US20100275345A1

US20100275345A1 - Suspenders

Info

Publication number: US20100275345A1
Application number: US12/434,645
Authority: US
Inventors: John J. Dudenhoeffer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-05-02
Filing date: 2009-05-02
Publication date: 2010-11-04

Abstract

Suspenders used for supporting a lower body garment that are easy to manage while sitting on a toilet are disclosed. The suspenders contain two shoulder straps, a front horizontal strap and a rear horizontal strap that attach to the shoulder straps. A person who needs to sit on a toilet would detach the shoulder straps from the front of the garment and move the lower garment in a manner that moves the back strap to about the person's waist and moving the front strap to about the person's neck.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparel and more specifically to a set of suspenders used for holding up trousers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional suspenders for supporting trousers, pants and long johns typically have two shoulder straps that are each fastened to the front of the trousers and to the back of the trousers. Going to the bathroom requires unfastening the suspenders from the trousers or taking the straps off the shoulders. Managing the removed suspenders during a trip to the bathroom may be cumbersome and if the suspenders fall to the floor or come in contact with the unsanitary surrounding of a toilet, the wearer may be exposed to germs. It would be therefore desirable to have suspenders that do not need to be removed during the trip to the bathroom.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In an aspect of the present invention, suspenders for a lower body garment comprise: a first shoulder strap having two ends, said first shoulder strap being detachably fastened at one end to the lower body garment at a first attachment point, and being permanently attached at the other end to said lower body garment at a second attachment point; a second shoulder strap having two ends, said second shoulder strap being detachably fastened at one end to the lower body garment at a third attachment point, and being permanently attached at the other end to said lower body garment at a fourth attachment point, a front strap having two ends and two midpoints, said front strap being permanently attached at one end to a spot on the first shoulder strap and permanently attached to a spot on the second shoulder strap at the other end in a manner that disposes the front strap in a substantially horizontal position, said midpoints being detachably fastened to each other; and a rear strap having two ends, said rear strap being permanently attached at one end to a spot on the first shoulder strap and permanently attached to a spot on the second shoulder strap at the other end in a manner that disposes the front strap in a substantially horizontal position.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for wearing suspenders attached to a lower body garment by a person while sitting on a toilet, said suspenders having two front detachable fasteners, two rear attachments, a front strap and a rear strap, said method comprising: unfastening the front fasteners; and moving the lower garment in a manner that moves the back strap to about the person's waist and moving the front strap to about the person's neck.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, descriptions and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side front perspective view of the suspenders attached to a lower body garment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1A is another side front perspective view of the suspenders attached to a lower body garment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a side front perspective view of the suspenders attached to a lower body garment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a front view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a back view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2C is a front, top and side perspective view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2D is a rear, top and side perspective view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a front view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a back view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is a front, bottom and side perspective view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3D is a rear, bottom and side perspective view of the suspenders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a front side perspective view of the suspenders in use on a person represented by a mannequin sitting on a toilet; and

