Abstract:
A garment for the lower torso of the body, and in particular a sport skirt that hangs from the hips or waist of the user which comprises a skirt assembly including at least two slits to eight inches above or below the user&#39;s hip joint allowing for unrestricted leg movement while providing coverage of the buttocks and crotch area in various sport related positions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention is a garment, a sport skirt. Throughout the application description the coined word “skqurt” is used in place of “the garment of this invention”. The English word “garment” is used in the claims.  
         [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a garment for a part of the body, and in particular to a sport skirt, a skqurt. Particular examples are described in relation to surfing and skiing, which are preferred sports for application, but the garment described here can be adapted for use in other sports.  
         [0004]     2. Background Information  
         [0005]     Skqurts can be seen as similar to many historic garments including loincloths, which have historically been worn as the sole piece of lower torso clothing. Loincloths are noted for their ability to offer glimpses of pubic hair, which is precisely what skqurts aim to prevent. In Borneo the purpose of the loincloth is to cover the male genitals, it leaves the buttocks bare. http://www.ikanlundu.com/literary/borneo_loincloth.html.  
         [0006]     The Wikipedia definition of loincloth: The loincloth is the simplest form of underwear, and it was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. A loincloth may take two major forms. The first consists of a long, triangular piece of fabric with strings or strips of cloth sewn to the corners. The strings are tied around the waist, and the cloth is brought up between the legs and tucked into or otherwise fastened to the resulting band. The alternate form is more skirt-like: a cloth is wrapped around the hips several times and then fastened with a girdle. In warmer climates, the loincloth may be the only clothing worn (making it effectively not an undergarment), but in colder temperatures, the loincloth often forms the basis of a person&#39;s clothing and is covered by other garments. In most ancient civilizations, this was the only undergarment available (King Tutankhamun was buried with 145 of them). The loincloth continues to be worn by people around the world (it is the traditional form of undergarment in many Asian societies, for example).  
         [0007]     Other historic garments that bear resemblance include a belted harem skirt of Egypt circa 48BC as depicted in the Jean-Leon Gerome 1866 painting From Gerald M. Ackerman,  Les Orientalistes: Jean - Léon Gérome , ACR Edition Internationale, Courbevoie, Paris, 1986, p. 70. 2 pictures. These are very long and have potential for entangling the user if it is subject to strong currents of wind or water.  
         [0008]     A dhoti in Indian culture, or a sarong of Malayan culture, or other historic and current forms of mantle draping and tying do not offer the same mobility as skqurts. In addition to other limiting factors, they have excess fabric, which bunches when worn in a manner similar to the skqurt, this adds weight and bulk in opposition to the performance ideal of a surfer.  
         [0009]     A skirted panty circa 1946 Mel Juffe,  The New York Post [?], date unknown but c.  1982. No photo credit. 1 picture, is an early incarnation of the skqurt. Appealing to an entirely different aesthetic, the tight ‘skirt’ is actually an extra layer of fabric folded back over a panty. It is permanently attached to the undergarment, has no slits for keeping coverage over the crotch in the event of straddling or squatting. This aspect of exposure is quite clear in pin-up photos of the 40&#39;s and 50&#39;s including some famous shots of actress Marilyn Monroe.  
         [0010]     Similar more contemporary garments from outside of the surfing world include newer Yoga skirts (pictured at www.sportees.com/imported_pics/yoga %20skirts.JPG), beach skirts, Tennis skirts, and other sports skirts of today. Besides using fabrics unsuitable for salt-water exposure, these are limited in the respect that they generally have elastic waistbands that easily fall off or up when pulled by strong ocean surges. Some do employ fixed circumference waistbands and full skirts, pleats, or excess fabric, however these skirts do not offer the coverage or mobility of skqurts, as when seated with legs spread wide they tend to flip up in the middle to form an “m” shape with the lower edge of the fabric exposing the crotch. They also lack a means of securing to an undergarment. Often these are made with built in undergarments, which limits the convenience and ability to wear the same skirt with any bikini bottom, thus precluding many combinations from one purchase.  
