The present invention relates to suspenders and more particularly to suspenders designed to be worn under clothing.
Suspenders used to support pants or trousers on a person's body are in common use today. There are many types of known suspenders and they typically include a pair of straps which fit over the shoulders of the wearer and attach to the waistband of the pants. The pair of straps typically extend vertically on the front torso of the wearer for attachment to the front of the pants, and at least one strap is positioned on the back of the wearer and also is adapted to be connected to the waistband.
The ends of the straps of the suspenders can be attached to the pants in a number of ways. The straps typically are attached to the pants with buttons or clips. As to button attachments, the buttons are sewn on the pants near the waistline, and the ends of the straps have button holes or attachments with button holes. As to clips, various types of clips are in use today such as those found in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D614,946 and D619,495.
Most of the known suspenders also have buckles on straps in order to adjust the length of the straps. The ends of the straps are slipped through openings in the clips and extended back along the straps to the adjustment buckles.
Suspenders for pants are primarily designed to be worn over or outside a shirt, with the shirt being tucked into the pants. If the suspenders are covered with clothing, it is typically a suit coat, sport coat or another type of coat or jacket.
Today, however, numerous persons prefer to wear their shirts on the outside of their pants. This often creates a difficult or awkward situation if the wearers have suspenders under the shirts in the event that the wearers need to use the restroom facilities. Also, the buckles on the straps which are used to adjust the length of the straps cause unsightly bulges or bumps on the wearer's torso. This can be unsightly, particularly if the shirts are form fitting.
It also can be difficult to properly adjust the “fit” of the suspenders, particularly if the straps are fixedly secured together in some manner. Person's torsos, shoulders, waists, etc. are all different and often the suspenders do not fit correctly even with adjustability features at the fasteners.
Improved suspenders are provided which allow use under outer garments. The suspenders allow infinite adjustability of the straps and do not include buckles or other objects on the straps which could cause visible bulges or bumps. The suspenders also allow full adjustability in the front and the back of the wearer in order to provide the most comfortable fit.
In one embodiment for use with pants, a pair of straps are provided with fasteners at each end, particularly clip-type fasteners. The fasteners are connected to ring members which allow the ends of the straps to slide easily through them.
At one end of the two straps, the ends can be securely attached or connected to the straps. This can be done by sewing. At the other ends of the two straps, the ends are adjustable. The ends can be passed loosely through ring members and selectively secured with hook-and-loop fasteners. Fastener materials are also positioned on the straps, the fastener materials are preferably pieces of hook-type Velcro® material. The fastener materials are glued, sewn or otherwise affixed to straps, preferably near the front ends. The material for the straps is provided entirely along one side with a plurality of small loops along the surface.
The ends of the straps with the pieces of hook-type material on them can be positioned and secured anywhere on the straps. This provides significant benefits as to the ease of adjusting and releasing the suspender straps, as well as the elimination of buckles, bulges and bumps which show on outer garments when the suspenders are worn under them.
The opposite sides of the strap materials preferably have smoother or harder surfaces. This allows outer garments to slide freely over the straps without sticking or being hung-up. In one embodiment, one or more pieces of hook-type fastener material are also positioned on the non-loop side of at least one of the straps in a position where they would be positioned on the back of the wearer. This provides full adjustability of the suspenders for the wearer.
The material for the straps also can be stretchable, which would further assist in the adjustability of the suspenders, as well as increase the comfort to the wearer.
In another embodiment for use with pants, the straps can have a different configuration. The pair of straps fit over the shoulder of the wearer, but are connected together at the sides of the wearer adjacent the wearer's hips. In this embodiment, only two fasteners are necessary to attach the suspenders to the wearer's pants. The front portions of the two straps preferably have hook-and-loop adjustment systems similar to that described above with respect to the first embodiment. One side of each strap is smooth and the side has a plurality of loops substantially along the full length of the straps.
In a preferred embodiment, the straps of the “hip-type” suspenders also have additional pieces of hook-type fastener material located on one or both of the straps at positions where the strap members would be positioned on the backs of the wearer. This allows full adjustability in all directions and in all lengths of the straps, and provides improved comfort and wearability.
The “hip-type” clips also allow wearers to have less difficulty if they need to use restroom facilities.
In an embodiment of a shirt-and-sock suspender, a “Y-shaped” suspender is provided. The suspender includes an elongated strap member connected to two shorter arm members. Fasteners are provided on the outer ends of the three strap members.
The strap members are preferably made from the same material described above that is used for the pants suspenders. The material has a plurality of small loops on one side and a smoother or harder surface on the other side. The elongated strap member is positioned through a ring member on a fastener and can be secured anywhere on the strap providing maximum adjustability. The shorter arm members can be fixedly attached to their fasteners, or they can be attached to their fasteners in the same manner as the elongated strap member to provide similar adjustability.
