CN115708605A

CN115708605A - Trousers retaining strip

Info

Publication number: CN115708605A
Application number: CN202211000542.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 伊恩·戈顿
Original assignee: Yi EnGedun
Current assignee: Yi EnGedun
Priority date: 2021-08-23
Filing date: 2022-08-19
Publication date: 2023-02-24
Also published as: GB202112067D0; US20230053358A1; GB2610179A; GB2610179B

Abstract

A retaining strip (1) for a pant leg, the retaining strip (1) comprising a stretchable textile webbing (2) arranged in use to surround the periphery of a user's foot and at least one attachment means (4, 6) arranged to releasably attach the webbing (2) to the pant leg, the attachment means (4, 6) further being arranged to attach to a front portion of the pant leg such that in use the or each attachment means (4, 6) is positioned over the top of the user's foot.

Description

Trousers retaining strip

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a retaining strap for the legs of a pair of trousers and in particular, but not exclusively, to a retaining strap for preventing the legs of a pair of pajamas from running up the legs of the wearer during sleep.

Background

In various circumstances, it is desirable to prevent the legs of the pants from running upward during use. One particular situation is the tendency of the legs of the pajamas to run upwards during sleep. The natural movement of the wearer's legs during sleep can cause loose pant legs to run gradually upward and gather in uncomfortable positions on the wearer's legs, such as around the knees. Such problems occur particularly during unstable sleep, causing additional discomfort to the wearer.

It is known to provide the legs with elastic skirt portions so that the lower ends of the legs are more securely held around the lower regions of the wearer's legs, such as around the ankles, to inhibit upward movement of the legs on the wearer's legs during use. However, this solution is often not effective in preventing the legs of the trousers from running upwards and can cause additional discomfort to the user, for example when the elastic skirt is too tight. In addition, the elastic skirt prevents the legs from returning to their original positions when the user does not pull the legs down, in the event that the legs continue to run up despite the elastic skirt.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for holding the legs in a lowered position to prevent the legs from running up the legs of the wearer, particularly during sleep, which is easy to use, light in weight, comfortable for the wearer, and easily adjustable for any user.

According to the present invention, there is provided a retaining strip for a pant leg, the retaining strip comprising: a fabric band arranged, in use, to surround the periphery of a user's foot; and at least one attachment means arranged to releasably attach the strap to said leg, the attachment means also being arranged to attach to the front portion of the leg such that, in use, the or each attachment means is positioned over the top of a user's foot.

In use, the strap is attached to the front portion of the legs using releasable attachment means and then positioned around the instep portion of the user's foot. The legs to which the straps are attached are held in a lowered position and prevented from running up the user's legs. It will be appreciated that the straps may alternatively be placed around the user's foot prior to attaching the attachment means to the legs.

The attachment means is releasable to permit the holding strap to be mounted on any pair of trousers. Thus, one strap can be used for multiple pants.

The or each releasable attachment means is configured such that, in use, the belt is attached to the front portion of the leg. Thus, in use, when the strap is placed around the instep portion of a user's foot, the or each attachment means is positioned over the top of the user's foot, rather than at the lateral or medial side of the user's foot. This may prevent the attachment means from causing discomfort to the user. For example, when a user is lying on their side, the lateral sides of the feet may come into contact with the mattress (or other surface on which the user is lying). Thus, by positioning the attachment means above the top of the user's foot (by attaching to the front portion of the legs), the attachment means is positioned away from the outer side of the user's foot and thus can prevent pressure points from being created and causing discomfort to the user.

Furthermore, by ensuring that the or each attachment means is positioned over the top of the user's foot (and thus away from the medial side of the user's foot), it is less likely that the user's other foot will interfere with the attachment means during sleep due to the user's natural and unintentional movements, which could cause the attachment means to be snapped off. Additionally, by ensuring that the straps are attached to the front portion of the lower edges of the legs, the portion of the straps that extend under the arch of the user's foot is less likely to slip off the heel of the user's foot than if the straps were attached at both sides or the rear of the legs, for example.

