Patent Publication Number: US-2023135402-A1

Title: Undergarment Designed to Hold Penis in Vertical Orientation

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY 
     The disclosed technology relates generally to undergarments, and more specifically to an undergarment that holds a penis in a vertical orientation whether flaccid or erect. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conventional underpants provide varying degrees of support for the shaft and scrotum (testicles). The tightest conventional support is known as a “jock strap” that firmly presses the genitals against the body enabling athletic body movement such as running or jumping while holding the genitals in a fixed position. In contradistinction, if a man runs while completely naked, the testicles will bob up and down and all around while the shaft will flop from side to side. If running while wearing loose gym shorts and no underpants, the shaft flops around repeatedly colliding with and rubbing into the shorts causing pain and sores. Running while wearing conventional briefs of elastic material will hold the genitals in place less firmly than jock strap. For men with larger than average genitals, conventional briefs do not completely prevent the genitals from colliding with and abrasing the outer shorts. As such, some prefer the more constricting jock strap. 
     A primary varying factor between the varying types of conventional underpants is how much constraint is used to keep the genitals in place. The average length of a flaccid penis is 3.66 inches, and an erect penis 5.16 inches. For an individual man the length when flaccid changes depending on temperature, mood, arousal, activity, and other factors. Men with longer than average flaccid state penises, as well as men who are easily and often aroused to erection are often experience distress and agitation from the constraints imposed by conventional underwear. 
     Men not engaged in rigorous physical activity sometimes prefer underwear l0oser than (bikini) briefs, such as boxer briefs (snug fitting from elastic material) or boxers (that are loose fitting, conventionally made from inflexible material). The preference of looser and less supporting stemming from the preference of the comfort of not being constrained. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY 
     An undergarment of embodiments of the disclosed technology is designed to hold a shaft of a penis vertically. “Vertical” and “vertically” are defined as “in a direction such that the glans (of the penis) is closer to the waist than the scrotum” and/or “the glans is pointed away from the ground during ordinary use of the undergarment while the wearer is in an standing position” and/or “such that the shaft is substantially completely, or completely, against a torso of the body”. For purposes of this disclosure the “torso” is defined as “an anterior side of a body between the arms and legs which includes and extends to the perineal region and/or a region between the legs.” A penis placed within the medial partially slacked crotch panel remains in the vertical orientation even when the penis changes from a flaccid to an erect state and from an erect to a flaccid state. 
     The undergarment, in embodiments, has a waistband, side panels, a crotch panel, and leg openings. The waistband is fixedly connected to the side panels, the rear panel, leg panels (with leg openings), and the crotch panel in embodiments. The side panels are taut (adapted or designed to be held against a wearer sometimes in a stretched condition). The entirety of the undergarment, in some embodiments, is made of elastic material and/or taut. The crotch panel can have a taut region and slacked region. The terms “taut” and “slacked” can be used relative to each other. Alternatively or additionally “taut” can be defined as “being stretched relative to a resting position into a flat or curviflat shape”. “Curviflat” is defined as “flat along a curved plane.” “Slacked” is defined as “loose during a resting condition” and/or “designed to stretch while in a current condition, at least partially folded.” It should be understood that each of the terms used in this paragraph are defined as being exactly as defined, within an acceptable tolerance level known in the undergarment industry, and/or substantially as defined. 
     The side panels can be entirely taut and fixedly attached to the crotch panel, the crotch panel being medial relative to the side panels and/or centered on a front side of the undergarment. The crotch panel can be partially slacked (such as at a lower region thereof / a region adapted for placement of a scrotum of a penis) and partially taut (such as at an upper side thereof / a region adapted for placement of the glans and at least a part of the urethra). Two leg openings are each lateral and connected to an adjacent taut side panel of the two taut side panels. 
