Abstract:
An undergarment with a front and rear panel and a crotch panel joining them, wherein the panels are so shaped that at the waistband, at the side of the wearer&#39;s body, the front and rear panels are spaced apart. A flexible strap attached to the top edge of each side of the rear panel extends to the front panel. Respective fastening devices on the end of the strap and on the front panel at the waistband enable separable attachment to complete the undergarment. The fastening devices are selected from a group consisting of hook and loop fasteners, snap fasteners, belt and buckle fasteners, hook and eye fasteners, clasp fasteners, bow and tie fasteners and slide fasteners.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is based upon and claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 60/258,219 entitled “QUICK RELEASE AND REFASTENABLE UNDERGARMENT”, filed Dec. 26, 2000. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to undergarments and particularly to underpants-type undergarments. More particularly, the present invention provides a quick release and refastenable undergarment having detachable and refastenable right and left side, usually at a height between the waist and the hip waistband fastener devices located at the front ends of right and left side waistband straps which are fastenable at mating right and left fastener devices affixed to the upper right and left comer regions of a front panel of the garment.  
           [0003]    The prior art illustrates various types of undergarments and diapers with reopenable fastenings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,110 discloses panties having a single crotch opening provided with a first and second Velcro fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,452 discloses a man&#39;s removable undergarment having a frontal opening closeable with hook and eye fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,922 discloses a removable undergarment attached preferably with a hook and loop fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,242 discloses an undergarment assembly comprised of two shaped half width segments held together by a releasable fastener joining two overlapping front panel half width segments. Securing the front and rear panels of a diaper or undergarment directly to each other and without a waistband providing the connection is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,500,255. U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,990 discloses suspenders from a waistband which are connected to the front and rear undergarment panels. Fully detached straps located at the waist and not permanently attached to either of the front or the rear the diaper panels at either end of the straps, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,423,789 and 5,704,933.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention concerns an undergarment with a front panel extending in front of a wearer&#39;s body and a rear panel extending over the rear of the body and the garment passing under the crotch to join the front and rear panels. At least one panel may define the front and rear panels and the part joining them at the crotch. The front and rear may be separate panels joined and there may be a crotch panel joining the front and rear panels.  
           [0005]    The present invention particularly concerns fastener devices between the front and rear panels located at the upper edges at the corners of the panels, at the waistband of the garment, which is generally between the wearer&#39;s waist and hips depending on the style and height of the particular garment and the wearer&#39;s body shape. A strap affixed to each of the left and right upper comer regions of the rear panel extends forward to the front panel to which each strap is separately fastened at the respective left and right upper comer regions of the front panel.  
           [0006]    Any type of mating-pair compatible fastener devices may be used, including button and loop fastener devices (FIGS.  1 - 7 ), hook and mating loop Velcro or Velcro-type fastener devices (FIG. 7A), snap fastener devices (FIG. 7B), belt and buckle fastener devices (FIG. 7C), hook and eye fastener devices (FIG. 7D), interlocking clasp fastener devices (FIG. 7E), tie fastener devices (FIG. 7F), and slide fastener devices (FIG. 7G). The mating-pair compatible fastener devices facilitate connection of the waistband fastener devices to the front panel fastener and enable quick release disconnection. Connection and disconnection may be performed individually on the right side or left side of the front panel, or on both sides, sequentially or simultaneously. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    Other objects and features of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a left-front, three-quarter view illustrating one presently preferred form of a quick release and refastenable undergarment according to the present invention worn in its fastened state.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a front view of the undergarment of FIG. 1 in its fastened state.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 shows that undergarment with disconnected fastener devices.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is an inside or plan view of the undergarment in a fully extended open state.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a left side view of the undergarment being worn.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a rear view thereof.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a close-up view of the left side waistband fastener device and the mating front panel left fastener device of the fastener device in FIG. 1 in their disconnected open state.  
