The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Many people prefer to carry small electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones) in the front or back pockets of their pants when they are not using the electronic device. However, there are several problems associated using the traditional design of pant pockets to carry electronic devices. First, it can be uncomfortable, since the electronic device can get in the way during movement (e.g., when sitting down). Second, for pockets that are relatively small, the carried device can easily fall out or be stolen due to pick-pocketing. Third, often the pockets are too small to simultaneously hold an electronic device and an ancillary device (e.g., a portable power source) that needs to be connected with the electronic device.
To avoid the problem of pick-pocketing, prior work has attempted to design pants having hidden pockets. See e.g., CN201468046U (Tang), CN202958857U (Dang), U.S. Pat. No. 8,745,767 (Moghaddas), U.S. Pat. No. 8,707,469 (Moghaddas), U.S. Pat. No. 8,745,768 (Moghaddas), US20120185999 (Raviv), U.S. Pat. No. 9,247,776 (Kim), and US20150089716 (Gonzales). Although these pockets are more hidden compared to traditional pant pockets, they still have openings assessable from the outside, and can therefore be accessed by thieves once the pockets are spotted. Moreover, such pockets are positioned around the waist or the crotch, and would therefore bend when the user sits down. This would make the user feel uncomfortable because the rigid electronic device would be compressed, creating tension in the pocket and limiting the user's movement.
Other pockets are positioned further from the waist, for example, U.S. Design patents U.S. D792681 and U.S. D804147 teach pockets in one of the pant legs. But these pockets are located in the middle of the pant leg, and are not readily accessible. Moreover, they have openings on the outside, which can be accessed through a flap that can be targeted by thieves or robbers. US20120117713 (Hoffner) teaches hidden pockets located inside pants on a separate sleeve. But the sleeve can be inconvenient and uncomfortable, and once again, the interior pockets are not easily accessible.
Thus, there is still a need for pant pockets that are generally undetectable from the outside, easily accessed only by the wearer, and can comfortably hold an electronic device.
All publications identified herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.