Apparel – Nether garments – Bifurcated
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2001-03-27
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Nether garments
Bifurcated
Reexamination Certificate
active
06205591
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a garment having a body support unit secured thereto; particularly to a garment having a body support unit secured thereto in a manner allowing the support unit to expand or contract substantially freely of the garment.
2. Background
Support units have long been used for compressing unwanted body bulges to conceal them from view and provide a thinner or smoother body image. One example of a support unit is commonly referred to as a girdle. To complete the desired image, the support unit was often concealed beneath outer clothing to prevent others from detecting that the support unit was employed to provide the thinner, smoother image exhibited. While some garments have been manufactured in the past with interior support or stretch panels fixed thereto, such garments have typically been assembled utilizing exterior shell fabrics of the type that incorporate mechanical stretch properties inclusively engineered into the woven or knitted shell fabric.
One such garment is disclosed by Kishi in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,118. In Kishi, an interior stretch lining is stitched to an outer stretch-type shell garment at the site of the slide fastener (zipper) of the shell. Other garments have an outer shell garment having an elastic-type gathered waistband employed to allow the marrying of a smaller waistband of a stretch lining to the larger elastic-type gathered waistband of the shell. In these garments, the lining waistband and the shell waistband are each typically constructed to be smaller than the waist of the intended wearer such that upon placing the garment on the wearer's body, both the shell waistband and the stretch lining were stretched and the propensity for the lining to return to its relaxed state allowed the lining to have its intended effect of compressing the wearer's body bulges. With the lining fastened directly to the shell, the contraction of the lining waistband caused a concomitant contraction in the shell waistband. Thus, the elastic gathered waistband was gathered and bunched by the contraction of the stretch lining as it contracted to the wearer's body. In yet another example disclosed by Bergstein in U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,947 a stretch lining having panels of Lycra® was cut to be relaxed at the top of the front and back panels of the outer shell garment. The bottom of the Lycra® panels were cut to be narrower than the accompanying shell leg panels with which they were to be combined. However, the expansion and contraction of the stretch linings of these prior garments resulted in a concomitant reaction at the outer shell garment attached thereto causing an unattractive and cheaper, low-end look to the garment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides tailored or casual garments such as ladies slacks, shorts, skirts, and dresses, or men's tailored or casual trousers and shorts, having a fully integrated inner support unit. The inner support unit of the present invention is highly effective in supporting and compressing body bulges into a smoother, more flattering appearance while the outer garment simultaneously offers the exterior appearance of a highly tailored article of clothing of the type not previously associated with an integral support unit, and concealing the presence of the inner support unit.
The present invention enables integral incorporation of a support unit into a shell garment of any type of cloth fabrication such as worsted woolens, cotton poplins, linens, poly combinations, as well as knitted goods and any other stretch fabric of natural or artificial makeup or blends thereof, while allowing the support unit to expand or contract about a wearer's body, without affecting the look of the shell garment due to bunching or the like, by buffering the support unit from the shell.
One objective of the present invention is to provide highly desirable tailored or casual garments to individuals who consciously want to employ a support unit therewith to provide an improved lower body appearance.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit will constrict and flatten the abdomen, smooth the hips, and constrict and shape the buttocks.
A further object of the present invention is to enable a highly expandable and relatively smaller-sized support unit waistband to be integrated with a relatively larger waistband of a tailored shell without pulling in, collapsing or bunching the outer shell or requiring a gathered, elastic-type waistband which connotes a lower-end product.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit is substantially free to expand or contract with respect to the outer shell.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit is integrated into the outer shell by a buffering adjustable securement which facilitates relatively free expansion and contraction of the support unit with respect to the outer shell.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit is integrated into the outer shell by a buffering adjustable securement which facilitates relatively free expansion and contraction of the support unit waistband with respect to the outer shell waistband.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an expandable support unit integrated to a substantially non-expandable portion of an outer shell garment wherein the support unit is substantially free to expand or contract with respect to the shell without pulling in, collapsing or bunching the outer shell or requiring a gathered, elastic type waistband which connotes a lower-end product.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of constructing an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit is integrated into the outer shell by a buffering adjustable securement which facilitates relatively free expansion and contraction of the support unit waistband with respect to the outer shell waistband.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit is aligned with respect to the shell in order to minimize the visibility of the support unit through the shell.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit may be quickly disconnected from the shell garment.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit is resistant to bunching or riding up the body of the person wearing the garment.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 280253 (1985-08-01), Williams
patent: D. 295456 (1988-05-01), Parr
patent: D. 389288 (1998-01-01), Leinoff
patent: D. 393243 (1998-04-01), Ferguson
patent: 1006800 (1911-10-01), Schumacher
patent: 1271248 (1918-07-01), Walcoff
patent: 2112893 (1938-04-01), Harwood
patent: 2197584 (1940-04-01), Latter
patent: 2481396 (1949-09-01), Cohen
patent: 2873738 (1959-02-01), Stark
patent: 2899962 (1959-08-01), Entringer et al.
patent: 3068871 (1962-12-01), Rapp
patent: 3127896 (1964-04-01), Puliafico
patent: 3141457 (1964-07-01), Davidson
patent: 3162197 (1964-12-01), Erteszek
patent: 3169530 (1965-02-01), Grishman
patent: 3169531 (1965-02-01), Grishman
patent: 3174482 (1965-03-01), Parrott
patent: 3180336 (1965-04-01), Bett et al.
patent: 3185158 (1965-05-01), Gattuso
patent: 3192930 (1965-07-01), Grishman
patent: 3214770 (1965-11-01), Smith
patent: 3234947 (1966-02-01), Bergstein
patent: 3333589 (1967-08-01), Cohen et al.
patent: 3399679 (1968-09-01), Barg
patent: 3417756 (1968-12-01), Leventhal
patent: 3438061 (1969-04-01), Goldberg
patent: 3457926 (1969-07-01), Bacon et al.
patent: 3503405 (1970-03-01), Porco
patent: 4069513 (1978-01-01), Shiller et al.
patent: 4106
France Judy
Kochmann Jane
Wheeler Thomas M.
Yoffee Al
Calvert John J.
Hartmarx Corporation
Hoey Alissa L.
McDermott & Will & Emery
LandOfFree
Tailored garment with integral support unit does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Tailored garment with integral support unit, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Tailored garment with integral support unit will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2482100