EP1922943A1

EP1922943A1 - Garment fastener

Info

Publication number: EP1922943A1
Application number: EP06807932A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Juan Antonio Escudero Muñoz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-09-06
Filing date: 2006-08-20
Publication date: 2008-05-21
Also published as: ES2278517B1; CA2621473A1; WO2007028841B1; CN101262790A; JP2009507139A; WO2007028841A8; RU2008108620A; ES2278517A1; US20090007316A1; BRPI0615431A2; MX2008003151A; WO2007028841A1

Abstract

With a relatively similar function to a conventional belt, its characteristics focus on the fact that it works on only a part of the garment waist, for example tightening between two belt loops thereof, the tightening effect being completed with the rest of the garment itself at the waist level. To this end, it is comprised of a central body (1) having any configuration, nature and design, but constitutive of an ornamental element at the ends of which two tying or hooking elements (3), for example laces, are attached, that are passed through a pair of belt loops (4') on the garment, for example trousers (5), that are folded back behind the central body (1) and fixed to one another by means of a knot (6) or similar, pulling from the belt loops (4') to tighten the trouser (5) around the user's body.

Description

Purpose of the invention

The present invention refers to a garment tightening device used to secure a garment, such as trousers, skirt, trouser-skirt, jacket, etc., to the waist of a user in order to suitably stabilize the garment to the body of the user.
The purpose of the present invention is to make the garment itself participate in its own tightening around the body, which confers the tightening device a very broad range of design possibilities and practical uses, fulfilling a double function; on one hand as a fastening element for the garment and on the other as an aesthetic complement to the clothes of a person.
The invention is therefore within the field of the accessories for garments.

Background of the invention

When it comes to securing a garment, especially in the case of a garment for the lower half of the body, two different systems are known: braces and belts. Braces constitute a securing means by suspension that is completely different from the invention, while the belt acts as a tightening device that completely surrounds the waist of the user and locks over itself with a broad range of hooking systems.
The belt invariably uses the classic belt loops to secure it to the garment, which considerably conditions its configuration, practically not allowing the designers to extend their imagination beyond the configuration of the buckle or locking element, since the body of the belt must embody a strip of suitable width to pass through said belt loops.
In the case of a garment design without belt loops, the belt cannot be used, or at least cannot be used as an element to hold the garment.

Description of the invention

The tightening device proposed by the invention solves the aforementioned problem in a fully satisfactory way by eliminating all limitations of a conventional belt and based on a different functional philosophy, so that the tightening device does not entirely surround the waist of the user, as in the case of classical belts, but it affects the garment only in a partial form, which may be minimal, with the garment cooperating in its own tightening, as stated above.
For that and more specifically, the tightening device consists of a central body, which constitutes a support for a decorative development of the device and may be one or more parts obtained in any material considered suitable. Said central body may be of any appropriate length, always less than the perimeter of the user's waist, and at the ends extend in respective tying or hooking elements, such as strips, strings, etc., preferably elastic and in any case flexible, capable of easily passing through respective belt loops, said tying or hooking elements being able to be simply hooked to said pair of belt loops ,or to be folded over themselves passing under the central body in order to be tied together behind the latter with the necessary tension to achieve the tightening effect, or to be locked one over the other by any other means.
From the aforementioned, in order to implement the tightening device, it can be deduced that only two belt loops are necessary in the garment, between which the tightening or strangling of said garment over the user's waist will be carried out, from where the following consequences are derived:

The central body that constitutes the fundamental and seen part may present any structure and configuration, and furthermore can be of a width considerably greater than that of the garment belt loops.
The tightening device can be set over the front part of the garment, the rear part thereof, or any of its sides with no other limitation that to be secured to two belt loops separated by a given distance.
The garment may only include two belt loops, suitably located, or event lack them, substituting them for holes that allow the passage of the tying or hooking elements.

In any case, the effect achieved, instead of the classic perimeter strangulation of the belt over the waist of the user, consists in approximating two more or less distanced belt loops from two points of the garment, in order to reduce the effective perimeter of the garment and achieve its due conformation to the body.
With regards to the locking element of the tightening device, and as it is obvious, said tying or hooking elements, i.e.: ribbons, strings, strips, etc, can be secured by their ends by tying, but can also be equipped at said ends by any conventional and suitable locking system, such as magnets, Velcro®, slide fastener, elastic, buckle, etc.
Finally the central body may practicable, i.e., divided into two halves linked together through any locking system, so that the tightening and locking of the device is performed through the central body.

