Patent Publication Number: US-2005132474-A1

Title: Pants garment with body profile enhancement features

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      Aspects of the present invention are generally directed to an article of clothing. More particularly, the aspects of the present invention relate to a pants garment with human body profile enhancement features.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Many individuals diet and exercise in an attempt to shape their bodies. Unfortunately, many women and men find they cannot shape their profile to reverse the aging process, effects of gravity, or their genetic features. Some have resorted to cosmetic surgery to shape the bullocks, hips, or thighs. These procedures, however, are very costly, can create scaring, and have other undesirable problems.  
      The fashion and textile industries provide pants to consumers for different purposes. Women are a segment of consumers who generally desire clothing that make them look and feel good by shaping their bodies. For many reasons, including a desire to shape their bodies, some women wear foundation garments under their clothing, for example girdles and panty hosiery. Unfortunately, layers of foundation garments with other clothing can be uncomfortable for some wearers and unsightly with some styles of clothing (e.g., those using stretch fabrics).  
      There has been some effort to produce clothing with built-in foundation garments. These built-in garments have drawbacks, including constructions which merely hold-in a stomach or the bullocks of a wearer&#39;s body. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,871 to R. Rapp illustrates toreador pants with a built-in panty that merely squeezes and holds in portions of the stomach. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,896 to Puliafico; U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,947 to Bergstein; U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,342 to Pagano; and more recently U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,448 to Thompson describe slacks with built-in girdles that also merely hold in the stomach. These constructions are ill-suited for consumers who may want garments that accentuate their body shape, instead of only squeezing or holding the stomach or the buttocks.  
      In an effort to enhance a user&#39;s profile without foundation garments, U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,451 to Tassone et al. (“Tassone”) describes a pants garment wherein the legs are narrowed to squeeze the thighs of a wearer in an effort to urge the buttocks upward. This construction is uncomfortable and ill-suited for some wearers, and provides only marginal benefit in enhancing the user&#39;s profile. Moreover, Tassone uses conventional side seams on the leg portions which are formed with overlapping material inside of the pants garment. This construction causes a discontinuation of the stretch surface encircling the leg, which reduces the capabilities of the pants and detracts from the enhanced appearance being sought.  
      Recently, jeans composed of denim and blends with elastic fibers have been popular sellers because of their comfort and improved styling. However, none in the market include a body profile enhancing system, particularly for the abdominal and gluteal region of a wearer. Moreover, due to the stretch nature of the material, foundation garments used to offset profile changes are not usually suitable because their outline typically shows through the stretched fabric creating an unappealing affect.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention pertains to a pants garment that enhances the anatomic shape of a lower torso of a human body and provides an improved anatomical fit. Moreover, in a preferred aspect of the invention, the pants garment provides an enhanced human body profile with a natural appearance of the fit on the body and a high level of comfort.  
      The pants garment of the present invention is able to enhance the wearer&#39;s profile in a attractive style without the need for form adjusting foundation garments, which is typically bulky, uncomfortable and unsightly in close fitting garments or garments composed of shape recovery material, such as stretch denim.  
      In one aspect of the invention, the pants garment is provided with a unique cut and assembly that lifts and accentuates the wearer&#39;s buttocks. In another preferred aspect of the invention the pants garment additionally reduces the wearer&#39;s stomach.  
      In another aspect of the invention, the pants garment is formed with a high back and low front to better highlight and accentuate the buttocks of the wearer.  
      In another aspect of the invention, the pants garment includes elastic panels along a front of the torso portion to draw in the wearer&#39;s stomach and pull on the rear portions of the garment to better lift and accentuate the buttocks. The elastic panels are formed to be taut when the pants garment is fastened about the wearer. In one preferred construction, the pants garment is formed of a shape recovery material, such as stretch denim, to maximize the effectiveness of the elastic panels.  
