Patent Publication Number: US-6698031-B2

Title: Clothing combination, as for firefighter, with pants and with suspenders attached in improved way

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention pertains to a clothing combination, which may be advantageously worn by a firefighter, a rescue worker, a construction worker, or an agricultural worker and which utilizes a pair of pants having a waist portion and a pair of suspenders having straps to be detachably attached to the waist portion. This invention provides an improved way to attach straps of a pair of suspenders to a waist portion of a pair of pants. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Commonly, firefighters, rescue workers, construction workers, and agricultural workers wear pants with suspenders, which facilitate donning and doffing. As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 2,437,714, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,987, and in U.S. Pat. Des. 415,331, it is known to fasten straps of a pair of suspenders around a belt, which is worn with the pants. 
     As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,682, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,092, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,516, it is known to utilize hook-and-loop fasteners to fasten straps of a pair of suspenders to other elements. As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,057, in U.S. Pat. Re. 34,094, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,573, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, it is known to utilize wire fasteners, which coact with buttons on a pair of pants, to fasten straps of suspenders to the pair of pants. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention provides a clothing combination, which may be advantageously worn by a firefighter, a rescue worker, a construction worker, or an agricultural worker and which comprises a pair of pants having a waist portion and a pair of suspenders having straps that are attachable detachably to the waist portion. This invention contemplates that the waist portion has a plurality of horizontally extending slots, one said slot for each said strap, and that each strap when attached to the waist portion extends downwardly, through an associated one of the slots, whereupon said strap is folded upwardly and is fastened releasably to itself. 
     Preferably, each strap when attached to the waist portion is fastened releasably to itself by fastening means separated from a wearer by a portion of said strap. As an example, the fastening means may be snap-fastening means, which possibly comprises metall parts. Alternatively, the fastening means may be hook-and-loop fastening means, which typically does not comprise metal parts. If the fastening means comprises metal parts, which can become hot in a firefighting environment or in another hot environment, the strap portion separating the fastening means from a wearer provides some thermal insulation between those parts and the wearer. 
     In a preferred embodiment, each slot is defined by a strip of fabric, webbing, or other material, which strip has two opposite ends and which strip is attached, as by being sewn, at the opposite ends to the waist portion. In the preferred embodiment, each strap when attached to the waist portion extends downwardly through an associated one of the slots, between the fabric strip defining the associated one of the slots and the waist portion. In an alternative embodiment, which omits such strips, each slot penetrates the waist portion. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front, perspective view of a man wearing a clothing combination, which embodies this invention. The clothing combination comprises a pair of pants having a waist portion and a pair of suspenders having straps, which are attached detachably attached to the waist portion. Each strap when attached to the waist portion extends downwardly through an associated slot, between a fabric strip defining the associated slot and the waist portion, whereupon said strap is folded upwardly and is fastened releasably to itself by snap-fastening means. 
     FIG. 2, on a larger scale, is a fragmentary, perspective detail of one strap extending downwardly through an associated slot, between a fabric strip defining the associated slot and the waist portion, being is folded upwardly and being fastened releasably to itself by snap-fastening means. 
     FIG. 3, on an even larger scale, is a sectional detail taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2, in a direction indicated by arrows. 
     FIG. 4, on a scale like the scale of FIG. 2, is a fragmentary, perspective detail of one strap extending downwardly through an associated slot, between a fabric strip defining the associated slot and the waist portion, being is folded upwardly, and being fastened releasably to itself by hook-and-loop fastening means. 
     FIG. 5, on a scale like the scale of FIG.  2  and of FIG. 4, is a fragmentary, perspective detail of one strap extending downwardly through an associated slot, which penetrates the waist portion and which has bound edges, being is folded upwardly and being fastened releasably to itself by snap-fastening means. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 , a clothing combination constituting a preferred embodiment of this invention comprises a pair of pants  10 , such as a pair of bunker pants for a firefighter, which has a waist portion  12  and two leg portions  14 . The clothing combination further comprises a pair of suspenders  20  comprising two straps  22 , which cross in a back portion of the pair of suspenders, as disclosed in the aforenoted patents, the disclosures of which have incorporated herein by reference. Each strap  22  has a front end and a back end, which is not illustrated, and each strap  22  is attachable detachably near each of its front and back ends to the waist portion  12  in an improved way, which is provided by this invention. This invention contemplates that the waist portion  12  has a plurality of horizontally extending slots  14 , one said slot for each said strap  22 , and that each strap  22  when attached to the waist portion  12  extends through an associated one of the slots  14 , whereupon said strap  22  is folded upwardly and is fastened releasably to itself. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 , each horizontally extending slot  14  is defined by a fabric strip  30 , which has two opposite ends  32  and which is sewn at the opposite ends  32  to the waist portion  12 . Moreover, each strap  22  when attached to the waist portion  12  extends downwardly through an associated one of the slots  14 , between the fabric strip  30  defining the associated one of the slots  14  and the waist portion  12 . After extending downwardly through an associated one of the slots  14 , between the fabric strip  30  defining the associated one of the slots  14  and the waist portion  12 , each strap  22  is folded upwardly and is fastened releasably to itself by a snap-fastening means  40 , which is separated from a wearer by a portion  24  of said strap  22 . 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 , the snap-fastening means  40  comprises a male member  42 , which is attached in a conventional way to a fabric strip  44  affixed, as by sewing, to the same portion  24  of said strap  22 , and the snap-fastening means  40  comprises a female member  46 , which is affixed in a conventional way to said strap  22 , near its end being attached. If the male member  42  and the female member are metal parts, which can become hot in a firefighting environment or in another hot environment, the strap portion  24  separating the snap-fastening means  40  from the wearer provides some thermal insulation between those parts and the wearer. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 4, each horizontally extending slot  14  penetrates the waist portion  12  and has bound edges  16 , which resist unraveling of the waist portion  12  where penetrated by said slot  14 . Moreover, each strap  22  when attached to the waist portion  12  extends outwardly through an associated one of the slots  14 , between the fabric strip  30  defining the associated one of the slots  14  and the waist portion  12 . After extending outwardly through an associated one of the slots  14 , each strap  22  is folded upwardly and is fastened releasably to itself by a snap-fastening means  40 , which is separated from a wearer by a portion  24  of said strap  22 , as described above. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 5, the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3  and described above, may be modified so that, after extending downwardly through an associated one of the slots  14 , between the fabric strip  30  defining the associated one of the slots  14  and the waist portion  12 , each strap  22  is folded upwardly and is fastened releasably to itself by a hook-and-loop fastening means  50 , which comprises a hook-faced tape  52  affixed, as by sewing, to the strap portion  24  mentioned above and a loop-faced tape  54  affixed, as by sewing, to said strap  22 , near its ends being attached. 
     Moreover, the hook-and-loop fastening means  50  is useful in the embodiment of FIG. 4, as a substitute for the snap-fastening means  40 . In the hook-and-loop fastening means  50 , as utilized in any embodiment disclosed herein, the hook-faced tape  52  and the loop-faced tape  54  are interchangeable.