Patent Application
20240306735
The present disclosure relates generally to clothing and more particularly to undergarments for attenuating and/or lessening the sound and odor that occurs from flatulence.
Flatulence is a normal physiological occurrence in humans. However, the odor and noise from flatulence in public can cause great embarrassment to the individual.
To this end, an undergarment is needed to eliminate or decrease the sound and odor that occurs from flatulence. The present invention overcomes the problems cited above by providing a sound attenuating undergarment system.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Now referring to the drawings, and in particular to
The undergarment 10 is preferably a pair of female thong panties positioned on a female 11, however, the undergarment 10 could take the form of any such garment used by male or female, such as underwear, underpants, briefs, shorts, swimsuits, long pants, or any other item of apparel that covers the crotch of an individual. The crotch portion 18 comprises the section of fabric connecting the front portion 14 to the back portion 16. The crotch portion 18 extends between the leg openings 22 and 24.
Preferably, the undergarment 10 is a pair of cotton or silk panties, or some other highly washable and durable fabric. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the undergarment may be formed of virtually any material, elastic or otherwise. It is contemplated that the undergarment 10 is constructed from multiple pieces of material, however, it should be understood that the undergarment 10 may be constructed from one solid piece of material.
Further, as shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
The tubular member 30 is preferably supported by the crotch portion 18 adjacent to the back of the crotch of the individual wearing the undergarment 10. As used herein, “crotch” refers generally to the area of the human body between the legs where the legs join the torso. In one embodiment, the tubular member 30 is flexible so that it will conform to the shape between an individual's buttocks and bend when the wearer moves. More preferably, the tubular member 30 is comprised of a sound absorbing material and odor reducing material in order to absorb the sound of the wearer's flatulence during movement and activities in addition to reducing the odor emanating from the wearer's flatulence. It should be understood that the sound attenuating member 30 is used to absorb flatulence whether the gas is expelled from the anus or air is expelled from the vagina.
As shown in
The inner layer 34 is preferably shaped or rolled into a tubular configuration and the outer layer 36 is wrapped around the inner layer 34. The outer layer 34 is preferably sewed closed at the ends of the tubular member 30. The outer layer 36 is slippery so that an individual wearing the undergarment 10 can position the tubular member either between the buttocks or between the labia. Positioning the tubular member 30 between the buttocks or labia allows the tubular member 30 to slightly open the buttocks or labia which allows air to escape in an unrestricted manner thus further reducing the sound and vibration during the escape of the air from the rectum or vagina.
As stated above, the tubular member 30 is supported in the crotch portion 18 of the undergarment 10 and under a portion of the crotch of the individual. To this end, the crotch portion 18 of the undergarment 10 may be formed with a pocket 32 for containing the tubular member 30. Generally, the pocket 32 will be formed on the inside of the crotch portion 18 of the undergarment 10; however, a similar sound and odor attenuating effect would be achieved by supporting the tubular member 30 on the outside of the undergarment 10.
Referring now to
The channel 52 comprises a first end 54 and a second end 56. The channel 52 is preferably configured to receive a tubular member 30. The channel is preferably formed about, on or in a portion of the inner surface 47 of the crotch portion 46. The first end 54 and/or the second end 56 are each partially or substantially v-shaped and each end substantially narrows at portions so as to hold the tubular member 30 in the channel 52 and keep the tubular member 30 from falling out of the channel 52. The tubular member 30 is preferably movably held in a portion of the channel 52. The first end 54 and/or the second end 56 is sized (configured) such that an individual can place their finger in the channel 52 to move or adjust the tubular member 30 to the desired position. It is contemplated that in some embodiments the first end 54 and the second end 56 of the channel 52 may be opened and/or closed along with any combinations of open/closed thereof.
The tubular member 30 is preferably constructed from a material that is flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or any combination thereof. The material comprises a woven or unwoven fabric, synthetic or natural fabric, cardboard, fiber, elastomeric, cloth burlap, or similar materials, and include any combinations of materials. The tubular member 30 may be any size, shape and/or dimension depending on the needs of the individual using the undergarment 40. The tubular member 30 is preferably positioned in the channel 52 such to be positioned between the buttocks and/or between the labia of the vagina to release the air and attenuate flatulence.
In use, an individual puts on the undergarments 10 and 40 using any method for putting on a conventional undergarment. The tubular member 30 is positioned by the individual toward the back of the individual's crotch to fit between the buttocks of the individual and/or the labia of the vagina of the individual.
On of the main purposes of the undergarments 10 and 40 is to reduce and/or prevent flatulence sounds and/or vibrations to prevent humiliation and/or embarrassment of the individual during daily activities such as exercise (yoga, jogging, etc.), sleeping (at home or in public places, airplanes, etc.) or for medical reasons (irritable bowel syndrome or other digestive health conditions).
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the undergarment as shown in the exemplary embodiment is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, and elements shown as multiple parts may be constructed to be integrally formed, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, an omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present embodiments.
From the present description, it is clear that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the invention disclosed.
Any discussion of prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
The present patent application claims priority to United States Non-Provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 16/135,696, filed on Sep. 19, 2018, which claims priority to United States Provisional Patent Application U.S. Ser. No. 62/560,461, filed on Sep. 19, 2017, the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62560461 | Sep 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16135696 | Sep 2018 | US |
| Child | 18673299 | US |
