Wrap belt

Abstract

A novel form of belt where the two ends of the belt can be attached directly to the wearer's clothing instead of the belt forming a closed loop on itself like conventional belts. Two fastening means such as commercially available vest-clips are attached to the two extremities of a belting material. A buckle or other adjusting means may be provided for varying the length of the wrap belt. In use, the wearer first attaches one end of the belt to her article of clothing; she then wraps the belt around her torso one or more times; finally, she fastens other end of the belt to her clothing by means of the fastening means attached to the other end of the belt.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to fashion accessories, specifically to a novel wrap belt.

DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART

[0002] Many varieties of belts are available on the market to secure articles of clothing more firmly on the wearer's body. These belts can range from very simple to highly decorative styles. For instance, a belt could simply be a long length of fabric that can be tied around the waist as in the case of bath robe ties. Or the belt could be a highly decorative and rare leather furnished with an elaborate buckle. There are also high fashion belts that are designed to encircle the waist of the user multiple times before they are closed. But all these belts require the belt to close upon itself. Essentially, the belt forms a closed loop. These belts therefore have disadvantages that the current invention purports to address. For instance, when a closed-loop belt is used on a dress that does not have belt loops, the dress and the belt behave independently. So the dress can move around independently of the belt and can get uncomfortably and unattractively bunched. Or the belt could move up and down along the dress and not remain in the original vertical or horizontal position as initially worn by the user. In the case of conventional belts worn on trousers or jeans, since the belt completely encircles the waist, it has to be unbuckled each time the wearer uses the rest room. Additionally, a closed loop belt is restricted in use at the waist; it cannot, for instance be used to hold a shoulder wrap (or a pashmina) in place. It also cannot securely hold a sarong in place. “Vest Scrunchers” have existed in the market for several years. They are worn on loose clothing along the waist and usually on the back of the article of clothing. Their purpose is to help tighten the loose article of clothing on the waist of the wearer. They consist of a piece of fabric (usually elastic; about 6.0 inches long and about 1.0 inch wide) with a clip at each of the two ends. These two clips can be used to grab the article of clothing in a way that the article of clothing is made to better conform to the body of the wearer. While the “vest scruncher” does not require a closed loop, it serves a different purpose from a belt and is, therefore, different from the wrap belt of this invention. Also, the vest scruncher is too short to be considered a belt. Additionally, it is not adjustable beyond the elasticity afforded by the fabric. Moreover, it is not intended to be used on trousers or skirts.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0003] Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to present a novel form of belt where the two ends of the belt can be attached to the wearer's articles of clothing instead of forming a closed loop. This presents several advantages. Firstly, since the belt is attached directly to clothing, the clothing does not move substantially with respect to the belt. This reduces any bunching of the excess fabric of clothing on which the belt is worn. For instance, if a wearer wears a closed-loop belt on a loose dress, the dress may move horizontally or vertically with respect to the belt resulting in a look very different from the one the wearer intended. Instead, if the wearer wears the belt of the present invention, the dress will not move substantially with respect to the belt since the belt is attached to the dress. This will help maintain the look that the wearer had started out with. Secondly, when worn on a clothing that has belt loops, the two ends of the belt can attach to the loops. For instance, the vest-clip at the one end of the belt can be made to grab the belt-loop to the left of the zipper; the second vest-clip can then be made to grab the belt-loop on the right of the zipper while the remaining belt encircles the waist of the wearer away from the zipper. This would avoid the bulk that most belts cause right on the stomach as a result of their bulky buckle. But, more importantly, the wearer will not need to unbuckle and re-buckle the belt, for instance during use of the rest room, since the closure of the trouser is not constrained by the belt. The two vest-clips can also be used to securely hold onto a sarong that is worn wrapped around the waist or chest or in any other way. It can also be used to securely position a shawl or shoulder wrap.

[0004] Aside from the many practical examples mentioned above, the wrap belt of this invention introduces a highly decorative as well as practical fashion accessory to a market that is highly receptive to novel items of wear.

DRAWING FIGURES

[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the wrap belt;

[0006] FIG. 2 is a detailed top view of a vest-clip;

[0007] FIG. 3 is the side view of a vest-clip in a closed position;

[0008] FIG. 4 is the side view of a vest-clip in an open position;

[0009] FIG. 5 is the top view of an ordinary safety pin;

[0010] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate two ways how the wrap belt can be worn on a dress;

[0011] FIG. 8 shows how a wrap belt can be worn on a trouser;

[0012] FIG. 9 shows how a wrap belt can be used to hold a shawl in place on the shoulders;

[0013] FIG. 10 shows a wrap belt with more than two vest-clips.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