FIG. 4B is a back side perspective view of the suspenders in use on a person represented by a mannequin sitting on a toilet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to suspenders used for supporting a lower body garment or an undergarment that may stay on a person's shoulders when the person needs to sit on a toilet. In one embodiment of the present invention, the suspenders are used for long johns; however other lower body garments including but not limited to pants, trousers, slacks, underwear, skirt, bloomers, breeches, britches, chaps, chinos, cords, corduroys, denims, knickers, overalls, pantaloons, dungarees, jeans, and rompers are also within the scope of the present invention. The suspenders of the present invention may be used by both men and women.
The suspenders comprise of two shoulder straps, each having an end for attaching to the upper edge of a lower body garment. One end of each strap fastens to the front part of the garment while the other end of each strap fastens to the back of the garment as worn on a person's body.
A front strap, positioned at about 1 inch to about 5 inches from the ends of the shoulder straps that fasten to the front part of the garment connects the two shoulder straps in a manner that disposes the front strap in a horizontal position. The front strap may have a length of between about 6 inches to about 9 inches,
A rear strap, positioned at about 11 inches to about 15 inches from the ends of the shoulder straps that fasten to the back part of the garment connects the two shoulder straps in a manner that disposes the rear strap in a horizontal position. The rear strap may have a length of between about 6 inches to about 9 inches,
In one embodiment of the present invention, the suspenders are made of stretchy material that may include a mix of cotton fibers, nylon fibers and acrylic fibers. However, other materials such as canvas and synthetic fibers such as polyester also fall within the scope of the present invention.
The suspenders are fastened to the front side of the lower body garment by a detachable mechanism. This mechanism may be as a hook and loop such as Velcro®, hooks or clips, but other mechanism that are easily and speedily removable also fall within the scope of the present invention.
The front strap that connects the shoulder straps in the front side of the suspenders may be discontinuous at about the middle of the strap in a way that can open into two straps that can easily attach to each other and detach as needed. The attaching mechanism may be a hook and loop such as Velcro®, but other mechanisms also fall within the scope of the present invention.
When a person wearing suspenders currently available commercially needs to sit on a toilet, the shoulder straps would be typically taken off the person's shoulders and let fall to the sides before removing the lower garment. Another option might be to unhook the suspenders at the front from the undergarment. In either case, parts of the suspenders' straps would have a tendency to fall onto the ground. That is undesirable as bathroom floors are germy environments.
The advantage of the present invention suspenders is that they can stay on the wearer's body when sitting on a toilet. The wearer may unfasten the front end of the suspender straps and pull down the lower garments. The front strap would move up the wearer's body from around his or her waist to around the neck area. The rear strap would move down to the back waist area as the suspenders' shoulder strap stretches along with the lower body garment as it is pulled down. The detachable middle part of the front strap serves as a safety device to prevent accidental chocking of the wearer as the front strap moves toward the wearer's neck.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 1A and 1B, there is shown the suspenders of the present invention 10 attached to a lower body garment 17 having a first shoulder strap 11, a second shoulder strap 12, front strap segments 13A and 13B, front hook and loop fasteners 14A and 14B, rear strap 15, and rear suspender attachments 16A and 16B. Front strap segments 13A and 13B are shown in an attached position in FIG. 1 and in an unfastened position in FIG. 1A.
Embodiments of suspenders are also shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2 D featuring suspenders 10 having a first shoulder strap 11, a second shoulder strap 12, front strap segments 13A and 13B, front hook and loop fasteners 14A and 14B, and rear strap 15. Front strap segments 13A and 13B are shown in a detached position.
Embodiments of suspenders are also shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3 D featuring suspenders 10 having a first shoulder strap 11, a second shoulder strap 12, front strap segments 13A and 13B, front hook and loop fasteners 14A and 14B, and rear strap 15. Front strap segments 13A and 13B are shown in an attached position.
FIGS. 4A and 4B show a mannequin representing a person 50 wearing the suspenders while sitting on a toilet. Shown are the first shoulder strap 52, the second shoulder strap 53, front strap 51, rear strap 55 and lower body garment 54.
As can be seen, in a toilet sitting position, the front strap 51 moves up close to the person's neck, while the rear strap 55 moves down to the person's waist.

Claims

1. Suspenders for a lower body garment comprising:

a first shoulder strap having two ends, said first shoulder strap being detachably fastened at one end to the lower body garment at a first attachment point, and being permanently attached at the other end to said lower body garment at a second attachment point;

a second shoulder strap having two ends, said second shoulder strap being detachably fastened at one end to the lower body garment at a third attachment point, and being permanently attached at the other end to said lower body garment at a fourth attachment point,

a front strap having two ends and two midpoints, said front strap being permanently attached at one end to a spot on the first shoulder strap and permanently attached to a spot on the second shoulder strap at the other end in a manner that disposes the front strap in a substantially horizontal position, said midpoints being detachably fastened to each other; and

a rear strap having two ends, said rear strap being permanently attached at one end to a spot on the first shoulder strap and permanently attached to a spot on the second shoulder strap at the other end in a manner that disposes the front strap in a substantially horizontal position.

2. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein fastening one end of the first shoulder strap to the lower body garment is accomplished with a hook and loop mechanism.

3. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein fastening the midpoints of the front strap is accomplished with a hook and loop mechanism.

4. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein fastening one end of the second shoulder strap to the lower body garment is accomplished with a hook and loop mechanism.

5. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein the material of construction of the straps comprises cotton, nylon and acrylic fibers.

6. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein a distance from the one end of the first shoulder strap and the spot on the first shoulder strap to which the front strap is attached ranges from about 1 inch to about 5 inches.

7. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein a distance from the one end of the second shoulder strap and the spot on the second shoulder strap to which the front strap is attached ranges from about 1 inch to about 5 inches.

8. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein a distance from the other end of the first shoulder strap and the spot on the first shoulder strap to which the rear strap is attached ranges from about 11 inch to about 15 inches.

9. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein a distance from the other end of the second shoulder strap and the spot on the first shoulder strap to which the rear strap is attached ranges from about 11 inch to about 15 inches.

10. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein the length of the front strap ranges from about 6 inches to about 9 inches.

11. The suspenders of claim 1, wherein the length of the rear strap ranges from about 6 inches to about 9 inches.

12. A method for wearing suspenders attached to a lower body garment by a person while sitting on a toilet, said suspenders having two front detachable fasteners, two rear attachments, a front strap and a rear strap, said method comprising:

unfastening the front fasteners; and

moving the lower garment in a manner that moves the back strap to about the person's waist and moving the front strap to about the person's neck.