In use, when the or each attachment means is attached to the front portion of a trouser leg, the retaining strap provides a retaining force acting in the general direction extending along the length of the user's foot towards the toes.

The belt is preferably formed from a stretchable fabric as follows: the stretchable fabric allows the webbing to conform to the size and shape of the user's foot so as to closely fit the entire perimeter of the user's foot. Preferably, the band is formed from a knitted or braided elastic material such that the band retains its shape when stretched and is prevented from rolling at its edges when in use. This also provides a comfortable fit for the user. Most preferably, the band is formed of a knitted elastic material.

Preferably, the retaining strap comprises first and second attachment means arranged such that, in use, both first and second attachment means are permitted to be attached simultaneously to the front portion of the lower edge of the leg. Thus, in use, when the strap is wrapped around the instep portion of a user's foot, both the first and second attachment means are positioned over the top of the user's foot. Thereby, both the first and second attachment means are positioned away from the lateral or medial side of the user's foot, with the advantages described above. The provision of two attachment means provides a secure attachment to the legs while holding the front portion of the legs evenly between the two attachment means. This prevents twisting of the legs during use.

Preferably, the strap has an adjustable circumference such that the size of the loop formed by the strap can be varied according to the size of the user's foot.

The or each attachment means may preferably extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the strap. In this context, the longitudinal direction of the band is to be understood as the direction extending around the circumference of the band when the band is in the form of a ring. This arrangement permits the attachment means to be easily attached to the front portion of the legs while the strap is placed around the instep portion of the user's foot.

In a preferred embodiment, the or each attachment means is fixed to the strap at a fixed position. This prevents the attachment means from moving around the periphery of the band in use and ensures that the correct position of the attachment means is maintained.

Preferably, the strap is an elongate strip having a first end and a second end in a longitudinal direction, the second end being opposite the first end, the retaining strip further comprising engagement means for engaging the first and second ends such that the strap forms a loop to extend around the periphery of a user's foot in use. Thus, the strap may be formed as an elongate strip, the first and second ends being subsequently joined to form a loop which, in use, extends around an instep portion of a user's foot.

It will be appreciated that the engagement means need not engage the first and second ends at their end points, as long as the engagement means permits the elongate strip to form a loop. The engagement means may comprise corresponding hook and loop fasteners, corresponding button and buttonhole, or any other inter-engaging members provided at the first and second ends of the elongate strip allowing the first and second ends to be engaged.

In a preferred embodiment, the engaging means comprises a snap provided at the first end, wherein the second end is arranged to engage with the snap, thereby forming the band into a loop. Most preferably, the engagement means is a sliding buckle attached to the first end of the elongate strip, wherein the second end of the elongate strip is arranged to pass through (fed through) the sliding buckle to engage the first and second ends and form a loop. With such an arrangement, the slide buckle permits the circumference of the band to be adjusted when forming the loop by passing a desired length of the elongate strip through the buckle.

Preferably, the or each attachment means is secured to the belt at a fixed location along the longitudinal direction of the belt, the fixed location of the or each attachment means being associated with the location of the engagement means such that, in use, when the or each attachment means is attached to the front portion of the lower end of a trouser leg, the engagement means is located at the inner side of the user's foot. This arrangement ensures that the engagement means does not cause discomfort to the user, as the medial side of the user's foot is less likely to abut any surface (such as a mattress, when the user is lying on his side) than other parts of the user's foot (such as the lateral side). This is particularly important where the engagement means is a slide buckle, for example, which may otherwise create pressure points between the user's foot and the surface against which the user's foot is resting.

In one such embodiment, the or each attachment means is secured to the strap at a fixed location along the longitudinal direction, the fixed location being closer to one of the first or second ends of the elongate strip. Preferably, the retaining strip comprises at least two attachment means, wherein the fixing position of each attachment means is closer to the same end of the fabric elongate member. Preferably, the fixing location of the or each attachment means is closer to the first end than to the second end.

