Patent Application
20210360982
The present invention relates to undergarments. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an undergarment that is separable into a front and rear panel to allow a user to easily dress or remove the undergarment from a seated, standing, or lying position.
Many individuals suffer from health issues, limited mobility, or other disabilities that make it difficult to perform everyday tasks that require bending, balancing, or moving their legs, such as getting dressed. Particularly, putting on undergarments may require more movement than the individual is capable of, including balancing and lifting legs, or sitting and lifting legs into the undergarment. The individual must then stand if dressing in a seated position to fully lift the undergarment into a proper position. This amount of movement can be tiresome or difficult for many individuals and may also result in the individual slipping or falling if they lose their balance during the process. Additionally, dressing with limited mobility often requires a considerable amount of time to complete independently. Therefore, an undergarment that can easily be worn or removed by an individual with minimal required mobility is desired.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing undergarments. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of undergarments now present in the known art, the present invention provides an undergarment wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when dressing independently in a seated, standing, or lying position.
The present system comprises a flexible body having a front panel affixed to a rear panel via a central portion. A first set of complementary fasteners are disposed along a first lateral edge of each of the front panel and the rear panel. A second set of complementary fasteners is disposed along a second lateral edge of each of the front panel and the rear panel. As such, the first and second sets of complementary fasteners removably secure the front panel to the rear panel in an assembled configuration. A pair of cutouts are defined between the front panel and the rear panel on opposing sides of the flexible body, wherein the pair of cutouts define a pair of leg openings when the flexible body is in the assembled configuration. In some embodiments, a pair of leg panels are affixed to the pair of cutouts extending along the front panel, the rear panel, and the central portion, wherein a set of leg panel fasteners are disposed along opposing lateral edges of each of the pair of leg panels. In such embodiments, when the flexible body is in the assembled configuration, the set of leg panel fasteners removably secure the pair of leg panels together to define an enclosed sleeve. A pair of pull tabs are affixed on each of the first latera edge and the second lateral edge of the rear panel.
In some embodiments, an upper edge of each of the front panel and the rear panel comprise an elastic material. In another embodiment, each of the pair of pull tabs comprise a loop. In other embodiments, the pair of pull tabs are disposed adjacent to an upper edge of the rear panel. In yet another embodiment, the first set of complementary fasteners are disposed on an interior surface of the rear panel and an exterior surface of the front panel. In some embodiments, the second set of complementary fasteners are disposed on an interior surface of the rear panel and an exterior surface of the front panel. In another embodiment, an opening is disposed through the front panel, wherein the opening is defined by overlapping portion of the front panel. In other embodiments, the opening extends perpendicularly from an upper edge of the front panel and extends towards the central portion. In yet another embodiment, a distal end of each of the pair of leg panels comprises an elastic material. In some embodiments, a height of each of the front panel and the rear panel are identical. In another embodiment, the pair of cutouts comprise an elastic material along a border thereof.
Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the separable undergarment. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to
In the shown embodiment of
A pair of pull tabs 21 are disposed on the rear panel 13, wherein a pull tab of the pair of pull tabs 21 is disposed on each of the first and second lateral edges 16, 18 of the rear panel 13 adjacent to the upper edge 28. The pair of pull tabs 21 provide the user with a gripping surface to easily disconnect the front panel 12 from the rear panel 13. In some embodiments, an additional pair of pull tabs 21 are disposed on the first and second lateral edges 16, 18 of the front panel 12 adjacent to the upper edge 28 to allow a user to grip and apply opposite forces to remove the front panel 12 from the rear panel 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of pull tabs 21 comprise loop members, wherein the loop members allow a user to insert a finger through the loop to facilitate removal of the front panel 12 from the rear panel 13, which can be particularly beneficial for users with limited grip strength. In some embodiments, the upper edge 28 of each of the front and rear panels 12, 13 comprises an elastic material therein, such that the separable undergarment 11 secures about a user and is adjustable in size to flex during use. In the shown embodiments, an opening 27 is disposed through the front panel 12, wherein the opening 27 is defined by overlapping portions of the front panel 12. In this manner, the front panel 12 can be selectively opened to allow a wearer to urinate without removing the separable undergarment 11. In the shown embodiment, the opening 27 extends perpendicularly from the upper edge 28 of the front panel 12 towards the central portion 14.
Referring now to
Referring now to
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in various embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly, and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/028,656 filed on May 22, 2020. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63028656 | May 2020 | US |
