SPORTING APPAREL

Abstract

Embodiments of sporting apparel, including, shorts, pants, trousers and so forth, are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the sporting apparel may be arranged about the waist of a wearer. In various embodiments, the sporting apparel may include one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro) that may be integrated into textile layers, rather than on top thereof, to reduce bulk. In various embodiments, a flap may be provided to be folded over all or a portion of a closure of sporting apparel, to reduce a likelihood that the closure will come undone, e.g., during combative sports.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/514,474, filed Aug. 2, 2011, entitled “Sporting Apparel,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in the present disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Shorts, pants and other “bottoms” worn while playing sports may be constructed to be durable. However, with durability sometimes comes bulkiness. For example, in martial arts-related sports, shorts worn by fighters may be constructed so that they are adjustable but do not easily come undone. Strips of hook-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro) may be sewn on top of a textile such as fabric in order to allow the fighter to “fasten/unfasten” the shorts near the crotch. However, some fighters complain that the multiple layers of strips of hook-loop fasteners and textile causes the crotch area to be too bulky. Some fighting disciplines require fighters to repeatedly bend at the waist and/or lift thighs, and if the crotch of a pair of shorts (or pants) is too bulky it may rub against the fighter's stomach or other parts of the fighter's body, causing skin irritation, fatigue, and discomfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts an example of sporting apparel, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts layers of the apparel of FIG. 1, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 3-5 depict various stages of assembly of an example closure, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 6-8 depict a strip of hook-loop fasteners in various stages of being integrated into a layer of textile, in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation. Operations described may be performed in a different order than the described embodiment. Various additional operations may be performed and/or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.

Referring now to FIG. 1, sporting apparel 10 may come in various forms, such as a pair of sporting shorts 12. Sporting apparel 10 may be worn while participating in various sporting activities, including but not limited to mixed martial arts, wrestling, boxing, swimming, surfing, basketball, and so forth. In various embodiments, sporting apparel 10 may be particularly well-suited for combative sports because, for reasons which will be described below, one or more portions of sporting apparel 10 may be manufactured in a manner that reduces bulk.

Sporting apparel 10 may include a waistband portion 14. Waistband portion 14 may include various numbers of layers 16 (see, e.g., FIG. 2). Layers 16 may be formed from textiles and/or other materials, such as strips of hook-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro). In various embodiments, waistband portion 14 may include one or more elastic portions (not shown) that enable waistband portion 14 to be stretched to fit a variety of waist sizes (e.g., “one-size-fits-all”).

A textile portion 18 may be attached to waistband portion 14. In various embodiments, textile portion 18 may include one or more legs 20 through which a wearer may insert his or her legs when wearing sporting apparel 10. While legs 20 of sporting apparel 10 in FIG. 1 are relatively short, the length of legs 20 is not of particular importance, and FIG. 1 is not meant to be limiting in this regard. For example, in various embodiments, sporting apparel 10 may have longer legs 20, which may lead to sporting apparel 10 being considered “pants” or “trousers,” rather than shorts. Other intermediate leg lengths, such as may be found in “Capri” pants, are also contemplated herein. In still other examples, disclosed techniques may be used to construct legless apparel, such as skirts, with less bulky waists, e.g., for use during tennis.

As best seen in FIG. 3, waistband portion 14 may include a first end 22 and a second end 24 that together (and, in various embodiments, along with other components) may form a closure 26. Closure 26 may have various components, described below, that may be fastened together using strips of hook-loop fasteners to securely fit sporting apparel 10 about a wearer's waist. Closure 26 may be at various positions along waistband portion 14. In FIGS. 1 and 3-5, for example, closure 26 is positioned near a crotch area of sporting apparel 10, but this is not meant to be limiting, and closure 26 may be at other positions along waistband portion 14.

First end 22 and second end 24 of waistband portion 14 may be removably attached around a waist of a wearer. To this end, waistband portion 14 may include a first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 and a second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30 that is removably attachable to first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28. In various embodiments, multiple discrete strips of hook-loop fasteners may be included to strengthen a bond between first end 22 and second end 24. For instance, in the embodiment shown in the Figures, first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 includes a first piece 32 and a second piece 34. Second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30 likewise includes a first piece 36 and a second piece 38. Strips of hook-loop fasteners may include more or less pieces without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, in addition to or instead of the elastic portion mentioned previously, in various embodiments, sporting apparel 10 may be adjustably fitted about a variety of waist sizes by adjusting a relative position at which first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 is removably attached to second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30.

As noted in the background, attaching strips of hook-loop fasteners such as first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 or second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30 on top of a textile surface (e.g., a surface of waistband portion 14 or textile portion 18) may result in multiple layers. When multiple strips of hook-loop fasteners and underlying textiles are assembled over or near one another, that portion of the apparel may become quite bulky.

