EP0925729A2

EP0925729A2 - Pants or underpants

Info

Publication number: EP0925729A2
Application number: EP98204395A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Harpert Emile Steven Van Schoonhoven
Original assignee: New Design Ltd (BVI)
Current assignee: New Design Ltd (BVI)
Priority date: 1997-12-24
Filing date: 1998-12-23
Publication date: 1999-06-30
Also published as: EP0925729A3; NL1007896C2

Abstract

Described is a pair of pants (1) at least comprising a front (2) and a back which are both provided on the top side thereof with a waistband (4). At least the front (2) is herein provided with an opening (5). This opening (5) is covered by a covering member (3) which is at least partially releasable to thus provide a better accessibility of the opening (5). The pants (1) are advantageously underpants.

Description

The present invention relates to a pair of pants at least comprising a front and a back which are both provided on the top side thereof with a waistband and wherein at least the front is provided with an opening.
Such pants are generally known and are embodied in many different variations. In one variation, which is usually applied in (men's) underwear, the front of the pants comprises an opening which is covered by an overlying layer of textile which has to be deformed in order to provide access to the opening.
Particularly this latter variation has the drawback that the accessibility of the opening in the front of the pants is hindered by mutually overlying layers of textile. The textile layers must moreover be deformed not just once to obtain access to the opening but for the whole period that access to the opening is desired. It will be apparent that the pants according to the prior art are awkward to use as a result of the deformation necessary during provision of access to the opening of the pants.
The present invention has for its object to avoid the above stated drawback and provides for this purpose a pair of pants according to the preamble which is characterized in that the opening is covered by a covering member which is at least partially releasable to thus provide a better accessibility of the opening.
By providing a releasable covering member which in the released situation provides a better accessibility of the opening, the above stated drawbacks are avoided and a pair of pants is provided with a greater convenience of use. When access to the opening in the pants is required, it is possible to suffice simply with at least partial release of the covering member so that the opening is easily accessible. A significant difference from for instance a known pair of pants which is provided with a fly is that while, in the case of a pair of pants with fly, release of the fly does indeed provide a better accessibility to the opening, the opening in the front of the pants is not actually covered by a covering member as is the case in the pants according to the present invention.
In a particular embodiment the opening is at least partially uncovered when the covering member is released.
It will be apparent that in such an embodiment the accessibility of the opening is optimal, because no, or hardly any, deformation of textile layers has to take place for this purpose.
In order to release the covering member so that a better accessibility of the opening is provided, the covering member is preferably provided with releasable securing means for securing at least the releasable part of the covering member to the pants.
Such securing means can comprise diverse means known to the skilled person, such as a Velcro fastening wherein a part of the Velcro tape is fixed to the covering member while another part co-acting therewith is fixed to the waistband of the pants or to any other part of the pants. Other possible securing means comprise for instance button fastenings, press-stud fasteners and hook and eye fasteners.
The covering member advantageously comprises an at least partially releasable flap.
Such a flap is preferably made from the same material as the other part of the pants and can be at least partially folded aside after release of the securing means so that the opening in the pants becomes better accessible.
Although the pants according to the present invention can also be embodied such that the covering member is folded away sideward, it is recommended that the covering member is removed in substantially downward direction when it is released.
This embodiment has the advantage that the covering member will not spontaneously return under the influence of the gravity to the situation wherein the opening is substantially covered and difficult to access. This latter situation will only be reached when the covering member is placed manually into this position.
Although the pants according to the present invention can have diverse functions, including for instance that of shorts or track-suit trousers, in an advantageous embodiment the pants are underpants.
Such a pair of underpants can moreover comprise different designs, including those of underpants with long legs, boxer shorts and briefs. It will be apparent that this embodiment of the pants is particularly suitable for men.
The present invention will be further elucidated hereinbelow with reference to the annexed drawing, in which:

figure 1: shows schematically a pair of pants according to the present invention without covering member;
figure 2: shows schematically a pair of pants according to the present invention with covering member in the closed situation;
figure 3: shows schematically a pair of pants as according to figure 2 wherein the covering member is released; and
figure 4: shows schematically a pair of pants wherein the covering member is released and folded away so that the opening in the pants is partially uncovered.

The figures are purely schematic and not drawn to scale. Some dimensions in particular are exaggerated for the sake of clarity. In the different figures the same reference numerals are used as far as possible for similar components.
Figure 1 shows a pair of pants 1 with a front 2 and a back - not shown in the figure - which are stitched together and are provided at the top with a waistband 4. The front 2 of pants 1 is further provided with an opening 5.
Figure 2 shows the pants 1 of figure 1, provided however with a covering member 3 in the form of a layer or flap of textile material which is fixed to the pants substantially non-releasably at the bottom of the front, but which is at least partially releasable at the top to provide an easy access to opening 5 in pants 1. The substantially non-releasable fixing of covering member 3 to the pants can for instance be embodied in that covering member 3 is stitched to pants 1. In the shown embodiment the covering member 3 is stitched to the front part 2 of prints 1 along the part designated 6b, while covering member 3 is releasable from front part 2 along the part designated 6a. For at least partially releasable fastening of covering member 3 to pants 1, covering member 3 and waistband 4 of pants 1 are provided with mutually co-acting securing means 7. In the shown embodiment securing means 7 comprise Velcro tape, wherein one part 7a is fixed to covering member 3 and another part 7b is fixed to the waistband 4 of the pants. In the shown embodiment the securing means are provided on the visible outer side with a brand label. As discussed above, securing means 7 may also comprise other means known to the skilled person. Furthermore, the securing means do not necessarily have to be provided on the waistband 4 of the pants.
Figure 3 shows schematically the pants 1 according to the present invention at the moment when fastening 7 has just been released. It will be apparent that this release can take place by simply detaching the two layers of Velcro from each other or by mutually releasing the securing means in a manner suitable for this purpose. When fastening 7 has been released, covering member 3 can be removed at least partially from the front part 2 of pants I so that opening 5 becomes better accessible from above. In the shown embodiment a part of opening 5 is exposed when covering member 3 is partially removed from the front part 2 of pants 1. The exposed portion of the opening 5 can be varied in size depending on the embodiment of the pants and the manner in which covering member 3 is secured thereto.
Although the present invention is elucidated with reference to the above described embodiment, it will be apparent that the present invention is not limited thereto. The releasable covering member applied in the pants according to the present invention can thus encompass different embodiments, including that wherein the covering member can be removed from the front part of the pants in sideward direction.

Claims

Pants (1) at least comprising a front (2) and a back which are both provided on the top side thereof with a waistband (4) and wherein at least the front (2) is provided with an opening (5), characterized in that the opening (5) is covered by a covering member (3) which is at least partially releasable to thus provide a better accessibility of the opening (5).
Pants (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the opening (5) is at least partially uncovered when the covering member (3) is released.
Pants (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the covering member (3) is provided with releasable securing means (7) for securing at least the releasable part of the covering member (3) to the pants (1).
Pants (1) as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the covering member (3) comprises an at least partially releasable flap.
Pants (1) as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the covering member (3) is removed in substantially downward direction when it is released.
Pants (1) as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the pants are underpants.