For ease of adjustability and improved comfort, the three strap members can be connected together with hook-and-loop fastener members at the “V” of the Y-shaped configuration. At least one of the strap members has one or more pieces of fastener materials positioned at the location of the “V.” This allows full adjustability of the suspenders.
This sock-type suspender embodiment is positioned to extend between the bottom of the wearer's shirt garment and the wearer's socks. The fasteners on the ends of the two shorter arm members are used to attach to the bottoms (or “tails”) of a shirt-type garment, while the fastener on the end of the elongated strap member is used to attach to the top of the wearer's socks. The wearer also should use two of the shirt-and-sock-type suspenders, one on each side of his body. In this manner, the wearer can maintain his/her shirt always in a neat and tucked-in position, while at the same time maintain his/her socks from sagging or falling down.
Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.
An embodiment of the inventive pant-type suspender 10 is shown in
Each of the strap members have a sufficient length to extend from the waistline at the rear of the wearer to the waistline at the front of the wearer, plus an additional amount which is used to adjust the suspenders for different sizes and shapes of wearers. These additional amounts are indicated by the reference numerals 14A and 16A in the drawings, as well as by “L” in
The strap members 14 and 16 are attached together at 18 where they overlap. They can be connected together by any mechanism or method which securely affixes them together, such as by being sewn together.
In this regard, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to suspenders having the precise structure and configuration as shown in
Fastener members 20 are used to connect the strap members to the pants or trousers worn by the wearer. Preferably, the fasteners 20 are clip-type fastener members, such as those shown in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D614,946 and D619,495. However, the invention can be used with any type of conventional fastener members used with suspenders today, including buttons and snaps.
The fastener members 20 as shown have a loop or ring member 22 attached to them. The ring member 22 allows the strap members to slide through them.
As to the portion of the suspenders which are to be positioned at the back of the wearer, the fastener members 20 are securely affixed to the ends of the strap members. This is shown, for example, in
The portion 16A of the strap member 16 is adapted to be secured at any position along the strap member that the wearer desires. This makes the suspenders essentially infinitely adjustable. For this purpose, the strap members are made of a material with a plurality of small loop members 30 on at least one surface. This is shown in
When the strap portion 16A is passed through the ring member 22 and pressed up against another portion of the strap member 16, some of the hook members on material 32 mate with some of the loop members 30 and secure the two items together. This movement is shown by arrow 40 in
Although any type of material with hook members thereon can be used as material 32, preferably the material is one-half of a Velcro®-type fastening system.
Since the loop members 30 are present all along one of the surfaces of the strap members 14 and 16, the suspenders in accordance with the present invention are infinitely adjustable. This allows the suspenders to be easily adjusted to fit any body size or shape. It also allows a wearer to quickly and easily adjust the suspenders at any time for any reason, such as to make them more comfortable on certain days. This also allows the wearer to be able to unfasten the suspenders without undoing the front fasteners.
Although the above description relates specifically to strap member 16, it is to be understood that the same structure and members are to be used for strap member 14 and any other strap members in any other suspender configuration incorporating the present invention.
Preferably, the loop members 30 are provided only on one side of the strap members and this is the side which is worn adjacent the body of the person. (This also is what is shown in the drawings.) The other side of the strap members, that is the outer side, preferably has a smoother and harder surface. This allows outer garments to side easily over the strap members without catching or sticking. Of course, it is also possible that the strap members can have the same hook-type surfaces on both sides, or the suspenders could be worn with the hook side out.
The material used for the strap members 14 and 16 also can be stretchable or elastic. This would provide additional comfort and adjustability to the wearer.
With conventional two-strap pant suspenders, the two straps are sewn or fixedly attached together where they cross in the back, as shown in
As shown in
In accordance with this embodiment of the invention, a plurality of pieces of hook-type fastener material 200 are positioned and securely affixed on the outside surface of one of the strap members, such as by sewing or gluing. In this instance, that strap is 14′, although it could be either one. The pieces of material 200 are located on the strap member in a position such that when the suspenders are worn by a wearer, the pieces of material are located in the middle of the back of the wearer.
Three pieces 200 of hook-type material are shown in
With the embodiment shown in
Also, the two straps 14′ and 16′ can be attached together while the straps are on the wearer, or before the wearer puts them on. Once a proper fit is found, and the two straps are firmly pressed together, the two strap members should be able to stay fastened together in that configuration even when the suspenders are removed and later reworn.