Accordingly, in various embodiments, one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners described herein may be wholly or partially integrated into various textile layers of sporting apparel 10. All or part of a strip of hook-loop fasteners may be integrated into a layer in various ways. Examples of this are seen in FIGS. 6-8. In FIG. 6, a portion has been cut-out of a textile layer 16 to form a cut-out portion 60.

A strip of hook-loop fasteners such as first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 may be integrated into layer 16, and more particularly, into cut-out portion 60, in various ways. In FIG. 7, cut-out portion 60 and first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 may be die cut, so that they are similar in size. First strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 may substantially fit within cut-out portion 60. First strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 may include one or more edges that may be attached to one or more inner edges of the cut-out portion of layer 16, e.g., using stitching or adhesives.

In other embodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 8, first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 may be slightly larger than cut-out portion 60. In such cases, an outer perimeter of first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 (e.g., the area of first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 between the dotted lines and cut-out portion 60 of FIG. 8) may be attached, using stitching, adhesives or other similar means, to an area of layer 16 surrounding cut-out portion 60. Although FIGS. 7-8 depict first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28, this is for illustration only, and the same techniques may be used to integrate any strip of hook-loop fasteners described herein with any textile layer described herein.

In various embodiments, strips of hook-loop fasteners may be integrated into other textile layers than waistband portion 14. For instance, and referring back to FIGS. 3-5, textile portion 18 may include a third strip of hook-loop fasteners 40 near first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28, and a fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners 42 near second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30 that may be removably attachable to third strip of hook-loop fasteners 40. In various embodiments, a gore 44 may be positioned in between the third strip of hook-loop fasteners 40 and fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners 42, to extend from a bottom of a “fly” of closure 26 to adjacent waist band portion 14. Gore 44 may protect the wearer's privacy in the event closure 26 becomes unfastened.

In various embodiments, at least part of the third strip of hook-loop fasteners 40 and/or fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners 42 may be integrated into a layer 16 of textile portion 18, in manners similar to those described above. For example, the third or fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners may fit into (see FIG. 7) or overlay (see FIG. 8) a cut-out portion of a layer 16 of textile portion 18.

In various embodiments, and as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3-5, sporting apparel 10 may include a flap 46 attached to an inner surface 48 of waistband portion 14. In various embodiments, flap 46 may be foldable over first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 and second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30 of waistband portion 14 when second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30 is removably attached to first strip of hook-loop fasteners 28, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. In various embodiments, flap 46 may additionally fold over additional fasteners (not shown), such as laces after they are tied together. This may prevent the laces from coming untied.

Similar to waistband portion 14 and textile portion 18, flap 46 may include one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners that may be removably attached to other, suitably positioned strips of hook-loop fasteners to strengthen closure 26. For instance, flap 46 may include a fifth strip of hook-loop fasteners 50 that may be removably attachable to a sixth strip of hook-loop fasteners 52. In various embodiments, fifth strip of hook-loop fasteners 50 may be integrated into a layer 16 of flap 46. In various embodiments, sixth strip of hook-loop fasteners 52 may be integrated into a layer 16 of waistband portion 14 so that its operative surface faces an opposite direction as an operative surface of second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the “buckle” area of sporting apparel of FIG. 1, as defined by the arrows of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 depicts an example of how integrating strips of hook-loop fasteners into textile layers may result in a lower number of total layers (and thus, less bulkiness) than if strips of hook-loop fasteners were merely placed on top of textile layers. In FIG. 2, there are four layers 16 formed from strips of hook-loop fasteners. First strip of hook-loop fasteners 28 is seen near the bottom, fifth strip of hook-loop fasteners 50 is seen near the top, and second and sixth strips of hook-loop fasteners 30, 52 are seen near the middle. In other embodiments, second strip of hook-loop fasteners 30 and sixth strip of hook-loop fasteners 52 may be integrated into a single layer 16 with respective hook or loop fasteners on each side. There are two textile layers 16: one at the top and one at the bottom. Thus, there are a total of six layers. If each strip of hook-loop fasteners were affixed on top of a textile layer, rather than integrated into a textile layer as described herein, then there could be nine or more layers, which would be much more bulky than the arrangement seen in FIG. 2.

The following paragraphs describe various example embodiments. In various embodiments. shorts may include a waistband having a first end that is removably attachable to a second, opposite end using one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners that are integrated into one or more textile layers of the waistband. In various embodiments, the one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners may be inserted into one or more cut-out portions of the one or more textile layers of the waistband.

In various embodiments, the one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners may overlay one or more cut-out portions of the one or more textile layers of the waistband. In various embodiments, the one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners may be attached to the waistband with stitching. In various embodiments, the strips of hook-loop fasteners may be attached to the waistband with adhesive.

