Neck warmer and method for making same

Abstract

A neck warmer has a flat, pliable, substantially rectangular body. The rectangular body has first and second ends and top and bottom edges, and further has first and second opposite exterior surfaces, bounded by the first and second ends and top and bottom edges. First fastening means are attached to the first surface of the rectangular body proximate to the first end, and second fastening means are attached to the second surface of the rectangular body proximate to the second end. The first and second ends of the rectangular body are removably fastenable to each other at the first and second fastening means. The first and second fastening means are positioned such that when the first end is attached to the second end, the rectangular body forms a tube having inner and outer circumferential surfaces provided by the first and second exterior surfaces of the rectangular body. The tube is dimensioned to fit around a wearer's neck.

1 . A neck warmer, comprising: 
 a flat, pliable, substantially rectangular body having first and second ends and top and bottom edges, and further having first and second opposite exterior surfaces, bounded by the first and second ends and top and bottom edges;    first fastening means attached to the first surface of the rectangular body proximate to its first end;    second fastening means attached to the second surface of the rectangular body proximate to its second end,    the first and second ends of the rectangular body being removably fastenable to each other at the first and second fastening means, the first and second fastening means being positioned such that when the first end is attached to the second end, the rectangular body forms a tube having inner and outer circumferential surfaces provided by the first and second exterior surfaces of the rectangular body, the tube being dimensioned to fit around a wearer's neck.    
   
   
       2 . The neck warmer of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second fastening means comprise complementary pieces of hook-and-loop material.  
   
   
       3 . The neck warmer of  claim 2 , wherein the first and second fastening means comprise complementary strips of hook-and-loop material that are substantially parallel to the first and second ends of the rectangular body.  
   
   
       4 . The neck warmer of  claim 1 , wherein the rectangular body comprises a first layer and a second layer, the first layer providing the first surface of the rectangular body and the second layer providing the second surface of the rectangular body.  
   
   
       5 . The neck warmer of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second layers are formed by folding a single piece of material in half.  
   
   
       6 . The neck warmer of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second layers are formed by attaching together two separate pieces of material.  
   
   
       7 . The neck warmer of  claim 6 , wherein the first and second layers are formed from materials having different colors.  
   
   
       8 . The neck warmer of  claim 6 , wherein the first and second layers are formed from two different materials.  
   
   
       9 . The neck warmer of  claim 3 , wherein the first fastening means comprises a plurality of substantially parallel strips of hook-and-loop material, and wherein the second fastening means is selectably fastenable to one of the plurality of substantially parallel strips of hook-and-loop material, thereby adjusting the size of the tube formed by the rectangular body.  
   
   
       10 . The neck warmer of  claim 1  further including a pocket attached to an exterior surface of the rectangular body.  
   
   
       11 . The neck warmer of  claim 10 , wherein the pocket includes pocket closing means.  
   
   
       12 . The neck warmer of  claim 4 , further including a pocket between the first and second layers of the rectangular body.  
   
   
       13 . The neck warmer of  claim 12 , wherein the pocket is accessible through an opening in an edge of the rectangular body.  
   
   
       14 . The neck warmer of  claim 13 , further including pocket closing means along the length of the opening.  
   
   
       15 . The neck warmer of  claim 4 , further including an inflatable tube between the first and second layers.  
   
   
       16 . The neck warmer of  claim 15 , wherein the inflatable tube includes an inflation nozzle, and wherein the inflation nozzle is accessible through a hole in a layer of the rectangular body.  
   
   
       17 . The neck warmer of  claim 15 , wherein the neck warmer is substantially flat and pliable when the inner tube is deflated and wherein the neck warmer assumes a supportive shape when the inner tube is inflated.  
   
   
       18 . A method for making a neck warmer, comprising: 
 providing a rectangular sheet of pliable material;    folding the sheet in half along a central crease line to form a folded rectangle having first and second ends and top and bottom edges, the top edge of the folded rectangle being defined by the crease line, the folded rectangle further having first and second opposite surfaces bounded by the first and second ends and top and bottom edges;    using an L-shaped seam to close an end and the bottom edge of the folded rectangle to form a pouch with an open mouth;    reversing the tube through the open mouth;    folding a portion of the mouth inward to form a finished edge;    attaching a first fastening means to a first exterior surface proximate to the first end and attaching second fastening means to a second exterior surface proximate to the second end, the attaching of the first fastening means also closing the mouth of the pouch.    
   
   
       19 . A method for making a neck warmer, comprising: 
 placing a first rectangular piece of material on top of a second piece of material having substantially the same shape and size as the first piece of material;    using an U-shaped seam to attach together the top edge, bottom edge and an end of the rectangular pieces of material to form a tube with a pouch with an open mouth;    reversing the tube through the open mouth;    folding a portion of the mouth inward to form a finished edge;    attaching a first fastening means to the first exterior surface proximate to a first end of the pouch and attaching second fastening means to a second exterior surface proximate to the second end of the pouch, the attaching of the first fastening means also closing the mouth.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the first and second rectangular pieces of material are different colors.