Other embodiments of the present invention is shown in
Referring first to
The strap members 60 and 62 are also attached to each other at a position on the sides of the wearer and adjacent the waistband 66 of the wearer's pants or trousers. This is shown for one side in
In this regard, the outer side of surface 76 of the strap member preferably has a hard finish or texture which prevents sticking of any outer garments. The opposite side or surface 78 of the strap member has a plurality of small loop members positioned substantially along the entire length of the strap member. A piece of hook-type Velcro material 80 is secured to the end portion 70 of the strap member in order to mate with and be releasably fastened to the loop members.
The hip-style suspenders provide a more comfortable style of suspenders to some wearers than the more common “two-strap” pant suspenders. Also, since the hip-style suspenders are designed to be worn under an outer shirt of the wearer, the hip-style suspenders provide for slightly easier removal for restroom visits.
In addition, the types of fastener members 74′ on the ends of the strap members are the same as, or similar to, the fastener members 74 discussed above. Also, the adjustable ends of the strap members are the same as discussed above with respect to
As shown in
The hip-type embodiment 220 of the invention has similar advantages and benefits for the wearer as set forth above with respect to the two-strap pant suspender embodiment 210 shown in
Embodiments of a shirt-and-sock type suspender are shown in
The embodiment shown in
As shown in the embodiment illustrated in
In this regard, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to suspenders having the precise structure and configuration as shown in
Fastener members 120 are used to connect the strap members to the shirt or socks worn by the wearer. Preferably, the fasteners 120 are plastic clip-type fastener members, having the structure and fastening mechanism shown in the drawings. The fasteners can be any other conventional type of suspender fasteners, however, such as those shown in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D614,946 and D619,495. The invention can also be used with other types of conventional fastener members used with suspenders today, including buttons and snaps.
Preferably, the three fastener members 120 on each suspender 100 are the same, but each could also be different from one another. As shown, each fastener has a loop or ring member 122 attached to them. The ring member 122 allows the strap members to slide through them.
The end portion 107 of the elongated strap member 106 is adapted to be secured at any position along the strap member that the wearer desires. This makes the suspender 100 essentially infinitely adjustable to fit and extend between the wearer's shirt and socks. For this purpose, the strap member 106 preferably is made of a material with a plurality of small loop members 130 on at least one surface. This is shown in
When the strap portion 107 is passed through the ring member 122 and pressed up against another portion of the strap member 106, some of the hook members on material 132 mate with some of the loop members 130 and secure the two items together. This movement is shown by arrow 40 in
Although any type of material with hook members thereon can be used as material 132, preferably the material is one-half of a Velcro®-type fastening system.
Since the loop members 130 are present all along one of the surfaces of the strap 106, the suspender is infinitely adjustable. This allows the suspenders to be easily adjusted to fit any body size or shape. It also allows a wearer to quickly and easily adjust the suspenders at any time for any reason, such as to make them more comfortable on certain days.
Although the above description relates specifically to strap member 106, it is to be understood that the same structure and members can be used for strap members 102 and 104 and any other strap members in any other suspender configuration incorporating the present invention. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, the end portions of the strap members 102 and 104 are fixedly secured to the ring member of the fasteners 120, in the manner shown in
The loop members 130 are provided only on one side of the strap members and this can be the side which is worn adjacent the body of the person or worn facing outwardly. The other side of the strap members preferably has a smoother and harder surface. If the smoother and harder side is worn outwardly, this will allow outer garments to slide more easily over the strap members without catching or sticking. Of course, it is also possible that the strap members can have the same hook-type surfaces on both sides, or the suspenders could be worn with the hook side out.
The material used for the strap members 102, 104 and 106 also preferably is stretchable or elastic. This would provide additional comfort and adjustability to the wearer.
The three strap members 102, 104 and 106 are attached together at the “V” 140 of the suspenders where they overlap. This is shown in
Another embodiment of the “sock-type” suspender 300 is shown in
The advantages and benefits of the sock-type embodiment 300 due to the additional adjustability feature, are similar to those set forth above with reference to
The present invention eliminates the metallic or plastic buckles that are in use today in most suspenders for adjustment of the straps on the wearers. This eliminates the possibility of unsightly bumps or bulges under the outer garment, whether it be a shirt or a pair of form-fitting pants. The unique shirt-and-sock type invention keeps the wearer's shirt neat and tucked in and at the same time keeps the wearer's socks from falling.
Although the invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, it is to be also understood that it is not to be so limited since changes and modifications can be made therein which are within the full scope of this invention as detailed by the following claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/198,469 filed on Aug. 4, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/872,014 filed on Aug. 31, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,209,779.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12872914 | Aug 2010 | US |
Child | 13198469 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13198469 | Aug 2011 | US |
Child | 13829968 | US |