WO2015050712A1

WO2015050712A1 - Undergarment with a reflective element

Info

Publication number: WO2015050712A1
Application number: PCT/US2014/056266
Authority: WO
Inventors: Irina MILOSLAVSKY; Gary HAIKIN
Original assignee: Miloslavsky Irina; Haikin Gary
Priority date: 2013-10-01
Filing date: 2014-09-18
Publication date: 2015-04-09
Also published as: US20150089719A1

Abstract

At least one reflective element may be integrated into or otherwise coupled to any suitable undergarment, where the reflective element may enable a user wearing the undergarment to see a reflection of the user's genitalia. For example, this may substantially improve a woman's ability to see her own genitalia any time she is wearing an undergannent without the necessity to carry and hold a separate mirror.

Description

UNDERGARMENT WITH A REFLECTIVE ELEMENT

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an undergarment with a reflective element and, more particularly, to an undergarment with a reflective element that enables the wearer of the undergarment to see his or her genitalia.

Background of the Disclosure

[0002] Oftentimes, a human is unable to see its genitalia without the aid of a mirror. For example, a heavyset human's waist may block the line of sight between the human's eyes and genitalia. As another example, most female genitalia (e.g., vagina) do not extend externally away from the human torso like most male genitalia (e.g., penis and scrotum), thereby making it more difficult, if not impossible, for a female to see any or the entirety of her genitalia without the aid of a reflective element. This can prove troublesome for a female learning how to use a tampon and/or wishing to examine herself for any reason (e.g., for discovering any signs or symptoms that might indicate the presence of a sexually transmitted disease or infection).

Summary of the Disclosure

[0003] This document describes undergarments with reflective elements and methods for using the same.

[0004] For example, an undergarment to be worn by a user may include a waist band, a covering coupled to the waist band, and a reflective element coupled to the covering. An inner surface of the waist band is configured to contact the waist of the user in a first stage of the undergarment being worn by the user. An inner surface of the covering is configured to cover the intimate region of the user in the first stage of the undergarment being worn by the user. A portion of the inner surface of the waist band is configured to be removed from contacting the waist of the user in a second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user. The reflective element is configured to enable the user to see a reflection of at least a portion of the intimate region of the user in the second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user.

[0005] As another example, an undergarment may include a waist band, a covering coupled to the waist band, and a reflective element coupled to the covering. The reflective element enables a user to see a reflection of at least a portion of the user's intimate region when the undergarment is worn by the user.

[0006] As yet another example, a method for using an undergarment being worn by a user, where the undergarment includes a waist band, a covering coupled to the waist band, and a reflective element coupled to the covering, includes distancing a portion of the waist band away from the waist of the user, and reflecting an image of the genitalia of the user to an eye of the user with the reflective element.

[0007] This Summary is provided merely to summarize some example embodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the features described in this Summary are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] The discussion below makes reference to the following drawings, in which like reference characters may refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the pelvic region of a female human wearing an undergarment with a reflective element, in a first stage of use;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIG. 1, in the first stage of use of FIG. 1, taken from line II-II of FIG. I;

[0011] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIGS. 1 and 2, in the first stage of use of FIGS. 1 and 2, taken from line III-III of FIG. 1 ; [0012] FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIGS. 1-3, but in a second stage of use;

[0013] FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIGS. 3 and 3A, of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIGS. 1-3 A, but in a third stage of use;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the undergarment of FIGS. 1-3B with the reflective element fixed to the undergarment;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the undergarment of FIGS. 1-3B with the reflective element integrated into the undergarment;

[0016] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the undergarment of FIGS. 1-3B with the reflective element coupled to the undergarment by a pouch;

[0017] FIG. 6A is an elevational view of the undergarment of FIG. 6, taken from line VIA-VIA of FIG. 6;

[0018] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the undergarment of FIGS. 1-3B with the reflective element coupled to the undergarment by a hinge, in a first configuration;

[0019] FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the undergarment of FIG. 7 with the reflective element coupled to the undergarment by the hinge, in a second configuration;

[0020] FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a thong-type undergarment with at least one reflective element in an outside-out configuration;

[0021] FIG. 8A is a front elevational view of the undergarment of FIG. 8 in an inside-out configuration;

[0022] FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a swimsuit-type undergarment with at least one reflective element in an outside-out configuration;

[0023] FIG. 9A is a front elevational view of the undergarment of FIG. 9 in an inside-out configuration; and

[0024] FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of another swimsuit-type undergarment with at least one reflective element in an outside-out configuration.

