Abstract:
An undergarment is provided having a support system configured to comfortably support a male wearer&#39;s genitalia throughout aggressive athletic movements. Inside of the undergarment, an internal pocket is formed by a generally H-shaped insert that holds the male wearer&#39;s genitalia in a forward position and keeps the wearer&#39;s genitalia aligned with the internal portion of the athletic cup positioned at the front of the undergarment. Additionally, the H-shaped insert positions the male wearer&#39;s genitalia away from their legs, providing increased support and comfort for the wearer. A cross-wall defining the back of the internal pocket holds the wearer&#39;s genitalia to prevent it from dropping backward or downward, and presses against the wearer&#39;s perineum at its top edge to further aid in creation of a barrier that even further reduces the risk of chaffing. The side panels of the H-shaped insert are so positioned with respect to the wearer&#39;s anatomy so as to pull the back portion of the undergarment forward against the wearer&#39;s buttocks, and the bottom portion of the undergarment upward against the bottom of the wearer&#39;s torso (and particularly against the wearer&#39;s perineum), when worn.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is based upon co-pending and co-owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/088,969 entitled “Undergarment with Support Structure,” filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 8, 2014, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to sport undergarments, and more particularly to an undergarment that may be worn to provide male anatomical support during various physical activities. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Athletes will often wear sporting apparel that is specialized to the activities in which they are engaged. Particularly, as many sports carry risk of impact injury to an athlete&#39;s groin, it has long been advised that athletes wear an athletic cup to protect their genitals against injury during such activities. Unfortunately, prior constructions that have sought to incorporate systems for holding an athletic cup, and for otherwise supporting the wearer&#39;s genitalia, have lacked comfort and have not been widely accepted. For instance, a survey of student athletes conducted by the Society for Pediatric Urology indicated that across all sports, 87.5% of those surveyed reported not wearing athletic cups during practices or games, evidencing that despite the need to protect against injury, athletes are typically not inclined to take adequate protection. 
         [0004]    An often-cited reason for not wearing a protective athletic cup is the discomfort that an athlete often feels when wearing such equipment. Particularly, movement and shifting of the athletic cup during athletic movements tends to shift the orientation of the cup with respect to the wearer&#39;s genitalia, making it uncomfortable at best, and creating a crushing point-impact injury at worst. 
         [0005]    In light of the shortcomings of such prior configurations, there remains a need in the art for an undergarment that is comfortable to wear and that provides sufficient support to the male wearer&#39;s genitalia during athletic movements, and that particularly can maintain an athletic cup in its intended position throughout even aggressive athletic movements. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Disclosed is an undergarment having a support system configured to comfortably support a male wearer&#39;s genitalia while ensuring constant alignment of an athletic cup held in an exterior pocket of the undergarment, even through aggressive athletic movements. In certain configurations, an athletic cup pocket may be provided at the front of the undergarment having an open bottom that allows the bottom of the athletic cup to extend through such pocket. Inside of the undergarment, an internal pocket is formed by a generally H-shaped insert that holds the male wearer&#39;s genitalia in a forward position and keeps the wearer&#39;s genitalia aligned with the internal portion of the athletic cup positioned at the front of the undergarment. Additionally, the H-shaped insert positions the male wearer&#39;s genitalia away from their legs, providing increased support and comfort for the wearer. More particularly, the internal compartment creates a fabric barrier between the top, inside portion of each leg and the central groin, decreasing the risk of chaffing. A cross-wall defining the back of the internal pocket not only holds the wearer&#39;s genitalia to prevent it from dropping backward or downward, but also presses against the wearer&#39;s perineum at its top edge to further aid in creation of a barrier that even further reduces the risk of chaffing. The side panels of the H-shaped insert are so positioned with respect to the wearer&#39;s anatomy so as to pull the back portion of the undergarment forward against the wearer&#39;s buttocks, and the bottom portion of the undergarment upward against the bottom of the wearer&#39;s torso (and particularly against the wearer&#39;s perineum), when worn. Moreover, placement of an athletic cup in the front of the undergarment, in combination with the position of the H-shaped insert, further this effect of pulling the interior of the undergarment against the wearer&#39;s body while both preventing chaffing of the wearer&#39;s upper thighs and holding the wearer&#39;s genitalia in a forward position. 
