Spinning skirt

Abstract

The spinning skirt includes a skirt and a bearing assembly coupled to the skirt. The bearing assembly includes a first part coupled to the lower part of the skirt and a second part coupled to the upper part of the skirt. The first part of the bearing assembly and the lower part of the skirt are 360° rotatable relative to the second part of the bearing assembly and the upper part of the skirt.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a skirt that can rotate or spin around a wearer.

Background Art

[0002] Many young girls and women wear skirts that can be twirled or partially rotated around the wearer's waist. For example, when some dancers or figure skaters rotate around an area or point on the floor or ice, the skirt spins around the wearer. The skirt does not rotate 360 degrees around the waist but rotates partially in one direction.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] As will be described in more detail below, the present invention seeks to provide a skirt that can pivot or rotate 360° around a wearer. This skirt includes a bearing assembly that can rotate around the wearer's waist or other parts. The wearer is preferably a human, but the present invention can also be implemented on dolls, mannequins, etc.

[0004] The term "skirt" includes skirts, dresses, gowns, etc., and these terms are used interchangeably.

[0005] According to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a spinning skirt comprising a skirt and a bearing assembly coupled to the skirt, the bearing assembly including a first portion coupled to a lower portion of the skirt and a second portion coupled to an upper portion of the skirt, the first portion of the bearing assembly and the lower portion of the skirt being rotatable 360° relative to the second portion of the bearing assembly and the upper portion of the skirt.

[0006] According to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, one or more weights are coupled to the lower portion (such as the hem) of the skirt.

[0007] According to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the bearing assembly includes a rolling element bearing assembly, wherein a first portion of the bearing assembly includes an outer raceway coupled to the lower portion of the skirt by an outer fastener, and a second portion of the bearing assembly includes an inner raceway coupled to the upper portion of the skirt by an inner fastener.

[0008] According to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the rolling element bearing assembly includes a ball bearing assembly.

[0009] According to non-limiting alternative embodiments of the present invention, the rolling element bearing assembly includes a roller bearing assembly that includes a cylindrical roller bearing, a spherical roller bearing, a tapered roller bearing, or a needle roller bearing.

[0010] According to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the one or more weights include a series of weights joined together.

[0011] According to alternative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the one or more weights include unbound individual weights. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] This invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings. [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a person wearing a spinning skirt according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, showing a close-up of the weights at the bottom of the stepped or layered skirt. [Figure 2A] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing how the skirt rotates around the wearer's waist. [Figure 2B] Figure 2B is a front view showing the skirt rotating around the wearer's waist. [Figure 3A]Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of the waist portion of the skirt, which includes a bearing assembly. [Figure 3B] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram showing the position of the bearing assembly relative to the steps or layers of the skirt. [Figure 4A] Figure 4A is a schematic cutaway view of the waist portion of the skirt showing the bearing assembly. [Figure 4B] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of a bearing assembly showing an enlarged view of the rolling elements of the bearing assembly according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4C] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram showing the outer raceway, inner raceway, cage, and rolling elements of a bearing assembly according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] Figure 5A is a schematic top view of the waist portion of the skirt showing the bearing assembly. [Figure 5B] Figure 5B is a schematic front view of the waist portion of the skirt, showing the bearing assembly connected to the strap on the upper part of the skirt. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Referring now to Figure 1, this is a schematic diagram of a person wearing the skirt 10 according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The skirt 10 may be a tiered or layered skirt, such as a three-tiered or three-layered skirt 12. The present invention is not limited to the number of tiers or layers, nor is it limited to this type of skirt. In one embodiment, one or more weights 14 are attached to the lower part 16 of the skirt 10, such as (but not limited to) the hem of the skirt 10. The weights 14 can be made of metal, plastic, rubber, or other suitable material such as thick cloth, or pleats of cloth, or pleats at the hem of the skirt, and can increase the tendency of the skirt to easily sway outwards around the wearer. The weights 14 may be individual, unjoined weights, or a series of weights connected to each other by string or the like, as shown, or weights molded on a carrier as a single weight assembly.

