GB2582381A

GB2582381A - Undergarments

Info

Publication number: GB2582381A
Application number: GB1905415.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Aishah Lawal Funmi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-04-17
Filing date: 2019-04-17
Publication date: 2020-09-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-17
Also published as: GB2582381B; GB201905415D0

Abstract

A lady’s knickers undergarment 10 comprising a back panel 12 and a front panel 14 interconnected at the crotch 16, each panel having opposed side edge margins 121, 122, 141, 142 each provided with a line 18 of fastening means 20 for fastening together the two panels, the back panel 12 being substantially longer from side to side than the front panel 14 in order to locate the joins 104, 101 at the front of the fastened garment 10, each a substantial distance forwardly away from the nearer side 106, 107 of the fastened garment. Preferably each fastening means 20 comprises hook-and-eye fastenings 20, each of which is large (at least 1 cm wide) and of U cross-section. Preferably he garment has a belt portion 108 along the waist line of each said panel and the crotch 16 has a pattern and/or colour clearly distinctive from most of the garment with a matching piece 109 at the waist. The pants can provide ease of donning for a disabled person (e.g. with arthritis) while still maintaining an attractive appearance.

Description

TITLE: UNDERGARMENTS

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to undergarments.

Undergarments, e.g. ladies knickers undergarments, may be unsuitable for physically 5 handicapped persons.

THE INVENTION

For such persons, such garments should address difficulties in bending down to put them on and in stretching the arms (and/or manipulating the fingers, e.g. for a person with arthritic hands) to awkward positions to do up any fastenings, and generally seek to improve the feel-good factor 10 for such a person to wear such a garment.

The present invention addresses such problems.

The invention consists in a ladies knickers undergarment comprising a back panel and a front panel interconnected at the crotch, each panel having opposed side edge margins each provided with a line of fastening means for fastening together the left sides of the two panels along a left join and fastening together the right sides of the two panels along a right join so that each join extends from the top to the bottom of the fastened garment, the back panel being substantially longer from side to side than the front panel in order to locate the joins at the front of the fastened garment a substantial distance forwardly away from the sides of the fastened garment.

This has two advantages. The wearer does not have to bend down to put on the garment and does not have to bend their upper arms backwards (at the shoulder) for their hands to reach side fastenings. The shape of the garment will immediately show which is the front panel and which is the back panel, since such a garment is usually made fuller at the back and/or the leg holes and/or crotch are usually shaped, so that it will be readily apparent if the garment is put on back to front. The locations of the sides of the fastened garment will be apparent when the garment is being worn and/or will be the side extremities when the fastened garment is laid out flat.

The sides of the fastened garment should be substantially parallel and substantially vertical (with the garment oriented so that its waist line is substantially horizontal) and the said joins should be substantially vertical (perpendicular to the waist line) and substantially parallel to these sides, or at least not more than substantially 30° to such sides and vertical.

The joins should preferably be substantially equal distances from the respective sides of the fastened garment.

On the basis of experiments, it appears that the most useful spacing apart of the joins is in the range of from substantially one quarter to substantially one half of the width of the garment from the one side to the other, preferably substantially one quarter to substantially one third. Said distance is preferably in the range of from substantially one quarter to substantially one third of the width of the garment from one said nearer side to the other.

Further to ease the action of fastening, each fastening means may comprise hook-and-eye fastenings, in a said line, e.g. a substantially straight line. Preferably each hook-and-eye -2 -fastening is large, i.e. having a width (in the direction of the line) of at least 1 cm, preferably in the range of from substantially 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm, or preferably substantially 2 cm. Preferably each such fastening has its hook comprising a shape in the form of a flattened U, preferably having a width as just mentioned, preferably with the eye comprising a bar, preferably having a length (e.g. slightly greater than such width) to accommodate and engage the hook (i.e. the width of the U) readily. The size and/or shape make the fastening easier to grasp, spread the interruption that the fastening makes to the smoothness of the garment and make the garment feel more sophisticated which improves the feel-good factor, considered an important feature for a disabled wearer.

Further to improve the feel-good factor, the crotch has a pattern and/or colour clearly distinctive from most of the garment and a matching piece at the waist. This has the psychological feel-good effect of making the wearer feel that this is not just a garment for the disabled but this is a distinctive garment that they can wear with pride.

Another aspect of the feel-good factor, is to provide a belt portion along the waist line of each of 15 the said panels, which gives the garment more status.

The features of both of the last two paragraphs contribute to the disabled wearer feeling more confident (and therefore healthier) when wearing the garment.

PARTICULAR. DESCRIPTION RELATING TO THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic front view of a garment embodying the invention, not quite finished fastening at both sides, laid out flat; Figure 2 is a view as Figure 1 with fastening finished; Figure 3 is a back view corresponding to Figure 2; Figure 4 is a net view of the garment, unfastened and completely opened out apart from two 25 corners bent back to show fasteners; Figure 5 is a photographic front view of an actual garment, corresponding to Figure 1 but with the left join fully fastened and the right join fully open with the adjacent part of the back panel fully opened out there; Figure 6 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 5 to show the fasteners more clearly; Figure 7 is an enlarged view of one of the fasteners, showing the hook separated from the eye-bar and turned over to show its structure more clearly; and Figure 8 is a photographic front view, similar to Figure 5, of another actual garment, with the right join fully fastened and the left join mostly unfastened.