Detailed Description of the Disclosure

[0025] At least one reflective element may be integrated into or otherwise coupled to any- suitable undergarment, where the reflective element may enable a user wearing the undergarment to see a reflection of the user's genitalia. For example, this may substantially improve a woman's ability to see her own genitalia any time she is wearing an undergarment without the necessity to carry and hold a separate mirror. In some embodiments, the reflective element may be any at least partially hard reflective material(s) with high quality reflectivity as well as certain types of soft reflective materials, any of which can be coupled to or integrated in an undergarment in any suitable manner during or after the initial manufacturing process of the undergarment.

[0026] FIG. 1 is front elevational view of the pelvic region of a female human wearing an undergarment with a reflective element, in a first stage of use (e.g., a stage where the human user may go about its daily routine while wearing the undergarment), FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIG. I, in the first stage of use of FIG. 1 , taken from line II-II of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIGS. 1 and 2, in the first stage of use of FIGS. 1 and 2, taken from line III-III of FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIGS. 1-3, but in a second stage of use (e.g., a stage where the human user may pull a portion of the undergarment away from the human user's torso such that a reflective element exposed on an inner surface of the undergarment may enable the human user to see a reflection of at least a portion of the human user's genitalia), while FIG. 3B is a

cross-sectional view, similar to FIGS. 3 and 3A, of the pelvic region of the female human wearing the undergarment with the reflective element of FIGS. 1-3 A, but in a third stage of use (e.g., a stage where the human user may pull a portion of the undergarment away from the human user's torso and fold that portion of the undergarment in on itself such that a reflective element exposed on an outer surface of the undergarment may enable the human user to see a reflection of at least a portion of the human user's genitalia). FIGS. 4-7A show ways in which a reflective element may be coupled to the undergarment of FIGS. 1-3B, and FIGS. 8-10 show front elevational views of various illustrative undergarments with reflective elements that may be used similarly to the undergarment of one or more of FIGS. 1-3B.

[0027] FIGS. 1-3 show the pelvic region 12 of a female human 10 wearing an

undergarment 100 with a reflective element in a first stage of use (e.g., a stage where the human user 10 may go about its daily routine while wearing undergarment 100). As shown, pelvic region 12 of female human user 10 may include a navel 13, pubic bone 14, left leg 15L, right leg 15 , urethra 16, bladder 18, vagina 20, uterus 22, anus 24, and rectum 26. While only vagina 20 may be considered genitalia of female human user 10, urethra 16, vagina 20, and anus 24 may be collectively referred to herein as "private parts" or "intimate parts" of an intimate region 27 of female human user 10. Although FIGS. 1-3B are shown and described with respect to a female human user 10, it is to be understood that

undergarment 100 may additionally or alternatively be worn and used by a male human user, where intimate region 27 of a male human user may instead include a penis, a scrotum, and an anus. The user that may wear undergarment 100 may not only be of any gender identity but may also be of any age.

[0028] With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, undergarment 100 may generally be worn by user 10 about pelvic region 12 in the same manner as any suitable article of clothing that may be worn directly next to the skin of its user's pelvic region, such as briefs, hipsters, bikini bottoms, booty shorts, tangas, thongs, G-strings, boxers, bikini bottoms, any other type of swimwear bottoms, diapers, shorts, pants, and the like. For example, as shown,

