Abstract:
Multisectional hosiery having a plurality of various sections is connected by elastic attachment materials on each section in an overlapping manner. The multiple detachable hosiery sections allow the user to mix or match hosiery sections, or change the number of hosiery sections, to accommodate fashion desires, changes in clothing or a run in a particular hosiery section. The result is a versatile multisectional hosiery system which allows a user to use some of the various sections in many different combinations.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to hosiery, and more specifically, pantyhose. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Stockings have been a fashion apparel for women for decades. They have been made of nylon and silk, and other materials, to give a sheer appearance. Traditionally, they were held in place by garters. In time, pantyhose were invented to replace the garter. Pantyhose have the advantage of being sheer and form fitting, so they do not create unsightly bulk, as would a garter, in form-fitting apparel. Pantyhose also have the advantage of providing some support in the panty portion without being as restrictive as a girdle. Unfortunately, however, pantyhose are usually only manufactured and sold in four sizes: small, medium, large, queen and king sometimes by height. Thus, by necessity, ornamental selection is more limited in pantyhose than it is in stockings, which are still sold in a wide variety of ornamental designs. 
     In addition, traditional stockings and hosiery are made in one piece from one material. As is well known, when the wearer &#34;runs&#34; the stockings or panty hose (i.e., tears the hosiery material), the whole garment is rendered unsuitable. This results in a wasted material and expense, as even a small run may ruin an entire pair of panty hose or an entire stocking. Accordingly, there exists a long felt need for hosiery which is not entirely ruined when only one area has a run or tear. 
     Further, as Shakespeare said, &#34;The fashion wears out more apparel than the man,&#34;(Much Ado About Nothing, Act III, scene iii, line 147) although certainly the statement is applicable to persons regardless of gender. Hosiery in a single piece made from a single material does not permit changing the fashion without changing hosiery entirely --even if only a portion of the leg or only the ankle or foot is seen. Thus, even though the panty or upper leg or even lower leg or foot sections are not worn and are not seen, and may be perfectly usable, the wearer must change all sections of the hosiery just to change the fashion of what may be a small part. There thus exists a need for hosiery which may change in look or fashion without having to endure the expense and inconvenience of entirely changing hosiery itself. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to multisectional hosiery wherein a plurality of various sections are connected via elastic attachment means. The hosiery may be of a panty hose type style, or a stockings style, and may be of two or more sections. Each section may be of a different material or of similar materials. The materials themselves may provide for different functions, such as but not limited to, very elastic material for pregnant wearers, support hosiery materials, Spandex for athletic uses, or dressy materials such as patterned or variously colored nylon. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 represents one illustration of a multisectional hosiery garment according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 represents a detachable hosiery section according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 represents another illustration of a multisectional hosiery garment according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present multisectional hosiery may be embodied in a wide variety of different forms to accommodate a wide variety of uses and styles. Generally, to outline the different parameters, the style, number of sections, materials and means for attachment of one section to another may be selected according to the individual need. A preferred embodiment of a multisectional pair of detachable pantyhose according to the present invention, generally designated as 1, is depicted in FIG. 1. The pantyhose has a panty portion 10 and a pair of leg portions, generally designated as 20, which are detachably connected to the panty portion 10 by elastic means 30. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the leg portions 20 has a foot portion 40 which is detachably connected to an upper leg portion 50 by additional elastic means, generally designated 31. As shown in FIG. 1, the foot portions 40 do not extend above the wearer&#39;s knee, but in another alternative embodiment (not shown), the foot portions 40 do extend above the wearer&#39;s knee. 
     A preferred embodiment of a multisectional hosiery system according to the present invention, generally designated as 100, is depicted in FIG. 2. The system has a panty portion, generally designated as 10, a pair of upper leg portions 51, a pair of lower leg portions 61, and a pair of foot portions 40. The panty portion has a hosiery panty support portion 11, a crotch portion 12 (which can be made of a breathable material such as cotton) and a pair of leg portions 13, with a pair of elastic means to snugly fit a pair of legs. The pair of upper leg portions 51 have an upper leg hosiery portion 52 and a first and second upper leg portion elastic means, generally designated 32 and 33, respectively, to snugly fit a leg. The pair of lower leg portions 61 have a lower leg hosiery portion 62 and a first and second lower leg portion elastic means, generally designated 34 and 35, to snugly fit a leg. The pair of foot portions have a foot hosiery portion 41 and a foot portion elastic means, generally designated 36, to snugly fit a leg. 
