Abstract:
The invention provides a shape controlling outer pant garment with a pant portion and a self-fupporting upper shaped portion which surrounds and compresses the wearer while supported on the pant portion.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to shape-control outer garments. More particularly, the present invention relates to outer pant garments having adjustable shape control at the waist and the midriff of the wearer which do not restrict overall movement. 
       BACKGROUND AND THE PRIOR ART 
       [0002]    Prior art pants are designed to be carried on the wearer&#39;s body by fitment at the hips and waist areas with the weight of the pants being supported held up by that fitment. For most wearers, particularly women, the waist and hip sizes are quite different. This has been heightened by the increasing use of pants by women since the original pant designs were focused on the male shape. Since the waist and hips are in close proximity significant patterning is required to get a both a good fit with the necessary holding characteristics, particularly where highly shaped. Custom tailored pants are carefully fitted to both areas. Most pants, however, are sold at retail off the rack in a wide variety of standard sizes. Standardization requires that hip size be the primary focus of sizing leaving the waist size as an important but secondary consideration. An alternative is presented in pants commonly known as hip-hugger which are very low rise as they do not seek to cover the waist to any substantial degree. 
         [0003]    Despite the high inventory levels usually maintained to provide for the retail customer and the variety of sizes and shapes of wearers many of these retail pants are either ill-fitting or they require individual adjustments at the waist since hip sizes are more difficult and, thus, more expensive to adjust after the fact. This situation is particularly difficult in the women&#39;s fashion trade as an expanding inventory level is required to meet an expanding variety of styles, designs, patterns and colours. The lack of definition is particularly important in highly shaped figures, particularly those of women. 
         [0004]    An alternative is provided by an adjustable waistband. Most typically such adjustable waistband areas draw in the garment at the waistband and create a narrowed or expanded shape at the waist which functions to assist in holding up the garment on the wearer. 
         [0005]    Unfortunately, due to advancing age and life style choices the soft tissue areas between the hips and the chest are prone to become increasingly less well defined as a person ages. This causes waist fitment to become more problematic as increased tension in the waistband is required to maintain the desired fit and shape while holding the pant in place. The pant garment starts to function more and more as a shaping garment by compressing soft tissues in this area and less as a mere existing-shape fitter. 
         [0006]    The typical off-the-rack pant garment is not suited to this ‘new’ function as the soft tissue areas being compressed merely bulge out where the opportunity arises, most often above the pants themselves, leaving an unsightly bulge sometimes referred to as a ‘muffin top’ and a rolling over or bunching of the waistband. 
         [0007]    Additionally, waistband structure has been used to assist in compression and maintenance of the garment shape, further compressing soft tissue upward and tending to create a sharp line of definition between the controlled area and the open area above the pant. 
         [0008]    In the past this problem has been addressed by various separate shape control undergarments designed to compel this soft tissue to conform to a desirable shape, often referred to as an hour-glass shape or figure, when referring to women. Such shape control garments are well hidden beneath more appealing outwear, including pants, tops etc. These undergarments, such as expansible girdles and traditional corsets, are primarily directed at relatively high load situations and are held in place by pull down supports from the bottom (usually at the crotch area), by pull up supports from the top (usually with a set of straps), by a highly shaped middle section or by a combination of the above with or without internal structural members. Since the focus is on shaping by compression, an adjustment is often provided whereby the circumference may be expanded or reduced by a lace up or by buttons or the like. Pre-shaping of such garments can occur within the garment fabric by a series of shaped fabric panels, with or without structure supports, while the circumference adjustments are substantially uniform over the height of the garment. 
         [0009]    To achieve this end corsets and similar garments are known to be highly restrictive. They do not allow free movement of the body particularly in bending and turning and can be extremely uncomfortable. 
         [0010]    Another attempt at satisfactory shaping are the body stocking and-or girdle undergarments in which an expansible fabric sleeve is used to control the shape of the wearer. 
         [0011]    Unfortunately these undergarments are often uncomfortable and highly restrictive of the free movement of the wearer. With limited movement they have a tendency to roll or slide downwards due to the lack of sufficient vertical stays or boning, making them even less comfortable and less appealing to the wearer. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTIOIN 
       [0012]    The present invention provides a modern and stylish answer to the growing need for a shape control outer pants garment particularly suited to women, which is adapted to high volume manufacture and distribution and retail off-the-rack or ready to wear sales at a reasonable price. 
         [0013]    The present invention provides a self-supporting shaped pants garment in which shaping and support control is provided by an upper portion or extension from traditional pant design and maintains a high comfort level along with freedom of all types of movement by the wearer. 
         [0014]    It is an object of the invention to provide a shape control pant wherein the shaping upper portion is secured to and supported upon a traditional pant lower portion and extends across the midriff. 