undergarment 100 may include a waist band 102 W, a left leg band 102L, and a right leg band 102R, which may define the outer boundaries of a covering 104. Bands 102 (e.g., waist band 102W, left leg band 102L, and right leg band 102R) may be configured in any suitable way such that undergarment 100 may properly maintain itself in the first stage of use of FIGS. 1-3. For example, waist band 102W may be configured to maintain a first cross-sectional shape that may be comfortably held against the waistline of user 10 in the first stage of use. As just one example, waist band 102W may be formed of any suitable elastic material, such as rubber or latex, that may have sufficient flexibility to be easily deformed (e.g., into a second or third stage of use, as respectively shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B), but that also may be stiff and/or resilient enough to have a spring bias for maintaining appropriately tight contact with the waistline of user 10 in the first stage of use of FIGS. 1-3. As another example, (e.g., as shown by undergarment 300 of FIGS. 9 and 9A), waist band 102W may be formed from two or more string elements that may be tied together to maintain a first cross-sectional shape that may be comfortably held against the waistline of u ser 10 in the first stage of use, but that may be untied or loosened such that undergarment 100 may be adjusted into a second or third stage of use. Covering 104 may be made of any suitable material or combination of materials that may be worn against the skin of user 10 for covering at least a portion of intimate region 27 of user 10 in the first stage of use of undergarment 100 of FIGS. 1-3. In some embodiments, undergannent 100 may not be configured such that left leg band 102L and right leg band 102R are worn about the thighs of user 10 and are distinct from waist band 102W (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 1-3B). Instead, in some embodiments, undergarment 100 may be configured such that waist band 102W may be coupled to or seamlessly flow into one or both of left leg band 102L and right leg band 102R (e.g., such that the covering does not extend from every portion of the waist band, as shown by undergarment 200 of FIG. 8 and/or undergarment 300 of FIG. 9), and/or such that two or more distinct covering regions 104 may be defined by different portions of waist band 102W, left leg band 102L, and right leg band I02R (e.g., such that two distinct covering regions may be separated by a length of a combination of the left leg band and the right leg band, as as shown by undergarment 200 of FIG. 8).

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, for example, undergarment 100 in the first stage of use may extend in a first dimension from a front portion of the waist of user 10 at a user point U0 (e.g., a point along the user's anatomy just below navel 13 or any other suitable position in line with navel 13 (e.g., in a vertical line extending through navel 13 when user 10 is standing) depending on the waistline of undergarment 100), down underneath and along the groin of user 10, and up to a back portion of the waist of user 10 at a user point U10. The waistline of undergarment 100 may be of any suitable style with respect to navel 13 (e.g., at user point U0), such as above, below, or aligned with navel 13). More particularly, as shown, undergarment 100 may include an inner surface 1061 and an outer surface 106O. Inner surface 1061 may be defined by inner surface portions of waist band 102 W, left leg band 102L, right leg band 102R, and covering 104 that may face pelvic region 12 of user 10 in the first stage of use of undergarment 100 of FIGS. 1-3, while outer surface I06O may be defined by outer surface portions of waist band 102W, left leg band 102L, right leg band 102R, and covering 104 that may face away from pelvic region 12 of user 10 in the first stage of use of undergarment 100 of FIGS. 1-3. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, inner surface 1061 may include a first inner surface portion that may be defined by waist band 102W between inner points 10 and II of undergarment 100, a second inner surface portion that may be defined by covering 104 between inner points II and 19, and a third inner surface portion that may be defined by waist band I02W between inner points 19 and 110 of undergarment 100. Inner point 10 at the top of waist band I02W may rest against user point U0 of user 10, inner point II at the bottom of waist band 102W may rest against a user point UI of user 10 that may be just below user point U0, inner point II 0 at the top of waist band 102W may rest against user point U10 of user 10, and inner point 19 at the bottom of waist band 102W may rest against a user point U9 of user 10 that may be just below user point U10. In between user points Ul and U9 may exist a user point U2 that may reside just above urethra 16 and a user point U3 that may reside just beyond anus 24, while inner surface 1061 may also include an inner point 12 that may be adjacent user point U2 and an inner point 13 that may be adjacent user point U3 when undergarment 100 is in the first stage of use on user 10. Similarly, outer surface 106O may include a first outer surface portion that may be defined by waist band I02W between outer points OO and 01 of undergarment 100, a second outer surface portion that may be defined by covering 104 between outer points 01 and 09, and a third outer surface portion that may be defined by waist band 102W between outer points 09 and O10 of undergarment 100, as well as additional outer points 02 and 03 that may be positioned along outer surface 106O at positions aligned with respective inner points 12 and 13 along inner surface 1061. Moreover, as described below in more detail, undergarment 100 may include at least one reflective element along any portion or the entirety of inner surface 1061 and'Or outer surface 106O. For example, as shown in