Preferably, the or each attachment means comprises a clip. The clip may be any suitable clip for attachment to the lower edge (skirt) of the leg. In a preferred embodiment, the or each attachment means is an alligator clip having opposed serrated jaws arranged to engage with opposed surfaces of the legs to secure the legs between the two opposed jaws. The clamp may be biased to a closed position, or may be movable between a locked configuration in which the two opposed jaws are closed to secure the legs between the two opposed jaws in use, and an open configuration in which the two opposed jaws are separated to allow insertion or removal of the lower edges of the legs.

The attachment means preferably comprises: a grip portion arranged to be releasably attached to the leg; a grommet portion attached to the clip portion; and a fabric portion adhered to and/or encircling the band, the fabric portion passing through the grommet portion to retain the clip portion on the band. With this arrangement, the clip is permitted to pivot relative to the belt to provide sufficient flexibility to attach to the legs and ensure comfort for the user. Additionally, the grip portion may be held close to the strap by minimizing the free length of the fabric portion, which reduces the likelihood that the user's other foot will become entangled under the grip due to conscious or unconscious movement of the user's other foot during sleep.

Preferably, the fabric portion includes a length of stretchable fabric having two opposite end portions adhered to the webbing and an intermediate portion located between the two opposite end portions, the intermediate portion passing through the grommet portion to thereby retain the clip portion to the webbing. The length of the intermediate section may be minimized so as to hold the clamping and grommet portions of the attachment device close to the strap portion.

The fabric portion of the attachment device may be bonded to the webbing, thereby securing the fabric portion, and thus the attachment device, to the webbing at a fixed location. The fabric portion may be bonded to the webbing preferably using a thermal glue. This provides a strong and permanent attachment of the fabric portion to the webbing.

Preferably, the attachment means is located immediately adjacent the fabric strip so that, in use, the hem of the leg of the pant can be held immediately adjacent the foot of the user. In some embodiments, the attachment means may comprise a hinged clamp. To provide the desired proximity, the distance between the hinge axis of the clip and the edge of the fabric strip closest to the attachment means may be in the range 10mm to 40mm, more preferably 10mm to 30mm, and in some embodiments about 20mm when the attachment means is in the extended state.

In this respect, it will be appreciated that the attachment means is able to flex relative to the fabric belt, and thus the distance of the hinge axis relative to the fabric belt may be variable. Thus, the "stretched state" of the attachment means refers to a state in which the hinge axis is at a maximum distance from the fabric webbing edge without any portion of the attachment means being stretched (i.e., when the attachment means is in a relaxed, non-stretched state).

In further embodiments, the distance between the distal point of the attachment means and the edge of the fabric strip closest to the attachment means may be between 20mm and 70mm, more preferably between 20mm and 60mm, when the attachment means is extended in use, and in some embodiments the distance is about 45mm when the attachment means is in an extended state. As mentioned above, the "stretched state" is understood to be a state in which the distal point of the attachment means is at a maximum distance from the edge of the textile webbing, without any part of the attachment means being stretched (i.e. when the attachment means is in a relaxed, non-stretched state).

Drawings

Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a retaining strip according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the retention strap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the retention strap of FIG. 1 in use;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the retention strap of FIG. 1 in use;

fig. 5 is an opposite side view of the retention strap of fig. 1 in use.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, a retaining strip 1 according to the present invention is shown. The retaining strap 1 comprises a band 2 formed of stretchable fabric, which band 2 is arranged to encircle, in use, the periphery of a user's foot. The holding strap 1 further comprises first attachment means 4 and second attachment means 6, which first attachment means 4 and second attachment means 6, respectively, are arranged to releasably attach the belt 2 to the front portion of the lower edge (hem) of the trouser legs, as will be described in detail below.

