Abstract:
The present invention relates to a garment in which the width of an opening is adjustable by means of a cord or drawstring having free ends accessible by the wearer which ends are usually tied together to maintain the desired adjustment and to a cover comprising means to retain the tied ends of the cord or drawstring within the garment during activity by the wearer.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a garment in which the width of an opening is adjustable by means of a cord or drawstring having free ends accessible by the wearer which ends are usually tied together to maintain the desired adjustment and to a cover comprising means to retain the tied ends of the cord or drawstring within the garment during activity by the wearer.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     It is commonplace for the waists of trousers, shorts or skirts and other types of clothing to be reduced in width by adjusting a belt. It is also known for such garments, particularly those used in sports, i.e., soccer, wrestling, etc., to employ a drawstring which is confined within the waistband of the garment with the ends passing through an aperture on the inside of the waistband at the front of the garment whereby the wearer is able to grasp the ends of the drawstring and pull them to adjust the waistband to fit, whereupon the ends of the drawstring are tied, usually in a bow, and tucked in between the garment and the wearer&#39;s body.  
         [0003]     In such circumstances it is not unusual for the tied ends of the drawstring to work their way out from between the inside of the waistband and the wearer&#39;s body and to become exposed such that they may become untied or, in the case of a close contact sport such as wrestling, inadvertently entangled in an opponent&#39;s fingers.  
         [0004]     Thus there is perceived a need for a means to comfortably retain the tied ends of a drawstring in place within a garment during physical activity which does not add bulk around the waist of the garment and which does not present discomfort or danger to the wearer.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Accordingly, the present invention provides an item of clothing in which the width of an opening therein is adjustable by means of a drawstring confined within a band encircling the opening, the drawstring having exposed ends whereby the width of the opening is adjustable by pulling on the ends of the drawstring, the ends being secured by tying them together, the item of clothing further having a drawstring cover in the form of a flap or panel secured along one edge to the band encircling the opening adjacent to and above the ends of the drawstring, this flap or panel being positionable over the tied ends of the drawstring between the band and the wearer&#39;s body to cover and confine the tied ends of the drawstring. The flap or panel is secured to the band in such a manner that, in its relaxed state, the panel hangs downward within the garment over the drawstring ends.  
         [0006]     Preferably, the surface of the flap or panel which lies against the drawstring ends and the inside of the garment has a texture which provides a high degree of friction with the fabric of the garment and the drawstring to ensure retention of the flap or panel in its correct position within the garment, thereby ensuring confinement of the ends of the drawstring. The surface of the flap or panel which lies against the wearer&#39;s body is preferably smooth and non-irritating to the skin.  
         [0007]     In its simplest form, the flap or panel is s single layer of fabric sewn into the band above the drawstring along one edge of the panel. Alternatively, the flap or panel may be two layers of fabric sewn together with an intermediate layer of stiffening material, such as Pelon which is a fusible liner material commonly used to provide structure to shirt collars and the like. Also, if desired, a layer of padding, such as foam or non-woven batting may be provided between the two layers of fabric as a cushion between the tied ends of the drawstring and the wearer&#39;s body. In a still further embodiment, the flap or panel may be provided with a pouch or pocket on the drawstring side into which the tied ends of the drawstring may be tucked for added security.  
         [0008]     The present invention is particularly suitable for use with drawstrings used to adjust the waist size of a garment but may be used anywhere a drawstring is used where the ends of the drawstring are accessed from within the garment.  
         [0009]     Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a garment comprising an adjustable waistband, a cord within the waistband, the cord having two ends passing out of the waistband through at least one opening therein within the garment and accessible to a wearer whereby the cord can be pulled by the wearer to adjust the size of the waistband about the wearer, the ends of the cord being tieable to maintain the adjusted size, cover means secured to the waistband adjacent to the at least one opening and positionable over the tied cord between the garment and the wearer whereby the tied cord is confined between the garment and the cover means whereby eversion of the tied cord from between the garment and the wearer is prevented.  
