Abstract:
The unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets is a pair of shorts or pants for the lower body having a crotch opening covered by a completely removable or partially openable pocketed fly-flap. The crotch opening is designed to expose both the male anatomy and female anatomy. The wearer either partially removes or completely removes the fly-flap from the crotch opening to modestly perform bodily functions without having to entirely disrobe. Pockets on the fly-flap allow the wearer to carry necessities such as toiletries or key.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/409,013 filed Apr. 24, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/663,750, filed Sep. 17, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,249. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to apparel for the lower body, more particularly, a pair of shorts or pants having an opening in the crotch area covered by a completely removable or partially removable pocketed flap.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Athletes of all sports, such as runners, skiers, skaters, walkers, bicyclers, or swimmers, have little time to waste when in the heat of competition. Winning or losing depends on time and performance. Athletes, however, cannot avoid taking time out of racing to perform normal bodily functions, such as urination or defecation. The time needed to perform these bodily functions can be unnecessarily prolonged due to the nature of the sport. For example, in the course of competition athletes may not be able to find a discrete area in which to carry out bodily functions. The delay may be further prolonged due to the nature of the apparel usually worn by participants in the sport.  
         [0006]     For example, runners and joggers often wear active wear running togs made from spandex or other elastic fabric. During marathon runs or long workouts on park trails, nature sometimes calls, and the active wear can be difficult or uncomfortable to pull down and pull up over the hips, since the clothing is often damp and heavy with perspiration. Typically the athlete desires a quick way of opening the clothing just enough to eliminate bodily waste, so that they can resume their run as quickly as possible. Although performing normal bodily functions cannot be avoided, modifying the apparel worn by the athlete can drastically reduce the time needed to perform these functions. A number of garments have been proposed to allow the wearer to perform bodily functions without having to disrobe.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,838, issued to Carter-Scott-Pomije on Aug. 3, 1999, describes pull-on pants or shorts having a flapped opening for the female anatomy. A pocket is provided on the leg panel to hold small items, such as tissue paper. U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,515, issued to Cohen on Aug. 30, 1994, describes a medical examination garment possessing an opening between the legs extending from front to back. A rear flap attached to the rear of the garment and a front flap attached to the front of the garment covers the crotch opening. The flaps either individually or simultaneously are lifted from the garment to expose the genital area.  
         [0008]     Sportswear having flapped openings at the crotch are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,556, issued to Isley on Feb. 13, 1962 (men&#39;s tights with front flap over pubic region); U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,186, issued to Dailly on Oct. 8, 2002 (male-specific cyclist sportswear with front opening having an external flap and an internal flap over the pubic region to facilitate urination); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,926, issued to Mantos on Jul. 30, 1996 (sport trouser having a padded triangular fly-flap removably secured over the pubic region).  
         [0009]     Still other patents showing outerwear designed with an exposable crotch area include U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,234, issued to Leibman on Oct. 9, 1990 (outergarment with detachable multilayered crotch piece having a disposable inner liner and a washable outer portion); U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,761, issued to Wright on Aug. 12, 1986 (woman&#39;s outergarment with front flap extending from waistline to crotch region); U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,522, issued to Schreib on Feb. 27, 2001 (pants with removable crotch flap to facilitate urination by females); U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,793, issued to Tokura et al. on Oct. 20, 1998 (clothing with an envelope-like flap covering a crotch opening); U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,595, issued to Stradley on Apr. 30, 1991 (woman&#39;s trousers having a releasable seam at the crotch and seat portion); U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,828, issued to Smith, Sr. et al on Apr. 1, 1986 (woman&#39;s pants with padded fly for covering a crotch-opening extending from the rear of the garment to the front of the garment); U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,063, issued to Brown on Feb. 4, 1969 (outergarment having a zippered crotch area attached to an undergarment); U.S. Pat. No. 2,389,273, issued to Novak on Nov. 20, 1945 (slacks with drop seat); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,711, issued to Freeman et al. on Nov. 12, 2002 (unitary garment with buttock flap).  
