Convertible garment

Abstract

A convertible garment may be converted between a top configuration for covering the torso of a person and bottom configuration for covering the lower half of the person, and vice-versa. The garment has in the top configuration a removable front panel having a right side having a first elongate fastener half extending along the right side and a left side having a second elongate fastener half extending along the left side. Preferably, the bottom configuration has a front portion, a back portion, a right side having a third elongate fastener and a left side having a fourth elongate fastener. The front and the back portions of the bottom configuration form the back of the top configuration when the third and fourth fasteners are at least partially undone. Methods of converting between the two configurations are also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An garment having a top configuration for covering the torso of a person and a bottom configuration for covering the lower half of the person, the garment being interchangeable between the two configurations, the garment having in the top configuration a removable front panel having a right side having a first elongate fastener half extending along the right side and a left side having a second elongate fastener half extending along the left side. 
     
     
         2 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom configuration has a front portion, a back portion, a right side having a third elongate fastener and a left side having a fourth elongate fastener, the front and the back portions of the bottom configuration forming the back of the top configuration when the third and fourth fasteners are at least partially undone. 
     
     
         3 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein the front panel is attached to the garment in the top configuration by the first and second elongate fastener halves. 
     
     
         4 . The garment of  claim 3  wherein the front panel is also attached to the body of the garment by a pair of opposed upper zippers, each upper zipper extending from an arm portion of the top configuration to a neck portion of the top configuration. 
     
     
         5 . The garment of  claim 3  wherein the front panel is also attached to the body of the garment by a pair of opposed flaps. 
     
     
         6 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the front panel has a centrally located and vertically aligned zipper. 
     
     
         7 . The garment of  claim 6  wherein the front panel is separable into two halves by the centrally located zipper and each half is attachable to the inside of the garment in the pant configuration. 
     
     
         8 . The garment of  claim 1  having a hood for the top configuration and an internal pocket for the hood. 
     
     
         9 . The garment of  claim 2  wherein the third and fourth elongate fasteners comprise zippers that extend through a waist portion of the bottom configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The garment of  claim 9  having in the bottom configuration flaps to cover the zipper sliders of the third and fourth elongate fasteners. 
     
     
         11 . The garment of  claim 10  wherein the flaps are operable to tighten a waist portion of the pants. 
     
     
         12 . The garment of  claim 1  further comprising a right armhole and a left armhole in the top configuration, the armholes being leg holes in the bottom configuration. 
     
     
         13 . The garment of  claim 12  further comprising a right sleeve for the right arm and a left sleeve for the left arm in the top configuration, the sleeves being legs in the bottom configuration. 
     
     
         14 . A method for changing a garment from a bottom configuration to a top configuration comprising (a) undoing elongate fasteners along opposed sides of the garment in the bottom configuration, the elongate fasteners extending through a waist portion of the bottom configuration, and (b) unfolding a back portion of the bottom configuration, the back portion comprising a seat portion of the pants configuration and a front portion of the pants configuration. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising attaching a front panel of the top configuration to the garment after undoing the elongate fasteners. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the front panel is separable into two halves, the method further comprising detaching the front panel halves from inside of the garment before the attaching of the front panel. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein attaching a front panel comprises zipping a first zipper half on a first side of the front panel with a mating second zipper half on the garment and zipping a third zipper half on a second side of the front panel with a mating fourth zipper half on the garment. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising moving the legs of the bottom configuration away from each other for converting them into sleeves for arms in the top configuration. 
     
     
         19 . A method for changing a garment from a top configuration to a bottom configuration comprising (a) in the top configuration, folding a back portion of the top configuration, the back portion comprising a seat portion of the bottom configuration and a front portion of the bottom configuration, and (b) fastening elongate fasteners which are located along opposed sides of the garment in the bottom configuration. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising detaching a front panel of the top configuration from the garment. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  further comprising separating the front panel into two halves. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising attaching each half of the front panel to the garment and placing each half of the front panel inside and along a different sleeve of the garment. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising moving the arm sleeves of the top configuration towards each other for converting them into leg sleeves of the bottom configuration. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 19  wherein each of the elongate fasteners comprises a zipper having a zipper pull, the method further comprising covering each zipper pull with a corresponding flap of the garment after the fastening of the elongate fastener. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising tightening a waist portion of the bottom configuration using at least one of the flaps.