Patent Application
20100192285
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates to a nonconstricting pantyhose and a corresponding pantyhose-holding undergarment.
Most conventional pantyhose have rather small and strong waistbands in order to let the waistbands stay at a certain position on the waist area of the wearer. Accordingly, such a small and strong waistband tends to constrict the waist area of the wearer and to make unsightly bulges above and below the constricted line. That kind of phenomenon is detrimental to health and the natural body line of the wearer. Such a problem is experienced by most ordinary women not to mention heavy or pregnant women. Even women with slim waists suffer from the same kind of problem though the degree is smaller.
Some support pantyhose or girdle-type pantyhose such as U.S. Pat. No. D362955 to Imboden, Myers, and Caudle (1995) might slim the lower abdomen and waist of the wearer somewhat. But they push the lower abdomen up and thus tend to enlarge the girth of waist of the wearer, which is abhorred by those who mind their waist size, and they make the waist-constricting problem even more severe.
For the aforesaid and other reasons, many women hate to wear pantyhose. But they still wear them for the occasion when they need formal dress or for the aesthetical appearance of their legs, sacrificing their health and comfort. So women definitely need nonconstricting pantyhose. But the logical problem with nonconstricting pantyhose is that it can easily slip off the waist or hip area of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,414 to Freeman (1991) or similar products by the commercial name “body stockings,” which are designed to cover even the upper body of the wearer, do not have constricting waistbands and do not have the constricting problem. But that kind of hose is harder to manufacture and thus more expensive compared to ordinary pantyhose. In addition, body stockings have a greater chance of being damaged because they have larger surface area compared to ordinary pantyhose, and body stockings are not easy to put on or take off. “Multisectional body stockings,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,836 to Ewing (1998), consists of many detachable parts for multiple purposes. But such multisectional body stockings sacrifice the original purpose—the smoothness or esthetical look—of hose.
Conventional hose-holding undergarments, including U.S. Pat. No. 2,304,812 to Goldstein (1942), U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,743 to Harrison (1951), U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,635 to Jones (2000), etc., are for two-piece stockings (not for one-piece pantyhose) whose thigh bands are somewhat loose and not constricting. In a similar way, pantyhose with nonconstricting upper portion can be manufactured and worn with a corresponding pantyhose-holding undergarment such as a bra-garter, camisole-garter, slip-garter, or the like.
Nonconstricting pantyhose and the corresponding pantyhose-holding undergarment of the present invention is to eliminate the common problem of constringing effect on the waist area of the wearer due to the rather small and strong waist band of conventional pantyhose. The nonconstricting pantyhose of the present invention is not much different from conventional pantyhose that have a hip and waist portion except that the upper portion of the nonconstricting pantyhose is highly stretchable with soft elasticity so that it comfortably or snuggly stays on the corresponding portion of the body of the wearer with the help of a pantyhose-holding undergarment. The pantyhose-holding undergarment is a bra, camisole, slip, or the like plus a plurality of pantyhose-holding devices thereon.
Referring to
Referring to
Pantyhose-holding undergarment of the present invention is a bra, camisole, slip, or the like plus a plurality of pantyhose-holding devices thereon.
A set of pantyhose-holding devices is either a detachable style or sewn-on (nondetachable) style. In the case of a detachable style, as shown in
It is recommended that the strap of the pantyhose-holding device is nonstretchable or lightly stretchable. The pantyhose-holding devices of the present invention are similar in shape and function to the ones on conventional garter belts or girdles. The only difference is that pantyhose-holding devices are attached to the pantyhose-holding undergarment of the present invention.
Pantyhose-holding straps 31 can be worn in a parallel style, as shown in
Shoulder-straps on pantyhose-holding undergarment can be of a detachable style, as in bra-garter 30 shown in
It is recommended that the four sewn-on strap loops 30C on the lower edge of bra body 30A (which are for pantyhose-holding straps 31) are vertically paired off with the four strap loops on the upper edge of bra body 30A (which are for shoulder straps), as shown in
In other embodiments, the number and position of sewn-on strap loops 30C can vary, and the number of corresponding pantyhose-holding straps 31 can vary accordingly.
In the case of camisole-garter 30′ (
In other embodiments, pantyhose-holding strap 31 can be of branched style resembling letter “Y” (not shown), or upside-down “Y” (not shown), or double “Y” (not shown).
A pantyhose-holding undergarment can be worn without pantyhose-holding straps 31 when the wearer does not wear nonconstricting pantyhose.