         [0015]    FIGS.  7 A-G show alternative waistband fastener devices and respective mating front panel fastener devices wherein;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7A shows a loop and hook, Velcro or Velcro-type fastener device,  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7B shows a snap fastener device,  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7C shows a belt and buckle fastening device,  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7D shows a hook and eye fastener device,  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7E shows an interlocking clasp fastener device,  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7F shows a tie fastener device; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7G shows a slide fastener device. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]    FIGS.  1 - 4  show an example of an undergarment  10  which may be used with any of the embodiments of the fastener devices of the invention. The undergarment shown is comprised of three separate panels permanently attached to define one garment, namely the front panel  20 , the crotch panel  21 , and the rear panel  22 . They may be alternatively manufactured as a single panel to form the garment. FIGS. 2 and 4 also show the attachment of the crotch panel  21  to the front panel  20  outside seam  21 A and attachment of a crotch panel liner  31  to the rear panel  22  inside seam  31 B.  
         [0024]    In the following description, the waistband of the garment is discussed. That is a typically elastic band at the top edge of the undergarment. Depending on the nature of the undergarment, from taller brief to shorter bikini style, the height of the waistband along the wearer&#39;s body may not be at the waist, but may be anywhere from near the waist down to the hips.  
         [0025]    The undergarment front panel  20  has a waistband  12 , which runs along the full length of and along the top of the front panel  20 . The crotch panel  21  is attached to the front panel  20  at an outside seam  21 A. The rear panel  22  has a waistband  13 , which runs along the full length of and along the top of the rear panel  22 . The waistbands  12  and  13  are preferably elastic.  
         [0026]    The garment has a right leg band  32  which runs along the full length of the right side of the rear panel  22 , the full length of the right side of the crotch panel  2   1 , and the full length of the right side of the front panel  20  for encircling the wearer&#39;s right leg  23  and creating a right leg opening  25 . Likewise, the garment has a left leg band  33  that runs along the full length of the left side of the rear panel  22 , the full length of the left side of the crotch panel  21 , and the full length of the left side of the front panel  20  for encircling a wearer&#39;s left leg  24  and creating a left leg opening  26 . The leg bands  32  and  33  are preferably elastic.  
         [0027]    The panels  20  and  21  are of such size that their upper corners, which are typically at the waistband, are normally spaced apart along both sides of the wearer&#39;s body between the waist and the hips. The gaps between the panels at the waistband are bridged by the straps  14  and  15 .  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 shows first embodiment of undergarment  10  in its closed fastened state. It includes the left side waistband strap  15  and the left side waistband strap fastener device  17  detachably attached to a mating front panel left fastener device  19  and includes the right side waistband strap  14  and the right side waistband strap fastener device  16  detachably attached to the mating front panel right fastener device  18 . The straps  14  and  15  are preferably elastic. Each of waistband fastener devices  16  and  17  and the mating front panel right fastener devices  18  and  19  are representative mating pairs of any design of compatible fastener devices, shown here as buttons  18  and  19  and respective loops  16  and  17  which are secured on the buttons. The present invention incorporates any design of mating-pair compatible fastener devices, including, loop and hook Velcro or Velcro-type fastener devices (FIG. 7A), snap fastener devices (FIG. 7B), belt and buckle fastener devices (FIG. 7C), hook and eye fastener devices (FIG. 7D), interlocking clasp fastener devices (FIG. 7E), tie fastener devices (FIG. 7F), and slide fastener devices (FIG. 7G), or others.  
         [0029]    There is an attachment point  35  for the rear of the left side waistband strap  15  and the left side of the rear panel waistband  13  at the intersection with the top of the left leg band  33 , at the upper left corner of the rear panel  22 . There is also an attachment point  34  for the rear of the right side waistband strap  14  and the right side of the rear panel waistband  13  at the intersection with the top of the right leg band  32  at the upper right corner of the rear panel  22 .  