[0015] Figures 2A and 2B show how the skirt 10 rotates around the wearer's waist in the direction of arrow 18 (of course, the skirt can also rotate in the opposite direction). The skirt 10 can be rotated by the wearer grasping the lower part and rotating it relative to the upper part, pulling a string, using a spring, using a motor, or by other means.

[0016] Next, referring to Figure 3A, we see the waist portion 19 of the skirt 10, which includes the bearing assembly 20. The bearing assembly 20 can be sewn to the skirt or joined in other ways. Figure 3B shows the position of the bearing assembly 20 relative to the steps or layers 12 of the skirt 10.

[0017] Next, referring to FIGS. 4A - 4C, bearing assembly 20 is shown. As shown in FIG. 4C, according to a non - limiting embodiment of the present invention, bearing assembly 20 is a rolling - element bearing assembly that includes an outer race 22, an inner race 24, a cage 26, and rolling elements 28. Bearing assembly 20 can be, without limitation, a ball - bearing assembly or a roller - bearing assembly such as a cylindrical roller bearing, a spherical roller bearing, a tapered roller bearing, a needle roller bearing, etc. Alternatively, the bearing assembly may be a ball - bearing assembly. As another alternative, the bearing assembly may be a magnetic bearing assembly, in which case the magnetic elements do not move, but the outer race can move freely relative to the inner race by magnetic force.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4B, outer race 22 can be coupled to the lower portion 30 of the skirt by outer fastener 32, and inner race 24 can be coupled to the upper portion 34 of the skirt by inner fastener 36. The upper portion 34 of the skirt is coupled to strap 35, and the length of which can be selected or adjusted so as to properly position the skirt on the wearer such that the bearing assembly 20 is at the desired height or position of the wearer. The bearing assembly can be at any desired position of the wearer, such as at the hip, or at a position higher than the hip, or at a position lower than the hip.

[0019] FIGS. 5A and 5B are views of the waist portion of the skirt, showing bearing assembly 20 coupled to strap 35 of the upper portion 34 of the skirt.

[0020] When the skirt rotates around the wearer, inner race 24 and the upper portion 34 of the skirt coupled to inner race 24 remain basically stationary, while outer race 22 and the lower portion 30 of the skirt coupled to outer race 22 rotate freely around the wearer by rolling elements 28 that roll between the inner and outer races. Thus, in contrast to the prior - art rotating skirts, the skirt of the present invention can pivot or rotate 360° around the wearer.

Claims

1. It's a spinning skirt, A spinning skirt comprising a skirt and a bearing assembly coupled to the skirt, wherein the bearing assembly includes a first portion coupled to the lower portion of the skirt and a second portion coupled to the upper portion of the skirt, and the first portion of the bearing assembly and the lower portion of the skirt are rotatable 360° relative to the second portion of the bearing assembly and the upper portion of the skirt.

2. The spinning skirt according to claim 1, further comprising one or more weights attached to the lower portion of the skirt.

3. The spinning skirt according to claim 1, further comprising one or more weights attached to the hem of the skirt.

4. The spinning skirt according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the weights include fabric, pleats of fabric, or pleats at the hem of the skirt.

5. The spinning skirt according to claim 1, wherein the bearing assembly includes a rolling element bearing assembly, the first portion of the bearing assembly includes an outer raceway coupled to the lower portion of the skirt by an outer fastener, and the second portion of the bearing assembly includes an inner raceway coupled to the upper portion of the skirt by an inner fastener.

6. The spinning skirt according to claim 4, wherein the rolling element bearing assembly includes a ball bearing assembly.

7. The spinning skirt according to claim 4, wherein the rolling element bearing assembly includes a roller bearing assembly that includes cylindrical roller bearings, spherical roller bearings, tapered roller bearings, or needle roller bearings.

8. The spinning skirt according to claim 1, wherein the bearing assembly includes a magnetic bearing assembly.

9. The spinning skirt according to claim 2, wherein the one or more weights include a series of weights joined together.

10. The spinning skirt according to claim 2, wherein the one or more weights include individual weights that are not connected.

11. The spinning skirt according to claim 1, wherein the skirt includes a stepped or layered skirt.

12. The spinning skirt according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the skirt includes one or more straps.

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