         [0010]     Undergarments with completely removable crotch pieces are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,599, issued to O&#39;Brien on Mar. 12, 1946 (undergarment with detachable crotch portion); U.S. Pat. No. 2,016,990, issued to Davis on Oct. 8, 1935 (girdle with detachable crotch portion); U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,230, issued to LaFleur on Jul. 28, 1981 (disposable training pants with cut-away crotch portion); U.S. Pat. No. 1,083,712, issued to Uyveda on Jan. 6, 1914 (undergarment having detachable sanitary piece); Japanese Patent Number 2002-186,642 published on Dec. 24, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,854, issued on Dec. 24, 1991 both to Davis (disposable undergarment with tear-away crotch portion); and U.S. Pat. No. 2,477,593, issued to Gershenow on Aug. 2, 1949 (panty girdle with detachable and replaceable crotch portion).  
         [0011]     Undergarments with a partially removable crotch flap covering a crotch opening include U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,119, issued to Robles on Jul. 2, 2002 (undergarment with a forward flap); U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,321, issued to Mortensen et al. on Aug. 28, 1990 (undergarment with rear and front panels to cover crotch region); U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,836, issued to Carlson on Aug. 17, 1976 (girdle with panel affixed to rear of garment); U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,469, issued to Schustack on Oct. 18, 1966 (foundation garment with crotch panel secured to rear of garment); U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,078, issued to Southwell on Jan. 20, 1987 (undergarment with waterproof flap secured to rear of garment), U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,633, issued to McKee on Jul. 28, 1959 (garment with crotch piece secured to back of garment); and U.S. Pat. No. 602,188, issued to Sittig on (trunk with a flap covering a crotch opening).  
         [0012]     Pantyhose having an easily accessible crotch area are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,699, issued to Cosmah on Dec. 4, 2001 (pantyhose with forward opening crotch flap fixedly secured to the front of pantyhose); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,304, issued to McCants-Reed on Feb. 28, 1989 (men&#39;s pantyhose having front flap to expose front of torso and rear flap to expose rear of torso).  
         [0013]     Undergarments with pockets are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,823, issued to Ortmeier on Feb. 1, 2000; U.S. Design Pat. No. 396,542, issued to Nicholson on Aug. 4, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,935, issued to Countee, Jr. on Mar. 10, 1992; U.S. Design Pat. No. 339,219, issued to Beauchemin on Sep. 14, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,430, issued to Lerma-Solis on Dec. 22, 1992; U.S. Design Pat. No. 341,470, issued to Quick on Nov. 23, 1993; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,178, issued to Katchka on Nov. 26, 1991.  
         [0014]     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     The unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap is a pair of shorts or pants having a crotch opening covered by a completely removable or partially removable fly-flap having one or more pockets disposed thereon. The crotch opening is designed for use by either a male or female user. The wearer either partially or completely removes the fly-flap from the crotch opening to modestly perform bodily functions without entirely disrobing. Pockets found on the fly-flap allow the wearer to carry necessities such as toiletries, snacks or keys.  
         [0016]     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a garment having a crotch opening suitable for either male or female users.  
         [0017]     It is another object of the invention to provide a garment having a crotch opening covered by a removable fly-flap for allowing the wearer to perform bodily functions.  
         [0018]     It is a further object of the invention to provide a garment having a crotch opening covered by a removable fly-flap for allowing the wearer to perform bodily functions without having to completely disrobe.  
         [0019]     Still another object of the invention is to provide a garment having pockets on a removable fly-flap to hold small items.  
         [0020]     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
         [0021]     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.  
         [0022]     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets according to the present invention, a corner of the flap being partially open.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets according to the present invention with one end of the fly-flap partially removed from the garment.  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets according to the present invention in an open configuration.  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets according to the present invention with the fly-flap temporarily attached to the rear of the garment in an open configuration.  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a fragmented perspective view of the unisex active wear garment of the present invention, showing details of the fly-flap.  
