AU2015100414A4 - Hosiery with waistband - Google Patents

Abstract

A hosiery garment 10 including two leg portions (14, 16) having respective lower ends and upper ends (15, 17), the uppers ends (15, 17) being connected to a waistband (12). The waistband (12) has a front and rear. The waistband (12) is generally cylindrical and 5 wide such that, in use, a front upper edge (18) of the waistband (12) sits higher on the wearer than a rear upper edge (18) of the waistband (12).

Description

1 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: HOSIERY WITH WAISTBAND Applicant: PACIFIC BRANDS CLOTHING PTY LTD The invention is described in the following statement: 2 HOSIERY WITH WAISTBAND Field of the invention This invention relates generally to pantyhose garments and in particular to an improved waistband for such garments. 5 Background of the invention Comfort and appearance are two of several factors taken into consideration by consumers when choosing pantyhose. Various pantyhose constructions are available on the market offering a range of features, including shaping and slimming for example, and consumers have a wide choice. 10 Conventional pantyhose is formed with a narrow waistband, typically a double layer turned welt waistband, which when worn can dig or press into the wearer's skin causing in some cases a "muffin top" above the waistband and bunching of flesh below the waistband. At the very least, the narrow waistband presses into a wearer's skin enough to create a visible line that is noticeable when the pantyhose is worn beneath 15 slim fitting clothing. The effect of the narrow waistband digging in to a wearer's waist is generally not aesthetically pleasing and can be uncomfortable, particularly when the pantyhose is worn for an extended period of time, for example a full day at work. Other forms of pantyhose provide a wide waistband, which serves to not only 20 provide a pleasing aesthetic appearance, but also reduces the "dig-n" of narrow waist band hosiery. Pantyhose with wide waistbands are known in the art. The applicant has observed that wide waistbands on pantyhose are difficult to properly fit the body. Due to the contours of the hips and waist of the wearer, the wide waistband can either be too 25 restrictive, or can provide a fit that is too loose which results in riding down. The present invention aims to at least in part alleviate the problems outlined above by providing pantyhose with an improved waistband.

3 Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood and regarded as relevant 5 by a person skilled in the art. Summary of the invention The present invention is based on the observations of the contours of the hips and waist of a wearer of panty hose. Accordingly, the present invention provides a hosiery garment, including: 10 two leg portions having respective lower ends and upper ends, the uppers ends being connected to a waistband; the waistband having a front and rear; wherein the waistband is generally cylindrical and wide such that, in use, a front upper edge of the waistband sits higher on the wearer than a rear upper edge of the 15 waistband. In a preferred embodiment, the waistband is shaped as a horizontal trapezium, having upper and lower parallel edges. The length of the upper edge is shorter than the length of the lower edge. The upper edge of the waistband is the upper horizontal short edge of the trapezium; and the lower edge of the waistband is the lower horizontal long 20 edge of the trapezium. Advantageously, the upper end of the leg portions are formed with a brief portion, which in turn is attached to the waistband. In a particularly preferred embodiment the waistband is formed of lace. Due to the shape of the waistband, the front upper edge of the waistband sits 25 higher on the wearer in use. The upper rear of the waistband dips down at the rear of the wearer to conform to the lower back of the wearer.

4 Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagram of pantyhose showing the front and rear of pantyhose 5 according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the waistband of the pantyhose according the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1. Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following 10 description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the drawings Referring to Figure 1 the pantyhose garment 10 consists of a wide waistband 12 and two legs 14, 16. It will be appreciated that reference to pantyhose is generic and also includes within its scope garments referred to as hose, hosiery, tights, footless 15 tights, and similar garments. The lower ends (not shown) of the legs 14, 16 may terminate in either a foot section (not shown) or may be footless. The upper ends 15, 17 of the legs are connected to the lower edge 20 of the waistband 12 by a conventional cover stitched/flat seam. The inner sides of the legs 14, 16 may be connected to each other at 20 seam 22 and the pantyhose 10 may include a gusset (not shown). This area may also have no seam at all. The upper ends 15, 17 of the legs may include an opaque brief portion 19 with an upper edge 21. In other embodiments, the leg portions 15, 17 are sheer to the waistband 12. 25 Waistband 12 is preferably in the range of 5cm - 40cm wide and in this embodiment is approximately 15cm wide, measured from the upper perimeter 18 to the lower edge 20 of the waistband. The width of the waistband 12 is designed such that in 5 use the waistband 20 sits comfortably over a wearer's hips and waist and does not dig in to the wearer's skin. Figure 2 shows the waistband 12 in plan view, prior to attachment to the brief portion 19. 5 Waistband 12 is generally a trapezoidal shape, having a pair of parallel edges, upper edge 22 which is shorter in length then lower edge 24. Sides 26, 28 of the waistband complete the trapezium. To form the pantyhose of the invention, the waistband 12 is attached to the upper edge 21 of the brief portion 19 by conventional cover stitched/flat seam. The sides 26, 10 28 of waistband 19 are connected with a flat seam so as to sit flush and flat against the wearer's body in use. As shown in Figure 1, the trapezoidal shape of the waistband 12 results in the waistband sitting higher on the wearer in use, than the rear of the waistband 12. The front upper edge 18 of the waistband sits generally horizontal on the waist of the 15 wearer. The upper edge 18 of the rear of the waistband 12 dips downwardly towards the central seam 29, while the rear lower edge 20 of the waistband dips downwardly in a corresponding fashion. The shape of the rear of the waistband in use, closely and comfortably accommodates the rear of a wearer's back. It will be appreciated that the hosiery garment of the invention provides a wide 20 waistband that takes advantage of the contours of the body thereby providing a garment that is comfortable to wear and aesthetically pleasing. It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations 25 constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims (5)

1. A hosiery garment, including: two leg portions having respective lower ends and upper ends, the uppers ends being connected to a waistband; 5 the waistband having a front and rear; wherein the waistband is generally cylindrical and wide such that, in use, a front upper edge of the waistband sits higher on the wearer than a rear upper edge of the waistband.

2. A hosiery garment according to claim 1, wherein the waistband is shaped as a 10 horizontal trapezium, having upper and lower parallel edges, the length of the upper edge being shorter than the length of the lower edge.

3. A hosiery garment according to claim 2, wherein the upper edge of the waistband is the upper horizontal short edge of the trapezium; and the lower edge of the waistband is the lower horizontal long edge of the parallelogram. 15

4. A hosiery garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper end of the leg portions are formed with a brief portion, which in turn is attached to the waistband.

5. A hosiery garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the waistband is formed of lace. 20