Patent Application
20200375273
The present invention relates to outer wear for the lower body, and more particularly, to pants, including jeans, trousers and leggings which are made from a woven fabric including fibers that permit stretch and in which the pants include an interior inner thigh assembly which provides greater durability and longer wear for the garment. The invention can be constructed in a stretch knit fabric or in twill or denim style lower garment, such as jeans, pants, trousers, or leggings.
Material advances of the last century have allowed fashion to move toward garments that both shape and move with the wearer. In particular, this has included the drive toward women's lower outerwear that reveals and accentuates the feminine figure. For the last fifty years the dominant western outer wear garment has been blue jeans, or pants which are constructed from denim or twill. We all tend to live in our favorite pair of jeans, and they became associated with the best of experiences and the memories formed in them. It's hard to part with them, and particularly for a plus sized wearer who has to, or is willing to, pay more for a well-fit pair of pants.
With material advances and the adoption of fitted stretch active wear, many wearers have come to prefer the comfort of pants which include stretch fibers to yield a four-way stretch and so as to retain their shape. However, the introduction of such fibers can result in durability issues, in particular, in instances where the fabric is under stress. Most women have thighs that are fuller where they join their bodies, and in the case for a plus size population, this can cause considerable stress in the pant leg material at the upper inner thigh (i.e., on the medial portion of the pants legs extending downward from the crotch from ⅕ to ⅓ of the way down the inseam toward the pant leg hem.) This stress is the result of the hoop stress or circumferential stress to which the pant leg is subjected for two separate reasons. The first is the stress of movement that occurs for every population when the pant wearer moves and the pant fabric reacts to the forces that the body applies to the material. This stress is accentuated for material having multiple fiber composition since some fibers will move differently or react differently to tension than others of the fibers. Stretch fibers are particularly at risk to snap or fray in this situation. Particularly in a plus size population, there is an additional source of stress to the upper inner pant leg, and that is that the volume of flesh sometimes is sufficiently abundant to cause the fabric to be stressed just to accommodate the wearer's leg. In this case, when the wearer moves, the pant fabric is already stretched to capacity and now is subjected to the forces caused by the movement of the wearer's body. This leads to a limited wear life as the fibers shear, snap or fray.
The present invention relates to an inner thigh assembly for an outer garment for the lower body, including for example, pants, slacks, jeans, trousers, leggings. The garment may advantageously extend down the leg to the mid-thigh, knee, mid-calf or ankle, although it should be understood that inventive features may be incorporated into garments having differing configurations. The inner thigh assembly includes the exterior fabric and interior panels that are fused and seamed within the lower outer garment to inhibit fiber movement and hold the fibers in the woven alignment during wear.
In particular, the assembly has multiple layers which occur on the underside of the thigh, and from the crotch to an area above the knee. Notably, the assembly fills the area on the inner side of the pants leg where the thighs meet when the legs are gently held together. The assembly comprises four panels of fusible fabric that has each has a short straight side at a right angle to a long straight side, and opposing the long straight side, a long and gentle rounded external surface that curves into a shorter and greater curved rounded area that opposes the short straight side. When two panels are viewed together on each side of the center rise seams, the joined shaped is like a truncated lanceolet or ovate shape, each quarter panel being a modified right triangle with a convexly curving hypotenuse edge. It is preferable that this edge curve in order to avoid sharp edges that could foster delamination over time as a result of washing or wear. The shape of the fusible fabric is important to help maintain the assembly during washing. The fabric of the panels is preferably a stretch non-woven fabric, which has a soft or felted feel on the exposed surface. The assembly also includes a perimeter adhesive tape which is a stretch heat activated adhesive that underlies the fusible panel assembly at the periphery.
The outer garment broadly termed “pants” herein, is preferably a fitted lower garment intended to be an external garment, and so having an appearance that is sufficiently formal and modest to be worn out and in public (i.e. that does not appear to be a pajama bottom, girdle, or stocking).
The invention is illustrated for a denim style lower garment, often referred to as “blue jeans”, where the color blue is traditional, but not necessary. It should be understood, however, that the invention could also be extended for use in a twill pant or trouser, which may be constructed in a fabric having a greater degree of drape or softer “hand”. Style choices for these garments may include the blue jean traditional pocket in patch pocket styling or in other versions, front slit or side slit tab or welt pockets, accentuated lapped seams, rounded tab outer stitched or concealed front zipper openings on the center rise, and optional back, and exterior back yoke and/or dart members. In general, the garments may also feature a stretch waist band with self-top layer and an elastic inner layer to allow a transition at the waist that inhibits rolling and optional belt keeps. In addition, they may include pocket details in the back and front, which may be purely decorative or functional, depending, for example, on the desired profile and function.
The present invention relates to lower outerwear, such as pants, jeans, trousers or leggings, and referred to herein generally as “pants”. In particular, the invention is useful with pants which are constructed from a woven fabric, such as a denim or twill, and in particular, a woven fabric which includes a stretch fiber, including, but not limited to lycra or spandex. The stretch fiber can be used singly in the warp or woof (aka “weft”), or can be used in both for a two way stretch fabric. A particularly advantageous fabric is identified as LT-1328, which is 53% Cotton, 36% Lyocell, 9% polyester, and 2% Spandex. Fabrics having similar percentages of these components ⅕-½ by weight can be substituted for this specific fabric. Further, it may be desirable to wash the material to achieve a faded look, which increases the possibility for early failure at the inner thigh.
It is particularly advantageous for the present invention to be used in pants known as “jeans”, “chinos” or “khakis”, and having a style in which the pant front below the waistband is not pleated, but which is a straight front style, having leg portions which are fitted at the upper thigh of the wearer.
As is shown in
The left back panel 204 and front panel 205 mirror the right panels in construction. The panels comprise an adhesive and a fabric layer, which is preferably a non-woven stretch fabric and heat activated stretch adhesive. It is preferably that the invention further includes a stretch edge tape 206 which is intermediate the panels and the exterior fabric. A suitable tape is from ¼ to 1 inch in width, and preferably ½ inch+/−25%. The panels and tape are adhered to the pant pieces prior to the seaming of the center rise and inseams. The panels include a rounded lower edge which advantageously forms a portion of a circle that has a radius of 0.3 to 2.5 inches+/−25%.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62855349 | May 2019 | US |
