Apparel – Nether garments – Skirts
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-21
2001-04-24
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Nether garments
Skirts
C002S237000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219848
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to waistband extenders for wearing apparel having an opening waistband secured by a fastener. The present invention is further directed to adjustable waistband extenders that can be used to accommodate changing girths, as in pregnancy or weight changes, while providing modesty to the wearer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the wearing apparel field, a wide variety of clothing is designed so that the portion encircling the wearer's waist fits snugly. In articles such as jeans, skirts, trousers and the like, where the article of clothing reaches up to and terminates about the waist, the waist encircling portion is generally provided with means for drawing such portion from a loose to a close fit and securing same.
When reasonably close waist line fit is desired in a garment, difficulties arise due to body dimension variations, both from person to person in the general population, and for a given person temporary changes in their girth. In particular, during early term pregnancies, the girth has increased so that the wearing apparel does not readily fasten, but is insufficient to justify the expenditure oh maternity clothing. One often either sacrifices close fit or comfort.
Various adjustable features for waist lines have been previously devised. For instance, garments have been made with permanently joined waistbands of excess girth, which are gathered to smaller dimensions by elastic material encased within the waistband. Such “continuously” adjustable waistbands, however, are often deemed unsuitable due to their gathered appearance.
Previous efforts to deal with this have included making permanent modifications to the garment by adding gores or extra material and thus increasing the size of the garment in the waistband area.
Removable waistband adjusting means have left a gap in the fly opening of the garment often exposing the skin of the wearer and thus rending the expanded garment distasteful to the observer.
All of these adjusting means require additional elements to be incorporated into the garment at manufacture or alterations to the garment after manufacture, and in many instances the stylish appearance of a garment as to the area around the waistband is lost due to these additional elements and/or alterations.
For many wearers, a means for occasionally and temporarily adjusting a “styled to fit” garment in order to loosen the waistband is desired. Such a means, if adaptable to any conventional means for closing waistbands, would permit practically unlimited choice as to purchasing jeans, skirts, trousers and the like in a size providing the desired fit, which then may occasionally be adjusted to loosen the fit for comfort when required. It is further desired that such means require no permanent alteration to the garment itself so as to retain its normal stylish appearance when the need for waistband loosening passes.
For some wearers, a means for loosening the waistband of ready-to-wear clothing is necessary generally due to size problems. For such wearers, it is often desired that such a loosening means be relatively inexpensive and avoid costly alterations. Again, if such means be adaptable to any conventional means for closing waistbands, the choice in clothing selection becomes almost unlimited. Further if the means is detachable, one can avoid purchasing such separate means for each and every garment requiring same.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for extending the waistband of a garment with normal closure means. It is an object to provide such means which can be used as a temporary measure and requires no alteration of the garment itself. It is an object to provide such means which, in use, permits security of closing. These and other objects will become apparent from the description of the invention given below.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a simple and convenient means for adapting a lower body garment for use during the early stages of pregnancy and, thereafter, a method permitting the garment to be returned to its original form and appearance without alteration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a waistband extender for wearing apparel which may be removably secured to the waistband of the wearing apparel when extra room in the abdominal area of the wearer is needed. This device is particularly useful for women during early term pregnancy when maternity clothes arc too large to be worn but yet regular wearing apparel with waistbands are too small. The waistband extender covers the opening in the garment and thus provides modesty to the wearer.
The waistband extender is made of a flexible fabric material in the form of a generally inverted triangular shape panel with an upper edge which, when worn, is positioned adjacent the waistband of the wearing apparel. Preferably, this upper edge is elasticized. The fabric material extends downward from the upper edge and tapers as it extends towards a bottom edge. The flexible fabric material is preferably a color and/or design complimenting the material forming the wearing apparel.
Several features are provided to secure the waistband extender to the wearing apparel. First, a waistband securer is used to secure the upper edge of a modesty panel to the waistband of the garment. The waistband securer comprises a button provided along the inner surface of the elasticized upper edge of the fabric material adjacent one of its side edges and a buttonhole adjacent the opposite side edge. In use, the button of the waistband securer mates with the buttonhole on the waistband of the wearing apparel while the button on the waistband of the wearing apparel cooperates with the buttonhole of the waistband securer.
In a further embodiment, a belt loop securer extends outwardly from each corner of the upper edge of the fabric material. The belt loop securer is defined by an elongate strip of fabric which loops through the belt loop of the slacks and folds upon itself and is fastened into place thereby further securing the waistband extender to the wearing apparel by also connecting it to the belt loops of the wearing apparel.
At least one zipper stop is provided on the waistband extender and is positioned beneath the elasticized upper edge. The zipper stop or zipper stops are positioned at various locations along the vertical length of the waistband extender. The zipper stops are defined by a button and an elasticized loop extending therefrom. The elasticized loop is threaded through the eye of the conventional zipper on the slacks and is folded back onto itself and secured by mating with the button of the zipper attachment. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the zipper attachments are provided on the modesty panel to accommodate different persons and different sizes during early term pregnancies.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1861383 (1932-05-01), Ficcio
patent: 2606322 (1952-08-01), Vraciu
patent: 2747197 (1956-05-01), Bailey
patent: 2873452 (1959-02-01), Jacobs
patent: 3431562 (1969-03-01), Souders
patent: 3806953 (1974-04-01), Kalil
patent: 4580298 (1986-04-01), Tuisl
patent: 4803740 (1989-02-01), Dawson
patent: 5163184 (1992-11-01), Reardon
patent: 5575011 (1996-11-01), Allen
Alston & Bird LLP
Calvert John J.
Patel Tejash
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