Patent Publication Number: US-7716753-B2

Title: Undergarment for women

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS 
   This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/875,233, filed on Dec. 15, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Technical Field 
   The present invention relates generally to women&#39;s undergarments and, more particularly, to an improved women&#39;s undergarment which includes a flexible, generally triangular front panel having a bottom corner and top left and top right corners, a rear waistband extending between and connecting the top left and top right corners of the front panel extending partially circumferentially rearwards therefrom, and a pair of lower loop straps, one extending between and connecting the top left corner and bottom corner of the front panel and one extending between and connecting the top right corner and bottom corner of the front panel such that when the undergarment is being worn, the front panel covers the female genitalia with the rear waistband extending around the rear of the waist of the person wearing the undergarment and the left and right lower straps extending around and underneath the buttocks of the person thereby providing a comfortable and stylish improved women&#39;s undergarment. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   There are many different types of women&#39;s undergarments which are currently available, with various styles of underwear being designed for particular purposes. Some of the many different types of women&#39;s underwear include styles such as boy shorts, bloomers, thongs, “granny panties,” and many other styles of panties. Of these, one of the most popular styles is the thong or “G”-string style of underwear which generally includes a generally triangular front panel, a waistband extending around the back of the undergarment, and a center string which extends from the bottom corner of the front panel to the center rear of the waistband. While thongs are generally useful when worn with certain types of outfits, including outfits with which it is important to not show a “panty line,” one of the significant problems with thongs is that they can be uncomfortable to wear due to their tendency to “ride up” into the area between the buttocks. There is therefore a need for an improved women&#39;s undergarment which will not “ride up” and which is more comfortable for a woman to wear, yet also will not detract from the appearance of the outfits being worn by the woman due to unsightly panty lines or the like. 
   Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved women&#39;s undergarment. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved women&#39;s undergarment which includes a generally triangular front panel, a rear waistband and two lower loop straps which go around the legs of the wearer from the bottom of the front panel to the top corner thereof to provide a comfortable yet secure fit. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved women&#39;s undergarment which can be worn with many different types of outfits while maintaining a preferred lack of panty lines or the such. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved women&#39;s undergarment in which the front panel completely covers the female genitalia when on the wearer. 
   Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved women&#39;s undergarment which is relatively simple and durable in construction and is safe, efficient, comfortable and effective in use. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides An improved undergarment for women including a flexible, generally triangular front panel having a bottom corner and top left and top right corners and a rear waistband extending between and connecting the top left and top right corners of the front panel extending partially circumferentially rearwards therefrom. A pair of lower loop straps are also included, one extending between and connecting the top left corner and bottom corner of the front panel and one extending between and connecting the top right corner and bottom corner of the front panel such that when the undergarment is being worn, the front panel is adapted to cover the female genitalia of a person wearing the undergarment with the rear waistband extending around the rear of the waist of a person wearing the undergarment and the left and right lower straps extending around and underneath the buttocks of a person. 
   The present invention thus provides numerous advantages over the prior art. For example, because the lower loop straps of the present invention fit and conform to the lower buttock curve, they are extremely comfortable to wear. Furthermore, because the central string or strap of a thong is eliminated, which is required for proper use of thongs, results in greatly increased comfort for the person wearing the undergarment of the present invention. Finally, the present invention is designed to be unobtrusive when worn, and thus may be worn with many different outfits without sacrificing comfort. Therefore these features render the present invention a substantial improvement over the prior art. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the improved women&#39;s undergarment of the present invention being worn; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the improved women&#39;s undergarment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The improved women&#39;s undergarment  10  of the present invention is shown best in  FIGS. 1-3  as including a front panel  12  which is preferably generally triangular in shape and would be constructed of a soft and pliable fabric material such as cotton, silk, or another such comfortable yet durable material. The front panel  12  may also include an inner panel  14  mounted on the inside of front panel  12 , the inner panel  14  being constructed of a soft cotton or other such fabric material, the inner panel  14  being positioned generally adjacent the female genitalia, specifically the vagina, when the improved women&#39;s undergarment  10  of the present invention is being worn. The front panel  12  would include a bottom corner  16 , top left corner  18 , and top right corner  20 , and would preferably have variable dimensions which would generally be determined by the sizes and preferences of the persons wearing the undergarment, based on comfort and appearance considerations. 
