Abstract:
An undergarment designed for both men and women includes two strap portions connected by a crotch panel. A set of fasteners disposed on a set of ends of each of the strap portions enable the fastening together of the two strap portions to form a single strip that encircles the waist of a wearer. When being worn, the crotch panel extends between the legs of the wearer to cover the wearer&#39;s crotch. Due to the shape of the undergarment and the position of the fasteners, the underwear can be donned and removed without requiring the full removal of outer layers of clothing such as, for example, pants, shorts, etc.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to clothing and more particularly to undergarments for men, women and children. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Donning and removing conventional undergarments typically requires removing all outer layers of clothing such as pants, shorts, etc., so that the undergarment can be pulled onto or off of the legs of the wearer. However, lack of time, lack of private changing accommodations and medical issues often prevent a person in need of changing their undergarment from being able to fully remove such outer layers of clothing. Thus, there is a need in the art for underwear that can be donned and removed without first requiring that any outer layers of clothing be completely removed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    The detailed description is described with reference to the following set of drawings. The same reference numerals provided on different drawings indicate the same or similar items. Other advantages and aspects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of the drawings and detailed description. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a pair of underwear in an unfastened/unassembled state according to an example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the underwear of  FIG. 1 , shown in an unfastened/unassembled state according to another example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the underwear of  FIG. 1  shown in a fastened/assembled state according to yet another example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the underwear of  FIG. 1  in a fastened state and being worn by a wearer according to still yet another example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a top view of an undergarment in an unfastened/unassembled state according to a still further example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a pair of underwear, shown in an unfastened/unassembled state according to another example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the underwear of  FIG. 6  according to an example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is a top view of the underwear shown in  FIG. 1  having a detachable crotch panel according to an example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a pair of underwear having a waistband and a fully detachable crotch panel according to an example embodiment of the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a pair of underwear having a waistband and a partially detachable crotch panel according to an example embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The undergarments shown in the FIGS. are not drawn to scale, and are only intended to be representative of the approximate shapes of the various pieces of the garments relative to each other. As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the undergarments are intended to be configured in sizes and proportions similar to the various sizes and proportions of conventional undergarments that are commercially available. Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an example undergarment also referred to as a pair of underwear  10  includes two strap portions  12  and  14  attached via a crotch panel  13 . A set of fasteners  12 A,  12 B,  14 A and  14 B disposed on each of a set of ends  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  of the strap portions are used to fasten the two strap portions  12 ,  14  together. 
         [0015]    Referring also to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the fasteners  12 A and  12 B are disposed on the top side of the underwear and the fasteners  14 A and  14 B are disposed on the bottom side of the underwear, so that when fastened together, the strap portions,  12  and  14  form a single strip of fabric, also referred to as a waistband, for encircling the waist of a wearer (not shown in  FIG. 1 ). When the underwear are being worn (see  FIG. 4 ), the crotch panel  13  fits between the legs of the wearer to thereby form a protective covering of the wearer&#39;s crotch area. As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the strap portions  12 ,  14  and panel  13  can be sized and shaped in any number of ways to accomplish the easily removable underwear of the invention. For example and with reference also to  FIG. 5 , the strap portions can be designed to be wider. Likewise, the crotch panel  13  may be sized and shaped in an elongate strip thereby causing the undergarment to take the shape of a thong when assembled (see  FIG. 1 ). Or, in yet another embodiment (see  FIG. 5 ), the crotch panel  13  may be as wide as needed to form an assembled shape of a brief that fully covers the buttocks of the wearer. Additionally, the crotch panel  13  can be designed such that the distance between the two strap portions  12 ,  14  is maximized or such that the distance between the two strap portions is minimized. In the former case, the underwear may sit above the waist of the wearer when assembled and in the latter, the underwear may sit below the waist of the wearer. The fasteners  12 A,  12 B,  14 A,  14 B may be implemented using any device capable of connecting the strap portions together including, for example, snaps, buttons, Velcro strips or patches, zippers, hooks, etc., whether currently available or developed in the future. As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the strap portions can be made adjustable by incorporating, for example, a slide and buckle/clip as are commonly used on men&#39;s bowties and ladies&#39; bra straps. In this manner, the underwear can be adjusted to fit the waist/hips of any wearer. 
