SHAPEWEAR

Abstract

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to shapewear having an opening system that allows the wearer to urinate and/or defecate with ease and without requiring removal of the shapewear. In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to shapewear having a boning system with removable bone. In yet another aspect, the present disclosure relates to shapewear having the opening system in combination with the boning system according to the present disclosure.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to improvements in shapewear. More specifically, in one aspect the present disclosure relates to shapewear having an opening system that allows the shapewear user to urinate and/or defecate with ease and without requiring removal of the shapewear. In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to shapewear having a boning system with removable bone. In yet another aspect, the shapewear is provided incorporating both the opening system and boning system with removable bone according to the present disclosure.

BACKGROUND

Body shapers and body shaping garments, known today as shapewear or shapers, are used to provide support and improve the shape and appearance of the wearer by giving the wearer a smoother and more slim appearance. Typically, body shapers are made out of tight fitting, stretchable fabrics that provide compression to regions of the body in order to enhance the appearance of smoothness and slimness of the wearer.

Body shapers come in a variety of sizes and can be designed to provide shaping to the torso, butt, and/or thighs. As a result of the need for the shapers to be tighter fitting to provide compression and the shaping function, it can be difficult to remove the shaper should the wearer need to use the restroom. This could be quite problematic in situations in which there is an urgency to use the restroom.

Some shapers are provided with small openings in the crotch area that can allow for urination, but do not make any provision to allow the wearer to defecate without necessitating removal of the shaper.

Other shapers involve a system using a long zipper extending through the hips and crotch. However, because most of the shaper users have large hips and the shaper fabrics are very tough and resilient, once the zipper is open, it's very difficult to close again. One must use a lot of strength, including use of both of hands, to first reach under the crotch, zip the front and then change hands to the back to zip it back up. If the user has a bigger body and cannot reach back, it is impossible to use this system. Furthermore, cases of zipper malfunction are not rare, especially for women with larger bodies, and long zippers under a lot of pressure and manipulations to zip up and down usually does not last long. As a result, many shapers with this type of system become unusable as a result of such defective zippers, with the rest of the shaper remaining in good condition. Additionally, a long zipper positioned all the way to the mid hip area results in rigid marks to outwear, which all shaper users want to avoid. Further, people that need to urinate often struggle as a result of needing to repeatedly use this rather complicated and cumbersome system.

Moreover, boning systems are a very popular tool in the shaper industry for holding and training torso into a desired shape, and are proven to be one of the most effective ways for shaping. Such boning systems are typically constructed of two parts: a bone piece and a tube in which the bone is placed. The entire boning system is stitched to the shaper in a fixed position.

There are several problems associated with existing boning systems. One problem relates to the fact that since people have different body shapes, there is not one perfect boning position that fits all. Traditionally, shapers (e.g., corsets) are customized for the individual user to fit her/his particular shape. For example, a corset maker would measure the user's body and place each bone piece in a particular position on the corset, adding or eliminating bone pieces to suit the user's needs. Nowadays, shapers are highly commercialized, and almost all are mass produced, which means many users cannot obtain maximum benefits from a boning system on the shaper they purchased. For example, in such existing boning system some bones are positioned in an inaccurate place for the user's body, some bones are not needed, and some bones which are actually needed are simply not there.

The foregoing problem is exacerbated by the fact that existing boning systems are stitched to the shaper, with the bone being stitched and sealed inside of the tube. Once stitched onto the shaper, the boning system, including the bones, is fixed in place and can no longer be removed or changed. The user has no choice but to keep the bones in the fixed position on the shaper.

Another problem is that the bones of existing boning systems are made of a rigid material, and no matter how flexible they are, the nature of the bone material must be hard. One common problem of shapers with bones is that when the length of the bone is too long or short for the user's torso, the bone could stab into the flesh and hurt the user. When the shaper is worn for a long period of time, the pain can be unbearable.

Still another problem with existing boning systems is that washing a garment with bones inside can be problematic, particularly because the bones usually cause lots of friction and damage the garment easily. For this reason, it is not recommended to wash shapers with such boning system by washing machine. It is also difficult to wash such shapers by hand. Furthermore, if the bones are made of metal, washing in any form could cause rusting which destroys the garment.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for shapewear having an opening system that allows the wearer to urinate and/or defecate with ease and without requiring removal of the shapewear. There is also a need for shapewear having boning systems which overcome the foregoing drawbacks of conventional shapewear with boning systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the disclosure, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangement and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a body shaper incorporating an opening system (designated generally as Part A and Part B) for urinating and defecating according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 are diagrammatic views showing various states of the opening system for the shaper shown in FIG. 1 including a “Normal State” in which the two openings of the opening system are closed, a state for urinating (“For No. 1”) in which one of the openings of the opening system is open and the other is closed, and a state for defecating (“For No. 2”) in which the two openings of the opening system are opened.

