GARMENT WITH IMPROVED FLY OPENING AND RELATED SYSTEM
An undergarment is configured to be wearable by a wearer and includes a waist portion positionable around a portion of the torso of the wearer. The undergarment also includes a front panel extending from the waist portion. The front panel defines a pouch portion positionable so as to extend outwardly and upwardly from an area between the legs of the wearer. The front panel further has an opening defining spaced apart lateral ends and an apex vertically disposed above the lateral ends. A flap extends from the pouch portion and defines first and second lateral edges extending away from the lateral ends of the opening to a free end of the flap. The flap is releasably attachable with a portion of the front panel adjacent the opening so as to be selectively moveable between a closed position and an open position.
Underwear has been provided in a number of different styles and configurations. Such styles and configurations are often designed or developed for optimal comfort or performance depending on varying wearer preferences and varying activities. Underwear of different types has been offered in many colors, fabrics, and of styles that provide varying level of coverage. The overall design of the different types of men's underwear, however, often follows a general layout or template within the particular configuration (e.g. briefs, boxers, boxer briefs, etc., with subtle variations in fit and styling. In particular, the fly most often included in men's underwear is usually of a particular type depending on the style of underwear. For example, boxer short style underwear often simply has a vertical fly formed by slightly overlapping portions of fabric that may or may not be enclosed by a button. In other examples both briefs and boxer briefs often provide a fly that is diagonally positioned to one side of the garment (or horizontally positioned in some cases) and is formed by a significant fabric overlap.
Often such configurations result in a fly is merely decorative and sometimes even detrimental to the product and its use. For example, some flies do not properly close and can result in exposure or escape of portions of the male body therefrom. In some instances the extra fabric from the fly may add unneeded bulkiness to the garment as well. Manny current fly configurations are so inconvenient that many people simply refuse to use it altogether, instead simply pulling down their underwear to urinate.
Most current fly configurations require opening an access point, followed by manual removal of the penis and manual reinsertion back into the undergarment. This requires contact that can be unsanitary and uncomfortable, especially in public bathrooms, as the wearer may come into contact with residual bodily fluids. Additionally, many people with disabilities have difficulty fully removing their clothing, thus making convenient accessibility of utmost importance to those who may be required to assist them. Further, in instances of athletic wear and athletic underwear in particular, people often sacrifice comfort for protection, requiring stiff and uncomfortable garments that require much time and effort to remove. Accordingly an undergarment is needed that can offer support within the undergarment, particularly in the case of men's undergarments, while being worn, and further providing a comfort and a convenient point of access therethrough.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure relates to an undergarment having a functional collapsible drawbridge-like fly that can provide convenient, easier urination as well as coverage and comfort, without unintended exposure during regular wear. The undergarment can also provide a unique aesthetic to the front portion thereof. The fly configuration described herein can be included in all types of undergarments. A method of opening and closing the fly, discussed herein, allows for convenient use of the undergarment (including opening and closing of the fly), while maintaining the placement of all contents in the undergarment during wear, and further without requiring touching of parts of the body during urination. The undergarment described herein facilitates such a method, while providing improved comfort through minimal excess bulk, and breathability through air vents therein. The fly of the garment is also associated with a pouch that can be configured in a hammock-like shape that, when opened, provides support to offer easy, comfortable access through the fly. The hammock can also be made of different materials (including hard materials such as plastic or the like, or more compliant materials such as layers of foam), which can provide protection and support in athletic and activewear garments.
An undergarment according to an aspect of the disclosure is configured to be wearable by a wearer and includes a waist portion positionable around a portion of the torso of the wearer. The undergarment also includes a front panel extending from the waist portion. The front panel defines a pouch portion positionable so as to extend outwardly and upwardly from an area between the legs of the wearer. The front panel further has an opening defining spaced apart lateral ends and an apex vertically disposed above the lateral ends. A flap extends from the pouch portion and defines first and second lateral edges extending away from the lateral ends of the opening to a free end of the flap. The flap is releasably attachable with a portion of the front panel adjacent the opening so as to be selectively moveable between a closed position, such that the flap extends over the opening, and an open position, such that the flap is withdrawn from the opening.
Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an undergarment configured to be wearable by a wearer. The undergarment and includes a waist portion positionable around a portion of the torso of the wearer. The waist portion defines a notch along a centrally disposed portion of an upper edge thereof. The undergarment can further include the above-described front panel, including the opening and flap described with respect thereto.
Turning to the drawing figures, wherein similar reference numbers are used in connection with similar features,
Returning to the undergarment 10 shown in
A front panel 22 extends downwardly from waistband 50. Front panel 22 is configured to cover and to provide support for a male wearer's body parts. Accordingly, front panel can be shaped to form a pouch or other appropriately-configured area to enclose the body parts within an area of the undergarment 10. A rear panel 22 can extend downwardly from waistband 50 opposite front panel 22 and can be configured extend over and cover at least portions of the wearer's buttocks. The front panel 22 and rear panel 20 can extend toward the area between the wearer's legs and can be attached together within such an area. In some examples, a seam can connect the front panel 22 with the rear panel 20. Such a seam can be positioned directly between the wearer's legs or to the front or back of such an area. In another example, the front panel 22 and rear panel 20 can be particular areas or a unitary piece of fabric or material that includes both the front panel 22 and the rear panel 20 and is connected with waistband 50 on both opposing sides.
Leg portions 12 and 14 are attached with front panel 22 and rear panel 20 on respective, opposite lateral sides of undergarment 20. Each of the legs 12,14 includes a leg opening defined around an edge of the lower portions of the respective legs 12,14. The legs 12,14 are generally of the same overall length, which itself can vary among examples of undergarment 10, of which some examples can have relatively short legs 12,14 (one or two inches along the inseam thereof, for example), while other examples can have relatively longer legs (4 to five or more inches, for example). Different examples of undergarment 10 having different lengths for legs 12,14 can be provided so as to be selected based on user preference. Leg portions 12,14 can be attached with front panel 22 and rear panel 20, along with waistband 50 in some examples, by corresponding seams or the like. The particular location of such seams can vary depending on the style or desired fit of the undergarment 10, and the locations thereof shown in
Undergarment 10 includes a fly 24 that is configured to provide improved overall comfort for undergarment 10 and improved access and communication between the interior and exterior thereof. In particular, fly 24 can include a flap 34 that is configured to span at least a portion of the width of front panel 22, over which it is attached on opposing sides 36,38 thereof. Flap 34 extends upwardly from the attached sides to an apex 32 vertically disposed from the attached portions of sides 36,38. As such, flap 34 has a portion thereof that is not permanently attached with the remaining portions of front panel 22 and extends over a portion of the width and height thereof.
Flap 34 is sized and positioned to cover and close an opening 26 that is also within front panel 22. As shown in
In addition, flap 34, can be a part of or otherwise extend continuously from the pouch area 46. As discussed above, the pouch area 46 can be defined within an outwardly and/or downwardly extending area in front panel 22 that can be configured to provide additional room for the male body parts, while providing a desired degree of support therefore so as to be contained within a specific area. As such, pouch area 46 and any portions of flap 34 that extend therefrom can be generally hammock-shaped. That is, the portions to the center and, in some examples, the lower-center of the front panel 22 can billow outward and/or downward of the portions thereof toward the outer portions of the front panel 22 (e.g. toward the leg portions 12,14) as in the shape of a hammock. The flap 34 can extend from pouch area 46 in a manner that continues to define the hammock-shape such that the lower center portions and relatively higher or more inward side portions come together in the area of apex 32, again in the manner of a hammock.