      In another aspect of the invention, the pants garment is formed primarily of two mirror image sections that are interconnected along the front and rear seams. The leg portions of each section have a tubular configuration with a single seam extending along an inner side thereof. The seamless outer surface provides an attractive streamline appearance, and when used with shape recovery material is able to maximize the benefits of the stretch material in fitting about the user&#39;s body. In this way, the invention is able to provide a natural fit appearance of the garment about the wearer&#39;s body despite providing profile enhancing features.  
      In another aspect of the invention, the pants garment is formed of right and left sections that include rear edges that are interconnected at the rear seam of the garment. The rear edges each include a concave curved segment in the crotch portion wherein the slope of the curved segment extends away from the waist portion of the garment. The use of this cut helps lift and accentuate the buttocks into an enhanced profile.  
      In a preferred construction, the aspects of the invention are combined into an improved jean garment that is composed of right and left sections that uniquely lift and accentuate the wearer&#39;s buttocks by having a novel cut along the rear edges forming the rear seam, forming the waist portion highest at the back of the wearer and lowest at the front, including elastic panels along the front of the garment to reduce the wearer&#39;s stomach and further lift the buttocks, using shape recovery material, and forming the leg portions with a single inner seam. The use of any or all of the aspects of the invention in a pants garment provides an improved anatomical profile of the wearer.  
      The ability of the inventive pants garment to provide an improved anatomical profile in a comfortable construction, without the need for form adjusting foundation garments, is a significant advance in the garment industry. The ability to improve ones appearance is a high priority for many people. Many, and in particular teenage girls, can experience an improved self-image with the enhanced body profile provided by the pants garment of this invention.  
      The elimination of the outer seams further reduces the labor and time of assembly of the pants garments by as much as 50%. The actual time savings will depend on the operation of the plant and the use of other secondary pieces such as a waistband, a yoke, pockets, belt loops, etc.  
      The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent and fully understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The foregoing summary of the invention, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are included by way of example, and not by way of limitation with regard to the claimed invention.  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic partial side elevational view of an embodiment a pants garment worn on a human body according to the teachings of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2A  is a schematic partial side elevational view of a conventional pants garment on a wearer.  
       FIG. 2B  is a schematic partial side elevational view of the pants garment shown in  FIG. 1  forming a protruding gluteal region and compressing the abdominal region of the human body.  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic front elevational view of an embodiment of an assembled pants garment according to the teachings of the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic partial rear elevational view of an embodiment of the pants garment shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic plan view of an embodiment of a two-piece textile pattern for constructing a pants garment according to the teachings of the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective view of a textile pattern shown in  FIG. 5  in a process of assembling a pants garment of the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      As used herein the term “pants garment” refers to clothing that covers the lower body region including the hip and legs, for example, slacks, trousers, jeans, shorts, etc.  
       FIGS. 1 , and  2 B- 6  illustrate an article of clothing for enhancing the anatomic shape of a human body particularly in the lower torso and legs of a woman. The article of clothing is generally referred to herein as a pants garment  10 . In one aspect, shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 B, the pants garment  10  includes body profile enhancement features, which simultaneously flatten the lower abdominal region and raise the anatomy of the gluteal region of a human body  12  when the pants garment is properly sized and worn. This is in contrast to the performance of conventional pants  7  shown in  FIG. 2A . The pants  7  have a protruding stomach and no lifting and shaping of the gluteal region of a woman. Additionally, conventional pants  7  have a side seam  8 , and the waist  9  is horizontal which provides no benefit for the enhancing the rear-anatomy of a wearer.  
      To provide a better understanding of the inventive pants garment  10 , a preferred embodiment is described in more detail herein. Referring to  FIGS. 3, 4  and  5 , pants garment  10  preferably has a general two-piece construction that comprises a left pants section  14  and a right pants section  16  which are joined together so that the pants garment can fit a human body. The left pants section  14  and the right pants section  16  are preferably both cut from a single panel of the fabric, although multi-piece sections are possible. While the entire garment can be formed of solely the two pieces of material, it will in the preferred construction include at least waistband  26  encircling the wearer lower torso. Moreover, pants garment  10  may also include secondary pieces of material to form pockets, belt loops, yokes, etc. The pants garment  10  may be constructed of a wide range of woven fabric such as denim, corduroy or other fabric, but in the most preferred construction is made from a shape recovery fabric.  
