Abstract:
A waist adjusting device for reducing the waist size of pants without the use of a belt is provided. The device comprises two engaging members and a connecting member which is pivotally attached to both engaging members. The engaging members each have clips disposed thereupon to permit them to be selectively fastened to spaced apart points along a pant waistline. With the engaging members fastened onto the pant, the device contracts the waist by the engaging members being pivoted about the connecting member such that the clips are drawn closer together.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to a device for adjusting the waist size of pants. The invention is specifically directed to a device adapted for easy attachment to and removal from a pants or skirt waist and further adapted for quick adjustment of the waist size, thus, allowing otherwise loose pants to be fittingly worn without the supportive aid of a waist belt or suspenders. 
         [0002]    The prior art is replete with various embodiments of belts and buckles which are used in combination to adjust the waist size of pants. Typically, a buckle is fixedly attached to an end of a belt and is adapted to engage the belt at various positions, often by way of a buckle prong being fitted within any of a plurality of apertures residing along the length of the belt. In order to don a buckled belt, the pant-wearing user guides the free end of the belt through the loops along the pant waistline until the belt completely encircles his waist and the buckle is vertically aligned with his navel. While maintaining the buckle&#39;s alignment, the user further draws the free end of the belt around his waist until the coiling belt constricts his pant waist adequately to prevent the pants from sliding downward during wear. The user then secures the buckle to the belt. Generally, the variability of buckle engagement points along a belt allow it to be effectively worn by users of a range of different waist sizes. 
         [0003]    Belts can present some disadvantages, however. For instance, while most belts can fit multiple waist sizes, few can accommodate every conceivable waist size. A belt sized to fit around the waist of a large-girthed man is likely too long to be effectively worn by a much slimmer person. Accordingly, belts, like pants themselves, are usually manufactured and sold in standardized sizes that indicate length and are not universally wearable. Furthermore, because of color, finish, texture or other stylistic matters unrelated to proper fit, a user may find a particular belt compatible for use with only a limited portion of his clothing wardrobe. 
         [0004]    The prior art also includes several other types of devices for adjusting the waist dimensions of lower body garments that are not designed to encircle the waist area in belt-like fashion. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,249 to Ito discloses an apparatus comprised of a horizontally oriented guide tape and a slider component, both attachable to a pant waist, wherein the slider is slidably movable along and selectively engageable to the guide tape to allow for waist size adjustment by virtue of selective overlapping of portions of the pant waist. U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,139 to Ida discloses a conceptually similar device which comprises a short adjusting belt and a slider component. Both of these patented devices allow a person to adjust his pants waist size without the use of a more sizeable buckled belt. 
         [0005]    However, such compact waist-adjusting devices of the prior art are not without disadvantage. To wit, they generally must be (semi-)permanently affixed to a particular garment, making them inconvenient or even impossible to utilize with multiple garments. So, a person may need to possess a different prior art waist-adjusting article to use with each pair of loose-fitting pants that he wishes to apply the article to. 
         [0006]    Consequently, it can be appreciated that there exists a need for a waist size-adjusting device that is easily compactable and is removable from clothing such that a single device can be transferred onto virtually every item in a user&#39;s pant wardrobe. Furthermore, there exists a need for such a device to be inconspicuous and/or aesthetic so as to render it fashionable for wear with a wide variety of pants. The waist size-adjusting device of the present invention may substantially fulfill these needs. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The present invention is a mechanical device that is removably attachable to pants and that permits one to selectively contract the pants&#39; waist size dimension. Its inventor contemplates the device being used on pants in lieu of belts for utilitarian purposes in some instances and for purely aesthetic reasons in other instances. 
         [0008]    A preferred embodiment of the present device comprises a few simple components including: a U-shaped first engaging member, a T-shaped second engaging member and U-shaped connecting member that is pivotally connected to both engaging member. The orientation of device members allows the device to be rotatably toggled between a closed position and a range of open positions, wherein the closed position is distinguished by all three members being in a vertically overlapping and generally concentric relation within a common dimensional plane, and the open positions are conversely defined by the U-shaped members being rotated out of the common plane. Separate clips for fastening the device onto a pant waistline are disposed adjacent to the bottom section of the U-shaped first engaging member and at an end of the crossbar section of the T-shaped second engaging member, respectively, such that the U and T shapes are horizontally oriented when the clips are secured to a pant waist. A releasable latch pin mechanism is also provided for holding the device members in fixed relationship when the device is in closed position. 
         [0009]    A user can apply the device to a pair of pants and contract the pants waistline by executing the four simple steps of: (1) unfurling the device to an open position by pivoting the connecting member such that the engaging members are pulled a desired distance apart from each other; (2) fastening the clips to selectively spaced points along the pant waistline; (3) reverse pivoting the connecting member to draw the engaging members back together into an overlapping, closed position and to, thereby, bunch together a short section of the waistline; and (4) engaging the latch pin to lock the device members together. 
         [0010]    It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a waist size-adjusting device of simple construction and use. It is also an object of the invention to provide such a device that permits a broad range of waist adjustment in order that a single device may be adapted for effective use by many potential users despite wide variations in the fit of their pants. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top and rear perspective view of a waist size-adjusting device of the present invention while in an opened position; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a top and front perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1 , but while in the closed position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the device of  FIG. 1  while in an opened position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the device of  FIG. 1  while in the closed position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of the device of  FIG. 1  while in the closed position; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the second engaging member and latching mechanism components of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is an isolated, end elevational view of the latch pin and accompanying thumb control; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a schematic front elevational view of the device of  FIG. 1  while applied to and in use on pants; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a schematic top and front perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1  immediately prior to being applied to pants for use; 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a top and rear perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the device of  FIG. 1 , an embodiment which further includes a front cover component; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  is a top and front perspective view of the device of  FIG. 10 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of the present invention—an embodiment whose fully integrated components include: a horizontally oriented, U-shaped, first engaging member  40 ; a horizontally oriented, U-shaped connecting member  20 ; a horizontally oriented, T-shaped, second engaging member  30 ; a pair of waist clips  6 ; and a latching mechanism. 