         [0010]     It is a further object to provide a garment having a circumferentially adjustable opening, a band encircling the opening on the inside of the garment and confining a cord therein, an aperture in the band, the cord extending about the opening within the band and having two free ends passing through the aperture whereby the cord is adjustable by pulling on the ends, the ends being securable by tying them together, the improvement comprising:  
         [0011]     a fabric panel having a first side and a second side, the panel being secured along an edge thereof to the band between the opening and the aperture, whereby the panel is normally positioned over the aperture whereby the ends of the cord are confined between the first side of the panel and the inside of the garment and whereby the panel is displaceable outward of the garment to provide access to the cord ends.  
         [0012]     It is a still further object to provide a drawstring cover for a garment having a waistband adjustable by means of a drawstring the ends of which pass through an aperture in the waistband and are accessed from within the garment for adjustment and tying, the drawstring cover comprising a fabric panel secured to the waistband along an edge of the panel between the aperture and the outer edge of the waistband, the panel adapted to hang downward within the garment over the ends of the drawstring between the drawstring and a wearer, whereby the panel covers and confines the drawstring whereby the tied drawstring is prevented from being inadvertently everted or pulled from within the garment.  
         [0013]     Further objects and advantages will become evident from the following drawings and descriptions. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1 . is an expanded view showing the present invention in a garment.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2 . is a planar view of the inside of a garment with the drawstring cover in place.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3 . is a view of the inside of a garment showing an alternative embodiment of the drawstring cover having a pocket for receiving the ends of the drawstring.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4 . shows the embodiment of  FIG. 3  with the drawstring tucked into the pocket.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5 . is a cross section showing the first stage of construction of a garment according to the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6 . is a cross section along line A-A of  FIG. 2  showing the construction of a garment according to the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7 . is a cross section along line A-A of  FIG. 2  showing the construction of a garment with the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 8 . is a view of the inside of a garment showing an alternative embodiment of the pocket for receiving the ends of the drawstring.  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  is a cross section along line A-A of  FIG. 2  showing the construction of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]     Looking at  FIG. 1 , the present invention provides a drawstring cover  1  which is sewn into a garment  2  with a waistband  3  and a drawstring  4 . In the normal construction of a drawstring garment, the waistband  3  and garment  2  are sewn together along stitching lines  5  and  6  so that a space  18  is left between them to accommodate the drawstring  4 . An aperture  7  is provided in the waistband  3 , usually at the inside front of the garment, through which the ends  8  of the drawstring pass so as to be accessible to the wearer.  
         [0024]     In an ordinary drawstring garment, the garment is donned by the wearer and the ends  8  of the drawstring  4  are pulled to adjust the fit of the garment about the wearer&#39;s waist. The ends  8  of the drawstring are then tied together to retain the adjustment and the tied ends  8  are simply tucked inside the garment between the waistband  3  and the wearer&#39;s body. In this position, there is nothing to keep the tied ends of the drawstring inside the garment and it is often the case that simple movements by the wearer cause the tied ends to be everted where they can become loosened and entangled.  
         [0025]     In its simplest embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , drawstring cover  1  is sewn into a finished garment  2  along stitching line  9  which preferably coincides with stitching line  5  and hangs downward over waistband  3  and tied ends  8  of drawstring  4 . In this embodiment, drawstring cover  1  comprises a single layer of fabric which may be the same as that used to manufacture garment  2 . To bias drawstring cover  1  in its downward position, the tack stitches  10  are applied at each end of stitching  9  securing drawstring cover to waistband  3  below the location of drawstring  4 . In this manner, the upper edge  12  and the upper ends of the sides of drawstring cover  1  at the tack stitches  10  form a downwardly opening pouch over drawstring ends  8  which physically prevents drawstring ends  8  from being everted from their tucked in position within garment  2 .  
