Patent Application
20140150166
The present invention generally relates to trousers, and in particular, trousers with panel inserts.
Some of the greatest stress areas in a pair of trousers are in the crotch and the inseams extending down from the crotch.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a pair of trousers is formed with a continuous panel positioned in the crotch and inseam areas of the trousers, and which is sewn together with the other fabric of the trousers at locations distant from the crotch and traditional inseam locations. The width of the inseam panel is greater in the crotch area and decreases to a smaller width at the knees. In certain embodiments the inseam panel is a stretch material with a primary stretch direction extending on a bias to the longitudinal direction of the trouser legs.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended drawings, in which:
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit thereof. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
The trousers 10 generally have a torso body 100 with a right leg 200 and a left leg 300 extending from the lower portion of the torso body 100. At the intersection of the right leg 200 and the left leg 300 with the torso 100 is the crotch 400. At the end of the right leg 200 is a right cuff 210 extending circumferentially around the right leg 200. Similarly, the left leg 300 has a left cuff 310 extending circumferentially around the left leg 300 at the end of the left leg 300. Midway from the right cuff 210 to the crotch 400 in the right leg 200 is the right knee 230. Also, midway from the left cuff 310 to the crotch 400 in the left leg 300 is the left knee 330. A right longitudinal interior line or right inseam line 220 extends longitudinally on inside of the right leg 200 from the right cuff 210 to the crotch 400, and a left longitudinal interior line or left inseam line 320 extends longitudinally on the inside of the left leg 300 from the left cuff to the crotch 400. The right inseam line 220 and the left inseam line 320 are imaginary lines without an actual seam extending in the trousers 10 for these distances.
As illustrated, the trousers 10 are constructed with an inseam panel 500. The inseam panel 500 is a panel that progresses along the right inseam line 220, through the crotch 400, and along the left inseam line 320. The inseam panel 500 is continuous from through the crotch 400 and down to the right knee 230 and the left knee 330. Preferably, the inseam panel is continuous through the crotch 400 and down to the right cuff 210 and to the left cuff 310. The inseam panel 500 is connected within the trousers 10 by an inseam panel front seam 610 on the forward side of the trousers 10 and an inseam panel rear seam 620 on the rear side of the trousers 10. The inseam panel front seam 610 is an overlapping seam with the inseam panel 500 overlapping the other panels of the trousers 10. The inseam panel rear seam 620 is an overlapping seam with the other panels of the trousers 10 overlapping the inseam panel 500.
The inseam panel front seam 610 and the inseam panel rear seam 620 are each disposed at a distance from the right inseam line 220 and the left inseam line 320, and over the crotch 400. As a result, there are no actual seams located on the right inseam line 220 or the left inseam line 320 that could create rubbing or friction issues, as with ordinary construction trousers. Additionally, the movement of the front inseam panel seam 610 and the inseam panel rear seam 620 to a position above the crotch 400 creates a trouser where there are no seams joining at the crotch 400. In contrast, with traditional trousers the right inseam, left inseam, front seam and rear seam all join at the high stress area of the crotch, allowing for weakening of the fabric next to the joining of the four seams.
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment, the inseam panel 500 is formed of a stretch or elastic material. The stretch material used combination with the shape of the inseam panel 500 increasing in width from the knee location 532/533 to the crotch location 540 provides additional stretch to the trousers 10 in the areas with the most stress from a user, and less stretch in the areas where the user does not need or desire additional stretch.
In another preferred embodiment, the inseam panel 500 is formed of a directional stretch or elastic material. The directional stretch or elastic material has a primary stretch direction which is preferably located on a bias to the longitudinal direction of the insert panel 500 in the trousers 10. During the formation of the trousers 10 with the inseam panel 500, the sewing the continuous front inseam panel seam 610 and inseam panel rear seam 620 can cause the insert panel 500 to stretch in longitudinal length. This longitudinal stretch of the inseam panel 500 during formation of the trousers 10 is undesirable as it creates areas of the insert panel 500 with prestretch conditions different in different areas of the trousers 10, and a mismatch of the insert panel 500 length to the legs of the trousers 10. The use of directional stretch or elastic material on a bias has the advantage of inhibiting the longitudinal stretch of the inseam panel 500. A preferred bias of the directional stretch in the inseam panel 500 is from about thirty degrees (30°) to about sixty degrees (60°) from the longitudinal direction of the inseam panel 500, or from about one-hundred twenty degrees (120°) to about one-hundred degrees (150°) from the longitudinal direction of the inseam panel 500.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the trousers 10 are jeans made of denim, and the inseam panel 500 is a directional stretch denim with the stretch direction being located forty-five degrees (45°) from the longitudinal direction of the inseam panel 500, and the width of the inseam panel 500 at the crotch location 540 is from about fifty percent (50%) to about one-hundred percent (100%) wider than the width of the inseam panel 500 at the right knee location 532 or left knee location 533.
These and other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention so further described in such appended claims. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the versions contained therein.
