Abstract:
A novel type of lingerie garment that wraps around a person to create a bow shaped design across the person&#39;s chest area to give the appearance that the person wearing the garment has been gift wrapped. When being worn, the garment fastens in a manner in which it can be removed from the person&#39;s body in a quick and efficient manner by pulling one end of the bow. Methods of wrapping a person in the lingerie garment and unwrapping the lingerie garment are further provided.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/742,231 filed Dec. 5, 2005 entitled “Gift Wrap Lingerie,” the entirety of which is incorporated as if set forth in its entirety herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a novel type of lingerie garment, and is specifically directed to a lingerie garment that wraps around a person to create a bow to make it appear as if the person wearing the garment has been gift wrapped. The present invention is further directed to methods of wrapping and unwrapping a person wearing the lingerie garment.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     It is generally well known that people exchange gifts with one another that are often wrapped with a ribbon or a bow. The apparent purpose of the bow in presenting gifts is to dress up the item being given so that its presentation is more elaborate or decorative and additionally to conceal a portion of the gift so that when it is unwrapped by the recipient there is an element of surprise. Commonly, a bow covering a particular article or gift can be quickly and easily unfastened by pulling at one end of the bow such that it comes apart to reveal the underlying article in its entirety. It is generally understood that part of the enjoyment of receiving a wrapped gift is unwrapping it to see what has been given.  
         [0004]     It is also generally well known that there are a great number of types and styles of undergarments presently available; many having a variety of seemingly unique functional or aesthetic characteristics directed to the distinct tastes of different types of individuals. Since lingerie is often times worn under other clothing however, it will typically only be seen by persons other than the wearer in intimate or private circumstances. In anticipation of these circumstances, certain types of lingerie will sometimes be purchased or worn by individuals for the enjoyment of a partner or spouse.  
         [0005]     In keeping with the aforementioned points, it would thus be desirable to have a type of lingerie garment that can wrap around a person to create a bow in order to make it appear as if the person wearing the garment has been gift wrapped. Such a garment would enable the wearer to present themselves to another person in intimate situations as a present to be unwrapped. It would be further desirable if such a garment could be unfastened like a bow placed over a gift and could thus be unwrapped or removed from the person&#39;s body in a quick and efficient manner by simply pulling one end of the bow. It would also be desirable if the aforementioned garment could be comprised of a pliable and durable material such that it will not tear or become damaged during the unwrapping process and could thus be washed and reused.  
         [0006]     As will be described in greater deal hereinafter, the present invention satisfies these needs as well as other features and advantages which will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The invention, in one embodiment, is directed to a lingerie garment featuring a first elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end and being of sufficient length to laterally encircle a wearer&#39;s torso at least once. The first and second ends of the strip are adapted to be tied together to form a bow shaped design having a substantially centrally located knot. The lingerie garment additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end and is of sufficient length to longitudinally encircle the torso of a wearer at least once by extending from the wearer&#39;s breast area over at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s shoulder and down the wearer&#39;s back side. From the wearer&#39;s back side the second elongated strip extends between a wearer&#39;s legs and over at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s abdominal area so that it may be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip.  
         [0008]     The second end of the second elongated strip is further adapted to form a loop which is able to fasten to itself to form the knot of the bow. Accordingly, when the garment is fastened at the front of a wearer, the first and second ends of the first elongated strip are folded and passed through the loop formed at the second end of the second elongated strip to form bow loops.  
         [0009]     The invention, in one form, is further directed to a method of wrapping a wearer in the lingerie garment as well as to a separate method of unwrapping the garment. The method of wrapping the wearer includes placing the wearer&#39;s arm through a sleeve formed between the first and second elongated strip such that the second elongated strip extends over at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s shoulder and down the wearer&#39;s back side; pulling the second elongated strip between the wearer&#39; legs such that a second end of the strip extends from the wearer&#39;s back side to their abdominal area; folding the second end of the second elongated strip to form a loop; folding the first end of the first elongated strip over itself and passing it through the loop formed by the second end of the second elongated strip to form a first bow loop; doing the same with the second end of the first elongated strip to form a second bow loop; pulling the first and second bow loops until the first elongated strip is securely around the wearer&#39;s torso; and adjusting the bow formed by the garment such that it covers at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s breast area.  