     In the context of this invention, the panty portion 10 (excluding a crotch portion 12), the leg portions 20, the leg portions 13, the upper leg hosiery portions 13, the upper leg hosiery portion 52, the lower leg hosiery portion 62 and the foot hosiery portion 41 are all made of hosiery material. That is, the material is suitable as hosiery such as pantyhose and stockings, and not as some other garment, such as trousers, slacks or shorts. &#34;Hosiery material&#34; connotes the use of relatively flexible material, preferably fiber, such as nylon or silk, which is form fitting, and not baggy, inflexible fabrics. However, there are variations in hosiery material, and it is contemplated that preferred embodiments use several different materials for different parts of the pantyhose or multisectional hosiery system. For example, the panty may be of a full cut or a smaller cut, and made of various materials. Panty sections may be of a firmer nature, as what those skilled in the art call &#34;control top.&#34; Leg sections may be seamed or unseamed, and foot sections may be sandal foot reinforced heels or toes or both. The materials also may be selected from a wide variety, recognizing that each section may be of the same material or different materials in combination. For example, maternity hosiery materials, support hosiery materials, surgical hosiery materials, different deniers of nylon materials, such as tights or sheer nylon, spandex, cotton-synthetic blends and other materials which are suitable for hosiery, may be selected. The wearer&#39;s selection may be based on health needs, such as for maternity, support, athletic needs, comfort needs, warmth or coolness of fabric. The wearer&#39;s selection may also be based on fashion needs, such as the selection of different colors or patterns, or different types of hosiery materials. For example, one may desire a maternity panty, and support upper thigh portion, but sheer over-the-knee section for style purposes. 
     Fashion hosiery material is another preferred embodiment. The use of multiple detachable sections in the present invention allows the wearer the advantages of mixing and matching various materials, including fashion or dressy hosiery materials. For example, patterned hosiery materials may be used, or plain dressy materials with a sparkling effect may be used. Also, designs, such as air-brushed or tie-dyed designs may be used. Generally, fashion hosiery material is that material which includes an arbitrary, or at least non-functional design for fashion purposes, as opposed to the knit of the material as a result of its manufacture alone. Many other examples apart from those listed above would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art working from the illustrative examples disclosed herein. 
     The multiple detachable hosiery sections of the present invention include at least one elastic means on one border, and in some cases, such as the pair of upper leg portions 51 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two elastic means, 32 and 33, to snugly fit a leg. In a preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that the elastic means be of a somewhat sheer material, such as a spandex, so as to generally conform to the form of the hosiery section. The elastic means can also be a combination of materials, such as spandex and nylon. Thus, for example, previous hosiery articles such as knee or thigh highs have included such elastic means affixed to the non-elastic portion of the hosiery garment. The elastic portion of one hosiery section overlaps or connects two hosiery sections, and the overlap can be partial or complete. The elastic portion is preferably two to three inches, and may be of a separate elastic piece, or a knitted-in elastic piece, either flat or ribbed. In an especially preferred embodiment, one or more elastic piece too may be used to give a stylish effect, such as by using lace, or patterned materials for the elastic connection to create a decorative design portion. For example, decorations could include mushrooms, familiar sea shells, pine cones, familiar mammals, familiar birds, buds, roses and other familiar flowers, and cactus, etc. 
     Presented below are a few examples of the present invention: 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     SELECTED SUPPORT 
     If the wearer desires support hose material over the thigh and knee area only, the wearer would select (a) a regular panty (if panty hose type hosiery is desired) (b) a leg section covering the thigh and knee area made of support hose comprised of 70-85% nylon, the remainder being spandex, and (c) a calf-covering section of sheer hosiery material made of 100% nylon for fashion purposes. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     REMOVABLE FOOT 
     If the foot section tends to wear out more quickly, the wearer may desire a replaceable anklet-type foot section. The wearer would select (a) a panty section (if panty type hosiery is desired), (b) a leg section or multi leg sections, and (c) a removable anklet section. If the hosiery is to be worn underneath slacks, the anklet section may further be ornamental for fashion purposes. 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     REMOVABLE KNEE-HIGH 
     If higher than an anklet is desired, the above anklet section may be replaced with a removable knee-high section. 
     EXAMPLE 4 
     STYLISH LEG SECTION 
     The wearer may desire a fashion in which the leg section is a different color, pattern, design or material than the foot section. In this case, the wearer would select (a) a panty section (if panty hose is desired), (b) a full length leg section made of ornamental material, and (c) an anklet made of different ornamental material. Style may be enhanced also by additional lace borders between sections, or other colors, patterns, designs or materials. 
     EXAMPLE 5 
     STYLISH ATHLETIC WEAR 
     For athletic use, a similar principle may be employed as above in that the panty and leg sections may be of different materials, and the foot section may be present or omitted. 
     EXAMPLE 6 
     EVERY DAY WEAR 
     For day-to-day wear, where the wearer simply seeks to replace worn out sections of hosiery without replacing the entire pair of panty hose or stockings, the wearer may select a single material for all sections. For example, the wearer may select an above-the-knee section of sheer skin-toned material, and a matching upper thigh/panty portion. 
     EXAMPLE 7 
     MATERNITY HOSE 
     The wearer may substitute a maternity panty section when suitable, and replace the panty with a regular panty section after giving birth without having to discard the entire pair of panty hose. 
     EXAMPLE 8 
     SUMMER WEAR 
     If the wearer does not desire to wear a panty portion made of hosiery material during the day, but still desires to wear a stocking, the panty portion could be replaced with a regular panty during the day. If the wearer subsequently wanted a panty portion made of hosiery material at night, the panty portion of this invention could then be substituted for the conventional panties. 
     As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the preceding disclosure, many modifications, alterations, and substitutions are possible in the spirit of scope thereof. For example, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is contemplated that the multisectional