         [0007]    In accordance with certain aspects of an embodiment of the invention, an undergarment is provided having a compression shorts exterior; an H-shaped insert attached to an interior of the compression shorts, the H-shaped insert further comprising a first side panel having a bottom edge affixed to an interior of the shorts, and a top edge opposite the bottom edge of the first side panel; 
         [0008]    a second side panel having a bottom edge affixed to the interior of the shorts, and a top edge opposite the bottom edge of the second side panel, the second side panel extending parallel to the first side panel; and a central panel attached to and extending perpendicular to each of the side panels; wherein a front edge of each of the side panels is attached to an interior front side of the compression shorts, and a second edge of each of the side panels opposite the front edges is attached to an interior of the compression shorts at a location such that, when worn, the second edge aligns with a location on a wearer&#39;s body that is rearwardly adjacent to the wearer&#39;s femur bone socket. 
         [0009]    In accordance with further aspects of an embodiment of the invention, an undergarment is provided comprising a compression shorts exterior, the compression shorts exterior further comprising a central shorts panel having a head region having a front top edge and two head region side edges, each head region side edge convexly curving inwardly to a mid-region point, and a tail region having a rear top edge and two tail region side edges, each tail region side edge concavely curving inwardly from the rear top edge to the mid-region point; and two leg panels, each of the leg panels having a leg panel top edge, a leg panel bottom edge, a lower cylindrical portion extending upward from the leg panel bottom edge, and a curved upper seam extending upward from the lower cylindrical portion, the curved upper seam having an upper seam front portion affixed to one of the head region side edges of the shorts central panel, and an upper seam back portion affixed to one of the tail region side edges of the shorts central panel; a curved side panel attached to the intersection of each leg panel curved upper seam with the shorts central panel, each curved side panel extending along the front upper seam of the leg panel and only a portion of the back upper seam of the leg panel so as to terminate at a position adjacent a wearer&#39;s perineum when worn; and a central genitalia support panel extending between and affixed to each curved side panel and extending over the central shorts panel at the mid-region point. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The numerous advantages of the present invention may be better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top view of an undergarment in accordance with certain aspects of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the undergarment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a pattern suitable for use in forming the undergarment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a top view of an undergarment in accordance with further aspects of the invention and showing representative dimensions for various elements of the undergarment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    The invention summarized above may be better understood by referring to the following description, claims, and accompanying drawings. This description of an embodiment, set out below to enable one to practice an implementation of the invention, is not intended to limit the preferred embodiment, but to serve as a particular example thereof. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the conception and specific embodiments disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other methods and systems for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent assemblies do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form. 
         [0017]    Disclosed is an athletic undergarment configured to provide comfortable support to a male wearer during athletic activities. In certain configurations, such undergarment is configured to ensure that the wearer&#39;s genitalia are protected from impact during such activities. More particularly, the undergarment described herein includes an internal structure that creates a compartment to support male genitalia, and to optionally position the male genitalia with respect to an athletic cup held in an exterior pocket so as to at all times keep the wearer&#39;s genitalia within the perimeter of the athletic cup, even during aggressive athletic movements. 
         [0018]    As shown in the top-down view of  FIG. 1 , the undergarment comprises shorts that include, in general, outer compression shorts  100  having a waistband  102  and leg hole openings  104   a  and  104   b.  From the perspective of  FIG. 1 , the top of the Figure represents the front of shorts  100 , and the bottom of the Figure represents the back of the shorts  100 . Compression shorts  100  are of traditional configuration, such that when worn, the front, back, and sides of the shorts are in close contact with the wearer&#39;s torso. A generally H-shaped insert  108  is provided on the interior of the compression shorts  100  extending generally from front to back, and is preferably formed of spandex or cotton. The H-shaped insert includes a first side  110   a  adjacent first leg hole opening  104   a,  a second side  110   b  adjacent second leg hole opening  104   b,  and a central panel  112  extending between first side  110   a  and second side  110   b  and generally perpendicular to those two sides. Central panel  112  and the front portions of first side  110   a  and second side  110   b  form an internal pocket  120 . When worn by a male, the front, upper portions of each of first side  110   a  and second side  110   b  of the H-shaped insert will sit immediately adjacent the wearer&#39;s legs and against their groin, so that internal pocket  120  will hold the wearer&#39;s genitalia in place in pocket  120 , even through athletic movements (such as squatting). 