Description of drawings

In order to complement the description being made and in order to help to a better understanding of the features of the invention, in accordance with a preferential example of the practical use thereof, this document includes as an integral part of the description, a series of drawings that, for illustrative but not limiting purposes, represent the following:

Figure 1 shows, based on a schematic front elevation representation, a tightening device for garments performed in accordance with the object of the present invention, next to which a garment it is applicable to is partially represented.
Figure 2 shows, also in a front elevation view, the waist tightening device of the previous figure duly mounted on a garment.
Figure 3 shows a representation similar to figure 2, but with a different design for the tightening device.
Figure 4 shows a variation of the tightening device, in which the central body is divided into two interlocking halves and in which different means of securing to belt loops are used.
Figure 5 shows an assembly of the combination represented in the previous figure.
Figure 6 shows a representation similar to figure 1, but where the provision of belt loops in the garment is not envisaged, instead the tightening device is secured through suitably located orifices in the garment.
Figure 7 shows an assembly of the combination represented in the previous figure.
Figure 8 shows a tightening device similar to that of figure 3, which instead of being mounted on the front part of the trousers is over a front-side part thereof.

Preferential embodiment of the invention

In view of the reported figures, and especially figures 1 and 2, it can be seen how the advocated garment tightening device consists of a central body (1), which in this case has a length of about one half of the user's waist, and which shall conform to the front part thereof, as shown in figure 2. The central body (1) is terminated in end hooks (2) for respective laces (3) destined to pass through suitable belt loops (4) of the trousers (5) and to bend back behind a back side of the central body (1), the laces (3) being secured to one another through a knot (6) that can be hidden or made visible such as the case of figure 2.
In this example of practical embodiment, because of the size envisaged for central body (1), the belt loops (4) of the trousers nearest to the frontal opening are inoperative, and the central body (1) can be passed or not therethrough, the securing being performed on the lateral belt loops (4'). However, the front belt loops (4) will be obviously used when said central body is considerably shorter, such as in the example of figure 3, where the size and configuration of the central body (1) are completely different.
It also foresees the possibility, as shown in figures 4 and 5, that the central body is divided into two parts (1-1') attachable to one another through any coupling system (7) and that said central body (1-1') lacks laces (3) or any other tying element; the central body (1-1') itself including lateral folded back extensions (8) determining facing grooves (9) capable of coupling to belt loops (4) of the trouser, as shown in figure (5).
As already stated, the belt loops (4) are not determining, i.e. that the trouser or garment in question may not have them, without this being an obstacle for the use of the inventive tightening device, since as shown in figures 6 and 7, the trouser or garment (5) may include orifices (10) for passing laces (3) or for passing the tying or hooking element chosen in every case in substitution of belt loops (4).
In this practical embodiment of figures 6 and 7 the central body (1) appears with a design that is completely different to the aforementioned cases, this showing up that the tightening device is an excellent scenario for decoration and aesthetics in addition to fulfilling its fastening function.
Although in figures 1 to 7 the tightening device appears located on the front of the garment, its position may vary around the perimeter of the user's waist, as already stated and as shown in figure 8, where said device is set between two belt loops (4-4') on one side of the trousers (5), two belt loops on the rear side being able to be used as well, leaving the central body also placed in that area, with no further limitation than the user's criteria, which additionally means a great versatility of use for the device.

Claims

Tightening device for garments such as trousers, skirts, skirt-trousers, jackets or others, characterized in that it is materialised in a central body (1) provided at its ends with securing means (2) for respective tying or hooking elements (3) which couple to the garment (5) at more or less spaced apart points thereof, said tying or hooking elements (3) being attached either directly to the garment or locking together one over the other under the central body, so that a more or less broad sector of the garment at the waist level participates in the tightening effect over the user's waist in addition to the tightening device itself.
Garment tightening device, as per claim 1, characterized in that the tying or hooking elements (3) use a pair of belt loops (4-4') of the garment (5) for fixing to the latter.
Garment tightening device as per claim 1, characterized in that the tying or hooking elements (3) use a pair of orifices (10) that have been operatively made to it for fixing to the garment (5).
Garment tightening device, as per the previous claims, characterized in that the tying or hooking elements consist of straps, strings, laces, braces or similar, in any case flexible and preferably elastic.
Garment tightening device as per the previous claims, characterized in that the central body (1) is optionally materialised in two physically independent parts (1-1'), provided with mutual hooking means (7).
Garment tightening device, as per the previous claims, characterized in that the tying or hooking elements can be materialized in facing grooves (8) in the central body (1), that can be coupled and fixed to a pair of belt loops (4), or the tying or hooking elements at one side can be locked over those at the other side behind the central body by tying or any conventional lock such as magnets, Velcro®-type adhesives, buckles or others.
Garment tightening device, as per the previous claims, characterized in that for fixing to the garment (5) it can use belt loops (4-4') located symmetrically with regards to the previous point on the garment (5), located on one side of said point, or located at a rear side thus placing the central body (1) oriented backwards.