     Said another way, the medial partially slacked crotch panel is taut at a superior side thereof and slacked at an inferior side thereof. The “superior side” and “inferior side” are relative to one another along a vertical plane. The “superior side” is also referred to as the “upper side” and the “inferior side” is also referred to as the “lower side” in embodiments of the disclosed technology. Each of these upper and lower sides is not less than 25% of the overall vertical length and/or longest linear or curviflat or curvilinear length of the crotch panel. The medial partially slacked crotch panel is hourglass shaped along a vertical axis in some embodiments such that the superior and inferior regions of the crotch panel are wider than a portion thereof which is between the superior and inferior regions (a middle region). The portion which is narrower in the crotch panel can be a portion which in a middle third of vertical extent of the crotch panel and excludes the inferior and superior regions of the crotch panel. 
     The taut portion of The medial partially slacked crotch panel has an anterior range of motion of 3 centimeters, in an embodiment of the disclosed technology. The anterior range of motion (a maximum distance the taut portion of the crotch panel can move away from a torso of a wearer) can be 1, 2, 3, or 4 centimeters and selected based on a circumference and/or width of a shaft of a penis of a wearer of the undergarment in one of a resting or aroused state. The anterior range of motion, in some embodiments, is while the two side panels are stretched flat (or curviflat) over a wearer and further, in some embodiments, the taut portion of the medial partially slacked crotch panel is held taut. 
     In some embodiments of the disclosed technology a narrowest region of the medial partially slacked crotch panel (an inner or middle region of the “hourglass” described above) is located where a shaft of the penis is placed when a scrotum of the penis is within an inferior region of the medial partially slacked crotch panel. The scrotum region of the crotch panel is slacked relative to a rest of the undergarment in embodiments of the disclosed technology. As such, an entirety of the undergarment can be adapted and/or fitted and/or designed to snugly hold against a wearer of the undergarment but for / excluding at least a portion of the medial crotch panel. This excluded portion is an inferior region of the crotch panel. 
     A rear panel is fixedly attached, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, to each of the two taut side panels, the medial partially slacked crotch panel, and each of two leg panels each having respective leg opening. 
     Described another way, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, a posterior panel with curved lateral sides extends into a narrow perineal section. A crotch panel is fixedly connected, at a lower end, to the perineal section of the posterior panel. An upper end of the crotch panel, at an end opposite the lower end of the crotch panel, is fixedly attached to a waist portion of the undergarment (a part of the undergarment designed for / adapted to surround a waist of a wearer). Two side panels, each with a lateral edge fixedly connected to a leg panel and a medial edge fixedly attached to the crotch panel, is attached to the waist portion by way of an upper edge. The crotch panel has slack at an lower end thereof when the two side panels and the posterior panel are stretched away from the crotch panel. 
     In some embodiments the lateral edge of each of the two side panels has two linear portions thereof joined at an acute angle. The medial edge of each of the two side panels is curvilinear and the upper edge of each of the two side panels are linear in embodiments. An upper end of the crotch panel lacks slack when the two side panels and the posterior panel are stretched away from the crotch panel. Further, the undergarment can be adapted such that a shaft of a penis is held upwards when placed between a torso and the crotch panel in a starting position pointed as such. This can be in both a relaxed (non-aroused) and in an aroused state, as well as when the penis changes between such states. 
     A scrotum can be loosely held within the undergarment when the shaft of the penis is placed in the crotch panel. “Loosely” is defined as “movably relative to a body of a wearer and non-taut”. 
     The orientations used in embodiments of the disclosure technology are described with reference to the undergarments being worn on a healthy standing erect male human. “Anterior” refers to a front side of the person. “Posterior” refers to the rear side. “Superior” is “higher” (towards the head of a person) than an “inferior” side which is “lower” (towards the feet). “Lateral” refers to a more outer part of the body compared to “medial” which is more towards the middle of the body along a horizontal place. The “medial” crotch panel is at the center (along a horizontal plane) of the undergarment and/or person wearing the undergarment. The undergarment, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, has a vertical plane of symmetry, or substantially a vertical plane of symmetry, at a center line (most medial line) of the undergarment. 
     Any device or step to a method described in this disclosure can comprise or consist of that which it is a part of, or the parts which make up the device or step. The term “and/or” is inclusive of the items which it joins linguistically and each item by itself. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of an undergarment with medial crotch panel being worn in an embodiment of the disclosed technology. 