         [0010]     Once fastened to a wearer, in one embodiment, the lingerie garment is adapted to be quickly and easily removed. In removing the garment from the wearer, one simply pulls a portion of the bow in a direction away from the knot such that the bow loses its shape and unfastens the first and second elongated strips from one another at the wearer&#39;s breast area. The elongated strips are then permitted to separate from one another such that the garment becomes unwrapped from the wearer&#39;s body. This method of unwrapping is analogous to unwrapping a gift and can be done by the wearer or someone else in the wearer&#39;s presence. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of one embodiment of the present invention being worn by a female person.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  laid out in an unfolded configuration.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  fastened to a mannequin.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  worn by a female person with an alternate type of bow.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  worn by a female person with an alternate type of bow.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  with an additional bow fastened along the second elongated strip.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a female person.  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of an additional embodiment of the lingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a male person.  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the lingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a female person. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]     While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings a number of presently preferred embodiments that are discussed in greater detail hereafter. It should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. It should be further understood that the title of this section of this application (“Detailed Description of the Drawings”) relates to a requirement of the United States Patent Office, and should not be found to limit the subject matter disclosed herein.  
         [0021]     Referring now to the appended drawings, and particularly to  FIGS. 1-3 ,  FIG. 1  shows a lingerie garment  10  of one embodiment of the invention worn by a female wearer  11 ;  FIG. 2  illustrates the lingerie garment  10  laid out and arranged in an unfolded condition; and  FIG. 3  illustrates the back side of a mannequin having the garment fastened thereto. As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the garment  10  features a first elongated strip  21  of pliable material having a first end  22  and a second end  23 . In this embodiment, the first elongated strip  21  is of sufficient length to laterally encircle the torso of a wearer  11  at least once around the wearer&#39;s chest area. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , when the lingerie garment  10  is fastened to a wearer  11 , the first and second ends  22 ,  23  of the first elongated strip  21  are adapted to be tied together to form a bow  31  having at least one loop  32 ,  33  and a substantially centrally located knot  34 . While  FIG. 1  shows the bow  31  positioned over the frontal chest area of the female wearer  11 , those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the bow  31  may be positioned at any location about the wearer&#39;s torso without departing from the scope of the invention.  
         [0022]     The lingerie garment  10  additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material  24  having a first end  25  and a second end  26 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the second elongated strip  24  is of sufficient length to longitudinally encircle the torso of a wearer  11  at least once by extending from the wearer&#39;s breast area over at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s shoulder and down the wearer&#39;s back side. The second elongated strip  24  continuing from the wearer&#39;s back side such that it is passable between the wearer&#39;s legs and over at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s abdominal area so that it may be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip  21 .  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , in one embodiment, the first end  25  of the second strip  24  may be fastened to the first elongated strip  21  between its first and second ends  22 ,  23  at a plurality of locations such that a sleeve  27  is formed, the sleeve  27  being of sufficient length to enable a wearer to extend an arm through the formed sleeve  27  such that the second strip  24  covers at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s shoulder. The second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  may feature at least one attachment means  28 , the attachment means  28  enabling the second elongated strip  24  to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop. When fastened to a wearer  11 , the loop formed by the second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  becomes an additional point of attachment between the first elongated strip  21  and second elongated strip  24  by serving as the knot  34  of the bow  31  formed by the first and second ends  22 ,  23  of the first elongated strip  21 .  
