BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Shirt stays are used to keep shirts from being untucked from a pair of trousers. The problem with them is that they rub directly against the skin, causing irritation and discomfort, and are prone to becoming undone. Additionally, traditional shirt stays tend to damage and discolor shirts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The belt with U-shaped clips is designed to keep a person's shirt tail tucked into their bottom garment (i.e., “bottoms” or “pants” or “shorts” or other similar garment worn on the lower half of the body). The belt with U-shaped clips utilizes a series of U-shaped clips attached to a belt. The U-shaped clips are spaced around the belt and are attached to the user's shirt tail and then inverted and rolled up within the shirt. After one or more rolls, the shirt can be tucked into the bottom garment just below the waistline of the bottom garment. The U-shaped clips have a bump within the interior U-shaped portion of the U-shaped clips. The bump helps to capture the shirt tail of the wearer within the U-shaped clip so that the belt with U-shaped clips attaches to the wearer's shirt.
As used herein, “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together. When each one of A, B, and C in the above expressions refers to an element, such as X, Y, and Z, or class of elements, such as X1-Xm, Y1-Yn, and Z1-Zo, the phrase is intended to refer to a single element selected from X, Y, and Z, a combination of elements selected from the same class (e.g., X1 and X2) as well as a combination of elements selected from two or more classes (e.g., Y1 and Z3).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE
FIG. 1 shows an overall view of the belt with U-shaped clips in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a side view of a U-shaped clip in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a front view of a U-shaped clip in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a tension lock buckle in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows a slip keeper in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows a close up front view of the tension lock buckle and the slip keeper on the belt in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 shows a close-up side view of the tension lock buckle and the slip keeper on the belt in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 shows a first step of using the belt with U-shaped clips by placing the belt around the waist of a user in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 shows a next step of inserting a shirt tail into a first U-shaped clip on the left front of the shirt in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 shows a next step of inserting a shirt tail into a second U-shaped clip on the right front of the shirt in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 shows a next step of inserting a shirt tail into a third U-shaped clip on the left back of the shirt in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 shows a next step of inserting a shirt tail into a fourth U-shaped clip on the right back of the shirt in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 shows the user tightening the belt with the tension lock buckle and securing the tail of the belt with the slip keeper in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 shows the user inverting and rolling the belt inward around the waist for a first time in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 shows the user inverting and rolling the belt inward around the waist a second time in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 shows the user pulling their bottom garment up to the waist in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 shows the user tucking the rolled up shirt and belt with U-shaped clips into their bottom garment in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 shows the user with their bottom garment buttoned and zipped with the belt with U-shaped clips positioned below the waist of the bottom garment and out of sight in an embodiment of the present invention.
To assist in the understanding of the present disclosure the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein:
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Table of Contents.
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Component
#
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Belt
2
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Shirt Tail Opening
3
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U-shaped clip
4
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Belt Opening
5
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Tension Lock Buckle
6
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Bump
7
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Slip Keeper
8
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Slip Keeper Belt Opening
8a
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Slip Keeper Belt Tail Opening
8b
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Belt Tail
10
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First Leg
12a
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Second Leg
12b
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Shirt Tail
14
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Belt With U-Shaped Clips
100
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the Figures, in which like reference numerals refer to structurally and/or functionally similar elements thereof, FIG. 1 shows an overall view of the belt with U-shaped clips in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 1, the belt with U-shaped clips 100 comprises a belt 2 that has a tension lock buckle 6 attached to a proximal end of the belt 2 and a slip keeper 8. Attached to the belt 2 are a plurality of U-shaped clips 4. In one embodiment of the invention, four U-shaped clips 4 are attached to the belt and are typically spaced with two U-shaped clips 4 on a front side of the belt on either side of the tension lock buckle 6 and the slip keeper 8. The other two U-shaped clips 4 are located on the back side of the belt 2 and spaced apart from each other. The slip keeper 8 and U-shaped clips 4 are aligned so that the shirt tail opening 3 is pointed up and the slip keeper belt tail opening 8b is pointed up.