         [0011]     Sports kilts like those offered at www.sheplayssports.com/spmarket.html are made for vertical sports and are perfectly useful for sports such as telemark skiing and lacrosse, however they do not have tabs to secure to undergarments and so they can shift and twist on the user especially when she is in heavy surf. They also will not cover the crotch area when squatted deeply as they form an “m” like others mentioned above.  
         [0012]     The cheerleading skirt of U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,279 is closer to functional for surfing. The multiple partially attached panels provide for free leg movement while probably providing sufficient crotch coverage for a surfer straddling her surfboard. However, it would not be as useful in the water where rough water easily shifts skirts. And the plurality of skirt panels and seams might make for some very uncomfortable rashes especially if seams corresponded to the protrusions of the hip bones on the user, which is a place on the body that receives a lot of pressure while paddling.  
         [0013]     As with many sports, surfing is dependent on good timing, good position, and quick action when the time is right. Though not always the case depending on the break, usually a large part of surfing is paddling belly down on the surfboard from inshore out through whitewash and breaking waves to get in position to catch a wave. After the surfer bails off the wave she must get her belly back on her board and paddle back out through the whitewash and breaking waves. Each moment spent inside requires a lot of energy fighting the force of the water pushing in toward shore; so the faster the surfer can paddle out the better. If the garments a surfer is wearing move around or fall off, the surfer suffers in energy and time lost to rearranging clothing rather than paddling back out immediately. Or worse, loose or inappropriate garments can restrict the movements of the surfer or even entangle her in the event of getting ‘maytagged’ or joggled by severe water hydraulics.  
         [0014]     Lower torso surf apparel waistbands suffer from one or more of the following deficiencies: seams around the waist and hip area create friction while the surfer is lying on the board; ties and closures in the front of the waistband also create friction while the surfer is lying on the board; non elastic and thin elastic waistbands allow the garment to be pulled off, to move up the torso, or to spin or twist around the user.  
         [0015]     In addition, because a substantial amount of time in surfing is spent paddling, there are places on the body which can get raw or rashed called ‘hotspots’. Typical ‘hotspots’ on females include where the bottom ribs come in contact with the board, the lower abdomen and the protrusions of the hipbones. This rawness can be amplified by any garment seams that are in contact with the areas of the body that are in pressured contact with the board.  
         [0016]     In warm water surfing traditional surf trunks work well enough for female surfers. They stay up in rough water and require little in-water attention. Many women choose to wear them because they completely cover the crotch area when straddling the board and they cover the buttocks when lying on the board. However they are shorts, an historically male garment, with an aesthetic quality that many women do not want.  
         [0017]     One of the only functional lower torso garment alternatives for warm water female surfers is bikini bottoms or a one-piece bathing suit. The positives of these tight fitting garments is they allow for full leg mobility and if tight enough only shift or get pulled off by extremely strong ocean hydraulics. However a problem many women surfers find is that both of these options do not fully cover their crotch when they are straddling their surfboard.  
         [0018]     Newer surf skirts are more true to the female aesthetic and they do not fall off as they have a fixed diameter non-stretch waistband usually with a short closure secured by grommets and ties in the middle in the front of the garment. However they are free to spin around the surfer&#39;s torso and float up on the body off of the hips or waist. This means time lost to rearranging in the crucial time between bailing off the wave and paddling out. Also, surf skirt assemblies are made of non stretch or low stretch fabric with no slits so that the skirt must bunch up toward the user&#39;s waistline in order for her to straddle her board, lunge deeply, or stride fully all of which expose the crotch and buttocks.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     This invention, called the ‘Skqurt’, is a skirt-like garment that comprises a fixed circumference waist opening, high slits, and, in certain embodiments where required, tabs or connective devices adapted to attach the skqurt securely to an undergarment such as a bikini bottom or ski pant.  
         [0020]     This invention is based on the realization that female athletes, specifically surfers, want more choices in their surfwear. They do not want to be limited to surf shorts, one-piece bathing suits, or bikini bottoms. But they also want to keep their performance capacity, which hinges on conserving energy by means of a well-timed, quick paddle out. Due to aesthetics most women would enjoy wearing surf skirts in the water if they were fully functional. The unique design of skqurts allows for full range of motion in the legs, full frontal coverage when straddling a surfboard and an aesthetic many female surfers prefer over surf shorts, bikinis, and one-piece bathing suits.  
