SHIRT WITH POCKETS ON SLEEVE TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a garments, and particularly to a shirt with pockets on the sleeve for carrying an electronic device. The shirt is particularly well suited for carrying an lPod® (iPod is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, California) or other electronic device with an attached headset or earphone cord.

BACKGROUND ART

It is typical to see exercise enthusiasts, such as bicyclists, joggers and runners, carrying portable radios, tape players and the like to enjoy music or other information along with their exercise. These devices are usually carried in pouches strapped to the user or in the pockets of the outer garments of the user. Whenever a user wants to change a tape or change a station he or she must access the equipment in the pouch or pocket and then make the change. This can be a bit troublesome and detracts from the pleasure of the exercise. The headset or headphone wires are also troublesome in that they can get in the way of normal movement of the head and arms and can become dislodged from the ears during movement of the head and arms.

Many people also require the use of a type of hearing aid sometimes referred to as a "body aid," which has an ear bud and a control unit connected to the ear bud by a wire. Typically, the control unit is carried in a front shirt pocket or clipped to a belt, with the wire being concealed by running the wire under a shirt or jacket. The unit is often inconvenient to carry in the pocket or on the belt, and finding a way to route the wire to the earpiece in a discrete manner sometimes requires time and trouble.

Thus, a shirt with pockets on the sleeve solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The shirt with pockets on the sleeve is a shirt having a base unit pocket on one of the sleeves at about the level of the bicep that is dimensioned and configured for receiving a portable electronic device, such as an iPod, hearing aid unit, or the like. The base unit pocket may have a transparent window for viewing the unit's controls. A smaller cord storage pocket is attached to the sleeve between the base unit pocket and the shoulder. The cord storage pocket may have a hole along the bottom edge for extending the cord from the cord

storage pocket to the base unit pocket. A small guide loop is disposed at the top of the sleeve at shoulder level so that the headphone or earpiece cord can be run from the ear through the guide loop to the cord storage pocket for storing any excess length of cord. The shirt allows the user to carry a portable electronic device in the pocket sleeve with the earpiece or headphone cord neatly tucked away.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a shirt with pockets on sleeve according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a shirt with pockets on sleeve according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention is a shirt with pockets on the sleeve, designated generally as 200 in the drawings. The shirt 200 is particular well-suited for carrying an iPod in the pocket sleeve, but may be used to carry a radio, cassette player, or other entertainment device with an attached headphone or earpiece, or any other portable electronic device with an earpiece, such as a hearing aid.

The shirt 200 is made of any suitable fabric for active wear for indoor or outdoor exercise activities. The shirt 200 may be a T-shirt, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but the principles of the present invention may extend to long-sleeved shirts, blouses, or similar garments. The shirt 200 has a base unit pocket 203 formed on the sleeve 201 between the shoulder and the end of the sleeve, preferably at about the level of the biceps. The base unit pocket 203 is dimensioned and configured to snugly hold an iPod or other portable electronic device. The pocket 203 may be formed from a transparent material, or the pocket may have a transparent window defined therein, in order to view the controls of the iPod or other electronic device. A band or strip 213 of elastic material, such as spandex, is sewn onto or hemmed into the top edge of the base unit pocket 203. Elastic strip 213 is provided to

prevent the iPod or other electronic device in the pocket 203 from accidentally falling out of the pocket 203.

A cord storage pocket 205 is formed a few inches above the base unit pocket 203 between the shoulder and the base unit pocket for holding any excess cord or wires of a headset or earpiece that would otherwise hang down in front of the user. Pocket 205 is sewn on and preferably formed from the same fabric as the shirt 200. The cord storage pocket includes a small aperture 206 in the bottom edge thereof for allowing the connectors and cord of the headset or earpiece to pass therethrough for connection to the iPod or other electronic device. A band or strip 215 of elastic material, such as spandex, is sewn onto or hemmed into the top edge of the cord storage pocket 205. This strip 215 is provided to prevent the extra length of cord from accidentally falling out of the pocket 205.

A guide loop 207 is provided at the top of sleeve 201 at about shoulder level that is sized to allow the end of the cord of the earphones to pass through so that the cord or wire doesn't hang down in front of a user during movement. The loop 207 is sewn on and preferably formed of the same fabric as shirt 200.

While in the above-described embodiment the invention is described as pockets 203, 205, and a loop 207 sewn to a shirt, in a further embodiment of the invention, the pockets 203, 205, and loop 207 may be sewn or otherwise attached to a patch 219 as outlined by dotted line 217. In this manner, the patch 219 can be attached to the sleeve of the user's shirt of choice such as a favorite team jersey, or other custom shirt. The patch 219 may be attached to the sleeve 201 using an iron-on or other type of known adhesive. Additionally, or in place of the adhesive, the patch 219 may be sewn to the sleeve 201 to provide a more positive means of attachment.

As noted above, the invention is intended for use with portable electronic devices, such as an iPod. Other electronic devices are being developed everyday, (such as satellite radio receivers), and it should be further noted that the base unit pocket 203 can be sized and configured to accept most of these portable electronic devices. Cord storage pocket 205 may likewise be sized and configured to accept shorter or longer cord lengths as needed, or may be omitted all together, should the cord length be optimized thus eliminating any excess audio cord. It should also be noted that, as shown in the figures, guide loop 207 has a generally horizontal orientation. This orientation provides ease in routing the audio cord through the guide loop 207 in a generally vertical orientation and in a more direct route onto the shoulder of the user and eventually to their ears.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.