         FIG.  2    shows a reverse side perspective view of the undergarment of  FIG.  1    being worn. 
         FIG.  3    shows a plan view of panels used to create the undergarment of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    shows a front elevation view of the undergarment of  FIG.  1   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY 
     An undergarment which keeps a male penis in a vertical orientation, whether flaccid or erect, or changing between such states, has a medial crotch panel. The medial crotch panel has a taut upper section and more flexible and/or extendable lower region. The upper section is designed to hold a shaft of a penis while the lower region holds a scrotum thereof. In order to keep the taut state of the medial crotch panel the panel is connected to taut side panels and a waist band, which, each are taut and tight along an anterior side of a person wearing the undergarment. The crotch panel can be in an hourglass shape such that a tightest region thereof is at the narrowest portion of the crotch panel where a shaft, below the glans, is held. 
       FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of an undergarment with medial crotch panel being worn in an embodiment of the disclosed technology. The undergarment  10  is worn by a male  100  with penis, the penis having a glans  102 , shaft  104 , and scrotum  106 . The penis  102 / 104 / 106  is within a medial crotch pane  34  herein referred to as a “crotch panel” or medial partially slacked crotch panel”. The crotch panel  34  is part of a “vertically middle” section of the undergarment which further comprises taut side panels  30 , two leg panels  40 , and a posterior panel  44 . A waistband  20  forms a vertically upper section of the undergarment  10  to which the crotch panel  34 , side panels  30 , leg panels  40  and posterior (or rear) panel  44  are each fixedly attached, such as via stitching. 
     “Fixed” or “fixedly” is defined herein as “designed to remain connected through at least  100  wearings of the undergarment” and/or “requires cutting or destructive actions to remove.” 
       FIG.  2    shows a reverse side perspective view of the undergarment of  FIG.  1    being worn. In this Figure a leg panel  40  is more clearly visible. Note that the two leg panels are substantially identical or identical in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The undergarment can have a vertical line of symmetry extending equi-distant between the legal panels  40  and/or at a vertical medial line and/or at a center of the crotch panel  34 . 
     The compression fabric is elastic, stretching in all four directions. Each of the seams between panels have thin (0.8 mm) elastic bands sewn into the seams. The function of the “compression-fabric” and its design and shape is to tightly hold the shaft in place. This function is enhanced with the thin elastic bands being sewn into the seams that adjoin the panels; these thin elastic bands only stretch in the linear path of the band, with each end of these thin bands being anchored to the thick waistband; one end attaching to the rear of the waistband, and the other end attaching to the front of the waistband. The design and placement of the seams with elastic bands follows the contour of the human form in such a way as to enhance the function of the garment of holding the shaft in place. 
     Seams with elastic bands include seams between panels  40  and  32 ,  32  and  40 ,  30  and  40 ,  44  and  40 . The pull of these elastic bands sewn into the seams further creates tension along the base of the shaft by placing tension towards the midline of the body without constriction of the testicles, due to the positioning and elastic nature of the seams between the panels  32  and  34 . 
     Further, note that side panel  32  is taut meaning that the panel is held in the entirety, or substantially in the entirety, against the skin of wearer and/or stretched substantially to a maximum. So too, the leg panels  40  are stretched as such, and against a skin of a wearer in such a manner, from an anterior side thereof to at least a beginning of a posterior side thereof and/or to a beginning of a fixed connection with the rear panel  44 . 
     Reviewing the above, the undergarment  10  has a top region  20  with elastic band or other mechanism holding the top region to a torso of a wearer (at a front and back side thereof). Beneath the top region  20  is a mid-region  30  with a centrally placed crotch panel  34  surrounded on two sides by front panels  30 . The crotch panel has a taut region  34  and slacked or loose region  38 , compared to the taut region. “Taut” can further be defined as “when pulled between two fingers and released, snaps back into a resting condition before the pulling.” The entirety of the mid-region is held taut in embodiments of the disclosed technology based on a pull of the leg panels  40  on the front panels  32  which pull on the crotch panel  36  and a rear panel  44 . 
