Patent ID: 8181280

Claim:
An article of underwear configured for covering at least the lower torso of a disabled person comprising: a cloth underwear comprising a front lower torso panel and a rear lower torso panel, the cloth underwear having a top opening and a waistband for a person's trunk and a first bottom opening for a person's left leg and a second bottom opening for a person's right leg; the front lower torso panel at least being connected along a first seam to the rear lower torso panel in a crotch area of the underwear; wherein the rear lower torso panel is comprised of a first portion and a second portion, wherein each of the first and second portions comprise an upper section and a crotch section, the crotch section located in the lower part of the underwear and the upper section located immediately above the crotch section, the upper and crotch section of the first portion corresponding to a respective upper body and crotch section of the second portion; the first and second portions are connected along a rear panel seam, proximate the central axis of the rear lower torso panel; wherein when the first and second portions are connected, the first portion overlaps the second portion; the first and second upper sections of the first and second portions being removably connected by a connector system, the first and second crotch sections of the first and second portions are stitched together immediately below the first and second upper sections in the crotch area of the underwear; wherein the first upper section has a first fastener of the connector system positioned along an edge of an interior surface of the first upper section and the second upper section has a second complementary fastener of the connector system positioned along an edge of an exterior surface of the second upper section, wherein at least one of the first portion or the second portion comprises reinforcement located near the rear panel seam, wherein the reinforcement proximate the rear panel seam comprises an additional fabric layer that overlaps at least an edge of the first portion or an edge of the second portion, and wherein the connector system further comprises at the waistband a waistband fastening system, and wherein the waistband fastening system comprises a fastener and a complementary fastener that extends horizontally such that adjustment of the circumference of the waistband may be increased or decreased by positioning of the first upper section edge to the second upper section edge of the underwear, and wherein said waistband has a plurality of fasteners around an outside of the waistband for securing the underwear to a complementary fastener on the inside of a waistband on a piece of outerwear.