With reference to fig. 2, the strip 2 is an elongated strip 8 of knitted elastic material, and the strip 2 comprises a first end 10 and a second end 12 in the longitudinal direction L. At the first end 10 of the band a sliding catch 14 is provided which serves as engaging means for engaging the first end 10 and the second end 12 of the band 2 such that the band 2 forms a loop, as shown in fig. 1. The second end 12 of the strip 2 is passed through the slide buckle 14 in a conventional manner to secure the first 10 and second 12 ends of the strip 2 to form a loop, as shown in figure 1. The slide catch 14 permits the circumference of the strap 2 to be adjusted to the size of the user's foot.

To attach the slide fastener 14 at the first end 10 of the strap 8, the end portion 16 of the strap 8 passes through the slide fastener 14, is folded back and adhered to the body portion 18 of the strap 8. The end portion 16 may be adhered to the body portion 18 by any suitable means, such as using an adhesive. The point at which the strip 8 is folded defines the end point of the first end 10 of the band 2. Preferably, the end portion 16 is joined to the body portion 18 in an area immediately adjacent to the slide buckle 14 so as to prevent the slide buckle 14 from moving in the longitudinal direction of the tape member 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, each of the first and second attachment devices 4, 6 includes a gripping

portion

20, 22 in the form of an alligator clip having opposed serrated jaws 24 (best shown in fig. 1). In use, the opposed jaws 24 of each gripping

portion

20, 22 engage with opposed surfaces of the leg skirt to secure the skirt between the jaws 24, thereby releasably attaching the belt 2 to the skirt, as will be described in greater detail below.

Each attachment means 4, 6 further comprises a

grommet portion

26, 28 attached to the

clip portion

20, 22 and a

fabric portion

30, 32 passing through a respective one of the

grommet portions

26, 28 and adhered to the strap 2. In the illustrated embodiment, each

fabric portion

30, 32 is sandwiched between the body portion 18 and the end portion 16 of the elastic strip 8, and each

fabric portion

30, 32 is bonded between the body portion 18 and the end portion 16 of the strip 8 using a thermal glue or other adhesive. Thus, each attachment means 4, 6 is fixed to the belt 2 at a fixed position and cannot move in the longitudinal direction L.

A distance D1 is provided between the hinge axis A1 of the clamping

portions

26, 28 of the attachment means 4, 6 and the edge 2a of the fabric strip 2 closest to the attachment means 4, 6. To provide the desired proximity, the distance D1 may be in the range of 10mm to 40mm, more preferably 10mm to 30mm, and in some embodiments, the distance D1 is about 20mm when the attachment device is in the extended state.

A distance D2 is provided between the distal point of the attachment means 4, 6 and the edge 2a of the textile belt closest to the attachment means 4, 6. To provide the desired proximity, the distance D2 may be between 20mm and 70mm, more preferably between 20mm and 60mm, and in some embodiments, the distance D2 is about 45mm when the attachment device is in the extended state.

It will be appreciated that the attachment means may be arranged to releasably attach the belt to the front portion of the leg skirt by alternative means, as will be apparent to the skilled person. For example, the respective fabric portions of the attachment means may be in the form of loops arranged to pass through the respective eyelet portions and around the strap such that when the first and second ends of the strap are engaged, the attachment means cannot be removed from the strap, but is free to move around the periphery of the strap. In such embodiments, the attachment device is not secured to the webbing at a fixed location.

Referring again to fig. 2, each of the attachment devices 4, 6 is fixed to the belt 2 at a fixed position along the longitudinal direction L, the fixed position of each attachment device 4, 6 being closer to the first end 10 than to the second end 12 of the belt 2. With this arrangement, the slide catch 14 is positioned at the inner side of the user's foot when the first attachment means 4 and the second attachment means 6 are attached to the front portion of the leg skirt, as discussed in detail below with reference to fig. 3-5.

Figures 3 to 5 show the retaining strip 1 in use. As best shown in fig. 3, each of the attachment means 4, 6 is attached to a front portion of the lower edge (skirt) 34 of the leg 36, thereby being positioned over the top of the user's foot. Thus, in use, the attachment means 4, 6 provide a retention force acting on the legs of the trousers in a general direction extending along the length of the user's foot towards the toes.

