Garment assembly with deployable seat

Abstract

A garment assembly comprises a garment, a seat, and at least one elastic member extending between the seat and the garment. When the seat is in a stowed position, a) a bottom surface of the seat is constructed and arranged to be alongside and face an outer surface of the garment and b) a top surface of the seat is constructed and arranged to face away from the outer surface of the garment. The at least one elastic member is configured to stretch to accommodate movement of the seat from the stowed position to a deployed position adjacent to a butt of the user. The at least one elastic member, in one configuration, retains the seat in the stowed position and, in another configuration, biases the top surface of the seat against the butt of the user when the seat is in the deployed position.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A garment assembly comprising:
 a garment configured to be wearable by a user and to cover at least a portion of a back of the user, the garment having an inner surface and an opposing outer surface, wherein, when the garment is worn by the user, the inner surface of the garment faces toward the user and the outer surface of the garment faces away from the user;   a seat having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface and the bottom surface are on opposite sides of the seat;   wherein, when the seat is in a stowed position, a) the bottom surface of the seat is constructed and arranged to be alongside and face the outer surface of the garment and b) the top surface of the seat is constructed and arranged to face away from the outer surface of the garment; and   at least one elastic member extending between the seat and the garment, the at least one elastic member configured to stretch to accommodate movement of the seat from the stowed position to a deployed position adjacent to a butt of the user; and   wherein the at least one elastic member, in one configuration, retains the seat in the stowed position and, in another configuration, biases the top surface of the seat against the butt of the user when the seat is in the deployed position.   
     
     
         22 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one elastic member comprising
 a first end section attached to the garment,   a second end section attached to the garment, and   an intermediate section extending through the seat,   at least one of both the first end section and the second end section are elastic, and the intermediate section is elastic.   
     
     
         23 . The garment assembly of  claim 22 , wherein the intermediate section is elastic. 
     
     
         24 . The garment assembly of  claim 22 , wherein both the first end section of the at least one elastic member and the second end section of the at least one elastic member are elastic. 
     
     
         25 . The garment assembly of  claim 22 , wherein the seat includes an aperture that extends through the seat from a first side surface of the seat to a second side surface of the seat, and
 wherein the intermediate section of the at least one elastic member extends through the aperture of the seat.   
     
     
         26 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one elastic member comprising a first section fixed to the garment and a second section fixed to the seat,
 wherein the seat is connected to the garment by the first section and the second section of the at least one elastic member.   
     
     
         27 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one elastic member comprising:
 a first elastic member comprising:
 a first section fixed to the garment, and 
 a second section fixed to the seat, 
 a second elastic member comprising: 
   a first section fixed to the garment, and
 a second section fixed to the seat; 
   wherein the first elastic member and the second elastic member are separate structures, and   wherein the seat is connected to the garment by the first elastic member and the second elastic member.   
     
     
         28 . The garment assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the seat is connected to the garment by only the first elastic member and the second elastic member. 
     
     
         29 . The garment assembly of  claim 27 , further comprises at least one hinging strap, the at least one hinging strap comprising a first section and a second section, the first section attached to the seat and the second section attached to the garment. 
     
     
         30 . The garment assembly of  claim 29 , wherein the seat is connected to the garment by only the first elastic member, the second elastic member and the at least one hinging strap. 
     
     
         31 . The garment assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the first elastic member and the second elastic member are configured to increase in length during an initial portion of deployment and thereafter to decrease in length during a subsequent portion of deployment 
     
     
         32 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , further includes at least one hinging strap, the at least one hinging strap including a first section and a second section, the first section of the at least one hinging strap attached to the seat and the second section of the at least one hinging strap attached to the garment. 
     
     
         33 . The garment assembly of  claim 32 , further includes a hinging strap connector attached to at least one of the first section of the at least one hinging strap and the second section of the at least one hinging strap. 
     
     
         34 . The garment assembly of  claim 33 , wherein the first section of the at least one hinging strap is releasably connected to the second section of the at least one hinging strap via the hinging strap connector. 
     
     
         35 . The garment assembly of  claim 33 , wherein the hinging strap connector includes a first hinging strap connector portion releasably connected to a second hinging strap connector portion, the first hinging strap connector portion attached to the first section of the at least one hinging strap, the second hinging strap connector portion attached to the second section of the at least one hinging strap. 
     
     
         36 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , wherein, when the garment is worn by the user, the seat extends more vertically than horizontally in the stowed position and more horizontally than vertically in the deployed position. 
     
     
         37 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , wherein at least one elastic member comprising
 a first section attached to the garment, and   a second section attached to the garment and extending through the seat; and   a connector attached to at least one of the first section and the second section, the first section releasably connected to the second section via the connector, such that the seat is deployable between the stowed position exterior to and outside of the garment and across from the back of the user and the deployed position adjacent to the butt of the user.   
     
     
         38 . The garment assembly of  claim 37 , further comprising an intermediate section extending through the seat. 
     
     
         39 . The garment assembly of  claim 37 , wherein the connector includes a first connector portion and a second connector portion, the first connector portion attached to the first section of the at least one elastic member, the second connector portion attached to the second section of the at least one elastic member, the first connector portion releasably connected to the second connector portion. 
     
     
         40 . The garment assembly of  claim 37 , further includes first and second hinging straps, each of the first and second hinging straps including a first section and a second section,
 wherein the first sections of each of the first and second hinging straps are attached to the seat, and   wherein the second sections of each of the first and second hinging straps are attached to the garment.   
     
     
         41 . The garment assembly of  claim 40 , further comprising first and second hinging strap connectors, the first hinging strap connector attached to at least one of the first section and the second section of the first hinging strap, the second hinging strap connector attached to at least one of the first section and the second section of the second hinging strap. 
     
     
         42 . The garment assembly of  claim 41 , wherein the first section of the first hinging strap is releasably connected to the second section of the first hinging strap via the first hinging strap connector, and the first section of the second hinging strap is releasably connected to the second section of the second hinging strap via the second hinging strap connector. 
     
     
         43 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the seat is deployable between the stowed position exterior to and outside of the garment and across from the back of the user and the deployed position adjacent to the butt of the user. 
     
     
         44 . The garment assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one elastic member is configured to bias the bottom surface of the seat towards the outer surface of the garment when the seat is in the stowed position and to bias the top surface of the seat against the butt of the user when the seat is in the deployed position.