In such a construction, front panel 22 can include a number of different sections of fabric or the like sewn together in the configuration described above. In the example shown in
The free portion of flap 34 can be made releasably-attachable with an adjacent portion of front panel 22. In the example shown in
As shown in
The configuration of opening 26 and flap 34, discussed herein can be adapted to be included in a pair of boxer shorts, for example. Boxer shorts are typically loose-fitting undergarments that can have otherwise similar waist, front, back, and leg sections as boxer-briefs. Accordingly, the fly typically found on most types of boxer shorts can be replaced with an opening and flap combination, as shown in
Accordingly, undergarment 10 can provide a larger opening 26 for communication between the inside and outside thereof. This can be particularly useful during urination, for example, wherein a male will often leave his undergarments 10 in place, while reaching through the fly of his pants and underwear to access necessary body part(s) therefor. Often, this must be done while holding open a typical fly (which may open in a sideways manner or can additionally or alternatively require holding open of overlapping, fixed flaps), often with one hand, while “aiming” with the other hand. Undergarment 10, however, can make urination easier by providing an opening 26 that remains at least partially open by itself (i.e. by gravity causing flap 42 to fall open when unbuttoned), eliminating the need for the fly 24 to be held open. Further, the direction of opening (i.e. vertical) means that, should the user wish to hold the fly 24 open, it can be done with the same hand that is used for aiming. Even further, the flap 42 can itself be extended outwardly of the fly of the wearer's pants such that the user does not have to actually contact the penis to aim during urination, which can improve the sanitary aspects of using the bathroom, for example. Similarly, the size of opening 24 and the direction of the opening action means that at least some users can remove body parts from the undergarment 10 by simply pulling downward on flap 42 to expand the size of opening 26 such that the penis is freed from behind pouch 46 so as to move outwardly from opening 26, without having to be grasped by the wearer. Such an arrangement can also make urination easier for those who require assistance in doing so (e.g. the fully or partially disabled), by making access to the body parts within undergarment 10 easer for those assisting them.
Even with the improvements in the structure of the fly 24 described herein, some may still prefer to urinate by moving the waistband 50 downward and removing the body part over the top of the undergarment 50. To facilitate such action, undergarment 10, and other examples of undergarment with or without similar structures of fly 24, can include a notch 52 formed in waistband 50. A waistband with a straight upper edge can make such action difficult by requiring movement of waistband 50 over a great distance. Such a waistband can also present difficulty in aiming and can disrupt the flow during urination. Notch 52 can provide a place for body parts to rest during over the top urination and can reduce the distance of movement for waistband 50 to achieve such a position, which can help the user aim and can be less disruptive to flow. The notch can, for example, have a depth of about 50% of the overall height of the waistband 50. In an example, waistband can be about 1.25″ high, and notch 52 can have a depth of about 0.75″. Further, notch 52 can have a width about equal to the height of waistband 50 (e.g. 1.25″ in the example given). Other configurations are possible and can be made to provide adequate strength of waistband 50, overall, and to allow for the shape and structure of notch 52 to be maintained during wearing of undergarment 10 (or another undergarment including a similar notch 52).
A variation of the undergarment described above is shown in
As shown in
The closure mechanism 70 incorporated into fly 64 can also vary from that included in fly 24. In particular, fly 64, which can be intended to be external to any clothing, can include a closure 70 that extends along the entire free portion of flap 68. In the example shown, a zipper is used for closure 70, and extends around the mating peripheries of flap 68 and opening 66. In another example, flap 68 can be triangular and can have two zippers on either side thereof that meet at an apex of flap 68 when closed. In yet another example, flap 68 can be rectangular in shape and can include zippers on opposite sides thereof. The upper edge of such a rectangular flap can close, for example, using a hook-and-eye closure. In such examples, a flexible piece of material (such as webbing, a cord or the like) can connect between zippers to provide easy simultaneous opening and closing thereof.
When opened, as shown in
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. An undergarment, comprising:
- a waist portion positionable around a portion of the torso of a wearer; and
- a front panel extending from the waist portion, the front panel defining a pouch portion positionable so as to extend outwardly and upwardly from an area between the legs of the wearer, the front panel further including an opening defining an edge with spaced apart lateral ends and an apex vertically disposed above the lateral ends and a flap extending from the pouch portion and defining first and second lateral edges detached from the edges of the opening and extending away from the lateral ends of the opening to a free end of the flap;
- wherein the flap is releasably attachable with a portion of the front panel adjacent the opening so as to be selectively moveable between a closed position, such that the flap extends over the opening, and an open position, such that the flap is withdrawn from the opening.
2. The undergarment of claim 1, further including a back panel extending from the flap at the portion thereof positionable between the legs of the wearer and connecting with the waist portion opposite the front panel.
