Garment wih expandable appendages
A garment having expandable legs or sleeves. Various sized openings are provided in the legs or sleeves and are adjustably closable by a variety of means including elastic bands, lacing, and buttons.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of garments and more specifically pants and shirts or blouses having respectively expandable legs and sleeves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide elastic bands, lacing, and buttons to control the size of pants and shirts thereby achieving a close fitting garment. It is further known to provide various openings in pants and shirts to allow air to circulate within the garment and also allow the person's legs or arms to be seen through the openings.
Garments must be attractively designed while providing a reasonably tailored fit. I have combined the prior fastening methods with various techniques of openings provided in pant legs and shirt sleeves while providing an attractive appearance. Disclosed herein are various combinations to accomplish such a tailored fit and attractive appearance.
My garment is designed to automatically adjust to the size of the arm or leg extending through the sleeve or pant leg. For example, even though an arm may be thin or thick the sleeve incorporating my invention will conformingly fit while allowing for an attractive opening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne embodiment of the present invention is a garment that expands to snugly receive the limbs of a human. A pair of tubular shaped appendages are attached to the main body of the garment. The appendages include longitudinal axes and first openings extending along the axes. The openings have widths to allow the limbs within the appendages to be seen. A plurality of elastic members with opposite ends are attached to the appendages and span the openings. The elastic members are normally biased to reduce the widths of the openings but yieldable under pressure of the limbs to allow the widths to increase while fittingly holding the appendages around the limbs.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a garment that expands to snugly receive the limbs of a human. A pair of tubular shaped appendages are attached to the main body of the garment. The appendages include longitudinal axes and first and second openings extending along the axes. The openings have widths to allow the limbs within the appendages to be seen. Strings are laced through the appendages adjacent the first openings to control the widths of the openings to fittingly hold the appendages around the limbs. Fasteners are mounted to the appendages adjacent the second openings to control the size of the second openings to fittingly hold the appendages around the limbs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a form-fitting garment that has attractively designed openings extending along the length of the garment leg or sleeve.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a garment having a leg or sleeve with a longitudinally extending opening closable by elastic strips.
In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a garment with a leg or sleeve having a longitudinally extending slit closable by lacing.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a garment having legs or sleeves with longitudinally extending openings closable by fastening devices, such as buttons.
Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
Referring now more particularly to
The preferred embodiment of the invention shown in
A first alternate embodiment is depicted for the pants legs and sleeves in
Shirt 101 may include the first alternate embodiment as depicted for sleeve 120 that has a slit 121 identical to slit 33 extending along the longitudinal axis 122 of the sleeve. Slit 121 includes a plurality of rounded apertures 123 identical to the rounded apertures for the pants leg of
Second and third alternate embodiments of the pants leg are depicted respectively in
The bottom portion of each pants 50 and 70 includes an additional opening that may be opened or closed depending upon whether buttons on the pants leg are extended through adjacent buttonholes. In the embodiment of
In the third alternate embodiment, the bottom portion of pants leg 71 (
While the various openings and means for closing the openings depicted in the embodiments of
A fourth embodiment of the invention includes a pants leg or sleeve having all three of the previously described openings and means for closing the openings. For example, sleeve 160 attached to shirt 101 includes three openings 161, 162, and 163 extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis 164 that extends centrally through the sleeve. Lacing 165, elastic bands 166 and buttons 167 along with associated buttonholes are provided to close and open respectively openings 161, 162, and 163 in a manner identical to that described for opening 53, 33, 54, or 74. Further, opening 162 may be designed along a serpentine path such as opening 23. In other words, sleeve 160 may be fitted with any or all of the openings and means for closing the openings described for any of the embodiments disclosed herein.
Many variations are contemplated and included in the present invention. For example, elastic bands 26-28 and 40-43 are shown as elastic strips; however, the strips may take the form of elastic net that may extend the entire length of the slit such as depicted in
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.
Claims
1. A garment that expands to snugly receive the limbs of a human comprising:
- a main body to be worn by a human; and,
- a pair of tubular shaped appendages attached to said main body to wrap around and snugly receive the limbs of a human, said appendages each including longitudinal axes and first openings extending along said axes, said openings having widths to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen; and,
- a plurality of elastic members with opposite ends attached to said appendages and spanning said openings, said elastic members normally biased to reduce said widths of said openings but yieldable under pressure of said limbs to allow said widths to increase while fittingly holding said appendages around said limbs.
2. The garment of claim 1 wherein:
- said openings includes a plurality of enlarged rounded apertures and a plurality of narrow slits inter-spaced between said apertures, said elastic members are located on said appendages spanning said narrow slits.