         [0024]     An assortment of various fasteners may serve as the attachment means  28  located at the second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  including, for example, hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro® brand fasteners, at least one button and at least one button hole, at least one hook and at least one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at least one stud receiver, a buckle, a hook and loop fastener or any other type of fastener that will allow the second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  to fasten to itself to form a loop.  
         [0025]     The lingerie garment  10  may be made from a variety of different types of pliable fabric such as, for example, cotton, silk, linen, polyester, a mixture or blend of more than one type of material, paper, wool, or any other type of suitable material that will allow the garment  10  to fasten around a wearer. In addition, it is preferable that the material used for the garment  10  be sufficiently durable so that it may be fastened and unfastened to a wearer  11  without being torn or otherwise damages and also so that it may be washed such that it may be reused on different occasions. The garment  10  can further be decorated in a variety of different styles, colors or patterns and may be provided in a one-size-fits-all design or alternatively may be provided so that, depending on the size of the individual wearer, a different sized garment  10  is used. Further, while  FIGS. 1-7  illustrate various embodiments of the garment  10  being worn by a female wearer  11 , the garment  10  is not limited to females and may be worn in a similar fashion by male individuals as well.  
         [0026]     The bow  31  of the garment  10  may feature a variety of different sizes or shapes. Specifically, while the bow  31  illustrated in  FIG. 1  features two loops,  32 ,  33  having a specific size, larger or smaller bows  31  as well as bows having an alternate number of loops are contemplated by various forms of the garment  10 .  FIGS. 4-5  illustrate, for example, two different types of bows  31   a ,  31   b  that can be used with the garment  10 . The first and second strips  21 ,  24  of the garment  10  may additionally feature hook and loop fasteners, such as for example Velcro® brand fasteners in a variety of different locations in order to assist in fastening the garment  10  around the wearer  11 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  illustrates the lingerie garment  10  having a supplemental bow  35  fastened to the second elongated strip  24  between the first and second ends  25 ,  26 . While  FIG. 6  illustrates the supplemental bow  35  to be located proximate to the front crotch area of the wearer  11 , those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the supplemental bow  35  may be positioned at any location along the second elongated strip  24  between the first and second ends  25 ,  26 . Specifically, when a garment  10  having a supplemental bow  35  is fastened to a wearer, the supplemental bow  35  may be positioned, for example, at any location on the back side of the wearer  11 , or above or in a position covering the wearer&#39;s buttocks. Further, the present invention may additionally feature a plurality of supplemental bows along the second elongated strip  24  which may be arranged in a number of different configurations.  
         [0028]     One embodiment of the present invention is further directed to a method of wrapping a wearer  11  in the lingerie garment  10  as well as to a separate method of unwrapping garment  10 . In wrapping a wearer  11  with the garment, the wearer&#39;s arm is first placed through the sleeve  27  formed between the first and second elongated strips  21 ,  24  such that the second elongated strip  24  extends over at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s shoulder and down the wearer&#39;s back side. The second elongated strip  24  is then pulled between the wearer&#39; legs such that a second end of the strip  26  extends from the wearer&#39;s back side to their abdominal area. The second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  is then folded to form a loop which will become the knot  34  of the bow  31 . The first end  22  of the first elongated strip  21  is then folded over itself and passed through the loop formed by the second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  to form a loop  32  of the bow  31 . The second end  23  of the first elongated strip  21  is then folded over itself and passed through the loop formed by the second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  to form another loop  33  of the bow  31 . The first and second bow loops  32 ,  33  are then pulled until the first elongated strip  21  is securely around the wearer&#39;s torso, and the bow  31  formed by the garment  10  is then adjusted in order to preferably cover at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s breast area.  
         [0029]     Once fastened to a wearer  11 , the lingerie garment  10  is adapted to be quickly and easily removed. In removing the garment  10  from the wearer  11 , a portion of the bow  31  is simply pulled in a direction away from the knot  34  such that the bow loses its shape and unfastens the first and second elongated strips  21 ,  24  from one another at the wearer&#39;s breast area; the elongated strips  21 ,  24  are then permitted to separate from one another such that the garment  10  becomes unwrapped from the wearer&#39;s body. This method of unwrapping is analogous to unwrapping a gift and can be done by the wearer or someone else in the wearer&#39;s presence.  