[0014] 20 Length of belt material

[0015] 22a and 22b Vest-clips used to grab clothing

[0016] 26 Buckle used to vary length of belt

[0017] 28 Wrap belt

[0018] 30a and 30b Portions of belt material nearest the vest-clips

[0019] 34 Anchor for attaching belt material to vest-clip

[0020] 36 Hinge on vest-clip

[0021] 38 Jaw cover of vest-clip used to open and close the jaws

[0022] 42 Upper jaw of vest-clip

[0023] 44 Lower jaw of vest-clip

[0024] 46 Safety pin

[0025] 47 Fold on garment of wearer

[0026] 48 Torso of wearer

[0027] 49 Loose garment on torso of wearer

[0028] 50 Pair of trousers

[0029] 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d Belt-loops on front of a pair of trousers

[0030] 54 Closure on a pair of trousers

[0031] 56 Wrap shawl

[0032] 58 Neck of wearer

[0033] 60 Shoulder of wearer

[0034] 62 Extra vest-clip on wrap belt

SUMMARY

[0035] The present invention provides a wrap belt that attaches itself directly to the wearer's clothing. The two ends of the belt are provided by means such as vest-clips or safety pins or a claw pin or other equivalent means that will allow the belt to attach securely to the wearer's clothes. The belt may be made of variable length by including one or more buckles like those provided on the straps of carry-on luggage to adjust the strap-length. Instead of a buckle other means for adjustment, like Velcro™ for instance, may be used.

[0036] In use, the two ends of the belt grab on to two portions of the wearer's clothing. In alternative embodiments, the belt may attach to the wearer's clothing at more than two places.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Various aspects of the present invention will evolve from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment thereof which should be taken in conjunction with the prior described drawings.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of wrap belt 28 of this invention. It consists of a length of belt material 20 such as fabric, leather, etc. with two vest-clips 22a and 22b at its two extremities 30a and 30b. A buckle 26 may be used to allow the length of the belt 28 to be adjusted. If buckle 26 is used, then the extremity 30a is movably attached to vest-clip 22a while extremity 30b is immovably attached to vest-clip 22b. This is done in the same manner that adjustable luggage straps are attached to a piece of luggage . A second buckle may be used to further adjust the length of belt 28. In that case, end 30b may also be movably attached to clip 22b.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows the top view of a commercially available vest-clip 22a. The end 30a of belt material 20 is looped around the anchor 34 of clip 22a. Anchor 34 has a hinge 36 that allows jaw cover 38 to rotate open and shut about the hinge.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a side view of vest-clip 22a with its jaws closed. Upper jaw 42 of clip 22a may or may not carry several teeth or grooves to improve holding. Likewise, lower jaw 44 may or may not carry improved means for holding onto clothing material.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a side view of the vest-clip 22a with its jaws open. When jaw cover 38 is rotated upward about hinge 36, upper jaw 42 lifts off away from lower jaw 44. While in this position, a fold of fabric may be placed between the jaws. Jaw cover 38 can then be rotated about hinge 36 until upper jaw 42 snaps shut on lower jaw 44.

[0042] FIG. 5 shows an ordinary, commercially available safety-pin 46 that can be used in place of the vest-clips described above. In that case, two safety pins would replace vest-clips 22a and 22b shown in FIG. 1.

[0043] FIGS. 6 and 7 show two examples of the use of wrap belt 28. Torso 48 of a wearer is draped in loose garment 49. Vest-clip 22a is first attached to the garment. Wrap belt 28 is then circled around the torso until it cannot be wrapped further. At that point, vest-clip 22b is attached to the garment. In FIG. 6, the wrap belt encircles the torso only partially. In FIG. 7, the wrap belt encircles the torso more than once. A slight pleat or fold 47 may be formed to help the clip grab the garment of the wearer. Buckle 26 of FIG. 1 may be used to adjust the length of the wrap-belt depending on the look desired.

[0044] FIG. 8 shows a pair of trousers 50. The trousers have several belt loops 52a, 52b, 52c and 52d visible along the waistband. Vest-clips 22a and 22b are attached to loops 52a and 52b, respectively. This allows closure 54 on trousers to be opened or closed without having to unfasten belt 28.

[0045] FIG. 9 shows the use of a wrap belt to secure a shoulder wrap or shawl 56. Wrap 56 is draped around shoulders 60 of the wearer. The wrap belt is then adjusted to the right length and placed around neck 58 of the wearer. Vest-clip 22a is attached to one end of wrap 56 while vest-clip 22b is attached to the other end of wrap 56. This secures the shoulder wrap comfortably and prevents it from requiring constant readjustment.

[0046] FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the wrap belt where an extra vest-clip 62 may be placed on the length of wrap belt 28 to provide further points of attachment to an article of clothing. In fact several vest-clips similar to vest-clip 62 may be attached along the length of the wrap belt. One example use of such an embodiment would be in converting a length of material into a sarong skirt.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] In using the wrap belt:

[0048] 1. The wearer adjusts the wrap belt to the correct length for her waist using buckle 26 of FIG. 1. This manner of adjusting the length is similar to that used in many luggage straps. This step may also be performed later. In fact the length of the belt may be adjusted at any time.

[0049] 2. The user decides the point of placement of the first vest-clip.