   Connected to and extending between the top left corner  18  and top right corner  20  of front panel  12  is a rear waistband  30  which, in the preferred embodiment, would be a flexible elastic waistband constructed of a fabric material which also includes an elastic material therein. In the preferred embodiment, the rear waistband  30  would have a length which would be determined by the size of the waist of the wearer of the present invention, although it is expected that the length of rear waistband  30  will be approximately ten to thirty inches in length. The rear waistband  30  may also include decorative touches such as lace or specific patterns or designs printed thereon, as per the various types of underwear currently available on the market, including thong underwear. 
   Extending between and connecting the top left corner  18  and bottom corner  16  of front panel  12  is a left lower strap  40 , and likewise, extending between and connecting the top right corner  20  and bottom corner  16  of front panel  12  is a right lower strap  42 , the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  together forming loops through which the legs of the wearer extend, as shown best in  FIG. 1 . In the preferred embodiment, the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  would each be constructed of a flexible elastic fabric material and would each have lengths of approximately six to thirty inches, again depending on the size of the person wearing the undergarment and the desired comfort level. Also, it should be noted that the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  will generally be much thinner and less obtrusive than the rear waistband  30 , although this is not particularly critical to the functionality of the present invention. 
   When the improved women&#39;s undergarment  10  of the present invention is being worn by a person  60 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , the significant advantages of the present invention become apparent. Specifically, when the undergarment  10  is being worn, the rear waistband  30  would extend around the waist  62  of the person  60  with the front panel  12  positioned in front of the person  60  such that the front panel  12  covers the genitalia of the person  60  wearing the undergarment  10 . Meanwhile, the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  each extend around and are positioned beneath the respective left and right buttocks  64  and  66  of the person  60 , thus securing the bottom corner  16  of front panel  12  underneath the lowest part of the genitalia, thereby snugly and securely covering the genitalia. It should be noted that an important feature of the present invention is that the bottom corner  16  of front panel  12  extends rearwards between the legs of the wearer to a point substantially behind the rearmost portion of the female genitalia to completely cover and protect the genitalia. The positioning of the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  and positioning of rear waistband  30  results in a very comfortable fit of the undergarment  10  of the present invention on the person  60 , and the elimination of the central string or strap which is required for proper use of thongs results in greatly increased comfort for the person  60  wearing the undergarment  10  of the present invention. Also, because the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  are quite narrow, it is expected that there will be little if any visible external sign of the presence of the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  when viewed through the outer garment being worn over the undergarment  10  of the present invention. The intended purpose of a thong, namely to eliminate “panty lines,” is thus fulfilled by the present invention while simultaneously providing a much more secure and comfortable fit of the undergarment  10  on the person  60 . It is therefore clear that the present invention provides a substantial improvement over those types of underwear found in the prior art. 
   It should be noted that numerous additions, modifications and substitutions may be made to the improved women&#39;s undergarment  10  of the present invention which fall within the intended broad scope of the above description. For example, the size, shape and construction materials used in connection with the various elements of the present invention may be modified or changed so long as the intended functional features are neither significantly degraded nor destroyed. Furthermore, it should be noted that the positioning of the inner panel  14  on front panel  12  is an important feature of the present invention in that because of the use of the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  to secure the front panel  12 , specifically bottom corner  16  of front panel  12 , against and behind the lowermost and rearmost portions of the person&#39;s genitalia, the undergarment  10  of the present invention provides additional comfort above and beyond those women&#39;s undergarments currently available. Finally, although the front panel  12  has been described as being generally triangular in shape, it should be noted that the precise shape of the front panel  12  is not particularly critical to the present invention so long as the left and right lower straps  40  and  42  and rear waistband  30  extend around the waist  62  and left and right buttocks  64  and  66  in a similar manner to that described previously. This will ensure that the undergarment  10  of the present invention is secured on the person  60  wearing the undergarment  10 , although it will be generally preferred that the front panel  12  is generally triangular in shape. 
   There has therefore been shown and described an improved women&#39;s undergarment  10  which accomplishes at least all of its intended objectives.