FIG. 3 shows front, side and back views of a body shaper incorporating a boning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show details of the boning system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, including a sequence of steps for inserting/removing a bone relative to tubular pieces of the boning system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Shapewear with Opening System for Urinating and/or Defecating

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to shapewear having an opening system that allows the wearer to urinate and/or defecate with ease and without requiring removal of the shapewear.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a shapewear having an opening system according to the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shapewear is in the form of a body shaper 10 including a torso portion 12, first and second leg portions 14, 16 extending from the torso portion 12, and an opening system, generally designated at 18, provided between the first and second leg portions 14, 16. The opening system 18 comprises a first opening 20 in a region of the shapewear designated in FIG. 1 as Part A and second opening 22 in a region of the shapewear designated in FIG. 2 as Part B. First opening 20 is configured for allowing the shapewear user to urinate (designated in FIG. 2 as the configuration for “For No. 1”), and second opening 22 is configured for allowing the shapewear user to defecate (designated in FIG. 2 as the configuration “For No. 2”).

The opening system 18 is configured to be positioned in various configurations. As best shown in FIG. 2, in one configuration the opening system 18 is in a state in which both of the first and second openings 20, 22 are closed and the opening system 18 is not in use (“Normal State”). In another configuration, the first opening 20 is opened and the second opening 22 is closed, corresponding to the state in which the opening system 18 is configured for allowing the shapewear user to urinate only (“For No. 1”). In yet another configuration, both the first and second openings 20, 22 are opened, corresponding to the state in which the opening system 18 is configured for allowing the shapewear user to defecate (“For No. 2).

Parts A, B and corresponding openings 20, 22 are physically connected to each other, but work independently. The shapewear user can use only first opening 20 when she only needs to urinate and can use both of the first and second openings 20, 22 when she also needs to defecate.

Part A is located in a crotch area of the shapewear 10 and is constructed with two lids 24, 26 configured to form first opening 20. The two lids 24, 26 are made of a soft, water resistant fabric material. Front ends of the two lids 24, 26 join into one spot, and at the other ends the two lids 24, 26 overlap, creating a tulip-shaped mechanism. In the “Normal State” shown in the figure, Part A covers the crotch area of the shapewear, providing comfort to the user. When the user needs to urinate, the user simply sits on the toilet and opens the two lids to expose the first opening 20.

Part B is connected to Part A and extends upwardly from Part A as shown in the figures. In this embodiment, Part B is formed of a single short, reversed invisible zipper closure 28 having a length of about 9 cm to about 12 cm. In the “Normal State”, a puller of the zipper closure 28 rests at the connection point right under the crotch area. When the user needs to defecate, the user just needs to reach down and pull the puller back and thereafter zip down the zipper 28 closure. Due to the zipper closure 28 being short and easy to reach, the user can zip the zipper closure 28 both from the front and behind of the crotch area, thereby facilitating opening and closing of the zipper 28 closure. During use of the shapewear 10, the zipper closure 28 is positioned at a lower part of the user's hips, is soft and short and extends along the contour of the shapewear 10. As a result, the zipper closure 28 does not leave any marks to outwear.

As described above, Part A, which includes the first opening 20 for urinating, is formed of a water resistant fabric material, thereby insuring maximum hygiene. Furthermore, by being formed of a soft fabric material, Part A provides the user with everlasting comfort.

As described above, Part B, which includes the second opening 22 for defecating, is formed of zipper closure 28 which is short and soft such that users of the shapewear will barely feel its presence. The reversed invisible construction of zipper closure 28 insures that zipper closure 28 does not leave any mark to outwear. Zipper closure 28 is also made of a durable material adapted to withstand high pressure, thereby insuring that the zipper closure 28 will remain intact during use. The zipper closure 28 is configured so that the puller rests at mid crotch, making it easier for the user to reach the puller, zip the zipper closure back open and pull it down to close.

As can be appreciated from the present disclosure, Part A and part B are physically connected to each other, but work separately, making it very easy for the user to urinate using the first opening 20, and with a short pulling back of the zipper closure 28 of Part B, the user can defecate using the second opening 22.

By the foregoing construction of the shapewear 10 and corresponding opening system 18 according to the present disclosure, the user of the shapewear 10 can conveniently urinate and/or defecate with ease and without requiring removal of the shapewear 10.

Shapewear Having Boning System with Removable Bone

In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to shapewear having a boning system with removable bone.

