Patent ID: 8214927

Claim:
A garment designed to protect the lower abdomen and upper legs of a wearer, the garment comprising: a front panel permanently connected to a rear panel, wherein the front panel and the rear panel are sized to cover a wearer from a waistband to first and second leg openings when the garment is assembled on a wearer, wherein the front panel and the rear panel are permanently connected to each other in a crotch area between the first and second leg openings, and wherein a lateral distance between the waistband and a bottom edge of each of the first and second leg openings is selected such that the garment terminates above the wearer's knees on each leg when the garment is assembled on a wearer; a leg opening seal proximate the bottom edge of each of the first and second leg openings, wherein the leg opening seal forms a compression seal extending around an interior surface of the leg opening; wherein the front panel and the rear panel are connected to each other along a first lateral side of the garment on a first lateral side of the wearer when the garment is worn by the wearer; and wherein the front panel and the rear panel are releasably connected to each other by a releasable connection apparatus located along a second lateral side of the garment that extends along at least a portion of the distance between the waistband and the second leg opening on a second lateral side of the wearer, wherein the releasable connection apparatus comprises a connected configuration in which the front panel and the rear panel are connected to each other along the second lateral side of the garment and a detached configuration in which the front panel and the rear panel are not connected to each other along the second lateral side of the garment.