     Describing out of order,  FIG.  4    shows a front elevation view of the undergarment of  FIG.  1   . The crotch panel  34  has a narrower / narrowest portion on the anterior (front) side situated between a superior (top) and inferior (bottom) region thereof. The crotch panel  34  is thus an hourglass shape when viewing the front side thereof. “Hourglass” is defined as “having wider ends than a central portion between the two ends.” The narrowest region (@ label  34  in  FIG.  4   ) holds the shaft of the penis  104  (see  FIG.  1   ) while a superior (top) region of the crotch panel  34  holds the glans  102  of the penis. The scrotum  106  is in a lower region  36  of the crotch panel  34 . 
     The perineal section  48  of the crotch panel, in some embodiments of the disclosed technology, is integrated as part of the crotch panel  34 . “Perineal” is defined as “the area extending from the anus to the scrotum.” The “perineal section” is a majority, substantially all, and/or all of the “perineal”. In this non-worn / resting configuration of the undergarment  10  while not on a person one can see that the front panels  32  are taut, though less taught than the upper part of the crotch panel  34  and more taut than a lower side/part  36  of the crotch panel  34 . This is so that there is room for the scrotum  106  to hang therein without the fabric being taut thereon. When the undergarment  10  is worn on a person of a proper size (e.g. having a waist substantially equal to the circumference of a taut waistband  20 ) then the side panels  32 , leg panels  40 , and crotch panel  34  become more taut (more tight / more stretched). 
     Returning now to  FIG.  3   ,  FIG.  3    shows a plan view of panels used to create the undergarment of  FIG.  1   . The side panel  32 , two of which are used to form the undergarment  10 , has a convex curvilinear side at letter C. A linear / flat side is between the letters A and C and forms a top (superior) side of the panel in the undergarment  10 . Another side, at letter A, has two linear parts with an acute angle between the linear parts, the inferior part being longer than the superior part. This side panel attached to a leg panel  40  whereby the portions thereof labeled with letter A are sewn or otherwise fixedly connected to one another. There are two leg panels  40 ; one for each leg. 
     The crotch panel has a shaft region  36 , scrotum region  38 , and perineal region  49 . Each of these regions is adapted / designed / configured to cover the region of a person for which it is named. The shaft region  36  of the crotch panel  34  has two concave curvilinear sides which form the hourglass shape. Each of these concave curvilinear sides has a side C which attached to an oppositely-angled convex curvilinear side C of a side panel  32 . This side panels  32  are stretched in a curve into the page (along a Z-axis) as well as an X-axis forming a rounded front of the undergarment along with the upper part  36  of the crotch panel and the rear panel  44 . 
     The crotch panel has, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, has two wings labeled at B which fold and attach to the leg panel at B. This then creates a perineal region  49  of the crotch panel which at a linear end thereof is fixedly attached to a perineal region of the rear panel  44 , the rear panel adapted to cover the glutes / gluteal muscles. This, when worn, causes the crotch panel to be pulled in an inferior direction (down) while one or both of the rear panel  44  and crotch panel  49  pass over the perineal section of a person wearing the undergarment  10 . 
     As such, the crotch panel  34  is stretched and held taut when worn by a perineal region  49  thereof pulling on a loosely configured scrotum region  38 . The crotch panel  34  is further stretched and held taut at an upper side by a waistband  10  and at lateral sides by side panels  32 , and in some embodiments, leg panels  40 . 
     For purposes of this disclosure, the term “substantially” is defined as “at least 95% of” the term which it modifies. 
     Any device or aspect of the technology can “comprise” or “consist of” the item it modifies, whether explicitly written as such or otherwise. 
     When the term “or” is used, it creates a group which has within either term being connected by the conjunction as well as both terms being connected by the conjunction. 
     While the disclosed technology has been disclosed with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods and apparatuses described herein-above are also contemplated and within the scope of the invention.