[0050] 3. She then pinches a small amount of fabric at that position and places it between the open jaws of the vest clip.

[0051] 4. In order to firmly hold the fabric in the clip, she then closes the jaws of the vest-clip by pressing on jaw cover 38 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The jaws remain shut unless force is applied on jaw cover 38 to separate upper jaw 42 from lower jaw 44.

[0052] 5. The wearer then wraps the belt around her waist one or more times depending on the length of the wrap belt. She then pinches a piece of fabric near the free end of the belt and fastens the vest-clip on the pinched fabric in a manner similar to that described in steps 3 and 4 above.

[0053] In the steps described above, the vest-clip could be replaced by any other fastening means such as a safety pin, a claw pin, or any other commonly available means. For example a hook may be used on a knit or other open-weave article of clothing. Likewise, a crocodile clip resembling laundry pegs may be used. Decorative brooch-like pins may be used in place of the vest-clips described above. Alternatively a spring-loaded key-chain holder may be used in place of the vest-clips.

[0054] The use of the wrap belt is not restricted to the waist. As shown in FIG. 9, the wrap belt may be used to hold a shoulder-wrap in place.

[0055] In an alternative embodiment of the wrap belt, several vest-clips may be attached along the length of the belt. This embodiment may be used to convert any piece of material into a sarong skirt or a torso wrap.

[0056] In yet another embodiment, several loops with attached vest-clips may be provided along with the belt. These loops may be slipped onto the belt when needed. Therefore the number of clips on the belt may be increased or decreased depending on the use it is being subjected to.

[0057] While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and its operations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE OF INVENTION

[0058] Thus the reader will see that the wrap belt of the invention provides a versatile, decorative article of wear that can result in several looks while adding convenience. It is a novel form of belt where the two ends of the belt can be attached to the wearer's instead of forming a closed loop like the conventional belts. This presents several advantages. Firstly, since the belt is attached directly to clothing, the clothing does not move substantially with respect to the belt. This reduces any bunching of the excess fabric of clothing on which the belt is worn. For instance, if a wearer wears a closed-loop belt on a loose dress, the dress may, as the day progresses, move horizontally or vertically with respect to the belt resulting in a look very different from the one the wearer intended. Instead, if the wearer wears the belt of the present invention, the dress will not move substantially with respect to the belt since the belt is attached to the clothing. This will maintain the look that the wearer had started out with. Secondly, when worn on clothing that has belt loops, the two ends of the belt can attach to the loops. For instance, the clip at one end can be made to grab the belt-loop to the left of the zipper; then the belt could be made to encircle the waist in a direction away from the zipper; the second clip can then be made to grab the belt-loop on the right of the zipper. This would avoid the bulk that most belts cause right on the stomach as a result of their bulky buckle. Also, the wearer will not need to unbuckle and re-buckle the belt while shopping for trousers or using the rest room, since the closure of the trouser is not restricted by the belt. The two clips can be used to securely hold onto a sarong that is worn wrapped around the waist or chest or in any other way. It can also be used to hold onto a shawl or shoulder wrap. The multi-clip version of the wrap belt can also be used to keep a wearer's sleeve clear of her forearm.

[0059] Aside from the many practical examples mentioned above, the wrap belt of this invention introduces a highly decorative as well as practical fashion accessory to a market that is highly receptive to novel items of wear.

[0060] While my above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an example of preferred embodiment thereof. For example, the belt material of the wrap belt could be made elastic. Or it could be a cord with a circular cross-section or any other cross-section. It could be a single piece of material. Or it could consist of a number of jointed pieces. It could be made of any color or pattern. The buckle used for adjusting the length may be eliminated entirely. Other adjusting means like Velcro™ may be used instead. The belting material could have serrated or wavy edges. Alternatively, it could be made very wide. The belting material may be attached to the fasteners by sewing or gluing or metal studs or other equivalent means. In yet another embodiment, the fasteners and the belting material could all be made from one single piece of material, a flexible plastic for instance.

Claims

1. A belt that attaches itself to a wearer's clothing.

2. The belt of

claim 1 where said belt includes any of the following collection of grabbing means at both ends to attach it to said clothing: vest-clips, clothes-pins, safety-pins, claw-pins, key-rings, and other equivalent means

3. The belt of

claim 2 where said belt includes one or more grabbing means along its length.

4. The belt of

claim 1 where said belt is adjustable to different lengths by any of the following collection of means: a commercially available buckle, pieces of Velcro ™, buttons and other equivalent means.

5. The belt of

claim 1 where said belt is of sufficient length to go at least halfway around the waist of the wearer.

6. The belt of

claim 1 that is made of an elastic material.

7. A method for wearing a belt that includes the following steps:

a. Attaching one end of the belt to a wearer's clothing by means of a grabbing means present at that end.

b. Wrapping the length of said belt around the torso.

c. Attaching other end of said belt to said clothing by means of a grabbing means present at said end.

d. Attaching any intermediate grabbing means present on the belt to said clothing.