         [0023]    The first engaging member  40  and connecting member  20  are pivotally connected via a coaxial pair of pivot pins  2  traversing both U-shaped articles  20 ,  40  near their respective open ends. Consequently, the connecting member  20  may be pivoted between a closed position in which the connecting member  20  and first engaging member  40  are planarly aligned in concentric relationship, as shown in  FIG. 2 , and a fully opened position in which the U-shaped articles  20 ,  40  are axially aligned in facing relation, as is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The connecting member  20  is also pivotally attached to the second engaging member  30  by way of a second pair of coaxial pivot pins  4  which are traversely disposed along the connecting member  20  and the second engaging member&#39;s stem portion  30   a , respectively. The second engaging member  30  may thus be pivoted between a closed position in which the second engaging member  30  and connecting member  20  are planarly aligned, as shown in  FIG. 2 , and a range of opened positions in which the second engaging and connecting members  30 ,  20  are not axially aligned, as is depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 9 . 
         [0024]    The three letter-shaped members  20 ,  30 ,  40  are lockable into their aforementioned closed positions by virtue of locking means. Although the particular embodiment of locking means may vary greatly, the locking means illustrated herein comprises a spring-loaded latching mechanism. Specifically, within the stem portion  30   a  of the T-shaped second engaging member  30  is an open-ended and cylindrical chamber  18 , and axially disposed therewithin are a latch pin  8  and spring  12 . The latch pin  8  is a cylindrical piece which is a slip fit inside the chamber  18 . The pin  8  and spring  12  are oriented within the second engaging member&#39;s hollowed chamber  18  such that one end of the spring abuts the closed end of the cavity  18  while its opposite end presses against the proximal end  16  of the latch pin  8 . Thus, the spring  12  biases the latch pin  8  toward and through the open end of the cavity  18 . However, the latch pin  8  is slidably retracted by manipulation of a thumb control  10 . The thumb control  10  is affixed to and projects away from the latch pin  8 , protruding through a slit  14  along the front face of the second engaging member  30 . 
         [0025]    When the three members  20 ,  30 ,  40  are aligned in concentric relation and the thumb control  10  is then released, the latch pin  8  propels from the stem section  30   a  of the second engaging member  30  and through an aligned hole (not shown) in the closed end of the U-shaped connecting member  20 , lodging into a mating slot (not shown) that resides in the closed end of the U-shaped engaging member  40 . Thus, the extended latch pin  8  locks the device  1  into closed position. Conversely, when the thumb control  10  is manually guided toward the second engaging member&#39;s crossbar section  30   b , the spring  12  is compressed, and the latch pin  8  becomes entirely withdrawn into the second engaging member  30 . This retraction of the latch pin  8  from the first engaging and connecting members  40 ,  20  enables all three the device members  20 ,  30 ,  40  to pivot relative to one another. 
         [0026]    The device  1 , while opened as it is in  FIG. 3 , may be applied to beltless pants by, first, firmly placing over the pants waist W the clip  6  disposed along the first engaging member  40 . Next, the connecting member  20  is pivoted relative to the first engaging member  40 , and the second engaging member  30  is pivoted relative to the connecting member  20 , both such that the clip  6  disposed along the second engaging member  30  can also be fastened over the pants waist W.  FIG. 9  illustrates an example of the relative orientation of device members during initial placement of the device  1  on the waistline W. A user selects the appropriate points of clip placement based upon the extent to which he wishes to constrict the pants waist W. The further apart the two clips  6  are selectively placed along the waist W, the greater the device, when closed, will reduce waist size. 
         [0027]    Nevertheless, with the first engaging member  40  and second engaging member  30  both selectively fastened to the waist W, the latch pin  8  is retracted (by operation of the thumb control  10 ) and the engaging and connecting members  40 ,  30 ,  20  are pivoted into a mutually closed position defined by them being vertically overlapping and in generally concentric relation with each other, as shown in  FIG. 8 . Consequently, the clips  6  are drawn closer together, and assuming that the clips  6  do not slip relative to the points at which they were initially fastened to the waist W, this pivoting action will bunch the proximate segment of the waist W, thus, reducing waist size. To inhibit clip slippage along the pants fabric, the clips  6  feature roughened inner surfaces, as is apparent in  FIG. 2 . Finally, the thumb control  10  is released, and the spring  12  biases the latch pin  8  through the connecting member  20  and into the first engaging member  40 , thereby locking the device  1  into its closed position. 
         [0028]    A preferred embodiment of the device additionally features an openable front cover  50  that is attached to the first engaging member  40  by way of a hinge  52 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . Alternatively, the cover  50  could snap onto and off of the device  1 . In any event, the purpose of the cover component  50  is to conceal the latching mechanism and make the device  1  more fashionable. 
         [0029]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail and with reference to and illustration of a preferred version, it should be understood that other versions, which are not illustrated, are contemplated as being a part of the present invention. As a mere example, the latching mechanism described herein could be replaced by significantly different locking means for holding the inventive waist adjusting device in fixed position. As another example, the respective shapes and orientations of the engaging and connecting members, as well as that of a front cover, may vary from what is disclosed herein, as their pivot relationships are considerably more germane to the inventive concept than are the particular shapes of those constituent parts.