      As used herein a “shape recovery fabric” is a fabric that can be placed in tension and upon release, the fabric springs back to its original shape. In one case, a shape recovery fabric may be stretched linearly 50%-60% along a planar axis and return to its original shape. In a preferred arrangement, a shape recovery fabric may be implemented which has a blend of substantially inelastic material and elastic fibers. For example, the inelastic material may comprise cotton or leather. Nevertheless, other inelastic fibers may be implemented in the shape recovery fabric. The elastic fibers may comprise material sold under the LYCRA® brand. LYCRA® is a trademark of the DuPont Corporation for its brand of a family of premium elastane fiber. In a preferred embodiment, the shape recovery material may include a blend of approximately 98% cotton and 2% elastic fibers or other fabric blends having 2% elastic fibers, such as stretch denim fabric. There are a variety of stretch denim fabric with weave patterns and weights that may be implemented. In one exemplary case, a stretch denim fabric with a weight about 12 ozs per square yard may be used to construct pants garment  10 . Other ranges of the weight can be somewhat less than 12 ozs.  
      The shape recovery fabric may also be constructed in a range of weave and knitting patterns to adjust the direction and amount of the elasticity. Accordingly, in one embodiment, a shape recovery fabric for the pants garment  10  may have elastic fibers oriented more in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, that is, the material stretches more in one planar axis than in the other generally perpendicular planar axis. In this configuration, the shape recovery material may have more oblique stretch to provide human body-shaping advantages of the pant garment  10 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 5 , the left pants section  14  and the right pants section  16  each includes a torso region  18  which covers and engages the lower torso region of a wearer of the pants garment  10 . The torso region  18  includes a rearwardly disposed center seam edge  20  which has an anatomical shape so to accentuate the gluteal region of a wearer. The center seam edge  20  includes a concave shaped edge  22 , which when joined with the corresponding edge of the pants sections  14 ,  16  enables the assembled torso region  18  to engage the lower portion of the gluteal muscles of a wearer, particularly the gluteus maximus muscles so that the body profile is improved. As seen in  FIG. 5 , the concave shaped edge has a slope across its length that extends away from the waistband  26  or the top edge of the pants garment. This shaping of the seam helps the rear portions of the right and left section  14 ,  16  to lift the buttocks or gluteal regions of the wearer of the pants garment  10 .  
      With continued reference to  FIG. 5 , the center seam edge  20  further includes a gluteal-back edge  24 , which extends from the concaved rear edge  22  to incline upwardly towards the top of the garment on the waistband  26 . In one aspect, the incline narrows the torso region  18  so that the assembled pants garment  10  fits snuggly on a wearer. The rear edge of the waistband  26  is elevated which respect to a front region  28  of the torso region  18 . This arrangement creates a generally angular configuration of the waistband  26  to the wearer&#39;s waistline  13  (see  FIG. 1 ). In a preferred aspect, the waistband  26  has its highest point at the top of the center seam edge  20  and its lowest point in the front of the pants garment  10 . More fully described herein, the waistband  26  of the pants garment  10  encircles the wearer to assist in the lifting of the gluteal region of the wearer.  
      The front region  28  of the torso region  18  includes an adjustable fastening system  30 , which reliably secures the pants garment  10  on the wearer. The adjustable fastening device may comprise a zipper, buttons and complementary buttonholes or other types of fastening devices used for clothing. The waistband  26  may also have a fixed fastening structure  32  such as a button, hook-loop, etc. A concave shaped crotch seam line  34  extends downwardly from the front region  28  to define a crotch area of the assembled pants garment.  