         [0021]     The fixed circumference waist opening of the skqurt keeps the garment from being pulled off in powerful hydraulics.  
         [0022]     High slits allow for complete leg mobility and complete coverage in sport specific positions such as straddling a surfboard. By freeing portions of fabric the slits allow fabric to fall with gravity to cover the frontal crotch area when the surfer is straddling her board and to cover the buttocks when she is straddling her board and lying on her board. This coverage allows the surfer to fully focus on the waves rather than the position of her bikini while retaining a distinctly female aesthetic.  
         [0023]     The tabs or the parts of a connective device of the skqurt connect it with an undergarment providing more stability in both garments. For example, when the skqurt is connected to a bikini, the stability of the bikini from the strip of cloth between the legs translate to stability for the skqurt against twisting and floating higher than desired while the fixed circumference waist opening of the skqurt keeps the bikini bottoms from getting pulled off.  
         [0024]     Skqurts also attempt to reduce rashing around the waistline of the athlete. The waistband of the skqurt is seamless in the main area of waist and hip contact with sports equipment. When intended for use as surfwear, the front is seamless and all closures, attachment seams, and embellishments are placed away from the ‘hotspots’ of the surfer by keeping them below, medial to, or lateral to the hip bone protrusions on the side or back around the upper edge of the garment, allowing for frictionless paddling and lying on a surfboard. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]      FIG. 1A  shows a perspective view of a donned skqurt comprising a skirt assembly of back and front panels partially attached by seams.  
         [0026]      FIG. 1B  shows a frontal view of a surfer wearing the skqurt of  FIG. 1A  while straddling her surfboard.  
         [0027]      FIG. 2A  shows a perspective view of a donned skqurt comprising back and front panels partially attached by seams and tie type tabs at the attachment seams.  
         [0028]      FIG. 2B  shows a back perspective view of the skqurt of  FIG. 2A .  
         [0029]      FIG. 3A  shows a perspective view of a donned skqurt comprising a skirt assembly, wide waistband, wax pocket, short zipper and button closure, stitch and button type tabs.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3B  shows a side perspective view of the donned skqurt of  FIG. 3A  allowing full view of the tab orientation, closure, and pocket.  
         [0031]      FIG. 4A  shows a close up view of the link formed by a simple snap type tab and a bikini bottom.  
         [0032]      FIG. 4B  shows the link of a snap type tab with a one-piece bathing suit.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4C  shows the link formed by a tie type tab and a bikini bottom.  
         [0034]      FIG. 4D  shows the link formed by a button and buttonhole connective device with a bikini bottom. Though no figures are to scale,  FIGS. 4A, 4B , and  4 C are particularly out of scale for clarity.  
         [0035]      FIG. 5  shows a skqurt comprising a front and back panel skirt assembly including buttonholes that are part of a connective device and gussets of elasticized fabric attached at the left and right edges.  
         [0036]      FIG. 6  shows a skqurt comprising a wide waistband, a one panel skirt assembly with binding finished slit edges, and Velcro style tabs. 
     
    
       [0037]     These and other objects, along with advantages and features of the present invention herein disclosed, will become apparent through reference to the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. Furthermore it is to be understood embodiments herein are not mutually exclusive combinations and all can exist in various combinations and permutations.  
         [0038]     In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to like parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0039]     In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to an arrangement of seams, slits, tabs, connective devices, and closure elements suitable for the garment stressing dynamics peculiar to surfing, and in  FIG. 6  the somewhat less garment stressing dynamics of telemark skiing. It is however, to be understood that the present invention can also be adapted for garments for use in other sports with differing dynamic interactions between the garment, the sports equipment, and the athlete&#39;s body, like hiking. It is also to be understood that though the singular indirect pronoun ‘her’ is used instead of ‘his’, there is in no gender restriction on the user.  
