Abstract:
A garment having a collar, the garment comprising: a placket, extending the length of the garment and having spaced apart first and a second buttons substantially nearer to the collar than a third button; wherein a portion of the placket intermediate the first and second button comprises a fly-front placket hiding an intermediate button therein; and wherein a remaining portion of the placket is not a fly front placket.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Business casual is an increasingly viable mode of dress. For most, business casual includes a button down collared shirt or blouse. The top buttons of these garments are often left unsecured, so as to leave open the collar area for a more casual appearance, even while wearing business attire. 
     However, often times, the placement of the buttons on the garment are not custom to the wearer. This may lead to an uncomfortable situation. If the wearer is too buttoned up—i.e. one too many buttons are buttoned—he/she may project the appearance of being uptight or stuffy. If the wearer is too buttoned down—i.e. one too few buttons are buttoned—he/she may be seen as sloppy. This is particularly troublesome where being too buttoned down exposes an inappropriate amount of chest hair or cleavage. But, if one were to simply add more buttons to a shirt or blouse, the resultant look would be aesthetically unpleasing simply due to the excess number of buttons. 
     It is therefore desirable to provide garments having hidden intermediate buttons between the topmost exposed buttons that will permit wearers to be optimally unbuttoned. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A collared shirt is described herein that overcomes the limitations noted above. 
     The collared shirt has a placket with spaced apart first and a second buttons, wherein a portion of the placket intermediate the first and second button is a fly-front placket for hiding an intermediate button. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the presently described apparatus and method of its use. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s): 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a garment according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a garment showing a hidden portion of a placket according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The above described drawing figures illustrate the described invention in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiment illustrated. Therefore, it should be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and should not be taken as a limitation on the scope of the present invention. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary garment  10  in accordance with at least one preferred embodiment. 
     The garment (for example, a shirt or blouse) comprises a collar  20  and a placket  40  extending therefrom, permitting a user to don the garment with substantial ease. Preferably, the placket extends the entire length of the shirt, but it may also extend only a portion of the shirt. Indeed, in embodiments where the placket extends only a portion of the shirt, it is preferable that the placket extends the upper portion of the shirt, as defined by the user&#39;s chest area while in use. 
     The placket comprises a top piece  42  that overlays a bottom piece  44 , the bottom piece having a plurality of spaced apart exposed buttons  46  for removably engaging correspondingly spaced apart button holes  48  of the top piece. Thus, the top and bottom pieces may be disengaged so that the user may easily don the shirt, and then reengaged to close the shirt. In some embodiments, the collar may also include one or more collar buttons  22  and corresponding button holes  24 . Importantly, the exposed buttons and the collar buttons, when engaged with their respective button holes, are exposed through the button holes of the top piece and therefore are plainly visible to an observer. 
     The plurality of buttons includes at least a first and a second button, and corresponding button holes. The first button is the button located closest to the collar, while the second button is the next closest. Neither the first nor the second button is located on the collar. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the placket further comprises a hidden portion  50  located between the first and second button holes and consisting of a fly-front for concealing an intermediate button  56  when the shirt is closed. In some embodiments, the intermediate button is located at the midpoint between the first and second buttons. In some embodiments, the intermediate button has a diameter that is less than the diameter of the first and second buttons. 
     Preferably, the hidden portion consists of the top piece  52  ( 42 ) overlaying an intermediate piece  51  between the first and second buttons (or button holes) so as to form a pocket therebetween. A hidden button hole (not shown) is preferably located on the intermediate piece for removably engaging the intermediate button. However, the top piece preferably lacks a corresponding button hole for the intermediate button and therefore covers the engaged hidden button from view. The top and intermediate pieces may overlay the bottom piece  54  ( 44 ), which includes the intermediate button, so as to permit the intermediate button to engage the hidden button hole as described herein. In at least one embodiment, the hidden portion does not extend beyond the first and second button holes and is located solely therebetween. 
     In some embodiments, only a single hidden portion  51  is provided. The hidden portion  51  may be located at the mid-point between the first and second buttons  46 , and may consist of a strip of placket material (i.e., the intermediate piece  51 ), preferably cloth, affixed at either longitudinal ends  61  and  62  to the inner surface of the top piece. 
     The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the invention and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element. 
     The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. 
     Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas. 
     The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.