         [0019]    Additionally, a jock strap assembly (shown generally at  200 ) may be provided, the jock strap assembly being configured to hold an athletic cup of traditional configuration. Jock strap  200  includes a front, external pocket  202  on an exterior, front side of compression shorts  100 , which in certain configurations is sewn to the front of compression shorts  100  along a seam  204  at the top edge  206  of pocket  202 . In this configuration, the sides of pocket  202  are not sewn to the front of compression shorts  100  so that an athletic cup may be inserted into pocket  202 , and so as to have the cup-holding pocket  202  attached to the shorts only along seam  204 . Jock strap  200  narrows from top edge  206  towards its back edge  208 , and forms a generally triangularly-shaped pocket  209  at its base configured to receive the narrow, bottom end of a traditional athletic cup (not shown). A connecting member is provided, which may include straps  210   a  and  210   b  extending outward from the back edge  208  of jock strap  200 , and passing through an opening  106  in the bottom, back center of compression shorts  100 . Further, the free ends of each of straps  210   a  and  210   b  are sewn to the back ends of first side  110   a  and second side  110   b  of the H-shaped insert, respectively, where those first and second sides  110   a  and  110   b  are attached to the interior of compression shorts  100 . Thus, while external pocket  202  configured as shown in  FIG. 1  is not detachable from shorts  100 , the bottom, rear portion of external pocket  202  may move relatively freely with respect to shorts  100 , with seam  204  acting essentially as a hinge for external pocket  202 , and allowing the bottom-most portion of external pocket  202  to vary position with respect to shorts  100  so as to accommodate wearers&#39; differing body sizes. 
         [0020]    Moreover, anchoring the top, front edge of the jock strap  200  to the front, exterior of compression shorts  100 , and anchoring the rear portion of straps  210   a  and  210   b  of jock strap  200  to the back, interior of compression shorts  100 , aids in pulling the bottom of the cup upwards so that it sits tighter against the wearer&#39;s body than it would in typical jock strap configurations. More particularly, the configuration of the instant invention creates and takes advantage of open space behind the wearer&#39;s genitals, with straps  210   a  and  210   b  extending through such open space, providing a more upwardly and rearwardly directed pull on back edge  208  of external pocket  202 . Further, as straps  210   a  and  210   b  pull the back edge  208  of external pocket  202  inward towards the wearer&#39;s groin, the back edge  208  of external pocket  202  (and thus the bottom-most portion of an athletic cup positioned within external pocket  202 ) extends rearward of central panel  112  as it is pulled toward the wearer&#39;s groin. In this position, the athletic cup held in external pocket  202  overlaps internal pocket  120 , such that the male wearer&#39;s genitalia is automatically positioned within the athletic cup. Further, the pulling force exerted on the back edge  208  of external pocket  202  by straps  210   a  and  210   b  when the shorts are worn ensures that the athletic cup is continuously pulled against the wearer&#39;s groin to ensure that the wearer&#39;s genitalia is both comfortably contained in internal pocket  120  and protected by the athletic cup positioned in external pocket  202 , and remains within the perimeter of an athletic cup positioned in external pocket  202  even during athletic exercises and movements. 
         [0021]    While not shown in the Figures, a single fabric member may be provided in the general form of a triangle, joining back edge  208  of external pocket  202  to the back, interior of compression shorts  100 , instead of separate straps  210   a  and  210   b,  with the triangular fabric member being sewn across the back, interior of compression shorts  100 . In this optional configuration, straps  210   a  and  210   b  become the outline of the triangular fabric member, with the seam for such member running from the location of one strap to the other strap. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a side view of compression shorts  100 , and  FIG. 3  is a front view of compression shorts  100 , each showing the above-described support system (the internal components of the system being shown in phantom). More particularly, external pocket  202  is shown attached at seam  204  to the front of shorts  100 , with seam  204  positioned preferably about 1.5 inches below waistband  102 . The sides of external pocket  202  remain open such that an athletic cup  300  ( FIG. 2 ) may be inserted into external pocket  202  from either of its open sides. The bottom most portion of athletic cup  300  sits within triangularly shaped pocket  209  formed at the back end  208  of external pocket  202 , and as back end  208  of external pocket  202  is not fixed to the exterior of shorts  100 , a degree of movement is available between pocket  202  and the interior of shorts  100 , and thus between the athletic cup  300  and the interior of shorts  100 , to accommodate the differing shapes and sizes of various wearers. Nonetheless, such freedom of movement exists primarily only during placement of the shorts  100  on the wearer, as when the shorts  100  are worn, straps  210   a  and  210   b  pull the back end  208  of external pocket  202  inward toward the wearer&#39;s groin and will hold the external pocket  202 , and any cup  300  held therein, in place in a fixed position against the wearer&#39;s groin. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 2 and 3  also show sides  110   a  and  110   b  of H-shaped insert  108 , along with central panel  112  extending between sides  110   a  and  110   b  and positioned so as to align with the wearer&#39;s perineum, such that the resulting internal pocket  120  will hold the wearer&#39;s genitalia in a forward position and in alignment with the interior of cup  300  while the shorts  100  are worn, including throughout athletic movements. 