3. The garment of claim 1 wherein:
- said appendages include a plurality of second openings extending along said axes to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen through said second openings; and further comprising:
- a plurality of strings laced through said appendages adjacent said second openings to control the size of said second openings to fittingly receive said appendages around said limbs.
4. The garment of claim 1 wherein:
- said appendages include a plurality of additional openings extending along said axes to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen through said additional openings; and further comprising:
- a plurality of fasteners mounted to said appendages adjacent said additional openings to control the size of said additional openings to fittingly receive said appendages around said limbs.
5. The garment of claim 4 and further comprising:
- a plurality of flanges on said appendages at said additional openings with said flanges having male fastening elements and female fastening elements thereon to releaseably lock together to control the size of said additional openings.
6. The garment of claim 5 wherein:
- said flanges extend outwardly from said appendages with mutually facing surfaces, said female fastening elements are buttonholes and said male fastening elements are buttons mounted to one of said facing surfaces.
7. The garment of claim 5 wherein:
- said flanges are positioned flush with said appendages, said female fastening elements are buttonholes and said male fastening elements are buttons with said flanges overlapping when said buttons are positioned within said button holes concealing said additional openings and being disengaged from said buttonholes allowing said limbs to be seen through said additional openings.
8. The garment of claim 1 wherein:
- said appendages include a plurality of second openings extending along said axes to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen through said second openings; and further comprising:
- a plurality of strings laced through said appendages adjacent said second openings to control the size of said second openings to fittingly receive said appendages around said limbs; and wherein:
- said appendages include a plurality of third openings extending along said axes to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen through said third openings; and further comprising:
- a plurality of fasteners mounted to said appendages adjacent said third openings to control the size of said third openings to fittingly receive said appendages around said limbs.
9. The garment of claim 8 wherein:
- said first openings extend along serpentine paths.
10. The garment of claim 1 wherein:
- said openings extend along serpentine paths.
11. A garment that expands to snugly receive the limbs of a human comprising:
- a main body to be worn by a human;
- a pair of tubular shaped appendages attached to said main body to wrap around and snugly receive the limbs of a human, said appendages each including longitudinal axes and first openings extending along said axes, said openings having widths to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen;
- a plurality of strings laced through said appendages adjacent said openings to control the widths of said openings to fittingly receive said appendages around said limbs,
- said appendages include a plurality of second openings extending along said axes to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen through said second openings; and,
- a plurality of fasteners mounted to said appendages adjacent said second openings to control the size of said second openings to fittingly receive said appendages around said limbs,
12. The garment of claim 11 and further comprising:
- a plurality of flanges on said appendages at said second openings with said flanges having male fastening elements and female fastening elements thereon to releaseably lock together to control the size of said second openings.
13. The garment of claim 12 wherein:
- said flanges extend outwardly from said appendages with mutually facing surfaces, said female fastening elements are buttonholes and said male fastening elements are buttons mounted to one of said facing surfaces.
14. The garment of claim 13 wherein:
- said flanges are positioned flush with said appendages, said female fastening elements are buttonholes and said male fastening elements are buttons with said flanges overlapping when said buttons are positioned within said button holes concealing said second openings and being disengaged from said buttonholes allowing said limbs to be seen through said second openings.
15. A garment that expands to snugly receive the limbs of a human comprising:
- a main body to be worn by a human; and,
- a pair of tubular shaped appendages attached to said main body to wrap around and snugly receive the limbs of a human, said appendages including longitudinal axes and each including first openings and second openings extending along said axes, said first openings and said second openings having widths to allow said limbs within said appendages to be seen;
- a plurality of fasteners mounted to said appendages adjacent said first openings to control the size of said first openings to fittingly receive said appendages around said limbs;
- a plurality of flanges on said appendages at said first openings with said flanges having male fastening elements and female fastening elements thereon to releaseably lock together to control the size of said first openings; and
- elastic means attached to said appendage at each of said second openings to control the width thereof.
16. The garment of claim 15 wherein:
- said flanges extend outwardly from said appendages with mutually facing surfaces, said female fastening elements are buttonholes and said male fastening elements are buttons mounted to one of said facing surfaces.
17. The garment of claim 16 wherein:
- said flanges are positioned flush with said appendages, said female fastening elements are buttonholes and said male fastening elements are buttons with said flanges overlapping when said buttons are positioned within said button holes concealing said first openings and being disengaged from said buttonholes allowing said limbs to be seen through said first openings.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 3, 2004
Publication Date: Aug 4, 2005
Inventor: Antonio Pieroranzio (Sinking Spring, PA)
Application Number: 10/770,909