also contribute to reducing the number of lost wallets and the like.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the upper part of a pair of trousers with an exemplary embodiment of the trouser pocket in a sectional view; Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a further exemplary embodi¬ ment of the trouser pocket and Pig. 3 shows a section through the trouser pocket in Fig. 2 along the line A-A.

Fig. 1 illustrates a form of right-hand trouser pocket 1 which is used in the upper part of a pair of trousers 2 in the function of trouser pockets 3. From the plan view, it is clear that the trouser pockets 1 do not differ in external appearance from conventional trouser pockets. The particular design of the trouser pockets 3 of this exemplary embodiment only becomes clear in a sectional view, as is shown here by way of example in the region of the right-hand trouser pocket 3. For purposes of illustration, a portion of the upper material 4 of the trousers 2 and a portion of the upper part 5 of the internal lining 6 of the trouser pocket 3 are cut away. It is then possible to see that, in a lower region 7 of the trouser pocket 3, a further, second pocket 8 has been sewn onto an inner layer of material 9, a lower part 9a of the internal lining 6 of the trouser pocket 3. An opening 10 of the second pocket 8 is arranged pointing upwards towards an outer opening 11 of the trouser pocket 3, in such a way that the wearer of the trousers can conveniently insert small objects, a cheque card 12 for example here, into the second pocket 8 through the opening 10 with his right hand. The opening 10 of the second pocket 8 is secured by a zip fastener 13 which is drawn towards the central axis 14 of the trousers 2 in order to close off the second pocket 8.

In this exemplary embodiment, the size of the concealed, second pocket 8 has been extended by the zip fastener 13 which runs obliquely upwards in the closing direction. In addition to the space gained, this measure can also facilitate the insertion of objects into the second pocket 8 and the activation of the zip fastener 13 in order to close or open the second pocket 8 with one hand.

Trouser pockets are predominantly of the design illustrated in Fig. 1. They comprise an inner lining 6 with upper part 5 and an inner layer of material 9 as a lower part. The inner lining S is attached to the trousers 2 only in the region of the opening. As a result, the trouser pocket 1 itself can move, particu¬ larly when the zip fastener 13 is activated, so that the trouser pocket 3 can slip. For this reason, the user cannot reliably open or close the zip fastener 13. This drawback is eliminated by means of a brace 15 which runs from the central axis 14 of the trousers 2 to the nearest seam 16 of the trouser pocket 3. Here, the seam 16a in the region of the zip fastener 17 of the trousers 2 is used for attachment. As a result, the trouser pocket 3 is held in position when the zip fastener 13 is pulled closed. A brace 18 from the side seam 19 to the corre¬ sponding seam 19a of the trouser pocket 3 can also facilitate the closing procedure in an analogous way. It is clear from Fig. 1 that the trouser pocket

1 can be used even if a pocket has an inner lining 6 which comprises only one lower part 9. Jackets and dresses, for example, frequently have only one inner layer of material 9. In this case, the trouser pocket 1 is held in its position relative to the item of clothing during the activation of the zip fastener or some other fastener, as a result of which in this specific case the braces 15 and 18 described above in respect of Fig. 1 can be dispensed with. The above also applies in an analogous way to pockets which are merely fitted onto the upper material 4, the upper material which is then covered by the pocket then assuming the function of the inner layer of material 9 of a trouser pocket 1.

Fig. 2 shows a further embodiment of a right-hand trouser pocket 3 without the associated item of clothing. For the sake of easier comprehension, only a lower part 22 of an inner lining 21 of the trouser pocket 20 is illustrated. The lower part 22 has a fitted-on second pocket 24 in its lower region 23. The closure of the opening 25 of the second pocket 24 is again formed by a zip fastener 26. Here, the zip fastener 26 is however additionally covered by a flap 27 which is attached to the lower part 22 above the zip fastener 26.

This combination solution comprising zip fastener 26 and flap 27 is illustrated in Fig. 3 as a section along a line A-A from Fig. 2. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 indicate clearly that all the components of the trouser pocket 20 can be sewn onto the inner lining 21, it being possible for existing seams to remain unaffected. The second pocket 24 can be prefabricated together with the zip fastener 26 and the flap 27 and sewn on as one unit.

Fig. 3 shows that the flap 27 ensures, as an additional securing measure, that the fingers 29 of a thief reaching into the trouser pocket 20 through an opening 28 cannot come into contact with the zip fastener 26 during the attempted theft. Instead, any hand reaching into the trouser pocket presses the flap 27 downwards and thus closes the opening 28. The flap 27 can itself also be closed by further elements, which is not illustrated here. Given a particular dimensioning of the flap 27, it is even possible to dispense with the zip fastener 26, since the security effect of the flap can be seen as sufficient. However, the combination solution of zip fastener 26 and flap 27 is preferred.

In all cases, the advantage that a trouser pocket 1 can also subsequently be fitted in an existing pocket of an item of clothing is retained. In this context, either the actual pocket bag or the inner lining 6 can be changed completely or it is attached to the inner layer of material 9 of the trouser pocket with the seam 16, 19 opened, for example. It is advantageous here if the second pocket 8 is then used with a zip fastener 13 and/or flap 27 as a prefabricated unit. Thus, the work involved in using it is effectively reduced and the execution of the attachment procedure is facilitated.

Claims

1. Trouser pocket,

- which comprises at least one outer and one inner layer of material and - whose opening runs essentially from top to bottom

- in order to facilitate the insertion of a hand,

- at least one further pocket being arranged inside the trouser pocket - which pocket cannot be seen from the outside, and

- the second pocket being arranged on the inner layer of material of the trouser pocket characterized in that - the trouser pocket (1) is fixed in position by means of at least one brace (15,18) ,

- the second pocket (8) is arranged in the lower region of the trouser pocket (1) and

- a zip fastener (13) closes off the opening (10) of the second pocket (8) and/or a flap (27) covers the opening (10) of the second pocket (8) .

2. Trouser pocket according to Claim 1, charac¬ terized in that the brace (15, 18) is arranged in the lower region of the trouser pocket (1) in such a way that forces acting on the trouser pocket (1) can be compen¬ sated.

3. Trouser pocket according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized in that the zip fastener (13) of the second pocket (8) runs horizontally or only slightly rising in the closing direction.

4. Trouser pocket according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flap (27) is arranged above the opening (25) of the second pocket (24) .

5. Trouser pocket according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flap (27) is attached to the inner lining (21) of the trouser pocket (20) .

6. Trouser pocket according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the trouser pocket (1, 20) is inserted into a pair of trousers (2) as a right-hand trouser pocket (3) .

7. Trouser pocket according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second pocket

(8) is designed to hold relatively small objects, in particular to hold credit cards, personal identification documents, keys or similar objects.