         [0040]     In  FIG. 1A  skqurt J can be seen. The embodiment J in  FIG. 1A , preferred for mellow surf, is donned over the head. There is no closure, and so, less hotspot amplifiers (flesh-irritating bulges) and, no chance of mechanical failure in a closure apparatus such as a tie tearing or a zipper getting stuck. However to don this embodiment J, one must slip the garment J over her head and shoulders and down to the hips. The skqurt is constructed of a skirt assembly  1  comprising two panels,  1  and  2 , and edge finishers  6 . Both the front  1  and back  2  panels comprise two layers  31  and  32  of contrasting colored stretch material creating contrasting interior and exterior faces for visual stimulation. The front panel  1  is symmetrically shaped and aligned on the user with the upper edge  17  dipping gently to fit the contours of the user. The lower edge  3  of the front panel is closer to the upper edge  17  of the front panel than the lower edge  4  of the back panel is to the upper edge  33  of the back panel  2 . Because the user generally has buttocks that stick out further than her lower belly, the lower edge of the garment falls to about the same height above the user&#39;s knees in the front and back as shown. The upper skqurt edge  5  defines the circumference of the user&#39;s lower torso at the height she wishes to wear it and is fixed by virtue of the non-stretch nature of the binding  6  used to finish the edge. The lower garment edge is split into two main sections, front  7  and back  8  by the two slits  9  and  10  symmetrically positioned lateral to the hipbone protrusions. The two panels  1  and  2  are attached at seams  11  and  12  that are formed by partially joining the left edge  13  of the front panel with the right edge  14  of the back panel, and the right edge  15  of the front panel with the left edge  16  of the back panel. This basic embodiment of the skqurt allows for gentle gripping against the skin by the elastic nature of the garment, which helps prevent any twisting that might occur in a mellow session without it, whilst the fixed circumference upper edge  17  prevents the skqurt J from slipping off.  
         [0041]     The skqurt J is shown on the user while straddling her surfboard in  FIG. 1B . This view shows how the deep slits allow for the skirt assembly to fall with gravity and cover the crotch area of the user from the view of others. Skqurt J is suitable for comfortable surf sessions, which can be described as sessions that do not push the surfer&#39;s ability to the point where they cannot exit the wave cleanly and under control. Comfortable sessions do not require the added stability of the tabs featured in other embodiments.  
         [0042]     Another skqurt embodiment K as illustrated in the front perspective view of  FIG. 2A  and the back perspective view of  FIG. 2B  comprises two panels  18  and  19  and two sets of tie style tabs  20  and  21 . These sets of tabs are sewn to the upper edge  22  of the skirt assembly  23  at each of the attachment seams  24  and  25 . One tie  26  is sewn to the exterior face  27  of the skirt assembly and one tie  28  is sewn to the interior face  29  of the skirt assembly. Thus, the tie sewn to the interior may be threaded through the user&#39;s bikini bottoms underneath and back out through the slit  30  to tie a knot with the tie  26  sewn to the exterior of the skirt assembly  23  at the same attachment seam  24 . These tie tabs  20  and  21  create more stability in the skqurt because they link the bikini bottoms to the skqurt so that the skqurt cannot slip up or twist and the bikini bottoms cannot slip down. The tie tabs  20  and  21  make this embodiment preferable for less comfortable surf sessions where the user may fall unexpectedly or get ‘maytagged’. This embodiment K stands up to extreme water pressures keeping both the bikini and skqurt in place.  