Referring to the drawings, identical references in the same Figure or different Figures refer to the 35 same item or items that are identical or similar or have similar functions, and references with the same first two digits refer to items that are identical or similar or have similar or related functions. -3 -

A ladies knickers undergarment 10, Figure 1, comprises a back panel 12 and a front panel 14 interconnected at the crotch 16, each panel 12, 14 having opposed side edge margins 121, 122, 141, 142, Figure 4, each provided with a line 18 of fastening means 20 for fastening together the left sides 122, 142 of the two panels 12, 14 along a left join 104 and fastening together the right 5 sides 121, 141 of the two panels 12, 14 along a right join 101 so that each join 101, 104 extends from the top 102 to the bottom 103 of the fastened garment 10, the back panel 12 being substantially longer from side to side (indicated by the length of arrow 123) than the front panel 14 (indicated by the length of arrow 143) in order to locate the joins 101, 104 at the front of the fastened garment 10 a substantial distance (indicated by the length of arrow 105) forwardly away 10 from the sides 106, 107 of the fastened garment 10.

The sides 106, 107 of the fastened garment 10 are substantially parallel (to one another) and substantially vertical (with the garment 10 oriented so that its waist line 108 is substantially horizontal) and the said joins 101, 104 are substantially vertical (perpendicular to the waist line 108) and substantially parallel to these sides 106, 107, or at least not more than substantially 30° to such sides 106, 107 and the vertical.

The joins 101, 104 are substantially equal distances 105 from the respective sides 106, 107 of the fastened garment 10.

The spacing apart (indicated by the arrow 143) of the joins 101, 104, which is the width 143 of the front panel 14, is in the range of from substantially one quarter to substantially one half of the width of the garment 10 from the one side 141 to the other 142, preferably substantially one quarter to substantially one third. Said distance 105 is preferably in the range of from substantially one quarter to substantially one third of the width 143 of the garment 10 from one said nearer side 106 to the other 107.

The garment 10 has a belt portion 108 along the waist line of each panel 12, 14.

Further to make easer the action of fastening, each fastening means 20 may comprise a plurality of hook-and-eye fastenings 20, Figure 7, in a said line 18, which in the embodiments shown is substantially a straight line 18. Each hook-and-eye fastening 20 is large, i.e. having a width 204 (in the direction of the line 18) of at least 1 cm, preferably in the range of from substantially 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm, or preferably substantially 2 cm. Each such fastening 20 has a hook 201 and an eye 202, its hook 201 comprising a shape in the form of a flattened U (this is the shape of the cross-section taken along a horizontal line 209 as seen in Figure 7), having a width 204 as just mentioned (indicated by the length of arrow 204), preferably with the eye 202 comprising a bar 202, having a length 205 (slightly greater than said width 204 of the U) to accommodate and engage the hook 201 readily.

Further to improve the feel-good factor, the crotch 16, Figure 8, has a pattern and/or colour clearly distinctive from most of the garment and a matching piece 109 at the waist. This has the psychological feel-good effect of making the wearer feel that this is not just a garment for the disabled but this is a distinctive garment 10 that they can wear with pride.

Many variations of the invention and embodiments herein described will be apparent to people 40 skilled in the art. For example, features of the different embodiments disclosed herein may be omitted, selected, combined or exchanged in order to form further embodiments. Again, where a -4 -preference or particularisation is stated, there is implicit the possibility of its negative, i.e. a case in which that preference or particularisation is absent. The invention is considered to extend to any new and inventive embodiments formed by said variations, further embodiments and cases.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A ladies knickers undergarment comprising a back panel and a front panel interconnected at the crotch, each panel having opposed side edge margins each provided with a line of fastening means for fastening together the left sides of the two panels along a left join and fastening together the right sides of the two panels along a right join so that each join extends from the top to the bottom of the fastened garment, the back panel being substantially longer from side to side than the front panel in order to locate the joins at the front of the fastened garment, each a substantial distance forwardly away from the nearer side of the fastened garment.
2. A garment as claimed in claim 1, in which said distance is in the range of from substantially 10 one quarter to substantially one third of the width of the front panel from one said nearer side to the other.
3. A garment as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which each fastening means comprises hook-and-eye fastenings.
4. A garment as claimed in claim 3, in which each hook-and-eye fastening is large, i.e having a 15 width (in the direction of said line) of at least 1 cm.
5. A garment as claimed in claim 4, in which each said fastening has its hook comprising a shape in the form of a flattened U having said width and its eye comprising a bar having a length to accommodate and engage readily such width of the U.
6. A garment as claimed in any preceding claim, having a belt portion along the waist line of 20 each said panel.
7. A garment as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the crotch has a pattern and/or colour clearly distinctive from most of the garment and the garment has a matching piece at the waist.