      Referring to  FIG. 5 , extending downwardly from the torso region  18 , a leg region  36  functions to cover all or a portion of a leg of a wearer of an assembled parts garment  10 . A forward inseam edge  38  of the leg region  36  tapers inwardly from the crotch seam line  34  to bottom edge  40  of the leg region  36 . Likewise, the rear inseam edge  42  of the leg section  36  tapers inwardly from the intersection of the rear concaved line  22  downwardly to the bottom edge  40  of the leg section  36 . The tapered configuration creates a smooth stylized and slender appearance of the pants garment on a wearer. Of course, the bottom edge  40  may be hemmed for the assembled pants garment  10  shown in  FIG. 3 . With continued reference to  FIG. 5 , a longitudinal axis  35  extends generally parallel to the leg section  36  for the left section  14  and right section  16 , respectively. The waistband  26  may be disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis  35  such that the waistband  36  extends away from the leg section  36 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , in a preferred construction, the rear of the pants garment  10  includes a gluteal support region  44 . The gluteal support region  44  is defined between the torso section  18  and the leg section  36  when the pants garment is assembled. In one construction, the support region  44  is configured to be located just underneath the lower gluteal region at the thigh of the wearer. In another construction, the concave shaped edge  22  extends more inward than conventional pants so that the gluteal support region  44  extends into the anatomy bisecting the two gluteus maximus muscles of the wearer. In these constructions, a support structure is defined so that the pants garment of the present invention supports and elevates the gluteal region of a wearer.  
      To compress the abdominal region and further elevate the gluteal region of a wearer, the left pants section  14  and the right pants section  16  include resilient panels or webs. In a preferred construction, shown in  FIG. 3 , the resilient panels  46 ,  48  are laterally disposed in the interior of the front of the pants garment  10 . Referring to  FIGS. 1, 3  and  5  each resilient panel  46 ,  48  includes a top edge  50 , a forward edge  52 , a rearward edge  54  and a free edge  56  opposed to the top edge  50 . The top edge  50  is attached to the waistband  26 . The respective forward edge  52  of each panel  46 ,  48  is attached the front region  28  of each torso region  18  along the front seam or in conjunction with the fastening or securing device  30 . The rearward edge  54  is preferably attached to a dart portion  58  in the interior of each torso region  18 . To permit movement of the fabric of the pants garment, the free edge  56  hangs freely and is not attached. Nevertheless, the attachment of the panels  46 ,  48  to the torso region  18  may be accomplished through conventional methods, such as stitching, chemical fusing, or adhesive bonding, etc.  
      The resilient panels  46 ,  48  are preferably made from a woven sheet material. The elastic behavior may be accomplished by using woven elastic fibers. In a preferred embodiment, the resilient panels  46 ,  48  are constructed from synthetic elastic fibers chiefly made from polyurethane, e.g., spandex. Suitable synthetic fibers can include LYCRA® by the DuPont Co., CLEERSPAN® by the Globe Manufacturing Co. or another type of commercially available spandex fiber. Nevertheless, resilient panels  46 ,  48  may also include other types of fibers to achieve desired characteristics for the pants garment. Alternatively, the panels  46 ,  48  may be constructed from a range of weave and knit patterns to vary the direction and amount of the elasticity of the resilient panels. In a preferred construction, the material may be woven to provide equal four-way stretch capabilities, meaning that it stretches equally along all four planar axes. Alternatively, the woven elastic material may be formed so that it stretches more in one direction than another direction, such as allowing the material to stretch more or less in an oblique direction with respect to the planar axes as defined by the rear edge  54  and free edge  56 .  
      With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , on a wearer of the pants garment  10 , the resilient panels  46 ,  48  lengthen to so as to become taut between the front edge  52  and rear edge  54 . To accomplish the tautness, the front region  26  of the left and right sections  14 ,  16  are brought towards each other into mating engagement and secured via the adjustable fastening device  30 . In a preferred embodiment, the fastening device  30  may include a conventional front fly zipper fastening system  61 . Of course, other constructions are possible to provide the tautness of the panels. Nevertheless, the rear edge  54  of the panels  46 ,  48  biases the dart portion  58  towards the front seam of the garment  10 , which creates a stretching force on the fabric of the pants garment  10 . In this way the panels tend to pull the user&#39;s stomach in and works to further push the buttocks upwardly.  