         [0043]     Another preferred skqurt embodiment L for surfing, illustrated in  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B , is an easy step-in design with a short closure  35  placed off center at the back of the garment so it does not increase pain or irritation from lying belly down on a surfboard. The closure apparatus can comprise any combination of devices including but not limited to zippers, buttons, buttonholes, snaps, Velcro, ties, laces, cords, hooks, eyes, grommets. The closure in this particular illustration is a zipper  36 , suitable for use in salt water and sun such as a thick plastic zipper, with a top button  37 . In this skqurt L the closure reaches through the height of the waistband  38  and into the skirt assembly  39 . This skqurt L has a thick and wide waistband  38  contoured to fit snuggly against the low back, low abdomen, and hips. The width of the waistband  38  is a style preference but also provides a bit of extra padding for the hipbones against the board and a seamless front area around the hips, which helps to reduce rashing. Attached to the lower edge  41  of the waistband are the upper edges of the front and back  45  panels. The panels are unattached to one another. The front panel comprises irregularly shaped panellettes  42 ,  43 ,  44  for visual style. The back panel  45  has a wax pocket  46  and a key loop  47  sewn to its exterior face. The key loop  47  is inside the wax pocket  46  and can be pulled out fed through the hole in a key, around the key, and then dropped back into the pocket  46 . The pocket  46  has a strip  48  of Velcro sewn to it at the top and to the corresponding location on the back panel  45  of the skirt assembly  39 . The wax pocket  46  is an obvious addition for a user who likes to bring wax into the water with them and for the user who likes to safe guard their key on their person. The pocket  46  has a small grommet hole  49  in the bottom to let water and sand out of the pocket. In this embodiment two tabs  50  are adapted vertically with the lower edge of the tab  50  attached by stitches  51  to the garment and the upper edge attachable by a button  52  and  53  and button holes  52  and  53 . This allows the user to feed the tab  50  up through the bikini bottoms  54  worn underneath and feed it back to button through the garment. A person skilled in the art will realize the thread used for attaching the buttons on the tabs is heavily stressed and should be very strong and not degrade easily when exposed to sun, salt, and water. This button type tab  50  allows for a stable transfer from the bikini bottoms to the skqurt and vice versa. Due to its fixed circumference, waistband  38  the skqurt L cannot be pulled down off the body over the buttocks. Due to the strip of fabric  56  that goes between the legs the bikini cannot be pulled up and does not twist. Combining the two garments&#39; qualities of stability with the tabs  50  creates a unit which will not fall down, come up or twist about the body.  
         [0044]      FIG. 4A  is an expanded view of a tab  60  employing a snap  61  at the upper end and attached by stitches  62  at the lower end to the skirt assembly  63 . The tab can be fed up through the bikini bottoms  64  worn underneath the skqurt and snapped to the corresponding snap piece  65  that is attached to the upper edge  66  of the skirt assembly.  
         [0045]      FIG. 4B  shows a tab  71  that employs special snaps that can attach to each other through certain thicknesses of fabric. Thus allowing for the snaps of the tabs to function with a layer of fabric  67  in between both the male  68  and female  69  pieces of the snap. This is important for user&#39;s wearing wide hip band type bikinis, short style swim suit bottoms, one piece bathing suits, or the like. The lower end of the tab is attached to the skirt assembly  70  by stitches  72 . The tab  71  can be fed under the swimsuit fabric  67  and snapped with the swimsuit fabric  67  to the skqurt body  70  at points where the corresponding snap pieces  69  are so that the succession of the connection is skqurt fabric  70 —snap end  69 —undergarment fabric  67 —snap end  68 —tab  71  fabric. These types of tabs are preferably installed in greater number than tie, regular snap, button, or other style tabs so that the stress on localized points of undergarment fabric is spread out. These snaps can be used for securing skqurts over swimsuits, ski pants, and many other garments.  
         [0046]      FIG. 4C  is a view of tie type tabs, like those in the skqurt of  FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B , used in conjunction with bikini bottoms. The upper ends of the tabs are attached by stitches  73  to the upper edge  74  of the skirt assembly. The interior tab  75  is fed through the bikini bottoms  76  and fed out the slit  77  in the skirt assembly between the left edge  78  of the front panel and the right edge  79  of the back panel to be tied with the exterior tab  80 .  
         [0047]      FIG. 4D  shows an expanded view of a simple button  81  and buttonhole  82  type connective device as adapted for use with bikini bottoms  83 . The bikini  83  has a button  81  attached to its hip strap at a location that corresponds to the buttonhole  82  sewn into the skirt assembly  84  near the upper edge  85  at points lateral to the hip bone protrusions. This connective device  81  and  82  allows the user to button her bikini to her skqurt and enjoy hassle free activities.  