FIGS. 1-3B, undergarment 100 may include at least a first inner reflective element 1081 along at least a portion of inner surface 1061 between inner point 10 and inner point 110 and'Or at least a first outer reflective element 108O along at least a portion of outer surface 106O between outer point OO and outer point O10. Each reflective element may be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate ("PET", "PETE", and'Or "PETG", which may be provided as a thin mirror sheet), acrylic mirrors, polycarbonate, metalized biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate ("BoPET") or Mylar™, polystyrene mirror sheets, chrome vinyl, soft reflective materials that may be integrated into other materials used to manufacture an undergarment (e.g., retroglo yarns (e.g., reflective material laminated to a polyester) that may be combined with phenolic resin and/or embedded with reflective silver powder), and the like. The material or materials of each reflective element may be resistant to heat, fogging, friction, and/or movement such that the reflective element may be held against the skin of the pelvic region of the user without causing discomfort to the user and without degrading the reflectivity of the reflective element.

[0030] Undergarment 100 may be manipulated (e.g., by user 100) from its first stage of use of FIGS. 1-3 (e.g., a stage where undergarment 100 may be fully worn in its typical position by user 100 such that user 100 may go about their daily routine) to an alternative stage of use of FIG. 3A and/or FIG. 3B (e.g., a stage where a reflective element of undergarment 100 may be positioned to enable user 10 to see a reflection of at least a portion of him or herself, such as at least a portion of intimate region 27). For example, undergarment 100 may be manipulated from its first stage of use of FIGS. 1-3 to a second stage of use of FIG. 3A such that at least a portion of inner reflective element 1081, which may be exposed on a portion of inner surface 1061 of undergarment 100, may enable user 10 to see a reflection of at least a portion of pelvic region 12 (e.g., at least a portion of intimate region 27). As shown in FIG. 3 A, for example, undergarment 100 may be manipulated from its first stage of use to its second stage of use by pulling a portion of undergarment 100 away from pelvic region 12 of user 10, such as by pulling outer point O0 of undergarment 100 away from point U0 of user 10 in the direction of arrow P of FIG. 3A. This action may reconfigure

undergarment 100 wdth respect to user 10 such that inner reflective element 1081 of undergarment 100 may enable a reflection of intimate region 27 to be received off of inner reflective element 1081 by an eye of user 10 (not shown), such as along path 109A of the reflected lines of sight of FIG. 3A. The flexibility of waist band 102W and/or of any other portion of undergarment 100 may facilitate such reconfiguration of undergarment 100 from its first stage of use to its second stage of use. As shown in FIG. 3A, at least a portion of undergarment 100 may remain in the same or similar position with respect to user 10 in its second stage of use as in its first stage of use (e.g., inner point 110 of inner surface 1061 may remain adjacent to point U10 of user 10 in both the first and second stages).

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, undergarment 100 may be manipulated from its first stage of use of FIGS. 1-3 to a third stage of use of FIG. 3B (e.g., via the second stage of use of FIG. 3A) such that at least a portion of outer reflective element 108O, which may be exposed on a portion of outer surface 106O of undergarment 100, may enable user 10 to see a reflection of at least a portion of pelvic region 12 (e.g. , at least a portion of intimate region 27). As shown in FIG. 3B, for example, imdergannent 100 may be manipulated from its first stage of use to its third stage of use by pulling a portion of undergarment 100 away from pelvic region 12 of user 10, such as by pulling outer point O0 of undergarment 100 away from point U0 of user 10 in the direction of arrow P of FIG. 3 A, and then folding a portion of undergarment 100 over onto itself, such as by pulling inner point 10 towards inner point 13 in the direction of arrow F of FIG. 3B such that undergarment 100 may fold at an intermediate point (e.g., at points 12/02). This action may reconfigure undergarment 100 with respect to user 10 such that outer reflective element I08O of undergarment 100 may enable a reflection of intimate region 27 to be received off of outer reflective element 108O by an eye of user 10 (not shown), such as along path 109B of the reflected lines of sight of FIG. 3B. The flexibility of waist band 102W and/or of any other portion of