         [0015]    It is an object of the invention to provide a shape control pant with an upper edge also supported vertically upon the pant lower portion while permitting full and free movement of the wearer at the chest bones without interference. 
         [0016]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a shape control pant wherein the shaping elements required for soft tissue shaping do not substantially interfere with strucutural elements of the body of the wearer and provide superior comfort and back support particularly while sitting or driving. 
         [0017]    Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention are set forth in the within description, and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the specification or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    The invention provides a pant garment with entry and exit means with a pant portion adapted to be suspended upon the hips of the wearer, and an upper shaped portion preferably fabricated from a plurality of shaped fabric panels adapted to surround said wearer upwards from said pant portion to and across the midriff, wherein said shaped portion includes means to close about said wearer, a lower edge secured to said pant portion, an upper edge, means to support said upper edge on said pant portion, and adjustable means adapted to compress the midriff inwards and upwards. 
         [0019]    The invention further provides a pant garment wherein the shaped portion is hour glass shaped and the adjustment is generally V-shaped opening upwards. 
         [0020]    The invention also provides a pant garment the adjustable means extends from the sacroiliac area to the said upper edge of said shaped portion. 
         [0021]    The invention also provides a pant garment wherein support includes vertically oriented stiffening elements such as boning. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a frontal plan view of the low-rise version of the pant of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a rear plan view of the pant of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a frontal plan view of the pant of  FIG. 1  in a high-rise version. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is a rear plan view of the high-rise pant of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is an plan view of the shaped portion of the pant of  FIG. 1  expanded horiztonally to show its individual panels. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  is a cross-section of support boning. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0028]    The shaped pant of the invention  1  in low-rise form is depicted in frontal plan view in  FIG. 1  and is comprised of a fabric shaped portion  2  and a pant portion  6 . Pant portion  6  is suspended or held up on the wearer  14  at or near the hip line  3  as shown. The shaped portion  2 , when closed as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , completely surrounds the wearer (shown in dotted relief at  14 ) in compression from the wearer hip line  3  to the top of the midriff  4  just below the bust line  5  and thus controls the waist without controlling the upper body or bust area with a balanced pressure. The wearer hip line  3  demonstrates a hip-hugger pant portion  6  with a belt closure  7  and a frontal zipper fly  8  for ease of reference. Alternatively, pant portion  6  may be closed by buttons or elastic material located in various alternate places (not shown) around the periphery of the wearer  14 . 
         [0029]    In a shaped pant of regular fit the pant portion  6  would extend vertically further above hip-line  3 , as at  9 , but still below the waistline  10 , see  FIGS. 3 and 4  referred to below. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  shaped portion  2  includes a lower edge  11  which is joined to pant portion  6  in a traditional manner, such as by sewing, and extends upwards on the wearer  14  to upper edge  12 . Wearer  14  entry and exit is facilitated by a series of joiners  13  which may be buttons, snaps, zippers, or any other suitable device which maintains shaped portion  2  closed while the pant  1  is being worn as shown in  FIG. 1 . Preferably joiners  13  are mounted to the front of the wearer  14  and above zipper fly  8  to maintain the traditional operations of daily entry and exit and a traditional appearance. 
         [0031]    Shaped portion  2  is formed from a series of shaped fabric panels  16  into a classic hour-glass form as at  15  completely surrounding the wearer  14 . 
         [0032]    Stiffening elements or boning strips  17  are generally aligned vertically to the wearer  14  and preferably extend from lower edge  11  to upper edge  12 . Boning strips  17  are secured to or within channels formed in the fabric of shaped portion  2  in a traditional manner and maintain both the hour-glass shape  15  by compression, support the shaped portion and maintain the vertical separation  18  between lower edge  11  and upper edge  12 . In  FIG. 1  six boning strips  17  are shown. The number and location of the boning strips  17  may vary depending upon the amount of support and the styling required by any individual wearer. Fewer boning strips are required for a garment of the invention with less support. 