Each of the attachment means 4, 6 is positioned relative to the slide catch 14 such that when the attachment means 4, 6 is attached to the anterior portion of the skirt 34, the slide catch 14 is positioned on the medial side 38 of the user's foot, as best shown in fig. 4. This is achieved by the attachment means 4, 6 being positioned closer to the first end 10 where the sliding catch 14 is located than to the second end 12.

As shown in fig. 5, the lateral part 40 of the user's foot is covered only by the knitted elastic part of the strip 2. Thus, if lateral portion 40 of the user's foot is resting against a surface, the user does not feel discomfort. The medial side 38 of the user's foot is less likely to rest directly against the surface, so that positioning the slide fastener 14 at the medial side 38 is less likely to cause discomfort to the user, while allowing the size of the strap 2 to be adjusted by the slide fastener 14.

It will be appreciated that the retaining strap 1 shown in figures 1 to 5 is arranged for use on the right foot of a user such that the engagement means is positioned on the medial side of the user's right foot. It is also possible to provide a corresponding retaining strap for use on the left foot of a user, which is a mirror image of the retaining strap 1 shown in fig. 1 to 5, such that its engagement means are arranged to be located on the inner side of the left foot of the user.

The invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, which are given by way of example only. It will be appreciated that different arrangements of the system are possible, which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A retaining strip for a leg of a pant, the retaining strip comprising a textile strip, wherein the textile strip comprises an elongate strip having a first end and a second end in a longitudinal direction, the second end being opposite the first end, the retaining strip further comprising engagement means for engaging the first end and the second end such that, in use, the strip forms a loop to extend around the circumference of a user's foot, and the retaining strip further comprising at least one attachment means arranged to releasably attach the textile strip to the leg, the or each attachment means further being arranged to attach to a front portion of the leg such that, in use, the or each attachment means is positioned over the top of a user's foot, wherein the or each attachment means is fixed to the textile strip at a fixed position in the longitudinal direction of the textile strip, the fixed position of the or each attachment means being associated with the position of the engagement means such that, in use, when the or each attachment means is attached to the lower end of a leg, the user is positioned at the inner side of the front portion of the engagement means.

2. The retention strap of claim 1, wherein said fabric strip is formed of a stretchable fabric.

3. A retaining strip according to claim 2, wherein the fabric strip is formed from a knitted or braided elastic material.

4. The retaining strap of any preceding claim, comprising first and second attachment means arranged such that, in use, both the first and second attachment means are permitted to be attached to the front portion of the leg simultaneously such that, in use, both the first and second attachment means are positioned over the top of a user's foot.

5. A retaining strip according to any preceding claim, wherein the fabric strip has an adjustable circumference.

6. A retaining strip according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each attachment means extends substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fabric strip.

7. A retaining strip according to any preceding claim, wherein the engagement means comprises a catch provided at the first end, wherein the second end is arranged to engage with the catch such that the fabric strip forms a loop.

8. A retaining strip according to any preceding claim, wherein the fixed position at which the or each attachment means is fixed to the fabric strip is closer to one of the first or second ends than the other.

9. The retaining strap of claim 8, comprising at least two attachment devices, wherein the securing position of each attachment device is closer to the same end of the fabric webbing.

10. A retaining strip according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the fixing location of the or each attachment means is closer to the first end than the second end.

11. A retaining strip according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each attachment means comprises a clip.

12. The retaining strap of claim 11, wherein the attachment means comprises: a grip portion arranged to be releasably attached to a pant leg; a grommet portion attached to the clip portion; and a fabric portion adhered to and/or encircling the fabric strip, the fabric portion passing through the grommet portion so as to retain the clip portion on the fabric strip.

13. The retaining strap of claim 12, wherein the fabric portion is bonded to the fabric strip, thereby securing the fabric portion, and thereby the attachment device, to the fabric strip at a fixed location.