In various embodiments, pants may include a waistband having a first end that is removably attachable to a second, opposite end using one or more strips of hook-loop fasteners that are integrated into one or more textile layers of the waistband.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description, a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments described herein be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Where the disclosure recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinal indicators (e.g., first, second or third) for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated.

Claims

1. Sporting apparel comprising a waistband portion to be arranged around a wearer's waist, the waistband portion comprising first and second ends, a first strip of hook-loop fasteners adjacent the first end, and a second strip of hook-loop fasteners, adjacent the second end, that is removably attachable to the first strip of hook-loop fasteners, wherein at least part of the first or second strip of hook-loop fasteners is integrated into a layer of the waistband portion.

2. The sporting apparel of claim 1, wherein the first or second strip of hook-loop fasteners overlays a cut-out portion of the layer of the waistband portion.

3. The sporting apparel of claim 1, wherein the first strip of hook-loop fasteners includes one or more edges attached to one or more inner edges of a cut-out portion of the layer of the waistband portion.

4. The sporting apparel of claim 1, further comprising a textile portion attached to the waistband portion, the textile portion comprising a third strip of hook-loop fasteners adjacent the first strip of hook-loop fasteners and a fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners adjacent the second strip of hook-loop fasteners that is removably attachable to the third strip of hook-loop fasteners.

5. The sporting apparel of claim 4, further comprising a gore in between the third and fourth strips of hook-loop fasteners.

6. The sporting apparel of claim 4, wherein at least part of the third or fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners is integrated into a layer of the textile portion.

7. The sporting apparel of claim 4, wherein the third or fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners overlays a cut-out portion of a layer of the textile portion.

8. The sporting apparel of claim 1, further comprising a flap attached to an inner surface of the waistband portion, the flap being foldable over the first and second strips of hook-loop fasteners of the waistband portion when the second strip of hook-loop fasteners is removably attached to the first strip of hook-loop fasteners.

9. The sporting apparel of claim 8, wherein the flap comprises a third strip of hook-loop fasteners that is removably attachable to a fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners, wherein an operative surface of the fourth strip of hook-loop fasteners faces an opposite direction as an operative surface of the second strip of hook-loop fasteners.

10. The sporting apparel of claim 9, wherein at least part of the third strip of hook-loop fasteners is integrated into a layer of the flap.

11. The sporting apparel of claim 9, wherein the third strip of hook-loop fasteners overlays a cut-out portion of a layer of the flap.

12. The sporting apparel of claim 1, wherein the sporting apparel comprises a pair of shorts.

13. The sporting apparel of claim 1, wherein the sporting apparel comprises a pair of pants.

14. The sporting apparel of claim 1, wherein the sporting apparel comprises a skirt.

15. A method of manufacturing sporting apparel, comprising:

cutting a portion out of a layer of a waistband portion of the sporting apparel to create a cut-out portion; and

replacing the portion with a strip of hook-loop fasteners.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein replacing the portion with a strip of hook-loop fasteners comprises overlaying the strip of hook-loop fasteners over the cut-out portion.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising stitching one or more edges of the strip of hook-loop fasteners to one or more inner edges of the cut-out portion.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the strip of hook-loop fasteners is a first strip of hook-loop fasteners, the method further comprising:

cutting a portion out of a textile portion attached to the waistband portion; and

replacing the portion cut-out from the textile portion with a second strip of hook-loop fasteners.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising overlaying the second strip of hook-loop fasteners over the portion cut-out of the textile portion.

20. Sporting apparel comprising:

a waistband portion to be arranged around a wearer's waist, the waistband portion comprising first and second ends, a first strip of hook-loop fasteners, and a second strip of hook-loop fasteners that is removably attachable to the first strip of hook-loop fasteners; and

a flap attached to an inner surface of the waistband portion, the flap being foldable over the first and second strips of hook-loop fasteners of the waistband portion when the second strip of hook-loop fasteners is removably attached to the first strip of hook-loop fasteners.

21. The sporting apparel of claim 20, wherein at least part of the first or second strip of hook-loop fasteners is integrated into a layer of the waistband portion.

22. The sporting apparel of claim 20, wherein the first or second strip of hook-loop fasteners overlays a cut-out portion of the waistband portion.

23. Sporting apparel comprising:

a waistband portion to be arranged around a wearer's waist, the waistband portion comprising first and second ends, a first Velcro portion, and a second Velcro portion that is removably attachable to the first Velcro portion, wherein at least part of the first or second Velcro portion is integrated into a layer of the waistband portion; and

a textile portion attached to the waistband portion and forming two or more legs, the textile portion comprising a third Velcro portion adjacent the first Velcro portion and a fourth Velcro portion adjacent the second Velcro portion that is removably attachable to the third Velcro portion.