         [0033]    Preferably stiffening elements or boning strips  17  lie along the shaped sides (‘b’ and ‘c’ in  FIG. 5 ) of some or all of panel s  16 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  shows a rear plan view of the shaped pant of  FIG. 1 . Generally V-shaped lace-up closure  19  preferably extends from the sacroiliac area  20  of wearer  14  towards, and preferably to, shaped portion upper edge  12 . V-shaped closure  19  provides an adjustable circumference to the upper portion  6  which may remain permanent for any wearer  14  or be adjusted as required for fitment and/or support. V-shaped closure  19  increasing separation  24  upwards as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 . Preferably sepeation  24  uniformly increases with height, as shown. Alternatively seperation sides  36   c  and  37   b,    FIG. 5 , may also be shaped to assist in fit and control in conjunction with closure  19 . V-shaped closure  19  includes a series of spaced eyelets or looped carriers  21  and laces  22  adapted to draw in upon the V-shaped closure and thus the hour-glass shape of shaped portion  2 . V-shaped closure  19  may be formed into the fabric of shaped portion  2  by the addition of eyelets  21  or other similar looped carrier means directly to the surface of the fabric or by a V-shaped cutout with edges  23 . Tightening V-shaped closure  19  reduces the circumference of the shaped portion  6  about wearer  14  while maintaining the hour-glass shape of portion  6  and compressing wearer soft tissue inwards and upwards. Preferably, V-shaped closure  19  is set once or, at most periodically when better fitment or different levels of control are required, for each individual wearer  14  while joiners  13  are used for repeated uses of the pant garment. 
         [0035]    As can be seen, drawing in upon laces  22  draws in upon the hour-glass shape of shaped portion  2  and provides this variable lateral and upwards compression to the soft tissues of wearer  14  between the sacroiliac area and the hip-line  3  to the upper edge of the midriff  4 . The shaped portion is held in place and in form by the hour glass shape  15  formed of shaped panels  16  and boning strips  17  in conjunction with this lateral compression. 
         [0036]    Upper edge  12  is generally below the bust line  5  and does not significantly engage the rib cage or the upper body of wearer  14  thus allowing the normal full freedom of movement of wearer  14  in the area of shaped portion  2 . 
         [0037]    An alternative embodiment of the invention adapted to a high rise pant style is shown at  1   a  in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The shaped portion tower edge  11   a  extends to hip line  9   a  providing for a longer zipper fly  8   a . Preferably, V-shaped closure  19  extends substantially below hip line  9   a  and lower edge  11   a  to the sacroiliac area  20  as in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0038]    At  FIG. 5  the shaped portion  2  of the pant  1  of  FIG. 1  is shown in an exploded planar view. Each of eight individual fabric panels  30  through  37  inclusive extends upwards from a panel bottom d to a panel top a and include a pair of shaped panel sides b and c. Each of panel sides b and c would be joined for form shaped portion  2  in the form of the classic female hour-glass shape as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4 . Panel bottoms d would be aligned to form shaped portion lower edge  11  and secured to pant portion  6  (not shown in  FIG. 5 ). Panel tops a would form shaped portion upper edge  12 . More or fewer panels in a variety of shapes would be used for more or less control and variations in the shaping of the garment and may include one or more traditional darts or double darts. Preferably, eight panels provide for comfortable shaping of the pant garment overall and provide good fitment. 
         [0039]    Preferably each panel top a is aligned along upper edge  12  and panel bottom d is aligned along lower edge  11  so that the panels may be readily cut from a single strip of fabric or cut on folded fabric as miror images of each other. 
         [0040]    Panel sides b and c are shaped so that upon attachment of each panel to its adjacent neighbour the hour-glass form is created in the finished piece as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4 . 
         [0041]    center front panels  32  and  33  are shown as a single conjoined piece in  FIG. 5  as the center front of the finished shaped pant  1  of the invention is most readily formed of panels  32  and  33  fastened together by joiners  13  when in use by the wearer  14 . 
         [0042]    Rear panels  36  and  37  are shown in  FIG. 5  as interconnected by spaced eyelets or looped carriers  21  and laces  22  for form V-shaped closure  19  and so as to depict the rear view of completed shaped portion  2 . Rear panel sides  36   c  and opposing  37   b  form the V-shape of the invention when the panels  36  and  37  are aligned with bottom and top sides d aligned with bottom edge  11  and top edge  12  and joined into the finished garment. 
         [0043]    Preferably panels  30  through  37  of  FIG. 5  are joined into the finished shaped panel  2  as by traditional sewing along adjacent panel sides b and c but for the front and rear closures shown in  FIGS. 1 through 5 . 
         [0044]    Alternatively, upper edge  12  and lower edge  11  may provide a curve or shaped edge which may be joined to or supported upon pant section  6  along a curve adapted to the shape of the wearer  14 . 
         [0045]    In  FIG. 6  a substantially vertical boning  17  is shown in cross-section as contained within channel  38  between panels  30  and  31 . Panels  30  and  31  are aligned along fabric plane  41  and sewn along both sides as at  39  and  40  to form vertical channel  38 . Preferably boning  17  is sewn into each vertical side b and c of panels  30  through  37  for strong shaping and control. In situations where less shaping or control is required these vertical seams may omit some boning. 
         [0046]    While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited thereto, and that many obvious modifications and variations can be made, and that such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.