Abstract:
A reversible thong-type undergarment which includes a single unseamed cloth having opposed first and second panels secured thereto wherein each of the panels may have different color combinations and/or designs. The thong-type undergarment may be easily secured to the body of the person without having to tie strings together or engage in other such activities.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention is directed to the reversible thong-type undergarment which may be worn to reveal different patterns or the like on opposed sides of the undergarment in which the patterned opposed sides are secured to a substrate through the use of a binding assembly which enables the garment to be placed about the body without the tying of strings and the like.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Thong-type undergarments have become popular in recent years for a variety of reasons including an attractive, sleek look, minimum storage space and the like. More recently such thong-type undergarments have been provided with an outside surface revealing an attractive design which can employ bright colors, intricate patterns, and even direct or indirect messages such as a heart (e.g. for Valentine&#39;s Day).  
           [0003]    It would be an advantage in the art of producing thong-type undergarments to provide a reversible garment that would permit, preferably, two different designs to be employed on a single undergarment which would have obvious consumer appeal.  
           [0004]    Known in the art is a reversible bathing garment as depicted in Estruch, U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,691 which provides for a bottom portion formed from a single cloth made from a single piece of material which may have the same or different colors or different combinations of colors on each side. The cloth is bound with elastic binding tapes which are extended so that they may be tied together to enable the bottom portion of the bathing suit to be secured about the waste of the user.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention is generally directed to a reversible thong-type undergarment in which the garment is readily reversible by inverting the main portion of the undergarment prior to use. The garment is readily worn about the body of the user without having to tie strings or the like.  
           [0006]    In a particular aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reversible thong-type undergarment which comprises:  
           [0007]    a) a single unseamed cloth having first and second opposed surfaces and a peripheral edge;  
           [0008]    b) a first panel of material secured to one of said first or second opposed surfaces;  
           [0009]    c) a second panel of material secured to the other of the first or second opposed surfaces; and  
           [0010]    d) a binding assembly for securing the first and second panels of material to the single unseamed cloth about said peripheral edge and including means for supporting the undergarment about the body of a person. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The following drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts are illustrative of embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention as encompassed by the claims forming part of the application.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a reversible thong-type undergarment of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a rear view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a front view of a further embodiment of the invention wherein the extension of the binding assembly includes a connecting assembly. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    The present invention is generally directed to a reversible thong-type undergarment which is constructed to allow not only reversibility but enables the user to place the same about the body in either reversible position. As used herein the term “thong-type undergarment” includes thongs, bikinis, g-strips and brief type undergarments and the like.  
         [0016]    Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a thong-type undergarment  2  having a main body portion  4  and a binding assembly  6  for securing the thong-type undergarment  2  about the body of a person.  
         [0017]    The main body portion  4  is comprised of a single cloth  8  having a front side  10  shown in FIG. 1 and a rear side  12  shown in FIG. 2. The single cloth  8  has a peripheral edge bound by a binding assembly  6  which is preferably an elastic band but may be selected from other types of materials.  
         [0018]    Secured to the single cloth  8  via the binding assembly  6  is a first or front panel  16  shown in FIG. 1 and a second or rear panel  18  shown in FIG. 2. The respective front and rear panels may be made from the same or different materials typically selected from materials suitable for undergarments such as cotton, knitted fabrics, and the like. It will be understood that the front and rear panels may be continuous as shown or may have openings therein (e.g. design cutouts such as circles). The front and rear panels may be provided with the same colors and/or designs or different colors and/or designs. The front and rear panels when employed with different colors and/or designs provide a different appearance of the thong-type undergarment when the undergarment is reversed wherein the front panel becomes the rear panel and thereby becomes hidden from view and the rear panel becomes the front panel and thereby viewable when the undergarment is worn. As shown specifically in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front and rear panels  16  and  18  do not cover the entire surface area of the cloth but instead leave an unpaneled portion designated by the numeral  28 .  
         [0019]    The binding assembly  6 , typically in the form of an elastic band, is extended past the peripheral edge of the main body portion  4  to form a pair of loops  20 A and  20 B through which the user inserts their legs when placing the undergarment about the body. The loops  20 A and  20 B are closed at a first junction  22  where the extension continues to connect to the main body portion  4  at a second junction  24 . All or a portion of the binding assembly may be provided with different colors, designs, embroidered patterns and the like to contribute to the overall appearance of the undergarment.  
         [0020]    In accordance with the present invention, the thong-type undergarment may be placed about the body by inserting the legs within the loops  20 A and  20 B with the front panel  16  facing outwardly and the rear panel  18  facing inwardly. The undergarment may be reversed by lifting the main body portion  4  until the previous front panel  16  faces inwardly and the rear panel  18  faces outwardly. The reversibility of the undergarment can be accomplished without having to tie strings or make any other connections to facilitate the process of reversibility. In addition, the front and rear panels can be provided with different designs and/or different color combinations to provide essentially two different looking undergarments within the same undergarment.  
         [0021]    In a further embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 3, the extended portion of the elastic band which is used to form the loops  20 A and  20 B and/or the extension from junction  22  to junction  24  to complete the thong-type structure may include decorative devices such as a connecting assembly  26  such as interlocking rings made of metal, plastic or other types of materials. More than one such assembly  26  may be provided along the binding assembly including between junctions  22  and  24 .  
         [0022]    Other embodiments of the present invention would become apparent to those of ordinary skill in this art and are included within the scope of the present application.