BELT WITH U-SHAPED CLIPS

A belt with U-shaped clips keeps a wearer's shirt tail tucked into their bottom garment. The belt with U-shaped clips utilizes a series of U-shaped clips attached to a belt. The U-shaped clips have a bump on one leg of the U-shaped clip that functions in a pincer manner against a second leg of the shirt tail clip to help hold the shirt tail within U-shaped clip. The U-shaped clips are spaced around the belt and are attached to the user's shirt tail and then inverted and rolled up within the shirt. After one or more series of rolls, the wearer then tucks the rolled up tail in the bottom garment and buckles and zips up the bottom garment securing the belt with U-shaped clips and the inverted and rolled shirt tail below the waistline of the bottom garment, keeping the shirt tail from becoming untucked.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shirt stays are used to keep shirts from being untucked from a pair of trousers. The problem with them is that they rub directly against the skin, causing irritation and discomfort, and are prone to becoming undone. Additionally, traditional shirt stays tend to damage and discolor shirts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The belt with U-shaped clips is designed to keep a person's shirt tail tucked into their bottom garment (i.e., “bottoms” or “pants” or “shorts” or other similar garment worn on the lower half of the body). The belt with U-shaped clips utilizes a series of U-shaped clips attached to a belt. The U-shaped clips are spaced around the belt and are attached to the user's shirt tail and then inverted and rolled up within the shirt. After one or more rolls, the shirt can be tucked into the bottom garment just below the waistline of the bottom garment. The U-shaped clips have a bump within the interior U-shaped portion of the U-shaped clips. The bump helps to capture the shirt tail of the wearer within the U-shaped clip so that the belt with U-shaped clips attaches to the wearer's shirt.

To assist in the understanding of the present disclosure the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the Figures, in which like reference numerals refer to structurally and/or functionally similar elements thereof,FIG.1shows an overall view of the belt with U-shaped clips in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIG.1, the belt with U-shaped clips100comprises a belt2that has a tension lock buckle6attached to a proximal end of the belt2and a slip keeper8. Attached to the belt2are a plurality of U-shaped clips4. In one embodiment of the invention, four U-shaped clips4are attached to the belt and are typically spaced with two U-shaped clips4on a front side of the belt on either side of the tension lock buckle6and the slip keeper8. The other two U-shaped clips4are located on the back side of the belt2and spaced apart from each other. The slip keeper8and U-shaped clips4are aligned so that the shirt tail opening3is pointed up and the slip keeper belt tail opening8bis pointed up.

FIG.2shows a side view of a U-shaped clip in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIG.2, the U-shaped clips4have a shirt tail opening3that receives a shirt tail14that is slid through shirt tail opening3and engages with bump7in a pincer manner that serves to help hold the shirt tail14within U-shaped clips4. The belt tail10is threaded in belt opening5of each U-shaped clip4. The belt tail10is threaded into tension lock buckle6and then the belt tail10is secured within the slip keeper belt tail opening8bof the slip keeper8. The U-shaped clips4are made of a slightly flexible material, such as plastic or rubber, or any other suitable material that allows the legs12aand12bto be spread open enough to allow the shirt tail14to be inserted into the shirt tail opening3but rigid enough to move back to its original shape to maintain a crimping function. The space between the bump7on an interior surface of a first leg12aand an interior surface of second leg12bis small enough to allow the shirt tail14to be crimped between the two legs12aand12bto secure the shirt tail14in place within the opining3.

FIG.3shows a front view of a U-shaped clip in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIG.3, the front view of the U-shaped clips4is the same as the back view.

FIG.4shows a tension lock buckle in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIG.4, tension lock buckle6receives the belt tail10in a manner known in the art that applies tension to keep the belt2in the place desired when tightened around the waist of the wearer. Lock buckle6allows the wearer to both tighten and loosen the belt2as needed by the wearer.

FIG.5shows a slip keeper of an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIG.5, the slip keeper8keeps the belt tail10secured to the main portion of the belt2. The slip keeper belt opening8areceives the belt2and the slip keeper belt tail opening8breceives the belt tail10.

FIG.6shows a close up front view of the tension lock buckle and the slip keeper on the belt in an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG.7shows a close-up side view of the tension lock buckle and the slip keeper on the belt in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIGS.6and7, belt tail10has been threaded through the tension lock buckle6and then secured in place by the slip keeper8.

FIGS.8-18show the steps of using the belt with U-shaped clips in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIG.8, the belt2is positioned around the waist of the wearer and over the shirt tail14and tightened loosely with the tension lock buckle6. Loosely is defined as fitting tight enough to keep the belt2from falling down from the waist, but loose enough to allow the wearer to manipulate the shirt tail14into a plurality of U-shaped clips4that have been positioned and spaced around the belt2. In one embodiment of the invention, two U-shaped clips4are positioned on the front side to the left and right of the tension lock buckle6and the slip keeper8, and two U-shaped clips4are positioned on a back side of the belt2and spaced a distance apart. One skilled in the art will recognize that fewer than four, or more than four U-shaped clips4may be used with the belt2.

Referring now toFIG.9, the wearer inserts the shirt tail14into a first U-shaped clip4on a left front side. Referring now toFIG.10, the wearer inserts the shirt tail14into a second U-shaped clip4on a right front side. Referring now toFIG.11, the wearer inserts the shirt tail14into a third U-shaped clip4on a left back side. Referring now toFIG.12, the wearer inserts the shirt tail14into a fourth U-shaped clip4on a right back side. Referring now toFIG.13, the wearer tightens the belt2with the tension lock buckle6to the tightness desired around the waist of the wearer, and the belt tail10is secured in the slip keeper belt tail opening8bof the slip keeper8.

Referring now toFIG.14, the user inverts and rolls the belt inward around the waist from the front to the back a first time to fold the shirt tail14onto itself all the way around the waist of the wearer. Referring now toFIG.15, the user inverts and rolls the belt inward around the waist from the front to the back a second time to fold the shirt tail14onto itself all the way around the body of the wearer. For shirts with exceptionally long tails, the wearer may invert and roll the belt one or more times inward around the waist from the front to the back as necessary to fold the shirt tail14onto itself all the way around the body of the wearer. For shirts with shorter tails, only the first inverting and rolling step may be necessary.

Referring now toFIG.16, the wearer pulls his bottom garment up and over the belt2and the one, two, or three rolls of the shirt tail14. Referring now toFIG.17, the user tucks the rolled up shirt tail14and the belt with U-shaped clips100into the wearer's bottom garment. Referring now toFIG.18, the user buttons and zips their bottom garment, or otherwise secures the bottom garment around the waist, such as with a draw string or other securing mechanism, with the belt with U-shaped clips100positioned below the waist of the bottom garment and out of sight. The waist of the bottom garment keeps the belt with U-shaped clips100in place below the waist and keeps the shirt tail14from becoming untucked.

Having described the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the present invention.