Abstract:
The present invention relates generally to an improved single strap overall. More particularly, the invention relates to an overall garment with a single strap design that remains fastened better than previous double strap overalls. The invention improvements also include a novel portable electronic device, such as a cell phone, holder positioned on the front panel of the overalls for easy and convenient access to the phone in a compartment that retains the phone during bending and quick movements by the user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not applicable. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Overalls have clothed people at work or play since the 1700s. Overalls have been worn by railroad engineers, college students, hippies, farmers, mechanics, painters, children, and rap music artists. Overalls, once the exclusive purview of the lower classes in the 18 th  century, were one of the first types of clothing to be mass-produced. The color of the overalls produced were significant with painters and plasterers wearing white, farmers wearing blue or brown, railway workers sporting pinstripes, and blue denim being a favorite among mechanics. 
   Traditional bib overalls, however, have always been problematic for laborers of any kind. One of the failings with regard to the typical pair of bib overalls is that, during physical work involving a great deal of movement, one of the shoulder straps easily slips off. This provides a source of irritation to the wearer. Further, because these straps tend to slide off, they do not provide a suitable support means for pants, as well as for items such as cell phones that may be present in pockets. Simply put, the common article of clothing known as a bib overall, has long suffered from the above drawbacks. 
   Improvements in clothing comprise many different types of features. Simple ornamental improvements are noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,987 to Teachout et al., in which customized fabric receiving strips are shown and described. Variations on the invention in Teachout include additional receiving loops as well as additional means to attach an ornament to a garment. The use of straps in conjunction with clothing to provide a superior garment is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,789 to Young et al., in which a clothing article and safety harness are combined together to form an improved overall garment. The usage of straps to support pants has also seen recent improvements. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,031 to Lewis, a pair of pants was provided with a plurality of horizontal slots, through which supports straps were able to pass through the slots and able to be secured to the appropriate length. In place of slots, loops were also provided which functioned similarly to the slots. Despite these improvements, a need in the art still exists for a bib overall that reduces the slippage of the shoulder straps from the shoulder of the wearer as well as provide secure support for portable electronic devices, such as cell phones, for the convenience of the wearer. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to a modified pair of overalls to be worn over one shoulder in which a triangular front portion is provided with a strap attachment means, and where an offset back strap portion engages the backside of the overalls, with the strap end portion able to be positioned over the user&#39;s shoulder and secured to the strength attachment means, and adjustable as to length, so as to conform with the particular body size of the wearer. 
   The front portion is provided with a portable electronic device pocket, with the pocket opening having a strap means that is able to be secured across the opening of the pocket. This strap has the capability of securing a portable electronic device within the pocket. In addition, the adjustable waist of this invention defines a strap that is secured at one end to the waistband of the pants portion of this invention. The other end of the strap passes through a belt loop, with the strap end been secured along its length to itself. If the adjustable strap is pulled tightly through the loop before being secured, it will have the effect of moving the loop toward the strap secured end portion and thus diminishing the overall circumference of the pants around the wearer. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and which are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views: 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the improved single strap overalls as they would appear when being worn; 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the improved single strap overalls, depicting the front panel outer side and back panel inner side, showing the relative positions of the panels to the waistband and to each other; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the improved single strap overalls, depicting the back panel outer side, and front panel inner side, showing the relative positions of the panels to the waistband and to each other, and also showing the waist cincher; and 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the portable electronic device pocket and also showing the restraining strap both in the open and closed position. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the improved single strap overalls  10  of the present invention are made of any material suitable for use in clothing. In one embodiment, the overalls  10  are formed from denim or canvas or other durable material but may also be formed of less durable and more fashionable material depending upon the needs of the wearer. Overalls  10  include a pant portion  11 , a front panel  20  and a back panel  30 . Pant portion  11  includes a waistband  12  and two pant legs  8  and  9 , similar to known overall pant legs. Waistband  12  is coupled to a top portion of pant legs  8  and  9  and encircles the user&#39;s waist. The height of waistband  12  may vary depending upon the needs and size of the wearer. In a preferred embodiment, waistband  12  is from about 1-3 inches high and, more preferably, about two inches high. Waistband  12  may be made of the same or different material as overalls  10 . In a preferred embodiment, waistband  12  also contains elastic to better conform to the user&#39;s shape and help hold pants portion  11  to the user&#39;s waist. 