         [0028]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets according to the present invention shown in an open configuration.  
         [0029]      FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the unisex active wear garment showing the fly-flap completely removed from the garment.  
         [0030]      FIG. 8A  is an elevation view showing the interior side of a fly-flap of the embodiment of  FIG. 7 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 8B  is a perspective view showing the exterior side of the fly-flap of  FIG. 8A .  
         [0032]      FIG. 9A  is a front perspective view showing a second alternative embodiment of the unisex active wear garment with the fly-flap in an open position.  
         [0033]      FIG. 9B  is a front perspective view showing the second alternative embodiment of the unisex active wear garment with the fly flap in a partially closed position. 
     
    
       [0034]     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0035]     The present invention is a unisex active wear garment with modified fly-flap and storage pockets, designated generally as  20  in  FIGS. 1-4 . The garment  20  is shown in  FIG. 1  as a pair of shorts extending to about mid-thigh. However it will be understood that the scope of the present invention extends to active wear shorts or pants of any length adapted for being worn on the lower body, including short-shorts, mid-thigh shorts, knee-high shorts, calf-length pants, and long pants. The garment  20  can be constructed from a single type of fabric, or from fabric blends, or from several pieces of material of different fabric types, such as cotton, spandex, nylon, polyester, and blends of the above.  
         [0036]     The garment  20  has an elastic waistband  22  sewn into a seam at the top of the garment  20  to encircle the waist and retain the garment  20  on the wearer&#39;s body, two legs  24  extending from the torso section and defining leg openings at the bottom of the garment  20 , and a crotch opening disposed between the legs that is covered by a fly-flap  30  having pockets  40  and  44  disposed thereon. As described more fully below, pocket  40  opens laterally, while pocket  44  opens at the top of the flap  30 . The garment  20  is pulled on the body in the usual manner one&#39;s legs through the legs  24  of the garment  20  and stretching the garment  20  up over the lower torso to encircle the waist.  
         [0037]     The torso and leg sections of the garment  20  may be formed in a variety of ways, e.g., the garment  20  may be formed by a left panel and a right panel joined by front and rear seams and by inseams along the left and right legs  24 , the rear of the flap  30  being stitched to the seat of the pants in the crotch area, as described below. Alternatively, the left and right panels may be further formed by front and rear portions joined by a side seam, so that the garment comprises left front, left rear, right front, and right rear panels, in addition to flap  30 . Still further, instead of left and right panels, in some embodiments the garment  20  may be formed solely by front and back panels, together with the flap  30  covering the crotch area as described below.  
         [0038]      FIG. 2  shows the front of the active wear garment  20  with the fly-flap  30  partially removed from the garment. Fly-flap  30  comprises an elongated strip or panel of fabric having a substantially rectangular upper end  30   a  and a lower end  30   b  tapering to a generally triangular point (shown in shadow in  FIG. 2 ). The lower end  30   b  of the fly-flap  30  is fixed to the rear seat of the garment  20  by sewing. The upper end  30   a  of the fly-flap  30  is releasably secured to the front of the garment  20  between about ½″ to one inch below the waistband  22  by mating fasteners  32   a ,  32   b . Fastener  32   b  is positioned on the exterior-front of the garment  20  between the waistband  22  and the crotch opening to engage fastener  32   a  positioned on the interior side of fly-flap  30 . Mating fasteners  32   a ,  32   b  are preferably a hook and loop material, but can also be snap members or buttons.  
