Foundation garments – For lower torso including thighs – e.g. – corset – girdles
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-15
2004-02-10
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3765)
Foundation garments
For lower torso including thighs, e.g., corset, girdles
C450S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06688943
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The subject application is related to subject matter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-040140 filed on Feb. 16, 2001 in Japan to which the subject application claims priority under Paris Convention and which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel undergarment, more specifically, a unisex girdle which is easily put on, adjustable to fit a wearer's figure and able to adjust a part to be tightened to the wearer's desired level.
2. Related Background Art
A girdle or other clothing have been worn as clothes having a figure-correcting function. This clothing is constructed from elastic fabrics in order to bring out the figure-correcting function. Thus, a wearer corrects his/her figure by compressing each part of his/her body by wearing a figure-correcting girdle or other undergarment. Also, to accomplish an effective figure correction, products which further comprise materials such as a reinforced cloth, and the like, having strong elasticity intensively at a specific part, are sold on the market.
However, sizes of marketed girdles are limited to a few kinds, such as S, M, L, LL, and the like, in spite of the fact that each wearer has a different figure. In actuality, in manufacturing, a length around the waist, hips, lower abdomen and groin, above the crotch, and the like are specified for each marketed size, and a shape is formed corresponding to a pattern arranged by a standard size, and then the strength of elasticity is adjusted.
A wearer has no choice other than choosing his/her size of undergarment that is comparatively close to the size of his/her actual figure from among limited groups of a few kinds, unless he/she has an undergarment custom-made to be designed to fit his/her figure. However, the figure of each wearer hardly completely fits one of standard figures of a few limited variations of sizes. For example, a size of a haunch might not fit even if the size of a lower abdomen fits. In this way, when a girdle with a correct size for a certain part is chosen, length of other parts is unlikely to be correct. When compression to only a certain part becomes excessive, a wearer feels uncomfortable and develops mental stress. Also, excessive compression causes possible symptoms such as a raised blood pressure, temperature control malfunction, cold hands/feet, stiff shoulders, insomnia, and the like by obstructing blood circulation to a compressed part. Further excessive compression can be a cause of disfigure of internal organs.
With regard to the above-described, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 195105/1997 discloses a girdle for a purpose of achieving a figure-correcting effect which can be controlled in a wide range to fit an individual figure and meet other demands. This girdle comprises an elastic strip sewn up at its center to an inside surface of a back side of a girdle body. A wearer can adjust a compression level of the girdle by pulling both ends of the elastic strip with his/her desired strength and fixing the strip on an elastic cloth sewn on an inside surface of a front side of the girdle body, and thus a figure-correcting effect is achieved regardless of figures or demands. However, this girdle cannot always match sizes of all parts of a wearer, e.g., a size of an abdominal region, and the like, because a size of the girdle body is standardized. Moreover, this girdle cannot be permanently worn if a size of each part is changed, by gaining or losing weight, relative to a size of each part measured at a time when the girdle was chosen to be worn.
Furthermore, a shape of a conventional girdle having a crotch region exhibits a problem such as tightness, sweatiness and insanitation at the crotch caused by air-tightness, and the like. Also, a most disadvantageous point is that it is rather difficult to perform a function of excretion, unless the girdle is completely slid down to a position under the knees, or taken off.
On the other hand, a medical corset is proposed, which can be encircled around hips and thigh parts and then fixed with a wearer's desired pressure (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 135856/1997 and 137276/1998).
According to this proposal, the corset can be fixed around the hips and the thigh parts with a wearer's desired pressure while causing no trouble at the crotch of a wearer, such as tightness, sweatiness, and the like, due to absence of a crotch region.
However, this medical corset is formed simply by a supporter encircling the hips, and a supporter encircling the thigh parts, being joined together. Specifically, this medical corset is a wearing apparel comprising a supporter encircling the hips and a supporter encircling the thigh parts joined together at a haunch part when the corset is disposed about a wearer. A wearing apparel like this can be used as a medical corset, but not as an undergarment since a crotch part of the wearer is not covered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above-described conventional technical problems and to provide a comfortable girdle in which a size of the girdle can be freely adjusted to fit a wearer's figure.
Moreover, another purpose of the present invention is to provide a girdle in which the size of the girdle can be freely adjusted to fit a wearer's figure, and appearance of the girdle is not different from a regular undergarment when the girdle is disposed about the wearer.
Furthermore, another purpose of the present invention is to provide a girdle that has neither tightness nor air-tightness at a wearer's crotch part.
The girdle according to the present invention comprises front sides, a back side, and leg encircling regions, but no crotch region. The front sides, the back side and the leg encircling regions are formed from one piece, and the front sides and the leg encircling regions, respectively, are openable/closable.
Moreover, the girdle according to the present invention comprises a hips encircling region which encircles hips of a wearer, and leg encircling regions which encircle legs of the wearer. The hips encircling region and the leg encircling regions are formed integral and continuous from a single cloth. The hips encircling region of the single cloth includes on front sides thereof fastening members which can be fastened and unfastened. The hips encircling region encircles the hips of the wearer, while portions thereof overlap each other at an abdominal region of the wearer, and these portions are secured adjustably by the fastening members. The leg encircling regions of the single cloth each include at least one projected end portion having a fastening member which can be fastened and unfastened. The leg encircling regions encircle the legs of the wearer, with the projected end portions adjustably securing the leg encircling regions of the girdle, which are respectively positioned under the projected end portions, by the fastening members.
Regarding the girdle according to the present invention, a wearer can freely control a correction pressure via fastening parts formed respectively on opening/closing regions/portions of the front sides and the leg encircling regions. Also, it is not necessary to pass legs through a tubular parts of a girdle body since the girdle according to the present invention has no crotch part or region. The girdle becomes one-piece of cloth when the opening/closing portions of the girdle are unfolded, so the girdle can be put on the body of the wearer by encircling the body of the wearer with the cloth. Also, while wearing the girdle, the wearer feels comfortable since a crotch part of the wearer has neither pressure nor unsanitary sweatiness. Moreover, excretion is possible without taking off the girdle if the wearer only opens the opening/closing portions of the leg encircling regions.
Regarding the girdle according to the present invention, when the girdle is worn end portions are connected so as to form the leg encir
Aman Life Co., Ltd.
Hale Gloria M.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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