      In one construction implementing a shape recovery fabric with more horizontal stretch than vertical stretch, the resilient panels  46 ,  48  create a generally oblique lifting force “T” on the torso region  18  and the corresponding the leg region  36  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The lifting force stretches the shape recovery fabric so that the gluteal support region  44  of the left section  14  and right section  16  is biased upwardly, particularly in an inward oblique direction. This action causes the two gluteus maximus muscles to spread laterally away from each other to further lift and define the rear profile of wearer.  
      Additionally, the lower abdominal region of the wearer is compressed inward by the resilient panels and the waistband stretches to engage the torso of the wearer. In a preferred construction, left pants section  14  and the right pants section  16  being cut from a single panel of the fabric advantageously creates an uninterrupted stretch surface encircling the leg from inseam edge  42  to inseam edge  38 . This configuration facilitates improved force transfer for lifting the gluteal region over a pants garment with inner and outer seams. The wearer is thus provided with an improved physical profile including emphasizing a rear body profile by lifting and supporting the lower gluteal region of the wearer. Moreover, the two pieces constructed without outer seams creates and an attractive streamlined appearance in the garment and when coupled with a shape recovery material an appearance of a natural fit on the wearer.  
      In an alternative embodiment, the resilient panels  46 ,  48  may be removable or interchangeable from the pants garment  10 . The removability or interchangeability provides the manufacturer with options to supply the resilient panels  46 ,  48  in different elasticity ratings. In one aspect, different resilient panels may be used to control the amount of lifting of the gluteal region of a wearer. For example, a wearer may desire a pants garment having a relatively high raising feature. The wearer can replace the resilient panels  46 ,  48  with different types having a higher stretching force rating. This interchangeable feature may be accomplished in numerous ways. One such way may be to use a mechanical fasteners system on the forward edge  52 , the top edge  50  and the rearward edge  54  of the panels. For example, thin conventional zippers (not shown) may be sewn into the torso sections  18  and corresponding edges of the resilient panels for interchangeability. Of course, other fasteners for clothing apparel may be used, such as male/female snaps, etc.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , for ease of explanation of the preferred embodiment, the garment is assembled starting with the left section  14 . Of course, the right section  16  may be assembled first. Nevertheless, in the left section  14 , the forward inseam edge  38  and the rear edge  42  of the leg section  36  are sewn together which creates a tube-like extension to receive the leg of a wearer having only an inner seam. Likewise, in the right section  16  of the pants garment  10 , the forward inseam edge  38  and the rear inseam edge  42  are similarly sewn together. Then, the rear joining edge  20 , in the torso region  18  of the left section  14  and the right section  16  are sewn together. Finally, the crotch curve  34  of the torso regions  18  are sewn to complete the pant garment  10 . In this way, the manufacturing efficiencies for the pants garment  10  can be realized by reducing assembly time by 40%-50% over four-piece pants constructions having an outseam and an inseam.  
      Referring to  FIG. 4 , the pants garment  10  may include pockets  62  on the rear. Of course, pockets may also be included of the front of the pants garment. Further, the waistband  26  may include a belt carrier system  64  having a plurality of loops of fabric. In addition, a yoke (not shown) may be added to the rear of the pants garment.  
      Thus, a pants garment enhances the anatomic shape of a lower torso of a human body and provides an improved fit. A preferred aspect of the invention, the pants garment provides an enhanced profile with a natural appearance of the fit on the body and a high level of comfort. While the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, there are any number of alternative combinations for defining the invention, which incorporate one or more elements from the specification, including the description, claims, and drawings, in various combinations or sub combinations. Accordingly, the use of any or all of the aspects of the invention in a pants garment provides an improved anatomical profile for the wearer.  
      It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular feature or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.