         [0039]      FIG. 3  displays the underside of garment  20  as seen from the rear with the fly-flap  30  being fully retracted from the garment  20  and drawn rearward to expose crotch opening  36 . Crotch opening  36  is positioned to align with the genitalia of the wearer, and extends sufficiently high up the front side of the garment  20  to fully expose the penis or vulva, respectively, to permit quick access, forming an inverted V-shaped opening  36 . A liner  34  is fixed to the interior side of the fixed end of the fly-flap  30   b , and is shaped and dimensioned to cover opening  36  when fly-flap  30  is in the closed position, thereby overlying the pubic area. The liner  34  is moisture absorptive and, therefore, permits the wearer to wear garment  20  by itself, both as an outergarment and an undergarment. Fastener  32   a  is attached to the interior surface of the fly-flap, and extends from the liner  34  to the upper end  30   a  of the fly-flap  30 .  
         [0040]     The crotch opening  36  is suitable for both the male anatomy and the female anatomy and permits the wearer to urinate or defecate modestly without disrobing. To perform either bodily function, the wearer pulls the fly-flap  30  away from the front of the garment, disengaging fastener  32   a  from fastener  32   b , and drags the fly-flap down between the legs and back up to the rear of the garment to expose the pubic and perianal area. As shown in  FIG. 4 , fly-flap  30  is held in the open position by engaging fastener  38   a , which is attached to the exterior side of fly-flap  30 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , to the fastener  38   b  found on the waistband. Fastener  38   b  can be located anywhere along the rear of the garment to maintain the fly-flap in an open position. Preferably, fasteners  38   a  and  38   b  comprise mating patches of hook and loop fastening material.  
         [0041]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , it can be seen that pocket  40  opens laterally, while pocket  44  opens at the top. Pocket  40  includes fastener  42  disposed about the mouth of the pocket to seal vertical pocket  40  in a closed position. As seen in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , when garment  20  is being worn, with mating fasteners  32   a  and  32   b  engaged, pockets  40  and  44  will be positioned above crotch opening  36  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ). This results in pockets  40  and  44  being located above the wearer&#39;s crotch, and in front of the abdomen of the wearer. Pocket  40  is preferably made from waterproof material, or has a waterproof liner, in order to hold and keep items dry, such as toilet tissue, tampons, etc. Pocket  44  is accessible from the top of the fly-flap  30  and includes fastener  46  disposed about the mouth of the pocket  44  to seal the pocket  44  closed. Fasteners  42  and  46  are preferably zippers, but can also be hook and loop strips, buttons or snap members. Pockets  40  and  44  provide the wearer a convenient place to hold items such as toilet paper, identification cards, keys and snacks.  
         [0042]     Pockets  40  and  44  may be formed, e.g., by a piece of fabric doubled over to form a front wall and a back wall. The back wall has its bottom edge and two lateral edges sewn to flap  30 , thereby defining pocket  44 , opening at the upper end  30   a  of flap  30 . The front wall also has its bottom edge and one lateral edge sewn to flap  30 , but the upper edge of the front wall is sewn to the upper edge of the back wall, thereby defining pocket  40 , which opens laterally.  
         [0043]      FIG. 6  shows an alternative embodiment of an active wear garment of the present invention, designated generally as  200 , in which the fly-flap  230  is fixed to the front of garment  200 . The fixed end of the fly-flap  230   b  is secured to the front of garment  200  by sewing, and the releasably secured end of the fly-flap  230   a  is attached to the rear of the garment  200  by releasable fasteners. In use, the wearer uncovers the crotch opening by pulling the releasably secured end of fly-flap  230   a  away from the fastener found on the center-rear of the garment (not shown in  FIG. 6 ) down between the legs  224  and up to the front of the garment  200 . To maintain fly-flap  230  in an open position, the wearer attaches fastener  238   a , disposed on the exterior of the free end of fly-flap  230   a , to fastener  238   b , which is disposed on the front of the garment  200  at the waistband  222 . Fasteners  238   a  and  238   b  are preferably hook and loop strips but they can also be other material such as snap members or buttons. After the wearer has performed their bodily function, the wearer releases fastener  238   a  from fastener  238   b  and brings fly-flap  230  back to its original position on the rear of the garment. The fly-flap  230  includes top opening pocket  244  and laterally opening pocket  240 , similar to pockets  44  and  40 , respectively.  