undergarment 100 may facilitate such reconfiguration of undergarment 100 from its first stage of use to its third stage of use. As shown in FIG. 3B, at least a portion of

undergarment 100 may remain in the same or similar position with respect to user 10 in its third stage of use as in its first stage of use (e.g., inner point 110 of inner surface 1061 may remain adjacent to point U10 of user 10 in both the first and third stages). [0032] As mentioned, undergarment 100 may include at least one reflective element along any portion or the entirety of inner surface 1061 and/or outer surface 106O. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1-3B, undergarment 100 may include at least a first inner reflective element 1081 along at least a portion of inner surface 1061 between inner point 10 and inner point 110 and/or at least a first outer reflective element 108O along at least a portion of outer surface 106O between outer point O0 and outer point O10. Such reflective elements may be coupled to undergarment 100 or otherwise provided by undergarment 100 in any suitable manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, inner reflective element 1081 may be fixed to at least a portion of inner surface 1061 between inner point 10 and inner point 110 by an adhesive 107a (e.g., a high integrity glue or any other suitable adhesive) and/or by a stitched or sewn material 107s that may be threaded through inner reflective element 1081 and through at least a portion of undergarment 100 (e.g., through inner surface 1061).

Additionally or alternatively, as also shown in FIG. 4, outer reflective element 108O may be fixed to at least a portion of outer surface 106O between outer point O0 and outer point O IO by an adhesive 107a (e.g., a high integrity glue or any other suitable adhesive) and/or by a stitched or sewn material 107s that may be threaded through outer reflective element 108O and through at least a portion of undergarment 100 (e.g., through outer surface 106O).

[0033] As another example, as shown in FIG. 5, inner reflective element 1081 may be integrated into undergarment 100 for providing a portion of inner surface 1061 and/or outer reflective element 108O may be integrated into undergarment 100 for providing a portion of outer surface 106O (e.g., a safe reflective material, such as chrome mirror reflective vinyl) may form at least a portion or all of undergarment 100 or all of covering 104. Therefore, a reflective element may be made from the same material as an entire portion of

undergarment 100 (e.g., the inner surface of covering 104), or from the same material as the entirety of a surface of undergarment 100. In some embodiments, a reflective element may replace and exist instead of another material portion of an undergarment (e.g., a portion of a waist band or a covering). For example, a portion of a covering extending between points II and 12 as well as between points 01 and 02 may be completely provided by chrome vinyl or another reflective material, whereas other portions of the covering may be provided by a customary undergarment material (e.g., cotton). In other embodiments, a reflective element may be provided by integrating reflective material into other customary undergarment materials during the manufacturing process of an undergarment (e.g., retroglo yarns (e.g., reflective material laminated to a polyester) that may be combined with phenolic resin and/or embedded with reflective silver powder), and the like. [0034] As another example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, a pouch 107p may be coupled to at least a portion of inner surface 1061 between inner point 10 and inner point 110 of undergarment 100 (e.g., via any suitable mechanism, such as sewn string, adhesive, etc.) such that inner reflective element 1081 may be inserted into and removed from pouch 107p by user 10 (e.g., such that reflective element 1081 may be washed separately from the remainder of undergarment 100 and/or such that undergarment 100 may be optionally used without reflective element 1081 coupled thereto). Additionally or alternatively, as also shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, a pouch 107p may similarly be coupled to at least a portion of outer surface 106O between outer point O0 and outer point 010 of undergarment 100 such that outer reflective element 108O may be inserted into and removed from pouch 107p by user 10. As also shown in FIG. 6, for example, a cover, such as cover 107c, may be provided between an external surface of reflective element 1081 and/or reflective element 108O and a portion of user 10 when undergarment is in the second or third stages of use, which may serve as a protective barrier between a reflective element and user 10. For example, cover 107c may be provided as an external surface of pouch 107p.

