Abstract:
Pants include a waistband shaped to descend from the hip region to a rear center region, thereby resembling a shallow v-shape. The rear center region is configured to reach toward the back of the individual wearing the pants. A reinforcement patch is used to provide foundation to connect a belt loop to the waistband.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation patent application that claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/358,110, entitled “Pants with V-Shaped Waistband,” which was filed on Jan. 22, 2009, and the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to apparel. More particularly, this invention relates to pants with a v-shaped waistband for a closer fit to a waist, particularly in the center back region. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a typical prior art waistband formed from a single rectangular strip of material  100 .  FIG. 2  illustrates pants  200  with the strip  100  sewn to a pant leg  202 , which includes a pocket  204 . This prior art pant configuration frequently results in a “back gap”, shown by arrow  206 . The back gap is the region between the waistband and the back of the individual (not shown) wearing the pants  200 . This back gap is particularly apparent when the individual wearing the pants  200  is in a sitting position. 
     Some pants utilize an elastic waistband to address the back gap problem. Many individuals find elastic waistbands aesthetically unpleasant. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a new pant configuration that minimizes back gap, while maintaining aesthetically desirable qualities. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Pants include a waistband shaped to descend from the hip region to a rear center region, thereby resembling a shallow v-shape. The rear center region is configured to reach toward the back of the individual wearing the pants. In one embodiment, a reinforcement patch is used to provide foundation to connect a belt loop to the waistband. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The invention is more fully appreciated in connection with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a rectangular waistband utilized in the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates prior art pants formed with a rectangular waistband. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates two strips of material used to form a v-shaped waistband in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the two strips of material from  FIG. 3  sewn together; the figure also illustrates a fold line utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates the waistband of  FIG. 4  after sewing and folding. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a v-shaped waistband formed from a single piece of material in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of pants with a v-shaped waistband in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a rear view of pants with a v-shaped waistband in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a first material segment  300  and a second material segment  302 . Each material segment has a v-shaped cut-out  304  at a terminal end. The v-shaped cut-out of the first material segment  300  is folded back to form a first v-fold  306 . Similarly, the v-shaped cut-out of the second material segment  302  is folded back to form a second v-fold  308 . 
     The first v-fold  306  and the second v-fold  308  are placed in a face-to-face configuration, which is sewn to form a seam  400 , as shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  also illustrates a longitudinal axis  402  of the resultant waistband. The waistband is folded along the longitudinal axis  402  to form the waistband of  FIG. 5 . In particular,  FIG. 5  is a rear view of the waistband. Observe that the waistband resembles a shallow v-shape. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the v-shaped waistband. In this embodiment, the material  600  is cut from a single piece of material. The single piece of material may be initially cut to form a shallow v-shape. Alternately, a rectangular strip of material may be used. In this instance, material at the center of the strip is folded and sewn to form the shallow v-shape. The two strip embodiment of  FIG. 3  has the advantage of using smaller pieces of material, which may be cut from a base material in a more efficient manner to reduce material waste. 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of pants  700  formed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The figure illustrates a waistband  702 , such as the waistband of  FIG. 5  or  FIG. 6 , attached to a pant leg  704 , which includes a pocket  706 . Arrow  708  indicates an eliminated or reduced back gap region. In particular, the rear center region reaches toward the back of the individual (not shown) wearing the pants. The disclosed waistband results in a configuration where the top of the waistband has a slightly smaller circumference than the remainder of the waistband, thereby promoting closer engagement with the back of the individual at the top of the waistband. 
       FIG. 8  is a rear view of pants  700 . Observe that the waistband  702  has a subtle v-shape descending from the hip region to the rear center region. When the pants are worn by an individual, the natural shape of the body tends to diminish the observable nature of the v-shape. Thus, an individual enjoys a reduced back gap with a contoured fit. At that same time, when worn on a body, the v-shape is barely observable, thereby creating the aesthetic appeal of a straight waistband. Another benefit of the waistband  702  is that the shape tends to align the grains of the fabric (e.g., denim) in a vertical manner. 
       FIG. 8  also illustrates a set of belt loops  800 . In one embodiment, one or more belt loops  800  includes a reinforcement patch  802 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , reinforcement patch  802  may be wider than belt loop  800 , yet not extend along an entire circumference of waistband  702 . The reinforcement patch is a piece of fabric that is attached to the front and/or back of the waistband. The top and/or bottom of the belt loop  800  is sewn to the reinforcement patch  802 . The reinforcement patch provides more foundation for stitching and thereby anchors the belt loop  800  in a more secure manner. Accordingly, the belt loop  800  is harder to tear away This embodiment is particularly useful for rodeo ropers. The reinforcement patch reduces wear, tear and ripping of a belt loop when a rope is pulled in and out of the loop. 
     The reinforcement patch may be formed of leather, faux leather, suede or denim. The pants may also be formed from one or more of the same materials. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed; obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, they thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.