         [0048]      FIG. 5  is a view of a skqurt embodiment M that employs elasticized fabric gussets  90  and buttonholes  88  and  89 . The buttonholes  88  and  89  are placed laterally of the hip-bone protrusions so they will not aggravate hotspots. They, like the buttonholes in  FIG. 4D  can receive buttons that are attached at corresponding points to bikini bottoms, ski pants, or other undergarments. Other connective devices that can be employed in a similar fashion as the buttons and buttonholes include but are not limited to snaps, ties and loops, toggles and loops, frogs (Chinese knots) and loops, ties and ties, laces and grommets, laces and bites, laces and eyes, zippers, hooks and loops, hooks and eyes. They can be adapted in a way so that one part of the device is attached or built into the skqurt and one part is attached or built in to an undergarment. The gussets  90  are attached to the side edges  91  and  92  of the skirt assembly fabric at the slits. The gussets  90  provide skin coverage without hampering the mobility of the user. A person of ordinary skill will realize the gussets  90  must be wide at the lower edge in order to allow for sufficient mobility without degrading the crotch-coverage-while-straddling-a-surfboard characteristic of the skqurt.  
         [0049]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a skqurt N for use in snow sports. This skqurt N comprises a simple, wide, low-stretch quick-drying waistband  93  attached at its lower edge  94  by clean edge lap seams by bonding to the upper edge  95  of a generally rhomboidal one piece skirt assembly  96  of low-stretch fabric in such a way that the left  97  and right  98  edges of the piece meet slightly medial to where the left hip bone protrudes in the front. The two edges  97  And  98  may overlap or overlap at angles, however in this embodiment the edges are finished with binding  99  and  100  and do not overlap but meet. The left edge  97  and the right edge  98  edges of the fabric piece are finished with binding  99  and  100 . The skirt assembly includes a second slit  101  asymmetrically placed and cut to a height slightly lower than the lower edge  94  of the waistband  93 . A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the need for finishing the second slit with binding, stitching, or another form of edge work, which might include accents for style. This embodiment N includes a binding  102  to finish the edges  103  of the second slit  101 . It also includes a flexible weighted material hem  110  finishing the lower edge  111  of the skirt assembly, which keeps the skqurt N from flipping up while the user is speeding down the mountain. In other skqurts this weighted material might take the form of small circular or rhomboidal panels of heavy fabric sewn into the skirt assembly, small metal or plastic washers secured between two layers of skirt assembly fabric, or external embellishments such as sequins, beads, or decorative stitching. These weighted materials combat flipping up in windy or speedy conditions. This snow skqurt N includes simple Velcro tabs  104  and  105  positioned horizontally at lateral points on the upper waistband so that they can feed through belt loops of the user&#39;s ski pants and be secured to the skqurt waistband again. The tabs comprise a softer loop face  106  of the Velcro whose edges  107  are sewn to the waistband  93  so that it lies flat with the waistband fabric. The hook side  108  faces the garment N and not the skin. It is sewn, fused, melted, or bonded at one end  109  to the waistband  93  and loop side  106  of the Velcro and is otherwise free to be unattached and attached to the loop side  106 . The elastic nature of the wide waistband  93  serves to keep the skqurt relatively stationary on the user&#39;s body, the Velcro tabs are for extra stability if and when required. If not used, it can be left closed to itself on the face of the waistband. There are no tabs or extra seams in the back of the skqurt N as it is common for backcountry skiers to wear backpacks, which often create hotspots on the lower lumbar region of the back and hips. A person skilled in the art will notice many pants may not be compatible with this type of tab adaptation.  
         [0050]     In all embodiments the preferred materials are non-stretch unless specifically stated non-stretch; the preferred method of attaching the waistband to the garment is bonding, although sewing is also suitable. The preferred method of attaching any type of closure is bonding, sewing or stitching. The preferred adaptation of tabs or connective devices relies heavily on what activity the user will do and what undergarment the user will wear. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other methods can be used to secure or attach the waistband to the skirt assembly, to secure or attach closure devices, tabs and connective devices to the skqurt, or to join two panels together. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize all contours of the waistband, skirt assembly, and the height of slits are subject to the preference, body size, and body shape of the user and the intended activity for use.