FIGS. 3-5 show an embodiment of a body shaper, generally designated at 100, incorporating the boning system with removable bone, generally designated at 110, according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 shows front, side and back views of body shaper 100 in which several boning systems 110 have been incorporated at various desired locations (e.g., front, side and back portions) of body shaper 100 according to this embodiment. FIGS. 4 and 5 show details of the boning system 110 as further described below.

The back view of shaper 100 in FIG. 3 shows the opening system (parts A and B) according to the previous aspect of the present disclosure described above with the reference to FIGS. 1-2. It will be understood, however, that the opening system according to the present disclosure need not be incorporated in shaper 100 with boning system 110. A shaper incorporating both the opening system and boning system of the present disclosure corresponds to yet another aspect of the present disclosure as described later below.

The boning system 110 comprises two tubular pieces or tubes 112a, 112b made of an inelastic fabric material (e.g., a non-stretch fabric) and one removable bone 114 made of a rigid material configured to be removably inserted and retained in the tubular pieces 112a, 112b. In FIG. 5, tubes 112a, 112b are designated as parts A and B, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, inelastic tubes 112a, 112b are stitched along stitching lines 124 to body shaper 100, which is made of highly elastic shaper fabric, using threads which have a high strength and are highly elastic.

As shown in FIG. 5, in a relaxed state tubes 112a, 112b are configured to partially overlap one another. This relaxed state is denoted as the “Normal State” in FIG. 5. In the embodiment of this disclosure, tube 112a (part A) is configured to overlap about 2 cm over tube 112b (part B), as denoted by overlapping region 122 in FIG. 5, with part A slightly covering a jointing line between parts A and B. When parts A and B are in a stretched state so as to be stretched in the direction denoted by arrows 118, 120 in FIG. 5, the highly elastic stitching threads and highly elastic shaper fabric extend (i.e., stretch), forcing inelastic parts A and B to move apart from each other and reveal a gap 116 therebetween. This stretched state is denoted as “Stretched” in FIG. 5. The gap 116 provides an entrance allowing the bone 114 to be inserted into tubes 112a, 112b.

FIG. 4 shows a sequence of configurations designated 1-4 illustrating how bone 114 is inserted into and removed from tubes 112a, 112b. Configuration 1 (“Tube”) shows tubes 112a, 112b in the relaxed state, corresponding to the “Normal State” shown in FIG. 5, in which bone 114 is not inserted in tubes 112a, 112b. Configuration 2 (“Bone In”) shows tubes 112a, 112b in the stretched state (as denoted by series of arrows pointing up and down) revealing gap 116 used to insert bone 114 into tubes 112a, 112b. Configuration 3 (“Complete”) shows tubes 112a, 112b in the relaxed state after bone 114 has been inserted into tubes 112a, 112b. Configuration 4 (“Bone Out”) shows tubes 112a, 112b in the stretched state to illustrate bone 114 being removed out of tubes 112a, 112b.

Thus, bone 114 can be easily inserted into tubes 112a, 112b by stretching parts A and B in the direction denoted by the arrows in FIGS. 4 and 5. Stretching of parts A and B causes the highly elastic thread of stitches 124 and the highly elastic shaper fabric to extend, forcing inelastic tubes 112a, 112b to move apart and reveal gap 116 providing the entrance for inserting bone 114 into tubes 112a, 112b (configurations 2 and 3 in FIG. 4). After bone 114 is inserted, parts A and B are released to release the pressure, and parts A and B return to their original relaxed (“Normal State”) position so as to conceal the gap (entrance) 116.

To remove bone 114 from tubes 112a, 112b, parts A and B are again stretched as set forth above, causing the highly elastic thread of stitches 124 and the highly elastic shaper fabric to extend which in turn forces inelastic tubes 112a, 112b to move apart and reveal gap 116 from which bone 114 can be removed from tubes 112a, 112b (configuration 4 in FIG. 4).

The bone 114 can be a 4-way movement metal spiral bone with high slick characteristics that fits the user's body better and allows bone 114 to be easily inserted into and removed from tubes 112a, 112b. Various sizes of the bone 114 can be selected. It is appreciated, however, that other forms of the bone 114 may be suitable for the boning system without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The boning system 110 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is highly adaptable and easy for the user to handle. Various boning systems 110 can be placed at key positions on the shaper 110 to accommodate most body types. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 a number of boning systems 110 are placed at key positions on the front, side and back of shaper 110. It will be appreciated, however, that the number and position of boning system 110 can be varied to accommodate a specific user or group of users without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

According to a feature of the present disclosure, users can decide how many boning systems are used and at which positions bones are placed, including the sizes of the bones, in accordance with the needs of the user's body. The user can easily insert (e.g., slide) the bone 114 into the tubes 112a, 112b by pulling parts A and B apart, as described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, to reveal gap 116 forming the entrance through which the user can insert bone 114 into tubes 112a, 112b. After bone 114 is inserted, parts A and B are released to release the pressure and parts A and B return to their original relaxed (“Normal State”) position and conceal the gap 116. The user can also remove bone 114 from tubes 112a, 112b using the procedure described above with reference to FIG. 4. The construction of the boning system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure makes it very easy and convenient for bone 114 to slide and out of tubes 112a, 112b.