3. The undergarment of claim 1, further including first and second leg portions partially extending from opposing sides of the front panel and positionable around portions of respective legs of the wearer.
4. The undergarment of claim 1, the first and second lateral edges of the flap are substantially equal in respective lengths thereof.
5. The undergarment of claim 4, wherein the lengths of the first and second lateral edges of the flap are at least 1.5″.
6. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the front panel includes an upper portion and a lower portion that includes the pouch and the flap, the upper portion and the lower portion being of separate pieces of material that are sewn together along portions thereof.
7. The undergarment of claim 6, wherein the lower portion is attached to the upper portion along an edge of the lower portion that extends from the lateral edges of the flap.
8. The undergarment of claim 6, wherein the lower portion is attached to the upper portion along an edge of the upper portion that extends from the edge of the opening.
9. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein first and second gores extend between portions of respective lateral edges of the flap and corresponding portions of the edge of the opening.
10. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the undergarment is generally configured as a pair of boxer shorts.
11. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the undergarment is generally configured as one of a pair of briefs or boxer-briefs.
12. A garment, comprising:
- a waist portion positionable around a portion of the torso of the wearer, the waist portion defining a notch disposed along a central portion of an upper edge thereof; and
- a front panel extending outwardly and upwardly from an area between the legs of the wearer to attach with the waist portion along an area including the central portion;
- wherein the notch extends inward relative to the waist portion in a direction away from the upper edge toward the front panel through at least 50% of a thickness of the waist portion.
13. The garment of claim 12, wherein the waist portion is a waistband including an elastic member extending around a perimeter thereof, the notch being defined at least in the elastic member.
14. The garment of claim 13, wherein the waistband includes a resiliently stretchable fabric sheath surrounding the elastic member, and wherein the notch is defined in portions of the elastic member and the fabric sheath.
15. The garment of claim 12, wherein the notch extends along a width thereof in a direction parallel to the upper edge of the waist portion, the width being at least 1″.
16. The garment of claim 12, wherein:
- the garment is an undergarment;
- the front panel defines a pouch portion including the portion of the front panel that extends outwardly and upwardly from an area between the legs of the wearer, the front panel further including an opening defining an edge with spaced apart lateral ends and an apex vertically disposed above the lateral ends and a flap extending from the pouch portion and defining first and second lateral edges detached from the edges of the edge of the opening and extending away from the lateral ends of the opening to a free end of the flap; and
- the flap is releasably attachable with a portion of the front panel adjacent the opening so as to be selectively moveable between a closed position, such that the flap extends over the opening, and an open position, such that the flap is withdrawn from the opening.
17. A system, comprising:
- an inner garment, including: a waist portion positionable around a portion of the torso of a wearer; and a front panel extending from the waist portion, the front panel including an inner opening defining an edge with spaced apart lateral ends and an apex vertically disposed above the lateral ends and an inner flap defining first and second lateral edges detached from the edges of the inner opening and extending away from the lateral ends thereof to a free end of the inner flap;
- an outer garment, including an outer opening, the garment being positionable on a wearer over the inner garment with the outer opening aligned with the inner opening, the outer garment further including an outer flap with lateral edges extending to an apex, the lateral edges and apex being positionable adjacent the lateral edges of the inner flap, and the outer flap being configured to selectively open and close the outer opening; and
- a connector configured to releasably attach the flap of the inner garment with the flap of the outer garment such that the selective opening and closing of the outer opening by the outer flap also causes the inner flap to correspondingly open and close the inner opening.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the front panel of the inner garment defines a pouch portion positionable so as to extend outwardly and upwardly from an area between the legs of the wearer, the inner flap extending from the pouch portion.
19. The system of claim 17, wherein the outer flap is configured to substantially close the outer opening by one of a hook and eye fastener or a zipper.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the inner flap includes a button hole that is selectively attachable with a button attached with the front portion of the inner garment adjacent the opening and a button attached on an inside of the outer flap.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 13, 2013
Publication Date: Mar 19, 2015
Applicant: Drawbridge Worldwide LLC (New York, NY)
Inventor: Harrison Ferber (New York, NY)
Application Number: 14/026,189
International Classification: A41B 9/14 (20060101); A41B 9/02 (20060101);