         [0024]    It is not necessary that pocket  202  be formed with open sides and a closed top, or that straps  210   a  and  210   b  attach such pocket  202  to compression shorts  100 . Rather, in certain configurations, pocket  202  may be provided on the interior or exterior of compression shorts  100  with sewn sides and an open top to receive an athletic cup, and straps  210   a  and  210   b  eliminated from the undergarment. In this configuration, the specific placement of side panels  110   a  and  110   b,  and particularly the points at which side panels  110   a  and  100   b  attach to the interior of compression shorts  100 , will pull the back section of the compression shorts  100  forward against the wearer&#39;s buttocks and the bottom section of the compression shorts  100  upward against the wearer&#39;s perineum, such that the top portions of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  sit flush against the bottom of the wearer&#39;s torso, and the top of central panel  112  sits flush against the bottom of the wearer&#39;s torso and behind their genitalia, thus protecting the wearer&#39;s upper thighs against chaffing and holding the wearer&#39;s genitalia in a forward position. Moreover, placing an athletic cup into pocket  202  in this configuration further tightens the compression shorts  100  against the wearer&#39;s body, even further improving the protection against chaffing and holding the wearer&#39;s genitalia in a forward position and fully in alignment with the interior portion of such athletic cup. 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is an exemplary pattern that may be used to form the shorts  100  as described above. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a shorts central panel  400  is provided and includes a wide head region  402  that narrows along curved side edges to a mid-region point  401  (the location at which central panel  112  crosses over shorts central panel  400 ), with each curved side edge joining to a front, upper seam  412  of each pant leg panel  410 . Central panel  400  also includes a tail region  404  extending from the end of wide head region  402  to the back end of central panel  400 , and having curved side edges that widen from the intersection with wide head region to the back end of central panel  400 . Further, each curved side edge of tail region  404  joins to a back, upper seam  414  of each pant leg panel  410 . Each pant leg panel  410  wraps into a generally cylindrical shape, such that the bottom leg seams  416  of each pant leg panel join to one another. Each pant leg panel  410  also includes a side  110   a  or  110   b  of H-shaped insert  108  (which may be separated into two segments when initially forming the pant leg panel  410 , but ultimately joining together into a single side of H-shaped insert  108 ). Likewise, one of pant leg panels  410  includes central panel  112 , which may be joined along its free edge  113  to the side  110   b  of the other pant leg panel  410  when the two pant leg panels  410  are joined to central panel  400 . 
         [0026]    As mentioned above, compression shorts  100  need not be formed with straps  110   a  and  110   b , and may instead be provided with an athletic cup compartment sewn at both sides to either the interior or exterior of the front portion of compression shorts  100 , forming pocket  120  with an open top for receiving an athletic cup. In such configuration, pocket  120  is preferably open at the bottom so that the bottom portion of an athletic cup may extend through the bottom of pocket  120  so that it is positioned, when worn, behind central panel  112 . 
         [0027]    In order to maximize the benefits of protecting against chaffing of the wearer&#39;s upper thighs and groin, and positioning the wearer&#39;s genitalia in a forward position throughout athletic movements, proper placement of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  and central panel  112  (and of their attachment to the interior of compression shorts  100 ) is an important aspect.  FIG. 5  shows preferable dimensions that have been found to be optimal for such placement. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the total distance from the bottom of the waistband  102  at the front of the compression shorts  100  to the bottom of the waistband  102  at the back of the shorts (dimension “C”) along upper seams  412  and  414  (where shorts central panel  400  attaches to each pant leg panel  410 ) is preferably 54 cm (representing the full length of the side edges of central panel  400  shown in  FIG. 4 ), although such dimension may be modified to suit individuals of differing body sizes, with the points of attachment of H-shaped insert  108  proportionally altered to maintain the same alignment with the wearer&#39;s anatomy as discussed here. For compression shorts  100  having such a front to back length span of 54 cm, the rear portion of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  of H-shaped insert  108  are attached to the interior of compression shorts  100  a distance of 31-32 cm from the bottom of waistband  102  at the front of compression shorts  100  (dimension “A”) measured along upper seams  412  and  414 , with central panel  112  positioned a distance of 22-23 cm from the bottom of waistband  102  at the front of compression shorts  100  (dimension “B”) measured along upper seams  412  and  414 . In general, and so as to allow the foregoing dimensions to be proportionally varied for persons of differing body sizes, side panels  110   a  and  110   b  of H-shaped insert  108  extend preferably 65-68% of the distance from the bottom of waistband  102  at the front of compression shorts  100  (dimension “A”) to the bottom of waistband  102  at the rear of compression shorts  100  along upper seams  412  and  414 , with central panel  112  positioned preferably 40-43% of the distance from the bottom of waistband  102  at the front of compression shorts  100  (dimension “B”) to the bottom of waistband  102  at the rear of compression shorts  100  along upper seams  412  and  414 . 