[0035] As yet another example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 7A, a hinge 107h may be provided for coupling inner reflective element 1081 to undergarment 100 (e.g., at point O0) such that inner reflective element 1081 may actually be positioned adjacent to outer surface 106O in the first or third stages of use of undergarment 100 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7) and then flipped over in the direction of arrow H to be positioned adjacent to inner surface 1061 in the second stage of use of undergarment 100 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7 A). Therefore, when user 10 is wearing undergarment 100 in its first stage of use (e.g., of FIGS. 1-3 and 7), hinge 107h may rest reflective element 1061 against outer surface 106O between outer point O0 and outer point O10 away from pelvic region 12 of user 10, but when user 10 reconfigures

undergarment 100 to its second stage of use (e.g., of FIGS. 3A and 7 A), hinge 107h may rest reflective element 1061 against inner surface 1061 between inner point 10 and inner point 110.

[0036] FIGS. 8- 10 show front elevationai views of various illustrative undergarments that may be used similarly to undergarment 100 of one or more of FIGS. 1-3B, with reflective elements provided by undergarment 100 in any suitable manner, such as those described above with respect to one or more of FIGS. 4-7A. For example, FIG. 8 is a front elevationai view of a thong-type undergarment 200 outside-out and FIG. 8 A is a front elevationai view of undergarment 200 inside-out. As shown, undergarment 200 may include a waist band 202W, a left leg band 202L, a right leg band 202R, and two distinct coverings (e.g., a front covering 204F and a back covering 204B, which may be joined by waist band 202W at their tops and a G-string portion of leg bands 202L R at their bottoms). A triangular inner reflective element 2081 may be coupled to inner surface 2061 (e.g., between points II and 12) of front covering 204F by a stitched or sewn material 207s that may be threaded through inner reflective element 2081 and through at least a portion of undergarment 100

(e.g., through inner surface 2061, and also through outer surface 2081 as shown in FIG. 8). As also shown, a protective padding 205 may be provided along a portion of inner surface 2061 of front covering 204F (e.g., between points 12 and 13), which may provide an extra barrier of protection for intimate region 27 of user 10 when undergarment 200 is worn by user 10 in the first stage of use.

[0037] As another example, FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a swimsuit-type undergarment 300 outside-out and FIG. 9A is a front elevational view of undergarment 300 inside-out. As shown, undergarment 300 may include a waist band, a left leg band 302L, a right leg band 302R, and a covering 304, where the waist band may include two distinct waist band portions, such as front waist band portion 302 WF and back waist band portion 302WB, which may be releasably coupled to one another (e.g., by tying them together with knots 302WK). A triangular outer reflective element 308O may be coupled to outer surface 306O by a pouch 307p, while an inner reflective element 3081 may be integrated with at least a portion of internal surface 3061 of covering 304 (e.g., the entire portion of covering 304 between points II and 12). Therefore, in some embodiments, a reflective element may cover or otherwise lie adjacent to a significant portion of a surface of an undergarment covering (e.g., inner reflective element 3081 may be integrated into or otherwise cover a percentage of covering 304, such as in the range between 5% and 90%, or in the range between 15% and 80%, or in the range between 25% and 70%, or in the range between 40% and 55%, or about 50%). In other embodiments, a reflective element may cover or otherwise lie adjacent to an entire portion of a surface of an undergarment covering (e.g., an inner reflective element may be integrated into or otherwise cover the entirety of a covering or the entirety of a front portion of a covering (e.g., between points II and 13). The reflective element may be large enough to reflect a large enough portion of intimate region 27 that may be perceptible to the average human eye from a distance that may be at least equal to the length between a user's eyeball and intimate region 27 when the user is standing or sitting. Each reflective element may be of any suitable size (e.g., any suitable width, length, thickness, etc.), any suitable shape (e.g., triangular, heart-shaped, or any other decorative shape), any suitable color, any suitable material, and the like. [0038] As yet another example, FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a swimsuit-type undergarment 400 outside-out. As shown, undergarment 400 may include a waist band, a left leg band 402L, a right leg band 402R, and a covering 404, where the waist band may include two distinct waist band portions, such as front waist band portion 402 WF and back waist band portion 402 WB, which may be releasably coupled to one another (e.g., by tying them together with knots 402 WK). A hinge 407h may be provided for coupling an inner reflective element 4081 to undergarment 400 such that inner reflective element 4081 may actually be positioned adjacent to outer surface 406O in the first or third stages of use of

