Abstract:
A novel attachment for lengthening garments, the attachment including a first band of material and fasteners carried by the first band of material for grasping the hem of the garment without alteration to the garment. The novel attachment may include a decorative embellishment component which provides the wearer with a customized and/or personalized look.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Appl. 60/742,442, filed Dec. 5, 2005. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a novel attachment system for lengthening garments. In particular, the novel attachment system includes a decorative embellishment component which facilitates lengthening the garment while providing the wearer with a customized and/or personalized look.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Clothing is generally mass produced in a variety of sizes. Most casual clothing can be purchased in a range of sizes and requires no alteration. Although generally acceptable, this system of permanent alteration does not very well address the different contexts in which a pair of slacks are worn. For example, different styles of shoes may be worn that effectively change the desired length of the slacks (i.e., high heels may require longer slack legs than flat shoes). In that case, the slack legs are either made for heels (and therefore are too long for flat shoes), or they are made for flat shoes (and therefore too short for heels). Custom tailoring each pair of slacks for each pair of shoes, while possible, is not very economical.  
         [0004]     Furthermore, clothing for children quickly gets outgrown as the child gets older. Alternatively, children&#39;s clothing can be purchased with “room to grow” and thus, hemming, altering, or folding up sleeves, pant legs, etc., is often used, but the clothing does not fit properly and the look is shoddy.  
         [0005]     Various devices are used in conjunction with clothing. For example, it is known to attach a safety pin to a piece of clothing to hold it up. However, such pins are not very attractive and can be difficult to attach if multiple folds or thick fabric is involved. Also, tie tacks are known, which serve primarily to hold a tie close to the shirt of the wearer. Of course, a wide variety of buttons and pins have been attached to clothing for decoration or identification of the wearer.  
         [0006]     Convertible garments are well know in the art. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,402 discloses a convertible jacket where extensions can be secured to a short jacket by zipper-type slide fasteners to lengthen the jacket into a short coat with one extension or a full coat with two extensions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,613 discloses shorts which may be converted to trousers by the addition of leg portions. Hook and pile material (hereinafter Velcro®) is used to secure the leg portions to the shorts. U.S. Pat. No. 698,205 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,274,382 both disclose that extensions can be added to skirts or slips, the extensions being secured thereto by passing a ribbon or string through mating loops in adjacent pieces. U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,987 discloses Velcro® for removably attaching various ornamentation to clothing, whereas U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,680 discloses for the same purpose stems which pass through the clothing and female segments which receive the stems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,128 discloses a drop-down cuff for pants legs or sleeves, which cuffs are held in their raised positions by Velcro® pads or by stitching. U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,965 discloses a convertible skirt where the lower portion is provided with crystal beads or buttons which may be secured to an ornamental loop braid at the bottom of the upper portion or short skirt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,892 is similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,613, but further discloses that a short sleeve shirt may be converted to a long sleeve shirt by using Velcro® strips. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,043 discloses a hem holding device for the temporary shortening and raising of a hem line of an article of clothing by the wearer of that clothing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,438 discloses an adjustable length garment where the tubular additions may be secured to an adjacent upper portion by a zipper. This patent also discloses that an ornamental strip having braids 48 (which may include beads) may be zippered to the bottom tubular portion. In all of the prior art designs where an upper portion of a garment is lengthened by the addition of a lower tubular portion, both the upper and lower portions have been provided with attachment structure. In the prior art cited above there is a lack of teachings of separate attachments for lengthening a sleeve, skirt, or pants leg, which attachments can be used with any garment.  
         [0007]     U.S. 2005/0044610 teaches that a garment may be provided with convertible ornamentation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,544 teaches that a badge or name holder may be worn on a shirt or the like, where the badge is provided with a strip of magnetic material, and separate magnets may be used to hold the badge in place.  
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     It is the object of the present invention to provide a simplified and safe attachment mechanism for lengthening garments.  
         [0009]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a lengthening attachment that can be used for garment ornamentation and accessorizing which can be utilized on virtually any article of clothing or garment. The present invention offers real flexibility with virtually unlimited application.  
         [0010]     The decorative attachment of the invention comprises a first component, attachment means that securely but removably fastens to the hem of a garment; and a second component, the decorative means, that attaches to the attachment means for providing an ornamental and/or decorative attachment. The decorative attachment of the invention provides a means for lengthening the hem of a garment, while at the same time being ornamental in nature.  
         [0011]     The decorative attachment of the invention can be comprised of any known configuration and material that will securely fasten it to a garment without damaging the garment and allow for the attachment of a decorative means. The attachment means and decorative means can be integrated and formed in one single unit or can be comprised of separate units whereby the attachment means is secured to the hem of the garment and the decorative means is secured to the attachment means. In this configuration, a multitude of different ornamental means could be attached to the attachment means depending on the mood of the wearer.  