         [0030]    There is an attachment point  30  of the front panel left fastener device  19  affixed to the left side of front panel waistband  12  at the intersection with the top of the left leg band  33  at the upper left corner of the front panel  20 . There is an attachment point  29  of the front panel right fastener device  18  affixed to the right side of the front panel waistband  12  at the intersection with the top of the right leg band  32  at the upper right comer of the front panel  20 .  
         [0031]    As illustrated in FIG. 2, the undergarment  10  is completed in situ by fastening together the right side waistband strap fastener device  16  and the mating front panel right fastener device  18  at the attachment point  29 , and by fastening together the left side waistband strap fastener device  17  and the mating front panel left fastener device  19  at the attachment point  30 . In the closed state, the undergarment  10  is formed into a continuous and unified undergarment  10 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the undergarment  10  shown with the waistband fastener devices  16  and  17  at the front of the side straps at the waistband  14  and  15  disconnected from the mating front panel fastener devices  18  and  19 .  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 4 is a top-down inside schematic view of undergarment  10  shown in its flat, disconnected, and fully extended open state. The crotch panel liner  31  is permanently attached to the inside of the undergarment  10  between the front panel  20  and the rear panel  22 , directly above the inside of the crotch panel  21 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 5 is a left side view of the undergarment  10  in its closed state as a unified assembly.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 6 is a rear view of the undergarment  10  which fits below the area of the rear lower back  28  of the wearer  11 .  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 7 is a close-up view of the left side waistband fastener device  17  at the front of left side waistband straps  15  and the mating front panel left fastener device  19  at the top left comer of the front panel  20 , shown in their disconnected state. FIG. 7 shows the front panel waistband  12 , the front panel  20 , the left leg band  33 , the left side waistband  15 , and the attachment point  30  of front panel left fastener device  19  affixed to the left side of the front panel waistband  12  at the intersection with the top of the left leg band  33 .  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 7A shows a first alternative left side waistband fastener device  17 A at the front of left side waistband  15  and a mating first alternative front panel left fastener device  19 A with hook and loop or Velcro or Velcro-type fastener devices.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 7B shows a second alternative left side waistband fastener device  17 B at the front of left side waistband strap  15  and a mating second alternative front panel left fastener device  19 B with snap fastener devices.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 7C shows a third alternative left side waistband fastener device  17 C at the front of left side waistband strap  15  and a mating third alternative front panel left fastener device  19 C with a belt and buckle fastening device.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 7D shows a fourth alternative left side waistband fastener device  17 D at the front of left side waistband strap  15  and a mating fourth alternative front panel left fastener device  19 D which is a hook and eye fastener device.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 7E shows a fifth alternative left side waistband fastener device  17 E at the front of left side waistband strap  15  and a mating fifth alternative front panel left fastener device  19 E, in the form of an interlocking clasp fastener device.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 7F shows a sixth alternative left side waistband fastener device  17 F at the front of left side waistband strap  15  and a mating sixth alternative front panel left fastener device  19 F using tie fastener devices, which are tied to connect them.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 7G shows a seventh left side waistband fastener device  17 G at the front of left side waistband strap  15  and a mating seventh alternative front panel left fastener device  19 G as a snap together and apart slide fastener device.  
         [0044]    The quick release and refastenable undergarment  10  enables a wearer  11  to quickly release the connected undergarment  10  from its closed state (as shown in FIGS. 1, 2,  5 , and  6 ) by disconnecting the right side waistband fastener device  16  from the mating front panel right fastener device  18  and/or by disconnecting the left side waistband fastener device  17  from the “mating” front panel left fastener device  19  and to refasten the disconnected undergarment  10  : by connecting the right side waistband fastener device  16  by pulling it forward towards the “mating” front panel right fastener device  18  and/or by connecting the left side waistband fastener device  17  by pulling it forward towards the “mating” front panel left fastener device  19 . The initial connection or the quick release disconnection, may be performed on the right or left sides, individually or simultaneously. The garment may be assembled on or off the body.  
         [0045]    Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.