Multilayer child's jacket configured to avoid impeding effectiveness of vehicle child safety seat

Abstract

In one aspect, a multilayer jacket wearable by a child comprises an outer jacket layer made from a first, compressible material and an inner jacket layer made from a second material that is either non-compressible or significantly less compressible than the first material. The jacket includes a pair of layer interconnection fasteners configured to fasten together anterior panels of the respective jacket layers. Each fastener is situated on a respective side of a vertical jacket midline along a line from a first respective point at or near a bottom edge of the jacket to a respective shoulder of the jacket. The fasteners are sufficiently spaced to accommodate between them a fastened child safety seat harness when the outer jacket layer is open and portions of the anterior panel of the outer jacket layer are folded open at the respective fasteners.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multilayer jacket wearable by a child using a vehicle child safety seat having a harness, comprising:
 an outer jacket layer made from a first, compressible material, the outer jacket layer comprising two arm sleeves, a posterior panel configured to cover a posterior side of a child's torso, and an anterior panel configured to cover an anterior side of the child's torso, the anterior panel being openable along a vertical midline by way of an outer jacket layer fastener;   an inner jacket layer made from a second material, the second material being thinner than the first material, the second material being either non-compressible or compressible to a significantly lesser extent than the first material, the inner jacket layer comprising two arm sleeves, a posterior panel configured to cover a posterior side of the child's torso, and an anterior panel configured to cover an anterior side of the child's torso, the anterior panel of the inner jacket layer being openable along a vertical midline by way of an inner jacket layer fastener; and   a pair of layer interconnection fasteners configured to fasten the anterior panel of the inner jacket layer to the anterior panel of the outer jacket layer, each of the layer interconnection fasteners being situated on a respective side of the vertical midline of the inner jacket layer along a line from a respective point at or near a bottom edge of the multilayer jacket to a respective shoulder of the multilayer jacket, the pair of layer interconnection fasteners being sufficiently spaced apart to accommodate between them a vehicle child safety seat harness fastened against the anterior panel of the inner jacket layer when the multilayer jacket is worn by a child with the inner jacket layer being closed, the outer jacket layer being open, and portions of the anterior panel of the outer jacket layer being folded open.   
     
     
         2 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 1  wherein each of the pair of layer interconnection fasteners is a layer interconnection zipper comprising two complementary zipper halves, one of the layer interconnection zipper halves being affixed to an outer surface of the inner jacket layer, the other of the layer interconnection zipper halves being affixed to an inner surface of the outer jacket layer. 
     
     
         3 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 2  wherein the layer interconnection zipper half affixed to the outer surface of the inner jacket layer is lapped. 
     
     
         4 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 2  wherein the layer interconnection zipper half affixed to the outer surface of the inner jacket layer and the layer interconnection zipper half affixed to the inner surface of the outer jacket layer have respective sets of zipper teeth that face one another when the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer are nested. 
     
     
         5 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 1  wherein the outer jacket layer is collarless. 
     
     
         6 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 5  wherein the inner jacket layer has a collar with an attached hood. 
     
     
         7 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a set of additional layer interconnection fasteners disposed on one of the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer; and 
 a set of complementary layer interconnection fastener anchors disposed on the other of the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer for alignment with the respective layer interconnection fasteners upon nesting of the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer. 
 
     
     
         8 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 7  wherein each of the additional layer interconnection fasteners is a snap loop fastener and wherein each of the additional layer interconnection fastener anchors is a loop of fabric. 
     
     
         9 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 7  wherein at least two of the additional layer interconnection fasteners are disposed at a neck area of the multilayer jacket. 
     
     
         10 . A multilayer jacket wearable by a child using a vehicle child safety seat having a harness, comprising:
 an outer jacket layer made from a thick, compressible, heat insulating material, the outer jacket layer including an anterior panel configured to cover an anterior side of the child's torso, the anterior panel being openable along a vertical midline by way of an outer jacket layer fastener;   an inner jacket layer made from a thin material, thinner and less compressible than the thick material, the inner jacket layer including an anterior panel configured to cover an anterior side of the child's torso, the anterior panel of the inner jacket layer being openable along a vertical midline by way of an inner jacket layer fastener; and   a pair of layer interconnection fasteners configured to fasten the anterior panel of the inner jacket layer to the anterior panel of the outer jacket layer, each of the layer interconnection fasteners being situated on a respective side of the vertical midline of the inner jacket layer along a line from a point at or near a bottom edge of the multilayer jacket to a respective shoulder of the multilayer jacket, the pair of layer interconnection fasteners being sufficiently spaced apart to accommodate between them the vehicle child safety seat harness fastened against the anterior panel of the inner jacket layer.   
     
     
         11 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 10  wherein each of the pair of layer interconnection fasteners is a layer interconnection zipper comprising two complementary zipper halves, one of the layer interconnection zipper halves being affixed to an outer surface of the inner jacket layer, the other of the layer interconnection zipper halves being affixed to an inner surface of the outer jacket layer. 
     
     
         12 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 11  wherein the layer interconnection zipper half affixed to the outer surface of the inner jacket layer is lapped. 
     
     
         13 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 11  wherein the layer interconnection zipper half affixed to the outer surface of the inner jacket layer and the layer interconnection zipper half affixed to the inner surface of the outer jacket layer have respective sets of zipper teeth that face one another when the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer are nested. 
     
     
         14 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 10  wherein the outer jacket layer is collarless. 
     
     
         15 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 14  wherein the inner jacket layer has a collar with an attached hood. 
     
     
         16 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 10  further comprising:
 a set of additional layer interconnection fasteners disposed on one of the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer; and 
 a set of complementary layer interconnection fastener anchors disposed on the other of the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer for alignment with the respective layer interconnection fasteners upon nesting of the outer jacket layer and the inner jacket layer. 
 
     
     
         17 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 16  wherein each of the additional layer interconnection fasteners is a snap loop fastener and wherein each of the additional layer interconnection fastener anchors is a loop of fabric. 
     
     
         18 . The multilayer jacket of  claim 16  wherein at least two of the additional layer interconnection fasteners are disposed at a neck area of the multilayer jacket.