         [0012]     In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a decorative attachment which is intended primarily for lengthening garments. Every parent has had the experience of buying clothes for their children only to find that their child&#39;s pants are too short only a few month later. In addition, many long legged girls have difficulty finding slacks which are long enough. Thus, adding length to a garment that is too short is desirable to increase the useful length of a garment. In addition, adding length to a garment may also add a decorative element and style to the garment. The attachment of this invention will serve the purpose of adding length to pants or any other garment where length is an issue. The present invention can consist of a decorative attachment and any other element that assists the attachment in attaching or adhering to the garment without any type of permanent alteration to the garment.  
         [0013]     The decorative attachment can comprise many different elements and/or shapes and still be within the spirit of the present invention. The attachment can comprise a series of hook/clip type fasteners or a support strip that attach to the hem of a garment without alteration to the garment. The attachment can include an elastic material that attaches to the hem of a garment. The attachment can include magnetic strips for securing the attachment to the hem of a garment without alteration to the garment. The attachment can include individual clips or any other means which can be devised for securing the attachment to the hem of a garment without alteration to the garment.  
         [0014]     While the primary use of the decorative attachment is for lengthening a garment, the attachment has multiple uses, for example it can comprise a long strip for attachment to material objects such as a house, lamp, etc. for securing decorative items. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of this invention secured to a pants leg to both lengthen the pants leg and to provide an ornamental appearance.  
         [0016]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are front and rear views, respectively, of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are rear and side views of the fastener of this invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a section taken generally along the line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 1 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     With reference first to  FIG. 1 , the attachment of this invention, which is indicated generally at  10 , is shown secured to the lower edge of a pants leg  12 . While a pants leg is illustrated, it should be noted that the attachment of this invention could be secured to sleeves, skirts, etc. Each attachment of the illustrated embodiment will include a first band of material  14  and a plurality of j-shaped fasteners indicated generally at  16  ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ). Each j-shaped fastener has two integral generally parallel spaced apart portions, a long portion  16 . 1  and a short portion  16 . 2 , the short portion being provided with a barb  16 . 3 . A bight portion  16 . 4  interconnects the two generally parallel portions  16 . 1  and  16 . 2 . The fastener  16  is made of a resilient material, such as nylon or polypropylene. The long portion is provided with two spaced apart apertures  16 . 5  and  16 . 6  for the receipt of a thread  18  ( FIG. 3 ) used for securing the fasteners  16  to the first band of material  14 .  
         [0020]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  the band of material is generally rectangular before it is applied to the garment. However, the band of material may be tubular with the ends  14 . 1  and  14 . 2  being sewn together or joined together in any conventional manner. When used with a pants leg there is an advantage of not having the ends  14 . 1  and  14 . 2  joined together as frequently the heel of a shoe might contact the trailing edge of the material. This will not happen if there is a gap in the material, and the gap will not be noticeable when the user of the attachment is viewed from the front. While in most cases the material will be of a cloth fabric, it is possible that the band of material may be formed of other flexible materials. Thus, the outer first band  14  that carries the fasteners  16  may be made of cloth fabric, plastic, metal fabric, or any other pliable material that can be made into a band or ribbon and offer support. The clips can be made of metal, plastic, or any other medium that has enough tension to keep the attachment secured to the garment  
         [0021]     As can be seen from  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  6  ornaments  20  provided. As illustrated, the ornaments consist of a plurality of short strings of beads. However, other forms of ornamentation may be used. The ornaments may be secured to either the top edge of the first band, or to a second band  22 , which second band also functions to conceal the top edge of the ornamentation when it is secured to the top edge of the first band  14 . The second band and the ornamentation may be attached to the first band by sewing, by means of an adhesive, mechanical means or any other means of attachment.  
         [0022]     While a uniform first band  14  of material is illustrated, it can be in sections, which sections may be of different materials. The band  14  can be made of any type of material including not only fabric, but also fur, beading, leather, lace, feathers, etc.  
         [0023]     The decorative attachment can be applied to a hem to lengthen any type of garment or any other item where fasteners can be safely and firmly attached, even if the item in question does not need the attachment for function. The decorative attachment will be offered in different forms and styles. Differences in style or design can be attributed to age group and sex.  
         [0024]     Therefore, it should be clear that the decorative attachment of the present invention provides a simple, safe and secure mechanism for lengthening and decoration clothing. It is within the scope of the present invention for the attachment to take any shape and comprise any material so long as it securely attaches to the hem of a garment. The ornamentation  20  can take any shape and size and can be comprised of any known material.  
         [0025]     While a preferred form of this invention has been described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that applicant does not intend to be limited to the particular details described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but intends to be limited only to the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. In this regard, the term “means for” as used in the claims is intended to include not only the designs illustrated in the drawings of this application and the equivalent designs discussed in the text, but it is also intended to cover other equivalents now known to those skilled in the art, or those equivalents which may become known to those skilled in the art in the future.