   Waistband  12  may also includes a waist cincher  50  to further conform waistband  12  to the user&#39;s shape and keep pants portion  11  in place. As waist cincher  50  is tightened, the waistband  12  becomes smaller and the single strap overalls  10  fit the user more snuggly. Waist cincher  50  includes a fastener  54  to selectively tighten or loosen waist cincher  50  based on the user&#39;s comfort and needs. Fastener  54  may include, but is not limited to, buckles, snaps, buttons, zippers, hook and eye fasteners, or any other fastening mechanism that allows waist cincher  50  to be selectively adjusted and positioned. Referring now to  FIG. 3 , one preferred embodiment of waist cincher  50  is shown as a single strip of fabric having a first end  51  fixedly affixed to the rear of waistband  12  and a free second end  53  with a loop  52  fixedly attached to waistband  12  at a generally center portion of waist cincher  50  between first and second ends  51  and  53  such second end  53  may be threaded through loop  52 . In one embodiment, the hook portion of a hook and loop fastener is fixedly attached to first end  51  and its mating loop portion it fixedly attached to second  53  for mating engagement with first end  51 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that either portion of a hook and loop fastener may be affixed to first end  51  so long as its mating portion is affixed to second end  53 . Second end  53  is threaded through loop  52  and folded over to matingly engage or fasten with first end  51 . To tighten waist cincher  50 , a greater portion of waist cincher  50  proximate second end  53  is pulled through the loop  52  and fastened to first end  51 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , front and back panels  20  and  30  of overalls  10  are substantially triangular in shape, with the top of back panel  30  terminating in a strap  35  and the top of front panel  20  terminating in a strap fastener  24 . Front and back panels  20  and  30  may be made of any material including, but not limited to denim, canvas, cotton, polyester, and the like, and do not have to match either the other panel or pants portion  11 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , back panel  30  forms a triangle with three edges including an angled edge  32 , a vertical edge  33 , and a bottom edge  29 . Bottom edge  29  connects to waistband  12  at belt line  34 . The top of back panel  30  forms a strap  35  that extends over the user&#39;s shoulder  14 . In one embodiment, the length of strap  35  should be long enough to accommodate a variety of torso lengths and chest widths. Strap  35  may include a fastener  36  at its terminal end. Preferred fasteners include, but are not limited to, buckles, snaps, buttons, zippers, hook and eye fasteners, or any other fastening mechanism suitable for use in overalls  10 . In one embodiment, fastener  36  may be a mating pair of hook and loop fasteners fixedly attached proximate the terminal end of strap  35 , one on either surface of strap  35 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , vertical edge  33  will be placed on the same side of the user&#39;s body as the shoulder strap  35  is worn over. For example, on an overall worn over the left shoulder, vertical edge  33  will be on the left side of the back panel  30 . Angled edge  32  will begin slightly right of the middle back of waistband  12  and slant across the back to the left shoulder. In one embodiment, back panel  30  does not cover both sides of the user&#39;s lower back and does not extend to the user&#39;s sides along the belt line  34 . In a preferred embodiment, front panel  20  forms an offset triangle, with the top tip positioned not above the center of the waistband but off to one side to cross over the user&#39;s shoulder  14 . Overall  10  may be crafted to fit over either the left or right shoulder. 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , front panel  20  is coupled to waistband  12  in the front of overalls  10  at belt line  34 . Like back panel  30 , front panel  20  forms a triangle with the three sides including a front angled edge  22 , a front vertical edge  23 , and a front bottom edge  26 . In one embodiment, front panel  20  extends only across the front portion of the user, although it could also stretch around the side of the user. The top of front panel  20  terminates in a strap fastener  24 . Strap fastener  24  may be any type of fastener capable of connecting the top of front panel  20  with strap  35 . In a preferred embodiment, the strap fastener is a loop buckle  24  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Strap  35  is threaded through slot  25  of buckle  24  and doubled back to a position on top of strap  35 . Fastener  36  is matingly engaged to hold strap  35  in place and to hold front panel  20  across the user&#39;s chest  15 . In a preferred embodiment, the strap fastener  36  is positioned to rest below the shoulder joint on the user&#39;s chest  15  for comfort. 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , front panel  20  may also include a pocket  40  sized to fit a portable electronic device (PED)  42  such as a cell phone, personal digital assistant, pager, MP3 player, or the like. Pocket  40  includes a mouth  46  with a lip  41 . Pocket  40  further includes a restraining strap  44  with a first end  45  having one of a pair of mating fasteners affixed thereto. The outer side  43  of pocket  40  includes the other of the pair of mating fasteners affixed thereto configured to fasten first end  45  to outer side  43 . Restraining strap  44  is long enough to stretch over PEDs of varying height. In use, when PED  42  is placed in pocket  40  through mouth  46 , restraining strap  44  is placed over the top of PED  42  and attached to outer side  43  of pocket  40 . Strap  44  prevents PED  42  from falling out of pocket  43  when the user bends over or moves suddenly. In a preferred embodiment, restraining strap  44  and pocket  40  are positioned on front panel  20  below strap fastener  24 . 
     FIG. 4  shows the position of restraining strap  44  in a closed position  47 . Restraining strap  44  allows the user to quickly and confidently access PED  42 . First end  45  disengages smoothly and rapidly from outer side  43  of pocket  40  thereby allowing easy access to PED  42 . Restraining strap  44  keeps PED  42  securely in place so that the user does not worry about loss or damage to PED  42 . The positioning of pocket  40  on front panel  20  also allows the vibration option of a PED to be used, such as on a cell phone, so that the user may easily feel through front panel  20  when a call is incoming because the vibration is felt on the chest and the ring is closer to the user&#39;s ears than in a traditional pants pocket. 
   It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, since certain changes may be made in the above invention without departing from the scope hereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are to cover certain generic and specific features described herein.