         [0030]      FIG. 7  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment  10  being worn by a female person  11 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the garment  10  features a first elongated strip  21  of pliable material having a first end  22  and a second end  23 . In this embodiment, the first elongated strip  21  is of sufficient length to laterally encircle the torso of a wearer  11  at least once around the wearer&#39;s chest area. When the lingerie garment  10  is fastened to a wearer  11 , the first and second ends  22 ,  23  of the first elongated strip  21  are adapted to be tied together to form a bow  31  having at least one loop  32 ,  33  and a substantially centrally located knot  34 . While  FIG. 7  shows the bow  31  positioned over the frontal chest area of the female wearer  11 , those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the bow  31  may be positioned at any location about the wearer&#39;s torso without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0031]     The lingerie garment  10  additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material  24  having a first end  25  and a second end  26 . The first end  25  of the second elongated strip  26  is fastened to the first elongated strip  21  between its first and second ends  22 ,  23  such that when the first elongated strip  21  is fastened around the wearer&#39;s torso the second elongated strip extends longitudinally down the wearer&#39;s backside and between the wearer&#39;s legs, the second strip  24  continuing from between the wearer&#39;s legs to extend over at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s abdominal area to be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip  21 .  
         [0032]     As with the other embodiments, the lingerie garment of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 7  may feature at least one supplemental bow  35  fastened between the first and second ends  25 ,  26  of the second elongated strip  24 . Further, the second elongated strip  24  may feature at least one attachment means  28 , the attachment means  28  enabling the second elongated strip  24  to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop. In addition, the first and second strips  21 ,  24  of the garment  10  may feature hook and loop fasteners, such as for example Velcro® brand fasteners in a variety of different locations in order to fasten around the wearer  11 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 8  illustrates an additional embodiment of the lingerie garment  10  being worn by a male person  11 . In this embodiment, the garment  10  features a first elongated strip of pliable material  21  of sufficient length to encircle the waist area of a wearer  11  at least once. The first elongated strip  21  further includes first and second ends  22 ,  23  which are adapted to be tied together to form a bow  31  having at least one loop  32 ,  33  and a substantially centrally located knot  34 . The garment  10  additionally features a second elongated strip of pliable material  24 . having first (not shown) and second ends  26 . In this embodiment, the first end of the second elongated strip  24  is fastened to the first elongated strip  21  between its first and second ends such that when the first elongated strip  21  is fastened around the wearer&#39;s waist, the second elongated strip  24  extends in a substantially perpendicular direction from the first elongated strip  21  to cover at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s buttocks. The second elongated strip  24  extending from the wearer&#39;s buttocks between the wearer&#39;s legs to cover at least a portion of the wearer&#39;s crotch area. The second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  adapted to fasten to the first elongated strip  21  in a manner identical to that previously disclosed with respect to other embodiments. The second end  26  of the second elongated strip  24  forming the knot  34  of the bow  31 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 9  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment  10  being worn by a female person  11 . In this embodiment, the bottom portion  20  of the garment  10  has characteristics identical to those previously described in connection with the garment  10  illustrated in  FIG. 8  and thus will not be repeated. The garment  10  of this embodiment however additionally features a top portion  30  made of a third elongated strip  41  of pliable material. The third elongated strip  41  of this embodiment is of sufficient length to encircle the torso area of a wearer  11  at least once and further features a first and second end  42 ,  43  that are adapted to be tied together to form a bow  31   a  having at least one loop  32 ,  33  and a substantially centrally located knot  34 .  
         [0035]     The present disclosure includes that which is contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the forgoing description. Although, this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of the elements, compositions and the combination of individual ingredients may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.