AU722945B3 - An undergarment - Google Patents

Description

1

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 9 *ft ft *9 ft .*94 f* 9ft *o 9 9 9.

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COMPLETE

FOR A Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title:

SPECIFICATION

PETTY PATENT KATHLEEN MARGARET McLEAN KATHLEEN MARGARET McLEAN CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 239 George Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

AN UNDERGARMENT The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to an undergarment for a person's lower torso.

Undergarments such as girdles and control briefs are known.

These are typically worn by persons wishing to have a slimmer appearance and/or to enable them to fit into slim fitting clothes. Conventional control undergarments such as girdles and control briefs are made from an elastomeric fabric which when worn stretches across and flattens the stomach of the wearer.

Persons desiring a slimmer appearance may also wish to modify the shape of the upper thigh area. To this end, undergarments have been made with elasticized upper leg portions.

These known types of garments firm or flatten all parts of the body over which they are worn. However, some parts of the body such as the buttocks have an unnatural appearance when flattened by a girdle. This is 15 generally undesirable.

O It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an undergarment which can at least partially overcome the above disadvantages 0.0..or provide the public with a useful choice.

According to a broad form of the invention, there is provided an 20 undergarment for a person's lower body, the undergarment having waist and right and left leg openings, right and left thigh sections formed from an elastomeric material and which when the undergarment is worn, surround respective upper thigh regions of a wearer and a rear section, wherein the rear section has an opening through which in use, at least part of the buttocks protrude.

The elastomeric material for use in the undergarment of the present invention can be any elastomeric material suitable for use in conventional control garments. The thickness of the material and degree of elasticity can be varied, depending upon the extent of control desired by a wearer and the nature of the overgarment. For example, undergarments made from thinner types of materials are typically worn under tight fitting slacks or the like. This is known to those skilled in the art.

The undergarment has elastomeric right and left thigh sections which surround the upper part of the thigh. The thigh sections can be of any suitable length, depending on the degree of control desired by the wearer.

Typically, the thigh sections have a minimum length of about 2cm and typically between about 10 to about The undergarment can also form the upper portion of pantyhose in which case each thigh section is attached to a stocking. Alternatively, the undergarment can be provided with attachment means to attach hosiery thereto.

Typically, the undergarment includes an elasticized front panel or panels for flattening and firming the stomach area.

The rear section of the undergarment has an opening through .*.which at least part of the buttocks protrude when the undergarment is being worn. Typically, the undergarment has right and left openings separated by a panel of material. The separating panel is typically also made from an elastomeric material. The separating panel can be of any suitable width and may be in the form of a thong. Typically, the separating panel has a width of *between about 1 to 3 cm.

In one form of the invention, the separating panel can be of a 20 thickness such that it can assist in separating the buttocks, if this is desired by a wearer.

0;0*.The buttock opening(s) may be covered by a thin layer of material if desired. This material may fit snugly or loosely over the buttocks, but should not unduly compress or shape the buttocks.

By way of example only, the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figure which illustrates a preferred undergarment 11 of the present invention.

The undergarment 11 has a waist opening 12, front 13 and rear 14 sections, right 15 and left 16 thigh sections and right 17 and left 18 leg openings. The rear section 14 has right 19 and left 20 openings separated by panel 9. When the undergarment is worn, the buttocks can extend through the openings.

The undergarment 11 has a gusset section 23. The gusset section is typically made from a breathable and quick drying material.

Alternatively, the gusset can be disposable.

The undergarment 11 has attachment loops 24 for attaching to hosiery.

The undergarment 11 is made from an elastomeric material, such that when the undergarment is being worn, the material stretches across the stomach area and stretches around the upper thighs of the wearer. This firms and flattens the stomach and upper thigh areas. However, the buttocks are not flattened and retain their natural appearance. The rear sections 21, 22 of the thigh sections 15, 16 provide lift and support to the buttocks. Such lift and support is not provided by conventional girdles or the like which have elasticized back panel or panels. In fact such lift and support is counteracted by the elastomeric buttock panels.

15 It can be seen that the undergarment of the present invention does not flatten the buttocks of a wearer so as to present an unnatural appearance. The undergarment can also improve the appearance of the buttocks by lifting and supporting the buttocks. In other words, the undergarment is able to allow buttocks to have a natural appearance whilst 20 providing lift and support to the buttocks. This can result in a more pleasing appearance than in the absence of any control undergarment or when wearing a conventional undergarment. Still further, the undergarment is able to firm and/or flatten the stomach and upper thigh areas of a wearer.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims (3)

1. An undergarment for a person's lower body, the undergarment having waist, right and left leg openings, right and left thigh sections formed from an elastomeric material and which when the undergarment is worn, surround respective upper thigh regions of a wearer; a rear section, wherein the rear section has an opening through which in use, at least part of the buttocks protrude, and a gusset section with a gusset removably attached thereto.

2. The garment of claim 1, which includes right and left buttock openings separated by a separating panel.

3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the pant portion is substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the figure. DATED this 8 th day of May 2000 KATHLEEN MARGARET McLEAN By her Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. *oll o*oo oooo oo