         [0026]     As noted, drawstring cover  1  in this embodiment is a single layer of fabric which may be the same as that used to manufacture garment  2  or such other fabric as is desired. Examples include but are not limited to cotton, polyester, nylon, and other natural or synthetic fibers including blends thereof. Preferably, any fabric used should have at least one side that is comfortable and non-irritating to human skin and that side will be outermost in the completed construction. The opposite side facing garment  2  and drawstring ends  8  may have a texture which provides a high coefficient of friction against garment  2  and drawstring ends  8  to resist sliding against garment  2  thereby improving the ability of drawstring cover  1  to remain in place over drawstring ends  8 . As an alternative, patches of hook and loop fastener material  11  may be used along the lower edge of drawstring cover  1  with corresponding portions on the inside of garment  2 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , to ensure that drawstring cover  1  remains in place during physical activity. For drawstrings in locations other than a garment waist, more rigid fasteners such as snaps or buttons may be used.  
         [0027]     Drawstring cover  1  is of sufficient size and shape to permit securing to garment  2  in the manner described and to provide the desired coverage over drawstring ends  8 . A substantially rectangular panel of 3 to 6 inches along each side is suitable. Alternatively, drawstring cover  1  may be semicircular as shown in the drawing figures with attachment to garment  2  being along the straight edge  12 . Of course, drawstring cover  1  may be provided in any shape desired as long as it provides the desired function.  
         [0028]     Although drawstring cover  1  in its simplest form comprises a single layer of fabric, in order to obtain a comfortable, non-irritating outer face and a textured inner face, drawstring cover  1  may comprise two layers of dissimilar fabric secured together about their common peripheries. In this construction, if desire, a layer of padding, such as foam or non-woven batting, or a fabric stiffener, such as pelon, may be provided between the inner and outer fabric layers.  
         [0029]     The foregoing describes a garment construction wherein the drawstring cover  1  is simply sewn directly to the waist of a completed garment  2  so as to be in place over the drawstring ends  8 . Preferably, however, drawstring cover  1  is included during the construction of garment  2  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 5  shows a cross section of the first stage of this construction with waistband  3 , drawstring cover  1  and garment  2  sewn together along stitching lines  5  in a layered assembly which is the partially assembled garment turned inside out. As shown in  FIG. 6 , this assembly is then turned right side out by folding garment  2  over stitching lines  5  and the sewn together ends of drawstring cover  1 , garment  2  and waistband  3 . Drawstring  4  is placed in the space  18  between waistband  3  and garment  2  with the ends  8  threaded through aperture  7  and waistband  3  and garment  2  are sewn together along stitching lines  6 . Alternatively, waistband  3  and garment  2  may be sewn together along stitching lines  6 , thereby creating space  18  and drawstring threaded through aperture  7  and space  18  so that both ends  8  extend outward through aperture  7 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 6  shows the above construction of the single fabric layer embodiment as a cross section along line A-A of  FIG. 2 . In an alternative embodiment which is a variation of the double layer construction described previously, the second or inner layer  13  can be used to form a pocket on drawstring cover  1  in which the ends  8  of drawstring  4  may be tucked for further security. This embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  and in cross section in  FIG. 7  where second layer  13  is shorter than drawstring cover  1  and the two layers are sewn together around their common peripheral edges  14 . The top edge  15  of second layer  13  is not sewn so that a pocket  16  is formed between drawstring cover  1  and second layer  13 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 7 , drawstring ends are tucked into pocket  16  with drawstring cover  1  everted. Drawstring cover  1  is then folded downward between garment  2  and wearer to securely confine drawstring ends  8 .  
         [0032]     In a further embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , drawing cover  1  and second layer  13  are separate fabric layers of the same size and shape sewn together along their common peripheral edges at  14 . Access to pocket  16  is by means of a slit  17  cut across part of second layer  13  below stitch lines  5 . Edges of slit may be reinforced by whip stitching as in button holes or by such other means as are known. In this embodiment, drawstring ends  8  are tucked into pocket  16  through slit  17  and drawstring cover  1  is then tucked downward in between garment  2  and wearer.  
         [0033]     While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.