Front fastening body brief

Abstract

The front fastening body brief is a body brief made from elasticized material that allows a user to easily release and detach the crotch portion of the body brief in order to be able to use bathroom facilities. The front fastening body brief fastens along the lower abdomen of the user. The front fastening body brief has a front panel and a back panel attached to the front panel. The front panel has an upper and lower front torso portion. Loops or other fastening devices are disposed on the lower front torso portion. A crotch portion is integrally attached to the back panel of the body brief and has hooks or other fastening devices disposed on the end of the crotch portion to allow the crotch portion to attach to the front panel.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to undergarments, and particularly to a front fastening body brief.

2. Description of the Related Art

Numerous girdles and other restrictive undergarments have been available for many years to facilitate better form and greater support for women. In order to allow for the wearer of such girdles to use the bathroom facilities when necessary, the girdles are often made with a detachable portion, such as a flap, that allows the user to unsnap or unbutton the detachable portion, use the facilities, and then reattach the detachable portion to the body of the girdle.

Problems often arise with the detachable flap of the girdles. Detachable flaps that are located directly in the crotch area of the user require the user to fumble with the snaps or other fastening devices. For heavier or older women, the effort involved in bending over and reaching into the crotch area is cumbersome, particularly when the wearer is constrained by the elastic material in the girdle. Additionally, it proves difficult for the wearer to easily reattach the flap when the area in which it is to be attached is directly in the crotch area.

Another problem inherent in the design of most of the detachable areas of the girdles is that the flap may inadvertently pop open or detach in some manner due to the fact that the attachment means is not secure enough to continually retain the flap against the body of the girdle. The front and back panel of the girdle thereafter separate and much of the support that was intended in the use of the girdle is then lost.

Accordingly, there is a need for a girdle or undergarment that allows the wearer to easily attach the detachable crotch portion of the girdle without forcing the wearer to bend over and reach in the crotch area. Additionally, there is a need for a girdle that has a crotch portion that does not easily detach from the front of the girdle at inadvertent times and maintains the detachable crotch portion securely against the front panel of the girdle. Thus, a front fastening body brief solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The front fastening body brief is a body brief that allows a user to easily release and detach the crotch portion of the body brief in order to be able to use bathroom facilities. The front fastening body brief fastens along the lower abdomen of the user.

The front fastening body brief has a front panel and a back panel that is attached to the front panel. The front panel has upper and lower front torso portions. A crotch portion is integrally attached to the back panel of the body brief and attaches to the lower torso portion of the front panel. Once attached, the crotch portion of the body brief is held within the crotch area of the user.

A plurality of loops or other fastening devices are disposed on the lower torso portion of the front panel, generally along the lower abdomen of the user, in order to enable the wearer to relieve the wearer of the necessity of reaching excessively far down the wearer's body to attach the crotch portion to the front panel. A plurality of hooks or other fastening devices are disposed on the crotch portion of the body brief. The hooks releasably mate with the loops holding the crotch portion adjacent to the front panel of the body brief.

The body brief may be a girdle, and either the front panel or both the front and back panels may be made from an elasticized, flexible material that provides support to the abdomen and upper thighs of the user. In addition to elasticized material being used to restrict or support the user's body, any other support means may line the material of the body brief.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front environmental view of a front fastening body brief according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front fastening body brief according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmented, detailed perspective view of a portion of the front fastening body brief according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a front fastening body brief that allows a user to easily release and detach the crotch portion of the body brief in order to be able to use bathroom facilities. The front fastening body brief, designated generally as 10 in the drawings, is a body brief that fastens along the lower torso of the user.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the front fastening body brief 10 has a front panel 12 and a back panel 14 (seen more clearly in FIG. 2) that is attached to the front panel 12. When placed on the individual, the front panel 12 lies along the front torso of a user. The back panel 14 lies along the back torso of the user. A crotch portion 16 is integrally attached to the back panel 14 and releasably attaches to the front panel 12. Once attached, the crotch portion 16 of the body brief 10 is held within the crotch area of the user. A plurality of loops 24 is disposed on the front panel 12 of the body brief 10. A plurality of hooks 26 is disposed on the crotch portion 16 of the body brief 10. The hooks 26 mate with the loops 24, holding the crotch portion 16 adjacent to the front panel 12 of the body brief 10.

While metal or plastic hooks and loops are shown in the figures and described above, any fastening means may be used, including interlocking hook and loop fastening material and snaps that have mating studs and sockets.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, a perspective view of the front fastening body brief 10 is shown. At least the front panel 12 of the body brief 10, and optionally the back panel 14 of the body brief 10, is made from an elasticized, flexible material that provides support to the abdomen and upper thighs of the user. The material is of any type of material able to constrict the body of a user. The front panel 12 has an upper front torso portion 20 and a lower front torso portion 22. The upper front torso portion 20 is adapted to fit about the upper body and shoulders of a user. The lower front torso portion 22 lies along the stomach and lower abdomen of the wearer.