         [0028]    Such positioning of both the central panel  112  and side panels  110   a  and  110   b  of H-shaped insert  108  causes the back end of each of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  to be positioned just rearward of the wearer&#39;s femur bone socket in the pubic bone, with central panel  112  positioned just forward of the wearer&#39;s femur bone socket. More particularly, in such configuration, the back end of each of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  is positioned adjacent the portion of the wearer&#39;s pubis to which the adductor magnus muscle attaches, with central panel  112  being positioned forward of both the adductor magnus muscle and the femur bone socket, and aligned with the region of the wearer&#39;s pubis to which the wearer&#39;s gracilis muscle attaches. Moreover, each side panel  110   a  and  110   b  extends forward from such rear attachment point, so that the top edge of at least a portion of each side panel  110   a  and  110   b  maintains contact with the wearer&#39;s skin that covers the intersection of the wearer&#39;s gracilis muscle, adductor magnus muscle, and ischiocavernous muscle with the inferior ramus of the pubis. Likewise, the upper edge of central panel  112  is positioned to maintain contact with a region of bottom of the torso of the wearer&#39;s body that is both forward of the femur bone socket and that is in-line with the region in which the wearer&#39;s gracilis muscle attaches to the wearer&#39;s pubis. Such alignment between the upper edge of central panel  112  and this region of the wearer&#39;s body is maintained throughout even aggressive athletic movements, including for example during squatting and returning to a standing position. 
         [0029]    It has been found that such positioning of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  and of central panel  112  results in forwardly positioning the male wearer&#39;s genitalia forward of and in contact with (and supported from behind by) central panel  112 , with side panels  110   a  and  110   b  sitting between the wearer&#39;s upper thighs at the intersection with the wearer&#39;s groin so as to maximize comfort in both standing and squatting positions while protecting against chaffing in all positions between the standing and squatting positions. Moreover, such positioning of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  has been found to pull the interior material of compression shorts  100  against the rear and bottom of the wearer&#39;s torso to maintain a tight fit and proper positioning of the side panels  110   a  and  110   b  and central panel  112  throughout such movements. It has been found that if the back end of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  are positioned too far rearward, the anchor point will perform poorly in both pulling the compression shorts  100  and H-shaped insert  108  tightly against the wearer&#39;s skin. Likewise, it has been found that if the back end of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  are positioned too far forward, the anchor point will perform poorly in ensuring constant and continuous contact of side panels  110   a  and  110   b  throughout their full length with the skin of the wearer&#39;s crotch, thus leaving that skin prone to chaffing. Furthermore, positioning central panel  112  too far forward will prevent central panel  112  from contacting the perineum as intended, and positioning central panel  112  too far rearward will result in improper positioning and support of the wearer&#39;s genitalia in a sufficiently forward position so as to provide comfortable support while avoiding chaffing of the wearer&#39;s perineum. 
         [0030]    Still further, when provided with cup pocket  120 , placement of an athletic cup in such cup pocket  120  results in side panels  110   a  and  110   b  pulling the athletic cup snug against the wearer&#39;s body, with the bottom of the athletic cup extending rearward of central panel  112  to ensure that the male wearer&#39;s genitalia at all times is aligned with the interior of the athletic cup. 
         [0031]    In still other configurations of compression shorts  100 , the undergarment may be provided without any pocket  120 . In this configuration, in the event that the wearer wishes to use the undergarment when engaging in sports activities, the compression shorts may be worn with a jock strap and still provide the benefits of protection against chaffing of the wearer&#39;s upper thighs and forward positioning of the wearer&#39;s genitalia as discussed in detail above. 
         [0032]    Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. It should be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth herein.