Patent Publication Number: US-2002007506-A1

Title: Pants

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
     [0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/185,614; filed Mar. 1, 2000, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] The present invention is directed to pants that provide enhanced comfort to the wearer.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003] Rock climbing is rapidly growing in popularity throughout the United States. Climbers prefer attire that is attractive while also comfortable when climbing. Such a garment must permit the wearer to assume various positions while climbing, which are not usually required of non-athletic garments. For example, the wearer should be able to spread his legs to the side at an angle of 180°. Additionally, the wearer should be able to step up and forward with one leg, while leaving the other leg in a generally vertical position. However, when such a position is assumed, the back part of the garment must cover more area. As a result, the garment naturally tends to pull downward at the back of the waist and to ride up and create a bind in the thigh and seat areas in order to compensate for the pull. In conventional garments, this pulling effect is accentuated by a rear center rise seam connected to the center inseam at the middle of the crotch, which must absorb the entire pulling force. A design that eliminates or at least substantially reduces this pulling effect would be highly desirable for climbers and other athletes.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004] The present invention provides a pant design that overcomes the above drawbacks of traditional pants having a rear center rise seam. The pants have two back off-center seams that intersect with the center inseam to redirect the pulling force away from the middle of the crotch when the wearer lifts one leg forward. As a result, the pants do not tend to ride up on the wearer.  
       [0005] As used herein, the term “pants” refers to any garment having a torso and leg portions, including garments such as slacks, shorts, overalls and underwear, and not limited to athletic apparel. Preferably the pants are made of a woven fabric including but not limited to contents of cotton, nylon, polyester, rayon, linen, and hemp. Although the inventive design can be used for pants made of stretchable and knit fabrics, it is particularly useful for pants made of non-stretchable fabrics that typically have the drawbacks described above. For woven pants (or pants made of any other non-stretchable fabric) it is important that the seat panel and associated seams are designed to provide a good fit for the user. In contrast, the precise seam design of knit and other stretchable pants is not as critical, as such pants will stretch to fit the user. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0006] These and other features of the advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
     [0007]FIG. 1 is a front view of a pair of pants according to the invention.  
     [0008]FIG. 2 is a rear view of a pair of pants according to the invention.  
     [0009]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the seat panel of the pants of FIG. 2.  
     [0010]FIG. 4 depicts an alternative seat panel design for a pair of pants in accordance with the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0011] In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pants comprise a left leg  10 , a right leg  12  and a torso region  14  having a front and back. Throughout this application, the terms “left” and “right” to describe an aspect of the pants refers to that side of the pants that would be worn on the left or right side of the user&#39;s body. The left leg  10  is formed from a front left leg portion  16  and a rear left leg portion  18 . The front left leg portion  16  and rear left leg portion  18  each having leg areas, which form the left leg  10 . Additionally, the front left leg portion  16  has a trunk area, which forms the left side of the front torso region  14 . In the depicted embodiment, the front left leg portion  16  and rear left leg portion  18  are connected to each other by an inseam  20  and a left outer seam  21 . As would be recognized by one skilled in the art, if desired, the front and rear left leg portions  16  and  18  could be formed of a single piece of material, thereby replacing the outer seam  21  with a fold at the edge of the pants.  
     [0012] In a similar manner, the right leg  12  is formed from a front right leg portion  22  and a rear right leg portion  24 . The front right leg portion  22  and a rear right leg portion  24  each have leg areas, which form the right leg  12 . Additionally, the front right leg portion  22  has a trunk area, which forms the right side of the front torso region  14 . In the depicted embodiment, the front right leg portion  22  and a rear right leg portion  24  are connected to each other also by inseam  20  and by a right outer seam  23 . Like the left leg portions described above, the front and rear right leg portions  22  and  24  could be formed of a single piece of material if desired.  
     [0013] The front of the torso region  14  is formed by the tops of the front left leg portion  16  and front right leg portion  22 , as discussed above. In the depicted embodiment, the front left leg portion  16  and front right leg portion  22  are connected to each other by a front center seam  25 . As would be recognized by one skilled in the art, the front of the torso region  14  can have any other suitable design, preferably that does not significantly detract from the objectives of the invention. For example, the front left leg portion  16  and front right leg portion  22  could be formed of a single piece of material so that no front center seam  25  is necessary. However, it is preferred that the front of the torso region  14  does not have a design similar to the back of the torso region  14 , described below, because such a symmetrical arrangement will not provide the comfort advantages discussed above, namely, the reduced pulling effect that results from the wearer stepping up and forward with one leg, while leaving the other leg in a generally vertical position.  