         [0016]    Further and with reference now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the undergarment  10  need not attach at the sides of the wearer&#39;s waist but may instead fasten at the front (or rear) of the underwear  10 . In an example embodiment which fastens at the rear (not shown), a set of zippers may be placed at the rear right and at the rear left to ease removal of the undergarment without first requiring removal of any pants being worn. As with all embodiments described herein, the fasteners used to attach the strip portions  12 ,  14  may be implemented using any device capable of connecting the strap portions  12 ,  14  together including, for example, snaps, buttons, Velcro strips or patches, zippers, hooks, etc., keeping in mind that the placement of the fastening device will likely be dictated at least in part by the type of fastener used. For example, using buttons in an embodiment having strip portions  12 ,  14  that attach at the sides of the waist may cause the waist to be bulky such that snaps or Velcro might be preferred in such an embodiment. Alternatively, the position at which the strip portions attach, i.e., the sides of the waist, the front of the waist, the back, etc., can be modified to accommodate any preferred type of fastener. 
         [0017]      FIG. 8  shows the underwear of  FIG. 1  having a fully detachable crotch panel  13 . In this example embodiment, the crotch panel  13  includes a set of Velcro strips  13 A,  13 B that attach to a set of corresponding Velcro strips  12 C,  14 C disposed on the undersurface of the strip portions  12 ,  14 . As described with reference to the earlier FIGS., the Velcro strips  12 C,  14 C and  13 A,  13 B can be implemented using any fastener capable of connecting the crotch panel  13  to the strip portions  12 ,  14 . As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, and with reference also to  FIG. 9 , the example embodiment shown in  FIG. 8  need not be configured with two strip portions. In such an example embodiment, the two strip portions are replaced with a single ring of fabric  20  that encircles the waist of the wearer, also referred to as a waistband  20 , and to which the crotch panel  13  attaches. Two Velcro strips  20 A and  20 B disposed inside of the waistband  20  fasten to two Velcro strips  13 A and  13 B disposed on the undersurface of the crotch panel  13  to thereby attach the crotch panel  13  to the waistband  20 . In this example embodiment, the waistband  20  is preferably made of an elasticized fabric capable of stretching sufficiently to allow the waistband to fit over the hips of the wearer when being placed on the body and being sufficiently tight enough to fit the waist of the wearer snugly. In this way, the waistband  20  can be placed on the body by sliding it over the hips and over any pants being worn without first requiring removal of any such pants, i.e., eliminating the need for any undressing by the wearer. Thus, the crotch panel  13  is removable and replaceable with a fresh panel  13  whenever desired by the wearer. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 10 , in another example embodiment, the crotch panel  13  is only partially detachable from the waistband  20 . In this embodiment, the crotch panel is non-detachably fastened at the back of the waistband along, for example, a stitched seam  18 , and is detachably fastened to the front of the waistband via a Velcro strip  13 A disposed on the crotch panel that attaches to a Velcro strip  20 A disposed on the waistband  20 . As will also be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the fabric of which the underwear is made is comprised of any suitable fabric including, for example, an elastic material for the strap portions and, for example, a weave of stretchable and non-stretchable fibers for the crotch panel. In yet another embodiment (not shown), the crotch panel is not detachable from the waistband and is divided into two sections and a set of fasteners, such as, for example, a set of snaps disposed on each of the two sections permits the attachment of the two sections together to form a single crotch panel  13 . In this embodiment, the waistband is pulled over the pants of the wearer with the crotch panel sections being unfastened. After the waistband is in place on the waist of the wearer, the crotch panel sections are fastened to form an assembled pair of underwear. 
         [0019]    The underwear  10  shown in any of  FIGS. 1-10 , can be worn when performing any of a variety of sports including, for example, hockey, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, cycling, wrestling, basketball, track and field, speed skating, skiing, football, running, etc., or just plain working out at the gym. The underwear may also be worn during the course of one&#39;s daily working/leisure activities. 
         [0020]    Likewise, the underwear  10  can be designed to be worn under other equipment such as in sports like hockey or as part of the outer garment as in track and field or speed skating. Accessories can be attached to the underwear of the present invention, again depending on the sport or activity for which they are intended. For example if designed for hockey, the underwear garment can be provided with clips or other fastening means such as Velcro strips to hold up a pair of hockey socks. 
         [0021]    While example embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications may be made to the examples when making the underwear. The scope of protection is only intended to be limited by the scope of the accompanying claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.