The back panel 14 is attached to the front panel 12 along side edges of the front 12 and back 14 panels. The crotch portion 16 of the body brief 10 is integrally attached to the back panel 14. The crotch portion 16 has a free end 18. The crotch portion 16 is adapted to be pulled under the crotch area of the user and affixed to the lower torso portion 22 of the front panel 12. The free end 18 of the crotch portion 16 attaches to the lower torso portion 22 on the lower abdomen of the user. The crotch portion 16 may be made, at least partially, of elastic fabric so that the crotch portion 16 may be stretched to secure the fasteners 24 and 26 and apply sufficient tension that the fasteners 24 and 26 do not accidentally become undone.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed perspective view of the attachment area of the crotch portion 16 to the lower torso portion 22 of the front panel 12. A plurality of loops 24 are attached to the lower torso portion 22 of the front panel 12. A plurality of hooks 26 are attached to the free end 18 of the crotch portion 16 of the body brief 10. The hooks 26 releasably mate with the loops 24 so that the user may optionally connect the back panel 14 to the front panel 12. While the plurality of loops 24 are shown in figures are being affixed to a small area of the lower torso portion 22 of the front panel 12, the loops 24 may extend along a line running a greater length across the lower torso portion 22 of the front panel 12 in order to provide increased security so that the crotch portion 16 of the body brief 10 does not easily separate from the front panel 12. The higher placement of the loops 24 allows for a greater number of loops 24 to optionally be attached to the body brief 10 in order to more strongly secure the crotch portion 16.

The loops 24 or other fastener are generally positioned on the lower torso portion 22 of the front panel 12 along the lower abdomen of the wearer, between the crotch area of the user and the navel.

In addition to elasticized material being used to restrict user's body, any other support means may line or be incorporated into the material of the body brief.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A front fastening body brief, comprising: a front panel having an upper front torso portion and a lower front torso portion; a back panel attached to the front panel along side edges of the front and back panels; a crotch portion attached to the back panel, the crotch portion having a free end; a first releasable fastener disposed on the lower front torso portion of the front panel; and a second releasable fastener disposed on the free end of the crotch portion, the second fastener releasably mating with the first fastener; whereby the second releasable fastener joins with the first releasable fastener to attach the crotch portion to the lower front torso portion of the front panel.

2. The front fastening body brief according to claim 1, wherein at least the lower torso portion of the front panel is made from an elasticized, flexible material for providing support to the abdomen and upper thighs of a user.

3. The front fastening body brief according to claim 1, wherein the first fastener comprises a plurality of loops and the second fastener comprises a plurality of hooks, the loops and hooks being made from a material selected from the group consisting of metal and plastic.

4. The front fastening body brief according to claim 1, wherein the first fastener comprises a first hook and loop fastener and the second fastener comprises a mating second hook and loop fastener.

5. The front fastening body brief according to claim 1, wherein the first fastener and the second fastener comprise mating snap fasteners.

6. The front fastening body brief according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the crotch portion is made from elastic fabric.

7. A front fastening body brief, comprising: a front panel having an upper front torso portion and a lower front torso portion; a back panel attached to the front panel along side edges of the front and back panels; a crotch portion extending from the back panel, the crotch portion having a free end; a first releasable fastener disposed on the lower front torso portion of the front panel; and a second releasable fastener disposed on the free end of the crotch portion, the second fastener releasably mating with the first fastener; wherein at least the lower torso portion of the front panel is made from an elasticized, flexible material providing support to the abdomen and upper thighs of a user; and whereby the second releasable fastener joins with the first releasable fastener to attach the crotch portion to the lower front torso portion of the front panel.

8. The front fastening body brief according to claim 7, wherein the first fastener comprises a plurality of loops and the second fastener comprises a plurality of hooks, the loops and hooks being made from a material selected from the group consisting of metal and plastic.

9. The front fastening body brief according to claim 7, wherein the first fastener comprises a first hook and loop fastener and the second fastener comprises a mating second hook and loop fastener.

10. The front fastening body brief according to claim 7, wherein the first fastener and the second fastener comprise mating snap fasteners.

11. A front fastening body brief, comprising: a front panel having an upper front torso portion and a lower front torso portion; a back panel attached to the front panel along side edges of the front and back panels; a crotch portion extending from the back panel, the crotch portion having a free end; a plurality of loops disposed on the lower front torso portion of the front panel; and a plurality of hooks disposed on the free end of the crotch portion, the hooks releasably mating with the loops; wherein at least the lower torso portion of the front panel is made from an elasticized, flexible material providing support to the abdomen and upper thighs of a user; and wherein the loops and the hooks are made from a material selected from the group consisting of metal and plastic.