undergarment 400 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 10) and then flipped over to be positioned adjacent to inner surface 4061 in the second stage of use of undergarment 400 (e.g., as described above with respect to undergarment 100 of FIG. 7 A).

[0039] While there have been described undergarments with reflective elements, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein in any way. Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.

[0040] Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration rather than of limitation.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An undergarment to be worn by a user, the undergarment comprising: a waist band;

a covering coupled to the waist band; and

a reflective element coupled to the covering, wherein:

an inner surface of the waist band is configured to contact the waist of the user in a first stage of the undergarment being worn by the user;

an inner surface of the covering is configured to cover the intimate region of the user in the first stage of the undergarment being worn by the user;

a portion of the inner surface of the waist band is configured to be removed from contacting the waist of the user in a second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user; and

the reflective element is configured to enable the user to see a reflection of at least a portion of the intimate region of the user in the second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user.

2. The undergarment of claim 1 , wherein another portion of the inner surface of the waist band is c onfigured to remain in contact with the waist of the user in the second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user.

3. The undergarment of claim 2, wherein the other portion of the inner surface of the waist band is configured to remain in contact with a portion of the backside of the waist of the user in the second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user.

4. The undergarment of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the inner surface of the waist band is configured to be removed from contacting a portion of the waist of the user in line with the navel of the user in the second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user.

5. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the reflective element is coupled to the inner surface of the covering.

6. The undergarment of claim 5, wherein the reflective element is configured to face the pelvic region of the user in the first stage of the undergarment being worn by the user.

7. The undergarment of claim 6, wherein the reflective element is configured to face and extend adjacent to a portion of the pelvic region that extends from just below the waistline of the user to just above the urethra of the user.

8. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the reflective element is coupled to an outer surface of the covering.

9. The undergarment of claim 8, wherein the reflective element is configured to face away from the pelvic region of the user in the first stage of the undergarment being worn by the user.

10. The undergarment of claim 8, wherein:

the portion of the inner surface of the waist band is configured to be removed from contacting the waist of the user in the second stage of the undergarment being worn by the user; and

the portion of the inner surface of the waist band is configured to be folded over onto a portion of the inner surface of the covering.

11. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the reflective element covers at least 15% of the inner surface of the covering.

12. The undergarment of claim 1 1 , wherein the reflective element covers at least 50% of the inner surface of the covering.

13. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the reflective element is integrated into the covering.

14. The undergarment of claim 1 , wherein:

the covering comprises a pouch; and

the reflective element is removably coupled to the pouch.

15. The undergarment of claim 1 , wherein the reflective element is coupled to the covering by sewn thread.

16. The undergarment of claim 1 , wherein the reflective element is coupled to the covering by an adhesive.

17. An undergarment comprising:

a waist band;

a covering coupled to the waist band; and

a reflective element coupled to the covering, wherein the reflective element enables a user to see a reflection of at least a portion of the user's intimate region when the undergarment is worn by the user.

18. The undergarment of claim 17, wherein the reflective element is permanently fixed to a surface of the covering.

19. The undergarment of claim 17, wherein the reflective element is integrated with a portion of the covering.

20. A method for using an undergarment being worn by a user, wherein the undergarment comprises a waist band, a covering coupled to the waist band, and a reflective element coupled to the covering, the method comprising:

distancing a portion of the waist band away from the waist of the user; and

reflecting an image of the genitalia of the user to an eye of the user with the reflective element.