     [0014] The back of the torso region  14  comprises a seat panel  26  that is preferably generally symmetrical. As shown in FIG. 3, the seat panel  26  comprises a slightly-curved bottom center edge  32  and left and right bottom angled edges  34  and  36 . The generally straight bottom center edge  32  is connected to the front left and right leg portions  16  and  22  at the center of the inseam  20 , i.e., at the center of the crotch. The generally straight bottom center edge  32  preferably has a length ranging from about 0.5 inch to about 5 inches, more preferably from about 1 inch to about 3.5 inches, still more preferably from about 1.5 inches to 3 inches.  
     [0015] The left and right bottom edges  34  and  36  are connected to the left and right rear leg portions  18  and  24 , respectively. Thus, the pants have two back off-center seams to redirect the pulling force away from the middle of the crotch when the wearer lifts one leg forward.  
     [0016] The left bottom edge has a first end  34   a  that joins the left side of the bottom center edge and a second end  34   b  that joins the left outer seam  21  (or left outer edge of the pants). The second end  34   b  is higher on the pants, i.e., closer to the top of the pants, than the first end  34   a , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Similarly, the right bottom edge has a first end  36   a  that joins the right side of the bottom center edge and a second end  36   b  that joins the right outer seam  23  (or right outer edge of the pants). The second end  36   b  is higher on the pants than the first end  36   a.    
     [0017] Preferably the left and right bottom edges  34  and  36  each join the slightly-curved bottom center edge  32  at angle α ranging from about 45° to about 110°, more preferably ranging from about 70° to about 100°, still more preferably ranging from about 85° to about 95°.  
     [0018] In a particularly preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the left and right bottom edges  34  and  36  each are generally-straight near their first ends  34   a  and  36   a , curve outward to form a concave curve, and then have a region that is generally straight or that forms a slightly convex curve their second ends  34   b  and  36   b , which meet the outer seams  21  and  23 . The bottom edges  34  and  36  can have any other suitable shape such that the second ends  34   b  and  36   b  are closer to the top of the pants than the first ends  34   a  and  36   a . For example, the bottom edges  34  and  36  can be formed without the generally-straight regions near the first ends  34   a  and  36   a  so that they are curved along their entire length, or they can be formed from two or more generally-straight lines angled relative to each other. Preferably the second ends  34   b  and  36   b  are at an angle β relative to the slightly-curved bottom center edge  32  ranging from about 40° to about 65°, more preferably from about 45° to about 60°, even more preferably about 50°.  
     [0019] The seat panel  26  further comprises generally-straight left and right side edges  38  and  40  and atop edge  42 . The generally-straight left and right side edges  38  and  40  are connected to the left and right front leg portions  16  and  22 , respectively, at the outer seam. The top edge  42  corresponds to the top of the back of the pants or meets a waistband of the pants, if provided.  
     [0020] In the depicted embodiment, the pants have a waistband  44  formed from a piece of fabric connected to the top edge  42  of the seat panel  26  and the top edges of the left and right front leg portions  16  and  22 . An elastic fabric extends within the waistband and has its two ends connected to an adjustable closure for adjusting the size of the waist of the garment. As would be recognized by one skilled in the art, any mechanism for fastening the pants, such as a zipper, button, snap and/or VELCRO fly, could be used in addition to or instead of the elastic fabric and adjustable closure.  
     [0021] If desired, the seat panel  26  can be formed of multiple pieces. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the seat panel  26  comprises three pieces, a center seat panel  48 , a left seat panel  50 , and a right seat panel  52 . The center seat panel  48  is generally similar in design as the seat panel  26  described above, comprising a slightly-curved bottom center edge  32 , left and right bottom angled edges  34  and  36 , left and right side edges  38  and  40  and a top edge  42 . The left and right seat panels  50  and  52  are each generally quadrilaterally-shaped. The left seat panel  50  is connected to the left side edge  38  of the center seat panel  48  and the left outer seam  21 . Similarly, the right seat panel  52  is connected to the right side edge  40  of the center seat panel  48  and the right outer seam  23 . Any other multiple-piece seat panel design could also be provided, so long as the seat panel as a whole is generally shaped as described above, namely, with a slightly-curved bottom center edge  32  and left and right bottom angled edges  34  and  36 . Unless otherwise indicated, as used herein, the term “seat panel” refers to both single-piece and multi-piece panels having this design.  
     [0022] The preceding description has been presented with reference to presently preferred embodiments of the invention. Workers skilled in the art and technology to which this invention pertains will appreciate that alterations and changes in the described structure may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principal, spirit and scope of this invention.  
     [0023] Accordingly, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining only to the precise structures described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but rather should be read consistent with and as support to the following claims which are to have their fullest and fair scope.