FIG. 2 shows a side view of a U-shaped clip in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 2, the U-shaped clips 4 have a shirt tail opening 3 that receives a shirt tail 14 that is slid through shirt tail opening 3 and engages with bump 7 in a pincer manner that serves to help hold the shirt tail 14 within U-shaped clips 4. The belt tail 10 is threaded in belt opening 5 of each U-shaped clip 4. The belt tail 10 is threaded into tension lock buckle 6 and then the belt tail 10 is secured within the slip keeper belt tail opening 8b of the slip keeper 8. The U-shaped clips 4 are made of a slightly flexible material, such as plastic or rubber, or any other suitable material that allows the legs 12a and 12b to be spread open enough to allow the shirt tail 14 to be inserted into the shirt tail opening 3 but rigid enough to move back to its original shape to maintain a crimping function. The space between the bump 7 on an interior surface of a first leg 12a and an interior surface of second leg 12b is small enough to allow the shirt tail 14 to be crimped between the two legs 12a and 12b to secure the shirt tail 14 in place within the opining 3.
FIG. 3 shows a front view of a U-shaped clip in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 3, the front view of the U-shaped clips 4 is the same as the back view.
FIG. 4 shows a tension lock buckle in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 4, tension lock buckle 6 receives the belt tail 10 in a manner known in the art that applies tension to keep the belt 2 in the place desired when tightened around the waist of the wearer. Lock buckle 6 allows the wearer to both tighten and loosen the belt 2 as needed by the wearer.
FIG. 5 shows a slip keeper of an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 5, the slip keeper 8 keeps the belt tail 10 secured to the main portion of the belt 2. The slip keeper belt opening 8a receives the belt 2 and the slip keeper belt tail opening 8b receives the belt tail 10.
FIG. 6 shows a close up front view of the tension lock buckle and the slip keeper on the belt in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows a close-up side view of the tension lock buckle and the slip keeper on the belt in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, belt tail 10 has been threaded through the tension lock buckle 6 and then secured in place by the slip keeper 8.
FIGS. 8-18 show the steps of using the belt with U-shaped clips in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 8, the belt 2 is positioned around the waist of the wearer and over the shirt tail 14 and tightened loosely with the tension lock buckle 6. Loosely is defined as fitting tight enough to keep the belt 2 from falling down from the waist, but loose enough to allow the wearer to manipulate the shirt tail 14 into a plurality of U-shaped clips 4 that have been positioned and spaced around the belt 2. In one embodiment of the invention, two U-shaped clips 4 are positioned on the front side to the left and right of the tension lock buckle 6 and the slip keeper 8, and two U-shaped clips 4 are positioned on a back side of the belt 2 and spaced a distance apart. One skilled in the art will recognize that fewer than four, or more than four U-shaped clips 4 may be used with the belt 2.
Referring now to FIG. 9, the wearer inserts the shirt tail 14 into a first U-shaped clip 4 on a left front side. Referring now to FIG. 10, the wearer inserts the shirt tail 14 into a second U-shaped clip 4 on a right front side. Referring now to FIG. 11, the wearer inserts the shirt tail 14 into a third U-shaped clip 4 on a left back side. Referring now to FIG. 12, the wearer inserts the shirt tail 14 into a fourth U-shaped clip 4 on a right back side. Referring now to FIG. 13, the wearer tightens the belt 2 with the tension lock buckle 6 to the tightness desired around the waist of the wearer, and the belt tail 10 is secured in the slip keeper belt tail opening 8b of the slip keeper 8.
Referring now to FIG. 14, the user inverts and rolls the belt inward around the waist from the front to the back a first time to fold the shirt tail 14 onto itself all the way around the waist of the wearer. Referring now to FIG. 15, the user inverts and rolls the belt inward around the waist from the front to the back a second time to fold the shirt tail 14 onto itself all the way around the body of the wearer. For shirts with exceptionally long tails, the wearer may invert and roll the belt one or more times inward around the waist from the front to the back as necessary to fold the shirt tail 14 onto itself all the way around the body of the wearer. For shirts with shorter tails, only the first inverting and rolling step may be necessary.
Referring now to FIG. 16, the wearer pulls his bottom garment up and over the belt 2 and the one, two, or three rolls of the shirt tail 14. Referring now to FIG. 17, the user tucks the rolled up shirt tail 14 and the belt with U-shaped clips 100 into the wearer's bottom garment. Referring now to FIG. 18, the user buttons and zips their bottom garment, or otherwise secures the bottom garment around the waist, such as with a draw string or other securing mechanism, with the belt with U-shaped clips 100 positioned below the waist of the bottom garment and out of sight. The waist of the bottom garment keeps the belt with U-shaped clips 100 in place below the waist and keeps the shirt tail 14 from becoming untucked.
Having described the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Patent Application
20240389693