Thus the boning system according to the present disclosure is configured to accommodate users with different shaping needs for different occasions. The shaper can be adapted with as many bones as the user wants, or without any bones. This gives the user more initiative and control over the shaper, allowing the user to be able to enjoy the shaper in a wider range as compared to existing shapers with boning systems. The boning system 110 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure gives users 100% control over the shaper incorporating boning system 110.

The removable nature of bone 114 in boning system 110 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, along with ease and convenience with which bone 114 can be removed from tubes 112a, 112b as described above, permits the user to wash the shaper without bone 114. Thus the shaper incorporating boning system 110 can be washed in a washing machine without causing damage to the machine and/or the shaper. This also makes it much easier to handle the shaper if the user wishes to wash the shaper by hand. Furthermore, because bone 114 is removable, it does not need to be washed along with the shaper, thereby avoiding potential damage to bone 113, including rusting.

Shapewear with Opening System for Urinating and/or Defecating and Having Boning System with Removable Bone

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure relates to shapewear having the opening system that allows the wearer to urinate and/or defecate as described above with reference to FIGS. 1-2, in combination with one or more of the boning systems with removable bones as described above with reference to FIGS. 3-5. It will be appreciated that this combination, which is illustrated by the back view of shaper 100 shown in FIG. 3, benefits from all of the advantageous characteristics and features of the opening system and boning system described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An opening system for shapewear, the opening system comprising: a first opening disposed in a crotch region of the shapewear and configured for allowing urination during use of the shapewear, and a second opening extending from the first opening and configured for allowing defecation during use of the shapewear.

2. The opening system of claim 1, wherein the first and second openings are configured for functioning independently from one another.

3. The opening system of claim 1, wherein the first opening is formed of two lids of soft, water resistant fabric material.

4. The opening system of claim 1, wherein the second opening comprises a zipper closure.

5. The opening system of claim 4, wherein the zipper closure comprises a single short, reversed invisible zipper closure.

6. The opening system of claim 4, wherein the zipper closure has a length of about 9 cm to about 12 cm.

7. A body shaper comprising: a torso portion; first and second leg portions extending from the torso portion; and an opening system provided between the first and second leg portions, the opening system comprising a first opening in a crotch region of the body shaper and configured for allowing a user of the body shaper to urinate while the body shaper is worn by the user, and a second opening extending from the first opening and configured for allowing the user to defecate while the body shaper is worn by the user.

8. The body shaper of claim 7, wherein the first and second openings are configured for functioning independently from one another.

9. The body shaper of claim 7, wherein the first opening is formed of two lids of soft, water resistant fabric material.

10. The body shaper of claim 7, wherein the second opening comprises a zipper closure.

11. The body shaper of claim 10, wherein the zipper closure comprises a single short, reversed invisible zipper closure.

12. The body shaper of claim 10, wherein the zipper closure has a length of about 9 cm to about 12 cm.

13. A boning system for a body shaper, the boning system comprising: two tubular pieces each made of an inelastic fabric material configured for connection by stitching to a preselected surface of a body shaper made of a highly elastic fabric material; and a bone made of a rigid material removably mounted in the two tubular pieces.

14. The boning system of claim 13, wherein the two tubular pieces are configured to be in a relaxed state in which portions of the two tubular pieces overlap one another while the bone is mounted in the two tubular pieces.

15. The boning system of claim 14, wherein an end portion of one of the two tubular pieces is configured to overlap and end portion of the other of the two tubular pieces.

16. The boning system of claim 15, wherein the overlap is about 2 cm.

17. The boning system of claim 13, wherein the two tubular pieces are stitched to the body shaper by highly elastic stitching threads.

18. The boning system of claim 17, wherein the two tubular pieces are configured to be in a stretched state in which the highly elastic stitching threads and highly elastic shaper fabric extend so as to force the two tubular pieces to move apart from each other and reveal a gap therebetween providing an entrance allowing the bone to be inserted into and removed from the two tubular pieces.

19. The boning system of claim 13, wherein the bone comprises a 4-way movement metal spiral bone.

20. A body shaper having at least one boning system according to claim 13.