         [0044]     Another alternative embodiment is illustrated in  FIG. 7 , which shows a front view of an active wear garment  300  that has a completely removable fly-flap  330 . Garment  300  has waistband  322 , legs  324 , and crotch opening  336 . In the present figure, fly-flap  330  is not shown, being completely removed from the garment  300 . Fastener  332   b  is positioned in the center-front of garment  300 . Though not shown, a symmetrical fastener  332   b  is also positioned in the center-rear of garment  300 . Fastener  332   b  is preferably hook and loop material for quick release, but may also be any other releasable fastener, such as snap members or buttons.  
         [0045]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  show fly-flap  330  completely removed and separate from garment  300 . Fly-flap  330  is an elongated, substantially rectangular strip or panel of material.  FIG. 8A  shows the interior side of fly-flap  330 .  FIG. 8A  shows fastener  332   a  disposed at the opposite ends of fly-flap  330 , and liner  334  disposed in the center thereof. When fly-flap  330  is replaced on top of the garment  300 , fastener  332   a  is positioned to engage fastener  332   b  and liner  334  is positioned to cover crotch opening  336  to close the garment&#39;s opening and overlay the pubic area. Fasteners  332   a  and  332   b  are preferably hook and loop strips, but it can also be other releasable fasteners.  
         [0046]      FIG. 8B  shows the exterior side of fly-flap  330 . Fly-flap  330  has four pockets, two laterally opening pockets  340   a  and  340   b , and two pockets  344   a  and  344   b  opening towards the upper end and the lower end of flap  330 , respectively. Pockets  340   a  and  340   b  are releasably closed by fasteners  342   a  and  342   b , respectively; pockets  344   a  and  344   b  are releasably closed by fasteners  346   a  and  346   b , respectively. Fasteners  342   a ,  342   b  and  346   a ,  346   b  are preferably zippers, but can also be hook and loop fastener strips, buttons or snap members. When the fly-flap  330  is positioned on the garment  300 , the wearer has two pockets  340   a ,  344   a  at the upper end of the fly flap positioned on the front of the garment  300  and two pockets  340   b ,  344   b  at the lower end of the fly flap positioned on the rear of the garment. Garment  300 , unlike garments  20  and  200 , does not have corresponding fasteners  38   a ,  38   b  or  238   a ,  238   b  because here when the user desires to perform bodily functions, the entire fly-flap  330  is completely removed from garment  300 .  
         [0047]     As shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , a second alternative embodiment of the unisex active wear garment is disclosed, according to the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 9A , the garment  900  is shown with an alternatively configured fly-flap  930  in an open position. A strip of releasable fastener material  970   b  is attached horizontally, i.e., laterally to the front of the torso section below waistband  922  while a mating strip of fastener material  970   a  is attached horizontally across the upper end  930   a  of fly-flap  930 . A snap fastener  975   b  is disposed on the front of the torso section. A corresponding mating snap fastener  975   a  is attached to the fly-flap at its upper end  930   a.    
         [0048]     As shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , the alternatively configured fly-flap  930  may provide a configuration in which a triangular form of fixed end  930   b  extends from under the crotch opening  945  to upper end  930   a  to create a substantially V shape which is capable of conforming to a crotch contour of the wearer. Moreover, a pocket  950 , having mating fasteners  932   a  and  932   b  may have a width that generally follows the horizontal, i.e., lateral extent of V shaped fly-flap  930 . A patch of fabric  977  may be sewn to a lateral end of upper fly-flap  930   a  proximate to snap fasteners  975   a  and  975   b  in order to facilitate disengaging the snap fasteners  975   a  and  975   b  when a wearer desires to unfasten the fly-flap  900 .  
         [0049]     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.